Tonight On Game Of Thrones...

And a recap of last week's episode if your mind is still reeling from the WTF cliffhanger...

"You Shall Not Pass"

Alec goes all Gandalf with my walking stick!

Due to my recent health fluctuations I haven't been able to see my godson Alec as much as possible, but a new pill regime meant I was up to spending several hours with him, and mum Clare, today in the Tonbridge play park.

Having played with my phone for a bit and my camera, he took to using my walking stick as a staff - as he channelled Gandalf in full-on "you shall not pass" mode.

He has grown so much since I last saw him and is very confident in his walking. I'm sure it won't be long until we get him slinging dice and rolling up his first character...

New International Trailer For Prometheus...

International trailer for Prometheus, which is scheduled to land in the UK on June 1.

New International Trailer For Prometheus

International trailer for Prometheus, which is scheduled to land in the UK on June 1.

Map-A-Monday: Asgard

Click to embiggen

Via Siskoid's Your Daily Splash

The Nine Realms

Avengers - How We Got Here...

Yes, more Avengers material, I'm afraid! This is a very succinct summary of the earlier films in the franchise, while the two below are TV spots to entice fans off their sofas and out to the cinemas...

The Avengers Boy Band...

Want Adrianne Curry To Come To Your House?

Adrianne Curry is - of course - one of the hottest geek girls on the planet and she's willing to come to your house to check out your geek credentials if you can prove yourself a Super Fan worthy of inclusion on the new show she's putting together for Stan Lee's World Of Heroes channel.

Adrianne and Stan... Nuff Said!

Book Of The Month: Goblins

Imagine, if you will, an old school Dungeons & Dragons adventure by Gary Gygax rewritten by the Monty Python team and the late, great Douglas Adams then brought to life by the team behind Wallace & Gromit (or, more appropriately in this case, Coraline) and you are part way towards encapsulating the magic of Philip Reeve's latest book, Goblins.

A light-hearted fantasy tale, Goblins follows the escapades of Skarper, a troublesome (because he is too smart) goblin literally thrown out of his home in the ruins of ancient Clovenstone Keep who then falls in with wannabe hero Henwyn - on his way to rescue a princess - and a trio of rubbish sorcerers.

There's a comet in the sky signalling the return of the all-powerful Lych Lord, but only only Skarper has a clue about how to get into the sealed, central tower where the ancient overlord once resided.

As ever with a Philip Reeve book the mastery of the English language is superb and the imagery sublime. While his primary audience may be "young adults", he never talks down to his reader nor is he afraid to introduce the occasional word to broaden his reader's vocabulary making Goblins equally enjoyable for older readers.

It's a clever tale, as you'd expect from Philip Reeve, with fantastical world-building, a well-woven through-line, a cast of memorable characters and a splendid bestiary of original monsters.

The story is also resplendent with impish toilet humour, primarily centred around goblins' personal hygiene, and brings back into popular use a phrase I haven't heard - or used - since I was at primary school: "Bumcakes!" which serves as Skarper's cuss of choice. I shall be campaigning for its reintroduction into everyday usage...
There is also a fair amount of cheese-related humour, with the result that you'll probably find yourself grinning the way whole through the book if not laughing out loud at some of the scrapes that Henwyn and Skarper find themselves in.

The book itself - an argument, if one was really needed, for purchasing a real book rather an electronic version - is a thing of beauty in itself, with green page edges and random heads, arms and tails scattered throughout.

A change from the science-fiction vibe of Philip's main serials - Mortal Engines/Fever Crumb and Larklight - Goblins is a worthy addition to the canon and, with a sequel already in the works and a film on the way, is a must-read for fans of fantasy that doesn't take itself too seriously yet still maintains a strong verisimilitude.

Echo Makers

Echo Makers - a neat little five-minute dystopian sci-fi piece featuring Hollyoaks' Laurie Duncan and made for the 48 hour Sci-Fi London Film Challenge.

