***Disclaimer – Our videos are sponsored by Watchtower Cafe in Salt Lake City.***
In this week’s episode of The News with J, J talks about Dr. Seuss, what comic books are coming out next week, Star Wars Rebels, Marvel Studio news, and Wreck-It-Ralph 2. Let us know what you think of our new show in the comments!!
A couple weeks ago we started this news show for our YouTube channel called, “The News With J”. We have two episodes up on our YouTube channel and we were working on our third episode before our weekend got busy and J came down with a cough. So, instead of having a video, we thought it would be good to still get the news out in the form of a post! So here is the transcript of what would have been The News with J for the weekend of February 23rd, 2018.
“Hello, this is the news with J and I am your host J. I’d like to thank our sponsors at Watchtower Cafe for all their support. Get your geek on while you get your drink on at 1588 South State Street in Salt Lake City. Now, let’s get to the news.
In TV news, last week was the amazingly emotional mid-season premiere of Star Wars Rebels. There are only four more episodes until the end and I can’t wait!! If you have a cable subscription you can catch up by signing into the DisneyNOW app. The next episodes will air Monday at 7:00 and 7:30 pm on Disney XD.
Also in TV news, Andi Mack was renewed for a third season! I’ve been watching Andi Mack with my mommy and daddy and it has become one of our favorite shows to watch together. Andi Mack is another show that you can catch up on using the DisneyNOW app!!
In movie news, Black Panther has been wowing critics and audiences alike brining in close to $400 million since it opened on February 16th! If you haven’t seen it yet, I only have one question. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Click here to get your tickets today!
In other movie news, Disney/Pixar’s Coco will be a available on Blu-ray and DVD on Tuesday. We will be heading to our local Target to grab our copy first thing in the morning!
Here is our weekly list of books for young readers that will be hitting comic book store shelves on Wednesday!!
Scooby-Doo Team Up #35
Ducktales #6
Donald Duck: Nest of the Demon Birds
My Little Pony: Legends of Magic #11
Darth Vader #12
Star Wars: Mace Windu Jedi of the Republic trade
Lockjaw #1
Lumberjanes #47
Steven Universe #13
And Legends of Zelda: Twilight Princess vol. 3
In toy news, last week was the American International Toy Fair in New York City and I wanted to share some of my favorite toys that my daddy showed me on Twitter. I want to thank Star Wars Junk, “Agent M” Ryan Penagos, LEGO, Hasbro, KidsToyPicks, Jakks Pacific, and Entertainment Weekly for sharing the pictures of these amazing toys.
Hasbro
Spider-Ham Legends figure:
Legends Infinity Gauntlet:
Marvel The First 10 years Legends line:
My copilot Chewie you from Fur Real:
Star Wars Black Series line:
Uncle Milton
Star Wars Science Fossil sets:
LEGO
Solo:
Harry Potter:
Jakks Pacific
Incredibles 2 toys
Mattel
Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom toy line:
Thank you for watching this week’s episode of The News with J. I hope you have a great week. Don’t forget to like/comment/subscribe and May the Force be with You!”
So there you have it. This is what this last week’s episode of “The News with J” was supposed to be. I know it’s not the same as watching a six year old deliver the news, but he should be back in action this Saturday morning! We hope you will tune into our YouTube channel to see all the fun J has with his news show!
Captain America: Civil War is probably going to go down as my favorite movie of the Summer. It was everything that I have been dreaming about since I first read the Civil War comic books. Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, and the Russo brothers did an amazing job working around the characters that they were not able to use (thanks to 20th Century Fox) and still come out with an amazing story.
With the cast list was large enough to rival the previous Avengers films, the Russo brothers did a great job pushing Cap’s storyline to the forefront of the movie. The Russo brothers also excelled in their challenge of introducing two huge characters into the MCU. Spider-Man and Black Panther were fantastic additions to cast and Tom Holland and Chadwick Boseman were great casting choices. It seems like a lot of people were skeptical about going with a younger Spidey, but in my opinion, Tom Holland is the best Peter Parker/Spider-Man to date.
I took J to see Captain America: Civil War, we were going to do a video review, but there were some technical difficulties. So, here is a transcript of J’s thoughts on Civil War:
Me: What did you think about Captain America: Civil War?
