The Resurrection of Archie

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How do you keep Archie relevant for modern times? Maybe more importantly, how do you do that without alienating the dedicated fanbase that loves it as-is? This is probably the question that Archie Comic Publications has been wrestling with since the franchise was established in the 1940s. Even when I had a brief love affair with Archie digests in the early 90s as a kid, I always thought of them as entertainment aimed at my grandmother.

From a distance, I’ve seen digest covers that feature the gang playing video games, to weird zombie spin-offs and Predator crossovers, right down to the actual death of Archie in Life with Archie #36. Having read those final issues involving his demise, it wasn’t enough to shake my perceptions of this being an antiquated franchise.

Fast forward to the present, and sitting in my house is a copy of Archie #1 by Mark Waid and Fiona Staples. Sporting a modern look from the artist behind Saga, the cover alone makes it look like the most daring attempt at a reboot yet. After reading it, I’m not sure if my grandma would have enjoyed this, but I’m actually taken aback at how strong of a first issue this was.

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Code Name S.T.E.A.M. Review

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Aliens have invaded London! Who can we call to save the day?! The Agents of S.T.E.A.M. of course! Led by the Abraham Lincoln, it’s up to you to guide him and his ragtag group of steampunk soldiers through battle. Created by Intelligent Systems, Code Name S.T.E.A.M. is a turn-based strategy game with third-person shooting, a la Gears of War. Is this shake-up enough for it to move outside of the shadow cast by Intelligent Systems’ previous efforts, such as Advance Wars and Fire Emblem?

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The Runaways

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At some point in your life, you’ve probably felt like your parents were evil. Maybe they didn’t buy you the toy you wanted, scolded you for staying out past curfew or disapproved of your current love interest. In the moment, they were the worst, but you usually got over it and realized your parents were usually just trying to do the right thing. But what do you do if they’re literally super villains? This is the conundrum that Alex, Nico, Gertrude, Chase, Karolina and Molly faced in the first arc of Runaways by Marvel Comics. This initial conflict would be the start of a great adventure for some of Marvel’s unlikeliest superheroes.

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Thoughts on the Big All-New, All Different Marvel Reveal: Everything Else

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Thanks to a leak of the latest Marvel Preview, we got an advanced look of 45 new Marvel Comics titles that will launch as part of All-New, All Different Marvel. This will take place after the Secret Wars crossover event completes in the summer. Lots to say, so we’ll break it out into different franchises. Already covered X-Men and Spider-Man, so this time it’s everything else in the Marvel universe!

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Hanabi Review

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Years ago, when we were just starting to buy board games, a representative from Snakes & Lattes recommended two games to us: Card of the Dead and Hanabi. One is a game about fighting zombies in the apocalypse, while the other is a game about sequencing fireworks. Naturally, we chose the zombie game, because how could a game about fireworks top zombies? Well, Card of the Dead turned out to be a dud that collected dust on our shelf until we eventually gave it away.

Meanwhile, Hanabi became a runaway smash hit, selling a ton of copies for R&R Games and even winning the prestigious Speil des Jahres award for game of the year. Recognizing that we blew it, I always wondered what would have been had we chosen Hanabi on that fateful day. After a few recent plays with this fireworks-based game, we probably would have been a lot happier.

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Out Today: Splendor on iOS

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One of my favourite board games of 2014 is out today on iOS! Splendor is a game where gem merchants are working towards building their empire. The theme is actually inconsequential to the whole thing, as it’s really about using gems to buy gem cards, and then a combination of gem and gem cards to get victory points. Yes, that sounds dull, but the mechanics are so tight and engaging that it’s easy to fall in love with and one that can stay on regular rotation for a long time. Expect a review from me on this soon!

Buy Splendor Now From Amazon.com

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Thoughts on the Big All-New, All Different Marvel Reveal: Spider-Man Edition

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Thanks to a leak of the latest Marvel Preview, we got an advanced look of 45 new Marvel Comics titles that will launch as part of All-New, All Different Marvel. This will take place after the Secret Wars crossover event completes in the summer. Lots to say, so we’ll break it out into different franchises. Already covered X-Men, so this time it’s all about Spider-Man!

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My 5 Favourite Rock Band Songs to Play

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Being a great song doesn’t automatically make it a great Rock Band song. To be a great song for the game, it has to be fun to play for everyone in the band. For example, I love “Sabotage” by the Beastie Boys, but that’s song is mostly a repetitive drone of notes for the guitar and bass players, while rapping isn’t nearly as fulfilling as singing in the Rock Band engine. The soundtrack for Beatles: Rock Band is comprised of some of the greatest songs of all-time, but most of that stuff is easy to the point of being almost boring to play. Conversely, songs that really push the limits of each player may not be inherently great songs that you’d want to listen to.

Inspired by the upcoming release of Rock Band 4, I decided to create a list of songs that are some of my favourites to play. This list is highly subjective, as it’s based on my personal preferences and the difficulty I play on (for reference, I play everything on expert). Narrowing it down to 5 was really difficult, so I’m sure I left out a few gems. However, it also makes for a great conversation starter, as I’m sure that you’re favourite songs to play and your rationale behind that choice will differ. Without further ado, in no particular order, here are my 10 favourite songs to play in Rock Band!

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Thoughts on Star Wars #1 (2015)

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Shooting out of the gates with a first issue that sold almost a million copies, the return of Star Wars to Marvel was easily one of the biggest comic events of the year. Though I may be a lifelong fan of the original trilogy, this event would pass me by without a bat of an eyelid. In general, I don’t have an appetite for extended universe content. Sure, I played the heck out of Shadows of the Empire on the Nintendo 64, and there’s actually a copy of the Star Wars: Imperial Assault board game waiting to be played on my shelf, but most of what’s out there isn’t appealing at all to me.

If it weren’t for all of the positive buzz this new series has gotten of late, it would have continued to race through the galaxy without me. Crossing paths with issue #1 at Niagara Comic Con, I decided to spend a few bucks to see what the hubbub was about. To my surprise, it was the most fun I’ve had reading a single issue in quite some time.

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Thoughts on the Big All-New, All Different Marvel Reveal: X-Men Edition

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Thanks to a leak of the latest Marvel Preview, we got an advanced look of 45 new Marvel Comics titles that will launch as part of All-New, All Different Marvel. This will take place after the Secret Wars crossover event completes in the summer. Lots to say, so we’ll break it out into different franchises. First up, X-Men!

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