Shawn Lucas is the self identified "Noob of All Trades". He is married and the father of three boys, two of whom help with their own podcast every couple of months. Raised on Atari, Nintendo, and Sega, he enjoys all games and will play all of them to the best of his ability, which is often average at best. Currently, he is most interested in Magic, Heroclix, and other games that he can play with Chris and his sons.
I have made no apologies for my life long infatuation with zombies. It started with Night of the Living Dead, continued through the Resident Evil games, reached its peak with The Walking Dead comic book and finally died with the TV show. However, like the zombies themselves, I’m sure that it will rise again from the grave to haunt me and attempt to devour my brain. In that case, this past week might represent the part in the movie where the hand shoots out of the earth and the ominous music plays.
Okay, guys, will you now admit that I’m the best at hide and seek?
Somehow, through all of the movies (hell, I even enjoyed Warm Bodies), comic books (Marvel Zombies was a favorite along with The Walking Dead), and games (Dead Rising become more fun than the Resident Evil series), I missed Plants vs. Zombies. I knew about the game, of course, but never played it. I played a version of it as a quest in World of Warcraft for a battle pet (at the time just a vanity pet) but never the actual game. Like Candy Crush, the game just never registered as one I’d enjoy.
Blizzard, your undisputed champions at making money off of other people’s ideas.
I got introduced to Candy Crush finally through my kids and Mother-in-Law. She was stuck on a level and I played through to help get her to the next level. It wasn’t long until I downloaded the game on my own tablet and now I’m up to level 152. A former student told me about the daily spin to keep me logging in every day and I’ve even spent some money on the game buying a couple of the weekend deals.
My introduction to Plants vs. Zombies was not as gradual. After not having played the game, I got the urge to download and install it on my tablet. I think that part of the reason that I never played it was that I only owned phones and don’t like the overall experience of gaming on phones. I have had the tablet for a few months, now, so that doesn’t explain the sudden interest in this particular game. Well, whatever the reason, I’ve found a new mobile obsession to play while waiting for my lives to regenerate in Candy Crush.
My thoughts:
The game isn’t all that hard. Most of the time, a row of sunflowers behind two rows of the pea shooters is sufficient to clear the level.
Even so, the game play and zombies are varied enough that you occasionally have to change your strategy to account for thedifferent attacks.
The mini games and puzzles are different enough to break up the monotony of the main game. It’s just too bad that there are so few of them.
I have never been able to play other zombie games around the kids, for obvious reasons, but that’s not an issue with this game.
As a follow up to that last point, there’s nothing cuter (or weirder) than hearing my 4 year old wail, “Braaaiinnss” because he heard it on the game.
Overall, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend the game as a good game. It is a mostly fun game and free (or 2 bucks if you want to get rid of the ads, as I did), so you really can’t lose by trying it out if you have somehow avoided it as long as I have.
(Editor’s Note: Two straight articles about Origins sealed, new deck ideas, plus a possible new play group. Not bad for a set that neither one of us really likes all that much. The MtG universe is indeed a strange one.)
Neither Chris nor I are remotely sociable creatures. We’re both content with a small circle of friends, so two Mondays ago was a bit uncomfortable for the both of us. We both expressed our discomfort in the days and hours leading up to the get together, discussed a plan B just in case the other guys were douche bags, and marveled at the complex where the host lived. Perhaps an explanation is in order.
We both agreed that if you are going to play cards by yourself, this is probably the way to go.
Chris and I have both written about our recent waning interest in the game. We have branched out into other tabletop games and I have discussed liquidating my collection. Chris went one step further and listed his cards on craigslist. He found someone local to buy the cards. They texted back and forth a few times about possible games. Initially, I worried about expanding the group for obvious reasons. When nothing materialized, I relaxed that things would just blow over.
There was a distinct possibility that we’d end up across the table from this guy.
Then, Chris texted me asking if I wanted to play some Magic the following Monday. The guy had a box of Origins and wanted to do a sealed Swiss tournament. As I do, I replied, “Yes” and then went back to worrying about meeting new people. Thankfully, we took a day trip to Cape Cod, so I was able to keep busy and forget about it over the weekend. Monday, as it tends to do every week or so, came and I started to hope that things might come through. If not, I frantically tried to come up with any excuse to get out. This impulse fought against not wanting to leave Chris hanging. Ultimately, loyalty won and we found ourselves driving to a super secret gated community in the middle of nowhere. I joked that if I heard banjos, I was out of there. I suppose that I could have made the Jim Jones/David Koresh (are those really the most recent suicide cult references? Wow) joke, too, but those are more difficult to pull off tactfully.
Much funnier than suicide cults. I’m a bad person.
We sat for a while at a house across the street and joked some more about hidden snipers and cannibalism until the guy pulled up in his Nissan Z something or another. A quick anecdote about the car. This passenger apparently asked if it was some kind of sports car or something. we all got a considerable chuckle out of the poor kid’s ignorance and humiliation. Ah, male bonding, you never change.
Nissan something or another. I know next to nothing about cars.
Chris and I played a few games against our host while the other two guys played some Tiny Leaders until the other two showed up for the sealed tournament. At first it appeared that our worst fears might be realized because the guy played mostly infinite combo decks built with some of the best cards in Magic history against our cards we own decks, but things eventually settled down. We both dropped not so subtle hints as he stormed out on me turn 2 that we weren’t exactly having fun. I have no problem with those decks in a competitive setting, but casual? Please, keep it in your pants.
His deck revolved around this. I could have removed it, but didn’t. He proceeded to storm out. I watched the other two guys play their game while he metaphorically rubbed one out.
We eventually got our six, worked out the details of payment, grabbed our packs, and went to deck building. I didn’t get much of note, but I opened a Nalaar parents card and Thopter Spy Network that pushed me in that direction when building my deck. We paired off. I went 1-2, dropping two games after winning the first. All three games were competitive, so I am definitely getting better at judging sealed pools and playing the game. I misplayed once or twice, so that’s still something that needs to be fixed because I’m tired of scrubbing out of these events.
My deck. In keeping with my Johnny nature, I might have tried to do too much.
Overall, though, the positives of the evening outweighed the negatives and I’m glad that we went. I got to play against live competition and didn’t get completely blown out. Chris brought a really cool Naya deck that I had a blast playing. Chris and I actually started to talk about Magic again. We even workshopped the Naya deck during the games and on the ride back to his apartment. I learned about Pucatrade and might make an account. I’m absolutely open to making this a regular thing. Maybe not every month, but every other month would be cool.