Fleamarket Friday: Get A Pizza The Avengers' Action!

Stan Lee, Joss Whedon and stars from Marvel’s The Avengers - like Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson - have autographed a custom-made poster for Red Baron Pizza that will help raise funds for the Wounded Warrior Project.

And you have a chance to own the poster by bidding at eBay Giving Works (the price has already rocketed past $2,000) - with 90 per cent of the sale price going to the charity.

The auction ends Monday at 12:00 pm PDT and is open to international bidders.

Fleamarket Friday: Kickstart The Girl Of Tomorrow...

Tomorrow Jones is a new comic coming from Arcana Studios that tells the story of 14-year-old Tomorrow, who comes from a family of superheroes but has to pretend to be a 'normal' girl at school.

While she may be strong enough to fold an armored truck into origami, her father won't take her seriously, and her traditional heroine mother expects Tomorrow to follow in her footsteps.

But Tomorrow doesn't want to dress in skimpy spandex and instead starts fighting crime unmasked and simply wearing jeans and a T-shirt with her initials on.

All the while her parents keep trying to get her to do things "the traditional way" and Tomorrow finds she might be getting in over her head in the superhero community.

A Kickstarter has been launched by creator Brian Daniel to raise the funds to pay for artwork to be finished  on the first issue, with surplus cash going towards advertising and producing future issues.

He explained that "I created Tomorrow Jones with one goal in mind: to give many comic book fans the strong female character they had been asking the bigger companies to create for years."

Brian is looking to raise $3,600 by May 21 and you can check out his Kickstarter site to see some of the gorgeous artwork that has already been completed.

Fleamarket Friday: Build-An-Avenger-Bear...

Build-A-Bear is now stocking teeny-tiny Avengers costumes... I reckon Mon-Key would look pretty dapper in a Captain America outfit.

At The Fleapit: Avengers Assemble (2012)

"A bunch of superheroes get together and save the Earth," is how Rachel explained the plot of Avengers Assemble to a colleague at work before we went to the movie.

And that pretty much sums it up. With little, or no, foreplay the audience is thrown into the action from the get-go (with the first couple of scenes already subtly setting up the sequel before we've even seen this first film).

Don't expect any pussy-footing around, it's pretty much taken that going-in you know who these characters are and have a rough idea of what they can do.

Loki (Tom Hiddleston) comes to Earth to seize control of the Tesseract (aka The Cosmic Cube) to open a gateway to the planet for his alien army (but where did he get the army from... or more crucially from whom?) and in the process pisses off Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) and SHIELD.

Fury sends out the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) to help him assemble a team of heroes: the Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Captain America (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jnr) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) - who starts out mind-controlled by Loki.

From there Joss Whedon's basic plot unfolds as two major fight scenes (one on the SHIELD Helicarrier and one in New York) stitched together with some talky stuff. This isn't Marcel Proust, this is pure superhero testosterone and all the better for it. As long as you've enjoyed one - or more - of Marvel's other recent superhero movies (e.g. Captain America, Thor, Iron Man etc) then Avengers Assemble will take you to your happy place.

Every hero gets his moment to shine (particular stand-outs for me include the Hulk "negotiating" with Loki and Hawkeye shooting without looking, but everyone has their moment in the sun) and play to the strengths already shown in their earlier cinematic appearances.

There's all the banter and surprises you'd expect from a Joss Whedon script, an unexpected death and a post-credits sequence that sent tingles down my spine.

Basically, for comic book fans, you couldn't ask for anything more from a superhero team blockbuster.

DVD Of The Week: Captain America (1990)

To celebrate the UK opening of The Avengers today, the first 'new' HeroPress DVD Of The Week is Albert Pyun's 1990 extravaganza: Captain America, featuring Matt Salinger - son of author JD Salinger - in the titular role.

