November 9, 2013 by Patrick
So about last year, I really started getting into comic books and graphic novels. Back then, I primarily stuck with graphic novels, stories that had distinct endings and were no longer in continuation. The primary reason I did this was because I wasn’t sure that I wanted to get into the monthly issue release that would warrant me spending money and money over time and again. So as the year progressed, I had successfully finished some of the greatest graphic novels out there: Watchmen, Wanted, The Dark Knight Returns, Black Hole, along with volumes and compendiums of the most popular story arcs such as The Long Halloween, The Walking Dead Compendium I + II, and Kick-Ass. Now that I’m nearing the point where there aren’t many graphic novels left that I haven’t heard of.
So I’ve begun getting into series that are now ongoing, finding that they’re even more exhilarating because it’s like I’m joining a number of fan-bases that are eagerly awaiting the release of the next issue. It’s a similar feeling as waiting for The Winds of Winter, or the next Superman vs. Batman movie. With anticipation, there is some form of unification of a fanbase that spawns theories, speculations, and the like.
So today we’re going to talk about some of the comic books that I’m reading and some that I plan on beginning to read. Minor spoils ahead!
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Posted in Books | Tagged Batman, Books, comic books, fables, goon, graphic novels, hellboy, Joker, saga, The Walking Dead, y: the last man | Leave a Comment »
October 31, 2013 by Patrick
HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Stay safe and don’t break traditions! Or Sam will get you.
Go watch Trick R Treat if you haven’t! Most underrated Halloween movie ever.
More art at http://fig-tv.com/
Posted in Fig Art | Tagged Art, Drawing, Halloween, happy, sam, Scary, trick r treat | Leave a Comment »
October 23, 2013 by Patrick
If you’ve been visiting the blog lately, I’ve posted a number of pictures I’ve drawn all relating to original characters I created for a series I’ve titled The Black Carnival. The Black Carnival is a series I’ve created and is a story about a carnival whose employees, acts, and managers are mythical creatures and beings, masquerading to blend in society. I’ve created some character concepts of the main characters. The descriptions I’ve included in the times I’ve posted these images have been vague, because I’ve recently been trying to get the outline and manuscript in order.
Above we have the lead of our story, Gillian Eliza Reily Akers. Gillian, pronounced Gilly-an, is a timid and educated girl, who excelled at combative sports and fencing. Gillian grew up a normal life with her overprotective and conservative father and her wild and spontaneous mother. She’s a spitting image of her father in both personality and appearance and often questions if she inherited anything from her extraverted and perplexing mother. When tragedy strikes Gillian, she learns more about secrets her mother hid from her, which leads Gillian on an adventure to the Black Carnival where her mother’s mysterious legacy changes her life forever.
It’s at the Black Carnival where she meets a number of new friends and enemies, some of which I’ve listed below!
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Posted in Fig Art | Tagged Art, black carnival, cintiq, drawings, story, wacom | Leave a Comment »
October 16, 2013 by Patrick
Fall TV is in full swing and I’m scrambling amongst my busy life to be catching up on everything that’s new and amazing while simultaneously catching up on a number of favorites recommended to me by others. Some old shows have left us (Happy Endings, The Office, Community, Modern Family), but that doesn’t mean it’s still not a busy week for me and my television. So I’ll break down the lineup I go through each week and then I’ll dive into the initial impressions of each show!
MINOR SPOILERS FOLLOW
The Fall TV Line Up
Sunday
Masters of Sex
The Walking Dead
Homeland
Boardwalk Empire
Tuesday
New Girl
Wednesday
Always Sunny in Philadelphia
South Park
Thursday
Parks and Recreation
Friday
The Legend of Korra
Saturday
Saturday Night Live
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Posted in Television | Tagged Boardwalk Empire, chuck, homeland, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Luthor, Masters of Sex, New Girl, Orange in the New Black, Parks and Recreation, Saturday Night Live, South Park, television, The Legend of Korra, The Walking Dead, TV | Leave a Comment »
October 9, 2013 by Patrick
Benedict Cumberbatch has been all the rage this year. Before then he had modest career, never really catching my eye [but maybe my eye isn’t as tasteful as others], starring in some major movies as only a minor character. But back in 2010, he starred in Sherlock, the contemporary take on Sherlock Holmes set in modern London. The series got a cult following relatively quickly and I like to believe [after recently catching up on Sherlock] it helped him get the role of Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness. In this post, I confess my man crush to the incredible Benedict Cumberbatch. To do this, I go over how I nerdgasmed with his portrayal of Khan, got into Sherlock, and how I’ve permantly joined the constantly expanding club known as “The Cumberbitches”.
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Posted in Movies, Television | Tagged BBC, benedict, cumberbatch, khan, sherlock, star trek into darkness, watson | 5 Comments »
September 30, 2013 by Patrick
Symos
Original character from The Black Carnival Series
More art here
More articles coming! So much is happening! Too much!
Posted in Fig Art | Tagged Art, cintiq, Drawing, illustrator, photoshop, puppet, wacom | 3 Comments »
September 22, 2013 by Patrick
Zaspara
More original drawings for my Black Carnival graphic novel, more to come.
As always, visit Fig-TV for more art!
Posted in Fig Art, Video Games | Tagged adobe, Art, bamboo, cintiq, Drawing, Illustration, illustrator, lizard, man, photoshop, wacom | Leave a Comment »
September 12, 2013 by Patrick
More concept art, let me know what you think!
Visit more art at http://fig-tv.com/
Posted in Fig Art | Tagged Art, bamboo, cintiq, Drawing, illustrator, photoshop, wacom | Leave a Comment »
September 6, 2013 by Patrick
Some Plants Vs. Zombies Fan Art
View higher resolution and more art at:
http://fig-tv.com/
Posted in Fig Art, Video Games | Tagged game, ios, iPhone, plants, plants vs. zombies, popcap, Review, Zombies | Leave a Comment »
August 28, 2013 by Patrick
So Popcap/EA released the long awaited for Plants Vs. Zombies 2: It’s About Time and I’ve been crushing it ever since. I have already earned 51 of the 116 available stars, which means I have a long way to go still. One of the drawbacks of the previous game was the fairly monotonous gameplay as you progressed and the lack of challenge besides the ones you gave yourself. This sequel has certainly ramped up the difficulty and introduced a plethora of new and exciting plants. I’ve compiled a list below of my favorite plants that I try to use in every game type.
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Posted in Lists, Video Games | Tagged ea, plants vs. zombies, popcap | Leave a Comment »
August 27, 2013 by Patrick
The protagonist of my original series The Black Carnival.
Sorry I’ve been slacking on the blogging lately. It’s taking a normal amount of adjustment since restarting school again!
Posted in Fig Art | Tagged adobe photoshop, Art, bamboo, cintiq, Drawing, Illustration, illustrator, wacom | Leave a Comment »
August 11, 2013 by Patrick
I drew Mako Mori from Pacific Rim! I absolutely adored this movie and adored Rinko Kikuchi’s portrayal of the lovable Mako Mori.
Check out more art at http://fig-tv.com/
Posted in Character Profiles, Movies | Tagged adobe photoshop, Art, Drawing, gipsy danger, mako mori, Movies, pacific rim | Leave a Comment »
August 7, 2013 by Patrick
I’ve drawn Catwoman in the past, but I decided to take this approach a bit more cartoony. Enjoy
visit more art at http://fig-tv.com/
Posted in Character Profiles, Movies, Television | Tagged adobe, Art, bamboo, Batman, bruce wayne, catwoman, cintiq, Drawing, illustrator, photoshop, selina kyle, wacom | Leave a Comment »
August 1, 2013 by Patrick
Here’s a piece of artwork I’ve done in honor of The Last of Us. It’s currently my background. I absolutely love the game. Feel free to leave me feedback! And read my review on the Last of Us when you get the chance!
Posted in Fig Art, Video Games | Tagged adobe, Art, clickers, digital, Drawing, ellie, illustrator, infected, joel, naughty dog, photoshop, The Last of Us | 2 Comments »
At San Diego Comic Con, there were a lot of news bombs dropped in terms of movies, television, and books. AMC released an amazingly well put together trailer for season 4 of the Walking Dead. Season 3 and show runner Glenn Mazarra took an amazing step forward in realizing what the Walking Dead had the potential to be, but after differences between book creator, Robert Kirkman and Glenn Mazarra, the show let Mazarra go.
Scott Gimple took the reins, who is credited for some of the show’s strongest episodes such as Sophie’s status after the barn and Rick’s memorable reencounter with the psychologically damaged Morgan. This has already created potential for making season 4 the strongest season yet. And as a book reader, I have quite the idea of what this season will be centered on.
This article is NOT meant TV-only fans, it is meant for comic book readers who have finished the prison arc.
If you do not want to be spoiled, LEAVE NOW before I ruin the show for you. Once again, this article/discussion is only for book readers and those who want to be spoiled.
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Posted in Books, Television | Tagged AMC, daryl dixon, grimes, Kill, michonne, rick, Season 4, The Walking Dead, Zombies | 3 Comments »
If you haven’t already noticed, this blog has been limping in content over the past half year. I’ve declared its death, I’ve announced its revival, I’ve promised content, I’ve barely delivered. Life isn’t as concrete as the words one can say and I’ve always been a fan of ‘do, don’t speak’, but here I am speaking once again, hoping the ‘do-ing’ part follows suit.
So for the bazillionth time, Banana Scoop is being put back into regular programming with the promise [that can hopefully be fulfilled] of two articles a week, Tuesday and Thursday. These articles will cover the many things I’m experiencing that will almost 99.9% of the time will revolve around geek culture: video games (See my Last of Us Review), movies, television, fan-art, and books.
I want to thank all of my long time Banana Scoop supporters: On Life and Stuff, Victor’s Movie Reviews, 2 Dollar Cinema, and Sidekick Reviews. You were there in the beginning and I’m glad to still have you guys now. Check out their stuff when you get the chance.
Overall this isn’t the only announcement, continue to read on for the general ‘What’s up with Patrick these days’ summary.
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Posted in Maintenance | Tagged blogging, cintiq, new beginnings, news, Skyrim, wordpress | Leave a Comment »
All images are owned by Naughty Dog
If you follow video games at all, you must have heard about Naughty Dog’s most recent title, The Last of Us, which is shattering records in both the critical acclaim and sales aspects. The Last of Us is a hyper realistic survival game set in an post-apocalyptic world, following an unlikely pair, Joel, an old and grizzled man, and Ellie, a young girl. Together they go on a journey across country trying to find the key to humanity, or at least survive it.
This game is definitely one of the top contenders for the title, ‘Game of the Year’. As ambiguous and generic as giving that title to any game may seem, The Last of Us had it all. Great story, compelling action, beautiful graphics, and emotional depth. We’re not going to go into story too much here as a matter of fact, we’re not going to talk much about any spoilers at all. This is simply a review of the amazing things that happen in the game and some of the not so great [but kinda negligible] things worth commenting on.
I haven’t tried the multiplayer yet, so if you have any comments on that, let me know in the comments below in addition to any other comments you might have about the game in general.
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Posted in Lists, Reviews, Video Games | Tagged ellie, exclusive, joel, naughty dog, ps3, Review, The Last of Us | Leave a Comment »
When you come across ‘best tv shows ever’ lists, you’ll see a hodgepodge of obvious award winning television shows like The Wire, Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, etc. Every once in a while, you’ll come across a little known UPN/CW show called Veronica Mars. Back then, I would scoff and say how weird this Dawson’s Creek/Gillmore Gills look-a-like made this list? I mean a show about the dramas of little ‘ol highschoolers? How is this ABC Familiy-esque TV show getting such high praise? So I threw it in the back of my head and judged the judgements of others and claimed that it must have been some sort of fluke.
And then that Kickstarter happened. Creator Rob Thomas launched a Kickstarter asking loyal Veronica Mars fans to help make their dream come true by asking the unreal sum of $2,000,000. Twenty four hours later, the goal was broken and the final sum of the Kickstarter ended past $5,000,000. So I had it. That was it. I had to see what the big deal was about. Who was this Veronica Mars and why was she so special? What could compel fans enough to throw $5,000,000 at the promise of a movie about some non-premium cable TV show? How does a such a rabid fan base exist that I’m not a part of yet? I investigated all these by finally catching up on the three seasons of Veronica Mars in preparation for the movie. And now I just wish I was a fan earlier, so I could too help support this much needed cause.
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Posted in Reviews, Television | Tagged crime, CW, kickstarter, kristen bell, logan echolls, Murder, Review, UPN, veronica mars | 2 Comments »
Art by 2013
League of Legends has essentially consumed my life these past days. Of all the free time I have, it’s usually spent either drawing, Minecraft, or League of Legends. I’m still a rising Summoner, only about level 20 or so, but I’m learning fast. Of course, I have my favorite Champions to use that I feel most effective with. I’ve decided to compile my favorite Champs that I’ve used in the past could of weeks I’ve been grinding the game with. And whether it’s a crushing victory of a blowing defeat, I always have fun playing these 5 champs. Here they are in no particular order.
As of late, I have a knack and tendency to pick up not very used champs and trying to make hem work. I try to stay away from the heavily favored champs that professionals use like Kha’zix, Rengar, Draven, Jayce, etc. If it’s mainstream, then it’s not my jam.
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Posted in Lists, Video Games | Tagged champions, favorite, gank, League of Legends, overpowered, pc, Riot Games, summoners, Video Games | 4 Comments »
It’s no secret that my love for television extends beyond many of my other loves. These include video games, movies, drawing, books, and comic books. Doing these recaps are my favorite because it allows you to share with everyone about your favorite shows and gives others a chance to chime in their opinions on what I’m missing out on! Trust me, these kind of things actually happen because it’s because of my readers that I got into Modern Family!
Anywho, Winter/Spring television is very much started and some shows only have a week or two left before their finales, but I figured now would be a good time to recap on what’s happened and why you should pick up on the shows I’m watching! 11 Shows this season, can you keep up?
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Posted in Reviews, Television | Tagged Archer, Community, Game of Thrones, Girls, happy endings, Justified, New Girl, Parks and Recreation, shameless, television, the americans, The Walking Dead, TV | Leave a Comment »
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