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HotShot Pickleball @hspickleball is Live on @kickstarter

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Pick Your Pickle and Prepare for Puns: Pickleball's Board Game Just Launched. A fast, fun, irreverent board game that celebrates the joy of Pickleball. Fans of silly puns, pickles, and fast-paced games alike have a new game to add to their list of must-haves: HotShot Pickleball. This delightful card-drawing board game is quick to learn and gives a surprising amount of opportunity to lightly strategize as you race to the ball and attempt to hit it back over the net to your opponent. The debut release from indie studio Midnight Trading Co., HotShot Pickleball was made while game designer Robert Gelb was recovering from an Achilles injury sustained, ironically, by playing Pickleball. For those who haven’t heard of pickleball, it's the fastest-growing sport in the world, with over 32 million players last year. HotShot Pickleball is a lively, family-friendly game that combines the fun of the sport with a cast of quirky, pickle-themed characters like Stew Cumber, Kim Chee, and Corni...

Supergirl Comic Box Commentary Reviews: @DCComics Vibe, Supergirl, Batman/Superman @dranj70



Here are today's Guest Reviews by Anj from Supergirl Comic Box Commentary for DC's; Justice League of America's Vibe #6, Supergirl #22, and Batman/Superman #2. I have also added my rating after each review. If you have any questions about my rating or want to discuss anything just leave me a comment.


See the Review Rating Overview page for more information on how I rate each comic.


Justice League of America's Vibe #6 - Breakin'


Being chased by bounty hunters? The guns of A.R.G.U.S. aimed at your head? It’s a typical day for Vibe!

Preview


He's a Threat to Himself... He's a Threat to the World... And His Only Hope is His Worst Nightmare!


The comic world seems to be missing out on something special because DC Comics Vibe is one of the best super-hero books on the market right now, a fun, fast, classic-feeling take on the teenage super-hero struggling to come to grips with his powers and doing what is right.

Vibe #6, which came out last week, continues this trend. While maintaining a solid theme of family fidelity, Gates continues to show just how difficult it can be to do what is right in this cynical world we live in. Moreover, he shows that sometimes it is the young and optimistic who can remind the older and jaded that they can return to light.

But what truly amazes me about this book is the breakneck speed that Gates is bringing to the book. The main action in this book is a breakout at the Circus. It is spurred on by Vibe fighting against A.R.G.U.S. And we have the return of a character we thought dead. All that in six issues! In standard comic timelines, the first 6 issues would be Vibe's first mission, the next 6 would his questioning of ARGUS, and the third issue would be the revolt and escape from the Circus. But why wait!

Part of me wonders if some of the pace is being dictated by sales. The book isn't doing well and maybe DC needs some part of Vibe's story to play out before cancellation. It is a shame. Maybe it is the very idea of Vibe that has kept people away, thinking he is the parody break dancer from the 80's. But the truth is this book is a bright spot in the bleak tapestry of the DCnU. Here is a young hero with ideals and morals and optimism inspiring people! If you are complaining about how dark DC is, you need to be reading this book.

Read the rest of Anj's review on Supergirl Comic Box Commentary

My Rating


Cover & Solicit - 3/5
Art, Colors & Inking - 4/5
Layout & Flow - 5/5
Story - 4/5
Verdict - 4
 - (Buy Justice League of America's Vibe #6) SAVE 10%

Supergirl #22 - Close to Home


Careful what you wish for! Kara may have found a home away from Earth, but it’s at a price that Superboy will have to pay to a major Superman foe!

Preview



Synthesis... Complete!


Supergirl #22 came out this week, the second part of the Cyborg Superman storyline and the third issue in the Michael Alan Nelson era on the book.

The plot, Supergirl trying to recreate a version of Krypton with the help of an initially nice but ultimately nefarious individual, unfortunately echoes the odious and all too recent H'El on Earth story. In some ways it is a bit frustrating for me as a Supergirl fan to see her character somewhat stuck in amber. Yes, she is a young girl who has been robbed of everything and thrust into a foreign world. Yes she should be stunned and in mourning. Yes she should miss her world. But we are now almost 2 years into this new incarnation and I would hope that the character would be able to move past that a little.

And yet, within this issue, there are some subtle and important differences from the Kara in H'El. Some elements of her being stronger, more resolute, and just a touch smarter. And ... I am really hoping here ... this story, as it is constituted so far, would be the perfect turning point for the book and the character. We have a Kara, alone, in space, and again trying to get back to Krypton in any way. When all of that goes wrong, when she realizes the folly in that, maybe it will lead her to embrace Earth and Superman a little bit more. I can dream, right?

Diogenes Neves and Mark Deering are on art here and they do a great job. In particular, there are some wonderful emotional close-ups of Kara, sometimes without words, which key us in to what she is feeling. And when the art supplements the script, bringing out more together than either could do alone, comics are at their best. And Mahmud Asrar creates an eerie cover which popped off the rack.

Read the rest of Anj's review on Supergirl Comic Box Commentary

My Rating


Cover & Solicit - 4/5
Art, Colors & Inking - 4/5
Layout & Flow - 4/5
Story - 4/5
Verdict - 4 
(Buy Supergirl #22) SAVE 10%


Batman/Superman #2 - Doubletime



Batman and Superman travel to Earth 2, where they find familiar heroes who are trying to kill them!

Preview



Earth 2?


I don't think I'll be reviewing Batman/Superman every month but last week's second issue really was something special enough to warrant some coverage here.

I didn't cover the first issue because I thought the story was a little convoluted. Even though I knew from solicits that a trip to Earth 2 was going to happen to the young versions of Prime Earth's heroes, it was a bit hard to grasp that at the end. Certainly the early part of that issue when a young Clark talks to a young Bruce was great. But overall I was hoping for a little more story-wise in the premiere.

One thing that did impress me in the first issue, and definitely in this issue, is Jae Lee's art. From panel construction that reminded me of JH Williams III to a feathery pencil style in bright pencils to a murky feel in
darker scenes, his art just absolutely sparkled. And that certainly is true here as well.

One thing I like about Lee's art here is that there is a dream-like quality to the art, whether it be idyllic fantasy or nightmare, his art seems almost surreal. Even hair looks like ink spreading out in water, ethereal, eerie. And in this universe bending story where a chaos demon (I assume) is pulling the strings, it works.

But the other thing that stands out in this issue is Greg Pak's story. Now on Earth 2, we get to see just how brash and untrained the Earth 1 Batman and Superman are. And we also get to see what accomplished and heroic the E2 Batman and Superman are. Remember, on Earth 2, these heroes were beloved ... the Wonders ... trusted. We haven't seen any of that in Prime Earth stories ... at least not in Superman.

Read the rest of Anj's review on Supergirl Comic Box Commentary

My Rating


Cover & Solicit - 4/5
Art, Colors & Inking - 4/5
Layout & Flow - 4/5
Story - 4/5
Verdict - 4
 - (Buy Batman/Superman #2) SAVE 20%

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Anj is a blogger at http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/The use of these reviews has been authorized by the original author.

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