Punch A Nazi Week - The Holy Roller

This time the first Punch A Nazi Week is a little different. I recently picked up the Holy Roller collection. I've decided to give a short review of the miniseries before statting out the titular Nazi bashing hero. 

Holy Roller is a collaboration between some different celebrities. It was written by comedian Andy Samberg (SNL and The Lonely Island), Joe Trohman (Fall Out Boy), and Rick Remender (Deadly Class, Uncanny X-Force). It features art by Roland Boschi. As you might expect from the creative team, the story has a comedic edge. It's one part satire and one part loving tribute to comic books. The humor is off-kilter, but endearing (and delightfully dumb at times).

The story follows Levi Coen, a man who returns home to help his ailing father. He finds that his hometown has been taken over by Neo-Nazis. After being forced to defend himself with his bowling balls, he teams up with his child hood friend to become the Holy Roller, a trick bowl  bowling ball wielding vigilante. Levi looks like a muscular Samberg and I couldn't help but hear his voice when I read Levi's lines.

The plot of this one isn't too original, but it works. There are some plot beats borrowed from the first Kingsmen movie, but that's alright. The story has a cinematic vibe and I wouldn't mind seeing a live action or animated adaptation. If you want to see a Jewish vigilante beat the shit out of Neo-Nazis and rich assholes, then check this one out.

Holy Roller in Your Game

Levi is an athlete with gadgets, so I figured I'd stat him using the DCC crimefighter class from Gunzo! True Vigilante #1. For the kind of racist shitsheads Levi smashes with his balls, use these stats.

Holy Roller (Level 4 Crime Fighter): Init +2; Atk +4 bowling bowl (1d8+1) or +5 bowling bowl (1d8+2) [range 20'/40']; Crit III/1d10; AC 15; HD 4d6+8; HP 24; Mv 30'; Act 1d20; SQ disguise self +3, investigation, subterfuge; SV Ref +5; For +4, Will +3; AL L

Gear: Armored costume (+3 to AC, -2 fumble), bowling ball (1d8), exploding bowling ball (1d8+2d8 fire damage to all creatures within 20' radius), EMP bowling ball (1d8 + 3d6 to unprotected electronic devices within 50' radius)

Nightcat Review

I like picking up weird and random comics. During a recent trip to my childhood comic shop, I definitely found something that fits that description. 

Released in 1991, Nightcat was a Marvel superhero persona created for musician and actress Jacqueline Tavares. A full album was released in conjunction with the issue. If you want to check that out I'll post a YouTube link at the end of the post. Stan Lee, who makes a quick cameo in the comic, is given credit for scripting the story, though according to those that worked on the project, his input was minimal at best.

The story introduces us to Jackie Tavares, a young women in Queens who lost her mother due to alcoholism and music. Because of this her father forbids her from pursuing music too, fearing it will consume her life. Eventually Jackie decided to pursue music anyway and creates an alter-ego, Nightcat to do so. She finds fame and fortune but her life changes when she discovers a case of drugs. 

This is where the story of Nightcat is oddly becomes similar to 2004's Catwoman starring Halle Barry. She is kidnapped by men working for a pharmaceutical CEO working on experimental cosmetics. She is given a mixture of chemicals and cat's blood which make her cat-like powers. She is saved by her father, investigating undercover. Her father is killed and she swears revenge. She gets it and vows to hunt the "human jackals that prey on helpless, innocent victims."

The cover claims this is Nightcat's premier issue, but spoiler, it's also her only issue, though she would be mentioned in one or two random comics after this. There was a a planned crossover with Spidey, but because of terrible sales it was axed. I've seen articles saying this is one of the worst Marvel comics of all time. As someone that has read NFL SuperPro and U.S. 1 I can definitely say that's not the case. Then again, I like those titles so take my opinion worth a grain of salt. I love the Joe Jusko cover and the interior artwork from Denys Cowan are good. Fun fact, though his art doesn't appear in the issue Nightcat was designed by Jim Lee. The story is simple and nothing to write home about, but its fine. I'm not telling you to run out and pick this one up, but if you see it in a dollar box, go for it. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Nightcat In Your Game

Nightcat: Init +3; Atk +2 claws (1d4) or +2 telescopic staff (1d6); Crit II/1d10; AC 13 (dex); HD 4d6; HP 14; Mov. 30'; Act 1d20; SP thief skills; SV Ref +4; Fort +1, Will +1; AL L

Thief skills: Backstab +3, Sneak silently +6, Hide in Shadows +8, Pick pocket +6, Climb sheer surfaces +8, Pick lock +6, Find trap +5, Disable trap +8, Forge document +3, Disguise self +4, Read languages +1, Cast from spell d10 

Take A Stand

For today's Black History Month supers post I thought I'd update my Meteor Man stats and talk about his continued adventures in the 616 after the film.

Issue #1 quickly recaps the movie. Then we learned that a part of the meteor that powered Jeff is in Arizona. He and his friend Mike (Eddie Griffin's character from the movie) head the facility it's been held. Jeff uses what remains of his powers to get in and evade security. The pair have been followed by an ominous main with nefarious goals. While all that's happening two new villains, the high tech Malefactor and the occult themed Ghost Strike, take out some Guardsmen in Washington DC to capture Simon Kane, the movie's villain, is being experimented on by an evil corporation, Skyyventures Inc. The issue ends with Mike getting shot and Jeff reaching the meteor. 

In Issue #2 Jeff saves Mike and while the pair seek to get back to DC they are attacked by Malefactor and Ghost Strike. We are introduced to Armand Skyy, CEO of Skyyventures Inc., who sends a newly repowered Simon to take out Meteor Man. In the confrontation between Meteor Man and Simon, Jeff seemingly kills the villain.

