Wednesday, December 29, 2010

New Comics Day

Well, well.

  • S.H.I.E.L.D. #5
  • Nightmaster : Monsters of Rock #1
  • Gotham City Sirens #18
  • Batman : The Dark Knight #1
  • Detective Comics #872
  • Justice Society of America #46
  • Teen Titans #90
  • Flash #8
  • Green Lantern #61
  • Action Comics #896

The Nightmaster One-Shot completely slipped past my radar until today, and when I saw the umlaut, I had to buy it. It's fluff, but fun. JSA finally addresses the glaring problems with the storyline so far and explains why the current situation works, so now I'm ready to cut it some slack. It's nice to see Ravager and Robin bond in Teen Titans. My pick of the week, though, is the Jimmy Olsen back-up in Action - which honors and simultaneously one-ups all previous "Jimmy's life is weird" stories.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

New Comics Day

Merry Christmas!

  • Warlord of Mars #3
  • Incorruptible #13
  • Invincible #76
  • Fantastic Four #586
  • Knights of the Dinner Table #169
  • Wonder Woman #605
  • Batman : Streets of Gotham #18 - Batman snapping an embarrassing photo of the Penguin is the funniest thing this week.
  • DC Universe : Legacies #8
  • Zatanna #8
  • Justice League of America #52
  • Superman / Batman #79
  • Batman Annual #28
  • Batman Incorporated #2
  • Green Lantern Corps #55
  • Larfleeze Christmas Special #1
  • Legion of Super-Heroes #8
  • Power Girl #19 - Aw, dammit, I though we were going to finally get Peeg into the Max Lord loop.
  • Justice League : Generation Lost #16
  • Bomb Queen VI #3

Big week!

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

New Comics Day

New comics day is here, and it brought DC Classics, Wave 15! Huzzah. Regrettably, my OMAC figure had a fused wrist that snapped when I attempted to correct it, so I may have to hunt down a spare - but it IS just OMAC, so I can glue it into place and not worry too much about it if I can't find one.

The books :

  • Angel #40 - Art quality nosedive.
  • Darkwing Duck #7 - Still rockin'.
  • Chaos War #4
  • The Mighty Crusaders #6 - Feels rushed.
  • Green Lantern / Plastic Man : Weapons of Mass Deception #1
  • Time Masters : Vanishing Point #5
  • Superman #706 - Not bad, for filler.
  • Supergirl #59
  • Green Lantern : Emerald Warriors #5
  • Batman #705 - Mmm.. no. Why can't people leave the man alone?
  • Batman and Robin #18 - A-ha! That medical condition that I heard of that time..
  • Green Lantern #60 - Oh, HIM. I think we last saw him lay and egg in JLA.
  • Birds of Prey #7
  • Brightest Day #16 - Well, hell. They're about to make Black Manta make sense.

That's all!

Monday, December 13, 2010

Week in Geek

Well, I'm feeling better, so I might as well!

Friend Eric ran a session of his 1974 Superhero game on Saturday, and it went well. Our super-team slash Mystery, Inc fellows came up against the Cropsey, New Jersey's prototype for Jason, of Friday the 13th fame. He's a lot less threatening if your Superman-type yoinks his axe out of his hand, though.

My game from the weekend before was also a hoot, as I got to debut my favorite villain creation of the game thus far - Pratfall, the Vaudevillian Villain. He's a dash of the Prankster and a pinch of the Creeper, with just a smidge of the Joker thrown in for good measure. Chloroform cream pies!

As far as other hobbies, I've still been working on the Pokemon stuff, and I still haven't gotten out to see Tangled, Megamind, or Harry Potter 7. I did, however, watch the entire first season of True Blood. Not bad, except for the fact I hate the South.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

New Comics Day

I was too under the weather to bother with a Week in Geek post this week, despite a good gaming session last Saturday, but the comics pull list thingie must go on!

  • Fables #100
  • First Wave #5
  • R.E.B.E.L.S. #23
  • Knight and Squire #3
  • Batgirl #16
  • Superboy #2
  • Red Robin #18
  • Detective Comics Annual #12
  • DC Universe Holiday Special 2010 #1
  • Booster Gold #39
  • The Flash #7
  • Justice League : Generation Lost #15

Batgirl is unfailingly entertaining. Judd Winick is doing a bang-up job on JL:GL, and I laughed out loud at the title's incorporation of Wonder Woman's current situation. (See : Screwed the hell up by J. Michael Schwarzkopf.) I like the French Bat-candidate we meet in Detective Annual #12.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

New Comics Day

Fairly light week.
  • Marineman #1
  • Irredeemable #20
  • Buffy : Season Eight #39
  • JSA All-Stars #13
  • Freedom Fighters #4
  • Doom Patrol #17
  • Batman 80 Page Giant 2010 #1
  • Action Comics Annual #13
  • Secret Six #28
  • Adventure Comics #521
  • Brightest Day #15
That's all!

Sunday, November 28, 2010

DC Classics Thoughts

So, tomorrow, on Cyber Monday, Mattycollector.com is re-activating some of the DC Classics Two-Packs that they have sold online, making them available again. Of course, I got most of them the first time.
  • Adam Strange and Starfire
  • Animal Man and B'wana Beast
  • Romat-Ru and Karu-Sil
  • Ultraman and Alexander Luthor Sr.
The only one I missed was the Ultraman two-pack. At the time, I wasn't interested in it, but with the reactivation, I may pick it up. For the most part, with these online-only two-packs, they focus on characters that might not otherwise fly off the shelves. Starfire is the only real B-list or better amongst the bunch. I think this is a pretty smart idea, letting us diehard collectors have a chance at smaller runs of more obscure characters.

That said, they haven't introduced a new one in a little while, so I'd like to suggest some more potential two-packs.

Firebrand and The Shining Knight - I love the All-Star Squadron. Sir Justin has a fun potential accessory with his sword, and it would help build on the line's sparse Golden Age presence.

Johnny Quick and Liberty Belle - Did I mention that I love the All-Star Squadron? The line already has Commander Steel. We need his All-Star comrades.

Johnny Thunder and his Thunderbolt - This one is perfect for a two-pack. You can't sell Johnny Thunder by himself, it just isn't done. And he's a founder of the JSA. The T-Bolt would be an awesome new sculpt, and Johnny's mold could reuse or be reused for lots of other sportcoat-and-slacks types, especially one I'll get to in a moment.

Uncle Sam, Phantom Lady, and Doll Man - The Sinestro Corps two-packs had one of Karu-Sil's doglike 'fathers' as a limited-articulation bonus, and a tiny Dollman honestly wouldn't need ANY articulation. The Freedom Fighters have to get started sometime!

Impulse and Max Mercury - We've got Barry, and Wally as Kid Flash. No Jay yet. So this one may be dubious in its prospects, but we already have a Robin roughly equivalent to his Young Justice costume, and a leather-jacket Superboy, and Red Tornado - so we really need an Impulse to round out the team's starting line-up. And who better to pack in with him than Max?

Doc Magnus and Platinum - They've got Iron and Gold so far, in the line. Mercury's coming, too. You could do Platinum as a single-card, but why not pair her with the otherwise plain-looking Doc Magnus? And hey, you could even reuse the same basic mold as Johnny Thunder.

Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne - Secret identity action figures are another fun thing you can do with the small-target-audience format. Plus, the DC Classics line has been pushing hard to release versions of every figure that appeared in the Super Powers line, and Clark Kent was one of those, though he was a bonus mail-away figure.

Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane - In a similar vein, supporting cast figures. Jimmy can re-use that Johnny Thunder mold, and could have some fun accessories. And Lois is probably the single most important civilian in the DC Universe.

Oracle and Commissioner Gordon - Also supporting characters, but Oracle, at least, could be the head of a Birds of Prey set - perhaps including two-packs of Hawk and Dove, or Huntress and Zinda Blake. Huntress could support a single-card release, definitely, but Hawk and Dove were made to be together, and how else will we get a Zinda? Barbara is already sort of represented in the line, with the classic Batgirl figure, but still..

Friday, November 26, 2010

New Comics Day

Turkey Week edition.

  • Incorruptible #12
  • Fantastic Four #585
  • Madame Xanadu #29 - Last issue. Dammit.
  • Batman : Odyssey #5
  • The Spirit #8
  • Batman Beyond #6
  • Gotham City Sirens #17
  • Batwoman #0
  • Justice Society of America #45 - Wow, this kind of sucks right now.
  • Detective Comics #871
  • Batman and Robin #17 - I love it.
  • Teen Titans #89
  • Action Comics #895
  • Justice League : Generation Lost #14
  • Bomb Queen VI #2
I also picked up the new, giant Green Lantern Omnibus, Volume one. I already had the first Showcase Presents volume of GL's adventures, but to have them in glorious color.. score.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

New Comics Day Supplemental

No real Week in Geek post today, things have been relatively quiet this week as everyone gears up for the holiday. I did join a 4th Edition D&D group, though. More on that as it develops - the first session did nothing to alter my opinions of 4E, though.

Mainly, I'm posting to provide a supplement to my new comic day post. A couple of books arrived late at my local store, and I picked them up today :

  • Green Lantern Corps #54
  • Justice League of America #51
Next week's new comics day post will be late, because of the holiday.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

New Comics Day

Pretty sizable week!

  • Darkwing Duck #6
  • Angel #39
  • Warlord of Mars #2
  • Hack/Slash Trailers Part Two
  • Superman #705
  • DC Universe Legacies #7
  • Batman : Streets of Gotham #17
  • Superman/Batman #78 - Funniest issue ever.
  • Zatanna #7
  • Supergirl #58
  • Power Girl #18
  • The Flash #6
  • Green Lantern #59
  • Batman : The Return #1
  • Batman #704
  • Batman Incorporated #1
  • Legion of Super-Heroes #7
  • Brightest Day #14

That's all!

Monday, November 15, 2010

Week in Geek

I finally got to see Spaced, which I absolutely and totally enjoy. For those unfamiliar, it's a British sitcom infamous for its overdose of American pop-culture references. And it stars Simon Pegg, who is hilarious.

I also spent some time in StarCraft, getting my ass kicked repeatedly.

Most importantly, though, my friend Eric kicked off his Silver/Bronze Age superhero campaign, so I got to introduce Dr. Nathan Wells, AKA Incarnate. Dr. Wells is a Superman type, but with a pool of 'extra' powers he can use one at a time, in addition to being a flying brick. I've loosely based him on Martian Manhunter, Ultra Boy, and Thundermind from DC Comics. Dr. Wells was an American traveling and studying in Tibet, where he unlocked the secrets of the "Inner Mind" - transforming him into a Bodhisattva and giving him strange powers.

