THE BRIDES OF DRACULA

In 1897, Bram Stoker’s classic novel introduced the most famous literary character of all time—the terrifying vampire lord, DRACULA. Yet much of this iconic monster’s background and origins are only hinted at in the course of the original narrative, leaving Dracula’s backstory both intriguing and mysterious. Legendary comic-book creators Matt Wagner (Grendel, Mage) and Kelley Jones (Batman: Red Rain, The Sandman) have teamed up to fill in these tantalizing gaps in the undying centuries of Dracula’s blood-drenched biography. After the resounding runaway success of their first volume DRACULA: BOOK I—THE IMPALER, these legendary masters of the comic-book arts are returning to the story of the count with DRACULA: BOOK II—THE BRIDES! DRACULA—BOOK II: THE BRIDES is now live on Kickstarter.

The first volume of Wagner and Jones’s DRACULA saga was a runaway hit, breaking the Top 20 in Kickstarter’s all-time most successful graphic novel campaigns. DRACULA: BOOK II—THE BRIDES presents 120 pages of sexy and sinister story and art, almost 30 pages longer than BOOK I. Wagner and Jones are once joined for this creepy foray into the shadows of Castle Dracula by the stellar talents of José Villarrubia on colors and lettering by Rob Leigh. This campaign is the only source for these beautiful, European-album sized hardcover editions of this book as well as the exceptional rewards tiers to be revealed after launch.

“I was so freaking excited when Matt first told me that the second volume in our DRACULA epic would be titled THE BRIDES,” artist Kelley Jones remarked to ageekdaddy.com. “And, wow… the story he’s written is absolutely chilling! It’s a complex portrait of what, up until now, have only ever been gruesome pin-up versions of these three women. And, make no mistake… this isn’t an attempt to shoehorn a contemporary agenda into the story. One of the things I love about Matt’s scripts is the distinct lack of modernity. These tales all feel completely accurate to the time period in which they’re set.”

And these Dracula comic books received a nice endorsement from someone who knows a bit about the horror genre:

Both books can be purchased through this Kickstarter campaign in digital format ($10 each). DRACULAA: BOOK II -- THE BRIDES can also be purchased in a variety of hardcover physical printed editions starting at $50. Head over to Kickstarter to bite into this campaign!

About the writer: 

Matt Wagner has enjoyed a career in comics for over forty years and is best known for one of comicdom's most respected creator-owned titles—the centuries-spanning epic, GRENDEL and for his other, more personal, allegory, MAGE. As both a writer and an artist, Matt has also worked on a wide variety of established characters over the years which include several landmark projects starring DC Comics icon, BATMAN including two crossovers series with GRENDEL. His other mainstream work includes; SANDMAN MYSTERY THEATRE, DR. MID-NITE, GREEN ARROW, TRINITY, MADAME XANADU, ZORRO, GREEN HORNET; YEAR ONE, THE SHADOW; YEAR ONE, THE SHADOW: THE DEATH OF MARGO LANE, THE SPIRIT RETURNS, and DJANGO/ZORRO, which he co-wrote with renowned film-maker Quentin Tarantino. Matt recently returned his roots to pen the final arc in his acclaimed fantasy trilogy, MAGE: THE HERO DENIED. 

Praised for his character-driven stories and his obvious love of world history and mythologies, Matt’s efforts have won multiple Eisner Awards. He has also enjoyed the distinction of being one of the only writer/artists to team his own creation with one of DC's flagship characters in two successive BATMAN/GRENDEL crossover publications. He later continued the same motif in another critically acclaimed crossover event, writing and drawing GRENDEL VS THE SHADOW.

About the artist: 

Kelley Jones was born in 1962 and as soon as he could recall he was held spellbound by strange things and stories. This made him perfect to enter the world of comics and bring shadows and the sense of the unknown to everything he touched.His eerie and evocative version of Deadman was an award-winning hit at DC, and led him to the legendary run of stories on Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, notably 'Dream of a Thousand Cats' and 'Seasons of Mist'. He followed these up with the now classic Batman graphic novel 'Red Rain', wherein Batman confronts....Dracula! This and a run of stunning covers for Batman and Detective for the 'Knightfall' epic led editor Denny O'Neil to assign Kelley the monthly Batman title which in the three years he drew it cemented him as one of Batman's greatest creators and a comic art legend. He has continued his trailblazing style with SWAMP THING with Len Wein and the award winning series 'Batman Kings of Fear' and 'Gotham after Midnight'. And now with Dracula, Kelley shows he still walks in the world of shadows and the unknown.

HARD BARGAIN GRAPHIC NOVEL KICKSTARTER

A Kickstarter campaign launched today that will run through July 25, 2024 to support the publishing of a supernatural thriller themed graphic novel written by Steven S. DeKnight and illustrated by Leno Carvalho. HARD BARGAIN follows a hard-boiled P.I. in 1940s Los Angeles who finds himself fighting not only the usual cadre of criminals and ne’er-do-wells—but also demons, monsters, and other malevolent supernatural beings—as he races to solve a deadly mystery before a horrific fate descends upon everyone it touches. Pledges range from $15 for a digital edition of the graphic novel to $140 for a printed collectors edition signed by DeKnight and Carvalho. 

