The Geeky Nerfherder 10th Anniversary & My 2021 Favourites

Happy Birthday Geeky Nerfherder!

 

December 29 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of this nerdy blog, beginning all the way back on this day in 2011 with the obligatory introductory blog post. 

 

From the start, the aim has always been to showcase inspiring, cool art and pop culture geekery, whether it's poster art, comic art, book and magazine cover art or art from the latest new contemporary exhibitions, and the artists that create them.

 

Throughout those 10 years, the Geeky Nerfherder has been a one man band, just me, Andy B, and it has certainly come a long way since 2011. Even after ten years, it still continues to be a lot of fun to curate; scouring the internet & social media for the latest cool art, print releases and gallery shows, showcasing art from some of my favourite artists in my long running 'Artist Spotlight' series, and starting each day with #ArtOfTheDay - something random, mostly comic art, from the Geeky Nerfherder image archives. I'm also trying to add more reviews of the books and movies I read and watch over the year too.

 

I also post bonus content on my socials, such as the #OnThisDay feature where I post some of my favourite films, books, comics and shows that were first released or published on a particular date, and any nerdy #NewSwag that I add to my collection as well. These accounts continue to gain new followers, with the number of followers now in the thousands! WOW! Thank you so much!! It's amazing and humbling to know that people are also enjoying the artworks I'm posting and hopefully discovering new artists along the way as well. But if you’re not already following, here are the links to my social profiles:

on Twitter (@GeekyNerfherder)
on Instagram (@geekynerfherder)
on Tumblr (GeekyNerfherder)
on Pinterest
on YouTube
on Ello (@geekynerfherder)
on Goodreads

Stores:
on Threadless (GeekyNerfherder)

As always, a big thanks to everyone that drops by the blog and/or follows me through the various socials I post to. I hope that you continue to enjoy my posts of cool art and pop culture geekery.

You can also help support the blog by using these Affiliate Links when shopping online:

• SkillShare
• Zavvi
• Waterstones Books
• Kobo Ebooks & Audiobooks (UK)
• Alibris UK Books, Movies & Music
• Audible Audiobooks (UK)
• Forbidden Planet
• Kobo Ebooks & Audiobooks (US)
• Kobo Ebooks & Audiobooks (Canada)
• GB Posters

So that's almost another year in the books, with 2021 has almost come and gone! Despite all the craziness that has gone on in the world over in the last year or so, there has still been enough good stuff to escape into a geeky and nerdy bubble with, and I've listed a few of my favourites from 2021 below.

 

 

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GeekCons:

December 2019 was my last time out at a GeekCon event, before the pandemic hit and cancelled everything in 2020.

 

With precautions in place, 2021 saw the return of the GeekCon here in the UK, and I was so pleased and grateful to be back out on a nerdy day out! With nothing for months, it ended up being five events crammed into a very packed October and November - BP Fairs Toy Collector Fair at the NEC in Birmingham, EGX at ExCeL London, MCM Comic Con at ExCeL London, Thought Bubble in Harrogate, and Wales Comic Con: Telford Takeover in Telford. It was great to be back and seeing some familiar faces once again.

Click the logo to go to the 'GeekCon V: 2021' video playlist.

 

 

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TV & Movies:

As well as the return of GeekCons, 2021 also saw the return of cinemas opening their doors again! Which means I got enjoy movies like 'Dune: Part One' (my favourite movie of the year), 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' and 'No Time To Die' on the big screen as they're meant to be enjoyed. I've also enjoyed some new original series on the smaller screen too, such as 'Arcane' (my favourite series of the year) and 'Foundation', as well as the return of some favourites like 'The Expanse' and 'The Witcher'.

 

Here is a list of shows and movies that I enjoyed this year.

Click images for trailers.

 

 

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Books:

I managed to smash it with the number of books / audiobooks in the GoodReads Reading Challenge this year, even with upping my target from my usual target of 50 to 60 reads!

I try to mix the latest books, audiobooks or graphic novels with titles I've been meaning to read - from short stories to novellas to chunky tomes -  as well as picking up a few favourites to read again. It's always a challenge, especially when there have been some great releases throughout the year, as well as some that I've missed and want to get caught up on, that get added to my (ever expanding) reading list.

I love my stories, usually within the realms of fantasy and science fiction and sometimes inspired by myths, legends and folklore. Some of my favourite reads recently have been stories that break away from the usual SFF tropes and trends; tales inspired by cultures, mythologies and perspectives other than my own (I'm a white European cis male), that often delves deep into the world building and lore of these fantastical worlds, filled with interesting and engaging characters. In recent years I've discovered quite a few new authors and series as a result, which I'll be keeping a watch out for with their future releases. You can see my star ratings and some of my reviews for the books I've read at my GoodReads profile.

 

I've really enjoyed what I've read / listened to this year. A couple of DNF's (Did Not Finish) that I just couldn't get into and won't go into, but for the most part, outstanding new releases like; 'Sistersong' by Lucy Holland, 'The Witch's Heart' by Genevieve Gornichec and 'Ten Low' by Stark Holborn (my Top 3 reads of the year), as well mixing in a few re-reads like 'Lancelot' by Giles Kristian and 'Circe' by Madeline Miller, a few highly rated reads and rediscovering authors that I've not read for a long while, have made it a joy to get lost within the pages of this year's reading list.

Here's a list of the books, graphic novels and audiobooks that I've read / listened to throughout the year.

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Art / Illustration:

Another year and another year full of gorgeous art, with way too many fantastic pieces to even consider singling out just one or two.

Here are just a few of my favourites (in no particular order and only really represents the tip of a very large iceberg of awesome art) from the many print releases and gallery exhibitions in 2021.

by Mahdieh Farhadkiaei

by George Caltsoudas

by Dave Merrell

by Beverly Arce

by Colin Murdoch

by Stephen Andrade

by Howard Lyon

by Shannon Bonatakis

by Ingrid Tusell

by Tom Bagshaw

by Caia Koopman

by Malleus

by Chris Thornley (Raid71)

by Máté Jakó

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Gaming:

I love to play RPG (Role Playing Games) video games, immersing myself in a single player, story driven, action adventure game, with a vast and deep world to explore, puzzles to solve, some good NPCs to interact with, and a compelling protagonist that develops over the course of the game.

I consider myself a console gamer, although this year I bought a laptop that is good for gaming (I  did buy it primarily for photo and video editing though), and so the tail end of 2021 saw me dipping my toes into the world of PC gaming, with games like 'Guardians Of The Galaxy', 'Disco Elysium: Final Cut', plus older, more classic games like 'Beneath A Steel Sky', 'Broken Sword' and 'Star Wars: Knights Of the Old Republic'. I still haven't abandoned my trusty PS4 just yet though (the PS5 is still being elusive), with 'Assassin's Creed: Valhalla' and a third playthrough of 'Cyberpunk 2077' still on my playing-list.

 

Here is a list of games that I enjoyed playing this year.

Click images for trailers.

 

 

 

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So there you have it, a list of some of my favourites from 2021. Once again, thanks again to everyone who drops by the blog, and follows me on the socials, making 'The Geeky Nerfherder' a lot of fun to curate! Here's to another year of nerdiness!