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contents 9

GAMING FOCUS

DOES HOLLYWOOD FEAR THE SUPER WOMAN?

DAREDEVIL

ANIME AWARDS

GEEK FANTASY GIRL Jeana Turner

DC TRINITY

EPIC COSPLAYER

GAME OF THRONES

EPIC COSLAYER

COVER MODEL MELISSA RISO

TONY STARK’S GARAGE

Focus on Overwatch, The Best Games of 2015, Looking Forward To 2016 Gaming and The Best Mobile Gaming Apps.

Netflix shows us Season 2 of one of their highest rated shows...and our brains exploded. We hand out our most unique yet deserving titles.

44 34

Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman.

Candy Valentina

Getting ready for Season 6 with Cosplay Looks from Amy Lee Summers

Sea of Rabbitz

KTM X-Box GT Roadster

SUPERPOWERS Take Your Pick!

FEATURE - DEADPOOL

Fan-Girl Elizabeth Smith talks Deadpool and we give a 411 on the 4th-wall-breaking comic character!

2016 MAR/APR | GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM 03

CONTROLLERS

TECH

APPAREL

DECALS

Copyright © 2016. Geek Fantasy Magazine is published bi-monthly by NINE REALMS MEDIA, LLC in cooperation with Darkroom Studios, LLC. March/April 2016. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written consent of the publisher is strictly prohibited. ISSN 2372-7446 [Print] ISSN 2372-7462 [Online] For Advertising: [emailprotected] Printed by: MagCloud Publishing 3000 Hanover Street, MS 1051 Palo Alto, CA 94304 Available in digital format at: GeekFantasyMag.com Subscription available on Magzter.com CREATIVE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Jaime Morton-Hawley DIVISIONS EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Mike Casals ILLUSTRATOR Brad Marshall Wilson WRITER CONTRIBUTIONS Thomas Riccardi Ali El Sayed Chad Hibbins Mike Casals

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Being a geek means never having to play it cool about how much you like something.

COVER MODEL Melissa Riso COVER PHOTOGRAPHER Michael Oliveri COVER COSPLAYER Amy Lee Summers COVER COSPLAY PHOTOGRAPHER Matt Barnes FEATURED MODELS Jeana Turner Diana Levy Jeni Summers COSPLAY MODELS Amy Lee Summers Sea of Rabbitz Holly Wolf Nataliee G Candy Valentina FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHERS Matt Barnes Terry Cullen Think. NU Jim Reckard Mike Wu Justine Bennett TONY STARK’S GARAGE PHOTOGRAPHER Jordi Miranda ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTORS + SPECIAL THANK YOU Lucky Sin Spencer’s Play N Trade Nadia Mitchel Amie Lyver Flo Foxworthy Showgirl Boutique Circle of Wolves Jewellery Props to Powerloaders Custom Costumes

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GAMING

GAME ! With the current gaming evolution, it appears the days of the side-scroller are behind us, but we don’t think that’s such a bad thing. With the new wave of gaming consoles and savvy fans pushing towards true-life simulation, sooner than later, no one will be able to know the difference between reality and a high score... 08 GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM | 2016 MAR/APR

JENI SUMMERS

Jeni is wielding an Xbox One controller and a PS4 controller. Crop-top by Spencer’s.

2016 MAR/APR | GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM

GAMING

best of 2015

WHETHER YOU LOVE HIGH CONCEPT INDIE TITLES OR TRIPLE-A BLOCKBUSTERS, 2015 WAS A FANTASTIC YEAR FOR GAMING. GAMES LIKE THE WITCHER 3: THE WILD HUNT, METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN, ROCKET LEAGUE, HER STORY, AND UNDERTALE MANAGED TO PUSH THE ENVELOPE AND REDEFINE THEIR GENRES, WHILE OTHERS DIDN’T DO SO WELL. by ALI EL SAYED

GAMING SPOTLIGHT

by THOMAS RICCARDI

Tales from the Borderlands brings everything we love from the original series and mixes it with an over-the-top adventure story. The characters are brimming with life, masterfully voiced by industry legends to bring out their unique personalities. The game also features a spectacular soundtrack that makes each set piece even more exciting. So jump into the shoes of a Hyperion corporate rat and a Pandoran scam artist and join them as they cross paths to try and save an unlikely friend.

Blizzard has released some of the most iconic titles in gaming history with dungeon crawlers like Diablo to World of Warcraft having surpassed over two million subscribers. At last year’s BlizzCon they made a number of announcements but there was one that no one was prepared for.

3 http://us.battle.net/overwatch/en/

You could say Rocket League is a sports game, but it’s no ordinary sports game. It mixes football with car racing, and somehow, makes it work. It was undoubtedly one of the best multiplayer experiences last year. In every match, either with someone you met online or your buddies, you had an absolute blast. The thrill of speeding across the field in search of a goal is exhilarating, and the variety of unlockables and different maps keeps things consistently interesting.

On face value, Until Dawn is a cheesy teenage horror-slasher that has all the horror tropes you can think of. Once you dig deeper, you will find an engaging story where each and every one of your decisions matters. You will not only decide the fate of your character, but seven other characters too as you hide-andseek from the horrors that are haunting you. Each decision you make will affect your relationship with the other characters, their safety, and their lives. Definitely a game to play in the dark, allalone, with some popcorn.

They announced a new property called Overwatch, an online FPS. (That’s First Person Shooter for the uninitiated.) As the world teetered on the brink of destruction, an International task force rose up to help restore order. Calling themselves Overwatch, this peacekeeping force was made out of adventurers who fought to restore order. They ushered in a new age of peace and prosperity and when their job was done they were disbanded. Half of the team kept trying to preserve peace but the other half looked for work as mercenaries or guns for hire. This new game is a class based FPS that you can play online with two teams of six. The classes range from Offense, Defense, Tank and Support and each of the heroes has its own play style. From taking out enemies with a hybrid sniper / assault rifle to constructing turrets there is always a way to support your team. And I stress that this is a team based game as you will need to either capture points or escort a payload throughout the map. The three maps that are available are based on locations such as London, Japan, and Egypt. There is no team death match mode in this game as the developers wanted to stress that this is a team based game.

The Phantom Pain is the kind of game I thought would never exist - one where every minute of gameplay detail has true purpose. Its lack of story focus is sure to be divisive for the Metal Gear faithful, but the resulting emphasis on my story, my tales of espionage action, easily make it my favorite in the series. There have certainly been sandbox action games that have given me a bigger world to roam, or more little icons to chase on my minimap, but none have pushed me to plan, adapt, and improvise the way this one does. Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain doesn’t just respect my intelligence as a player, it expects it of me, putting it in a league that few others occupy.

1 It isn’t every year that a game manages to redefine a genre single handedly. The Witcher 3, with it’s incredible combat system, an intimate and personal story, and a fresh open-world devoid of regular RPG tropes and garbage side quests, quite easily achieves that.

10 GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM | 2016 MAR/APR

CD Projekt Red’s ability to deliver reams of excellent dialogue and storytelling beats is well transferred to The Witcher 3, which takes players on a fascinating journey across superbly detailed fantasy worlds like the bustling city of Novigard, the crude and dangerous swamps of Nelen and more, all brimming with character and personality of their own.

What The Witcher 3 does best, though, is its penchant for delivering quests (and sidequests) that hold meaning, which progresses the story forward, and adds to the layers of storytelling, enhancing it. ‘The Bloody Baron’ quest is a perfect example of this, weaving a tale of heartbreak, emotional degradation and hard visual imagery that tugs at your heart and makes you pause for a while. It will be a while before we will see a game of such quality and accomplishment as The Witcher 3. It absolutely deserves our Game of the Year 2015.

HERE WE GO... I don’t really have a favorite game but if you were to nag me for an answer I’d probably say Ratchet & Clank. The universe that Naughty Dog created for the game is colorful, funny, and unique. I love the characters and their chemistry with each other and the voice acting was always spot-on. The stories are engaging and filled with a wonderful sense of adventure, combining challenging platforming with explosive melee combat. But what I probably like most of all is the creative weaponry. There has been no shortage of Ratchet & Clank games in the past, but I’m incredibly excited for the reboot (and the movie) to dive into that world again and re-experience the origin story of my favorite gaming duo.

Each of the characters has a primary attack and a few other powers but they also have an ultimate ability. This ability charges up during play and when it is unleashed it can turn the tide of battle in an instant. These abilities range from dealing a massive amount of damage over an area with missiles, to marking where the enemies are on the map for a short period of time. Also, depending on the hero you choose, some have various travel powers that can aid you in combat. For example: Widowmaker has a grappling hook that she can use to get to higher ground to better snipe her foes.

Doom was an easy pick for me as my most anticipated game of this year. Sure, nostalgia is in play here, but I am also excited to see where Bethesda will take this series. If the revival is as good as Wolfenstein: The New Order, I will be more than happy. As of now, very little is known about the new Doom but I am hoping that it offers a fantastic horror experience filled with gigantic monsters to slaughter and an exciting world to explore, much like the old Dooms of yore. I am also looking forward to the multiplayer, which seems to bring back the maniacal fast-paced shooting experience of Unreal and Quake, with loud, over-the-top weapons and bouts of gore. BRING IT!

