NERDS AROUND TOWN

Nerds Around Town: Aquaman, Superman and the X-Men

ART BY JESUS RODRIGUEZ

Born with a comic book in one hand and a remote control in the other, Cory DLG is the talent of Conroe's very own Nerd Thug Radio and Sports. Check out the podcast replay of the FM radio show at www.nerdthugradio.com!

GOOD DEED OF THE DAY

Nov. 2 is fast approaching and that means Extra Life is almost upon us. It's a great charity drive that benefits the Children's Miracle Network and Nerd Thug Radio has been a happy member of the process since we started our little show three years ago. Join in, donate, help kids, have fun... It's pretty simple.

KING OF THE SEA

Jason Mamoa continues to impress in how he handles his career. I've mentioned several times how he's incredibly famous for basically only being in about 4 or 5 roles his whole career, but he continues to impress apparently bringing in a whole pitch to his initial meetings with Warner Bros for an Aquaman 2. They currently say he is co-writing the sequel, which is an awesome credit to his resume, I'm not sure if he's got other writing credits, I know none of the DC stuff before this or the Game of Thrones he wrote for so this would be a heck of a debut movie to co-write. Anyway his passion for the characters and roles he takes on are I think what people cling to and he continues to impress with that passion.

CLARK WHO?

Rumors have been swirling for awhile about Brian Michael Bendis' big plans for Superman and it looks like one of those is him getting rid of the Clark Kent identity. They've been slowly rolling this story out overtime with Lois Lane and Superman kissing publicly recently resulting conversation about their relationship and how Clark Kent factors into it. From there the story is going to continue and eventually Superman will choose or be forced to reveal that he is Clark Kent and at that point, there will be all kinds of issues coming from this. Heroes will feel betrayed and allegedly it will inspire a villain of some merit to "repent" so to speak, it's interesting to see where this goes.

THE WOES OF THE X MEN

Cullen Bunn gives an awesome and honest interview on AIPT, which is a great comic book website to check out. He talks about how he had big ideas for lots of characters and stories but Hickman's coming House of X basically prevented him from being able to make too many major changes to the overall arc and characters of the X Universe. Although honestly, I think considering how Hickman's story would rewrite the very reality of the X-Men universe they could have done whatever they wanted. I personally would like to see a story where basically they say, go crazy, do whatever you want. This is ultimately the problem with working in someone else's sandbox though, they limit how you tell your stories but it is the X-Men.

NOT THAT YOU ASKED

Casting has been coming out about Matrix 4 and honestly I'm excited about the casting, Jessica Henwick was awesome in Iron Fist and fantastic in her limited role of Game of Thrones. Capable of great action and good acting, I think she's a great choice for any action movie, but the real question I have is, do we need a Matrix 4? What's it supposed to be about? I hear most of the cast is back but for real, what are we doing here? Another Matrix movie? Weren't 2 and 3 bad?

Feel free to check out my brand new comic book Another Day at the Office or buy a shirt from Side Hustle Ts where some proceeds help people struggling with cancer or listen to Nerd Thug Radio. Thoughts, complaints, events and comments can be sent to corydlg@gmail.com.

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The Texans staff is almost complete. Composite image by Brandon Strange.

DeMeco Ryans was hired as the Houston Texans' sixth head coach in their young history on January 18. The next question was who will be his offensive and defensive coordinators? It took almost a month before those questions got answered. The team hired Matt Burke as the defensive coordinator on February 10. Then they hired Bobby Slowik as the offensive coordinator two days later. Burke was previously the Arizona Cardinals defensive line coach. His most recent stint as a DC was in Miami from 2017-2018. Slowik was previously the San Francisco 49ers pass game coordinator and specialist. This is his first stint as an offensive coordinator. Both were interesting hires for different reasons.

Burke as the DC was fascinating for a few reasons. One being that DeMeco was the hottest coaching candidate this hiring cycle. He took over a great defense in San Francisco and kept the ball rolling. Burke coming in raised the question will he call plays? Or, will DeMeco continue to call plays himself? While they've been vague in answering the question, it's pretty obvious DeMeco will be heavily involved. I think DeMeco will either call plays himself, or have veto power over Burke. Once they get a feel for one another, Burke will then take over the reins. Should that feeling out process make all parties comfortable earlier on, Burke could take over sooner.

Slowik is the one everybody is really looking at. As the offensive coordinator, he's expected to help guide the incoming rookie quarterback. As they interviewed head coaching candidates, the Texans let them know they intend to take a quarterback with the number two overall pick. That tidbit of info led me to believe the offensive coordinator hire is almost more important than DeMeco's hire. Almost. Key word. If Slowik develops this rookie quarterback into a top 10-15 guy within two years and the offense ranks in the same range, he'll be highly sought after.

Offensive coaches have gotten most of the recent head coaching jobs because the league is on the offensive cycle right now. We know Slowik will call plays because DeMeco is a defensive guy. Handing over the keys to the offense to Slowik means he gets the chance to prove himself, by himself. While DeMeco may call plays initially, or at least help out, Burke will be seen as an assistant. If and when Burke calls plays on his own, he could be seen as a future head coaching candidate. His candidacy will take longer because he will have the Eric Bieniemy effect: being overshadowed by his head coach, who works on the same side of the ball.

All three guys are young enough to put in work here for years to come. DeMeco is 38, Burke is 46, and Slowik is 35. When you look at coaches like Pete Carroll (71), Bill Belichick (70), and Andy Reid (64), these guys could have a 20-30 year run if they so choose (provided they stay relevant, successful, healthy, and engaged). Now, will they all stay here? DeMeco is a lifer if he doesn't get fired. Burke may be here a while until he establishes himself further. Slowik is the one that may move on to bigger and better things sooner than later. My only hope is that they all succeed and grow this franchise into what these loyal fans deserve: a consistent winner and eventual Super Bowl champion.

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