Battling the forces of darkness is another day at the office for Frank Harding, P.I.—but his current case may just be the one that puts Frank out of business for good. As he investigates a case deeply connected to his own murky past—as well as L.A.’s all-too-real history of prejudice and discrimination—Harding is forced to reckon with the fact that the sins of one generation will always be paid for by the next. Combining the appeal of classic noir crime storytelling with a well-wrought fantasy world of monsters and magic, HARD BARGAIN pairs DeKnight's crackerjack storytelling with Carvalho's dynamic visuals to build a fast-paced, hard-boiled thriller that simultaneously reckons with the dark underbelly of bigotry, violence and revenge haunting gritty Los Angeles.

DeKnight got his start in the entertainment industry as a staff writer on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer before going on to write, direct, and produce on the series Angel, Smallville, and Dollhouse. He also was the executive producer and showrunner of season one of the Marvel/Netflix series Daredevil. DeKnight has also written Wastelanders comics for Marvel.

Leno Carvalho is a Brazilian comic artist and illustrator best known for his realistic and detailed style. Throughout his career, Carvalho has worked with many publishers on series such as Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen Special at DC Comics, Dean Koontz’s Nevermore and Bionic Woman at Dynamite Comics, The Rift at Red 5 Comics and Crusaders at Soleil, as well as The Source at Scout Comics. 

PALOMINO SEQUELS KICKSTARTER

Back in 2020, nearly 700 Kickstarter backers provided the necessary support to allow Dark Planet Comics to publish the neo-noir graphic novel Palomino.  The brain-child of acclaimed cartoonist and award-nominated animator, writer, and director Stephan Franck, who has worked with a wide range of childhood favorite characters ranging from Spider-Man to The Smurfs, Palomino is not your Saturday Morning Cartoon variety story. The graphic novel follows the life of Eddie Lang, a former Burbank detective who now spends his days as a private investigator and nights working as a musician. 

Now Franck and Dark Planet Comics have launched a Kickstarter campaign in hopes of continuing Eddie Lang's story by crowdfunding two more Palomino graphic novels. Supporters have until May 5 to support the publication of Palomino Volumes 2 & 3. Pledges range from $10 for a digital edition of the original Palomino graphic novel to $40 to receive print editions of Palomino Volumes 2 & 3. 

Set in Los Angeles in the year 1981, Palomino is perfect for fans of mysteries, hard boiled dialogue, music, lived-in slice-of-life, and Los Angeles' weird and forgotten history. The American Century is running on fumes, but the end isn't anywhere in sight. The cowboy is still America's most central symbol—and from movies, to music, to the President himself, it all hails from Southern California. Across LA, six nights a week, working musicians, TV actors, stuntmen, cops, hustlers, and broken souls all play their part in the cultural myth making. Most of them are just trying to survive—on the B-side of the City of Angels. This is Palomino — where Farrah Fawcett hair reigns supreme, where Ronald Reagan is beginning his first term as President, and where LA’s hottest music spot is North Hollywood's historic Palomino Club.

“Palomino follows the neo-noir, slice-of-life adventures of a man on thin ice,” Stephan Franck remarked to ageekdaddy.com. “In the new volumes, Eddie Lang dives deeper into the murder case of a former TV actress and quickly finds himself uncovering too many deadly truths. Meanwhile, his old-soul teenage daughter Lisette just might be even more hard-boiled than her father. Lisette’s frustrated by her father’s refusal to reopen her mother’s cold case and she decides to begin her own investigation. What could possibly go wrong?”

Two step over to Kickstarter if you want to get your hands on the Palomino graphic novels by Stephan Franck.

A LEMONY SNICKET READING OF PINOCCHIO

The puppet who wished to be a boy, has been in the pop culture spotlight recently with Disney's recent live action movie adaption of Pinocchio, which my family thought was one of the worst House of Mouse movies we've seen in some time, and Guillermo Del Toro's Netflix flick that won this year's Best Animated Film Oscar award as well as a Geek Daddy nod of approval for a show my family thought very highly of. Now, Hellboy creator, Mike Mignola, award-winning colorist Dave Stewart, and celebrated novelist Lemony Snicket (A Series of Unfortunate Events) are teaming up with Beehive Books for an illustrated and annotated edition of Carlo Collodi’s classic novel PINOCCHIO. 

This all-new, deluxe hardcover edition includes original illustrations from Mignola, which breathe new life to the charm, gloom, and chaos of the seminal novel, alongside over 100 full text annotations by Snicket, presented as slipped-in typewritten sheets produced by Snicket during his Pinocchio-induced descent into madness. The project is part of Beehive Book’s acclaimed Illuminated Editions imprint, the Philadelphia-based company’s distinctive line of book art editions of literary classics which reimagine literary masterworks with all-new covers and illustrations from some of the world's greatest graphic artists, including the Balbusso Twins, Rebekka Dunlap, Brecht Evens, Dave McKean, Paul Pope, Yuko Shimizu, Bill Sienkiewicz, Kent Williams, and Jim Woodring, alongside original essays from the likes of Academy Award-winning filmmaker Darren Aronofsky and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Michael Cunningham. Beehive Books is now crowdfunding the PINOCCHIO: The Illuminated Edition on Kickstarter. 

