DC Battle Dice Previews: Starro

To cap off the week of Battle Dice previews, we have one more from the upcoming DC version of the game: Starro the Conqueror. If you thought MODOK was weird, he has nothing on the giant starfish alien who controls the minds of his victims via miniature, face-hugging versions of itself. Better yet, Starro takes the blame for the discovery of Earth-C, home to Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew!

You just can’t get much more trippy than that. Still, I enjoy Starro stories, and I read lots of Captain Carrot as a kid. I can only hope the influences don’t show too often.

Starro

Cathy’s Book on the Way

According to Publishers Weekly, there’s a new kind of book on the way, and Cathy’s Book is the first of its kind. Jordan Weisman and Sean Stewart showed me a mock-up of this book at the BEA show in Chicago two years back. It’s essentially a hardcopy take on the kind of ARGs that Jordan and Sean invented (or at least brought to national prominence) with the Beast (a game of which I wrote a number of small bits).

Cathy’s Book is a mystery story about a girl investigating why her boyfriend dumped her, but it spins wildly from there. It includes web addresses and phone numbers as part of the clues, and these are all live and working for the reader to follow up on, enriching the whole experience.

I’m looking forward to seeing if this grand experience works. Knowing Jordan and Sean, I have high hopes for it.

Battle Dice Previews: MODOK

For the third (and final) preview of Marvel Heroes Battle Dice Series 2, we have Modok. As the Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing, MODOK is one strange, big-headed baddy. Thematically, he fits well with an army of AIM Agents, as they created him.

MODOK’s sheer absurdity is amazing. The audacity of a massive, flying, super-intelligent head that shoots mind beams at his foes and throws tantrums when things go wrong just stuns me. Apparently I’m not alone, as some fans took it upon themselves to publish The Journal of MODOK Studies to offer their full appreciation of this classic villain.

Modok

Next up: a pair of previews from the upcoming DC Battle Dice Series 1!

Battle Dice Previews: Mephisto

The fine people at Playmates Toys have given me five exclusive shots of figures from upcoming Battle Dice sets. I’ll post one every few days, just to give you a taste of what’s coming soon.

First up, we have Mephisto, dread schemer and lord of one of Marvel’s realms of hell. This Cosmic Level villain stands ready to make a deal with you to join your team. All you have to do is find him in Marvel Heroes Battle Dice Series 2, which hits stores in July.

Mephisto-2