As of right now no one knows if Overwatch is going to be free to play or not but the game is still in the early phases of development. If this game does go free to play I can see lots of people going out and picking this up and playing it because of this game’s focus on being part of a team instead of just racking up kills like the other online FPS’s out there. There have been games that I have played where one person can just pummel the entire opposing team and everyone else feels left out. I can see this game shaping the future of online FPS’s and even taking its spot at the competitive level. Also the ability for Blizzard to come out with new heroes excites me as who knows what they are going to come up with next?

BETA Goes Live Early Access May 3, 2016.

Official Game Release on: May 24, 2016

We will see you there!

GAMING IN 2016

AND THAT’S THAT FOR THE YEAR 2015, BUT WHAT ABOUT THIS YEAR? THERE ARE TONS OF GAMES RELEASING THIS YEAR, ALL PROMISING SOME AMAZING ADVENTURES, AND UNIQUE GAMEPLAY MECHANICS. AT GF, WE ARE ALL EXCITED FOR ONE GAME OR ANOTHER, SO WE ALL DECIDED TO PUT OUR FEELINGS TO WORDS AND PRESENT TO YOU, OUR MOST ANTICIPATED GAMES.

The original Mirror’s Edge was easily one of the best games back in 2008, but slightly underrated. I remember getting my hands on a copy of the game, and the whole new concept of first person parkour had me glued to my seat, except for the occasional moments where I would get up or jump back. Mirror’s Edge also had some of the best graphics, which are amazing even today. This makes the reboot, Mirror’s Edge Catalyst, my most anticipated game of 2016. Improved graphics, smoother running as well as an open world gameplay mechanic seem to be exactly what the series needed. I only hope that they do not try to alter the anime-esque style of the game, or try to incorporate an overrated multiplayer element, because some games are good with just a single player campaign. Whether you’re a hardcore fan or new to the series, you can’t ignore how exciting a new game from Naughty Dog is. Uncharted 4 is hotly anticipated for multiple reasons. Naughty Dog have succeeded in raising the bar of our expectations for top notch games since the days of Crash Bandicoot. This will be their first game for PlayStation 4, built from the ground up to take advantage of the power of the system, and the game looks absolutely amazing. With those impressive graphics and physics engine, the set pieces are bound to be jaw dropping. The game also packs an unbelievably addictive multiplayer mode that received a lot of praise when the beta launched last month. Finally, this will mark the last entry in the series, and I personally can’t wait to see how the story of the infamous treasure hunter will end, especially after seeing what Neil Druckmann and his team can do with the stories and characters in The Last Of Us. Stuck in development hell for years, Final Fantasy XV will at last see the light of day in 2016. With a car full of friends out for an adventure and a real-time combat system, this game feels like it could be a return to form. It will also have incredible graphics akin to those of Final Fantasy: Advent Children. There are also some feuding empires in the background threatening to shatter the peace, but that only adds to the grandiose stage and impossible odds that Final Fantasy games construct so well. If this title lives up to the hype, it should hopefully bring Japanese RPGs back into the spotlight. cont. pg 12

by ALI EL SAYED

2016 MAR/APR | GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM

GAMING

While Quantum Break has had a bit of a rocky start, it looks like we’ll finally get our hands on Remedy Entertainment’s next game. Their last game, Alan Wake, is quite an under-appreciated title but it just did so many things right with its story telling and Quantum Break looks to do more of the same. The time-bending adventure looks to be a wild ride and a potential must play title for the Xbox One.

Mobile Nerding SOME OF US REMEMBER A TIME WHEN WE WOULD GRAB A COMIC... A BOOK... OR EVEN A MAGAZINE WHEN WE NEEDED A LITTLE SOMETHING TO PASS THE TIME WHILE SITTING ON THE JOHN. NOW, ANYONE AND EVERYONE CAN BE FOUND IN THAT SAME CLASSIC POSITION WITH THEIR FACES BURIED IN THEIR MOBILE PHONE PLAYING A GAME, CHECKING THEIR EMAIL OR UPDATING THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES UNTIL THEY REALIZE THEY’VE LOST FEELING IN THEIR LEGS. GEEK FANTASY HAS FOUND A FAR BETTER SOLUTION FOR FOR THIS AGE-LONG ISSUE. We completely understand there are a huge number of apps out there so we consider it a gift to scour through them all and find what we consider the best for our readers. You’re welcome. We also understand that many of these apps do relatively the same thing, but we are sure that these are some of the top options worthy of a download, not only for the membership options, but for the general contents, variety of app options, and so much more.

Do you love challenging and extremely difficult games? Do you like dying so many times that it drives you crazy? Then you’re probably looking forward to the upcoming action RPG Dark Souls III! The Souls series got famous since its first installment on old gen consoles for how difficult it was, and it’s that difficulty that has contributed to its success and lasting appeal. The upcoming installment will not be any different. Hidetaka Miyazaki, the man behind the series, returns to work on the third part after taking a break from the second one to work on Bloodborne. I anticipate that Bloodborne’s success will reflect on Dark Souls III and we’ll see some changes inspired by it such as a faster combat system and a bigger reliance on parrying. That being said, I also anticipate revisiting the unique style of the Dark Souls series that makes it stand out from other games in the genre. Stay tuned for a truly remarkable experience in April 2016.

Marvel Unlimited is a subscription service from Marvel that allows you access into their GIGANTIC archives of comic history, letting you read and download individual issues of your favorite back issues. They don’t quite have everything that you could want in there but it is definitely worth the price of admission for most Marvel fans. If you are looking to study up on your history of certain heroes that you may have forgotten a lot about (yes, we are talking about Dr. Strange) or just want to experience the thrill ride of a specific story arc that you loved back in the day, this is definitely the way to go. The app lets you store up to 12 issues at a time on your device for those long plane trips, car rides, or those day long trips to the bathroom after deciding Taco Bell was a good choice. The only gripe we have with this amazing application is the lack of current issues but with the entire Marvel collection at the swipe of a finger, who can really complain? The Marvel Unlimited app will set you back $9.99 per month for access to over 15,000 comics filled with Marvel history.

by MIKE CASALS

Here comes another awesome product from Marvel! Marvel shows its dominance over the realm of mobile gaming with this completely free app that is good for both Android and IOS users. Contest of Champions puts you in the position of “Summoner” in a contest being run by a being called the Collector that pits Marvel heroes and villains against each other for the amusement of an unknown entity of great power! You must collect crystals to unlock different champions for you to use in your quest to win this contest and the right to face the creator of this challenge for the fate of existence. The roster of heroes and villains is getting bigger with every new update and includes some of the biggest names in Marvel! Captain America, Spider-Man, The Hulk, and more are all at your fingertips to battle in the Story Quests, Vs Arena, or even against other Summoner’s strongest champion! The champions are broken down into 6 different classes depending on their character origins. WARNING: This game is highly addictive. Recently, they have introduced alliances to the game. Alliances are teams of no more than 30 Summoners that work together to help each other and 12 GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM | 2016 MAR/APR

A few years ago, Comixology was the go-to app for downloading and reading your brand new comics for most of the digital comic book fans. You would download the app for free, create your free account, and go on to purchase whatever comics you wanted and read those comics within seconds. Until one day, Apple decided that they had enough of this third party app taking in all of this money and wanted a piece of the action. The board members got together with Amazon and came to the conclusion that they would no longer offer In-App purchases, instead sending you to a separate site where you would have to create another account, to then go back to Comixology (which would usually sign you out) to try and sync up the accounts. Sounds annoying and less than ideal right? Digital comics are all about the ease of use and convenience. Once you take away the convenience, what reason do people have to download your app or go through annoying processes to read their comics? Personally, we are still fans and advocates of the printed comics (and magazines nudge nudge wink wink) and have no problem buying our comics from a shop, but what about for the people out there without easy access to those shops? Here’s hoping Comixology is able to get back to the old way of doing business and give us back their amazing product.

GBA4IOS is an emulator app that formerly was only available through free download online and you had to use a date/ time hack on your phone in order to get it to work. It was a great emulator but was plagued by the fact that the newer IOS systems would try to purge the app and render the emulator un-useable. Luckily, the creators finally made an agreement with Apple and were able to create a version that would not get purged and would run like a champ….for a price. IEmulators. com now offers you access to not just GBA4IOS, but to numerous other emulators including Provenance, a highly praised SNES emulator, for the small price of $9.99 a year! That’s a YEAR, not a month, and believe us, it’s worth it. The emulation from GBA4IOS is extremely fluid and offers features like sustained button pressing, i.e. holding the “R” button for you, and Save States. Save states are an incredible feature to have especially on a mobile gaming device. Open the app and play when you can, saving your state when you have to stop at any time! Open it back up and start exactly at the frame you saved. This option is also great for the players that enjoy exploring every option to their games and have a tendency to go a little too hard too fast and die. The only real negatives to the GBA4IOS are that you have to pay to get it, and more importantly, you have to have an IPhone to use it. Sorry Android users.

defeat Alliance quests. We should note that what happens in the MCU is mirrored here in Contest of Champions. Be warned though, that in order to find strong champions, it will take a lot of patience, farming, and in the end, you may not get the champion that you were looking for. The champions are ranked from 1 to 4 stars where 1 is the weakest and 4 is the strongest, and each star level has ranks within it as well. The difference in potential from a 1 to a 4 star champion is immense and 4 star champs are extremely rare to most people playing the game. In order to properly do this article (and to have a lot of fun) we played this game for roughly 5 or 6 months. We were only able to collect 1 4 star champion. ONE. Granted, with this latest update, we were able to receive a few 3 star champs and the rewards for completing quests and completely exploring the quests could get you a 4 star now, so things are looking up. Hopefully, Marvel doesn’t put all of its focus on their new game Marvel Future Fight (cause it’s pretty bad) and opens up some new Acts in their story quests. Oh and did we mention that this game is absolutely FREE to play? Great work Marvel. We’re proud of you!

