by Alan M Rogers

Okay. I admit it. When the advance copy of IDW’s official movie adaptation of the 2009 STAR TREK movie came in the mail, I got a little bit excited. (Maybe more than a little.) The truth is, I love STAR TREK. Since I was a little kid, I’ve loved STAR TREK. It doesn’t matter which flavor of STAR TREK, either. The ideas behind STAR TREK are what make it great; the moral and ethical obligations of discovery and exploration and the idea that humanity, as a whole, can become much more than what we are and can successfully overcome the less appealing aspects of humanity.

There’s also a sense of adventure and excitement – a childlike sense of wonder at what we’ll see around the next corner. Throw in a strong dose of camaraderie between the people who are out in the cosmos without anyone to bail them out if they get in trouble, and you have an entertainment franchise that has gone strong for almost a half a century.

JJ Abrams breathed new life into STAR TREK with the latest movie just as IDW has given new life to STAR TREK in comics. IDW has already touched on JJ Abrams new STAR TREK continuity with STAR TREK COUNTDOWN (the movie prequel); STAR TREK SPOCK REFLECTIONS and STAR TREK NERO. Now, writers Mike Johnson and Tim Jones have adapted the screenplay by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman into comic form.

True to form, the adaptation is just that – an adaptation. However, if this first issue is any indication, this adaption is going to be fantastic. Already, the first issue captures the feel of the opening scenes of the movie while adding depth to some of the character history. Johnson and Jones not only capture the feel of the movie, but the emotional impact of George Kirk’s sacrifice and the turmoil of James Kirk’s birth.

The art team on this book is fantastic, with smooth lines, bold color and fantastic effects. The still-motion feel and the scenes they chose to draw are perfect snapshots for each panel. The result is a total lack of narrative boxes, which only emphasizes the seamless flow of the story.

If you haven’t seen the movie and are nervous about this new incarnation of STAR TREK, then pick up this issues of the adaptation. I guarantee you won’t regret it and I wouldn’t be surprised if you had a sudden urge to watch the movie. If you’ve seen the movie and don’t like comic adaptations, then I recommend that you give this one a try; by the time IDW’s team is finished with it, you’ll want it on your shelf right next to the movie.

If you’re just a Star Trek fan looking for another hit to tide you over until the next movie or re-run or IDW comic, then this is definitely for you; it’s got enough new material to give you a fresh look at the story and stays true to both JJ Abrams and to the Great Bird of the Galaxy (Gene Rodenberry, for the uninitiated!).

And if you’ve never been into STAR TREK or never known where to start with STAR TREK, then this is perfect for you. It’s a single issues of a single comic series that is telling the same story the newest movie has told. If this doesn’t get you wondering and doesn’t get you interested, I don’t know what could.

Live long and prosper!

~alan m rogers (who really is enough of a geek to end a review with that!)

In Lovecraft, Massachusetts there is a mansion known as Keyhouse, home to the Locke family, the place where Tyson, Kinsey, and Bode’s father grew up. This is a place full of mystery, with doors that lead to places that aren’t in this world, and keys that unlock places that one wouldn’t think could be opened.

Locke & Key: Crown of Shadows #1, 32 pgs., published by IDW, and written by Joe Hill (son of Stephen King) is the third installment in the Locke & Key series. The first two story arcs: Locke & Key Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft and Locke & Key Vol. 2: Head Games have been released in trades. Volume 1 is in hardcover and TPB while vol.2 is only available in hardcover.

In Welcome to Lovecraft we were introduced to the Locke children as they were about to experience an event that would change all of their lives and result in their move to their father’s childhood home – The Keyhouse, and we, the readers, begin to learn about the secrets of Keyhouse, what has been living in the well, and what can happen when a key is turned.

In Head Games we learned more about the Locke family, as well as the people and the past goings on in the town of Lovecraft. There is a new face that isn’t so new at Lovecraft Senior High school, making friends with Tyson & Kinsey, and having a strong affect on the faculty.
A familiar and unwelcome visitor arrives and puts the Lockes, who are still reeling from their earlier tragedy, into another traumatic experience. And an unexpected place is opened when another key is turned.

Crown of Shadows #1, which hit store shelves on November 11th, takes us back into the Keyhouse. Nina Locke: Tyson, Kinsey, and Bode’s mother is dealing with her grief and fear with alcohol. She shares her fears with her oldest son and informs him that she going to have to go out of town and needs him to watch over his younger brother. We can see the pressure and responsibility that oldest child Tyson is bearing, but the focus of this book is on our two antagonists, and a battle for a body and control.They battle in a place that can be reached, with a key, through one of the mansions doors, but it is not a room, and when someone walks through it they are not the same while there. Nina is certain she is hearing things and while roaming the halls of her new home, a victor from the fight in the room that is not a room steps back through the door. Nina finds a key on the floor, a key that somebody else wants very badly, a key that somebody hopes will open a black door. a key that somebody will do anything for.

Joe Hill’s (Fanboyz, Spider-Man Unlimited #8) writing takes us into the town of Lovecraft and the Keyhouse, aplace filled with the supernatural. He lets us share in the Locke family’s lives, and the harsh realities of adjusting to their major changes, as they try to heal from trauma, cope with grief, support one another, and be the new kids in school. He has written characters that feel real, handle what comes at them believably, from the way Kinsey changes her hair and makes a conscious decision on how and what she will feel, the guilt Tyson carries for careless words that can’t be taken back, to showing us what is really (I mean really!) on youngest sibling Bode’s mind. He moves the reader through the story, jumping back in time and to the present, at a pace that keeps the pages turning while still keeping a leisurely, no rush needed feel.

Gabriel Rodriguez’s (Angel #18-20) art is beautiful. He makes a very supernatural event come to life in pictures and colors that express the other-worldliness of the “other” places in Keyhouse, and when in the “real” world of our characters his work gives the reader a visual experience that conveys their feeling and emotions through large eyes, and small expressive touches that give each character personality traits that add to the readers ability to connect with and care for them.

If you enjoy reading horror, suspense, and fantasy comics then I recommend reading the Locke & Key series. It’s probably best to start from the beginning, but starting with Crown of Shadows would still give a fulfilling read.

So check out Locke & Key: Crown of Shadows #1. Just turn the key and come inside….

You like comics.

I can’t blame you. Comics are awesome. There’s all sorts of them out there too, from the capes, to the horror, to the fantasy, to the historical, to the funny… Really, there’s a comic for everyone.

Including your girlfriend.

Yes, her eyes might glaze over during the Lord of the Rings movies. Yes, she might not have any idea what snikt or bamf mean. And maybe, just maybe, she doesn’t even care how cute David Tennet is and has no interest in watching a single episode of Doctor Who. Your sweetheart may not have a single ounce of geek cred, but still there’s at least one comic out there she’s going to like.*

So here it is, Gentlemen: Comics Your Girlfriend Would Like.

The Sure Bet.

Some comics are so good as to be universal. The critics like them. The readers like them. I like them and I would bet your girlfriend would like them.

These include Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, Brian K. Vaughan’s Y: The Last Man, and Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis.

Why your lady would like it: There’s a reason why it’s the Sure Bet. There’s something inherently likable about these books. They’re the Casablanca of comics.

What it says about you: Hey, you’re not much of a risk-taker, but you’ve got good taste.

Abort mission if: she hates the tall, dark and British type (Sandman), violence (Y: The Last Man), or the movie (Persepolis).

The Indie Comic.

Girls are more likely to stray from the big two (Marvel and DC) than guys are. Personally, I think it’s because girls have less loyalty to Emma Frost’s corseted good looks and Superman’s perfect forelock. But it is also true that women gravitate to human stories more than superhuman ones.

Check out Adrian Tomine’s Shortcomings, Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home, Craig Thompson’s Blankets, or Shaun Tan’s The Arrival.

Why your lady would like it: reading an indie graphic novel is like cheating. You get all the fun of reading a comic and none of the social embarrassment of it. You can sit in the middle of Spider House, surrounded by hipsters, drinking your chai and reading Fun Home and know people around you are thinking, If that person were any cooler they’d have to be doing it ironically.

What it says about you: you’re hip, socially aware and I bet you like The Decemberists too.

