Comics Haul from July 10th, 2019

On the waning hours of Tuesday, I blogged my Comics Haul from the July 3rd release comics. Only the URL will state July 2nd. Fixed it; but my gaffe is there. Sigh... Was in such a Tuesday mindset, I had finished playing D&D, that I counted back seven days from Tuesday.  Didn't want to make that mistake again so I was sure to make the trip to the comics shop to buy my haul from those comics released on the 10th of July, 2019.

Thus, why there's a Comics Haul a mere day or two after the previous.

Besides, doesn't feel odd posting my collection the day after New Comics Day versus posting the day before New Comics Day. What can I say? There are weeks when I want to go to the comics shop once a week and then there are weeks where twice a week pilgrimage is appealing.

My haul was very, very light for me this week. No trades. End of the month might be a killer though...

Star Wars #68 (Had considered dropping the title with the change in writer; but Star Wars is now the single longest running title I have been collecting from beginning to present.) and Detective Comics #1007 (My final new issue of Detective Comics for awhile. Only hung around for the Spectre story. Love, absolutely love, the Batman TAS homage on the cover!)

Batman and the Outsiders #3 (Black Lightning calling out Batman? Oh yeah!) and Young Justice #7

Savage Sword of Conan #7 (didn't I buy issue 6 on Tuesday? Should probably check if I bought a duplicate...), Hawkman #14 (Sienkiewicz Cardstock Variant - It's because of the variant I didn't drop Hawkman with this issue.), and House of Whispers #11 (Another title I may or not drop within the near future.)

And dat dat dat's all folks!

Rather surreal to blog my comics haul the very same week those comics hit the stands!

Next time.

Superman: Year One and Rest of the Comic Haul for 6/19/19

Another week. Another week of new comics. Another trip to the comics store.

Time for show off my latest comics haul!

Here's what I picked up among the comics available on 6/19/19.

Superman Year One #1 part of DC's Black Label imprint is the big purchase of the week. Frank Miller and John Romita Jr tell their rendition of Superman's Origin. Aquaman #49 is the other title pictured.

Uncle Scrooge #46, Uncanny X-Men #20 (penultimate issue of the most recent volume), and Star Wars #67 (Gillen's final issue).

Justice League #26, Lucifer #9, Savage Sword of Conan #6

I conclude this week's comics haul with next major of purchase of the week: the first issue of Usagi Yojimbo published by IDW! Not only is it a start of a new era for the rabbit ronin but it's in full color too! Captain America #11 and Guardians of the Galaxy #6 round out the haul.

Next time.

12 Blog Posts of December Day 10 WEG Star Wars 30th Unboxing

Not writing a clunky version of the 12 gifts of Christmas this time. Suffice it to say, today is the tenth day and after blogging seven days consecutively, I am not doing a '12 Blog Posts of December' next year if I need to blog nine days straight in order to blog 12 times!


2018 marks a milestone in the table-top role-playing games. It's a milestone in Star Wars circles too. Why? This is year is the 30th Anniversary of West End Games Star Wars the Role-Playing Game. In the process, much of what would become known as the Star Wars Expanded Universe had its genesis with this project. In many ways, the WEG SWRPG was the Star Wars bible as it compiled and defined aspects of Star Wars lore that hadn't been defined before. If I recall correctly, Timothy Zahn was given Star Wars RPG books while researching his now famous Thrawn Trilogy.


I have fond memories sitting in a now-defunct book store flipping through the pages of the orginal, i.e. 1st edition, Star Wars RPG Main Book and Source Book. Since the Star Wars Expanded Universe was in its infancy, Dark Force Rising hadn't yet hit stands, the Star Wars fan was excited to hold these tomes of Star Wars lore. More importantly, I had just started playing Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition regularly. As new gamer, I was excited at the prospect of playing the Star Wars equivalent of Dungeons & Dragons! Just didn't have the money to buy them...


However, as fate would have it, the Second Edition came out as my birthday neared. I was struck by the newness  and glossiness of the book as well as the screenshot of Darth Vader upon the cover. Remember, how I said I was playing AD&D 2E? Well, clearly a second edition is better than a first edition, right? Unlike the defunct book store, this particularly copy I found at my local comic book store. You can kind of guess how this story ends, right?


Still, some part of me always wondered what if I had acquired copies of those two first edition WEG books. Eventually, time eroded my edition snobbery. Playing a revised 2nd ed WEG Star Wars and two or three different versions of Star Wars RPG published by WotC helped too.


