Halloween '16: The Exorcist Series Chapter 5

Here's another installment of my Halloween-related entries. This one concerns the most recent episode of The Exorcist television series. I'd wait until this Friday, being as it's closest to Halloween, except there's no new episode this Friday. Since I DVR'd the episode, I'll be blogging my thoughts as the episode runs. The full title is Through My Most Grevious Fault.


Marcus drawing a forest within a bible. Apparently he was born in a forested area where King Lear lost it. Just another example of his unorthodoxy. Meanwhile, the dad learns a secret... I'll really like the opening theme music. Evocative of Sleepy Hollow's.


Devil speaks in different voices including Tomas's grandmother's. Guess the dad's name is Henry and the mom's Angela. Angela may not quite be the believer that she claims to be... Watching Cassie fly around is kind of chilling... Yeah, I didn't reference how the name were spelt or characters as I stated I would.


Henry finds a stashed bible with a red feather within. Marcus using the nun method appears to be working as Cassie fights her possessor. Kat's doubting. Uh Oh, Father Tomas has ensorcelled into thinking Cassie is Jessica whom he had an illicit relationship with. Uhm, yeah... reflect some this in any RPG's where possessions occur.


Well, there goes Marcus using the power of forgiveness. Chastised Father Tomas flees into passionate arms of Jessica, whom isn't a single mother but married. Let's just say he does things that priests really aren't supposed to do. We learn that Marcus's father killed his mom; and his birth is a sore point for him. Oh and just as he's seems to be succeeding the police arrive, after Kat called, to arrest him and presumably take Cassie to the hospital.




Got to say the advertisements for episode of Lucifer that aired Monday have me itching to catch up on that show. A bit of a non sequitar. Uh oh, Kat discovers she was wrong! Talk about carnage within the ambulance. Prelate pays Marcus's bail. So clearly he sees eye-to-eye. Yep, Angela has secret.


Hey Father Tomas is recalcitrant! If it wasn't for the show going to pain-staking lengths to demonstrate how deeply flawed he is, the scene would more power and I'd be more empathic. Lost causes? An omen if there was one. Turns out Angela had an imaginary friend who resembled a red bird and the story echoes what's happening now. Alas, Angela doesn't remember much. As it turns out, she changed her name as we learn he 'real name' as her mother shows up at the end.


So the episode ends with a bit of twist. Wonder if "Angela" is the one that devil/demon is seeking? Pretty good episode.

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

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


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


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


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


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


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


well happy gaming

Halloween 2016: Exorcist: The Series - First 4 Episodes Highlights

Time for another installment of TV Round up. Oh wait, I am only discussing one series. In addition, several weeks of the 2016 - 2017 television series passed us by already. Rather than write one massive round up, I'm splitting my coverage, highlights really, into categories. Furthermore, know what's right around the corner? Why, Halloween. Instead of writing about Halloween all the way into November, my Halloween blogging starts now. What new series from the 2016 -  2017 season fits that bill? Why, Exorcist the Series does like a glove. Here's my thoughts on the first four episodes. Er, helps that only four have aired so far...


Each episode will have spoilers. I also provide what my thoughts were at each particular moment. Some episodes have greater detail than others. Unlike last season, I took notes this time around.




Premiere - never did write down the actual title...

• Father Tomas sees someone shouting yet hears no sound...
• It appears Father Tomas has a bit of an, ahem, illicit relationship with a single mother parishioner of his...
• One priest pulls a gun on another priest! Later on Father Tomas witnesses Father Marcus performing an exorcism as if what I'd assume is some form of astral projection or a dream vision.
• The church where Father Tomas works on, and in all likelihood within the main setting of the series, is run down.
• Actress Geena Davis portrays the mother of a family whom appears haunted. I suspect the father has dementia. When he's having one of his spells he mentions a Father Marcus.
• Some nasty bit of fore-boding as a raven crashes through a window part way.
• We learn the priest performing the exorcism that drew a gun is Father Marcus. Once again, Father Tomas has one of his 'trips' and sees the exorcism fail badly as the boy breaks free and snaps his own neck.
• When Father Tomas visits the haunted family, we discover that the possessed daughter isn't the older daughter whom the episode leads us to believe it is. Instead, it's the younger daughter Casey (Cassie? - next review I should probably check out Wikipedia so I get the name right...).

Lupus in Fabula

• Episode opens with a flashback of a young boy performing an exorcism.
• The possessed daughter doesn't seem aware of things... yet her possessor does as it talks about the mom watching them...
• Father Marcus picks a lock!
• This series would be excellent fodder for horror RPG inspiration! World of Darkness with mortal characters as well as Beyond the Supernatural.
• Pope Sebastian a stand in for Pope Francis?
• The family sees a swarm of centipedes under a pillow.
• While playing a sport, Casey sees a strange man. After getting knocked down, she glares at her attacker whose leg snaps!
• Father Marcus meets up with Father Tomas and informs him he should break it off with the single mother whose name is Jessica.
• As it turns out, the dad of the haunted family suffered head trauma not dementia.
• Holy water drinking bottle!
• After a homeless man says Casey is special, Father Marcus experiences a flashback upon touching him. He's the boy from the opening flashback.
• All demons recognize and are aware of Father Marcus. His attempt to compel one possessing an elderly lady only results in him being laughed and shrugged off.
• After Casey drinks the holy water, she vomits foot long centipedes!
• Afterwards, her father sees her talking to herself. She's talking to the strange man from the game...
• A group of nine homeless individuals stab several people and harvest organs.

Let 'em In

• The episode opens with a flashback to when the older daughter Kat is involved in the accident that killed her friend Julia. They were professing their attraction to each other.
• The Pope's prefect is the man Father Marcus drew a gun on in the premiere!
• The strange man/demon urges Casey to steal an expensive dress.
• While the Pope's retinue, or is it advance retinue, meets in an upscale building in a well-to-do neighborhood of Chicago. A man combusts outside.
• When Marcus and Tomas confront Casey, the demon speaks Aramaic!
• Casey burns herself at the demons urging...
• While on a bus her father passes out. A frat boy comes on very aggressively. After the demon/strange man, ahem, interacts with her, she claws at the frat boys chest rending it into a bloody ruin while frightened passengers gaze on.
• Marcus is excommunicated and sent on a bus trip out of Chicago with a list of names on tickets provided by the Prelate. Could it be people who can help?

The Moveable Feast

• Possessed people while in full-on possession kind act like the zombies from The Walking Dead but that could just be me.
• We discover that Casey is now actively resisting the demon.
• One of the names on the back of the ticket leads to a Mother Bernadette at a convent.
• Nun exorcism circle!
• Marcus meets a couple on a haunted bus tour who seem aware of something nasty is coming. They know of the ritual of Ash which uses harvested organs to summon a demon.
• Mother Bernadette states that while Marcus has been using a method that uses compulsion hers uses patience and forgiveness.
• Marcus tries that approach! Appears to work...
• By threatening the life of a nurse at the hospital that Casey is confined to after the attack on the bus, the demon convinces her to consent to control...
• Her family gets her released.
• However, Marcus has returned and both him and Tomas, whose doing so covertly, prepare family's attic for exorcism.

Overall, Exorcist has been a great series so far. The series has provided justification for continuation passed the initial possession as there are more possessed individuals other there as well as strange groups and other dark forebodings. A fairly superb horror series for broadcast network faire.

A Regular, Weekly Game Night is a Positive Thing

My original intention was not to write an essay of sorts. Instead, I was going to write about the latest weekly session that I have been able to squeeze into my schedule. Then, the question on whether I should write such session reports per session or one big chunk since multiple characters for both Shadowrun and D&D 5E Organized Play could comprise multiple blog entries per character.


Then, it hit me. At the start of the year, I resolved to game more. No small feat for someone who hasn't played a regular role-playing game in years. Years. Granted, I'd occasionally game during small stints of time; but a brief window that was. Before my hiatus, I used to game a lot. Gaming was a hobby that at times was more like a lifestyle. However, as much as gaming meant to me, I've never considered gaming to be my life. In fact,  right before my hiatus, I had an epiphany that gaming was most certainly not my life. So I allowed the hiatus and never took steps to remedy it.


Yeah, rather funny for a guy who writes a blog about games, isn't it? Then again, the hiatus mirrored the hiatus from blogging. Really only started gaming semi-regularly, once I started writing my blog again. Sort of Worm Ouroborous (sp?) isn't it? Okay, I may have botched that particular reference. Still haven't read that particular gaming inspiration yet.


A month. Two months ago, I wrote an entry about starting six-plus weeks of regular gaming. Easily, the longest stretch of a weekly game (Shadowrun (5E) Missions, D&D 5E Adventurer's League) in my life in quite some time. Okay, I may be rambling a bit but bear with me. At the time, I thought I'll do this for a bit then go back to the occasional, maybe once a month role-playing game session. However, I near the end of my regular weekly game. Or at least my planned blog.


I have come to the conclusion I missed playing a weekly game. Not in the sense, I must game each week. But the routine is nice. I have become used to the environs. I am used to the other players. The other players are used to me. Lack of continuity and being confined to the module is no longer seen as a minus. Each individual gaming session doesn't bear higher expectations because there'll be another session. More to the point I feel better. A regular role-playing game day/night is something to look forward to. Much more important, it's something to look forward that my participation matters. A role-playing game session is different because I am there than when I am not there. Sure, I could look forward to the next sporting event but whether I watch it, be it on the screen or in person, it is immaterial. Plus, by looking forward to the next game session, it centers me.


So that said, I'm glad I had the chance to game for more than four weeks straight. While I plan to make regular gaming a thing now, I'll accept it if I cannot. Rather glad, I had the experience. Perhaps, I'll have such an experience again, whether it be subtle such as no halts to mentioning gaming sessions or overt such as blog entries proclaiming the fact.


happy gaming

Suicide Squad Movie's Impressive Achievement

Just learned about the movie Suicide Squad's impressive achievement from a post on ComicMix my the creator of the Squad, John Ostrander. You can about it HERE.


That's right, Suicide Squad has fared better than all those Marvel movies. Not bad for a comic book property many didn't know about until Comic-Con last year. Heck, not bad for movie coming off the heels Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, which is arguably one of the more panned movies of the summer. I admit it beat my expectations. Didn't expect Suicide Squad to still be in theaters let alone gross more than many of the Marvel properties.


A part of me is glad in that as kid who grew up toward the tail-end of the Super Friends/Super Powers cartoon-line, Suicide Squad's success helps ensure that the Justice League and other DCCU films are made. Heck, another Suicide Squad film is more likely now. As much as I love the Marvel movies, the superhero genre needs DC characters to have commercially viable films to further nurture the genre.


Since such an unknown property attracted so much box office does that mean the superhero/comic book genre is now firmly established? That it's achieved the status that the Western did so many years ago? Super-heroes and comic book-based films are now de facto genre of Hollywood like Western, Action, and Rom-com flick? I'd like to think so. On the other hand I hope it's not the peak. After all, people disliked the film because of certain tropes.


Oh well, kudos Suicide Squad for its noteworthy achievement!

SR5 Shielding: Not As Cool

Months ago, I was inspired to do a couple entries (via lists) on rules differences between Shadowrun, 5th Edition and earlier editions. By earlier editions, I mean third edition as that was the edition that I played/ran/knew the most. Rather than present them as lists demonstrating rules differences, I am going to present them more as individual concepts. First up is...


Shielding


The shielding metamagic technique in 3rd and earlier editions was very cool and became even cooler the further the PC initiated. Basically, added spell defense and higher target numbers with each initiation. Those protected via Shielding by a magician with several levels of initiation could be very difficult to affect!


Unfortunately, Fifth Edition, by virtue of its mechanics, weakens the Shielding Metamagic greatly. It only adds to spell defense. Granted, SR5 uses a threshold, single target number system so because target numbers couldn't be affected, dice pools would. Which would make Shielding much, much more stronger in 5th than prior editions. Instead, it's weaker. Don't recall if metamagic foci existed in 3rd,  but I suppose a foci to boost up one's Shielding sort of balances that out by adding more dice. However, a Shielding Foci requires a greater Karma expenditure not to mention to Availability Test/purchase. Plus, Foci just lead to larger handfuls of dice.


In conclusion, Shielding is not as cool as it used to be. Instead of potentially blocking spells from affecting those protected, ie shielding, it's just more spell defense dice.

2000 AD 2000th Milestone, Blackmoor Week, and Dave Arneson Day

Two, or is it three, significant events occurred, are occurring, and will occur this week in the world of comics and table-top role-playing games. The UK Sci-Fi weekly comics 2000 AD marked an historic achievement in the annals of comic books on Wednesday. Saturday, October 1st, is Dave Arneson Day, which celebrates one of the founders of Dungeons & Dragons. Commemorating the event is, I believe, the first ever Blackmoor week - the setting that is Arneson's signature creation.


Dave Arneson Day
Other than acknowledging the event with this post, sadly, I have no plans. Didn't play any Dungeons & Dragons on Monday and may not play it next Monday - Shadowrun, 5th edition was/is the RPG. Even then, D&D 5E is in many respects very, very different from the Original D&D that Arneson had a hand in. Perhaps on Saturday, I'll provide a review, or the start of one, on ODD itself or the Blackmoor expansion?


Blackmoor week
Another call to attention. Not doing anything pertaining to Blackmoor although here's some posts by day pertaining to the setting, how people are celebrating, and their games:
 Day 2, Day 3, and Day 4.  Quite a bit! Suppose there is always reading what others have written!


