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The Indie Side: "Damage Inc" Preview/Review

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Alrighty gang, this will be the first Indie Side series preview/review. There are a lot of great books and comic creators that I would love to talk about. So believe me, this was not an easy choice to make. I've had new books from a ton my favorites (actually a little back logged on my reading), and there is just so much that I would love to share...but I have narrowed my focus, looked at some things, had a few conversations with myself over what I want to do...no straight jackets for me just yet...and decided to go diving deep into the indie pool to bring to you Damage Inc, by James Burton.

A little info on James from his bio for your perusal:

"My work includes editorial magazine illustrator, Storyboard and Conceptual Artist. The Pencils, inks, and lettering for multiple issues for Vampire of the Lost Highway. I am the artist/Co-creator for the art award winning horror series Inheritance. Cover Artist for Nationally distributed Knights of the Dinner Table, and most importantly I am a Father, a Husband and a Level 4 Cancer Survivor."

I don't know him personally, but from my interactions with him on Kickstarter, I can tell you that he is probably one of the nicest and most humble of the various comics creators that I have interacted with. I told him my criticisms and likes with the books, and he came back with a positive response to everything I said. He even took some time to respond to some small talk, which was pretty cool of him. So without further fanfare or adieu, lets talk a little about his Damage Inc series=)

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The Premise:

In the creator's own words:

"What is DAMAGE INC.?

Damage Inc.is the story about a group of friends who are a part of a club that hunts supernatural creatures and super-powered metahumans for bounties…

But there is a big problem…

They suck at it.

Every job ends in a gunfight, an explosion and a ton of smack talk."

At the moment there are four issues filled with action, anime references, plenty of explosions, and the aforementioned smack talk. Just to give an idea of some the humor and action that takes place, James has allowed me to share some of his stuff here for your viewing pleasure. He actually said that I could use any imagery in the pdfs that I like in my endeavors, but I am not going to throw the whole thing at you for free. I kind of need you guys to support his work, so we can get a few more Damage Inc books out of him=P

A few snippets from book 4 of Damage Inc for your perusal:

Obviously any good review is going to offer some thoughts on the material over all...what was good, what was meh and so on. My aim here isn't to tear the creator and the work to bits, nor is it to just write a feel good fluff piece. Not that all the creators will be reading these, but those that do, I want to help them to grow in their art and enhance their work. It's important to point out what was done well and vice versa. The art of critiquing is an invaluable tool for growth, so here we go...

The Breakdown

First off, I am reading these in the digital, pdf format. As much as I would love to get the actual books in my dirty, greasy little hands, I am usually reading on the go. I appreciate it when a creator offers up their work in such a way, as it makes life a little easier for someone like me who is usually out and about. Second off, James threw out a few Evil Dead references in the books, which scored a win with me right off the bat. Being a huge fan of horror, it was something that I appreciated seeing referenced. Alright, let's get into the actual review here...

Now, the artwork in the initial 3 issues gave me a feeling reminiscent of the old school Chaos Comics, the original Crow comic, some of the OG Vampirella and Red Sonja books, and of course the ever classic TMNT books. It really made me a bit nostalgic reading through these issues. There were a few points where I had to enlarge and really look over a few of the scenes to get a better feel for what was going on, so it was a little bit of a mixed bag for me, but to be fair, I was reading it on a handheld device at the time. Issues 1 and 3 were done in color, with some darker tones and again, it gave me that old school vibe, which I liked. Issue 2 was straight black and white, which again, worked into that vibe of some of those older style comics I talked about. Personally, I am not the biggest fan of straight black and white, but that is more of a personal preference than a critique=P

Book 4, went with more of a greyscale with the occasional splashes of color, which was beautifully done. I felt that style really enhanced the feel of the book. I still had that nostalgic feel, but the images felt a bit crisper and cleaner. If any of you have checked out the somewhat recent Red Sonja book, The Ballad of the Red Goddess, the shading and the coloring choices were very similar to what was used in that particular work, and I just cannot say enough good things about that style. Again, I really feel that bit of creative choice in the art, really helped to sell me on the book. Hopefully we see more of it in future issues, as it really worked well with his art style and the story being told. Speaking of the story...

Story wise, the first issue kind of felt like I was picking up the book a few issues into the series, but it did give us a good feel for the team dynamics. The banter was humorous, and while we didn't learn a whole lot, there was enough of a setup that I wasn't completely lost. Book 2, again felt a bit like I was being thrust in mid story, but overall, it was a fun read. Learning more about Brain and his past, plus dealing with his internal struggles with killing and his role in the team, really kept my interest. Now with book 3 and definitely book 4, I feel like things are starting to truly gain some traction story wise. We were given a fantastic two part story, with some great dialogue and action. I especially appreciated the slight breakdown on the crew and their personalities that happened in book 4. I really feel like I got to know the crew very well in those issues, and we were left with plenty of unanswered questions to keep us hooked and looking forward to the next issue.

The Bang for Your Buck

The pricing for the tiers is about average for Kickstarter comics overall, although for this run at least, the digital level was at a fantastic price. 4 books in pdf format for a measly 3 bucks. He could probably charge more and get away with it, but damn, that is a good way to draw in new people who may not want to get in on the physical tiers just yet, at least not until they get a better idea of just what Damage Inc is all about. The books all range from 24 to 34 pages in length, so again, great price for the amount of book you are getting. While I cannot promise that future entries will run with such a deal, it is definitely worth keeping an eye on to see what deals he does eventually offer up. On average, most Kickstarter books go for about 5-6 dollars for a single pdf, usually running about 24 some odd pages for what you are getting. When they offer up multiple books, it is generally in the range of $10+. So even if he upped the price by a few bucks, you would still be getting a darn good deal.

Of course, no physical rewards come with the digital level, which is about par for the course. I really have no gripes there, since the physical levels require the creators to produce physical books and variety of items that will need to be made and mailed out. He does however offer up a variety of goodies for the physical pledge levels, which range from patches to bandannas to hoodies to even a custom pop figure.

Pretty good bang for your buck and no complaints on my end. It was money well spent.

The Interview

When I can, I am going to try and get some words from the creators of these books, and drop three little questions on them. I will probably not hear anything from the great majority of them, but Mr. James Burton, the creator of Damage Inc, was kind enough to answer a few of my silly little inquiries=)

What sort of music (if any) do you listen to as you write?

Music I listen to. Good question. I used to listen to Metallica when drawing Damage Inc. Now I curate it a bit. I built a list on Pandora that is part 90's bands like Bloodhound gang, Offspring, Tool, etc to give the attitude I like the team to have, with..... Recent folk music and bluegrass mixed in. The slower music like Lord Heron lets me hear the characters voices a bit more. Instead of just headbanging and gun fights I get to hear things like Cera voicing concerns for her brothers or a villain that's not a villain. You can't hear emotional ranges outside of chaos, laughter and violence when you're listening to "I hope you die!"

Being a horror fanatic, I definitely appreciate the tone and feel of your work. What are a few of your influences for this series or your writing in general?

My writing influences are mostly from GMing role Playing games for decades. We used Palladium Books which always had some horror worked in. Their concepts built the foundation of that part of my storytelling. CJ Carella wrote the most amazing settings and characters for books that still dominate my thoughts, like Nightbane, and a lot of his Rifts work.

As much as I love to see a series just continue on, so I can keep up with the adventures of characters I enjoy, I can understand that some works are envisioned as more of a limited series. Do you see Damage Inc as an ongoing kind of thing, or will this be more of a limited run?

I see Damage Inc. as ongoing where like how Mignola returns to Hellboy but works on other things and comes back to it. There is a series I am working on with my sister about the dream world where children have to deal with things in our world that bled through and some times go in and face their fears. That will interrupt Damage soon. But I'll always come back.

In Closing

All in all, Damage Inc get's two thumbs up as far as I am concerned.

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I appreciated that nostalgic feel I got from reading the books. Plus it has an interesting cast of characters and a fun story to boot. Add to that, James is good guy from what I know of him, and I would love to see this series continued. So go check it out and let me know what you think!

For more Indie Side, just keep an eye on the tracker thread!

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The Indie Side: A Small Guide to Indie Comics Publishers

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Alrighty gang, been a bit since I have worked the debating front, and to be honest, not really sure when and if I will be getting back into it. That said, I wanted to do a little something to keep my writing juices flowing, so here we are. Anyhow, just what is "The Indie Side"? Well, this is my attempt to continue to shine a light on the dark corners of the comic book world, those books and publishers that most would label as "indie comics". Not sure how often I will be doing this. There won't be a set schedule, this will just be something I will be doing when the mood strikes me...so here we go...

The Small Guide to Indie Publishers

For the opener, I wanted to do a little deep diving into some of the more prominent indie publishers, just to give you an idea of who is out there publishing quality books that you can spend your hard earned dollars on...