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fanartexhibit.com [emailprotected] • @fanartexhibit 2016 SPECIAL APR/MAY EDITION | GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM 2015 GEEK FANTASY 13

COMMUNITY

FEAR THE SUPER WOMAN IT’S TIME TO SIT DOWN AND LOOK OURSELVES IN THE MIRROR. HELLO THERE YOU BEAUTIFUL GEEK YOU. YOU’RE LOOKING FINE TODAY. LOOK AT THAT... WAIT, WE ARE LOSING FOCUS HERE. LET’S GET BACK ON TASK. WE HAVE TO LOOK OURSELVES IN THE MIRROR AND ASK OURSELVES THE SERIOUS QUESTIONS. REALLY SERIOUS. EXTRA, SUPER SERIOUS. WHAT IS THERE TO FEAR? @LEVYDIANA 14 GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM | 2016 MAR/APR

WHO DESERVES A SOLO MOVIE? CAPTAIN MARVEL. THIS LEGENDARY MARVEL SUPERHERO NOT ONLY HAS OFF-THE-CHART POWERS, SHE HAS A SOLO-TITLED COMIC AND IS, LET’S FACE IT, HOT. THE MOVIE HAS ALREADY BEEN GREENLIT, FITS PERFECTLY INTO THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE AND CASTING RUMORS INCLUDING ACTRESS CHARLIZE THERON. WE ARE 100% ON BOARD. WONDER WOMAN. OKAY, WE’RE CHEATING. PRINCIPLE FILMING IS DONE AND A TEASER TRAILER HAS ALREADY BEEN RELEASED. THIS ICONIC DC SUPERHERO IS NOMINATED BECAUSE THIS MOVIE IS LONG... LONG OVERDUE. HOW MANY BATMAN MOVIES ARE THERE AND YET NO WONDER WOMAN? SERIOUSLY? FAIL. SHE-HULK. THIS VIBRANT SUPERHERO HAS A STRONG PERSONALITY WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE PLAY OFF OF MARK RUFFALO’S HULK CHARACTER IN THE MCU, NOT TO MENTION HOW USEFUL SHE WOULD BE, NOT ONLY IS HER STRENGTH AN ASSET, SHE’S A LAYWER AS WELL. ZATANNA. SHE COULD ROLL OUT ALL BY HERSELF IN A SOLO-MOVIE. THIS DC CHARACTER PLAYS WELL TO MOVIES FOR TWO REASONS: MAGIC IS AWESOME AND WHO DOESN’T LOVE FISHNETS? BUT SERIOUSLY, SHE IS POWERFUL, HAS TIES TO THE JUSTICE LEAGUE AND THE JSA, AND HAD HER OWN COMIC. AND THE CHARACTER HERSELF HAS AWESOME FRIENDS TO FILL OUT ADDITIONAL STORYLINES. AND... BLACK WIDOW? THIS HAS BEEN A DEBATE AS SHE IS PRESENT IN SEVERAL OF THE MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT MOVIES SO HER OWN SOLO FLICK COULD HAPPEN SINCE HER CHARACTER HAS ALREADY BEEN INTRODUCED... BUT DOES THAT MEAN IT WOULD WORK? SADLY, THE CHARACTER WAS INTRODUCED AS A SUPPORTING ROLE, AS THE FEMALE SUPERHEROS TYPICALLY ARE. THE ONLY COURSE WOULD BE AN ORIGINS MOVIE THAT WAS MADE LIKE SOME SORT OF BOND FLICK. IT WOULD BE A SUPER-SPY GENRE DRIVEN MOVIE. SADLY, WE’RE NOT SURE THAT TYPE OF MOVIE WOULD APPEASE THE COMIC-GEEK COMMUNITY.

n the past few years we have seen an influx of ladies taking a larger and larger role role within the movies we watch and the comics that we read. It is a known fact that there are a vast number of nerds and geeks who are female and it seems that the “powers that be” are finally beginning to realize it. The trio of the most popular heroes in the DC Universe has been shown (go ahead and look up “DC Trinity”) to be Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman and this has been the case for YEARS. So why is it that there hasn’t been a quality solo movie featuring the Amazonian?

ure, you can try and make the case that they gave her a chance with the TV show... and that was how long ago? She is a big enough character to not only have her own comic and be an irreplaceable part of the Justice League, but to also be important enough to replace Lois Lane as the girlfriend of the Man of Steel. Come on folks, they aren’t the biggest “power couple” in comics just because they can kick everyone else’s butts from here to the remnants of Krypton. Women in general have looked to her as a role-model of what a powerful woman is supposed to be: strong, intelligent, confident and secure in a world that has been dominated by men. She commands respect without having to say a word.

erhaps DC should take a page from Marvel’s playbook as Marvel is pushing the ladies hard in all forms of their media. The response to the character of Agent Peggy Carter in the Captain America movie was so positive that Marvel listened and gave her her own TV series! Oh, and that series? It’s currently holding the time slot for another of Marvel’s female heavy shows; Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which has shifted its focus onto the character of “Agent Skye”. In the cinemas, Marvel gave Captain America a partner in his latest outing in the form of Natasha Romanov aka the Black Widow which makes it a trio of films with her appearances growing longer and larger every time. Kevin Feige has already confirmed that she will play a “lynchpin” part in the rest of the Avengers saga of movies with Black Widow appearing in both the next Avengers movie, as well as Captain America: Civil War. Is that not enough lady love for you? In 2018 we will see Marvel’s first solo female hero movie, Captain Marvel.

ven in movies that are supposed to be all about the male superhero, the supporting female is taking the show. For example, in the Amazing Spider-Man movies Gwen Stacy is shown as a strong, confident woman who loves a hero, but is not afraid to speak her mind. The viewers loved her so much that they had to cut out another strong female, Mary Jane, from the second movie entirely! A similar situation happened in the comic world during the Spider-Verse story arc. A female Spider-Person was introduced as none other than Gwen Stacy from an alternate universe. Fan reaction to the character was strong and the cries for a “Spider-Gwen” movie could be heard throughout Geekdom, with the result being that Marvel decided to give her her own solo comic! Power to the people!

e don’t want to come off as DC haters as we love DC! We stayed fans throughout all of their multi-verses, crises, and even through the New 52 and we will stand by them through their next Rebirth as well. They seem to be getting the message with the announcement of their new TV show featuring Supergirl and the inclusion of none other than Wonder Woman in the Batman V Superman movie, so we have to give them some credit where credit is due. We just hope that they don’t lose their nerve before giving Miss Prince her own solo flick. Around the same time as Captain Marvel perhaps? That’s a versus battle we would love to report on.

2016 MAR/APR | GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM

PUNISHER

MARVEL COMICS

photography by TERRY CULLEN 16 GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM | 2016 MAR/APR

NETFLIX

DAREDEVIL SEASON 2

YES! DAREDEVIL IS BACK AND HAS DOUBLED-DOWN ON THE GORE AND VIOLENCE: MORE FIGHTS, MORE BLOOD, AND EVEN A FEW SEXY TIMES. WE ARE GOING TO TRY AND NOT SPOIL EVERYTHING FOR YOU GUYS, BUT HONESTLY, IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED SEASON 2 OF DAREDEVIL YET, DO NOT READ THIS! THIS WILL HAVE SOME (AND BY SOME WE MEAN A LOT) OF SPOILERS!

