At the humble age of 3, TJ ran away from his parents during a vacation in Colorado. They found him in an arcade, standing on a chair, playing Neo Geo's World Heroes. Years later, TJ has a passion for video games across most all genres and is particularly interested in the cultural shifts and trends of video game development. When he's not playing around on PCs and consoles, he's writing creatively and working on short stories and ideas for novels or checking out bad movies with a few friends over a few drinks and some laughs, whichever comes first.
T.J. Denzer
20 Best Pokémon Gym Leaders
Is the world of Pokémon really all about Pokémon? Certainly to an extent it is, but there’s another aspect of each game that’s arguably as important as the pocket monsters themselves. They’re the gates that test your skill at every major turn in a Pokémon game. They’re the focal point of every city and the checkpoints on the way to becoming a true Pokémon master. It’s not just about raising every available critter you like. It’s about building a balanced team that will meet these challenges head-on. Of course, we’re talking about Pokémon gym leaders.
Maybe they’re on this list because they were just too ridiculous to forget. Maybe they’re here because they brought something to the table that the other trainers didn’t. Or maybe they’re here because their ridiculously difficult challenge was the stuff of nightmares. Either way, these gym leaders are the boss battles that have made 20 years of Pokémon a worthwhile series of journeys. These are the 20 Best Pokémon Gym Leaders.
Let It In: The Best ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Fan Art
It’s the beginning of a new era for the Star Wars saga. Love the movies, loathe them, cherish them or criticize them, the undeniable fact is that when a new Star Wars movie comes out, the world pays attention. The concepts, stories, environments, and, of course, characters of the Star Wars universe provide a bountiful well of creativity which pervades culture around us. The well doesn’t always provide the best, but it does provide and Star Wars: The Force Awakens has done well to provide so far, especially when it comes to fan art inspiration.
Characters like Finn and Rey seem from the outset to carry a spark that’s been difficult to replicate since the days of Luke kicking sand around gazing into the horizon of Tatooine. Kylo Ren and Captain Phasma provide a sense of awe, fear, and mystery that will serve their parts in the antagonistic Empire well. Of course, Han and Chewie are still kicking around, having gone from youthful renegades to grizzled veterans.
Nobody Does It Better: The Best James Bond Fan Art Ever
It doesn't matter if you're talking about Sean Connery or Daniel Craig. James Bond has a classic kind of cool that can't be denied. And while he's been put beside some ingenious gadgets, iconic weapons, and sweet cars, it's never been the toys that make the man. If anything, Bond has done more for product placement than it ever did for him. He's the classic case of women wanting him and men wanting to be him (but also men wanting him and women wanting to be him, let's be honest). Unless, of course, you're a megalomaniacal villain. Then he's the bane of your existence.
In celebration of that love and the new franchise entry, we've hunted down some of the best art the fandom has to offer. From the classic Connery to the fresh Craig, we're happy to share some of the best fan artist renditions of the world's most beloved spy.
The World is Not Enough: The Best Bond Villain Fan Art Ever
Over the course of the last several decades, James Bond has come across his fair share of villains. They’re some of the most colorful class of egomaniacs, sociopaths, thugs, dental problems, hat throwers, and femme fatales. This veritable cast of sometimes classy, sometimes crass criminals all present a unique challenge to Mr. Bond. Whether he’s tied to a chair, strapped a table, or hanging precariously over another death trap, Bond will often inevitably fall into his enemy’s clutches. Lucky for him they also tend to monologue for a while and then leave him alone with more than enough time to figure out how not to die in their precarious traps.
Dr. No came out in 1962. It starred Sean Connery along with Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder and Joseph Wiseman as the nefarious Dr. No. More than fifty years later, Connery and several more 007s have worked their way through a cavalcade of bad boys and girls who just want to own the world, destroy the world, or do any other number of things that catch the iconic M16’s attention. Being around for so long, there’s no lack of infatuation with creating art based around this colorful cast. We scoured for some of the best the rabid fan base had to offer to the iconic spy universe. We hope you’ll enjoy this extensive gallery of Bond baddies.