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NEW COMICS 4 THIS WEEK (06/17/26) *All comics will be rated on a scale from 1 to 10* Absolute Batman # 21 (9/10) Absolute Green Arrow # 2 (8/10) Amazing…

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Says here I have published 2,161 posts on this blog. About three a week since August 2011. All but eight have been reviews. Let’s post a ninth, shall we?

The tenfootpole is a place of crap. Full of shit and worthless writing about it. A monument to the hubris of man that stinks like a trash container full of dead squirrels sitting the June heat for a week.

What it is not is an outpost of the great internet hype machine. But the hype machine has made a foray, testing the borders of the volcano lair. You see, Greg Gawron, Founder, Advanced Fantasy Games, has responded to my review of The Lost Tomb of Kazcuk Mot the Undying. You can read the response for yourself, or simply rely on my cherry picking. Fear not gentle ones, while there is no bad publicity, I have no great conceit here. Nothing matters and the tilting of windmills must be done, as Camus says, in spite of the results.

Our goal was to hit the market with a fun and challenging adventure that sets a new standard for Old School formats, use of cool artwork reflective of the earlier days of D&D, and other traditional things like a removable cover, blue map, challenging encounters, 12 point font for easy reading in low light, and more. However, we didn’t just put extra effort into the module itself, we also made a commitment to our customers with a quickly delivered product immediately after the Kickstarter closed. Also through our timely communications, packaging, shipping, and little details needed to earn their business again and again.

We see here, the Advanced Fantasy Games creed. This line is a nostalgia play. It is an appeal to nostalgia, no doubt to those middle aged people who have a fond memory from their past about D&D. And now have money to spend. It’s a member-berry. And, note, as a major selling point, the commitment to a quickly delivered product, timely communication, packaging, shipping, and other little details needed to earn the repeat reader business. Great for your fucking revenue stream, eh? Lots and lots of shit mentioned there isn’t there? Oh, hey, wait. Do you think it’s weird that not much is mentioned about the ACTUAL ADVENTURES? I mean, i don’t. Why would he write a decent adventure anyway when the focus is clearly on the repeated buyer.

Let us look now at the comments about the adventure that Greg Gawron, Founder, Advanced Fantasy Games, specifically called out to us, as convincing testimonials as ” direct messages received from our customers:”

“Just wanted to let you know I received my copy in the mail today and it looks fantastic the art print is getting framed and hung in my game room. Thank you again. I can’t wait to play it.” – Eric F.

Eric F. there didn’t say anything about the adventure. Eric F. got his in the mail. Eric F likes the art print and the way it looks. Eric F didn’t actually say anything about the adventure though, did they?

“Well packed. Carefully packed. Thanks Greg!” – Bill A.

Bill A there likes your packaging. Both well packed AND carefully packed. That certainly means a fun night ahead, right? The correlation between “I literally received it in the mail” and “a great adventure to run at the table!” is obvious, no?

“Layout is beautiful and so fantastically readable, Greg, great job!” – DTFA

A vote for reading the adventure from DTFA! I’m sure there will be many future readings of the adventure as well! And, well, layout, sure, right?

“OMG! This is awesome! Thanks Greg!” – SJ

Hey, it’s awesome! Weirdly nonspecific though. I wonder what was awesome. They seem very excitable. Maybe they think Applebees is awesome also? No specific comments about the adventure.

“Just got mine today! Love it!” – Steve J.

They got theirs. Presumably in the mail also, although, I must say, the lack of noting HOW they received it does raise my eyebrows more than a little. I do hope that the trend here is obvious, and was obvious from the second quoted one.

“I was lucky enough to get to play test and let me say it brought me back to my childhood and how much fun the OG of D&D was and still is very challenging and so much fun… Thanks.” – Vincent F.

Sounds like someone had a good DM. That’s great! I wonder if they actually played this adventure though? Or something else? Awwww, look, a direct reference to an aging person wistfully looking back at he lost days of their youth.

“Now, after having given it a 1st “Read Through” I must say, Excellent Work! Well Done! This is a great little adventure that will serve as a perfect introduction to OSRIC/AD&D, especially with the pre-gen characters. Thank you! I’ll be looking forward to the sequel.” – Joseph Y.