Season 2 doesn’t skip a beat, showing us the state of Hell’s Kitchen as it was left in the last episode of Season 1, establishing the fact that Daredevil has Hell’s Kitchen under his protection and is stopping crime with little remorse for his victims: the criminals. His first major adversarial encounter is with The Punisher, introduced to us by expertly gunning down a room full of Irish mobsters. During Daredevil and The Punisher’s first fight we have the pleasure of seeing a gritty rooftop no holds barred style combat; exactly what we were hoping for! We see Matt’s superior fighting prowess and The Punisher’s preferred go-to: his guns. The Punisher gets the best of Daredevil and keeps him chain-bound on a rooftop for a one-on-one chat. During their banter, it was as if we could see the speech bubbles of the characters right off of the comics; a scene that boasts the flexibility of the Netflix medium. Frank has a lot of memorable one-liners so make sure you’re paying attention! While we are being shown the battle between our heroes, the rest of the resulting environment in Hell’s Kitchen is being built around them. We are happy to announce that Rosario “Night Nurse” Dawson is back and full of sass. We are reintroduced to her at the hospital where she is trying to keep up with the results of the growing gang violence problem in the city. Foggy Nelson returns to bring some much-needed humor into the mix, quipping along while doing the majority (all) of the lawyering. Matt’s head is definitely not in the lawyer game this season as his distractions mount, leaving poor dependable Foggy stuck holding the firm together all by his lonesome. Well, that’s not entirely true, as Foggy does have the help of Karen, who is back and making worse decisions than she did last season! Seriously though, we’re convinced she’s trying to get

herself killed, though her character does show a progression in strength and confidence from last season. Other memorable characters that show up are Wilson Fisk, Sargent Brett Mahoney, and Madame Gao, all worth their return. Let’s get into the new (old?) lady in our boy Matt’s life: Elektra. As excited as we were for the character to actually be involved in the MCU or even just the Netflix universe, we felt a bit conflicted with how she was portrayed. Is she a beautiful distraction? Absolutely. Matt cannot seem to say “no” to her, despite their painfully tumultuous past. Their attraction has a playfully destructive yet magnetic sentiment that seems to result in either sex in a wrestling ring or someone dead. When it comes to the fighting, Elektra has been trained from childhood by Stick, Matt’s fighting mentor, to be a part of his secret war against The Hand. Little did she or we know that she is a mystical entity known in legend to The Hand as “The Black Sky,” but what does that mean? Sadly, the explanation isn’t fully explained. All we know is that once The Hand has The Black Sky, the group is supposed to be invincible. Confusingly, during the multiple fights that involve Elektra throughout the season, Elektra’s skill level and fighting prowess rise and fall on a whim, not based on wellness or environment. She goes from getting beaten up by regular thugs wearing restrictive suits, to kicking the crap out of a bunch of ninjas who can hide their heartbeats and are trained to kill. Since she doesn’t seem the type to “fight down” to her opponent, it’s hard to justify. Once you think you have figured her out, an unworthy foe will knock her around again and you are back to square one. As echoed from season 1, we don’t get to see her true costume until the end of this season, and even then it’s not her classic outift from the comics. Judge it for yourselves.

A Season 1 enemy, who was convincingly exterminated by Daredevil in a flame of justice, a nemesis so well matched he left literal scars in his memory, makes an epic return! That’s right, Nobu! He is not only the leader of the Hand, but he shows us on several occasions throughout the season that he is indeed not killable, though those flames did leave their mark. After revealing his plan of collecting The Black Sky, he proceeds to battle both Daredevil and Elektra, impressively defeating them both! Sadly, the question remains: if he can beat both of them then what do they need the Black Sky for?! Was this meant to be a plot hole to be filled in future episodes? It’s food for thought. One of the most visually momentous fight scenes from Season 1 took place in a hallway corridor where a weakened Daredevil took on a group of hired thugs to save a kidnapped young boy. In Season 2, they took the extended combat even further, adding a vertical challenge to the technical difficulty, and it doesn’t disappoint. Matt takes on a rough biker gang, the “Dogs of Hell,” in a solo effort, while uniquely handicapped with a gun taped to his right hand and a chain attached to his other, a condition you can thank The Punisher for. To give you an idea of how insane this is, the scene itself takes 5 whole minutes and guides the viewer from the top floor of a rough staircase down each step as Daredevil encounters a seemingly never-ending onslaught of bikers, defeating one after another, taking well-needed rests between waves, until he lands his final blow on the ground floor. Yes, it is as epic as that sentence was long. Props to the planning crew, fight coordinators, the incredible camera men and the entire stunt crew. We could talk about this season for days, and we hope to listen to epic podcast rants about it, but we will keep some of the amazing spoilers and highlights, like the epic R-rated Punisher moments and shocking reveals, to ourselves. Needless to say, this is a mustwatch show that Marvel and Netflix have hit out of the park once again. We can confidently say that Daredevil easily falls into the top 3 best things in the motion picture medium that Marvel has produced. Here’s hoping Luke Cage can keep up the pace and the action!

2016 MAR/APR | GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM

COSPLAY

“

So many cosplays women are doing are so cutesy, it’s nice to do something different... Still sexy though.

”

NATALIEE G

18 GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM | 2016 MAR/APR

@MISSNATALIEE_xO

Try Before You Buy!

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ANIME AWARDS Welcome one and all to the first ever Geek Fantasy Anime Awards! Here we present awards, typically at our own discretion, to the Animes who have outshone their opponents in categories that matter just about as much as the points do on “Who’s Line is it Anyway?”. So without further gilding the lily, lets jump right into this spiky haired, giant eyed world of weirdness. by CHAD HIBBENS

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ANIME

THE “SALAD FINGERS” AWARD

Awarded to the weirdest thing we’ve ever seen.

“Bobobo-Bo Bo-Bobo” Some may argue that because this anime is in fact trying to be weird makes it’s weirdness almost contrite yet, even if that is true, we found it undeniably weird even during the moments when it took a meta-step back from itself and pointed out how weird it was being. To put it in perspective, the first episode began with a small girl pulling a giant, blond-afro’d man around while he sat inside of a giant hamburger. Eagerly we awaited an explanation as to why the man was in a hamburger yet one never came. Even after he emerged from that hamburger to do battle with “Hair Hunters”, which he fought with his nose hair, we found ourselves no less weirded-out and no more able to stop watching than before. That’s why we’re giving this year’s Salad Fingers award to “Bobobo-Bo Bo-Bobo”. It’s shameless satire that makes our autocorrect have an aneurism, but it succeeds at what it’s trying to do and will make you laugh no matter how much you try not to.

THE “JAMES CAMERON MOVIE” AWARD Awarded to the most ambitious thing ever.

“Attack on Titan” There are some who feel that Anime is in and of itself predictable. Sometimes that certainly may be the case. No matter the genre, Animes contain an overabundance of cliches that even hardcore fans cannot deny. Weird impossible hair styles, tight impractical clothing, and of course BOOBS. The real kicker is when an Anime comes out with almost none of these and not only expects to kick ass, but also in fact does. “Attack on Titan” blows you away within the first moments of the show, with the intro song being possibly the coolest thing we’ve ever heard. Seriously, if nothing else go listen to the intro, it’s even better than the Game of Thrones intro. Putting that aside, it dares to defy plenty of the cliche’s of its genre, while still being, in the true sense of the word, awesome. Even its odd, almost cell shaded art style fascinated! While the plot twists were forehead-smackingly dumb, the overall story is so grand and epic, you want to keep watching just to see the fate of the human race. Plus, dude, grappling hook suits. Freaking grappling hook suits! That. Is. Awesome! The show has its shortcomings and plenty of mistakes, but its ambition cannot be denied, and so that’s why the “James Cameron Movie” award goes to Attack on Titan without reservation.

THE “SHAQUILLE O’NEAL’S WILLY” AWARD Awarded to the biggest (successful) Anime.

“Pokemon” Here’s the part of the article where we prove how big of a tool we are. Even as we are writing this, there’s an Anime “enthusiast” behind us telling us how wrong we are, but if you’re going to look for the “biggest” Anime out there then mainstream is really the way you’ll have to go. As far as mainstream is concerned, no other Anime can really top Pokemon. Even if you didn’t break up the run time by however many flowcharts there are canonically now, do you know of anything more well-known on the planet than Pokemon? It’s got the longest run time, the most merchandise, like 3 different sets of voice actors, it even has curmudgeonly “old” fans pointing sticks at the younger generation and talking about how much better the glory days were! For the record, they were. And we cannot deny its success after, what is it now, 17 seasons? SEASONS. Most Animes just have arcs! This one has seasons! Hell this one has SERIES! We award the “Shaquile O’neal’s Willy” award to the Anime that is grandest in scale and even if it makes us lose our cool indie cred, Pokemon takes it with very little resistance.

24 GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM | 2016 MAR/APR

THE “OLD SPICE GUY” AWARD

Awarded to the Anime with the most iconic character.

“Dragonball Z” We struggled with this one. Say what you will about Anime, it’s got no shortage of interesting, relatable, colorful and diverse characters. Each Anime brings its own set of diversity and moral alignments, antiheroes, loudmouth protagonists, and sexually exploited damsels in distress, but if there’s one show whose characters stand out in our minds (we repeat, OUR MINDS), it’s unquestionably Dragon Ball Z. Ok cards on the table, as far as relevant, capable characters go on this show, yes it’s only Goku and occasionally Vegeta, but the sheer iconic status of those two alone make this a clear candidate. Not to mention the villains are cool enough to border on Disney level epic-ness. Now we know what you’re thinking, the motivations are all the same (Gym Time!), the background cast of characters is useless (also true but entertaining nonetheless), and the story is a weak framing device for fights (who cares?). All these are mostly true, but irrelevant. As fans of the show, we would enjoy the great humor (Master Roshi is our Senpai) and to see how fast Krillin would be KO’d, but what we really wanted was to see the brutal battles that would seemingly last for weeks of our lives! To this day, when we see a blond person screaming in public, our brains automatically assumes they are going Super Saiyan, and that’s why the “Old Spice Guy” Award for iconic characters goes to Dragon Ball Z.