Image Comics

Out of all the indie comic publishers, this is one of the largest. Almost large enough to not be considered an indie company, they still put out plenty of titles that are far from mainstream. Image comics houses Top Cow and Skybound Entertainment as imprints and they have an impressive library of titles with some top shelf talent to boot. These were the guys that in the 90s set out to dominate the comic industry and unseat the big two from their thrones, and had it not been for the big comic market crash of the time and several of their creators parting ways to do their own thing, they might have been successful.

That said, they are still alive and kicking, and even have at least 2 current shows based off of their comics such as, Deadly Class and The Walking Dead, plus several properties that have made it to the big screen (Wanted, Kingsmen, Kick-Ass) and so on. Not to mention an impressive list of well known titles and characters (Spawn, Savage Dragon, Invincible, Luther Strode, Witchblade, The Darkness, and so on).

With that out of the way, I just want to drop a few titles that I personally recommend checking out:

  • Hack/Slash - This is basically what would happen if the "Final Girl" from a horror film, went out, trained, became a bad arse, and started hunting slashers similar to the likes of Voorhees, Myers and so on. Fans of slasher movies will enjoy this one.
  • Pretty Deadly - This is a visually stunning and interesting take on a western with fantasy style elements interwoven throughout. It's a story that follows Ginny, the literal daughter of Death as she enacts her own version of justice. This one is a slow burner to be quite honest, but it pays off for those that stick with it.
  • Death Vigil - So the Reaper has to contend with demonic entities and the sorcerers who work for them. To do this, she has created the Death Vigil, which is basically her group of superhero zombies of a sort to deal with them. Interesting premise with beautiful artwork and an altogether compelling story.
  • Aphrodite IX/IXth Generation/Aphrodite V - These books follow several versions of a hot and kick arse female android assassin that comes straight from the pages of Witchblade and Cyber Force. Subsequently, Aph is one of my top ten favorite comic heroines. Well worth checking out.
  • Cyber Force - While this team has gone through some continuity changes thanks to some reality warping and then the time travelling shenanigans of Aphrodite IX, this 90s team has seen some changes and updates to fully bring them into the modern era. If you like cyborgs, guns, high tech weaponry and explosions, this book is for you=)
  • Monstress - This comic has won five, yes 5 Eisners, and has been pretty much universally acclaimed by the critics. It is a sweeping fantasy epic with a sufficiently compelling lead, and a beautifully drawn and laid out story. If you aren't reading this...do yourself a favor and pick it up, like right now.
  • Tech Jacket - While the premise is not entirely original: Boy gets super powered and high tech armor from a dying alien...this is a story from the mind of Robert Kirkman, who has taken many comic tropes, and turned them on their heads. Honestly, this is a very wild ride, and if you haven't read this, you are missing out.
  • Wayward - This is a tale of ancient Japanese gods and demons trying to suppress and take out the new generation of supernatural beings before they can fully come into power. There is a nice blend of Japanese and Irish folkore and mysticism throughout the series (the main character being part Japanese and Irish), and I just cannot recommend this series enough.

Sorry gang, no real reviews of the titles themselves in this piece, just a few short blurbs. These are just a few of the books that I have read in recent years that really stick out in my mind. Hopefully in the future I will get to reviewing some of these books, but for now, let us move onto the next publisher on my list.

Dark Horse Comics

Once upon a time this publisher had a fairly well known connected comics world (the "Comics Greatest World" titles), and outside of this they were known for their works based on properties like Aliens, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Conan, Star Wars, Predator, the Terminator, The Mask, and a whole heck of a lot more. While they don't have the rights to many of these properties anymore, they still have a pretty large amount of video game, movie/tv, and original works to fall back on. Some of my personal favorites that I can recommend checking out:

  • Ghost - A nice little combination of horror, sci-fi and the superhero genres. This story follows Elisa Cameron and her search for the truth surrounding her "death" and her newfound ghost-like powers.
  • Barb Wire - Please...just try not to think of the horrific movie adaption of this, and give the book a chance. The story follows Barbara Kopetski aka Barb Wire, who is the owner of a bar, and is a part-time bounty hunter, who hunts metahumans and the like, utilizing various gadgets and gizmos created by her blind and gifted brother. She is tough, kicks arse, can drink like a fish and talks a lot of trash. My kind of gal=)
  • Hellboy - If you have seen the original two movies with Ron Pearlman, then you have a pretty good idea of what this series about. There was also a newer movie with David Harbour, two straight to DVD animated features, and a handful of video games. Chances are, you have heard of him. For those of you living under a rock, this is basically the whacky and violent adventures of a big red demon guy with one massive stone arm and a massive gun as he fights supernatural threats.

And of course, they have a few titles you will recognize from the big screen and Netflix adaptations (like maybe Sin City and Umbrella Academy)...but I digress . For you manga readers, I should point out that Dark Horse runs a manga imprint for Japanese to English translations for a wide variety of manga goodness.

And up next...a company that publishes one of my favorite ongoing titles in recent years...the green guys with the shells...

IDW Publishing

If you want to talk about another indie publisher with a massive amount of properties under their belts, well look no further than IDW. These guys have been putting out quality books for quite a few years, and chances are, they have a title in print from something you have seen in the movies, on TV, or even played on your favorite video game console. They have done numerous books for the likes of Doctor Who, Underworld, Shaun of the Dead, Star Trek, Silent Hill, Ghostbusters, Transformers, GI Joe, Castlevania, Metal Gear Solid...even titles for My Little Pony and Jem. Like many of these publishers, I could go on, but you guys can check this stuff out for yourself by practicing the ancient art of "google-fu"...or you could click the handy link I added to each publisher's name, and check out what they have going on directly=)

A few of the titles I have enjoyed from these guys:

  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - By far, this is my favorite iteration of the Turtles. This series was originally only meant to run about 50 issues, but thankfully it has been popular enough with great stories and artwork to keep it running past the 100 issues mark with a multitude of miniseries and crossovers to boot.
  • Fallen Angel - This started as a DC property (and was originally meant tie into the Supergirl tales), this is the story of a fallen guardian angel who operates out of the city of Bette Noire. Those that come seeking her help will either receive her aid if she believes they have been wronged...or if she thinks they deserve whatever happened to them, she might simply refuse...or help to further their woes. A dark book, with plenty of horror and some unique takes on a few biblical themes.
  • Wynonna Earp - She is the present day descendant of Wyatt Earp, and is one of the top agents for a special division within the US Marshals that deals with monsters and a variety of supernatural threats. And for those of you with the SYFY channel, this has also been adapted into a fairly popular show for the network.

The further down this list we go, the more indie things get from here on out. While a lot of the following publishers may have a few well known properties, overall, these guys are more known for their more obscure but moderately known characters and/or their original titles and works.

Down the rabbit hole we go gang...

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=)

BOOM Studios

Founded about 14 to 15 some odd years ago, this publisher does carry some titles for a handful of well-known properties such as: Buffy, Angel, Power Rangers, Firefly, and a few other series with moderately well known characters. The difference between BOOM Studios and say IDW or Dark Horse, is that their original works far outnumber their acquired licensed properties. Their original works cover a wide range of genres from sci-fi to horror to fantasy...even books that cover the super hero genre, biblical figures like Judas, and they even cover you anthropomorphic animal/furry lovers with quite a few of their series.

And as you have already probably guessed...I have a few titles that I highly recommend checking out from these guys:

  • Hexed - So, horror is a thing with me, as I am sure you will notice. This is another fun horror themed series that follows a magic using thief in the modern world, who steals magic items. Highly recommended.
  • Irredeemable - I absolutely love this series. This story follows the Plutonian, the world's greatest hero in the vein of Superman, who descends into depravity and madness, as he kills a good chunk of the world's population. It's now up to his former teammates and the world's remaining heroes and villains to deal with him and to pick up the pieces.
  • Incorruptible - Whereas Irredeemable sees the world's greatest hero turn villain, this story in turn takes one of the Plutonian's most powerful villains, Max Damage, and shows him having a change of heart and trying to become a hero after he witnesses the Plutonian's genocidal rampage first hand. This is a companion series to Irredeemable, and it is well worth checking out.
  • Suicide Risk - What if metahumans as we know them, were actually superpowered criminals from another dimension who had their memories wiped, had new identities and personalities crafted for them and were sent to our dimension as kind of a prison of sorts? While I love all of the other series listed above, this is my favorite from BOOM studios. A fairly unique premise, with tons of twists, turns and surprises. Please, pick up the trades and give this a read!

Next up is a publisher that has a few characters that are near and dear to my heart...

Dynamite Entertainment

These guys have quite a few really well known properties like The Boys, Grimm, and James Bond. Although, they are mainly known for buying up older comic/novel properties to add to their stables, such as Tarzan, John Carter, the Gold Key books (Magnus Robot Fighter, Solar Man of the Atom, Turok, etc), Chaos Comics (Chastity, Evil Ernie, Purgatori, etc), and quite a bit more. Add to all of this their more original titles and works (Intertwined, Jennifer Blood, Jungle Girl, etc.), and their books based on past horror icons and rockstars/bands (Elvira, KISS, Alice Cooper)...plus the insane amount of crossover series and specials between all of this...and you have a healthy amount of indie goodness to get into.