Maybe the closest to an actual comment about the adventure. Again, very non-specific about what is excellent and what is well done. At least they, unlike everyone else, actually read the adventure?

“Just got mine in the mail and I couldn’t be happier! Really nice job, and ahead of schedule.” – Rob H.

The take away here, for everyone actually writing good adventures, is that no one gives a fuck about your quality. They care about getting it in the mail and ahead of schedule. Well, presumably tat’s the baseline anyway. I should hope that writing something good raises the floor a bit in what one can expect … as long as you deliver it. And Early.

“I have to say this was one of the fastest campaign completions I have ever seen!” – Aaron T.

Again and again and again, we can see the important of commerce and not anything actually related to the adventure.

“I received mine today – looks great!” – JBCTCJoe

And again.

“I received my physical copy in the mail this week! It arrived in great condition, your packing skills & package nomenclature (DO NOT BEND) precede you, Greg! 

What the fuck is obsession here? I guess you can make $6k a month slopping out adventures as long as you ship it with a DO NOT BEND on it.

The module itself is a work of old school trade dress & format beauty & I cannot wait to dive into it! Thank you so much for this!” – Robert W.

Our final comment. An appeal to nostalgia.

Do you think it’s weird that NOT ONE PERSON commented on anything specifically about the adventure? It was all delivery and nostalgia trade dress. I think its weird that not one person said anything about the adventure. I also think its a lot weirder that Greg Gawron, Founder, Advanced Fantasy Games, selected those quotes to post. “Great commerce!” huh?

The post ends with Greg Gawron, Founder, Advanced Fantasy Games, making a direct appeal to marketing their latest and hyping it and noting that they are a good DM. That’s what it means when you run an adventure and people have fun. That you are a decent DM, at a minimum. Or, you don’t know what polite people look like. But, no, let’s remain optimistic and take you at face value, that you are a good DM.

I don’t really give a shit man. You’re just another in a long line of slop artists churning out nostalgia crap for an aging population that doesn’t actually play D&D anymore but just reads it. It’s their money. They can do what they want with it. Make your money. But let us not pretend you are producing anything decent or for any other reason than cranking out the old bank account. Not on this site.

"The end of the road. A lonely fort stands on the banks of a mighty river. It is here the hardy bands of adventurers gather to plan their conquests of The Hill, the hulking mass that looms over this tiny settlement.""The Hill is filled with monsters, they say, and an evil witch makes her home there. Still, no visitor to The Hill has ever returned to prove the rumors true or false. The thrill of Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

I'm reading DC Comics' output from January 1980 (cover date) to the end of Crisis! This week, I read the comics on sale on June 20, 1985.

Hex #1: Here at last is the series that's been teased (in the pages of Jonah Hex, at least) for the past few months. Fleisher and Texeira have Jonah Hex plucked from the 19th century and brought to some unspecified, post-apocalyptic near future (far enough away that capes and big metallic shoulder pieces have come into fashion, though). Hex was brought to the future by rich geezer, Borsten, who collects historical warriors--quite literally. He promptly escapes, though, and winds up teamed with a woman wasteland raider named Stilletta. He falls in with her gang of Road Reapers, who raid settlements to steal water in the radioactive deserts in the vicinity of Seattle. Hex has his doubts about the morality of all this, but before he can formulate a plan, fate steps in. Someone has tipped off the next target, and there's an ambush, and the gang's leader Falcon takes a dislike to him, so Hex winds up on his own with a stolen hover cycle and a costume out of Road Warrior. Then he almost has a head on collision with a Vietnam-era military helicopter!
Westerns were at an ebb in the early 80s and sales were apparently poor on Jonah Hex, so with post-apocalyptic films a fad in the wake of Mad Max, this new direction makes some sense. As a kid, I hadn't been a regular reader of Jonah Hex, but this title got my attention for its subject matter and the dynamic art of Mark Texeira.