The experience has made me less apprehensive about going to one of the local FNM draft events. I should be able to put up a respectable showing and might even meet one or two cool people there. Either way, it got me back into paper Magic. The computer versions are fun, but no substitute for playing across from another person. For all of those reason, I’m grateful for the opportunity and look forward to the next time.
(Editor’s Note: We promised two new articles and Episode 7 of the podcast a week or so ago. This article was supposed to be 2 out of 3 ain’t bad, but it never happened. If that didn’t implant an earworm firmly into that part of your brain, enjoy the following video.)
I finally broke down and joined a an Origins simulated sealed pool. I know, I know. I have said a few times (once on the upcoming podcast) that I’m just not that into the set. However, unable to afford the prerelease events this weekend because I didn’t get paid until the week after, and having scrubbed out of my last two three Cube events, I decided to give Origins a try. Maybe I’ve misjudged it and it really can be fun. My first impression is an emphatic repeat of my initial thoughts through spoiler season.
Grumpy cat always knows exactly how you feel.
This is not bitterness. If I’m writing an article about how the new Holiday cube is not as good as last year’s–and I could–you would have a case. I’ve had an insanely bad experience with the 2015 cube events. Not with the Origins sealed. I won my first match in pretty convincing fashion and had to drop from the rest of the event to bring the boys for lunch. It’s not sour grapes. I simply did not have that much fun.
Nevertheless, I am a professional (not a journalist, but still), so I will give my thoughts on the set. Remember that this is only after one sealed match, so have that grain of salt at the ready. I may put together some standard decks and join a few drafts to see if they offer a more fun experience. Hell, at the least, it will be a way to cheat two more articles.
Now, finally, for my thoughts:
They are selling the core set as mono. I don’t have a problem with that. They seem to oscillate between mono and multicolored. However, I had to build my deck with three colors to get enough playable cards. Look, I understand that you won’t usually get a sealed pool that allows for a mono deck. Ideally, you want to stick to 2 colors since mana and mana fixing (especially in a mono set) can be tough to accomplish with more colors. The lack of playables was a bit of a turn off. Maybe it was just a weak pool. No matter what they say, it is a core set after all and the power level of core sets is usually lower.
I mean, who’s not excited for this reprint, amirite?
Elves are going to be a thing in standard. I’m not sure how much or what kind of thing, but they are definitely pushing elves in this set. I only had a limited amount of the little tree huggers, but the synergy was amazing. Building a deck to exploit that specifically will be easy. If it will be good remains to be seen.
They make damn good cookies, too.
White aura enchantments are very strong. I know that auras are a part of white’s repertoire, but there are some really good ones in this set. Along with elves, I thought that white weenies could make a come back. The auras don’t necessarily that confirm that. They do give me some ideas for a deck or two.
I might even get to play this guy in a deck.
Nissa’s Revelation is expensive, but it is a powerful spell. I only got to see and cast it once. When I did, I was able to set up my deck and hand to close out the game very quickly. With mana ramp and fixing, the card can absolutely affect games in a big way.
I never thought much of renown, but it is a cool mechanic. +1/+1 counters are always fun. I didn’t like the condition of having to damage the opponent. Honestly, I never had any problems satisfying the condition and getting the counter.
Granted, this card helped quite a bit in pushing through damage.
I hoped that the focus on mono might break some of the Abzan this and Sultai that decks, but they’re still around for the foreseeable future. I wend Abzan colors for playables and the deck was stronger than it probably should have been.
This guy was there in spirit.
Well, I suppose that the experience wasn’t all bad. As I’ve said, I’m not a huge fan of sealed. Maybe that’s why I didn’t have fun. That, along with my unfavorable initial impressions of the set, wasn’t exactly a great start.
I did a draft while writing this. That went much worse than the sealed. The deck was blue/red and heavy on counterspells and removal as blue/red should. Even so, I can’t yet judge the format as a draft format. I got mana screwed in the first game and misplayed the second game horribly.
PS – I got blown out by WG renown, so that strengthens my earlier argument. I will draft more and probably write that article in a couple of weeks. Chris and I recently did a live sealed and that article is coming later this week. I’ve got some standard ideas. If I get a chance to test them, I will write about that next week. There may be hope for this set after all.
(Editor’sNote: We’ve been AWOL here for about a month. I know that I said that wouldn’t happen again, but I misjudged the amount of work that this summer class has taken and it got in the way. I won’t promise that we’re all the way back, but two articles and the latest episode of the podcast should happen this week. Thanks, as always, for your patience.)
Do you want to build some standard?
No.
Oh…okay. I suppose you are right. The standard meta can be a bit stale, especially with such a small play group.
Do you want to build some Legacy? We always have fun with that.
Not really.
Proxy Vintage Decks?
Okay, how about Jace, the Mind Sculptor. Black Lotus, Mox Sapphire, maybe Time Vault and Voltaic Key to make it truly degenerate. What the hell. Let’s put in some storm effects for giggles, too. Okay, solitaire Magic deck built. Let’s play with ourselves.
You said it, Quagmire.
In case that introduction wasn’t obvious enough, I’m in a bit of a paper Magic rut. I’m still playing the hell out of the game using the free client that I found, but I have few reasons and little desire to play the cards right now. I can see why Wizards would want the free client eradicated. I doubt there are many like me, but I get my fix there and it has absolutely turned me off to spending money on the game.
Guess I will just have to do this the old fashioned way.
It isn’t solely the fault of free Magic. There are other factors, too. More on those momentarily. I mentioned earlier that I have only “few reasons and little desire” to buy or play Magic cards. You might have picked up on the fact that leaves an opening to get back into the hobby. You never truly leave Magic. Like any addiction, you find yourself falling back into the familiar embrace of those Kird Apes and Black Lotuses (Loti?). Still, this is as indifferent as I’ve been about paper Magic since before I started playing again a couple of years ago. The only thing that has me looking at the cards is that Chris met some guys through a Craigslist ad to liquidate his collection. They mentioned that they liked to play Tiny Leaders. I took a day or two and put together a couple of decks for the format, stacked the card boxes into the corner (new development: the card boxes have been moved to the play room, so out of sight and out of mind), and moved on to my newer obsessions.
They are the main reasons for my greatly reduced interest in Magic cards. I’ve already written about both of them here on the page. We discussed one of them on the podcast that is due to be released this weekend. I did an opening video for the other. I’ve invested more in the two games than I have in Magic over the last few months. We started the podcast and web page in part to discover new games. As I’ve said numerous times in response to that is that there have been unintended consequences. I never dreamed that finding a game that would replace Magic, let alone two of them, would end up being one of those unintended consequences.
