The Nintendo store in New York City.

 Aside from visiting my cousin and eating a street vendor hot dog, this

was my primary goal for having a layover in New York.

The time? Summer 2010. The place? New York City. The reason? A layover en route to Ireland. The goal? Nintendo World.

I'm not much for Dragon Quest (just never got into it) but I was still pretty jazzed by this staircase display! The game was either about to come out, or had just launched, so the whole store was decked out.

Aside from huge Dragon Quest displays, the store was full of all manner of Nintendo items in t-shirts, mugs, hats, toys, demos, games, displays, bags, and happy people everywhere reveling in the pure, unadulterated joy that is Nintendo.

 Be still, my beating heart.

I was particularly enamored with this display case. There were all types and colors of handhelds, but this one I could have stared at all day. I desperately wanted this Zelda GBA SP, but no matter how many Nintendo Power reward contests I entered, it was never mine. Through this photo is has vicariously become mine, and I will love it forever.

This fantastic Mario Galaxy display was hanging from ceiling down to the lower floor via a giant circular hole in the second floor. "Magical" is the only word for it. I wanted to reach out and touch the Lumas and ride Yoshi.

If I worked in this store, I would be vibrating with excitement whenever a new piece of display came in shipment. I also know it would be like Fight Club with the other employees deciding who got what when a new marketing set went into effect.

Even the sturdy, cute bag became a souvenir. 

It took all the power within me (and remembering that I had approximately zero extra room in my luggage) to not purchase every single thing in the store. It was literally a dream come true. I managed to keep my wallet as full as possible and walked away with only a baby Lapras plushie and a stunning Link mug.

Behold my crazy, excited eyes.

My cousin held onto my items and shipped them to me once I arrived back in the States a few months later. It's amazing I didn't toss all of my other mugs, because this one is simply spectacular.

Dear Nintendo, please open more stores around the country, specifically Seattle and LA. Thank you!

-MJ

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Fables - Fairy tales come true

Don't read the plot synopsis on the webpage for this. You will get some MAJOR spoilers -_-

I am really enjoying this series.

I knew nothing about this one. Andrew felt confident that I would enjoy it, at least more-so than I did Hellboy. Who would have thought that this was a comic book based on fairy tale characters being in the real world? So awesome! (And right up my alley)

Absolute first impression? The art style looks super old (remember my inexperience with comic books!): muted color palettes and lots of details. I thought I didn't like it, but I actually do. The character's faces are great and easily recognizable. I like the fact that my brain is under the impression that the comic is from the 70s (because of the color palettes and my association with older comics), seeing as I've always wanted to read comics but never have. It's like I'm tricking myself into believing that I'm "starting from the beginning".

So far I've read the first five issues. They encompass a story arc, so it seemed like a good place to stop for now. I read rabidly, very anxious to see where the story went!

I encountered estranged families, romance, mystery and fancy galas! There were suave gentlemen, grizzled detectives and beautiful stern women. The writing style appeals to me; the dialogue doesn't feel terribly forced or fake. I've never heard of Bill Willingham, but he apparently has contributed to a lot of other works. I'd definitely like to look into other things that he's written. I like his way with words!

The idea of having fairy tale/nursery rhyme/folk tale characters living in "secret" in New York City is so brilliant and awesome. I wonder if Enchanted took some inspiration from it? Certainly seems like it!

As characters are introduced, small narrative cues are given to let the reader realize who the character is in well-known fables. The jolts of realization and immediate mental images of long-loved and familiar tales makes for an enjoyable experience. Almost like meeting an old friend after not seeing one another for years, and then realizing that they're now alcoholics who sleep around.

I remain simultaneously amused, betrayed and gleeful by the character transformations from "perfect" role models to "real" people with faults. They've grown up with me, although I've taken a better path <3

At this point, even though I've only read two different comics so far, I feel fairly certain that I'll be reading more of Fables before I continue any other titles!

-MJ

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