Thursday Thirteen: Expansion Favorites.

That was the first ever expansion set of Vs. System. Marvel Origins, released on April 1st, 2004. We were eventually blessed with 18 full sets by Upper Deck, and today I will pick my favorite card from each of the most recent thirteen. Cardboard bliss.

1. Marvel Evolution: X-Babies Attack. This is the final production set, and that card is the pinnacle of my influence on the game. I created a weenie burn deck and named it “X-Babies Attack!” back in the day. Upper Deck honored me with a matching plot twist, and thanks to alphabetical order it turned out to be the last expansion card ever printed.

2. Marvel Universe: Squirrel Girl. Doreen Green finishes a close second in the homage race. I lobbied, I pleaded, I threatened and I begged. Finally she appeared in the packs. Sigh.

3. DC Legends: Sea Creatures. I made my name by playing one-cost army characters, then they shocked me with this. Rare. Two resources to play. Pony!

4. Marvel Legends: Domino. I waited a long time for this lucky lass, and I used her in my original X-Babies deck for good luck.

5. World’s Finest: Kim Hoshi. This expansion brought some serious bang to the table for DC, and none was brighter than Kimmy.

Marvel Team-up: Shuma-Gorath. The card did not see much play, but I can still hear the taunt from Capcom’s video game version… “Waste of FLESH!”

Infinite Crisis: Zazzala, Mistress of the Hive. There may not have ever been a better legacy card. She made War Paint possible.

Heralds of Galactus: Rogue, Total Transformation. If you never got to see this trick pulled off in real life, you missed something really special.

Legion of Superheroes: Supergirl, Lost in Time. Scariest. Painting. Ever.

X-Men: Multiple Man <> Jamie Madrox. This card leaves me breathless. Such incredible possiblities.

Justice League of America: Infestation. My swarming weenies had nothing to compare. Such insane potential beats.

Avengers: Chaos Magic. They may have named this card after my subtitle on Realms, but prolly not. Then again, they did get my buddy Dave Devries to paint it. Hmmm.

Green Lantern Corps: Xallarap. You thought I would pick AGL, but no. This guy never existed in the comics. That’s right, he was created by a fan on a Green Lantern tribute site. It is one of the coolest trivia facts ever about Vs. System. And it ends our list.

Such great stuff.

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Thursday Thirteen: Ultimate Squirrel Girl Continued.

Squirrel Girl will appear in a cameo role in the upcoming Deadpool movie. That’s the rumor. A little tree rodent whispered it in my ear, and I am announcing it first here.

As you can see by the GLI Summer Fun Spectacular, Deadpool and Squirrel Girl are fast friends. In fact, Deadpool has admitted to wearing Squirrel Girl underoos.

Today, however, we are looking back at Squirrel Girl’s first appearance.

Just in case you weren’t here two weeks ago for the first half, this is from the Ultimate Squirrel Girl Review by Rainer. The second part gets all quizzical. Wonderfully nutty stuff.

1. Is that Steve Ditko mocking Marvel comics?

2. He seems to take great delight in it.

3. Like Tobe Hooper makes fun of yuppies in Poltergeist.

4. Doom’s defeat is among the most bizarre.

5. Especially for one of the more regal characters in the Marvel Universe.

6. Who is Squirrel Girl representing?

7. Who is the audience for this character?

8. This was published in Marvel Super-Heroes #8, a publication where Marvel dumped Library stories, back-up material in case some other story was over the deadline.

9. This could have been commissioned at any time, even the seventies or eighties.

10. My guess would be the early latter, based on the inking style.

11. It was published in 1992.

12. 1992, a year in the decade of image, foil comics, nauseatingly “realistic”art and grungy heroes.

13. Can you imagine some kid who loves Spawn or Dark Knight picking this up? His mind would be blown away. It truly looks like a dinosaur come back to live, preserved youthfully in a tar pit. Another pillar of insanity for this bizarre comic.

And yet, despite all the shock inducing elements of the story, it remains undeniably sweet. It has two levels, two worlds, again like Hooper. It’s beautifully drawn, the interaction between them is lovingly done (and lovingly one-sided) and it really makes me laugh, and realize that life really is a carnival. It also feels meta, in a good way. Iron Man plays the sturdy, veteran thinking he’s seen it all (drolly comparing Squirrel Girl to all the other heroes) like the reader, but he is jerked under the rug as much as us. In any case it is certainly one of the few times where when a character says he doesn’t think anyone will believe it, and we agree with him.

It’s genuinely astounding (a sense of wonder fills me when I read this), the art is some of the best I have ever seen, and it takes you on a bad trip, something akin to Lifeforce or Funhouse. I’ve hope you enjoyed this comic book, it truly represent the weirdness that only this medium can bring. Most serious minded comic fans aiming for respectably will no doubt raise their nose at such a thing. Fine, let them. They have their grungy and dreadfully serious movies to console them, and I have merriment with this little gem.

Thursday Thirteen: The Art of the Internet.

(Internet Love by tipsyfairy.)

Hello friends. I have a favor to ask today. I have been given the opportunity to design a Continuing Education course for Broward College. If it gets approved, I will be teaching adults how to maximize their presence on the internet. Help me make sure I have all the bases covered. Is there anything you would add to this list? Do you know of any really good sources for general computer skill summaries? Thanks for any help you can provide, this is what I want to teach:

1. Web Design. Creating your own little corner of the internet is easier and more beautiful than ever, thanks to amazing free software such as WordPress.

2. Blogging. No matter what your particular life is full of, you can share it with the rest of the world quite easily.

3. Message Boards. Whatever hobby or subject you are interested in becoming a bigger part of, you can find an active group discussion revolving around it.

4. Email. Whenever you need to get in direct contact with a single individual or corporate entity, the access points are readily available.

5. Ebay. Or Amazon, or any other way to hook up with buyers.

6. YouTube. Making videos and slideshows, then broadcasting far and wide.

7. Facebook. And any other social networking site that allows massive connections.

8. MySpace Music. Is there a better place to get your own original stuff heard?

9. Wikipedia. Reading an encyclopedia has never been easier, and now you can write part of it yourself!

10. Being part of the political process. Whether Redstate or Daily Kos, your voice can be a force in the party of your choice.

11. Google ads. Making money just from being popular is a very intriguing idea.

12. DeviantArt. The glory of a worldwide gallery, complete with communal critique.

13. Simply surfing. The one thing that the internet truly excels at. Connecting the dots from interested individual straight to source.

Thursday Thirteen: A Comprehensive Survey of Vs. System’s Structural Potential.

 

(Forgive my alliteration, I get excited when talking about the game I love.)

1. Vs. System supports the fully fleshed cardboard celebration of modern mythology.

2. Character cards capture crystallized chronological incarnations portraying individual instances of powerful personality within comic-book continuity.

3. Plot Twists allow extended interpretations of the interaction between superheroes and storytelling.

4. Locations transport players to power-packed places in the collective imagination that have been populated on pulp for years.

5. Equipment cards create cardboard captures of the coolest action-accessories in comic-book history.

6. Versions validate various roles, relative to the revolving triumphs and tragedies that define each character during development.

7. Abilities arrange a translation from sequential pages and panels into repeatable gameplay and consistent strategy.

8. Flavor text sprinkles specific spices harvested directly from singular situations and speculative slang.

9. Team affiliations preserve previous cooperative conglomerates from actual mythological history.

10. Team-up cards give permission to create storylines and synthesis that would never be allowed in the comics.

11. Deckbuilding develops devious strategic synergies involving intensive specific information culled from the combination of spandex mythology and trading card game mechanics.

12. The basic blueprint provided by the game serves as a skeletal structure facilitating fresh entertaining expansion of far-ranging fan-favorites.

13. No matter what fictional characters or worlds you dig most, they can come to life when you create a fantasy set of Vs. System cards, providing endless entertainment – matching their might against other mythological masterpieces.

Thursday Thirteen: An Art Teacher’s Manifesto.

