Halloween 2019: OneBookShelf Jack O'Lanterns Freebies

As I alluded to on Wednesday, it's October.  Halloween blogging season. Unlike years past, no lofty promises this year. If I write a Halloween-themed post, cool. If not, oh well. We'll see how many I churn out. What better way to begin my Halloween blogging than listing my haul from OneBookShelf's (DriveThru RPG, DriveThru Comics, DriveThru Fiction, DM's Guild, Storyteller's Vault) Jack O'Lantern Scavenger Hunt where one on browses thru the site clicking on Halloween themed icons in order to score a freebie?

Note for first time blog visitors: I have taken advantage of OBS's Jack O'Lantern freebies for years now. I've racked up quite the haul, which I rarely if ever read or use. As such, no deep dives. I didn't search through every nook and cranny. Four or five items was my stopping point.  Also, only the icon and the order in which I discovered the freebie will be listed.

On with the listing.

DriveThru RPG -

Witch hat:  Castles & Crusades: Night of Spirits. I got to hand it to Troll Lord Games. When they go in on a promotion, they go all in. This Halloween themed module using the Castles & Crusades rules retails for around $8. Reading the boilerplate makes me want to read and possibly run it.

Jack o'lantern: 5E Halloween Mini Dungeon: Horror of Ochre Grove. A D&D 5E module that's apparently Halloween-themed...

2nd jack o lantern: SEERS & Roebuck Dust Buster of Holding - the fantasy equivalent of the old Sears & Roebuck catalogs, which in this instance features one particular item.

3rd jack o'lantern:  Doomtown Reloaded: Print & Play Demo - The description reads like a card game. I hate when they mix categories...

4th jack o'lantern:  Mothership Players Survival Guide - Did you like the Aliens movies with Xenomorphs and Sigourney Weaver? Well, this rpg emulates it!


DriveThru Comics

Witch hat: Kids on Bikes House On Polar Court

Ghost: Unstoppable Origins #1

Jack o'lantern:  God the Dyslexic Dog v1 (apparently I already own a copy...)

Candy: Death Vigil #1

2nd jack o lantern: vs Stranger Stuff Send in the Clowns Special Edition


DriveThru Fiction

Witch hat: Weird Fiction Megapack 25 Stories From Weird Tales. Can't go wrong with a collection of stories from the old Weird Tales magazine/pulp. The mag that brought us Conan!

Jack o' lantern: Outbreak Undead 2nd edition  Intro Manual. Another cross category offering...

2nd Jack o Lantern: Cabaret of the Grotesque

Ghost: Book of Apex vol 1 of Apex Magazine  (already have). I swear this given away every year...

3rd Jack o Lantern Achtung! Cthulhu Fiction The Trellborg Monstrosities. Like H.P. Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos? Well, here's Cthulhu Mythos stories set across the pond in the UK!


DMs Guild

Ghost: Songs of Aedragad

Jack o'lantern: Curse of the Gumdrop Ooze Revised and Expanded

2nd Ghost: Circle of the Feydark 5e

2nd Jack o Lantern: Dread Domain A Cleric Archetype

Since much of my D&D 5E gaming is Adventurers League, I am unlikely to use any of this. Sigh...


Storyteller's Vault

Bat - Death Vigil #1 (repeat of the DriveThru Comics freebie)

Jack o'lantern -  God Dyslexic Dog volume 1 repeat of the DriveThru Comics Freebie

I really dislike how neither of these pertain to White Wolf Intellectual Property. The DM's Guild freebies seemed to be all D&D-related at least.

Ghost: Bygone Bestiary. Want to use fantastic creatures such as dragons in your World of Darkness game? Well, now you can! I've owned a deadtree version since White Wolf's $6.66 sale. I've been meaning to acquire an ebook copy for years so I could part with my physical copy. Mission accomplished!

Bat - Legacy of Lies a  V20 Dark Ages Jumpstart. Vampire Dark Ages is one of my favorite WOD Vampire settings.

Overall, I'd say I was pleased with this year's offerings.

Next time.

Halloween '18: OneBookShelf Expands Halloween PDF Treats

If you told me my next Halloween 2018 blog entry after my annual OneBookShelf Halloween Treats entry was a follow up, I wouldn't have believed them. Believe I had other blog entry topics in mind but I did whatever George R.R. Martin does while writing the next A Song of Ice and Fire novel and NOT blog. However, I said if I discovered anymore PDF Halloween Treats available on OneBookShelf site I'd blog about it. True to my word, there are new treats.


I just thought they'd recently discovered hidden gems. Instead, OBS expanded them to two more sites. They are Storytellers Vault and DM's Guild. Both links conveniently direct one to both the Halloween sale (31% off select PDFs) and the icon containing the Halloween treat.


Storyteller's Vault


Bat: New Blood - a scenario for Dark Ages Vampire (World of Darkness) where a Tremere and an alchemist have created alchemical blood...


Jack O'Lantern - Beckett's Vampire Folio 1: Carne's Rebellion for Vampire: The Masquerade


2nd Jack O' Lantern:  Same as the 1st...


3rd Jak O' Lantern: Demon Translation Guide - How to convert the Demons from Demon the Fallen to Demon the Descent (Chronicles of Darkness)


Going to assume only three treats are available.


DM's Guild


Ghost: Seasonal Surprises vol 1 - How to create a Halloween themed adventure for D&D 5E


Jack O' Lantern: Monsters of Horror (which one can acquire from a different site as well).


2nd Jack O' Lantern - A Night of Masks and Monsters (A Requiem of Wings #1) - 5E adventure for Characters level 3 of table of 3 - 6 PCs.


3rd Jack O' Lantern: Heroes of Mists - Expanding Curse of Strahd to fit the setting of Ravenloft more (for D&D 5E)


Surprised there were 4 treats here! Provided you didn't check out the other sites that is.  I'm assuming this will be all goodies though.


Halloween is 6 days away!


Next time.

Halloween '18: Tricks and Treats OneBookShelf-Style

Let's see. It's mid-October? Check. Check OneBookShelf sites DriveThru RPG, DriveThru Comics, and DriveThru Fiction to see whether they've commenced both the Halloween sale and the Halloween Icon Trick or Treat offerings? Heck, yes! Check. Way back in what seems like ages pass, the Drive Thru sites began a Jack O' Lantern search where you'd embark on scavenger hunt throughout an individual site for jack o' lantern icon. If you clicked on the link, you be rewarded with a treat (ex. a free e-book) or a trick (a gag). In recent years they've expanded the icon type beyond jack o'lantern to other Halloween icons. Think of it is a trick or treating OneBookShelf style!


I've participated on and off for YEARS. One major reason why I've accumulated quite the collection of e-books at OBS is due to the Trick or Treat event. This year, I am going to blog about each find per icon per site. Breaking from tradition of years past, I provided a link to the three sites in question in case any reader seeks a treat or trick. You'll have to create an account if you haven't done so already. Note: The event should last a week or two. Don't recall if they cancel it on Halloween or week before. It just started so it should last several days. I'm betting it'll last as long as Halloween sale does but don't quote me...




For those who prefer surprise thereby SPOILERS below.






Drive Thru RPG:


Witch Hat: Fear Can't Hurt You. A Halloween scenario.


Jack O'lantern: Monsters and Other Childish Things: Curriculum of Conspiracy


2nd Jack O'lantern: Head Shot! Zombie Apocalypse Action Role-Playing Game






Drive Thru Comics:


Witch Hat:Children of the Night - Community Content = new monsters for Ravenloft


Jack O'Lantern: Adam 2.0 Black Swan #1 graphic novel


Candy: 'Til Undeath Do Us Part E-book




Drive Thru Fiction:


Witch Hat: Monsters of Horror - Community Content = 6 movie monsters adapted to D&D 5E


Jack O'Lantern: Sins of the Father RPG


Ghost: The Black Spot - a storytelling RPG (Side note: I've apparently acquired a copy previously. Guessing a previous Trick or Treat?! Probably should read it sometime then...)


Interesting observation: If you're logged into the other sites at the same time, those finds appear at full price in the carts of the other sites. May want to search through the other sites one at a time or be prepared to remove stuff from the shopping cart. Perhaps that's trick! If you have multiple storefronts open at once, you must remove stuff from the carts or get charged!


There may be more than three tricks or treats per Drive Thru site; they're scattered about in places I am not used to. A true scavenger hunt indeed if that is the case. However, three treats (I'm assuming such...) per Drive Thru is enough for me. I am content.


Halloween is twelve days away!

Been A Long Time Since My Last Palladium X-Mas Grab Bag And They're Digital Now Too!

Christmas time rapidly approaches. Meaning snow, Santa, holiday cheer, various religious customs, and presents await! Another tradition going, at, or more than a decade is also underway. What tradition is that you may ask? Why Palladium Books X-Mas Grab Bag, of course!


For those unfamiliar, Palladium Books had a universal role-playing long before the d20 system roared upon the scene. From Fantasy to Rifts to Dead Reign to licensed properties such as Robotech and the defunct TMNT & Other Strangeness, Palladium adapted its rules system to cover a swath of genres. The company is very mom and pop, which strives to give back to its fans.


I'd describe the Palladium Books X-Mas Grab Bag; but Santa Kev (the owner of the company) explains so much better than I can. The ad copy is this.


