Author: -J.

the Fifth Line: the Absurd and the Unlived

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If last week’s post didn’t convince you that this is an absurd year in the NHL, the Nashville Predators’ Twitter account is here to help:

Yes, the Predators tied their franchise record for most goals scored… against the NHL’s version of the Yankees.

Since I already pulled out the big guns of absurdism last week with Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, I need something different. Still absurd, but maybe a little more joyful. More Marx-Brothers-y. More totally insane-y…

Good ‘Hawks / Bad ‘Hawks

tumblr_n1jgptWiYM1sykpjyo5_400It was so good to watch the ‘Hawks destroy the Dallas Stars on Sunday, for so many reasons. Watching an unlucky-this-season Chicago team pot six goals in a game felt cathartic. Doing it against Dallas was icing on the cake (we’ll come back to my hatred for Dallas later). Listening to Pat Foley rip into Ales Hemsky was the shot of whiskey after the cake. [Read more…]

J&STAC: The Wicked & The Divine, vol 1

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-J. Michael Bestul is a writer for the Addison Recorder. Stephanie Ruehl works in a comic book shop. They’re married and have a lot of discussions about comic books and graphic novels. Combine all that into a biweekly feature and you get “J. & Steph Talk About Comics.”

w+dThis time around, J. & Steph discuss the newest addition to the “young adult meets the supernatural” genre. Is that a genre yet? If not, it probably should be at this point. The Wicked & The Divine is an amorous take on the concept, a story of mysteries piled upon mysteries wrapped up in a gorgeous package.

The Wicked & The Divine (vol. 1)

Words by Kieron Gillen, art by Jaime McKelvie, color by Matthew Wilson, letters by Clayton Cowles

Synopsis: Every ninety years, twelve gods return to Earth as young people. They are loved, they are hated, and in two years, they are all dead. It’s happening now. It’s happening again.

[Read more…]

Games on Addison: Hyperborea

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Tell someone that you’re playing a light civilization game that’s really fun, and you might as well tell them there’s a unicorn in your apartment’s laundry room.

One of the defining features of a “civ” or 4X game, whether video or tabletop, is its satisfying depth and heavy long-term planning. Translating that into something which is both strategic and fun in less than two hours seems like a fantastical goal.

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Behold the unicorn.

Hyperborea hits that goal for me. The more I’ve played it since I picked it up at Gen Con, the more I think this was my favorite takeaway from the con. It’s innovative, beautiful, and fun — while it doesn’t hit all the deep notes that civ games do, it hits many of them in a different and interesting timbre.

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Best of the Half-Decade: Games

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We’re a little freaked out that it’s almost 2015. The decade is half over! To try and make sense of time passing the Recorder staff is going to write about their favorite stuff from the past 5 years in a few installments between now and the end of the year. This month we’ll geek out about the best games (however our staff defines “games”) that have been played by us or others since 2010. [Read more…]

the Fifth Line: Rosen-Kane & Guilden-Toews are Dead

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Watching the Chicago Blackhawks eke out a victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday was a harrowing experience. Once again, the puck seemed bound and determined to give probability the slip. Chicago was approaching 30 shots on goal with nary a point in sight!

I joked on Twitter that the Blackhawks were bending probability worse than the coin in Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead.

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Then I realized that Tom Stoppard’s play was actually the perfect lens through which to talk about probability and absurdity in the NHL. Assembled below are aspects of the play, characters, and relevant quotes all mashed them up with their NHL equivalent. Despite the title above, Kane and Toews aren’t who I’ve lined up to play R&G — that comes at the end, naturally. Instead, Chicago is best represented by that damn coin.

The Coin: Chicago Blackhawks

A weaker man might be moved to re-examine his faith, if in nothing else at least in the law of probability.

[Read more…]

the Fifth Line: Shooting the Percentages

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The boys of summer have finally given way to the boys on the ice, and “the Fifth Line” takes over for “Thoughts from the Dugout.” It’s been a month since the NHL season started, so let’s check on how things are going, shall we?

State of the ‘Hawks

A month into the 2014-15 season, and the Blackhawks are… okay? [Read more…]

J&STAC: Halloween Inspiration

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-J. Michael Bestul is a writer for the Addison Recorder. Stephanie Ruehl works in a comic book shop. They’re married and have a lot of discussions about comic books and graphic novels. Combine all that into a biweekly feature and you get “J. & Steph Talk About Comics.”

Halloween and comic book conventions both spotlight the idea of dressing up like your favorite characters. Steph is an occasional cosplayer, and -J.’s Halloween archive contains many comic book costumes, so we decided to use this year’s costumes to talk about the books that inspired them.

prettydeadly-crow-mauve_1024x1024Pretty Deadly (vol. 1)

Words by Kelly Sue DeConnick, art by Emma Rios, colors by Jordie Bellaire, letters by Clayton Cowles

Steph: I adore Kelly Sue DeConnick. I just want to get that out of the way, so everyone knows that I may be biased in this review, but really, Pretty Deadly is just plain good. [Read more…]

J&STAC: October’s New #1 Issues

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-J. Michael Bestul is a writer for the Addison Recorder. Stephanie Ruehl works in a comic book shop. They’re married and have a lot of discussions about comic books and graphic novels. Combine all that into a biweekly feature and you get “J. & Steph Talk About Comics.”

Every month, loads of new series, mini-series, or one-offs are released to the public. We take a look at some of the #1 issues of the past few weeks that grabbed our attention, in ways both good and bad. We start with Marvel’s god of thunder, who is now the goddess of thunder:

bc81b3bc24ae6f76e29062b52ec7be32 [Read more…]

the Fifth Line: Shots! Shots! Shots!

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Alex usually has a NCAA football pick ’em column on Thursdays, but this week all we found were the words “Michigan football and grading papers make Bean something something.” Over and over. And over.

In it’s place, we have some bonus early-season coverage of NHL hockey! It’s a bit last-second, so I’m not sure what topics to write about–

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“ME. You will write about ME.”

Oh dear gods, what have we wrought? Um, maybe we’ll start here at home in Chicago?
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the Fifth Line: Gorilla Salad & the Flying Fenwicks

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Whisky has been poured. Fantasy team drafted. Grown men are skating around the ice, swatting at a disc of vulcanized rubber with sticks — and starting last night, that swatting counted in the standings.

The NHL season is upon us, and all is well.

Ryan Johansen is finally signed and suited up, every team is somehow under the salary cap, and Gorilla Salad is back in Chicago?

Godsdamnit.

Seriously?

Gods. Damn. It.

[Read more…]