Riverdale Won Me Over and Powerless is Okay

Caught the first couple episodes of Riverdale (Chapter One: The Rivers Edge and Chapter Two: A Touch of Evil) as well as the premiere of Powerless (Wayne or Loss). Not going to provide any spoilers just some quick thoughts.


Riverdale - Recall dreading hearing about some of the changes as well as the format (classic CW drama-isms). Then I mellowed out when I heard it would be more like Twin Peaks. Having seen the first couple episodes, I'd say it's a cross between shows such as Beverly Hills, 90210 (had to thrown that it in since Luke Perry is in the show. Kind of weird seeing him as the "responsible, sage adult") and Twin Peaks with a dash of Mark Waid's revamp thrown in. The show is faithful to the Archie characters while presenting them as realistic and modern as possible. Now, the show is much darker than the Waid revamp; but it's not quite Twin Peaks dark. While Riverdale is quirky, the locale and characters are small town quirky and not full-on David Lynch, Twin Peaks quirky. The murder mystery should be interesting. So far I've got four suspects although one is probably a red herring (pardon the pun). Overall, after two episodes, I've been made a fan.


Powerless - Love the opening credit sequence. Probably the closest we'll ever get to four-color, full of optimism, DC Universe on any screen. Think I heard Adam West's voice... While the superhero and super-villain scenes came across as incredibly corny, in part by the CGI, four-color super-heroics is rather corny on screen. Kind of why the Marvel heroes look the way they do. Speaking Marvel, or Marvel's Agents of SHIELD to be precise, remember the anticipation of the appearance of the big guns? Recall your disappointment when they didn't show? Other than the credit sequence, they're probably not going to appear. What is going to appear is nods, one-liners, quick references,  and D-or lower characters. So that DC hero or villain that you can't imagine ever appearing in the movies or Arrowverse? This might be the place. As for characters/actors, I liked Tudyk's and Hudgens acting. If anything, both carried the show (as by design probably). I'm probably going to continue to watch Powerless for Tudyk, the occasional nod to DC lore, and it's a nice lead in to Riverdale.


Till next time.

Are Cena and Orton the next Flair and Steamboat?

Once again I deviate from the normal comics and games discussion to focus on one of my other passions: wrestling. Two days ago, one of the biggest PPVs of the year happened. WWE's Royal Rumble. Alas, I have not watched the Rumble 2017 yet but I did learn Cena became 16th time World Heavyweight Champion and Randy Orton won the Rumble match itself.


Both outcomes elicited groans from me. Was originally going to provide a quick mini-rant but then I got to thinking. What if John Cena and Randy Orton are the modern equivalent of Ric "The Nature Boy" Flair and Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat?


Okay, if Cena didn't just equal Flair's record of 16 World Championships I never would have that of it. But, as of Sunday, he has. Like Flair carried the NWA, and Jim Crockett Promotions, for years, Cena has been, to quote A.J. Styles, the face that runs the place for years. He's the WWE go to guy when they're busy not creating new stars.


What's that you say? There's a brand split again. By being the WWE 2017 Royal Rumble winner he can challenge the Raw champion? Why, yes Orton could. The preferable option in my opinion actually.


However, the WWE is incredibly nostalgic. Especially around WrestleMania time. If there is one feud among active wrestlers that has lasted the longest it's the feud between John Cena and Randy Orton. Which is the other reason why I state that Cena and Orton could be considered the modern day Flair/Steamboat rivalry. No other duo has wrestled each other as frequently. The one difference being, unlike Steamboat, Orton has one several championships off Cena. Randy Orton could one day win as many world championships as Flair and now Cena.


So there's the chance beyond nostalgia of WWE pushing for the 'Mania storyline of Orton trying to tie with Cena.


Although my WrestleMania match prediction goes out the window if WWE want both men to be champions at the same time. Kevin Owens has been the Raw champ for quite some time. Could easily see him becoming the sacrificial lamb at WWE's biggest PPV of the year. Furthermore, there's rumblings of Cena and Undertaker finally squaring off in the ring. What better place than WrestleMania? Okay, I would love to see Cena vs. 'Taker.


Regardless if Orton chooses Cena at 'Mania, they are bound to square off once more. Thus, firmly entrenching their long rivalry in the eyes of the fans. One day, even fans such as myself will look back and wax on about Cena/Orton.


Next time.

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

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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




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


Till next time.

12ish Days of Blogging: A Very Flash Christmas and the End of the Ghost Rider Arc

On the eleventh day of my 12ish Days of Blogging I give to thee: the winter finales of both the Flash and Marvel's Agents of SHIELD.  Both episodes debuted the same week as two other comics-related television show, Arrow and DC's Legends of Tomorrow. Highlights for those will come in a future post. While I have been watching the Flash, I haven't really done much in the way of write-up for it as I have Agents of SHIELD. As such, there are revelations that are still mysteries in earlier episodes. As such, when I blog about them don't be surprised at my 'ignorance'. I just couldn't pass up the chance to blog about an actual Flash Christmas Episode! Meanwhile, Agents of SHIELD ends the Ghost Rider Arc. Since the new arc starts Tuesday, no better time than now!


