If you were to ask any self-respecting nerd what the Doctor and a Dalek have in common, they would likely laugh in your face. And then say something about how bow ties are cool.

But they would be wrong to laugh, because the Doctor and the Daleks do actually share a similarity. They can both light up a dark situation! One with his trusty sonic screwdriver and one with his, uh, butt. Yes, folks, Doctor Who flashlights. The first being a replica of the 11th Doctor’s sonic screwdriver, which emits a glowing green light from its tip, and, the second, a Dalek miniature, which shines a ray off light out of its…well, butt really is the best word for it. One can save the universe while the other will destroy it, but they’re both equally timey wimey awesome.

Many consider Ultimatum by Jeph Loeb to be the worst storyline to ever occur in the Ultimate Marvel universe. Sadly, I believe this has kept many readers from checking out his follow up to that series Ultimate X. Constructed as a tight five issue miniseries, this run by Loeb is among the best stories ever told in Ultimate cannon. Focusing on a different mutant with each issue, Loeb works overtime to shape and convey these characters (some new, some old) to the reader. And does with emotional results. A large part of that success, however, is due to Art Adams insane artwork. Adams drew 616 X-Men back in the day with the best of them and his detailed, emotive pencils have only gotten better. Even if you’ve never read a single issue of the Ultimate X-Men series, the Ultimate X: Origins tpb will compel you to read more.

Before he become THE Neil Gaiman thanks to his cult classic Sandman run, the Neil Gaiman wrote a four issue miniseries for Vertigo comics entitled Black Orchid. Now collected in a beautiful oversized hardcover edition, Black Orchid chronicles the revenge tale of a woman who’s reborn as a half-human, half-plant creature. The etherial artwork of Dave McKean spreads across the pages of this collection, a watercolor on steroids. With such a limited library of titles to explore, any fan of Neil Gaiman owes it to themselves to hunt down this new volume in an effort to complete their collection.

Boba Fett is dead.

So begins the new Dark Horse series, Blood Ties. This new four issue series details the fallout from the death of the galaxy’s greatest, most infamous bounty hunter. A son of a Jango Fett clone, Connor Freeman, gets drawn into the hunt for Fett’s killer, finding more action, adventure, and intrigue than he’s ever experienced before. Rich painted interiors coupled with this interesting story will make this a Star Wars miniseries for the ages.

 

You’ve caught the . And the only prescription is more cowbell…no that’s something else.

The only prescription for Horse Fever is actually fixing races, buying off jockeys, and borrowing money from the mob. Or, at least, that’s the case in the new game…Chicken Pox…okay, no, it’s called Horse Fever. Players control gamblers looking to get rich of each race in three different formats of play. These play levels, set-up as easy, medium, and hard, are a board game version, a family game version, and a party game version of base play. So, you can get into the game however you choose, then work up to a higher level of difficulty as you go along.

Expanding upon the base Ghost Stories board game, the new Black Secret version of the game increases the terror of the original game by kicking the number of players up to 2-5. And that extra player gets to control the villain of the game, Wu-Feng. The other players must face off against his ghost armies and spells, but have magical mantras, which increase by with the level of play, to protect them. If you’re into the original game or Last Night on Earth, give the new Ghost Stories: Black Secret at try.

Space will not be the final frontier for Marvel Heroclix, but it will be one of the most awesome. The new Galactic Guardians Heroclix set hit stores today, full of new cosmic figure goodness for your Heroclix collection. Focusing on characters like Silver Surfer, Nova, Dr. Strange, and Galactus, this new set comes in regular boosters as well as Super Boosters which contain a colossal figure. Collect them all to flesh out your forces with the power cosmic!

If you enjoy your roleplaying dark, demented, and Lovecraftian, you’ll need to pick up the Carcosa RPG hardcover. Made specifically for adults, this system is compatible with old school fantasy adventure games, offering 800 encounters to enact. Come prepared for bone-chilling horror and violence, as this game delivers the gruesome.

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