Zia Comics Nerdcast

New Comic Book Day happens every Wednesday. That is when all the new titles from all the publishers hit the shelves. There are so many new comics each week, sometimes it is hard to pick which ones to pick up. Let me try to help you a little with these new comics I grabbed, read, and review for you! There are a lot of new #1's this week!



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Dungeons and Dragons is not just a simple role playing game. There are a lot of really cool storylines in it's lore. One of those great stories is that of Vecna. It is not known if Vecna was human or half-elf, but there is no doubt he was a very powerful magic user. So powerful that he was able to cast an undead spell on himself so he would never really die.

Vecna progressed from being a Lich (Liches are spellcasters who seek to defy death by magical means) to being a demi-god. Vecna was ultimately betrayed by his lieutenant, Kas. The only parts of Vecna to remain were his left hand and his eye. Both of these items have great magical powers.

The Eye

It appears as an agate until it is placed into the eye socket of a living character. Once pressed into the eye socket it will instantly (and permanently) graft itself into the skull of the character in question. It can never be removed or harmed without killing the character possessing it. The alignment of the character will become neutral evil and cannot be changed.

The Hand

The Hand of Vecna appears as a mummified extremity. It is a black and shriveled hand. Possibly from a burned body. If the hand is pressed to the stump of an arm it will instantly graft itself to that arm becoming a powerful arm. The alignment of the person doing so becomes neutral evil.

The Hand and Eye of Vecna are not always found together. But as powerful evil relics it is entirely possible (and likely) that the objects are aware of the location of each other. It is also possible (likely in fact) that the objects will desire to be reunited. For together they may have greater powers.

Early editions did not specify the method of destruction. But later editions did. In Fifth Edition the hand and eye must be attached to the same person. If that person is destroyed with the Sword of Kas then both the hand and eye will burst into flame and turn to ash. They will be destroyed forever. All other attempts will appear to work but instead the items will reappear in one of Vecna’s many hidden vaults.

Manufacturer Description

Cursed artifacts of Vecna, found and preserved

Seldom is the name of Vecna spoken except in a hushed voice. Vecna was, in his time, one of the mightiest of all wizards. Through dark magic and conquest, he forged a terrible empire. For all his power, Vecna couldn’t escape his own mortality. He began to fear death and take steps to prevent his end from ever coming about.

Orcus, the demon prince of undeath, taught Vecna a ritual that would allow him to live on as a lich. Beyond death, he became the greatest of all liches.

Some say that Vecna’s lieutenant Kas coveted the Spider Throne for himself, or that the sword his lord made for him seduced him into rebellion. Whatever the reason, Kas brought the Undying King’s rule to an end in a terrible battle that left Vecna’s tower a heap of ash. Of Vecna, all that remained were one hand and one eye, grisly artifacts that still seek to work the Whispered One’s will in the world.

The Eye of Vecna and the Hand of Vecna might be found together or separately. The eye looks like a bloodshot organ torn free from the socket. The hand is a mummified and shriveled left extremity.

Perfect for a spot of honor in your game room, or on display in your store, now you can add both relics to your illustrious collection! The bloodshot, golden-green eye measures 1.5” and perches between the fingers of its companion hand. Conversely, the shriveled mummified hand measures about 7.5” in length, and nests for all to see upon a red swath of satin in a bell jar display case. The wooden display base measures 7” while the glass cover stands about 10.5” in height.

Contents:

Eye of Vecna

Hand of Vecna

Wood Display Platform

Support Piece

Display Satin Cloth

Glass Dome



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#ziacomics #wizkids #vecna #iconsoftherealms #eyeandhandofvecna #dnd #dungeonsanddragons

I kept seeing Bespoke pop up in my Facebook feed advertising lots of "manly" type mystery boxes. I decided to give them a try. I guess mystery box is a misnomer since you know exactly what is in each box. You also get the option to pick a different box for the month or even skip the month. I really like that flexibility.

I opted for the "Aged" box this month. With the contents of this box you can pseudo-barrel age your favorite drink. Watch the video to see just how that turned out.

Bespoke Description

Cocktail Aging Kit

375 ml

Black Swan Barrels

Straight from the craftsmen at Black Swan Cooperage, this pair of charred honeycomb white oak barrel staves makes every flavor in your cocktail just a little smoother. Simply place one of your staves into the 375 ml vessel along with the pour of your choice, wait 8–10 days, and let the magic happen. Each stave can be used 4–6 times, with each subsequent use giving you a softer and subtler finish than the last.

There are two different approaches you can take:

Use an unaged liquor like gin, vodka, or white rum in your kit. Once it's done aging, you can either sip it straight, or mix it into a cocktail to lend a warm, oaky presence. Mix a spirit-forward cocktail – like a Manhattan, Negroni, or Martini – then age the mixture to imbue the whole thing with a woodsy flavor. Just don't use any recipes that contain ingredients that could spoil, like eggs or juice.

