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.

WWE Royal Rumble 2016 - Yep, Just Recently Saw It

WWE FastLane 2016 happened recently. However, I'm not going to discuss that PPV. Instead, Royal Rumble 2016 is the object of my focus. Due to the WWE Network, I finally saw it... about two days after FastLane. So should I comment on FastLane that should be about mid or late-March, right? For the newcomers wondering why I am discussing a wrestling PPV on comics and games blog, the answer is quite simple. Back in 2009, I decided to occasionally discuss sports entertainment via this blog in lieu of starting another. Just haven't discussed wrestling for pretty much the same reason that I took more than a month to discuss the 2016 Rumble. Just have not watched much of the current stuff since resuming my blog.


You may ask, why watch Royal Rumble 2016 especially since FastLane 2016 was in the books two days prior? One, outcomes aside, the Rumble match usually is enjoyable. Two, the Royal Rumble always gets me in the mood for WrestleMania. Quite simply, it's part of my 'Mania tradition. I may not always watch the PPV that comes between but I usually try to watch the Royal Rumble itself. Three, ever since I first became of the Royal Rumble match I have always wanted to see the champion defend his championship in that match itself. For the first time ever, the reigning champion, Roman Reigns defended his belt in the Royal Rumble match. Must see.


Here's the breakdown of what I thought:


IC Title Match: Dean Ambrose vs Kevin Owens: Easily among the best last man standing matches that I have ever seen. I've seen a couple stinkers so I was glad this match did not disappoint. The double table spot was amazing. Both Owens (whom I am familiar with as Steene) and Ambrose have quite a hardcore legacy ahead. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.


Tag Title Match: The New Day vs The Usos: Solid match. New Day is absolutely hilarious. Quite an entertaining gimmick. As I recently saw the Deadpool movie, Kofi Kingston possessing a unicorn horn was probably far more funny than it otherwise would have been. Rating 3 out of 5 stars


US Title Match: Alberto Del Rio vs Kallisto: Another decent match. My first time watching Kallisto work. Would loved to have seen more but Alberto Del Rio was wrestling his heel-quash-the-luchador style. Find it rather amusing that, what I believe are, two Mexicans are competing for the US Title. Kind of like the European belt being defended within North America between people from NA... Rating: 3 out of 5 stars


Divas Title Match: Charlotte vs Becky Lynch: Never seen either of these women wrestle before. Quite an impressive athletic women's match that portends good things for women wrestling within the WWE. Loved how Charlotte channeled the heel mannerisms of her father. Ric Flair's presence was a nice treat. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.


Rather impressed with the quality of the matches. The fact all of them were championship matches was nice touch.


Royal Rumble Match
The storytelling was decent during the match although I could have done without all the out of the ring shenanigans. Not to mention what I felt was cheap way for Roman Reigns to go the distance.


Loved AJ Styles first appearance in WWE. Impressed that he lasted as long.


Chris Jericho was the workhorse he ran the distance and served as the glue for most of the match.


Bran Strowman is quite the giant. During any other era I'd see a championship match in his future.


Kofi Kingston was usually a highlight for the match. There was a cute segment but it's a far cry from the Kofi of old.


R Truth thinking it was a Ladder Match was hilarious.


First time seeing the stable that is the League of Nations together in operation. Decent heel showing and received their storyline comeuppance.


Never thought I would cheer so much for Brock Lesnar.


The Wyatt family looked formidable. One would think a feud between them and Lesnar as inevitable after watching this match.


So if the eliminated Wyatts came back in to eliminate Brock, why not eliminate everyone else?


If the Authority truly wanted Reigns out, why not toss him back in and then eliminate him?


Reigns receiving the level of boos is troubling considering he's supposed to be the hero. Cena is cheered more.


Triple H  winning the Rumble and becoming champion wasn't so bad. I am ready for the storyline loss to Reigns at WrestleMania.


