The Scarlett Johansson - Jonah Hill story line was a particularly jarring disconnect from the rest of the plot.

Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Quite Early One Morning by Dylan Thomas
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Cannery Row by John Steinbeck

I usually just tell them to tell it to Queen Doppel Populous and crack them with a pipe wrench.

Hideo Kojima and Sid Meier come to mind. I wouldn't even know where to start with a Metal Gear conversation. It seems that as long as a form of Solid Snake is in there, people are happy.
And as for the Civilization games, I think whichever one you've put the most time into and learned the rules best will end up being…

Has anybody else been waiting on this since it was mentioned on Webcomics Weekly?

I think Lenny Kravitz had a lady drummer

The album Alone by Bill Evans is a masterpiece and, as far as I know, completely without moral failings attached to it. Thank you Bill for being so easy to like.

Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra.

"Sometimes being a bad guy is a rip-roaring adventure and sometimes it’s a total drag just like any other job" Sounds like the same idea that makes Venture Bros. so damn good.