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I'm am continually surprised by how many players don't want improvements to the game. A train to Faultline is a great idea. It's one of my favorite zones. It's also a PITA to get to.

Yeah, the rapier doesn't fit as far as animations and sounds go, but I really would like a rapier fighter who doesn't required two weapon melee.

I wouldn't know. The comic store had sold out of Batman, Supergirl, Catwoman, Wonder Woman, and almost everything from last week when I was there today.

Men of War #1

Or, more realistically, Sergeant Rock #1. There are two stories in this, the main story about Sgt. Rock, and an unrelated mini-story in the back. This is the same format the old Sgt. Rock comics always had, so I think it's kind of cool.

The main story is about Corporal Rock joining some kind of insertion unit and parachuting behind enemy lines to recover a captured Senator. It is set in the modern day Middle East. The original Sgt. Rock is mentioned as this one's grandfather. The group is on their mission when a superhero blasts through the area. The superhero causes lots of deaths, and appears completely out of any kind of military control. The soldiers don't know what he is, and are even wondering whose side he is on. In the end, Rock makes Sergeant.

The art was really good, and the story was interesting. It really makes you think about what happens when a superhero decides to jump into an active warzone on his own without talking things over with the military first.

The mini-story is the first of a 3-parter on a Navy SEAL team in the Middle East. The group is on a black op when they get attacked by a sniper. The story and characterization were ok. I was a different writer than the Sgt. Rock story. There was a lot more explanation than felt natural, for SEALs who supposedly know each other and know combat. I know it's aimed at explaining things to civvies, but it didn't feel right. It was also a different artist, who was ok, not great.

Overall, I liked the issue. I will probably buy the graphic novel when it is released.

Detective Comics #1

Batman vs. The Joker. Could this series have started any other way? Heck no! It was a decent story. Most of the pages were fight scenes. Batman is not a super martial artist in this, which I like. He's still tough in a fight, but the Joker comes quite close to defeating him.

The cops and the Mayor are after Batman, considering him a rogue vigilante. Chief Gordon is still his friend, and the bat signal is used.

The art was a mix. I liked everything except the new Batman design. It looks like Bruce Wayne has invested heavily in steroids. Not a good look, at all.

Overall, a good issue. I will buy the graphic novel when it gets published. It's not worth a subscription, to me.

In other news, the comic shops have sold out of almost all their #1's, including those released just yesterday. I had to order reprints for the issues I want. If you are interested in collecting the #1's, don't wait! You might have trouble getting them.

Also, keep in mind that the odds of these issues becoming valuable are very slim. Collectors are well aware of this, so I suspect many of the sales are actually going to people who don't normally buy comics. They have had their interest rekindled by the relaunch. Good for DC, in that case!

(Also, I bet Marvel is watching this. Don't be surprised if there is a big Marve reboot in a couple years).

Swamp Thing #1

Another excellent comic. The story is creepy, with birds and bats falling dead out of the sky, and an old dinosaur skeleton coming to life and creating zombies. The main character is working as a construction worker, after leaving his biology lab. He had been Swamp Thing, but doesn't remember much of his time as the monster. He meets Superman, since Superman is trying to figure out what is going on. There is no big battle, but this issue sets up the upcoming issues very well.

I really liked the art, except that the artist gave Superman a fat face. It just doesn't look right. Other than that, it's fantastic throughout.

I give this series a thumbs-up, as well. I will definitely buy the graphic novel when it is published.

Suicide Squad #1

This issue is basically how the team gets started. It's a bunch of supervillains being used to take out targets for someone in the government. Each of the team members had a bomb implanted in their skull to guarantee their cooperation.

I liked it a lot. The initial team includes: Harley Quinn, Deadshot, El Diablo, King Shark, Savant, Black Spider, and Voltaic.

It's very dark. Harley comes across as much more psychotically evil than the goofy evil she's usually portrayed as. Batman makes a minor appearance with Deadshot. King Shark is just nasty, chomping someone and yelling "Meat! Meat! Meat!". El Diablo feels like a fire-using thug who still has a code of honor.

Each of these characters gets a mini-story saying how they got captured. Not all of the Squad got mini-stories this issue, I suspect they will get theirs next issue.

The art was very good. Harley got a new costume, which I don't like as much as her old one, but it's still good.

I really liked this comic. I may actually subscribe and buy each issue. If you like the darker Batman or Punisher stories, you'll likely love this.

I'm only going to buy a few of the #1's, and then wait for graphic novel compilations. Comics are too damn expensive! Seriously, $3 or $4 an issue, all of which are less than 30 pages?! As such, I'll likely only be reviewing maybe 10 of the issues total. I'm avoiding certain ones like Hawk and Dove, which almost everyone I've talked to says is awful.

I will not reveal any major spoilers in my reviews, for those worried about that. Just general stuff, and how I feel about it.

Action Comics #1

Superman! He can leap tall buildings and can be hurt if he gets hit hard enough. This seems a flashback to the early 30's version, and I like it. He fights a crime boss, and has Lex Luthor attempting to capture him. The police are also trying to arrest him. Apparently, he is once again the worlds first superhero, so the law really doesn't know how to handle him.

I liked the story. It had some nice action, and introduced many of the main characters (Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane also appear). The comic really needed an extra 5 or 10 pages to develop things, though. The story just jumps forward instead of smoothly progressing. I suspect this will be a fault of the entire line, as there really just aren't enough pages available for good storytelling.

The art was decent, not great. I wish they had used a better artist on this line, as well. I liked Superman's and Jimmy's look, but Lois and Lex both looked a bit off. Just my opinion, though.

In all, I recommend this issue to anyone who likes Superman. I hope the writing quality remain high, and they can figure out how to deal with so few pages per issue a little better.

As it is, if I continue shopping but don't find anything I like, I still have to click Buy on something in order to get to checkout.

I'd be happy if farms were their own category. Then farmers wouldn't give my stories 1 star ratings, and I wouldn't get into a farm by accident.

Thanks! That's one of the best patch notes I've seen from Paragon. I didn't expect it to be so thorough.

Can't log in, so I was wondering what power sets got added to what archetypes.

It will sell like hotcakes, I'm sure. Who wouldn't want a travel power that is better than flight at 4th level, that won't suck up one or two power slots?

I'll be extremely happy if all the "run to this zone to meet a contact, who will tell you to run to this zone to meet a contact, who will give you a mission" missions are fixed.

I was standing in the American Legion CC line for around 45 minutes, and they were announcing runner-ups. There was a thunderstorm at my house, so naturally, the internet died. I went to bed around 3 hours later, and still no internet. Talk about frustrating.

Couldn't the stupid storm have waited an hour before knocking out my internet!

The link does not exist. Try this: http://n3gative-0.deviantart.com/art...erse-178656680

What powers are must-haves?
Which ones are skippable?
Thanks!

I couldn't find any in the Guide sticky. Are they out there and just not listed?

Make sure you do the missions from Montague in Steel Canyon. After you finish a bunch of them, you will get access to the Midnighters Club. Which gives you a couple more map jumps and two badges.

When a mission says to defeat a boss, you have to defeat all of his helpers in the room even if they are on a higher or lower floor to get credit.

The Phlogiston Society represents the best steam-powered technology and advanced electrical physics in the world. It was founded quite recently, and is encouraging interested persons of good character and strong fortitude to apply for membership.

Contact Amelia Gearhard for more information if you are online. She will make periodic announcements in the Atlas Park zone regarding membership.