Once upon a time, I would semi-regularly ask for or purchase a Palladium X-Mas Grab Bag. My budding Palladium collection grew in size. Most of the time, I ordered after Christmas. Another unspoken tradition is Palladium usually decides to extend the special past Christmas. Plus, the autographs were cool too! Unfortunately, with my time away from RPGs, the luster of ordering an annual grab bag faded. Didn't really seem practical either.


This year is different. This year marks a regular year for gaming. My interest in table-top rpgs has increased. Old games and companies are on my radar once more. Would be a nice blast of Christmas past if I were to acquire or ask for an X-Mas Grab Bag from Palladium.


On the other hand, the Palladium Megaversal System is a rules set I rarely play. Doubt I would find a group that would want to play it either or our schedules would mesh. Furthermore, I own boxes and boxes of unused books bearing the logo Palladium Books. While the nostalgia is nice, storage is an issue. In fact, my most recent purchases from Palladium has been the ebook variety from Drivethru RPG.


I should fret not. For Santa Kevin is on the case! The year 2017 marks the very first Digital X-Mas Surprise Package. INSERT ad copy. Palladium has steadily increased its digital offerings so there's quite a bit to choose from. Bonus: I need to worry duplicating what I already have! Digital back-ups would be nice... Been thinking of expanding my Palladium ebook library anyway...


Although all this talk of digital books aside, browsing through Palladium's catalog, there's a quite a bit of limited hardcovers that are more within my price range than a decade ago. But, I digress. Well, maybe not, they could be grab bag wants from the physical Surprise X-mas Grab Bag...


In any case, time isn't quite of the essence. I will decide all in due time. If I do, you can be sure I will blog about it.


Happy Gaming!


Next time.

Halloween 2017: All Hallows' Eve

Might as well cut to the chase:


Happy Halloween!


Must confess I didn't do too much Halloween-related today. Not trick-or-treating. Didn't eat any candy. Was going to read the DC House of Horror one-shot after watching tonight's episode of DC's Legends of Tomorrow set during Halloween but after fast-forwarding through the episode (yeah, I know shouldn't do that) I discovered next week's episode is set during the Victorian era and may feature vampires. So I figured I will watch that episode later.


As for the DC comic, I may read it tomorrow. Speaking of comics, while I didn't attend Halloween Comicfest, I did pick up some of the comics when I played Shadowrun Missions yesterday. They are: The Friendly Ghost Casper, Donald Duck's Halloween Scream, Shiver, Ghostbusters: Happy Halloween, and Hellboy and the BPRD 1953 The Witch Tree and Rawhead and Bloody Bones. With any luck, I'll be able to spend a huge chunk of Halloween day 2 (ie All Saints Day) reading comics!


What I did do was take advantage of One Book Shelf's Halloween sales and bundles. Discovered that the Barovia modules for Adventurers League (AL04) were cheaper via the bundle (@ 40% off) and thus the better option. While I was at it, I picked up the Mummy: the Curse (nWOD) bundle and a Monster comics bundle (has the Doctor Mirage trade from Valiant). Then I realized I could pick up the core book and all five supplements for Palladium Book's Dead Reign much cheaper than normal. For those unfamiliar with Dead Reign, it is Palladium Book's post-zombie apocalypse setting. While I already own a copy of the core book, I don't have easy access to it and watching The Walking Dead puts me in a zombie apocalypse mood. Don't know if I would ever run it though.


Then I check out some Halloween-related links:


The pumpkin genome has been sequenced.


Here's a quick history of pumpkins. Fun fact: Europeans had never seen them before coming to North America.


The pumpkin produces a compound that is a natural disinfectant!


I must confess I haven't seen the newest version of the movie IT. Here's how Stephen King's work such IT parallel the Cthhulhu Mythos.


Viking zombies and the means of dispatching them can be read about here.


Now, I think I am going to watch some Halloween movies!


Next time.

Halloween '17: The OBS Jack O'lantern (and Other Iconography) Trick or Treats Are Back!

Every Halloween I look forward to OneBookShelf's (DriveThru Comics, DriveThru Fiction, DriveThru RPG) annual Trick or Treat Jack O'Lantern scavenger search. Last year, they ushered in other Halloween iconography such as ghosts and witch hats. Whereas during the early days there was a trick, there haven't been any the prior two years. While they have a 30% (or is it 31%) off sale on select titles, the Jack O'Lantern search is what I am most excited about. I do love free stuff!


