Two Yuletide Comics Reviews

Here are reviews of two comics with Christmas themes. They are Ghostbusters: Past, Present, and Future and The Tick New Series. Both reviews are short snippets.

Ghostbusters Past Present and Future is a one shot Christmas special. In a nutshell its a modern day A Christmas Carol with a twist. As someone who grew up with the Ghostbusters this was nice nostalgic trip that didn't feel re-hashed. Honestly, I didn't expect the twist at the end as Venkman figures out what is going on. The characterization is adequate and the 'continuity' feels closer to that of the movies than the cartoon. What I found amusing that I kept imagining the Real Ghostbusters Ray's voice instead of Dan Akroyd every time I read Ray's line of dialogue. Story-wise it as a decent Christmas story. As for the art, it was good. The storytelling and backgrounds were rather good. The only downside was the character likenesses. Both Peter and Ray looked awfully alike. Furthermore, the main characters don't resemble past incarnations although both Egon and Winston come close. It was also neat to see that penciler Diego Jourdan's work outside of the occasional Tales of the TMNT foray.

Rating 3 out of 5 stars. Read this if you're a fan of the Ghostbusters, Christmas stories, and/or A Christmas Carol pastiches.

The Tick New Series #1 serves not only as the first issue of a new, bi-monthly full color on-going series but as the Christmas special as well. I found it amusing that intsead of putting 'new' in front of 'the Tick' they put it at the end and then discussed that reason. Other than that this issue concerns The Tick, Arthur, and some of the Tick's rogues gallery at separate Christmas, or not, related gatherings. There's four recountings of the Tick spoiling four different Christmas or winter themed evil-doings of several ne'er do wells. Of them Chairface's struck me as the most hilarious and ironic. The reader need not have too much familiarity with the Tick to enjoy this issue as this story wasn't all that continuity heavy although it may help.

Rating 3 out of 5 stars. Read this if you're a fan of The Tick, Christmas stories, humor, and done -in -ones. Its also accessible to both new and old readers.

4 More Blogs added to my blog roll

Once again, I have added some more blogs to my blog roll. Four of them in fact. Three of them are comics-oriented while the fourth includes comics amongst the discussion. I had been following the three comics blogs for awhile and decided to add them to the roll.

The blogs are: Diversions of the Groovy Kind (70's comics), Golden Age Comic Book Stories, Flashback Universe (webcomics, discussions on comics new and old), and A Fistful of Cult.

Added a new blog to my blog roll

By now, it should be well known that I am a huge fan of Doctor Who. With that said, I have added the blog, Doctor Who News Page to my blog roll. As the name implies it has Doctor Who news.

Honestly, I check out the blogs I have on my blog roll more often than those that I am a follower of. With that said I'll probably be adding more blogs to the blog roll in the near future.

RIP Umaga

Just found out via Yahoo, that the wrestler "Eddie" Fatu whom more recently wrestled under the name of Umaga has passed away because of a heart attack. While I wasn't a huge Umaga fan, I did enjoy aspects of the character and respect the wrestler that portrayed him. RIP

Link to Images from WWE Heroes Comic

Found out recently that apparently there's going to be a WWE comic. What's sort of weird is that Titan Publishing is the publisher for it. I'm not used to Titan providing new material. Although its possible that this is a subsidiary of Titan Sports in which case it makes sense. So possibly a different publisher then. Anyway, Titan Publishing sent PWInsider images from the comic. Here's a link that has both images of both covers as well as sample pages. Based on the sample pages I get the feeling the comic is going to be a bit on the strange side. Then again I was expecting something off-kilter from usual wrestling...er sports entertainment.

4 Classic Doctor Who stories for free on YouTube

Over at ComicMix, it has been reported that BBC has released four stories from the classic Doctor Who run for free on YouTube. Here's the link to the original story.

The stories in question are: Edge of Destruction (Hartnell), Krotons (Troughton), Carnival of Monsters (Pertwee), and Caves of Androzani (Davison).