Batman and the Outsiders #25: Barr and Davis have most of the Outsiders out of costume this issue as they go about the arrangements for the wedding of Metamorpho and Sapphire Stagg. Meanwhile, Halo is becoming part of the religious cult community she had stumbled into and doesn't notice anything sinister at first. She misses when the father of Brother David visits the community to try get his son to return home, and he's surreptitiously drugged by "Brother Abraham's" second in command. We learn later that he's a general working with "Star Wars," but I'm sure that's a coincidence.
Ultimately, David asks Halo to marry him, and he plans for them to leave the community. The cult leaders catch them, and Brother Abraham is revealed as Kobra. He recognizes Halo as a member of the Outsiders. Under threat of David's death, Kobra forces her to reveal Batman's secret identity. 

Blue Devil #16: Mishkin/Cohn and Kupperberg/Maygar continue the Vanquisher story from last issue. Marla,in the hands of the Vanquisher, Verner's chauffeur, Vance, whose brain is being affected by his super-suit, has to figure out a way to get him to calm down and keep herself out of danger. When the Vanquisher isn't reacting to unreal enemies, he starts to get rational. Then Dan shows up and almost blows things, but Marla quickly clues him in, and they've got things settled down when Kid Devil shows up and again stirs things up. Ultimately, Vance returns to his normal self, and Marla agrees to a date with him.

Green Lantern #192: Engelhart and Staton/Patterson spend most of this issue giving some background on Star Sapphire and her relationship to Carol, explaining how we got to this point. I don't know Star Sapphire's history well enough to know if any of this is retcon or not. After Star Sapphire tells her story, she leaves Hal and travels to Zamaron. Green Lanterns John Stewart, Katma Tui, and Dalor, following some Zamaron raiders, arrive on Zamaron in time to witness Star Sapphire's coronation as the new queen.

Infinity, Inc. #18: Either the Thomases are trying to make the Helix into a big deal or this issue is padded, because in addition to getting the Helix's origin (as victims of illegal in utero experimentation) and a fight between them and Infinity, Inc., we get a whole sequence of them robbing a store for "humor" and to showcase their powers and personalities. There's also a pin-up of them in the back of the issue. McFarlane is still leaving a lot of space in the layout that he's filling with character logos instead of just making the story panels bigger. Anyway, the issue ends on a cliffhanger or two with Jade poisoned with Mr. Bones's cyanide and the Harlequin confronting Thorn.

New Teen Titans #12: Wolfman and Woch/Tanghal give us a ghost story as Nightwing's and Cyborg's encounters with a ghostly little girl lead the team on an investigation that uncovers a murder of a family by the mob 50 years ago in Dick's apartment. It's not a bad bit of investigative storytelling, but it seems sort of out of place in a superhero team book. It would have worked better as a solo Nightwing story.

Sgt. Rock #404: Kanigher and Kubert bring us a reprint from Our Army at War #158 in 1965 repackaged with cool new Kubert cover. It tells the story of Rock's first meeting with the Iron Major, who's a bit of a different character here (commandant of a prison camp thanks to his injury and prosthetic) and pretty clearly intended to be a one-off. We also get an interesting detail about Rock's past: He and his brother were originally paratroopers involved in a test of gliding techniques to reduce mortality in cases of parachute failure over water. In a test of these techniques in a jump from the Golden Gate bridge, his brother Josh (Josh Rock?) is killed. Strangely, Josh calls his brother "Rock" throughout the flashback instead of "Frank." I wonder if Kanigher envisioned Rock as the Sargeant's first name in 1965? 

Saga of Swamp Thing #40: Moore and Bissette/Totleben bring us a feminist werewolf story. Swamp Thing follows Constantine's direction and goes to Maine where a woman named Phoebe has been transformed into a wolf creature under the moon by the lingering anger of the Pennamaquot Indian women who were forced to stay in a lodge while menstruating on the site where Phoebe's house is now located. Swamp Thing speaks with her but is no match for her rage. Ultimately, she kills herself on a knife display in a supermarket. Constantine shows up again, and Swamp Thing angrily tells him he's going home to Louisiana, but that's exactly where Constantine wants him to go.

Warlord #97: I reviewed this issue here.

