The gods are in your favor tonight!

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Or at least you hope they are if you’re playing Olympus.  Fantasy Flight‘s new Greek mythology-themed board game, Olympus, lives in the shadow of the god’s apartment complex.  Three to five players fight to curry favor with the gods by strategically placing priests into key cities.  But these priests aren’t just praying for the heck of it, they want to out build all the other cities and priests.  And if you want to build, wage war, or unleash pestilence, you gotta have the high and mighties in your back pocket.

Smeagol loves his new precious.  His new Lords of Middle-Earth expansion.

You too can be like Smeagol, too (not in the creepy, hairless, emaciated part), but in the loving the first War of the Ring expansion.  The miniatures included in this box set, including Elrond, Galadriel, Smeagol, Gothmog, the Balrog, Aragorn, Gandalf the White, and alternate versions of the Witch-king and the Mouth of Sauron, which represent characters mentioned in the base game’s event cards.  Special action dice are also included, being Elven Ring Keepers for the Free Peoples players and Lesser Minion dice for the Shadow player.  And finally, alternate versions of the Companions of the Fellowship of the Ring so that you can play the “Council of Rivendell” rules.

The Romulan Empire is invading and the Fleet Captains have to stop them.  The Romulan Empire expansion for Star Trek Fleet Captains primarily introduces a brand new Mission type, being Espionage, which allows players the ability to sneak Romulan Saboteurs onto opponents ships.  The materials also extend the head-to-head play to head-to-head-to-head.  And if you’re wondering exactly what those materials are, they are 100 command cards, 10 encounter cards, 10 hex tiles, and Romulan game tokens and command posts.

Building off of Psionics Unleashed, Psionics Expanded does exactly as the title indicates, containing pages of expansive materials.  These include alternate racial options, six new 20-level psionic base classes, advanced class options, tons of psionic and metapsionic feats, powers for all manifesters, nine new prestige classes, and a plethora of armor, weapons, and items.  And, of course, the entire book is 100% Pathfinder and OG 3.5 compatible.  I’ve already read your mind and know you can’t resist.

Stretching the limit of the letter Q, Quarriors: Quest for the Qladiator is the freshly minted expansion set to the only dice-based deck building game, Quarriors.  Providing 100% historically accurate (based on made-up history) new creatures (6), new spells (2), and custom dice (40).  On top of all that swag, the box also contains new Lock rules and a special card storage system.

It is not a marriage.  It is not an illusion.  It is not some elaborate trick on our part.  

Mice and Mystics is finally here.

As this is one of the only board games which comes with a short novel describing the back story of the game, I won’t spoil too much of the narrative.  However, I will say, players control valiant knights who have transformed themselves into tiny mice in order to traverse their king’s invaded castle.  A cooperative adventure game, Mice and Mystics, pits up to four brave players against the most terrifying microscopic creatures around, like cockroaches, rats, spiders, and Brodie the vicious housecat.  As nothing about any of the preceding sentences was anything less than awesome, I think you’ll all be wanting a copy of this game.

 

Hrrrmmmm.

When the gutters fill with the dirty, filthy dross of bad comic writing, you’ll look up and you’ll see Before Watchmen Rorschach. And you’ll say, “yes”.
That’s right, saving the best for (almost) last, the Rorschach miniseries begins this week. Written by gritty crime writer Brian Azzarello (Wonder Woman, 100 Bullets) and drawn by extreme realist Lee Bermejo (Joker), this is the beginning of four grimy, dark, well-written issues. And if you want to really get in the insane spirit of the ink blotted vigilante, pick up one of the Rorschach t-shirts, also coming in this Wednesday.

AND if you haven’t been reading any of the Before Watchmen books,

your are missing out on some of the best comics on the shelves right now. But you won’t have to miss out for much longer, because Pulp has restocked copies of both the first and second issues of each series.

Speaking of things that are black and white, the newest edition to the Batman Black & White line of statues comes out this week, too. If you’re not familiar, these statues are based off famous comic artist’s renditions of the caped crusader, struck in monochromatic tones, and placed on Bat-symbol bases. Using Darwyn Cooke’s version of the Dark Knight, this month’s statue brims with 50′s nostalgia.

Never let it be said that writers are done experimenting with the comics medium. The Red Diary is a graphic novel shipping this Wednesday with a unique twist. In fact, twist is exactly the right word for it, as readers are given the original story, as well as a variant story, simply by flipping the book. Steven T. Seagle and Teddy Kristiansen have written two versions of the same story, about art forgery during WWII, and presented both of them here, each by way of a minimalist painterly art style. For those with heightened Indy taste buds, this is a graphic experience to sink your teeth into.

 

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.