THE “DOING AN ARTICLE AS AN AWARD CERIMONY AWARD”

Awarded to the most creative ideas (who are also sexy).

“Studio Ghibli” Creativity is a hallmark of this genre (mostly) but there is one that stands above the rest. Well, more like one group. Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, and many, many, MANY more. The sheer simplistic beauty and majesty of anything created by Hayao Miyazki, or even just Studio Ghibli, can, and should only be, experienced first hand. So to that end I will give no further explanation, and insist you go watch something made by them while I give this award to Studio Ghibli Collective Works.

THE “CRYING AT THE END OF THE NOTEBOOK EVEN THOUGH YOU CLAIM YOU DIDN’T AWARD Awarded for most emotionally gripping.

“Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day” Not many people would expect much sophistication or subtlety out of a genre where wielding swords the size of school buses is considered “lightly equipped”. Yet Anime has, in many cases, provided some of the most heart wrenching moments in animated cinema since Scar killed Mufasa *Spoiler Alert*. The “Slice of Life” genre is generally the most adept at this and I found no Anime more touching than the very short and underrated “Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day” Or “We Still Don’t Know The Name Of The Flower We Saw Bloom That Day”. In stark contrast to its title, the “series” is quite short, something like six or seven episodes long, and could be described as slow even during the height of its climax. The subtlety and pacing represented within however, are nearly untraceable, and each stroke of the artistic brush delivered is just icing up your heart so it can be shattered at the end. We cried at the end of this film shamelessly and we defy anyone else to do otherwise. While we’re not sure I understand the religious spirituality of the film, it’s so damn touching that it really doesn’t matter.

THE “LEONARDO DICAPRIO” AWARD

Worthy of noting but not actually winning anything.

“

”

The best thing about Anime is that there’s just so damn much of it, there’s a guarantee of something out there for you. Shows like Bleach and One Piece have fantastic universes about ghost samurai and pirates respectively, while shows like Death Note have fantastic stories and fascinating moral paradoxes with a hint of psychological torture. Trinity Blood is a marvelous religious allegory, where Inuyasha is for just old school badassery. The entire Gundam series is for those of us who wished Power Rangers had had a higher budget. You just want a good old fashioned laugh? Go check out Fairy Tail, for its hilarious world of Wizard mercenaries, or Hetalia for its geopolitical satire that will make you cringe and laugh all at once. But is there a “Best Anime” that stand above the rest? That sort of question will more than likely cause bloodshed at any Anime convention you attend but here, from the safety of my laptop, we can easily recommend one as the Paragon of excellence:

THE “RYAN GOSLING” AWARD Awarded for perfection.

“Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood” The “Free WiFi World” Award

Awarded for containing the ideal world within.

“Naruto” Each universe contained within it’s respective Anime is characterized as unique and dynamic. More importantly there is always a utopian moral concern that becomes the focus and drive of everyone regardless of which side they’re on. Indeed, one of the driving forces of the plot is normally how two sides interpenetrate this “meta moral”. More often than not this is “Friendship, Love, or Peace” and while the world of Naruto does stress those morals, it also pushes one other ideal; The Future. The idea that it’s not just our love and friendship we’re working towards, but love and friendship for those who come after us. The world itself is also rich with different customs, histories, and an EPIC set of characters and nations that make us grow a big creative writing stiffy. We often hear criticism for Naruto due to its gratuitous amount of filler content, but this only goes on to prove just how rich and immersive their world is by just how much time we could spend away from the main plot and still find relevant stories. Naruto has a lot going for it, characters, backstory, plot, morals, and now it also has The “Free Wifi World” award.

Looking back at all the awards, there has been one Anime that always popped up in my mind. This show has morals, yet it has comedy. It is creepy and yet well written. It’s got its tear jerking moments while still retaining its “Heck Yea!” moments. Its characters are well written and relatable and its villains are iconic and formidable. Most importantly for us however, is how focused and tightly written it is and how it let itself END when it knew it needed to. The King of Anime, in our mind, is without a doubt “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.” The dynamic between the Elric brothers is likable, believable, and unique. It’s also a refreshing change of pace for the main character of an Anime to be one of the more intelligent characters in the series, bordering on genius, while most Animes paint their golden boy as the dumb hot head who needs everything explained to him. The show’s character doesn’t stop with just the Elrics either. Each character is plausible and lovable, even the more over-the-top goofballs like Armstrong and Greed. The world is amazing and as we respect it for being so focused and driven, We almost wish there WERE filler arcs so you could delve deeper into Amestrus and all its alchemical mysteries. The soundtrack is creepy and epic simultaneously, and the humor had me crying from laughter more than once. We could write an entire article on this show, and indeed someday may, but in order to do it the most service we must simply say, if you’re a fan of Anime give it a shot. You wont be disappointed.

2016 MAR/APR | GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM

GeekFantasyBox.com

jeana

TURNER

This avid Anime fan-girl is not only all about Pokemon and Yugio, she boasts a major crush on Batman and is all about inviting cosplay into the bedroom. photography JIM RECKARD

2016 MAR/APR | GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM

“

It isn’t something I’m ashamed of... I was an avid Pokemon and Yu-gi-oh! fan. Watched it every day after school!

”

@JEANATURNER 28 GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM | 2016 MAR/APR

Get to know Jeana. Why are you such a fan of Batman? I truly do love Batman and his badass vibe. I’ve [also] gotta give it up for Poison Ivy. She’s a fox. What is underneath that sweater that we can’t see? I have 4 tattoos! All very mysterious to the naked eye, but they all truly mean something to me. My 1st tattoo is on my upper right part of my back. It’s a Marilyn Monroe quote “Imperfection is beauty”, 2nd is my left ribcage. In Arabic, it says “Just be yourself, there is no one better”, the 3rd is the Hamsa Hand on my inner right bicep & lastly is roman numerals 3,5, & 7 on my left wrist! I have tons of birthmarks & tons of scars. No explanation necessary... I’m just a klutz! What is it like to date you? I haven’t been on many dates, but I can tell you that taking me to the movies and out to dinner isn’t going to get you too far! I need some originality, some thrill! Surprise me! Are you cool with your man wearing geek-wear in public? I actually don’t mind it! It gives people a sense of personal style & I like that! 2016 MAR/APR | GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM

MOVIES

@HOLLYTWOLF 30 GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM | 2016 MAR/APR

photography THINK. NU cosplay costume PROPS 2 POWERLOADERS

BATMAN SUPERMAN AND FINALLY INTRODUCING... WONDER WOMAN This is it, the clash of the DC Comics super-titans: Batman vs Superman (or just one v if you’re cool like that). And if we’re lucky, and we know we are, we will get the cinematic epic introduction of the “queen of DC” if you will, and we would, the legendary Wonder Woman.

Very soon we will see a clash of titans that comic book fans have been waiting 75 years to watch unfold on the silver screen: Batman Vs Superman. As if those two showing up on screen together for the first time isn’t enough, we have someone else that we will be seeing. A third legend is in the mix and she is definitely a force to be reckoned with. The third player in this epic trio is the Princess of Themiscyra herself, Wonder Woman. DC comics’ fans have been waiting for decades to finally see “The World’s Finest” on screen battling evil together and please believe that the hype for this movie is real. All the trailers that we have seen so far have had a distinct emotional tone to them that just screams “war is coming” and we can’t wait to see it! The only break in this war has been the introduction of a powerful female figure that stops both of these boys in their tracks. We have been shown that not only does Bruce Wayne know Diana, but it appears as though they may know each other…intimately. Now THAT will be interesting to see played out! Not everyone knows about what has been going on in the comics for the past 75 years or so, so let’s fill you in a little about the story so far. DC has decided to build their cinematic universe on the back of Man of Steel, a film that wasn’t met with the greatest of reviews but we digress. In their universe’s story so far, Superman has shown that he is inexperienced, will kill a guy if he has to, and isn’t too worried about collateral damage. The idea is that Bruce Wayne has already given up the mantle of the Bat, but gets the motivation he needs to get back into it after one of his buildings is destroyed during Superman’s battle with General Zod causing countless casualties. Cue the obligatory fight between our two heroes. Of course, this can’t be the entire movie so there has to be another antagonist that brings our heroes together and that antagonist is Lex Luthor. From what we’ve seen, Luthor created a monster (Doomsday) that begins causing destruction and gets the attention of all three heroes and ushers in the huge 4-way battle between them all. This may not seem to like that big of a deal and sure, they’ve been fighting together for years and years but we’ve never seen them together in a live-action movie! Batman has had his own movies, Superman has had his, and Wonder Woman had her TV show, but never all together at the same time. The casting so far has been slightly questionable to some fans with Ben Affleck stealing the show as Batman, but with Henry Cavill reprising his role as Superman things should go pretty smoothly. The other controversial casting choice was Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Gadot is a former model so her slender figure drew a lot of harsh criticism when the casting was first announced but ever since said casting, Gal has been working out like a…well, like an Amazon. Judging off of the video we have seen of her in the outfit, all that effort was definitely not in vain. With all of this hype surrounding the movie, it makes us think about where DC’s universe is going and we are definitely getting more excited by the day! We haven’t even seen all of the surprises that this movie has in store for us, including some of them that we already know about like Jason Momoa’s Aquaman! Doomsday looks a little too much like a Troll from Lord of the Rings but hey, we will keep our full judgements until we watch the movie!

