Status of New Year's Resolution

Around the New Year, I made a resolution to blog more and, by extension, do more of the stuff that concerns my blog. So as a lark, how did I do?

Blogging

Not counting this entry, I posted four separate entries during the month of January. Not as many as I hoped. However, I average four blog entries per month. Well, at least since I resumed blogging anyway. If I maintain this pace, I'll produce 48 entries for the year 2016. That's more than 2010 and 2011 combined! Furthermore, if I hadn't set my television week from Tuesday through Monday, another television round up would have been posted. So once, the next episodes of X-Files and Lucifer air, expect another entry. Verdict: C - I am keeping pace at least.

Comics

Honestly, my activity has not changed at all. I haven't even read the Christmas comics that I meaning to. Verdict: F

Gaming

I played a session of Dungeons & Dragons. A session that I wasn't planning on playing. Was going to play a second session but opted to watch Star Wars: The Force Awakens for a second time as well as the second episode of X-Files and the Lucifer pilot instead. Verdict: A - realistically, this is what I expect by gaming more. My schedule is not gaming friendly. That aside, playing a session won't pass muster a month or two from now.

Television/Movies/Wrestling

While I haven't watched as many movies or as much wrestling as I would like, January is a dry month for me when it comes to movies. Frankly, I don't think many would care what my revised opinion of Star Wars The Force Awakens is more than a month after the movie's debut. As for wrestling, okay, that's a work in progress. However, I don't have access to weekly shows nor am I regularly PPV viewer. So my expectations are low. As for television, I wrote, or will write, two weeks of shows that include comic book-based shows. Verdict: A - sure my expectations are low right now but my output far exceeds my previous output so far.

Overall Verdict

I am going to give myself a C. For the most part, I think I have met my New Year's resolution for the month of January. I am not quite throwing up posts just to add them. There's a germ of plan, which I am following. Due to time constraints, I am realistically pursuing my blog-related hobbies. We'll see how I do in February.

TV Round Up 1/19 - 1/25

Rather than write several individual blog entries on several different television programs, here's a roundup of the television week spanning from Tuesday, January 19 2016 until Monday, January 25th. Warning some Spoilers ahead:

Captain America: Celebrating 75 Heroic Years - Twenty-five years is a long time so I don't recall how much of splash Cap's 50th anniversary made. As avid Marvel Zombie at the time, I fondly remember reading and re-reading an issue of Marvel Age devoted to Captain America's fiftieth. There certainly wasn't a television special. Even a decade ago, I could never imagine a slot of prime-time devoted to Captain America. Needless to say, I marked out big-time when ABC aired an hour special on 75 years of Captain America. If you have not seen it, I heartily recommend tracking it down. Captain America: Celebrating 75 Heroic Years provides an excellent summary of Captain America over the years from inception to modern day. Creators Jack Kirby and Joe Simon receive proper credit and due. Was a nice touch. I did feel the closing moments went by quite fast; but I am glad that Steve Rogers will be returning to the role soon. Absolutely love that he'll be wielding the triangular shield once more! Do think there will be room for both Sam Wilson and Steve Rogers to each be Captain America as long as the stories have a different tone.

Agent Carter - Buffy the Vampire Slayer's spiritual successor has made her triumphant return with the sophomore season premiere! So yes, Agent Carter is off to a strong start. Mrs. Jarvis wasn't what I expecting an excellent surprise. Look forward to the rest of the season.

Flash - The winter premiere was fairly solid. Turtle made a formidable foe and should lead to an interesting development down the road in the fight against Zoom. Wally West should make things interesting for the rest of the West family. Wonder how long the cast member that leaves at episode's end will be gone? Looking forward to Eobard Thawne's appearance tonight.

Sneak Peak Legends of Tomorrow - informative special however now that Legends of Tomorrow has aired, I wouldn't consider it necessary viewing.

DC Cinematic Universe Special - Okay, I don't remember the exact title. Was surprised by the unveiling of the Wonder Woman footage. Promising. Loved the Suicide Squad trailer. The Justice League line-up is the New 52 roster. Since all that can be gleaned from the Internet, the only reason to watch the special now would be for Kevin Smith. I felt Smith was constrained and not fully himself. He clearly geeked out but it seemed that he had to follow guidelines.

Arrow - Two surprises contained in the winter premiere. Things aren't what they seem in the Damian Dahrk family. The unfolding family dynamic should prove interesting. The other surprise is that Felicity is not the deceased upon whose grave Oliver swears vengeance. My prediction is that Felicity's mother dies. Wonder how long Felicity be wheelchair-bound? An episode? Most of the season? Will she be Arrow's version of Oracle? Okay, Felicity becoming Oracle would indeed be awesome. Diggle and his brother play a card game that leads to more development on that front. Finally, Anarky's origin is complete as the character come into his own. A solid episode.