And yes, I'm fully aware of the implicit cultural arrogance there - Buddhists look for enlightenment for centuries, and a blond, white guy shows up and discovers it in months. It's a conscious nod to the monoculturalism prevalent in comics of the time period. The group had a good time riffing about that.

"Oh, hello there, monks, I seem to have found this enlightenment, lying here by the road up to your monastery!"

"Really? We've been looking for that for ages!"

I'm also enjoying doing the Clark Kent secret identity schtick.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

New Comics Day

And another week.

  • Knights of the Dinner Table #168
  • Nancy in Hell #4
  • Thanos Imperative #6
  • Doc Savage #8
  • Knight and Squire #2
  • R.E.B.E.L.S. #22
  • Booster Gold #38
  • Green Lantern : Emerald Warriors #4
  • Batgirl #15
  • Red Robin #17
  • Birds of Prey #6
  • Justice League : Generation Lost #13
  • Batman : The Return of Bruce Wayne #6

Ta-da!

Monday, November 8, 2010

Week in Geek

I finally finished the single-player campaign of StarCraft II - excellent stuff. I don't look forward to trying to play it on 'Hard', though, to get the unlockable achievements.

There was a good gaming session on Saturday; got back to the Giant Robot game. Debuted the robots' alternate vehicle modes, and had a fun aerial battle. We're at about the midpoint of the first-season arc for that campaign, and I've decided I may stop it at one season. It's fun, but it's hard to get everyone to show up, and the sentai team theme is essential. So I will be pondering other campaign ideas.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

New Comics Day

Some fun stuff out this week.

  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer #38
  • Irredeemable #19
  • PS 238 #47
  • Invincible #75
  • Chaos War #3
  • JSA All-Stars #12
  • Doom Patrol #16
  • Zatanna #6
  • Freedom Fighters #3
  • Superboy #1
  • Adventure Comics #520
  • Secret Six #27
  • Batman and Robin #16
  • Brightest Day #13

That's it!

Monday, November 1, 2010

Week in Geek

Hey, it's one of these again!

I had a fantastic weekend. Let me talk about three things. First! I saw two movies for the first time - Universal Soldier, and Treasure Planet. I liked Universal Soldier as a basic action movie, but Treasure Planet - wow. I loved it. It was one of those movies I really wanted to see in the theaters, but could never make time to go see. I probably should have, as it bombed pretty badly. But it's an awesome little movie.

Next! Video games - I've been working on Pokemon Ranger : Guardian Signs. I kinda don't like it. I mean, the gameplay isn't bad. In fact, everything's pretty good, except - every damn time you meet a new NPC, you are subjected to ten solid minutes of painfully tapping or button-pressing your way through insipid, useless conversation. It's annoying as hell. But I keep playing, because it will get me certain rare Pokemon I can transfer over into the real games.

Last! My Golden Age game. Every year, I do a special Halloween adventure in whatever game I'm running - I picked the Golden Age game of the two I'm currently doing. My idea for the adventure started as a loose notion about the old urban legend of Abraham Lincoln's death train, the spectral echo of which is said to roam the rails to this day. That morphed several time in my mind until I hit upon the crux - the PCs would be called upon to enter the spirit world, there to defuse a mystic missile - in the form of a train - aimed squarely at the President of the United States. The twist was that after projecting themselves there, they would not have access to their powers and memories at first, instead believing themselves to be some of the passengers on the train.

It went really well and I enjoyed it thoroughly, even if the atmosphere at the table was more Three Stooges than Twilight Zone.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

New Comics Day

Here's this week's batch.

  • Madame Xanadu #28 - this is cancelled with #29. So sad.
  • Angel #38
  • The Incredibles #15
  • Incorruptible #11
  • Fantastic Four #584 - Fun!
  • Wonder Woman #604 - Zzzzzzz.
  • Superman #704 - Well, it's a break from JMS.
  • Time Masters : Vanishing Point #4
  • Detective Comics #870
  • Action Comics #894 - The Jimmy Olsen back-up is pure joy.
  • Justice Society of America #44 - Well, I don't care for the twist in this story..
  • Bruce Wayne : The Road Home - Oracle #1
  • Bruce Wayne : The Road Home - Ra's al Ghul #1 - I like it.
  • Supergirl Annual #2 - the Legion's first meeting with Supergirl!
  • Teen Titans #88 - Okay, Bart's fun again. I like.
  • Justice League : Generation Lost #12
  • Knights of the Dinner Table #167

That's it.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Week in Geek

So, I haven't been keeping up with these like I should. I'm a bad comics blogger.

Spent a good bit of time this week on video games - catching legendaries in Pokemon Platinum, and finally breaking in the multiplayer on Starcraft II. I'm not as bas as I expected, but not as good as I need to be.

Picked up some random comics at a flea market this past week as well - I love yard sales and flea markets, but most of them don't have the kinds of things I'm looking for. I look anyway, because every now and then, I find something I want. Ten bucks for a stack of twenty comics isn't too bad. I picked it up specifically because there were a few Blue Beetle issues in there from the 80's series, but there was also an issue of E-Man and one of Vanguard Illustrated that really intrigued me. Never saw either, before.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

New Comics Day

Immortal Iron Fist trades, back in stock! Now I have Volumes one through five.

  • Guarding the Globe #2
  • Fables #99
  • The Spirit #7 - Dropping this soon.
  • Chaos War #2 - I'm waiting for the sizzle.
  • Ragman : Suit of Souls #1 - Not bad!
  • Batman Beyond #5 - Ohhhh. That makes more sense.
  • DC Universe Legacies #6
  • Bruce Wayne : The Road Home - Catwoman #1
  • Bruce Wayne : The Road Home - Commissioner Gordon #1
  • Supergirl #57
  • Superman/Batman #77 - Kara and Damian are hilarious.
  • DC Universe Halloween Special 2010 #1
  • Power Girl #17
  • Justice League of America #50
  • Green Lantern Corps #53
  • Legion of Super-Heroes #6 - I voted for the new Legion leader, have you?
  • Batman and Robin #15
  • Brightest Day #12

That's it!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

New Comics Day

Big week!

  • Irredeemable #18
  • Warlord of Mars #1
  • Thanos Imperative #5
  • Doc Savage #7
  • The Mighty Crusaders #4
  • Justice Society of America 80 Page Giant 2010 #1
  • Knight and Squire #1
  • Adventure Comics #519
  • Booster Gold #37
  • Green Lantern : Emerald Warriors #3
  • Green Lantern #58
  • Superman #703
  • Untold Tales of Blackest Night #1
  • Bruce Wayne : The Road Home - Batgirl #1
  • Bruce Wayne : The Road Home - Batman and Robin #1
  • Bruce Wayne : The Road Home - Red Robin #1
  • Batman : The Return of Bruce Wayne #5
  • Justice League : Generation Lost #11

That's it!

Monday, October 11, 2010

Week in Geek

I had an excellent session of my Golden Age game this weekend, introducing a major recurring villain. It was a blast. Then I stay up entirely too late Saturday night and lost Sunday to a headache-filled fog. But now it's Monday, and I've commenced my week of vacation. Video Games, DVDs, Blue Skies, Barthy Burgers, Girls!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

New Comics Day

Pretty sizeable week, with the release of the new volume of the Starman Omnibus figured in.

  • Incorruptible #10
  • Buffy #37
  • S.H.I.E.L.D. #4
  • Chaos War #1
  • Madame Xanadu #27
  • Batman : Odyssey #4
  • Superman : Last Family of Krypton #3
  • JSA All-Stars #11
  • Freedom Fighters #2
  • Doom Patrol #15
  • R.E.B.E.L.S. #21
  • Secret Six #26
  • Brightest Day #11
  • Nancy in Hell #3
  • Liberty Annual 2010
That's it!

Monday, October 4, 2010

Week in Geek

Sort of a low-key Week in Geek. The latter half was hampered by illness, so I basically got to sit in bed, catch Pokemon, and watch Season 4 of 30 Rock. On the other hand, that's probably what I would've done anyway, for the most part.

The Pokemon thing is really coming along nicely. My copy of Platinum now has all three starters from Generations 1, 3, and 4. I'm working through LeafGreen to pick up a couple of other hard to find critters from Gen One. And Sapphire, to cover Gen Three.

I'm on vacation next week, and not going anywhere. I expect I will be playing many video games.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

New Comics Day

Missed my usual Week in Geek thing this week - suffice to say, the Whose Line live show was awesome and I had fun running my Golden Age game this weekend.

Decent sized new comics day this week.

  • The Incredibles #14
  • Next Gen Wars #1
  • Angel #37
  • First Wave #4
  • Gotham City Sirens #16
  • Time Masters : Vanishing Point #3 - I never expected.. them!
  • Teen Titans #87 - Wow, they sure yanked the status quo hard to accommodate the new team.
  • Detective Comics #869
  • Wonder Woman #603
  • Action Comics #893
  • Justice Society of America #43
  • Knights of the Dinner Table #166
  • Tarot #64

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

New Comics Day

Big week.

  • Darkwing Duck #4
  • Fantastic Four #583
  • Fables #98
  • The Spirit #6
  • Batman : Streets of Gotham #16
  • Superman / Batman #76
  • Justice League of America #49
  • Supergirl #56
  • Power Girl #16
  • Legion of Super-Heroes #5
  • The Flash #5
  • Green Lantern Corps #52
  • Justice League : Generation Lost #10

Pretty solid week all around, actually.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Week in Geek

I have had a hectic week with a lot of things on my to-do list, and very few of them getting done. My monthly Previews order is due tomorrow to my local comic store, all kinds of shows are returning with new seasons (including Venture Brothers, House, and 30 Rock), and my unbagged, unboarded comics are starting to pile up tall enough to be a health hazard, were they to fall over.

I've still been working on Pokemon, but a bit less this week - I need to get back to Starcraft II and City of Heroes.. and probably, I should go ahead and cancel my Star Trek Online subscription. I think it's been six months since I played it.

I did get to run my Golden Age game this weekend, at least, so that's something.

This evening, I'll be working on more of my "want to dos" with Whose Line on in the background, to psyche me up for Friday's show of 'Whose Live'.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

New Comics Day

One of the lightest new comics days in memory.

  • Batman Beyond #4
  • Zatanna #5
  • Justice Society of America Special #1
  • DC Universe Legacies #5
  • Green Lantern : Emerald Warriors #2
  • Birds of Prey #5
  • Brightest Day #10

All pretty good, though.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Week in Geek

Most of the week, I was sick, so I had plenty of time to indulge in Pokemon (Sapphire and Platinum) as well as finishing up my re-run of X-Com. I also got through Arrested Development for the umpteenth time, and started on my just-acquired box set of Daria. The biggest nerdy news this past week, for me, was the return of the Venture Brothers - the new half-season debuted last night. I'll watch the episode this evening.