2016 MAR/APR | GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM

COSPLAY

Cosplayer

epic

CANDY VALENTINA

n o s Poi Ivy

photography JUSTINE BENNETT

32 GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM | 2016 MAR/APR

COSPLAY CREATION You’re a Geek Fantasy Epic Cosplayer! Excellent work. I think it’s amazing being a Geek Fantasy Epic Cosplayer. I work really hard on crafting my cosplays, so it is always incredible when you can be acknowledged for this. I am super stoked about it, and happy to have achieved such a milestone with the work I have produced so far! What inspired you to create this look? Nicole-Marie Jean inspired me to create this character. I saw her Autumn Ivy Concept and instantly fell in love with it! I have followed Nicole-Marie Jean for a while now, and I saw that she produced the Autumn Ivy cosplay for one of the conventions she attended. From this point I was aware of the endless possibilities there is for well-known characters. What research did you do to create this character? Obviously Autumn Ivy origins don’t exist as it is a concept, but I have read and watched plenty of Batman to know about the original Ivy. How did you create the look? I joined the underwear set together through the middle using a 20mm elastic, and then began individually attaching the leaves with fabric glue until the garment was completely covered. It took me just under a week of constant leaf sticking to achieve this look. (Even the wedge heels are completely covered in leaves).

MY COSPLAY LIFE What inspired you to start cosplaying? I have always been a big gamer and film fanatic but never really expressed it within my work. I stumbled across Jessica Nigris work just over a year ago, and discovered that there is a way to express my love for a character/film/game visually as well as just indulging in over watching, or over playing it. Her awesome work was what inspired me to start exploring my favourite characters as cosplays, and I haven’t looked back since! What is your favorite part about your cosplay life? My favorite part of cosplaying is embodying the character; portraying their emotions, and recreating their infamous poses. My favorite cosplay so far has got to be between my Sith Ariel and my Autumn Ivy just because they have been cosplays with a twist. It is always fun to slightly step away from the normal.

“

Cosplay is about having fun, not about worrying what other people will say about you.

”

@CANDY_VALENTINA

2016 2016 MAR/APR JAN/FEB | GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM

FEATURE

34 GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM | 2016 MAR/APR

GAME OF THRONES

One of the biggest pop-cult fan groups is about to enjoy a sixth season of epicness! In lieu of this gloriously anticipated event, we have laid out a full history of game play mayhem.

written by CHAD HIBBINS photography by MATT BARNES cosplayer AMY LEE SUMMERS

2016 MAR/APR | GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM

32 GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM | 2016 JAN/FEB 36 MAR/APR

@REMYDOMINOCOSPLAY

KHALESSI

We studied what she wore and got some talented artists to help us put it together. It took a couple of months getting all the items we needed and to get them made. Then the look on the day took a couple of hours.

We wanted to make sure it looked very similar to the tv series and we wanted the poses to be very strong to show the true character.

I have been cosplaying for a few years so it’s still new, but I would like to do more...

“

I love how Khalessi is very beautiful but also very powerful and strong. I think I enjoyed being her because it felt empowering.

” @AMYLEESUMMERS

2016 MAR/APR | GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM

ANIME FEATURE

As a genre essentially defined as a medium of unlimited creativity, the scope of successful fantasy these days always seems to be limited to whomever wore the best J.R.R. Tolkien costume to the Halloween party. For awhile main stream fantasy couldn’t seem to survive the first five minutes unless you threw in at least one elf , one dwarf, and one guy wearing St. Paul’s cathedral as a hat (sporting the title of “Dark Lord”). Then once those elements were included, you are forever banished to that one dark corner of the book store known as “Kids/ Teens Fantasy” or at best “Young Adult Fiction”. Fortunately for us fantasy buffs, within the last few decades (the first book came out in 1996, believe it or not), one series has defied fantasy’s “childish” limitations at every possible turn. George R.R. Martin’s fantasy masterpiece: A Song of Ice and Fire has been busily shattering almost all fantasy clichés present in the genre. You’ll not find a single elf inside the series and the one or two dwarves would prefer to be called “little people” in today’s society. Defying “young adult” parameters with deep political and sociological intrigue, the story is told stylistically from the points of view of a selection of unique and mostly relatable characters, each of whom struggles to rationalize morals with survival which makes for harsh character development. Each character has to journey through their own personal Les’ Miserable and back, usually for them just to find out that they’ve been Javert the whole time. (LITERATURE SNOB JOKE!) That being said, the books themselves, while undeniably well written, are large, intimidating, and difficult to get into (rather like Brienne of Tarth). So why has this series taken off so well in the main stream? This phenomenal success can be credited to HBO’s masterful television adaptation: Game of Thrones. This titan of a television series first aired in 2011 and has gained a momentous following. Where the books tell the story of a massive and imposing world, wrought with danger, feudal politics (the most sexy and exciting of all politics) and subtle undertones of magic, the show focuses far more on the characters themselves and delves deeper into an individual aspect giving it a more approachable aura without sacrificing any of the character’s integrity. Ned is still stoic and honorable, but you can see the inherent softness hidden by his gruff exterior. Robert’s still a big, fat, drunken idiot, but behind his eyes you see the heavy burden of his crown and conquest. Most importantly though, Tyrion is still an epic 4 ft bundle of badassery and sarcasm. Like the books, the elements of cutthroat (quite literally) politics, are still present and are undoubtedly one of the show’s greatest strengths. These elements, coupled with magic’s very subtle and almost unnoticeable presence in the world, help create the tone and environment, but ultimately it is the characters we keep coming back to see season after season and it’s not hard to see why. The first season sets up our main stage. The central setting is the feudal kingdom known as Westeros or “The Seven Kingdoms”. This is possibly the worst misnomer in fiction, as “The Seven Kingdoms” are actually one large kingdom, and are made up of nine principalities, not seven. Additionally, a few stories take place “across the narrow sea” in a sort of Middle-Eastern themed continent called Essos. The story begins with Westeros recently out of a rebellion and a brand new king on The Iron Throne. The first season gives us a “day in the life of...” sort of feel, showing us the typical goings on and establishing sort of a “King Arthur’s Court” theme. That is if King Arthur had been a drunken bastard and Guinevere had been a frigid bitch. The big question in the season is “Honor vs Survival?” and let’s just say that particular moral dilemma is decided in a clean sweep... of a broadsword. It’s interesting to note that for the most part, this season sticks closely to the original story in the books, following the plot structure mostly to the letter. This is a trait which later seasons gradually begin to forgo. Of the nine prominent families in The Seven Kingdoms (weird right?) this season focuses on the “Big Four” and how they all interact. The Starks pit their honor against the Lanister’s ambition and giant hoard of money, while the royal Baratheons preside over their deputes and simultaneously bankrupt the entire nation. Meanwhile the Targaryons (recently ousted from the throne) spend most of their time exiled in a foreign land, fantasizing about revenge and riding horses. There are many themes established in Season One, but above them all is the precedent that “No One is Safe”. Several key and central characters are axed off at the end of the season just to prove this point and while many other shows have made this claim (Walking Dead, Lost, etc.) this is the first show in my opinion that really pulls it off. 38 38 GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM || 2016 2016 MAR/APR JAN/FEB