Despite what you may have heard over the years, this adaptation of one of Marvel Comic's core characters isn't actually too bad. Salinger does a pretty decent job as Steve Rogers and Captain America, the costume doesn't look too silly and the production values give it the feel of Lynda Carter's Wonder Woman.

There are some odd changes to Cap's established mythology, with the most bizarre being the transformation of his legendary Nazi nemesis The Red Skull (Scott Paulin) from a German to an Italian (hand-picked as a youth by Mussolini to take part in the Nazi 'super soldier' programme).

The scientist in charge of the experiment, Dr. Maria Vaselli (Carla Cassola), clearly hadn't been reading the memos and is horrified to discover that the first test subject is a young boy and so flees the country.

Seven years later, at the height of the Second World War, Vaselli is working for the American Government on its own super-soldier programme with polio victim Steve Rogers selected as the first candidate.

There's flashing lights and sparking machinery - clearly borrowed from Dr Frankenstein - before a Nazi agent kills the professor.

This is quite familiar territory for Cap fans, with him soon finding himself strapped to a Nazi superbomb heading towards the White House (which he manages to redirect at the last moment, of course) that, instead, crash lands in Alaska.

He is discovered 50 years later and refuses, at first, to believe it's now the '90s - until he meets up again with his hometown sweetheart, Bernice, and - after her death - attaches himself to her daughter, Sharon (Kim Gillingham plays both mother and daughter), who he then proceeds to drag into all kinds of danger.

The President of The United States (Ronny Cox) is kidnapped by a cartel of evil industrialists - led by The Red Skull - who oppose his pro-Green stance (they intend to stick a mind-controlling implant in him!) and Cap heads off to Italy to rescue him from The Red Skull's castle.

There are some nice touches: such as President Kimball having been a little kid who saw Cap save The White House and was inspired by him, and the fact that The Red Skull (whose accent swings from Mafia Don to Count Dracula) mocks Cap as "his brother" (as they were both created by the same experimental science).

The main flaws with Captain America come from the fact that it looks really dated and while there are some stunts and effects they are nothing spectacular. And the same can be said of the script, by Stephen Tolkin. It's very pedestrian and despite the odd moment of inspiration it really isn't much better than a cheap, Saturday afternoon television movie, peppered - for the most part - with clunky, corny dialogue and enormous plotholes.

It even introduces us to The Red Skull's daughter, but she's a total drip compared to Sin, from the Captain America comics, which was a major disappointment as well.

However, Captain America is only 97-minutes long and while great chunks of logic and believability are sacrificed to keep the pace up, it races through the story like a steam train and carries you along quickly to its blissfully cheesy ending.

Game Of Playmobil...

A wonderful stop-motion animation of the original Game Of Thrones trailer, recreated with Playmobil figures by YouTuber HDMProjects.

Thanks to Jace Hall, of Fan Wars, for drawing this to my attention.

Guess What Opens Tomorrow?

As with all Marvel films I've been strongly advised to stick around for the obligatory post-credits sequence. I've heard a clue as to what it involves and if it's true then my mind will be - officially - blown!

Tweeting Will Be The Death Of Intelligent TV...

Tweeting (and texting) has its uses, there's no doubt, but encouraging someone to tweet about a television drama while it's on ranks up there with asking people to talk during a film at the cinema.

I don't know if it's happening elsewhere, but announcers on several channels here in the UK, just before a show is about to start, are always popping up suggesting we - the viewers - "join the conversation at hashtag watchourshow".

It's one thing to get the unwashed masses to vent their spleen online during reality TV or talent shows because this is no different to the crowds at the Roman Colosseum baying for blood, but during a scripted drama it's simply insulting to all those involved in the production of the programme.

It's basically saying: "You don't really have to pay attention."

Imagine trying to follow the the cunningly interwoven plot threads and subtle character developments of Fringe, Game Of Thrones, Lost, Alcatraz, Dexter, Twin Peaks etc with your attention on a tiny keyboard and display screen as you tap out your latest 140-character or less bon mot (which is usually something akin to a Beavis & Butthead quote anyway).