Abort mission if: she scoffs at The New Yorker (Shortcomings), has daddy issues (Fun Home), hates the winter (Blankets), doesn’t dig on symbolism (The Arrival).

The Romantic Comic.

What better way to say I love you than to say it with comics? Some comics have it right there in the theme. RIGHT THERE! Could they be making it any easier?

Don’t say it with flowers. Say it with Mi-Kyung Yun’s Bride of the Water God, the Hernandez brothers’ Love and Rockets, G. Willow Wilson’s Air, or the Marvel Illustrated version of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

Why your lady would like it: I know this is going to come as a shock, but chicks dig romance. Even the most hard-hearted, cynical of us will melt with the proper combination of wit, brooding eyes, and that perfect song.

What it says about you: you may not go see New Moon with her, but you’re still her great, big snuggle-wuggle boo-boo.

Abort mission if: dating a younger man wierds her out (Bride of the Water God), she hates the Clash, the Pogues or the Ramones (Love and Rockets), gags at Salman Rushdie and Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Air), or has never liked any of the Pride and Prejudice movies including the eight hour one that she made you sit through put out by the BBC(Pride and Prejudice obviously).

The Capes Comic.

Now, we’re not talking Comixology 101 here, but even if your special gal has never shown any interest in the superheroes, there’s still the chance she’ll like some. It just depends on the comic. Try her out with Joss Whedon’s Buffy: Season Eight, Paul Dini’s Batman: Harley and Ivy, Peter David’s X-Factor, or Fred Chao’s Johnny Hiro.

Why your lady would like it: these comics have kick-butt women, humor, and love. Also, because, let’s face it: women want the same things from comics that men want; we want them to be good.

What it says about you: you want to share interests with her… your interests.

Abort mission if: she couldn’t stand the tv show (Buffy: Season 8), she (somehow, impossibly!) doesn’t like Harley Quinn (Batman: Harley and Ivy), eschews soap operas (X-Factor), or… honestly, I can’t think of any reason someone wouldn’t like Johnny Hiro. It’s fantastic.

Well, there you are! A guide on how to get the love of your life into your favorite local comic book store with you. Happy hunting.

*Girlfriends must be literate to apply.

First, the players all loved the game. Two people had played Descent, which has some similar mechanics such as shared initiative and action cards. The players though, had so much fun they are ready for more.

The Good:

• Dice: The dice pools were very cool. The game does not use traditional role-playing game dice. Some of the shapes are familiar, but numbers are replaced with symbols. A combination of certain symbols denote success (axes), which are countered by failures/challenges (crossed swords). There are also other effects that can occur when you obtain eagle symbols (called boons) that are countered by skulls (called banes). Chaos stars and Sigmar’s Comet denote a very bad thing or a very good thing, respectively. The players or the GM generate dice pools based on a combination of skills and attributes with added dice for fortune, expertise, misfortune, and whether the character acts recklessly or cautious. We did get a lot of results that did not have any effect with multiple banes or boons that did not seem to matter. However, I can see house rule for certain results easily implemented to give extra dice or effects somewhere.
• Cards: Actions, Talents: The box had enough cards to support three players and a GM. In the first demo we had four players so we shared some of the basic action cards. This did not seem to be a problem, and seemingly, at least for basic actions, one could expand the amount of players for the game. After a brief explanation of how the cards were set up, people got them pretty easily. The nice thing about the cards is that they explain the effects of the actions/talents without having to dive into the book for a list of these things.
   
• Cards: Effects: The wounds system was easy to track and contain provisions for critical wounds, which convey the gritty feel that previous players, role-playing characters in the Old World have grown to love. There were also rules and cards associated with sanity and spell miscasting. Previously, these were tables, and it seems that they have been created into card decks.

  The Demonstration Scenario, “A Day Late and a Shilling Short” had two combat encounters and one social encounter.

• Combat: Combat is abstract, and does not need maps. We all liked the abstract feel of the combat, and the lack of a ‘whiff’ factor seen with WHFRP and Dark Heresy with new characters. The dice pools allowed characters to be more competent from the outset.
  Social: The social mechanic was very cool. Non-fighting characters can potentially shine here.
• Appearance
  • Quality:Beautiful box and bits. FFG puts out a well-printed product.
  • Bits: There are a lot of bits used for tracking and creating the set ups. In the demos they did not seem to be a problem at all.

