Category Archives: Featured
New Chessex RPG Dice Released
When I first learned that Chessex was expanding its venerable Vortex dice product line, I have to admit that I was pretty stoked. But hey, I’m not the only nerd out there who gets excited over the release of new rpg dice, am I? I thought not, so here’s the latest on some of the coolest role playing game dice that I’ve seen come to market in some time.
The newest Vortex additions come in either a bright green or pink. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words so take a gander at the two pics on this post. While either set is a welcome addition to any game table, my personal fave is the bright green. I seriously have over a thousand dice in my personal collection (yeah, tell me about it: I’m a nerd AND a hoarder), but I’ve never come across a set of dice that mimics this bizarre green color. I suppose the closest dice I’ve seen are the Crystal Caste Toxic greens, but the Toxic’s are more of a neon than the Vortex’s electric hues.
Like all dice in the Vortex line, the bright green and pink sets stay true to form and are a swirled color combination of the main color with strands of translucent and milky white. This pleasing color combo really gives the dice a feeling of depth, and when you stare you can’t help but feel you’re gazing into a Palantir (without all the bad effects — nothing like the Eye of Mordor to ruin a perfectly good day!). The bright green dice are topped off with black inks that really make the numbers pop, while the pink are colored with complimentary gold numerals. The swirling colors make both sets a great choice when role playing wizards or illusionists.
Sweet dice worthy of a nerd alert! Check out your favorite hobby/game store for a set or you find them online at Dark Elf Dice.
Han Shot First!
Since 1997, a fiery debate has rocked the world of pop culture unlike any other. This debate has had critics and fans alike foaming at the mouth. More than which came first between the chicken and the egg, more than how many licks it really takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop (it sure ain’t three), people want to know one thing: Who pulled the trigger first? Han Solo or Greedo?
For twenty years, we were led to believe that Solo fired the first (and only) shot in his legendary confrontation with the biggest flop in bounty hunter history. But then the Star Wars Special Edition hit the theatres. The original trilogy was back, with brand new special effects, and even some footage that had originally wound up on the cutting room floor. That was all well and good, but……..Han Solo getting beat to the draw?…….A bounty hunter missing a target at point blank range? If you look reeeeeeeaaaaaal close, it appears that Solo gives his head a subtle jerk to the side as one or two laser bolts annihilate the wall next to him, but Greedo would’ve missed anyway. There are rumors that upon seeing the outcome of this brief encounter, Darth Vader screamed, “NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!”
Well, this is what’s got so many loyal fans ticked off. Greedo was (let’s face it) the least competent bounty hunter the galaxy has ever known, and therefore got what he deserved, so how is it he managed to pull the trigger first?
In the novel Han Solo and the Lost Legacy, our hero sustains an injury when he loses a showdown against Gallandro, a gun slinging ex-soldier. But in a book, we don’t actually see it happening, so this particular scene is widely accepted by the legions of Star Wars fans. If, however, the book were, say, updated twenty years later, and had Solo running away in terror, we’d probably get mad.
In Dark Horse’s Star Wars Tales, Issue #14, we read the story of The Emperor’s Court (a spoof of The People’s Court), in which the late Greedo’s mother accuses Han Solo of murdering her son. Han maintains that Greedo fired first, and he acted purely in self-defense. Emperor Palpatine ultimately finds Solo guilty of murder (commenting on Greedo’s aim being akin to that of a Stormtroopers, if indeed he had shot first), and sentences the smuggler to be carbon-frozen. I think they should probably reopen that particular case, what with recent advances in technology (some DVD collections of the movies allow you to view the original theatrical releases).
In 2015, Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) will be re-re-released in theatres, this time in 3-D (don’t forget your glasses) Already, you can place your bets as to what new details regarding that famous shootout will surface. My money’s on Han dodging the laser blast, then blocking an attempted pistol whip before sending his opponent into the Force.
It’s just too bad someone didn’t capture the battle at the O.K. Corral on video. We could keep tabs on which gunfight underwent more overhauls throughout the years.
Marvel Comics Adaptation of Raiders of the Lost Ark
Aren’t comic books wonderful little inventions? Through a combination of words and pictures, readers can relive hit movies and bestselling novels, or delve into previously uncharted territory. Advances in technology lend new dimensions to the artwork, but prices have gone up a bit, as well (people used to be able to get a whole book for a dime, but that was way before my time).
The focus of today’s discussion will be the comic book rendition of Raiders of the Lost Ark, released by Marvel. I was sorting through an old box of comics and I stumbled upon this little three-issue gem from 1981. I suppose the title is now somewhat inaccurate, since the movie was renamed Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (can’t George Lucas ever just leave things alone?). The movie is divided into three separate issues. Issue #1 ends just when Nazi henchman Toht is about to interrogate Indy’s part-time girlfriend, Marion Ravenwood, with a red hot poker tip. Issue #2 ends just as Marion is thrown into the Well of Souls by Toht, where she falls thirty feet (you can see a theme developing here). Issue #3 ends where the movie ends (thankfully, Marion is no longer in danger by Toht — if you remember from the movie, Toht does an ice cream sandwich melting on a hot sidewalk impression as the Ark fries him. Toht’s comic book death is less spectacular, as will be explained below).
