Neverending Digression

Marvel Multiverse Table Top Role-Playing Game - Summer 2023

2022-08-23T14:25:00.000-04:00

A new Marvel TTRPG is heading our way for Summer 2023. I have some really fond memories of the Marvel Superheroes Roleplaying game put out by TSR in the 1980's. It was right along side Dungeons & Dragons as one of my introductory games to ttrpgs. This new game looks to be based purely on a six-sided dice system. The playtest rulebook for the game is available now for anyone who wants to run an early version of the game through its paces before the finalized version comes out next year. I'll admit I'm curious enough make that purchase myself.

Here is the official press release from Marvel:

MARVEL LAUNCHING CORE RULEBOOK FOR NEW TABLETOP ROLE-PLAYING GAME IN SUMMER 2023

‘MARVEL MULTIVERSE ROLE-PLAYING GAME: CORE RULEBOOK’ AVAILABLE JUNE 2023

FOLLOWED BY ‘MARVEL MULTIVERSE ROLE-PLAYING GAME: THE CATACLYSM OF KANG’ AVAILABLE JULY 2023

Use the D616 game system to embody your favorite Super Heroes and Super Villains!

New York, NY— August 22, 2022 – New adventures in the Marvel Multiverse start now! Today, Marvel announced the official role-playing game core rulebook and a new adventure book coming in Summer 2023. Both books are written by award-winning and New York Times best-selling author Matt Forbeck (The Marvel Encyclopedia, Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeonology) and feature covers by artist Iban Coello.

First, RPG players will be able to take on the roles of Marvel’s most famous Super Heroes in ‘MARVEL MULTIVERSE ROLE-PLAYING GAME: CORE RULEBOOK,’ on sale June 2023. Fully updated and expanded from the PLAYTEST RULEBOOK, which is now available, the core rulebook features all the rules that both new and seasoned players alike will need — including quick character creation, bombastic combat, and scores of amazing powers — plus full profiles of dozens of Marvel’s greatest heroes and villains. All that's needed is the book, three standard six-sided dice, and friends!

The rule book will be followed by a brand-new adventure book on sale July 2023, ‘MARVEL MULTIVERSE ROLE-PLAYING GAME: THE CATACLYSM OF KANG.’ This book includes new character profiles and features a series of six interlocked adventures. Fans can play through with a new team or character each time or form a campaign that takes players from street-level heroes to cosmic champions!

“We’re absolutely thrilled with the volume and quality of the feedback the Narrators and players gave us on the Playtest Rulebook, and we truly took it to heart for in the core rulebook,” said the game co-designer Matt Forbeck. “We have a huge playtest update coming out soon that streamlines the game and makes it even easier to understand and play. I can’t wait for fans to try it out ahead of the full release of these books next summer!”

Both books will be available wherever graphic novels and books are sold. Stay tuned for more information on Marvel’s role-playing games on Marvel.com/RPG!

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MARVEL MULTIVERSE ROLE-PLAYING GAME: CORE RULEBOOK HC
ON SALE JUNE 2023
WRITTEN BY MATT FORBECK
COVER BY IBAN COELLO

MARVEL MULTIVERSE ROLE-PLAYING GAME: THE CATACLYSM OF KANG HC
ON SALE JULY 2023
WRITTEN BY MATT FORBECK
COVER BY IBAN COELLO

ND Comic Book Review: Grim #1 - BOOM! Studios

2022-05-10T10:34:00.006-04:00

Grim

Issue #1 - Chapter One: Don't Fear The Reaper

Writer: Stephanie Phillips
Illustration: Flaviano
Colors: Rico Renzi
Letters: Tom Napolitano

Publisher: BOOM! Studios

I had the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the first issue for this new series from BOOM! Studios. I've been enjoying Stephanie Phillips work on Harley Quinn for DC and Taarna with Heavy Metal. I loved Flaviano's art on the Power Man & Iron Fist book for Marvel. So going in I was already excited just by the names on the creative team. I was rightfully excited. I enjoyed Grim a great deal and I'm looking forward to the next issue.

Given that this is the first issue, Phillips has to do some of the work of establishing our main character and the world we're operating in moving forward. We're introduced to Jessica Harrow, one of many reapers who work for Death to guide souls to the afterlife. The story opens as she guides a man to the afterlife after he gets killed in a car accident. The first few pages are the usual stuff we've seen with these kinds of stories. The dead not realizing the are dead, until they are standing over their lifeless body, trying to escape their fate, the usual stuff.

Things get increasingly more interesting as we go with Jessica as she takes her assigned soul to the afterlife. Seeing creators different interpretations of the afterlife is always something I enjoy. The version that Phillips and Flaviano creates is impressive. Flaviano captured the vastness of these world incredibly well and the color palettes selected by Renzi gives a real sense of separation between each of the realms.

After Jessica finishes her assignment, things start to shake up when Jessica realizes her scythe has been stolen. She and a couple other reapers go back to Earth to track it down. This leads to some other startling developments.

I've read this comic over a couple times. It's a quick but satisfying read. The second time over I paid more attention to people and things in the background. Especially in parts of the afterlife this has me asking other questions that I hope are answered in later issues. I can't recommend this issue enough, the creative team did such a great job setting the stage for this series. The characters are interesting and the artwork is fantastic. Jessica Harrow's costume and look is so cool, I can easily see cosplayers doing their interpretations of this character is upcoming conventions.

Grim #1 will be on stands May 11th, 2022. Definitely pick it up.

Here are some preview pages and cover artwork for you to view in the meantime, all images provided by BOOM! Studios:

Czarface Figure - Super 7 ULTIMATES!Available for Pre-Order Now

2022-05-09T15:51:00.008-04:00

Fans of hip hop and awesome figures, get ready for the Czarmageddon. Super 7 has announced the Czarface ULTIMATES! Figure is available for pre-order starting today. The figure is estimated to be released in the 2nd Quarter of 2023. Seeing this character translated so well to an action figure is making my wallet jumpy. The figure comes with 5 sets of hands and three different head sculpts, along with a soft goods cape.

