Blast! The Villain made his way to the mayhem before the Hero arrived!

Back in October I wrote about a little Kickstarter board game project called Super Showdown. With graphics recalling the Golden Age of comics, Super Showdown is a slim little two-player game that has surprising depth with a simple set of components. I just got my Kickstarter-reward copy this week, and it looks great.

You can read the full review here for how the game works, but here’s a run-down of the final product.

A slim box holds all the components.

The box itself is quite nice: a linen finish that goes well with the style of the artwork, and made to look like a comic book cover. Three “super supporters” have their names listed on one edge of the box. The box is a little smaller than a Kindle: you could probably fit all the components in something even smaller (a square, perhaps), but then you’re dealing with really odd sizes. I’m glad he went with this size — it’s also thinner than many game boxes I’ve seen, so at least there’s not a ton of wasted space.

The box is a nice linen finish with aged-looking graphics.

Inside the box, you get:

• 2 dice
• 2 custom meeples (the white hero-with-cape and the green villain)
• a deck of 18 cards
• 2 player aid cards
• 1 game board

The game board is sturdy cardboard with the printed image wrapping around the edges, which is a nice touch. The grid is sized to match the dice (as you can see from the top photo), so you can easily mark where the mayhem takes place.

I played it again today (and lost) and it was still a lot of fun — an excellent buy for the $15 I chipped in on Kickstarter.

Game designer Trevor Cram has his website up and running now, so if you want to pick up a copy for yourself, you can do so at Touch Paper Press. The price there is $15.95, so just a little bit higher than the Kickstarter backer level, but it’s still a darn good deal.

Witchblade #153 — Skin Ink (Click to Enlarge)

In conjunction with Top Cow Comics, GeekDad is offering an exclusive contest for our readers. In the cover image above for Witchblade #153 is a visual clue that will give you the answer to today’s riddle. Solve today’s cover image riddle and enter the answer in the form below and you are entered to win not one, but two prizes:

1. Daily Prize (7): We will be giving away one copy of the new Witchblade Rebirth Vol. 1 trade paperback signed by writer Tim Seeley every day this week. Enter by submitting the clue from that day’s image for your chance. Only one winner per day, and you can only win this prize once.
2. Grand Prize (1): All entries will be used to draw for the grand prize, a complete set of prints of the covers for Witchblade Rebirth Vol 1 signed by artist John Tyler Christopher. The more you enter, the better your chances are, so even if you win the daily prize, you can keep entering for the grand prize.

Here’s a little hint for today’s image (above):

Beauty may only be skin deep, but translate the ink just below the surface for the answer.

Just a little friendly warning: The codes and riddles can get pretty tricky, and may rely on your knowledge of other Top Cow titles. Look closely at each image for any anomalies. No detail is too small. Good luck, and see you again tomorrow with a new cover.

P.S. You can still enter your answer for yesterday’s cover, Witchblade #152.

Pre-order Witchblade Rebirth Vol. 1 ($9.99) from Top Cow.

Or go here if you cannot see the embedded form.

Witchblade #152 – Find the location written in blood.

In conjunction with Top Cow, GeekDad is offering our own exclusive contest for GeekDad readers, and it’s a big one. We’ve already seen Witchblade #151. Solve the cover image riddle for Witchblade #152, enter the clue in the form below for not one, but two chances to win:

1. Daily Prize (7): We will be giving away one copy of the new Witchblade Rebirth Vol. 1 trade paperback signed by writer Tim Seeley every day this week. Enter by submitting the clue from that day’s image for your chance. Only one winner per day, and you can only win this prize once.
2. Grand Prize (1): All entries will be used to draw for the grand prize, a complete set of prints of the covers for Witchblade Rebirth Vol 1 signed by artist John Tyler Christopher. The more you enter, the better your chances are, so even if you win the daily prize, you can keep entering for the grand prize.

Just a little friendly warning: The codes and riddles can get pretty tricky, and may rely on your knowledge of other Top Cow titles. Look closely at each image for any anomalies. No detail is too small.