For the most part, the comic books remain quite true to the actual movie plot, but there are a few slight discrepancies. Here are a few that caught my attention:
- At the beginning of Indy’s adventure, when he loses the Chachapoyan golden idol to his arch rival Renè Belloq, he then (as in the movie) makes a run for it from a tribe of angry natives, but the comic book leaves out the scene where Indy has to swim to the seaplane piloted by his friend Jock Lindsey, as well as the brief, but terrifying encounter with Reggie (Jock’s pet snake).
- No turbaned swordsman during the Cairo fight scene (how does the comic book leave THIS out — one of the best scenes in moviedom ever. Kenner even made an action figure of the swordsman for crying out loud, and Spielberg parodied the scene in the Temple of Doom sequel).
- Much later in the adventure, we find Indy and Marion trying to sabotage the Nazi plans to load the Ark aboard a Flying Wing. Here is another point at where the book and movie differ. In the movie, we see Indy get beat half to death by a muscle-bound plane mechanic, but in the book, the mechanic gets clubbed over the head from behind by Marion, with a wrench. (she actually knocks out the pilot of the Flying Wing in the movie). Just before blacking out (in the comic book), the mechanic fires a gun at Indy, which manages to clip the gas tank of the Flying Wing, and BOOM!! In the movie, it’s a gasoline leak from a separate vehicle that accounts of the Flying Wing’s doom.
- In the scene where Indy fights off a whole infantry of soldiers to take command of a supply truck (with the Ark onboard), we see in both the movie and comic book, a transport car with German soldiers aboard go over the edge of a cliff. In the comic book, Toht, the guy who keeps almost killing Marion, was one of the car’s unlucky passengers, but in the movie, he’s one of the even unluckier guys who looks inside the Ark, only to have the flesh melt from his bones by supernatural forces (my very favorite movie death scene).
It’s not uncommon to see creative liberties taken by folks who are charged with recreating an original story, but, for the most part, the comic book rendition of Raiders of the Lost Ark is quite true to its source material. Even though some key movie elements are MIA, this comic book adaptation is still a classic, and gets two nerdly thumbs up.
3 Essential Sci-Fi and Fantasy Shows That Got The Axe Too Soon
In some ways, the science fiction and fantasy genre have never seen better times. Consider the overwhelming popularity of the Star Wars franchise, not to mention The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. Be it books, movies, or video games — sci-fi and fantasy are in fashion, and are experiencing a welcomed bout of sustained popularity that exhibits no signs of dissipating soon. This is great news for nerds like me who just can’t get enough of the stuff.
Sadly though, all is not perfect. Take television for example. The networks offer a taste of science fiction and fantasy in their current programing lineup (Grimm is one example), but all too many shows have been canceled in favor of reality shows or police, doctor, and lawyer dramas (I thought people hated lawyers!).
Here then are 3 essential science fiction and fantasy shows that got the axe way too soon:
Firefly
Never since Star Trek was cancelled back in the sixties has there been such an outpouring of fan support for a science fiction TV show. Joss Whedon (director of the upcoming Avengers movie), created Firefly for the Fox network back in 2002. The show ran for only one season, but in that time fans fell in love with the space western and grew attached to the renegade characters and the post civil-war universe they existed in. Firefly has achieved cult status and has given way to a movie (Serenity), comic books, and a role playing game. Hardcore fans loved the show so much that they even made their very own movie — Browncoats: Redemption — a sequel to Serenity. Every now and again rumors circulate that Firefly is coming back to television. The latest is that Netflix could bring Firefly back from the dead and begin making new episodes. One can only dream it comes true…
Legend of the Seeker
Another cancelled show that saw an outpouring of fan support was Legend of the Seeker, an ABC production that ran for only two seasons before being thrown under the bus in 2010. Legend of the Seeker (or LOTS) was based on Terry Goodkind’s The Sword of Truth novels, and in this humble nerd’s opinion really was the best fantasy show on television. After the cancellation, there was hope that the SyFy network would pickup the rights to LOTS and carry on the adventure, but it wasn’t to be. An active fan base organized at the Save Our Seeker website is still working hard to revive the show and has received the blessings of Terry Goodkind himself.
Life On Mars (US Series)
Life On Mars was another outstanding science fiction show that only ran for one season. The show was an adaptation of a BBC program by the same name, and aired on the ABC network from 2008 to 2009. The program was an interesting juxtaposition of the science fiction and police genres whose main character, detective Sam Tyler (played by Terra Nova’s Jason O’Mara), is struck by a speeding car in 2008 and wakes up in 1973. With each new episode the audience learned more about the mystery regarding Sam’s time displacement. Like Firefly and Legend of the Seeker, fans rallied around the show once they learned of the cancellation and petitioned the network to keep it alive, but alas, the outcry of fan support fell on deaf ears.
Blame it on bad time slots, lack of advertising, or network executives incompetence, all three television shows were killed off way before their time. What makes these untimely cancellations so disheartening is how exceptionally well done the shows were. In a just world, shows would be rewarded based on artistic merit and these cancellations would have never occurred. Sadly though, top notch writing and acting were no defense against the axe, and one can only hope that there will come a time when shows like Firefly and the others will run eight seasons or more and garbage like Dancing With the Stars will be jettisoned to the trash heap.