Rating: 3 out of 5 stars


Overall: Royal Rumble 2016 was a decent PPV (3 out of 5 stars) especially for the cost of the WWE Network. Loved that all the belts were defended in solid matches. Eagerly looking forward to WrestleMania. My only quibble is that Roman Reigns may not be, and probably should not be, the hero of the story.

A new category for my blog: Cancelled/On the Bubble Comics

Alas, I knew it was going to happen and it did. When Marvel released its All-New All-Different (ANAD) initiative, sixty new titles seemed way too much in too small a time-frame. The market and publisher would not support all those titles. Cancellations would occur.


One cancellation has.


Recently, I discovered to my chagrin that Marvel is cancelling Black Knight as of issue five. Way back when I was to doing my 'buy, maybe, pass' bit on new ANAD titles, Black Knight was among the definite 'buy' list. Needless to say, I am disappointed by this news. I learned about the cancellation as the preface of a list of titles that are on the bubble, thus in danger of cancellation.


An occasional feature that appeared it the now defunct Comic's Buyer's Guide was Cancelled Comics Cavalcade. CCC would as the title suggests discuss several recently cancelled comics and their respective strengths, weaknesses, and reason for cancellation. As luck would have it, many titles that I read or collect are comics that get cancelled. Devoting a section of my blog towards cancelled comics is neat from a historical perspective. Many of my favorite comics were those that were cut short. However, advocating titles that others may gloss over is also a desire. One of the reasons I hyped the ANAD titles was so that titles that may not receive attention had some attention directed their way. So instead of just discussing cancelled comics, titles that hover on the bubble will receive some extra attention. Thus, a new category: Cancelled/On the Bubble.


In the wake of Black Knight issue 4 debuting this week, I'll wait until issue five arrives before featuring my discussion on Black Knight.

TV Round Up 2/2 - 2/8

Welcome to another edition of my commentary on week's worth of television. Not surprisingly given the nature of this blog, most of television shows are based on comic book properties. Others have had comics based upon them. There's also shows that I think may be of interest to gamers as well. So here's my arbitrary thoughts on week of February 2nd through February 8th. Spoilers


Flash - As far as lingering plotlines, that was fast. The Wells betrayal plotline wrapped up with this episode. Thought they would prolong it more. Oh well, it sets of Earth-2 exploration so that's a good thing. We also see further progress in the West family dynamic. In fact, much of the episode derives from it. Wally is obsessed with speed. Gee, I wonder what ever will the show do with that... As for the villain-of-the-week Tar Pit, he has potential. However, Tar Pit served more as a plot device to further the Harry and Wally stories than as the actual subject of the episode. Suppose, Tar Pit could serve as antagonist in future episodes as his work is only one-third finished. An enjoyable episode that leads me eagerly anticipating next week's.


Agent Carter - Much like the Mage: the Ascension background Arcane, I can't seem to recall the name of elite club that's the source of much of the grief on Agent Carter. A simple name too! Parallel flashbacks for both Peggy Carter and Whitney Frost dot the episode serving as background origin stories for the duo. Tranquilizer darts are used to hilarious effect. There's also an interrogation scene that leads to a revelation pertaining to the power that the elite club wields. Although not how our heroes wanted. Once again, I love how Agent Carter uses strong female leads that would befit a more modern setting, while acknowledging the difficulties that women experience during its time period. Oh, more characters learn that something is up with Whitney Frost. Directly or indirectly. Another solid episode.


DC's Legends of Tomorrow - Attention! Want to know how to do a proper team comic book-based television show? Thursday's episode is how! A madcap crazy adventure in which the team splits into three directions only learn episode's lesson at the end. Yep, there's a moral of the story! Let's just say the team learns that it should not be quite so schismatic. What I especially loved was how the trailer only accounted for maybe five or ten minutes and not the theme. So what crazy stuff happened? One occurs entirely off-screen as a Jax fixes something far more advanced than what he's familiar with. If the Palladium Megaversal Role-Playing system was used that's quite the penalty! Vampires! Okay, not exactly but that's the first thought that popped into my head. Journey through a bloodstream! Atom fans should be pleased. Professor Martin Stein is the ultimate troll. However, unlike most trolls he manages to spin it in such a fashion in order to provide quite a pep-talk! A Carter Hall appearance! A burglary! Come on, a team that includes Captain Cold and Heat Wave a burglary was inevitable. White Canary kicking ass and armed with enough concealed blades that would brighten any gamers day. While last week we discovered the time-stream could be altered for members of the team, some members learn that some events from their past is indeed a fixed point. I suspect another character will discover that towards the end...
Arrow - Regular readers know that I didn't watch Arrow during its second and third seasons. Heck, I still have yet to watch the final five episodes of season one. Fittingly, this week's episode was the most continuity-heavy on developments from that era. So if like me you didn't watch any of those episodes, the Calculator's first appearance was fairly accessible. Oops, I spoiled it. That's right, the Calculator makes his first appearance in CWDCU. Quite the first too! Aboslutely love who he related too. Hint: its the character that the Calculator feuds with the most during the episode. Katanna had a nice cameo. Roy Harper/Red Arrow guest stars. Wondered if he would lose his arm and become Arsenal but that did not occur. So Brad Meltzer should be happy... Best scene was when Curtis Holt took one more step towards becoming Mr. Terrific. Talk about a slow burn...


Elementary - Knew about the big arc of the season involving Sherlock's father Morland. Since I still have yet to watch the first four episodes, I didn't know the Joan Watson has a nemesis in the form of a female police officer. She entreats Joan to help with some off-the-clock vigilante shenanigans, while providing the insight that both Sherlock and Watson already balance on the edge. I suspect this plotline will rear its head later this season. As for the mystery itself, it fit the classical definition of a mystery and Sherlock was actually in true Sherlock form by rapidly solving it with barest of clues. Probably the most circular reasoning to bomb a morgue...
Grimm - Yep, if I didn't know better, I swear the writing staff of this season of Grimm played Vampire LARPs as the season has the same tone. Does the Grimm crew join the faction directly opposed to Black Claw or does it not? Okay, the question is only posed this episode. Eve claims she's no longer the Juliette that Nick knew. Does a good job too. Factions aside, there actually is a monster of the week. Admittedly, I did go 'holy camp crystal lake!' a couple times. The central thrust was a lake monster terrorizing tourists... Or is it? Don't remember the last time Nick let his status as a police officer get in his way of being a Grimm but that's what Trubel is for. Right?
Sleepy Hollow - Sleepy Hollow returns! The hunt for Abby begins. Would appear the rest of the season with be Crane and the gang rescuing her from the dimension she finds herself in. What will Crane do without a partner? Fear not. Crane's new partner is the undercover FBI agent we met earlier this season. Apparently, her parents fan afoul of demonic forces while on an archaeological dig. She finally gets her first taste when a locator spell cast by Crane goes awry. Meanwhile, the other duo retrieves a map after some struggle that may prove far more productive. I really should learn more characters names... At episodes end, we discover that Pandora created a beacon drawing monsters from all over the world toward Sleepy Hollow.


X-Files - Last week was the humorous monster-of-the-week, this week's episode was the more serious kind. A mysterious boogeyman who employs a garbage truck kills and dismembers those that profit off of the poor and treat them as trash. Afterwards, some of grisly remains are tossed into a garbage truck. Also strange street art by a 'Trashman' appears nearby. Some nice political commentary without the episode being preachy. Scully experiences a loss. Very dramatic. Scully and Mulder's son is once again referenced and tied thematically into the story. Another solid episode. I've also realized how much I miss show's opening montages. My X-Files fandom has been re-awakened.
Lucifer - my one grief with episode is more a beef with television shows in general. There's way too many police procedurals on television these days. Never read the Lucifer comics so I don't know if the show mirrors the comics. That said, another splendid episode. Lucifer is downright hilarious; and it is amusing watching him run around aiding Detective Decker (hey, I remember a name!) catch (and thus punish) evil-doers. A minor sub-plot where someone decided to impersonate Lucifer dovetails into the main plot and was pretty neat. For a show that veers more towards subtle displays of power, the final scene where Lucifer propels the perpetrator through the glass was eye-catching.

