The Best Everything of 2014

This is it, folks. The last day of 2014. A day when we sit back and reflect on all of the awesome things we saw and did this year. We hope it was as awesome for you as it was for us, and thanks for tuning in each and every day to the Ace of Geeks. We couldn't be doing this without you, and we appreciate every since one of you guys. Next year, look for brand new content, new shows, more articles, and more coverage of conventions around the world. But for now, let's look back and reflect on the best of this year. Here, by popular vote, are our staff's picks for the best of 2014:

Extra Life 2014 Live Stream Marathon!

The Ace of Geeks is proud to, for the second year in a row, be hosting a 24 hour live stream event for Extra Life. Extra Life is an organization that, through the magic of gaming, raises money for Children's Hospitals around the country. Just like last year, we're going to be raising money for the Children's Hospital and Research Center in Oakland - they received $300k in donations last year, but we're looking to try and blast that number out of the water. Want to join us? Want more details? Check out this lovely video, and then hit the jump for the full schedule and a live feed of our Twitch stream!

Thor #1 - But Be She Worthy?

I don’t like “Cosmic Marvel”. The series of events happening in space with their great powers. Oh, how I’ve tried. Issue after issue of Captain Marvel failed to invoke reaction. Journey into Mystery was quickly forgettable. Even at the height of my Guardians of the Galaxy fervor, only the Rocket Raccoon comic got considered (and I still forget whether I’ve read every issue of it). This isn’t to say the space adventures of Marvel are bad. It’s a taste thing. The very core of them doesn’t appeal in the slightest to myself, a fan of underpowered and angsty characters patrolling gritty neighborhoods.

So when I tell you that I’m getting a subscription to Marvel Now! Thor, I’m not isn’t just saying “It’s passable”. It’s saying that a single issue completely broke through all my negative thoughts about an entire subgenre.

We went to HawaiiCon!

It was a delightfully warm and humid day at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel.  Birds were chirping, mongooses were causing mischief, and I was absolutely ecstatic to not be the only person walking around in a Star Trek Commander t-shirt.

Phil Plait (@BadAstronomer) and I on Friday 9/12

Phil Plait, who works for Slate magazine now, had worked on building the Hubble Telescope back in the day.

HawaiiCon is a brand new convention which focuses on science and sci-fi.  There were a mix of both lectures from scientists and sci-fi panels starring some of your favorite celebrities.  The convention also managed to organize expeditions outside of the hotel - helicopter tours and scuba dives, for example, which enabled guests to experience the island while still being able to hang out with fellow nerdy con-goers.  There were lots of opportunities for meet-and-greets with celebrities, both for photo ops and on the excursions as well.

And let me tell you: it was awesome.

I don't want to delve too much into the convention, because my number one and I already talked about it in our HawaiiCon podcast, which you can listen to here.  (For future reference, it's episode 119 - and you can also download it on iTunes!)

This post is mostly for photo-dumping.  There were a lot of cosplayers at this convention, which was wonderful!  But unfortunately, we were only there for a day, so we missed out on a lot of awesome cosplays.  

I think it's also worth noting that Ace of Geeks just recently got an instagram account, so this week we'll work to resize these photos and post them there as well.  Please leave a comment below or send us an email if you'd like to add your name/handle to the image description, or if you would like copies of the full-sized images.

Battlestar Galactica

Assassins Creed

Arthur Dent, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

Dr. Horrible, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

Ellie, The Last of Us

Shepard, Mass Effect

Gnar, League of Legends

Blossom (left) Powerpuff Girls

11th Doctor (right), Doctor Who

Maleficent, Maleficent

Miku Hatsune, Vocaloid

Penny, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

Spartans and Vader

Troopers!

Zelda & Link, Legend of Zelda

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