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And Batman asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Joker, for we are many!” Delve into the insanity in Batman: Three Jokers, chapter 2, verses 1-54!

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

The official plot:

“As Batman and Batgirl follow an unexpected thread linking the three Jokers with someone from the Dark Knight’s past, Red Hood dives headfirst into trouble and finds himself struggling to stay afloat without the aid of his allies. Batman: Three Jokers continues its trajectory as the ultimate examination of The Joker and his never-ending conflict with Batman. Prepare yourselves for the second chapter of one of the most terrifying and personal mysteries Batman has ever faced!”

DC Comics

“Terrifying” feels a little over the top, unless you’re Jason Todd, but aside from that, this is a really spot on synopsis.

My Impressions:

• This story delves into the metal injuries Joker inflicted on Jason and Barbara…and how they handled the lasting impacts. Heavy stuff that most comics don’t handle to this depth.
• Without a doubt, this is the Empire Strikes Back of the series. The good guys lose and lick their wounds while the bad guys end with the upper hand. I like it!
• Jason really needs to understand that he was DEAD, so he can’t blame people for burying him!
• Was it really necessary to make Jason naked?

Notable Appearances/Events:

• Batman (Bruce Wayne)
• Joker
• Joker
• Red Hood (Jason Todd)
• Batgirl (Barbara Gordon)
• Joe Chill

Bottom Line: 4 Stars!

At least this time it’s not Batman’s fault that Jason is beaten to death (almost). Kidding aside, this is a pretty haunting issue…especially the revealing scenes in Barbara’s apartment. All of that evidence of her rehabilitation after being paralyzed…the evidence of how it changed her life. Just how much Jason’s death affected him. It’s a great story. I can’t decide if I want to see Jason embrace the Joker route, or hold true as a hero. Perhaps DC should have set up a phone number and let the fans decide!

Lazarus came forth out of the grave! If you live in Stillwater…you will too! Learn how in the book of Stillwater, chapter 2, verses 1-32!

Hey look, it’s written by that Howard the Duck guy, Chip Zdarsky. (Yes, I pointed it out last time too…I haven’t forgiven him yet.)
Brought to life (pun intended) by the one and only Ramon K Perez!

The official plot:

“Daniel West has returned to Stillwater, but his homecoming is anything but happy! What secret is the town hiding from the outside world? And can Daniel save his mother from meeting her fate within The Park?”

Image Comics

NOPE NOPE NOPE! IF Daniel ever left Stillwater, it was as an infant…so this hardly counts as a “homecoming.” We already know the secret, so that’s a rhetorical question…and lastly, how does burying an immortal person for two weeks count as “meeting her fate?” This solicitation writer really earned their pay on this one.

My Impressions:

• Ah – The Judge! I knew there had to be someone in a seat of power.
• If the deputies are shooting each other, I can’t wait to meet the sheriff.
• Who’s the boy scout hiking that kid out of Stillwater…and is that kid even Daniel? Inquiring minds want to know.

Notable Appearances/Events:

• We get to meet the Judge!
• See…I told you Tony didn’t matter.
• Punishment in a small, immortal, town is on display!

Bottom Line: 3 Stars!

Stillwater feels like a CW television show. The writer essentially did a mash-up of Riverdale and The Old Guard, and it works. I don’t see this being a long series if they don’t start introducing additional elements soon. So far so good, but I’m not hooked for the long haul.

“For the living know that they will die, and the dead know nothing” except in Stillwater, where all those rules are out the window! Perhaps you too can live forever, if you study the book of Stillwater, chapter 1, verses 1-32!

The tale as told by Chip Zdarsky. Okay…hold on…he wrote Howard the Duck! He can’t possibly write horror, can he?
Illustrated by the somewhat untried Ramon K Perez?

The official plot:

“SERIES PREMIERE! Nobody dies. In the town of Stillwater, that’s not just a promise. It’s a threat.”

Image Comics

The original solicitation for Stillwater was quite a bit longer, but I removed the name dropping and award mentions. Seems what we were left with was a couple short sentences. Not sure if it’s good that they hype takes up more space than the actual issue description.

My Impressions:

• Never grow old, never die…where have I heard that before?
• I seriously watched an episode of Scooby-Doo last night, that started the same exact way! “You inherited money! Go to a backwater town to get it!”
• Just enough questions without answers to bring me back for another issue. (Kind of like they planned it that way.)

Notable Appearances/Events:

• Daniel West (The protagonist)
• Ted (Deputy Asshole)
• No one else really matters…especially Tony.

Bottom Line: 3 Stars!

Stillwater is more of a psychological horror than the “zombie” story I thought it would be. There is no doubt that it has some real potential. A town full of essentially immortal people are bound to have some really messed up interactions. Hopefully the writers can play up that component.

Have you ever wanted to take on the role of your favorite villains from Gotham? In Talisman Batman: Super Villains Edition you can!

USAOpoly brings us a new take on the classic game Talisman with Talisman Batman. Having never played a Talisman game I didn’t know what to expect but loving Batman’s rogues I knew that this game would be right up my alley so when The Op Games offered me a review copy I jumped at the chance.

