The Perfect Costume

Halloween is pretty much the perfect time of the year for nerds. While we may spend the other 364 days of the year wishing that we could dress up like super heroes, this is the only day when you won’t get disparaging stares for doing so. But that doesn’t mean you can just up and throw on any costume. In fact, there are many rules to making the perfect Halloween outfit.  So here is the official Tales From the Basement DO and DON’T DO list of how to dress up for the scariest day of the year.

DO - Pay attention to the details

Anyone can throw on a Spider Man suit, but the really interesting costumes are the ones that pay attention to the tiniest details. Going as Hellboy? Don’t forget to chomp down on a giant cigar. Shaun of the Dead?  Can’t go out without your name tag.  Captain Malcolm Reynolds?  You need one fine looking holster. The devil is in the details.

DON’T DO - Tight fitting clothes

They may look good on the page, but in real life…not so much. No matter how good you think a skin-tight, latex outfit makes you look, please stay away. Basically there are two ways that this kind of costume can go: it either embarrasses you death or makes for some very inappropriate pictures on your FaceBook page.

DO - Be original

There is only so much room for the plethora of Batman’s, Superman’s, and Wolverine’s that Halloween can handle. So why not try something different? Pick a lesser known character and have fun with it. Here are a few examples. Don’t go as Harry Potter, try Ron instead. Or instead of Cloud, go as Squall. And if you have to be Spider Man, at least be the black one.

DON’T DO - Get too complicated

Yes I know, I know. Robocop, Boba Fett, and Galactus all look so damn cool. But that doesn’t mean you should dress up like them. The first problem is getting the outfit right. Unless you are extremely artistically inclined, chances are the suit will look quite lame. But on the oft chance you get it to look right, man is it going to be uncomfortable. You’ll be hot, you won’t be able to see straight, and OW! you just banged your leg on the coffee table. Just avoid the temptation and pity those poor souls struggling to walk around as Optimus Prime.

DO - Have fun

Ok, the fact that I’m laying down some rules may make dressing up for Halloween seem like serious business, but that’s not really the case. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. Just pick a character you love, and have some fun with it. My personal favorite Halloween was when I dressed up as my favorite film character ever, Shaun from Shaun of the Dead, complete with bloody hand prints, a cardboard cricket bat, and “Hello My Name Is Shaun” name tag. It was a great time, even if I had to deal with one too many “you’ve got red on you” jokes.

Andrew Webster is a freelance writer based in Toronto who covers comics, movies, videogames, and anything else that will rot out your brain. Check out his personal site to read more of his incoherent ramblings.

“With great power comes great responsibility.”

It also, apparently, comes with some serious anger management issues. Even though super-heroes have abilities that most of us can only dream about, it’s very rare to see one that is happy. Just because they can fly doesn’t mean they have to like it. In fact, most of the time, they seem to be even more angry then the general population. Maybe it’s the pressure of having to constantly save the world. Maybe it’s the strain of being an outcast from mainstream society. Or it could just be the pain of constantly wearing those skin-tight costumes. Whatever it is, there’s no denying it, super powered beings are an irritated bunch.

The quintessential example is, of course, The Incredible Hulk. I mean, come on. In order to become the powerful brute, Dr. Bruce Banner must get angry. Hulk angry, Hulk smash. Anyone whose special power necessitates getting pissed off is clearly unstable. And this isn’t just any regular guy, he’s a world renowned physicist for crying out loud. But there are many other, less obvious, examples besides Banner’s infuriated alter-ego.

Just look at possibly the most popular of all the X-Men, Wolverine, a guy who will never turn down a fight. Actually, he’s normally the one starting it. Hellboy sure enjoys using that Right Hand of Doom to pummel evil mythological creatures. The only reason that Batman exists is for revenge. Same goes for The Punisher. In fact, even traditional do-gooders like Super-Man, while not furious, are at least not happy. Come on, when was the last time you actually saw the Man of Steel smile?

The counter to this, however, is that those rare few heroes who approach their jobs in a light-hearted fashion tend not to be the most responsible. Take The Human Torch, for example. The hot-headed Fantastic 4 member is reckless and this tends to get both him and his team mates in trouble. This helps give credence to the idea that super heroes should be angry. After all, it seems to help them out. If Star Wars has taught us anything, it’s that anger makes us stronger. Then again, that only worked for the bad guys, and they lost.  Nevermind.

So, while it may not be the same for everyone, whatever the reason, it seems to be working. Heroes may be mad, but they tend to be pretty good at their jobs. I haven’t been under the control of any kind of evil dictator or alien invasion, so they must be doing something right.

I’m not embarrassed to admit that I’m a Watchmen super-fan. And though I’ve already expressed some trepidation about the upcoming film right here in this column, I have to admit, I am absurdly excited about going to see this movie. What got me most excited though, is the reactions of those who were treated to a sneak peek of the movie earlier this month. Once I got over my murderous rage at the fact that I wasn’t invited, I eagerly read everyone’s impressions, and my excitement level shot up a few bazillion notches.

We’ve all seen the trailer by now, and so we all know just how awesome it looks. But a trailer is one thing, an entire film is another. Thankfully, from the sounds of things, the movie is remaining truly faithful to its source material. Even the scene with Dr. Manhattan on Mars, probably my favorite moment in the book, is done justice.