2000 AD
As I mentioned above, the veteran UK milestone reached an historic milestone this Wednesday: the release of its 2000th issue. One, its neat and a bit of pun since 2000 is in the name. Two, no other comic book that I am aware of has reached 2000 issues. Yes, that's right. 2000 issues! For one title. Quite an accomplishment. Furthermore, what separates this event from the other two is active, sort of, engagement. I ordered a copy of the 2000th issue of 2000 AD. In fact, 2016 marked the year where I finally decided to order the packs for an entire year starting with the January pack (issues). Just have to read them ha ha. Oh, since I live across the pond, I won't be receiving my copy until next month.


Oh you're not familiar with 2000 AD? Well, it's the home of characters such as Judge Dredd... Oh fudge these articles can explain far better than I can:


The Top Twelve Series/Characters - besides Judge Dredd, here's eleven characters/series that would surely have (if they have not had yet) movies made of them provided the Dredd movies fared better at the Box Office.


Editors Tell Top Stories - Want to know which stories from 2000 AD's 2000 issues deserve a read? The editors provide some recommendations.


Until next time, happy gaming and reading!

SRM5: Is the Street Shaman Template Correct?

Back when I was calibrating my Shadowrun Missions character, Nox the human combat mage, I discovered the template within core rule book was not correct as the template was missing material. Was my intention that I would perform further analysis of each template to see if it is correct. Since my next Shadowrun Missions session is this Monday I figured it's time for another installment.


The template in question: The Street Shaman


Disclaimer: as the current Shadowrun Missions campaign is located in Chicago which has a background count starting at a 2 rating, I certainly would not play a full magician that has Magic Rating of 3. Since the Street Shaman template has a heavy Seattle-flavor, I'd play it there. That said, it does serve as an excellent example of what a high attribute, high skill elf full magician would look like.


Magic: A Magic Rating of 3? Rating C.


Race: D


Attributes: They add up to priority code A nicely.


Skills: This is where it gets tricky. It's more than what B provides, which meant Karma was spent. However, the skill group total means that priority code B was used.


Resources: E. Uh, yeah, the template has way more than what's listed. Meaning karma was spent. How much? Let's examine everything else.


Qualities: There's a positive imbalance of one point of qualities. Otherwise, positive qualities equal negative qualities. So one point of Karma was spent.


Karma purchases: Other than the one point spent on Positive Qualities, some karma was spent on skills, resources, and contacts. Instead of using a calculator, I estimate 5 Karma was spent on qualities and contacts. Alas, skill advancement at this state follows regular character advancement so I'm guessing 10 Karma here. Finally, just to be on the safe side, I assume another ten Karma was spent to bump up Resources. Again, if you want to be exactly sure how everything is allocated, a calculator is required when figuring out resources and skills total due to Karma expenditure. As characters can start with a small amount of leftover karma, it probably would be wise to.


Verdict: Complete - unlike the Combat Mage in template in the SRM5 Core book, the Street Shaman template is fully completed and playable along the front. Based on estimation, the character appears correctly built. Barring my concerns expressed above, the Street Shaman does fulfill the objective of a template - a pre-generated character ready to be played.

Star Trek 50th Anniversary Part One?

On September 9th, 1966, the very first episode of Star Trek was broadcast. Last Friday marks the 50th anniversary of the phenomenon. Originally, I meant to blog about the milestone last weekend but the best laid plans of mice and men... This is what I hope is my first installment celebrating 50 years of starship Enterprise and the Federation. I say hope because I still haven't finished my Dark Horse Comics celebration... In any case, I'll kick it off commenting on several links discussing the celebration or things related to Trek.


Star Trek Discovery Delayed? - The Star Trek franchise deserves to be done right so I'm fine with them giving themselves some extra time to hone the special effects. Although to be fair, I'm neutral about the exact time Discovery airs. Streaming hour long shows, let alone an entire season, simply isn't an option for me. So I hope the newest Trek winds up on DVD at some point. However, based on the fact Daredevil hasn't yet, doesn't leave with much hope... Hmm, what would Roddenberry think? What the hope and all... Okay, bad joke...


Discovery Comic and Novel Tie-ins - Guess, it's official there will be comic book and novel tie-ins for the new show Star Trek Discovery. As if there was ever any doubt. May actually be my first exposure to the characters from the new show. Thought the same about the Peter Capaldi Doctor Who and was wrong about that...


Star Trek Anniversary Trailer - Here's an incredible trailer, which celebrates fifty years of Star Trek with scenes from the various Star Trek movies (Original, Next Gen, and Abrams-verse). Worth seeing.


