Showing results by narrator "Colby Elliott" in All Categories

Compiled by a veteran writer of the comic series, this collection of essays explores Batman’s motivations and actions, as well as those of his foes. Batman is a creature of the night, more about vengeance than justice, more plagued by doubts than full of self-assurance, and more darkness than light. He has no superpowers, just skill, drive, and a really well-made suit.

Catapult is the magical but true story of two men, a microscopic arts grant, and the siege weapon this volatile combination somehow produced. Bristling with idiosyncrasy, Jim and Harry are an odd couple whose story is the occasion for a sly meditation on the nature of modern masculinity. Their comic oscillations—between knowledge and innocence, for example, or science and art, each man taking his turn on the other side—amuse us even as they shed light on who and what we are.

Staggered by the terminal illness of his next-door neighbor and predecessor, Jack, the Stay at Home Shaman, finds himself unable to dream and enter the world of the Overlay. But with best friend Zeke’s help, the two embark on a mission to the dream realm to stop the corrupting chain-lightning and the mysterious flying V-shape menacing the neighborhood. But this challenge won’t be overcome without the greatest sacrifice of the Shaman’s career.

We think we know Betty and Veronica, but we don’t. Far more than just Archie’s girlfriends, the girls have grown beyond simple archetypes to become compelling, relevant characters for each new generation over the past eighty years.

As winter takes hold of the neighborhood, Cole witnesses a brutal attack while patrolling The Overlay. Bizarre, inky-black creatures glide through the air devouring those in their path, seemingly coming from nowhere. What loosed these creatures on the Dream Realm and why do they hunt in Big Bluestem Park?

Designers & Dragons: The ‘00s is a comprehensive picture of the new resurgence of the RPG industry. This 2nd edition expands the original single book into a series of four–beginning with the ’70s and ending with the ’00s–and we’ve added over tens of thousands of new words to this final and most updated volume. Take an inside look at d20 companies, watch the growth of new titans like Paizo Publishing, and learn about the growth of indie presses like Evil Hat Productions. Regardless of your gaming background, Shannon Appelcline’s meticulously researched history won’t disappoint.

Using examples from Aldus Huxley’s Brave New World, George Orwell’s 1984, and the writings of Neil Postman, screenwriter Javier Grillo Marxuach (Lost, The Witcher, Medium) examines the utopia/dystopia binary and what it means live in the modern social media landscape.

Sometimes we love a work of art, not in spite of it flaws, but because of them. And a wish that that work of art could be better. Screenwriter Javier Grillo Marxuach (Lost, The Witcher, Medium) peers through the lens of the ill-fated Disney science fiction epic The Black Hole to show us what we can learn from a flawed gem as it waxes into nostalgia and why it has such a subtle hold on our hearts.

Every writer learns the basics elements of storytelling. Whether it’s The Heroes Journey, the Three Act film structure, or even the performing of a magic trick it’s all there. Even when telling a simple joke. Using these three basic elements, screenwriter Javier Grillo-Marxuach (Lost, The Witcher, Medium) breaks down the anatomy used for so many of the stories we love, from Raiders of the Lost Ark, to Gone With the Wind.

When does the band you love cease to be the band you love? Taking such disparate elements as the writings of Plutarch and the power ballads of 80’s rockers Foreigner, screenwriter Javier Grillo- Marxuach (Lost, The Witcher, Medium) examines what it means to be a creator of art during the Big Feelings of youth and how those feelings mature into collaborating and getting the work done in middle age.

It’s no secret that amazing television starts with a great script. But what makes a television screenplay compelling? An effective screenplay is a blueprint, a loan application, and work order. But first and foremost, it must be a work of art and a captivating read all on its own. Using his script for the proposed reboot of Xena, Javier Grillo-Marxauch (Lost, The Witcher, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance) shares what he does to make a fascinating television screenplay, from the first slug line to the final fade to black.

After Comic Con International and New York Comic Con, where does a wandering nerd go next for adventure and fun? Why the wilds of Gen Con, of course! Third in the “Nerdly Travels” series takes Colby to the largest tabletop gaming convention in North America, Gen Con, to fulfill his 10-year-old self's destiny of roleplaying at the convention started by Gary Gygax. He'll meet industry luminaries, some of his childhood heroes and maybe even get surprised at the ENnie Awards!

Even after getting bad news at the doctor’s office, Cole Ellis knows the kids still need to be picked up and the realm of dreams needs to be protected. Strange, that the foreclosure two blocks over is bustling with crows in The Overlay, and stranger still, why is the dream neighborhood filled with the delectable smell of cookies for blocks in every direction? It may be time for Cole to call on the most powerful member of his team yet. And time for another to make the sacrifice of a lifetime.

When Cole set something free in the dreamworld of The Overlay, he had no idea it could cause harm in the real world. But now someone is dead and the shaman must use all of his newfound powers to prevent another tragedy and rein in a new menace known only as Dark Beard.

Newly minted dream-walker, Cole, finds everything didn’t get fixed after setting a mysterious spirit free and healing the bruised house next door. Trouble has moved down the road to the nearby Prairie Plains Park where something is attacking people in their dreams. Something hungry. But the Stay-at-home Shaman is going to need some help and a few tricks up his sleeve to tackle these new threats to The Overlay. It turns out naptime is no time to snooze.

When Cole Ellis hits a coyote late one night on I-80, he has no idea how his life will change. Now he travels to a dream realm every time he falls asleep…but all is not well in the drowsing world. There’s mystical talking animals, mysteriously bruised houses, and massive hulking monsters to deal with. How can a stay-at-home dad hope to save the neighborhood by naptime’s end?

Collecting the two first stories in the Dark Prairie Universe, Dark Prairie and Use Yer Brains tells the tales of two western Nebraska lawmen, from two different ages, and how they go about keeping the peace in Platte City. Some bad things crawl outta the ground, while others are brewed up in the local saloon and descend like a bolt of lightning. Whether it's the 1800s or the late 1900s, keep yer wits about ye, and yer six-shooter handy.

A book arrives by Owl, left under an old fir tree in the snow. With it, a mysterious message: Another world’s scientists have discovered the laws of the universe are found in - fairy tales. Is it true? Snotty - the unlikely hero of this tale - is a streetwise adolescent mastermind transported to a mystical realm where the fate of the world rests on discovering who he really is. As Snotty’s perceptions of might and right are upended, the scholarly footnotes point toward a deeper truth.

You won’t need to have read any of the other History of Arcadia books to become engrossed in the drama of Aspern Grayling, whose obsession with creating a new life-form - in the person of ruthless adventurer Pavo Vale - could destroy his whole world. A compelling descendant of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, this is a tale of a man bent on conquest and of an adversary that may yet defeat him: the ghost of the Arcadian Devindra Vale, the only woman he has ever loved.

Ruins of the Grendleroot is a collection of 10 short, easy-to-run adventures for the fifth edition of the world's most popular fantasy role-playing game. Designed for characters of first to fifth level, these adventures take place in the caverns, chambers, tunnels, and ruins of the mountain known as Blackclaw, within which lurks the Grendleroot - a strange and otherworldly sentience.