Perhaps you can guess what these new games have in common.
I am talking, of course, about Heroclix and Dicemasters. Heroclix is the super hero miniature game. It doesn’t surprise me that I have enjoyed this one. Initially, I had a somewhat indifferent impression of the game. It was interesting, but my kids couldn’t play it and I hadn’t mentioned it to Chris. Unlike Magic, which I saw as a collection more than a game, Heroclix didn’t register right away in the same way.
I’ve always been interested in miniature games. I have looked at them in the local gaming score, priced out various starter boxes, researched what other gamers thought of the two major offering, and even bough a learn to paint kit for the one that I decided would be the most interesting. For the record, it was the Privateer games, Hordes and Warmachine. I do have a friend who has Warhammer figures, so I might get some of those, too.
Therefore, when Chris and I played a game of Heroclix, it made sense that I enjoyed it quite a bit. It gave me my introduction into a genre of games that I’ve been wanting to try for some time. What surprised me was that Chris liked the game, too. He’s never been into the fantasy setting RPG games (like D&D) as far as I know, so maybe it was the Marvel connection. Who knows? He might not enjoy the other war mini games as much.
What really surprised me is that our interest in the game has overshadowed our interest in Magic. It’s not just me who has found my enjoyment of our favorite TCG wane. We didn’t even play Magic this month. We do have it on the schedule for the next two months, though, so maybe some of the Magic (pun fully intended) will return. I doubt it will next month, unless through nerd rage, because we’re discussing Origins on the podcast and we both are underwhelmed by the set. Perhaps the month after when we talk about Ice Age. That’s when I first started collecting and playing. Either way, I’m sure we’ll be back.
I mean, who’s not excited for this reprint, amirite?
Part of the reason, I’m sure, is that Heroclix is new and shiny. I’m always distracted by new and shiny things. I know for a fact that Dicemasters is new and shiny and that’s part of the reason for my interest there. I never even knew that these types of games existed until I saw it on the web. I thought I’d give it a chance. The other reason that I’ve enjoyed the game so much is because my kids enjoy it and we play it together at least three times a week. Sometimes we play it daily. Plus, it is actually surprisingly fun game.
I’m not above playing games where the primary act is rolling dice. I’ve played D&D since I was an awkward preteen boy. However, that game also involved role play and story telling. Other than the dice, Dicemasters only has some strategy elements to keep you engaged. Sure, the strategy isn’t much, but it brings a different element to the game so that it doesn’t just feel like Yahtzee.
Though, rolling 5 energy symbols to get that Captain America feels a lot like natural Yahtzee.
Even though these games have taken us away from Magic, I’m sure that we will be back. Chris already said that receiving his order of Theros gods inspired him to build a new deck. I’ve used my access to digital Magic to brainstorm a few deck ideas myself. I’m still trying to come up with a good Vintage deck of my own and I’m trying to make a Dragonlord Ojutai EDH deck work. You are never truly free of the madness. This might be a tough an long climb back to the saddle. It also seems less likely to happen with each passing day. I, for one, hold out hope that Zendikar will ignite our spark (again, pun fully intended) again. I missed the first trip to the plane and boxes are too expensive now.
Who knows? Maybe the break will be good for us. We can see other games and our bond with Magic will be strengthened. If you love something set it free and all. Because, in spite of the current issues, I do enjoy the game. I’d hate to see it suffer the same fate as another long time companion, World of Warcraft. I finally kicked that habit with some conflicted emotions. Ultimately, it just wasn’t the same. It wasn’t as fun. Magic currently occupies the same space right now.
(Editor’s Note: This might become part one of a series of articles over the next few months. A bit ambitious, perhaps, but I am the king of biting off more than I can chew.)
I recently stumbled upon a program that allows me to play Magic: the Gathering for free. I won’t mention the name because I’m pretty sure that Wizards and Hasbro already know about it and have attempted to shut it down. Why give them more ammunition? Simply do what I did and type in “free mtg draft program” and follow the link that takes you to the program. There is plenty of documentation and also a sub reddit dedicated to the program. You’ll have no trouble getting up and running in no time. I think it took me about 15 minutes. It only took that long because I had to download java.
No thanks, Harry. I’ve bought plenty. I’m good.
I went searching for the program for two reasons that are closely related. First, I have not been able to make it to the local gaming store that offers a draft on FNM yet. I had been drafting on MTGO to fill in the void. I’m now unemployed for the month of June and I can’t afford to do either right now. I love drafting in all games and especially Magic, so that led me to search for another program.
I could have just visited any one of the several web pages that let you practice draft. In fact, I have. Some of them will even simulate the draft with bots. I also already have another program that serves a similar purpose. However, that program has two strikes against it. It doesn’t draft MM15 and it doesn’t let you really test the deck. You can goldfish, but what fun is that? Actually none of the pages really let you test the decks, either, but the lack of MM15 is a huge let down. It has become my favorite format to draft. It is really expensive on MTGO and on paper. To be able to do it for free is my dream.
Goldfish on the left: Do you think we’re ever getting out of here? Goldfish on the right: Nope. Goldfish on the left: Well, see you tomorrow. This is an actual scene from a cartoon that I wrote for my cartooning class in high school. You can see why I am a math teacher and not a cartoonist.
Before I live that dream, allow me a paragraph or two to work out my other issue with MTGO. Let me get comfortable on the couch here, Doc. I only recently became aware of this issue. Had I thought about it for more than a few seconds, it would have been obvious. Hey, I’m on vacation. Thinking is not a high priority for me right now.
In addition to being expensive (and it can be almost prohibitively expensive for a below average to average player like me), MTGO is mostly populated by professional or just below pro level players. At the very least, many of the players are above average. Certainly, they are above my level of play. The reason that this should have been obvious is that I watch many Magic streams now. They are all professional level and they all play MTGO. A relative beginner and lifelong filthy casual like me has no chance in such a Baloth eat bunny environment. And so, I ended up at Google searching for a way to live the dream of free Magic.
You could end up sitting across the virtual table from this guy. He looks friendly enough, but he will eat your face with a B/U control deck forged in the fires of hell. He’s not the only one, either.
As I said, that dream of free Magic has finally come true. However, this post is not completely about that aspect of the game. Granted, being able to play for free helps (a lot), but I probably would have written this article eventually even with out it. It just might have taken longer and cost much more. The main point of the article is that I’m learning more about the game and improving my play as a result.
