Judging by its cover
Given that I spent the weekend playing nurse to the bf, who was recovering from a double eye operation, I didn't really get out and about the past few days. The weekend's pop culture consumption then tended to be almost entirely of the Books and Comics variety.
First up, the next Girlz 'N' Games comic is in process, and due for online debut later this week - so regular blog visitors have something to look forward to.
Anyway, I finished reading 2 books this weekend. The first was the latest from The Da Vinci Code's Dan Brown, entitled The Lost Symbol, but given the high profile nature of the book - and the fact I'm sure it's going to placed under many Christmas trees in a month or so's time - I think it deserves a full review on this blog later in the week.
The second book was the collected trade paperback The Goon Volume 8: Those That is Damned by multi-award winning comic book writer and artist Eric Powell.
I've blogged quite extensively about The Goon in the past, but for those of you unfamiliar with the Dark Horse series, think of it as a pulpy B-grade wonderland infused with all kinds of wackiness.
The Goon is a hulking mob enforcer who defends his Depression era town (and his profits) from an assortment of weird creatures and individuals - from zombie priests and mad scientists, to vampires and sasquatches, to sea monsters and lizard men. The Goon is assisted in his fight by a variety of unusual allies, including his best friend Frankie, vicious orphans, gypsies, bog lurks, a bowler hat-wearing giant tarantula, an amiable zombie conman and even a werewolf named Merle.
The series has been getting better, if more tragic, as it goes along, and the same is true for Those That is Damned. My only real complaint about the volume is that it's so short, collecting just 3 comic books and ending just as the current storyline is picking up pace and emotional resonance. The remainder of the volume is filled with humorous short stories by guest writers and artists, which seem to serve the purpose of lightening the mood. The inclusion of these stories is understandable given how sadly Powell's story ends in the volume - with the Goon murdering one of his best friends, who has been informing on the mobster to the Goon's deadliest ever opponent.
In terms of Gaming this weekend, I finally played Monopoly: The Card Game for the first time since I bought it a year ago. Surprisingly, the game is actually an enjoyable (and appropriately portable) time filler.
Even if you despite the boardgame, as I know many people do, I think you could still enjoy Monopoly: The Card Game. Without losing the flavour of the boardgame, Monopoly: The Card Game is clearly influenced by Rummy. Basically, your goal is to collect various coloured property sets and boost their financial value by complementing them with house, hotel and token cards. You can get these cards either from the shared Draw pile or by taking from your opponent's Trade pile (which he can't touch). Wild cards exist in the form of Chance cards, which can win you a hand even if you're missing certain property cards. Alternatively, Chance cards can invalidate your score if you're left holding one when an opponent declares an end to a game.
Monopoly: The Card Game has several major flaws. The included rules are horribly ambiguous, particularly in relation to the use of houses and hotels. The game also still feels more luck based than strategic, although strategy is obviously important. Still though, I can see the game's benefits. Unlike its ancestor it's not at all time-consuming. You can complete a game in 20 minutes at most, making it an ideal time-filler when you're hosting a games evening and waiting for the majority of players to arrive. Alternatively, it's a good game for situations where your play time is very limited.
Please note, Monopoly: The Card Game is NOT the same as card game Monopoly Deal, which seems to have replaced it.
Finally, in terms of DVD viewing, I raided my sister's collection and found Garfield Holiday Celebrations, a collection of 3 30-minute holiday specials starring comicdom's favourite lasagne-loving fat cat. While the Region 1 disc collects the Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas specials, the Region 2 set (which I watched) replaces Thanksgiving with Garfield in the Rough, where the flabby feline gets dragged off camping, much to his disgust, with Jon and Odie.
Watching the DVD was a pleasant little stroll down nostalgia lane, even if the cartoons hadn't been cleaned up or optimised for DVD release. Granted all 3 specials are well over 20 years old - made in 1984, 1985 and 1987/1991 respectively. However, a little effort in rejuvenating their colours would have been appreciated. Still though, I'm all for making the Garfield Christmas Special (one of my all-time favourite festive shows) an annual viewing tradition in my house, especially since my cousin is now reaching the age where I think he'll appreciate it.
First up, the next Girlz 'N' Games comic is in process, and due for online debut later this week - so regular blog visitors have something to look forward to.