 

Brian Wood may not be a household name, as far as comic writers are concerned, but he should be. Having stuck primarily to non-superhero fair for the last eight years or so, Wood has built up a reputation for strong, varied Indy comic stories, most notably with his series of DC Vertigo, DMZ. Well, now that Wood has finished that epic maxi-series, he’s moved on to Marvel and, more importantly for this post, Dark Horse. The Massive is his first series published by the company, set in a world on life support, slowly slipping into environmental waste, the book follows the crew of a battleship searching for one of its sunken brothers. Wood writes post-apocalypse stories better than most, having years of experience on DMZ, Supermarket, and others, so The Massive is guaranteed to be a riveting read.

Making the meat of this Comic Highlights sandwhich are two pretty statue-esque figures.

One of which is actually a statue. And it’s the statue that can kick all other statues’ butts.

Because it’s Batman. By Jim Lee. In his New 52 costume. In black and white.

Which all adds up to it looking really, really, really awesome.

Take a look.

The, let’s say, roast beef of this nerd sandwich happens to be the other major remaining comic movie character of the summer, Spider-Man.

Preceding the new Amazing Spider-Man film, this action figure presents Peter in his freshly redesigned costume from the upcoming reboot.

And an air conditioner. To keep him cool, I’m assuming.

Speaking of Spider-Man and his various representations, Marvel is dropping the epic hammer that is Spider-Men this week. Haven’t hear of it? Well, here’s the details. In current Marvel continuity there exists two different Spider-Men, one in the regular universe (Peter Parker) and one in the Ultimate universe (Miles Morales). These two universes have never crossed over since the inception of the Ultimate universe in the early 2000′s. But that finally changes with this Wednesday’s Spider-Men. Written by Brian Michael Bendis (the only guy to ever write the Ultimate version of Spider-Man) and drawn by his recent (and excellent) collaborator on the series, Sara Pichelli, this is event is sure to be a landmark series and major event for both universes.

 

Let’s see if our “beloved” distributor can accomplish a holiday miracle and actually ship us what we ordered this week. If they manage to do so, here’s some of the awesome items to drop next week.

Because it demands to be mentioned first, there is a plethora of Sonic Screwdriver merchandise coming in. And not just the normal 10th or 11th Doctor’s Sonic Screwdriver, no. This time around you get them both…plus a whole lot more. Yes, folks, with the new Doctor Who Personalize Your Sonic Screwdriver kit you can build up to 80 different versions of the Sonic Screwdriver. That’s Matt Smith’s, David Tennant’s, and about every other Doctor you can think of. But wait because it comes in pieces it probably doesn’t make all the cool sound effects the other screwdrivers have, right? Wrong! And if that wasn’t enough, we’re also getting in the Master’s Laser Screwdriver (Pictured to the left) and a restock on River Song‘s Future Sonic Screwdriver. Pick these babies up while you can, because with gift giving in full swing they will go fast.

And if that’s not enough timey wimey-ness for you, then you’ll just have to check out the Doctor Who Ongoing v.2 trade paperback (and don’t worry if you didn’t get the first volume because we still have a copy). This volume contains issues #5-8, which is cool because #6-8 has been the best storyline thus far. That trilogy of issues carries the Doctor, Amy, and Rory to a recreation world where travelers can emerse themselves in whatever fantasy world they choose. Be a cowboy, be a gladiator, go to Atlantis, whatever suits you! But, as is always the case with the Doctor, things go haywire and the fantasy worlds become real. Eventually there’s a talking dinosaur and about a thousand versions of the Doctor running around. Pick up the collection and find out how it gets to that point!

To bridge the gap between comics, here’s some statues.

Ooooooo!

Awwwwww!

Ooooooo!

Awwwwww!

I know I’ve had a bunch of people asking about a White Lantern Sinestro, so here’s a mini bust for all you Sinestro nuts out there.

Hazzah!

Hooray!

The newest edition to the Batman Black & White line of statues comes from Patrick Gleason’s (Batman & Robin) exaggerated take on the character. Basic pose, but exceptional design.

Before he was writing the Dark Angel Saga in Uncanny X-Force or Frankencastle in The Punisher, Rick Remender wrote an epic series by the name of Strange Girl. Set in a post-rapture Earth, the lengthy adventure follows a young, emo girl and her demon buddy as they embark on a road trip across the country hoping to trick their way into the great hereafter by way of an open gateway to heaven. Any fan of Preacher or Y the Last Man will fall madly in love with this book. Luckily, you won’t have to search out any other volumes after it, because this is the Strange Girl Omnibus so it’s got every single issue of the entire series.

Finally, a new miniseries from the creator of iZombie, Chris Roberson’s Memorial. A blend of fantasy and horror, Memorial is the story of a young girl named Em who, after losing her memory and attempting to rebuild her life, must to battle with primal forces of the universe. Oh, and she’s got a talking cat on her side. Roberson has proven he can handle the fantastical through his Vertigo work, so I’m sure he’ll be up for the challenge of a series this demanding. Those who love iZombie or Locke & Key while probably find a comfortable fit in Memorial.

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