J: IT WAS AMAZING!!!
Me: What do you think made it AMAZING?
J: The story was really good, I also really liked the fighting scenes.
Me: Which character were you most excited to see in the movie?
J: Black Panther, Spider-Man, and Ant Man!!
Me: What about Cap and Iron Man.
J: They were great too, daddy. But Black Panther was so cool, and Spider-Man and Ant Man made me laugh a lot. They were just really funny.
Me: Ok, what do you want other young kids to know about Civil War?
J: It’s just a really good movie, there are some parts that might be scary and some parts that might be too sad. The other kids should just snuggle with their mommies and daddies if they get scared or sad.
Captain America: Civil War is rated PG-13 for language, violence and some adult humor. The language isn’t too bad, there is probably just as much swearing in all the other Disney/Marvel movies. The violence is a little heavier than that of Winter Solider. If your kids were able to sit through Winter Soldier, then they should be fine with Civil War. The adult humor is basically a few jokes that are going to go straight over your kids heads, so I wouldn’t be too worried about it.
Are you Team Cap or Team Iron Man? Choose your side and go see the movie! And after you see the movie, click here to join in a discussion group about Captain America: Civil War. The group has spoilers, so please join after you see the movie.
To keep the tesseract out of Loki’s reach, Thor decides to smash the cube into three fractals causing them to scatter across the Earth. Loki decides to kidnap 3 X-Men to help him create a “cloned” cosmic cube so he can conquer the Universe. With the help of A.I.M, Hydra and the Sinister 6, Loki plans on keeping our heroes busy while his plan unfolds. Will the Marvel heroes overcome their devious villains? Will they stop Loki and save the Universe? Buy your tickets today and see what happens!!
Loki addresses the crowd
The storyline of Marvel Universe Live! seems to mix a few different Marvel mediums together to create a fun and original story that fans young and old will love. Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been wanting to see a live action adventure with both the Avengers and X-Men, and here is our chance. That being said, Marvel Universe Live! is in no way connected with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but this is the closest we will get to a live action Avengers and X-Men team up.
Avengers Assemble
Marvel Universe Live! is an edge of your seat, action packed adventure filled with motorcycles, explosions, fire, and more. If you are taking small children be aware that the arena gets loud, so you may want to bring some ear protection. There are lots of fight scenes, and Wolverine does impale a Chitauri solider with his claws, but there is no blood, so in my opinion it is not too intense.
Black Widow laying the smack down on Madame Hydra
If you are a Marvel fan, you will love Marvel Universe Live!. You will want to see it again and again. Make sure you walk the corridor before the show, during intermission, and after the show to see everything else that Marvel Universe Live! has to offer. There are Selfie Booths, Green Screen photo ops, plenty of vendor booths (to cut down on long lines), and some interactive games. Marvel Universe Live! is entertainment that the whole family (even non Marvel fans) will enjoy.
Marvel Universe Live! will be playing 6 more shows in Salt Lake City at the Vivint Smart Home Arena, click here to see show times and to purchase tickets. Ticket prices range from $25 – $75 with children’s tickets starting at $15. Children 2 and above are required to have tickets to this event. Make sure you follow Marvel Universe Live on Twitter, Instagram, and on Facebook to see some amazing pictures from the show and to follow the show’s amazing journey.
J absolutely loved Marvel Universe Live!, but I think I should let him tell you in his own way. Thank you to The Summit Group in Salt Lake City for giving us a fantastic night that we will remember for the rest of our lives.
*This post is sponsored by Marvel Universe Live and The Summit Group. We were provided tickets to the show*
On July 10, 2014 Feld Entertainment premiered a live action arena show featuring characters from the Marvel Comics Universe at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa to rave reviews. The show has since been on an 85-city national tour leaving audiences everywhere stunned and wanting more. Next week Feld Entertainment is bringing this amazing looking live action arena show to the Vivint Smart Home Arena for 7 shows starting Thursday, February 11th, going through Sunday, February 14th.
Marvel Universe Live! is an original story, so there will be no connection to the Marvel Cinematic Universe or current Marvel Comics story lines, so don’t go in expecting any tie-ins other than the 25 characters, their names and costumes. It is an all ages show, but take into consideration that there will be high-energy stunts with the use of pyrotechnics, loud special effects, and brief periods of black outs with the possibility of strobe-lights. I would recommend some type of ear protection if you plan on taking really small children.