As stated before, this company has a few titles that are near and dear to my heart, but to be honest, some of their stuff can be a mixed bag. While they have a lot of strong titles and series to read through, some of it can kind of be a bit of a roller coaster in terms of quality in story telling and artwork. A good example of this are their Gold Key book adaptions (and their Chaos Comics series), as some of those books started strong, and then ended pretty weak. Or stayed strong throughout the run, then the continuity was later scrapped in favor of a weaker continuity. Even with a lot of their best titles, there isn't any real strong sense of continuity between the various volumes, as often times, the writers are pretty much given carte blanche to do as they will. Which can be an issue for those that like to keep up with what is canon and what isn't...

So look, Dynamite is a love/hate kind of relationship for me. Some of the stuff that I love:

  • Vampirella - Arguably one of the hottest comic book femme fatales, Dynamite got the rights many, many years ago, and have run her through a few different volumes, mini-series and crossovers. There is a wide body of work that ranges from horror to adventure to thought provoking to the just plain weird.
  • Red Sonja - Dynamite also has the comic rights to another one of comics hottest female bad arses, Red Sonja. Besides Vampirella, she is arguably one of their best selling properties. If you are a fan of barbarians, sword and sorcery, giant monsters, and one hot red headed bad arse that deals with them all, then pick up some of her books=)
  • Army of Darkness - The Evil Dead properties are kind of divided between a lot of different places and hands. There have been other comic companies to release books based on other versions of this, but Dynamite by far has some of the longest running stories with a ton of material to get into. Ash being one of my favorite horror icons of all time, honestly makes me kind of biased when it comes to anything he is in. Still, a lot of fun stuff to be found here=)
  • Legenderry - Take a lot of Dynamite's best selling characters, then drop them in a shared world with a steampunk twist, and you have Legenderry. There aren't a lot of steampunk themed comics out there, and the Legenderry stuff is definitely a fun take on the genre.
  • The Dresden Files - Harry Dresden, wizard for hire. If you haven't read the novels, then I highly recommend you give them a look. Dynamite has come up with a few adaptions of some of the novels, but they have also put out original stories set in-between some of the books. Any fan of urban fantasy, replete with magic, demons, holy warriors, vampires, werewolves, criminal empires and more, plus one overworked wizard that deals with it all...then this is the comic and novel series for you.

Phew...almost there gang. Just a scant few more publishers to discuss, so let us get this show on the road=)

Aspen Comics

This indie comic company was founded by the late and great, Michael Turner, may he rest in peace. His work and company lives on, though this publisher probably has one of the more limited selection of comics available than anyone else on this list. What they lack in sheer volume, they make up for with excellent storytelling and artwork. They put out a quality product, though most of their titles are run in a kind of mini-series format.

A few titles from them on my reading list:

  • Fathom - Anyone that has read my debates, knows that the main character, Aspen, is one of my favorites. Take an unseen and unknown underwater world with a few races of beings that live there, and see what happens when they are revealed to the surface world. Aspen, born of two of the underwater races, but raised on the surface, is one of few trying to keep the peace and trying to keep an all out war from breaking out between the surface and the deep.
  • Soulfire - Set in the far future, where magic has pretty much died out and technology rules all, this story follows the adventures of Malikai and his companions. As the chosen one, his quest is to bring magic back to the world and deal with those that would use it for evil.
  • Executive Assistant Iris - There is a whole Executive Assistant series with other characters, but Iris' book started it all. The short and sweet of it, there are secret schools that take and train young girls to be companions, body guards and assassins and these girls are sold to the highest bidders. Iris being one the top in the world, falls in love, betrays her employer and then has to deal with consequences of her decisions. A lot action, espionage, and hot women plus martial arts action to boot!
  • Jirni - A half Djinn warrior princess must deal with barbarians, monsters, magic, pirates and thieves to find and save her mother. If that alone doesn't do it for you, then I will add that she is hot to boot.

Well...you have stuck with me this far. May as well move onto the next one, right?

Now to be completely honest, for the next publisher, I don't know much about their current incarnation. I can talk about their old school books and works all day long, but I just have not gotten into the new stuff as of yet. That being said, I got my good friend @higherpower to fill in for me and drop some words on one of the bigger indie publishers in today's day and age...

Valiant Entertainment

Originally founded in 1989 by legendary penman Jim Shooter, Valiant Comics is one of the pillars of the modern comic book industry. In 2005, entrepreneurs Dinesh Shamdasani and Jason Kothari purchased the rights to the company's library from Acclaim Comic's publisher and video game developing branch, Acclaim Entertainment, forming Valiant Entertainment. The rights to Valiant Comics characters had been previously purchased by Acclaim Entertainment in 1994, but were released back to the market after Acclaim became financially insolvent and filed for bankruptcy in 2004. Valiant Entertainment would go on to do a sweeping, company-wide relaunch of all Valiant Comic properties in 2012, triggering the epic VEI Reboot of 2012.

Valiant achieved massive critical and commercial success in the years following, and eventually snowballed into a herculean tour-de-force in the comic industry. It is home to an expansive cast of beloved characters and storylines, and has employed numerous talented writers, artists, and editors. In 2018, the company was fully acquired by DMG entertainment, opening new doors to wider exposure and different media. 2019 was a momentous year for the company, launching and announcing more titles than ever before, and releasing a trailer for a movie based on one of their original characters, Bloodshot.

Here are some of Valiant's popular and acclaimed series:

  • Divinity - A meditative, mind-bending psychological sci-fi thriller that serves as a poignant character study, as well as an elegy on themes like loyalty, family, and betrayal.
  • Harbinger - Currently the linchpin of all storylines in Valiant, Harbinger is the surprisingly inventive take on superhero tropes. It managed to defy expectations and impress with witty script, narrative complexity, and full-bodied and memorable characters.
  • Bloodshot: Rising Spirit - Not recommended to be read before the other Bloodshot titles; however, Rising Spirit is the epitome of ingenious action-thriller storytelling, with immersive art to boot.

And we are now getting back to the stuff that I do know pretty well=)

Action Lab Entertainment

Action Lab is a publisher that is chock full of original works that cover an impressive array of genres, and quite a few wacky and wild titles that may raise a few eyebrows (Holy F*ck, Bo: Plushy Gansta, Baby Badass). There are a metric ton of great titles to choose from, and anybody familiar with the legendary Dan Mendoza, may be familiar with a few of the books from their Danger Zone imprint. Be warned, some of their properties deal with decidedly adult topics, and some of these books do not shy away from nudity and extreme gore. You have been warned.

To be honest, there are a lot of crazy titles and books. I have really enjoyed this publisher over the past several years. With the departure of Dan Mendoza, we will have to see how their Danger Zone imprint does, but there are quite a few of their titles on my shelves. A few of my favs:

  • Zombie Tramp - This book is violent, bloody, and chock full of dark and lewd humor. The story revolves around Janey Bell, former high priced call girl who through a series of unfortunate events becomes a zombie necromancer supreme. This is about Janey's fight to retain her humanity, and whether or not in the end, if she really cares to...and then there are the dark forces manipulating her for their own ends. This book is not for those with delicate sensibilities...
  • Dollface - Well, where to begin on this? Two friends get a digital copy of Janey Bell's Necronomicon, and use it with modern technology to create a high tech sex doll of sorts. They accidentally summon the spirit of a young witch hunter from the past in a ritual, whose soul is put into the doll. Now with their help, Lila must confront and defeat the witches that killed her family, and she must learn to navigate the modern world in a high tech body. This is a wild and crazy ride, and while not as dark as ZT, it is still a fairly violent and bloody book replete with some nudity and a perverted ghost as a main character=P
  • Vampblade - Take a normal comic shop manager, who picks up what she thought were replicas of a weapon from an old comic book (the vampblades), which proves to be real and empowers her to fight Glarkians...somewhat phallic shaped space vampires that take over and possess humans, who are bent on world domination. Like the two comics above, there is a lot of violence and there is some nudity to be had in this book. Not to mention, for the comic fan, a ton of comic references and nods.
  • Danger Doll Squad - So, take the three characters above, throw them together in a few mini-series, and watch the sparks fly. It's a crazy pairing of oddball characters that is well worth reading.
  • Amalgama - Take the villain from the final Danger Doll Squad series, who is an amalgamation of Janie/Lila/Katie, and then give this girl her own comic! Yes, yes, good times=)

To close out, I am going to lead you to a place with probably one of the most vast wellsprings of indie comics on the face of the planet...

Kickstarter

I know what you are thinking. Kickstarter is not a publisher, and you would be right to think that. For those of you not in the know: Kickstarter is basically a global web based crowdfunding platform. This is where a variety of people with a variety of ideas, stories, products and so on, do their best to draw you in and get you to donate to their cause. Usually they offer a variety of goodies and their products in exchange for donations. A lot of these people offer up various levels or tiers to their donation list, and these projects are generally run for a limited amount of time. So why in the heck am I adding Kickstarter to this list?