TV Round Up 1/26 - 2/1

How about another round of what I thought of several shows that aired from January 26th through February 1st.


Spoilers ahead.




Flash - RIP Turtle. I know I should be so hard on the show but the Flash's second season has been murder on its new crop of villains. Literally. Cisco receives his Vibe goggles! He's now one step closer to becoming the hero Vibe. If he becomes Vibe... As the trailers hinted at, this is how the Reverse-Flash learns what he knows that he uses to plague Barry & Co. during season one. Thought the episode provided a fairly decent explanation as to why the ending of the first season isn't a permanent as one would think. Rather neat spin that Barry's largest triumph against his greatest nemesis occurred during the earliest portions of his career. Gives new insight into Thawne/Wells comment that Barry would never be truly happy. Well, Patty leaves this very episode. In a way I am reminded of the time Betty Brant left Peter Parker during the early days of Amazing. Furthermore, we finally meet Hunter Zolomon! There goes the suspicion that Zoom is Earth-2 Barry as Zolomon was Zoom in the comics...




Agent Carter - The plot thickens. Peggy Carter and the gang infiltrate the all-white, gentlemen's club (no women!) that's behind the conspiracy. Now this is spy-related espionage that I wish was more prevalent in Agents of SHIELD! While I understand Howard Stark is a product of his time, he's quite a hoot because of it. We also meet the super-powered individual of the season. The heroes are definitely the underdogs...




Arrow - The show takes a break from HIVE as a criminal organization that poses as a mercenary organization is the central threat. Hey, Felicity finally receives a codename! Alas, its not Oracle but Overmind. Apparently there's already an Oracle... Andy Diggle's arc appears to reach its zenith... for now. And a member of Argus dies. A major character too.


DC's Legends of Tomorrow - The second part of the pilot was just a phenomenal as the first! The team continues their quest during the 70's and confront their nemesis Vandal Savage. Nice cameo by Damian Dahrk. The action sequences were great and several shots capture the entire team. Firestorm and nuclear bomb! Atom, Captain Cold, and Heatwave go on a burglary! Professor Martin Stein (one half of Firestorm) and White Canary flirt! Wait, what? More time-space shenanigans ensue! Legends of Tomorrow certainly lives up to roller coaster plug that its producers attributed to it. Oh by the way, a major character dies. Turns out that character's death serves as unifying force and motivation for our motley band to combat Vandal Savage and save the future.


Elementary - Since Elementary is a murder mystery show obviously someone, or two, dies. The actual mystery is more connect the dots instead of a mystery to be solved. Sherlock's attention is focused more on why his father Morlund is in town and the concealed assassination attempt. A pivotal episode more in terms the season's arc than in terms of the episode's quality.


Grimm - At last Grimm returns... and Juliette's alive! But don't fret, plenty of characters die this episode. I was reminded of several Vampire LARPs that I played in over the years as I watched this episode. The Big Bad, which we learn is called the Black Claw, of the season kicks its operations in motion. Let's just say their network is quite extensive... A pivotal episode that drastically changes the show.


X-Files - A monster-of-the-week episode. Even more, it's the tongue-in-cheek kind. My favorite. Loved the journey of Mulder from skeptic to sort-of-believer by the end of the episode. Nice twist on the classical werewolf myth. Excellent satire on modern society. Episodes such as this is why I was a fan of the X-Files in the first place.


Lucifer - Another solid episode. Lucifer displays his mojo quite a bit in this episode. There's an attempt at ironic punishment towards the end. The female lead (my apologies I'm not as good with character names as I used to be) begins to learn that there's more to Lucifer than what she believes. Ironically, Lucifer is not shy at all about revealing what he is. As a player of the World of Darkness RPGs, its a refreshing change of pace from quest to keep the supernatural secret. However, the best moment is at the end when the child mentions that with advent of the Internet that embarrassing moments aren't as secret as they once were. Absolutely hilarious.