Once you've done the hard part (waiting), pour out your creation through the included cheesecloth strainer and sip away.

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#ziacomics #bespoke #talknerdytome #bespokepost

Keanu Reeves is still a hot commodity. The Kickstarter for BRZRKR went over like gangbusters when it was announced Keanu was tied to the comic book. Not only is he tied to the comic, the main character is based on his likeness.

We find out in this first issue that the BRZRKR character is immortal and is working with a Black Ops military team. There is someone who is able to speak to him in his head. They are monitoring all his vital signs during his missions. They notice activity in some of his synapses that have gone unused for a long time. BRZRKR starts having memories come back. That is when we find out just how old BRZRKR actually is.

BRZRKR reminds me of Highlander mixed up with John Wick. He is a killing machine that can't be killed himself. In fact that is the one thing he is searching for, mortality!

Publisher Description

BOOM! Studios today revealed a brand new trailer for BRZRKR #1, the premiere issue of the twelve-issue limited series from the iconic Keanu Reeves in his Must Read comic book writing debut alongside New York Times bestselling co-writer Matt Kindt (Folklords, Bang!), acclaimed artist Ron Garney (Wolverine, Captain America), colorist Bill Crabtree (BPRD), and letterer Clem Robins (Hellboy), available on March 3, 2021.

The man known only as B. is half-mortal and half-god, cursed and compelled to violence…even at the sacrifice of his sanity. But after wandering the world for centuries, B. may have finally found a refuge – working for the U.S. government to fight the battles too violent and too dangerous for anyone else. In exchange, B. will be granted the one thing he desires – the truth about his endless blood-soaked existence…and how to end it.

BRZRKR #1 features main cover art by superstar illustrator Rafael Grampá (Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child) and variant cover art by superstar artists Mark Brooks (House of X/Powers of X), Dan Mora (Future State: Dark Detective), and Lee Bermejo (Batman), as well as a 1-in-1000 variant cover with art by Jonboy Meyers (Venom) and signed by Keanu Reeves, and more.



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#ziacomics #brzrkr #boomstudios #keanureeves #mattkindt #rongarney #billcrabtree #clemrobins

Bad Idea Comics is the new kid on the block. They put out a very successful ashcan for "Hero Trade" last year. Only approved Bad Idea Comic stores received the Hero Trade ashcan. Those issues quickly went for big money in online auction sites. ENIAC #1 is their first series. The last few pages of ENIAC #1 have a small snippet of a story from the Hero Trade universe. I believe they will be putting short stories from Hero Trade in the back of all their upcoming books.

ENIAC is the what if story of the first computer built taking over all the world's governments. All the countries know about ENIAC, but the general populace is unaware. They have been plotting how to take ENIAC out ever since it's inception during WWII, but ENIAC has always been several steps ahead of them.

Overall, this was a good first issue. They built the basis of the ENIAC universe. By the end of issue #1 you know about ENIAC and that the world governments are attempting to take back control. The only character we really get any background from is ENIAC. I am looking forward to learn about the characters on the other side (world governments). This first issue reminds me of War Games mixed up with SkyNet (Terminator). There is a lot of potential for this story if they don't follow the same old tropes that we've seen in every other war computer takes over the world movies. Matt Kindt is a great writer and I am enjoying the Doug Braithwaite artwork. I hope issue #2 doesn't get delayed!

Publisher Description

At the height of World War II, the world's most ingenious minds began a race to create a super-weapon capable of ending the war with the push of a button. One of those projects gave us the atom bomb...and another produced the world's first supercomputer: ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) – an immeasurably complex mathematical model that targeted the Axis war machine by calculating missile trajectories and troop deployments.

Everybody knows that. It's real-life American history. Or so we were told.

On August 6th, 1945, the United States dropped the nuclear bomb on Hiroshima. Three days later, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki... Only President Truman wasn't the one who gave order. It was ENIAC. In the Allies' determination to end the war, they had accidentally created the world's first autonomous machine intelligence...which had quickly deduced that one bomb wouldn't be enough. But ENIAC's real plan was only just beginning...

Now, 75 years later, an encrypted countdown has just been detected in Earth's satellite network and mankind only has three days left before ENIAC launches every weapon in the planet's nuclear arsenal simultaneously. With few options and even less time, the Secretary of Defense has just given two covert operatives the most important mission in human history: kill ENIAC.



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#ziacomics #eniac #badidea #badideacomics #mattkindt #dougbraithwaite

Danny from ZiaComics.com teaches us how to play the humorous deduction party game, We Need to Talk by Smirk & Laughter Games. This is a game for 4-8 players age 14+ and should take 40-60 minutes for a complete game.