“I’ve been in love with PINOCCHIO as long as I can remember,” Mignola remarked to ageekdaddy.com. “Probably starting with the classic Disney animated film and then really drilled into me when I finally read the Collodi novel. It’s just so brilliantly strange—very very funny and also heartbreakingly sad. It’s one of the two books (along with DRACULA) that I think sort of make me do what I do the way I do them."

"When Beehive Books approached me about doing a book… Well, at the time, the last thing I wanted to do was take on another project, but once I started thinking about doing Pinocchio I just couldn’t say no, added Mignola.  "The challenge was to come up with MY version of Pinocchio—much harder than I thought that was going to be but in the end I think I got there.” 

The Illuminated Edition of Pinocchio includes 10 original illustrations from Mignola and colorist Dave Stewart, as well as 40 additional black-and-white spot illustrations from Mignola. Beehive Book’s PINOCCHIO: The Illuminated Edition also provides commentary by Lemony Snicket, which takes both the reader and the acclaimed writer on a first experience of the iconic novel, chock full of surreal symbolism and commentary. 

“For many years I have been curious to see if I, too, will join the tradition of readers completely transformed into lunatics from a reading of PINOCCHIO, and although Carlo Collodi died long ago, I like to think that somewhere, somehow, he is interested in seeing what I might have to say as I read this book and likely lose my mind,” writes Snicket. “Perhaps you are too.” 

“Collodi’s PINOCCHIO is one of the most popular tales in the Western world, but perhaps also one of the most mis-remembered,” Beehive Book’s Publisher Josh O’Neill commented. “Best known among English-speakers for its sanitized Disney adaptation, PINOCCHIO is in fact a bizarre, fantastical tale in which the series of strange and horrific events that befall a foolhardy wooden puppet-child shed light on the cruelties of society, the redemptions of family, and what it means to be human. The story of Pinocchio, as Collodi told it, is full of betrayals, poisonings and assassins, among other various and sundry bedevilments to go along with all its magic, musicality, humor and warmth. In this edition, Beehive Books spotlights the glorious, troubling strangeness of this text, which truly has no parallel in children’s fiction – or maybe in fiction of any kind.” 

PINOCCHIO: An Illuminated Edition comes in three print editions: a slipcase hardcover, a signed and numbered edition, and a sketched and lettered edition. All ten titles in the Beehive Books’ Illuminated Editions series are also available through the Kickstarter campaign. Each title also comes as a DRM-free digital PDF, which is included along with every print edition. 

The standard print edition is an oversize 9x12" hardcover, bound in sewn signatures, and housed in an elaborately embossed and debossed die-cut slipcase, silk-screened or foil-stamped with artwork. The interior is printed on creamy, acid-free heavy-weight 140gsm uncoated paper with a fine tooth, and includes dozens of full color illustrations, illuminated letters, and special design pieces.

The Kickstarter campaign runs through April 20, 2023

ZOMBICIDE UNDEAD OR ALIVE UNBOXING

Giddy-up! My crate of goodies from participating in the CMON Games Zombicide: Undead or Alive Kickstarter campaign has arrived. A zombie apocalypse has infested within the Wild West and it is up to you to help a group of survivors get out of Dodge in this new variation of the Zombicide tabletop game. By purchasing Zombicide: Undead or Alive through Kickstarter rather than retail not only did I lasso the core game, but I also wrangled an exclusive Dead West expansion kit that includes 79 extra character pieces to enhance game play. Plus, I unboxed a few extra goodies to add to the Wild West theme of the Undead or Alive Zombicide adventures.

In this standalone game, instead of trying to survive a zombie infestation of a modern day city, players are transported back to the American West of the 1800s as they attempt to survive swarms of the undead. Carried by infected travelers aboard trains, the plague quickly spread across the Wild West. Horses became meals to the zombie hoard causing the surviving people to be isolated in overwhelmed frontier towns.

Zombicide: Undead or Alive is a cooperative game where players work together to face scenarios involving them confronting and escaping a zombie menace. Players make their own decisions to utilize weapons and abilities while the zombies are controlled by the game itself using simple rules and a deck of cards. This tabletop game can be played for 1 - 6 players and is recommended for those aged 14+. 

The Undead or Alive core box includes 14 characters that players can choose to play as divided up as four different classes: Brawler, Faithful, Gunslinger and Townsfolk. 

Brawlers are hand-to-hand specialists who use melee weapons to bring down zombies. Being tough as nails, they can also endure more wounds than other survivors.

Faithfuls use their faith and conviction to paralyze zombies and destroy zombie spawning points.

Gunslingers are able to unload a heap of lead in a split second by fanning a hoard with pistol fire. This ability can devastate large bands of zombies at short range.

