Facebook and iTunes have the market cornered on useless updates, so we’re going to try something different here and update the format for a reason.  Tonight we’re going to try out a new, more concise format for Comic List Highlights, one we intend to call 4 x 4.  It’s simple, four facts about four new comics or trade paperbacks coming out the next Wednesday.  Short.  Sweet.  Less of an eyesore.

Adventures of Superman #1

1. Ignore the hubbub about Orson Scott Card writing this book, because he’s been replaced on issue one by some of DC‘s best artists and writers, including Jeff Parker, Jeff Lemire, Riley Rossmo, and Chris Samnee.

2. Samnee’s Golden Age-esque style has been put to great use on Daredevil and The Rocketeer lately, and now does the same for Superman.

3. Contrasting Samnee’s style, Riley Rossmo’s (Bedlam, Debris, Cowboy Ninja Viking) sketchy style is exemplifies the high contrast of visual styles represented in this issue.

4. This anthology brings the baddies with stories about Lex Luthor, Bizzaro, and Zod.  Oh, and maybe some Superman, too.

Thor, God of Thunder v.1 HC

1. Kansas City native Jason Aaron has been weaving a Thor yarn for the ages, destined to become a modern classic.

2. Split across three time periods, God of Thunder stars three incarnations of Thor, past, present, and arm-less, one-eyed, Odin-like future.

3. Esad Ribic’s painterly style lends an epic, tapestry-like quality to the series that enhances its mythic tone.

4. Thor.  Loves.  Ale.

X-Men #1

1. Forget testosterone, it’s all estrogen all the time thanks to the all female cast of X-Men #1.

2. Brian Wood has dabbled with the X-Men in the past on Ultimate Comics X-Men and the previous X-Men series, but now gets the keys to the kingdom in this Marvel NOW! series.

3. Olivier Coipel’s (House of M) slick, appealing style works equally well for dialog and action scenes, which, the last time I checked, are the X-Men’s bread and butter.

4. Milo Manara and Terry Dodson both have contributed variant covers for the first issue!

 

The Wake #1

1. Current writer of Batman and Superman Unchained, Scott Snyder, returns to his horror roots with the Vertigo series, The Wake.

2. In previous horror series Severed and American Vampire Snyder showed his vast talent for pacing scares on the comic page, not an easy task.

3. Sean Murphy of Joe the Barbarian and Punk Rock Jesus joins Snyder to tell this confined thriller which follows a marine biologist as she ventures into the icy waters of the Arctic Circle to explore a sunken oil rig…and what resides there.

4. Fans of isolated suspense movies like The Thing and Alien need to check The Wake #1 out!

 

Snnf, snnf.

Anyone else smell that?

Like fish and slime.

Oh, wait, it’s the Cthulhu Pest Control Air Freshener that’s coming out next week. And you know that’s gotta be a pretty pungent odor if I can smell it five days before it even ships. But when it comes to the primary Eldar God, what can you expect. It itsn’t just the sight of him that’ll drive you insane.

Red and white stripped hat versus bowtie? Winner: Bowtie

Single location versus all of time and space? Winner: All of time and space.

Regular every-day people versus millions of alien races? Winner: Millions of alien races.

It’s pretty clear, folks, when it comes to Waldo versus Doctor Who, the undeniable victory is the good Doctor. And if you need more evidence all you have to do is pick up the Doctor Who: Where’s the Doctor kid’s book we will be receiving this coming Wednesday.

In a short and sweet Comic List Highlights, we’ll end on a hardcover collection with a bit more substance. Yeah, when it comes to substance the new Amazing Spider-Man: Ends of the Earth hardcover has it in spades. Not only does the volume contain all eight main and tie-in issues from this year’s major Spider-Man event, but also covers and behind the scenes material. But what’s the story about, you ask? Doctor Octopus, arguably Spider-Man‘s main arch-enemy, has been handed down a death sentence after having received countless pummelings from the webbed wonder. With his body deteriorating, Doc Ock sets out to either save the world or destroy it, with no one knowing what his intentions are. Spider-Man will doubt Doc Ock until the end of time, but could he be wrong this time? Great slam-bang, globe-trotting superhero action, Spider-Man: Ends of the Earth is the great Spidey epic of our time.

 

Empires of the Void is a space epic for the ages featuring space colonization, interplanetary battles, and plenty of universe spanning space travel. Two to four players control various alien races who are attempting to conquer the galaxy as they either colonize or strip planets of their resources while fighting off other like-minded empires. Players will use strategy, negotiation, and trade as they make decisions and contend with the random event deck which pushes the story forward. Formerly a successful Kickstarter game, Empires of the Void is now available for pick up at your friendly local game store, i.e. us.

Dust Tactics continues to storm the shelves with its fresh range of alternate history battle mechs and soldiers. Freshly arrived this week is the Panzer-Kampflaufer III, a German battlemech with three construction variants and three corresponding unit cards. Bringing the freeze, the SSU Commissar Squad is also released this weekend, coming with five Russian soldiers, fully assembled and ready to paint.