Then, I discovered Fantasy Flight Games was releasing a slipcase replica of those two original books. I was excited. A must buy! While browsing through my FLGCS and seeing they had a couple copies, the 30th anniversary edition was on my radar. When only one copy remained, I pounced!


It, uh, sat shrink-wrapped until day... The thought struck me, why not do an 'unboxing via pictures' on my blog as part of my 12 Blog Posts of December! After all, this is the season for unwrapping! Today just so happened to be the day







Here it is shrink-wrapped:

Oh look, the outer layer was just packaging or a dust cover!

Front side of slipcase:

Back side of slipcase:

Really like how they reproduced the cover here!



Front covers from both replicas of the core book and the sourcebook.

Back covers. Pretty confident the '40' wasn't located in the upper-right corner...

Okay, the 40 years is a shout out to forty years of Star Wars: A New Hope.

Hmm, Fantasy Flight Games didn't exist back then!

Yep, a cheap plug for the newest iteration of Star Wars Table-Top Role-Playing Games produced by Fantasy Flight Games.

FFG's insert with the main book:

A Dedication along with all the usual business info on the left and a Foreword explain the project on the right.

I will admit I bought this for nostalgia's sake; and the aesthetics of a slipcase sitting in a bookcase. So maybe someday, I will review the first two books of WEGs SWRPG. A review, what, 30 years after the books were published? I mean why not. Even if it is another 30 years...

Got two more days of blogging to go!

Next time.

12 Blogs of December Day 4: Non-seasonal X-Mas Entries and Star Wars Radio Dramas Redux

On Tuesday, I declared I would do a '12 Blogs of December' in homage to the '12 Days of Christmas'. Looked at the calendar and realized I would need to blog every day from now until the 31st to meet my goal! Better get to blogging, I guess.


My original intention way back earlier in the year was to do a compilation post including every 'X-Mas'-related blog post I made AFTER the Christmas season. Back then, I was envisioning many reviews from Marvel Digital Unlimited. Maybe reading some Christmas comics. Watch some movies and television shows containing Christmas elements. Kind of like Halloween, didn't quite happen. Unlike Halloween, I did post some out-of-season X-Mas content. Furthermore, my Marvel Digital Unlimited gift subscription was activated a couple months AFTER the holiday season. So... next year may be a completely different story.


Also, while I had stated I wasn't necessarily going to go heavy on Star Wars blogging, i.e. no Star Wars movie debuted this month, I did discover a curious thing scrolling through my 'X-Mas' label in preparation of today's compilation post. All the YouTube videos containing the Star Wars Radio Dramas were kaput...


The YouTube account had been cancelled...? Doesn't exist anymore? Regardless, the videos I had inserted no longer do what I inserted them for. Playback the three Star Wars Radio Dramas. Just another example that Internet and permanence are murky...


Fret not! I quick search on YouTube revealed another YouTuber has re-uploaded their own edit of the Star Wars Radio Audio Dramas!


For posterity's sake, here they are:


Star Wars: A New Hope

Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi


Blogger won't let me insert the video directly from YouTube, i.e. won't pop up on the search, so I'll provide a link instead. Here it is.


With that out of the way, here are the out of season X-Mas posts:


Palladium Books did a Christmas in July special when they offered their Christmas Surprise Package. I hadn't ordered one in years so finally I did so. Took pics of the goodies and autographs. Take a peek if you so choose.


The other non-seasonal X-Mas blogging I did during 2018 was the Marvel Digital Unlimited Upgrade Saga, which ran from the Unboxing all the way to the resolution of upgrading from an annual membership to a gift membership. I would love to say it was only a mere two-step saga; but it wasn't. There were three posts between them as I discovered upgrading wouldn't be simple, then I realized I couldn't upgrade by myself, and lastly the call to Customer Service I made to remedy the situation. In retrospect, the experience was incredibly humbling and if others can learn from experience, the better.


Therein, ends Day 4. Maybe tomorrow, I'll try to emulate the song.


Next time!

Not Quite 12 Days of Blogging: Watched Some Star Wars on Christmas Day

Before I begin, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!


Took Christmas Eve off from blogging and considered doing the same for Christmas Day. However, I ended up by doing do something blog-related and that was watch some Star Wars I never watched before!