Townsfolk know where to search for supplies and find everything needed for killing zombies.

Also included in the core box are 64 zombie game pieces to utilize in the game. There are four types of zombies players will encounter in Undead or Alive: Walkers, Brutes, Runners and Abominations.

Walkers slowly trudge towards you in a deadly mob. Beware that though they aren't speedy, walkers can quickly overwhelm you.

Brutes are hard to kill making them nasty menaces. Watch out because they are often shielding other zombies hiding behind them!

Runners often catch survivors by surprise. You don't think of zombies as fast but this type is quick. They move twice as fast as other zombies!

Abominations can be the worst nightmare of survivors, plus they aren't always zombies! Sometimes abominations are mutated monsters or worse. These are the toughest, ugliest adversaries your posse will come across. They can only be hurt by dynamite. Moreover, their mere presence stirs the dead to come to an abomination's aid. As soon as one enters the game board, special places called Abomination Spawn Zones become active causing even more zombies come after players.

There are ten missions included with the core box that can be played with included character pieces and twelve double-sided game board tiles. Players can also just create their own random scenarios as well utilizing the Zombicide A.I. system and their own tile layouts. Click here to check out the rule book for yourself. 

By participating in the Kickstarter campaign, I also received an exclusive Dead West expansion kit that includes 79 more character pieces adding more survivors and zombies with their own unique quirks and qualities to enhance gameplay. This is particularly nice for adding new challenges to the game with its inclusion of some impressive abominations that range from a cactus monster to a wendigo. The expansion kit also includes some outlaws that can provide some extra firepower to your team of survivors including Butch Cassidy, Billy the Kid and Jesse James. For those who missed the Kickstarter campaign it is possible to find Dead West in the secondary market for an elevated price to what it was originally sold for.

In addition to the Dead West expansion pack, I also picked up a few other exclusive content goodies in the Kickstarter campaign. I harnessed a Deadstock Pack that includes mutated abominations of a buffalo, grizzly bear and longhorn cow for survivors to battle. I also dug up a Long Dead Walkers Pack that has skeleton versions of the zombies from the core box. This game can be more than just a zombie encounter with a variety of different monsters led by the Great Trickster Spirit available through Kickstarter exclusives to fight against players. The quality of exclusives are one of the main hooks for me when it comes to joining a Kickstarter campaign and these had me biting at the Zombicide: Undead or Alive one.

Keep an eye out for more updates as I delve into the contents of Zombicide: Undead or Alive and begin playing the game. The core box is available now at retail. For more information about this and other games in the franchise, head over to zombicide.com

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GRID IRON STUDIOS

Collectors of 1:12 scale six-inch action figures, such as Hasbro's GI JOE CLASSIFIED and STAR WARS BLACK SERIES, need to check out a specialized armory depot for these types of toys. Tempe, Arizona-based Grid Iron Studios recently emerged on the toy scene to provide army builders and collectors with authentic looking accessories and weapons that add an exceptional level of realism to action figures. They have nearly a hundred made in the USA items available to purchase on their website ranging from equipment such as binoculars, communications gear and mine detectors to weapons including pistols, machine guns, and even a Ninja arsenal.

The Grid Iron Studios depot will have army builders geeked with its array of real-life military reproductions as well as movie prop replicas from action, horror and sci-fi films. Get an AK-47 that looks like it just came off a battlefield or an AR15 that has the appearance of being military issued. Also available are the pulse rifles the space marines used in Aliens, the axe Jack Nickelson swung in The Shining, and the RPG fired by Rambo in the First Blood movies. 

I follow Grid Iron Studios on Instagram and it seems as if they are introducing new products every week! And if you want to see some great images of their products being utilized check out one of my favorite toyographers the_imperial_grunt who showcases a lot of Grid Iron Studios products in his artwork. Plus, if you are on Instagram give us a follow too at Geekdad248.

I personally purchased from Grid Iron Studios a one twelfth scale howitzer to use to display with my six inch sized COBRA soldiers from the GI JOE CLASSIFIED toyline. The 105mm howitzer was released as a Kickstarter campaign to gauge interest in the company producing larger scale vehicles and weapons to make available in its arsenal. Have to say the finished product is impressive!

This realistic artillery display set included crates with shells and spent casings, communications devices, spyglasses, camouflage netting and sandbags. The cannon itself is 7.0 inches high, 6.25 inches wide, and 14.5 inches wide. Not only does this howitzer model have girth to it and proper scale to match 6 inch action figures, but it has detailed elements including a gun barrel that can be elevated and tow shovel that can be spread open and shut. 

It also has a first rate paint job to make it look great when displayed. The Grid Iron Studios Howitzer though also has very sturdy, durable construction for those who also want to play around with it. I am very pleased with my purchase. 