Here’s a little hint for today’s image (above):

Did you know that Google Maps can find a location based on longitude and latitude? Even when it’s written in blood?

Good luck, and see you again tomorrow with a new cover.

Pre-order Witchblade Rebirth Vol. 1 ($9.99) from Top Cow.

Or go here if you cannot see the embedded form.

Witchblade #151 — Hint: It is written on the wall, but don't be afraid of the dark. (Click to enlarge image for better viewing)

Witchblade Rebirth Volume 1 collects the first story arc (issues #151–155) by the new creative team by Tim Seeley (Hack/Slash, and Revival) and Diego Bernard (The Man With No Name) with covers from John Tyler Chrisopher (Artifacts). In celebration of the trade paperback being released this week June 6th, GeekDad and publisher Top Cow have a little something for you.

In each of the covers, John hid codes and riddles for fans to find and solve within the art. These are the Top Cow Witchblade Cover Artifacts. Solve the puzzle to get the clue and get unlock bonus content, including wallpaper, behind-the-scenes art, and more on their website.

The Top Cow/GeekDad Witchblade Contest

In conjunction with Top Cow, GeekDad is offering our own exclusive contest for GeekDad readers, and it’s a big one. Solve the cover image and enter the clue in the form below for not one, but two chances to win:

1. Daily Prize (7): We will be giving away one copy of the new Witchblade Rebirth Vol 1 trade paperback signed by writer Tim Seeley every day this week. Enter by submitting the clue from that day’s image for your chance. Only one winner per day, and you can only win this prize once.
2. Grand Prize (1): All entries will be used to draw for the grand prize, a complete set of prints of the covers for Witchblade Rebirth Vol 1 signed by artist John Tyler Christopher. The more you enter, the better your chances are, so even if you win the daily prize, you can keep entering for the grand prize.

Just a little friendly warning: The codes and riddles can get pretty tricky, and may rely on your knowledge of other Top Cow titles. Look closely at each image for any anomalies. No detail is too small.

Here’s a little hint for today’s image (above):

The writing was on the wall that things would not be looking up for Sara Pezzini after her move to Chicago starting in Witchblade #151. What secret lies behind the cover of the Top Cow Universe Rebirth kick-off issue to Witchblade? It helps to not be afraid of the Dark.

Good luck, and see you again tomorrow with a new cover.

Pre-order Witchblade Rebirth Vol 1 ($9.99) from Top Cow.

Excerpt from The Antler Boy by Jake Parker

Okay, I wasn’t sure if I had time to write about this Kickstarter project, and I know I’m just contributing more to your Kickstarter FOMO, but if you’re a fan of Jake Parker you should at least hear about this project. Parker is the creator of Missile Mouse and has also done a lot of other short comics stories that have appeared in various anthologies, some now out of print. His Kickstarter campaign is for a hardcover collection of many of these stories — and because he’s already blown way past his original goal, he’s been able to throw a lot of nice bonus rewards, including a brand new 18-page story.

I really love Parker’s artwork and stories, particularly the fact that he has a few different styles, as you can see on the Kickstarter page and the samples below. The campaign also includes a lot of options for some bonus artwork — he’ll draw a sketch in the book for you, or you can get a print of some of the characters. I’ve already backed a copy with some artwork because I know my daughters will love it.

If you’re looking for a cool collection of all-ages comics, sort of a one-man anthology, then take a look at The Antler Boy and Other Stories — there’s less than a week left. Hit the jump for a few more images from Parker’s comics.

Sample from The Robot and the Sparrow

Sample from Missile Mouse

Sample from Checkers

Ok, I told you back in December to mark your calendars for Free Comic Book Day, and here it comes! Mine came a little early, actually: Archaia sent me a copy of their free hardcover I mentioned before, so I got a chance to flip through it ahead of time.

The Mouse Guard cover story is a tale of an old heroic mouse, told through a puppet show to mouse audience, with a little cameo at the end. I’m preparing for my first full RPG experience soon with the Mouse Guard RPG, so I went back and read all the previous issues of Mouse Guard: Legends of the Black Axe, and it’s reinvigorated my excitement about David Petersen’s world of mice.