Now I didn't consider what I watched as a waste of time although I felt it inconsequential. Nor did I feel it was an affront to all things Star Wars. Pretty much something I would only watch once a year for the holidays.


No I am not talking Last Jedi nor the prequels. 'Holiday' is a clue.


If you guessed the Star Wars Holiday Special, you guessed right!


For those, like me, who had never seen the Star Wars Holiday Special it is available online such as Youtube.


Heck, for easy viewing if you have a little more than 90 minutes to watch the only Star Wars Holiday Special here it is:

There is a higher video quality version available to but this is the version that came up when I performed a quick search.


I can now cross the Star Wars Holiday Special off my Star Wars bucket list. While I appreciate the attempt to flesh out a galaxy far, far away, I am rather glad it's not canonical. Does contain the first appearance of Boba Fett and worth watching for that reason alone.


Think I am ready to see The Last Jedi soon now...


Since the holiday season lasts longer than today as the Christmas season doesn't end until January 6th, I may very well continue my Not Quite 12 Days until either the 6th or I hit the twelfth installment. However, I'll reserve such distinction for X-Mas or Star Wars related fare. Will be just another blog entry otherwise.


Happy Holidays!


Next time.

Not Quite 12 Days of Blogging: All 3 Star Wars Radio Dramas for OT are Online!

On the third day of my Not Quite 12 Days of Blogging I give to thee, three Star Wars radio dramas! If I had a time machine, I wish I could go back to yesterday a couple hours sooner when I made my discovery on Youtube. Now, I had been meaning to include a Star Wars post among my Not Quite series since we can pretty much expect a new Star Wars movie every holiday season. I got busy and the next thing I knew it The Last Jedi was out... and reactions were... polarized. My original intent yesterday was to do a Star Wars themed blog entry. All the mixed reactions to the latest Star Wars movie made me... less enthused to blog about Star Wars.


So I decided to spend time on Youtube. After all, decent internet is available to me. Again. Why not browse Youtube. Then after midnight this morning, I stumbled upon my discovery.


The Star Wars Radio Dramas for the Original Trilogy are available on Youtube. Some are whole. Others are split into installments. For fans of the Original Trilogy whom are feeling let down from The Last Jedi, here's a taste of yesteryear when Han shot first.


For the uninitiated National Public Radio (NPR) produced two Radio Dramas for the first two Star Wars movies, Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back. Star Wars produced back in 1981 was noteworthy as it included many scenes cut out of A New Hope. During the 90's, transcripts were released in book format for both Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back Radio Plays.


While no radio plays were produced for Return of the Jedi during the 80's. I distinctly remember listening to an audio recording of the film as a kid. Guess, a private company later produced a radio version during the 90s.


Here's the all three radio plays in the their full form. You may want to use these a basis for your own forays on Youtube to listen to these Original Trilogy Radio Plays at your leisure.


Star Wars 1981

Has walloping run time of 4:55:53 so you'll probably want to plan of several intermissions!




Empire Strikes Back 1983

Not quite as long. Only a run time of 3:35:26...




Return of the Jedi 1996

Hey this one has a run time of 2 hours and 55 minutes! It could be a very long movie today!


Happy listening and may the force be with you!


Next time.

Greedo Missing Was Just A Bad Attack Role

Today I came to the realization, which I am sure the webcomic Darths & Droids already has, that Greedo missing Han could have come straight out a table-top RPG session.


What's that? Han shot first? Yes, yes, I know that. I remember watching on a television screen long, long ago and being caught by surprise when Han shot Greedo. I also recall later on but still long, long ago being surprised in local cinema seeing Greedo shooting first. And missing.


Sure, folks were riled caused Han originally shot first. Yes, Greedo shooting first in a fashion nullifies Han's character development from a sketchy rogue to a good guy. Eh, maybe. Let's be honest, everyone was like 'how did Greedo miss?! Han was right there! What was Lucas thinking?'


Okay, while I doubt Lucas has played, but any table-top role-player has been there before. Missing the target one would think impossible to miss.


Had such an experience myself this past Monday playing an Adventurers League event via D&D 5E. Both my PC and another PC probably spent one or two rounds attacking a door. And missing.


Now D&D 5E uses pre-3E notions that a to-hit role isn't just to-hit. It's to-hit and do damage. Our attacks may very well have been hitting. They just weren't effective enough to deal damage.


Third Edition/Pathfinder may have set the DC to hit at 10. There's a good chance your missing; and third had contact rules.