DC's Legends of Tomorrow - Part one of the pilot is off to a rollicking good start! Absolutely loved it! Wait, one apostrophe isn't enough. !!!!! Ok. Better now. Legends of Tomorrow does a great job combining a group that ranges from the heroic quasi-LG type to the less than heroic, ne'er do well CN, LE type. If you're a D&D player this show would serve as an excellent example of how a party of wildly different alignments could co-exist. Yep, my latest experience playing a paladin with a party that included three Zhentarim agents greatly influenced my perception here. I suppose that leads to the next question that no television show has yet to answer. Can a television show exist in which a team of super-powered characters actually work together, do it well, and execute such a team-oriented nature well? Legends of Tomorrow answers that with an emphatic yes. Which leads me to the next show...

Heroes Reborn - One central facet of Heroes was that the characters would never become the Justice League. Heck, the characters of Heroes make the non-team Defenders resemble a professional hero team by comparison. My one fault with the Heroes Reborn finale is that not only does HR continue its disdain toward a hero concept but most of its ensemble cast are reduced to afterthoughts. That aside, I felt greatly satisfied after watching the finale. The Petrelli/HRG/Hiro torch was successfully handed off. HRG's, and lesser extent Zach Levi's character's, sacrifice was incredibly touching. Heroes Reborn ends on a note promising that there's still more stories left to tell. I, for one, hope they are told.

X-Files - One television series mini-series ends, another begins. Much like Heroes Reborn, X-Files seems to unfold in real-time. Therefore, while the premiere unfolding at very slow pace, I appreciated the chance to become reacquainted with the setting and characters along with the new world those characters find themselves in. Exposition that  Heroes Reborn took half its run to explain. I was an avid fan of X-Files until around the fifth season when I lost interest. By the premiere's end, 'I wanted to believe' once more. I have come to realize that while the charm that the mythology episodes used to have still doesn't have the same sparkle, the monster of the week episodes still do. The second episode that aired on the 25th was exactly the type of episode that drew me to The X-Files. Actually, it's more of a hybrid mythology-monster episode but that's okay. X-Files always shone when the conspiracy was background fodder.

Lucifer - Based on the Vertigo property much of my experience stems from the story in The Sandman in which Lucifer abdicates Hell. Lucifer pushes the boundaries of network television in tone, subject matter, and language (well, kind of to the last part). Regardless, not a show for small children. Should be interesting how much of a veiled police procedural show it'll be compared to a supernatural drama. Greatly enjoyed it.

Elementary - A rather topical episode that delves into hackable cars and the conflict in the Ukraine. Like all good mysteries, the mystery lies in a matter of perspective. Episode ends with the revelation that Sherlock's father was in all likelihood the target of a failed assassination plot. Hmm, should probably catch up on the early episodes of the season in preparation for the next episode...

Mercy Street - Is a PBS original series about a medical, historical drama set during the Civil War. The characters cover the gamut of what you'd expect. If you ever want to see how grisly medicine was during this time period, Mercy Street paints quite a picture. The show does not seem like it'll last long but I thought the same about Once Upon a Time and that show has endured three seasons longer than I expected. Definitely will see the next episode.

Three Zhents and a Paladin Go on an Adventure Together...

Last night, I was able to participate in a D&D Adventurer's League Game Night at my local gaming store. My first time playing Dragonborn Paladin, Ser Rhogar, since November. Needless to say I was quite excited. The latest module was an older one from the first year, 'Outlaws of the Iron Route'. In light of the announcement of the DM's Guild, a subject for a future blog post, a brief review will follow.


Ah, but what's this about 'three Zhents and a paladin' that the title refers to you may ask? We had a very strong table of seven players last night. Three players played characters that are members of the Zhentarim faction. For those unaware, the Adventurer's League allows player characters (PCs) to join five factions, including the Zhentarim. One catch about faction membership is that players can't allow their faction membership to cause outright inter-party conflict. As the non-Zhentarim players chose to take a more neutral stance towards the antics of the Zhentarim players, I was placed into a difficult position as player of a paladin. Rather than impair other players fun or leave, I chose to play my Ser Rhogar in a more passive aggressive manner. Probably the first time since I started playing him that his love of dragon chess was mentioned let alone played. There were also jokes about the paladin sitting around re-thinking his life and decisions. Difficult play environment for me aside, the evil PCs really shook things up and made for an engaging session.


Outlaws of the Iron Route is a much more open-ended module than many of the modules that comprise the Adventurer's League. The PC's had several avenues to pursue and there was little hand holding. In fact, several players chose routes that not only did the DM not expect nor did the mod anticipate. So there was quite a bit of improvisation! Warning: because of the free-form nature of Outlaws of the Iron Route the mod may require quite a bit of play-time commitment and preparation. My particular play group chose to help an NPC out that mod intended for us to stop. We also at one point split the party into four or five groups. For groups that use factions, there's something for every faction although only the Order of the Gauntlet's task was discovered during the course of game play. Combat in the mod is deceptively tough. While I enjoyed Ser Rhogar's Heavy Armor Master feat being used to excellent effect, our exceptionally strong party found the final combat particularly nail-biting.