I am curious how long they will be available as well as whether or not more stories will become available later on. Honestly, its a nice a change of pace from the high price DVDs. Granted those DVD's have some nice extras they are about as expensive, maybe more so, than blue-rays. Perhaps the BBC feels it has reaped enough of profit on the DVDs to justify making these four stories available for free consumption?

GIJoe, Star Trek, and RAW 11/23 Thoughts

On the 23rd, I saw GIJoe and the latest Star Trek movies for the second time as well as watched the 11/23 Monday Night RAW. Since its been awhile since I last updated my blog I figured I'd share my thoughts. Besides I have been meaning to comment on both the Star Trek and GiJoe movies.

11/23 Monday Night RAW - This week's RAW was a three hour Thanksgiving celebration that had Jesse Ventura as the guest host. While not a stellar show, it was still a very good episode that advanced things nicely. We got two matches set up for the next PPV, two new stars getting a decent push, and a stellar appearance from Jesse Ventura. Every segment that had Ventura in it was golden. John Cena and CM Punk put on an excellent match for "free". Chris Jericho as usual was excellent on the mic. On the downside, all matches has predictable outcomes with the exception of the battle royal.

GIJoe - First time I saw GIJoe I thought it was an excellent movie. Upon a second viewing months after that I am glad that my impression is still the same. I felt GIJOE was an excellent adaption of a childhood favorite to the silver screen much like Transformers. Unless one does not tolerate deviation I don't see why any GIJoe fan would not want to see this movie. Heck, those unfamiliar with GIJoe would probably enjoy this as well. I look forward to any sequels.

Star Trek - Like GIJoe, Star Trek was just as good the second time around months after first seeing it. In other words, awesome. Other than that I am not sure if I can add any more praise to this successful revamp of a beloved franchise that hasn't been said already. Definately looking forward to sequels.

Bat-Man and D&D alignments

Here's a link to the blog Geek Orthodox's post called the Many Alignments of Batman. To sum it up, its a picture with a line or two matching Batman with each D&D alignment. Felt I would provide a link cause I thought it was very neat.

2nd LARP Session Today

I will attend the second larp session in about a year tonight. Why so significant? One, as stated, its the second session in about a year that I have attended. Years ago, LARP was a hobby of mine. Half my gaming consisted of LARPing. In fact, I had accepted that LARP was a thing of the past until recently. Unfortunately, that brings me to the second point of significance. I have no idea when I will LARP next. Thus, tonight's session has importance.

LARP tonight

Tonight, I am actually going to a larp. Its been about a year since the last session I attended. This LARP, in particular, is a TGN Werewolf the Apocalypse chronicle located in Stevens Point. As one of the founding players of the Point Larp, the game has a lot of sentimental value. Due to my schedule, I haven't been able to play as much as I would like. So for two nights only, I'll actually be able to play. Hopefully, its something I can come back to.

Extreme Rules PPV DVD Review

Sometime ago, I said that the Extreme Rules PPV was PPV I would be willing to purchase on DVD based on the results. When the DVD finally arrived, I decided not to get it. Well, last week, I bought it as an impulse purchase.

My thoughts:
Extras - a post-match Chris Jericho promo. The promo itself was very exceptional. Other than that, only one extra.

The PPV itself was alright. I enjoyed all matches leading up to the steel cage match. The steel cage match sucked. To provide perspective I enjoyed the joke hog pen match more than the steel cage match. There have been better steel cage matches on free TV. Either that or I am not a big fan of both Batista or Randy Orton. The submission match was just there. Have no idea how that fit the concept of extreme rules except as a gimmick match. The ladder match was very good. CM Punk cashing in the Money the Bank to win his second World Title was icing on the cake.

My rating - I give it 2.5 out of 5 stars. A lot title changes and big wins for wrestlers I like made the dvd worth it for me. On the other hand, I came to the realization that with a moniker of Extreme Rules that the PPV didn't live up to the expectations that the name creates.

