A.J.'s Side Panel Episode #3

2 in 1 night!!!  Holy Crap I must have a lot to say or just bored off my sweet ass.  Maybe both.

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Please either leave your responses here or email me at aj@forbiddenpanel.com

A.J.'s Side Panel Episode #2

Hello again.  Are you ready for some more of my random rambling??!!

Well then enjoy yourself.

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And remember feedback is appreciated!!  Either reply to this post or email me at aj@forbiddenpanel.com

AJ's Side Panel Episode #1

So I've decided to take my rants and reviews and create them vocally.  That and sometimes what I have to say isn't enough for here but waaaay to much for Facebook or Twitter lol.

So instead what I have done is create a little 15 minute recording of what's on my mind that day.  This may happen weekly, it may happen daily, or I could just say fuck it and never do it again.  Ye never know.  Anyway, here it is.  Please let me know what you think.

Treme: The Complete First Season

Episode #1
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Please let me know what you think by replying here or emailing me at aj@forbiddenpanel.com

PanelCast #58

PanelCast #58
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In this episode we play interviews from Geeks-Con

Stargate Universe.

Wow, it's been awhile since I have posted here.  Sorry my fellow bloggers.  My bad.

This week I would like to talk about my addiction to SG-U.

And what an addiction it is.

When I had first heard about the original series I had my doubts.  I was a big fan of the movie and thought to myself that the series would be cool.  I sat down and watch the pilot episode when it had premiered on the SyFy (then Sci-Fi) channel and was disappointed.  It was not all that I had thought it would be and with the cheesy and campy-ness I immediately wrote it off.

Flash forward about 10 years later.  I was at the San Diego comic con heading into a Rob Zombie panel where he was going to promote his movie Halloween.  As many of you Con goers know, when you go to a big panel you have to show up at least 2 or 3 panels beforehand and wait for the between panels to move forward into a better seat.

The panel we jumped into was the Stargate panel.  This panel started of with SG-1 and ended with SG: Atlantis.  Admittedly I sat there mocking the fans for their lack of taste and general wanna-be Star Trek nerdiness over this show.

Then something happened.  The cast of Stargate: Atlantis came out and I saw Jewel Staite of Firefly and was taken aback.  Woah there is one of my favorite actresses from one of my favorite (albeit short lived) TV shows.  So I sat up and payed attention.  They showed the trailer for the upcoming season and did the whole Q&A thing and then it was over.


I figured, OK, I'll go home and grab the first mini-movie/pilot thing and check it out.

I was hooked.

I loved the show.  I ended up grabbing the entire series.  I inhaled it.  For 2 weeks that's all my life was.  Come home from work, pop in the DVD and watch the entire thing before bed.  I didn't realize just how empty my Sci-Fi needs were with the absence of Star Trek or Firefly on TV.  This show filled that void.

In between season 4 and 5 I took a break and started watching SG-1.  While not as great as Atlantis, SG-1 was still good.  By then I was so deep with in the lore of Stargate I grew to love it as I had with Atlantis.  Go Teal'C.

Oh and the episode where Teal'C and Ronan were sparring...AWESOME!!!!

Best episode is when Teal'C and Colonel O'Neil are having a groundhogs day type of day and they are caught golfing into the Stargate itself.  Classic.

Anyway.  It disappointed me to learn that Atlantis was not doing to well and that season 5 would be it's last. I held off for as long as I could in my complaints because it was turning out to be a really great season.  I thought after the final episode that I would no longer be able to enjoy my SG fix.  Even with the release of the 2 SG-1 direct to video movies I will still left wanting.

Then the announcement of SG-Universe came out.  I was all giddy again.  The trailer looked awesome, the cast seemed perfect, even the Star Trek Voyager type storyline was cool with me.  And that's where we are today.  Just watched the season 1 finale of the show and now I want to tell you all about it.

Well not necessarily the episode itself but the show.  For those of you who aren't fans of SG I must implore you, take a chance.  If you are like me, and are fans of shows like Buffy and Angel and Firefly (yeah yeah yeah I know they are all Whedon shows) and a fan of any of the Star Treks, then I can almost guarantee that you will enjoy all of the SG shows.  If not all at least one of them.  Because they are indeed good.

SG-U is slowly turning into one of my favorites though.  SG-U is basically about a group of military personnel and scientists that were on a remote outpost when it gets attacked.  They pop into a Stargate to escape and wind up on the ship Destiny. Destiny is an Ancient ship (you would know what this means if you watched any of the other shows!) and has been lost in space for thousands of years.  The show takes you through the misadventures the new crew has while trying to not only figure out how to operate the ship, but also how to use the ship to get home.

This series takes a more dramatic turn in relation to the other shows.  It dives in to more personal character driven stories while combining them with science fiction elements.  It's almost soap opera-esque.  I am digging it.

It's like they took aspects of Atlantis and mixed it with Voyager and gave birth to this.  Where as the other shows (SG-1 & Atlantis) focused more on the military, this one tries it's best to combine both soldier and civilians as they learn to live together for a common goal.