At the beginning of Issue #3 Jeff has vowed to never be Meteor Man again. Peter Parker and MJ are in DC, as MJ is part of a Meteor Man movie. Armand Skyy has a clanedestine meeting with a man named Solomon Mingh, who's contracted him to get Meteor Man. Jeff deals with how gang violence has affected his neighborhood, but does use his powers again until it spills over into filming. Jeff stops the gang, the DC Players. He and Spidey team up and end up taking on Malefactor and Ghost Strike. After a heart to heart with Spider-Man who tells him his secret "with great power comes great responsibility." In the end he decides he and the community needs Meteor Man.

Issue #4 sees Night Thrasher of the New Warriors make his way to DC after fighting some DC Players in NYC. He is tracking down their leader Third Power aka Solomon Mingh. Jeff finds his personal life in shambles, but after his talk with Spidey finds his resolve to protect his community reignited. Of course Meteor Man and Night Thrasher have an initial misunderstanding but team up to take down the Players and their benefactor.  The issue ends with Third Power, who can make two even stronger copies of himself, fighting the pair of heroes.

A lot happens in Issue #5. Night Thrasher kills Third Power (Jeff says his heart is barely beating but later a portion of a newspaper implies Meteor Man killed him). Simon Kane reappears in Arizona. We learn that Armand Skyy isn't from Earth (which has been hinted at). Skyy then sends Malefactor, Ghost Strike, and two knew villains (Warhammer and Exocet), Exocet has some sort of flight powers and Warhammer is Thor without the lightning. He also might be a Neo-Nazi. He has a stylized H and eagle tattoo. It's not like any fascist tat I've seen, but it looks similar to one. Meteor Man takes out some of the villains but the issue ends with his shocking realization that Simon is alive and ready for a fight.

Even more happens in Issue #6... Simon and Meteor Man team up to take on Warhammer and Exocet. The pair then continue their conflict with one another. Meteor Man berates Simon for the way he's hurt his community and people and just as Simon seems repentant he's taken out by Armand Skyy. Meteor Man seemingly gives Skyy the power he wants, but his body can't handle it and he explodes. In the aftermath, the new CEO and Skyyventers Inc. and Meteor Man come up with a deal. He doesn't expose the shady companies previous dealings if they help pay for rebuilding his neighborhood and fund programs. In the end Jefferson vows to his community that he will always be their Meteor Man.

While Meteor Man has not made any appearances since the series ended, the Golden Lords appeared in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #5.

The Meteor Man miniseries was fun. It wasn't epic, but as a continuation of the movie and way to add Meteor Man to the 616 it's great.  There's some fun moments and references to the movie. In Issue #3 for example a Meteor Man movie is being filmed and the director talks about how he should have got Snipes, Denzel, or Townsend (the star of the film). There are a few jokes like this that made me chuckle. Some of the humor fell a flat though. In Issue #1 Mike gets hit in the back of the head and makes a Rodney King joke. Something that had me chuckling is that Meteor Man was constantly getting his costume blown off. This didn't happen to Robert Townsend in the film, but I'm guessing that had something to do with him not having the superheroic physique of his comic book counterpart. Like the film the story also deals with gang violence and community and handles those respectfully.

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Code Name: Meteor Man

Real Name: Jefferson "Jeff" Reed

Pronouns: He/Him

Team Affiliation: - 

Medium, Humanoid (Human), Lawful Good

Armor Class: 16 (Natural)

HP: 135 (14d8+72)

Speed: 40 ft., fly 80 ft.

Challenge: 6 (2,300 XP)

Str 20 (+5) Dex 16 (+3) Con 20 (+5) Int 16 (+3) Wis 12 (+1) Cha 14 (+2)

Saving Throws: Str +9, Con +9 

Skills: History +7, Insight +5, Perception +5

Damage Resistances: bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing

Senses: X-Ray Vision 120 ft., Passive Perception: 15

Languages: English, Dog

Powerful Build: Meteor Man can carry/lift twice the weight of a normal creature his size. Additionally, he uses his strength score to make Intimidation rolls in place of charisma and he can wield heavy weapons with one hand.

Temporary Absorption: Meteor Man can tough a book and gains the knowledge and skills associated for five rounds. He gains proficiency in the skills and/or tools contained within.

Super Hearing: Meteor Man's proficiency bonus is double on Perception hearing checks (becoming +8). He also has advantage on hearing based Perception rolls.

Actions

Multiattack: Meteor Man can make three slam attacks.

Healing Touch (Recharge 5-6): Meteor Man can touch a target and heal them 5 (1d8+1) hit points.

Laser Vision: Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 120 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d10) radiant damage.

Slam: Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) bludgeoning damage.

Super Breath: Meteor Man expels air the equivalent to a gust of wind. It is a line of strong wind 30 feet long and 10 feet wide. Each creature that in the line must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be pushed 15 feet away in the opposite direction.

Telekinesis: Meteor Man can attempt to move an object or person weighing up to 1000 lb. He can move the object 30 ft. If the object is being held or is an unwilling target, a DC 15 strength saving throw to resist.

Marvel’s One-Punch Man

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Inspired by Tim's new Tales from the Vault series I've decided to go through my issues and trades and talk about some of the interesting stuff I have. I thought I'd start with one I'd say a lot of folks have never heard of Fight Man #1. I hadn't heard of it until I found a copy in the dollar boxes of my old comic shop.

Fight Man is a one-shot published by Marvel in 1993. It features art and writing from Evan Dorkin, with inking by Pam Eklund, and color by Su McTeigue. You might recognize Dorkin from his Milk and Cheese series.

The titular Fight-Man can fly, and has super strength, invulnerability, energy projection, and super breath. His invulnerability isn't absolute. He does get knocked out at one point, but its because has a building dropped on him, but it doesn't seem to actually hurt him. While this combined with his looks might make you think Superman, he has none of Clark's redeeming social traits. Fight-Man is childish and says things like "I can't hear you" and plugs his ears when having conversations he doesn't want to be a part of. He doesn't take anyone seriously, his actions have lead to the deaths of 15 young sidekicks, and is hated by pretty much everyone in his home of Delta City. While he's vocal and has an "I'll fight anyone" attitude, he's secretly a coward. He begs his wife and her lawyer to not sue him like a crybaby.