Still plenty of things around at theaters that I want to see - The Expendables, Machete, possibly Resident Evil; I just haven't made the time to go see them.

Some fun links, from ComicsAlliance.com :
I love that stuff.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

New Comics Day

Biggish week.

  • The Incredibles #13
  • The Thanos Imperative #4 - Yeah, Thanos!
  • Irredeemable #17
  • Batman : Odyssey #3
  • Doc Savage #6 - I like the new creative team.
  • The Mighty Crusaders #3
  • Doom Patrol #14 - It opens with Ambush Bug doing a recap in ballad form.
  • Batgirl #14 - That's right, BFF is already plural.
  • Red Robin #16
  • Adventure Comics #518
  • Green Lantern #57 - Larfleeze is awesome.
  • Booster Gold #36 - I laughed out loud.
  • Batman and Robin #14
  • Batman #703
  • Justice League : Generation Lost #9
  • Murderland #2
  • Nancy in Hell #2

That's it!

Monday, September 6, 2010

Blogging

Not too much to report this week, and I'm currently enduring some sort of viral invader in the form of a sore throat bug, so I'm giving Week in Geek a miss.

Well, here's the short version : Blah blah X-Com, blah blah Pokemon, blah blah hack wheeze sniffle.

I do have some content ideas to work on when I have the time and energy to address them properly.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

New Comics Day

Kind of a light week.

  • PS238 #46
  • Incorruptible #9
  • Buffy #36
  • Hercules : Twilight of a God #4
  • Superman : The Last Family of Krypton #2
  • JSA All-Stars #10
  • Freedom Fighters #1
  • R.E.B.E.L.S.#20
  • Secret Six #25
  • Brightest Day #9

That's all.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Week in Geek

Where to begin - Mutants and Masterminds, I think. I got to run my post-apocalyptic giant robot game this weekend, and enjoyed the session. A new player may be joining the group, and that's always a good thing. I also am working on a Wiki for my various campaigns - I'll post a link here when it's ready.

A lot of the rest of the week went to video games - Starcraft II and Pokemon, specifically. Of course, we also had the release of Elemental : War of Magic. It is a spiritual sequel and update of my all-time favorite turn-based strategy game, Master of Magic. I haven't gotten to play it yet, but this week, I will.

Venture Brothers returns in two weeks!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

New Comics Day

Big week.

  • Robocop #6
  • Madame Xanadu #26 - Awww.
  • Invincible #74
  • Guarding the Globe #1
  • Fantastic Four #582
  • Prince of Power #4 - Oh, snap!
  • Time Masters : Vanishing Point #2 - Klaw and the original Starfire? Awesome.
  • Superman/Batman #75 - This made me happy.
  • Gotham City Sirens #15
  • Detective Comics #868 - I like the premise.
  • Wonder Woman #602 - Meh.
  • Teen Titans #86
  • Superman : Secret Origin #6 - Very solid.
  • Justice League of America #48 - Better ending than I was expecting.
  • Action Comics #892
  • Legion of Super-Heroes #4 - Hell, yeah!
  • Batman #702 - Double hell, yeah!
  • Justice League : Generation Lost #8

That's all!

Monday, August 23, 2010

Week in Geek

Really solid week of geek stuff for me.

Firstly, there was Rifftrax : Reefer Madness. A live (via satellite) show that was tremendously entertaining. And there's going to be another one in October - they'll riff on House on Haunted Hill, the original Vincent Price version.

I finally got through the Hack/Slash Omnibus Volume 2 that had been sitting around awhile - I like it. I may have to start picking up the series regularly. I grabbed a few issues of it, just before it jumped publishers, but haven't gone back to buying it yet.

I made some great strides in Pokemon, but most of my video game time went into UFO : Alien Invasion and Starcraft II. UFO:AI really just makes me want to play X-Com, though. This week, we get Elemental : War of Magic, which promises to be fun, and I may have to spend some time in City of Heroes with the new Going Rogue expansion.

And I got to run my Golden Age superheroes game, which was awesome - the characters were up against Dr. Despair and his Misery Museum! And DC Adventures was released this week, too. I'm slowly reading through it, and I generally like what I see. I may have to do a review.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

New Comics Day

Woo! The new DC Adventures RPG is out! Here're the comics I got in addition to that :

  • Darkwing Duck #3 - Stuff just got real. And that's no bull.
  • Angel #36
  • Fables #97
  • Ex Machina #50 - That was disappointing. And now it's over.
  • Murderland #1
  • The Spirit #5
  • Batman Beyond #3 - Nice eye for Beyond Continuity. Beyondinuity?
  • Batman : Streets of Gotham #15
  • Supergirl #55
  • Green Lantern Corps #51
  • Power Girl #15 - Still digging this.
  • DC Universe : Legacies #4 - I knew they'd screw up a detail sooner or later. And the backup story made me sad.
  • Justice Society of America #42 - Chaos, chaos, chaos, one more issue to go..
  • Brightest Day #8
And that's it.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Week in Geek

Scott Pilgrim is pretty darn cool. I've never read the comics, but the movie is awesome. I recommend it.

I worked on a new character this weekend, for a game that friend Eric is planning to run set in the 1970's. Bronze Age superheroes. I'm playing the Superman analogue - it promises to be fun. Dr. Nathan Wells, parapsychological research, traveled to Tibet and there, he unlocked the secrets of the inner mind, fulfilling in him the true potential of humanity and transforming him into .. Incarnate, the Transcendental Man!

He's a flying brick, with a multi-power array, from which he can use one power at a time, in addition to his basic powers. Mental immunity, Extra invulnerability, Extra strength, or telepathic broadcasting. Depending where he focuses his transcendental energy.

His catchphrase is 'Om, Om, and Away!'

Oh, and my computer came back to me today, repaired. I am giddy with delight.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

New Comics Day

Big week, including a couple that were delayed arriving at my local shop.

  • The Thanos Imperative #3 - Finally, someone remembers the robots.
  • Knights of the Dinner Table #165
  • Titans #26 - Should be my last issue. I really just don't care.
  • Doc Savage #5 - I want to like this, but Howard Porter's art is more suited for superheroes.
  • The Mighty Crusaders #2
  • Superman : The Last Family of Krypton #1 - Elseworlds are back! Hell yeah!
  • Batgirl #13
  • Red Robin #15 - Damian gets the line of the week.
  • Zatanna #4
  • Superman #702
  • Green Lantern : Emerald Warriors #1
  • Secret Six #24
  • Booster Gold #35 - So much fun.
  • Birds of Prey #4
  • Adventure Comics #517
  • Justice League : Generation Lost #7 - Okay, I like the new Rocket Red.

Whew!

Monday, August 9, 2010

Week in Geek

The computer is off for repair, so I've dug out its predecessor and brought it up to speed with new drivers and suchlike. It's a hair's breadth too slow to play StarCraft II, so I have installed Diablo II and am considering putting StarCraft on it. So, retro-gaming!

I couldn't muster enough of the troops to do my Saturday game, so a couple of us got together to hang out and watch some things. Specifically : The Gamers, an episode of Futurama, all of Blackadder II, and the Lost Skeleton of Cadavra.

Wow. I can't believe Firefox's spellchecker let me get away with 'suchlike'.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

New Comics Day

Here's the list for this week!

  • The Incredibles #12
  • Hercules : Twilight of a God #3
  • S.H.I.E.L.D. #3
  • Irredeemable #16
  • Nancy in Hell #1
  • Batman : Odyssey #2 - This is bad.
  • Magog #12
  • JSA All-Stars #9
  • Doom Patrol #13
  • R.E.B.E.L.S. #19
  • Brightest Day #7

Ah ha! I was right about my theory for Brightest Day.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Week in Geek

StarCraft II.


On second thought, maybe I should expand on that. I just installed it yesterday, but lost about half the day playing it. I like it so far, though I miss some of the units that they've replaced, and I'm hoping some of them get added back in later.

Still awaiting the final word from the company who sold me my computer about who's going to pay for the shipping costs to get it to them so it can be repaired under warranty. I am hoping to hear something this week. Once it's back and functional, I'm going to be a lot less tense.

While it's gone, I'll use my backup PC, and perhaps spend more time on my console video games - I am awfully close to finishing Pokemon Platinum, after all.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

New Comics Day

This week's haul.

  • Angel #35
  • Incorruptible #8
  • Madame Xanadu #25
  • Fantastic Four #581
  • First Wave #3
  • Gotham City Sirens #14
  • Teen Titans #85
  • Wonder Woman #601
  • Action Comics #891
  • Detective Comics #867
  • The Flash #4
  • Green Lantern Corps #50
  • Green Lantern #56
  • Justice League of America #47
  • Justice League : Generation Lost #6
  • Batman : The Return of Bruce Wayne #4
  • Tarot #63

That's it! Action continues to be way more interesting than JMS's Superman.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

New Comics Day

Kind of a big week.

  • PS 238 #45
  • The Incredibles #11
  • Darkwing Duck #2 - This just got upgraded from miniseries to ongoing. Yes.
  • Heroic Age : Prince of Power #3
  • The Spirit #4 - Just.. not feeling it.
  • Superman / Batman #74 - Who ever thought this title would be better than the main Superman title?
  • Batman Beyond #2
  • Batman : Streets of Gotham #14
  • Supergirl #54
  • Power Girl #14 - Love the art. Hate torpedoing the previous status quo.
  • Zatanna #3 - Well! I figured that villain would be more long-term.
  • DC Universe : Legacies #3
  • Time Masters : Vanishing Point #1
  • Legion of Super-Heroes #3 - Now we're rocking on all cylinders, I think.
  • Birds of Prey #3 - Oh, snap! Canary's sins come back to haunt her, as do Oracle's.
  • Justice Society of America #41
  • Brightest Day #6 - I hope she's okay. Dammit.
  • Sci Fi and Fantasy Illustrated #2

That's it!

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Week in Geek

This week's been dedicated to my poor ailing computer, which is still behaving oddly. I did make time for some first-season Saturday Night Live, some Dragonball GT, and Pokemon, though.

I love seeing the old SNL episodes - before they'd really nailed down the format. They're so uneven, but still hilarious. Netflix's video streaming has justified itself.

I also spent a little time retro-gaming, with the XBox Live port of the classic arcade sidescroller Magic Sword. Pure. Chaos.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

New Comics Day

Here's the list this week.