I love the visuals, the acting, the stories and the environments.  I think it has some of the coolest characters that I have seen in a while.  Granted it is no where near the level of awesomeness as BSG but it does have some of the seriousness from Caprica.

I think fans of the SG series will enjoy the show and new visitors will like what they see.  It is part of the SyFy networks Friday night lineup and I am sure will be on repeats through out the summer.  It's a good time to catch up as we await it's return next season.

Panelcast #53

PanelCast#53

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In this episode of the PanelCast I say goodbye to a dear friend of mine Wes Buel.

Then we get right down to business as Bryan discusses all the news that's out there.

I review 

The Losers:

As well as Area 10 by Christos Gage

Panelcast #52

PanelCast #52 To listen right click to download or open in new window.

Welcome to Episode #52 of the PanelCast.  In this episode Bryan drudges up more news as usual and I talk about the midnight showing of

Here are some images from the Midnight Showing.

Panelcast #51

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Yes we know it's been awhile and they you guys missed us.  It's ok cuz we missed you too teehee.

In this, our 51st episode, you get to listen to us talk about some of the latest news that's out there.

Bryan breaks from the norm and has something nice to say about BlueWater Productions.

I talk God Of War 3 and Captain America casting.

Bryan talks about Atomic Robo.

And some other stuff.

Oh yeah and we bring you interviews from WonderCon!!!
Have some pics.

Me comparing tattoos

The Kitchens!

Some Kick-Ass! chicks

Me and Max Brooks.

Joe Kelly author of I Kill Giants.

Be sure to check out this site.  It's pretty sweet.
SemantInk

Wondercon

Ye know, I've been to plenty of cons in my day. I could sit here all day and list them off like crazy. But I won't. To much to type to be quite honest with ye.

Normally with big cons you get an mass influx of Movie studios trying to promote there upcoming releases. Because of that, you fail to get true comic fans and instead are stuck with a bunch of screaming teens clamoring over us geeks in order to stare at a Twilight star from 500 yards away. (I'm looking at you San Diego). Because of that the comic fan themselves get lost in the shuffle and are once again made to feel belittled and ashamed and outcast.

The smaller cons are no better. It's filled with 3 or 4 truly great indy comic gems buried underneath a calamity of 50 year old has been 1 movie forgotten "stars" or 20-30 or so comic book shops trying to sell you a comic worth $2 for $20 with a slash through it trying to make you feel like you got a deal because you're not spending $30 on it.

I personally kinda like the little cons because as a press site we are able to find those small indy comic gems that I speak of and read something not to many people have seen before. Also, as an indy comic creator myself, I like to think I am one of those gems teehee.

The bigger cons for me have always been an insane experience in wishing I had a machete to hack through the crowds and being able to watch as people we think are big names wander through the floor showing off how much of a geek they are as well. But sometimes it just becomes to much to handle. Each day is work. Not just to promote your comic but to walk on the floors and geek out. So much effort to weed through the thousands of people just to get to the bathroom that was only safe to use the first hour of the doors being open. Exhausting I tell ye.

Wondercon was something new. A wonderfully joyous experience that reminded me of why I fell in love with comics in the first place. It was ALL comics ALL the time. For those of you who have been to SD Comic Con, imagine the convention center. Ye know how it's 2 really big buildings with the glass elevator in the middile? Well imagine the right side building. Now imagine half of that. That is Wondercon. 1/4 of the space 1/4 of the people 100% comic books. No movies or big name entertainment ruining everything. Just a bunch of really awesome people and really awesome fans in a perfect setting. I was able to not only meet but geek out with some of my favorite authors and artists without feeling uncomfortable, pressured, or crowded. It was awesome. You could literally turn left or right and talk to that random person about comics and instantly gain a friend. I loved it.

I got a bunch of great interviews and some decent pics, all of which I will post at the end of the week to accompany this weeks PanelCast. Don't worry, I think you'll enjoy them. If you haven't been and always wanted to go, then head to WonderCon next year and remember what it means and feels like to be a geek.

The time of year.

I awake each morning a peasant amidst a bed of strips of ink soaked parchment and dismissed imagination. I slowly trudge the dreary halls of my dank and decrepit castle filled with piles and piles of wasted manuscript and strewn about keyboards and back issues of dreams. I don the armor of future hope as I contemplate the day that lies ahead of me. To intertwine my thoughts and insipid four color plans with my fellow travelers as we gather to take our dreams and lay the nay sayers to waste. For this is the season were we petty and frowned upon outcasts of society rise above to take our place amongst the Gods of the wicked and painters of the deep dark corners of the mind. We are the ones that do battle this day, we determine the outcome of future wars with Dragons of our creation and Heroes of our tongues. Our fingers change the course of history and timelines upon which you lie your head in peace upon at night. We say yay to the nightmares of elation where creatures and man may walk behind your eyelids, penetrating the manner of which you base your life upon. You inhale our words and breathe our name and sing the praises for those that cause you to smile and hold your head up high during this time of year. We are that which cause your life to have meaning, for your immaculate, plastic wrapped and cardboard backed golden tickets of commerce derive from our blistered and blood soaked hands are but mere shards of our soul and shrapnels of our fragile hearts. I sit amongst those that share my desire, to be that for which you lay hope upon, a Knight in which my ingenuity my weapon, my laptop my shield and my fellow creators my brothers in arms and the Con our round table. Come stand by my side, my friends, as we travel to that for which we ourselves have wished upon to land in the waters of Geekdom and kneel before our Lady of the Lake and she kisses our forehead and blesses our journey.