In the story Fight-Man is broke and lives with his parents. He has no sponsors or merch and makes a living by selling supervillain memorabilia. To top it off he is being sued by everyone in Delta City, including his ex-wife. Various teams of villains attack him, until it's finally revealed that his arch rival, the Hooded Eye (who's been missing for at least a decade) has hired Fight Man's enemies and eventually the entire city to take him out. After being captured, it is revealed that this Hooded Eye is actually his heavily scarred (and very much alive) first sidekick, Kid Fight-Man. He escapes the trap and takes out the hordes of angry citizens and villains with ease. After the fight ends, the police arrive, but it isn't to arrest the villains that attacked him, it's to arrest Fight-Man for the many times he's endangered minors.

Though published by Marvel in the early 90's this story takes place in it's own continuity. This wasn't Dorkin's original plan though. The hordes of villains coming after Fight-Man were supposed to be D-listers like Stiltman and Shocker. My guess is the editors thought it was two silly for the edgy books of the time. Surprisingly, ten years later Fight- Man would make the transition to the 616, appearing in Agent X issues 10 and 11, written by Dorkin. I've not read the issues but it takes place after Fight-Man gets out of prison.

You might have noticed that this story mirrors Batman: Under the Red Hood. Kid sidekick is killed and returns years later as a villain wearing the guise of the man that killed him. I'm sure this trope has been used before, but I thought this was a fun coincidence.

This book is goofy hero satire in the vein of something like The Tick. The art is comical and the absurdity very entertaining. Fight-Man is such a man baby that it's ridiculous. He thinks he can punch his way through life. However, he's also nominally a hero. For example he can't punch a woman because of the "hero code." He does get around this with the help of a sharpie and cognitive dissonance.

If you run a supers game, you could have a great session involving your players trying to stop Fight-Man (or a Fight-Man-esque character) from causing too much collateral damage, or at least helping citizens caught in the crossfire. If you're running a Carbide City game, the stats for Adam the First Man would be appropriate for Fight-Man.  

Lightning Man #4 Review

I’m a big fan Leighton Conner’s Lightning Man. You can read my review of issue #1 here. I reviewed issues #2 and 3 in this post and updated my 5e stats for him. Last week my copy of issue #4 arrived.

Issue #4 is primarily a flashback issue. Blake and Marisol have lunch with Marvo the Magician, a magical little creature named Tito, and his husband, Benjamin. During lunch Marvo regales Blake with tales of past superheroics. He also revealed that Blake is the great grandson of Lash Lightning's partner, Lightning Girl. After hearing this tale, Blake realized his great grandmother might still be alive and he vows to find her. The comic ends with an epilogue the Mummy having been captured and coerced into serving the mysterious Nullifidian.

Once again I love Leighton's artwork and knack for telling classic superhero tales. This issue in particular featured several public domain characters which is always cool to see. I highly recommend you check out Lightning Man and am posting purchase links below.

• Lightning Man #1
• Lightning Man #2
• Lightning Man #3
• Lightning Man #4
• Lightning Man #1-4 Combo Pack

Inked In Blood Review

The only thing America loves more than violence is being angry about violence, every night at 8:00 PM on the dot.

This is a follow up to Thursday's post about Ice Nine Kills. Inked In Blood is a graphic novel that bridges the story between The Silver Scream and Welcome To Horrorwood: The Silver Scream 2.

INK's lead vocalist, Spencer Charnas, created the concept and the story was written by Steven Foxe. The art was created by Andres Esparza and Phillip Sevy. 

The stories protagonist is Heather, an Ice Nine Kills superfan. She's got tickets to see them and is ecstatic. Unfortunately Heather's mother forbids her from going. The reason? INK's lead singer, Spencer, has been charged with the murder of his fiancé and she is leading the investigation. 

Heather, who's bullied for her obsession with the band, decided to unite with other INK fans in support of Spencer. Their efforts prove to be deadly as they find themselves trapped in Heather's high school as a killer stalks them.  There are suspects and fakeouts. 

The story is broken down into easily digestible chapters. The story is full of horror tropes that any INK or horror fan will enjoy. The story plays out like a classic slasher mystery. Violent media and its effect of people is definitely a big topic in the story. There are even references to Tipper Gore and the PMRC. This one is a fun read for any fan of the genre, but will definitely be enjoyed by Ice Nine Kills fans.    

You can order your copy here. You can also preorder the sequel.

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I wanted to post some game related goodness, so I've going to stat out the story's protagonist Heather. Looking through What Shadows Hide, We Die Young, and Bloody Appalachia, the Final Girl class from Bloody Appalachia seemed most appropriate. Given the events of the story, I'd say she's earned a level. 

Heather Thompson

Class/Level: Final Girl 2

Alignment: Good

STR: 10 (+0)
INT: 13 (+1)
WIS: 12 (+1)
DEX: 16 (+2)
CON: 15 (+1)
CHA: 14 (+1)
SUR: 17

Courage: 14

Critical: 14
Death: 12

Magic: 8
Mental: 13
Poison: 6

AC: 13

HP: 19

Toughness: +2

Initiative: +3

Move: 12

Attack Bonus

+0 to hit melee

+2 to hit range

+1 to hit with punches and kicks

Damage

Unarmed 1

Ice Pick 1d4-1

Skills:

Athletics: Basic 1 (+0)

Art & Music 1 (+1)

Dancing 1 (+2)

Fighting: Brawling 

First Aid 1 (+1)

Investigation 2 (+2)

Knowledge: General 1 (+1)

Knowledge: Law 1 (+1)

Persuasion 1 (+1)

Stealth 2 (+3)

Traits:

Advantage on first SUR reroll each day

Advantage on Madness checks

Used improvised weapons with no penalty

+1 against Intimidate checks

+2 to Spot and Listen

Gear: Ice Nine Kills clothing, Spencer Charnas mask, ice pick, library card

VtM: Winter's Teeth #10

Issue #10 had me engrossed the entire time. Ali's treachery is revealed and Cecily has to deal with her by committing the most grievous of vampiric sins. There is some fantastic action and gore. Calder and Fairfax's use of thaumaturgy is horrific and many members of the Mortician's Army are slaughtered. When the dust settles Cecily is made Prince of the city. 