©Feld Entertainment/Marvel
Tickets are now available and start at $25-$35 for lower bowl, $55 for VIP, and $70 for Gold Circle via the Smith Tix website. Get your tickets before the shows all sell out. If you purchase tickets for opening night, you get a $5 discount.
On Wednesday, February 10th, at 6:00pm the first 300 people to show up to the Grand Hall at the Gateway Mall in Downtown Salt Lake City (in a Marvel costume) will get a free ticket to the show. So dust off those Salt Lake Comic Con costumes and join the fun.
Check out what some of our dad blogger friends had to say about Marvel Universe Live!:
“…we got a moment where the make believe and imaginary came to life for the kids to enjoy. The story immersed them and my son and my niece didn’t see the wire work or the costumes, they saw Captain America in peril and Iron Man blasting the bad guys.” – NotAnotherDadBlog.com
“…our family had an amazing time at this event and we all recommend checking it out. The girls were talking about the show all night and even this morning. When they would say one character was their favorite they would then list off another that was even cooler.” – StLouisDad.com
It’s that time again! Here’s what J and I will be reading this week. Looks like it’s Marvel week for us.
All New Captain America #4
©Marvel
I am loving this New Cap storyline. Think of this as Marvel’s Batman Beyond. An older Steve Rodgers is helping Sam Wilson/Falcon/Captain America from behind the scenes. It’s a little much for J, but I could see this being a favorite of older kids I would say 10 would probably be the youngest.
All New Captain America: Fear Him #3
©Marvel
Cap found where Nomad was being held. With the help of some kids, Nomad escaped Scarecrow’s clutches. Now Cap and Nomad are stuck on a Subway train car with a tunnel filled with teens gassed by Scarecrow. How will Cap and Nomad escape and still save these kids?
Marvel Universe Guardians of the Galaxy #1
©Marvel
Want to get a sneak peek at what is coming to Disney XD later this year? Then make sure you check out this four part GotG mini-series. We are getting our copy today!
Legendary Star Lord #9
©Marvel
Star-Lord and Kitty Pryde are now together with plans of stealing the Black Vortex from Mr Knife aka Peter’s Father. Will they succeed even if though they were followed by one of Knife’s Slaughter Squad members?
Ms Marvel #12
©Marvel
Kamala Khan (Ms Marvel) has taken down the Inventor and his creator is behind bars. A year’s worth of missing persons cases solved in one night. What’s next for this Ms Marvel? With some parental editing, this series is a great one for kids, especially young girls.
Rocket Raccoon #8
©Marvel
Groot is on the brink of death. Rocket and Jink are on their way to find an antidote to the venom that is killing Groot. To save Groot they are going to have to battle a giant monster without the aid of Rocket’s massive gun. Will they get the antidote and make it back before Groot succumbs to the venom?
(A post that I originally wrote for Salt Lake Comic Con – check out the original post by clicking here)
Can reading comicbooks to your children improve literacy? I think it can. Short children’s books can sometimes be intimidating, but many children already love the characters and stories in comics, so this world will pull them into the world of reading. Also, the format used in comicbooks is really easy for kids to follow. Here are a few ideas that might help grow your child’s love of reading and possibly improve their literacy skills:
1. Find your child’s favorite characters in easy-to-read books.
Easy-to-read books usually have more pictures and fewer words, are shorter and have storylines that will keep your child interested. The only downside is that your child might like these books so much that you might end up having to read them multiple times a day.
2. Read the comics inside the official magazines of your child’s favorite cartoon.
The comics in these magazines follow characters that your child already knows and loves. These comics are also super short and funny, not unlike the comics you find in your Sunday morning paper, making it easy for your child to stay engaged.
3. Find comics with your child’s favorite cartoon characters.
This goes along the lines of number two. Your child will already know and love these characters and will be engaged in the storylines. These comics usually have bigger panels and simpler stories. If your child is familiar with the characters from their TV shows, they might even try to do some of the voices with you.
