No Mystery to Magic

The Information Age has brought about many changes in our lives, even in the most unexpected areas.  Magic the Gathering is no exception and the Internet has deeply affected the experience of playing the game.  No, I'm not referring to the handful of digitized versions of MTG out there, I mean the collectible card game available at your favorite local comic shop. ;p

In the early days of Magic, a casual player (Planeswalker in the MTG mythos) would buy decks or packs of cards not always knowing what to expect.  Sure, there were a few things you heard about from a friend and were hoping to get, but in large part, each set of card pack held a bit more mystery than today.  With the advent of Internet spoilers, every card is exposed ahead of time.  It's a bit like peeking into your parents' closet to see your presents.  You can pretend to be surprised when you open them, but you've still robbed them of the chance to witness the real thing.

Why does this matter?  Well, if you decide to try out the "sealed deck" or "draft" formats of Magic, the difference is obvious.  The idea behind playing the aforementioned game types is to highlight strategy and adaptability.  When you have a "preview" of the full set, you get to make plans and contingency plans ahead of time.  Not only that, but it makes some players dissatisfied with the contents of their pack simply because they didnt' pull the hottest card in the set.  If they didn't see what they don't have, they might appreciate what they do and learn to use it.  Rather than facing variations of the same combos, we might see more creativity out there. I'm not saying it makes Magic any worse, but like peeking at presents, it dampens the experience.

Imagine the pulling this card without prior knowledge of it re-emerging from the previous Mirrodin block.  Now imagine your opponents' faces when you play it.  Don't get me wrong, I'm one of the multitudes of players scouring the Internet for the earliest clues of what's coming down the pipeline.  I know it's impossible to put the genie back in the bottle, but it's still nice to think of a time when people had to really think on their feet.

That being said, Scars of Mirrodin, the newest set of Magic is due out on October 1 and looks to be a dynamic and fresh set.  With new mechanics infect, metalwork, and proliferate, there are too many reasons to give this set a try.







- Ryan

Indie Feature: Shadoweyes

For a few years now Ross Campbell has been quietly cranking out unique stories of young women, horror, and general weirdness.  His singular artwork and deceptively understated writing style has been showcased in the zombie GN the Abandoned, Minx's YA title Water Baby, and the Twin-Peaks-by-way-of-art-school Wet Moon, as well as guest spots on a number of Image and Oni Press titles .  His newest work, the dystopic superhero series Shadoweyes, is out now on Slave Labor Graphics!

It's an unspecified year in the future, and the city of Dranac is a grubby, overcrowded, labyrinthine metropolis populated by people for whom genetic anomalies and health issues are the norm.  Mopey teen Scout and her best friend Kyesha have responded to the moral and environmental squalor by developing strong social consciences; unsatisfied with the level of crime prevention their neighborhood watch group is providing, they resolve to start their own task force.  Their first effort ends badly, however: Scout is hospitalized with a head injury, which becomes the catalyst for her transformation into something much much stranger. 

One apparent Shadoweyes influence is Eastman and Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, where because of their inhuman appearances the heroes are separated from the very society they've sworn to protect.  Campbell approaches this conflict, as well as trickier questions about morality and responsibility, with a certain fearlessness- there aren't many easy answers here.  It's also nice to see a cast that's both predominantly female and predominantly non-white, without any semblance of tokenism, and refreshing that our heroine's character design deliberately avoids the oversexualization to which many distaff superhero titles unfortunately fall prey. 

A sequel, Shadoweyes in Love, is already in the works- get on board with this great new series today!

SPOTLIGHT ON: Avengers Children's Crusade

The Avengers Children's Crusade is a book I checked out knowing absolutely nothing about the Young Avengers, but after one issue, I was hooked. Now that I've gone back and read The Young Avengers Vol. 1: Sidekicks and Vol.2: Family Matters, I'm even more stoked for the next installment. This a great story with a group of dynamic characters who are just as interesting when fighting crime as they are in dealing with more personal issues. My favorites are Hawkeye, a cool chick who kicks butt without having superpowers, and Wiccan and Hulking, who's super cute romantic subplot is a huge draw for me. The amazing art and character designs cement this as a must read for me. I love this series because of the depth put into both the characters and the plotlines, and I can't wait for more.