The Bad:

• There is a lack of an Index in any of the books. Four books come with the set: A Basic Rule Book, A GM’s Book, A Magic book, A Divine book.
• The section on Monsters/Adversaries were not well explained, and one has to jump between books to determine how they act.
• Advancement looked complicated, but this was a problem in the previous incarnation as well.
• While I like the bits, I can see that some people might consider them ‘fiddly’ and there is the potential with so many parts, that these parts could be come lost.

In summary, the game seemed to maintain the grim and funny atmosphere of Warhammer Fantasy RPG, but with a new and dynamic dice mechanic, and a more tactile, immersive feel.

Both Dragon’s Lair Austin and Dragon’s Lair San Antonio are taking pre-orders for this game!

A lot of big releases coming out this week like Wolverine: Old Man Logan Giant-Sized #1 and the wildly popular Detective Comics (issue #857), but not that much in the indies which makes this a light week for me. Still here’s a few that I’m excited about:

Beautiful Creatures #1 (of 2)

Red5

New Red5 mini series? Sold. After all, these are the guys who bring us comics like Neozoic and Atomic Robo. This newest offering starts with a man who jumps off of the Eiffel Tower… while he’s on fire. Which sure beats any “dark and stormy night” intro I’ve heard of. Beautiful Creatures is the story of four college ladies in England, except that they may be more magic than human and this means the things that go bump in the night are no doubt going to be bumping up against them pretty soon.

Madame Xanadu #15

Vertigo (Mature)

This is the last issue of the “Exodus Noir” story arch with guest artist and comics legend Michael Wm. Kaluta. It’s told two interconnected stories, the first amongst the 1930s New York elite and in a small Spanish town in the late 1400s during the Inquisition, in which Madame X turns her naturally meddlesome nature to fixing both her and other’s mistakes. Series writer Matt Wagner continues to put out stellar stories and I’m looking forward to the return on Eisner-nominated artist Amy Reeder Hadley in issue #16.

Underground #1 (of 4)

 Image

Artist Steve Lieber (Whiteout) and writer Jeff Parker (Agents of Atlas, Exiles) bring us this new spelunking action/thriller about Park Ranger Wesley Fischer caving in the mountains of Kentucky. I imagine it as a mix between the two horror movies Descent and The Hills Have Eyes, which means I’m definitely willing to try out this new mini series.

And since it’s a light week, I’m including some comics from last week too that you might have missed:

Beasts of Burden #1 (of 4)

Dark Horse

Equally charming and creepy, this miniseries is about a group of neighborhood dogs and cats who are actually more of a neighborhood occult task force, trying to bring down demons and dark magics that attack their otherwise quiet, sleepy town. Written by Evan Dorkin with art by the fabulous Jill Thompson, so come in and pick up last week’s issue.

Atomic Robo: Shadow From Beyond Time #5 (of 5)

Red5

Why aren’t you reading this series yet? Unless you are one of the many people who have already figured out how awesome it is (if so, good taste, my friend… good taste), you should come in and pick up this third installment of this kick-butt, Tesla-created, Nazi-fightin’ superhero Atomic Robo. The third trade paperback will be coming out this December, in case you’re waiting for it.

Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters

Quirk

The newest from the publishers of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies! It’s time to read the classics the way Jane Austen really meant them to be read. Will Elinor Dashwood find her true love? Or will he really be one of the Deep Ones? Will the romantic Marianne discover the truth of her dashing suitor’s engagement? Or even the fact that he’s a man-eating squid, bringing the very oceans to their knees? I’m simply quivering to find out!

Recently, Image has been heavily promoting their anthology-style books. Outlaw Territory is the newest of these books, and it takes on the Western ideals that make me love movies like “The Good The Bad and The Ugly” and the remake of “3:10 To Yuma”. The variety in this collection is astounding, even with the “Old West” theme. All of the stories could have easily been printed as slightly longer one shots, but the pure variety and the simplicity of each premise really allows the artist/writer teams on each story to take their best shot at showing their perspectives. With quality art throughout and writing good enough to make me cry into my hat, you would be a fool to pass up on this trail pardner.