For more information about getting your hands on items from this depot of toy accessories or announcements on new products being released, visit gridironprops.com

MARVEL UNITED X MEN KICKSTARTER

My family has been having some good times enjoying game nights playing the Avengers themed MARVEL UNITED tabletop game produced through a collaboration between CMON and Spin Master Games. This game allows players to roleplay as some of their favorite superheroes trying to prevent the master plans of some of the most dangerous and dastardly villains from a mashup of the Marvel cinematic and comic book universes. Marvel United doesn't have complicated rules yet has challenging scenarios making it an exciting and entertaining experience that all ages of a family can enjoy playing together. This has been a great game for this dad to enjoy playing with his tween aged kids for family game nights.

Based upon all the fun we have been having with Marvel United, I am GEEKED that an addition to the game is being released that brings in the X-Men into the game. In time for this year's Christmas shopping season an X-Men themed Marvel United core game that can be played alone or is compatible with the original Avengers themed core box will be available at retailers such as Amazon, Target and Walmart. But if you want the full X-Men experience there is a Kickstarter campaign going on right now for a limited time that offers exclusive game perks as well as add-on purchasable expansions which won't be available later on from traditional retailers. 

The money raised through this crowd funding platform creates stretch goals that provide extra bonus content and characters for people who participate in the Kickstarter game. Don't miss out on the chance to get these exclusive Kickstarter opportunities as later on the only way to typically get your hands on them is through e-Bay style outlets for outlandish amounts of money. The more money raised the more fun stuff Kickstarter pledgers receive in an extra box of goodies that come along with the game. I've personally pledged $100 for a package that includes the main X-Men game, a Horsemen of Apocalypse gameplay expansion, a 1980s era Storm game piece and any stretch goals that are made available through this Kickstarter campaign. If you are interested in this game, join in now so we can all get the most out of this Marvel United X Men Kickstarter.

Simple rules, deep strategy, easy setup, quick playtime, variable difficulty, eye-catching unique chibi style artwork, and amazing character pieces, all unite to bring you a marvelous play experience! Compatible with the original game, this new addition adds some new elements to enhance Marvel United. There is now a super villain mode where instead of the bad guys moves and actions being determined by the random draw of cards, a player controls enacting the master plan and combatting the heroes. Also anti-hero characters are introduced that can be played as either heroes or villains in the game. Plus the rules have been tweaked a bit so that X-Men characters are guaranteed to start with special ability cards in their hand instead of just randomly drawn cards from their hero deck. Lots of fun changes to the game that don't drastically change the overall original style of play in Marvel United.

You can just go with one of the two base pledges for the X Men Marvel United Kickstarter ($65 or $100) but there are also some awesome add-on purchases available as well.  These include a box set with the original First Class of X-Men, a Deadpool inspired add-on and one with some fantastic Sentinels to battle your heroes. Get the game mat too! We love using the game mat during our family game nights.

If you missed out on the original Marvel United Kickstarter there is all an add-on which allows people to purchase the exclusive stretch goals from that campaign. If you want them this is the most affordable and easy ways to add these chibi style characters to your Marvel United game. This is only available for a few days so if it has peeked your interest don't wait because what is available now in the original Avengers themed game and in the upcoming X-Men addition to Marvel United is much more limited at retail.

Note the character game pieces in Marvel United come unpainted. You will see publicity from CMON and Spin Master Games showing painted figures. These are done by very experienced and talented artists and for most people who pain the figures themselves yours won't turn out anywhere as nice. That being said I've taken up painting mine while they don't look as remarkable even an amateur effort done with some care can make your gameplay extra fun. Just don't be frustrated if your figures don't look like works of art. Plus the game can be fun to play with leaving the figures just the way they come though have to admit while they have nice details the plain plastic is just too blah in my opinion.

Marvel United by CMON and Spin Master Games absolutely gets A Geek Daddy nod of approval. My family has been getting lots of repeat gameplay from Marvel United and has really enjoyed our experiences with it. I've invested my own money into the original Avengers game as well as this new X-Men addition rather than getting review copies and while I always provide honest reviews you know this one is extra special. I'm really looking forward to putting together a superhero team from the time period when I read these comic books (1982 - 1986) with Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Shadowcat, Colossus, Rogue and Nightcrawler to battle the Hellfire Club, Sentinels or Magneto and his Brotherhood of Mutants in Marvel United: X-Men

Marvel United Exclusive Kickstarter Expansion

I'm so geeked! My Kickstarter Pledge for CMON and Spin Master Games MARVEL UNITED finally arrived! MARVEL UNITED is a hybrid combination of a card game and a board game which involves deck building and moving miniature figures around a designated play area. Players cooperatively work together roleplaying as comic book-inspired heroes attempting to prevent a dastardly villain from completing a despicable master plan.

The core box for this fantastic tabletop game actually arrived at major retailers like Target and Walmart in 2020. It took awhile longer for me to get my hands on MARVEL UNITED though because in addition to the main game I also received an exclusive expansion of additional playable characters and villains to encounter that was provided as a bonus reward to those who supported the Kickstarter campaign. I also purchased an exclusive add-on playmat that was exclusively available through Kickstarter from CMON and Spin Master Games.

