Author Archives: Scott Smith

The Flash: Borrowing problems from the future.

Tonight’s midseason return for The Flash brought back the fun of the show I like but also some of the extra worry that Mr Barry Allen seems to be always strapped with. The episode is titled Borrowing Problems From the Future. That’s exactly the gimmick the writers have been relying on for the past season. Anytume they solve a problem for Barry, they delve it to what if’s or what could be if Team Flash doesn’t make the right decision. It’s a small departure from Flashpoint where Barry change timelines by going into the past but in the end, isn’t he still meddling with the timeline?

The time travel stuff has always been one of the shows strong points but we are quickly losing the team dynamic and fun of earlier episodes in favor of a brooding Barry staffed only with saving Iris and those he loves. Sometimes I just want to watch him run, and not always in the timestream.

Still it’s the only CW show I’m still following and one of the few shows I can’t wait to watch with Milo when he’s older. Till next week.

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Asheville Zine Fest sponsor Woolly Press

Please support Woolly Press as they have supported our little con Asheville Zine Fest


Woolly Press

Established in 2013 by Mica Mead and Colin Sutherland, Woolly Press is a risograph publisher and print shop based in Asheville, North Carolina. Utilizing a Riso RP 3700 digital duplicator. Woolly Press has produced a variety of publications, products, and artist prints of family and friend’s works, as well as regional and nationally based artists. Woolly Press strives to provide an outlet that supports original content, displays high quality creative technique, and an excellence in printing with a commitment to the environment.
Woolly Press

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Sherlock season 4


Finished the latest season of Sherlock. This season relies less on visual tricks and imagery to make it modern and just tells a good detective story. Some of it is contrived and twists the regularity we expect from the characters. Watson takes the most hits as he starts the season almost having an affair making him less of the noble sidekick we’ve come to expect. Mycroft also plays a larger role in these three mini movies adding a new dynamic of brother versus friend versus brother.
The show has one poor choice of cgi during the third episode but otherwise passes its BBC production to look like anything Hollywood would produce.
It’s always nice to have more Mr. Holmes and Mr Watson so for that alone this is worth a watch.
Sherlock: Series Four

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Hawkeye Vol 2. Little Hits


Hawkeye Volume 2, collecting issues 6-11 of the series by Matt Fraction and David Aja tells five individual stories that all continue the story of our down on his luck Avenger just trying to live his life as a New York City landlord, while dealing with his protege Kate Bishop, Ex’s who just happen to be Superheroes, a Mobster who wants him dead, and his dog Lucky.

The story doesnt feel like your normal superhero fare and the amazing art by David Aja looks like it would fit more in a Chris Ware comic than a Marvel one really helps the series stand out. Theres a great issue about the effect of Hurricane Sandy on the New Jersey coast and issue 11 tells the entire story from a dog’s view of the human world.

One of the best solo Avenger stories of this decade continues with the volume, and the best part of it is, there’s no superheroics to be found in its pages.
Hawkeye, Vol. 2: Little Hits

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The Killing Joke


Watched this animated adaptation last night and it left me wishing i had just reread the much more interesting comic of the same name. Where the comic takes the Batman universe and treats it with serious respect, this cartoon adaptation misteps by adding romance between Batman and Batwoman and uses sexual influence to what should already be a powerful story. Batman and Joker were always the story here and things get muddled, and even sexist with what they do with the cartoon adaption. It’s sad as many of the voice actors from the phenomenal Batman: The Animated Series, are here but their talent and ownerships of these legends get lost by bad storytelling.
As such I can’t recommend you viewing it, unless you are a Bat completionist. Pick up the book instead.

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Current Games with Gold

From now until the end of January current subscribers to Xbox Live Gold can get two games for Free.

The first is season 2 of Killer Instinct for Xbox one. I find this as not a full game as your just getting 8 fighters for the game and if you want the complete experience you’ll have to buy more from the store. Still it’s a tremendous fighter and plays well in multiplayer. An added bonus it comes with the original Killer Instinct 2 from the arcade days. The fighter hasn’t held up well over time and what was once a great game is slow and chugs along compared to modern fighters. But as a novelty add on it’s fine.

The other free game is the wonderful Rayman Origins a star for sidescrolling adventure platformers. Released in 2011 you’d still be hard pressed to find a nicer looking 2d platformer. This one shines in the gameplay department and is well worth the download.

I’d say the older game is the one worth your time for this half of the months lineup. Here’s looking forward to a great year of free games on Xbox Live.

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East Carolina Football :The Book


Got this awesome ECU book for Christmas. It’s part of the Images of Sports series and contains 128 pages of historical photos and captions of the history of East Carolina Pirate Football.
The book only spends about 5 pages on Pirate football past the 1991 season so for someone like me who went to school from 1996-2000 this is a neat history lesson to see where Pirate football began and how far we’ve come.
Some of the pictures are truly fascinating especially the section on our early games at the old College Stadium. I’ve walked that part of campus many times, and I could never picture how they would have football games there.
If you are a Pirate fan this book is worth the $15 for nostalgia alone and for a little knowledge on the roots of the Purple and Gold.
Get your copy here. East Carolina University Football (Images of Sports)

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Paddington


Watched Paddington the other day with Milo. What should be a cute kids movie is actually quite funny when you add in every British actor of this generation. Seeing Peter Capaldi as the grumpy neighbor, one wonders if this is during a time period where the Doctor lost his memory for a while.

It’s also pretty great how they handle an out of place a bear would be in modern day london. Most people don’t bat an eye. “Oh a police bear. ” “There seems to be a lost bear there”. The actors all state it matter of fact, as if a common happening, or just general lack of surprise. The effect is Paddington just blends seamlessly into the world thanks in large part to some great cgi.

We don’t get many of these live action family movies anymore so it’s really great to rekindle that feeling that old movies like Swiss Family Robinson or Mary Poppins has. If you have children this is a good movie for the entire family.
Watch it here.

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Wendy’s Buddy Crates


Wendy’s happy meals currently come with these buddy crates as the toy. What’s super cool about them is they are made up of the box they come in.

When you open the box you get the eyes, which are made of plastic, a sheet of six stickers, one crayon and instructions. Everything else you need is the box itself.

It’s a simple proccess to put together and the crayon and sticker make it so everyone can be different depending on how creative you want to get.


As so many Happy Meal toys end up in landfills and flea market bins it’s nice to have a creative outlet one like this that actually involves some creative output and construction.

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