Anyway, I finished reading 2 books this weekend. The first was the latest from The Da Vinci Code's Dan Brown, entitled The Lost Symbol, but given the high profile nature of the book - and the fact I'm sure it's going to placed under many Christmas trees in a month or so's time - I think it deserves a full review on this blog later in the week.
The second book was the collected trade paperback The Goon Volume 8: Those That is Damned by multi-award winning comic book writer and artist Eric Powell.
I've blogged quite extensively about The Goon in the past, but for those of you unfamiliar with the Dark Horse series, think of it as a pulpy B-grade wonderland infused with all kinds of wackiness.
The Goon is a hulking mob enforcer who defends his Depression era town (and his profits) from an assortment of weird creatures and individuals - from zombie priests and mad scientists, to vampires and sasquatches, to sea monsters and lizard men. The Goon is assisted in his fight by a variety of unusual allies, including his best friend Frankie, vicious orphans, gypsies, bog lurks, a bowler hat-wearing giant tarantula, an amiable zombie conman and even a werewolf named Merle.
The series has been getting better, if more tragic, as it goes along, and the same is true for Those That is Damned. My only real complaint about the volume is that it's so short, collecting just 3 comic books and ending just as the current storyline is picking up pace and emotional resonance. The remainder of the volume is filled with humorous short stories by guest writers and artists, which seem to serve the purpose of lightening the mood. The inclusion of these stories is understandable given how sadly Powell's story ends in the volume - with the Goon murdering one of his best friends, who has been informing on the mobster to the Goon's deadliest ever opponent.
In terms of Gaming this weekend, I finally played Monopoly: The Card Game for the first time since I bought it a year ago. Surprisingly, the game is actually an enjoyable (and appropriately portable) time filler.
Even if you despite the boardgame, as I know many people do, I think you could still enjoy Monopoly: The Card Game. Without losing the flavour of the boardgame, Monopoly: The Card Game is clearly influenced by Rummy. Basically, your goal is to collect various coloured property sets and boost their financial value by complementing them with house, hotel and token cards. You can get these cards either from the shared Draw pile or by taking from your opponent's Trade pile (which he can't touch). Wild cards exist in the form of Chance cards, which can win you a hand even if you're missing certain property cards. Alternatively, Chance cards can invalidate your score if you're left holding one when an opponent declares an end to a game.
Monopoly: The Card Game has several major flaws. The included rules are horribly ambiguous, particularly in relation to the use of houses and hotels. The game also still feels more luck based than strategic, although strategy is obviously important. Still though, I can see the game's benefits. Unlike its ancestor it's not at all time-consuming. You can complete a game in 20 minutes at most, making it an ideal time-filler when you're hosting a games evening and waiting for the majority of players to arrive. Alternatively, it's a good game for situations where your play time is very limited.
Please note, Monopoly: The Card Game is NOT the same as card game Monopoly Deal, which seems to have replaced it.
Finally, in terms of DVD viewing, I raided my sister's collection and found Garfield Holiday Celebrations, a collection of 3 30-minute holiday specials starring comicdom's favourite lasagne-loving fat cat. While the Region 1 disc collects the Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas specials, the Region 2 set (which I watched) replaces Thanksgiving with Garfield in the Rough, where the flabby feline gets dragged off camping, much to his disgust, with Jon and Odie.
Watching the DVD was a pleasant little stroll down nostalgia lane, even if the cartoons hadn't been cleaned up or optimised for DVD release. Granted all 3 specials are well over 20 years old - made in 1984, 1985 and 1987/1991 respectively. However, a little effort in rejuvenating their colours would have been appreciated. Still though, I'm all for making the Garfield Christmas Special (one of my all-time favourite festive shows) an annual viewing tradition in my house, especially since my cousin is now reaching the age where I think he'll appreciate it.
Comments
I think Garfield would be a good one to add this year, especially since I kind of miss the Halloween special. I was thinking about it as we wandered the streets Halloween night.
Plus, I think I'm going to look for a Goon collection when I'm done reading these silly Shakespearean plays I've got stacked up.
As for the Goon, I hope you enjoy it. The first few volumes (Vol. 0 & 1) are a bit overly wacky but the stories settle after that.