So what goodies did I find on each site:




DriveThru Comics

• The Tithe #1
• Badabing Badaboom! - an RPG adventure...
• Free Pumpkin Mounted Knights
• Valiant Universe Handbook: 2015 Edition - There is the much talked about Valiant Cinematic Universe on the horizon...
• Escape from Zombie Earth
• Ghost Hackers

DriveThru Fiction

• Apex Magazine #1
• Fear Fetchers
• Ghost Hackers
• Free Pumpkin Mounted Knights
• Trilogy of the Second Age: Chosen of the Sun (set within the world of the Exalted RPG)
• Bag of Tricks (has a Pathfinder logo on it)

DriveThru RPG

• Fiasco: Camp Death
• Free Pumpkin Mounted Knights
• Ghost Hackers
• Age of Cthulhu 3: Shadows of Leningrad
• Something Wicked Stirs
• Snap Sites: Vamonos Pizza - a GM aid

Hmm, there's a couple duplicate goodies across all three sites. Guess, you can sort of call that a trick! Overall, a decent trick or treat haul if I do say so myself.


Don't know yet if I'll purchase any of the bundles available on each site nor take advantage of the 31% off sale. The Ravenloft sale on DM's Guild is the one certainty. In addition to classic Ravenloft supplements, all the Season 4 modules set in Barovia and thus thematically connected to the Curse of Strahd storyline for Adventurers League are on sale. DM's Guild doesn't often discount Adventurers League modules (about as rare as rolling a Natural 20 more than three times during a combat!) so its perfect opportunity to stock up. Suppose since I am plugging on online site's digital sale, Dark Horse Digital has three Halloween sales going on. Found both Eerie and Creepy Megabundles irresistible! Only drawback is they're tied to Dark Horse Digital; but I doubt I would ever have purchased them hardcopy...


Perhaps I will read these all by or during next (2018) Halloween! I can dream, I can dream. Haha!


Only three more days until Halloween!


Next Time.

Geek Culture Sure Relies on the Net Quite a Bit

A blog entry or two I mentioned that I was finally able to watch wrestling again. Why? I didn't have cable; and the internet was subject to data caps. Sure, I could watch a wrestling match now and then. However, my available data would be significantly less. Rationing internet use isn't fun at all. Curiously, the amount of data consumed for what would be considered the simplest things, not talking watching wrestling matches here, would become more and more over the years...


Ah, what does this have to do with geek culture as I ascribe within the title, you may ask? Wrestling fans are geeks of sort as one does not just simply watch one or two hours of wrestling a week. Following geek culture requires quite a bit of data. Just think of how much one streams a week! From trailers to television shows to movies, not to mention video games, the internet is the realm of the geek. Thus to follow geek culture one must use the internet quite a bit. Besides, I frequently said I would explain my absence from wrestling one day. Here it is.


Instead of following wrestling bit by bit on social media, I can watch shows on Hulu, Netflix, or the WWE Network (or insert wrestling promotion). Also don't need to stock up on wrestling DVDs although there are some I'll still pick up.


Speaking of DVDs, remember when one can walk into a brick and mortar store and see aisles brimming with quite a variety? Yeah, not so much now. Nowadays, one is lucky if one can find a show past a certain season! Has Marvel's Agents of SHIELD had more than one season available on DVD? If it has I must have missed it.


You know where I can find seasons of Marvel's Agents of SHIELD? Netflix. While I waited what seems like years, cause it has, for Daredevil Season One to come out on DVD, I can watch both seasons plus all the other Netflix Marvel shows as well. Without hoping for a long, long time that it will soon arrive on DVD. Can also watch the new Voltron, Inspector Gadget, and Danger Mouse as well. So without the internet, reliable, non-rationed high speed internet, one simply does not have access to segments of geek culture.


Sometimes I wait quite a long time before watching a show. Too long. Plus, it's nice if my viewing of show attracts attention similar to a Nielsen family. That's what Hulu is for. Legion is great adaptation inspired by the X-men character Legion. The show does a terrific job reflection the unstable nature of the main character's mental state as each episode shifts in tone from one episode to the next. Although I think there's one character that's more Morrison than Claremont. Furthermore, Legion is very dark compared to all the other comic book based shows on the air in a very sophisticated fashion. Don't have cable so I couldn't have watched it. Plus thanks to Hulu the powers-that-be have another measurement of support. Same goes true for the NBC show Timeless. While I DVR'd Timeless, I fell behind that I eventually gave up and deleted my recordings. However, I was able to watch the show about a time travel show that illustrates how much one act can have profound effect on the timeline. All under the backdrop where the black hats aren't necessarily black hats. Really enjoy. While I may not like how Hulu goes about expiring shows, it does motivate me to watch it. Otherwise, I wouldn't have marathoned Timeless and discovered how much I greatly enjoyed it.


Video games - in the age of DRM do people actually truly own their video game? And it's a complete game? Nope. Heck, PC games are rarer in stores than DVDs! After years, Steam finally stopped working for me. Steam works again now.


