The order will arrive on THURSDAY, JULY 5TH. Is everyone cool? Cool.
It's just one of the many tournaments we've got on this flyer:
The Night Below tournament is a great deal. If you're going to buy two boosters anyway, why not get them at a discount and participate in the tournament? The worst you can do is save money! Speaking of saving money, here's a coupon:
Come out to our Magic: The Gathering Game Day on July 14th. There'll be a whole bunch of stuff going on. Pre-Registration for the sealed event begins at 11:00 AM, and the first 8 players to register get to participate in the Mini-Master Flight. What's that, you may ask? Why, it's this:
The First 8 Players who register each receive a single 10th Edition booster and hree of each basic land. Players shuffle all cards together. Next, players are randomly paired up against their first opponents. After the first round ends, the losers are out. THe four winners each receive one new booster and shuffle recycled land into new booster. Players are randomly paired up again for Round Two. Repeat the process until there is a single winner. First place wins 10 boosters, second place wins 5 boosters. If that's not a good enough reason to register early, I don' know what is.
The sealed event itself will be $20 entry and each player will get 5 booster packs. First prize wil be a booster box, second prize will be 18 packs, third prize will be 12 packs, and fourth prize will be 6 packs. We will also have special exclusive prize support from Wizards of the Coast, including:
That's a lot of prize support for not that much entry, so be sure to take advantage! Also, be sure to participate in the scavenger hunt, details of which are available at WotC's website. Judging will be held from 4-5 PM, and you must be present to win.
Action Comics #851
Remember when Richard Donner and Geoff Johns started writing their own Superman arc, coincidentally right as the Richard Donner cut of Superman II was coming out? And then they disappeared into the ether? Well, the conclusion to that story arc is here at long last! Will Superman do whatever the heck it was he was doing? Will, uh, the villain do whatever he was doing at the time? The answers to these questions await you in Action Comics #851--with an exclusive 3-D variant! If you're into that!
Astounding Wolf-Man #2
Apparently, Image comics decided that if we got a free taste of what they had to offer (in the form of the Free Comic Book Day Astounding Wolf-Man #1) it would be best if they let us savor it...for two months. Well, hopefully that wasn't too much savoring for most people, and they'll remember to come in and check out issue two of this promising new series from the man behind The Walking Dead and Invincible that claims to find a middle ground between the two. If it's anywhere near as good as those two, then it'll be a really good book. And if you didn't get issue one at Free Comic Book Day, there's a director's cut coming out at the same time.
New Avengers/Transformers #1
There's a Transformers movie coming out the same week as this bizarre tie-in? Well, what a coincidence! There's really nothing else I can say that won't make me sound as incredibly jaded as I feel, so here's a summary of the plot: the Transformers meet the New Avengers and Megatron has some weird hangup about Spider-Man. Also, something makes people angry.
Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America - Iron Man
Honestly, they probably could have chosen a better character to represent "acceptance" than Iron Man. Just about everyone hates Iron Man and blames him for Captain America's death, and he's the one you decide should tell us to "get over it?" Well, it actually turns out to be an excellent choice. Tony Stark doesn't do a whole lot in the issue, but he does do some surprisingly noble things.
We really like it when people play games in the back room. We're hoping to find more GMs and players for events in the back room--Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are great days to play. We had some great sessions run during free RPG day, and we're hoping to see some new faces. Let us know if you want to GM, or play, or even just watch, and we'll try to get gamers in contact with each other. Also, be sure to register in our gaming directory to help facilitate regular gaming meet-ups!
A WARMACHINE LEAGUE BEGINS SOON - SIGN UP NOW!
Warmachine is a game built on reconciling contradictions. The warjacks in the game--the eponymous "warmachines"--are built with a union of the normally opposed forces of magic and technology. The game itself uses a simple and elegant system, yet has a rich tactical complexity. The models are among the best sculpts in the business, yet putting together a Warmachine army is surprisingly cheap.
The premise of Warmachine is simple, yet intriguing: the Iron Kingdoms are in a time of upheaval. In the southern realm of Cygnar, a young king still struggles to control a kingdom he usurped from his wicked brother. To the east, on the borders of the Bloodstone Marches, the religious fanatics of the Protectorate of Menoth prepare to strike against their longtime oppressors in Cygnar. North, the fearsome nation of Khador prepares to take back the fractured parts of their ancestral Motherland. On the Scharde Islands just off the broken coast lie the undead nation of Cryx, prepared to finally capture the mainland for the glory of the Dragonlord Toruk. Of course, in a world as rife with conflict as this one, there are mercenaries who sell their skills to all sides, and even some that band together to advance their own agendas. Naturally, all of these people want to beat the crap out of each other, and that's where the game comes in.
Pretty much everything in the game boils down to one of two mechanics: either roll 2d6, add it to a stat, and compare it to another stat (used primarily in attacking and damaging things) or roll 2d6 and see if it's less than a stat (skill checks and command checks use this mechanic). Now, while that's a pretty easy, simple system, there's an additional layer of complexity that comes through the use of focus. See, every army is led by at least one warcaster, a powerful warrior-mage who commands the warjacks and casts spells to change the course of battle. Each warcaster gets a set amount of focus that they allocate to either their warjacks or themselves at the start of each turn. Warjacks can spend focus to perform special attacks, get extra attacks, or boost their attack or damage rolls, so they can roll another die. Which means that each turn, you have to carefully weigh your options: do you give that warjack an extra focus to make sure he hits with his attack this turn, or do you hold onto it and use it to cast one of the powerful spells at your disposal? Suddenly, a fairly basic game just became a lot more complex, and without a whole bunch of complex and contradictory rules.
That's all just scratching the surface of Warmachine, too. If you want to know more, though, you should just come by the store and ask any of the employees, as we all play! If you're interested in buying, here's a rundown of the factions so you can choose the one that's right for you:
Cygnar
is a good, balanced force. Their heavy warjacks are still reasonably
mobile in spite of their heavy armaments, their light warjacks are
quick but still tough, and they have good troop options at both short
and long range. They're easily the best force for "turtling," but that
strategy isn't nearly as effective in Warmachine as it is in other
games, especially considering that few guns can fire more than twelve
inches. Unfortunately, I have very little experience with Cygnar, so I
can't offer much more analysis than that.
Cygnar's Lightning-Powered Thunderhead Warjack.
The Protectorate of Menoth is kind
of an oddball. They don't have any one obvious strategy or strength
like the other factions do. Their warjacks are generally about average,
with a few cool gimmicks or powers, and their warcasters' spell lists
often contain several effects that focus less on aggressive action and
more on pre-emptively denying your opponents' actions. Building a
protectorate army requires some thought because of this, because you
need to make sure you have units that complement each other moreso than
any other army list. Or, you could just field a bunch of knights and
charge across the board at your opponent. It's all cool, as far as I'm
concerned.
The Avatar of Menoth Heavy Warjack
Khador is all about the heavies. They don't have
any light warjacks at all, and all the heavy 'jacks they have are really heavy.
I mean, we're talking disgustingly heavy. Most of their warjacks have a
base armor of 20, which might not mean a lot to you, but think of it
this way - when you roll damage, you roll 2d6 plus the weapon's power,
and very few things have a power of greater than 12 outside of other
heavy warjacks. These things can take a lot of damage, too, so getting
one of them off the board requires a concentrated assault from the
strongest stuff you've got. They also have infantry units where each
model is about as tough as a light warjack, a deadly sniper unit, and
good old fashioned Russian-style guardsmen. All of whom are hard as
heck to kill. Oh, and the warcaster in their battle box, Sorscha, has
the best feat in the game. They are a deadly force that will make you
earn every victory point you get. Well, except for when their Doom
Reavers go berserk and all slaughter each other, but that hardly ever
happens. Usually.
The Aptly-Named Khadoran Behemoth Warjack
Cryx is built around mobility and
spellcasting. Their bonejacks are some of the best light warjacks in
the game, particularly because most of them are hard to hit, extend the
range of your spells, and--most importantly--are ridiculously cheap,
pointswise. All of their warjacks have above-average defense values,
but lower armor. Of course, when you can't hit something, it doesn't
matter how poorly-armored they are. Oh, and their warjacks are
incredibly fast. Combined with the arc nodes, that makes it conceivable
for you to run them up and cast a spell on something nearly two feet
away on the first turn! And with spells like Dark Seduction, which
allows you to take over a unit, that can be a dangerous, dangerous
ability. Not to mention that they have several good units and models
that can ignore terrain, allowing you to strike from positions where
your enemy can't even see you.