I'm really glad about purchasing the playmat because it really adds a nice visual element to playing the game. It also re-enforces the game rules and flow of play which is nice for family game nights when some extra structure can help keep my tween-aged tweens focused on the activity. The MARVEL UNITED playmat has a nicely stitched base and a neoprene skid free bottom providing a sturdy surface for a game that involves tossing cards and moving figures around. We've been playing the game a lot so this playmat really has been great to have.

Secondly, I also received an expansion box full of complimentary add-ons that were provided as fundraising stretch goals during the Kickstarter campaign. For those not familiar with Kickstarter, stretch goals are fundraising targets that if are met provides a reward to people financing the project. In this case, when the campaign met certain funding marks a new hero or villain was added to the game that is not available at retailers like Target and Walmart but exclusively provided to Kickstarter backers at no extra charge.

While the core box of the game has an Avengers focus containing a team that includes seven of Earth's Mightiest Heroes (Ant Man, Black Widow, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Hulk, Iron Man and the Wasp) and three villains (Red Skull, Ultron and Task Master), the MARVEL UNITED exclusive Kickstarter expansion pack adds an additional 33 heroes and 11 villains. This opens up numerous gameplay options with heroes from the entire Marvel universe of comics, television shows and movies.

Along with a miniature, each of the characters included in the expansion pack include a deck of cards compatible with the MARVEL UNITED core game. Bring together Netflix's Defenders (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist) to tackle the King Pin's master plan. Create a supernatural team of heroes with Doctor Strange, Blade, Moon Knight and Ghost Rider to take on the demonic Dormammu. Show some girl power with Ms. Marvel, Spider-Woman, She-Hulk and the Scarlet Witch battling Hela. Or you could have Black Cat, Falcon, Howard the Duck and Squirrel Girl go head to head with Rhino in a wild duel. So much expanded playability with MARVEL UNITED with this exclusive Kickstarter expansion.

For those of you who may be interested in this expansion but missed the initial Kickstarter campaign last year for MARVEL UNITED there is some hope to get your hands on this fantastic expansion to the core game. CMON and Spin Master Games are hosting a sequel MARVEL UNITED Kickstarter campaign with an X-Men theme in mid-April 2021. They've announced that the expansion pack from the first Kickstarter campaign will be available to purchase as an add-on with the X-Men one. While you can't get it as free bonus content like I did, this still is a much affordable way to get these extra heroes and villains compared to through eBay scalpers. Plus there is sure to be a new expansion pack of stretch goal rewards with an X-men theme to go along with that sequel box set.

The expanded game play options with these extra heroes and villains has made playing an already entertaining game in MARVEL UNITED extra fun. I've really appreciated the attention to detail put into the characters and the chibi art style incorporated into the game. Though the game play is really fast-paced and fun have to say though the bland plastic coloring of the miniatures does become blah. I'm really going to have to get some hobby supplies and dip into painting miniatures for the first time to enhance this game just a bit.

The only dissatisfaction I have with the Marvel United Exclusive Kickstarter Expansion was that they didn't include extra battle locations for the game board within the stretch goal expansion pack or as a buyable add-on. The core box locations have an Avengers focus with sites such as Tony Starks' lab, a S.H.I.E.L.D. helocarrier, plus the Avengers' tower and mansion. It would have been nice to play with some more distinct locals tied to the newly included characters such as Sanctum Sanctorum, Hell's Kitchen, Wall Street and Ryker's Island. So that is my one gripe otherwise I've been very impressed by MARVEL UNITED.

An engaging super hero themed tabletop game that is exciting yet not too complicated to play, MARVEL UNITED gets a Geek Daddy nod of approval. Involving both strategic thinking and the luck of the draw this hybrid cooperative card game provides a dice free evening of gaming fun. Straight forward rules and the need for teamwork make MARVEL UNITED a great selection for a family game night. I've been having as much fun playing it as my twelve year old twins providing some quality family time and demonstrating this game can be appealing to both kids and adults. Highly recommend picking it up from Target or Walmart of joining in the MARVEL UNITED: X-MEN campaign coming to Kickstarter.

Marvel United

Avengers Assemble! Roleplay as Earth's Mightiest Heroes in MARVEL UNITED, a hybrid card game that incorporates fantastic tabletop miniatures, which lets players team up as their favorite Avengers. Have yourself a super family game night attempting to stop the dastardly master plans of dangerous villains. 

Two to four players each take on the role of one of seven Avengers characters (Ant Man, Black Widow, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Hulk, Iron Man or Wasp) in this cooperative game co-created by CMON and Spin Master Games. MARVEL UNITED is a mashup of plots and characters from both the Marvel comics and cinematic universe with the artwork and figure models in a unique chibi style to be appealing to tweens and teenagers based upon the current popularity of anime and manga. The game has been specifically designed to be easy to learn yet challenging enough to be entertaining to play to maximize its playability with a wide range of ages making MARVEL UNITED an ideal selection for a family game night.

One of the reasons I picked up MARVEL UNITED was that it isn't too complicated for my twelve year old twins to enjoy but is comprehensive enough to keep me interested in playing it too. I also appreciate the cooperative nature of the game where we would all be working together to win the game. This game has the potential for a lot or repeat playability and I liked how it can provide us quality family time immersing ourselves in the fantasy world of Marvel super heroes and villains.