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.

My goal for 2016 is...

The New Year is almost upon us. What is the favorite pastime around this time of year? I'm not going to do a year in review. I considered writing what I learned; however,  that could be addressed with one remaining favorite activity this time of year. That's New Year's resolutions!


I hate New Year's resolutions. They are easily broken. I may have kept one once... But like Charlie Brown often says, 'This time will be different! This time I will...' Okay, I am not talking about kicking a football. Looking back, my one regret with this blog is that I didn't blog as much as I wanted to.


There were many movies over the summer that I wanted to write about yet didn't. Really wanted to have involvement in reviewing DC You and ANAD Marvel. The gaming commentary is rather anemic. Was planning on writing a Christmas entry about a couple Christmas comics but like many promised entries that didn't happen. Alright, that's more because I waited until Christmas itself to attempt to read those comics. Moral of the story: Read Christmas comics, more than one anyway,  before Christmas. Not saying I won't review those Christmas comics at a later date.


So without further ado, my New Year's resolution is to blog more because I am reading comics more frequently, squeezing more gaming in, and in general providing my two cents more often. Should be doable. Shouldn't it?

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.

At Last, the High Hrothgar Frost Troll Has Been Defeated!

Any gamer would tell you that nothing is more fearsome than when you first encounter the Frost Troll en route to High Hrothgar in Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. If you're like me, your character is way to weak to even put up a fight against the beast. Must've died several times before I managed to run past it. Even when I created a second character to spice things up, I relied on guile to sneak/run past it. One feature of sandbox games is that not everything a PC encounters matches that character's level. Some are too weak. Others like the Frost Troll serve as reminders that the PC is not too big for its britches. A quirk of Skyrim is that dragons become manageable foes far sooner than the Frost Troll. I remember my excitement when I finally downed it. My PC was at range while summoned creatures and follower fought it up close. Very satisfying indeed!


Still whenever my main character would return to High Hrothgar, such as to learn a location of another Shout, I'd just take advantage of Fast Travel to travel there. Much, much to perilous to face the dreaded Frost Troll. After a six month sabbatical from playing Skyrim and an even longer sabbatical from playing the main quest, I decided it was time for the Nord Thorson to pursue the quest to defeat Alduin once more. Upon learning that High Hrothgar was the destination, I decided that I wouldn't use Fast Travel at all. Thorson travelled from Sky Haven Temple all the way to High Hrothgar on foot. A big change as its been years since a character of mine travelled such a long distance on foot. My second character a Nord name Hragi frequently uses Fast Travel to get places; and Thorson hadn't travelled that path since first reaching High Hrothgar the first time.  So I decided it was time that the Nord Thorson walk that path from long ago and finally face that Frost Troll.


Up the slope of High Hrothgar, Thorson traversed until he encountered a Frost Troll. The quick work that his follower and summoned Flame Atronach made of the Frost Troll felt... anticlimactic. Barely got a hit in! Plus it didn't seem right. I admit its been a year or three since I last made the trek so I couldn't rule anything out with any confidence. Onwards I went. Finally, I reached the familiar (and dreaded!) encounter. Sure, the follower and Conjured Flame Atronach fought it. However, I wasted no time having my character engage it. Nothing more satisfying than the cinematic display of the very character that had been savagely trounced repeatedly by that very Frost Troll dispatching said beast. The troll being absorbed into a Soul Gem was icing on the cake. Then the mighty hero Thorson continued his merry way up to High Hrothgar.

New ANAD Marvels trickle in February

Not sure what's more surprising, the light number of new number ones or my disappointment at that low number. February marks the month when Marvel dramatically slows down the deluge of brand-new #1's as part of its All-New, All-Different initiative (ANAD). Only three new titles debut during the month of February as part of ANAD. Quite frankly, I am surprised at my disappointment at such a low number of new debuts as months ago I expressed skepticism at the large number of new titles. Perhaps, ANAD has brought back my love of Marvel that lay dormant since Civil War a decade ago. Probably helps that every month I discussed my views on each new title's solicitation, eh?


