arts // no. 8

Comic Corner: Déja vu

> ‘Batman vs. Superman: The Greatest Battles’ review

Brittney MacDonald
Life and Style Editor

OOGOS

[I not often I bother with
compilations like this, which
are often essentially just a
collection of moments from
various publications all centred
on a loose theme or, in this
case, a common scenario. But,
in honour of the upcoming
movie, I decided to put aside my
usual reluctance and examine
this anthology dedicated to

the greatest battles between
two superhero heavyweights.

It is difficult to examine
the narrative of this novel,
because it changes repeatedly
due to the fact it is a collection
from various sources by various
authors. The buildup differs
between the stories, but the
ultimate conclusion remains
the same—Batman and
Superman end up fighting.

My problem with this graphic
novel is that unless you have
read the majority of the original
publications that the various
scenes are taken from, you will
have no idea what’s going on. If
you are familiar with some of the
publications, like Iam, reading
this novel will just feel like a
huge case of déja vu. Despite the
fact that it features work from
some of my personal favourite
authors, like Frank Miller and
Jeph Loeb, it is hard to appreciate

 

any of it because the stories are
limited to only the fight scenes.
One thing in this anthology’s
favour is that it features some of
the best artists in the business.
Amazing artists like Jim Lee,

Lynn Varley, and Phil Jimenez
are just a few of the names you'll
find between these pages. The
good thing is that you don’t have
to be familiar with the narratives
of the original publications to

 

appreciate the amazing art that
this compilation bolsters.

In the end, I can’t really
recommend this book because
I don't know who it’s for—fans
of DC have already read these

theotherpress.ca

Illustration by Jim Lee

stories, and newcomers wouldn't
be familiar enough to enjoy
them. So I'd say you might

want to give this one a pass.

Chairman of the Board: Always bet on Brain

> ‘Wits and Wagers’ board game review

Ed Appleby
Illustrator

 

Gr. of chance are just
that—chance. Wouldn't
it be great to play a betting
game where knowledge is
the deciding factor?

Wits and Wagers is a party
game for 3-7 players designed
by Dominic Crapuchettes and
published by North Star Games,
LLC in 2005. In the game,
players are given a trivia question
with a numerical answer. Each
player writes their answer on a
card, and then the answers are
placed on a mat from lowest
to highest. Each space on the
mat has odds ranging from 2-1
to 7-1. The player who scores
closest to the actual number
of the question without going
over receives 3 points.

Before the answer is revealed,
players have an opportunity to
wager their points based on what

they think the right answer is.
Here, the odds displayed on the
mat come into play, with outliers
from the median guess having a
greater payout, but a bigger risk.
In the past I have spoken
of my dislike for trivia games.
Where rote knowledge is king,
some players easily outclass
others, making for a very
unbalanced and boring game.
Wits and Wagers eliminates this
factor by allowing the players
to score points not by knowing
facts, but by deducing which of
the guesses is close enough. One
smart bet can unbalance the
game. Like most party games, it
is relatively short and rematches
can be staged within 20 minutes.
I would recommend this
game for anyone who likes
trivia, but might not have as
broad a knowledge base as
some of their friends. Wits and
Wagers is fun, fast, and—as the
winner of the 2006 Mensa select
award—may just make you think.

 

Illustration by Ed Appleby