The Anarch's regroup. While trying to flee the city they are nearly killed by hunters. If not for the timely arrival of some werewolves, they'd have been dusted.

The game material featured is four new thin-blood alchemy creations. 

I realize that I didn't go into as much detail with this one. It's not that it was a bad issue, quite the contrary, it was a fantastic one. I just knew I'd not be able to give it's due if I broke it down scene by scene. Winter's Teeth was a fantastic series. I am excited to found out that there is a three issue follow-up series. 

You can grab the Winter's Teeth finale here. 

VtM: Winter's Teeth #9

The action just keeps ramping up. The Mortician's Army attacks the Camarilla towers. Many kindred are killed. Fairfax releases Erin Runningbear. Calder seems to be gravely wounded. Cecily wakes up and takes out many hunters, while search for the others. She finds Calder, who admits that he killed Prince Samantha, but that it was out of love not malice. Cecily says she understands and she gives him blood to heal. It's revealed that while she called the hunters to the tower, Ali has no love for them and just wants power. 

Hunter's chase young vampires in the sewers in The Anarch's Tale Part 9. They kill one, but the second is saved by King Rat and an army of killer rodents. He's then joined by Priscilla, who appears to have come to the city to save her warn and/or save her pack.

The new game material is a loresheet for the Mortician's army and two new types of coteries.

This is another action packed issue. It's a full on war inside the Camarilla tower. There are several cool fights and some fantastic use of vampire powers, especially Tremere blood magic. Only one issue left and I can't wait to see Cecily and Ali face off.

Grab issue #9 here.

VtM: Winter's Teeth #8

Cecily learns of Irma's death and realizes that Elana would be the person to silence her. She goes to Elena's home for retribution, only to find she's dead. Carfax, Calder, Ali, and the rest of the court are there. After a confrontation, Cecily and Ali are tasked to avenge Elana's death. Cecily gets Ali to reveal the truth as she heads to a mortuary. She plans on laying a trap for the Mortician's Army, but Ali turns on her. In The Anarch's Tale Part 8, the hunter ghouled by Priscilla recounts the origins of the Mortician's Army. We see the night he was attacked and how his wife was killed. The issues ends with the ghoul be killed by the reverend Priscilla took her to see. Priscilla is saddened by the ghoul's death, as she promised to protect her. 

The crunchy bits include stats Toreador Erin Runningbear. While she's currently imprisoned by Calder, she may play a larger role in the future story.

Holy shit a lot happened in this issue. Carfax shows the power of his blood sorcery by basically turning Elan's husband to blood and absorbing him. Cecily's confrontation with Ali was intense. It was well written and definitely kept my interest. The origin of the Mortician's Army is sad and also shows that while they are the villains of the story, the hunter's cause is just. This complexity carries over with Priscilla's remorse for getting her ghouled hunter killed.

If you want to read issue #8 you can get a copy of DriveThruRPG here.

VtM: Winter's Teeth #7

Surprisingly, Cecily only appears in the very beginning. The Winter's Teeth segment of the issue focuses on Ali, Calder, and a Cull. There is a tradition in the Camarilla in which mortals that have been exposed to vampire society are killed. In order to appease a high ranking member of his Clan, Calder orders one. The mortals are medical professionals, ex-lovers, a few potential hunters, and Cecily's sister's nurse, Irma. Ali negotiates for Irma's releases, but in the end is forced to kill her to safe the life of the child of suspected hunter. She is then told she must kill the child anyway and show proof. She appears to do so, though we never see it happen and she tosses the boy's ear to Calder. The elder, Carfax arrives in the Twin Cities and notes his friend, Elana is never late. In the final panel we see Elana captured and the revelation that the boy not only is alive, but also the hunter!

In The Anarch's Tale Part 7 we find out that Colleen is having a great time. She is working at a dinner called Red's Brewing. Here she learns about Thin-Blood Alchemy, a new power in the 5th edition of the game. She tests a new formula and while it initially appears to do nothing, it's later revealed to have temporarily stopped time (or at least appeared so). We also see that someone is secretly monitory her and the restaurant. The game stats connect back to the anarchs and we get game stats for Colleens sire, the Gangrel Mitch Pendergrass. 

This was definitely a bombshell issue. I didn't expect anything that happened (other than assuming that Ali didn't actually kill the boy). While it's possible this happened because she has a kind heart, the child is shown to have a bloody hammer, the symbol of the Mortician's Army and it's quite possible she knew who he was. I can't wait to find out.

Snag issue #7 here.

VtM: Winter's Teeth #6

The second arc of Winter's Teeth seems to be focusing on the true nature of Ali. Cecily reveals some of her history to see if there are any tells. She also agrees to lend Ali to an extremely nervous Calder. She confronts Erin Runninbear before leaving and Erin reveals that she knows the only reason she hasn't been given the final death is because of Cecily. She also reveals that she will have her revenge. She goes to a club that's frequented by hunters and is attacked (though not by the person she expected). The hunter doesn't recognize Ali from a picture Cecily shows her, but does recognize what she's holding in it. She then tells Cecily the story of the Mortician's Army, before being killed. Cecily does some soul searching and starts to miss Ali, before she discovers the hammer Ali's been hiding and feels the sting of betrayal. The Anarch's Tale Part 6 focuses on Mitch, who's in the woods hunting. He reminisces about the time that he and his pack (which included Cecily at the time), were unstoppable Sabbat hunters. His journey down memory lane ends when he encounters a werewolf!   

Another of the Twin Cities' inner circle is discussed. This time we learn about the Malkavian known as Mother Joe.

I honestly feel bad for Cecily. Sure she's done some bad things, but as far as vampires go, she seems like a good person. Her struggle with learning about Ali is kind of heartbreaking, especially when she finds the hammer at the end. I don't have much to say about the Anarch part of the issue. It was cool, but not groundbreaking. It was cool to see a werewolf though!

You can get your own copy of the issue here.

VtM: Winter's Teeth #5

Issue #4 starts with Cecily and Ali catching up to the two Anarchs that attacked them, taking them out, and getting important information about the truth. The spend most of the issue evading other kindred seeking to Diablerize them. They do so using explosives, a big ass sniper rifle, and the aid of the Nosferatu (who believe Cecily has empathy and compassion). Finally the pair confront Calder, who's holding Cecily's sister hostage. She reveals to Calder that it was Erin Runningbear that had the Prince Killed, not her. They strike a bargain in which Calder calls off the Blood Hunt, doesn't kill Runningbear, and agrees to make Ali his envoy to the Anarch's (making her untouchable). Cecily and Ali have a heart to heart. The story ends with Cecily going to her quiet secluded spot. Looking at Arlen's files, she learns that Ali is the daughter of a hunter. This leads right into The Anarch's Tale Part 5 as she is then joined by King Rat. It's revealed that the two are still close, even though they don't run in the same pack anymore. King lets her know their pack has disbanded. Mitch and Colleen discuss their embrace and part ways. Priscilla and her new ghouled hunter meet up at a religious service. It's show the minister has rattle snakes, which supports my Ministry believe about her. Finally King Rat warns her about Ali and mentions Cecily's sire, which angers her. The issue ends with a solitary and hungry Colleen talking with a new group (who's leader, Desmond, she recognizes). 

Of course we're presented with game bits. Another member of Prince Samantha's court, the Toreador Jim Gerswhin is given stats and discussed. Finally there's a portrait of the court. 

This is the finally of the series first arc. I honestly didn't expect the Blood Hunt to only last an issue and the mystery to get solved so quickly. I'm not disappointed, just didn't see it coming so quickly. The revelation that Ali might not be who she says she is surprised me (though maybe it shouldn't). I'm curious if Colleen is going to be the focus of the continued Anarch's Tales or if it will shift between the group. 

Grab issue #5 here.

VtM: Winter's Teeth #4

Issue 4 sees Cecily and Ali searching for Prince Samantha's killer. The pair begin by interviewing the Prince's inner circle. We are introduced to Mother Joe, Jim Gershwin, Bosch Singh, and Elena Kowalksi. While Cecily believes Ali is being naïve in her interrogation, but she actually plays off the group well and deciphers than none of them have knowledge of the Prince's death. The pair head to the secret haven of the reclusive know-it-all shut-in Arlen Haight. Just as they are about to learn more information, Height is killed by his own Anarch bodyguards.  The story ends with the Tremere Calder calling a Blood Hunt on Cecily and Ali. The Anarch Stories Part 4 picks up with the group at a motel. King Rat shares information with the group about recent events happening in the Twin Cities and informs them their contact, Mr. Hate, has been killed. We see more parts of the story intertwining with Mr. Hate actually being Arlen Haight. Colleen mentions Cecily, which lets us know that she is the other woman in the group that she mentioned when in Part I of the story. The rest of the story focuses on Priscilla as she shares her origin story and blood bonds a still living hunter. The last panel reveals she has as serpent like tongue which leads me to believe she is from the Ministry (rebranded Followers of Set) rather than the Toreador. 

The game content for this issue is stats and background on two members of Prince Samantha's court, the Gangrel Bosche Singh and the Ventrue Elena Kowalksa.

This issue focused on how you can't really trust anyone in VtM. Haight is killed by hire retainers. Cecily scolds Ali for looking weak and says that she would have been dusted if it hadn't been for her acting as guardian. Finally in the Anarch story we learn that Priscilla is hiding her true nature from the group. Overall this is another great issue in the series.

Snag Winter's Teeth #4 here today.

VtM: Winter's Teeth #3

Issue 3 of Winter's Teeth ramps up the intrigue. While investigating the deaths of Ms. Sphinc and her brothers, Ali finds the jump drive the nosferatu were given. The jump drive leads back to Cordell who's being tortured by the hunters. These aren't just ordinary hunters though, they are the Wolves in Sheep's Clothing, ghouls who cannibalize parts of vampires to gain their disciplines. There's a cool fight between Cecily, Ali, and the Wolves. We get to see Celerity, Potence, and Dominate in action. After the fight the pair head to Primegon Calder Wendt's penthouse. Calder, a tremere, has appeared in previous issues and seems to be Cecily's main contact. The story ends with news that Prince Samantha has been killed and an image of her decapitated corpse.

This part of of Winter's Teeth is action packed. The fight with the Wolves in Sheep's Clothing is great. It's also cool to see Ali take a more active role. She's able to crack the jump drive and also save Cecily, who's being dominated by one of the ghouls. We also see some more advancement of Cecily's character. She's acknowledged that she's using Ali to replace the mortal sister that's grown old on her.

The Anarch's Tales Part 3 focuses on King Rat. We learn that King was a short African American kid who grew up in the 60's and enlisted in the marines. He was a tunnel rat because of his size and it was while going through an enemy tunnel that he encounter the nosferatu that sired him. In the present day he uses his abilities to help free his friends, with some help from Coleen who uses her disciplines to affect the hunters' dog.  

There is some crunchy bits in this issue. We get a Wolves in Sheep's Clothing loresheet. While I don't see many players playing one, this loresheet presents ties to the group. For example, the four dot feature, A Wolf In The Fold, allows you to spy on a Wolf that's victimized you. We're given actual stats for a sample Wolf. There are four new powers, each tied to a different discipline. Finally there is a nosferatu only loresheet related to the Niktuku. These are nosferatu boogey man and characters with this loresheet has ties and learns how to face the cannibalistic nosferatu legends.

I think the Wolves in Sheep's Clothing are a great addition to the World of Darkness. They are a creepy Frankenstein-ghoul hybrid. I also really like King's backstory. I was sad to see Prince Samantha be killed, but the story has definitely been heading in that direction, so it wasn't a surprise. I was surprised that the hunters in the different stories don't seem to be connected. Then again maybe they are and the Wolves are a red herring.

Grab your pdf of issue three on DriveThruRPG.

VtM: Winter's Teeth #2

Issue #2 continues where issue #1 left off. We are officially introduced to Prince Samantha of the Twin Cities and her council. Cecily lies an introduces Alejandra as her childe. Ali, as Cecily calls her, is different and learns she must take blood directly from human prey. She can't keep animal blood and blood bags down. Cecily leads her on her first hunt, having her target a drug dealer. After feeding and killing the dealer, she also shows Ali that he was the only one that looked after her daughter. This less hurts Ali, but teaches her that good or bad, in the end people are just trying to survive. We catch a flashback to Cecily's embrace and her kneeling before something with glowing red eyes peering out through the darkness. There is a bit of intrigue as Cordell Block, who's girlfriend Cecily killed in the previous issue, is hands over a flash drive with important information about the Prince and her plans to a nosferatu hacker named Sphinc. After he leaves, Sphinc and her compatriots are killed by three individuals using night vision goggles. This leads to Cecily getting a call that vampires have been killed by hunters. 

Tim Seely and Devmalya Pramanik continue to do a great job presenting the World of Darkness. Seely's characters are interesting and feel like they come from a WoD sourcebook. Premanik's artwork is fantastic. I'm looking forward to learning who these hunters are, because their symbol isn't one I'm familiar with.

The Anarch's Tale story begins with a flashback Mitch, Colleen's sire, and his embrace. The story flashes between that time and the current, with anarchs stopping at an abandoned rest area. In the past we see Mitch and several others are kidnapped and fed upon by some vampires, who then throw them in a pit and bury them. The vampires speak Latin as they do so. Anyone familiar with VtM realize this is a Sabbat pack performing rites. Mitch is the only survivor He digs his way out and finds he's alone. Back in the present a van approaches the group. Hunters hop out, shoot Priscila, and refer to Colleen as Renfield. They throw her in the van, where we see they've already got Mitch. 

While this story is shorter, Tini and Black Howard are telling an interesting story. Once again, Nathan Gooden's art is phenomenal and close enough to the Winter's Teeth art to not be a jarring shift. It was cool to see Sabbat. My one complaint is there is no segue between stories in this issue and "The Anarch Tale Part 2" title is on the second page of the story. Seeing as both stories contain hunters, we're seeing the stories threads start to slowly connect.

The issue ends with two new loresheets. In Vampire the Masquerade 5e loresheets are merits that you can take at character creation. You can typically only have one and they are connections to areas, people, and organizations. They have a 1-5 rating like most merits and provide some interesting bonuses and features. They are a godsend to a storyteller because they have built-in in character plot hooks. The first loresheet focuses on Minneapolis, which is the anarch side of the Twin Cities. You gain ties to the cities rebellious past. The St. Paul loresheet grants ties to the Camarilla and features elements tied to the cities criminal history. 

This was another great issue. The combination of intriguing story, fantastic art, and new game material is a win. You can grab the issue in pdf here. 

VtM: Winter's Teeth #1

The World of Darkness is calling to me again. At some point I want to pick up the newly released Werewolf the Apocalypse, Hunter the Reckoning, and Vampire the Masquerade. Of the three, Vampire is probably the first I'll with. In order to get into the proper mindset I've decided to finish reading the Winter's Teeth comic and review the issues. Each issue actually features two different stories that run concurrently. 

The main (titular) story is Winter's Teeth. It is written by Tim Seely and drawn by Devmalya Pramanik. The issue begins with an unknown vampire fleeing form something and running and leaping on to a train. We then jump to Minneapolis. The twin cities is the setting of Winter's Teeth. We're introduced to our protagonist, Cecily Bain, a Brujah that serves the prince of the city. She coldly enforces the Masquerade, sending a message to vampires of the Twin Cities. She then introduces us to the World of Darkness and name drops the major us settings of the setting: LA, Chicago, and New York. The Twin Cities are united under one prince, but there are rumblings among the kindred that the city should be divided. Cecily then visits her aging sister who suffer from Alzheimer's. She then encounters the mysterious fledging from the beginning. After a quick fight, she takes the vampire, Alejandra, back to her place. After interrogating her she finds the young vampire is probably a caitiff and knows nothing of her sire or vampires. The two appear to be forming a bond as the story ends with Alejandra getting into Cecily's bed.

While I haven't played the game in MANY years, this felt like a VtM story to me. I'm wondering if Seely played in the past because he's nailed the vibe. Cecily is a great protagonist because she's tough and her own person. She works with the Camarilla, but doesn't follow them blindly, giving her an anarch/independent edge too. The art is fantastic, as are the literarry threads. Cecily and Alejandra broth sing the poem, The Old Oaken Bucket, by Samuel Woodworth.

The second story, The Anarch Tales, is written by Tini and Blake Howard. It's illustrated by Nathan Gooden. Though it's done by a different artist, it feels the same as Winter's Teeth and not out of place. The protagonist of this story is Colleen Pendergrass. Colleen is a thin-blooded, and while she has now disciplines or thin-blood sorcery, she can walk around in the sun (though it does give her some discomfort. In this tale we are introduced to her coterie of unaligned vampires. They are the nosferatu, King Rat, who judging by his outfit was a soldier. There's Priscilla, a beautiful vampire that's probably a toreador. Finally there's Colleen's ex-husband and sire, Mitch. When we meet Mitch he's in a wolf/dog form so I assume he's a gangrel. The story ends with the group making their way to the Twin Cities for a job. The final panel shows they're being watched by a presumed hunter (as he refers to them as blood-suckers).

The Anarch Tales is short as sweet. It shows the other side of of vampire society and these characters seem more relatable. I'm definitely interested in seeing where the story goes and if it (presumably) connects to Winter's Teeth more directly. 

One of the fantastic things about these comics is they come with game related content to for Vampire the Masquerade 5th Edition. In this issue with get playable character loresheets for the two protagonists, Cecily Bain and Colleen Pendergrass.

At a 3.99 cover price, Winter's Teeth is a great book. You get to interesting stories and usable game content based on them. You can purchase issue 1 on DrivethruRPG here or get it for free by following the instructions on this page. Stayed tuned for reviews of issues 2-10.

X-Factor Review (No, Not That One)

This post has nothing to do with a certain team of mutants in Marvel Comics or UK music show. Today I'm going to do something I don't normally do and review a digital fan comic. X-Factor is a crossover comic by Ben Royce (aka Spookylolly).

The comic begins with the Power Puff Girls heading to stop a villain that's attacking Townsville. They soon find Homelander stealing Chemical X from Mojo Jojo. The powerhouses fight with Homelander getting the upper hand. Luckily for the girls they are saved by the timely intervention of Superman. With renewed vigor the trio take out Homelander and save the day.

Yes this is a goofy premise and there is definitely a style clash, but it's honestly a lot of fun. It's great to see whole heroes kick Homelander's ass. If you'd like to read the comic you can grab it digitally from Ben's Gumroad page. The 12 page comic is presented in two ways. There is a pdf and then also a folder with individual images comic and bonus epilogue page, as well as 12 bonus images (some of which are related to the story and some not). In one image the Power Puff Girls origin for this world is updated and it's pretty fantastic (and tied to the Venture Brothers). There's also a panel of what I hope is the sequel comic which sees Clark take on Omni-Man 

At 2 bucks, this one is worth the price of admission. Remember if you want to use Homelander in your 5e game and do your own crossover, stats can be found here. 

Lightning Man #2 and #3 Review

Lightning Man is an independent superhero comics written and illustrated by my friend Leightnon Conor. As you can probably tell by th epic, it comes in digest size, rather than typical comic dimensions. The series is about Blake Robinson, a young man from Queen City, Ohio stuck by mystic lightning and granted superpowers. You can read my review of issue 1 here. Today I'm going to talk about issues 2 and 3.

Issue 2 focus on a fight between Lightning Man and cyborg nazi, Silver-Styke and the inner dialogue Blake is having during the fight. I like the fact that he's a socially conscious young man it shows with his commentary on the police that are watching the fight. The issue is an excellent mix of action and an examination of our young protagonist, who he really is, and why he does what he does.  Honestly, I think it's my favorite issue so far. 

Issue 3 starts connecting Lightning Man's tale to the past and great world. We see flashbacks to WWII and Blake's grandmother, Isobel. There is also mention of a hero that wore the symbol that gave Blake his powers. We're presented with panels of Blake interacting with his best friend and costume designer, Marisol. He fights a few villains and even teams up with the leader of the Supernova Six. He finally gets the courage to ask out his crush. The pair have an interaction and Blake shows his true character. The issue ends with Blake meeting a friend of his grandmother's, Marvo the Magician, who brings a dire warning.

I am really enjoying Lighting Man. Leighton has created a wholesome and hopeful superhero story, something of a rarity these days. The artwork is fun and there's some nice world building involved. I appreciate Leighton bringing in superheroes from the public domain. I'm really interested in seeing where the story goes. 

Use the links below to get your own copies of Lightning Man.

Issue #1

Issue #2

Issue #3

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My review of issue 1 included stats for Lightning Man. I've been updating those stats as more issues are released. I've decided to include the most up to date version here. 

Code Name: Lightning Man

Real Name: Blake Robinson

Team Affiliations: -

Medium Humanoid, Lawful Good

Armor Class: 16 (Dex, Costume, Static Field)

Hit Points: 76 (8d8+40)

Speed: 30 ft.

Challenge: 3 (700 XP)

Str 20 (+5) Dex 16 (+3) Con 20 (+5) Int 15 (+2) Wis 13 (+1) Cha 12 (+1)

Saving Throws: Con +5, Int +4

Skills: Insight +3, Perception +3, 

Damage Immunity: lightning

Senses: Perception 13

Languages: English

Traits

Regeneration: Lightning Man regains 10 hit points are the start of his turn if he has at least 1 hit point remaining.

Actions

Multiattack:  Lightning Man makes two Lighting Punch of Kraka-Zap! attacks.

Lightning Punch: Melee Attack. +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d4+5) bludgeoning damage plus 3 (1d6) lightning damage.

Kraka-Zap!: Ranged Weapon Attack. +5 to hit, range 50/150 ft., one target, Hit: 12 (2d8+3) lightning damage. 

Kraka-Boom! (Recharge 5-6): Ranged Weapon Attack. +3 to hit, range 50/100 ft., one target, Hit: 39 (8d8+3) lightning damage and adjacent creatures must make a DC 13 Constitution save. They take 12 (2d8+3) lightning damage, half of that on a successful save. 

Marvel Tsum Tsum: Takeover! Review

Today I'm going to talk about a surprisingly good miniseries I picked up, Marvel Tsum Tsum: Takeover!.