Let me explain a bit. I always try to learn from my mistakes. I was playing chess with a friend a few months ago. We also played Othello and I brought my Magic decks but we never got into that. In one of the games, I made a misplay that he found so personally offensive that he stopped the game and gave me a chance to take the move back. I declined. He insisted. I explained to him that I like to learn from my mistakes and that he should tell me why the move was such a huge mistake. He did, we discussed alternatives to the play, and he explained that he is a much more linear player and just about winning as quickly and efficiently as possible. Once he locks into a line of play, he rarely deviates or considers alternatives.
I’m a Johnny player all the way to my core. Games, especially logic based games, are meant to be fun. I’m a mathematician. Logic is my life. Magic and other games are like a puzzle and work best when all the pieces fit together. Against my puzzle metaphor, or maybe completely in line with it, sometimes the puzzle looks better when you recut the pieces or force them in a different configuration. That’s where my often less than optimal decks and plays originate.
It would appear that Chris’s “Spike” tendencies are warping my sensibilities because I’m becoming much more competitive in my deck building and game play. This has manifested in my recent love of draft. I can satisfy Johnny by building sometimes crazy decks and I can keep Spike happy by using those decks to attempt to crush the competition. Now that I can draft without any money investment and with absolutely no pressure, I can accelerate the process of learning and improving my game.
I’m more Johnny than Timmy. Chris is slightly more Spike than Timmy. We’re both rubbing off on each other (have at it perverts!) and becoming more well rounded players.
I used to curse my losses to bad deck building ( likely scenario) or bad draws (less likely, but still possible). It always came down to luck. I was a “that damn top deck” player and tilted easily. I still am when it comes to Hearthstone, but that game exists much more in the realm of variance and top decking. I started watching streams, as I mentioned. First, I watched Hearthstone, mostly because I did not know that Magic streams existed. Once I found them, saw the quality of conversation when compared to HS, and got overwhelmingly sick and tired of Hearthstone, I now watch them exclusively. Most of the streamers are very knowledgeable and helpful. Because the streams don’t often get to the ridiculous levels of viewers as HS streams, you can actually have a conversation. The viewers are also often helpful and understand the game as well as the caster in some cases.
Sometimes you can watch this guy eat some other poor sap’s face with his hellish U/B control deck. Viewers do not know as much about the game as he does. I’d bet that less than a handful of people on this planet do.
Both my tendency to learn from my mistakes and hanging out with better players have resulted in better play. The process has been slow and I still misplay quite often, but I am able to identify them as misplays now and within a turn of making the play. If I could just get to the point that I recognize them before they happen more than I don’t, I would be an average or even above average player.
First two games are my last MTGO draft. I signed up for a DTK-FRF pack per win event. In case that is too vague, you win a pack for every match win. Pros scoff at the event because if you’re really good, you can win 5 or 8 packs from other events. If you’re good enough to get only one win in the tournament, pack per win is the way to go. My first pack has a Deathbringer Regent and he can be an absolute bomb in a draft deck. I take him.
Rawr.
I’m still only at the level that I lock into a certain color combination int he beginning and then force them for the rest of the draft. The black more or less locked me into black/blue, which is okay. I like those colors and drafted a decent deck. I’m glad that I picked the Regent. He showed up in my hand in almost every game and had an impact each time. I lost game one, then won game two by wiping the board with him. I also got a board wipe in game 3. Worried about my life total and wanting to accelerate the race, I used Butcher’s Glee on him. I should have saved it.
My opponent was in top deck mode and bricking into lands hard. All I needed to do was get a couple of more hits in while avoiding top deck removal. And, enter Enduring Victory. Son of a something top deck. That’s what I would have said as a Magic noob. Actually, I did text that to Chris. Once I had some time to think about it, I noticed my mistake. Butcher’s Glee lets you regenerate a creature. Damn.
Exhibit B: This one has happened a couple of times. Perhaps I don’t learn from my mistakes after all. Faced with a variety of mana, rather than leave the correct amount of blue mana for a counter spell, I foolishly tapped that mana and watched a counter spell that would have opened the game for me simply sit in my hand as the opponent resolved a spell that more or less won the game. Once, this was preceded by a terrible misclick on my part. Other times, my opponent showed me how counter magic worked when I got overly greedy about casting my bombs before having open mana just in case. Once, I was mana leaked with only 2 mana after casting Massacre Wurm. Then, a Silumgar Sorcerer ate my Regent because I couldn’t pay the mana for a counter of my own. Obviously, that’s part of my game that I still have to improve.
Your “Rawr” means nothing here. Move along, little lizard.
None of this might sound impressive to some of you. None of this might even be impressive. I’m not sure. However, it represents a step forward for me. I’ve gone from having no chance in any of the MTGO events to losing marginally on the new program against more even competition to coming in second in one of the DTK tournaments that I played today. Magic has become fun again and I can’t wait to test out my new and improved noobness at the local FNM draft. I don’t know if any of this will translate and I might still get absolutely stomped because I make one of my world famous misplays and you’ll get to read about it here. Either way, it should be interesting and maybe even fun.
(Editor’s Note: We’re going to take a hiatus from games for this one. I’ve been meaning to do this article for a few months, but it got lost in the shuffle. Parks and Recreation was such a good show that I want to give it a proper send off. Don’t worry. The games will be back next week.)
(2nd Editor’s Note: I have been trying to break up my posts from appearing as a wall of text. Because of my respect for this fantastic show, I’m bringing back the wall for this article. TLDR: Parks and Rec is a very good show. If you haven’t seen it, watch it. You won’t be disappointed.)
When I last wrote a “Farewell” post, it was for The Walking Dead and it was because I just couldn’t handle the level of violence and misery offered by the show. I’m getting sensitive in my old age. American Horror Story suffered a similar fate after their love of shock seemed to trump any attempt at story. I never wrote an article about that show because (a) I don’t have the history with that show and (b) I didn’t have a web page at the time. My history with Parks and Rec is not as deep as Walking Dead, either, but it is significant.
I come not to bury Parks and Recreation. In fact, when I tuned into the most recent season a few months ago, I had no idea that it was the final season. Rather, I come to praise it as one of the most consistent shows ever. (Who knew that memorizing that speech would someday pay off? My 9th grade English teacher, that’s who!) I knew that sounds like damning with faint praise, but I’m not.