The role-playing game industry is almost as bad. As much as I championed 4th edition D&D, WOTC's ill-advised 4th ed version of the OGL, the GSL (?), practically killed any variety of the RPG market in stores. As such, many RPG product are generally available primarily in ebook form. Plus there's software support and gaming via online.


Went from being avid anime watcher to barely watching any anime. Anime is too expensive for me to buy it completely unseen. So once I could watch anime on Hulu once more, I watched the anime Phantasy Star Online 2 The Animation. Yeah, that was another reason I had hankering to play some Phantasy Star when I downloaded Phantasy Star 2 for my phone... Great series. Not my Phantasy Star but it had enough Phantasy Star elements. Kind of wish the game would become available to play here in the States after watching it... Heck, I've even started watching a couple 'new' series that are airing on Hulu, Chronos Ruler and In Another World with My Smartphone. Been a very long time since I last watched an anime series on a weekly basis and not had the option to binge it. Heck, it's nice to watch anime regularly again!


So there you go. My rather long-winded account on how I can now fully experience geek culture (while arguing why the internet is necessary) as my internet experience is no longer constrained.


Next time

DC Rebirth: How I Came To Accept $3.99 Comics

When I first learnt that DC was raising cover prices I was enraged. Based on my experiences with Marvel, I assumed it was the popular titles, which ship twice a month, that were being bumped up to $3.99. The decision to drop specific DC Rebirth titles from my buying habits were not yet made. By that point, I had gone back on my decision to only buy the monthly titles due to skepticism over reading a twice-a-month title. Back in January, I was buying virtually every DC Rebirth title. So believing that those same twice-a-month titles would jump in price irked me.


Upon reading this story HERE, I discovered I was wrong and my cynicism was misplaced. It wasn't the popular twice-a-month, the bulk of line group of books being bumped up to $3.99. It was the 15 or so monthly titles that were experiencing price increase. Plus, those same titles would include a digital codes similar to Marvel's old system.


While I avidly purchased Marvel's All-New, All-Different books, I never took advantage of the digital codes. As such I was unfamiliar with what was being proposed. THIS story here explained Marvel's old digital code policy as well as the price increase probably serving to boost the profitability of the monthly and presumably less popular books.


Over the years, I have come to believe that increased price points rarely lead to increased longevity of a title. Maybe in the short term but unless the book's popularity spikes, rarely long-term. However, the digital codes could have potential. Perhaps the digital codes could expand readership? An avid Rebirth purchaser such as myself would be more willing to part with issue via the back issue market as I would then own a digital copy? The latter question begs further exploration on my part. Maybe.


But the major reason why I accept the $3.99 price point for Rebirth titles is because the twice-shipping titles are still $2.99. Once I realized that most of my anger vanished. Then came acceptance. After all, Marvel's titles have been $3.99 for quite some time.


Hey, doesn't Marvel ship titles twice a month too?


Why yes. Oh wait, I have been buying some of those titles too. They sell at $3.99 a copy. Twice a month.


As such when DC eventually raises its twice-a-month books to $3.99, while I will initially be irked, I will grudgingly accept it. I may switch to more trades and digital editions. My pull list and what I purchase of the rack may be reduced.


But I won't declare 'I am dropping such and such a book!'


At the end of the day and after years of disdaining a $3.99 price point for Marvel and DC comics, I realize I have come to accept such a price point. Comic books with a cover price of $4 or more are the new normal.


Till next time, keep reading.

12ish Days of Blogging, Dark Horse Digital, Nook Comics, and Earth 2 #1 Review

On the third day of my 12ish Days of Blogging I give to thee my thoughts on Dark Horse Digital (and the delayed 2nd part of my 30 years of Dark Horse Comics) as well as my thoughts on Nook Comics and my first Nook Comic Earth 2 #1. Coincidentally, my Nook commentary has also been delayed as I started blogging about it back in June.


I've used Dark Horse Digital sparingly for a long time now. At first I used it to check out whichever free comics were available. Dark Horse Digital was kind of cool; but I really didn't take the plunge until I bought all the Star Wars comics (hey, another Star Wars reference!) when that license expired and shifted to Marvel. I feared those comics would join the long out-of-print bin. Silly me. Marvel has since aggressively reprinted much of the content, although much hasn't been reprinted, and digital comics of the Dark Horse material is available via Marvel's site. Another fear was the purchase would be all for naught...


