NERDS AROUND TOWN
Nerds Around Town: Ninjas, Justice League and nerding for charity
Oct 17, 2019, 6:06 am
NERDS AROUND TOWN
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!
This week Nerd Thug Radio sets up our plans for Extra Life which will be Nov. 2. It's 24 hours of gaming for a good cause. The donations go towards Children's Miracle Network of Hospitals it's being a nerd and being a good person, it's awesome. PLEASE CHECK IT OUT AND DONATE IF YOU CAN.
So "Dawn of X" kicked off this week with the release of X-Men #1 and that is very cool and exciting stuff and over the next few weeks five more books will debut. Each of them picking up on interesting concepts and questions that spin out of the idea that now that ALL MUTANTS are citizens of the island nation of Krakoa there will be changes to the world. Such things as X-Force is now the CIA of Krakoa and Marauders is the book about how The X-Men handle the high-seas in this new world (yes, an actual X-Men pirate book!) but my dark horse pick for all of this is Fallen Angels. It comes out a little bit later in this release of titles but it's about three particular outcasts in the world of X-Men, Cable, X-23 (an altered clone of Wolverine) and Kwannon (it's way to complicated to explain but the short of it is that Psylocke used to be a white British chick before she swapped bodies with an Asian ninja assassin, Kwannon, whose mind is now back in the proper body) all three of whom are reminders of dark times in the mythos of the X-Men. This is going to be the surprise hit of the launch.
If you're looking for something fun to read with just big crazy moments, and most importantly mind blowing art, you need to be reading Justice League these days. Francis Manapul is the artist and he's hitting a new gear on his issues of Justice League. Right now they're in the middle of a crazy war against Lex Luthor and there's massive things happening that I can't even begin to explain properly but honestly, check it out. The visuals are nuts, the Justice Society is back, so is Kamandi the last man and just about every character in between.
So with Watchmen about to debut on HBO, and Preacher wrapping up on AMC and Walking Dead spinning out a third show and The Boys season two coming soon and Runaways season three and Cloak and Dagger season two and… I think you get it, the question becomes what's next? I'd like to nominate Else Bloodstone for Disney+ to consider making into a show, think a modern Buffy but British with guns. For the Warner Bros I nominate Manhunter, the early 2000s version, it's awesome female vigilantism at its finest with a hint of court room drama. For Amazon I nominate my own comic book Another Day at the Office. It's a comedy about a cop in a city full of superheroes and it's absolutely worth checking out on IndyPlanet at an affordable $3.49 for the digital and $3.99 plus shipping for a physical copy. These are my picks, not the networks, I doubt they'll happen but if you trust me at all, check these characters out, they're worth spending some time with.
Picked up another gig, I am super stoked to be able to keep opening doors with writing and pursuing the opportunities it presents me. Nerd Thug Radio started me on this journey over three years ago and honestly it's been great. Now if I could just trick a beautiful woman into thinking I had my stuff together I'd be next level.
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.
The NFL playoffs are finally here, and the Texans will kick off the postseason by hosting the LA Chargers this Saturday at NRG.
And while the Texans are only 3 point underdogs, the national media is making it seem like Houston has no chance against Justin Herbert and company.
ESPN's Rex Ryan has gone as far as calling the Texans a "bye" week for the Chargers, giving the team no chance to win despite playing at home.
However, the Texans are no stranger to this situation, as they were given little chance to win against the Browns in last year's Wild Card game. And we know how that ended, with the Texans thrashing the Browns 45-14.
It's certainly fair to predict the Chargers will come away with a win this Saturday, they have been playing much better football than Houston in recent weeks.
But it's important to remember that home underdogs have performed well in the Wild Card round. In fact, home underdogs are 16-14 all-time in the Wild Card playoffs, and both home underdogs won last year (Texans, Buccaneers).
Speaking of last year, many credit the Texans defense for securing the win over Cleveland, with two pick sixes in the second half helping to seal the deal.
But the real reason Houston won the game was because of CJ Stroud and the offense. Stroud threw 3 touchdowns before halftime and the team was leading 24-14 with six minutes left in the third quarter. That's when the defense tacked on two interceptions for touchdowns and put the game out of reach. Stroud and the offense also went on to score another TD on a Devin Singletary run.
If Stroud and the offense didn't put so much pressure on Joe Flacco and the Cleveland offense to score, he may not have forced those passes that were picked off.
Now, many will point to the Chargers having the best defense (points allowed) this season, but it's worth noting the Browns had the number one defense (yards allowed) last year as well.
Bulls on Parade
Houston's defense will have its hands full against a strong rushing attack led by JK Dobbins. And Justin Herbert has been terrific this season, spreading the ball around to his top two targets, Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston.
Fortunately for the Texans, they are extremely healthy on defense this week. While Jimmy Ward and Jalen Pitre are out for the year, we'll finally get to see linebackers Azeez Al-Shaair and Christian Harris play together for the first time this season.
The defensive line is expected to be at full strength as well, keep in mind Jonathan Greenard was injured and unable to play against the Browns last year.
Outlook on offense
We should see the best possible version of the offensive line this Saturday. We're all aware how many hits Stroud has taken due to poor o-line play. But with Tytus Howard and left guard and Juice Scruggs at right guard, Stroud should have more time to get the passing game going, featuring Nico Collins.
Speaking of the receivers, it's pretty amazing that this receiver group is almost identical to last year's in the Wild Card round. Stroud didn't have Stefon Diggs (on the Bills) or Tank Dell (injured) to throw to last year, either. But he does have one big addition in Joe Mixon this year. Hopefully, they can get Mixon involved in the passing game, and the shuffling of the o-line provides Mixon with some holes to run through.
X-factor
At least there's a possibility newly acquired receiver Diontae Johnson could provide a spark to the offense. Last year John Metchie and Robert Woods were the main targets besides Collins and Dalton Schultz.
What does Vegas think?
The Chargers are favored by 3 and the total is set at 42.5 points
Don't miss the video above as the crew from Texans on Tap previews this week's big game!