Publisher Description

A Game of Staging Ridiculous Interventions about Nonsensical Problems.

Caring friends and family have all gathered “because they LOVE you”. That’s how it always starts. That’s when you suddenly realize there’s a problem - and it’s YOU. You’re shocked and clueless, which is why your loved ones have taken it upon themselves to carefully broach the subject. Naturally, no one wants to just come right out and say it. So they keep hinting at it, hoping you’ll catch on eventually. But will you? Or will this Intervention fail?

In this game, players take turns being the focus of an intervention by drawing a Problem card with a nonsensical problem like, "Uncontrollable Interpretive Dancing" or "Neurotic Inability to Turn Right". They can't see the card, but all the Concerned Friends and Family can. Friends will give obscure clues that hint at the problem, without giving it away. The sooner the Intervened can guess the problem, the more points they'll score. The longer the Concerned Friends keep them guessing, the more points the Friends can earn. Each of the three rounds have a unique format for giving clues, Broaching the Subject, The Emotional Appeal and Offering a Solution. But if the Intervened cannot guess their problem by the end of the third round, no one will score any points, having failed to help their friend.



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There are a few people that you can recognize solely by hearing their voice. Jack Lutz is one of those individuals. Jack used to be the co-host of Talk Nerdy to Me (just look back at the first few seasons). Jack has also been getting more into acting. He has been in several locally (New Mexico/Texas) produced movies. Jack took some time out of his busy schedule to give us an interview. He tells us how he got started in radio and acting. He also answers that ages old question that has plagued humanity from the early days.... Cake or Pie?



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Pokemon is going through a big resurgence lately. Ever since the release of Pokemon Go, a lot more people have been introduced to the game. Then there was a few pack opening videos where someone pulled a high value card that went viral. All of this combined to create a collecting frenzy around anything Pokemon.

McDonald's got permission to make Pokemon Happy Meals with a special 4 card booster pack inside. People were buying so many Happy Meals, a lot of McDonald's had to limit the Happy Meals to one per person. Lucky for me, I only needed one for this review. I chose the 4 chicken nugget option with french fries rather than apple slices. Watch this video to see exactly what you get when you buy a Pokemon Happy Meal.



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Danny from ZiaComics.com teaches us how to play the fantasy adventure card game, Cutthroat Caverns, by Smirk & Dagger Games. This is a game for 3-6 players ages 12+ and should take 90 minutes for a complete game.

Manufacturer Description

"Without teamwork, you will never survive. Without betrayal, you’ll never win."

Cutthroat Caverns is played over 9 rounds, each with a random encounter. Essentially a game of 'kill stealing'. Each round, any monster encountered will have a prestige value of 1 through 6. The player that successfully jockeys for position and lands the killing blow gets the prestige value for the encounter. Some encounters will not have a specific monster, such as a trap room for the heroes to pass through (and in this case, earning no prestige). The surviving player with the most prestige after the 9 encounters is the winner. If the players do not survive all 9 encounters, no one wins the game.

A unique combination of cooperative game play and opportunistic backstabbing.



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#ziacomics #cutthroatcaverns #smirkanddagger #CurtCovert #PaulAdam #JustinBrunetto #ianfieldrichards #HenriHärkönen #NoelHill #MatsHolmgren #MarkJernstrom #BrunoKrippahl #EricRMartin #SteveMessenger #LoïcMuzy #MorganRashand #ChadSavage #WilliamTeo #AdamVehige #TimWollweber #iello

Unless you are from South Korea, you probably don't know about Frank Powers. Frank loved acting from an early age. Unfortunately, life got in the way and he joined the Army so he could pay his bills. It was during one of his military assignments in Korea that he was able to get into acting on a big scale. Frank landed the role of Lt. Birtch, a US Army CID Agent, on the highest rated TV show in South Korea to date, "Yain She Dae".

After his rotation back stateside to Fort Bliss, TX, he was able to get roles on lots of big productions such as Terminator Salvation, Book of Eli, The Avengers, Sole Survivor, and Maze Runner to name a few. If you are local to the El Paso, TX area you have undoubtedly seen him in TV commercials for local businesses.

Being in front of the camera was only part of Frank's Hollywood dream. He has also done his fair share of work behind the camera. His self-made humorous Western, Brothers James: Retribution has been a long time coming, but we should be seeing it released soon from a major distributor (Nondisclosure Agreement kept Frank from telling us which one).

Having been in front and behind the camera, Frank is now scratching his entrepreneurial itch by opening a retro-clothing store. This store will specialize in retro and street wear.

Frank is a many faceted talent and I can't wait to see what he decides to put his energy towards next!

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#ziacomics #frankpowers #brothersjamesretribution #YainSheDae