When the second season starts out we begin to jump around a bit more, which is understandable considering the growing lengths of the books. A plot is streamlined here, a character altered or cut there. But each change made is minor and the story remains faithful to its A Clash of Kings source material. This season brings out The War of the Five Kings, whose bad ass title delivers all you might hope for. As the war spreads we begin to get a taste for characters outside The Big Four. The wealthy and gorgeous Tyrells, The Tullys, lords of getting screwed over, and a small glimpse into the Greyjoys, pirate people who rape and kill for giggles. While these are mostly side characters, the world grows wider with each episode and story. Without sacrificing any of the scheming or political backstabbing, the show begins to take a tone of “The Horrors of War.” Interestingly this is only as an undertone falling short of coming across as preachy or contrite. The idea “Maybe we shouldn’t be murdering all these people for a big pointy chair” is adamantly ignored by the main cast of characters and left for you to discern yourself, and it’s not as easy to decide as you think. While you obviously root for the side of “good” (morals, justice, etc) you find it becoming harder and harder to root for them when all their noble decisions keep landing them in hot water (looking your way Rob). It’s also the first season where we unconsciously begin to like the antagonists, the Lannisters. Yes, they’re rich, incestuous snobs, but you find yourself relating to them more and more. While their flaws are glaring, you find comfort in them, not to mention their sarcastic, charming wit which makes them seem far more human than our solemn northern heroes. You still tell yourself you want them to pay for what they’ve done, but you quietly grow attached to them, hating them less and less, especially when compared to the Stannis Baratheon Faction. The Lannisters may be pricks but at least they don’t burn people at the stake and store unspeakable shadowy monstrosities inside their lady parts (unless birthing Joffrey counts.) At the start of season three the Big Four are still embroiled in conflict, (except for the Targaryns who will continue to stagnate for most of the plot) and the various other families in the Seven Kingdoms move in and out of alliances with them. The flowery Tyrells secure themselves a seat of power with the Lannisters, while our adorably honorable Stark heroes are stuck in a hard place between the Lannister’s newly financed troops and the Greyjoy’s ability to be errant dicks. This is where the major changes from the original plot begin to surface, with polarizing reactions from book fans. On the one side, you have the fans of the original story who just want to see that brought to life on screen. They’re ok with changes necessary to adapt it to live action, but the diverging stories and added plot points infuriate them. Yet in the other camp (which includes people such as George R.R. Martin and myself) you find a group of people who are fascinated by the “what if” opportunities these divergences present. One of my favorite examples of this occurs when two Red Priests (who in the books are almost never on the same side of the continent) meet up and actually have a rather disturbing debate about their God and the powers he awards them. It’s one of the few times the supernatural and magical aspects of the show are brought to center stage. Since we never get to see two red priests meet in the books (thus far), we get the first open display of internal friction within the faith, and even more disturbing, the first display of their fervent unity despite it. For those on the camp opposite myself, it’s important to note that Martin himself has openly separated both the books and the show into two different works. One does not change the other and both are spectacular and captivating in their own way. Season Three (based on the first half of, A Storm of Swords) was considered “The Big Season” by the developers. It’s considered the narrative crux for both the show and the books. Producers Benioff and Weiss felt that this would be the defining moment for the show, and by the old gods and new they were right. The story continues to ramp up further and further, ultimately culminating in what may be the most shocking heartbreaking moment in television, since Old Yeller had to go behind the shed. Our noble protagonists are dealt a devastating blow and left in a difficult position without any power or hope of recovery. Knocking them out of the running and leaving us with only the antagonists left to watch. This is how season four begins. With the Lannisters on top, and all the other contenders mostly pushed to the wayside. Luckily enough, loving to hate them and even developing a genuine attachment to some of the more redeemable characters, allows us to remain hooked on how the show develops.

We see a very subtle shift from “The Big Four”, to “The Lannister Show”, with the pompous blonde lions becoming the driving family of the story and somehow it works. It tells the tale of a quirky dysfunctional family consisting of a single working mother, two whacky uncles; one tough, the other smart, three kids and a domineering, somewhat overbearing grandfather. Oh, and the family just happens to be the ruthless rulers of most of the known world. We are also finally introduced to the last of the great families: the Martells, rulers of the southernmost kingdom of “Dorne,” a sort of alternative Arabian themed region, who ironically have the most gender neutral views in the show yet. So for those of you, who had been unable to connect with or forgive the Lannisters, this gives you a new sort of “devil may care” faction to root for. The season spends most of its time establishing the new status quo. This involves balancing the power between the Lannisters and their allies while also providing a startling increase in momentum to several side plots that are clearly about to take center stage. There is a growing evil of darkness and death in the North, an army of savage Eskimos ready to invade just to save themselves from said evil, and the Mother of Dragons finally beginning to raise that army she’s been talking about to come and reclaim the Iron Throne... even if she does grind to a halt again for dumb reasons. The season ends dramatically, with a graphic and screaming reminder that “No one, is safe.” Which brings us to the fifth season and the one that sparked numerous (often silly) controversies, which for the sake of my own integrity I will choose to ignore for the purpose of this article. Season five is essentially just dealing with the backlash of season four, which was a season itself just dealing with the backlash of season three. I admit this may be the first season I found disappointing and it’s not because of its massive (almost necessary) departure from the books. It’s by far the most divergent season. It grows harder to tell who we’re rooting for, except in the most obvious cases, (when one side is just Zombies) and when a character becomes relatable it’s almost a trigger to assume they’re going to die within that same moment. It’s a weird toss up this time around. Religion is given an interesting center stage role for the first time, and Dorne is developed further (though not as much as I’d like considering we had to give up the Greyjoy’s for it) and underneath it all there’s still some true character brilliance, albeit in the form of odd character pairings. There are also some very satisfying moments for those of us who held out against the “Lannisterization” of the show, and for those of us who’ve been wondering when the Night’s Watch plot line will ramp up. Our dear Mother of Dragon’s story however, continues to stagnate to the point where it seems like we could have just ignored her for the last few seasons, and added in some other more interesting characters (Weep, Lady Stoneheart Fans. Weep) It leaves a bitter taste in my mouth to have this much negative outweighing the positive at the end so let me be clear; this show is still great. The scenery, the music, and the combat are all still spectacular and all completely worthy of your attention. Just because the last two paragraphs were a groan doesn’t change that the twenty paragraphs prior were a gushing orgasm of praise. Even at its worst it’s still far better than most anything else on television. This colossus of a show has so much to offer you, no matter what kind of fantasy floats your particular boat; knights, nobles, courtly intrigue, armies, political alliances, schemes, betrayals, marriage pacts, steamy love affairs (of every possible flavor), magic, even dragons. So what are you waiting for? Jump on the bandwagon and declare yourself for your favorite claimant to The Iron Throne. We’re at season six and we’ve got plenty of story left to cover, who can say who’ll still be standing by the end?

Hair Nadia Mitchell Make-Up Amie Lyver Cosplay Costume Flo Foxworthy Circle of Wolves Jewellery 2016 MAR/APR | GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM

COSPLAY

Cosplayer

epic

SEA OF RABBITZ

as n a i h t a R k n Pi ijinka G photography MIKE WU

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COSPLAY CREATION What first inspired you to create this Monster Hunter 3 look? I was inspired to make a dragon cosplay after I saw a fan art of a Pink Rathian Gijinka by AlexiusSana. Her work can be found on her Deviantart page. I’ve been a big fan of the game Monster Hunter Tri and wanted to make armor sets from the game but when I saw that artwork, I knew I had to cosplay the dragon instead. What research did you do to create this character? I knew the character (or monster in this case) from playing the game Monster Hunter Tri Ultimate. I used to play Monster Hunter Tri on Wii U for hours when I was in college. When Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate came out on Nintendo 3DS I also got it right away. I will admit I haven’t finished playing it through and I still have Monster Hunter 4 waiting for me. Pink Rathian is a sub species and higher ranked monster in the game. When you start the game you met the first Rathian and she’s green. As you reach the higher ranks you begin to face higher rank versions of these monsters. Pink Rathian is a huge JERK. I like how people tell me they hate my character but they appreciate the cosplay. What is your favorite part of this look? Wearing the wings and the whole outfit made it so cool to be the monster! I had never made wings prior to this experience and I’ve always wanted to make them. Plus, who doesn’t want to be a dragon! For Pink Rathian, I made the tail and the back ridge detachable. So just saying, if hunters attacked me they might actually get carves! What are all the details you can tell us about how you created this cosplay? I purchased most of my supplies from Home Depot, Cosplaysupplies.com, Michael’s and dollar stores! I try my best to save money since this can be quite an expensive hobby. Every part of the costume was handmade except for the wig, nylons and shoes. I had used all sorts of materials including EVA foam, craft foam, Worbla’s finest thermoplastics, PVC and even a few foam pool noodles! It took hours of cutting craft foam to get all the scales I needed and I hand glued each one on the wings and the tail. It took me 3-4 months of on and off work to make the costume. 2 months of planning, drafting and collecting supplies.

MY COSPLAY LIFE What inspired you to start cosplaying? I went to my first convention back in 2013 and saw a bunch of people cosplaying and having a good time. It blew my mind since I had no idea there was such a community. I have always loved dressing up and Halloween is my favorite holiday.

“

In the game, Rathians tend to hang out around cliffs and waterfalls… at least in the earlier stages. I thought this location would be fitting for the character.

What other cosplay looks have you created? I’ve cosplayed characters like Mikasa Ackerman from Attack on Titan (Anime), Little Sister from Bioshock (along with my Big Daddy Balloon), Lucina from Fire Emblem Awakening and more. I think when I choose a character to dress up as; I want to choose a character that reflects the kind of person I want to be or those characters that have a strong impact on us. And then sometimes you just want to dress up as something completely badass. What is your favorite part about your cosplay life? A huge part of why I love cosplaying is actually building and learning from each costume. Every costume has its challenges and I like to mix it up all the time. I love building props but I’m terrible with sewing! I love to choose strong female characters but sometimes I also love just having fun and dressing up like something gross and weird. I love theatre and cosplay reminds me of that. I mostly cosplay on my own since I work at my own pace. I love dressing up with friends at conventions though and just hanging out. I’m always trying to convince my friends to dress up with me. What cons can we see you at in 2016? I would love to go back to Pax Prime in Seattle this summer. I’m actually considering not cosplaying for that convention though because I want to try a bunch of table top games. I’m hoping to one day attend San Diego Comic Con!