  • Robocop #5
  • The Thanos Imperative #2
  • The Mighty Crusaders #1
  • Doc Savage #4
  • Magog #11
  • Titans #25
  • Batgirl #12
  • R.E.B.E.L.S. #18
  • Brave and the Bold #35
  • Superman #701
  • Adventure Comics #516
  • Booster Gold #34
  • Batman #701
  • Justice League : Generation Lost #5

That's it!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Week in Geek

I ended up being a bit busy yesterday, so I didn't get to this post in a timely fashion. My biggest geek thing from last week would be the Weird Al concert. It was an excellent show - the second time I've seen Al live - and I even got some pictures. I'll have to crop and size them, then maybe I can link them here. He had a new polka medley for the show, and a snippet of at least one new parody that could end up on his next album.

My new MasterMaze pieces arrived, as well, and I got them opened and inspected yesterday - very nice. They're 3-D dungeon terrain, made of painted resin, from a company called Dwarven Forge. Very cool looking, but expensive. I ordered them while at Origins.

I'm still troubleshooting my computer, and I have the problem narrowed down to either the motherboard or the power supply, and I'm strongly leaning towards the latter. I have a borrowed power supply that I can try to use to confirm my hypothesis.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

New Comics Day

Here's this week's list.

  • Irredeemable #15
  • Hercules : Twilight of a God #2
  • Fantastic Four Annual #32
  • JSA All-Stars #8
  • Batman : Odyssey #1
  • Red Robin #14
  • Doom Patrol #12
  • Batman and Robin #13
  • The Great Ten #9
  • Secret Six #23
  • Brightest Day : The Atom Special #1
  • Brightest Day #5
  • Knights of the Dinner Table #164

That's it!

Monday, July 5, 2010

Week in Geek

And an excellent one, at that, for the most part. Though I am verging close to an eyestrain headache after spending too much time playing Pokemon. I love when I get to take a week off of work and just stay home and relax.

The high point of the week was easily Saturday's gaming session - the Golden Age heroes assembled to unravel a fifty year old murder and a vengeful spirit it engendered. The session, 'How The West Was Wan', also introduced potential recurring menace, Wan Tsung, Chinese crimelord. We also managed three hours of the SolarQuest board game before mounting fatigue demanded we determine a winner by 'who has the most cash on hand'.

The game session had a fair share of amusing table talk as well. Resident mystic, The Assyrian, and resident scientist, Professor Express, clashed in their methodologies somewhat when Professor Express skeptically suggested they might need to find a homeless guy to have on hand in case the spell needed an extra soul. The Police Commissioner also reacted poorly to the Assyrian's request to have the body of the murdered man moved to natural soil to facilitate 'arcane rites', saying he'd just have the body released for the night as long as the hero had it back in the morning, no questions asked.

From there, the homo-erotic jokes spiraled out of control a little - I think Frederic Wertham might be spinning in his grave. Flag-Waver caught one of the other potential victims trying to bolt from his apartment, then when the con man tried to sell Flag-Waver the dead marshal's badge for $10, Flag-Waver offered him the $10 just to stay in the room with him. I think you can guess where the riffing went on that exchange.

The capper, though, was the ever-reliable Eric, playing the Assyrian. Earlier in the session, he had used magic to disguise himself, so he wouldn't look like a superhero, so he could sneak around. Later in the session, he wanted to clarify that he was assuming that guise again, but what he actually said was :

"I'm still glamoured to look like a guy."

Which busted us all up.

The team also officially started their trophy room, but we still haven't settled on a final name, though I'm going to make some suggestions this week.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Origins 2010, Day 4 and 5

The final full day of the convention for me was Saturday. My 9AM event was 'The Clue of Cthulhu' - a riff on the premise of the Clue boardgame, set in the 1920's Lovecraft Mythos. I opted to skip it for a couple of reasons.

I really don't like skipping events, because it wastes money, and could potentially put other folks out - like if the game was cancelled for insufficient players. However, I was exhausted and really wanted the sleep, and I don't care for the Call of Cthulhu system at all. the only thing that had attracted me to the event in the first place was the novel premise. And after Mystery Express, I'd kind of had my itch to sleuth scratched.

So, I slept in, had lunch, went back by the exhibit hall for more spending. I met up with my cousin Anthony and we walked around, looking at stuff and chatting.

My next scheduled event was at 3PM - 5PM - a miniatures painting class focusing on different mediums. Thanks to Origins scheduling snafus, they didn't think they had anyone signed up for it, but were prepared to run it anyway - except I was the only one who showed, and they needed at least three for a break-even. I hung out with the mini-painting folks for fifteen minutes while waiting for other people to show, but ultimately, no dice. They signed off on my event ticket as cancelled.

Now, normally, Origins does refunds in generic tokens of equivalent value that you can use to get in other events. Because this cancellation was late in the schedule and it was an expensive event ($18), there was no way I was going to be able to use that many generic tokens. I asked for, and was given, a cash refund, which was nice. I then moseyed over to the Auction Hall to check on the Black Lotus.

The Origins auction was poorly attended this year, and there were lots of old games going by with no bids or a single bid. Some old Star Trek board games, even, which I thought would be surefire sellers. So I was already a little concerned. A quick check confirmed my fears - the Collectible Card Game section of the auction had come and gone, and my card had gone for the minimum, drawing only one bid from the Troll and Toad buyer. After paying the auction guys their cut, I got $510 for it, which isn't bad, but I could have sold it direct to T&T for $800.

So, note to self : never participate in the Origins auction again, ever.

That kind of bummed me out, but I picked up the cash - at that point, I was walking around with over $1600 in my wallet, which was bulging amusingly. That cheered me up a little. I did one more round in the exhibit hall, and grabbed dinner in time to make it to my final event of the convention 'Learn to Play D&D', an introductory session for 4th Edition D&D. I own the books, but hadn't yet played the game.

There were two other players - one guy with zero roleplaying experience (who took to the whole thing like a duck to water), another guy with a little, and me. The scenario was a simple one, retrieving some stolen goods from a goblin cave, but it served to demonstrate the changed game fairly well. I can't say my opinion of 4E has changed, though. I don't mind changing the rhythm of the game to focus on the encounters, but it still has an artificial feel to the whole exercise that detracts from the immersion. It's a fine medieval fantasy combat simulator. I was gratified that moderate-experience guy asked me some questions about Pathfinder after the session - that encourages me.

After that, it was back to the room for rest and relaxation. The only thing left was Sunday - checking out and heading home. Now, on rare occasions, I'll spot something earlier in the convention that I refrain from buying, but it grows in my mind like a cancer until on Sunday, I must have it. So I'll make a last minute trip to the exhibit hall to pick things up - and sometimes people run extra good bargains then, to avoid having to ship things home.

I skipped out on all that this year, in favor of sleep. They also run events on Sunday, but with checkout time being noon, it's a little tricky for me to play an event on that last day. I was ready to be home, so I just got things squared away and headed off - to indulge in the final Origins tradition, Massey's Pizza. I also stop on the way out of town, see. And in addition to lunch, I buy a few of their 'partial bake' pizzas - and put them in a cooler, and bring them home to my freezer, to enjoy.

So that's my trip in a nutshell. It was good this year, despite some minor disorganization on the part of the organizers. The increased prize emphasis was nice, it adds some value. It seemed like there was a good crowd at the con, and the exhibit hall was fairly well packed. I ended up buying some things I didn't need, thanks to all that money burning a hole in my pocket, but that's life.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Origins 2010, Day 3

Friday was designed so that I'd have a good spate of free time in the middle of the day to shop, and to sell the remaining Magic cards. I only scheduled two events, in fact.

From 9AM to 1PM, I attended 'Learn to Hack', an introductory session for the latest edition of the Hackmaster game. This is an RPG I own, but have never played. The previous edition of Hackmaster was a parody of the original editions of Dungeons and Dragons - and it was nigh-unplayable with hilarious complexity. Kenzer Co. lost the license to do the parody game, and had to come up with a new product that wasn't dependent on the old D&D rules, and thus, Hackmaster Basic was born.

It's an improvement in terms of playability. And it actually manages to keep the feel of the old-style Dungeons and Dragons games, despite the change in system. They've gone for a less zany feel, though, so a lot of the fun in reading the books that came from the humor is gone. I could actually see myself running this, though, which is a good sign.

From 1PM to 7PM, I prowled the exhibit hall, selling and buying. Also, I managed to fit two meals in there, somehow.

Then at 7PM, it was time for one of my other Origins traditions - the Smithee Awards. It's sort of like an Oscar ceremony, but for bad movies. Hilariously awful clips and a crowd ready to laugh at them. I try to make it to the Smithees every year - it'd been something I'd long wanted to attend at Origins, but it was only five or six years ago that I actually finally made the time to do so - and I have not regretted that.

The Smithees ran till just past Midnight, and then I headed back to the hotel room to peruse some purchases and catch up on things. And as I pondered, I looked at my schedule for the next morning, and decided to skip my 9AM event so I could sleep in.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Origins 2010, Day 2

Thursday is often my big day at Origins, because there's consistently a Thursday morning event that I want to do. See, a while back, I stumbled upon a game using the Hero System entitled 'The JSA vs. Hitler's Bunker'. I actually went up to the convention on Wednesday that year so I could make it to that 8AM Thursday event, and I have not regretted doing the same every year since.

See, this one GameMaster runs a JSA event at every Origins, and it's always at 8AM Thursday. I think 2004 was my first one, and I haven't missed one since. He uses these unique JSA miniatures composed of colored twist-ties - they're amazing.

This year's JSA event was JSA vs. Predator, and I got to play Wildcat. We had fun hunting the hunters, and Wildcat was appropriately durable. Hit with a missile at point-blank range, Wildcat was damaged, but he wasn't stunned, and retaliated with a sock to the jaw. The players voted for me to get the prize for that event as well, largely thanks to how I decided who to help in the final fight. Air Wave and Green Lantern were taking on one predator, and Wonder Woman had just been severely hurt by another. I thought a second, and decided.

"I'll go help Wonder Woman since I debuted in her comic."

They admired my decision methodology.

That was scheduled to run till 2PM, but we actually wrapped up a little early - I had time to run and get lunch, and take the first huge suitcase of Magic cards down to the exhibit hall to sell. Troll and Toad stuck right with their buy list prices, and trusted my counts (I'd made copious notes) so that was finished pretty quickly.

My next event was a demo of the Dragon Storm RPG, from 2PM to 4PM. Dragon Storm is a little different from most RPGs - it doesn't really rely on books. The characters are all based on cards. And the characters are all shapeshifters. So to make a character, you'd select a base character card - a 'Human Werewolf' is one - and that would tell you your base stats, and how many other points worth of cards you can select. The additional cards would include a 'class', an alternate form, and a variety of techniques or skills to fill out the basic character.

