Archives September 2020

Books of Magic #22, “Dewlling in Possibility”

Magic

Thou shalt not betray thy non magic wielding friends! Pay attention as we discuss Books of Magic, chapter 22, verses 1-25! The story of “Dwelling in Possibility” part 2.

This is the word according to the almost unknown David Barnett
As envisioned by the adequate Tom Fowler

The official plot:

“The powerful tome known as the Book of Possibilities has fallen into the hands of Tim’s schoolmate Ellie…but what will she do with it? Only one thing is certain: she doesn’t seem eager to hand it over to Tim.”

DC Comics

Pretty close…but not perfect. At no point was there a consideration of giving the Book of Possibilities to Tim. In fact, they don’t even interact.

Magic
So the book of Destiny know everything…except for what it doesn’t?

My Impressions:

  • Issue’s finest: Destiny of the Endless!
  • Finally some maturity: For once, Tim isn’t acting like a petulant brat!
  • Contemporary Artwork: Nothing stunning. Fowler did make it very easy to tell which scenes took place in each setting. Good use of panel shapes and colors.
  • It’s a grind: The dreaded slow burn of almost all Sandman adjacent books. (It’s all or none baby!)
Magic
Shadowy figures trying to affect destiny!

Notable Appearances/Events:

  • Tim hunter
  • Destiny of the Endless
  • Dead Boy Detectives

Bottom Line: 1 Star!

Let’s face it. With the exception of Sandman fans hoping for a glimpse of the Endless, no one cares about Books of Magic. It doesn’t even appear in the top 100 sales for the last few months running. I’m predicting it won’t survive the coming purge of DC titles.

X-Men #11, “One war, one mutant”

X-men

Magneto reminds us all that we were given “every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” Behold the book of X-men, chapter 11, verses 1-32, where he proved it!

This is the gospel according to the almost, the X-master almighty, Jonathan Hickman. As envisioned by Leinil Francis Yu.

The official plot:

“THE TREES ARE KILLING THE CHILDREN!”

Marvel Comics

Exactly the opposite. I’m not sure how other books fared against the plant people from the Empyre event, but the mutants didn’t even have to break a sweat.

X-Men
Omega level mutants…damn they can kick some ass.

My Impressions:

  • What works: We get to see Magneto go killer mode.
  • What I could do without: The Empyre crossover. It’s a LAME story guys! Quit pushing it!
  • But how did it look?: There were two modes; too much shadow, too much dust. Overall, I can live with it.
  • Crossover Fatigue: So not only do I need to know what’s going on in the title spanning Empyre event, I also have to keep up with X-Men continuity? Mavel…please STOP! Keep the damned events and regular titles separate please. I promise that I will stop buying ALL of your X-books if you keep pushing me to buy “just one more.”
X-men
The results of a coordinated Magma, Iceman, Magneto attack…no more enemies.

Notable Appearances/Events:

  • Magneto (Erik Leshiningiereirer)
  • Iceman (Robert Drake)
  • Magma (Amara Juliana Olivians)
  • Magik (Ilyana Rasputin)
  • Exodus (Bennet Du Paris)
  • Summoner (Arakko)
  • Anole (Victor Borkowski)
  • Loa (Alain Ryan)
  • Rockslide (Santo Vaccarro)

Bottom Line: 4 Stars!

So…Let me sum this up for you. The X-Men (meaning all of the mutants on Krakoa) have been strategising their defenses. So when the time comes, don’t you dare disbelieve that Sinister and Cyclops can play nice together!

Plunge #6, The Conclusion

Plunge

“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” If you want to avoid becoming one with the Legion, pay heed to the words of the book of Plunge, chapter 6, verses 1-32!

This is the gospel according to the almost, but not entirely unlike other unnamed horror writers, Joe Hill. As envisioned by the guy with not a lot of comic experience Stuart Immonen.

The official plot:

“Sixty fathoms below the ocean’s surface, a massive hatch waits to be opened…Something within wants to emerge; wants to be born; wants to rise; wants to feed. The child is coming, desperate to fill its belly-by devouring reality itself!”