The goal of the game is to play as one of the various villains (what game let’s you do this, honestly?) and sneak your way through Arkham Asylum until you reach the security tower. Finding the exit isn’t simply the end though, you must also face down the greatest detective himself- Batman! Each turn your villain performs two actions, movement and encounters. In terms of movement your dice determine what happens and as always a roll of 1 is a failure, meaning Batman is moving as well. When you finish your movement you must resolve your encounter with the space you are on. Encounters will vary based on the space itself or if you share that space with either another player of Batman himself.

I loved the theme of the game and was honestly surprised there wasn’t an option where you could have someone play as Batman himself. Doing a larger group would have been quite fun if one person was playing the bat and everyone else had to either avoid him, work with each other to escape or face him directly. The mechanics worked well for the game and having to roll for your movement (instead of a default setting) added some stress inducing variables that made for some tense moments. If you’ve ever wanted to play the villain this game is a must for you but leaves a bit to be desired for those uninterested in the role.

Brethren! Seek not to ponder the Batman himself, instead, feast yourself on this massive volume of his stories! Behold the book of Detective Comics, chapter 1027, verses 1-144!

This is the scripture according to: Peter J. Tomasi, Scott Snyder, Greg Rucka, Tom King, Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction, James Tynion IV, Mariko Tamaki, Marv Wolfman, Grant Morrison, Dan Jurgens, Kelly Sue DeConnick
(Queue a dramatic inhale!) Illustrated by: Eduardo Risso, Lee Bermejo, Walter Simonson, David Marquez, Jim Cheung, José Luis García-López, Olivier Coipel, Riley Rossmo, Dan Mora, Chip Zdarsky, Jamal Campbell, Chris Burnham, Dan Jurgens

The official plot:

“Light the Bat-Signal, because Detective Comics #1027 is here! In honor of Batman’s first appearance in Detective Comics #27, this special, book-size celebration brings you the biggest names in comics as they chronicle the most epic Batman adventures Gotham City and the DC Universe have ever seen! The World’s Greatest Detective has a mountain of cases to crack: Who murdered Gotham’s most corrupt police officer? What does The Joker’s annual visit mean for Bruce Wayne? And most importantly, what WayneTech mystery will sow the seeds of the next epic Batman event? All this and more await you within the pages of the biggest Batman issue of them all!”

DC Comics

“Most epic Batman adventures…?” Not so much. “Seeds of the next epic Batman event?” Sure, I’ll give them that one. Look, it’s a collection of short stories, some good, some bad, mostly adequate. It all depends on your personal flavor.

My Impressions:

• Be careful where you set this issue down, it’s so heavy it could cause some damage
• Exactly what you would expect from a Batman anniversary issue…a collage of art and words. A chance for some folks to try new styles etc.
• Initially intimidating…but it should be, it’s lighter fare. Easily skipped if you don’t want to invest the time.

Notable Appearances/Events:

• I am not even going to attempt to list everyone appearing in this thing!
• The Silver Ghost (Detective #26) – We will probably never see him again, but I liked him!

Bottom Line: 3 Stars!

This thing is a BEAST to get through…144 pages. Seriously a multi-session read. In addition, it’s one of the better milestone compilation issues I’ve seen recently, including some sections that tie into currently running story lines. Of course there are those that go for the “deep” or “shock” stories as well, though none are specifically memorable.

“You are my hammer and weapon of war: with you I break nations in pieces; with you I destroy kingdoms;” Who is this weapon? It is revealed in the book of Batman, chapters 99-100!

This is the tale as witnessed by James Tynion IV.
Cast into light by Jorge Jimenez.

The official plot:

“The Joker War’ comes to a city-shattering conclusion as Batman battles The Joker in a brutal, no-holds-barred duel! This is a fight 80 years in the making, and its outcome won’t just change Batman’s life, it will change Gotham City for years to come! Plus, a pair of short stories that will chart what’s to come in Gotham City and Batman.”

DC Comics

The highly hyped Joker war comes to it’s expected conclusion. As expected, everyone under the sun shows up to throw a punch or two. Does it live up to the hype? Not in the way you might expect.

My Impressions:

• Harley Quinn is the best part of this story arc. A timely intervention saves the day, and when she get’s serious, it’s chilling.
• Oracle is back online. ‘Nuff said.
• Clownhunter. Either he ends up a Robin, or he’s a flash in the pan. There’s no in-between.
• Did Harley just become a member of the Bat-family???

Notable Appearances/Events:

• Batman (Bruce Wayne)
• Joker
• The full Bat-Family
• Harley Quinn (Harleen Frances Quinzel)
• Punchline (Alexis Kaye)
• Clownhunter (Bao Pham)
• Ghost-Maker 1st Appearance! (Cameo)

Bottom Line: 4 Stars!

I feel like the climax for this story arc was about 1 page long. The build-up of how badly Joker and his forces were destroying Gotham, along with the corruption that is revealed is absolutely huge. Batman finally admitting he can’t deal with this alone and calling in the help of his various protégés doesn’t feel quite sufficient to handle the task. And then it’s over…and fast too. However, Harley’s part in the finale is almost a whole new character. I really hope we see her continue to evolve down this path, and become a semi permanent member of the troupe.