As per always with the ULTIMATES! line the box looks to be collector friendly and has a great design to it. The package graphics style matches the album art from Czarface.

Super 7 has made versions of the Czarface character for their 3.75 inch ReAction line of figures. The packaging has always been great for those, though 5 points of articulation has been my thing since the 80's. The ULTIMATES! version of this character totally has my attention though, the metallic look they've got with for the character along with everything else has made this a surprise need for my shelf.

Czarface Ultimates! Wave 1 - Czarface is available now for pre-order at Super 7, for $55.00

Czarface ReAction Figure - Cosmic Czarface is available now to order at Super 7, for $20.00

Here are some looks at the figures, all photos from Super 7:

ND Comic Book Review: Archer & Armstrong Forever #1 - Valiant Entertainment

2022-05-05T17:19:00.003-04:00

Archer & Armstrong Forever
Issue #1

Writer: STEVE FOXE
Art: MARCIO FIORITO
Colors: ALEX GUIMARAES
Letters: HASSAN OTSMANE-ELHAOU
Publisher: VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT

Valiant Entertainment is bringing us a new Archer & Armstrong title, that hit stands yesterday May 4th. As a long time fan of the character since their first appearance in the 1992 I was curious to revisit these characters. I enjoyed this first issue a great deal. The mix of humor and action is exactly what I hoped for when I picked up the book.

For those not familiar with the characters. Obadiah Archer is a trained assassin with a superpower that allows him to take on talents and superpowers of others. Archer is a psiot, meaning he was born with his powers and is part of a small group of representing the next step in human evolution. I guess the closest comparison is to the way mutants are handled at Marvel.

Armstrong aka Aram the Strong, is the strongest of three immortal brothers. He's lived a considerably longtime and has witnessed much of human history through a drunken haze. From the looks of the character in this comic he continues to have great love of drink and brawling. The apparent loss of Armstrong's immortality is one of the big story points for this issue.

This issue also introduces some interesting new villains including The Eccentric and his hired muscle, the Maw.

Steve Foxe nails the humor and banter between these characters perfectly. I didn't have to make any mental adjustment to my memories of the characters before. For new readers, a quick introduction gives you all you need to know to enjoy the book. Marcio Fiorito's artwork is clean and does an excellent job of drawing the different fight scenes. Fiorito also excels at the facial expressions which adds to the humor of the book.

I've included some of the alternate covers and the first few pages of the book. Its definitely worth a buy.

Variant Cover Artists: David Talaski, Dan Hipp, Ro Stein & Ted Brandt, Marcio Fiorito

NECA Reveals First Look at The Invisible Man, Universal Monster Figure Series

2022-05-02T17:17:00.003-04:00

On NECA's Instagram account they posted two photos showing us a glimpse of the upcoming Invisible Man figure and accessories, that will the next figure in its Universal Monster action figure line. The figure shown was in color, however I can assume that a black and white version will be available as with Frankenstein, The Wolf Man and The Mummy figures before it.

credit: NECA Toys

The images were released as part of its Monster MAYhem event. This is the first reveal that I've seen for the event, so I'm hopeful we'll see more Universal Monsters figures shown as the month goes on.

ND Comic Book Review: World's Finest #1 & #2 - DC Comics

2022-05-02T16:51:00.002-04:00

Batman/Superman: World's Finest

Issues: 1 & 2

Writer: Mark Waid

Art: Dan Mora

Colors: Tamra Bonvillain

Letterer: Aditya Bidikar

Before we get into this review, let me give the perspective of where it is coming from. I was born in the early 1970's, so my introduction to DC and Marvel super heroes often their borderline Silver Age/early Bronze Age versions. While there was danger, these were not dark and gritty versions of the heroes. This comic captures that era of super heroes for me, and I'm enjoying immensely. Batman's detective skills along with his knowledge and connections in the superhero/super science world are highlighted over his being dark and brooding. This story doesn't happen in the current DC Universe, it happens sometime in the past when Batman wore his blue cowl and had a yellow oval around his chest emblem.

I love a team-up book, I have on more than occasion lamented the fact that the current publishers don't have regular team-up books on the stands like they did back in the day. Mark Waid leverages the fun of the team-up book by using rogues from both of the heroes' galleries. In the first issue the heroes run into Metallo and Poison Ivy. By the end of the issue we have the classic line-up of the Doom Patrol also included in the story. Issue 2, brings in a second team-up with Robin and Supergirl going off on their own side adventure related to the main story, while Batman and Superman have to defend Billy Batson against a more powerful version of Felix Faust. This what a team-up book should be, I felt the same joy reading this that I get when watching old episodes of Batman: The Brave & The Bold with my youngest son. With the end of the second issue, we've had some time travel and a visit to Hell added to the mix. This is a fun ride for only two issues so far.

Let me stop a moment to just state that it is such a big deal that Mark Waid is back at DC Comics. Because of a variety of personal/interoffice political reasons that I don't know much about Mark Waid hadn't been working for DC for a little over decade. Times change and staff changes, which brought Waid back to DC. His Kingdom Come series with Alex Ross is a story that I read at least once a year. It was one of the first graphic novels I bought digitally, just so my hardcopy version wouldn't get damaged further from my constant re-reading. When I saw he was writing this return of the World's Finest title, it made it an immediate must read for me.

As expected Mark Waid handles the variety of characters so incredibly well in their interactions. Their characterizations stay true and the banter between them is entertaining. Dan Mora's artwork and the color palette used by Bonvillain keep the comic feeling current but still capturing the feel of a past era. I don't know the plans for the series after this story arc but I'd be perfectly content staying in a time past for the rest of the stories. Letting it exist without the concerns of current continuity and character interpretations though probably isn't in the cards. According to the marketing materials from DC Comics, this first storyline is the kicking off point for a larger event impacting the DC Universe. Since I've enjoyed these first two issues, maybe this is an event I'll get into for this summer.