4. Find artists/storytellers that appeal to your child.
In my opinion, there are no better comics to start your children off with than the amazing work from Aw Yeah Comics, especially “Tiny Titans,” “Superman Family Adventures” and “Itty Bitty Hellboy.” These comics follow characters that you and your child love. The story lines are fun for both you and your child, the artwork is colorful and child-friendly and there are even some fun “translate what the alien is saying” activities that help your child identify letters of the alphabet.
5. Let your child pick out his/her own comics from the “All Ages” section of your comic shop.
By letting your child pick out their own comics, they are telling you what they want to read and they will be more likely to sit with you and read along. These will be their comics and nothing makes a new comicbook fan happier than having books of their own.
6. READ! READ!! READ!!!
Reading is what it all comes down to. Reading with your child a little each day is the key to improving your child’s literacy and their love for reading. Before my son came along, I could have gone the rest of my life without reading. But once I found something that we both love, reading time is now something that we both look forward too. It doesn’t really matter what you read to your child, as long as you read. In my opinion, comicbooks are the best way to open your child’s mind to a new, never-ending universe.
This coming weekend (May 2nd – May 4th) has to be the most, non Comic Con related, nerdtastic weekend ever. It will be filled with two comic book related events and will end with the celebration of what is probably the biggest franchise in SciFi history.
The weekend starts with the opening of ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ on Friday. After seeing all the trailers, I think it’s a safe bet that the theaters will be pretty packed with Spider-Man fans all weekend. My favorite part of going comic based movies on opening weekend is seeing all the fans who dress up as their favorite character from the comics and films. The movie looks like it’s going to be a good one, it is definitely on my must see list.
Saturday is yet another day for comic fans. This Saturday is Free Comic Book Day. Go to freecomicbookday.com to see free titles and use the store locater to find a shop near you and take the kids out to get some free comics. I am planning on taking J to our favorite local shop.
Our nerdtastic weekend ends with the celebration of Star Wars. People all over the world will be hosting Star Wars parties, marathons, pub quizzes, and much more. Amazon has a Star Wars store up on their site offering sales on many Star Wars items. I am planning on waking up very early to start my marathon of the original trilogy. I hope that those of you who love Star Wars do something fun to celebrate your favorite franchise and May the Fourth be with you. Please nerd out responsibly. If you do not, you will suffer the… 
Speaking of the 5th, please have a safe and fun Cinco de Mayo next Monday.
©Marvel
As a lover of comics, I have always wondered how I would integrate this love into my parenting. “Small child friendly” comics have been around since the dawn of comics. Disney got into the game super early (around 1933) with books staring their beloved characters. If you think about it, almost every children’s show made an attempt at comic books.Today, illustrations and story lines have evolved with it’s readers. Comics have darker story lines and “graphic” illustrations. Don’t get me wrong, I love the look and story lines of today’s comics/graphic novels. The biggest concern I had was trying to find a comic that had a story line and illustrations that I could share with my toddler. I put together a small list of requirements for the best series for my son and I to read together and to plant the seed of awesomeness.
1. Is the storyline child friendly?
By child friendly I mean no swearing, sexual themes…etc. (those comics are for later, like around 8…just kidding…but they are for later in life.)
2. Is there an abundance of violence?
Preferably no violence, but I am okay with a little superhero vs alien super-villain violence.
3. Are the illustrations too “graphic”?
This is mainly a blood and gore thing. Are there tons of pages with lots of blood and broken bodies all over the place? Are there images depict sex acts? I understand how sexual relationships can further a character’s story arch, but children should learn about sex from the parents not a comic.
4. Are the illustrations “cartoony”?
Tiny Titans by Art Baltazar and Franco ©DC Comics
When I say cartoony, I don’t mean in a campy way. I mean is it cartoony in a way that looks like a cartoon that children would enjoy watching. This usually involves bright colors, big heads, and small bodies. You know something that looks like your child.
And my last and probably most important question is…
5. Is it something you can enjoy together?
This was the whole reason I started my journey into finding a comic for J. I wanted to find something that not only he would enjoy looking at, but that I would enjoy reading to him. These questions eventually lead me to what became my post “J’s First Comic”.
In all honesty the most important thing is that you take the time to read with your child. I chose to find a comic that J and I could read together because in all honesty comic books are the only kinds of books that I enjoy reading (besides Dr. Seuss books). Basically find something that you and your child can enjoy and spend some time reading together.
©DC Comics
Nerdy at Home Dad 