Well, quite honestly, there are more indie comics being produced through there than you can shake a stick at. It can be somewhat overwhelming when digging through the various offerings, and it can be exceedingly draining on your bank account. I have discovered quite a few up and coming creators, and a few established creators as well pimping out their newest titles. Of course, there is a bit of risk when dealing with Kickstarter projects.

Taken from one of Kickstarter's FAQ bits:

"At the same time, backers must understand that Kickstarter is not a store. When you back a project on Kickstarter, you’re helping create something new — not pre-ordering something that already exists. As Kickstarter does not offer refunds, we encourage backers to investigate the project idea first, to vet the creator thoroughly, and to assess the inherent risk of the project for themselves before making a pledge.

There’s always a chance something could happen that prevents the creator from being able to finish the project as promised. When it comes to shipping in particular, we find most rewards are delivered as promised. However, it's important to realize that some projects might hit some speed bumps, including customs for international shipping or postal mishaps for domestic shipping. In these cases, we recommend continuing to reach out to the creator regarding the shipping issue, in the hopes that it is resolved as soon as possible."

So, buyer beware. It's always a good idea to look into the history of these creator's various projects. Also know that if you decide to make a pledge, and don't feel comfortable, you can cancel the pledge if the project is still "live". You can also check with the creator directly for a refund if you have any issues, though they are not under any obligation to give you anything back. You also need to know, that while a lot of these creators are trying to become publishers, they are still doing this on their own time, and quite a few are not to the point of making a living off of their comics just yet. Life will sometimes get in the way, and occasionally there are delays in the release schedule of these books. Finally, you have to know that the quality of these books will vary greatly from title to title. Most creators offer up a pretty darn impressive preview section of what they are working on, so you should get a general idea of just what exactly you are truly getting yourself into before dropping any donations.

It may sound like I am trying to scare you away with the warnings, but I want you guys going into this fully informed. So far, every project I have backed has completed their end of the deal. Once or twice, there were some delays, but overall, it has been a good experience. Believe me, if ever I come upon a creator that turns out to be shady and unreliable, I will let you know=)

With that thrown out there, here are some of the guys and gals that I have donated to and received some worthwhile reading material from:

In the very near future, I will be doing some reviews of some of their books for you, so keep your eyes peeled my friends.

Let's close this out...

Closing Thoughts

Of course this listing isn't all inclusive. There are a metric ton of indie publishers out there with a variety of fantastic comics that are worthy to bring up and discuss. There are titles that I have read and enjoyed from the likes of Zenescope Comics, Avatar Press, Webtoons and more. Unfortunately, with only reading 1 to maybe 2 titles from some of these publishers, it is pretty darn difficult for me to speak knowledgeably about them as a whole. There are just too many indie publishers to really do a full on review of them in this one little article. I do promise to do another round though sometime in the future.

Just understand, I love me some indie comics. I am so indie, my coffee is indie...

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As is my beer...

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It's not that I hate mainstream comics, in fact, it's quite the contrary. I used to be an avid reader of them, and I am the go to guy for intel on the comic versions of the characters that my kids are now seeing on the big screen. I grew up on the likes of Spider-Man, Iron Fist, Superman, Batman and so on. It's just that I could only see **insert mainstream character name here** die or hang up their cowl/cape/spandex so many times in the most shocking story of the year that will change the face of that comic forever...only to have the status quo returned to normal in a few months to a year later, so many times before finally tiring of them. The first time I got my grimy little hands on copies of Cyber Force, Supreme and Witchblade...my world was changed forever.

Believe it or not, there is whole world of imaginative reading and storytelling outside of the big two. You just have to take that leap and give it a shot...

For more Indie Side, just keep an eye on the tracker thread!

7 Comments

Coming Soon: Lady Death Damnation Game!!!

Well my friends, I am doing my part to spread the word on Lady Death, and the man himself, Brian Pulido, has shared some promotional materials with me for the next entry in the Lady Death saga, Damnation Game #1:

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Here is the official press release:

LADY DEATH: DAMNATION GAME #1 IS GONNA RAISE HELL!

All new original graphic novel – creator Pulido’s newest chapter!

SCOTTSDALE, AZ (July 15, 2015) – Hot on the heels of the monumental success of Lady Death: Chaos Rules #1, Coffin Comics announced today that an all new Lady Death story entitled Damnation Game #1 will ship in October 2015. An exclusive Kickstarter campaign for this project will be launched on August 5th, 2015 7PM MT and run for thirty days.

Lady Death: Damnation Game #1, published by Coffin Comics is a 48-page square bound original graphic novel co-written by Brian Pulido and Mike Maclean. It features the returning art team of Dheeraj Verma (pencils) and color art by Sabine Rich (Ancient Dreams). Cover artists include Mike Debalfo, Richard Ortiz, Paolo Pantalena, Sabine Rich and others to be announced!

Set in the present, Lady Death rescues an innocent boy dragged to Hell against his will and incites a violent quest into the depths of Damnation, a depraved city hosting a contraption that can return the boy “topside”. Lady Death’s actions bring her into direct conflict with the nefarious Hellwitch. Who will live? Who will die?

“If you want unapologetic, heavy metal inspired comics that kick your ass, I cordially invite you to get Damnation Game,” says Lady Death creator Brian Pulido. “With her return to Hell, Lady Death is public enemy number one, and you know what? She wouldn’t have it any other way. Let the mayhem begin!”

Experience the next chapter in Lady Death’s undead life! Stay tuned for more preview art, interviews with the creative team, Kickstarter reward announcements and much, much more!

Lady Death was created by Brian Pulido and debuted in Evil Ernie #1 in 1991. The first Lady Death solo series debuted in 1994. Since then, Lady Death has appeared in over 100 comics in eight languages, selling over 20 million copies worldwide.

Coffin Comics is the new permanent home of Lady Death.

For more information, please visit www.LadyDeathUniverse.com.

Contact: TalesTold@cox.net

1 Comments

The Debater's Hall of Fame

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So far, this list has only been tracked by the various posts it has been in, and really has had no home. So this is my attempt to correct that. I will keep up with this for as long as I am able, and I will add links to various debates when and where I can, so we can all see just why these individuals were voted into the hall by members of the community.

Current Hall of Fame Members

Debaters Hall of Fame - Round 1

the_creator

Static_Shock

Gambler/Jean_Luc_LeBeau

Buckshot

Vance_Astro

Debaters Hall of Fame - Round 2

Morpheus_

k4tzm4n

Zoom

AtPhantom

Ferro_Vida

Dane

Debaters Hall of Fame - Round 3

Erik

Silver2467

Power_NeXus

King_Saturn

geraldthesloth

Debaters Hall of Fame - Round 4

JediXMan

spidey_15

Lance_Uppercut

Final_Arrow

Matezoide

Debaters Hall of Fame - Round 5

vuviper

Lunacyde

god_spawn

Strafe_Prower

CosmicSpiral

MrDirector786

Debaters Hall of Fame - Round 6

CitizenBane

beatboks1

Floopay

Super_SoliderXII

Texasdeathmatch

Debaters Hall of Fame - Round 7

jashro44

Killemall

Cadencev2/Pokergeist

Strider92

YourNeighborhoodComicGeek

Debaters Hall of Fame - Round 8

Lvenger

Wyldsong

ComicStooge

Forever

dredeuced

Debaters Hall of Fame - Round 9

frozen

Wolverine08

TheTrueBarryAllen

laflux

i_like_swords

dondave

Debaters Hall of Fame - Round X (10)

GhostRavage

cosmicallyaware1

Veshark

HigorM

dccomicsrule2011

Debaters Hall of Fame - Round XI

Juiceboks

Highaccuser

ShootingNova

Nickzambuto

Debating Chris Redfield vs X-23. This thread was actually locked by moderators as a mismatch very shortly after being created, so I actually PMed the moderator and convinced her why I think Chris would actually be able to stand up to X-23 and defeat her. I spent a few pages discussing with multiple users, the unique advantages that Chris had over X-23 and providing several possible methods for him to defeat her. In the end I had several users including i_like_swords (silly name; great debater) on my side saying Chris indeed could win. http://www.comicvine.com/forums/battles-7/chris-redfield-vs-x-23-1619777/

CaV against jashro44. I had challenged him to defend Cassandra Cain against Chris Redfield, and I think I did well and formulated some effective strategies. http://www.comicvine.com/forums/battles-7/challenge-a-viner-jashro44-vs-nickzambuto-1629953/

Huge debate against SirFizzWhizz and tparks discussing the three most dangerous cowboys in fiction; Revolver Ocelot, Roland Deschain, and Jonah Hex. I think I proved pretty firmly that Ocelot was the fastest and most skilled among them.http://www.comicvine.com/forums/battles-7/gunslinger-free-for-all-1718669/