The Gamemaster uses cards, too - he has a deck for places, scenes, NPCs, and the like. It's a novel approach, even if I find the setting a little limited. This was my first time trying it, and the demo was well-attended - I think we had 7 or 8 people, and they weren't expecting more than 5. No prize was awarded at that event, but we did all get coupons, and we got to keep our demo character cards.

From 4PM to 6PM, I had a break, so I met up with my cousin Ryan, and we drove out to Tommy's Pizza, another local chain I'd been cajoled to try. The pizza was excellent - not as good as Massey's, of course, but very nice. Getting back into town was kind of a pain, as traffic was backed up, but Ryan got me within a short walk of the convention center in time for my next event.

From 6PM-8PM, I had Mystery Express, a Clue-like board game set on the Orient Express. The game has a kind of fixed forward timeline as the train moves towards Istanbul, and you have to solve the murder's particulars using a number of card-swapping techniques and fine memory to come out on top. I was able to correctly identify all five elements of the crime at the end, and won the prize there, as well!

Three events with prizes so far, and I'd taken them all - and promptly gotten small bags of dice for each of them.

My final event for the evening was scheduled from 8PM to Midnight - Illuminati, the Card Game. I actually own a copy of the game, but had not previously played it. Each player takes on the role of a different secret society, trying to build up a power structure of organizations to take over the world. It's kinda wacky and fun, but also incredibly cutthroat. I got pretty discouraged halfway through, as nobody was letting me get much of anything - you can interfere with one another's battles - but after several cycles, they started having to turn on one another to keep specific players from winning - and then I had the move that'd put me over the top, and the cards to pull it off.

I managed to wrap up the game with a win around 11PM, and though it was supposed to be prize-supported, the GM couldn't find his prize slips - so he got me a substitute. I'd mentioned to him I had the game and the first expansion at home, and he had been talking about the second expansion - so for my prize, he handed me a copy of the second expansion! Perfect.

It had been a long day at that point, so i headed back tot he hotel room to catch up with Andrew and get some rest. Fortunately, my Friday events didn't start until 9AM.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

New Comics Day

A very nice week!

  • Madame Xanadu #24
  • Invincible #73
  • The Web #10
  • Batman Beyond #1
  • Gotham City Sirens #13
  • Teen Titans #84
  • Justice League of America #46
  • Justice Society of America #40
  • Action Comics #890
  • Wonder Woman #600
  • The Flash #3
  • Green Lantern #55

I love Action and JSA so much. Green Lantern, too. Kind of dubious about the new direction for Wonder Woman, though.

Origins 2010, Day 1

The drive to Columbus takes me about three and a half hours, so I like to bring along some CDs. This year, I also had a good bit more to haul with me, thanks to the pending sale of my Magic cards, so I actually had tied a couple of things up in the bed of my truck. Lifting 22,000 trading cards isn't easy, but I finally managed to get it up there.

I actually made the trip nonstop this year, and got into Gahanna (a suburb of Columbus) right at lunchtime, to indulge int he first of my Origins rituals - Massey's Pizza. See, it's a local Columbus-area pizza chain that I consider to be the best pizza on Earth. so I always grab lunch there on the way in.

From there it was on to the hotel - the Hyatt Regency, which actually adjoins the convention center. I got checked in, had my stuff taken up to the room, and went down to the registration area for the con.

Now, Origins was a little off its game this year, in terms of organization. They just implemented a new registration system, and some of the shakedown chaos of that spilled over into the lines, which were long. (and somewhat understaffed.) Still, I got my badge and tickets and freebies bag, and headed towards my first event - Quackery, the Game of Medieval Medicine, running from 2PM-4PM. Another player and I waited at the Board Games HQ for the Gamemaster to show, but I suspect he or she was running late - the event ultimately had to be cancelled.

That didn't bother me too much - I usually end up with at least one cancelled event at any given Origins, and the free time would allow me to meet up with friend Andrew, arriving from the airport, so as to let him into our room and get him his key. We caught up a bit, then grabbed some food - lamenting the fact that the exhibit hall doesn't open until Thursday - and then headed down to pick up his registration material and to see if I could drop off my Black Lotus at the Auction area.

He got through the pre-registration line a little quicker than I had, thanks to some additional people staffing the booth, and we checked in at the auction ballroom - they were now accepting items for intake, but there was a line. My next event was at 6, and Andrew's was at 7 - so when the time starting getting close, he offered to wait in line for me to drop off the card and I headed to my 6PM-7PM event, Flat Acting. That, too, was cancelled - insufficient players. I got my event ticket signed so I could exchange it and I headed back to the auction room and took my place in line.

I finally got the card registered right at 7PM, which left me zero minutes to dash across the length of the convention center to my 7PM-9PM event, Betrayal at House on the Hill. Now, this is a board game that I have played before and I just love it, so I'd taken opportunity to play it again at the convention. The Gamemaster running it was actually the same woman who'd run it last year, when I'd first played it. I did get there before things got started, fortunately.

Betrayal at House on the Hill is a board game where a group is exploring a haunted house - as they explore more of the house, 'Omens' are revealed. With each Omen revealed, the player makes a Haunt roll - and if the Haunt roll is less than or equal to the number of Omens revealed thus far, the Haunt begins. The Haunt can be one of more than fifty different scenarios depending on which Omen and which Room trigger the Haunt. Typically, it also involves one of the players becoming the 'Traitor' and beginning to work against the others.

I love, love, love this game. It's got a lot of the appeal of Arkham Horror, but it's not quite as harsh or as micromanagement oriented.

We narrowly defeated the Traitor, thanks to my timely application of the last can of paint to defile the unholy basement pentagram. Since I'd won the day, the other players voted I should have the event prize.

That's something that was a bit different this year - Origins was pushing for almost every event to have prize support. If you 'won' an event (or were voted the winner, in case of cooperative games) you'd get a slip to take to one of the HQs - there, you'd roll a die and on a 15 or greater, get your pick of a stack of games. Roll under a 15, and you'd get a freebie pack of dice as a consolation prize. For Betrayal, I got the pack of dice.

After that, it was back to the room to rest up - my Thursday schedule would run from 8AM to Midnight, nonstop.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Combo Post!

Back from the Con! Origins was basically my super Week of Geek for the year. Lots of games and more games. I will write up some con reports later in the week. The Magic cards are sold, and I spent too much money on new stuff.

I also picked up my comics on the way back into town, and haven't had time to read'em yet, but here's the list :

  • Angel #34
  • The Incredibles #10
  • Incorruptible #7
  • Fantastic Four #580
  • Superman/Batman #73
  • Power Girl #13
  • Batman : Streets of Gotham #13
  • Detective Comics #866
  • Zatanna #2
  • Supergirl #53
  • Green Lantern Corps #49
  • Superman #700
  • Legion of Super-Heroes #2
  • Justice League : Generation Lost #4
  • Batman : The Return of Bruce Wayne #3

Whee!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Belated Week in Geek

I got in an excellent session of my Golden Age game this weekend, in between bouts of Magic-card sorting and Pokemon collecting. As one collection wanes, another grows to take its place.

I will be going to the Origins Game Fair this week, and enjoying myself - that'll mean that the Wednesday comics post will have to wait until I get back on Sunday. I will try to do some convention after-reports as well, as I'd like to start pushing more content into this little blog.

The Golden Age game was kind of a debut session - previously we'd had one team-up of two of the characters and one short story-only introduction of the team to their headquarters. The Assyrian, Crimson Cloak, Spotlight, and special guest star Flag-Waver teamed up to foil Catalyst, the sinister mistress of chemistry, and her plan to cause pandemonium in New York City to provide cover for multiple bank robberies. I dusted off my best chemical puns and a rollicking good time was had.

I'd expected the villain to make a getaway, but the PCs fought hard and made the capture - discovering that Catalyst (who wore a primitive hazmat suit) was a female proved to be somewhat disturbing for the chivalrous Flag-Waver, who wasn't comfortable with the idea he'd just been beating on a woman.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

New Comics Day

Fairly light week.

  • Darkwing Duck #1
  • Fables #96
  • Magog #10
  • The Spirit #3
  • The Shield #10
  • R.E.B.E.L.S. #17
  • DC Universe : Legacies #2
  • Birds of Prey #2
  • Brightest Day #4
  • Knights of the Dinner Table #163

Good stuff!

Monday, June 14, 2010

Week in Geek

I skipped last week's, because I was still elbow-deep in sorting cards from various CCGs. I'm still working on that, but I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel. As you might imagine, that took up a good portion of my leisure time for the last two weeks.

While doing the sorting, I have been indulging in some Mystery Science Theater episodes - going through the Sci-Fi era in chronological order. It makes excellent background noise while I tedious work on the cards.

I had a game gathering this weekend, but instead of an RPG session, we did a board game night. First a run-through of Chrononauts, and then (at Eric's insistence) Risk. I remain undefeated at Risk within my memory of my adult life. I may have lost some games as a kid, and I came close once in my teens, but I've had a pretty good run. The next time we do board games, though, Betrayal at House on the Hill and Mwahaha will have to be played.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

New Comics Day

Been kinda busy this week. Whew.

  • S.H.I.E.L.D. #2
  • Prince of Power #2
  • Titans #24
  • Doc Savage #3
  • Doom Patrol #11
  • Batgirl #11
  • Secret Six #22
  • Batman #700
  • Booster Gold #33
  • Justice League : Generation Lost #3

The big news? After sitting out an issue of Doom Patrol without so much as a cameo, Ambush Bug features heavily this month!

Thursday, June 3, 2010

New Comics Day

Here's this week's list!

  • Irredeemable #14
  • Invincible #72
  • The Thanos Imperative #1
  • Hercules : Twilight of a God #1
  • Nemesis : The Imposters #4
  • JSA All-Stars #7
  • Superman/Batman Annual #4
  • The Great Ten #8
  • Red Robin #13
  • Justice Society of America #39
  • Adventure Comics #12
  • Brightest Day #3

Haven't had time to read'em yet.

Monday, May 31, 2010

Week in Geek

Two game sessions this week - got to run my giant robot game and at least touch on my Golden Age game. That made me happy. Also got to participate, today, in a short session based loosely on a Facebook game - surprisingly fun.

My big geeky project of the week is a organizational spree of my various collectible cards. I want to throw away, give away, or sell any of them I can, and organize the ones I can't. This includes various superhero card sets of the early 90's - I think one of them may inspire a series of blog posts later.

I'm also doing the CCGs - planning on liquidating the collection this year to help me pay for my summer vacation. So many defunct CCGs with cards worth nothing more than kindling, now. Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Animayhem, Spellfire, Dragonball Z.. ah, my misspent dollars.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

New Comics Day Supplemental

Oops. Had a couple of extra things that didn't get handed to me.

