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Wacky Wizard Games Imprint and Three New Games Announced by @wwizardgames

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Wise Wizard Games announced the launch of Wacky Wizard Games, a new brand imprint focused on family-friendly, lightweight games. Three games are planned for release in 2024 as part of this new brand imprint: Star Realms Academy, Caution Signs, and Pack the Essentials. If you are interested and attending PAX Unplugged they will have prototypes of Caution Signs and Pack the Essentials. "We are super excited to be adding this new family friendly product line to our catalog. We wanted to maintain the focus of Wise Wizard Games on strategy card and dice games with geeky themes, and have created Wacky Wizard Games as an umbrella for lightweight games with a more whimsical, cute vibe," shared Debbie Moynihan, COO of Wise Wizard Games. Star Realms Academy Forge your own star realms, overloaded with cuteness! A kid friendly but still fun for grown-ups version of the popular Star Realms deckbuilding game for 2 players. A little less math, no reading necessary, but still tons of fun! 

BatWatch Reviews: @DCComics Batman, Batgirl, Nightwing


Here are today's Guest Reviews by Jeremy Sims from Batwatch for DC's; Detective Comics #24, Batgirl #24, Batman #25, and Nightwing #24. 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.



Detective Comics #24 - State of Shock



Batman’s final confrontation with The Wrath is here! Can Batman stop his evil counterpart from claiming any more victims as an epic battle bursts onto the city streets?

Preview




Unbridled Wrath


I haven't enjoyed the Warth arc so far in Detective Comics, so I was not expecting much from this issue. When I heard Layman say that he pulled out all the stops and just went crazy with action in this issue, I  mentally rolled my eyes figuring he had just phoned in the issue. However, I found this story to be a surprisingly invigorating read. Layman didn't lie when he said he simply went for broke and threw in a bunch of awesome set piece moments. Coupling Layman's cool ideas with Fabok's pencils and colors that seemed less drab than the past two issues went a long way towards redeeming the arc.

The plot was still not great. (Spoilers) Why did Wrath leave an off switch to his trap? Why did it take six minutes for the devices to kill the police officers? Doesn't Wrath know he should password protect his computer? Everybody has a freakin' password on their smart phones for crying out loud!

Read the rest of Jeremy Sims' review on Batwatch

My Rating


Cover & Solicit - 4
Art, Colors & Inking - 4
Layout & Flow - 4
Story - 4
Verdict - 4 (8/10)
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Batgirl #24 - Batgirl: Wanted, Part Two of Three: Dragnet


“Batgirl: Wanted” part two! Chased by her father and the police, and ravaged with guilt over the death of her brother, Barbara has given up her Batgirl identity! But tonight she is forced to take to the streets—with deadly consequences!



Preview



Wanted


This issue of Batgirl could be a solid or even great addition to the series...if it could just overcome the weight of its own creation. The entire situation is full of so many coincidences that it fractures believability. We have the whole setup and execution of James Jr., the way Commissioner Gordon randomly decides that this is the straw that broke the camel's back and that he is going to persecute Batgirl without ever getting her story, the relationship with Ricky that bloomed on infertile ground, the sacrifice of the Batgirl mantle which could be a nice symbolic gesture but really seems to come out of nowhere, and I could go on, but I'm trying to be brief. The problem is that I just can't see all this scenario where Commissioner Gordon shoots Ricky without rolling my eyes at the whole saga that led us to this point.

While my tolerance for this arc's poor framework was already wearing thin, the issue doesn't do much to ease my pain. Babs, without her gadgets, takes on a couple dozen cops without them subduing her. Nobody has a taser? Then, we have a long dry spell without action in the middle of the issue where we do at least see some quality character interaction, and props to Simone for improving in this area, but we still are watching a miserable Barbara, and we've seen enough of that already. Finally, we get the setup for the next issue which includes a certain character being used as a hostage once more, and that character really deserves more respect than to be little more than a way point marker for the hero and the story.

Read the rest of Jeremy Sims' review on Batwatch

My Rating


Cover & Solicit - 4
Art, Colors & Inking - 3
Layout & Flow - 4
Story - 5
Verdict - 4.1 (8/10)
 - (Buy Batgirl #24) SAVE 10%


Batman #24 - Zero Year: Dark City, Part One; Welcome To Bat Country


Zero Year Part Four! In this amazing, double-sized issue, Batman is on the trail of the Red Hood Gang and their mysterious leader, secret origins are revealed, and a major surprise will change the course of Zero Year and Batman’s life!



Preview



Batman Comics Work Better with Batman


Batman #24 is supposed to be an amazing triumph from Snyder and Capullo, but I'm not so sure I'll agree since most people have been keen on this entire arc, and I've not really been impressed. Clearly, I'm getting to the game late with this review, but I am excited to finally have the chance to read this landmark issue for myself and see what has captured everybody's attention.

Is Batman #24 truly a triumph or is it just another let down?

In this issue, Batman debuts in Gotham but Bruce Wayne exposes the Red Hood Gang's plot.

The first few issues of this arc felt a bit random to me. The Red Hood Gang had an unclear origin, and Bruce's return to Gotham was oddly bypassed as we first saw him only after his war on crime had already begun. Then, we saw Bruce fumbling for several issues which didn't really satisfy me as the story seemed more caught up in Bruce's external preoccupations rather than his internal struggle.

Read the rest of Jeremy Sims' review on Batwatch

My Rating


Cover & Solicit - 3
Art, Colors & Inking - 3
Layout & Flow - 4
Story - 5
Verdict - 4 (8/10)
 - (Buy Batman #24) SAVE 10%

Nightwing #24 - Buyer's Remorse


Who gets the last laugh? The Prankster vs. Nightwing!



Preview



A City Aflame ...A Hero Alone


Nightwing #24 finishes up the Prankster arc admirably. This has easily been the best arc of Nightwing in the DCNU, and though I was not crazy about the way everything was handled, it was still, as a whole, a very good issue due largely to the constant surprises. Kyle Higgins seems to have found the perfect release schedule for revealing secrets. Just as things start to come into focus, something else is added to the chaos of Chicago, and we get a glimpse of Dick's next challenge.

There were some issues. I'm impressed by the way Trickster fooled people about his intentions, but though this was good for the arc, it's not really good for the character turning him from a new anarchist/vigilante to a clever guy with a grudge. The idea that Dick would carry powerful enough explosives to take care of a problem that arises towards the end of the book seems unlikely as well. Also, One of Dick's roommate seemed to have a completely new personality from the last time we saw her.

Read the rest of Jeremy Sims' review on Batwatch

My Rating


Cover & Solicit - 3
Art, Colors & Inking - 4
Layout & Flow - 4
Story - 4
Verdict - 3.9 (8/10)
 - (Buy Nightwing #24) SAVE 10%

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Jeremy Sims is a blogger at https://batwatch.squarespace.com/ and a comic book reviewer at Comic Vine. The use of these reviews has been authorized by the original author.

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