Star Trek Does Lovecraft - Never really thought of the Best of Both Worlds, simply one of the best TNG stories ever, as Lovecraftian in tone. Part of that may be I had yet to be introduced to the works of HP Lovecraft at the time. The other being that may have seen Best of Both Worlds I and II as reruns and thus the Borg were not unknowns and could be defeated. Then again, I watched a lot, and I do mean a lot, of TNG with a span of years so episode chronology is fuzzy with me. Will say the Lovecraft, and Clive Bark Hellraiser-esque, overtones will certainly lead me to view the story from a different perspective.


A Not So Spectacular Celebration? - Here's a piece elaborating that both CBS and Paramount dropped the ball on celebrating 50 years of Trek. Go on read it. Okay, done? I'm inclined to agree. Other than Star Trek Beyond, which wasn't marketed as an anniversary film, the announcement of Star Trek Discovery, and several celebratory magazine specials (TV Guide, Time, Entertainment Weekly, Star Trek magazine, etc.), one may not have know that 2016 marked Star Treks fiftieth year of existence. I suppose as the article alluded to that just enough was offered to Trek fans (I know longer know the proper fan term, is it Trekkies or Trekkers now?) to give hope.


Hope. The one word that defines Star Trek from all other sci-fi franchises. Hope that more movies will come. Hope that once more a Star Trek show will grace our screens. Hope that more comics, novel, and other tie-in merchandise will continue to satisfy our fandom. Hope that I'll actually get to watch Star Trek Discovery. Finally, hope that this blog entry will not be sole entry celebrating Trek's 50 years.

Cthulhu Mythos and Doctor Who Share a Birthday! (Sort of)

August 20th serves an important distinction for the Cthulhu Mythos and Doctor Who. Sure, neither debuted on this day (well as far as I am aware anyway) but both share a birthday in common.


Thanks to the internet and global capitalism I discovered that both H.P. Lovecraft, the creator of the Cthulhu Mythos, and Slyvestor McCoy (the 7th Doctor) were born on August 20th, give or take several decades. A coincidence that's simply geektastic! As an aside, I found out about Sylvestor McCoy's birthday courtesy of Big Finish, the creator of Doctor Who audios. They are having a sale on ten 7th Doctor audios. Meanwhile, One Book Shelf is having a Cthulhu Mythos sale (20% off) on its Drive Thru Fiction, RPG, and Comics sites. Since I didn't feel like linking the OBS sale (last 12 days), out of fairness (and may not participate in) I won't link to the Big Finish sale (lasts until Monday morning London time - I may participate in this one).


The works of HP Lovecraft have been a part of my life for twenty years. In fact, my next D&D character for Adventurer's League may very well be a Warlock who serves Cthulhu (albeit played more for humor than straight). Meanwhile, I remember as a little kid watching Sylvestor McCoy's regeneration story on PBS and eagerly trying to watch each new 7th Doctor Who story to varying degrees of success as the airing of episodes had become erratic. Don't think I've watched every story from McCoy's time on the show, certainly haven't listened to every audio nor read every book. To be fair, I haven't read every Lovecraft story yet either - although I do own a copy of his complete fiction and an annotated edition of several of his works.


In any case, I had to shine a spotlight on two creative people's birthdays, HP Lovecraft and Sylvestor McCoy, whose body of work has thrilled me.

Review: Suicide Squad: Rebirth #1

Before I begin I want to note to noteworthy achievements as of this entry. Discounting my review of the very first Superman story in Action Comics #1 (1938), this is my first comic book review of 2016. Well, I suppose I could say it's my first modern comic review of the year... Only took about eight months. Got a lot of reading to but, I digress. Second note-worthy item is: I don't think I have ever, ever read a Suicide Squad comic book before. Ever. Sure, I have read comics that they've appeared in. I did buy a copy of the issue that came out during the inaugural month of DC You. However, I have never read cover-to-cover an actual issue of Suicide Squad so I'll say a milestone has been reached.


As always, I'll try to avoid providing spoilers but they'll probably creep in...






Suicide Squad: Rebirth #1 (one-shot) by Rob Williams, Phillip Tan, & Co.
Art: Worst-part out of the review out the way, the art. I confess that I have a love/hate view of Phillip Tan's artwork. There are times I greatly enjoy and then much, much less so. So when I had a choice between the regular Tan cover and the Amanda Connor cover, I chose the latter. Don't get me wrong there's incredible detail. Tan captures some of the more gory moments quite well. It's just at times the art strikes me as muddy. Plus moments where the comics literacy flow is jarring at times as Harley would be using one type of weaponry in one panel and a different weapon in another. Although I suppose that could be chalked up to it's nature as a done-in-one.