(Watchmen in the classroom, by biigurutwin.)

I like to reflect. When I sat down to write a Thursday Thirteen this week, I decided to list the things I strive to instill in my students. This is my revolution.

1. Creative Success. Each student will feel the specific joy that only comes from inventive accomplishment.

2. Expansive Ideas. Each student will think about the world in new ways.

3. Wide-eyed Wonder. Each student will be exposed to a view of life as an unfolding gift of infinite potential.

4. Unknown Connections. Each student will see everyday things from extraordinary angles.

5. Controlled Freedom. Each student will have fun with their art and their friends while maintaining appropriate personal discipline.

6. Underlying Principles. Each student will understand why I enjoy each project enough to teach it to them.

7. Unwavering Positivity. Each student will have at least one teacher who is always in a good mood.

8. Modern Myth. Each student will relate some part of the lesson to comic book superheroes.

9. Relative History. Each student will be able to understand the origins of the things they know and love.

10. Convex Consumerism. Each student will flip the script from consumer to creator – from audience to artist.

11. Trading-card Tickle. Each student will get one of my extra Vs. System cards at random as a reward for good behavior and trade them joyously with classmates.

12. Punctual Responsibility. Each student will have an art teacher who is  a model of consistency and is always exactly on time.

13. Unconditional Love. Each student will be valued and loved equally as a creative human being.

Thursday Thirteen: Tantalizing Tentacles.

In the spirit of the Watchmen squid, we continue our quest for the ultimate aesthetic cephalopod – and it drags us back into the depths of Thursday Thirteen! Enjoy.

Thursday Thirteen: Wicked Visual Bliss.

Wow.  It has been six entire months since I did a Thursday Thirteen. We are back in the saddle again.  With a vengeance!

One of my favorite things to do on the interwebs is a secret I will share with you today. Go to www.deviantart.com and search for “marvel masterpieces sketch”. You will find hours of wicked visual bliss, I promise. Today my TT gives a little taste.

That first set of hand-drawn cards that were inserted randomly into the packs is from anjinanhut. Let’s count down the characters starting with that first set of nine and showcase their myths with a corresponding Vs. System card, shall we?

1. Shuma-Gorath. Everyone’s favorite pink tentacled Chaos Dimension special move busting giant alien from Marvel vs. Capcom!

2. Doop. My students said they heard him called The Big Green Potato on television. For shame. All the X-Statix DEMAND RESPECT. Especially when they are morphing into Wolverine. Thank you.

3. X-23. Sounds like a spray lubricant. Does she free up rusty bolts?

4. Doop again. No wonder I love this set of drawings so much. Who is he transforming into this time?

5. Whirlwind. Featured on the most beautiful Dave Devries painting in all of Vs. System. Sorry, Chaos Magic, but I love this one with all my heart.

6. Doop for a third time. Steve Rogers, eat your big green potatoed heart out.

7. Constrictor? Sorry, no Vs. System card for you.

8. Fourth Doop, this time Squinty.

9. Deadpool. The man (zombie) who wears Squirrel Girl underoos.  Really, he does.

That completes the first round, here goes the final four.

10. Sentinel Mark IV. You didn’t think I would get throught this list without at least one blast of shiny purple, did you? It is my blood type, after all. That one was painted by gravyboy.

And then there were three.

11. Mysterio. Fresh from the twisted sick inkwell of Narcomics. Gotta love a dude with a fishbowl on his head, even if he doesn’t have any real superpowers. This is all an illusion anyway.

12. Thanos. The glove, the purple face, the utter purity of devotion to death.

It doesn’t get any better than that. Unless I can find…

13. Squirrel Girl! You thought I would say Mulletman? Sorry, I am nuts for the bushy tailed tree rodents and Doreen Green is the most powerful superhero the world has ever seen.

First one from Celestial4Ever, second by LisaR. After I post this, I am scurrying straight up the nearest tree.

Thanks for visiting my return to the land of Thursday Thirteen, your eyes will recover from Wicked Visual Bliss Overload in a matter of minutes. Maybe.