Another Chris Redfield debate, against SirFizzWhizz using Ultimate Captain America. I showcased how Chris is a lot more powerful than most people think and can definitely hang with the super soldier class.http://www.comicvine.com/forums/battles-7/cav-chris-redfield-nick-vs-ultimate-captain-americ-1698192/

A smaller discussion with AllStarSuperman, relating Big Boss's abilities and experience to Winter Soldier and explaining why Big Boss's are superior. http://www.comicvine.com/forums/battles-7/new-big-boss-vs-winter-soldier-658374/

Debate with tparks trying to prove why Roronoa Zoro should be able to cut Senator Armstrong.http://www.comicvine.com/forums/battles-7/cav-roronoa-zoro-vs-senator-armstrong-1569848/?page=1

Follow up to my previous debate with tparks, now doing Luffy vs Raiden. http://www.comicvine.com/forums/battles-7/cav-raiden-vs-luffy-1594348/

Huge debate with kingstranglehold, Goku vs The Sentry. This was very shortly after Battle of Gods had been released in Japan.http://www.comicvine.com/forums/battles-7/cav-the-sentry-vs-goku-voting-open-1523772/

A pretty big debate involving me going against a bunch of viners, trying to prove why Solid Snake should be able to defeat Iron Fist.http://www.comicvine.com/forums/battles-7/solid-snake-vs-iron-fist-1683849/?page=1

Small debate with Wolverine08, Solid Snake vs Daredevil http://www.comicvine.com/forums/battles-7/cav-solid-snake-vs-daredevil-1525441/

I convinced highaccuser that Solid Snake can beat Bullseye. http://www.comicvine.com/forums/battles-7/cav-bullseye-highaccuser-vs-solid-snake-nickzambut-1558917/

Debating Leon Kennedy against Nightwing. http://www.comicvine.com/forums/battles-7/leon-s-kennedy-vs-nightwing-1595209/?page=1/

Leon S. Kennedy vs Green Arrow http://www.comicvine.com/forums/battles-7/cav-leon-scott-kennedy-vs-green-arrow-1574273/?page=1

SlimJ87D

Lukehero

Debaters Hall of Fame - Round XII

Theacidskull

Princearagorn1

Bringnit

Esquire

Sovereign91001

Debaters Hall of Fame - Round XIII

emperorthanos

tparks

newworldorder/heirtothekingdom

krleavenger

CaVs/Tourney Matches

List of characters I can use in a CaV.

Regular Battle Forum Debates

All my other CaVs/Tourney Matches and Regular Battle Forum Debates that are not worth the HOF can be found here.

Respect Threads

Other contributions

  • I'm in charge of The Daily Debater's Battle Threads of the week section. I'm posting them every week for others to check out.
  • I wrote a Blog about what people should be aware of if they want to join a tourney, giving them some info and tips.

elijah_c_washington

Deathstroke Vs Taskmaster - Really nailed showing off how durable Deathstroke is, as well as neatly emphasized the underlying discrepancy between his Pre-Flashpoint and Post-Flashpoint selves' healing factor.

Where did the Myth that Deathstroke Beats Batman Come From? - Pretty solidly proved it was no myth, and considering how popular and even iconic that match up is, I think it's pretty noteworthy accomplishment. Of course, @batmanplusjay never actually conceded, but only one of us received praise from new users and a veteran moderator alike, and it was me.

CaV: Luther Strode Vs Deathstroke the Terminator - My first finished CaV, and my only official loss. But hey, I think @pr0metheus and I had a lot of fun with it and that I proved I rate among him. I say this specifically because, well, he's already a nominee and I'm not. More to the point, however, it was an admittedly hard pressed victory on Pr0's end, and I think I'm ready for a rematch.

CaV: X-23 Vs Deathstroke [Round 2 Post] - A recent debate with @watcher5000. Due to IRL reasons, my firsts two posts were rushed, but I feel I my third one was nothing shy of exquisite, wonderful, and even magic. This is evident not only within the post itself, but by the fact that Watcher has unofficially and unexpectedly called it off... *No disrespect*

Vs Samurai Jack

is he a bullet-timer

Vs RWBY

Batman Vs Deadpool

rogueshadow

*****Debates needed****

Debaters Hall of Fame - Round XIV

brucerogers

chimeroid

1. Aquaman vs Thor (Lvenger) - Will probably remain my hardest fought debate against one of the best debaters on the Vine and my favorite victory.

2. Shiva vs Daken (TheNaughtyTitan). Not my best debate ever, but the first CaV i ever had. I lost, of course, but it got me hooked. Fun fact, i didn't know what a tourney was, i just thought it was a thread where @sirfizzwhizz was making a battle royal asking for character recommendations (i was really new). And i thought Shiva would be fun. The next thing i know, i am expected to debate against someone.

3. The Legendary CaV - Juggling all of these replies and strategies was challenging and rewarding

4. High Tier PYP Finals VS Beatboks1 - A really fun match where both of us went with "cheap" teams and a lot of creativity.

5. Against ssj_god - Another debate i enjoyed having.

Bonus - Shiva vs Ninjak - The only reason i didn't put it in top 5 debates was that ET decided to bow out.

Mr_Ingenuity

Owie

Winter Soldier vs Moon Knight

Iron Fist and Shang-Chi vs Spider-man and Daredevil

Moon Knight vs Black Widow

Spider-man vs Cyclops

Other Stuff:

Sloth's Tournament: Owie vs Dane (My first foray into anything like this, where I quickly realized I was over my head, but it was also formative and it forced me to learn about some of my now-favorite characters)

CaV: Power Pack (Owie) vs The Wizard (majinblackheart)

CaV: Shaolin Cowboy (Owie) vs Kraven (King_Hellstorm)

Elektra vs Nightwing and Red Hood (focusing on the part between me and TheOneWhoKnows)

Doc Samson and Colossus vs The Thing and Sasquatch (an early competitive debate, with SFW)

Grendel vs Shadow (I like this because of the respectful, here-to-learn tone of the conversation between me and SFW)

Thedailybagel

Zetsumoto

2017 high tier pyp including finals:

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/battles-7/2017-high-tier-pyp-tourney-finals-zetsumoto-vs-chi-1887812/

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/battles-7/2017-high-tier-pyp-tourney-rd3-thor-parker-vs-zets-1872664/

Mid Tier Duo Tourney Including Finals:

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/battles-7/duo-mid-finals-mr-ingenuity-vs-zetsumoto-voting-op-1883252/

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/battles-7/duo-mid-r2-zetsumoto-vs-deathhero61-need-votes-1869332/

2016 High Tier PYP (I'd Include Finals, but my opponent dropped):

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/battles-7/high-tier-pyp-2nd-editionrd3-chimeroid-vs-zetsumot-1806762/

Halloween PYP Including Finals:

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/battles-7/halloween-pyp-semi-finals-juiceboks-vs-zetsumoto-v-1833048/

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/battles-7/halloween-pyp-finals-fitnesstribe-vs-zetsumoto-zet-1840076/

Halloween 2.0 PYP (I'd include finals, but my opponent dropped:

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/battles-7/halloween-pyp-20-semi-finals-zetsumoto-vs-knowledg-1842709/

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/battles-7/halloween-pyp-20-zetsumoto-vs-revan2424-voting-ope-1838480/

Non Tourney CaVs:

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/battles-7/cav-marvel-dracula-sirfizzwhizz-vs-composite-vergi-1908619/

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/battles-7/cav-loki-laufeyson-zetsumoto-vs-martian-manhunter-1874083/

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/battles-7/skyfather-duo-cav-laharl-and-dormammu-vs-galan-and-1923035/

2017 Halloween PYP (Finals ongoing):

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/battles-7/halloween-pyp-30-r1-zetsumoto-vs-revan2424-1898616/

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/battles-7/halloween-pyp-30-finals-zetsumoto-vs-kingcrimson-1911435/?page=1

Solid Posts from Unfinished CaVs:

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/battles-7/2018-high-tier-pyp-1st-edition-rd1-zetsumoto-vs-ba-1926329/?page=1#js-message-19887974

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/battles-7/double-team-tourney-zetsumotojucaslucas-vs-supreme-1915668/?page=1#js-message-19612570

Notable Scenario CaVS:

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/battles-7/ccc-scenario-caravan-free-for-all-open-for-votes-1847970/

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/battles-7/gaslight-empire-debate-thread-zets-v-assassins-ope-1877097/

I am going to do some research and try and find some examples of debates for each of the members listed, which may take some time. If you see your name on this list, please feel free to drop a post with links to a few of your favorite debates that I can add to this post.