  • Gotham City Sirens #12
  • Brave and the Bold #34
  • Justice League Generation Lost #2
  • Wonder Woman #44
  • Power Girl #12

Picked'em up today.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

New Comics Day

Here's this week's haul.

  • Robocop #4
  • Angel #33
  • Incorruptible #6
  • Madame Xanadu #23
  • Tales of the Dragon Guard #3
  • Fantastic Four #579
  • The Web #9
  • The Mighty Crusaders Special #1
  • Detective Comics #865
  • Green Lantern Corps #48
  • Green Lantern #54
  • Teen Titans #83
  • Superman : War of the Supermen #4
  • Batman : The Return of Bruce Wayne #2
  • Tarot #62

That's it!

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Week in Geek

Kind of a hectic week in geek, though a lot of it was spent in non-geeky pastimes like routine household maintenance. Still, I managed to get several nerdy tasks completed.

Most importantly, I got to run one of my Mutants and Masterminds games and make progress on some characters for the other. We got to run a short session of the Nexus game wherein I introduced a new player and his new character to the group, and we've got some very promising concepts for the Golden Age game brewing. I may even get to run next weekend, as well, which would make three weekends in a row - an almost unheard of streak for this year.

I also did some advanced toy hunting today, picking up a few more rare DC Classics finds from the collector I know in Pennsylvania - including some of the proto-Classics line called 'DC Superheroes'. Same articulation and scale as the Classics, but sometimes a little less in the quality control. On the other hand, that line has a number of figures not yet adapted to DC Classics, including Parasite and Bizarro. Steel, also, but the collector didn't have one of those for me to buy.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

New Comics Day

Fairly significant haul this week.

  • PS238 #44
  • The Incredibles #9
  • Ex Machina #49
  • Galacta : Daughter of Galactus #1
  • The Spirit #2
  • Superman/Batman #72
  • Zatanna #1
  • Batman : Streets of Gotham #12
  • Justice League of America #45
  • DC Universe : Legacies #1
  • Superman : War of the Supermen #3
  • Legion of Super-Heroes #1
  • Brightest Day #2
  • Knights of the Dinner Table #162

Zatanna was a good start. It's nice to see Lexor again. Him, a Green Lantern? War of the Supermen is how an event should be paced. Dropped Titans from my Previews order this month, after the One-Shot with Deathstroke and Ryan Choi. Boo, DC.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Week in Geek

Still getting used to the new desk - the keyboard is at a slightly different relative height than before.

I actually got to run a game this week! The Golden Age superhero campaign kicked off with a team-up between Reveille and the Jaguar. And I ran a short session of Ninja Burger for folks before that.

Yesterday, I belatedly picked up a couple of things from the comic shop - Prince of Power #1 and the new JLA hardcover - and recruited another new player for the gaming group and worked out some character concepts. Hopefully next weekend we can make it two sessions in a row..

Friday, May 14, 2010

The Sentry

I just have to share a link here - someone reviews The Sentry : Fallen Sun special and illustrates the problems with the character more thoroughly than I ever could.

Have a look.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

New Comics Day

Fairly sizable haul this week - still getting through them.

  • Fables #95
  • Magog #9
  • SHIELD #9
  • First Wave #2
  • Doc Savage #2
  • Batgirl #10
  • R.E.B.E.L.S. #16
  • Titans : Villains for Hire Special
  • Booster Gold #32
  • Batman #699
  • The Flash #2
  • Birds of Prey #1
  • Adventure Comics #11
  • Superman : War of the Supermen #2
  • Justice League : Generation Lost #1
  • Batman : The Return of Bruce Wayne #1

Whew!

Marvel vs. DC

This subject's been poking around my brain again lately, and though other bloggers have really done a great job of examining the issue, I thought I'd throw in my own two cents. Scipio of the Absorbascon did a whole series of Marvel vs. DC posts are - if I recall correctly - nailed down that Marvel heroes are sympathetic, and DC heroes are inspirational.

It's kind of in that vein that I'm going to expand on the discussion to look at each company's appeal. Obviously, there are some exceptions on each side - I think Incredible Hercules is a very DC-style book, for instance.

A Marvel hero Makes Tough Choices. When confronted with horrible option A, and reprehensible option B, they agonize and analyze and pick the lesser of two evils, and forever after wonder if they did the right thing. This is relatable, and 'realistic', because everyone - even in the real world - Makes Tough Choices. That's part of Marvel's appeal, from the beginning. It's also why they've never been my favorite, because it's dull. EVERYONE Makes Tough Choices. The heroes aren't exceptional.

A DC hero Finds a Better Way. When confronted with horrible option A, and reprehensible option B, they punch out the villain and do unexpected thing C. This is inspirational, and 'escapist', because few people can do that kind of thing in real life, and of those that can, fewer still actually do. That's not a problem for me, though - because I think heroes should be exceptional.

In this regard, a Marvel hero is externally defined by the choices he is given by the universe at large. A DC hero is defined by himself or herself, from within. And while pondering this issue, I hit upon another unexpected parallel - the DC hero is Captain James T. Kirk. Confronted by the unwinnable Kobayashi Maru, he creates a third option and wins. The Marvel hero - well, I wanted to use Captain Picard, because who doesn't love a good 'Kirk vs. Picard', but honestly? They're the Captain Janeways of the universe. They're stuck in circumstances beyond their control, muddling through a series of decisions thrust upon them, doing the best they can.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Week in Geek

I finally watched some of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya this week - I approve, thus far. For those unfamiliar, it's an anime series about a schoolgirl who unwittingly possesses godlike power to manipulate reality. Two thumbs up. I also picked up a disc of Mobile Fighter G Gundam on the cheap - I like it, but the version of G Gundam that filtered through to Dynasty Warriors Gundam is more appealing. I'd love to see this show redubbed with that cast. At least the VA for Domon Kasshu, in particular.

I have fully succumbed to the Pokemon craze, about 15 years late to the party. I resisted for a very long time, but ultimately, I fell. I guess my worries about not getting my money's worth out of my DS are moot now, though. I spent most of yesterday training Pokemon in Pokemon Platinum.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

New Comics Day

Woo! Got DC Classics Wave 12 at the comic store today. Good stuff.

  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer #35
  • Irredeemable #13
  • Doom Patrol #10
  • Nemesis : The Impostors #3
  • The Great Ten #7
  • Red Robin #12
  • JSA All-Stars #6
  • Secret Six #21
  • Batman and Robin #12
  • Superman : War of the Superman #1
  • Brightest Day #1
  • Knights of the Dinner Table #161

Just starting to read them now..

Monday, May 3, 2010

Week in Geek

The big geek thing this week was Free Comic Book Day - which my local store turned into an extended two-day event. The 40% discount on back issues and available Lantern Rings (1 of any color per $10 spent) lured me into splurging on some back issues. Now I've got two complete sets of rings.

My upstairs television bought the farm yesterday, though - I was watching season eight of Dragonball Z - well, listening, mainly - poking my head back into the doorway to get the visuals occasionally. Suddenly, I noticed that the colors were way off - everything had gone green, and not in the environmental sense. Sure, Piccolo looked fine, but everything else was screwed up. I tried power-cycling it, and adjusting the color controls in the set's menu, but I was only able to mitigate the shift slightly.

So, time to buy a new relatively inexpensive TV.

I also spent some time this week putting together another robot model - it'd been a while since I'd done one, and I had three sitting around in boxes waiting, so I decided to grab one this weekend and throw it together.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

New Comics Day

Sizable week, and Free Comic Book Day is Saturday.

  • Jack of Fables #45
  • The Incredibles #8
  • Hack/Slash #32
  • Angel #32
  • Madame Xanadu #22
  • Incorruptible #5
  • Invincible #71
  • Fantastic Four #578
  • The Web #8
  • Gotham City Sirens #11
  • Superman #699
  • Superman : Last Stand of New Krypton #3
  • Wonder Woman #43
  • Action Comics #889
  • Detective Comics #864
  • Teen Titans #82
  • Justice Society of America #38
  • Green Lantern Corps #47

Jack of Fables got dropped from my pull list - it's just not that interesting anymore. The Incredibles was really rock-solid this time. I enjoyed the wrap-up of the Last Stand of New Krypton arc, but it felt like the end got a little bit compressed and muddled. I'm hoping we can finally ditch the Mark of Cain crap in Detective Comics. It was nice to see Connor and Bart back in action, but the voices felt just a little off. It's nice to see that the current JSA arc isn't just a Days of Future Past riff. And lastly, go, Arisia! About damn time somebody socked one of those Smurfs.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Week in Geek

I had the week off of work, so I was able to go hog-wild with absorbing as much media as I could possibly stand. A local video store going out of business, coupled with some trade-in exchanges at the local Vintage Video and Game store gave me a pile of DVDs to watch, and I haven't even gone through half of them yet.

The unexpected gem of the lot so far is the third disc of Azumanga Daioh, which I really enjoy. I'm going to Netflix the rest of the series. I also enjoyed a Blu-Ray of Family Guy's Empire Strikes Back parody.

I got in some quality video game time, with Dragon Quest IV and Lunar : Silver Star Story. Really trying to finish Lunar so I can move on to other things.

I suppose the biggest geek thing of the week would be my trip to Pennsylvania, to the home of an old acquaintance who is liquidating a massive toy collection. I found several things for the DC Classics line that I really, really wanted. Mongul and Cyborg Superman! Aquaman, with Grodd's right arm! The Solomon Grundy wave!

Most satisfying.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

New Comics Day

I managed to get a parking ticket today - my first ever - because of hanging out at the comic store for too long. Oops.

  • Guardians of the Galaxy #25 - Thanos is even more pissed than Buffy about the whole resurrection thing.
  • Hercules : Fall of an Avenger #2 - 100% pure awesome.
  • Azrael #7 - Just dropped this book. It's not bad, just not engaging.
  • The Spirit #1 - Not bad, but I don't like the backup. Sienkiewicz's art is unintelligible enough in color, and in black and white it's just - well, beyond the pale.
  • Superman/Batman #71 - I think I read this out of inertia.
  • R.E.B.E.L.S. #15 - Still good enough to justify typing all those dots.
  • Batman : Streets of Gotham #11 - I think we have one too many Batman titles right now, but it's not bad.
  • Brave and the Bold #33 - Between this and the Herc issue, it was a big week for 'I've got something in my eye.'
  • Supergirl #52 - Love the cover. Love that Brainy's still in love with Kara.
  • Power Girl #11 - I will be so sad when Amanda Conner leaves this book.
  • Green Lantern #53 - Ominous!
  • Justice League of America #44 - Haven't read it yet! Getting there.