ND Comic Book Review: Immortal Red Sonja #1 - Dynamite

2022-04-26T00:15:00.002-04:00

Immortal Red Sonja
Issue: #1

Story: Dan Abnett
Art: Alessandro Miracolo
Colorist: Ellie Wright
Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry

Publisher: Dynamite
On sale: 04/13/2022

I'll admit that I'm not a deep fan of Conan or Red Sonja. I've read their comics back in the day when Marvel first held the license and I followed up with Conan with Dark Horse and Marvel more recently with the return of the license to their hands. I however didn't follow up with Red Sonja for whatever reason. I've always thought the character was cool, but for whatever reason I never jumped in with the character. Until now that is. I saw that Dynamite was starting another series with the character and thought it would be a good jumping on point for me.

This story opens up with what appears to be a younger Sonja taking shelter from the elements in a kind of tavern run by a mysterious old man. Sonja tells the tale of the cursed chain mail that she wears, as she searches for a way to remove the curse and likewise remove the chain mail which is bonded to her as part of the curse. It quickly becomes evident that we heading in a version of the Arthurian legends, at least the equivalent that exists in the world of Red Sonja.

While I can see where the story is headed readily, I'm a sucker for the Arthurian based stories even if its a slightly altered version. Its almost as if the story was tailor made for me to get into this series. The story isn't complex and we get a good pay off with an excellent battle between Sonja and a huge monster warrior in the second half of the book.

The artwork is excellent. Alessandro Miracolo illustration and Ellie Wright's coloring compliment each other. The battle scenes were amazingly dynamic. While the quieter scenes in the beginning of the book definitely helped set the stage with their detail and mood building. All worked with the writing to build a mood of foreboding and increasing tension that snaps to danger.

While I'm enjoying this book and will definitely pick up the next issue I'm already wondering what the next story will be and when it will take place. In the mean time I'm ready to see what other figures from King Arthur's legends Sonja will have to deal with. This issue hit the stands on April 13th, 2022. I'm a little late with this review, as per always. However the issue hopefully will be available still.

Thor: Love and Thunder - Holding Out Hope For Hercules

2022-04-22T16:43:00.001-04:00

I enjoyed Thor: Ragnarok so much its probably the most watch of the Thor movies for me, and one that I will sit down and watch if I happen across it on television. I'm late to the party getting this trailer on here, but I'm so cised for the movie that I'm putting it up here anyway. As Thor is goes through his adventure it looks like we get a glimpse of the Greek gods and Mount Olympus. I can only hope this means that we are FINALLY going to see Marvel's Hercules on the big screen. No offense to Thor, but in the comics Hercules is my favorite hero of ancient mythology and one of my favorite Avengers. With Starfox and Sersi introduced to use in the Eternals movie, and She-Hulk coming to Disney+ getting excited about the prospect of more heroes that were part of my Avengers when I started reading the comics in the 1980's coming into the MCU. The main heavy in this film is Gorr the God Butcher, I can easily see Hercules, the demigod coming to the defense of his Father being played by Russell Crowe or even avenging his possible death against a foe like that. Either way, the big thing I'm seeing here in this trailer is there is a chance for Herc.

Here's the write up and teaser trailer from Marvel Entertainment:

The film finds Thor (Chris Hemsworth) on a journey unlike anything he’s ever faced – a quest for inner peace. But his retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who seeks the extinction of the gods. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Taika Waititi) and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who – to Thor’s surprise – inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor. Together, they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late. Directed by Waititi (“Thor: Ragnarok,” “Jojo Rabbit”) and produced by Kevin Feige and Brad Winderbaum, “Thor: Love and Thunder” opens in theaters July 8, 2022.

Hasbro Marvel Legends Fan First Tuesday Breakdown - Marvel Legends 20th Anniversary Toad Figure

2022-04-19T17:42:00.002-04:00

During their Fan First Tuesday Livestream Hasbro revealed the last of the four Marvel Legends 20th Anniversary figures with the presentation of the Toad. The figure is a combination of new and old looks for this character. Hasbro went with a more slender body type and younger appearance than the original Toybiz figure that was definitely geared towards the Toad's original appearance in the first X-Men books. For the costume choice Hasbro went all in with the original Toad's costume design, with a brighter palate then the Toybiz version which had a muddier, dirtier wash over the costume.

This figure comes with two heads, one with outrageous tongue and another sans tongue. Toad also comes with a couple of toads and a pair of fists, along with a stand and cardboard backdrop. He'll be packaged on a blister card that harkens back to the 2002 Toybiz packaging just as Captain America, Iron Man and Hulk before him.

I honestly can't remember if I bought the Toybiz version of the figure or not back in 2002, but if I did I doubt he came out of the package. I was an early adopter of the Marvel Legends, so I'll have to search the cases.

Toad will be available for pre-order Wednesday April 20th, 2022 via fan channels like Big Bad Toy Store or Entertainment Earth at 1pm Eastern. I don't currently have confirmed pricing.

Hasbro Marvel Legends Fan First Tuesday Breakdown - Marvel Cinematic Universe

2022-04-19T16:39:00.003-04:00

Hasbro's Marvel Legends team had a lot to show off today for their Fan First Tuesday Livestream the recording on which can be seen here. I'm breaking this up into parts since there is much to go through. Almost everything covered here today will go up for pre-order April 20th around 1:00pm Eastern Time.

For the MCU and animated figures Hasbro is going back in time to some of the less recent films to bring up some new figures. The one I'm most excited about is Spider-Noir from Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse. This is such an incredible film with amazing animation. I have a couple of the figures from the initial figure waves that came out around the time the film was released. One glaring omission from those figures was the lack of a Spider-Noir. The reason given was that it was close to a Spider-Noir comic book version being released around that time. Hasbro is now giving the animated version of the character his due. He will also be paired with a Spider-Ham figure, that looks similar to the one that game with the Spider-Gwen movie figure.