By Alan M Rogers

How many of y’all read IDW‘s Ghostbuster’s: The Other Side? Well, you should! IDW is the comics industry king of licensed material, re-invisioning classics like GI Joe, Transformers and the immortal Star Trek. If these fantastic series weren’t enough, IDW has turned to the cult-classic Ghostbusters, taking up where the movies left off.

Left hanging at the end of The Other Side, I was excited to get my hands on a pre-release copy of Ghostbusters: Displaced Aggression #1, and I was not disappointed. Separated and cast into various places in history by the entity Korzar’Rai (father of the iconic Gozer), the Ghostbusters are in real trouble.

Writer Scott Lobdell opens his tale with Peter Venkman in the old west, having a proton-powered shootout with ectoplasmic train-robbing bandits. In the best Clint Eastwood and John Wayne tradition, Peter Venkman is alone, armed only with his trusty particle accelerator, mad ghostbusting skills, and his wits as he tries to save the day, save the girl, and find his way back home.

To be honest, I expected IDW’s Ghostbusters to follow the episodic cheeseball format of the movies, but Lobdell surprised me by adding a truly epic feel to the story while losing none of the irreverant and sometimes ribald humor the franchise is known for, writing the comic Dr. Venkman with real flair and style, while portraying him as surprisingly multi-dimensional and resourceful. You can almost hear Bill Murray delivering Venkman’s dialogue as he fights his way through the spooks of the old west and meets up with an unexpected and unexpectedly beautiful new ally!

Artist Illias Kyriazis brings Lobdell’s story to life with vibrant colors and art that’s very true to the feel of the movies. Each panel is a smorgasbord of action and a riot of detail.

Any Ghostbusters fan should pick up this series and invest in the Other Side trade, because IDW’s creative team is taking the potential of the Ghostbusters and running with it – though even I have no idea where they’re going to take us next.

Alan M Rogers

I’ve been a Star Wars fan for a very long time; I can’t really remember a time I haven’t loved it; space knights and laser swords and heroics across the board. Star Wars was my real introduction to heroic archetype, black hat villains, and evil overlords. As a kid, I read Star Wars novels written for kids, stories about Jabba the Hutt’s father trying to kill Princess Leia and stories about Chewbacca and Han visiting the Wookie home world. There was no Coruscant or Kashyyk and I didn’t know the difference between a Jedi and a Sith.

I haven’t stopped reading Star Wars fiction since then.

In the past thirty years, the Star Wars universe has expanded, becoming a rich and textured tapestry of stories and characters, complete with hundreds of thousands of years of history, heroes and villains.

One of the most recent Star Wars tales I’ve had the pleasure of reading was Star Wars: Outcast by Aaron Allston. The first of the Fate of the Jedi series exploring what happens to the Jedi after Jacen Solo’s fall to the Dark Side as Darth Caedus and his subsequent defeat by his sister.

Star Wars: Outcast is just that – Star Wars. Aaron Allston’s concise prose gives me the same feelings of wonder and excitement that I get from watching the original three Star Wars movies. Luke Skywalker is arrested and facing trial for his failure to stop Jacen Solo from becoming a Dark Lord of the Sith and the entire Jedi Order is under scrutiny by the Galactic Alliance and Chief of State Nataasi Daala while Jedi Valin Horn (and later, others) are dealing with what appear to be psychotic breaks.

A master of character writing, Aaron Allston breathes new life into the classic Star Wars characters as they deal with the newest crises to galactic peace and security. Whether it’s Han Solo offering to play sabacc for Luke’s bail money or it’s Leia calmly taking control, the characters are obviously the same characters we fell in love with watching the original movies. However, Aaron Allston also manages to shade the characters with the maturity and wisdom that have come with their many years of experience at the center of interstellar
upheaval.