As always SPOILERS




Flash Winter Finale "The Present"

• Ooh, Julian was actually an archaeologist! Talk about Indiana Jones vibe!
• H.R. has the Christmas spirit alright!
• Philosopher's stone - ancient hindu talisman that could create metas written by an Albert Desmond aka Julian.
• John Wesley Shipp Flash, okay Jay Garrick vs Mark Hamill Trickster. As a fan of the old CBS Flash show I approve!
• Savitar - first speedster. Sends a messenger to prepare - Alchemy
• HR secretly training Wally while wearing santa hat. Faster than Barry at that corresponding point in training. Meanwhile, Cisco is seeing Dante. Love the Garrick speech to Barry about spending the holiday with his loved ones
• Garrick vs Savitar and Barry vs Alchemy!
• Barry learns Alchemy's secret ID.
• Cisco is visited by Dante's "ghost" while Barry and Wally fight Savitar. Very cool.
• We learn Savitar is poltergeist of sorts who manifests through Alchemy. Alchemy is Savitar.
• Future Barry trapped Savitar. So Savitar from future - provides prophecy.
• Both Flashes join forces to hurl Savitar box into the Speed Force!
• Barry propelled to the future! Jay brings him back but not before Barry witnesses Iris's death. Wonder if it actually Iris...
• Another Jay speech about living one's life!
• Gang has a Christmas celebration together. Very Christmas-y segment. Enough to cement this episode's designation as the Flash's Christmas Episode.

Absolutely loved this episode. Hope their are future Christmas episodes in either the Flash's future or the other CW-DC television shows. Excellent way to end the Fall season too.




Marvel's Agents of SHIELD Winter Finale "The Laws of Inferno Dynamics"

• Coughing up diamonds, 'Aida is an android.' 'Sur, I was attracted to her but this goes against the Sokovia Accords. Does anyone remember Ultron?' May and Coulson having a romantic moment? 'Eli, you want to play with fire, let's play.'
• 'Eli is working his way through the periodic table from carbon to cesium.' Robbie speared by a shaft of carbon! 'Eli has worked his way to plutonium.'
• 'Between the radioactive plutonium and quantum energy fields bombarding you and the carbon spike, a normal person would be dead ten times over. But I guess you are not normal.' Double-spiked! 'In case you haven't noticed Phil, we're not a team that trusts. We are not a team at all.' 'Turns out you're not a god. You're just a petty thief.'
• Stealing energy from other dimension creates seismic rifts. Phil using a chain to pull Ghost Rider out but GR drops the chain to penance stare Eli as device sucks both to other dimension. Aida suffers pain... After absorbing seismic tremors, Quake propels herself into the air when she is discovered by the press. Fortunately, Mace does the PR thing saying she was an undercover agent.
• Phil says previous Ghost rider came back... Mac and Yo-yo finally kiss. Mace says all LMD work will occur on SHIELD property. PR guy discovers something when Aida kills him. Knew something was going to happen.
• Turns out is a beaten up Agent May! So the May that shares a bottle of wine with Phil is an LMD...

I was pleased with this episode. Understand they had to do something with Ghost Rider. Wished the Darkhold remained the mystical tome it is in the comics but there's still the rest of the season. Actually kind of wished the final had more mystical elements instead of the implied techno-magical elements present elsewhere in the MCU. Looking forward to the LMD arc. So does this mean Nick Fury will appear?


Till my 12th installment!

12ish Days of Blogging: Shape of Things To Come and Other 12 Days/New Year's Stuff in the Blogosphere

On the tenth day of my 12ish Days of Blogging, I give to thee another blogger's new year's resolution, Paul Cornell's 12 blogs, and the tentative plan I have for my blog for the next six months. Believe I mentioned it before, but I used to frequent the blogosphere regularly and occasionally spread the word of blogger's works. Since my 12ish Days became more a New Year's thing instead of Christmas thing, yeah the timing played a role on my psyche, I tout another blogger's New Year's Resolution. While I stated Paul Cornell inspired my 12ish days, I figured it would only be proper if I provided links to his stuff. Meanwhile, with an entire year ahead, I want to let you, oh gentle reader, aware of what I have planned ahead. And by plan I mean tentative cause when it comes to blogging I'm like what Heath Ledger's Joker says about plans and not having no clue what to do with it.


Anyway...


The blog Outsyder Gaming examines 2016 goals as well as presents 2017 goals HERE. Have to say, that's quite the New Year's Resolutions for both 2016 and 2017. Very detailed. I'm in awe...


Meaningful post:
Admittedly, one can say practically all my posts are a variation of 'hey, isn't this cool!' Do write the occasional gem though. Think my piece on Wonder Woman and New Year's Resolutions was some pretty top-notched stuff. Sure, it could probably have been fleshed out more but its deeper than any solicitations hype given how succinct it was. Would be neat to try but I don't think I'd try for one a month. Cause that probably won't happen that way...


Writing project:
Years back when the Rifter was just being started by Palladium Books I tinkered with the notion of submitting a piece. If there's any writers whose name could be abbreviated to Matt C, that's not me. Never wrote anything. Love gaming. Occasionally I come up with ideas. But if I do they're probably going up on this blog and not in a forum such as the Rifter. My ideas simply never get fleshed out to be a full article let alone a book. So that definitely leaves out running my own business.


What you're tired of New Year's talk? Okay, Paul Cornell's entries are a little more Christmas-y. Okay, they're mostly plans for this year but Christmas is in the title. And they were written in December. And there's only 5 of them... Yeah, I suppose when you're a professional writer blogging twelve installments becomes more than a little tedious. After blogging for roughly ten days in a row, it becomes an exercise in willpower at this point.