DC Black Label

Should add that the humble humans don’t feel like being devoured, but otherwise, quite accurate. Also – ugly baby!

Plunge
I always had a vague feeling that sushi was bad for you…

My Impressions:

  • What works: It’s a horror book…and yeah, it’s one of the more disturbing. I mean, being infested and possessed by extra-dimensional worms. No thanks.
  • What I could do without: The threat to “reality” was totally unnecessary. It would have been more effective for the child to have been a giant monster intent on eating all the humans.
  • But how did it look?: Confident. Horror titles don’t usually get big names, so the art always seems tentative. Not the case here.
Plunge
Quick, get the Head & Shoulders!

Notable Appearances/Events:

  • The child (1st appearance & death)
  • Captain Gage (Death)
  • Bill and Moriah (The only survivors)
  • Clark (Last remaining worm food)

Bottom Line: 4 Stars!

Plunge was one of the better Joe Hill titles. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him end up a staple of the Black Label imprint. I recommend grabbing up the eventual TPB. I really enjoyed the setting of a sea rescue gone bad. It really reminded me of something I would have watched on a Saturday afternoon, when I was a kid…one of those Elvira movies. Individually, this issue wasn’t as good as the rest of the series, but it does leave us open to the possibility of a follow up.

Mirka Andolfo’s Mercy #5, “Releases”

Mercy

Woe to the demon that tries to drink from the cup of both humans and demons too! Witness the warnings of the book of Mirka Andolfo’s Mercy, chapter 5, verses 1-32!

This is the gospel according to Mirka Andolfo, who both wrote and illustrated this tome. (Controlling much?)

The official plot:

“Lady Hellaine’s elaborate plan takes shape, but the dark heroine…has not yet dealt with the consequences of her actions and with the hazy memories that more and more often emerge from her conscience. Is it really possible that the only answer for all her troubles is…love?”

Image Comics

Elaborate plan? First I’ve heard of it…and there’s only one issue left. This actually felt a lot more like a hastily drafted back-up plan. I suppose I may have missed the original plan, but how good can the book be if that’s the case? As for the memories and emotions…well that’s what you get when you take over the body of a human! All the alien/demon possessors know that you damned rookie!

Mercy
Oops. There goes the back-up plan.

My Impressions:

  • What works: It’s vaguely reminiscent of The Thing.
  • What doesn’t work: The characters. The story just doesn’t do a good job building them up enough for the reader to care about any of them. If I can’t remember their names from one month to the next…your book is in trouble.
  • But how did it look?: It tires hard and uses all the tricks. Colored speech bubbles, blurs for motion, tinted panels for flashbacks…it even tries to be risque with a post coital page.
Mercy
I guess she’s just not into tongue.

Notable Appearances/Events:

  • Lady Hellaine (alien/demon wearing someone else’s body)
  • Mr. Goodwill (another alien/demon thing)
  • The little girl that thinks Lady Hellaine is her mother (or maybe Hellaine’s wearing her mother?)
  • No one else appears to be remotely important…and they all sort of blend together.

Bottom Line: 2 Stars!

Save your money. Better yet, go buy Batman: Three Jokers. Mercy started out quite promising, talking about the Woodsburgh Devil and mysterious killings. Lady Hellaine shows up and turns the town on it’s side, along with the tease that she’s not exactly human. It held tight until about issue 3 when it just seemed to unravel into unrelated plot lines that couldn’t hold my interest. What a wasted opportunity! Mirka Andolfo shouldn’t have been so keen to put her name all over this comic…because now I know to avoid her work.

WARCRY WARBAND FOCUS FEATURING THE UNTAMED BEASTS

UNTAMED BEASTS

WELCOME TO THE ANOTHER INSTALLMENT OF A OUR SERIES WHERE WE WILL BE FOCUSING ON ONE OF THE EXCLUSIVE CHAOS WARBANDS FROM WARCRY. THIS TIME WE WILL BE DISCUSSING THE UNTAMED BEASTS.