As does Shadowrun and old WOD. Don't score a success and you miss. Speaking of old WoD, or at least old MET Laws of (splat), I lost track of the number of times there were simple tasks failing because the storyteller went 'nah throw me chops.' Since a PC is firing a weapon, many GMs would feel justified even as something as simple as door. Same applies toward a sitting individual.


Heck, it's 2017. Thirty years of the West End Games Star Wars RPG. The WEG Star Wars game codified much of present day Star Wars lore. Using those rules as an example, there's two ways Greedo missed both involving the wild die. If you rolled a one, two things could happen. One, you subtract the wild die and the die with highest result from your total. If Greedo's player rolled low enough without those two die results included within the total such that the target number wasn't reached, failure.


The other possibility of a one on the wild die is you fail spectacular fashion. Missing someone sitting across from you would count as failing spectacularly. If WEG hadn't predated the Special Editions by a decade, I would say Greedo missing inspired the wild die...


Also, practically every table-top RPG has rules for critically missing where an attack automatically fails.


So there you have it. Greedo missing Han from across the table was just a bad roll. Rather surprised it took me so long to think of this...


Next Time.

Forgot about Darths & Droids!

First of June so figured it was high time to blog once more. Hadn't blogged more during May simply because I couldn't pick subject matter to focus on first! Good thing I don't write or blog for a living hehe


Must admit it would be June (insert date); and I would still be deciding which idea I've been procrastinating over to blog about. Decided what the heck I'll scroll through the blog as if I am visitor. Don't really do that all that much anymore when I glanced at the left hand header Webcomics and saw the Webcomic Darths &Droids.


'Ah, Darths & Droids, that is a webcomic I have not read in very, very long time.' Pardon the Obi-Wan reference pun.


Okay, to be fair, I had been thinking about Darths and Droids since I learned via social media that they completed the story from Episode I to Episode VI! Yeah, I know and they know Disney has released a couple more but back when the strip debuted back in the 2000s we were led to believe the prequels were the last of the Star Wars movies.


What is Darths and Droids you ask?


Darths and Droids is a webcomic inspired by the webcomic DM of the Rings, which uses photo scans from the movies to create a comic page. The story told with each comic page captures what would have happened during each scene if it was the result of a role-playing game. Both the in-character and out-of-character chatter is included. As any gamer would tell you the dialogue would be very different...


I stopped reading Darths and Droids simply because it fell out of habit. In fact, regular webcomic reading dropped to non-existence. Didn't help that I began collecting significantly more comics and my gaming became non-existent. Last time I followed the strip they were still on the Phantom Menace. Yep, that long.


So if you want to mix role-playing games, comics, and the Star Wars movies, there's Darths and Droids. Speaking of which, I should probably catch up!


Happy Reading!

My Thoughts on Comic Book and Misc News of January 2017 Part One

My look at how quickly time flies. Was the beginning of the month since I last blogged. Plus I never did write my final installment of my 12ish Days of Blogging! As usual, life and burnout happens. After a couple days past the sixth, I decided my official final chapter just wasn't to be. Fret not the promised review is still forthcoming. In the meantime, I decided to get back in the swing of things with commentary on various news tidbits in the world of comic books and maybe some genre and RPG stuff too.


Sworn into office holding Captain America's shield - An elected official sworn into office holding Captain America's shield! Very, very cool. Politics can be quite heavy so some levity is always nice one in awhile.


Actual X-Men in upcoming X-Men Show - If there was one disappointing strike against Marvel's Agents of SHIELD show was that appearances from the characters that appeared in the movies turned out be much, much rarer than many expected. So kudos to those behind the upcoming X-men television series from FOX announcing actual X-Men will appear in the show. They're just coy about whom. Okay, fine. As long as the show doesn't wait until Episode 6 for Maggot to appear...


Avengers Project - Upcoming Marvel games courtesy of Square Ennix? Cool. I'd comment more but I, er, couldn't get the video to load...


Did Princess Leia's mission change? - Must confess I was too busy fan-boying at Leia's appearance in Rogue One to be bothered by the inconsistency in her mission. Here's the reason for the change or if you want to take the long path the novelization explains as well.


Uh, oh Game of Thrones cast getting into trouble - While filming for seventh season of Game of Thrones, the cast and crew got into trouble for not having any off-road permits for filming in Iceland. Who says there isn't bureaucracy north of the Wall?


