Game Con Day 1

Thursday was the first day of gaming at the Phoenix Con Games convention in Mesa, AZ. The game was White Wolf's "World Of Darkness". A survival horror RPG. I played an uptight bookworm character and had a blast.

I didn't do much fighting, but at the very end I went all out to land the killing blow on the big bad guy and finish the game! (And I NEVER get to do that!) On top of that the other players voted for me to win the award for best role-playing during the game session!

It was a great start to what I know will be a really fun weekend. I'll keep you posted the best I can, but for now I better check the theatre schedule to see if I can fit in a showing of Fantastic Four 2 before my next scheduled game!

Comic Book Day!

Just like every Wednesday, today is "Comic Book Day", where I go and pick up my comic books for the week.

DC's "Countdown" is turning out to be another surprisingly great read. Surprising because it comes out EVERY WEEK. The storyline is set to establish the DC Universe (or should I say "multi-verse") after the huge events of last year's weekly event comic, "52".
I'm particularily interested in what's happening with Mary Marvel. She's a 4th string DC character connected to "Captain Marvel" (Shazam!) that DC seems to be upgrading in some way.

This is something I always enjoy watching DC do. Taking a character from their rich history that's faded and lost its glory, and re-making them into something exciting and knew, while paying tribute and always remembering what has gone before. It's the "Legacy Factor", as I might call it. And DC has got it in spades.

Today I'll also be scoping out back issues of "Solar, Man Of The Atom" and looking for the best price I can find on issue number one. I just recently became interested in this book (as I mentioned here last time) and am hoping to colloect the back issues without paying out the ear.

Wish me luck!

Solar, Man Of The Atom

The second book I grabbed with my extra change last week, was "Solar, Man Of The Atom- Alpha and Omega". This was a trade paperback that collected the origin story for this character that was spread out over the course of the first 8 or 9 issues of the comic book.

This character, a re-vamp of a 1960's superhero, reminded me of Dr. Manhattan from Alan Moore's "Watchmen". He gains incredible power to manipulate energy and matter and begins to think of himself as more of a god than a man.

I'll let slip just a wee bit here that Spirit Blade Productions' "Top Secret Project" entitled Absolute Power will find some of its inspiration from stories like this one and "The Watchmen".

This book was truly ahead of its time. Although I think it may be cancelled now, I'm hoping to go back and collect all the back issues for it, since it unfortunately did not make any other trade paperbacks. So there goes my "extra money" problem.

The Authority

After a very small week of comics (I only purchased this week's issue of Countdown!) I took advantage of my extra funds to explore a couple of books I've been curious about for awhile.

The first is Warren Ellis' and Bryan Hitch's "The Authority". I managed to find the first trade paperback collecting issues 1-8 at a used bookstore. After reading it, I have to say that I really enjoyed it. I've never seen a comic with heroes this powerful fighting evil in a way that is "messy". Human casualties number in the hundreds as this team of immensely powered beings tries to change the world for the better.

Similar in some ways to the deconstructionist themes of Alan Moore's "The Watchmen", this is a fascinating read with art that is so epic and cinematic you can't help but be pulled into the world these characters live in.

Although I don't see myself going back to collect all the individual back issues, I'll certainly look for more opportunities to pick up the trade paper-backs of this series.

Dying is easy, Comedy is hard

I've been on a kick lately for supernatural comedies. Last week I finally got Peter Jackson's extended cut for "The Frighteners". If you liked "Ghostbusters", you'll love this movie. A dark comedy, but also a genuinely scary ghost movie. Then yesterday I got my copy of "Death Becomes Her" in the mail. Another very dark supernatural comedy that you should check out if you're a fan of "zombie" flicks. Both of these movies have surpisingly great special effects considering their strong comedic elements. Both are also produced by Robert Zemeckis , producer of the "Back To The Future" trilogy and some other sfx driven films.
So if you haven't seen these films, at least try renting. Chances are you won't be dissapointed.

Computer Gaming

So I'm quickly running out of games on the PS2, but I'm not ready to go next-gen yet. So in the meantime I've been exploring the world of PC games. Now, if you read my post on "The Spirit Blade Underground" last week, you know I'm not a computer person, so PC games I tend to avoid. Sure, the games may be a little cheaper, but it's off-set by the cost of updating your video cards and making sure you've got the newest drivers and all that other stuff.

A friend let me borrow (and even offered to let me keep) "Oblivion" and "Fear". Both look like pretty awesome games. Alas, my video card is too old and I have zero interest in upgrading.

On the bright side, I've just recently discovered the classic "Diablo" games for PC and for those games my video card works great so far! Hopefully they'll hold my interest long enough to last until a price drop for the 360. (Sorry PS3. I've been loyal 'till now but you blew it with your system price. Good luck recovering, Sony.)

Selling and Buying

Yesterday I made some GREAT use of time buying and selling! Between two different used bookstores I took home almost $50 of cash for old (and trust me, worthless) comic books and a few DVDs. Granted, I may have gotten more on e-bay or something, but I had just finished waiting for an online purchase to arrive (Peter Jackson's Cut of "The Frighteners") and was feeling a great desire for instant gratification.

With my "winnings", I was able to purchase my comics for the week, a DVD I had my eye on, as well as pay for almost half of a new board-game! Speaking of which, I'd better get working on what I need to do for Spirit Blade Productions today so I can start enjoying my "Geekend"!

See ya!