Paul Cornell's reasoning for leaving licenses and doing original work was Day One. Day Two is a little more personal but it deals with children's books he reads his son. His upcoming projects that debut on Day Three. Some additional tidbits on Day 4. The 5th Christmas blog ends on a dour, political note. Judging by the tone, Christmas came at the right time! Once again, it was this series of blog posts that inspired my 12ish Days of Blogging.


The Shape of things to Come


Had to put it in bold. Too irresistible not to.


Yes, the 12 days of Christmas ends to tomorrow. I've blogged this far so I'll finish the series and actually blog two more days. One day will center around two of the four, originally I meant to do all four, comic book-based TV show winter finales that aired within the same week. Instead, I'll do my customary episode re-caps for the Flash and Marvel's Agents of SHIELD winter finales. The Flash is basically a Christmas episode and Agents of SHIELD resumes next Tuesday and I've covered all the previous episodes. Unless some time distortion occurs, Arrow's and DC's Legends of Tomorrow will have to wait for when I do a massive recap, ala Walking Dead Season 5, of their respective seasons. The other day will feature the Disney Halloween Hex and maybe the second Disney and Mickey Christmas comic.


My original plan included my Christmas comics. However, as my 2017 resolution shows, I just never got around to reading them. So those reviews will happen sometime this month, or I'll read them and post my reviews next December.


As alluded to, many TV Rundowns await for the Flash, DC Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow, and MacGyver. Plus, I wanted to squeeze in the final episodes of last season's Grimm and Sleepy Hollow before their premiere's on the 6th but that'll come afterwards. Expect me to blog about various genre shows here. That's more likely to happen over the next sixth months than writing comic reviews. Still planning on those - just don't know how often or how many. One thing I count on is my comics blog will continue to be more of a comic-based TV blog.


Honestly, my major problem with reading comics is I collect so many yet don't have a system to organize how to read them. If I don't read them, then I can't review them. Don't think too many want to see how what my comics haul is for the sake of what it is.


Gaming will depend on my muse and how often I game. Over the next six months, I want to provide game session reports and brief reviews of the Adventurer's League and Shadowrun Missions mods that my PC's Morland Doyle, Tor, Grogg, and Nox were played in last year (and of course any this year). Took notes. Just haven't blogged them. Meanwhile, I also want to finish up my analysis on how accurate the templates are based on the character creation system within the Shadowrun 5th Edition Core Rule Book.


And as always whatever strikes my fancy. Think some of my best work was my spontaneous posts. Probably once a week or in short string of about three to five posts. Feel I do my best work and blog more frequently in bursts. Although I will take a rest afterwards...


Till my 11th installment!

12ish Days of Blogging: 40 Years of the Amazing Spider-Man Newspaper Comic Strip!

On the ninth day of my 12ish Days of Blogging I give to thee: forty years of the Amazing Spider-Man comic strip! What two posts within one day? Technically, I missed a couple days so you could say I'm making up for lost time. Plus, the previous entry was intended to go live on the 2nd. Besides, celebrating 40 years of the Amazing Spider-Man Newspaper Comic Strip holds special significance today.


Why?


On January 3rd, 1977, the very first strip of Amazing Spider-Man, written by Stan Lee and drawn by John Romita (Sr), was published in several newspapers. Which means today, January 3rd 2017, marks 40 years that the Amazing Spider-Man Newspaper Strip has been running in newspapers and online.


As a Spider-man fan, that is simply awesome!


As a kid, I eagerly awaited the occasion when I could read the comic strip within the pages of Sunday paper. The Spidey strip may even have appeared within my local paper but if it did it was very brief run. Heck, the Sunday paper, which I had access to didn't run if for long. So reading the adventures of the webslinger within the funnies was a rarity for me. Honestly, there's only two brief periods aside from being a kid that I recall reading it in a newspaper. Absolutely relished reading those strips. Sure the strips were a bit corny but I savored every occasion.


Then I discovered that King Features had an online presence, which published X number of strips online. That presence became DailyINK and is now called Comics Kingdom. Honestly, Comics Kingdom is a rare better name for King Features online distribution of its comic strips in my mind. If you want to take a gander at the latest installment of the Amazing Spider-Man Newspaper Strip, here it IS.


The January 3rd 2017 is... corny. However, I suppose for the general newspaper audience there's probably limits to what the creators of the strip want to push. After all, parents could be reading it to their four year old. Written by Stan Lee (well, credited to him anyway) and drawn by Larry Lieber and inked by Alex Saviuk (loved his work in Web of Spider-Man) Spider-man is busy fighting Rocket Raccoon. Oops - excuse me, Rocket. That's how all the movie fans know RR as.


Here's a brief summary for those who may check out the provided strip once future strips are posted as only paid members of Comics Kingdom have access to older strips. The January 3rd 2017 strip opens with a gloating Rocket standing over the beleaguered Spider-man continuing the long-established tradition by Stan Lee of two Marvel heroes fighting each other when they first meet. The strip ends when Spider-Man webs Rocket and is pleasantly surprised when Rocket doesn't immediately break the webbing. I admit I haven't read the strip since the last time I blogged about it here. So clearly Spider-Man isn't a world-class hero within his own strip and his webbing isn't the be-all-end-all that it is within the pages of his comic book. Suppose they got to create tension for the next day, huh?