It wasn’t one of my favorite shows. I found it not because of a personal recommendation or overwhelming critical praise, but completely by accident. I think that it came up as one of the “Shows You May Like” or whatever Hulu calls it. I watched the first few episodes and just kept watching because it was always good. Other shows have ups and downs. That never happened with Parks and Rec. It just kept plugging along like the little engine that could. Again, I’m not doing such a great job of selling this. Admittedly, I’m a terrible salesman. Let me try again.
Initially I watched for the same reason that I suspect many watched. There are so many familiar faces in the show. Hey, she’s from SNL. That’s Pam’s boyfriend from The Office. No, not that one. The other one. The one that nobody liked because we were supposed to be all in on Jim and Pam. Speaking of, remember the whole Jim and Pam fight story line? Ups and downs, Man, ups and downs. Holy cow, is that Rob Lowe?
Eventually, I had watched enough for the other characters to become more recognizable. I didn’t like Tom much at first. He grew on me. I’m not sure if it was by design–though I suspect it was because the show never suffered from identity crisis, either–gradually Tom’s bravado became a thin veneer of armor to protect his soft and fuzzy heart of gold. Holy mixed metaphors, Batman! I saw myself in Tom’s story and I started to root for the guy. Even as he repeatedly hitched his wagon to John Ralphio (who is the closest to unwatchable as the show ever came and I never considered it), I looked forward to Tom’s scenes more and more with each passing episode.
My other alter ego on the show, April, appealed to me right away. Like Ton, she hid her true identity. Unlike Tom, but more like me, she used her acerbic wit to deflect any possible feelings. I instantly identified with her sarcasm as a defense mechanism. She was my first favorite character on the show.
Andy, who I mistakenly identified earlier as the they that everyone was supposed to hate on The Office to make them love Jim and Pam more, played such an iconic role that I have a tough time placing him in new roles. Similar to Sarah Michelle Gellar, who I will always identify as Buffy and vice versa. I always thought it was just because she was such a bad actor, but I’m having the same trouble with him. He played Starlord, one of my favorite comic book characters of all time and I still think of him as “Andy” and it even sometimes is “Andy” followed by a wide smile.
Donna was fine as “everybody’s sassy black lady friend”, Jerry was a bit tiresome as the fat, old, dumb white guy. Neither of them added enough to the show to be anything more than minor supporting characters, but they both fit into the roles well. Granted, they both became beloved, too, but at first they weren’t a reason to watch the show.
The main reason to watch the show, for me and others no doubt, was the incomparable Ron Swanson. Leslie might have been the main character of Parks and Rec, the other characters might have been the glue to keep the show together. None of that would have mattered without Ron. Put simply, Ron is Parks and Rec. Similar to Dwight, he represents everything the show stands for. There’s a reason that those two characters transcended to become memes and pop culture icons.
Other characters came and went as they do. The show continued being good and improved with each episode. I enjoyed the show so much that I branched off into another showbecause Hulu also recommended that one. I actually liked that show, Outsourced, better than Parks and Rec at first. I was clearly in the minority since it only lasted one season. Oh well, I guess I got my dad’s (I picked Betamax over VHS) talent when it comes to picking winners.
My collision course with this final season of Parks and Recreation marched onward to inevitability. Little did I know that it would happen so soon and so suddenly. Even as I watched, I thought that it was weird that they kept flashing forward to tell part of the story. It was a cool story telling device, but I never made the connection that they were doing it because we were saying good-bye to these characters. I learned through a podcast or the radio that it was the final season and then it hit hard.
I went back to watch the first couple of episodes again. If they were stopping the show, then I wanted to be able to experience the end with my undivided attention. I’m glad that I did. Each episodefocused on one character and what happened to them after the show ended. True to form, it treated all of the characters with respect and gave them all proper send offs. I don’t think that I disagreed with a single ending for any of the characters. I was wrong when they got closer and finally revealed Leslie’s, which is odd because I’m usually able to follow the clues better than that. Nevertheless, the episode was great and all of the others were, too. That’s also strange for me because I’m usually difficult to please when it comes to endings. The best of them was Ron and I was just waiting for them to screw that one up, but they didn’t.
All in all, I guess I could say that this was one of my favorite shows. I didn’t aggressively watch it like Breaking Bad. I didn’t look forward to it like Walking Dead. I didn’t share it with Christine as I’ve done with many other shows. But, I did watch it and I watched it consistently and I watched it to the end. Not only did I watch it to the end, but I enjoyed that ending more than anticipated or expected. It might not have been a great show, but it was a very good show. It was always very good and that consistency is rare to find. Thank you so much for the years of entertainment, Parks and Recreation. Television is so much worse in your absence.
(Editor’s Note: Depending on the demographics of our audience, that might be a severely bad reference. Either way, it’s a bit of a stretch, I admit.)
I went to Wal*Mart a couple of days ago. By itself, that isn’t newsworthy. I go to Wal*Mart several times a week. Sometimes I go there twice or three times in the same day. In fact, I think that I’ve been to “Big Blue” at least once a day for the past week. The trips aren’t usually worth mentioning. During this trip, I checked their game aisle. Again, not really out of the ordinary. I check the aisle almost every time I’m there, even though it rarely changes in any significant way. However, I went there for Aiden and Quinn, who had $10 each of birthday money burning a hole in their pockets. Aiden wanted Pokemon cards and Quinn wanted a Pokeball with a miniature Pokemon. I found both things, but initially nothing for me. I had just bought 15 packs of Magic a couple of days earlier, so you can argue that I didn’t need anything. Then again, does anyone ever “need” more collectibles?
The previous paragraph brought to you by Wal*Mart. I wish. I hate the place, but I’m not above taking their money. *hint, hint*
So, why am I wasting your time with this story about my trip to Wal*Mart? You must be new here. In that case, welcome! (If not, skip to the next paragraph.) I hope you enjoy the page and podcast. I do things a bit less conventionally than other gaming sites. I wander off on tangents. I abuse parenthetical phrases. Luckily, I often warn you when I lose focus and I (almost) always wind up back on topic eventually.
Oh, what’s this? I notice that Wal*Mart now carries Dice Masters. I’ve heard of the game through my research into Heroclix. Also, for some reason, I am in a Dice Masters community on Google+. Yeah, I know, but I don’t have a phone and it lets me text using my tablet. I never considered the game–not seriously, at least–until Free Comic Book Day.