There’s a Rust story that has little brother Oswald giving his perspective on Jet Jones and the goings-on at the family farm. (And if you haven’t checked out Rust yet, you really ought to.)

The other stories in the book are great, too, and you should certainly grab a copy of this freebie if you can get to a comic store on Saturday, May 5 — but keep your eyes peeled for the full versions of these comics, too, because Archaia has some really great books in the queue.

And, of course, there will be plenty of free issues from other publishers as well. Enjoy!

I’m going to assume you’ve already heard the argument that comics are a great way to teach literacy, and not re-hash that here. Comics are also a pretty good way to teach other things as well: it’s a very blurry line between comics and instructional diagrams, for instance. The combination of words and pictures is something that just clicks for many readers, particularly when it’s done well.

Reading With Pictures is a non-profit organization that aims to “get comics into schools and get schools into comics.” Tom Stillwell wrote about their first anthology last year, which covered a variety of subjects as their proof of concept, and was very well-received. Now, RWP is seeking funding on Kickstarter for The Graphic Textbook, a 144-page comics anthology covering Social Studies, Math, Language Arts, Science — all drawn from a list of common core standards. Their hope is to weave comics-based learning into virtually every subject by producing a book that can actually be used as a textbook, and not simply a literacy aid.

If you love comics and education, this is a project you’ll want to check out. Their page has a lot more details about what’s included and how the money will be spent. If you want to know the longer story about where RWP came from, check out Update #2 on the Kickstarter page, written by RWP founder and president Josh Elder. It’s lengthy, but a really great story.

I’ve already backed The Graphic Textbook myself, and I asked Elder a few more questions about the project.

Josh Elder, founder of Reading With Pictures

Liu: I like that you’ve given the breakdown of where the money is going so backers can see why you’re asking for the amount you’ve got. My question is: how will you actually get this book into the classroom? Of course I hope teachers and schools see the project but I know our state is having a budget crisis and I can’t see them ordering a copy for each student for some class or other. So what’s the plan for getting it into the hands of teachers?

Elder: Good question. We already have offers for print distribution, and we’re still open to partnering with a publisher in that area as well. We’ve gone to great lengths to keep the cost of the book down to $25 or below – a steal for a hardcover textbook like this one – while also offering our DRM-free digital edition for just $10. We are a nonprofit that serves the public trust, and we take that obligation seriously. We need to be sustainable, but our primary goal is to get this book into as many classrooms as possible.

Everyone on this book is working at below their standard market rate, and I’m working for free. I’ve even committed to selling my car to make up any funding shortfalls we may encounter. And I live in LA, so that’s a pretty big deal!

Image from "Field Trip" by Russell Lissau and Marvin Mann

Liu: One of my complaints about learning to read through comics has been that comics seem to be less meticulously edited than other books; I frequently find very basic errors made in comics that I rarely see in, say, middle grade fiction. With a textbook, you’ll also have to deal with historical accuracy, scientific accuracy, and so on. How will you ensure that The Graphic Textbook will be free of grammatical and factual errors?

Elder: Comics have traditionally been a “quick and dirty” medium owing to their origins as periodicals, thus certain niceties like copy editing often fell by the wayside. This has historically given comics a greater energy and immediacy than you typically see in most long form fiction, but it certainly does not make for good textbook material. To address this issue, we’re giving ourselves a 6-8 month production cycle on The Graphic Textbook. To put that in context, production on a book like this would normally take 2-3 months at most under the standard operating procedures of the comics industry. Those extra months give us the time we need for thorough copy editing and fact-checking by our editors and our panel of educational experts.

That’s the reason we’ve set such a high goal on Kickstarter. We want to do this right, and that means hiring the best people and giving them the time they need to do their best work.

Image from "The Black Brigade” by Chris Schweizer

Liu: Once you get kids hooked on comics for reading, do you feel that it’s a natural progression toward non-comics reading? Should it be?