Once every year, for having the chance to regularly read Spidey's newspaper strip along other King stalwarts such as the Phantom and Mandrake the Magician, I contemplate becoming a member of DailyINK now Comics Kingdom. Much like a failed New Year's Resolution, I just never do. Perhaps, this year, I will finally become a premium member. If I do, I may write monthly reviews of the Amazing Spider-Man Newspaper Strip much like website Spider Fan does. Here are REVIEWS they've done. I will probably view the strips in a more favorable light as the strip is intended for small children who may not even be reading age yet.


As for the older material, Marvel reprinted the first four years of strips into two separate volumes years ago. I do own a copy of each of them. Most recently, IDW via its Library of American Comics imprint has released three volumes of the first six years and plans on continuing releasing its archival books. As such may have to "upgrade" to the IDW editions!


To commemorate the occasion I may read some the strips from Marvel's second volume. Heck, I'll probably do a review of the out-of-print book.


So happy 40 year anniversary Amazing Spider-Man Newspaper Strip! May it continue on like other venerable strips such as the Phantom, Flash Gordon, and Mandrake the Magician!


Haven't decided if I'll do a double post or post on the 6th yet such that I have "12 days" of blogging.


Till my 10th installment of 12ish Days of Blogging and happy reading!

12ish Days of Blogging: The Promised Wonder Woman Review and Connection to New Year's Resolutions

I promised to phrase my blog subjects ala the twelve gifts of Christmas. Alas, it just doesn't work. Maybe if I timed the numbers out... So back to the old intro: on the eighth day of my 12ish Days of Blogging I give to thee: my promised review of Wonder Woman 75th anniversary special #1 and an essay-of-sorts of the character's connection to New Year's Resolutions not to mention the reviewed comic's connection to my very own New Year's Resolution for 2017.


First, I'll start with the review of Wonder Woman Special #1.


It's an anthology so my normal approach to reviews don't apply. My feelings on anthologies are you either love them or hate them. I really liked this special as it does an excellent job representing various facets of Wonder Woman. But I don't love every story equally. For ratings purposes, I'll give it an overall 4 Out of 5 Stars although I could also give it a 3 out of 5 stars. Its solid and I think people should read it but if money is an issue the lower rating applies.


What that's it? Well no. I just didn't read it like I would a typical comic. In fact, I read it more along the lines of my seventh installment of 12ish days on New Year's Day Sunday Comics. As such my review will be more along those lines. The above grade is more of a summary of the overall package.


Guess you could say there's some Spoilers too:




So:


Gives Us Strength - a lovely WWII piece where the messenger (three guesses who) saves the day when a group of Nazis surround a church in Occupied France. Very iconic.


Predators - An excellent example of Wonder Woman's rapport with animals as well as her commitment to all walks of life not just the two-legged variety.


The three unused Brian Bolland covers were neat.


One Side Alone - An interesting discussion on the changing nature on what constitutes justice all within the framework of a Giganta story. Wonder Woman bringing Giganta Empire Strikes Back AT-AT style with her lasso was very cool! Plus its nice to see her not use a sword. Nice reference to the concept of mercy too.


Wonder Woman: In Conversation by Lois Lane - author Greg Rucka returned to the Wonder Woman title as of Rebirth. Its a text piece and the crown jewel of the issue. In a nutshell its an interview in which some very interesting and complex topics are discussed. I'll expand on this later. Highly recommended. As an aside, had to reference what mendacity meant...


Oh, Themyscira: Liam Sharp channels his Spawn Dark Ages work.


The Age of Wonder - Lovely story about simply that, wonder.


Wonder Woman 75 song - Okay, I found this rather flat - although there's a nod to DC's Bombshells title.


The Legend of Wonder Woman & Wonder Woman: The True Amazon - Want an idea what both respective titles are like? Well, both short stories provide a stellar demonstration!


Democratic Design - A quirky story which points out the price tag of the havoc wrought.


Big Things One Day Come - A very touching story involving Superman, Titano, and a budding just starting out young super-heroine.


Which brings me to my...


Mini-Essay


Throughout the course of 2016, and even 2015, I'd comment that I really should read more comics. It wasn't until I was reading this very comic, the text piece to be precise, that I had my epiphany. I was struggling to read it. Not because it was boring, but because I was starting to become wide-eyed from reading something very complex and thought-provoking. Yeah, there's such a thing as light reading and heavier fare but reading is like a muscle. If you don't exercise it enough, reading becomes less and less frequent. Plus, its rather ironic that such a truth dawned on me while I was reading a comic centered on a character who is about truth. Thus that's how the comic is connected to my 2017 New Year's Resolution.


Truth is a huge component of New Year's Resolutions (NYR). How successful they are hinge on how well we fully understand ourselves. Much of the disillusionment that arises from failed NYR's are probably because we don't like what we perceive as the truth that such a failure brings. However, that brings me to the other facet of how Wonder Woman represents the concept of the New Year's Resolution.


Aspirations.  NYRs are aspirations. Something we aspire to accomplish during the New Year. However, much like how Wonder Woman seeks to bring peace, truth, and understanding, the success or failure of the aspiration is not what's important. The striving and looking over the next horizon is. Plus, every NYR reveals something new about oneself. Reveals a new truth much like Wonder Woman's magic lasso does.