MET: Werewolf Errata - By Night Studios released a shiny version of Werewolf for Live-Action Role-play. As is the case in the gaming industry nowadays, here's the errata. Did pick up a copy of the ebook recently so I'll comment more on that and the recent errata once I get around to writing a review...


Starlin has earned more in royalties for KGBeast?! - Recently, comics creator Jim Starlin, creator of Thanos, Drax, and Gamora, announced he's earned more on royalties from KGBeast than his Marvel creations. Say what?! KGBeast was in Batman vs Superman?! Guess, it was a minor appearance in his civilian identity. Don't recall it being a big part so that says much about how much in royalties Marvel pays creators from its films. Maybe they'll cut Starlin a bigger check seeing how several upcoming movies (GotG 2 and the two Avengers Infinity War films) owe a huge debt to him...


More GoT cast pics - More Game of Thrones cast pics along with cast sightings while filming in Iceland. Awesome.




Well, eight links/news stories is enough for one installment. Since January isn't over yet, there'll be a Part Two. January 2017 Part Two will include my commentary on DC's pricing changes for Rebirth. That may or may not be lengthy and veer and the ranting side. Time and my mood will tell.


Till next time.

12ish Days of Blogging: Wonder Woman's Brief Brush with Star Wars Fandom

On the fifth day of the 12ish Days of Blogging I give to thee a retroview of a classic episode of Wonder Woman 70's show while celebrating the characters 75th anniversary. Tomorrow may also include a review of a one-shot commemorating said 75th anniversary but seeing how tomorrow's New Year's Eve we'll see how well that goes, right?


2016 is many things to many people. I'm not discussing any of the negatives here. In the world of comics, several characters reached their 75th anniversary this year. Alas, it's too late for me to commemorate such a milestone for every character. As luck would have it, Wonder Woman will receive such an honor. Largely because due to synergy with the debut of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story an episode of Wonder Woman aired in which Wonder Woman attends a sci fi convention.


Yeah, you read that right. I'm partially celebrating Wonder Woman's 75th anniversary because on 1/26/1979 an episode of Wonder Woman called Spaced Out aired involved a science fiction convention which included Star Wars cosplay. Considering my 12ish Days of Blogging has slight undercurrent of Star Wars you could say its more about Wonder Woman meets Star Wars fans.


Yep, the episode rode on the heels of Star Wars fame. Brief spoilers - the Star Wars cosplay was of an X-wing pilot and a tusken raider; and Wonder Woman may not have actually bumped into them. It was just a quick appearance of Star Wars cosplay. Still it was pretty cool. Plus, the robot from Lost In Space, okay the costume, was there so kind of counts... maybe... sort of...


Some highlights:

• Diana Prince, aka Wonder Woman, isn't a fan of the science fiction convention nor the costumes but by episodes end she certainly seems to have warmed up to it!
• Having watched maybe a handful of episodes, apparently there were three characters that appeared previously  but I am not sure...
• Rather surreal watching Wonder Woman get spoofed by cat burglar...
• The Moon rock/Space room of Nausea!
• Kimble the cat burglar's physical comedy reaction upon hearing host of the Moon Rock/Space room of nausea exhibit apparently having a date with Diana.
• The Tusken Raider and X-Wing Pilot.
• Robbie the Robot from Lost in Space... 'Robbie the Robot is a lush!'
• Grappling hook shenanigans.
• 'I thought the crystals were cheap pieces of plastic!'
• When bedlam ensues when a fight occurs because the convention goers believe its an unscripted event is a hoot.
• With the focus on Wonder Woman using a sword and shield in modern media its nice to use her lasso of truth and just subdue people.

Wouldn't be surprised if Mark Hamill wishes he could have appeared in this episode considering he's really into conventions of this sort.


Overall, while its not serious by modern standards as it had its share of good cheeky fun, I wouldn't quite say Spaced Out was out-and-out camp. The science fiction convention stuff had me geeking out. Back in 1979, this is probably the closest Wonder Woman could come to a crossover with Lost In Space and Star Wars. Heck, the same could probably be the same for nowadays... I give it 3 Out of 5 Stars. If you're a fan, the episode is worth it for a hoot.


Till My 6th 12ish Days of Blogging.

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.