Check Out AVENGERS: CHILDREN'S CRUSADE #2, Out on Wednesday 9/1/2010

Jen's pick

                                            

Johnny the Homicidal Maniac Director’s Cut TP

Dark and disturbingly funny, JTHM follows the adventures of Johnny (you can call him Nny), who lives with a pair of styrofoam doughboys that encourage his madness, a wall that constantly needs a fresh coat of blood, and his victims in various states of torture! Collecting issues #1-7 of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, as well as material seen before only in Carpe Noctem Magazine.

JTHM is officially the first comic book I ever read. It is incredibly random and funny in a twisted way. Be sure to read the Noodle Boy pages, because they’re my favorites.

Angela's Pick of the Month

BRODYS GHOST BOOK 01

 
DARK HORSE COMICS
By Mark Crilley 

Brody hoped it was just a hallucination. But no, the teenaged ghostly girl who'd come face to face with him in the middle of a busy city street was all too real. And now she was back, telling him she needed his help in hunting down a dangerous killer, and that he must undergo training from the spirit of a centuries-old samurai to unlock his hidden supernatural powers. Thirteen-time Eisner nominee Mark Crilley joins Dark Horse to launch his most original and action-packed saga to date in Brody's Ghost, the first in a six-volume limited series.

This book grabs you from the first page and doesn't let go. It's creepy, suspenseful, but most importantly really fun. Brody is a loveable loser mourning his latest breakup when he finds himself in an extraordinary situation. All of a sudden, he is talking to ghosts and preparing to willingly find a psychopath and bring him to justice. Once you read this volume, you'll be eagerly awaiting the next installments.

Picks of the Week

SUPERMAN BATMAN #75

You're invited to a spectacular anniversary celebration as Paul Levitz unites the World's Finest with the super-team he's best known for - the Legion of Super-Heroes! Lex Luthor has finally unleashed a threat powerful enough to gain the Legion's attention in the far future, but to take Luthor down, they'll have to journey into the past and ask for help from both Batman and Superboy!

Plus, Joe Kelly and various writers and artists chronicle the history of The Man of Steel and The Dark Knight in adventures that span from yesterday into the far beyond! Adam Hughes writes and draws a tale starring Supergirl and Batgirl, J.T. Krul and Francis Manipul deliver a tale of Superboy and Red Robin seeking advice from their mentors, Ace and Krypto get leashed by Duncan Rouleau, David Finch writes and illustrates a story for the first time, and Joe Kelly, Steven T. Seagle, Billy Tucci and many more surprises help commemorate this anniversary extravaganza!

NAMOR FIRST MUTANT #1

Spinning out of the pages of X-MEN #1, comes an all-new series starring the world's first mutant, NAMOR THE SUB-MARINER. When the X-Men are confronted with a deadly vampire threat, Namor takes matters into his own hands on a mission that might bring down the entire might of the vampires on their heads...and in the process, destroy Atlantis! What lurks down below the ocean where the sun can't reach? What he thought was a fable to scare the children of Atlantis comes to terrifying life in the form of a newly-discovered race of Atlantean Vampires. Namor's choice, to stand with Atlantis or the X-Men, will define a new chapter in his life...or death.

GUARDING THE GLOBE #1 (OF 6)

As the VILTRUMITE WAR rages on within the pages of INVINCIBLE, the ranks of the Guardians of the Globe are suddenly depleted. The world is in danger, and the team is in search of new blood. It's the biggest recruitment drive since Omni-Man slaughtered the original members. But will the new Guardians of the Globe be ready in time to stop The Order? This series is a can't-miss action extravaganza!

Double Whammy

Lovers of adult alternative series will have two good reasons to feel a little bereaved this week- critically acclaimed titles Air and Ex Machina both released their final issues.

Released by Vertigo and capping off at 24 issues, Air is the mind-bending tale of a flight attendant named Blythe, who is sucked into a worl of mystery and intrigue when she joins the Etesian Front, a supposed anti-terror organization.  Mysterious unmapped countries, Aztec gods, and Amelia Earheart all come into play as the friendly skies get weirder and wilder.  Air counts such comics heavyweights as Neil Gaiman and Brian Azzarello among its biggest fans- see what all the fuss is about before every last issue disappears into thin... well, you know.

And concluding on the nice round number of 50 issues, Wildstorm's Ex Machina is an engaging mishmash of politics and superheroics from fan favorite Brian K. Vaughan (Runaways, Y: the Last Man).  As we follow the rise and fall of Mitchell Hundred, mayor of New York City and the world's only superhero, shifting loyalties and tricky moral quandaries arise, and it's been darkly hinted that the series won't be ending with any easy answers.  There's never been a better time to check out this Eisner-winning title !