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StarDriven: Gateway by Rock Manor Games Coming Soon to Gamefound

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In a future without energy scarcity, an ancient yet advanced Gateway has been discovered in independent space. Rock Manor Games  is thrilled to announce that the solo, co-op, and competitive 1-4 player board game StarDriven Gateway, will be launching on Gamefound on   October 1st .  We’re commemorating the launch with an animated Saturday Morning cartoon style video to give everyone a taste of the world. The StarDriven universe was originally conceived on a long drive to the Origins Expo over 5 years ago by Todd Walsh ( Set a Watch  series) and Mike Gnade ( Maximum Apocalypse ,  Lawyer Up ). StarDriven: Gateway is the first of 3 planned games in the universe and features incredibly unique and innovative gameplay that thrusts players into the role of commanding the Crew of a Starship. Unlike most games in the genre, each Crew card is unique and your ship is controlled by assigning them to the individual stations. With the discovery of ancient advanced technology, time is ticking for

Featured Review: @TopCow Artifacts #33 @TopCowMatt @ImageComics


Artifacts #33 - Teacher and the Preacher

Top Cow publishes its first team of winners from the 2012 Talent Hunt! Rapture bearer and defrocked priest Tom Judge and the numeromancer Tilly Grimes are hot on the heels of a prolific serial killer. But even if Tom is able to save the next intended victim, is he already too late to save her soul?




Preview

See Artifacts #33 Preview

Review


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




Cover & Solicit 3/5


We get a single cover drawn by new Top Cow artist -ROM- featuring Tom and a few piano keys. At first I didn't know what they were, but after reading the issue it makes more sense. The one problem I have with the cover is the coloring comes off a little dull, which is a little sad considering how vibrant the original solicit image looked.

Art, Colors & Inking 4/5


Like the cover this issues art was done by -ROM-. She is one of Top Cow's 2012 Talent Hunt winners along with this issue's writer. The art in this issue was just alright for me and didn't really compare to the amazing work Yoon's or Sejic in my opinion. She uses a painted style which Top Cow seems to enjoy lately and while her art is detailed and beautiful, it suffers from the same problem as the cover and it's colors are dull. I can understand a demonic or creepy vibe but that means dark colors not ones that appear washed out. Otherwise she does a great job with the flow and the fight scenes between Tom and Strow is excellently executed.

Layout & Flow 4/5


This issue reads very well as it's more of a one-shot than a continuation from last issue. Unfortunately for most readers you are thrown right into it without any knowledge of why Tom and Tilly are there, while explained a little later it seemed odd to me. Otherwise the pacing setup by both by the artist and the writer go very well together. Things do seem a little rushed at times and that is probably due to the limitations of getting the story told in 20 pages.

Story 5/5


The issue is written by another Talent Hunt winner Kenny Porter. For being a newcomer he does an excellent job telling the story even if the flow is slightly off. This issue starts with Tom and Tilly investigating a mysterious house, and find themselves face to face with a practitioner of demonic magic. A man named Matthew Strow is posing as a piano teacher and has killed 51 children. When they arrive they find his 52nd victim playing the piano as a means to summon a demonic force. Like I mentioned the pace is fast and Porter does an excellent job of keeping the story going, and while it seemed a little rushed he did a great job of telling a complete story. I personally can't wait to see what Porter and -ROM- do in the future with Top Cow.

Verdict - 4.3 (8.5/10) (Buy Artifacts #33) SAVE 10%


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