TNA No Surrender '09 Fantasy Booking

TNA Wrestling's PPV No Surrender occurs Sunday evening. Now, I haven't watched Impact in awhile. One, I don't have easy access to the show anymore. Two, TNA was one of the reasons I need to take a sabbatical from wrestling. By the time I would watch Impact I discovered that I would fast-forward through most of the show. Three, TNA strayed and continues to stray from the type of product that attracted me to it.

Since I haven't watched the product in awhile, I really can't provide any predictions. I will provide my own personal fantasy booking of this weekend's No Surrender PPV. This is merely the opinion of one wrestling fan.

Rhino vs Bobby Lashley: Rhino has given so much to the company that he deserves more than to just lose to Mr. MMA Bobby Lashley. How about have the match end as draw either by time out or double count out. That way Lashley technically doesn't lose and there can be rematch.

ODB vs Cody Deaner: Unlike the WWE's Women's division, I actually like and respect the Knockouts Division. That fact that guy is wrestling for the title makes the division look like a joke. ODB for the win.

Knockouts Tag Title Tournament: the roster's big enough for tag belts? No comment.

X-Division Championship Match: I like both Daniels and Samoa Joe. In my opinion TNA hasn't done the best for Samoa Joe. They also haven't done the greatest by Daniels either. I'd say Daniels. That way there can be a Joe vs Daniels II.

TNA Lethal Lockdown: I'm all for pushing new talent. British Invasion all the way.

Abyss vs Kevin Nash for Legends Title: Oh yeah, a bounty too. Let's see if I'm dissatisfied with how TNA has handled Samoa Joe, I am very unhappy with how they have treated Abyss. Give the Legends title to Abyss via pinfall. TNA really needs to start push its own talent.

Hernandez vs Eric Young: Eric Young is the leader of a heel stable. Hernandez is a potential top guy. Have Eric Young win here. Hernandez can get revenge later.

Heavyweight Championship four way match: By now, I hope I given the impression that I think TNA needs to start building its own stars. Either Styles or Morgan. Styles deserves the belt; however, Morgan would be the biggest surprise. That surprise could pay dividends.

Longbox Digital Comics

This post over at Flashback Universe reminded about Longbox Digital Comics. Longbox is as the name suggests going to be platform for the distribution of digital comics. Even though I am somwhat of traditionalist when it comes to comics, prefer the floppies and trades, digital comics become more attractive as the months go by. One, I don't have to worry about storage as much as I do now. Two, I can trim my physical copy purchases. Three, I can sample more comics in their entirety without hassle. Last, I have read more comics and comics pages online than physically the last couple months.

As that blog posts asks about wish lists, here are mine.

1) Big publishers as well as smaller publishers. There's nothing wrong with smaller publisher but there's already OBS and Wowio for that.

2) The option to either download or read online.

3) Some measure of interactivy.

4) Cheaper prices than what the print edition costs. Honestly, if I like the work enough I just may buy the physical copy. If it costs the same, I won't.

5) Timeliness. I am all for supporting the shops. However, I don't want to wait at least six months in order to read the comic.

Serenity Today - Changing my Approach

Been about a month since I last updated my blog, merely because I have been spending more time on Facebook rather than updating my blog. Since today is the next Serenity session, I figured I'd comment on some changes I am making. I have learned much on how I should run the game after having ran one module. Here are some changes I am making to my approach.

Pacing for one Act per session
One of the things I am grateful for is that the players have a tendency to cover a lot of ground per session. When it comes to the published Serenity modules they have averaged one or two, sometimes three even, acts every session. So speed isn't a problem. Well, it isn't so much a problem except when it comes to prepping. Unlike the first module, I read the entirety of the second module before running it. Problem is I still felt stilted while running the first act. Why? Because I hadn't given enough preparation and thought to the first act. In many ways that was the same with the first module. So far I hadn't been able to give proper attention to what I running for every session. My solution is to borrow an approach used by a WOTC staffer. I am only going to plan for one segment each session. Once the players reach the end of that prepared segment, the session will be over for the most part. For the current module, that means one act per session. Which happens to work out rather nicely as the module has three acts and an epilogue.