The core box of MARVEL UNITED focusses on the Avengers with a team that is pretty consistent with the makeup of the characters as portrayed in the Marvel cinematic universe. You can pick from one of three villains (Red Skull, Ultron or Taskmaster) for your team of Avengers to tackle in an adventure. Players only go head to head against one of these villains per game. Each villain and hero gets their own deck of cards which are utilized in turns throughout the game.

RED SKULL

Rising to power during World War II, the Red Skull was one of the planet's most dangerous threats and Captain America's greatest enemy during the conflict. Exposed to an experimental gas near the end of the war he remained in suspended animation for decades. He emerged in modern times to continue his desire for world domination as the leader of a terrorist organization known as Hydra.

TASKMASTER

Has photographic reflexes that allow him to replicate any super hero fighting move he sees. He is a mercenary who trains super villains in combat techniques and engages in covert missions. Taskmaster utilizes his martial arts skills and special ability for a wide range of criminal enterprises from assassinations to high priced heists. He doesn't have loyalty to any particular creed beyond the accumulation of wealth. 

ULTRON

A science experiment gone wrong, Ultron is a sentient robot that hates and seeks to destroy humanity. Ultron’s abilities include superhuman strength, flight, and various weapons such as concussion blasters, radiation emitters and his “encephalo-ray,” which plunges its victims into a deathlike coma. As a mechanical being Ultron can transfer his consciousness from robotic body to body making him nearly indestructible.

In MARVEL UNITED an actual storyline is created by drawing villain cards that imperil the heroes and move the master plan forward. Players build a hand of cards from drawing blindly from their individual hero decks during the game. Hero cards allow players to take certain actions such as moving to different locations, clearing threats, fighting thugs, rescuing civilians, inflicting damage on the villains and their henchmen or utilizing a unique power. 

Don't rush into making a decision in your turn because your decision also impacts your team mates. Heroes can unite their powers so your move can impact what someone may or may not be able to turn the next turn. Remember no one wins the game unless your team prevents the villain from enacting their master plan.

While the Avengers strategize and leap into action, the villain will roam around six locations in the game (ranging from the grounds of New York City's Central Park to the airborne deck of a S.H.I.E.L.D. helocarrier hovering over Manhattan) creating chaos. They could be deploying minions to terrorize the city, kidnapping civilians and more. Oh and while there is only one primary villain (represented by a game board figure piece) they do have some powerful henchmen that the Avengers will have to battle one on one too. 

Plus just to make things a little more tricky ... you can't battle the main villain until you do two of three things. Before you can inflict damage on the villain your heroes must defeat nine minion thugs, rescue nine civilians or do a combination of defeating powerful henchmen and clearing threat scenarios. And once you get close to getting to the big bad guy the villains cards start to be drawn after every two hero turns instead of at the conclusion of an entire Avengers' team. Are you up to the challenge?!

For our first family game night playing MARVEL UNITED, we took on Red Skull. While the Avengers we played as resembled the heroes portrayed on the silver screen, the Red Skull and his henchmen were closer to characters from the pages of Marvel comic books. As I said earlier, the Red Skull wasn't just backed by nameless thugs. We also had to combat Crossbones, Madame Hydra, and Bob (Agent of Hydra) before we can go after Red Skull. And while we can't engage right away with the main villain, Red Skull and his henchmen can inflict damage on each of our heroes from the get go. We have to make quick work of the henchmen and thugs or our heroes could get KO'd. Game over!

BAM! BAM! BAM! Red Skull and his henchmen were hitting us hard doing a ton of damage to our heroes as the Avengers started off the game clearing out locations of minor thugs and rescuing civilians in danger. Things started to swing our way though starting with Bob being a bit of a pushover and Madame Hydra falling next. Crossbones was more of a challenge but Captain America and Iron Man combined their abilities to take him down. With Hydra's thugs and henchmen out of the way this opened up an opportunity for The Incredible Hulk to smash Red Skull for an Avengers victory in our first time playing MARVEL UNITED.

This game has been available for retailers since the 2020 holiday season, but we just received it now because I purchased it through a Kickstarter pledge which took awhile to arrive because it included some exclusive items. One of those items is the wonderful game mat with a neoprene non-skid backing shown in our pictures playing the game. This game mat really enhanced the game play. 

Also I received a box of additional hero and villain miniatures with their own card decks. While the core box focus is on the Avengers this Kickstarter exclusive expansion pack brings into play a variety of characters from the comic books, television shows, and movies. These range from heroes such as Daredevil, Squirrel Girl, and Howard the Duck to villains that include M.O.D.O.K. and Kingpin. 

With these Kickstarter exclusives there is so much re-playability with MARVEL UNITED. We're going to be having a lot of family game night fun with this game. MARVEL UNITED absolutely gets a Geek Daddy nod of approval.