A big thank you to the text piece Wonder Woman: In Conversation by Lois Lane for being my inspiration for what I just wrote.


Till the 9th installment of my 12ish Days of Blogging, happy reading!

12ish Days of Blogging: New Year's Day Sunday Comics!

On the seventh day of 12ish Days of Blogging I give to thee some quick thoughts on Sunday comic strips - New Year's Day edition! Sure, Sunday comics on New Year's Day aren't common; but I am confident there won't be Sunday comics on New Year's Day in 2018. Such novelty alone bears noting. Plus, I am more in the mood of quick, easy blogging tonight, which doesn't include using links. Actually, did read a comic book to mark the New Year. Just going to save that review for tomorrow. And the use of the countdown from the classic Christmas carol.


I'm not going over every Sunday strip that appeared in my local Sunday paper that I normally read.


So:


For Better or For Worse: Really like the reference to thank you letters. My memories are fuzzy; and I think I may have had to write a thank you letter for a gift once or twice. Then again, that could be my mind playing tricks on me! Love the punch line at the end.


Zits - This one was flat. Not going to lie Zits may be benefit from advancing the characters ages as the jokes are starting to age anyway. Or wait for the next technological-sociological advancement/trend to freshen up.


Garfield - Worth a chuckle. Reminds me of meme on social media where the individual says they won't change with the New Year. For Garfield, rather fitting.


Dustin - Nice commentary about how there's euphoria over the holidays... and then nothing. The dad does have a nice punch line with the final panel.


Beetle Bailey - Bait-and-switch humor here.


Foxtrot - Sumo wrestling inside snow men? Hilarious.


Hagar the Horrible - Love the  reference to the months old pumpkin...


Doonesbury - Brace yourself, Arnold Celebrity Apprentice-related strips are coming.


Dilbert - Priceless. Simply priceless.


The Lockhorns - Love the panel on milk purchases. Nice parody.


Sally Forth - Knowledge of the Simpsons as a baseline for a generation as far as cultural references are understood? Feel old now...


Wizard of I.D. - A New Year's Countdown where the King of ID is his usual unpredictable, predictable self.


Peanuts - A classic strip related to head beagle report cards. Meh. Kind of flat. Not too much of a fan of the head beagle references so I'm less of a fan of an extended one.


Bizarro - Ok, that mural is cool... and yet so, so wrong.


Prince Valiant - The end of Azar Rasa arc. Yeah, its a bit of cliché ending for an arc dealing with a sorcerer and all-powerful mystical artifact but its a fitting end.


Well, Until the 8th 12ish Days of Blogging, Happy New Year!

12ish Days of Blogging: Lessons from 2016 and 2017 New Year's Resolution

On the 6th day of my 12ish Days of Blogging I give to thee some lessons I learned from 2016 and my 2017 New Year's Resolution. I'm tempted to mimic the classic carol and start counting down, or should I say up, listing each subject. Since my 2016 resolution worked so well and I posted it on the same day, I figured I'd do the same with 2017. As for the lessons, they are more like soundbytes tied to fit in with the blog's usual theme. Nothing too deep.


2016 garnered the reputation as a grim reaper. While my blog's history includes RIP posts, I shied from doing so this year. One, there were some I missed. Two, some who don't quite fit the nature of the blog. Three, there were many and many I considered important. There was one general theme, but, to borrow a Dungeons & Dragons class name, 2016 was the year the bards died and people cared. And cared very much they did. Many entertainers and contributors to the arts and culture passed away. To the chagrin of many. Not because the deceased were famous but because of that individual's contribution to people's cultural and entertainment lives. Something to keep in mind while playing games like D&D and the impact that the Bard class has among the NPCs around them.


Another lesson to borrow a fantasy cliché, people need that new, plucky individual to rise above obscurity and become that twenty-something 20th level character to inspire them. While pop culture grinds out new stars continuously, its also grinding those stars to make new stars. I suspect that's one reason people took the loss of creative famous people so dearly. The lack of the next new entertainer. I'm using entertainer as more of placeholder as I don't want to fall into the trap of referencing politics cause danger lies there. Although that's a realm one could say we need new heroes.


Okay enough with the depressing lessons. More positive ones.


I learned not to anniversary posts in installments as I rarely ever do sequels. Although brief aside, I learned Kimball in yesterday's post about Wonder Woman was played by the same actor as Odo in DS9! On yeah, as a big Aquaman fan, he celebrated his 75 years too. I just never picked up the book. Still haven't finished the 75 years comic of Wonder Woman yet but will. It'll just be next year. Have a 75 years of Lois Lane book and that's more than 75 years...


I learned that I blog more when I have theme to blog and the theme includes frequent blogging. Granted that comes with a period of rest afterwards.


Most importantly, I've learned that I just don't make time to read and I miss it terribly.


So my 2017 New Year's Resolution is to read more. Not just comics. Short stories, novels, and nonfiction as well. If I am not taking time to read a novel, I'm certainly not taking time to read a comic. Reading after all is a habit. A habit I plan on making into a habit once more. Plus, more comic reviews will follow. Duh...


Till 7th installment and may your New Year's celebrations be joyous!

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

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


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


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


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


Some highlights:

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

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


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


Till My 6th 12ish Days of Blogging.