The actual day turned out to be less about free comics and more about riding bikes, but that’s okay. The best days are often those that do go according to plan. We eventually made it to the store for the books, but it was too late and there wasn’t much of a selection. As he often does, since he is under the impression that money is limitless, Aiden asked me to buy him everything from new Pokemon cards to a keychain for keys that he doesn’t own. While dodging his persistent demands, I saw that the store offered Dice Masters.
“That’s a fun game”. The store owner offered. Unsure whether he meant it or was just trying to make a sale, I forced a nod, pretended to admire the packaging a little longer, and escaped with my uninspiring free comics and unmolested wallet. That’s how I learned about Dice Masters.
You never know when or how an addiction will start.
The story does not end there, loyal readers! Oh, no! As I have said, our main mission at 2 Guys Gaming is to make games fun. Part of that fun is discovering new games. Another part of that fun, for me, is playing those new games with my sons. You can, of course, see where this incredibly obvious plot twist is taking us. Please, though, no spoilers. Allow this frustrated story teller a moment of intrigue and surprise.
The shop owner’s comment stayed with me. I mentioned it to Chris, who showed some interest in playing. I put the game on our tentative schedule for discussion on the podcast later in the year. I let the comment “That’s a fun game” marinate in my brain stew until it reached the proper level of roasted succulence. Well, now, that was a weird metaphor. I must be hungry.
No matter how I ended up in the gaming aisle at the local Wal*Mart looking at the Dice Masters and thinking back on my brief history with the game, there I was. It didn’t take long to make the decision to get the Avengers v. X-Men Starter Pack. They also had the DC Justice League Starter, but I am an unabashed Marvel zombie.
Avengers vs. X-Men Starter Pack contents.
I brought the boys home their spoils. Aiden immediately broke open his packs and they have gotten him back into the Pokemon mood. We played two games this afternoon and he kicked my butt severely. I got away from my comfort zone of darkness and psychic type and tried to build a fighting and water deck. Unfortunately, Quinn got a hold of my deck and the Blastoise EX never made it back. The replacement EX got buried in my prize cards and he handled my Pokemon pretty well with one of his. After I KO’d his first Pokemon, he used a great strategy to get a strong one off of his bench to destroy me.
Quinn, since he is 4, absolutely loved his Pokeball and Pokemon. I found the other figures that they previously owned and he played with them for a day or two. It now sits forgotten somewhere in the house. Sad and lonely, it waits to be played again. Hopefully, Quinn finds it before something drastic happens. I will spare you the dark depths of my mind and tales of toy suicide. Just pray with me for the poor Dusk Ball. It has a family (possibly) and friends (presumably) that love and care about it.
It *is* a Dusk Ball, so it is pretty emo to begin with.
Well, despite my better intentions, that got dark. Let’s get back to having fun. After giving them their stuff, I sat at the dining room table to learn the game. Christine made fun of me for playing with myself. That one is for you, perverts. I wanted to make sure that I understood the game before trying to teach the boys.
The starter set rule book illustrated a very helpful tutorial game. I played through that solo and got a much better grasp of the game than I have even for Heroclix after playing a full game. That might have more to do with Heroclix being a more complex game, but it was nice to have the tutorial as an introduction. They also wrote a more complication explanation of a turn, but I didn’t read that. I don’t have infinite time. The tutorial is more than enough to learn the basics of the game and it is not nearly as complex as Magic or Heroclix. There is still strategy and decision making, but it is an easy game to pick up and play right away. I taught both of the boys how to play in less than a half an hour total.
They both took to the game like a fish in water. Is that even a saying? Probably not, but they did love the game. We had plans for Memorial Day weekend with the in-laws and they asked to bring the game to the cookout. We played many more games over the next few days. It has gotten busy with school, Tae Kwon Do, field trips, and soccer, so we haven’t played much recently.
…and the Justice League contents. Batman is off fighting crime somewhere in Gotham.
Even so, I ended up buying the Justice League starter set, too. While the one starter offers a wide variety of teams and games possible, I also wanted to play as Batman and maybe Superman. Little did I know that Aiden would discover Deathstroke as one of the most OP characters we’ve played. I want to keep expanding into other sets and buy more dice for the sets that we have. While each game has been different due to the variety, you can never have too many cards or dice. My wife, of course, would disagree, but I don’t take her advice in these matters.
The game is fun to play. It is easy to pick up and learn strategy as you play. My kids, especially Aiden, love it. Even with a limited collection (one starter set for around 15 dollars) the games are virtually limitless in their possibilities. Booster packs are cheaper than Magic or Heroclix. The game isn’t as collectible as those other games, but that’s a minor consideration. I would definitely recommend this game to any gamer who is looking to expand into something new, fun, and quick.
(Editor’s Note: Sorry for being AWOL lately. End of the semester is always a busy time. You think that I’d learn from previous semesters and adjust. You’d be wrong.)
In my last article, I went through my, admittedly flawed and possibly crooked, thought process behind the team that I drafted in our first Heroclix game. Chris answered with one of his own, but he one upped me by giving a play by play of the actual game, too. I mentioned at the end of my last article that I might do the same. However, I am notorious for neglecting and ignoring deadlines. It is good, then, that Chris tossed the ball back to me. Otherwise, you might have been denied this highly entertaining and insightful commentary. No, really, I mean it this time.
When we last left our intrepid heroes, I picked Captain Marvel (100 points…really 150, but I either can’t read, can’t do math, or intentionally cheated. It isn’t entirely clear which of the three is true), Swamp Thing (200, 150, 100…that last one is perfect for a 100 point Captain Marvel), Recorder (35 points), Manphibian (60 points), and Dire Wraith (55 points). I knew nothing about Dire Wraith. I still don’t. I pretended that my decision was difficult. It wasn’t. Under the mistaken impression of a 100 point Captain Marvel, my team basically built itself. Spoiler Alert: Who the hell is Dire Wraith and why does he look so weird? Draft drafted, team chosen. Time for the action!
As I said, Chris included his version of what happened in the game. I’m glad for that because I only have a vague recollection of the events on the night in question. I’ve often heard about how unreliable eye witness testimony is, but never experienced it to such a degree. As soon as I got home, I thought about writing this article. I texted Chris the day after to tell him that I wished that I’d written down the important pieces from the draft and the game because I didn’t remember any of it. He saved my butt by giving me his draft order. That, along with his article, might just be enough so that I sound like I know what I’m talking about. No promises, though.
