This Week in Geek (31/12/07-6/01/08)

Buys'n'Gifts

A few things trickled in from Amazon this week, including two more Showcase Presents collections - Supergirl and World's Finest - the latter reprinting the oldest material to date in a Showcase book. Perhaps more intriguing in Saga of the Super-Sons, which is Bob Haney's groovy hippie version of World's Finest Comics. I haven't looked through it yet, but you just know it's going to wind up as blog fodder.

"Accomplishments"

I can't say I've "accomplished" much this week, but I've been trying to flip the Blade Runner set, which means I have to watch the film, when taking into account all versions and commentary tracks, a total of 9 times, plus the documentary features. 5 down, 4 to go.

Last week, I got me some missing installments of Chris Ware's ACME Novelty Library, which is one of my favorite books ever. His transitions are always innovative and wonderful and he seems to have pretty much given up the small type, turn-of-the-century advertising that made the earlier volumes so darned long to read, so volumes 15 through 18 just breezed by.
The new volumes vacillate between two stories. The first is Rusty Brown's, a pathetic figure in the Jimmy Corrigan mold, but one who grows up to be a geek/collector. He deals with loserdom with bitterness and I am much more engaged by his "best friend" Chalkie, who is as much a target of bullying, but a much nicer kid. Chris Ware seems to have had a childhood not unlike mine... The other story uses the history of an apartment building to tell tales of its tenants, including a one-legged, lonely girl. Again, it's all very pathetic (it's Chris Ware), but well observed and like all ACME products, it's innovative comics. It's too bad Ware is practically on an annual schedule these days.

RPG news: Played a little Planescape this morning, though I'd say the results were mitigated. A babysitting mission turned awry when a hunt was transported into the Happy Hunting Grounds (Beastlands) and the hunters typically became the hunted. I thought there was good tension and some great role-playing bits from my players, but I simply didn't give them enough to do. Felt like I was talking way too much. Reaction wasn't unfavorable, but I'll strive to do better.

As for the Doctor Who Unauthorized CCG, I finished Relative Dimensions 3 and started on a new set focusing singly on the 10th Doctor, David Tennant.
Aside from the box art, I also mocked up the first few cards, pulled from Time Crash. Ah yes, and I introduced some solitaire rules for people who can't find friends to play with. I know I never can.

Someone Else's Post of the Week
A lot of One More Day posts this week - which entertained me for sure - but I have to give the honors to Devon at Seven Hells for his excellent, and INSPIRING, series of posts about Wonder Woman: Dignity in Satin. Check out Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4. It's just beautiful stuff.