12ish Days of Blogging: How I Performed on my 2016 New Year's Resolution

On the fourth day of my 12ish Days of Blogging I give to thee: my summation on how well I followed my New Year's resolution from the beginning of the year. What's that you say? The end of the year isn't for a couple more days? First, most people quit their New Year's resolutions after a month or two. So the mere fact I kept in mind is impressive. Okay, that is impressive.  Guess, I can follow a New Year's resolution for a long period of time. So early spoilers - modesty may elude me. Fair warning. Second, two more days isn't changing the outcome. Suppose that'll happen when only two days remain in a year.


What you never read my 2016 New Year's Resolution? Well, here's the POST.


So how'd I do?


For starters, technically, I certainly blogged more. Only one year did I update my blog more and during that year I'd update occasionally more than once or twice a day. Not blogging twice or more a day was unspoken cardinal rule of mine this year. Admittedly, I skirted the rule a handful of times if you count blogging near midnight and not waiting 24 hours before the next I blogged.


Heck, if you double the number of posts from 2015 (as I resumed blogging in June), 62-and-counting (okay, counting for maybe another two days) is more than 50. So my frequency did increase.


Yeah, here's where the 'but' comes in... all year I planned to blog more. There's much, much more didn't write. Yet. Most of those subjects haven't been lost to the aether. I'll get to them eventually. Just didn't so this year.


So as a perfectionist, I am not 100% happy but as a whole I did blog more.


As I blog more, I did give my two cents a heckuva lot. Other than some episode highlights that were more of recap than a review and the occasional time I hyped something, I gave my opinion. So I'd say it's fair to say that I stated my two cents often enough that met my resolution here.


Reading comics... not so much. Granted, I did read some comics and write some reviews. Nowhere near what I envisioned when I made my resolution.


Gaming on the other hand, I gamed not only far more than I expected but gamed more than I wrote about here! I suffered writer's block figuring which game session report to write when! Know the subject matter that I hadn't written about yet? Most of it is about gaming sessions. While one or two gaming-related posts probably won't occur before 2016 is done, there probably will be one or two as part of my 12ish Days of Blogging.


So overall, despite disappointment with comics reading, I'd have to say I met New Year's Resolution of 2016. I didn't give up on my blog. I gamed. Watched TV shows that fit the blog's parameters. I did read more than one comic book. Heck, I discovered I could blog for five or more days straight. If not for technical difficulties, a fourth 12ish Day would have came yesterday. Although, it would have been about a different subject matter, but I digress.

In fact, I am pleased enough with my success that I'll try my hand at a 2017 New Year's Resolution. I'll let you know if, what, that is on New Year's.


Till my 5th 12ish Days.

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

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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




Nook Comics


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


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


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


Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars


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


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


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


Till Next Time.

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

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


Till Next Time.

12ish Days of Blogging: Some Yuletide Links I Found of Interest

Since today marks day one of the traditional Twelve Days of Christmas and the march toward year's end, I've decided to do a series of twelve-ish blog posts. Alright, I mean blog twelve days in a row but give or take a couple days. Originally, I planned on Christmas/Holiday content appearing before and including on Christmas itself but the holiday happened. So expect plenty of Christmas-oriented stuff during twelve days of blogging. On the other hand, there may be several entries that aren't Christmas-oriented at all. My review of the Halloween Disney comic and commentary on New Year's Resolutions are among what I want to squeeze in before we're well into 2017.


So to start the 12ish Days of Blogging, I begin light by sharing several seasonal links that I found of interest. Some additional Christmas/Holiday/Yule like content that you may find of interest.


Ostrander on the Doctor Who Christmas Specials - Comics writer John Ostrander, Suicide Squad creator, provides a pretty nice overview of the Doctor Who Christmas Specials on ComicMix. My mileage on his opinions on each of the specials varies although there's some I haven't seen. Didn't realize until Ostrander pointed it out but, yeah, the Tenth Doctor, David Tennant, began and ended his time as the Doctor on Christmas. Rather neat coincidence.


CBR Superman Advent Calender - Leading up to Christmas, as part of Advent, Comic Book Resources had a daily countdown of Superman Christmas Stories and stories that contained elements no matter how minor of Christmas-theme. The screenshots are quite readable so much of each individual story can be read. Well, the nuts and bolts anyway. Some excellent Superman Christmas material here. Heck, I'm only two-thirds through!


Six Christmas Graphic Novels - Want to read some Christmas graphic novels that you can be certain you order from your local comics shop? Well, Diamond Comics Distributors have you covered with this list of six. I'm pretty confident if Diamond is listing these titles they have them in their warehouse. One of the six, Klaus, I hope to include during my 12ish Days of Blogging.


A History of Jingle Bells, Batman Smells - Here's an excellent essay on the origins and evolution of classic children's folksong Jingle Bells, Batman Smells. Seems to date back to the classic Adam West Batman sixties television show. Did you know there once was a line referencing Commissioner Gordon? I certainly wasn't aware of just how many variants there were of the classic children's folksong. Very interesting read.


Till Next Time!

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

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


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


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


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


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


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


Happy Gaming.

We All Shadowrun in a Yellow Submarine

For months I hinted at Shadowrun (5E) Missions play. Finally, I have put fingers to keyboard to blog my very first Shadowrun Missions game session report/review. So which session receives such an honorific to be the very first? Why, the... most recent?! Yep, while I have played all of season 5 (SRM is split into season with Season 5 being the first of the Chicago storyline) except SRM 05-01, my first review will concern the very last module of season 5, SRM 05-06 Take a Chance. The reason is very simple: its the session freshest in my mind and I could reference the Beatles song!


