Top Superhero Animal Sidekicks

I recently adopted a pup.  He is my new best friend and a family member.  When trying to come up with a name for the little guy I turned to comic book characters for inspiration.  At one point his name was going to be Loki since he is mischevious and another idea was Ace who is Batman's canine sidekick.  This got me thinking of a post of other animal sidekicks to heroes.  Most people know about Krypto the superdog, whereas Ace doesn't seem to be very well known.  Here is my list of animal sidekicks to our wonderful heroes.

Ace the Bathound
Ace appeared in the comics in the 1950's and 60's.  He was inspired by the success of Krypto and was based on a German Shepherd dog.  Ace was found by Batman and Robin when his scientist owner was kidnapped.

Krypto the Superdog
Krypto first appeared in 1955 as a white dog of unkown pedigree.  Krypto has most of the same abilities as Superman such as super strenth, speed, and flight.  He is the family dog from Krypton of Kal-El as a toddler.  One Superman was sent to earth, Krypto was used as a test subject.  But his rocket went off course and to Earth.

The Legion of Super-pets
DC really got into the whole super-pet thing with the Legion of Super-pets which was first published in 1962.  Not only does the Legion of Super-pets include Krypo, but it also has Comet the Super-Horse, Streaky the Super-Cat and Beppo the Super-Monkey.  Yea, that's right, Super-Monkey.   I swear I am not making this up, the picture is proof.

Lockheed
Lockheed is the alien, dragon companion of Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat).  He first appeared in 1963 and is a member of the X-men along with Kitty Pryde.  In addition to flight and fire power like other dragons, Lockheed is immune to telepaths.  He also has the power of empathy and can understand human speech.  He has even spoke on a few occasions.

There is more comic animals where that came from.  I found evidence of Throg the Frog and Jumpa the Kangaroo, as well as an octopus.  Yea, an octopus.  This is however TOP Superhero Animal Sidekicks.  Not little known, odd, and useless animal sidekicks.  Lockheed and Ace are probably my favorite two listed.

Weekly Etsy Find #2

Hello there friends.  It is time for another Wednesday Weekly Etsy Find!  I hope you are as excited as I am.
This week I give to you not just one item, but a whole shop.  This is because I for one am not sure what item I would like to buy from the shop.
I have a young pup who is very spoiled.  I have been looking at fun Etsy stuff for him such as toys, Halloween costumes and collars.  This weeks find features a shop that sells collars.
Say hello to Faux Paws (click to visit) They have a ton to choose from.  Whether it is a movie, or a toy, or a specific character they may just have it.  They all look super cute and have good ratings as well.  I love the name too.

My favorites that I am trying to decide are the Batman, the Marvel comics, and the comic book words.  I really cannot decide which one to get the pup.  Or do I get all?  Any suggestions guys? I think i have time though before I buy seeing as right now the dog keeps chewing his collar-he has been through two already.  I am not buying something nice like this to have it destroyed.

Anyway, you should go check out the shop by clicking the link above.  If you are an animal lover you won't be disappointed.  Until next week.

-Ashley

Weekly Etsy Find #1

Previously I wrote a post about Etsy and some of the awesome, nerdy stuff I have found there.  To be honest, I have an Etsy problem.  So I am merging two things I enjoy-Etsy and Blogging all for you.  My previous post seemed to go over very well.  Therefore I have decided to create a weekly post about an Etsy find.  It will appear on Wednesday's.  Get it: Wednesday Weekly Etsy Find!  Don't you just love the alliteration.  This is the first ever Wednesday Weekly Etsy Find.  Hopefully one of many.
This week I am featuring some pillows that I wish I had a place for right now.  They are Harry Potter based if you didn't realize.  They are just simple and yet Potter nerdy.  They would fit perfectly on a cute little living room couch.

These pillows can be found here.  They are by a shop called Anders Attic which also has other great Harry Potter pillows as well as some other great finds.  For example the Friends Pillows, love them too.  Click the link above to check out the rest of the shop.  You will not be disappointed.  

And that my friends is your Weekly Etsy Find.  Until next week.

-Ashley

Even Beer Can Be Nerdy

Before the creation of this epic blog I considered writing s blog centered around beer and/or booze.  It is something I am interested in seeing as I am now a beer snob.  Now I have found a way to merge both my nerdy side and the beer enthusiast.
You see, beer can also be nerdy.  Not only does it take precise combinations of ingredients and chemistry to get the recipes right, but these days brewers are ridiculously creative and show their nerdy side as well.  There are countless beers related to pop and nerd culture.  Here is a list of some of those I like or I think just sound interesting or good.

Take The Black Stout-Brewery Ommegang
Belgian Dark Ale 7.00% ABV
Ommegang actually has four beers based on Game of Thrones.  In additon to Take the Black there is the first brew in the series Iron Throne, Fire and Blood a red ale, and the newest in the series Valar Morghules. I have included Take the Black Stout because it is the one I have actually tried recently and being a stout fan it was pretty good.  In fact, at that particular beer tasting I went up to the booth several times.  I am interested to try the other three if I can find them somewhere around here.  Being a fan if both Game if Thrones and beer I will probably like at least a few more of the series.

Imperial Stout Trooper-New England Brewing Company
Russian Imperial Stout 8.50% ABV
Here is one for any Star Wars fans out there.  "Brewed in brewery not too far away, and not too long ago.." according to the description by brewer New England Brewing Co. this brew is dark stout is a mix of seven different malts and hops.  It has an average rating of 4.1 on Beer Advocate so it is probably pretty good and is officially in my must try list.  The bottle is pretty sweet looking and features a storm trooper.  There is also a special edition Imperial Stout Trooper featuring a different bottle.


Walker-Dock Street Brewing Company
American Stout 7.20% ABV
I will be honest, this is not a beer a particularly want to try.  Why is it on the list?  Because it is based on and was made specially for the season finale of the Walking Dead.  It is also an interesting concept, just not one I want to try.  You see, Walker is brewed using goats brains.   They are smoked brains giving the beer a smoky flavor.  In addition, it features cranberries.  An interesting combination.  The ratings for this one are not outstanding with an average rating of 3.44.  I have a feeling that this is a try for the novelty and never drink again thing though.

Zombie Dust-Three Floyds Brewing Co.
American Pale Ale  6.40% ABV
The first on the list that is not a stout! I am not sure if Three Floyds jumped on the zombie bandwagon when creating this beer.  However, it includes the word zombie and its the reason some people wanted to try the beer.  Therefore it has made its way onto my list.  That and because it is delicious!  Unlike our previous zombie beer, this one sounds, and is drinkable.  No brains here.  Just yummy hoppiness and citrus flavors.   It has an average rating of 4.62 so other drinkers think it is good too.  Zombie Dust also features in my opinion a great label. I like the artwork on it.  It is however hard to find, at least around here.  I have yet to find it anywhere but The Bavarian Lodge a few towns over.  It seems to be in high demand along with other Three Floyds brews.  I would recommend it though if you like beer and see it around.


8 Bit Pale Ale-Tallgrass Brewing Company
American Pale Ale 5.20 ABV
This one isn't necessarily centered around pop culture.  It will however make the video game nerds happy. In fact it has been named the official beer of retro gamers. This beer is a hoppy pale ale.  It has a fairly good rating of 3.79.  People who have had it say it is full of hops yet is drinkable and features some citrus notes. Overall I think this is a beer I would like to try.  The can is reminiscent of old school video games.  It even appears to feature a pac-man(ish) figure on the front.