Superman Annual #11: This is the second Moore scripted Superman story this month, this one with art by Gibbons. It's certainly the more famous of the two, having been adapted to an episode in the first season of Justice League Unlimited, and being reprinted as soon as 1988 in Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told. Interestingly, like the DC Comics Presents story, it involves Superman being taken over by an alien, non-animal organism. 
Batman, Robin, and Wonder Woman arrive at the Fortress of Solitude for Superman's birthday to find the Man of Steel seemingly insensate with an alien plant attached to his chest. This is the work of Mongul, who steps up to explain that the plant can psychically project a person's heart's desire, trapping them in a dream. While Wonder Woman fights Mongul, Batman and Robin try to remove the plant. Meanwhile, Superman experiences a world where Krypton survived, and he has a wife and child there.
With help from his friend's and his own force of will, Superman escapes the dream, though losing his son is emotional wrenching. Batman is briefly caught in his own dreamworld, but Robin saves the day, throwing the plant on Mongul before the alien can defeat Superman in a fight.


Who's Who #7: We finish off the D's here with a number of characters that haven't appeared a lot. Dr. Regulus last appeared in 1982 in Legion of Super-Heroes #286, while Dr. Psycho appeared in an arc in'82, but last showed up in Wonder Woman #325 earlier in '85. Dr. Thirteen had a run in Ghosts in 1981 and was last seen in a bit part in Batman #354 in '82. The others are more obscure, except for Dolphin who gets a sultry illustration by Dave Stevens and did appear as one of the Forgotten Heroes. 
Then, we're into the E's. There are bit players from now-ended titles: Earthworm from the never-satisfactorily solved storyline in the Huntress backup stories, and Eradicator from Supergirl. Then, Easy Company gets a 2-page spread by Kubert. The Eclipso entry has art by Gibbons, presumably because he drew him recently in Green Lantern. Elongated Man shows up in a costume he hadn't yet worn in the comics ny Infantino. With end the issue with two F's, one of which is Fastback from the Zoo Crew.

Spider-Man has appeared in comic books, newspapers, television shows, movies, video games, and just about every form of entertainment imaginable over the past six decades. Now Marvel’s flagship hero is…

 Classic BECMI (Basic, Expert, Companion, Master, Immortal) and Rules Cyclopedia D&D typically utilize a nested 1d8 / 1d12 system for wilderness and dungeon generation. However, compiling those monsters into a flat, true d100 percentile framework makes running spontaneous classic hex-crawler sessions drastically faster.This photo came from Wayne's books in the article, 'BECMI Dungeons &Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

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The Star Spangled Trivet and Hot Pad Tutorial demonstrates how to crochet the mesh portion of this festive pattern! Keep your counters and tables safe - crochet along with the right and left-handed video tutorials below! Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links. Be sure to scroll down past the videos to get the links to […]

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PORTLAND, Ore. 06/16/2026 — Writer and artist Guillem March (Batman, The Joker, Catwoman, Karmen) returns as a solo creator with the upcoming romantic thriller, Ofiusa. This sultry, six-issue miniseries is set…

The Marvel Universe gets flipped on its side this October with an all-action issue told entirely in landscape-oriented splash pages.   New York, NY— June 16, 2026 — Once a…

​Welcome Back to the Age of Sadistic Sorcery with an All-New Tome of Deranged Dark Fantasy from David M. Booher, Matt Bors, Jude Ellison S. Doyle, Ryan Kelly, Lukas Ketner,…

Featuring Jason Aaron, Chris Condon, Kano, Matt Kindt, Shawn Martinbrough, Tony Moore, Stephanie Phillips, Andrea Sorrentino & Many More! COVER BY TYLER CROOK PORTLAND, OR (June 16, 2026) – THE…

IN SUPPORT OF JOHN CARPENTER’S NIGHT TERRORS: CHAPLAIN GRAPHIC NOVEL IS OUT JULY 7 FROM STORM KING COMICS Existential Terror and Gruesome Body Horror for fans of The Thing and…

Cover A: Stephen Mooney The Legendary Antihero Returns in a New Series Featuring Eight Covers and Endless Dystopian Mayhem JUNE 16, 2026 (PORTLAND, OR) — Mad Cave Studios brings Snake…