The knock-on effect of this is, of course, that people will find they can't follow the storylines and will, eventually, stop watching the show. Audiences will decline and the networks - the very people who encouraged you to "join in the conversation" in the first place - will axe the shows.

Leaving us with Britain's Got Talent, I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here, The Only Way Is Essex, Made In Chelsea and a grab-bag of other brain-rotting horrors that are best enjoyed by not paying attention to them.

New Brave Trailer Hits The Target!

Federation, Zombies And Scarecrows... Oh My!

Last week was a pretty rough one for me health-wise, as my new medication regime was starting to kick in, and so Rachel and I were unable to make it to Salute on Saturday - much to my chagrin.

However, my 28mm miniatures cravings were somewhat sated by the arrival of my latest batch of painted figures back from Neil Wilson - my miniatures painter of choice.

Above you will see my gang of animated scarecrows - produced by Crooked Dice and Woodbine Design - which have a lot of potential uses, outside of simply refighting Doctor Who battles.

Below are my latest additions to my ever-expanding zombie horde. I like to mix up the designs as much as I can for variety, so I through some Foundry "emaciated plague victims" into the mix this time.

And last, but by no means least, is my unit of "Federated Security" (aka. The Federation from Blake's 7); another excellent collection of figures from Crooked Dice.

What's Happening In Knight City?

The observant among you - and those patient 20 who still subscribe to it - will have noticed some activity over on my old Knight City Chronicles site (the campaign blog I set up for our aborted Villains & Vigilantes campaign).

Have no fear I'm not going to suddenly lunge back into gamesmastering - I intend to enjoy my time as a player while I can.

However, I always said I would carry on working on the site and so that's the general idea.

While there will be no gaming per se I intend to try and flesh out the rest of the city to the best of my ability.

That way, once I've found a decent superhero roleplaying system, it'll be ready for when I feel confident enough to start running a game again.

The front runner at the moment is actually TSR's seminal Marvel Super Heroes - although it's early days yet and I've never actually run (or even played) MSH, so we'll have to see how that pans out in the long run.

The Stack Strikes Back...

I've been trimming the dead wood - and removing graphic novels - from my stack of "comics to be read" beside the bed and have reduced it to the not-quite-so-daunting pile you see above.

Once I've finished Philip Reeve's Goblins (and that's going to be any day now as I'm into the final act), it's going to be comics, comics, comics (and graphic novels) all the way for a while - so I can make a serious dent in my four-colour reading back catalogue.

My bedside stack alone includes over a year's worth of The Stand and The Dark Tower (both comics I really enjoy but somehow got out of the habit of reading each month), as well as a number of old mini-series that I've picked up from second-hand shops in Tunbridge Wells and eBay (such as Grant Morrison's Fantastic Four 1234).

Tonight On Game Of Thrones...

And a recap of last week's episode, followed by some featurettes on the show.

Murdock = Sherlock

I cannot believe there is a right-thinking soul on Earth who thinks that CBS' Elementary - a modern-day take on Sherlock Holmes, set in New York - is a good idea and is going to succeed.

For one thing (although Holmes, a public domain character, has always been updated throughout his life) Sherlock by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, is already the definitive modern day reimagining of Conan Doyle's consulting detective.

Not only is it a critical and ratings success (which, of course, has nothing to do with CBS 'suddenly' having the idea for Elementary), but - like Holmes - it is quintessentially British... or more specifically it is "London".

221b Baker Street is as iconic - and integral - to the character of Holmes as his intellect. There may be a Baker Street in New York... but there's no 221b!

If CBS wants a detective character as ingrained in the DNA of New York as Holmes is to London, they need to pick up an issue (or two) of Mark Waid's current run on Daredevil (or even the classic old Frank Miller run on the title).