Allston also brings in many of the characters that have appeared in novels over the years, including Nawara Ven, the Twi’lek lawyer who once flew with Corran Horn and Rogue Squadron and his wife Rhysati Ynr as part of Luke’s defense team, writing them with the same panache and subtlety as he does the classic characters. It’s during Luke’s trial that this novel really begins to shine; Nawara Ven’s expert handling of the recalcitrant Jedi Grand Master and the fantastic political dialogue with Nataasi Daala
that finally explores some of the real differences between Imperial and
Republic doctrines sets the stage for the beginnings of what certainly be one of
the most fantastic journeys in Star Wars history.

Luke Skywalker must go into exile and prove there was no way he – or any of the Jedi – could have prevented Jacen Solo’s fall. His son, Ben, decides to go with him, to atone for and come to terms with his own part in Darth Caedus’ brutal war. After one of the best-written farewell scenes I’ve read in many a year, Luke and Ben set out to retrace Jacen’s travels and studies, starting with the Baran Do Sages’ Temple on Dorin.

Meanwhile, Han and Leia travel to Kessel to help Lando Calrissian and his wife Tendra (another awesome Star Wars character who doesn’t get nearly as much screen time as she should!) find out what’s going on with new ground quakes.

Of course, during this all, Valin Horn has been dealing with what seems to be a psychotic break, which causes the Galactic Alliance to assign every Jedi an observer. Jaina Solo, who is dealing with her (mostly) secret love affair with Jag Fel, has her world shaken when she is assigned the man who now looks like her deceased brother Anakin – something that shakes both her and Anakin’s former love, Tahiri Veila.

I won’t even give you a hint as to the end, because not even I saw it coming (and between you and I, that is saying something.) This novel is classic Star Wars at it’s best, with Jedi walking into the darkness to discover its secrets, political machinations, and forbidden love.

If you haven’t read a Star Wars book in awhile – or ever – this is a great place to pick up and read. Aaron Allston does a great job of making the story accessible and enjoyable, even if you haven’t read a single Star Wars book before this one, much like the first Star Wars movie did, the story manages to put us in the middle of events but doesn’t leave us lost.

It does, however, leave us wanting the next book.

This is a big week for me. A whole slew of really great independent comics are coming out this week. Series are starting, ending, coming out in trades… Well, here’s what I’m looking forward to:

28 Days Later #1
BOOM! Studios (Mature)

This is a new ongoing series from BOOM! Publishers. It follows Selena, one of the survivors from the first movie, up until the events of the sequel. It is written by
Michael Alan Nelson, with art by newcomer Declan Shalvey.

I’m usually really hesitant with comics that are based on movies or television shows. They tend to just be another byproduct from the giant, churning sales engine. But I have faith in the new
28 Days Later comic for two reasons, the first is Shalvey’s gritty style art which seems to capture the horror of those infected with the rage virus in the preview pages that I’ve seen and secondly, and most importantly, is the writer. Michael Alan Nelson writes
Fall of Cthulhu and Hexed which are both most excellent for those who like the post-modern horror genre. (Hexed is especially good and just came out in hardcover last week. I can’t recommend it enough.)

Arsenic Lullaby Pulp Edition Omega
Arsenic Lullaby Publishing (Mature)

I love Arsenic Lullaby, I’ve loved it since it first started coming out in 2000. I rabidly hunted down all the issues, I followed the foibles and feats of Voodoo Joe with a voracious appetite… I read, I laughed, I squirmed at the sheer icky humor of it.
Written and drawn by the inimitable Douglas Pazkiewicz, it was just recently nominated for Eisner’s Best Humor Publication of 2009 (and should have won.) But! Fair warning: if you have never wondered how to get the most of out zombies as cheap labor, if you’ve never considered what mermaid might taste like, if you have never suspected the girl scouts of foul black magics… this might not be the comic for you. It’s not so much dark humor as it is pitch black humor. And if you like that sort of thing, make sure you come out on Wednesday to pick your copy up.