Spider-Man #1 - Not another Peter Parker title. For the first time in a long, long time, a new Spider-Man title where Peter Parker is not the main character under suit. Brian Michael Bendis ushers his creation, Miles Morales, into the mainstream Marvel Universe with this issue.  Quite the noteworthy event! The solicitation implies that Miles will be the primary Spider-Man operating in New York City (suppose its because Peter Parker is too busy globe-trotting). Not sure if I'll buy this or not.


Avenger Standoff: Welcome to Pleasant Hill #1 - A one-shot about an ominous town where everyone keeps tabs on each other. Apparently, Pleasant Hill plays a major role in Spring's big Avengers event. Maybe


Power Man and Iron Fist #1 - Luke Cage and Danny Rand are back together as the Heroes for Hire! Not a big fan of the cover artist but I'm in the mood for classic street-level Power Man & Iron Fist action. Probably will check it out.


Deadpool & the Mercs for Money #1 (of 5) - Don't normally buy min-series and wouldn't count this as a brand-new number one; however I'm excited by this motley band of mercenaries led by Deadpool. Okay, I am also surprised by how many Deadpool-starring titles that elicit interest in me. Points for ANAD.  Believe it or not, its not because of the upcoming film. In any case,  the 90's were my golden age of comic book collecting as I controlled the majority of the purchasing decisions. I became aware of characters such as Foolkiller, Terror, Solo, and Stingray during that time. So a book starring them excites me. The Parental Advisory leads me to believe all sorts of carnage will occur. I'm leaning towards yes.

Thanksgiving 2015

Since I did a series of Halloween posts, its only fitting that I blog about Thanksgiving. Unlike my ode to Halloween, this will be only commentary on several Thanksgiving-related shows. Helps that there were no Thanksgiving comics that I was aware of. Fret not, I did have some RPG-related ideas!


Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade - Ever since I was a child, I'd watch the Macy's parade keeping an eye out for the Spider-Man balloon or any other comics-related float. Didn't see Spidey in this year's parade. Did see a Pikachu balloon though. That was rather neat. There was the obligatory Snoopy balloon although this particular balloon depicted Snoopy flying through the air Superman style. Absolutely loved the 50 year anniversary homage float to A Charlie Brown Christmas!


SNL Thanksgiving - a collection of Saturday Night Live Thanksgiving skits. While I found many of skits to be a chuckle at best there were a few gems. Loved Eddie Murphy in Mister Robinson's Neighborhood. Don Cheadle's (War Machine in the MCU) Ladies Man was a hoot. Akroyd-Belushi-Murray were amusing in an absurd manner. While I was familiar with Martin Short's character solely from a Saturday Morning cartoon from years ago, that was hilarious. In contrast, The Bears fans and crystal clear gravy invoked nostalgia chuckles - as did the Jordon Gordon-Levitt (third installment of the Nolan Batman trilogy and hopefully producer of the Sandman film) skit.


In contrast I found the Scream Queens Thanksgiving episode an absolute laugh riot. Watched a recording on Thanksgiving Day; and I was thankful for the smile it brought to my face. Scream Queens was a casualty of comic book show Tuesday; however, I found this episode to be fairly accessible despite not having watched in quite some time. An excellent Thanksgiving-oriented episode. A shame that shows rarely do Thanksgiving episode much nowadays - that I am aware of.  Hope they do release Screams Queens on DVD some day. Not everyone has Netflix.


Charlie Brown Thanksgiving - don't recall why I didn't watch Its the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown but I took advantage of the lax television schedule to watch this gem. Charlie Brown Thanksgiving still has its magical charm after all these years. Finally occurred to me how disturbing it is seeing Woodstock eating turkey. Woodstock must be a big fan of bush meat... The subsequent telling of the pilgrim story albeit Peanuts-style is a nice attempt. Probably the major achievement is that it includes Lucy in a Thanksgiving special and uses her fairly well. Gets the Miles Standish bit wrong which anyone who has seen the following show will know...