With a great TV writer, Daredevil could make as striking a show as Sherlock. Blind lawyer Matt Murdock - aka Daredevil - even has his own, unique way of 'reading' an environment (using his heightened senses) that is both akin to Sherlock's laser-sharp observation and yet distinctly different enough to appear fresh to the newcomers to the character.

If you're not exactly sure what I mean by this I can only suggest reading a few issues of Mark Waid's Daredevil (or the hardback collection of the first six issues) and watching a few episodes of Sherlock to see the spiritual connection.

Come on, CBS. Be a bit creative and daring. Don't just rip-off something us Brits have done so well (and you are guaranteed to fail at), do something that that is quintessentially American that we couldn't imagine emulating. Forget the 2003 movie and give us Daredevil. It'll be close enough to Sherlock to keep the mindless, bean-counting, suits happy, but original and unique enough to keep the viewers happy.

Map-A-Monday: Krypton

Click to embiggen

Via Siskoid's Your Daily Splash

Remember, Kids, Smoking Calms The Nerves...

A bizarre '60s education experiment - Burgess Hill, a boarding school in Hertfordshire, was a "progressive" school run by a Cambridge graduate that allowed pupils to do whatever they liked!

True Blood: Coming And Going...

Season 5 Clip Trailer

Just as trailers for Season Five of vampire-gorefest True Blood are popping up in the States, we're still a year behind and are just reaching the finale of Season Four here in the UK tonight on FX.

It would be nice to think that we could start Season Five around the same time as US, so we didn't need to be constantly dodging spoilers, but I'm not overly optimistic on that score.

We Are Assembled...

Tickets booked, counting down the days...

This is the first time Rachel and I will have been to the cinema together for ages.

The Crushing Disappointment Of Reality...

HeroPress Has Risen From The Grave...

To quote Mark Twain: "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated". It is a mere nine months since I declared HeroPress dead and buried and the rise of I'd Rather Be Killing Monsters...

Well now, in true Doctor Who style, I'd Rather Be Killing Monsters has regenerated... back into HeroPress.

The truth of the matter is while I'd Rather Be Killing Monsters might work as a "mission statement", as a blog name it's a bit of a mouthful. Several people, including Rachel, didn't approve of the name change from the outset and I have to say, in hindsight, they were probably right.

With the abrupt conclusion of my Tekralh roleplaying game the other week - allowing me to resume my role as a player - it has also freed me up to look at other game systems, without the need to rush into anything.

There's already one offer of a potential new game (although it's not my place to name names at this stage) and I'm hoping Pete might offer to resume to his Top Secret SI as well, as that works very well episodically, to bridge any gaps before the next potential long-term game.

I've also realised that I was "missing superheroes" from my life. Although Knight City (my V&V campaign) didn't work out as I'd hoped, I might even investigate the possibility of rebooting that - just under a better, less  crunchy, system.

But without any self-imposed pressure, I've also been looking at Deadlands and Space 1889 (for Savage Worlds) as well as Doctor Who: Adventures In Time & Space, Cthulhu By Gaslight, Marvel Super Heroes/Marvel Heroic Roleplaying and Lord Gwydion's rather excellent Flying Swordsmen wuxia RPG. So, who knows?

I've also been making some amendments to my monthly comic book pull list and sneaking some more Marvel titles back onto the list - even if Brian Bendis is still writing issue after issue of characters standing around talking, there are some titles that he isn't involved in!

Things are definitely heading back towards "old" HeroPress territory, but I shall be using the lessons I've learned in my nine months of "killing monsters" to hopefully keep the standard up and keep attracting new readers.

I realise this will take a while, I'm certainly not claiming that I'll be bursting out the gates with all systems running at maximum. It's going to be a slow, steady path to finding my feet again and I hope you will all be patient with me and stick around.

Of course everything could suddenly come to a grinding halt if Blogger insists on forcing its new user-interface on me and I still can't get to grips with it (remembering how badly I coped when I accidentally 'experimented' with it last year). Why they just can't leave things as they are, I just don't know!

The Guild - Season Three...

Fleamarket Friday: The Most Desirable Game Of 2012?

Fantasy Flight's first Star Wars game, since they got the license, will be the X-Wing Miniatures game, due out this summer, and it looks gorgeous.

According to their website:

X-Wing is a tactical ship-to-ship combat game in which players take control of powerful Rebel X-wings and nimble Imperial TIE fighters, facing them against each other in fast-paced space combat. Featuring stunningly detailed and painted miniatures, X-Wing recreates exciting Star Wars space combat throughout its several included scenarios. 

Select your crew, plan your maneuvers, and complete your mission! The X-Wing starter set includes everything you need to begin your battles, such as scenarios, cards, and fully assembled and painted ships. What's more, X-Wing's quick-to-learn ruleset establishes the foundation for a system that can be expanded with your favorite ships and characters from the Star Wars universe. 

The starter set is priced at $39.99, with additional ships coming in at $14.95 (although these include multiple pilots).

Fantasy Flight, of course, has a reputation for good-looking games, so I'm hoping this lives up to the standard of the pictures on the site.

My only concern is their definition of "quick-to-learn" rules... having found other games from them (which are often Internet darlings) to be very dense and near incomprehensible.

But, as long as we don't get stung by too much of a mark-up over here in the UK, $39.99 seems a decent entry price to pay for a game with a potentially great replay value.

Comparing Sci-Fi Spaceships With Real Life...

Click to embiggen

Via: CableTV.com

Nailed It... Once Again!

While his friend tried to explain the "brilliance" of Avatar

Once again Our Valued Customers has nailed a key issue of geekdom in a brilliantly well-observed single panel.

If you're not following Our Valued Customers already - why not? The funny can be found on Tumblr and on its own website.

And don't forget the first published collection of these cartoons, Our Valued Customers - Conversations From The Comic Book Store, is due out in July.

Prove You're A True Fan For Stan...

Less than 24 hours after HeroPress reported the launch of Stan 'The Man' Lee's new video channel, World Of Heroes, readers of this site have been invited to submit videos proving they are the biggest comic book geeks in the world.

These submissions will then be judged by Stan and Jace Hall for a show called Fan Wars and could see HeroPress readers getting involved in live, online debates about the crucial issues of comic book fandom... with Stan himself!

Check out this video (below) and the show's website for more information.

Goblins Poised For Cinema Invasion...

Philip Reeve's latest novel, Goblins, is to be transformed into a stop-motion animation by the people who brought us Coraline and the upcoming ParaNorman.

This is according to an article on Firstshowing.Net, reporting on a piece in Variety, and confirmed to me by Mr Reeve himself.

LAIKA Studios is to turn the adventures of Skarper the goblin into a 3D animation, under director Marc Gustafson (animation director of The Fantastic Mr Fox).

From LAIKA's site:

“Goblins is a fantasy with bite,” said Travis Knight [of Laika]. “It practically shimmers with verve, caustic humor, and piercing wit. Philip Reeve has pulled off a helluva feat, masterfully crafting a sly send-up of classic fantasy archetypes and adventures while lovingly honoring their underlying forms. Goblins is a thrilling, high energy swashbuckler teeming with wonderful surprises; at once hilarious and twisted, sincere and endearing. In the hands of LAIKA’s freakishly talented artists and guided by the ineffably gifted Mark Gustafson, it will make a strange, stirring, and altogether beautiful film.”

“I am delighted that LAIKA has optioned Goblins,” said Philip Reeve. “I love the look and feel that they achieved in films like Coraline and Moongirl, and I think the studio’s distinctive approach, led by the deft directing hand of Mark Gustafson, will be the perfect way to bring Clovenstone and its goblins to life.”

“Goblins is a fantastic book, full of action, humor, charm and surprising characters,” said Mark Gustafson. “Philip Reeves has done a wonderful job of turning a familiar genre on its ear and creating a beautifully intricate universe unlike anything I’ve seen before. I’m personally thrilled to have the opportunity to work with my amazingly talented colleagues at LAIKA to realize the world of Goblins.”

More news as I hear it...

Nazis! Hollow Earth! The Asylum! Need I Say More?

Researchers in Antarctica are abducted by a team of masked storm troopers. They are dragged deep underground to a hidden continent in the center of the earth. Here Nazi survivors, their bodies a horrifying patchwork of decaying and regenerated flesh, are planning for the revival of the Third Reich.

My Hollow Earth Expedition gaming days may be long behind me now, but once you get bitten by the outrageous "Nazis living at the Earth's core" bug you just can't let it lie.

And then when it's being brought to life by the wunderkind of The Asylum, it's like all your birthdays have come at once.

Check out this trailer - but beware of a rather graphic shot right at the end if you are of a sensitive disposition.



The DVD of Nazis At The Center Of The Earth is already up for pre-order on Amazon.co.uk - so get your hands on this future "destined-to-be-a-classic" before they run out of copies!

Mysterious Nazi Superscience...

The Launch Of Stan Lee's World Of Heroes...

From The Real Stan Lee:

Today will be a day for the history books, remember where you were when you were amongst the first to hear of Stan Lee's World of Heroes, a new destination for all things related to the hero lifestyle and enthusiast culture, Stan Lee's new YouTube channel to be specific, which contains both scripted and unscripted shows. We’ve got something for everyone from sci-fi and fantasy fans to viewers looking for comedy content and pop culture news, straight from your Generous Generalissimo himself, and though the channel is new, you’ll notice some familiar faces that you already know & love and some brand new ones you can't help but be captivated by. So…LIKE us http://www.facebook.com/SLWOH, follow us on Twitter @SLWOH and GO SUBSCRIBE on YouTube  because we'll be posting more awesome show announcements later today and over the next few weeks, so what are ya waitin' for true believers? You won't wanna miss this. GO SUBSCRIBE! 

Stan Lee's World Of Heroes can be found on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and Tumblr

Looper Looks Like It Could Be Interesting...

Changes Are Coming...

After a dreadful weekend health-wise, I've come out the other side surprisingly chipper and upbeat... and much more enthusiastic about getting this old place fired-up again.

Can't promise any immediate action, but you might notice some gradual tinkering around the place as I firm up my current ideas.

By the way, there's a 'subtle' clue about the forthcoming changes at the top of the blog (courtesy of the helping hand of Michel 'Siskoid' Albert).

Tonight On Game Of Thrones...

And a recap of last week's episode...

Spider-Man's Turning Japanese...

International (Japanese) trailer for the upcoming Amazing Spider-Man.

Map-A-Monday: Travelling With The Doctor...

Click to embiggen

Everything gets a bit "wibbly wobbly timey wimey" with this Wired infographic of The Doctor's televised time travelling.

One Hundred Years Ago Today...

The RMS Titanic sinks with the loss of 1,517 people.

The Guild - Seasons One & Two...

Fleamarket Friday: Cersei Kickstarts Grimm Animation...

Charismatic Lena Headey (aka Cersei Lannister from Game Of Thrones, Sarah Connor from The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Queen Gorgo from 300 etc) has joined the growing cast of Zenescope's animated Grimm Fairy Tales - as the voice of central character Sela Mathers.

With less than three weeks to go, the Kickstarter campaign to fund this exciting project still needs your support to bring these great comic book tales to life.

For more details about this project check out my original story from last month.

More Avengers Goodness...

Window Cleaners On The Empire State Building (1938)

Brave - Be Careful What You Wish For...

Bad News...

I'm afraid I've had to deliver a coup de grace to the writhing corpse of my Crypts & Things campaign. Certainly not a fault of any of the Tuesday Knights - it's simply my health, currently, isn't up to running a game (it's surprising how much a middle-aged Dungeon Master relies on a good night's sleep to prep for a game).

I'm still keen to play role-playing games and I've left it for the group to decide what they want to do now. Hoping someone else will be willing to run something - perhaps Pete will feel it's time to continue his Top Secret SI campaign or one of the others has a game he (or she) has been itching to run...

My latest batch of medication is supposed to take two weeks to kick in (according to my GP), so we'll have to wait and see if this helps in any shape or form.

Eventually though I still plan to return to behind the screen (whether it's trying to resuscitate Tekralh or starting something new it's a bit too early to tell), but that's a ways off yet.

Tonight On Game Of Thrones...

A recap of last week's episode...



And a trailer for tonight's...

This Never Gets Old...

I may be five years shy of my half-century, but the potential for playground humour to be milked from the usage of the word "bender" in the cartoon series Avatar: The Last Airbender and its new spin-off, The Legend of Korra, remains priceless.

It's clearly a "British thing" and I'm sorry, but this just tickles my childish, inner-schoolboy and means I can't take what actually appears to be a pretty great series that seriously...

Musical Monday: I'm the One That's Cool (by The Guild)

Our annual song from The Guild, this one released to promote Felicia's new web channel: Geek & Sundry, and the start of the fifth season of The Guild.

New Look Website For Philip Reeve...

Following the official UK launch of his latest book, Goblins, author Philip Reeve has also unveiled a swanky new website and blog site - with more hidden treats than an advent calendar.

All of Philip's main literary oeuvres get their own pages and you can even listen to a clip of the fantastic Mortal Engines read by the legend that is Kenneth Branagh!

Take your time to explore the nooks and crannies of the site, read Philip's entertaining blog and visit his Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook and YouTube channels for the full experience.

Moffat Is Neutral Evil? Or Is That The Daleks???

I Weep For The Awesomeness Of This...

It's almost heartbreaking to think I shall never get to play on a set-up as brilliant as this. Forget "virtual table-tops", this is what makes our hobby so great. Maximum kudos to YouTuber MrRyanDevo.

Not so much a "gamesroom" as a "games house"!!!

Below is Ryan's half-hour, detailed tour of his city constructed from Dwarven Forge, Miniature Building Authority and TerranScapes pieces.



The phrase "we are not worthy" doesn't even begin to cover it...

I've suggested to Nick that before Alec is old to game we need to build him a layout like this... unfortunately neither of our houses have enough room to accommodate such magnificence.

Fleamarket Friday: The Doctor Gets Assimilated...

A sneak peak at the slightly spoilerish cover of issue two of the upcoming Star Trek: The Next Generation and Doctor Who crossover - entitled Assimilation2 (and if that doesn't pretty much give away which alien race is representing the Trek 'verse, then you're probably not a big Star Trek fan anyway).

This issue is due out in June.

The Goblins Are Here!!!

Goblins, the latest work of my favourite author Philip Reeve, is officially published today in the UK.

I'm about a third of the way through it myself and it's brilliant (as you might expect) - my slow progress is no reflection on the book, but on my own powers of concentration these days.

Expect a full review later this month, featuring praise along the lines of "his great use of cheese for humorous effect".

In the meantime, for a peak behind the curtain read Philip's own blog post about writing this comedic fantasy tale.

Why We're Going To Love The Black Widow...

Spartacus: Vengeance - Season Finale Preview...

Straight after Game Of Thrones (Season Two) kicks off on Sky Atlantic tonight, Spartacus: Vengeance reaches its bloody conclusion over on Sky One.

What a great night for quality television!

Tonight's The Night...

Musical Monday: Sherwood Forest Faire 2012 - Circa Paleo Returns

Circa Paleo return to Sherwood Forest Faire 2012 for the end of the Season, uploaded by GnonplussedGnome.

A Pair Of Boobies...

Really? That's what got you here? Shame on you...

Data's Fools Day!

Data pranks the Enterprise crew - with a bit of help from YouTuber GeneralGrin.