12ish Days of Blogging: Several Rogue One-related Links

On the second day of my 12ish Days of Blogging, I give to thee several Rogue One: A Star Wars Story related links. Before I continue further I want to give credit where credit is due. Without writers Paul Cornell (whom I've reviewed his first issue of Stormwatch) and Bill Willingham (don't recall if I've reviewed any of his stuff here...), doing a 12 Days of Blogging and 12 Stories, respectively, I never would have thought to do this. My X-mas related posts would have seemed out of nowhere. Also, I want to think Disney for joining Star Wars with the holiday season for the forseeable future. Now, Star Wars is synonymous with the holidays!


So ergo, it wouldn't be the holidays without some Star Wars related links, right? So here's some links related to Rogue One that I found of interest.


Whitaker reprises role for Rebels - In an awesome bit of synergy, Forest Whitaker reprises his role from Rogue One in the Star Wars animated series Rebels.  Really cool indeed.


Vader Pun Controversy - If you haven't seen Rogue One yet, hereby SPOILERS. Otherwise, there's a bit of controversy about Darth Vader cracking a pun. I admit it caught me off guard and jolted me out of the scene. However, I didn't consider it a scandalous treatment of the character. Certainly, no worse than Vader's comment at the end of Episode 3. Heck, it bothered me less than any of the things Anakin does during the prequels. As the article above points out it is well within character. Which after reading said article I can see the author's point about Vader cracking puns being within character. Guess it all depends on a certain point of view.


Rogue One's Massive Opening Weekend - The Wall Street Journal ran a piece on how well Rogue One performed at the box office during its opening weekend. It performed well. Very well. A high box office speaks favorably towards future Star Wars Anthology movies and Star Wars movies using mostly original characters. Very good news indeed.


Rogue One Cameos - One of the things that I greatly enjoyed about Rogue One was the cameos. As part of the enjoyment was the surprise of those cameos I'll say this link contains massive SPOILERS!


Bold Ending is what the Franchise Needed - Yep, SPOILERS. In hindsight I shouldn't have been surprised by the ending but, yeah, the ending is a huge reason I enjoyed the film.


How Rogue One Changes Perceptions of the Original Trilogy - Once again, another link that one should really see the movie first if you don't any SPOILERS. This piece is a much, much more eloquent piece than when I blogged about how Rogue One greatly improves Rebel Alliance campaigns in Star Wars TRPGs - except applied toward the original trilogy.


A marketing rant - Over at ComicMix, here's what's really a rant over using Rogue One to cater to different markets such as using Chinese actors to appeal to audiences in China. Since I wasn't aware the actors were Chinese I thought they were cast as homages to Lucas receiving inspiration from Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress. The more you know I guess...


Mark Hamill is a Fan - Yep, Luke Skywalker likes it. I concur too.


A New Martial Art Style Created for Rogue One - The actor who played the blind monk apparently created his own style. Now, that's cool.


Till Next Time.

Rogue One: Finally a Star Wars Movie that Lends Legitimacy to Rebel PCs

First things first. I felt Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was fantastic film. If the other anthology films equal Rogue One in quality, Disney's mini-holiday tradition (until 2020 at least) of an annual Star Wars film right around the holiday season will be a good one. However, I'm not going to review the film at this time. One, much of the film's strengths hinge on not being spoiled the first time through. Second, I have only seen the movie once. My mantra of multiple viewings required before a review stands for this film as well. What tonight's blogging spiel is about how excited I am for the ramifications for those that play Star Wars PCs in table-top RPGs particularly Rebellion-era.


There's two things I've always hated about playing Star Wars during the Rebellion-era. The Rebellion, while the underdogs, seemed to put together. Second, the group of Han, Luke, Leia, and Co are the heroes of the Rebellion. No matter how you slice it you can't escape that fact. Your characters are second fiddle; and there's no other examples to prove otherwise.


Rogue One changes all that. Without going into spoilers, the Rebellion-era being the Han, Luke, and Leia show because they're the only  heroes is no longer the case. Now, Star Wars fans have other examples. Furthermore, they know what those characters can be like. They're no longer just outsider types playing a role in a rebellion but actual rebels. The Expanded Universe was great in that it fleshed out the more obscure areas but we never got a full on look what run-of-the-mill rebels were like. Star Wars fans do know. Plus, the obligatory lightsaber-wielding PC is no longer required! You really have to watch the television shows and cartoons to have examples of that gap.