SRM 05-06 Take A Chance


The cast:


Nox - Human Combat Mage - played by yours truly
Umi Love - Elf Face/Adept
"James" - Human Weapons expert/Adept
Night Eyes - Human Decker/Rigger - Security Spider
Snuffleupagus (yes, the character is named after the Sesame Street character - more in a future blog post) - dwarf decker






There are some Spoilers but I'll do my best to avoid plot specifics. While players can replay modules  Shadowrun Missions, I feel its best if some surprises exist. As such as I'll focus more on how our group approached the module and how our group of fledgling Shadowrun 5E gamers are slowly learning the rules. Of note, this was the module that was postponed on Halloween to a month later...




As per the boiler plate of the module, our group of runners went to a meet where other groups of runners were - and our characters learn we're auditioning for a job. Everyone in the group decides not to bring weapons in. We meet a new associate named Night Eyes whose referenced to us by a storyline contact. James buys our table a sample of all the appetizers. Umi buys pork for the table as well. Snuffleupagus also peruses the menu. Nox who spent plenty of downtime Working for the People... uh... mooches... I guess? We notice other groups are watching us but we pay them no mind. Then some dragon-looking dude approaches us whom everyone but Nox (and maybe Night Eyes?) recognizes as Simon from the first module SRM 05-01. Offers a money making opportunity. When we enter into our interview with Sarah Silverleaf (there's frequent Sarah Silverman's interjected into the out-of-game chatter), Night Eyes mentions Simon's job offer...


While waiting on whether or not we're hired, James orders wine for all the other tables. Snuffy and Umi also partake in trash talking the other groups. At some point, one group tries to mess with James, he becomes extra confrontational with them as a result. Believe it or not, combat does not break out.


Long story short. We're hired. Turns out the run is underwater and we'll have to rent a submarine and some underwater gear. Our contact for this winds up being Goober whom we met during a prior module. He sells us some gear, modifies some of our weapons, and pilots our submarine. I joke so is it yellow? Why yes it is! Thus as title states, we embark on a shadowrun within a yellow submarine.


While underwater, we discover that the background count is less than Chicago normal but Noise is so bad that Matrix and Wireless-connected activities are unreliable. Huge, huge change from prior modules. Nox discovers while astrally projecting that two building were enclosed within astral barriers as is one room within a third building.


When we dock with the third building, Night Eyes uses a skill that hasn't really come up to hook up power to some oxygen tanks. He would later use the same skill to recharge some electrical devices...


At this point, I am going to forgo the traditional session write-up as it spoils too much. Instead I'll supply some highlights:

• Nox - honestly doesn't play too much of role other than Stunbolt-ing a character and achieving maximum Force 6 result. His inability to speak a language kind of limited him, kind of didn't. When we entered our final combat, he used a service for his fire elemental. Unfortunately the combat was too hectic that when the fire elemental could have been used, there was too much confusion and we ran out of time for the session. Which kind of sucks...
• There was an underwater shaft filled with perilous obstacles to swim past. The GM skipped this section to save time.
• We also skipped a combat encounter due to lack of time as well.
• Our characters encountered a group of metavariants/metasapients!
• The final combat is complicated by lack of familiarity with the grenade rules and botching the movement rules to catastrophic results! We forgot movement was for the entire Combat Turn and not individual pass and didn't realize grenades explode much, much sooner during a combat turn.
• Yep, the chunky salsa grenade rule applied!
• Before this session, I was lukewarm to full-auto. Afterwards, I am a believer.

Despite the hiccups, the final combat does have some neat moments, so here's how it broke down:
James exercises his small group tactics skill to initiate a group dynamic entrance. Unfortunately, our enemies were lying in wait. Before he sucks up three bursts of full-auto, James fires a gas grenade at two men armed with AKs. He suffers some Stun. Umi grabs a frag grenade off James belt and runs toward moon pool bay door and tosses the grenade. By sheer luck, as she missed, the grenade scatters into the room with the moon pool! She (yeah Umi is a she) runs into a nearby room. Unfortunately, a fourth gunman runs into the room. However, before he can fire Umi performs a melee interrupt as he passes by and incapacitates him with a Nerve Strike! A fifth enters and is Nerve Striked as he passes. Alas, he isn't incapacitated and opens fire. Fortunately, Umi has an ability where she is too pretty to be hit and evades the full auto-fire. Night Eyes covers a side that no enemy approaches from - it was because of the gas grenade? Snuffy full-autos a sixth who enters the room with Umi. Fleeing the moon pool room another enters Umi's room and unleashed full auto-fire upon her. With four assailants within the same room firing full-auto, Umi is stunned a bunch. James runs to her room, fires a flash bang (which scatters to Umi's feet) and runs back. Umi tries to flee the room and the flash bang but is melee intercepted by one of her four assailants (granted one is incapacitated) with a shock glove and is stunned unconscious. Two of her assailants exit and fire at James dropping him. Flash bang goes off. Yeah... All three remaining in the room are declared out for simplicity's sake. Our remaining opponents flee.


Overall: SRM 05- 06 Take a Chance is an excellent module with some off-the-beaten-path situations for the average runner. I'd love to play the mod again when we're more knowledgeable with the rules and less rusty. Still it was quite a memorable session. I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars with a chance at 4 stars.