The Untamed Beasts are one of the warbands in the core box for Warcry and hail from Jagged Savannah in Ghur, the Realm of Beasts. The Realm of Beasts is a land of danger where only the strong survive. Everything in this realm is dangerous and likely trying to kill you. The Untamed Beasts hate civilization and everything to do with it. The structures of civilization are so hated by them that some leaders will kill members of his tribe to avoid the risk of feeling loyalty because even that is too strict.

The members of Untamed Beasts are closer to wild animals and are only interested in things that can be taken from the corpse of a predator. They are also the only faction that, by default, begins with a creature of Chaos with them- a Rocktusk Prowler! This lion is one of the biggest powerhouses in this faction’s arsenal, especially if it is within 4 inches of the Beastmaster. With an 8 inch movement, 20 wounds and high damage output it will be a priority target for your opponents.

Overall this faction has it all. It has faster units, strong attacks and decent defense. The only downside is that the more basic fighters are a bit on the weak side. Most competitive lists include two and sometimes even three of the Rocktusk Prowlers. This requires purchasing either a spare Warcry boxset or the Age of Sigmar boxset for the same warband which comes with twice as many sprues as the Warcry version. The AoS version is the best way if you are planning on running three as it comes with two of them.

PLEASE ENJOY PAINT JOBS PROVIDED BY THE AZ WARCRY AND THE PUBLIC AGE OF SIGMAR FACEBOOK GROUP:

Batman / Superman #11, “Atomic” conclusion

Batman / Superman

My fellow comicphiles, attend as we discuss Batman / Superman Volume 2, chapter 11, verses 1-32! “Atomic conclusion!”

This is the word according to Joshua Williamson
As envisioned by Clayton Henry

The official plot:

“It’s Superman versus Batman as the deadly machinations of the Ultra-Humanite crash to their end! The Dark Knight has been transformed into a human atomic bomb, all in the name of wiping Superman from the face of the Earth! As Batman struggles against the urge to kill his friend, Superman must undo the damage done and help the other victims of the Ultra-Humanite’s experiments. It’s the thrilling conclusion to “Atomic” that will reverberate across the DC Universe for months to come!”

DC Comics

This is a pretty fair assessment of the story, though I do think that “thrilling” is a flat out lie. The “other victims” is a bit of a stretch too…they get one panel.

Batman Superman
Batman! Please put your shirt on! This isn’t Nerds After Dark!

My Impressions:

  • What is good: There isn’t much. The only real interesting thing is a small revelation about how Atomic Skull came to be a remote detonated bomb.
  • What isn’t so good: The artwork all looked soft. It wasn’t bad, but it definitely had a second tier feel to it.
  • What is bad: The bad guy…a generic smart gorilla. It’s been done. In fact, DC is ripping themselves off with this one. (Yeah, I know it’s all about the brain and just happens to be a gorilla body, but it’s still dumb.) [Editor’s note: Glad I wasn’t the only one that felt this way!]
  • The worst: Batman / Superman literally talk out their actions. Today’s reader doesn’t need every little detail revealed in dialogue. We know what’s up.
batman superman
Finally someone get’s this right!

Notable Appearances/Events:

  • Superman (Kal-El/Clark Kent)
  • Batman (Bruce Wayne)
  • Ultra-Humanite (Gerard Shugel)
  • Atomic Skull (Albert Michaels)

Bottom Line: 1 Stars!

Fanboys and completionist collectors only. Everyone else…skip it!

THIS WEEK IN CARD COLLECTING!! PRIZM!!

CARD COLLECTING

Howdy y’all, ole Jack here for your sports card collecting update.

I have been collecting for all my life. I have seen trends and rode them dry… this current trend is setting all sports on fire. Its name is Prizm, a product of Panini America and printed in the USA.

