Jesse Starr is an artist who has a knack for using the ordinary ballpoint pen. Above is his amazing portrait of Optimus Prime that was composed with only that instrument.

Link via Geekologie

English Russia, a photoblog of wonders from Russia, has several dozen woodcut illustrations from the edition of The Hobbit published in the Soviet Union. Pictured above is a Gollum quite different from Peter Jackson's. Keep on scrolling past those images, and you can view a video of a movie production of Tolkein's book.

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FeministHulk is a Twitter feed that consists of the Incredible Hulk's opposition to traditional gender roles instituted the patriarchy of contemporary human society. Or, more simply, the Hulk is a feminist.

I discovered FeministHulk via Comics Alliance, which has posted tweets from other feminist superheroes, including Spider-Man, Captain America, and Green Arrow.

Artist Derek Chatwood tries to explain US-Iranian relations, using The Smurfs and Battlestar Galactica as metaphors:

In figure one, we see a classic Battlestar Galactica cylon. It represents the classic leadership of Iran, combining the clerical leadership governed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the political power base, led by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. It is an artificial construct built on a false premise of freedom and democracy, and as such is slow witted and near impossible to reason with.

The smurfs represent the Iranian people, shown here attacking the cylon. When the smurfs believe that they live in a representative democracy, and it is then shown to be false, they do not take it well. They will climb around and dance and make all sorts of noises. Unfortunately the cylons have been allowed to control them for so long, that they are much more powerful than the smurfs. While it is inspirational to see the smurfs organized, and with one voice denouncing the brutal dictatorship that they now realize they live under, it is also ultimately futile. The cylons are much more powerful, and have blasters and laser cannons.

Link via Popped Culture

(YouTube Link)

YouTube user bornforthis43 made this great stop-motion animation video showing scenes from classic Nintendo games, including Kirby's Adventure and Mega Man. I doubt that the production budget exceeded five dollars, but the animator brilliantly improvised using everyday objects. It's sort of like Impressionism in that the animator created the unmistakable impression of game levels while using few concrete images.

via Geekosystem

Comics commentator and humorist Chris Sims suggests how six superheroes would write term papers and how they would be graded. Peter Parker apparently understands physics, but not superhero physics.

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(YouTube Link)

Iron Baby does not want a nap. Do you understand? Iron Baby will not take a nap.

Canadian short filmmaker Patrick Biovin depicted his own daughter in Iron Baby, with help from the animation studio Strob.

via Great White Snark | Strob

(Video Link)

Why is this classic Nintendo game so frustrating? Because the dog has rigged it to be that way.

(Video Link)

The humorists at How It Should Have Ended recently took on Predator. There is a huge plot hole that I've never thought before, but would have made the movie very anticlimactic had Dutch exploited it.

Official Website via Nerd Bastards

Owen Parsons and Andrew Bridgman have a point -- but Mario would also keep masons in business. It's like being in a construction trade in Metropolis. You're never going to run out of work.

Link via Digg

Over at The Big N, we've previously featured the work of bento artist Anna the Red. She does a lot of anime-themed work, especially from My Neighbor Totoro.

Link via Awesomesauce (where there's a Battlestar Galactica bento box)

Etsy seller demulcentarts made this cute crocheted Yoda baby hat. In her store, she also has a baby hat with the anarchist symbol, which I find deliciously subversive.

Link via Fanboy

Do you remember Lobot, Lando Calrissian's cyborg assistant in The Empire Strikes Back? He doesn't have the most glamorous of jobs in the galaxy. Geeks of Doom peeks into his daily planner so you can understand Lobot's ordeal. Here's how it starts:

6:30 a.m: Wake up, unplug head from charger.

6:45 a.m: Yoga, Tai Chi, and Rhythmic Gymnastics.

7:15 a.m: Hop in the shower and shave face, shave head, brush teeth, and buff headset.

7:45 a.m: Download Mr. Calrissian’s itinerary, new episodes of Lost, and the newest album by Figrin D’an and the Modal Nodes.

7:55 a.m: Escort the hos out of Mr. Calrissian’s room and offer them the usual settlement package.

Link via Digg | Image: Lucasfilm

(YouTube Link)

This eleven-minute documentary by Simon Cottee examines the history of pixelated art, from its earliest days to a modern revival. Cottee suggests that pixel requirements limited early game designers, but also gave them a new form of expression that connects with new audiences today.

via reddit | Cottee's Blog

Kade Chan's still a teenager, but he does some outstanding origami, such as this very detailed Alien figure. In the links, you can read an interview that he did with HK magazine and view more works in his Flickr stream.

Link via Super Punch | Interview | Flickr Stream