The Pilgrims: American Experience - Miles Standish was the hired muscle. The requisite fighter-type in almost any RPG. Miles Standish aside, The Pilgrims: American Experience is an outstanding documentary! I learned more about the Pilgrims than I ever did in any history class. Some interesting tidbits were the pilgrims digging through Indian graves, propping the dying up on trees with musket in hand to fool the nearby Indians, and planting corn atop the recent dead - although the latter two are more historical conjecture. I heartily recommend this documentary for any GM that runs either a historical campaign or campaign influenced heavily by history. Vampire, Wraith, Werewolf, and Call of the Cthulhu gamers may find this of particular interest. Heck, I can imagine players of the Solomon Kane setting for Savage Worlds could get some mileage out of the history of the pilgrims. On a more somber note: this was among Roger Rees's last roles. He played the Sheriff in Mel Brook's Robin Hood: Men In Tights. Rees does an excellent job portraying William Bradford's various soliloquy - based on Bradford's writings.


Secrets of the Dead: Jamestown's Dark Winter - Another excellent documentary. Whereas the Pilgrims were a success story, Jamestown was a place where one hoped they survived the experience. It became more of a charnel house during its dark winter when the surrounding Indians laid siege to the colonialist trapping them inside the walls of the fort as disease and famine runs rampant. That's just the background to the documentary! What it the documentary examines is the fate of a young girl and why her remains were found in the state they were. Quite simply, it was like a reverse zombie-ism! Instead of the dead rising to eat the living, the living grave dug to feast. Yep, a confirmed case, albeit one or three, of a cannibalism at Jamestown. I can imagine quite the RPG scenarios that a GM can devise from this! Certainly, New World of Darkness Gamers could use this an example of Morality rules. Various games such as Call of the Cthulhu could use this an example of insanity caused by more mortal hands. The old World of Darkness fan in me envisions hordes of wraiths and banes swirling around the area where the fort once stood.

Vacation Dungeons & Dragons

Way back during my younger years, I would take advantage of summer, winter, and spring break to play some role-playing games. As the years rolled on, those vacation/break gaming became fewer and fewer until within recent years not at all. That wasn't the case at all this year as I took advantage of some vacation time in order to play some fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons via the Adventurer's League at the local gaming store. For the most part it was great time.


Some tidbits:

• We all know that while gaming can be quite exhilarating at times, it can have some less than stellar moments. Those less than stellar moments are magnified when one's devoting one's vacation to that particular moment.
• I hate the con type atmosphere. Too much distraction. Fortunately, the one time my gaming experience was like that a con was the final vacation session.
• While I can accept some rules modifications when I play a game, do so upfront. Not mid-session and certainly within an episodic framework like the Adventurer's League. DMs can modify PCs abilities but that requires trust. Save that for your home game or the next session that you run with that player and PC.
• Fire resistance can mean the difference between a PC surviving or dying. My dragonborn paladin survived two encounters largely because he took half damage from a fireball.
• Adventurer's League loves using Fireball in modules designed for 1st thru 4th level characters.
• A new 5E D&D character can be made within five or ten minutes. Whether or not you understand everything about your character is another matter.
• Its is awesome when a character's background, flaws, and bond creep up during a mod.
• Automatic wild magic effects instead of relying on rolls is rather neat.
• So is describing how one's character dispatches a foe.
• I witnessed one-size-fits-all DMing while playing Living Greyhawk and Living Forgotten Realms. So its nice to see some variety allowed in Adventurer's League.
• At least at my local game store, I have witnessed quite a bit of role-playing. Nice change of pace from other living campaigns that I have played.

Overall, I had an enjoyable time spending some of my vacation playing fifth edition D&D. Perhaps, I'll do so again next year?

