Friday Morning Mish-Mash

The first review of Dr. Blink: Superhero Shrink: Id. Ego. SUPEREGO! that I know of ran in the Onion. And it was luverly:

In the first trade collection of Dr. Blink: Superhero Shrink, writer John Kovalic (Dork Tower) and artists Christopher Jones and Melissa Kaercher credit Bob Newhart and Kurt Busiek as their “founders.” Given the book’s playful humor and its particular brand of superhero parody, it’s easy to see why. Id. Ego. SUPEREGO! (Dork Storm) packs in the gags and geeky in-jokes at a dizzying rate, as an Everyman psychiatrist tackles the obvious neuroses of some suspiciously familiar superheroes. Jones’ art sticks close to Bruce Timm’s iconic art style from such shows as Batman: The Animated Series, which just throws another referential layer on an already-rich torte…

****

Similarly, the first review of Cineplexity came in. Again, it’s spectacularly luverly. I hear the premier edition is selling like hotcakes. If you want the free 200 extra cards, get your copy now. (The 200 cards will subsequently make up the first Cineplexity expension pack, due later this year, I believe).

What I love about this review is that it hits on everything that I think makes Cineplexity a really, really special game. At almost every con I’ve taken this to, people just want to keep playing. At one con in particular, people playing other games at other tables were leaning in, anxious to hear the answers Cineplexity players were shouting out!

Can’t wait for the Wisconsin Film Festival tournament! Also, for as long as supplies last, people picking up tickets at the Film Festival box offices will get a free Cineplexity sample pack!

****

Don’t think I ever mentioned that Dork Decade: The Dork Tower Ten-Year Anniversary Color Collection is now out! ALL the Shadis and Dragon cartoons, collected together in chronological order, in (you guessed it) color, and with notes. Really, really weird artist’s notes.

****

My pal The Great Luke Ski has taken his first steps into Dr. Who fandom. He’s posted a tribute comedy song based on the last two seasons as a free download at the “The Funny Music Project”, a.k.a. “The FuMP” website. In his words, “The song is titled “IT TAKES WHO”, and it is a parody of the old school rap classic “It Takes Two” by Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock! So head on over to http://www.thefump.com and download it right now, before time runs out! Or before it’s tea time. Whichever comes first.”

Now to sit back and wait as he discovers all the Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker goodness from the 70s…set to punk, perhaps? Or glam rock? Mayhap an all-out retrospective of every Doctor, to “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine).”

****

Alas, alack, no Rome this Sunday on HBO. Or evermore, for that matter.

I’m reading through “Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic,” by Tom Holland, and loving it immensely. It always surprises me when HBO’s Rome got the small things right. The show was essentially a grand soap opera, and many liberties are taken with the historical figures, but you get the sense that the producers really knew what they were talking about, regardless. As to the book, I can’t reccommend “Rubicon” strongly enough. Very well written, packed with so many nuggets it almost makes your head swim. I’m at Marius and Sulla now, and loving every minute of it. If I weren’t so cursed busy, I’d probably have devoured this tome in a day.

I’m supplementing “Rubicon” with brief forays into “Rome and her Enemies,” along with Connolly’s seminal (for gamers, anyway) “Greece and Rome At War.” Which, needl;;ess to say, is making me long to start that 25 mm Early Imperial Roman army, and break out my beloved Armati yet again. It’s been far too long. Of course, all the kids are playing Warhammer Ancients these days, which is all fine and good, but which has never, to me, given the flavor of ancient warfare that the grand games of old (WRG, DBA. DBM, Armati) always seemed to.

But that’s fine. Along with Flames of War, at least it’s got the kids interested in historicals again. And as we all know, the kids are alright.

John

 

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