$125.00
This boxed set contains three (3) Citadel Woods, one (1) Citadel Modular Gaming Hill, one (1) Citadel Gaming Hill, one (1) Warhammer Arcane Ruins set, one (1) tub of Glade Grass and one (1) tub of Scorched Grass.
All that stuff is also going to be sold separately, by the way. This is just cheaper.
New York Times Best-Selling author LAURELL K. HAMILTON offers readers a brand-new experience in the world of ANITA BLAKE in a beautiful hardcover edition! Fusing mythology, werewolves and vampires with a story loaded with mystery, action and romance, the ANITA BLAKE novels take place in a world where vampires, werewolves, and other creatures of nightmare have been declared legal citizens of the United States. ANITA BLAKE is an "animator" - a profession that involves raising the dead for a living. ANITA BLAKE is also known as a fearsome hunter of criminal vampires, and she moonlights by investigating cases that are far too much for "conventional" police. But as Anita gains the attention of the vampire masters in her hometown of St. Louis, she also risks revealing an intriguing secret about herself - the source of her unusual strength and power. As a special treat, Anita Blake fans will also discover an original side story featuring Anita and Dolph, written specially for the hardcover edition by LAURELL K. HAMILTON.
S-XL: $17.99Dante, Randal, and Jay & Silent Bob return older, but not much wiser, in Clerks II scheduled for release on August 18th. Read the words and relive the adventures with the new Clerks II: The Screenplay Trade Paperback. Every word written by Kevin Smith is captured along with 16 pages of black & white pics from the flick. If you thought a convenience store was challenging, you can't even imagine their take on the world of fine, fast-food dining. What better way to read the script than while sporting one these great new Clerks II shirt designs. Clerks II Logo features the new masthead screenprinted in color on a black 100% shirt while Got Christ? T-Shirt features everyone's favorite buddy distressed printed on a white 100% shirt. Two new shirts for the second Clerks flick!!
$24.99
Multiple Eisner Award winner David Lapham (Stray Bullets, Murder Me Dead, DETECTIVE COMICS) brings his unique brand of stark crime noir and dark, gritty realism to SILVERFISH, an original hardcover graphic novel replete with betrayal, double lives and family annihilators that will plunge itself into your gut and keep twisting until its bloody conclusion. What starts as a childish prank for her father's affection turns into a deadly game of cat and mouse for 16-year-old Mia when she discovers her beautiful new stepmom Suzanne's secret possessions: an address book, a stash of money and a knife caked in blood. Mia makes the fateful mistake of phoning Daniel, a murderer from Melanie's past, who believes he's possessed by a demonic silverfish. And at midnight, on the boardwalk of a sleepy seaside town, Mia's survival will depend not only on whether Suzanne is good or evil, but whether Mia can find out which before Daniel reaches them...
Batman #163, Action Comics #304, Avengers #74, Avengers #47, Amazing Spider-Man #83, Fantastic Four #81, Fantastic Four #61, Thor #141, Thor #164, Dr. Strange #172, Daredevil #62, X-Men #29, X-Men #57, X-Men #66, X-Men #55, Green Lantern #28, Silver Surfer #14, Teen Titans #26, Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #93, Adventure Comics #328, Adventure Comics #330, Action Comics #317, Action Comics #315
This auction contains the rare vintage Hostess Baked Goods color superhero advertisements lot of 7. These ads are not reproductions. They are in excellent shape with only very lite edge wear. very slight yellowing from age. They each measure approx 10 1/4" X 6.5". Don't miss out on these hard-to-find pieces of history!
Encyclopedia of Mystery and Detection
This auction contains the oversize paperback Encyclopedia of Mystery and Detection edited by Chris Steinbrunner and Otto Penzler. This vintage book was published by Harvest / HBJ Books in 1976. It contains endless information on mystery and detective writers, films, actors, pulps, television and lots more. Some highlights include Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Perry Mason, and Count Dracula. There's also great photographs and illustrations of writers, actors, and still shots from famous mystery film. This rare book is great for collectors of mystery and detective mysteries, researchers, or anyone interested in this subject. This book is in very nice shape. There's only lite edge and corner wear. Very nice interior!