Ding-dong the Wizard is dead!! Well…not really, but close enough for me, see what I mean in Books of Magic, chapter 23, verses 1-25! The story of “Dwelling in Possibility” part 3.

These are the musings of one David Barnett
As translated into the visual by a certain Tom Fowler

The official plot:

“The true masterminds behind the Cult of the Cold Flame now stand revealed-as does their purpose in handing the power of the Book of Possibilities over to Tim Hunter’s onetime friends Ellie, Fatimah, and Tyler! But can Tim save his schoolmates from making a terrible choice? Or is their Destiny already written?”

DC Comics

Tim has nothing to do with saving anyone. He’s a lump that sits there and whines.

My Impressions:

• Put a nail in it…we’re done! Finally!
• Of course it had to end that way…but it would have been so much better if it hadn’t.
• Contemporary Artwork: Nothing stunning. Again.
• As with most of the current Sandman Universe titles…no final punch.

Notable Appearances/Events:

• Tim hunter
• John Constantine
• Finale issue!!!

Bottom Line: 1 Star!

I’m happy to see this one go. Books of Magic gives the Sandman Universe a bad name. For 22 issues now, I’ve been certain that the next issue would be the last…and FINALLY I’m proven right! As for this issue…yep, ends with “the future is unwritten!” I hate it! Take some chances will you? Walk the kid out in chains! Banish him to Heck! Do SOMETHING impactful! Anything would have been better than this.

Based on the original by Vlaada Chvatil, Codenames is back with Codenames Harry Potter from USAOpoly.

USAOpoly continues to prove they are the masters locking down the best intellectual properties like Marvel, Disney and even Harry Potter with Codenames Harry Potter. This of course is not their first foray into the magical world of Harry Potter but it is the second one we’ve had the pleasure of trying out.

Visually the game has top quality cards using hires images from the various movies but at a glance the game looks more like a version of Memory. The concept is that as operatives of the Order of the Phoenix you must use clue or “Codenames” to lead your teammates to tracking down the hidden members of the Order. This sounds rather easy but you must do it while avoiding the Death Eaters in the field. As time turner cards are revealed you get closer to running out of time. This puts a bit more urgency in the gameplay and the need to decipher the coded messages more imperative.

The simplicity of the game is quite brilliant in that the game is limited in only how creative you are in creating and deciphering the clues. The game is typically quickly played, the first game taking about 30-45 minutes and followup games closer to the 15-20 minute mark. If you are looking for a quick game that features some of your favorite Harry Potter characters then this is a must purchase for you.

Dread Nautical is a tactics based horror game with an Eldritch twist.

In Dread Nautical you are on a cruise ship sailing through the Bermuda Triangle. What could possibly go wrong? This title from Zen Studios attempts to answer just that by putting players on a luxury cruise and everything goes to hell rather quickly.

You might as well be Bill Murray because you get thrown into a Groundhog Day situation where each day you wake up and the day starts over. Playing as Fargo Drexler you must solve the mystery of what is going on and why you wake up back where you started each time you sound the ship’s horn.

Conceptually a cruise ship in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle makes for an interesting locale and the introduction of Eldritch creatures make for a story that leaves you wondering what is behind your new world of horrors. Controls are quite easy to master as you maneuver the ship but where this game really lacks is the visuals. The visuals look very similar to the original Virtua Fighter game and feels out of place among the many other titles in their library– namely Pinball Fx. I was expecting something a bit flashier but it is not enough to take away from the experience. The gameplay is enjoyable enough but the game just comes off feeling tedious.

Through the Darkest of Times is a strategy game based on one of the world’s darkest periods in history- the rise of Nazi Germany.

Through the Darkest of Times by Handy Games is a historical strategy game that puts you behind the resistance movement in hopes of preventing Hitler’s rise to power. When I started this game I knew that your goal would fail but figured I’d stick it to every Nazi I could along the way. Little did I know how close the game would hit to home. Not only did it give me a reality check but it literally made me nauseous. It wasn’t the graphics or video quality that did it either.

Within a couple game days I noticed a sickening trend, how much the rise of the Nazi party mirrored our own country’s politics the last couple of years. The things Nazi sympathizers would say would mirror almost word for word things I have heard and read said by Trump supporters. Whether this was intentional or not I have no idea. This wouldn’t be the only time I’ve compared the rhetoric to Nazi Germany and certainly won’t be the last. I just hope that the current election woes will pass soon and we can return to making our country a better place, without the need of war and outside interference.

The game itself plays similar to games like the original Where in the World is Carmen San Diego and it’s many sequels but instead of quizzing players it allows you to turn the populace towards revolting against the regime. Visually the graphics would fit well with the late 80’s computer games and it feels like that was the goal, aiming for some semblance of nostalgia. The gameplay however is mind numbing but interspersed with tidbits of story to keep you curious. If you want to watch a resistance movement like a fly on the wall, observing the plans and the results only as the members return to headquarters then you will enjoy this game. The story is fascinating and disturbing in equal parts and worth the play for that alone but don’t expect much in terms of excitement.