We had two maps as choices. I got one that came with my Avengers starter pack. Chris got two of the same map from one of his orders. I checked both maps to see if either had any water in the starting areas so that Manphibian could get a movement bonus. I know what you’re thinking. It’s not bad enough that I cheated when I put together the team. Now, I need to get even more of an advantage through terrain manipulation. Well Mr. (or Mrs., Miss., Ms, whatever) Judgmental, I will have you know that once I saw that there was no advantage, I graciously deferred to allow Chris to pick the map.
Similar map to the one that I brought.
He chose his map after we both agreed that the map that I brought would be awkward for our purposes. My map, as would be expected, centered on the Avengers. One side was Stark Tower and the other side was the Helicarrier similar to the one shown above. Neither of us wanted to consider what might happen if one of our characters got knocked off the side. Therefore, we found ourselves battling it out for superhero supremacy in Dr. Strange’s mansion. I’m glad that it wasn’t just some random mansion. I feel better about our heroes destroying the place.
The map that we used.
Heroes drafted? Check. Teams chosen? Check. Map selected? Check. Starting area and characters set up? Check. Now what? Time to figure out how the hell to play this game. Check the powers and abilities cards for each character and the reference sheet. Wow, some of these characters have a ton of abilities. This is how far they can move. That is their hit modifier. This is their range. Okay, got it. Go.
Chris wins the die roll. I think that he jokes that it will be “the last thing I win” or “I’ve got to win something in this game”. If only he knew how accurate that statement would turn out to be. He started by moving his characters to the entrance of the mansion. I saw this as an opportunity to get my tanky character in the middle to muck things up. I also took Chris a bit by surprise by applying actual strategy. While Man Thing kept a couple of his characters busy on the stairs, I sent the others to flank him on either side.
Wait, what did Chris just say? He asked about some color. I check the dial for one of my characters. Each number is a color. Oh, that’s why there are so many powers listed. Each power corresponds to a color and a symbol. Now I got it? Not completely, but enough to get through this game and familiarize myself more later.
His first character died very quickly. After that, it became a war of attrition with our guys trading hits back and forth while my guy (Manphibian) kept missing Spider-Girl. I finally got smart and broke off one prong of my attack by moving Recorder into a support role first in the middle. He did nothing to break that stalemate, so I sent him to help Manphibian, who continued to suffer from my terrible luck and couldn’t hit sand if he fell off a camel. Dr. Druid actually got stronger as he clicked down, so he broke through and KO’d Captain Marvel.
Manphibian missed every single one of the millions of grains and broke his leg falling off.
That actually allowed me to stop messing around. I moved Man Thing into melee range and just started pounding face. He also has some kind of poison aura that caused extra damage. After finishing off Dr. Druid, he joined the fracas with Recorder and Manphibian. Overwhelmed, the rest of his team (it might have just been Spider-GIrl at this point) eventually got KO’d.
I enjoyed the game. I always like the draft strategy in games even though I don’t get to implement it very often against other people. I do a draft a week in Magic Online, but that’s about it. I have been thinking about going to one of the local stores for their FNM draft, too. Sorry about that. This article isn’t about Magic. It’s just that Magic is the only reference that i have right now to compare table top games. Back to the topic. I like that you have to make up the strategy for your deck or team based on the characters or cards available from the packs rather than getting to choose from everything in your collection. It forces you to focus.
As for the game itself, I enjoyed playing it. Even though neither Chris nor I implemented much of a strategy in our game, Heroclix obviously offers a much different set than Magic. The map, movement of characters, powers that may change as the dial is clicked, and the randomness of the dice all lead to an ever evolving strategy during the game. Look, I’m an a noob and all, but I know that each game of Magic offers multiple lines of play and that you have to adjust based on changing conditions. In the end, though, it is still just cards fighting cards. Don’t get me wrong. I still love Magic and will continue to play it, but I’m also enjoying the variety of the new games. (Side note: My sons and I have been playing a ridiculous amount of Dice Masters lately. More on that next week.) We started the web page and podcast to bring fun back to games. We’ve been successful with that. As sometimes happens with these ventures, there are unintended consequences. One of those is the introduction of these new games. The other is that I have gotten to share all of these games with my kids. So far, they’ve liked Marvel vs. Capcom and Dice Masters the best. We tried Heroclix when they were younger, but the game was too fragile and complex for them at that age. Maybe its time to try again.
(Editor’s Note: Join the Noobas he defiles yet another strategic game with his own special brand of ignorance.)
We recorded Episode 6 of the podcast this past weekend. We also tried to record some videos of Heroclix openings. I got a new computer, so the videos aren’t of the best quality and we will try again next month. It also took us a few tries to figure out how the microphone interacted with the new PC and I’m not sure we completely did. If the audio is bad this month, I apologize. Bear with us as we iron out all of these wrinkles. I can’t keep using that excuse indefinitely, but I’ll take any slack you offer. We’re not professionals, after all, just 2 guys gaming.
Speaking of gaming (how about that segue), we took a break from Magic to play some Heroclix. One of us suggested the game as both a topic for the show and to offer some variety during our monthly game nights. It served both purposes well. Due to time restrictions, we only got to play one game. Still, I can say with confidence that it was the first game of many. Personally, I can’t wait to play again.
We decided to initiate ourselves into the world of Heroclix with a booster draft. I brought my Guardians of the Galaxy pack that my four year old pried open, already putting Chris in a suspicious mood. This mood will pay off with actual shenanigans on my part, so stay tuned. Chris provided one from the Amazing Spider-Man series. On first glance, none of the characters in my pack looked terribly impressive. I should probably mention that I have been very busy with finals at school lately and have not been able to research the game at all. Even so, the characters in the other box looked way cooler. I think that it was mostly just Man Thing that had me all hot and bothered…no comments, perverts. As I found out, he is a bad ass, but I had no way of knowing that. Hell, while we played, I checked all of their abilities on the chart every single turn. The model just looked amazing and boy, was that Man Thing big….okay, I’m done.
Now, on to the draft. I will give the picks that Chris made each round after my picks and admittedly ignorant analysis. Maybe Chris can give his thought process in another article. *hint, hint* A final warning: Seeing as how neither of us ever played the game before, we probably did not adhere to time limits during the draft process. No one pick ever took longer than a few minutes. Still, we gave one another ample time to consider each choice. As with most of our gaming, we just took a more casual approach.
Pack 1, Pick 1: My pack consisted of Captain Marvel (the Carol Danvers version), Crystal, Recorder, Deathurge, and Dire Wraith. This pick was easy. I took the most expensive–and strongest, I hoped–character. She took up so many points, but I figured she’d be worth it. Chris took Dr. Druid, a solid first pick.