Spider-Noir will be available for pre-order, Wednesday April 20th, 2022 at 1pm Eastern through Target in the US and Toys R Us in Canada. No pricing was given.

Next Hasbro's way back machine is taking us to the first of the Tom Holland Spider-Man films, with MCU version of Peter Parker and Ned Leeds from Spider-Man: Homecoming. This will be a two-pack including the figures as well as alternate heads, backpacks, and a book from what I can see in the photos. I'm loving the Spider-Man mask alternate head for Ned, that's a great touch. This set will be available for pre-order tomorrow via Hasbro Pulse. No pricing was given.

Marvel's Squirrel Girl: The Unbeatable Radio Show Premiere's Today, 4.18.22 on SIRIUSXM

2022-04-18T09:48:00.000-04:00

Marvel Entertainment and SiriusXM are launching a six-episode podcast radio show written by Ryan North featuring Squirrel Girl as voiced by actress Milana Vayntrub. I've been getting into a few podcast radio serials and my oldest daughter has had me listening to SiriusXM's Radio Classics station because she likes the crime dramas and comedy shows from the "Golden Age of Radio". I'm thinking this might be something she would like to give a listen. With the popularity of audio books I've seen the resurgence of original audio storytelling as a natural progression. I'm excited for this project and others that will hopefully follow.

Here is the official press release from Marvel:

MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT AND SIRIUSXM PREMIERE NEW SCRIPTED PODCAST SERIES ‘MARVEL’S SQUIRREL GIRL: THE UNBEATABLE RADIO SHOW!’ LAUNCHING MONDAY, APRIL 18

The six-episode original podcast series is written by Ryan North and stars Milana Vayntrub as Squirrel Girl

LISTEN TO THE SERIES TRAILER HERE

New York, NY— April 18, 2022 — It’s time to kick butts and eat nuts! Today, Marvel Entertainment and SiriusXM announced their newest original scripted podcast, Marvel’s Squirrel Girl: The Unbeatable Radio Show!, is now available on all platforms.

The six-episode podcast series is written by Ryan North, directed by Giovanna Sardelli, and has original music by Justin Huertas and Steven Tran. The series stars Milana Vayntrub as Squirrel Girl and features performances by Crystal Lucas Perry (Nancy Whitehead), Leo Sheng (Koi Boi), Davied Morales (Chipmunk Hunk), Peter Hermann (Brain Drain), Erica Schroeder (Tippy T. Squirrel), and Tina Benko (Rachel Oskar).

Squirrel Girl has taken down Thanos and Doctor Doom – but now she faces something far more terrifying… living authentically. The new series follows Empire State University college student, Doreen Green, who has recently been outed as a super hero – The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl! Hoping to unify her personas in the public eye, Squirrel Girl has created a new student radio show on ESU’s own college station. With the help of her best girl-friend, Nancy Whitehead as producer, and her best squirrel-friend, Tippy-Toe in the booth; Doreen is ready to help more people than ever with her greatest s uper hero advice. And when the going get rough, she can always lean on her heroic friends: Iron Man, Spider-Man, Chipmunk Hunk, Koi Boi, and Brain Drain.

However, with a call-in show comes caller anonymity and not all the folks on the line want help – some want to crime – and crime hard! When a suspicious caller wreaks havoc on New York City, Squirrel Girl and her friends will have to put their heroics to the test and prove that once and for all Doreen Green is the UNBEATABLE Squirrel Girl.

On the series, writer Ryan North says, “For me, a lot of the fun of the project initially was getting to work in a new medium, one where everything that happened had to be communicated through sound. Of course, once we started recording, my favorite part was hearing the actors bring these characters to life. Milana and Crystal are Doreen and Nancy, and the way Leo and Davied and Peter brought Koi Boi, Chipmunk Hunk, and Brain Drain to life was just exceptional.” North continues, “The podcast continues right where the comics left off, so long-time fans will feel instantly at home, but it's also built for new people who maybe have never encountered the world of the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl before.”

This is not North’s first foray into writing Squirrel Girl. His comic series, THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL, had a four-year run and garnered a devoted fan-following. Like the comics, the podcast series has Squirrel Girl’s same uber-positive, fun-loving tone that fans have come to know and love. And for fans who want even more of Doreen Green, North wrote an all-new Squirrel Girl vertical comic tie-in which launches today on Marvel Unlimited, Marvel’s digital comic subscription service. The SQUIRREL GIRL one-shot, which is a prequel to the podcast, is now available on the app in the exclusive Infinity Comics format.

The series is produced in association with Radio Point by Bernie Kaminski from Radio Point, and Brad Barton, MR Daniel, Zachary Goldberg, and Larissa Rosen from Marvel. It’s executive produced by Alex Bach and Houston Snyder from Radio Point and Dan Buckley, Joe Quesada, Daniel Fink, Lorraine Cink, Stephen Wacker, Ellie Pyle, and Jill DuBoff from Marvel.

The first episode of Marvel’s Squirrel Girl: The Unbeatable Radio Show! is available now on all podcast platforms. Fans can also get early access to next week’s episode starting today via the SXM App or by subscribing to Marvel Podcasts Unlimited on Apple Podcasts, which also has exclusive bonus content! Future episodes will be available exclusively via the SXM App and Marvel Podcasts Unlimited for one week before being available widely on Pandora, Stitcher, and all major podcast platforms in the U.S. Learn more at Marvel.com/SquirrelGirlPodcast.

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About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media. For more information visit marvel.com. © 2022 MARVEL

About SiriusXM
Sirius XM Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) is the leading audio entertainment company in North America, and the premier programmer and platform for subscription and digital advertising-supported audio products. SiriusXM's platforms collectively reach approximately 150 million listeners, the largest digital audio audience across paid and free tiers in North America, and deliver music, sports, talk, news, comedy, entertainment, and podcasts. Pandora, a subsidiary of SiriusXM, is the largest ad-supported audio entertainment streaming service in the U.S. SiriusXM's subsidiaries Stitcher, Simplecast and AdsWizz make it a leader in podcast hosting, production, distribution, analytics, and monetization. The Company's advertising sales organization, which operates as SXM Media, leverages its scale, cross-platform sales organization and ad tech capabilities to deliver results for audio creators and advertisers. SiriusXM, through Sirius XM Canada Holdings, Inc., also offers satellite radio and audio entertainment in Canada. In addition to its audio entertainment businesses, SiriusXM offers connected vehicle services to automakers. For more about SiriusXM, please go to: www.siriusxm.com.