Elder: Studies show that comic readers read more of everything than the general population. Still, the research isn’t conclusive because there just hasn’t been enough of it – one of the issues that Reading With Pictures was founded to address, actually – but my own anecdotal experience certainly supports the hypothesis. Comics not only helped teach me to read, they helped teach me to love reading. Because of my early exposure to comics, I was compelled to read everything I could: from comics (obviously) to newspapers, from novels to the Encyclopedia Britannica (back when there was such a thing). I was such a bibliovore that I actually maxed out my library card on more than one occasion. Seriously, that actually happened.

Thanks to the literacy-accelerating elements inherent to the comics medium, I was able to engage with material far beyond my grade level starting on the first day on kindergarten. I read at the college level before leaving elementary school, I took college credit courses while still in middle school, and I attended Northwestern University on a National Merit Scholarship. In other words, hooked on comics worked for me. Reading With Pictures exists because I believe it can do the same for students everywhere.

The second part of your question – should kids progress from reading comics to reading other media – is a stickier wicket. Content is king, so readers should seek the content that they want wherever and however they can find it. That’s certainly what I did. That being said, it’s my firm belief that the medium of sequential art possesses intrinsic advantages over prose when it comes to efficiency and efficacy of data transmission and retention. As digital technology pushes the marginal cost of transmitting images as well as text down to zero, the terms of the debate will fundamentally change. Image and text will become so intertwined that it will be impossible to separate the two.

To wit, poetry is deader than Shakespeare, yet more people read and write it today than at any point in human history. That’s because poetry evolved into songwriting once the technology to store and transmit audio recordings became commonplace. At first, the gatekeepers of culture derided popular music as a mongrel cross between poetry and chamber music – low art for low people. In time, that opinion softened and eventually reversed as the old guard was inevitably replaced by a younger generation that judged pop music for what it was, not for what it wasn’t. Not that all pop music was good, far from it, but the form itself was no longer considered illegitimate. The comics medium is in the early stages of the same process.

So I say, read what you like in whatever way that you like it. Content is content, and content is king. We just want to give students more format options for that content.

Excerpt from "Doctor Sputnik: Man of Science” by Roger Langridge

Liu: How about drawing and writing — it’s one thing to teach Reading With Pictures, but have you considered teaching Writing With Pictures as well? That is, can you use comics creation to teach the other half of literacy: writing?

Elder: Writing instruction will absolutely be built into the Language Arts portion of The Graphic Textbook, but it’s not our central focus. Writing instruction is, however, at the core of The Comic Book Project, a national initiative headed by Dr. Michael Bitz that uses the comics medium to facilitate self-expression through art and writing. In its 10+ years of existence, The Comic Book Project has worked with tens of thousands of students to great effect and well-deserved acclaim. The Graphic Textbook will touch on this, but the folks at The Comic Book Project are the real experts.

Though to again use myself as an example, I’ve been gainfully employed as a writer across various media (magazines, newspapers, video games, novels and – of course — comics) and I learned my craft primarily from writing comic scripts. Once again, hooked on comics worked for me!

There are less than two weeks left to fund The Graphic Textbook, and they’re about a third of the way to their goal as of this writing. Go take a look at the project and consider ordering a copy (or a Classroom Set for 25 copies)!

Anina Bennet and Paul Guinan of Franke Read, Boilerplate, and Heartbreakers.

The Stumptown Comics Fest was held in Portland, Oregon, this past weekend. I was only able to attend briefly on Saturday, but I had fun exploring the aisles and chatting with a few people before I had to rush home to take my kids to a birthday party. But after just a few hours I had a huge list of things I wanted to read, and there were many more folks that I didn’t even get to see. Maybe next time, when my life isn’t quite so packed. (Ha!)

Here’s a mad-cap whirlwind tour of various people, comics, and stuff I encountered at Stumptown Comics Fest.

My daughter works on a comic during a kids' workshop.

The first thing we did upon arrival (well, after walking up and down and around stairs in the convention center because I missed the ticket booth the first time) was to go to a Kids Comics Workshop led by cartoonist and educator Lisa Rosalie Eisenberg. She gave a few basic (but useful) pointers about speech bubbles, like writing the words before drawing the bubbles and making sure the first speaker’s bubble is higher up than the second speaker’s. There was time for kids to work on their own comics, and then put them on the projector to share with the audience. It was a small group, but my daughter had fun doing a six-panel cartoon about animals in the forest.

