Comic Book Feeds

There are a lot of opinions about setting in rpgs and how much is the right amount or too much. Consequently, a lot has been written about it by a lot of people, me included. As readers of this blog likely know, I am pro-setting, in the sense that I personally like thinking of and writing about them, but one might also have intuited that I enjoy them as a player or GM. They are a major part of what gets me into a game, a fundamental part of supporting imagining the game world. I realize there are people who like their settings merely implied or at the least as light as possible, and that's their right, but to me that would reduce an rpg to the same sorts of pleasure I might get from a board or arcade game, and that would not have been enough to sustain my longterm interest.

As I have been working on the setting for my new campaign, I've talked with my players for the first time about how I feel about GM creation vs. player creation of setting material. It's not that it was a secret before, but it never game up in an explicit way. My personal observation is that while most players don't want to be given a lot of homework to play a game, they also don't tend to be told impromptu to imagine things for a world. A framework to inspire their character creation tends to be what most of my players are looking for, though how much they intend to flesh things out varies.

Encouraging this sort of engagement, though, means that the world is a bit out of focus until we get into the playing of it. I can have thought of a lot of things, but a lot of details I have in mind stay flexible on until the players get their hands on them. In the end, the worlds winds up being a collaborative process even if it mostly starts in my mind.

Here's an example. In creating Azurth, I clearly called out that despite a number of animal people in the setting, there were no cat people. Now, the fact that I noted that and didn't mention a whole list of other animal people that would never appeared in Azurth was meant to suggest "something's going on here." And it was. 

However, my friend Jim, in creating his bard Kully missed that. Jim did a very flavorful, brief character write-up, nailing the Ozian sort of vibe. The only problem was he mentioned Kully encountering a Cat Man at a pivotal moment.

I could have suggest a change to that detail and in some circumstances, I might have. Here though, because I had already intended something to be going on with that point, I used what Jim came up with. I told him that Kully had had that encounter, which was odd because there aren't supposed to be Cat-folk in Azurth, and so no one believes him. Jim was creating a little mystery in his characters backstory, which wound up tying into a minor mystery of the entire setting. Kully's backstory became setting material supporting a future reveal that at least one player was going to care out.

Not all instances of a player's view of the world and my own having a discrepency turn out so serendipitously, but I think it's worth looking for those opportunities and leaving things just a little fuzzy to facilitate those clarifications.

SALEM, OR. Madeleine Holly-Rosing, writer/creator of the graphic novel series Boston Metaphysical Society, announced the launch of her campaign to fund the printing of the hardback edition of volume three…

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In addition to MARY JANE: FACE IT, TIGER #1, a special giant-sized one-shot, Marvel Comics celebrates Mary Jane’s 60th anniversary this August with stunning new MARY JANE WATSON VARIANT COVERS.…

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This July, Jeff the Land Shark faces off against iconic X-Men villain Mojo in JEFF THE LAND SHARK: SUPERSTAR, an all-new five issue limited series by Kelly Thompson and Tokitokoro.…

The post NEW VARIANT COVERS SPOTLIGHT MOJO’S MASHUP MARVEL HEROES DEBUTING IN JEFF THE LAND SHARK: SUPERSTAR! appeared first on First Comics News.

Ram V and Mike Perkins Open the Door to Britain’s Secret War. Occult warfare is a fantasy…or is that what they want you to think? Black Tower: The Raven Conspiracy #1…

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PORTLAND, Ore. 05/15/2026 — Fan favorite writer Doug Wagner (Narco, Plastic, I Was A Fashion School Serial Killer) teams up with rising star artist Hoyt Silva for an all-new, action-packed thrill-ride…

The post EXPLOSIVE NEW ANTI-SPY THRILLER YUMI: 00EX WILL HIT SHELVES THIS AUGUST appeared first on First Comics News.

This August, Marvel and Lucasfilm join forces to complete Kylo Ren’s saga in STAR WARS: THE FALL OF KYLO REN, a five-issue comic series by Charles Soule and Will Sliney.…

The post KYLO REN TAKES CONTROL OF HIS DESTINY IN STAR WARS: THE FALL OF KYLO REN COMIC SERIES appeared first on First Comics News.

*** OLYMPUS SAGA: MEGALITH #2  *** Written by MATT KINDT Art by LEWIS LAROSA Colors by LAURA MARTIN Cover by LEWIS LAROSA $5.99  |  32 PGS.  |  FULL COLOR FINAL…

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AVAILABLE 05.20.26 The Grimm Fairy Tales 2026 Dark Circus Cosplay Pinup Special is coming! Get ready to check out all your favorite Grimm Universe heroines and villainesses, donning the cosplays of…

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In addition to MARY JANE: FACE IT, TIGER #1, a special giant-sized one-shot, Marvel Comics celebrates Mary Jane’s 60th anniversary this August with stunning new MARY JANE WATSON VARIANT COVERS.…

The post MARVEL CELEBRATES THE ONE AND ONLY MARY JANE WATSON WITH NEW VARIANT COVERS! appeared first on First Comics News.

Deniz Camp and Eric Zawadski’s Assorted Crisis Events & James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds’ The Department of Truth lead with multiple nominations each PORTLAND, Ore. 05/15/2026 — This year,…

The post IMAGE COMICS CREATORS HONORED WITH 12 EISNER AWARD NOMINATIONS, PLUS 9 SHARED NOMINATIONS appeared first on First Comics News.

The tale as it's told in Mayura (a city, it should be said, that never chooses truth over a good story) is that an aged, latter-day Wizard-Kings, Mordrey, upon his death split his kingdom among his children. For reasons known only to himself, he bequeathed rulership of his capital to his most unassertive son. While Mordrey had seen fit to place powerful wards upon city so that no one of his blood could rule if they took the city by force, the timid Prince despaired that one or another of his grasping and ambitious siblings would find some indirect means kill him and take the prize. Fearing any day might be his last, he threw himself into pleasures to live life to the fullest. He began spending his inherited fortune on distractions. Entertainers and artists flocked to the city to partake of his largesse.

The prince died young and without an heir, though not at the hands of his siblings but as a result of his sybaritic pursuits. By then, he had inadvertently placed the city on the course it holds to this day, passing through the end of the Age of Magitech, the Demon War, and the darkness that followed, largely unchanged, if not unscathed. 

It is true that, despite popular depictions (often popularized by the troubadours and theater troupes of Mayura, itself), a city of its size and importance must have citizenry beyond artists and performers. Of course, there are craftsmen, merchants, beggars, and servants. But how many artisans are only supporting themselves until the quality of their verse is recognized and rewarded? How many moneylenders or soldiers are perhaps actors researching a role? 

Mayura is still a monarchy technically, though its ruler is not of the line of Mordrey. Instead, a grand, annual, nonlethal fighting tournament held at the Aristeion colosseum used to select who will serve as the ceremonial ruler for the next year and a day. Competitors are drawn from all over Parsulan, and the event is bolstered by matches and demonstrations by the professional gladiators in the arena's training schools. The Mayura citizenry feel that having such a formidable and dynamic public representative helps deter otherwise bellicose neighbors. They also appreciate the coin brought in by the spectators to the competition.

The work of running Mayura is done by an elected council of citizens interested in that sort of drudgery. The actual ruling in the sense of setting a course for the city's future is currently done by an unelected former dancer, the Lady Petalutha. The paramour of a former four-term King, Petalutha has parleyed her celebrity into a position of real power, and no one sense has been willing to brave public disapproval to make her give it up. By all accounts, however, she is a capable leader, bolstering Mayura military, leading to a quelling of the coastal pirates, and pushing for trade deals that have benefited her city. She is not well liked by the old nobility who control the lands around the city-state, however, who would prefer a more tractable head of state.

NEW COMICS 4 THIS WEEK (05/13/26) *All comics will be rated on a scale from 1 to 10* Absoute Batman # 20 (9.5/10) Absolute Martian Manhunter # 11 (7/10) Action…

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“You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you’ll find you get what you need.” — The Rolling Stones. Strange Tales 70 (Aug. 1959) explored the…

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It has been a surprisingly strong year for first-time plays at The Meeple Guild table, and Rumian ended up being one of the more pleasant surprises. Going into the game,…

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First Comics News: How does your martial arts training help you to be a better writer? Matthew Jasso: I like to say that it allows me to have a better idea…

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Missoula, MT (05/13/2026) – Netflix has announced it will be adapting Vault’s hit fantasy series, Barbaric, as a new episodic series. “Barbaric has been the mainstay of fantasy comic books for…

The post VAULT COMICS ANNOUNCES THAT NETFLIX WILL ADAPT HIT FANTASY SERIES, BARBARIC, AS NEW EPISODIC SERIES appeared first on First Comics News.

A bold graphic novel series where Inception meets The Walking Dead from The Lab Press. LOS ANGELES, May 14, 2026 – Drawing comparisons to Inception and The Walking Dead, Essentials…

The post NEW VOLUME OF ESSENTIALS PROVIDES THE PERFECT JUMPING-ON POINT FOR THIS POST-APOCALYPTIC SAGA. appeared first on First Comics News.

Generate Influencer-Style Content from Photos Without Filming Using AI Tools The influence of influencers extends far beyond beauty tutorials, outfit transformations, and product recommendations – influencer content covers every corner…

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The independent comics industry is facing one of its most heated controversies in recent years after multiple adult-themed crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter were reportedly suspended, rejected, or flagged during active…

The post Indie Comics Community Erupts After Adult-Themed Kickstarter Campaigns Face Mid-Campaign Shutdowns appeared first on First Comics News.