ND Comic Review: Something is Killing the Children #21 - BOOM! Studios

2022-03-29T12:48:00.005-04:00

Something is Killing the Children

Issue: 21

Writer: James Tynion IV

Illustration: Werther Dell'Edera

Colors: Miquel Muerto

Lettering: Andworld Design

I had a chance to read an advanced review copy of Something is Killing the Children #21, as it is starting a new story arc I figured this would be a good time to check it out. I'd heard good things about the series and had enjoyed other comics written by James Tynion IV through his work at DC Comics. The issue opens with teenager named Gabi sitting in the back of a car in blood stained clothes. She's the sole survivor and witness to what I gather is the killing of her family by an as of yet unknow murderer. Throughout the book we see her memory flashes to her witnessing the crime while other members of the community attempt to help her out.

I hadn't read any of the back issues, so I don't know if these are established characters or new ones introduced in this issue. However I'm already involved in this story now and I want to no more. Tynion gives the new reader enough to get hooked on the mystery and situation at hand. None of it is really dependent on knowing what happened in the 20 issues before. At least I didn't feel like it did. Dell'Edera's artwork paired with Muerto's coloring work beautifully in setting the atmosphere for this issue. Muerto gradually changes the coloring of the backgrounds as the sunsets throughout the issue. The change in illustration style during Gabi's flashbacks gives a nightmare quality to them that felt so genuine.

This new story arc succeeded in sinking its hooks into me as a reader. I hope it has the same effect on you. This issue will be on comic book store shelves and stands tomorrow March 30th, 2022.

Until you can hold the book in your hands, check out some preview pages from the issue below.

ND Comic Book Review: Radio Spaceman - Mission to Numa 4 - Dark Horse Comics

2022-03-17T13:49:00.000-04:00

Radio Spaceman - Mission to Numa 4

Issue: 1
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Writer: Mike Mignola
Artwork: Greg Hinkle
Colors: Dave Stewart
Lettering: Clem Robins

Let's get this out up front, I am a long time fan of Mike Mignola. It started in the 80's with some of his covers for the Incredible Hulk Crossroads storyline along with his work in the first Rocket Racoon limited series which was around the same time. Later on I loved his interiors for Gotham by Gaslight and throughout the 90s up to present I've eaten up the Hellboy series and his other work with Dark Horse Comics where we got to experience Mignola's original characters and storylines, in addition to his artwork, that has all combined into what has become known as the Mignolaverse. I enjoy how adventure, mystery, and the supernatural cross paths in his works in a way that few others do in comics.

Radio Spaceman is a new character from the mind of Mike Mignola, born from some of his pencil sketches. The story is written by Mignola with artwork provided by Greg Hinkle and colors by Dave Stewart. This was a quick read, but I enjoyed it so thoroughly. It was like candy for my imagination. It set off a spark in my head that hasn't been firing too often lately while reading through comics. This character and the concepts introduced just had my mind asking so many questions and had me wanting more. Something about it all just clicked with me.

Radio Spaceman himself seems to be a radio controlled ghost or skeleton, who is commanded from Earth (I'm assuming) through a very steampunk/dieselpunk control room. It's a kind of surreal set up, that you can see in the preview pages included below. In this setting we have human astronauts going on space missions, however when things go sideways it looks like its Radio Spaceman's job to help the crews out. On this particular mission we have a murders, kidnapping, angry alien natives, cultists and a vampire so to say that Radio Spaceman's plate is full is understatement. I'm not going to detail the story line for line here, I want you to read this and enjoy as much as I did. I came to this comic knowing nothing other than the fact that I dig Mike Mignola and the visual of Radio Spaceman on the cover looked kind of cool. I'm already ready for an action figure to be made of this guy, the character design is great.

This first issue is already on stands after being released on March 9th, 2022, the second issue of this two issue series will be out on April 13th 2022. If steampunk supernatural space adventure is your bag, then check it out. If you just love fun comics check it out. Honestly, I just want everyone to give it a read.

Official Teaser Trailer - Spider-Man: No Way Home - Sony Pictures

2021-08-24T16:02:00.005-04:00

After leaking earlier this week, Sony Pictures has officially released the trailer for the third in the current Spidey series; Spider-Man: No Way Home. After seeing this trailer I have more questions than ever. I anticipated Dr. Strange being in this film, however I have no idea why The Sanctum Sanctorum is iced over and there seems to be something off about the Sorcerer Supreme in this trailer that I can't put my finger on. I'll let you watch or rewatch the trailer, I'm not going to just run spoilers all over it before you view.

First Look: Stills from Cowboy Bebop - Netflix Live Action series - Premiers Nov. 19th

2021-08-23T11:47:00.001-04:00

Netflix reveal still from their live action Cowboy Bebop series that will premier on the streaming service November 19th, 2021. The photos show John Cho in the role of Spike Spiegel, Mustafa Shakir as Jet Black and Daniella Pineda as Faye Valentine. I will look to see who the actor is playing Ein the Corgi, but whoever they are its great casting. I also don't see any mention of the resident hacker Ed in the materials for the show. Overall as far as the look, attitude and settings this all feels right to me. I'm a long time fan of the original anime series, and I'm actually in the middle of watching it again.

For those unfamiliar with the material, Cowboy Bebop follows the group of bounty hunters, often referred to as "Cowboys" all with vastly different backgrounds. The anime had a space western kind of feel to it, but so many other genres blended into the series as the seasons went on that its hard to fit it into a specific box. This difficulty to label the series is one of the reasons I enjoyed it. I've read some of the manga that inspired the series, its on my list to read through in its entirety as some point.