Well, so far, all those Star Wars comics are still available on my Dark Horse Digital account so that fear has been... averted... for now. I admit I've only read one comic - the first issue of Marvel's (ironic, isn't it?) mini-series that adapted Star Wars: A New Hope. Very curious issue in light of future movie developments but that's a review for another time. Future plans involve reading those Star Wars digital comics via Dark Horse Digital. It's good to grandfathered in! And if it's gone, well, Marvel has been digitizing those same Star Wars comics; and I have that also woefully used Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited account. Hmm, sensing a trend...


I've purchased other comics too corresponding to any sale that catches my eye so I don't just have languishing Star Wars comics on the account. Okay, Okay, I'll get to the review.


Dark Horse Digital was an On the Cloud service before I knew, and probably before it was defined as, the Cloud existed. The consumer browses the site, which is first-day digital, ie when print hits the stands, and selects a comic. Said consumer "owns" the comic except their copy is stored on Dark Horse Digital's site. The one exception is that I believe copies can be downloaded via its mobile app. As I haven't downloaded the app, I don't know if those comics can be downloaded onto an SD card. I admit I've been leery of embracing the app cause of running out of storage concerns due to my Nook experience. More on that later.


How does the Dark Horse Digital reader work? Pretty well. I admit its probably clunky using it on my desktop compared to a tablet or phone but the reader has the option of viewing it by page or panel. I've found I prefer reading by panel on desktop as I find the reading experience easier.


That brings me to my (quick) Earth 2 #1 and Nook Comics review:


Earth 2 #1 (the one that 'The New 52!' is scrawled across the cover not Earth 2: Society) is a milestone comic for me. One, it hooked me onto the New 52 Earth 2 in the sort that it became an interest although it hadn't officially made my pull list. Two, it was my very first Nook Comic. Earth 2 #1 is what sold in me on Nook Comics. To my mind it is quite fitting to review both at the same time.




Nook Comics


Earth 2 #1 by James Robinson, Nicola Scott, and Trevor Scott.


One advantage of bringing multiple earths back is that DC can now kill its major characters and unlike an Elseworlds such a drastic action matters. Well, Earth 2 #1 is the fall of the DC Trinity (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman) to the forces of Darkseid or more precisely Steppenwolf (the supposed Big Bad of the upcoming Justice League movie too...). The handling of the "Roman Gods" differed from mainstream DC and was a nice touch. Honestly, if one desires a tragic DC epic where the Big 3 fall while saving the Earth you don't get any better than this comic.


Alas, I read the issue back in June so regular readers should know I'm kind of sparring on the details.


Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars


Yeah, I felt Earth 2 #1 was so good that I bought the first trade, would then later pick of bundle of twenty issues which I found in a back issue bin, and have sporadically bought Earth 2 Society. All on the strength of one issue.


As for Nook Comics reader itself, the reader has a Page View and a Panel View. Alright, not the exact definition but its more descriptive than what they give you. I've discovered that if I want to take a gander at greater art detail the Panel View is the best. Honestly, I really like the reader. What I don't like is that while the comics are downloaded, they are best treated as if they are on the cloud. The file size is simply too large where one can't carry them all on one's device. However, a recent upgrade allows Nook Comics to be downloaded to an SD card. Since not all books, and magazines are out of the question, can downloaded to an SD card, as of this moment I don't know if all Nook Comics can be downloaded onto an SD card. So that may be a remedy to my aforementioned storage concerns.


So while I greatly like the Nook for reading comics, it hasn't replaced the pamphlet nor trades. At this point in time its more like a backup for when I can't acquire an issue as well as means of sampling series. Expect some comic reviews that are also Nook reviews in the future as well.


Till Next Time.

Halloween '16 OBS Trick or Treat and End of Mongoose 2000AD RPGs

Today's topics have one central tie: OneBookShelf Publishing (ie DriveThru RPG, DriveThru Comics, DriveThru Fiction) and the topics are Halloween-related and the end of a licensing era.


Going to start off with Halloween. Sure, OBS has a sale. I'm not talking about that. No, it's more important than that. The annual Trick or Treat search-a-thon has begun! Okay, like last year, it seems more treat than trick; but I haven't checked any of the offerings. For those not in the know, one searches through the site looking for a Halloween-themed icon. Until this year, it was just jack o' lanterns but they must've decided to spice things up this year. Ghosts, witches hat, candies, and bats are additional icons. As I have participated a number of times, I didn't perform a pain-staking search. Six or seven treats (?) were all I was able to find at each of the storefronts. Yep, each storefront has it's own offering although I'd hazard to guess RPGNow mirrors DriveThru RPG. In years past, there were generally eight goodies but I stopped after the above number. While I plan on providing a list of each the treats*, I won't reveal the location. Why ruin half the fun? It is a scavenger hunt after all! Scavenger hunts do seem odd for Halloween but perhaps that's the trick. Oh, if you find more than what I found, thumbs up!