Don't miss out on this highly collectible rare book!!
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I hate Michael Bay. Everyone does. But if you think about it, hate is generated by an emotion that usually points back to you. If you hate something, you hate it because it has shown something about yourself that you either want or desire. Secretly, deep down, you want the things that Michael Bay offers. You want the explosions. You want the violence. You want those long and overly emotional slow motion pane shots of a young man going for his girlfriend's hand. You want it. But you don't want to want it. You hate that you want it. And when it comes to the Transformers, no one on this planet could direct the movie better. And I hate Michael Bay for it.
So was it good? Yes. An astounding yes. There is no way it could have been better. This is coming from a true Hater, mind you. It is in my nature to dislike anything that crosses my path. That is how I roll. Within the first two minutes of Transformers, all the hate in my heart slowly melted away. I got a warm, strange feeling inside of my soul. Something was happening to me. I was having fun. A lot of fun. And Michael Bay was making me have fun. When "Blackout", disguised as a Military helicopter, first transforms, my brain almost exploded with the sheer power of its awesome. It is like Michael Bay's ego is just tossed over the screen. You can't fight it off.
There is a general idea of moderation with this film. For every lengthy scene of character development, there is an action scene beyond belief. And have I mentioned that it's funny? Really funny. I've only laughed out loud like that viewing actual comedies that have tried to make me laugh. The humor is akin to the humor in Spider-man 2. It's funny by not trying to be funny. The laughter is a direct result of you having a good time. You don't know you're doing it until it happens, bursting out of your mouth. The humor helps with the believability problems that plague the film. Giant robots are everywhere, and they have lips. And they have emotions and are tossing around serious themes. Without laughter, you'd just point and say, I don't believe this. The movie makes fun of itself way before you're able to do it.
Another part of the movie that helps make it good is how close it sticks to the original subject matter. Even though there is never really a mention of an "Allspark" in the original cartoon, the Allspark in the movie is a cube. And, in the cartoon, all the Transformers ever tried to get is energy cubes. When one Transformer gets hurt in the film, a blue energy seeps out of him, just like in the cartoons. Optimus Prime pops out a golden axe, just like in the film. There are subtle and correct nodes in the movie that give respect to what we loved so much. Ok, so Bubblebee isn't a damn Volkswagen beetle. And all the vehicles are basically ads for GM. This is America. If you think for one second that somebody isn't going to make a deal with a car company for a Transformers movie, you're insane. And, ok, so Megatron looks nothing like he did in the cartoon. Megatron made absolute no sense in the cartoon. He transformed into a gun? He is a twenty-foot tall robot. How does he change into an item that is smaller than he is? And then something holds him and shoots? That's stupid. Fans of Megatron won't be disappointed. The Decepticons are scary in the film. You would not ever want to be anywhere close to them. This leads into the general scope of the movie. It is big. The Transformers are big and the final fight at the end could possibly be the biggest, grandest, most absurd action fight scene in movie making history. I can't think of anything that tops it, and I watch action movies like kids eat candy.
People will hate this movie. Let them. It wasn't made for them. It was made for the true Transformers fans. And when I saw it, there were countless times where people cheered and everyone clapped at the end. If you don't like this movie, I feel sorry for you. Somewhere along the line your child hood died. I wish there was a way you could get it back. As for me, I'm pretty sure I'll be seeing this in the theater. Again. And again. And again.
RATING: 5/5
Writer: Mike Carery
Pencils: Humberto Ramos, Chris Bachalo and Scot Eaton
Price: $3.99
I've never understood the forgiving and understanding nature of the X-men. Let us take a little history lesson: The Phoenix kills a whole planet and they let her live. Gambit was revealed to be a spy for Mr. Sinister and they still let him hang around. Joseph was a clone of Magneto, but they didn't know that, and they let hang out. Sabertooth, the sicko, mass murder Sabertooth has been on the team not once, not twice, but three damn times. Or is it four? Magneto has lead the team before. The White Queen is a member. Mystique is a member. Rogue was raised by Mystique and she's a member. I could easily go on and on. My point is, why would you want to hang out and save the world with someone that has tried to kill you multiple times? Its true what they say. Make a mistake and it will turn around and bite you on the ass. At least, I'm sure someone has said that.