Story: The Rebirth one-shot is a done-in-one that serves three purposes: introduce the readers to the cast, introduce the readers to what the book will be about, and tell in entertaining story worthy of the three U.S.D. that the reader spent on it while wetting the appetite for more. It succeeds on all three counts. SSR#1 introduces the reader to the core cast of Amanda Waller, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, and Rick Flag. Within the roughly 32 pages, the book does a stellar job conveying what each character is about along with what they contribute to the book. The reader learns that the Suicide Squad is a behind-the-books black ops squad of coerced villains that perform sensitive tasks... For instance, the crisis in this particular story concerns a meta-bomb that can either grants superpowers for 24 hours or remove them temporary located in a Mongolian province.  An in-continuity milestone is that the Suicide Squad's leader Rick Flag is "recruited" to lead the team for the very first time. Let's just say the squad handles the threat in a way that only a group of villains would with Flag providing guidance and discipline. Boomerang is a mighty amusing plus he contributes to one of the gorier scenes in the book. Liked the parallel plots between Waller recruiting Flag and Harley, Boomerang, and Deadshot on a mission.


Overall: I greatly enjoyed this first issue. Fresh off of seeing the live-action film I was primed for more Suicide Squad action. Absolutely loved the appearance of, what will probably be among his last comic book appearances, President Barack Obama as well as his... reaction toward the squad. The realism of the book is nice; and it should be a hoot watching how a rough-and-tumble group of characters work in future stories intrigues me. I suspect we've been introduced to the core cast of the new Suicide Squad title (which launched this Wednesday). A stellar example of what an introductory done-in-one should be.


Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (loses half a point merely for art quibbles). Truly top-notch!

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?

Geeking over SDCC 2016 Unveilings

As August dawns, I figured I'd catch up on all the news and unveilings from SDCC 2016. There will be much geeking out:


Note: I won't include any of the trailers as I figure most will have seen or will see them.


Justice League: In one trailer, everything that BvS:DoJ did wrong was remedied. There was comedy. DC long held the reputation as the place where its super-heroes got along. I got that vibe. Based on the trailer, watching Batman assemble the heroes should be a hoot. Loved the music. Finally, as a DC fan, I am not looking forward to Justice League simply because it's the Justice League. My inner child who watched the Super Friends while playing with Super Powers toys is delighted.


Doctor Strange Trailer #2: I'm even more excited for this film than I was before! The purist within me accepts the changes. Still not sure whom all the characters are aside from the Ancient One and Strange. Based on my guesses, Wong is now no longer Asian and wields magic and Baron Mordo is nuts...


Flash Season 3 Trailer: Flashpoint it is! Looking forward to seeing Wally as Kid Flash (or should we say Flash). We'll probably see more of the real Reverse-Flash than we've ever had before. Is Dr. Alchemy the Big Bad? Something tells me Barry won't like this new world...


Jim Gordon assuming an iconic DC Character ID: You can read about it HERE. Gotham has shaken Bat-mythos enough that Gordon could become any character. GordonBatman would be quite a twist. I'd find it rather hilarious if Jim Gordon was the first Batman. Would fit the show too as Jim Gordon had been playing that role anyway - albeit not as effectively. He could also be The Question or The Vigilante.


Kurt Russel is playing Star-Lord's Dad. It's Ego the Living Planet?! For those that want to read the news, one can do so HERE. Hmmm, I'll reserve judgment until I watch GotG 2.


A Captain Power reboot series! Absolutely loved this show as kid! Consider me excited. Here's some info about it HERE. Don't know what was mentioned at the con though...


80's-style He-Man Cartoon aired at the Con: Details HERE. Con goers got to see a brief He-Man short done in the old Filmation style. He-Man is another childhood favorite of mine; and I have many fond memories of watching the Filmation show as a kid. Would loved to have seen it the con. May have to check out on Google Play some day...


Ghost Rider on Agents of SHIELD - Well, we now know the next Marvel character to appear on Marvel's Agents of SHIELD. It's Ghost Rider! For those whom want to take a gander at which one and the vehicle itself, can do so HERE. And its... the All-New Ghost Rider... The one with the car... The one I don't know so much about. Well, at least, I won't have any preconceptions...


Richard Ryder is Back! - That's right, the original Nova has returned! Apparently, Marvel decided to what I had guessed about the current Marvel book back when it was previewed: pair Richard Ryder with new Nova, Sam. You can read the story itself HERE. May continue to buy the book now.