DriveThru Comics - The Sting of Death: A Savage Worlds Superhero Adventure (yeah, the RPG/Comic/Fiction aren't a hard split), The Mad Mummy #1, The Valiant Volume One (if there was a trick this would be my guess...), Unstoppable Comics Character Guide #1, Think Tank: Fun with PTSD (gallows humor/horror?), and Channel Evil issue 1.


DriveThruFiction - The Ghost Story Megapack: 25 Classic Tales by Masters, Darker Paths 1: The Necromancer, The Black Spot, Predator & Prey Book 1: Vampire , Hard Times in Dragon City, and Apex Magazine -- Issue 25.


DriveThru RPG- Horror at Gravehollow Hill: A Short Adventure Module, vs. Ghosts, ICONS: Devil's Night, Pixel Dungeon: Zombies!, Haunted Locales, Haunted Locales, and Swashbuckling Adventures Core Rulebook (might be a trick...)


Now, for the other topic. Just learned that in a way Halloween marks the end of an era as Mongoose publishing's license for 2000 AD (Judge Dredd, Slaine, Strontium Dog) expires at the end of the month. Mongoose was an important RPG publisher for me back during the days of the OGL heyday. Loved their Conan RPG. Their Mongoose Runequest (now Legend) and Traveller lines intrigued me. The 2000 AD lines called to me, Slaine with its celtic tone particularly. Included a link to Mongoose's home page on this very blog! Unfortunately, my gaming group soon reached its zenith as far as RPGs were concerned so new gaming systems such as Runequest were out. Licenses require some interest on the part of the players and my gaming group weren't huge 2000 AD fans. Well, I didn't know if they were... So... We were going to try Traveller but that simply wasn't meant to be. As a result, I never picked up any of the 2000AD RPG books in physical form and very little reason to pick up digital. Must confess I stopped visiting Mongoose's site years ago. So I didn't know the license was ending until today via an announcement from OBS - along with a 75% discount. Needless to say, I stocked up on all the Strontium Dog and Slaine books available while picking up the majority of the Traveller version of Judge Dredd. I picked up the OGL D20 version of the Judge Dredd core book for curiosity's sake. Perhaps, one day I'll provide a review. Certainly, I can count it as part of my Year of 2000 AD/ celebration of 2000 issues.


well happy gaming

Big Finish's Colin Baker Birthday Special

Recently learned, courtesy of the purveyor of Doctor Who Audio Plays Big Finish, that next week marks Colin Baker's Birthday. For those who are new to Doctor Who, Colin Baker portrayed the sixth Doctor. While his run was comparably short compared to the likes of Tom Baker, David Tennant, Matt Smith and the like, Colin Baker reprised the role for Big Finish Audio Plays. Produced quite the number too! So to mark the occasion, Big Finish is offering a sale, either CD or DVD, this weekend on a select eleven audio plays. You can read the deal HERE.


Next to the third and fourth Doctors, the sixth Doctor holds a special place for me. Until I watched the 6th Doctors adventures, my Doctor Who viewing was scattershot at best. Would see an episode/story one day, then another a week later - maybe. More like month. Chronologically viewing the episodes? Forget about it. However, that would change with Colin Baker's first story. Not only would I watch Doctor Who regularly but I would proceed to watch them in order. In fact, I've seen almost every Sixth Doctor story. Some stories were only seen in parts. Can't make that claim with any of the other Doctors from the Classic era. Learned about the Time Lords. Finally understood regeneration. Was exposed to the Second Doctor via a Sixth Doctor story. In many ways, much of how I perceive the Doctor Who mythos was forged by this era. Needless to say, the Sixth Doctor, Colin's, is a very important incarnation of the Doctor to me. Always felt there should have been more Colin Baker - 6th Doctor stories.


Several years ago, I learned about Big Finish and their Doctor Who audio plays. Living across the pond, access is not easy. When I learned I could order the CD's, the price point made me hesitant at first. My very first audio CD was an insert in Doctor Who Magazine. For years, that was how I collect them. Then finally I took the plunge and purchased the audio CDs. The Doctor Who Audio CDs are part of my monthly comics order. However, I only started with Tom Baker's, 4th Doctor, second range. Barely purchased any of the main range, which includes Colin. Ergo, my main range collection is lacking. As for downloading, I hadn't yet truly taken the plunge. Big Finish offered some free audios as part of the 50th anniversary celebration. Downloaded those but that was it.


So in celebration of Colin Baker's Birthday, I purchased all eleven audios that comprise the special. Significant because not only have I expanded my 6th Doctor audio collection substantially but I purchased my first Big Finish audio download! A first step in a larger world. In addition to purchasing the latest CDs from my local comics shop, the entire backlist of audios are available to me with a but a click.