Chew #4
Image Comics (Mature)

What do you mean you’re not reading Chew?!? Image Comics is doing its very best to get readers to check out its new, incredibly good comics and so have been putting some of the first issues on the backs of its more popular comics. (Viking #1 rode on the back of the most recent issue of Walking Dead and
Chew #1 on the issue before that.) This is a great idea, because while both Image Comics and I know that these are both excellent series, you might not.
Chew is the story of Tony Chu, detective and cibopathic (that means he gets psychic impressions off of the things he eats), who works for the FDA, a very powerful government organization now that the bird flu has caused poultry to be outlawed. It’s twisted, it’s weird, it’s gross, but most importantly, it’s awesome.
Rob Guillory’s art is intensely exaggerated and refreshingly new, setting a pitch perfect tone to John Layman’s terrific and bizarre story.

The Great Unknown #3 (of 5)
Image Comics (Mature)

Often an artist who both writes and draws his own stories will fail at one respect or the other. While this isn’t a hard and fast rule,
Duncan Rouleau is exceptional nonetheless. His simple, fluid art and no-holds-barred storytelling, Rouleau weaves the story of Zach Feld, a shiftless, lazy misanthrope who thinks he’s smarter than most of the people he’s surrounded by. Sadly, Zach is right.
Despite his generally hateful nature, Zach is really quite brilliant especially when it comes to inventing things-not that he’s done anything with these ideas, mind you. But now that someone else is using Zach’s designs, he knows something isn’t quite kosher. Has someone hacked into his brain waves and stolen his ideas?! Or his he just turning into one of those tinfoil-hat-wearing psychos? I’m looking forward to being surprised.

Ignition City #5 (of 5)
Avatar Press (Mature)

Hot pajamas, this book is awesome. I was finally prepared to start writing Warren Ellis off. Sure, I loved Transmetropolitan and Desolation Jones and Planetary (even though we’re still waiting for the last issue of the latter and the poor Desolation Jones has given up the ghost and is finally a dead, unloved series), but he hasn’t come out with anything recently that has had me squirming in my seat in rapturous, fan-addled glee.
Now, behold Ignition City, a story about the place where space heroes go to die, a story about revenge and mystery and spaceships and psychonauts, a story where your laser pistol rides low on your hip and your whiskey is rotgut served by the bottle. Art by Gianluca Pagliarani, who worked with Ellis before on (the also quite good) Aethyric Mechanics. This dieselpunk tale is highly worth checking out and if you’ve missed the first four issues, stay tuned, the trade paperback will not be far behind.

Killer of Demons TP
Image Comics (Mature)

If you missed Killer of Demons in single issues than you have no idea what an amazing, action-packed comedy it is, but now’s your chance. With art by
Scott Wegener of Atomic Robo and story by Christopher Yost (X-Force and Red Robin), Killer of Demons is about junior account executive Dave Sloan who has been chosen by God to rid the world of demons, which are hidden in our world pretending to be normal, amoral jerkfaces, instead of the very spawn of the Devil. Or maybe that cigar-smoking, wise-cracking angel on his shoulder is really just a figment of his imagination and his mission of God is really a terrifying murder spree! Either way, it’s zany good times.

The Dragon’s Lair Report!

by Indy Arno, Dragon’s Lair’s very own Intrepid, on-the-scene Reporter

My trip to GenCon 09 began with an adventure in the form of a small plane with broken lavatories, no air conditioning, and a pair of engines that were finicky at best. Despite these tribulations, I, your dedicated chronicler, eventually made it to my sixth GenCon without falling from the sky like a huge meteor dropped by an angry DM. I met up with some of my old college friends from BSFFA (the largest student-run gaming and geekiness club in the country), and together we set out on an epic journey through Nerd Mecca.

For those who have never been to GenCon, a word of explanation: GenCon, advertised as “The Best Four Days in Gaming,” is to the tabletop set what ComicCon is to superhero fans. Board, card, miniature, role-playing and any other conceivable type of gaming companies and bulk retailers of such set up in the enormous dealer’s room, along with smaller niche booths for anime, costuming, gaming accessories, movies, art, and more to introduce hordes of curious gamers to old favorites or new gems and to preview unreleased material or make a grand début for their products. The belles of the ball this year were Wizards of the Coast‘s updated Dungeons & Dragons 4.0 Eberron setting book (actually released earlier this summer, but feted heavily at the Con) and Paizo‘s Pathfinder Core rulebook, which was so popular that the line for its release was nearly broken up by Con security because it was long enough to disrupt all the surrounding booths within about five rows. Interestingly, the Wizards’ pavilion this year was much smaller and not as centrally placed as in years past, while the Paizo booth was almost as large as Wizards’ and conveniently located on the far end of the hall (not the prime spot, but much easier to get to).