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. Probably one of the better mods I played. Very sandbox in feel. The combats are challenging. Story is quite good. My only complaint is that mod is too huge so a completest may feel disappointed. Some groups may find the mod too difficult.

Look what's coming out for ANAD Marvel in March!

Mid-January approaches, which means comics shops once again start their orders for comics shipping two months in advance, ie March. My original intent was to highlight whatever cool new comic was solicited within the January previews regardless if it was of Marvel's ANAD initiative. However, time wasn't on my side simply because I now have to focus on my own personal order to submit to my FLCS (favorite local comics shop). So without further ado, here's my final new #1's for ANAD titles. Come February I hope to provide shout outs, or sarcastic quips, towards new comics from more than just Marvel.

• International Iron Man - I bought more Iron Man comics in the last couple months than I ever expected to. Heck, Iron Man has not been on my buy list for years. While I still guffaw at Tony's adopted status, a more introspective title appeals to me. Doctor Doom as supporting cast member helps too! Heard great things about the Bendis/Maleev team on Daredevil so that foretells good things ahead. I'll probably give this a try.
• Hyperion - Not sure how this squares with Squadron Supreme. Hmm. Probably should read Squadron Supreme as that will hopefully answers that question. So Hyperion is in cognito. While ANAD craze consumes me, I think I'll stick with the original, ie Superman, whose maintaining a low profile.
• X-men '92 - Absolutely loved the 90's Fox Kids show! This will be an impulse if nothing else.
• Black Widow - If any character represents Marvel's publishing approach with ANAD, one could not find a better candidate than Black Widow. To anyone who only knows Marvel through its cinematic universe, a Black Widow title would seem a no-brainer. In fact, several different Black Widow were published over the years. Note: I said several. Since ANAD admits that books are maxi-series of undefined length, Black Widow fits. Mark Waid helms the latest Black Widow book combined with the latest concept is that she is on the run and what secrets will be released next promise a thrilling book. May give it a go.
• Mockingbird - With Mockingbirds involvement in Agents of SHIELD, a solo on-going is a given. Not sure how long this will last what with an already crowded marketplace and published the same time as the big Avengers event, Standoff. Positive fan support will be needed.

A New Year's Eve Filled with Board and Party Games

Rather fitting that my first blog entry of the year concerns my final activity of 2015. What was that final activity you may ask? Why as title states: playing board and party games! With the exception of two games, I had never played any of them before. So did beginner's luck win out? Read on to find out as I present the highlights of each game.


Pretense - throughout the course of the evening this meta-game was playing in the background. My task was to convince someone to take my picture. Since I don't usually ask people to take my picture that wasn't going to happen given the games parameters. Was quite happy when I unwittingly succumbed to some other person's task and had to surrender my card to them. I could see Pretense working in a more focused gaming session, in which the participants are committed to playing two games at once.


Tsuro - Longest a single game lasted was, maybe, ten minutes, tops. Fairly easy game that I didn't fully-grasp until I was eliminated. It's like Poker and a board game had a love child.


g54 - Think Pictionary or charades except replace drawings or miming by selecting concepts with varying degrees of complexity. If I knew, we could un-select a concept much headache would have been avoided. Who knew Johnny Cash could be confused with a rich, black rapper? I did love how I spontaneously grasped that 'bayonet' was one group's choice. One of those quick deductions that afterword I can't explain how I arrived to that conclusion.


Resistance - a fun game that requires much observation. Also had no idea what I was doing so I accepted everything. Guess, that threw some people off.


Two Rooms and a Bomb - How much fun you have depends on how much you bring to it. As I was lucky, or unlucky depending on one's point of view, to be the President twice (and thus the target for bomb), I played it coy both times. Got blown up both times too. Think the game is more fun with the expansions thrown in. Played the drunk who was selected to be the leader only to discover he was the President the entire time. That game I didn't get blown up. Quite a rush.


At some point, we split into two groups.


Money - a fairly easy game. Also a game that I didn't discover how poorly I understood it until I lost. A quick game to play in-between more demanding ones.


Legendary Villains - Legendary is a subject for a future entry as I want to play at least one more game. Yep, Legendary is one of the two games I played previous. Some mechanics notwithstanding, Villains is much like the main game. Probably the biggest hassle was setting up the game as it was the first time that that specific set was used. The shuffling was not in our favor. The Heroes rescued the Bystanders and won. Have to say the Villains recommended starting game plays more difficult than the recommended starting scenario in the original.


Coup Rebellion - I played Coup once so I am not sure how much Coup differs from Coup Rebellion. Played three games. Some of the options greatly change the dynamics of the game. Won two of them because people thought I was bluffing when I wasn't. Would be interested to see how it plays in larger groups.