Things coming back to haunt the X-men is the theme for X-men #200. Not only is it the anniversary of the comic that started the multiple cover trend. But it is also the first chapter of the Endangered Species story line. The book starts off with Rogue's field team heading to Mystique's home for some rest while Rogue tries to come to terms with the newest phase of her power. It seems, in a previous adventure, that Rogue absorbed the essence of 8 million people. That sort of put her power into overload. Instead of simply taking people's powers, she kills them on the spot. While Rogue struggles, Bobby Drake and Mystique have a little smooch session, Cyclops and the gang head over to Mystique's to help, and Cable has a run in with Sunfire and everyone's favorite ragin' Cajun, Gambit, but not in a good way. Plus! A mutant dies!
In my last review I mentioned how lame and boring the X-men are sometimes. I stand by that. But when the X-men are on a roll, they are really on a rule. X-men #200 is fast paced and full of hyper action. There are more questions asked than answered, of course, and you get the sense that this story line has been brewing for a while. If not brewing, then the thought of its brewing has been brewing. When the betrayer betrays the team, you aren't surprised. I actually got a sense of satisfaction. I know that (Blank) would do that! (Blank) could never be trusted! The story of Rogue and her powers is somewhat overshadowed by Cable. Gambit and Sunfire were sent to look for him by some unknown agent, and in the heat of battle he lets slip a term: "One minute before dawn." I have no idea what it means. But Cable knows what it means, and I bet is has something to do with the Endangered Species story line. The X-men books would be nothing, absolutely nothing, without the mysteries. Some have been answered, while others are still lingering. But new mysteries are well-needed. And I'm excited to see Gambit on the playing field again, doing something else besides try to make out with a chick he can't touch. X-men #200 starts more than it starts, and that is a great thing for an X book.
Oh, the Endangered Species portion of the book? No, I will not be spoiling that for you. You read it. You enjoy the last page. Just when I thought that the X-men were falling behind the Marvel revival, I'm surprised once again.
RATING: 5/5
Writer: Jeff Parker
Artist: Roger Cruz
Colorist: Val Staples
Price: $2.99
I'll be honest with you. I've never really liked Jean Grey. I know. I know. I find it hard to be attracted to women who will one day turn into all powerful monsters and kill and entire planet. Call me strange.
X-men: First Class did make me look at the young mutant in a completely new light. The First Class series goes back in time to when their were only five mutants at Xavier's, and the world of mutants and superheroes was still fresh and new in the mind of the public. In this first issue, a young Jean Grey tries to fly for the first time, with embarrassing results. Thinking that she needs a little girl time, Xavier arranges for Sue Richards, the Invisible Girl, to be Jean's mentor. Trouble looms over head, however. The Mad Thinker has decided to attack the Fantastic Four with a brick headed android and a tripod! Dear God! Who will save them?
Parker makes fun of the campy-ness of the early comic tales very well, while still making it have some sort of tension. First Class won't be about the threats. It won't be about insane drama or Wolverine running around slashing everything or people throwing rocks at mutants. It will be a retrospective of how the X-men were before the world turned completely insane. Believe it or not, there was a time when comic books only had one story line, not twenty. Not every story has to be about somebody having somebody else's baby or some dude trying to clone some girl so he can take over the world with her ovaries in twenty years. This issue of First Class was simply about Jean Grey coming to terms with being a chick in a mostly boys' club. Case closed. I do have some issues with how smooth and calm Sue Richards is portrayed. She is almost too adult and too in control. The rest of the Fantastic Four seemed about right. And Roger Cruz's pencils were perfect. Light hearted with smooth lines and easy-to-follow panel designs with great angles and sense of drama. Good stuff all around. Roger Cruz used to do some pooh-pooh pencils and it is refreshing and exciting that he's come into his own. There's hope for the world yet!
I won't be picking up X-men: First Class every issue. But I will endorse it for any and all comic book fans. Its straight-forward goodness without a lot of continuity hang-ups. Sigh. I miss the good old days.
RATING: 5/5
Did you get the special newsletter update over the weekend? If not, then here's your chance to read it.
Lot of 7 Vintage Hostess Ads
