Nerd Block (Original) Unboxing and Review for September 2014

Well, this was meant to be my last Nerd Block since I haven’t been overly impressed with them over the past few months, but I’m glad I stuck with it a little longer. This month’s block was definitely the best one I’ve received, so check out the unboxing vid:

Not too shabby, hmm? So let’s try a breakdown:

“Sounds of the Galaxy” t-shirt: As usual I’m assigning this shirt a value of about $15 since it’s difficult to put a value on something that is never put up for sale (as it turns out, all the shirts that come in Nerd Block boxes are exclusives made just for the block).
Giant Microbes “Chlamydia”: I’ve always thought that these are the strangest thing, but you can’t deny that they’re kinda cute. The original size also goes for about $10. (You can also get “Gigantic” Microbes for $30, and multiple smaller microbes in a “petri dish” for $15, if you’re interested).
Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Adventure blind box: These little blind boxes, like most of the ones I’ve found, seem to go for about $10 each, which I personally think is outrageous for something where you don’t know what you’re getting.
Nerd Block 1st Anniversary Stress Ball: This little extra is worth $1 at most.
Marvel Series 1 Mega Bloks blind bag: There are a variety of Mega Bloks blind bags out there, and the Marvel series, like most of them, goes for about $5 per bag.
Ninja Turtles (Classic) Boxos Papercraft Kit: The price on this one varies pretty wildly depending on where you look, but I’ve seen the regular retail price as low as $10, so I’m going with that.

Total approximate value of box: $51
Total cost to me: $35

So the value of this month’s block is definitely there, but as usual that depends on personal preferences. Myself, I would never pay $10 for those blind boxes, and the Giant Microbe is something that I would never normally purchase for myself. The best items for me were the t-shirt and the Turtles Papercraft kit, which are a combined approximate value of $25, so it’s difficult to call the box worth it. Overall I thought it was a good box, but it still has the same problem as the other Nerd Blocks I’ve received, which is that the value of the items I actually enjoy is not on par with what I’m spending on the box. When you’re dealing with mystery boxes like this you can’t expect to love every item, but if I were to take all the boxes I’ve received and add up the value of all the items I’m actually happy with, I know that the number would be nowhere near the amount of money I’ve spent. So in that sense, I feel like Nerd Block is a failure for me. As mentioned in the video I’m going to give it one more month, but that’s only because I suspect that Kevin Smith will choose things that I think are awesome. Fingers crossed!

DC vs Marvel

Today’s assignment surprised me a bit when I first read it. It required a bit more pre-thought than I’ve been giving to these posts so far.

Write a post based on the contrast between two things – whether people, objects, emotions, places, or something else. Today’s twist: Write your post in the form of a dialogue. You can create a strong opposition between the two speakers – a lover’s quarrel or a fierce political debate, for example. Or you could aim to highlight the difference in tone and style between the two different speakers – your call!

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“Don’t tell me you read Marvel comics.”

Jerry raised his eyes above the pages of the comic to glare at Andrew. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he inquired.

Andrew made a face. “Just that DC is way better, that’s all,” he replied.

“Are you kidding?” Jerry asked. “Marvel comics are way more fun than DC.”

“DC are way more gritty and realistic,” Andrew shot back.

“Nothing but angst, you mean,” Jerry grumbled.

“Besides,” Andrew said, “DC makes way better video games.”

Jerry raised an eyebrow. “Oh woo-hoo for them. Marvel makes way better movies.”

“DC has Batman.”

“Marvel has the Avengers.”

Andrew narrowed his eyes. “DC has Superman, the king of all superheroes.”

Jerry scoffed. “Superman is completely vanilla and boring as hell. Marvel’s Deadpool is a thousand times more awesome than Superman.”

“The Teen Titans!”

“The X-Men!”

“Kingdom Come!”

“The Infinity Gauntlet!”

“Th- Eek!” Jerry and Andrew both cried out in protest as their ears were snatched up by a pair of hands with bright red nail polish. The other patrons of the comic shop looked on and snickered as the co-owner of the shop glared down at the bickering boys. Sheepishly, they realized that she was wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with Thor’s brother, Loki, dressed up and painted as Batman’s nemesis, the Joker.

“Alright, DC and Marvel,” she said in a tone that suggested annoyance mixed with amusement. “Are you going to play nice in my shop or do I have to ban you each to your respective versions of oblivion?”

Jerry looked at Andrew, and Andrew back at Jerry. They both spoke at the same time.

“Cross-over?”