All photos provided by Netflix.

ND Comic Review: Mouse Guard: The Owlhen Caregiver & Other Tales - Archaia/BOOM! Studios

2021-08-17T23:44:00.001-04:00

Creator, Writer, & Illustrator: David Petersen

On sale: July 14, 2021

I'll put it out there, I'm late on this one. I know it, so lets get that out of the way. After taking the family to Free Comic Book Day I'd added to a growing stack of comic books. I'd picked up Mouse Guard: The Owlhen Caregiver & Other Tales while visiting Atomic Books in Baltimore a few weeks back, so I put it to the top of the stack before I read anything else that I'd purchased or picked up free. I'm so sorry I hadn't read this book sooner. I've read through it a few times now and I'll be reading the stories to my children at bedtime I love these stories so much.

This special issue of the Mouse Guard includes three stories: The Owlhen Caregiver, Piper The Listener, and The Wild Wolf. I'm not going to go through the what each story contains I want you read the story for yourself. However I will say that David Petersen's artwork is never a disappointment. Each story has its own personality in the different way that Petersen narrates through his illustrations. David Petersen is a gifted storyteller who is just as gifted with his words as he is with his illustrations. Its always very exciting to receive a new issue of his work.

The stories are all so different that is hard to pick a favorite. The second story Piper the Listener, is probably the most interesting to me as the character attempts to learn the languages of other animals. I enjoyed being in Piper's shoes as she did her studies.

I also enjoyed the Afterword, where Petersen gives some background on the collection of stories and some of their inspiration. I know I'm not the toughest reviewer, I like to share with you what I like. This time however I'm sharing with you something I love. At Baltimore Comic Con one year I was actually able to talk with David Petersen for a short time, he is a genuinely nice human being in addition to being such a gifted creator. Please pick up this issue in your local comic book store, its worth looking for.

If you are unfamiliar with David Petersen's work and/or Mouse Guard, you can go to the official site mouseguard.net to purchase books, artwork and more.

Image Comics Reveals Variant Covers for Mirka Andolfo's Sweet Paprika #2

2021-08-12T13:33:00.004-04:00

Image Comics and Mirka Andolfo shared the variant covers for the second issue of Sweet Paprika. In addition to the two covers by Andolfo; Stjepan Šejić, Guillem March and Andrew Hickinbottom each created beautiful covers featuring Paprika. Its a selection of artist that offers such a diverse display of styles, I can see myself picking up a couple issues for the cover art alone.

Image Comic's press release describes Sweet Paprika as "Bridget Jones’s Diary meets Sex and the City with a pinch of The Devil Wears Prada and provides readers with a sultry, romantic romp."

A second printing of issue #1 will be on shelves Wednesday, August 25th and issue #2 will go on sale Wednesday September 1st. Issues are also available digitally.

Cover A - Andolfo

Cover B - Šejić

Cover C - March

Cover D - Hickinbottom

Cover E - Andolfo

ND TV Review: What If...? S1:E1 What if... Captain Carter Were The First Avenger?

2021-08-11T12:38:00.006-04:00

Marvel Studios gives us the MCU's first animated series with What If...? The program will give us a peak into areas of the Marvel multiverse and the alternate realities that exist throughout. This is a natural progression following the finale of the Loki series' first season which resulted in a splintering of the time line and the branching of alternate time lines.

The first episode takes us back to World War II where because of a few changes in events Peggy Carter receives the super soldier treatment instead of Steve Rogers. Peggy under the name Captain Carter and donning a Union Jack style costume with accompanying shield takes on the Red Skull, Hydra and the Third Reich. I'm not going to spoil the story here, but just as the Captain America: The First Avenger film centered around the control of the Tesseract or Cosmic Cube, this episode does also.

This episode moves fast, in less than ten minutes Carter is already fighting the Nazis as a super soldier. This will need a bit of an adjustment on the part of those used to the slower pacing in the live action programs. While I noticed this immediately it made sense to me in that this is similar to the pacing you'd find in a comic book trying to tell a story within 22 pages. Jeffrey Wright voices the Watcher, who acts as a our host/narrator similar to role the character played in the comic books. For those not familiar with the comics. The Watcher sets things up for the viewers similar to how Rod Sterling did in the Twilight Zone or The Crypt Keeper in the Tales from the Crypt series.

The cast list for the episode has a lot of familiar MCU names from Hayley Atwell returning to the role she's played on the large and small screen to voice Peggy Carter. Stanley Tucci, Toby Jones, Neal McDonough, Dominic Cooper, Sebastian Stan, and Samuel L. Jackson all return to voice the roles of their characters from the first Captain America film. These familiar voices paired with the excellent animation made a great first impression on me for this series. Plus I'm a sucker for WWII super heroics, so it almost felt like Marvel was really pandering to me.

I enjoyed the Captain Carter character immensely and loved the costume design. I want to see more stories with this her center stage. Maybe that will be possible. I'm rethinking my choice to skip pre-ordering the Marvel Legends figure of the character that is for sure. This episode has me wanting to dig through my long boxes to find my old issues of What If...? My only complaint comes back to the pacing, I almost wish the episode was a little longer so the story didn't seem so hurried along. Overall it was a fun episode and I'm looking forward to the next.

ND Comic Preview: Once & Future #19 - BOOM! Studios, All Hope Lost in New Story Arc

2021-08-11T00:24:00.004-04:00

I won't promise any lack of bias in my writing about the series Once & Future from BOOM! Studios. It has been a comic I've been so happy I caught from the very beginning and I've enjoyed the ride so far. With issue #19 due out August 25th, 2021 a new story arc will begin. Here is the write up from BOOM! Studios along with some preview pages from the upcoming issue.