Examples aside. Rogue One demonstrates that the Rebellion needs heroes and such heroics do occur when no Skywalker is mentioned. I'd gloss on more but that breaks my no spoiler rule. But yeah, for the first time, in a long, long time, maybe ever, I feel Rebel PCs that aren't the movie group can play a pivotal role in the Rebellion. Yep, no amount of West End Games source material made me thought otherwise.


So with that, pick up whichever iteration of the Star Wars RPG you have on hand and have your PCs join the Rebellion.


Quick aside: think I got my first hand look at what either a heavy or light repeating blaster rifle looks like cinematically...


Happy Gaming.

Thoughts on Comic Book-ish News the Week of Aug 5, 2016

Had a blast composing my thoughts about some of the revelations that came out of SDCC 2016. My inner geek enjoyed fan-boying over the latest developments. So much so, that I realized that as much as I follow the news in the comic book industry, I rarely comment here. After all, what comic book fan doesn't like to rant/rave about the latest news within the comic book world? Don't know if this will be a one-off or become a new regular feature; but here's my thoughts on some of the latest developments in the world of comics of the week of August 5th, 2016. Links are provided, of course.


Season One vs Season Two of DC's Legends of Tomorrow: Legends had it's problems with Season One. At the link HERE, the producers explain why that was so as well as lessons learned. Good job of explaining why the show felt off. In many ways, Legends of Tomorrow was like a D&D campaign covering the Lord of the Rings except instead of taking a more efficient route chose a path that made the all shenanigans taking the One Ring to Mordor look speedy and professional. So the Legends are more like the D&D party that barely pursues the campaign goal while getting themselves into a ton of trouble. Cool. Glad I don't have to worry about Flashpoint in Flash messing up this show - and by extension Arrow. Absolute love that Season Two will have a generational contrast with the Legends being the Millenials and the Justice Society being the Greatest Generation. Heck, I'm just glad the Justice Society will go back to their WWII roots, which is something missing from the New 52/DC You/Rebirth comics. Plus the one-off episodes shouldn't be as infuriating either as the team isn't pursuing a definable mission with a definable end goal.


When Tony met Riri: Huh? No wonder no copy of Invicible Iron Man #12 was on the rack when I went to my comic shop Wednesday! A major milestone occurred! For those, like me, who didn't get the issue as many comic shops probably experienced unexpectedly high demand, details at this link.  Couple major moments here. Depending how Marvel Now the sequel goes, both this segment and one other may very well earn spots in Top Panels contests for years to come.


Why No Marvel's Mosted Wanted?: As a fan of Marvel's Agents of Shield, I was disappointed that Marvel's Most Wanted was passed on by ABC. Now, we know why. You can read why HERE. Sadly, as with many passed-over shows, ABC didn't like the pilot. Disappointing.  However, apparently, Marvel can shop the show elsewhere. Won't hold my breath though...


Never Say Never to More Peggy Carter: I'm quite happy that actress Hayley Atwell is more than willing to reprise the role of spy Agent Peggy Carter. Kind of like another actor for another famous spy role, she's never saying never albeit without the 'again' part. For the time being, I'll just have to check out her show Conviction. You can read more in-depth HERE.


Since I mentioned Flashpoint: While the time-hoppers of Legends won't be affected by Flashpoint, it appears Flashpoint won't last the entire season of Flash either. Here's a link.  What a sigh of relief! Don't think they could stretch the story arc of Flashpoint for 22 episodes and maintain a high-quality throughout. Wonder what the permanent changes will be?


Lucas loves the Marvel Han Solo comic: 'Nuff said. Simply incredible! The creative team should be proud. Here's the scoop.


Cap creators receive their due on the Cap statue: Absolutely love that a Captain America statue has been erected. Absolutely ecstatic that his creators, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, are being credited on the statue itself. Simply fantastic. The power of a petition. You can read the story HERE.


First Look at the Justice Society of America's Logo: In other Legend's of Tomorrow news, the logo of Justice Society was unveiled. Very elegant indeed. You can look at it HERE.


Riverdale Cast/Creators on the show's Twin Peak's tone: First, here's the INTERVIEW. I admit I was leery over the changes to the Archie canon for the show Riverdale. After reading this, I feel much better. Changes make sense. And it is just one universe within the multiverse that is Archie. Besides, Sacasa's work is top-notch; and I did grow up watching 90210 so Luke Perry's casting fits the CW aspect of the show...


JMS leaves comics - In somber news, writer JMS is leaving comics. Sad news indeed as I loved his work. Was wondering why his output had diminished. He had developed vision problems. You can read more at this LINK. I wish him the best of luck becoming a novelist and playwright.