Paizo‘s booth notwithstanding, much of GenCon reflected Wizards’ reduced state, no doubt due to the poor economic conditions. The traditional celebrities row, which has in the past included such names as Peter Mayhew (Star Wars), Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Galactica), Walter Koenig (Star Trek and Babylon 5), the crew of Mythbusters, and many other geek icons, was notably absent. This year, the only official non-author celebrity was Vic Mignogna of Fullmetal Alchemist, and, while he is always a popular face at cons, the lack of any other famous people was a bit odd for such a major convention. The monetary downturn showed up in a few other minor ways, such as the lack of life-sized (or more than) models of D&D monsters and characters, superheroes, etc. in the RPGA and CCG halls. Even so, there were as many games as ever and the dealer’s hall was still filled with more interesting stuff than I will ever have money to buy in my entire lifetime, so the cuts were nowhere near enough to make me stop having fun.

Some of the highlights that remained included the costume contest and parade, the dance (the theme was Masquerade this year, which I didn’t think was as cool as last year’s Steampunk Ball, but I may be biased), Dana DeVries’ always sold-out 7th Sea LARP, the Heroes of Rokugan L5R LARP, and the exclusive White Wolf party, which my friends and I managed to snag invitations to by showing up at the White Wolf booth dressed as canon characters from the Exalted RPG. I had never been to the White Wolf party before since it’s invite-only (and I’m not sure what else besides costuming can earn invitations), but it took place in a dimly-lit, trendy bar that is exactly the kind of place that shows up in virtually every Vampire game that has ever been run on the planet Earth. The décor and the vampire movies (plus Blade) playing on screens around the lounge convinced my group to get permission to run an old World of Darkness Hunter tabletop set at the party next year. While hobnobbing with the White Wolf crowd, I heard that the hotly anticipated and frequently delayed Scroll of Exalts should be available in the next couple of months, and rumor has it that the next book in the Exalted series will involve the return of the Scarlet Empress to Creation.

Another yearly feature of GenCon are the ENnies, the fan-chosen awards for gaming excellence, mostly for RPGs, but also including miniatures and accessories. D&D and Pathfinder made a sweep of the awards this year, but Mouse Guard, Dark Heresy, Song of Ice and Fire, and CthuluTech also made off with multiple wins. CthuluTech‘s Senior Art Director, Mike Vaillancourt, was ecstatic about the Best Cover win, claiming that he was never going to take his medal off. He also told me that everyone’s favorite alien-bound faction, the Tagers, were thought up by the creative team after a weekend of sake shots to “get them in a dark place”.

I was in a dark place when I heard that the Brobdingnagian Bards, a Rennaisance Faire-type duo native to Austin but frequently present at GenCon, had broken up. Marc Gunn, the autoharp-playing half of the pair, still made it up this year to promote his solo work and perform two standing-room-only concerts. The Great Luke Ski of Dr. Demento fame was also at GenCon, along with filk icon Tom Smith, and others, roaming the halls or dealer’s room like the wandering minstrels they are.

I can’t even begin to talk about the many other events that went on at GenCon; I just didn’t have time to even sample half of them, but I can give a partial list of the things I didn’t get to check out: video game tournaments of all sorts; the Terrorwerks AirSoft LARP; miniatures painting; costuming, writing, GM-ing, etc. seminars; Nintendo DS meet-ups for various games; all the CCG tournaments; the True Dungeon (which I’ve been trying to get into for years, only to have the tickets I finally managed to buy conflict with another event I was already committed to); numerous LARPS and table-tops of all sorts of systems and settings; anime and movie screenings; the Gaia Online meet-up; and things I’m sure I never even heard about. There was just so much going on, I couldn’t even hope to keep up with four days of 24 hour activity. And that’s what’ll always keep me going back to GenCon each year.