Also, to check out names of nominees from past Hall of Fame rounds: http://www.comicvine.com/forums/battles-7/debaters-hall-of-fame-nominees-of-years-past-1746318/

Many of the links from rounds 1-6 were copied from @strafe_prower's original thread. I will go through and check the links later to fix them, but I will drop this note from @beatboks1 on the subject:

OK copied this from Strafe's thread. Just to be clear, since many of the links for the early round inductees are from CV before it was CV 2.0 the links no longer go to the right pages of the threads. in CV 1.0 the length of a page was only about 20 something posts. So for example when the Zoom/KingSaturn/Me link says page 3 is now all starts on page 2

416 Comments

List of characters to CaV with...

This list will be updated, but for now, these are the characters that I could CaV with right now, without having to work on digging up too many feats. Basically, I am going to try and organize this list on how I see things with various character power levels.

  • Street - This basically ranges from the likes of Ash Williams of the Evil Dead series to upwards of Spider-Man. Low, mid, and high rankings here, with the likes of Ash being on the low end, and Spider-Man (prior to his current tech) on the high end.
  • Mid - Characters that break the bounds of high street levels, up to low level class 100s, and characters with enough hax to destroy most street levelers. Again, there are low, mid and high ranks here. Pretty much anyone from Spider-Man with the Parker Industries tech to the OG Wildstorm Midnighter on the lower ends, all the way to building to mountain level characters for the mid to high ends (Iron Man, Thing, Namor, etc.).
  • High - These are characters that are at just below city levels, and max out at somewhere just below continent levels, or have enough hax to destroy most mid tiers. And again, low, mid and high ranks. A few versions of the Hulk belong here, along with characters like Jack Hawksmoor (solid city level) all the way to the Angelus, who could bust an island with her power. Maybe some characters like Storm, Iceman, or Sue Richards with their powers and hax could fall into this range as well.
  • Herald/Cosmic - And this is where we start getting into characters that are in the range of Sersi, Thor, Spawn, Superman, Silver Surfer, Dr. Solar, some versions of the Hulk and so on. Some continent to upwards of planetary levels, or characters that again, have enough hax to destroy most high tier characters. Sounding like a broken record, but there is the low, mid, and high aspects of this rank, as all the other ranks.
  • Skyfather - Zeus, Odin, and so on. Characters that break the bounds of planetary beings in most cases, and can create their own dimensions and so on in the higher tiers of this range...or, as I have said before, characters with enough hax that they can destroy most characters in the herald range. And again, there are what I would consider low, mid and high aspects to this. This rank would be below multiversal, and I am not dropping anything about that particular category, since I really do not desire to argue any higher than this rank=)

So, while there are characters that fall above, between, and below these ranges, I will do my best to order my list along these lines. This is pretty close from the highest to the lowest levels.

Lady Death

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Depending on gear and version, she could be argued from high herald to possibly low skyfather.

Fantomah

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Low to mid tier herald, and she is the one with the skull face.

Supreme

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Depending on the version, he could be argued from a mid high tier, to upwards of a low skyfather (just shy of Silver Age Superman). As of the latest version, he would be around the mid to high herald range.

Solar, Man of the Atom

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Ranges from mid tier herald to high tier herald, depending on the version.

The Darkness

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While Jackie has the ability to fight and beat some heralds...overall, I would place him in the upper high tiers.

Aspen Matthews

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She definitely qualifies for city level ranges with her hydrokinesis, plus has some energy manipulation abilities as well. Upper high tier.

Janey Belle

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Janey's physical stats are in the mid to upper street levels, but she has some abilities that would decimate characters of upwards to the high tier. She falls somewhere between the mid and high tiers overall.

The Tick

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Arguing a composite version of this character, he would fall somewhere in the high tier. Nigh invulnerable with superstrength, and the power of "drama".

Pitt

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This brute falls somewhere between the upper mid to lower high tiers, depending on how you rate Green Hulk circa 1996...

The Witchblade

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Overall, a solid upper mid tier, with recorded city busting power output...just with no actual city busting feats. Still, she can solidly one shot multiple naval destroyers (one at a time and back to back), and has several abilities thanks to the Witchblade.

Evil Ernie

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Between the mid to upper mid tier, with awesome regen, the ability to go hand to hand with brick characters, and arcane energy blasting capabilities.

Savage Dragon

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Dragon is a mid tier, low to mid level class 100, right around Thing's level, with a striking force that is well above his strength levels.

Malcolm Dragon

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Basically the same as Savage Dragon, with touch range electricity powers and a lesser striking force than his dad. Solidly in the mid tier.

Vampirella

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She is a lower level class 100 than the Dragon's, but she makes up for it with far better speed (consistent FTE), and some hax abilities. Fairly solid mid tier, that could possibly be argued a bit higher depending on equipment.

Agent Rayne

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She is right around the 8-10 ton range, with a ton of abilities based on the version. I would place between upper street or lower mid tier based on the version.

Aphrodite IX

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Generally, she is an upper tier street level, but can be argued in the mid to high tiers depending on her equipment.

Iron Fist

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Upper street level with class 100 striking capability...

Luther Strode

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Definitely fits in the upper street level ranges.

Spider-Girl (May)

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Qualifies as somewhere between mid to upper street. All of the abilities of a spider character, with a better spider-sense than most.

Red Sonja

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She actually has quality feats against actual, known name superhumans, with superhuman stats herself. She should fall between the mid to high street tiers, with the potential to be debated higher depending on her equipment.

Forever

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Between mid to high street, mainly due to her durability and regen. She is pretty tough to put down, although her speed feats are somewhat lackluster. Skilled with firearms and a blade, and has armor that can increase her stats.

Iris

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Street level assassin, skilled in martial arts, firearms, poisons and so on. Peak human in physicals, and has some decent bullet dodging ability.

Addison Brody

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This creepy little girl has a limited run, but should fall in the low to mid street range. Think of her like Voorhees or Myers, with some extra abilities.

Cassie Hack

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Overall, Cassie would classify as a low street leveler. Basically, she is the slasher of slashers (like Voorhees, Myers, etc). Peak human physicals.

31 Comments

My Debate link list...

Just links to some of my debates (not all) and all of my CaVs (finished and unfinished) to help keep track of them. List will be updated later as I find more stuff to add or enter into more CaVs:

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/battles-7/cav-janey-belle-wyld-vs-the-elric-brothers-cdiddy-1936163/#22

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/battles-7/hall-of-fame-street-tier-tournament-round-1-wyldso-1934476/?page=1

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/battles-7/cav-purgatori-wyld-vs-klrt-the-super-skrull-cosmic-1927794/?page=1

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/battles-7/cav-angela-sirfizzwhizz-vs-witchblade-wyldsong-1909651/#5

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/battles-7/cav-iris-wyld-vs-the-mountain-trv-1908662/#14

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/battles-7/halloween-cav-sirfizzwhizz-wyldsong-vs-zetsumuto-m-1900836/

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/battles-7/cav-wylds-aphrodite-ix-vs-elijahs-deathstroke-reva-1869828/

http://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/battles-7/challenge-a-viner-wyldsong-vs-giliad-1835139/?page=1

http://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/battles-7/cav-human-torch-warlock-mage-vs-aspen-matthews-wyl-1834696/#14

http://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/battles-7/overwatch-cav-wyldsong-vs-giliad-1799646/#14

http://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/battles-7/sandd-cav-aphrodite-ix-wyldsong-vs-cable-ghostrava-1792380/?messageId=16803438

http://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/battles-7/cav-wyldsong-supreme-vs-the-seeffiss17-sbprime-1774847/

http://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/battles-7/cav-aphrodite-ix-wyld-vs-deathstroke-elijah-1768876/#23

http://www.comicvine.com/forums/battles-7/cav-dr-solar-cosmic-vs-lady-death-wyldsong-1763633/#1

http://www.comicvine.com/forums/battles-7/cav-thing-juiceboks-vs-savage-dragon-wyldsong-1753053/#1

http://www.comicvine.com/forums/battles-7/hunger-games-cav-nima-vs-wyld-1721592/#10

http://www.comicvine.com/forums/battles-7/cav-darkness-vs-swamp-thing-1670806/

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Start the Conversation

Dr. Manhattan - The truth behind the feats - aka: Why so blue?

Alrighty gang, after several heated discussions over the actual power level of Dr. Manhattan, I went through all of the Watchmen books with the intent of pulling every use of power Dr. Manhattan shows, complete with page numbers and all. Now, while I have done that for the most part, I began to skip a few things here and there in relation to repeats of feats (well, a few anyways).

Here are the blanket rules for this discussion for anyone wanting to get involved: If I missed something, give me the book number and page number you are drawing your intel from. None of this – “Well, I thought this happened…” or “I remember something like…” or anything pulled from any of the wikis at all, which for the most part add a lot of speculation and not enough fact. We are dealing with cold, hard facts here. Not the ands, ifs and buts.

Also, I may have included one or two things where a random source in the comic itself states he can do something – but I also try to balance that out with what is actually seen. So, let us not get off into, “Well such and such says he has control of all of this”, when it is not actually seen. People in general say they or others can do a lot of things, but the reality is often quite different than what is said and what they want us to believe.