2016 MAR/APR | GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM

COSPLAY

, 52° 24’ 24’ N, 120° 01’ 08’ W CRYSTAL FALLS COqUITLAM BRITISH COLUMBIA CANADA

@SEAOFRABBITz 42 GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM | 2016 MAR/APR

“

I couldn’t do the tail flip during the shoot so I chose to be a more “graceful” but intimidating Rathian.

” 2016 MAR/APR | GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM

COSPLAY FEATURE

MELISSA RISO

Our newest Geek Fantasy Girl not only use to sneak her siblings’ comics as a child, she’s an X-Men fan and loves to game on her Playstation. photography MICHAEL OLIVERI make-up LUCKY SIN

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GEEK FANTASY GIRL

2016

“

Geek Fantasy is an honor to be in because years from now younger generations will look back on our style of comics and what we consider sexy Geek Women.

”

2016 MAR/APR | GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM

GEEK FANTASY GIRL

MELISSA RISO

COSPLAY FEATURE

hat are some of your first geek memories? I used to love Storm from X-Men. I wanted to be her for Halloween every year when I was little. She was so beautiful and confident. Did you read comics? I loved reading comic books [when] I was little. I used to steal my sisters comic books to look at the naughty anime. I love Anime. I use to draw anime women all the time growing up. Sounds like a great childhood! And you’re a gamer too? I love playing computer games like War Craft and Half Life or Call of Duty. It’s pretty amazing that you’re a model and an actor. Do you think you would ever audition for a superhero movie? Now in my acting career it would be my dream role to be an action character in a movie based on a comic book. And we would totally go see that movie! It’s no surprise we chose you as our Geek Fantasy Girl! I believe I have Geek Sex appeal and I’m also a pro at fighting like some of the action hero’s doing Krav Maga!

QUICKFIRE! Star Wars or Star Trek? I like Star Wars because there’s more action. IMax or 3D? I love Imax! 3D gives me a headache. xbox or Playstation? Playstation, because that’s all I’ve every played on! DC or Marvel? I like DC because they started Superman.

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@MELISSARISO

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2016 MAR/APR | GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM

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COSPLAY COMICS

BEING SUPER You have to admit... you’ve thought about it.

With the New Age of Cinema apparently dawning, there seems to be a clear front-runner in the list of genres that steal the public’s heart and affections: Super Heroes. Indeed my fellow Geeks, it would appear our heroes have truly made it into the limelight for good and with much, much more to come. We love our heroes in all their freakish glory, but what makes a hero? Well the powers of course! I mean what would a super hero be without powers?... Ok Batman... Or The Punisher... Or Moon Knight... Or Most of The Watchmen, Ok I get your point. So super heroes can obviously do just fine without super powers, but let’s be honest, we all totally wish we had some. So here’s the real question: If you could have just one super power, which one would you pick? There are pros and cons to all of them, even X-ray vision (although none come to mind at the moment), so let’s try to break it down and see if it’s discernible which classic super power might be better than the others. Lets begin with the most plausible, Super Strength. Right off the bat, we can all see the advantages. I’m quite sure I don’t need to explain why bench-pressing cars to impress chicks is definitely a pro. The first obvious con might be that Super Strength and Invulnerability aren’t mutually exclusive. Sure you can lift Honey Booboo’s mom with one arm and, if we take biological science into account, that has to make you sturdier than others. Maybe getting hit by a car or falling from great heights wouldn’t hurt you, but it seems a bullet or a bomb might do the trick no matter how strong or tough you are. Oh and you just know that your nemesis is going to be prepared for this. If you can lift up to 40 million tons then you can bet your spangled underpants that the villain has managed to find a weight to trap you under that weighs 40 million and one. Incomprehensible heavy weights are like page one in Super Villain shopping catalogs apparently. So maybe not Super Strength but what about Super Speed? Slightly more elegant than just simple strength, and if you can withstand that much friction it stands to reason that you’re fairly sturdy. Faster than a speeding bullet, great! So you can dodge bullets, fine, but what do you do once you’ve dodged it? Odds are you could make your way to your adversary and start a light-speed punch up, but in essence this makes you more of an annoyance than a devastating threat. Kind of like a really fast wasp, also you gotta wonder what would happen if you ever did run faster than the speed of light. The science of that makes my head hurt. And what happens if against all odds you 54 GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM | 2016 MAR/APR

managed to get trapped? Say, stuck inside a giant canary cage (pg. 2 of the super villain catalog). Barring a forgetful minion happening to leave the key next to the lock, you’re pretty much stuck there. Best you can hope for is a giant hamster wheel. How about Flight? This one is cool and everybody knows it. Since man first looked up at the sky, we’ve had a burning desire to soar with the birds, while pointing and laughing at those lame non-flying ground animals. There are plenty of practical applications to be had with flying i.e. no traffic, sight seeing, no traffic, avoiding airport security, no traffic! I’m a little hard pressed to come up with any downsides for this, short of an Icarus metaphor. I suppose It might be a bit cold if you’re not dressed properly. You also run into sort of the same issue with Super Speed, in that offense may not be your forte. Still in this writer’s mind, never having to sit in a traffic jam more than makes up for it. So far it seems that what these powers lack is a defensive quality. So lets enrage DnD players everywhere and talk about the “Everything-Proof Shield”: Invulnerability. There are assumptions that can be made about this, but at its basest form, Invulnerability means that you’re not going to be hurt in any way (baring perhaps emotional trauma). Seems like a good idea in theory, but honestly I find this to be by far the least compelling of all powers. You’ll never really have to care about anything at all because there is no danger to you. Without the ability to knock you off, your nemesis will inevitably go after your loved ones, and when he does, you’re reduced to asking for help from your stronger, faster, cooler friends. You won’t really be of much use unless you’re willing to let yourself be strapped to your buddy’s arm like a large human shaped plank, and function, quite literally, as a meat shield. But these have all so far been physical powers and we Geeks know that true power lies inside our brilliant geek mind-brains. So how about Super-Intelligence? Arguably the most subtle of super powers (excepting of course Tony Stark and possibly Dexter from his eponymous laboratory). Your mind would be able to race past that of your opponents and decimate any kind of aptitude test that Americans and most of Western Europe could conceive. But how is this useful? Well unless you’re packing Stark/Wayne money, you’re going to be a very effective adviser, or a hacker if you so choose, helping to save the day subtly from behind the scenes. Unfortunately, subtlety won’t land you the babes, or punch Skeletor in the mouth, so you had better put that brain of yours to work figuring out how to cheat the system and make yourself millions... wait a hot second, you just became a

super villain. Up Next: Telekinesis. This writer’s personal favorite, and possibly beyond the realm of fairness when you think about it. For those of you who don’t know (recently unfrozen cavemen perhaps), Telekinesis is the ability to move or affect objects with only the power of your mind. Its awesome if you think about it, and if you wanted to stretch it, you might be able to fly as well, if you could pick yourself up. Engage in epic sword fights without ever having to uncross your arms, or block millions of bullets Thomas A Anderson style. As far as looking cool goes, this one probably takes the cake, but here’s the major downside of Telekinesis,(aside from it giving you the ability to grab food from the fridge and never move from your chair) it requires your mind, IE concentration. If your concentration is broken, conceivably then you won’t be of much use. So all your enemy needs to do is to flick rubber bands at you or play “It’s a small world” and boom. Victory. Finally ending our list with an often unappreciated classic: Laser * Insert Appropriate Anatomy Point Here *. This of course being the ability to fire lasers from some point of your body, seemingly by the sheer force of your awesomeness. As Star Trek, Star Wars, and... everything else that wishes they were Star Trek or Star Wars have shown us, lasers are the future of warfare, and you’d have the ability to use this blast of badassery at your whim. The only choice here (if you’re lucky enough to have a choice) is where the lasers will be fired from. Oldest versions of this have the blasts coming from the eyes, but to me aiming would be a major issue here, plus, god help you if you have glasses. The next obvious point would be your hands, or maybe your fingers. This by far seems the most practical, as far as aiming, and overall control, not to mention you could make yourself feel like Clint Eastwood whenever you so choose. Other seldom seen variants include firing from the chest or mouth, but either seems impractical for your clothes and teeth respectively. As far as fighting off villains goes, you at least know you’d always be armed and ready for whatever villains or life could throw at you. Unfortunately, this power is more often than not shown to be a double edged sword. It seems quite easy to slip up or lose control with our loved ones, or innocents getting caught in the crossfire. Laser powers make you a living weapon and weapons don’t usually mix well with, peace, love, or happiness... So that’s this writer’s opinion on picking from the classics, but remember, no superhero ever chose what powers they got. So if you do end up getting bitten by a radioactive spider, or fall into a vat of toxic waste, (assuming you’re not dead immediately) you’re just gonna have to run with whatever powers fate decides to throw at you. But as we said earlier, the powers aren’t what make super heroes great. It’s what you do with them, it’s the strength not of your muscles, or your brain that makes you an epic badass hero, but rather the strength of your convictions. So whether you can fly, turn invisible, or make waffles appear from thin air, remember; anybody can be a hero. Also get yourself a bad ass car.

2016 JAN/FEB | GEEKFANTASYMAG.COM

EPIC COSPLAYER HOLLY WOLF