More IDW/DC crossovers: Recently, Batman and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles teamed up.  They'll do so again except this time it'll be the TAS and Nick versions. Cool. Cool. Also there'll be sequel to Green Lantern/Star Trek: Spectrum War. Also, cool. Future trades! Here's a link.


Ragman on Arrow!: For pics and sizzle reel for Arrow Season 5, here's a link. Ragman was among my favorites from the short-lived series Shadowpact. Loved how he was more of street-level Spectre. Judging by the pictures, the Ragman's depiction is faithful to the comics although it must be tough to translate the character from the comics to the screen. As for the sizzle reel itself, I am as pumped as I am for the Flash. Should be neat watching Ollie train a new batch. Wonder how long they'll last though before the old crew returns...


Justice League Dark - JL Dark adaptation to animated movie is finally upon us. Plus Matt Ryan reprises the role of Consantine! One can check out a video discussing the movie HERE.


Unlike previous years, I didn't pay too much to SDCC this year. I'm sure I missed plenty of news and unveilings. Oh well. They'll be new for me when the next round of Con Coverage occurs!

A Decade of the Voice of the Daleks Influencing the Doctor

Another historic milestone has been reached in the world of Doctor Who. As I would like to say, the voice of the daleks has been influencing the adventures of the Doctor for a decade... Okay, I know what you're thinking. That this is a new Moffat revelation. I'm not referring to a new Doctor Who plotline. The influence affects older Doctors. Sigh... not more Moffat revisionism. No, I am talking Nicholas Briggs. For those whom may not follow the nuts & bolts of Doctor Who production, Nicholas Briggs provides the voice for the daleks. So every time a dalek proclaims that they are the superior beings, you are hearing Nicholas Briggs.


So how has Nicholas Briggs been influencing the adventures of older doctors? Why, he's been an Executive Producer over at Big Finish for a decade. He's contributed to further adventures of the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th Doctors. He's played a big part with Dalek Empire (which includes David Tennant's (10th Doc) first Doctor Who acting credit). Okay, this link HERE does a far better job explaining his contributions over Big Finish than I ever could.


There's also an anniversary special that offers discounts on some his work. May pick up one or two his Doctor Who audios myself. Provided I remember my password and time zones don't confuse me...

SR5 Rant: Incomplete Combat Mage Template

In anticipation of my second Shadowrun Missions (SRM) session, I was going finally write about my first SRM session and take advantage of the one-time free character tinkering that SRM allows after one's first session. I absolutely love templates especially for complex games such as Shadowrun. New to Shadowrun? Here, pick a template. Don't need to know too much about the system in order to create a functioning character. I'd recommend them all the time back when I ran third edition.


Flash-forward to fifth edition. Fifth edition changes quite a bit. Enough that I figured the best way not to get lost in rules changes was to follow my third edition recommendation. I selected the Combat Mage template. Okay, maybe not exactly. I decided to play the Hero Labs pregen that I selected during the Shadowrun one-off month ago. During the first SRM session, I was struck by the sensation that the Hero Labs-generated character had more than the template. Upon scanning the template, my suspicions were confirmed. The template had less stuff. Much less.


So I spent time perusing the character creation section in order to recreate the template. After all, can't make any changes unless I know whether the Hero Lab PC is more powerful than a starting character. It wasn't. In fact, the template was. Okay, the template isn't weaker. It is incomplete. Absolutely hate that. Fine. Perhaps, it's a first printing error? Upon checking the errata, it isn't. The Combat Mage template in the SR5 is an incomplete character. So much for time savings.


What's missing? For starters, the template does not include the bonus special attribute point that Human PC's receive at priority E. Second, only twenty four points of skills are accounted for. The corresponding column for the closest category also states that the character receives two unspent skill group points. Third, not all of the 25 Karma available for character creation is spent. Customization is nice and everything but the karma expenditures at this stage follow the character advancement rules. Sort of. I'd forgive this if the template had an unspent karma section. Fourth, the worst for last, less than half of the templates starting nuyen is spent! Shadowrun is a skills and gear game! Furthermore, the focus of Shadowrun is not just adventuring but adventuring to live. New players can get lost. Forget about time savings.


In the end, I've decided not to tinker with the Hero Labs character after all. What concerns me is if the combat mage is incomplete, are any of the other templates as well? So, I plan on scouring over the templates and blogging about any inconsistencies with character generation rules in future installments.


For the time being, I look forward to playing some Shadowrun tonight. Happy gaming!

The Start of 6+ Weekly D&D and Shadowrun Sessions Begins!