Dr. Manhattan Feats:

Watchmen #1:

Pg 20: Size alteration

Pg 21: Some super strength, lifting what looks to be a heavy piece of equipment

Pg 22: Teleportation of another

Watchmen #2:

Pg 15: Talks of ’s Matter Manipulation and Teleportation abilities

Watchmen #3:

Pg 4: Ability to create duplicates of himself (no more than 2 of Manhattan seen at one time) and to project some electricity from his hands

Pg 5: Ability to phase

Pg 9: Telekinesis

Pg 16: Teleporting a room full of people, then teleporting self

Pg 19: Teleporting self

Pg 21: Teleported to Mars

Pg 26: Survival in Mars’ Atmosphere

Watchmen #4:

Pg 5: Flash/awareness of the future while in the past – seems to be viewing events possibly simultaneously throughout segments of his life for the majority of the issue

Pg 6: Has his intrinsic field removed, and is seemingly vaporized or disintegrated – specifics aren’t discussed as to what actually happens – the intrinsic field is described as some theoretical field that holds things together – but over the next couple of pages, Manhattan pieces himself together, often slipping in and out of view – by pg 10, Blue boy is reformed in all his…uh…glory…

Pg 10: It is stated he can control atomic structure itself – you only see him dismantle a rifle without his hands as this is stated, and blasting/melting the top of a tank

Pg 14: He makes some guys head explode

Pg 16: Shows knowledge of future events, and states inability to affect it

Pg 17: Hinted that he does not age, or ages much, much slower than humans

Pg 20: Size manipulation of self

Pg 22: Teleports a bunch of angry protesters presumably back to their homes

Pg 26: Floats a few feet off of the ground and forms a crystalline structure on Mars

Watchmen #8:

Pg 23: a little more on how he views the time stream, and teleporting himself and Laurie to Mars

Watchmen #9:

Pg 3: Able to create some sort of enviro field around Laurie allowing her to survive on Mars

Pg 5: More on his perception of time and how everything he sees is preordained

Pg 6: Creates a table and chairs out of the crystalline structure

Pg 9: Makes his structure on Mars fly

Pg 10: Creates water in bottle

Pg 17: States he reads atoms, also states there is some trouble seeing to a point in his future, possibly due to a static from maybe an electromagnetic pulse

Watchmen #12:

Pg 7: Can see or sense tachyons – the “static” makes tracking them difficult – and more teleportation

Pg 12: More talk on his time stream view

Pg 14: Has intrinsic field removed…again…Veidt wasn’t even sure it would work

Pg 17: Size manipulation – and sudden reappearance

Pg 18: Talks about restructuring himself from intrinsic field removal being the first thing he has learned…talks about being able to walk on the sun, etc.

Pg 24: Vaporizes Rorschach

Pg 26: Walks up a wall and through a ceiling

The thing about intrinsic fields...

Let’s talk about this intrinsic field thing, since there is a lot of speculation on his being able to control his own atoms or even reverse entropy (though it is only stated that he has “restructured” himself)…

So, what is an intrinsic field you might ask? It is never fully explained in the comics how and why it does what it does, and it never truly explains the disintegration/vaporizing effect, other than the idea that an intrinsic field holds stuff together.

So, from the science consultant on the Watchmen movie (the guy who wrote “The Physics of Superheroes”, and is heavily into physics and nanotechnology), are his thoughts on the made up concept of intrinsic fields (I know this is more in relation to the movie than the comic, but it is the closest thing to an explanation on intrinsic fields as they are used in the Watchmen universe):

“In a previous accident, the character had destroyed his "intrinsic field" (a made-up concept), which presumably stripped him of the fundamental forces—electromagnetic, strong force, weak force—other than gravity, that hold material together.”

Possible Power Limits:

In Watchmen #4, in the Dr. Manhattan: Super-Powers and the Superpowers section, it is noted that "in well supported theoretical terms", that Manhattan could destroy "large areas" of soviet territory instantly (no notes to quantify "large"), and that he could deflect or disarm at least 60% of incoming missiles from Soviet bases in the USSR and Europe before reaching their intended targets, if they were to launch a full scale nuclear assault.

BEFORE WATCHMEN MANHATTAN:

Sooo...I have been on the forums and threads and have seen a ton of misinformation on Manhattan from people who have read these books. There is honestly very little that changes his overall power level in these books, except for discussions about one ability, and this time I am going into scans to show the scope of what happens.

Could Manhattan change time if he wanted to? Well, here is the answer:

No Caption Provided

He changed an event, which fractured the quantum reality, and in each new timeline/reality, other choices were made which further fractured those timelines/realities creating further timelines/realities, so forth and so on. As shown in the book, in one reality he went with Silk and in another he still went with Rorschach -- a fractured quantum reality wherein he is the quantum observer. Each reality is equally real and valid.

He doesn't just observe and decide what happens. He can travel to points in his own timeline and like a time traveler, can change events, but as is shown in the story, when he does so, he messes things up royally:

No Caption Provided

That should give an idea of the scope of what he did, each and every choice he could and will make causes a fracture, and each and every reality ends up like the below:

No Caption Provided
No Caption Provided

You see, according to his words: "I know that I can ride the timeline back and forth between the future and the moment of my creation..."

He is in effect a time traveler along his own timeline and has shown the ability to change things and impose his will on them, which has shown the effect of fracturing quantum reality. It's the whole basis of the story, hence the planet blowing up at the end of issue number 2 and him going to fix things, the main true blue (har har) Manhattan lost control of things. He changed an event in the past and due to his unique position in the timestream fractured the quantum reality (an unexpected event since he thought he would change one tiny slip of paper and the timeline would move on from there changed) -- which obviously he had no control over once it started happening hence the end of the world scenario and his need to go and fix things.

When he states he is a slave to predetermination, there is a good reason for it as you can plainly see. In fixing these timelines, one thing that needs to be clarified, Manhattan doesn't just erase the offending timeline with a wave of his hand, a blink of the eye, or a simple thought like some multiversal being (which he is not)...he has to travel the timelines, and fix every errant choice he made to get the timeline back on track. So like Marty McFly and the Doc rolling around in the Delorian trying to fix choices and events in a past they changed, Manhattan had to travel the timelines changing each choice he made, though he had a few more to fix and just had to inhabit his own body at the time of the choice=)

But it doesn't stop there. I have always theorized that Manhattan lost this time travel aspect after the tachyon incident with Ozy. Here we have some proof:

No Caption Provided

He cannot wait to see what this new box reveals? If he still maintained the ability, shouldn't he already know? Based on Manhattan's thoughts in the scan, he says he cannot wait to see what this new box entails, showing he doesn't already know. It looks like the tachyons disrupted this ability of Manhattan's for good, so he lives in the here and now it seems, no more time travel along his own timeline.

And for those wondering if he did indeed create life? Read the scan above. He picks some material from the planet up, he evolved and altered some microscopic forms, made some goop out of it, and let it go to see what it becomes. Now we don't know of the quality of it, or what it will even become, but there it is.

In Closing:

So there it is. A good starting point I feel for anyone wanting to discuss Dr. Manhattan. I’ll update it with any factual information presented when it is verified

Let the rumble begin...or not if everyone chooses to ignore this…

39 Comments

Terror Gauntlet

Alright, so I have had this idea for awhile now, and I thought I'd throw it out and see what kind of response I get. 
 
Here is your setting...a decimated city, in ruins and in flames: 

No Caption Provided
We have 2 teams running this gauntlet.  Each team consists of 18 civilians and two cops, with 2 shotguns (Remington 870 pump action for the cops), 2 handguns (glock 17s), and everyone else holding a various assortment of crowbars, baseball bats, boards with rusty nails, and rocks.  The civilians with the guns are your average horror movie Joe's, who are not the best of aim, and have maybe had around a 5-10 minute lesson on their weapons, and are terrified out of their wits.  If they go all out, all trigger happy, then their ammo will last 2 steps in the gauntlet, but they can conserve it and stretch it out for four steps.
 
Team one is lead by one of my favorite horror movie icons: 
 
Ashley J. Williams 
No Caption Provided
   
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
http://www.comicvine.com/ash/29-11302/  
Ash has his boomstick (unlimited ammo of course), his trusty chainsaw, and his metal hand. 
 
Team two is lead by one of my favorite comic book duos: 
 
Cassie Hack  and Vlad
No Caption Provided
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 

 

 
http://www.comicvine.com/cassie-hack/29-47906/  
http://www.comicvine.com/vlad/29-47905/ 
Vlad has his huge butcher knives, Cassie has a baseball bat, a hatchet, and well...Vlad. 
 