LOS ANGELES, CA (July 28, 2021) – BOOM! Studios revealed today a first look at ONCE & FUTURE #19, the launch of a new story arc in the critically acclaimed series from New York Times bestselling writer Kieron Gillen (The Wicked + The Divine, Star Wars), Russ Manning Award-winning artist Dan Mora (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Klaus), colorist Tamra Bonvillain (Captain Marvel), and letterer Ed Dukeshire (The Red Mother), about retired monster hunter Bridgette McGuire, her unsuspecting grandson Duncan, and their intrepid ally Rose who protect their nation from legends and myths risen from the grave to battle for dominion over the land, available in August 2021.

With all of Britain dragged into the Otherworld, every living soul is in peril under Arthur's supreme triumph. Bridgette, Duncan and Rose wonder... can anyone survive? But there is an expected complication. Arthur's victory is incomplete, as a most unexpected foe rises up against him…

ONCE & FUTURE #19 features a main cover by series artist Mora and variant cover by fan-favorite artist Christian Ward (We Only Find Them When They’re Dead).

ONCE & FUTURE is the newest release from BOOM! Studios’ eponymous imprint, home to critically acclaimed original series, including BRZRKR by Keanu Reeves, Matt Kindt, and Ron Garney; We Only Find Them When They’re Dead by Al Ewing and Simone Di Meo; Seven Secrets by Tom Taylor and Daniele Di Nicuolo; Something is Killing the Children by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera; Once & Future by Kieron Gillen and Dan Mora; Abbott by Saladin Ahmed and Sami Kivelä; The Many Deaths of Laila Starr by Ram V and Filipe Andrade; Proctor Valley Road by Grant Morrison, Alex Child, and Naomi Franquiz; and Eve by Victor LaValle and Jo Mi-Gyeong. The imprint also publishes popular licensed properties including Dune: House Atreides from Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, and Dev Pramanik; Mighty Morphin and Power Rangers from Ryan Parrott, Marco Renna, and Francesco Mortarino; and Magic from Jed MacKay and Ig Guara.

Print copies of ONCE & FUTURE #19 will be available for sale on August 25, 2021 exclusively at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one) or at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers, including comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and Kindle.

For continuing news on ONCE & FUTURE and more from BOOM! Studios, stay tuned to www.boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on Twitter.

McFarlane Toys Reveals Blight Figure for Batman Futures End Build-a figure wave

2021-08-11T00:09:00.004-04:00

McFarlane Toys revealed the final figure in the Batman Futures End Build-a-figure wave. Blight was revealed in a posting on the company's Instagram account. I don't have a date as to when this figure will be available. This wave has been a Target Exclusive. Some folks are disappointed that the character design doesn't more closely adhere to the animated character. However a glowing skull and skeleton is difficult to pull off with this kind of costume in plastic. Not being that familiar with the character, I'm really digging this design. I've been putting off getting the Batman Beyond and Batwoman Beyond figures, but Blight might actually be my first pick of this group.

Here's the official reveal below from Instagram:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by McFarlane Toys (@mcfarlane_toys_official)

Fantastic Four Retro Marvel Legends Series Available for Pre-Order Now 8/10/2021

2021-08-10T23:08:00.005-04:00

Being a long time fan of the Fantastic Four I'm excited about any new figures or collectibles around this team. We have had some excellent versions of the first family of Marvel from the folks at Hasbro. The Walgreens Marvel Legends exclusive series was excellent, followed up the non exclusive Marvel legends series that included the She-Hulk and Doctor Doom. This new series dubbed the Fantastic Four Retro Marvel Legends series presents the team in their "Negative" costumes. The dark blue and white costumes versions of their costumes that resulted from a reaction to their uniforms fabrics upon visiting the Negative Zone in the 1983 storyline written and drawn by John Byrne. These costumes while not the original color scheme hold the special place in my heart since this is what the team was wearing when I started collecting the series.

Aside from Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and The Thing we have Psycho-Man and The High Evolutionary included as the villians for this retro line. Psycho-Man was the one of the villians that was featured in some of the first issues I bought as a kid, so I'm digging his inclusion. The High Evolutionary I remember showing up in some old issues of Marvel-Two-In-One. I've never had him as a figure before, so he's definitely one to get for me.

The packaging for the line harkens back to the mid-90's Toybiz figure series which always fun. Often times I open up the figures and toss the boxes, but I know these retro packages have been a bonus for those who don't open their figures up. Hasbro Pulse has some exclusives that they can only be purchased from their site. Including a translucent Invisible Woman and a no flame Human Torch. It's a tough call for me for those. I might get the Torch to have him in both states. The Invisible Woman, it seems lately that projecting her invisible fields is the bigger power to her vanishing that I don't feel the need so much for that version.

Of the team I'm most excited about Mr. Fantastic. I like the inclusion of the lab jacket for this figure and the arms to trade out. While The Thing is my favorite member of the team and one of my favorite characters in comics I was considering not getting this figure. The change of his shorts and offer of new heads and hands are the only change up on this figure that is mostly a reuse of the mold from the last two Fantastic Four lines. But, he's my fave, so I put those feelings aside. I'm definitely picking him up. I'm still waiting for a Dragon Man, Mole Man and some of the kids in the Future Foundation. Hopefully we'll see some additional waves to fill in those gaps.

The line is mostly sold out on Hasbro Pulse, aside from the exclusives. If this is like other toys on Pulse this will change week to week. The figures are also available through other toy retailers. We are an Entertainment Earth affiliate so I'll of course include the links so you can pre-order them from there.

ND Comic Book Review - Magic #5 - BOOM Studios

2021-08-10T02:05:00.000-04:00

Magic - BOOM Studios
Issue 5, Release August 5th, 2021

Writer: Jed MacKay
Illustration: Ig Guara
Colors: Arianna Consonni

Before I dive into the review of the comic issue, here's a little background on me. I'm a long time game player and collector of Magic: The Gathering cards. Nothing so serious where I'm in leagues every Saturday, very casual. But still I have a good grasp on the world that Magic operates in and different sets of cards and characters that have come out for the game over the years since its fairly early incarnations.