That's it for this week. Next week, perhaps?

Review: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Maybe Minor Spoilers?)

First things first, I absolutely loved Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens. The Force Awakens impressed me so much that I may very well watch it a second time. Rarely do I see a movie twice within the cinema. Heck, nowadays I seldom view a movie again after it leaves theaters. Furthermore, the latest Star Wars is the first movie that I have seen in a while that I feel compelled to write a review of the itself and not in conjunction with other movies and television shows. So with that ringing endorsement out the way let's get to the review shall we?


Spoilers. Spoilers - that nasty thing. How much does one reveal particularly for a hotly anticipated film such the newest installment in the Star Wars Saga? I found the consensus not to spoil the movie refreshing in today's day and age. Although what constitutes a spoiler? Is it specific detail or a generic event? By the time I saw The Force Awakens I already knew there would be some mimicry of the original trilogy. Social media proudly proclaimed how bad-ass the female character Rei is. So those type of spoilers I won't shy from. Since I saw the movie social media has started to reveal more details like Kylo Ren's face. If that's not a spoiler, I don't know what is. Those are they type of spoilers I will endeavor not to reveal.


As a Star Wars fan, I have a confession. I am one of those rare Star Wars fans who grew up with the original trilogy that liked the prequels. Granted, I had my problems but for the most part I could find something enjoyable in all of them. That said, I don't think I would have enjoyed Episode VII without the prequels. Not because the movie borrowed from the prequels. It didn't. Rather The Force Awakens painstakingly avoids every pitfall that prequels made. Excessive CGI? Nope. Mary sue characters? No, more than Luke Skywalker or Han Solo in the originals. Overwhelming cuteness? Yes, there's a bit of cuteness but the latest filmmakers realized that Star Wars isn't a kids movie but a movie that appeals to kids. Signs of an inexperienced, out-of-practice director? Nope. Everyone involved has been active in the movie business for quite some time. I suppose one reason I give Lucas a pass on the prequels is because he not only hadn't been a director since 1977 but the number was so small in total. In game terms, people were expecting a level 20 director. Instead they got a level 5.


One thing that the prequels did right Episode 7 does not is that there was an attempt to break new ground. The prequels greatly expanded special effects with the involvement of CGI albeit they did overdo the CGI. Episode 7 doesn't do that at all. As part of a franchise known for its ground-breaking special effects, there's nothing visually new that one hasn't seen within the last decade. Furthermore, there's no experimentation whatsoever. The Force Awakens plays it safe with the exception that the film is done with modern 21st century sensibilities. It has a strong, diverse cast. Which leads to the next point, Episode 7 borrows heavily from Episode 4: A New Hope. So much that they really should have given George Lucas a writing credit. For as sub-par as they were the prequels were original stories. I guessThe Force Awakens biggest accomplishment was the realization that that is what I wanted. So in a nutshell Bryan Singer should have waited until after Man of Steel before doing Superman Returns...


My other two quibbles were: how easy it was use a lightsaber. The West End version of the Star Wars RPG cries at the relative ease a lightsaber was used. So much for the base difficult difficulty setting... I was also irked by how quickly and how powerful a novice Force user was...


Before one doubts how much I loved Star Wars Episode 7 The Force Awakens:

• Loved the legendary actor Max Von Sydow's appearance! I probably was one of the few that gasped...
• Han Solo/Harrison Ford stole the show. Every scene that Han was in made that scene better than it otherwise would have been. Found myself anticipating further shenanigans in Episode 8.
• Rei - spoilers.
• The intermingling of the original cast and the new generation.
• Kylo Ren - the actor did a terrific job. A worthy heir to Darth Vader in more ways than one.
• Poe and Flinn - some excellent one-liners. Enjoyable battles.
• There's more but that involves delving too much into spoiler territory.

I think the biggest accomplishment is that I am excited for Star Wars again and that although Anakin Skywalker isn't a principal character that the Saga lives once more. After I saw Revenge of the Sith, I felt that the Star Wars story was completed. Sure, I watched The Clone Wars and read Death Troopers but I consider the former as redemption for some of ills of the prequels while the latter was more of a novel concept. My interest in the comics was because of the original cast involvement. Episode 7 as much as borrows familiar elements breathes new life into the Saga. Star Wars will endure; and my excitement re-energized.