Let’s get into this starting with ANY PRIZM you may or may not own base to base, $ to $, hands down is worth more then any other base set card you own right now!
So I like to have actual stats and not just opinions.
Currently a 2019 Prizm Kyler Murray Base RC #301 is high bid $112.00 and the last sold went for $165. These are luke warm numbers compared to the Basketball Zion/JA/ Doncic craze!
You may asking yourself… “Self! Why is Jack bringing up PRIZM’S? I know about everything, I’m so underground i need a canary… old news.”
Well mate here is the time to sell on bases that arent grading worthy. Whether its comics, mcfarlane toys or sports cards there is a worth or value assigned directly to apparent and graded condition.
I will be posting my 2019 Josh Jacobs Prizm Base RC on a 7 day auction and I will update you next week on how I did, to hopefully show you that there is some weight behind the words!
$0.99 starting bid, $3.99 shipping.

Now, there is a subset of PRIZM called Prizm Draft Picks. These are college uniform and licensed cards. Unfortunately these are the not the Prizm’s you really want but its like dating a gal that you find beautiful and flawless and then you meet her sister, she will get the job done but you’re always wishing you had your hands on the other one! Let’s be totally fare, these are great cards, don’t get it twisted. The reason I am going heavy on 2020 is a because of the following. 15 year Haitian RUM, Buzzed ebay ordering during a Covid Draft Watch Party, 2020 Panini Prizm Draft Picks because i was able to get them pretty inexpensive.

Stay Woke on card collecting with…

Snakeskin Prizm, from the 2020 Panini Prizm Draft Picks

2020 Washington Football Team cards that have the Redskins logos and name on the card. These MFG’s have messed up by not recalling these cards. It has now in my opinion give a one year super bump to all Non-Redskins cards.

Checking the Wal-Mart/Target trading card section. There are fleets of locals that go out every Tuesday-Thursday and line up and wait for the Vendor to come and stock the shelves. There is a huge re-sell business where people pay at some points double for retail boxes that they could get in any store but by the time you get there they are sold out.
Just so you know, Wal-Mart leases the space to the Distributor and has nothing to do with these card sales at all. Also there are employees that are in the pockets of friends who they hold product to sell closed door in order to have no competition for that friends online selling. If you are one of these people, you are ruining the sport of hunt and find your cards.
I hate you.

Keep Sleeping on…

College edition sets. The re-sell is hard the market is bleak. If you are into college uniforms and cards then you will be able to get what you want for relatively cheap.

$1000 Hobby Boxes. Panini Releasing the new 2019-2020 Black Box. It has 5 cards…. $200 a card, what happens if you dont hit Ja or Zion?
Maybe the better question is what happens when you do? Mortgage Paid off? IDK guys that is not me.

These tips, trends and better not’s I am giving ya will help you navigate your collecting journey.

Check out my card collecting Store!
See for yourself how that Jacobs does!


We did it!! NFL made it to Week 1!

NFL logo

Hello Nerds! We made it… Week one in the NFL has begun!
So here is what Ole Jack gathered from the Sunday Fun Day action.
First, Marquez Valdes-Scantling catch something… you made an amazing touchdown in the 2nd to close the half… Then drop 2 touchdowns after?
Same ole MVS if you ask me, IDC what Rodgers Says…
So while listening to few different games i did notice the audio technician for each stadium had different effects planned for different plays. Maybe they all did and I did not realize the change. I swear the best by far this weekend was New Orleans! I hear OOO’s and AHHHH’s and nobody in the stands.
I would personally love to hear a bit more jawing back and forth from the players on live TV but it was a solid attempt by the NFL to make it seem like everything is normal.
So can we just agree already about Dobbins, CEH, Lamb, Ruggs, shoot the whole 2020 rookie class is legit. I can count 15 easy Rookies that made an impact play, first down or touchdown. Amazing first week especially with the absence of a pre-season.
My Boo-Erns Player of the day… its a 3 way tie
MVS- I need you to have a big year but you are going to let me down and there is nothing i can do about it.
1st half Kirk Cousins- It was pathetic!
Dalton Shultz- You didn’t lose the game with your lackadaisical play but you sure didn’t help. Even the Cowboys deserve better then what you gave em.
It was a great start to the season, maybe not the season we needed but the season we deserve… I went Dark Knight on you.
Check out my other posts… Sports card collecting. Draft King Submissions.
Ill show ya my week 1, I ain’t scared!