Great Caesar's Ghost! Superman is a Leap Year Baby!

You can thank social media for this discovery but I never that Superman's declared birthday is February 29th. This article here includes background details of the event as well as sample pages from the Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons story, "For the Man Who has Everything" and John Byrne page from an uncredited story. A link for 40% discount on select Superman e-books for is also included. However, I have discovered that other e-book retailers are participating in the sale as well so one has options for where one can purchase the little over a handful of trades being offered for discount for today. Keep in mind, the sale is only for 2/29/2016 only.


Why does Superman declare his birthday is on a leap year? From a publication standpoint, I conjecture its because editors Mort Weisinger and Julius Schwartz did not have to contend with publishing content on an annual basis nor have to address thousands of annual correspondence from Superman's young fans on Superman's birthday. Superman probably uses February 29th as a birthday to both distract others from his secret identity as Clark Kent, who has a different birthday, and so that he would not have to bother with it every year. Furthermore, the post-Crisis and pre-New 52 Superman utilized a PO Box and would collect his mail once every year. Not celebrating a birthday every year probably cuts down on birthday cards.


As for the ebooks themselves, several attract my eye particular the trades collecting the Curt Swan and George Perez stories. The New Krypton and Grounded stories were stories that I decided to wait for the trade but never purchased. Well, I believe anyway. I already own Power Couple and, I believe, Escape from Bizarro World. Digital Comics are still hit and miss for me as I still prefer dead-tree copies. So I may range from buying a couple to all but a couple to none at all. Perhaps I'll reference the story as Superman Birthday Review when I finally review it?


In any case, Happy Birthday Superman! Until next time in 2020.

OneBookShelf Jack O' Lantern Haul 2015 (Halloween 2015 Part One)

Every Halloween OneBookShelf (OBS) publishing has a trick or treat jack o' lantern search where one hunts down images of jack o' lanterns throughout the participating sites. A jack o' lantern signifies either a trick or a treat. The treat is a free ebook whereas a trick is a gag item. While OBS did have a trick for a number of years, they have stopped the practice the last couple years. Although I don't recall if I have participated in every annual jack o' lantern hunt, it has been a Halloween tradition for me. The sites that I have scoured through are DriveThru RPG, DriveThru Comics, and DriveThru Fiction. Don't know how long the treats last; but here's a rundown of this year's treats.


DriveThru RPG
Wolfsheim for the Scion RPG
Better Angels - a rather unique rpg where one plays a villain who struggles with a demon within that grants powers to the villain. A different player controls the demon.
The Book of Archetypes - for All-Flesh Must be Eaten RPG, quick characters for when the zombies are too effective at killing the PC's.
King Arthur Pendragon, 1st edition - Pendragon is an RPG that has long been on my must list. The RPG archivist/historian in me is excited to read the very first iteration.
Van Richten's Guide to Fiends - a classic Ravenloft (AD&D 2E). Fits the Halloween theme perfectly.
Laboratory of the Forsaken
Encyclopaedia Arcane: Demonology


An excellent haul if I do say so myself.


DriveThru Comics
The Necromancer Volume 1 Trade - a Top Cow book that has piqued my interest. Plus, free trade!
Jirni #1
Deadworld - Frozen Over #1
Vincent Price Presents: Gallery Omnibus - basically, pictures of Vincent Price.
Dragonstorm #1
The Lexian Chronicles #1
Monster Candy


Mostly unknowns but a great price. Free.


DriveThru Fiction
Dark Ages Clan Novel #1: Nosferatu - As long-time fan of the Old World of Darkness and Dark Ages in particular, I'm excited.
Apex Magazine October 2011 (Issue 29)
Deadlands Dime Novel 01: Perdition's Daughter - Deadlands is a weird western RPG that I would have liked to play but either never got a chance or was too apathetic when I did. I like weird westerns.
The Raven - Don't think this is Poe poem...
Courting the King in Yellow (The Parted Veil Series: Book One) - A modern King in Yellow story.
Awesome!
Obsessed


Another excellent haul even if I have no idea what the three other books are as the other three more than compensate for them.


RPGNow - While not part of the Trick or Treat promotion, Troll Lord Games offered a free pdf of the Demon Hunter class for Amazing Adventures to celebrate Halloween. Never had the privilege to sample Amazing Adventures but a demon hunter character in a setting of pulp adventure is too good to pass up!


Tomorrow, I plan (okay, hope) to post about how I celebrated the week of Halloween. My thoughts and reviews of: The Last Witch Hunter, Vertigo 2015 Preview, iZombie season 2, draugr, what I consider Halloween episodes of The Player and Sleepy Hollow, Grimm Season 4 premiere, and Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D. #1.