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Wacky Wizard Games Imprint and Three New Games Announced by @wwizardgames

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Wise Wizard Games announced the launch of Wacky Wizard Games, a new brand imprint focused on family-friendly, lightweight games. Three games are planned for release in 2024 as part of this new brand imprint: Star Realms Academy, Caution Signs, and Pack the Essentials. If you are interested and attending PAX Unplugged they will have prototypes of Caution Signs and Pack the Essentials. "We are super excited to be adding this new family friendly product line to our catalog. We wanted to maintain the focus of Wise Wizard Games on strategy card and dice games with geeky themes, and have created Wacky Wizard Games as an umbrella for lightweight games with a more whimsical, cute vibe," shared Debbie Moynihan, COO of Wise Wizard Games. Star Realms Academy Forge your own star realms, overloaded with cuteness! A kid friendly but still fun for grown-ups version of the popular Star Realms deckbuilding game for 2 players. A little less math, no reading necessary, but still tons of fun! 

Featured Review @OSSMCOMICS Thaniel #1 @Xenoglyphs @ExplodingBullet


Thaniel #1

Throughout the universe there is one constant; everything dies. Growing up on the streets, losing everyone closest to him, Thaniel knows this harsh reality all too well. Born with a mysterious power that he's struggling to control, Thaniel begins to wonder if those he loves are gone because of him.



Preview


See the 6-page preview of Thaniel #1

Review


See the Review Rating Overview page for more information on how I rate each comic


Cover & Solicit 4/5


This issues cover is drawn by Terry Huddleston who also provides the interiors on this series. The cover is simple and shows the protagonist of the book Thaniel. It's also a good representation of the art you will find inside the issue.

Art, Colors & Inking 4/5


As I mentioned the art for the issue is provided by Terry Huddleston and is a simple black and white comic with the only color being red. I feel he does an excellent job with his detail, and honestly feel the black and white is done well. I also like the splash of color for key moments like blood, or some wording, it makes the pages come alive.

Layout & Flow 3/5


The flow of this issue was just OK for me. At times the pacing seemed a little forced and I felt like there could have been a bit more story telling, or hate to say it because normally there is too much of it, but a little more monologue would have been nice to explain more of the story. I also didn't care for the stereotypical "gangster" vibe (and I don't mean Capone I mean Tupac) or language used in the book. I understand why it was used and it does fit the comic but I feel like it was also forced and didn't flow very well.

Story 4/5


Omar Spahi (Xenoglyphs) is the writter on this issue and does a pretty good job introducing us to Thaniel and his world. Again aside from the forced "gangster" aspect I did enjoy this story. We start with the main character of the book a vigilante named Thaniel trying to clean up the streets in his town. Spahi doesn't hesitate and starts the blades swinging almost immediately as we see Thaniel dish out justice of his own. We next find Thaniel running into an old friend. This is probably the first sign of the forced aspect of the pacing and "gangster" language. While the interaction is important I didn't care for the overall approach. After we once again find Thaniel patrolling the streets. One scene that confused me and might be explained later is his outfit and blades. I'm guessing their is some type of magical aspect to them but the only thing we get is Thaniel saying "It's time to get out of these clothes" and that's after he is already out of them. We next meet a childhood friend of Thaniel's and I suspect we will see more of her in the future. Finally we find Thaniel on patrol again trying to hunt down a drug lord. The action flies once again and Spahi leaves us with a shocker final page.

Verdict - 3.9 (8/10) (Buy ThanielSAVE 10%


This issue didn't really blow me away but it wasn't bad. It had a lot of action and started to tell a story but there were some pacing issue. I think the team of Spahi and Huddleston have a good book on their hands if they can just work out a few issues. I will definitely be looking forward to the next issue to see where Spahi take Thaniel.

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