There are 9 steps to this gauntlet as the team leaders try and navigate through a decimated cityscape to reach salvation on the other side.  And of course, being a terror gauntlet, each step is a surprise/ambush for our hapless heroes: 
 
Step 1:  The group turns a corner and runs into 20 Zombie "Walkers", the original old school Romero style zombies. 
No Caption Provided
  
 
 
 
 
 
 

Step 2:  After a short rest, and regrouping, the group travels a few miles and is set upon by: 
 
Michael Myers 
No Caption Provided
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 http://www.comicvine.com/michael-myers/29-46825/ 
 
Leather Face 
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http://www.comicvine.com/leatherface/29-41461/  
 
And 5 people infected with the Rage Virus (from the movie 28 Days Later, etc.)  
No Caption Provided
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 Step 3:  Again, our group tries to rest in that terrified, one eye opened kind of way when they are ambushed by: 
 
Father Wrath (Undead version) 
No Caption Provided
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 

 
http://www.comicvine.com/father-wrath/29-55357/  
 
Ms. America (Ouroboros Ascension) 
No Caption Provided
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 http://www.comicvine.com/emily-cristy/29-54139/ 
 
Step 4:  Deciding that maybe sitting still for a nap wasn't such a great idea, the group gets on the move, and sees a grocery store.  Deciding that some supplies and the all important twinkie might be in order,  the group is hit by 10 zombie runners (modern style Dawn of the Dead remake and Zombieland zombies). 

No Caption Provided

Step 5:  While leaving the store and trying to decide if it is safe to eat the twinkie after the zombie bits have been cleaned from it, the group is set upon by: 
 
Evil Ash  
No Caption Provided
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
http://www.comicvine.com/evil-ash/29-45785/  
 
5 Deadites (Evil Dead and Army of Darkness anyone?) 
No Caption Provided
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Step 6:  Tired, scared, and needing a potty break, our group finds an alleyway that looks deserted.  Little do they know, scaling the walls and looking for a snack is: 
 
The Fly (1986 movie edition) 
No Caption Provided
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Step 7:  The group makes it another few miles running and screaming (well, maybe our fearless leaders aren't screaming), when appearing suddenly out of nowhere in front of the group, as he is known to do, and will continue to do until dealt with is: 
 
Jason X (the uber scifi rendition of Mr. Voorhees) 
No Caption Provided
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

http://www.comicvine.com/jason-voorhees/29-41459/  
 
Step 8:  After a double, no make that triple tap, or really a quadruple tap on Mr. Voorhees after he has been blown to bits, decapitated, and filled full of lead, the group decides to try and rest, again (will they never learn?), when sneaking up behind them is a: 
 
Tracker Predator w/2 "alien dogs" (see the new Predators flick)  
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Step 9:  The end is in sight! They can see the bus that will take them out of this terror filled city, but wouldn't you know it, between the group and the bus are two terrible foes from the movie The Relic, and the book The Relic (both slightly different takes on a cool beast): 
  
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relic_(novel) 

Mbwun 
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Kothoga 
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 So, the idea is not at which step will either group not make it and fail or who can make it all the way through.  Our group leaders are trained horror movie/comic survival experts, so they will make it even if their respective groups bite the dust.  The grading points here are: 
 
 Who can make it out with the most civilians, and how many are lost during each step?
 Who does the run in the least amount of time?
 Who does it with more style and has the most "Zombie Kills of the Week" as it were? 
3 Comments

The Manhattan Effect aka Why we use FEATS

Now, this whole idea popped into my head after reading some of the Battle Forum arguments over Dr. Manhattan, so to get this out of the way right now:  I am not picking on nor making fun of Dr. Manhattan.  I call it the Manhattan Effect, because this is the most recent example in my mind, and it sounded like a catchy title.  So, basically, I am going to rehash and repost something I posted earlier, and expand upon some the ideas in the hopes of opening some eyes, and maybe squashing some future problems before they start.

What is the Manhattan Effect? In short:  When someone is arguing a case for their character to win, and they begin to expand upon and theorize about the characters abilities, usually to levels far beyond what has been shown in their comic appearances, and begin to use the theories and expanded abilities in battle threads as a basis for said character to win.   

Or, for an even simpler explanation:  It is using a lot of "ifs" and "buts" with no real "feats" to back up their argument.

Let's take me for example.  In a battle thread between a comic book character and myself, I would probably have a poor showing.  But, let's say one day I make a lucky guess about what someone was going to do or say.  Now, you don't know if I can read minds (I am fairly certain I can't), but in the battle thread, you take that bit of information and run with it:
  
"What if Wyldsong has telepathy or can read minds? Just because he hasn't done it before doesn't mean he can't do it.  He may not have the feats to back it up, "but" what "if" he really can? It's possible, I mean, he did state what so and so was going to say before they said it."

And we see where this train of thought starts run it's course to, and eventually I end up beating Galactus in some battle thread in the future...
 
You see, good arguments aren't won with "if".  You need facts to back up your case, and of course the feats or the characters showings in the comics are what we have to go on, in other words, those are our facts.  This is what justifies losses and wins in these theoretical debates, because if not, then the "ifs" go on forever:
 
"Well just because you haven't seen Mr. Y do so and so, doesn't mean he can't." 
"Well just because Mr. Y might be able to do so and so, then Mr. Z might be able to do so and so, disabling Mr. Ys so and so." 
"But just because you haven't seen Mr. Y do so and so, and Mr. Z might be able to do so and so, doesn't mean Mr. Y couldn't do so and so, beating Mr. Z." 
Etc., etc., so forth and so on. 
 
This is why people work hardcore with feats, because those are the actual benchmarks, it is your proof for your argument.  Regardless of whether or not the character was in 2 or 200 issues, those issues are what we have to work with.  It might not be fair for those characters that haven't been in a lot of issues, but that is a problem you need to take up with the publishers and writers, because its not a factor that should excuse the use of "ifs" and "buts".  Like any good scientist, you need proof to prove your theories.   
  
The proof doesn't lie in "ifs" and "buts".

32 Comments

Survivors

So let's see, we have our street levelers, enhanced humans, metahumans, cosmic beings, so forth and so on.  There is quite literally an endless list of catgories for hero and villain types, and sometimes there is a fine line between these catgories, and often you'll find your favorite character straddling that ever so thin line.
 
You see, out of all these categories though, I just don't find them befitting of some of my favorite characters.  Edamame's threads on horror films tonight got me to thinking about the genre I love most, and some of my favorite heroes (two of which I'll discuss below).  If you haven't guessed by the title of this little post, I am talking about the only word that I can dredge up that seems to fit these hapless and sometimes unwilling heroes...Survivors.
 
What is a Survivor? And no, I am not talking about a bunch reality star wannabes in a remote location whoring themselves out for pseudo fame and money, and if that is what you thought, then you are so voted off of this island.

 
Quite simply, the way I see it, a Survivor is someone thrust into an unimaginable situation, often times without special training or powers (and if they do have either, it's normally not on the level of most your favorite spandex wearing heroes or villains), and they survive.  They find a way to beat the odds be it dumb luck or the hand of fate.  These are the guys and gals that you could probably just about put into any situation, versus any evil imaginable (and sometimes unimaginable) and they will find a way to come out on top.  Most importantly, these are characters that started their lives not knowing about and unprepared for the kinds of threats they are facing, living the life of a normal person, blissfully unaware. 

Now, this isn't necessarily limited to the horror genre, but that genre is abound with Survivor characters. 

Two of my favorites: 

Ashley J. Williams     

No Caption Provided

 

"First you wanna kill me, now you wanna kiss me. Blow." -- Ash 

Probably my favorite Survivor of all time.  Ash started his career going to a cabin in the woods with some friends and ended up being the smart @$$, chainsaw/shotgun wielding, Deadite demolishing, "Chosen One" hero of the Evil Dead series.  This man has faced deadites, Freddy, Jason, the Marvel Zombies, and has still found a way to come out on top and survive.  You could put him up against anything and anyone, and odds are, Ash will find a way to survive, if not come out on top.
    
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
Cassie Hack     

No Caption Provided

 

"I'm gonna get all Elmer Fudd on her @$$." -- Cassie 

Here is another favorite of mine.  Cassie Hack was once a bitter outcast teenage girl in school until she found out her mother was killing students that had been mistreating her daughter.  Of course, once confronted, Mrs. Hack commits suicide by dropping her head into a pot of boiling gravy (because really, what other way are you going to off yourself if you are a lunch lady?), only to return later from the grave as a Slasher, causing Cassie to have to hunt and destroy her own mother.  With the help of Vlad, Cassie now hunts Slashers in the world, while searching for clues on her father, who seems to be tied into this mess somehow.  This is one kick @$$ gal who faces powerful, inhuman Slashers, and finds a way to come out on top.  This is the stuff Survivors are made of.   
 
 
 
 
 
  
There are tons of other characters that probably deserve mention in this little diatribe, but to be honest, I need to get some sleep.  All I can really say in closing is that while it may be fun to delve into the world of your spandex laden heroes, and watch the superpowers battle it out as a helpless mankind can do nothing but watch and wait...I just find it a little more interesting to see my heroes that are a little more down to Earth face impossible and terrifying odds, sometimes successful and sometimes not.  Survivors all the way.

1 Comments