Batman: Three Jokers #1

Three Jokers

Fire and Brimstone fall from the sky! It is the end times! Pay attention as we discuss Batman: Three Jokers, chapter 1, verses 1-54! It may just save your soul!

This is the word according to the infamous Geoff Johns
As envisioned by Jason Fabok

The official plot:

“Three Jokers reexamines the myth of who, or what, The Joker is and what is at the heart of his eternal battle with Batman…find out why there are three Jokers, and what that means for the Dark Knight and the Clown Prince of Crime. It’s a mystery unlike any Batman has ever faced!”

DC Comics

The official story has a lot more pomp and circumstance than this…but I edited out all of the self serving stuff. I’m also going to go out on a limb and say that this description is intended to cover the whole series…because we certainly don’t get the promised explanation.

Three Jokers
This story started…32 yeas ago with Batman: A Death in the Family and The Killing Joke

My Impressions:

  • What is good: There actually are three Jokers. I was surprised they didn’t pull a multiple personality or alternate universe thing. (But there’s still time.)
  • What is also good: Just enough flashback to Killing Joke and A Death in the Family
  • What was best: The revelation that Jason is really the Joker’s Robin. (Got to love the alternate take to Jason’s death.) [Editor’s note: Dick/Nightwing is Joker’s Robin in a more official way in the Joker War event!]
  • What was just okay: Artwork was mostly good, but there were way too many smiling fish.
  • The not so good: It’s just a little on the slow side…but worth it in the end.
Three Jokers
Joker vs Jason round two!

Notable Appearances/Events:

  • Batman (Bruce Wayne)
  • Joker
  • Joker
  • Joker
  • Red Hood (Jason Todd)
  • Batgirl (Barbara Gordon)
  • Death of a Joker

Bottom Line: 5 Stars!

Everyone, who’s anyone already has multiple copies. May I suggest the Red Hood (Jason Todd) variant cover?

WARCRY WARBAND FOCUS FEATURING THE IRON GOLEM

Warcry Iron Golem

WELCOME TO THE FIRST INSTALLMENT OF A NEW SERIES WHERE WE WILL BE FOCUSING ON ONE OF THE EXCLUSIVE CHAOS WARBANDS FROM WARCRY. TO START THINGS OFF WE WILL BE DISCUSSING THE IRON GOLEM.

The Iron Golem  is one of the warbands in the core box for Warcry and hail from Ferrium Mountains in Chamon. For those that aren’t aware Chamon is the Realm of Metal in the Warhammer world. It is home to the Yellow Wind of Magic, specifically transmutation. Being from the realm of Metal it is not a surprise to see the members of Iron Golem to be covered in armor.

The units within Iron Golem are slow, deal decent damage but can really take a beating. This warband is best used as a training faction. Most units only have short ranged attacks, moderate melee attacks and a high defense.

Out of the box, either the core set or faction only box, a couple of the models offer some customization options. Specifically the Signifier can be modified to be a Prefector. By name these don’t mean much but the Signifier is essentially the Banner Bearer for the group. Changing him to a Prefector offers you a higher critical hit damage but in exchange you lose the Buffs provided by the Signifier. Personally I went for visual aesthetic of the Signifier. I typically go for the higher damage units and minimal buffs but the look of the Signifier was so awesome I couldn’t not use him.

The reason I say this is best for learning the game is because of the high defense. The more of a beating you can take the longer you are in the game. For trying to win with this faction you are best off using your lower cost Legionnaires to soak up damage while you move your heavy hitters into position.

PLEASE ENJOY PAINT JOBS PROVIDED BY THE AZ WARCRY AND AGE OF SIGMAR PUBLIC FACEBOOK GROUP: