You probably learned in school that Lewis and Clark were commissioned by the President to explore the Louisiana Purchase. What you didn’t know is that their secret mission was to hunt down monsters! What Is Corps of Discovery? Corps of Discovery is a cooperative deduction game for 1 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, and takes about 45 to 75 minutes to play. It’s currently seeking funding on Kickstarter, with a pledge level of $53CAD (about $39USD) for a copy of the retail edition of the game. There are additional tiers for the deluxe edition (with wooden components), and the four expansions may b ..read more

Batman: Dark Age #2 cover, via DC Comics. Batman: Dark Age #2 – Mark Russell, Writer; Michael Allred, Artist; Laura Allred, Colorist Ray – 9.5/10 Ray: The first issue of this fascinating series introduced us to a completely different version of Batman—one who didn’t see his parents murdered, and grew up a callow, arrogant young man who mistreated Alfred and took on his Batman training with arrogance. That led him into a run-in with the one honest cop in Gotham, Jim Gordon, and landed him in prison—where the shady figures running Wayne Enterprises saw the perfect opportunity to have him killed ..read more

The Flash #8 cover, via DC Comics. The Flash #8 – Simon Spurrier, Writer; Ramon Perez, Vasco Georgiev, Artists; Sofie Dodgson, Matt Herms, Colorists Ray – 8.5/10 Ray: Wally is off-screen for this issue, ostensibly off with the Titans, but the truth is… more complicated. That lets Si Spurrier shift the focus, and the result is one of the most straightforward issues of the series and one of the best. Barry has gathered the many speedsters out there to prevent the countless dimensional incursions bringing creatures from time, space, and beyond. This includes rookie speedster Circuit Breaker, who ..read more

The Penguin #9 cover, via DC Comics. The Penguin #9 – Tom King, Writer; Rafael De Latorre, Artist; Marcelo Maiolo, Colorist Ray – 9.5/10 Ray: Penguin is back in Gotham—but he’s not getting the city back without a fight, as the Cobblepot twins have set out to make sure their father doesn’t get his foothold back in the city. Penguin’s daughter has seemingly unleashed a campaign of random bombings across the city, targeting businesses and charities—including the day care center founded in Martha Wayne’s name. This unleashes Batman in search of the truth—and he thinks his old enemy is the culprit ..read more

Harley Quinn #39 cover, via DC Comics. Harley Quinn #39 – Tini Howard, Writer; Natacha Bustos, Artist; Nick Filardi, Colorist; Erica Henderson, Backup Writer/Artist Ray – 9/10 Ray: Harley has been up to some crazy adventures so far in this series, including taking on the entire multiverse, so it’s good that Howard is dialing things back and taking her back to her roots—as Gotham’s most chaotic criminal. We saw last issue that Harley is struggling to find her place now that she’s back on Earth, and she thinks crime might be exactly what she needs. But she’s going to do it her way this time, sta ..read more

Power Girl #8 cover, via DC Comics. Power Girl #8 – Leah Williams, Writer; Eduardo Pansica, Penciller; Julio Ferreira, Inker; Romulo Fajardo Jr, Colorist Ray – 9/10 Ray: After two arcs taking place on the fringes of Metropolis, it’s time for Power Girl to be thrown into the deep end of the coming event—House of Brainiac. As the issue begins, it’s a relaxed time as Paige and Omen are practicing ice skating and talking about Paige’s crush on wild-card scientist Axel. This is a really funny scene, especially the bit involving the “psychic jerk jar” in Paige and Lilith’s apartment for when Lilith ..read more

Batman: the Brave and the Bold #12 cover, via DC Comics. Batman: The Brave and the Bold #12 – Karl Kerschl, Rob Levin, Delilah S. Dawson, Zipporah Smith, Herik Hanna, Writers; Karl Kerschl, Mike Norton, Serg Acuna, Karl Mostert, Charlie Adlard, Artists; Msassyk, John Kalisz, Matt Herms, Mike Spicer, Colorists Ray – 9.5/10 Ray: Two stories continue this month, along with a trio of new stories. Wounded. Via DC Comics. Karl Kerschl wraps up “Batman: Mother’s Day” this issue, as Maps Mizoguchi gets her biggest mission as Robin yet—taking on a Vampirized Bruce Wayne, who is pursuing his love intere ..read more

Expand your ecosystems with even more options and a powerful new action. What Is Earth: Abundance? Earth: Abundance is an expansion to Earth and requires the base game to play. Earth: Abundance is for 1 to 6 players, ages 14 and up, and takes about 45 to 90 minutes to play. It’s currently seeking funding on Kickstarter. As with the base game, I think the game has enough complexity that 14 and up seems like a good range, but a younger kid with some solid game experience and strong math skills may still be able to enjoy it. Earth: Abundance was designed by Maxime Tardif and published by In ..read more

There are hundreds if not thousands of different types of video game controllers on the market. For years you needed to purchase controllers designed for just one type of platform. I don’t want to count the number of controllers that we have had in my home over the years. However, since Bluetooth has become an industry standard for wireless connectivity, it is now possible to use the same controller for multiple devices. I recently had the opportunity to test out such a controller designed not only for function, but for style:  the new Crush Bluetooth Wireless Gaming Controller by PB Tai ..read more

Other paranormal investigators have attempted to exorcise this haunted manor but failed—will you solve the mystery? What Is Doomensions: Mystery Manor? Doomensions: Mystery Manor is an escape-room style game for 1 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, and takes about 8 to 12 hours over the course of 5 sessions. It retails for $87 and is available directly from the Mysterious Package Company. The theme involves a malevolent spirit that has killed (?) multiple investigators, and there are references to paranormal activity, the occult, and things like mysterious blood spatters throughout the house. So i ..read more