Not running a game of Vampire the Masquerade
Sigh. Everything was going well among the players until this last session. A player that missed the previous module but character was still present did something questionable. Several players were upset about it. Furthermore, I didn't know the player had done that until it the player revealed it in dialogue. To compound matters another player was passing secret notes. I am not running a game of inter-party intrigue ala Vampire the Masquerade. As Jayne's betrayal was hinted at on camera so shall it be with this game. No secret notes. No surprise actions that happened without GM notification. Everything that happens will occur 'on camera'.

If you are not there, your character isn't
I felt that by keeping the non-present PC's with those actually playing would help foster an in-game connection. Last session, I learned that all depends on the player. No more.

The need for a rules helper
Honestly, I haven't been able to devote as much time to both prepping the module and learning the rules as I would like. Today, I plan to appoint one or two rules helpers. On a related note, the assignment idea never happened as I either forgot to assign or no on volunteered.

That's about it for now.

Summerslam is this Sunday...

Well, Summerslam occurs Sunday. Alas, I am working that day so I won't be able to watch it live. So if I watch the PPV it'll be after the fact. Until I looked at the card on WWE.com, I wasn't too terribly impressed with the line-up. John Cena vs Randy Orton? Been done. DX vs Legacy? Predictable. Hardy vs Punk in a TLC match? If Hardy is leaving, the TLC component is the saving grace. Admittedly, WWE main events (on paper) have not impressed me in awhile. So the mid-card generally saves the show for me. We either have decent feuds or matches that should contain excellent wrestling. Therefore, Summerslam '09 while not must-see is a PPV I'd be willing to see.

Next Serenity Session is Tomorrow

Well, tomorrow is the next Serenity game session. In this session, our batch of greenhorns will conclude their attempt to escape from prison alive or not. Right now things are mighty hairy for them with two of their number knocked out. Granted, two of the remaining PC's are Fighting Types but one of them is more of a medic than a fighter. Another one is a non-combatant while the other two will be taking their cue from the movie the GAMERS cause the actual players won't be there.

So with some more combat and possible tense negotiating ahead for our wannabe crew, you can say things are looking very shiny for them indeed. Even if they manage to .... become acquainted... with the ship Freedom's Flight, they have to worry about a little security measure they were told about. Why nothing other than patrol boat that blasts uncleared ships out of the sky. Some fancy flying may be needed. Only then will they escape.

Decided I'd shakes up a little bit and include a teaser for the next session. Once again, the session is going to be ran very rules light. Provided the game gets that far, I won't be using the full space ship rules. Just some simple skill rolls. Afterwards, we'll either have finished the module Freedom's Flight or it'll be time for either new characters or game.

Serenity: Stun, Shock, and Second Wind

At the moment the biggest problem that Serenity game has is Stun and Shock. While the rules in and of themselves aren't bad, the current situation game leads to those rules hindering the flow of the game. Currently, two PC's are out cause of shock. Normally, that wouldn't bother me. However, the PC's are in the middle of a prison break and every character counts especially the pilot.

So what to do? First, I am making a house rule that because game sessions are so short tracking second wind usages is tedious. My house rule is that they'll be once a session. That way stun isn't quite the game killer. Second, I am going to allow the removal of shock points through story manipulation via plot points. Basically, the PC administering the "first aid" spends a significant amount of plots points and makes a token first aid check. If said PC doesn't have any Medical Expertise that player has to spend the upper bracket amount. Then the receiving player gets to make a d12 roll plus second wind if they choose. Any negative happenings will depend on the dictates of the story...

For this module, I'll allow the shocked/stunned PC to gain a 1 to 2 recovery of stun via d12 plus second wind. Shock recovery will be one for one on a d12 plus second wind roll. Granted this only if a player chooses to use plot points to manipulate the story. I hope this ruling not only helps the flow of the current adventure but future mods as well.

I have joined Facebook.

Several months ago (maybe during Spring...), members of my gaming group urged me to join Facebook. That way game related stuff could be disseminated. I agreed but very reluctantly. My reluctance was so great that even with a reminder on one of their blogs, I didn't create an account. Tonight, that changed. I have finally created a facebook account.