That's it for the week. Though this is interesting.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Week in Geek

Back from San Francisco - managed to get in some geeky time there, what with the book shopping and the visit to the Carton Art Museum. Very cool place, and I wish it were somewhere closer. I found a store in Chinatown with the most enormous selection of Gundam models I've ever seen - I could easily have gone bankrupt, but the plethora of choice overwhelmed me to such a degree that I couldn't decide to buy anything.

Also, I saw Hot Tub Time Machine. Two thumbs up.

Today and yesterday, though, were more eventful in geek terms - I managed to find and purchase scores of toys from all the lines I collect, advancing my cause of completion considerably! I'm looking at them, spread out, and just want to giggle madly.

Apart from that, let's see - still working through Dragonball Z, still playing Dragon Quest IV.

Gotta run - toys to open!

Friday, April 16, 2010

Belated New Comics Day

Back from San Francisco, and made my pick-ups.

Irredeemable Special #1
Fables #94
Hack/Slash #31
Doc Savage #1
Nemesis : The Imposters #2
Green Arrow #32
Magog #8
The Shield #8
Batgirl #9
Batman #698
Action Comics #888
Secret Six #20
The Flash #1
Booster Gold #31
Adventure Comics #10
Brightest Day #0

Big haul!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

New Comics Day

This week's haul!

  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer #34
  • Cinderella : From Fabletown With Love #6
  • Invincible Returns #1
  • S.H.I.E.L.D. #1
  • JSA All-Stars #5
  • The Great Ten #6
  • Doom Patrol #9
  • Red Robin #11
  • Superman : Secret Origin #5
  • Batman and Robin #11
  • The Flash : Secret Files and Origins 2010 #1
  • Superman : Last Stand of New Krypton #2
  • Knights of the Dinner Table #160

Doom Patrol - he's here! He's here!

Monday, April 5, 2010

Week in Geek

Next weekend, I'll be in San Francisco for work-related reasons, and will probably miss an edition of this. Be forewarned.

My focus this week has fallen on comic books and on Dragonball Z. Once every few months, I take the stack of accumulated comics I've piled up and go through to bag and board them, then tuck them away in a box. I got through a cycle of that this weekend, and then did some re-arranging of the boxes - moving the ones with no currently active series into closets for storage, freeing up considerable space.

I really need to consider storing some of them in the basement, but I'm worried about the moisture factor. Perhaps someday, after finishing the basement floor.

And as for Dragonball Z - I'm up to Season 3 now, with the epic-length Frieza fight. I had forgotten just how funny the show is - I think that probably contributed significantly to my longterm enjoyment of it when it originally aired. It's never afraid to pull something silly in the middle of one of those huge fights. And of course, it's giving me RPG ideas.

Speaking of which, I have two confirmed character concepts from each of the three main players signed up for my Golden Age game. The Sorcerer. The Brawler. The Archer. The Powerhouse. The Super-Soldier. The .. well, I don't know what to call a Johnny Thunder-type character, except 'idiot savant, now with 100% less savant'. The Golden Age game is really starting to take shape - I think I'm going to enjoy this.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

New Comics Day

Big week this week.

  • Incorruptible #4
  • Jack of Fables #44
  • Madame Xanadu #21
  • Fantastic Four #577
  • Outsiders #28
  • The Web #7
  • Gotham City Sirens #10
  • Detective Comics #863
  • Justice Society of America #37
  • Teen Titans #81
  • Wonder Woman #42
  • Justice League of America #43
  • Adventure Comics #9
  • Blackest Night #8 (!!)
  • Hack/Slash #30
  • Tarot #61

That's it!

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Week in Geek

I've had a really lazy week - primarily focusing my leisure time on Marvel : Ultimate Alliance 2 and Dragon Quest IV. Lots of hours invested there. I'm getting close to done in UA2, at least.

I've spent some time this week watching Dragonball Z again, as well. The web series 'DBZ Abridged' rekindled my interest quite a bit and I saw season sets on sale, so .. yeah. It's even more drawn-out than I remember, actually. Still, I enjoy it.

I saw Forgetting Sarah Marshall for the first time - Netflix rental. Very funny!

Due to scheduling issues, it's not likely I'll get to run my game for the next two weekends - c'est la vie.

I'm really hoping to start my Silver Age Green Lantern reviews soon, but I need to get a new scanner to work with my Windows 7 PC first.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

New Comics Day

Light week, relatively speaking.

  • PS 238 #43
  • The Incredibles #7
  • Robocop #3
  • Batman : Streets of Gotham #10
  • Superman #698
  • Superman/Batman #70
  • Power Girl #10
  • Tales of the Dragon Guard #2
  • Green Lantern #52

That's it!

Monday, March 22, 2010

Week in Geek

I had a mercifully restful weekend where I didn't have to do anything in particular, so I spent countless hours playing Marvel : Ultimate Alliance 2, trying to earn the 'Powers of Two' achievement. I really want to finish that game before I delve into any of the other ever-accumulating XBox games I've got piling up, and I managed to move a big step closer this weekend. I also need to get back to Lunar : Silver Star Story and Final Fantasy IV : The After Years.

My tiny robots from Japan arrived - handy for miniatures in my mecha game. I can debut them the next time we play, but I suspect more work is going to go into the Golden Age first. I am having a blast coming up with retro characters for it. I still need to recruit two more people, though.

I picked up a new digital camera this week, replacing the previous one that might as well have had a tiny pterodactyl carving the images into miniature stone tablets. ('It's a living!') My old digital camera was a boxy HP, with 3 Megapixels, which could not recognize memory cards above 1GB in size. It also ate batteries like Skittles. The new one's a basic Canon Powershot and I love it already. This year's trip to Origins is going to be well-documented.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

New Comics Day

This week's list :

  • Angel #31
  • Fables #93
  • Irredeemable #12
  • Guardians of the Galaxy #24 - he's back!
  • Hercules : Fall of an Avenger #1 - see below.
  • Azrael #6
  • Titans #23
  • Green Arrow #31
  • The Shield #7
  • Supergirl #51
  • Superman 80 Page Giant #1
  • Brave and the Bold #32
  • Booster Gold #30
  • Batman #697
  • Green Lantern Corps #46 - also below.

Ice may be on the cover of GL Corps#46, but she's not the coldest Black Lantern in the book. (ba-dum-bum)

Hercules : Fall of an Avenger may be the hardest I've laughed at a comic book about a funeral ever. It is totally worth Hercules's temporary demise to have this book. The ladies who loved Herc, and their testimonial that leaves both Wolverine and Namor slack-jawed and gaping..

Monday, March 15, 2010

Week in Geek

It's always a good week when I get to run my game. My team of post-apocalyptic Power Rangers met Saturday to embark on what is sometimes colloquially referred to as a "bug hunt", man. Or, in this case, Mutant Hybrid Dino-Rabbits. I had great fun introducing the paranoid, acerbic Dr. Nakata - chief xenobiologist of the Civil Defense Forces who has a hangar-sized lab of atrocities to call his own, and who had not one second's hesitation in adapting to the team's use of the word 'abominations' to refer to his work.

Because his abominations are the best abominations, you see.

I do some of my best NPC work when I have an excuse to flex my natural sarcastic muscles, and I established that Dr. Nakata had a thinly-veiled contempt for the muscle-bound Saiyan-lite, Kogu, along with a deep desire to dissect him, if ever given the opportunity. Alternating between the derogatory nicknames "Lout" and "Glow-Worm" conveyed the proper animosity.

The party was recruited to go after some of Nakata's escaped experiments - enormous regenerating lizard-rabbits that could bite through cars. We did get one solidly amusing bit of table talk when the PCs were discussing how to get the remains back to the lab, and the idea was suggested to fashion a crude carrying bag out of the remains themselves.

Matt : "Yeah, cut'em open like a Taun-Taun."
Me : " 'I thought they looked fashionable.. on the outside!' "

All in all, a good session - the recovery of a seemingly-dead-and-then-seemingly-undead samurai from the tunnels the rabbits had uncovered allowed me to start establishing one of the important points of the mythology of the campaign - namely, that there were weird things around before the Rifts came.

They did manage to avoid a fight when the samurai asked for his sword - I hadn't expected them to comply so respectfully. But that's alright, there will be other opportunities..

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

New Comics Day

Here's this week's list!

  • Ex Machina #48
  • Magog #7
  • Doom Patrol #8
  • Batgirl #8
  • Red Robin #10
  • R.E.B.E.L.S. #14
  • Secret Six #19
  • Batman and Robin #10
  • Superman : Last Stand of New Krypton #1
  • Action Comics #887

Relatively light week, but good stuff. Doom Patrol brought the welcome return of Danny the Street, and if I read the next issue blurbs right - Ambush Bug appears next month!

Monday, March 8, 2010

Week in Geek

Well, I'll say this - the idea for these 'Week in Geek' posts at least motivates me to post twice a week at a minimum, instead of only once. That's definitely a good thing for my writing discipline.

Two major things to cover - first, my current Mutants and Masterminds campaign. I have, theoretically, four players in it. Two of these players are reasonably reliable in their ability to show up. That's not a recipe for a good ongoing game, especially for a game where one of the chief metaphors is Power Rangers / Voltron - meaning, your protagonist is essentially the team as a whole.

I've been exploring some avenues to get around this problem - one, I'd love to recruit more players. That's tricky in the best of times, and these are not the best of times. Back in college, it was relatively simple, but now that I'm removed from that hotbed of roleplaying that is academia, it's a little more challenging. Still, I will keep looking for more people.

In the meantime, I'm pursuing option two. Option Two is that I run the Giant Robot game when I have the three pilots present (and optionally the fourth person), and run something else when one of the pilots is absent. Longtime readers may recall I had a competing campaign notion before I chose the Giant Robot game, and I decided to dust it off after checking with my players - Golden Age Superheroes, in 1939.

Apart from that, most of my weekend was taken with City of Heroes - this being 'Double XP Weekend' and all. I pushed all of my heroic characters except one to the magic level 20 threshold - opening up an extra costume slot, earning a cape, et cetera. Of course, the most important level 20 milestone is the acquisition of Stamina, the magic power that makes things go. Good times.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

New Comics Day

Here's this week's batch!

  • Robocop #2
  • The Incredibles #6
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer #33
  • Cinderella : From Fabletown With Love #5
  • Jack of Fables #43
  • Nemesis : The Imposters #1
  • JSA All-Stars #4
  • Justice League : Cry for Justice #7 - thank God that's over.
  • First Wave #1
  • The Great Ten #5
  • Detective Comics #862
  • Green Lantern Corps #45 - missed it last week.
  • Adventure Comics #8

That's it!

Monday, March 1, 2010

Week in Geek

I spent a lot of time this week playing Aurora, which is sort of like a combination of Master of Orion 2 and the Traveller Hard-SF RPG, if you built the game to be run on Windows 3.1. It's very realistic, very detailed (mechanically), and has almost no graphics to speak of beyond a very retro Windows interface. Apparently, it's written in Visual Basic 6, and runs on top of an Access database.