Welcome to Con Season.

Kicking it Kratos style

I spent this week playing God Of War 3. Wow. What an amazing game. They really pulled out all the stops on this one.

Many many many moons ago I started playing God Of War on the ps2. I was immediately impressed with the game-play and cinematics of the game. With an in-depth well thought out story line and perfectly cast voice acting, it was hard to not become engrossed in this game. They took what was basically a button mashing third person action/adventure game and added layers upon layers of style. I beat the game in 2 days.

Soon after saw the release of God Of War 2. I was afraid that it would be found wanting as so many other game sequels such as the Devil May Cry series. Nope. This game took what was already a perfect gaming engine and actually improved on it without losing any of the style or panache of the original. Once again we joined Kratos on his journey to extract revenge on those that would deny him 1 nights sleep without any nightmares. They added better cinematics and more weapons to complete a package that reminded us all why we loved the first game. It was a perfect companion. I beat the game in 3 days.

This week saw the release of God Of War 3. This would be the finale of the series and promised to take advantage of all the hardware improvements found in the PS3. Holy crap they weren't kidding. This game is EPIC.

The first thing you notice is the graphics. Crisp, clean, sharp, detailed images flood the screen it 1080p/bluray glory. I found myself just staring at the screen and noticing the in-depth detail that they lavished on this game.

The gameplay was just as fluid as ever. With the seemles integration of the QTE's and game-play there is never a dull moment.

Voice acting, wow. Staring the likes of TC Carson, Rip Torn, Kevin Sorbo and Malcolm Mcdonald, they really managed to pull out all of the stops with this. Rip Torns character of Hephaestus was my favorite.

Storyline..well they really brought it this time. You felt like you were right there with Kratos, sharing his emotions and will to fight.

Hands down this game has to be one of the best that I have ever played. It reminded me as to why I choose the PS3 over the 360. It was a perfect ending to the series and I for one will be sad to know that there will not be another in the series.


If you haven't already, do yourself a favor and pick up this game. You will not regret it I promise.

BTW, this one took me 4 days to beat hehe.

New Panelcast

PanelCast #50 http://bit.ly/a5gU5K

A letter to Tom Hanks

Dear Tom Hanks,

Fuck You.

Please understand that I mean this as the most sincerest form of flattery humanly possible. And if you believe that, keep reading.




Band of Brothers still remains, in my opinion, one of the best TV Mini-Series ever made. It's storyline, cinematography, settings, and deep characterizations remain one of the most spectacular forms of film making ever. The way you took what was essentially a group of under appreciated and little know cast members and placed them in a heart wrenching story and made us fall in love with them is without equal. Yes I know you were just the executive producer and as such did not cast, write, or create the story, you still chose to back it up with your drive and desire and bring it to light. Kudos to you sir.

I have followed your career since Busom Buddies and Bachelor Party and have marveled and the growth and maturity to which your career has reached. You went from a funny, comedic player to one of the biggest heavy hitters in Hollywood. You have chosen to rise from your smalled status and use your abilities to bring amazing and high quality films to screen and I applaud you for that.

Now having said that, I have grown to learn that when it come to War Films to expect a higher caliber of film making from you. I know when I sit down that I need to turn down the lights, grab a box of tissue, crank up the surround sound, and absorb every minute of cinema coming out.

On March 14th I sat down and watched The Pacific, your newest executively produced series. Having previously experienced Band Of Brothers, I was fully aware of what I was getting into. And sure enough, the show did not disappoint. You were able to use the same feel as Band Of Brothers and put forth something that I know will tug on the same heartstrings and you have done before.

And for that, for the plain and simple fact that you make me feel emotion in a show. That I must once again invest myself into another of your War Time shows has me coming back to my originial statement. Fuck You. And thank you at the same time.

It's HERE

That's right everyone our first comic book Z.K.S. #0 is finally out!!!

Does this explain where I have been and why I haven't posted in awhile lol.

Well let's see what's been going on.

Finally started reading Fables. Wow what an awesome comic book. That is up until the Great Fables crossover that is.


Fables is a comic about fairy tale characters having been outted of their fairy tale lands and having to exist in the real "mundane" world. It's an awesome series and if you have a chance you should pick it up.

Movies....wholy crap have I seen some movies lol. I don't even know where to start. Let's start with the latest movie I saw. That would be Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Which in my opinion was a kids version of Clash Of The Titans. Pretty good story and effects and I would recommend it. The only really problem I had was the fact that all the kids were played by 20-30 year olds. Meh oh well.

You know I could go on for hours about all the stuff I have been up to in the past few months but honestly you could probably just listen to our podcast PanelCast to catch up on what's going on and what we've seen. I swear I will keep up with this more often.

Come out and see us at Rose Bowl Comics and Collectors Show every second sunday of the month!!!