Weekly table-top role-playing games became a thing of the past for me long ago. I'm lucky if I can game once or twice a month. So a regular campaign is outside the realm of possibility. Organized play such as Adventurer's League and Shadowrun Missions are really the only table-top RPG campaigns I can participate in without causing disruptions. Often such play time occurs intentionally as such as vacation or by happenstance. It was because of the latter that I played the beginning intro module for the new Adventurer's League season in Barovia, Suits in the Mist. Unfortunately, further adventures in Barovia have eluded me for now.


That is until today. Or the next week or two anyway. Why? Fortunately, my schedule allows for six consecutive weeks of gaming over the course of the next six weeks. Now, I had arranged to be able to play the next two sessions of Shadowrun Missions but decided to expand it to include the other four weeks at my local game store that provide the opportunity to D&D 5E Adventurer's League modules. Thus, my hapless rogue may actually get the chance to leave Barovia!


So I am quite looking forward to six weeks of gaming. Feels almost like a regular weekly game! Of course, I plan on blogging about the experiences, including the first Barovia and Shadowrun Missions sessions.


Happy Gaming!

A Classic NES That Fits Within One's Palm!

News broke out over the interwebs about a spectacular gaming announcement today. Nintendo is bring back the classic NES! Granted, it's not an exact replica of the 8-bit system; but the dubbed NES Classic System incorporates the latest technology. For those that have not read the details, a link that describes it can be found HERE.


As someone who grew up with the old 8-bit system (okay, more like played on other's consoles), I consider this fantastic news! Sure, devices have come out upon which one can play those old school NES games. I own a Retro Duo, of which I have remarked about here previously, that plays both 8-bit NES and 16-Bit SNES games. One could track down working vintage consoles even. However, this new rendition is a replica, contains 30 games, has "save points", and fits within the palm of one's hand. Sure my Retro Duo is small but it does not fit inside my hand! Not too mention all the space that the thirty cartridges for all thirty games would take up. Discounting licensed games, those 30 games are a who's who of classic 8-bit NES games. If one had to summarize the old Nintendo experience, it's pretty representative list.


I just that the games come already installed such as Sega Genesis Classic Game Console. Would absolutely hate to open up the package and discover that I have to download those games. The one disadvantage with the NES Classic System comes from its size. Unlike the Sega Genesis Classic Game Console, I doubt one will be able to plug cartridges from the rest of the 8-bit NES library into it. For me that's not a big deal as I own a Retro Duo, which serves that function nicely.


Regardless, I am quite excited for the NES Classic System. With a November release, I can see it as the perfect holiday gift for the video gamer. The holiday gift of Nintendo. My inner 80's child is excited.

Taking a Breather From Previews Highlights

Mid-July is almost here. Soon the July for September Previews Order will be due. Within a week or two the very articles that I use as the basis for my commentary on the various comic book companies will appear online. While I got a head start last month, I'm still about a half way. Being half way done, or not having begun, hasn't deterred me before. I still wrote my two cents on the latest solicitations. However, I decided to take a breather for a month or two. Don't get me wrong. Who doesn't like ranting or raving about the next new thing? Absolutely love that I may be exposing people to comics that may not know about simply because either they don't have time or don't regularly pay attention to comics news.


In the spirit of the highlights, here's my reasons:

• Within a week or two, the next new wave of solicitations will hit the interwebs. Finishing one, month's and then doing another month's is repetitive and...
• Exhausting. I've elaborated before but it's tiring to quip about solicitations. Feels even more tiring to turn around and so again within a couple weeks.
• Part of the gimmick is that I comment on solicitations. Well, the Previews catalog has arrived. Image has released its Image+ which includes sample pages and further interviews. Right now, comic publishers are starting to discuss things in depth. For what is simply a yay or nay on ad copy that's far too much information. Also feels a bit late.
• Publishing events such as Rebirth and Marvel Now, which while they shake things up challenge me to provide my two cents. How can I give an opinion on something I might change my mind once it hits the stands? Actually plan on ranting about Now in a later post...
• Along similar lines, I'm going to endeavor to provide more reviews. Solicitations commentary is a quick easy way to hype books; but I want to hype books that I feel deserve, or don't deserve, the hype right now.
• I have several gaming-related posts that await in the pipeline. This frees me to work on those.
• To post every entry that I want to post leads me to post every day. While I've blogged a number of days consecutively, those intense periods of blogging activity are followed by long chunks of inactivity. I'd rather spread things it out. In that regards, I feel either I write about solicitations or blog about other stuff.

I hope to return to blogging about solicitations copy. Perhaps I will during September or after the Marvel Now quiets down or the next new Marvel publishing event.