Till next time,


Happy Gaming

Thoughts on the First Spider-Man: Homecoming Trailer

Tonight, the very first trailer for Spider-Man: Homecoming was released. And it... was... awesome! If you haven't seen it, the trailer should be widely available on the Internet. As such I am not going to include the video or a link to the video. Just going to provide my more than 140 character response that would be far too lengthy for social media.


We didn't get too much of Michael Keaton out of costume in this trailer; but what is there has appropriate amount of menace for a teenage super-hero whose stepping into an adult playground.


Speaking of that adult playground, that appears to be the theme of the trailer. Super-hero work is adult work and not suited for teenagers. While the classic Lee/Ditko stories would have characters admitting their surprise and astonishment that Spider-Man was teenager, it was never front and center. Suppose a pivotal player such as Tony Stark knowing Spider-Man is a teenaged Peter Parker leads to such a change from the comics origin. Should be interesting how much the trailer's theme is a theme of the movie.


Now, I am incredibly glad Tony, Robert Downey Jr, will be serving much more than a cameo role. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the movie franchise with the individual character(s) movies serving as facets of the franchise. So I like the level of cohesion that Tony Stark brings. Furthermore, I love seeing more of mentor type relationship with the teenaged Peter Parker. In many ways, the ground for a future passing of the torch could be set with this movie. Absolutely love the notion of Iron Man working alongside Spidey! However, the marque is Spider-Man: Homecoming. Not Spider-Man: Marvel Team-up. I'd prefer if Tony's role is much less than it was in Captain America: Civil War.


Loved the crooks wearing classic comic book depictions of Avengers masks.


Would have liked it if the Vulture was closer to his comic book roots but can accept that he's tech'd up because the movie-going audience wouldn't accept him as a major menace in a movie.


The high school scenes remind me of how much the character of Peter Parker benefited from being a high school student. So that will be neat to see. Not a fan of someone knowing his secret identity but in the MCU every hero, except Cap it seems, needs a non-powered, non-skilled person whose a confidante.


Tom Holland may very be the best Peter Parker/Spider-Man actor yet!


Action shots are pretty good. Can't wait to see them on the big screen.


So yeah, I stand by my earlier comment that the first trailer is amazing and spectacular. Look forward to the next!


Till Next Time.

Links about Krampus Night, First Tier 4 Adventurer's League mods, and Update AL Faction Guide

As usual, I'm off to a slow start as far as blogging is concerned. Have quite a number of things I want to blog about during the month of December and before year's end. Been awhile since I had 'link-oriented' post, so here's three links pertaining to Krampus Night, the rest of season 5 mods for Adventurer's League including the very first set of Tier 4 (levels 17 - 20), and an updated faction guide.


Guide to Factions - An updated faction guide for Adventurer's League. A free pdf available on DM's Guild. The Mentor-Apprentice rules are fleshed out more. Honestly, I think this would receive more play at conventions where Epics are played or home games where people play chapters from the adventure books. I do find the massive downtime requirements for some of the options rather curious. Then again, I am not a fan of requiring hundreds of downtime days to train although I suppose that's realistic. Maybe it's because downtime days are chained to playing modules and don't exist separately. As much as Time Units in LG could be frustrating as one's PC could be rendered unplayable for the rest of year, one's PC didn't have to earn that off-time. Some of the tool proficiencies that faction members can learn could be neat although I think the Zhentarim win as far as adventuring related tool proficiencies are considered. I suppose if you have Downtime to burn up... Now, the Item Acquisition is rather cool. I'd have to read it some more as some things aren't as clear. That being said, I've played a number of Adventurer's League modules for quite some time now. Haven't played any chapters from the book adventures yet. Magical armor and weapons are super rare as far rewards go. Thus, I absolutely love that if I want a character to acquire some, there's a means to do so. Plus, faction promotion becomes far more attractive as a consequence. Otherwise, faction promotion is more ho-hum than downtime. Still have no idea what distinguishes a secret mission from a faction assignment...


Rest of Season 5 mods - Here's a list for all the mods of Season 5 Adventurer's mods including the final nine modules that wrap up the tiers 1 - 3 arcs as well as providing the very first tier 4 (levels 17 - 20) mods. Season 4 (Barovia) led me to thinking to story terms such that my Season 5 character was created to fit the theme of Season 5 more. Since I was playing the character in non-Season 5 mods, I was worried that the character would level out of tier 1 (levels 1 - 4) and miss out on story. Perusing the module list, it appears the major arc of tier 1 centers around the village of Parnast. Fortunately, there's only one module that I would really love to play with said PC from tier 1 so if I play the rest of the Parnast arc with a different PC so be it. My first play through of any tier 2 mods will probably be with a different character anyway...


Krampus Night - My goal for this year is to include more holiday (ie, Christmas, Yule, etc.)-related content during December. Here's the first of such. As tonight is December 5th, ie Krampus Night, rather fitting I include a link about how Krampus Night has gained popularity within the United States. Rather cool the phenomena owes a debt to postcards of all things. Heck, I could see Krampus Night being folded within a RPG context. Modern settings could reflect one night only shenanigans on December 5th, while older and more supernatural-inclined settings could actually have an encounter with a Krampus-like figure! Perhaps an exercise for the later this month... or next year...


Well, Till next time. Happy Gaming.