It's addictive, but slow. And it doesn't give you any shortcuts. For example - you want to build a cruiser with a laser gun in it. You need to research lasers, first. Makes sense. Of course, you actually have to research laser type, laser focal size, capacitors, and one other technology that slips my mind at the moment before you can build lasers. So, you do all that - and you're still not ready. See, in Aurora, each specific configuration of technology has to be researched as well. So you have to design the actual baseline laser, then research that. Once done, you can put that laser in your ship designs.

Of course, you can't fire it. See, lasers require power, and you have to add the power plant to the ship separately. So you research and build that. But then you're good, right?

Nope. Can't aim the laser without a fire control mechanism. Gotta research the tech for that, then research a fire control design. Then add that to the ship design. Then you're almost set - when the ship comes off the assembly line, you have to link the fire control to the weapon that uses it. THEN you're done.

And everything in the game is like that. Colonizing a world? Can't just send a colony ship. Gotta bring over infrastructure and factories too. Nothing is automatic. This is not a game where you build a massive military fleet and conquer the universe. This is a game where you build fleets of freighters to slowly widen the borders of your tiny space empire. I think it would be completely impenetrable to the casual gamer, and even though I have a fondness for OCD micro-management, it's almost more than I can stand to play.

But I have to see what happens next turn..




The only other noteworthy geek thing from this week was that I did an extended toy run yesterday - and I braved the Busy Wal-Mart. The Busy Wal-Mart is at the outskirts of my toy hunting range, near a Target and Toys 'R Us that I check regularly. But I usually skip the Busy Wal-Mart, because it and the shopping plaza it is in are insanely crowded, all the time. I've never been able to park there anywhere other than the furthest outer edge of the parking lot. It is packed wall to wall with people.

However, it is very fortunate that I decided to give it a try - I was able to locate the three new Secret Wars Two-Packs for the Marvel Universe line. Thor and Enchantress; Reed and Ultron; Hawkeye and Piledriver. No place else locally has had them when I've checked. Totally worth having to edge past aisles full of poorly controlled children.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

New Comics Day

This week's comics haul - pretty substantial.

  • Fantastic Four #576
  • Madame Xanadu #20
  • Absolution #5 - somehow missed it before.
  • Irredeemable #11
  • Tales of the Dragon Guard #1
  • The Web #6
  • Teen Titans #80
  • Superman #697
  • Gotham City Sirens #9
  • Batman and Robin #9
  • Justice Society of America #36
  • Wonder Woman #41
  • Flash : Rebirth #6
  • Blackest Night : JSA #3
  • Green Arrow #30
  • Blackest Night #7
  • Knights of the Dinner Table #159

That's it!

Monday, February 22, 2010

Week in Geek

I've had a fairly slow week, but the snow is finally letting up, so perhaps this one will be a little more active. I did get to have some friends over on Saturday, and we went through Zombieland, and then watched some YouTube videos, courtesy of my Blu-Ray player's internet connectivity.

I don't think Dragonball Z Abridged will ever stop being funny.

Maybe this week I can start doing my Silver Age Green Lantern discussions.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

New Comics Day

Not a bad haul this week!

Hack/Slash #29
Angel #30
The Incredibles #5
Incorruptible #3
Guardians of the Galaxy #23
The Incredible Hercules #141
Invincible #70
Azrael #5
Superman/Batman #69
Magog #6
Outsiders #27
Batman : Streets of Gotham #9
Supergirl #50
Batman #696
Power Girl #9
Justice League of America #42
Blackest Night : Flash #3
Green Lantern #51

And the new volume of the Starman Omnibus!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Week in Geek

Currently trying to diagnose an odd, intermittent issue with the new computer - I suspect it may be related to heat or vibration because of the desk enclosure it sits in, but I do see scattered similar reports about Windows 7 online, so .. it will require further investigation.

The roads were finally decent this weekend, so I got to go out and about to do a little toy hunting - unsuccessfully seeking the new Marvel Universe Secret Wars Two-Packs.

On Saturday, my friend Eric and I spent a little time watching the Venture Brothers, and then a horrible ripoff movie called 'The Terminators', mocking it soundly. Good times.

And I spent some time today watching Star Trek - 'Whom Gods Destroy' featuring Yvonne Craig as a psychotic Orion slave girl. Very nice.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

New Comics Day

Managed to get out to the comic store despite the snow, this evening. Whew.

  • Invincible Presents : Atom Eve and Rex Splode #3
  • JSA All-Stars #3
  • Titans #22
  • The Shield #6
  • Green Arrow and Black Canary #29
  • R.E.B.E.L.S. #13
  • Batgirl #7
  • Action Comics #886
  • Batman and Robin #8
  • Booster Gold #29
  • Secret Six #18
  • Adventure Comics #7
  • Sci-Fi and Fantasy Illustrated #1

That's it!

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Week in Geek

Star Trek Online is good. Not a home run, but a solid triple. The space combat is everything it should be, and the ground-based away team combat is.. probably about as good as it can be. I die fairly frequently.

The massive snow this weekend motivated me to try to install the old Command and Conquer games on my previous PC, a decent little Windows XP box. My recent purchase of a new PC proved even more fortuitous than I had believed, because while I was working on C&C the XP Box's hard drive died.

Well, it's not dead, but it's in a vegetative state. Played around with the cables, connected it to different spots - the best I can manage is that sometimes, the drive is readable, and most often, it is not. Fortunately, I got almost all the data off of that drive, but it's still disappointing. I threw in an even older hard drive I had laying around and reinstalled XP, leaving the bad one in as a secondary drive - I may try to get a few more things off it if it comes up again.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

New Comics Day

More Blackest Night fun!

  • Cinderella : From Fabletown With Love #4
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer #32
  • Red Tornado #6
  • Doom Patrol #7
  • Red Robin #9
  • The Great Ten #4
  • Justice Society of America Annual #2
  • Superman : World of New Krypton #12
  • Blackest Night : Wonder Woman #3
  • The Question #37

Okay, the Metal Men backup in Doom Patrol will be sorely missed.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Week in Geek

This week's theme was retro-gaming. I commented to some friends that I was amused that the first thing I did after getting a blazing-fast new PC was to install the oldest games I could find on it. Command and Conquer, C&C Red Alert, and C&C Tiberian Sun won't run, even in the XP Virtual Machine - might be out of luck on those. But I did lose many hours to Age of Empires 1 and 2.

I also signed up at Steam to take advantage of a weekend sale - all five X-Com games for a whopping $2.

Not to be outdone, City of Heroes has started to claim more of my time again - though with the advent of Star Trek Online this week, that may change.

On an entirely different retro-gaming front, I may have agreed to participate in a first-edition AD&D game. I'm not sure, I may have blacked out.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

New Comics Day

Huge week at the comics store.

  • X-Babies #4
  • Guardians of the Galaxy #22
  • Fantastic Four #575
  • Jack of Fables #42
  • Madame Xanadu #19
  • Irredeemable #10
  • Robocop #1
  • Justice League : Cry for Justice #6
  • The Web #5
  • World's Finest #4
  • Gotham City Sirens #8
  • Supergirl #49
  • Superman #696
  • Superman : Secret Origin #4
  • Teen Titans #79
  • Batman and Robin #7
  • Detective Comics #861
  • Wonder Woman #40
  • Justice League of America #41
  • Justice Society of America #35
  • Blackest Night : JSA #2
  • The Atom and Hawkman #46
  • Green Lantern #50
  • Tarot #60
  • Knights of the Dinner Table #158

Still reading, not even halfway done yet...

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Week in Geek

An award-winning post for most tags!

My new PC arrived this week, and it is lovely. I had a bit of a scare yesterday when it froze up and then would not POST after reboot, but after re-seating all the components, it seems fine. So something was simply loose. Windows 7 is lovely as well - I've had good luck with everything running so far except my flatbed scanner whose era was sometime around Windows 98.

Finally finished Lego Indy 2, and have started working on Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 again, but I think I'll be heading into Dragon Age, soon.

I got to run my Mutants and Masterminds game last weekend, where we finally got to introduce the third regular member of the team. I think if I can pick up one more regular player, I'll be happy - I can use an NPC for the fifth pilot.

I've been reading the first volume of Showcase Presents : Green Lantern, collecting Hal Jordan's Silver Age adventures. I'm about halfway through, but I think it'll deserve a post of its own when I'm done.

Lastly, I had an excellent stroke of luck yesterday - on one of my irregular toy hunts, I managed to turn up the Marvel Universe figure of Bullseye, one of the very few I had missed, as well as the 'Super Powers' version of Parademon from the DC Classics line. Toys 'R Us is apparently exclusively reactivating certain oldler DC Classics waves - I may yet find an Aquaman to complete the Gorilla Grodd wave.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

New Comics Day

I am very happy with the Blackest Night tie-ins this week, including Starman and the Phantom Stranger.

  • Incorruptible #2
  • Fables #92
  • The Incredible Hercules #140
  • Azrael #4
  • Streets of Gotham #8
  • Outsiders #26
  • Superman/Batman #68
  • Brave and the Bold #31
  • Power Girl #8
  • Green Lantern Corps #44
  • Blackest Night : The Flash #2
  • Starman #81
  • The Phantom Stranger #42

And Power Girl is always awesome.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

New Comics Addendum

Picked up the rest today!

  • Magog #5
  • Batgirl #6
  • Adventure Comics #6

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

New Comics Day

UPS damaged a box of comics at my local shop - means I won't get Adventure or Magog till next week. Here's what I DID get!

  • Incredibles #4
  • Angel #29
  • Buffy #31
  • Absolution #6
  • Titans #21
  • The Shield #5
  • Green Arrow / Black Canary #28
  • R.E.B.E.L.S. #12
  • Action Comics #885
  • Batman #695
  • Booster Gold #28
  • Catwoman #83
  • The Power of Shazam #48
  • Secret Six #17
Fantastic week. Also, I really enjoyed the series of 'Brightest Day' announcements from DC this week, and the return of the JLI and the Birds of Prey!

Friday, January 8, 2010

Belated New Comics Day

Oops. Slipped my mind - with my vacation, I'm hardly sure of what day of the week it is.

  • Cinderella : From Fabletown With Love #3
  • Red Tornado #5
  • Red Robin #8
  • Doom Patrol #6
  • The Great Ten #3
  • JSA All-Stars #2
  • Superman : World of New Krypton #11
  • Weird Western Tales #71
  • Suicide Squad #67
  • Blackest Night : Wonder Woman #2
  • Knights of the Dinner Table #157

That's all!