If you were looking at the box art that I currently am, you would have the theme from the beach storming scene in Apocalypse Now, too. And that box goes to Mad Zeppelin. This new card game from Fantasy Flight is as wacky as Red November and as stylish as any other Fantasy Flight game. Players control traitors on board massive zeppelin cargo ships, attempting to sabotage the mission by dropping valuable items on your journey. Those who prefer their games antagonistic and wacky need apply.

 

Everyone just get quiet for a second and appreciate the new Dark Ascension Event Decks.
………….

Okay, that’s a fair amount of appreciation. Now for some words of explanation. The red-centric deck, Gleeful Flames, comes equipped with two Inkmoth Nexuses and a bunch of other strong red cards, while the green-centric deck, Spiraling Doom, includes Grim Backwoods, Myr Battlesphere, and Solemn Simulacrum along with a bunch of other tasty stuff. So grab an Event Deck and get dominating at the next tournament.

Doubtfully the final frontier, Alien Frontiers is the highly demanded Kickstarter success of last year. A cleverly designed, beautiful looking colinization game for up to four players, Alien Frontiers has players battling for resources and building colonies in an effort to take command of this vast planetscape.

Speaking of planetary control,Twilight Imperium Rex does not stray away from the world domination mechanics. Based on the system and mechanics of the classic Dune board game (entirely related to the cult classic novels and movies), Rex is a recreation of the same political power struggle present in the first version of the game. Covering three to six players, Rex needs to simultaneously sought by all of them because it will be gone as quick as a sandworm in a drought.

If your hankering for evil beings isn’t satiated yet, then grab your coat and head on over for Nightfall: The Coldest War. This new stand-alone expansion for the popular horror-centric deck building game comes with a wide range of brand new cards. These include completely original starting minions and moon phase cards that expand the game to a global scale. All the wound cards in this set are also entirely redeisnged and re-illustrated.

Speaking of game heavily populated by werewolves and the like, fans of the spooky and nerdy may be intersted in the restock we received on Vampire Werewolf Fairies. Yes, all three are in the same game. And the ultimate goal is to combine as many character types into one super creature or just beef up a single vampire, werewolf, or fairy until your the top dog. For even more fan-tacular action, combine the game with its expansion Zombie Ninja Pirates. Guess what comes in it?

With the new supplemental edition of Deathwatch, The Jericho Reach, gamers take on the role of border patrol Space Marines who guard the titled reach from utter annihilation. In this hardcover, Deathwatch fanatics will find details on all the planets in the Reach, the races that encompass it, all the special abilities at the Marines disposal, and the beasties of Hive Fleet Dagon. How much more distopia can you ask for?

Lastly, lets mosey on outta all this here dark, futury nonsense and get on back to the days’a the West with the new Bang: Gold Rush expansion. The first new expansion for the game in a spell, Gold Rush adds gold nugget cards that will allow participants to purchase new weaponary and equipment. But beware, the shadow-gunslingers have arrived and they’re aiming to shoot you down. Keep one of the most fun games around fresh and exciting by adding this set of cards to the base.

 

Lately, it’s been a bit of a challenge to be involved in a Cosmic Encounter.

Fantasy Flight has come to the rescue, however, and reprinted the game, yet again. For those unfamiliar with Cosmic Encounter the game is, at base, a colonization game. Each gamer controls a different alien race attempting to spread their empire across the universe, eventually claiming victory if they have colonies on five planets not within their own system. This base version of the game offers a varied amount of alien options, each coming with their speical abilities. Also, as somewhat of an added bonus, this version of the game includes a handful of new alien races to multiply the variety. Snag it before it leaves the galaxy again.

You know that mamby pamby magic guys like Harry Potter and Gandalf like to throw around?

Yeah, this ain’t that. This is EPIC SPELL WARS OF THE BATTLE WIZARDS: DUEL AT MOUNT SKULLZFYRE (and, yes, it has to be in all caps because it’s that amazing)! Not only is every card in this bloody, vicious, heart-stomping, brain-stabbing, lung impaling game drawn by the psychotic artist of the Super Jail cartoon, Nick Edwards, but they also serve your every whim in eviserating your opponents. How does this magical madness work? Simple. Two to six players match firery wits by way of creating spells by combining three cards, ultimately attempting to reduce their enemies to a quivering pile of mush. Dark, demented, and a darn good bit of fun.

Like a darker, deadlier version of Munchkin, the new Locke & Key board game will satisfy both readers of the exceptional comic and lovers of board games. Though play starts cooperatively, by the end of the adventure you may be looking behind you to see who’s stabbing that knife in your back. Keeping with the story of the comic, players will explore Keyhouse, gathering verious keys, then using their abilities to conquer evil ghoulies.

Fun for the whole undead family.

© 2013 Pulp Fiction Comics & Games Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha