Available to purchase on Amazon USA or through your local game store through special order
The battle of the titans, or rather Elder Gods has begun! The question of which H.P. Lovecraft inspired tabletop board game is better needs to be asked. When Petersen Games and CMON are dealing out destruction in an unearthly scale, the challenge lays more in which sculpt is better. My money is with neither. Cthulhu is an unwieldy creation that’s hard to realize in any visual format; the author wrote:
A monster of vaguely anthropoid outline, but with an octopus-like head whose face was a mass of feelers, a scaly, rubbery-looking body, prodigious claws on hind and fore feet, and long, narrow wings behind.
This week is a time for many cultures to make be merry. Whether it’s with Solstice, Hanukah or Christmas or another tradition, it really does not matter. Some may even prefer to cozy up with a good book to read instead. That’s what I normally do when the rest of the world is ready to hunker down for the holidays (and play video games). I marvelled at how well put together SCI The Jewish Comics Anthology Volume 2 is.
The writing and artwork by all the various contributors (David Mack, Ty Templeton and Michael Norwitz are just a sampling of the 26 talents recruited), make this collection a worthwhile add to any science fiction enthusiasts collection. I also had the opportunity to speak with Andy Stanleigh, the President of Alternate History Comics Inc who published this series.
I see on Amazon, the first volume encompasses various genres–from adventure to horror. Why make volume two all about science fiction?
Volume one was unique in that it was, at the time, one of the largest collections of Jewish-themed comic book works. It included original stories and republished works by some of the largest creators in the industry–Will Eisner, Art Spiegelman, Robert Crumb, and even a story originally edited by Stan Lee.
In the years since, with the resurgence of Star Trek, Star Wars and other sci-fi properties in mainstream media (and of course, in all the decades prior), “sci-fi” has become a category by itself, which contains sub-genres of romance, horror, comedy, drama, etc. Within the genre of sci-fi, many stories can be told. This was the connecting thread that we were looking for when planning Volume 2.
I’m not sure which version of Cleopatra should appreciate more–the sci-fi action Cleopatra 2525 or animated Cleopatra in Space. Both involve the titular character getting thrown to the future with a despot wanting to rule the galaxy. Problem is, neither are ready to be involved in an ongoing conflict. The former is campy pulp action style fun in the style of Hercules The Legendary Adventures or Xena Warrior Princess. Jennifer Sky (who played the titular character) continued working in Hollywood after this series, but she never got that breakout role which would take her to the brightest stars.
Love Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker or hate it, anyone who has seen this film by now are likely talking about the what the heck moments in this film. I’m sure J.J. Abrams had his back to the wall with higher-ups saying here’s what we need and you can fill in the blanks. Retconning the stuff fans did or did not like in the films prior were the least of his problems. Making a finale to a massive property this big is not easy.
Massive spoilers are ahead, as I have to bring up my top seven list of moments / leaps in narrative that made little sense (sometimes unless you happen to know the lore inside and out) from the final film of the Skywalker saga. I’m ignoring science as we know it, otherwise that crazy siege (spoiler tape) would not ever happen.
This weekend, all eyes are on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. This chapter is a mystery because nobody but writers J.J. Abrams and Chris Terrio knows what this tagline really means. Delivering freedom across the galaxy against the tyrannical First Order now led by Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) requires more than the Resistance making the last stand. Anyone looking at the Wikipedia for a summary will get the movie spoiled big time. Don’t look.
Speculation included the rise of a new order of Force users or introducing a new individual who is either a lost Skywalker or a random individual just as powerful with this mystical art. The last film by Rian Johnson is special in that regard. It put the power to the everyman. Ray was a Nobody. Her heritage did not matter. The final frame showed a very young boy having the power too, and hope will always lie with a new generation.
Speculation on who Ray is the daughter of is rampant because part of the fandom wants closure. I had other expectations and am still left scratching my head because of a few oddball moments.
By Ed Sum
By Ed Sum