Pack 2, Pick 1: Chris passed me Man-Thing, Werewolf, Spider-Girl, and Manphibian. I briefly considered Werewolf and Manphibian, but ultimately picked Man-Thing. He is just too strong. Plus, he has the flexibility of multiple point values. (I need to mention now that, at the time, I mistakenly read Captain Marvel as 100, not 150 points. Yes, a math teacher who can’t do math. ‘Merica! My team was illegal for a 300 point game. Dang. I tried so hard to put together the best team given the quota. All for naught.) Chris, not a cheater, picked Crystal.
Pack 1, Pick 2: After picking what I considered to be the core of my team, I started looking for support. Of the three remaining, Recorder had the strongest ability in that capacity, as far as I can tell. Chris takes Werewolf. Had I not been a cheater, I’d probably have taken him instead of Man-Thing, but who knows.
Pack 2, Pick 2: Left with Manphibian and Spider-Girl, I take the chance that we might play an outside map with water so that he will have a movement bonus. I consider Spider-Girl for her support power, but I take the chance. Chris takes Deathurge, who I now notice has a point value of 140. He might be actually be strong. I will have to look at him again.
Leftover: I pass Chris Spider-Girl and receive Dire Wraith. Before this game, I had no idea that it was even a thing. If I read Captain Marvel’s point value right, he’d have become an integral part of my team. You can all see and understand why I cheated now, right?
I will write another article for post on Friday that discusses my strategy in putting together my team. I will also talk about the game that we played in that article. Tonight and tomorrow are reserved for editing the podcast. Until then, Excelsior and best of luck in your Mini Marvel adventures!
(Note: The first ones are free, Kid. After that, you gotta pay.)
I’ve been under the impression that our family made Free Comic Book Day a tradition and that we’ve gone every year for the last couple of years. Now that I look at this picture of our first (and only recorded) visit, I realize that memory is, once again, the worst witness. That was at least two–and maybe even three–years ago. A visit to Facebook to check the time stamp confirms that we took a year off from the annual celebration of five finger discounts on the funny pages and I’m not sure why. It might have been birthday parties or something. It definitely was not the quality of comics. Those were actually very good and quite impressive for free.
We missed last year, as mentioned, but I put it on the calendar this year. I also reminded everyone for days leading up to the big event. Some of he story of how the actual day went are told in my previous post. If you can’t–or don’t want to–read the story right now, I’ll give the TL:DR version. We got stuck in parade traffic, got to the comic book store late, got our comics, and didn’t stay for anything else. I almost got suckered into buying a set of Dice Masters. Bound to happen eventually.
So, what about the books? I don’t know if it was just because we were late, but the selection seemed quite underwhelming this year. Maybe it is because I haven’t been collecting for at least a decade. I didn’t recognize many of the comics. The ones that I did know didn’t look that appealing. I mean, really, they’re doing Secret Wars again? Come on, have some originality. In the end, I got TMNT (to see if the hype is real), Divergence, and Secret Wars because I’m a fraud. The boys got Pokemon, Transformers, Sonic/Megaman, and Teen Titans/Scooby Doo. Truth be told, their comics look more interesting, so I’ll leave those for last.
First up is Divergence. This is some DC book that contains three separate stories about their most popular characters. I’m a little frustrated that they’re rebooting again, but it is also maybe a good idea. How much are comics now? $3 isn’t bad. I’m intrigued. Wait, they killed Batman? And Joker? What the hell is this? I agree with Gordon. This is dumb. A reboot is good because it gives a good place to get back in, but will I? The next story is about Superman. The first thing that I notice is that JRJR is now with DC. That seems odd. Lois gave up his secret identity? Maybe I do want to check this out. The Wonder Woman story is also good and I actually write Chris that I’m considering a return to the comic book store. If only the Marvel books are as good.
Yeah, about that. They are not. Secret Wars is terrible. Ultimate End is awful. Inhumans is ridiculously inane. These are all previews and none of them make me want to buy the actual book. In what universe do we live that I’m more interested in DC books than Marvel? Clearly Marvel has given up on comics and prefers to exist in movies and television.
That brings us to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Both Chris and I had strong things to say about Donatello being killed off in a recent story line, but this is actually a pretty good book right now. The only name that I recognize is Eastman, but that might actually be a good thing. I still think that it could have been done without killing Donatello. Still, I might pick up some of the trades to catch up on the story.
Now, onto the books that the boys picked up. Liam read Pokemon as soon as we got back in the car. He called it weird and said that it didn’t follow the main story. It is one of the comics that reads backwards, but I don’t think that’s what he meant by weird. Many of the Pokemon comics are like that. I suspect that he meant the same thing with both statements. I haven’t read it yet, but I trust his judgement.
The Transformers comic is a full story one similar to the DC books that I read and they illustrate just how old I am. I only recognize Bumblebee, but I suppose that many of the characters are from the Transformers Prime. I’ve always meant to watch the show. Maybe this will be the introduction and reason that I need to start. There is also an interesting little introduction to Transformers vs. GI Joe. The book isn’t bad, but it’s definitely a kid book.
Both the Sonic/Megaman and Scooby-Doo/Teen Titans books follow the same format as the Transformers. They are full story introductions into the new stories that are coming during the summer. One thing that I notice is that there are multiple Sonic titles. They also blatantly plug a new video game, which is to be expected, I suppose. Megaman is much darker and more intense. Seems like it might be better for older kids and I’m somewhat interested to see how the comics and worlds will cross over. Finally, Scooby-Doo is much more like the older TV show that I remember than some of the more recent TV shows have been. That’s a good thing. I couldn’t even do Teen Titans. There was far too much happening in that book, color and insanity wise for my old brain.
In closing, other than TMNT the adult books were disappointing. DC was better than Marvel, but that’s not saying much because Marvel were awful. The kid books were all full story, mostly decent, fun, and more interesting than the adult ones. I doubt that I’d enjoy any of them as a month to month. There is some glimmer of hope. They are doing what Chris and I thought they should do and trying to hook young fans into comic books. I don’t know how successful, but both boys have asked to read some of my old books. I also asked them if they wanted to start collecting comics and they both said yes. Once again, they failed to hook me enough to get me to start collecting, but I might invest in trades of TMNT, at least, so that’s something. Also, definitely going to sign up for Marvel Unlimited because they have another free month trial. I’m not fully back and I might never be. However, I’m at least partly still in, so there’s hope for us old guys, too.