“From the odd, single sound effect when Manhattan arrives on Mars to the palpable chemistry between John Osterman and fellow physicist Janey Slater to the horror of the accident itself and the almost-human guilt that Manhattan feels at the way he may or may not have caused cancer in all of his friends and lovers in last few decades… it’s all there. It’s all right,” Ain’t It Cool News wrote.

And if that wasn’t enough, director Kevin Smith exclaimed that the film was “f***ing astounding!” Now that’s quite the endorsement. He goes on to explain that, “Remember that feeling of watching Sin City on the big screen and being blown away by what a faithful translation of the source material it was, in terms of both content and visuals? Triple that, and you’ll come close to watching Watchmen. Even Alan Moore might be surprised at how close the movie is to the book. March can,t come soon enough.

Now obviously I’ll be reserving judgement until I actually see the film. I’ve been burned before by a number of comic book adaptations, so there is always the possibility that Allan Moore is right, and that it will end up being a disaster. But man, I sure hope not. I can’t remember a film that had me as excited as this one does, and I’m not sure I could handle the disappointment of a bad Watchmen movie.

March 6, 2009 can’t come soon enough.

It is almost a certainty that if you are reading this article right now, you are in fact a geek. Don’t feel bad, everyone else here is too. It’s nothing to be ashamed about. What you really need to do is embrace your true self, instead of shying away from it. One of the best ways of doing this is to spruce up your work space. Chances are you already have a healthy (or unhealthy, depending on who you ask) collection of action figures brightening up your desk. But if not, here are a few places to get started with your redecorating.

Sillof’s Workshop

There really is no getting around it, steam punk looks awesome. The alternate reality futuristic setting has led to some of the best stories out there, as well as some of the most striking visual imagery. At Silloh’s Workshop, some of the most iconic characters–most notably those from the Star Wars universe–have been re-envisioned with a steam punk aesthetic. The results are pretty incredible. My pick? The seriously sophisticated looking Yoda.

Mighty Muggs

The majority of the heroes and villains we love are seriously tough looking guys and girls. But that doesn’t mean they can’t still look cute! Hasbro’s Might Muggs line takes characters from the Marvel, Star Wars, and Indiana Jones universes and super-deforms them, making even hideous creatures like Venom and Darth Maul look simply adorable.

Play Arts

This is for all of you Japanese role-playing fans out there. Square-Enix’s Play Arts line of figures takes recognizable characters from game series like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest and renders them with stunning detail. Some of the figures–like the various versions of Cloud and his bad-ass motorcycle–are a little extravagant, but awesome enough to invoke a great deal of jealousy in anyone passing by your cubicle. That is, if you don’t mind parting with a god deal of money.

Mez-Itz

Though difficult to find, Mez-Itz are some of the coolest figures around. Like Mighty Muggs, these guys are smaller, deformed versions of their actual selfs that are almost too cute for words. And that is saying something, considering the series features characters from Alien, Army of Darkness, and Edward Scissorhands. But my personal favorite (and not just because they happen to be looking at me from my office shelf at the moment) is the Run DMC set, complete with tiny mics and turntables.

There is no doubt about it, us poor folks in North America are going through a financial crisis. Money is getting tight all around, meaning that we all have to be much more careful about how we spend the little we have. But does that mean you have to give up all the things you love? Of course not! That is, unless the things you love are solid gold houses and rocket cars. But for us regular folks, there is plenty you can do to stretch those ever shrinking entertainment dollars.

Mega Man 9 ($9.99): Let’s party like it’s 1987! The latest entry in the long-running Mega Man series of action games is eschewing all of the advances made in videogame development over the last two decades, and is instead quite possibly the greatest nostalgia trip ever. The game looks nearly identical to the first two games in the series, and more importantly, plays just as good. Mega Man 9 is great for those of us who grew up with an NES, and is probably the hardest game in the series. Just remember, those game controllers are expensive, so don’t go throwing them across the room in frustration.

His Dark Materials ($15.30): With this package, you get three of the best novels available, all for under $20. If you had to sit through the film version of The Golden Compass, try and put that out of your mind, and get ready for an epic tale that is actually entertaining. Like the Harry Potter books, the His Dark Materials trilogy is perfectly suited to both kids and adults alike. But this tale is much darker, and is filled with all types of creative and incredible creatures and locations that will suck you in until the last page of the last book. On the bad side, it will make you wish you had a daemon of you very own.

Batman: The Dark Glove ($16.49): If you prefer your books with pictures in them (which you probably do, considering you are reading this site), you may want to check out this hardcover collection. Writer Grant Morrison creates a brand new threat for the Dark Knight, a mysterious organization known as the Dark Glove. This group is committed to eliminating Batman by any means necessary, and on several occasions, come very close to getting their wish. Combining Morrison’s writing with J.H. Williams III wonderful art creates quite an engaging experience, and one that thankfully won’t break the bank. Unfortunately, it does end on a delicious cliff-hanger, so you may be forced to buy the next one as well.

The Ricky Gervais Show ($4.96-$6.95 per season): The best way to escape from the depression of having your house repossessed is humor. If you manage to hang on to your iPod, download any of the 5 seasons of The Ricky Gervais Show and get ready to laugh away all of your troubles. For a few hours anyways. Join Ricky and and his co-writer Steve Merchant as they listen to the hilariously idiotic theories of the lovable oaf Karl Pilkington. The best part for the financially impaired is that the show gets even better on multiple listens, so $5 can go a long way. Though sleeping on a subway may decrease the audio quality.

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