In spite of my love of the game and the cards, I haven't followed any of the many comic book or novels centered around the different planes of the Magic:TG world. With few exceptions I don't generally read fictions based on game or media properties, for reasons I don't really know. That's something I might want to rethink.

Magic is a comic that I would enjoy whether I knew anything about the game or not. Jed MacKay does a great job of making the story and the universe that is the playground for these characters very accessible. Even picking up issue 5 without the benefit of the previous four issues, its easy to quickly get up to speed on what our group of characters are trying to accomplish. The different planes our group of Planeswalkers visit are described well enough without bogging the reader down with too many heavy details.

Guara and Consonni successfully create the different environments to match the mood and descriptions set in MacKay's accompanying text boxes. Innistrad feels like we are walking into the typical Eastern European medieval village that is often the setting for a classic horror situation. While Ixalan feels just as lush and tropical as Amonkhet feels dead and dusty. The attention to the backgrounds and different color palettes used for each world sets each apart so well that its easy for the reader to immediately know we are somewhere different beyond just believing so because the text boxes say we are.

This issue centered around our group of Planewalkers splitting up to different planes looking for Jaya Ballard, the Undying Flame one of the oldest living Planewalkers. Not a seriously heavy story for this issue, typical questing stuff with some additional details filled in. I'm fine with that, especially with this being my first issue I'm reading of this series, only adding to the accessibility for me.

This issue did its job, I want to go back and read the issues leading up to this one and I'm looking forward to issue 6. For me, I found it enjoyable to read a story that touched on so many places that I'm already familiar with from love of the game. If you are someone not familiar with the game or the world building that has resulted from it over the years, this comic series might be a good way to get a taste of it.

See some pages from the issue below, this issue should be in your local comic book shop still I'm hoping. This came out last Wednesday on the

Power Rangers X Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Lightning Collection from Hasbro

2021-08-06T12:56:00.003-04:00

Last year BOOM Studios introduced the world to the Turtle Power Rangers in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mini series. Now Hasbro giving us the action figure versions of these character in the Power Rangers X Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Lightning Collection. I watched the Hasbro Pulse Power Rangers Fan First Friday livestream today on Youtube where we got a closer look at the figures as well as some behind the scenes sketches and modeling for the sculpts. I never watched the Power Rangers, I was already in college when that show debuted. So, I'm not a Power Rangers fan by any stretch of the imagination, but I love the Turtles. The sculpts on these mask-less Turtle heads are great. I like how Tommy and April are brought into the line as well. Most of the figures are sold out on Hasbro Pulse right now, but I'm hoping they'll restock.

All figures with the exception of Shredder are sold in pairs for $52.99. Shredder sells for 31.99.

Morphed Leonardo

Morphed Donatello - My fave of the line

Morphed Donatello and Morphed Leonardo

Morphed Michelangelo

Morphed April O'Neil

Morphed Raphael

Foot Soldier Tommy

Morphed Shredder

ND Comic Preview - Monster Kill Squad #2 - Bad Idea Corp. October 2021 Solicitation

2021-08-06T02:13:00.001-04:00

I just received a few previews of upcoming comics coming from Bad Idea Corp. I'm loving the variety of stories from the creators at this company and the artwork is amazing. The first of the group to catch my eye was Monster Kill Squad. The artwork reminds of me of the best horror books from the 70's. Such rich black and white pages have me looking up the to make sure I get issue number 1 as well. Here is the synopsis from the company, below.

Once upon a time, monster attacks were rare. A forest witch might murder a few hikers, a killer clown might eat a few children, or a malevolent ghost might drive a young couple insane just for the hell of it. But these events were scarce, easily covered up, and soon faded into campfire stories good for a laugh.

But no one’s laughing now. Over the past 90 days, cryptozoological attacks have increased a hundredfold, and the arcane has become everyday. Monsters of every shape and size strike at will, and the good, taxpaying folks of the US of A have had enough of this nonsense.

Enter: THE MONSTER KILL SQUAD. A Government Unit of the most dangerous motherfuckers on the planet, the deadliest folks alive are here to put a bullet in the brain of everything that walks, crawls, flies, or hides in shadows. And if it doesn’t have a brain, all the better — we’ve got a gun for that, too.

Witches and wraiths. Demons and deadites. Goblins and ghosts. There have always been monsters. Now there are monster killers, and the MKS will kill it, and kill it good.

Monster Kill Squad #2

Writer: Christos Gage
Artist: Tomas Giorello
Colors: Diego Rodriguez

$6.99 - 32 pages - Ad Free - October 6, 2021

McFarlane Toys' New Raw-10 Walmart Exclusive Toy Line available for PREORDER

2020-07-22T14:35:00.000-04:00

Todd McFarlane just tweeted about this McFarlane Toys New Raw-10 toy series so we dug in to see what this was all about.

DEBUTING from McFarlane Toys is our NEW Raw-10 creature toy line exclusively at @Walmart! To learn MORE about this awesome NEW toy line, head HERE: https://t.co/haN2VKZMCo #mcfarlanetoys #raw10 #toys pic.twitter.com/ghCRVNfyYP
— Todd McFarlane (@Todd_McFarlane) July 22, 2020

The Raw-10 toy line in its first series consists of four cybernetically enhanced animal creature figures including: FREN-Z, RAPTAR, BATTLESNAKE, and my old favorite from the Spawn comics CY-GOR Since these are animals with a variety of shapes and sizes, there is a lot of variance with the articulation. From the video and photos Cy-gor looks huge towering over your standard 6 inch human figure. I'll be honest, I've bought probably every Cy-gor figure that's been put out and I don't see this one being any exception to that rule. I love odd figures, though and all 4 of these make the grade for being odd. Plus to get figures that make this big of an impression for 10-20 bucks a pop, sounds pretty good. I'll make final judgement when I actually see them in the wild. For now I see Cy-gor definitely being added to the shelf. I'm posting some additional images below and the debut video Todd posted to YouTube last week.

Looking at the Walmart site, the figures are available for pre-order now, with delivery in late August.