I spent the rest of the time in the exhibit hall, so I didn’t get to any other panels this time, but there were certainly a few that sounded really great, covering topics like podcasts, digital inking, writing for comics (with Brian Michael Bendis), a Q&A with Kurt Busiek, a discussion with Stan Sakai about Usagi Yojimbo, copyrights and “fair use” for comics creators, self-publishing, and more.

The exhibit hall wasn’t huge (compared to Comic-Con, for instance) but there was plenty to take in. I had my daughter with me for about an hour as we explored the aisles. There were a lot of kid-safe books, but also a good number of things that were not quite as family-friendly. The tricky thing is, with comics, it can be hard to tell until you get right up close. Top Shelf helpfully had all of their kids’ titles arranged on one end of their table and more adult content toward the other end — and told us so as we approached their booth. There were others, though, with more risque material that did not say anything at all (to me or my daughter) when my daughter started browsing — and it was up to me to look over her shoulder and steer her away. I don’t think it’s necessary to segregate kids-only stuff in one area (after all, many people do a bit of everything) but it would be nice if there were some easy way to identify which things were kid-safe. Maybe a big bright “Kids!” sign to tack onto your booth table.

Diana Nock and Intrepid Girlbot

I came across a booth for Buttersafe, an online webcomic that looks very funny and had some great prints and T-shirts for sale. But although it looks happy and cute, it is definitely one that you would want to preview before showing your kids. Some, like my favorite Serving the Queen, are fine for kids, but there are a few with stronger language.

I did buy two books that are kid-friendly. The first is The Intrepid Girlbot: Unconditional by Diana Nock. It’s the printed collection of about two years’ worth of Nock’s webcomic about a little girlbot who lives in a forest surrounded by forest critters. I haven’t gotten to sit down and read it yet, although my five-year-old discovered it this morning before school and flipped through the entire thing on her own. Like Owly, it is mostly wordless (but without the rebuses); mostly there are sound effects and occasional words on signs. Nock ran a successful Kickstarter campaign last fall to have this first volume printed, and it looks pretty fun.

The other book I got is Sketch Monsters by Joshua Williamson and Vinny Navarette. My daughter saw this one at the Oni Press booth and it was the only thing she wanted. I’ll probably have a review of it later on (courtesy of my daughter) but she blasted through it and her main complaint was that it was over too soon. It’s about a little girl whose monster sketches come to life and run amok in the town.

Vinny Navarette does the most elaborate autograph doodle ever for Sketch Monsters.

The Avengers opens this week, and it is awesome. You may have seen the giveaway I’m running at the Disney Blog for some cool Avengers swag, but if you haven’t, go enter, I’ll wait.

I’ve also got something very special to give away here, and it too involves The Avengers. And Stan Lee. It’s a great power, great responsibility sort of thing, but with less spiders.

I’ve got two(2) weekend festival passes to the 2012 Catalina Film Festival, which includes a presentation by, and the honoring of, Mr. Stan Lee. Also, a special screening of Marvel’s The Avengers.

The catch? The winner needs to be in Southern California because travel to Catalina Island and other accommodations are not included in the prize.

Still, seeing Stan Lee and The Avengers is pretty cool, and Catalina Island is a great getaway. I’ve seen worse giveaways.

How to enter: If you are in SoCal and able to attend the Catalina Film Festival this coming weekend (May 4-6) then leave a comment below stating which Avenger is your favorite and why. It’s that easy!

Comments will close at 11:59 p.m. PST on Wednesday, May 2. Winner will be picked at random and contacted via email. Due to the sensitive timing of this giveaway winner must respond ASAP. If I do not hear back within 3 (three hours) I will contact another winner. I know, it’s not a lot of time, but hey, it’s my giveaway.

Excelsior!

_______________

See the video of Mark Ruffalo on his inspiration for the Hulk!

Read my review of The Avengers at DadCentric!

Photo: Disney/Marvel