A MONUMENTAL CELEBRATION OF GARCÍA-LÓPEZ’S ORIGINAL ART ARRIVES MARCH 2027 BURBANK, CA — [June 16, 2026] — DC today announced José Luis García-López’s DC Classics Artist’s Edition, a prestige oversize…

Back the Campaign Now and Take the First Step into the Magical World of Umora LOS ANGELES 06/16/2026 — Today Skybound launched the Kickstarter campaign for Worlds Beyond Number: The Official Graphic…

Ram V, Riccardo Burchielli, Christian Ward, and Fábio Veras Bring Two Tales of Dangerous Obsession and Dark Magic Praise for Creepshow: “explores the darker, more horrifying aspects of heroism from a…

Step back in time with Battles in Time’s new First Doctor era cards! The Doctor said one day he’d come back. Yes, he said he’d come back. He’s been quoted on that more than ever this past week, so it’s appropriate the OG Doctor really is returning as Master Replicas’ Battles in Time collectible card game launches into the William Hartnell era of Doctor Who with its next set. This is the first in a new line of limited-edition collector’s cards focusing on the individual Doctors, their companions and their greatest foes. Each set of 15 cards comes in a special collector’s pack that is guaranteed to contain every card. Even better, for the first time ever, Battles in Time will feature classic companions Ian, Barbara and Susan and memorable monsters such as Koquillion and the Monoids. The selection covers the entire span of the Hartnell era, from An Unearthly Child to The Tenth Planet, with stops on Skaro, the Ark, and the Sense-sphere along the way. The First Doctor cards are printed in the original black and white on silver foil, in strictly limited-edition sets of 1,000 pieces worldwide. The 15 Cards in the First Doctor set are: The First Doctor TARDIS (at Totter’s Yard) Ian Chesterton (at Totter’s Yard) Barbara Wright Susan Foreman Skaro City Dalek The Daleks (Invading Earth) The Daleks Execution Squad The Cybermen (Invading Snowcap Base) Zarbi Koquillion The Monoids War Machines (Outside The Post Office Tower) Sensorite (Aboard Maitland’s Ship)

The Toymaker

 

Master Replicas’ Creative Director talks to Blogtor Who about the new cards Talking exclusively to Blogtor Who, Master Replicas’ Creative Director, Ben Robinson, explained some of the design decisions with the set, including the use of the original 1960s black and white photography. “We wanted the classic Doctor cards to reflect the era when the stories were made,” explains Robinson. “To me, Hartnell and Troughton exist in black and white (although that first Doctor Who annual was in colour…) We knew from experience that printing on foil could be very effective and that’s really true for these cards. Koquillion, in particular, is so dramatic. Classic Daleks just look right in monochrome and the original Cybermen are mostly white and silver. “That brings up another thing: We did a bit of research that showed the original Cyberman costumes were quite strange colours. If you colourised them, what would you choose? Do you them the colour they actually were on set? Because that’s not the colour their creators meant them to be. “ Master Replicas are also seizing the opportunity to explore these classic characters and creatures, saying “When we did the original Battles in Time cards, we didn’t do any classic companions, so that was one of the first things on our agenda. In fact, we only did Doctors if they appeared on the modern show, so this was a real chance to dig into something we hadn’t done before. We had done some classic monsters, but only when there was colour photography or in those rare instances where it didn’t matter. “Doing new cards in black and white opened up all sorts of options we hadn’t had before (and I can never resist a Monoid).” The new Battles in Time sets, including the First Doctor, can be ordered from www.masterreplicas.com

The post Doctor Who: Battles in Time – The First Doctor is Here! appeared first on Blogtor Who.

Arctic Amigurumi: Step-by-Step Patterns for 18 Crochet Animals by Kristi Simpson and Kimberly Simpson features "cuddly creatures inspired by the icy tundra!" Take a peek inside, and enter to win your own copy of Arctic Amigurumi below! Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book for review; all opinions are my own. This post […]

The post Arctic Amigurumi - Review and Giveaway appeared first on moogly. Please visit www.mooglyblog.com for this post.

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