Tsum Tsum are little stuffed characters that look kind of like guinea pigs. I've seen Marvel and Disney characters Tsum Tsum form. Since Marvel and Disney had a deal with the toy line, there was a four issue crossover comic in 2017. At the same time, many Marvel titles had variant Tsum Tsum covers. I grabbed the trade for it for 2.99 at Ollie's recently and it's really fun and entertaining.

The story begins with a space trucker running through a Guardians of the Galaxy blockade to deliver a package to the Collector. The truck gets damaged and the package lands on top of an apartment in NYC. It's contents, the Tsum Tsum, are discovered by three kids superhero obsessed kids. After seeing video of heroes, they copy them (taking the familiar Tsum Tsum appearances) and start performing heroics. Unfortunately one of the little aliens is alien constructs is captured by the kids' grouchy neighbor, who is secretly the villain Looter. Looter turns the Tsum Tsum bad by making it watch clips of villains it copies the appearance of Ultron. It then makes copies, that then copy other villains. An encounter with an Ultron drone later turns into an encounter with the real Ultron, the Avengers, and the Collector.

I know this comic was just advertisement, but the art is fun, I like stories about the regular people in superhero worlds, and the story in cute. It's also interesting when obscure villains, like Looter, are brought back. Is this miniseries amazing. Nope, but is is adorable and fun? Heck yeah! If you want something different than grim dark and stories with epic consequences, check this one out. It will remind you that comics can be fun.

Tsum Tsum 

Tiny Construct, Any 

Armor Class: 16

Hit Points: 30

Speed: 20 ft., Fly 30

Challenge:  1/2 (100 XP)

Str 10 (+0) Dex 6 (+3) Con 12 (+1) Int 10 (+0) Wis 10 (+0) Cha 18 (+4)

Saving Throws: Cha +5

Senses: darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10

Languages: Understand all languages, only speak Tsum/Emoji

Unique Traits

Copy: The Tsum Tsum can take on characteristics of another creature. It gains traits/actions similar to the creature but to a less magnitude (for example an attack that normally does 2d6 would only do 1d6). This trait can also increase stats, armor, movement, etc. The Tsum Tsum always keeps it's proficiency bonus of +2 though.

Actions

Tackle: Melee Weapon Attack +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., (one target), Hit: 2 (1d4) bludgeoning damage.

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Master Your Task Series

(Wondrous item, uncommon)

Master Your Task is a videotape series created by Taskmaster in order to make extra cash and fleece low level criminals. Originally 29.99 a tape, they are now hard to find and considered collector's items. Each volume covers a different subject and is tied to a skill. Any character can take a short rest to to watch a volume. At the completion of the rest, the viewer gains a one time bonus of +1d4 to the skill associated with the tape. If they do not use this bonus before they take a long rest it is lost. Once a character gains this bonus, they can never gain the bonus from that particular tape.

A. Bizarro Review

A. Bizarro is another of the dollar box miniseries I recently picked up. Written by Steve Gerber (creator of Man-Thing and Howard the Duck) and illustrated by Mark Bright (known for his work with Power Man and Iron Fist, Icon, and G.I. Joe), the series introduces and focuses on a new character, Al Bizarro. Al is the clone of a former Lexcorp employee named Al Beezer. He was a test clone in the post-Crisis on Infinite Earth's version of Bizarro. Al was placed in suspended animation and forgotten. He eventually gets loose and because of flashes of memory, meets up with Al. Beezer, a shell of the man he was, the newly waking Bizarro is urged by Beezer to do the opposite of what he did. Given Al's Bizarro-brain, he attempted to kill himself (choosing death instead of living like Beezer) and was saved by Superman. He then has a Forest Gump style adventure which includes:

• Meeting a homeless conman named Wolfie
• Encountering the Guardian
• Getting recaptured by LexCorp
• Finding a Boom Tube and being teleported to Apokolips
• Being give to Granny Goodness and meeting a Female Fury in training, Seera.
• Escaping Granny's orphanage with Seera (a feat previously thought impossible and only done by Mr. Miracle)
• Starting a rock band with Seera playing apocalute and Wolfie acting as manager
• Being seen as property of Lexcorp and having his assets and self attempted to be siezed
• Boom Tube'd into a South American country where he joins up some rebels
• Joining the rebels and Superman (who also happens to be their doing a story on an exploitative coffee company owned by Lexcorp) and freeing the nation.
• Turning down leadership of the nation to be with the rebel leaders younger sister and starting a family (because unlike normal LexCorp Bizarro's he is able to breed with humans). Seera becomes the head of the military. Wolfie becomes the nation's economic leader.

This story was a blast. Al is a fun character. The scenarios are amusing and the story is full of heart. Al Bezeer is a man who didn't live up to his potential. His clone, Al Bizarro, is a man with no potential that does amazing things. If you're a fan of DC and want something a little different (perhaps even Bizarro), I'd try to find this one. It was never collected, but the issues aren't expesnive. 

Name: Al Bizarro

Team Affiliation: None

Medium Humanoid (Bizarro), Chaotic Good

Armor Class: 18 (Natural) 

Hit Points: 50

Speed: 30 ft., fly 60 ft.

Challenge: 2 (450 XP)

Str 14 (+2) Dex 10 (+0) Con 20 (+5) Int 8 (-1) Wis 8 (-1) Cha 16 (+3)

Saving Throw: Con +7

Damage Resistances: Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from nonmagical attacks

Skills: Athletics +4, Persuasion +5, Perform +5

Senses: Passive Perception 9

Languages: English

Traits

Inorganic Physiology: Al takes no damage from falling. He regains 10 HP at the start of his turn as long as he has 1 HP remaining. Al is immune to effects based on pain and cannot be intimidated by torture.

Actions

Unarmed: Melee Weapon Attack. +4 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target, Hit: 4 (1d4+2) bludgeoning damage.

Equipment: Aero Discs (grant fly speed 60'), Mother Box