#SummerSwap2015 Goes West

The Swap Box has gone way out West! Which should not be confused with the Swap Box going to Will West, although that will happen at some point.

The box has traveled approximately 5200 miles already and it's just shy of visiting half the folks that it's going to!

Creepy Globugg wrote up the first Summer Swap 2015 blog post.

Please head on over to her site and check out what she found, what she's contributing and where the Swap Box is heading next!

July Loot Crate 2015 - Heroes 2

A quick note before the Main Event: Summer Swap 2015 is still going strong and I'm expecting a real live blog post from one of the gang soon.

And now....

Look, out on the porch!

Is it a bird?

Is it a plane?

Don't be stupid, how would a plane get on my porch?

It's Loot Crate!

And for the first time since I've been getting it, they're revisiting a theme. 

This month is Heroes 2.

Get your atomic batteries to power and turbines to speed, because we're off!

This month's mag features a brief history of Batman and Wonder Woman and an interview with Jon Schnepp, the man behind the documentary "The Death of Superman Lives; What Happened?". I'll tell you what happened, that movie not getting made probably saved the future of super hero cinema. I do want to see the documentary because my brain can't even comprehend a Tim Burton/Nic Cage Superman movie.

The inside of this month's Crate is a pretty neat slice of a Gotham city block.

I really like this mini-poster featuring the "Bombshell" version of Wonder Woman. I like WWII art and alternate timelines, so I just may check out the new DC Bombshells comic coming out soon.

In case you were wondering, Spock smells like vanilla. To ensure you keep a good grip on your sword, there's a Legend of Zelda wristband. Holy Bat-Gadget! This bat-shaped key chain has a bottle opener and Phillips and flathead screwdrivers. Although I think I'd rather keep this pointy thing in my utility belt than a pants pocket.

Next is a promo code for the video game Brawlhalla, which is like a Super Smash Bros game with cartoony fighters. It's currently in Beta and you can sign up here. I signed up yesterday and got my access code today so I'll be checking that out as soon as I wrap this up!

The League of Regrettable Superheroes is hands down my favorite item this month. This Loot Crate exclusive version is only about half the length of the actual book, but it's still packed with comic goodness. The Golden and Silver Ages had quite the variety of unusual characters. You can read a great interview (including lots of pics) with the author here.

Here's just a few of the featured heroes. Ok, I have to admit I kinda want to find some issues of Nightmare and Sleepy! The book doesn't just stick to the heroes of yesteryear, it gets a little more "modern" with characters from the 80s. Remember US 1? It's ok if you don't, I had forgotten all about it before seeing this book.

Delivering the final punch, is this Batman Q-Pop statue from Quantum Mechanix. This is another Loot Crate exclusive. The "normal" version is more comic-based and this one is sporting the Batman '66 duds. The Kapow! sticker comes off and you can make him say whatever you want with the included dry erase marker.

All in all, not a bad Crate. Because it was so DC-centric, I feel that I need to rate it on a Batman scale. I give it a solid Val Kilmer.

The folks at the Halls of Loot provided me with these goodies in exchange for review and promotion. If you'd like to score sweet swag every month without resorting to a life of crime, you can sign up at Loot Crate with code AEIOUwhy to save 10% on your subscription plan.

Star Wars v. Schumer

Unless you've been under a rock that blocks out social media, chances are you've somewhere seen at least a passing mention of comedian Amy Schumer's Star Wars GQ photo shoot. And if you''re a Star Wars fan, it's probably all you've seen in your feeds the past few days.

While my initial reaction at most of the photos was to have a good laugh, some of the racier/raunchier ones left me with an odd feeling. The only thing I can liken it to (and apologies to my mom and wife for this anecdote) is when I was a young lad, my buddy and I found a stash of Playboys. One of them had a Wizard of Oz spread (no pun intended). Even though Schumer's photos aren't quite that racy, it is oddly jarring to see something so integral to your childhood being portrayed with a definite adult twist.

Lucasfilm recently confirmed what I had suspected: they did not give their blessing for this. Although, Luke Skywalker himself chimed in on Twitter...

Sexing up the Galaxy Far, Far Away isn't a new thing by any stretch. If you Google "sexy Star Wars" you'll find everything from tasteful pin-up style art to women in barely there costumes to these Halloween costumes which are their own brand of wrong all together.

I've seen reactions to the photo shoot online ranging from love to hate. Often, the people that are vocal about not liking it are being told something along the lines of "take the stick out of your ass."  But I totally get Disney/Lucasfilm's point of view: it's about the brand.

Their reaction is similar to that weird feeling I had in my gut when I first saw the pics. It's not about being a prude or offended at the adult nature of the photos. Hell, for a good part of the 90's Andrew Dice Clay was one of my favorite stand-ups. Those couple images just don't feel right to what Star Wars is to me. It's because those films are such a part of who I am as a person that I want to see the characters treated with respect.

If I learned anything in my decades of Star Wars fandom, it's that whatever you feel is"your" Star Wars, it's bound to be different from anyone else. The important thing is, we should treat fellow fans with respect...even if they prefer the prequels over the originals.