January

20th Anniversary of the Northridge Earthquake was explained in great geologic detail- “Sherman- set the Way Back Machine for Monday, January 17, 1994. At 4:31 a.m., a 6.7 magnitude earthquake rocked Southern California. Despite being known as the Northridge earthquake, the epicenter was actually Reseda. The shaking lasted only 10 to 20 seconds, yet the force exerted on the ground was so intense that movement was felt as far away as Las Vegas, NV. “

A Bottle of Water Makes All The Difference- “We real comic book fans are a small knit community of social outcasts (usually) and having a comic book shop to go to where they know you, they remember what you like and even save things aside that they think you will like, and above all, they care for and look out for one another- its priceless. This Mecca of comics awesome that is Blast Off Comics is great as a shop, but what really makes it the best comic shop around is the love that is poured into it every day by guys like Jud Meyer. Nerds like him are the reason I am proud to call myself a comic book nerd. Uncle Ben would be proud.”

February

Famous Lovey Couples- “It’s a classic ‘boy-meets-girl, girl-rejects-boy, boy-gets-super-powers, boy-gets-girl’ story for the ages. Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson were next door neighbors in high school. He loved her from afar, but the popular girl never goes for the nerd. When Peter is bitten by a radioactive spider, though, he gets new powers and becomes The Amazing Spider-Man. After years of chasing MJ, she finally notices him. But not Peter – Spider- Man. Through the years, their romance flares up and down, on again/off again for decades through the comics. Because of the tragic death of their mutual friend Gwen Stacy, they grow close again and eventually marry in front of an audience of all of Peter’s best super friends. A tale as old as time. ~ Spider-Man”

March

St Patrick’s Day- A Family Legacy- “My dad lived his life by St. Patrick’s philosophy. He helped others, opened our home to anyone and didn’t judge. Now I know that the St. Patrick’s Day we know today is primarily because of the Irish American influences but that’s fine. What better group to lead the way of Patrick. The Irish were, maybe not exactly welcomed into America, but they were given a place when staying home was impossible. They fought to make this land theirs but at least they were given the freedom to fight.”

April

Clockwork Orange Remembered by Its Stars- “Malcolm McDowell and Gary Oldman shared the Alex’s center stage to discuss Stanley Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange,” revealing facts and anecdotes about the film’s production and its reclusive and eccentric director that brought fresh insight for even the most dedicated of fans.”

May

Amazing Spider Man 2- “Most film critics are just film critics who don’t necessarily know much about comics. So when they see a movie like “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” they love it because it is a well-made movie. That is a movie based (loosely) on a comic book, and personally I didn’t like it. If it was a comic book movie, the final showdown would have been Cap and Winter Soldier teaming up against a giant robot that the Red Skull buried under the Washington monument. That is comic book fodder.”

Disney Legend Richard Sherman Honored- “With all those songs, one would think writer’s block may have been an issue, but Richard said that was not the case when the story was strong. ‘It is the story that inspires,’ he said. ‘People don’t understand the real hero is the story. If you care about these characters and you care about the story and what the outcome is, our job is so much easier.’”

June

24 Hour Party at Disneyland- “Overall, the event was really fun. I made it from 5:15 a.m. Friday to 5:15 a.m. Saturday. I wanted to make it all the way to the 6 a.m. cutoff, but I was hallucinating from exhaustion. I heard my teeth talking to each other and said out loud to them, ‘Guys, slow down, I don’t speak tooth very well. I can’t understand you.’ This was my cue to go home and get some well-deserved rest. But I will be back at the park soon, and I await next year’s event eagerly.”

E3 Held in LA

July

Transformers Age of Extinciton- “Unfortunately, the first three Transformers films featured a stammering, blank-stared charmer, Shia LaBeouf who was supposed to carry the story. Now salvation has come in the form of Mark Wahlberg. For once, the Transformers saga will be led by a human who doesn’t make you want to kill all humans. The best part is there is no explanation of why LaBeouf isn’t in the film. Not once do any of the surviving Transformers even hint at wanting to contact him or even explain what he is doing. I think this is because not a single person cares where Sam Whitwicky is; we are just glad he is not here.”

Transformers Invade Universal and Pasadena for Bot Con Weekend- “What’s cooler than a huge semi-truck barreling down on its enemies? A huge semi-truck barreling down on its enemies that turns into a giant robot to kick some enemy butt. What could be cooler than that? How about the giant robot truck riding a fire-breathing robot dinosaur while wielding a massive broadsword? Yeah. That.”

Batman 75th Anniversary

August

Sad Goodbye to Hollywood Greats- “A passing that has not garnered the same media attention but is a devastating loss to the industry is the death of Joe Viskocil. Those who stay for the end credits of movies like “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” or “Independence Day” will know his name. Viskocil was a pyrotechnic expert/wizard/artist.”

Action Comics #1 Sells for $3,207,852- “Action Comics #1 is up for sale. The most valuable comic book of all time, and this copy is the best graded copy in existence. Featuring the first appearance of Superman and touted as the first superhero comic book ever, Action Comics #1 from June 1938 is incredibly rare. Not only that, but it’s even more rare to have a copy graded 9.0 (out of 10) by CGC, the Certified Guaranty Company. There are two 9.0 copies in existence, and of the two only this one still has white pages. This is the most valuable comic book in existence – and you can buy it on eBay. The bidding ends Sunday, August 24th at 6 p.m. and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. The bidding started at 99 cents and, as of Wednesday night, was up to $2,050,100. The seller, Darren Adams, turned down an offer of $3 million, hoping to fetch more at auction. Whether you bid or watch, this sale is a once in a lifetime experience.”

September

Remembering Star Trek- “Again, it was not certain if the ‘Trekkie’ or ‘Trekker’ audience would follow from the original ‘Star Trek’ to TNG, but they did and after the first two weeks Brownfield asked Thoms another question. ‘What are you doing for the next five years?’”

You Can Walk With Dinosaurs This Weekend- “After a 65 million year hiatus, dinosaurs are back on stage once again by popular demand. No, not the stage of life in the Shakespearian sense, but literally on a stage with lights, curtains and an audience. This weekend only, the Staples Center will be home to 187 million years of evolutionary history in ‘Walking with Dinosaurs: The Arena Spectacular.’”

October

Halloween in the Parks- “Halloween is here again, the time of year filled with screams, pumpkins and scares. L.A. is a special haunt hot spot because there are so many great haunted houses in the area. Chief among these would be theme parks, namely Knott’s Scary Farm and Universal Studios Hollywood. Every year these parks provide an array of haunted walk-throughs, rides and scare zones woven among the streets of the parks.”

November

Historic Comet Landing- “After more than a decade traveling through space, a robotic lander built by the European Space Agency made the first-ever soft landing of a spacecraft on a comet. In actuality the spacecraft may have landed twice. Once on the surface, then bounced around and back onto the surface.”

December

Arrow Ends Winter Finale with an OMG- “Just personally what I would like to see when they return is Oliver coming home and leaving all the self-loathing and pathos behind him. I know that is part of a lot of comic book legends but really how often can you say it is your fault. I loved it when Barry Allen, during the second part of the Flash/Arrow crossover told Oliver he was full of crap when he started the self-loathing stuff. I would like to see Oliver and Felicity do the dating/flirty thing. That is when they are at their best and is a great release from all the darkness in the show. I love dark but you can’t appreciate it without a little light.”