The Final Halloween 2015 Post - Television Edition

If you've been following my blog for last month or so, then you know that instead of writing one gigantic blog post concerning Halloween and the week leading up to it, I decided to break it down into several smaller entries. Finally, almost a month after of the fact here's my final Halloween 2015 post. The television shows that I watched either on Halloween or that I felt were Halloween-related during the week prior.


iZombie - On Halloween, I managed to catch up on two episodes that had been pending, ie the first two episodes of the second season. The second season gathers the strands left over from the ending of the first and hits the ground running. Its rather surreal seeing Blaine as a mortal.


Grimm - Halloween eve marked the season premiere of the fourth season of Grimm. Very good. Nick gets pushed through the mental rollercoaster in this episode as not only does he have to deal with the loss of two important women in his life but he has to contend with the fact that those losses have been covered up. We're also introduced to the season's big bad. I expect another major status quo change by season's end.


Sleepy Hollow - If not for the crossover with Bones, I would not consider this a Halloween episode as the supernatural is a regular occurrence. Loved the interplay between the respective leads. The draugr were a nice touch. Coincidentally, I read an article on the draugr on Halloween itself. Thus raising the importance of this episode in my mind and amazed by how much Sleepy Hollow got right about the draugr. Plus being an avid Skyrim fan and player contributed to my enjoyment immensely.


The Player - The Player doesn't deal with the macabre all that much so a serial killer that made sacrifices to Odin on Halloween is a more than a tad out of the ordinary. The coincidence that two Norse-related episodes from to two different television series would air concurrently tickles my fancy. Not sure how accurate to the myths or historical accuracy the sacrifices were... Watching Wesley Snipes's character defeat the killer at episode's end was a hoot.

Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 (1st ANAD review and Halloween Part 4)

Yep, its time for the promised and much belated fourth Halloween installment. A very special installment as its my very first review of Marvel's All-New, All-Different (ANAD) line. Which title am I reviewing? Why, Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D. issue one! Read it on Halloween while watching a couple episodes of iZombie. Before we begin I will refer to S.H.I.E.L.D. as simply SHIELD as typing the acronym is simply tedious.


Art: Brent Schoonover and Nick Filardi comprise the art team on this inaugural issue. They do a bang-up job. Storytelling is top-notch as one can easily follow the story without resorting to reading the dialogue (although the dialogue does help...). The colorist, Nick Filardi, colors enhance the pencil and ink art of Schoonover without drowning it out with murky backgrounds. I was rarely confused by an of the art. While the art wasn't superbly detailed, it wasn't simplistic. Just enough detail that does not overwhelm. But wait, its a monster book, correct? While the art is not horrific in tone, it does an adequate job of portraying 70's era Code-approved monsters.


Story: The inaugural issue of Howling Commandos of Shield is exactly that. We meet the cast and learn what their mission is. The Howling Commandos then undertake their mission and... don't achieve the mission that SHIELD gave them. So a rag-tag team of monsters being whipped into shape by the legendary (and former Howler) Dum Dum Dugan will be a focus of the series as Dugan and Marie Hill discuss later in the book. Absolutely loved how Man-Thing was as the heavy artillery. Was a bit disappointed that the werewolf character isn't Werewolf by Night but a character named Warwolf. Overall, I felt it was a fun romp that combined classic Howling Commandos action with 70's Marvel monsters. In fact, its a rather neat touch that there's analogs for the classic Universal Horror Monsters (Frakenstein, Werewolf, Creature from the Lagoon, Dracula, and Zombies). Not to mention the historical touch of classic 50's and 70's monsters in Man-Thing and Orrgo.


The Verdict: As a run-of-the-mill first issue I give it a 2.5 out of 5 stars. That said, I consider Howling Commandos of SHIELD a guilty pleasure. If you want to read about classic movie monsters done in the Mighty Marvel Manner along with Man-Thing, Hit Monkey, Orrgo engaging supernatural threats in military fashion this is your book. By the way, yes, I am referring to Dum Dum Dugan as one of those classic movie monster analogs.