DRACULA OF TRANSYLVANIA

This year marks the 90th anniversary of Universal Pictures releasing DRACULA which began an era of classic monster movies from the studio featuring iconic characters ranging from The Creature from the Black Lagoon to Frankenstein. In commemoration of the occasion, noted author and artist Ricardo Delgado is publishing through Kickstarter a novel which expands upon the Bram Stoker story that inspired the 1931 movie about Dracula starring Bela Lugosi as the infamous Count from Transylvania. The Kickstarter campaign for Delgado's 428 page hardcover DRACULA OF TRANSYLVANIA book runs through March 25 with a delivery date for pledgers in the summer of 2021.

In DRACULA OF TRANSYLVANIA, the year is 1899. Young Solicitor Jonathan Harker braves ghosts, demons, living skeletons, and armies of rats—all of which pale in comparison to his encounters with Dracula of Transylvania, the Son of Satan. The demonic, shapeshifting vampire imposes his wrath, malice and vengeance upon an England about to enter the Modern Era. The romantic side of Dracula is tossed aside and the pure horror of his vileness incarnate is portrayed in this book written by Ricardo Delgado.  He’s spent the past thousand years putting sword to flesh and tearing at the tapestry of history as the son of Satan himself. Kings, Popes and armies fear Dracula. And this story shows why you should too!

In addition to writing DRACULA OF TRANSYLVANIA, Ricardo Delgado also drew 28 lavish illustrations that are incorporated into the book. This aspect of the book really stands out based upon Delgado's reputation as a story board artist for Hollywood movies including Apollo 13, Men in Black, Jurassic Park 3, and Star Trek: First Contact. He has also created a dinosaur comic book series, Age of Reptiles, for Dark Horse Comics, and written two novels, the children’s novella Sam Specter and the Book of Spells and the hard-boiled science fiction noir Warhead. Click here to check out his DRACULA OF TRANSLYVANIA Kickstarter campaign.

To further bring Dracula to life, enact your own vampire encounters with BendyFigs from Noble Toys. Their Universal Monsters Collection let you pose and play with Dracula, The Monster from the Black Lagoon, Frankenstein and Frankenstein's Bride to imagine your own horror movie scenes. The Dracula BendyFig is approximately 7 inches high and comes equipped with a fabric cape and Hollywood film themed display base. Avoid his mesmerizing gaze because this officially licensed vampire toy wants to drink your blood!

BendyFigs feature an enclosed wire frame hidden within a rubbery body allowing these action figures to be posed without the need of visible joints that can distract from a toy's appearance. This makes them stand out from other action figures and great for displaying. For more information about BendyFigs or to purchase some head over to noblecollection.com

LANGDON WATCHES

With my days full of professional and parenting responsibilities seems like I'm always peeking at my wrist to keep track of the time and where I'm supposed to be. Yes clocks are now on all our phones but I still have a preference for traditional wrist watches. I've always had an appreciation of watches both as fashion accessories and mechanical tools.

With that in mind, I had my mind set on getting an automatic mechanical watch to wear. These watches don't use batteries but are instead are powered by a series of gears that are energized by the motion of your arm as you move about while wearing it. These are some of the most reliable watches you can get and also tend to be very expensive often with price tags over a thousand dollars. With young children at home, family expenses didn't make spending that much money on a wrist watch practical.

I'd put aside my desire to get one of these automatic mechanical watches until I came across a Kickstarter campaign that caught my attention. A start-up horologist out of Ontario, Canada was selling these watches to raise some capital to help get their business up and running. These watches had the look of more expensive brands that I'd been coveting but were priced at under $200. Liking their pitch and product, I took a chance and invested in my first Kickstarter.

My watch arrived this week and I'm very impressed! It keeps accurate time and the automatic mechanical operations have been working great. I wore the watch for a few hours before setting the time and self-winding mechanism started without a hitch winding up the gears powering it just by being worn during my normal daily activities. And the watch has been ticking steadily ever since!

Called the Parkdale Automatic, this watch has a classic, minimalist appearance complimented by a genuine brown leather strap. Instead of a seconds hand being tied in with the hour and minute hands, there is a separate track for that which makes the dial a bit less cluttered. This also has seconds stand out on their own instead of being looped in with the hours and minutes on the dial. This adds aesthetic detail as well as functionality to the watch. A nice touch in my opinion.

I have smaller sized wrists with my 5'5" frame and large watches can be overpoweringly to big for me to wear. The polished stainless steel case for this watch at 41 mm diameter is a perfect size for me. It fits great yet is large enough to also be comfortable for someone with a larger frame than mine.  I was wowed too by the fact that with all the mechanical operations going on inside the case it is only 11 mm tall. This is not a bulky watch making it look great on your wrist whether it is being worn out to work or play in.

The only thing I regret about this Kickstarter investment was that I didn't also buy their watch with a white dial too. If this watch continues to work as great as it has in the first week I've had it, I'm truly going to be thrilled. So I'm absolutely giving the Parkdale Automatic from Langdon Watches a Geek Daddy nod of approval!

If you would like to get one too, Langdon Watches is now taking orders on their website.