After an ancient sarcophagus is opened in New York as part of a historical exhibit hosted by the OBARI Foundation, a plague is unleashed upon the New York populace, killing the infected and bringing them back to bite and further transmit the disease. Now, attempts are being made to quarantine infected areas, rescue politicians and other high-profile members of society, and escape this outbreak. All the while, one family has the pieces to what really came from the sarcophagus, and it's up to them to put it all together and find a means to stop this plague before it takes over the world.

Can't get enough Sparrow & Crowe? While Issue #3 is still a ways away, David Accampo and Jeremy Rogers have put together another product to tide fans over in the meantime. Weird Winter Stories: A Sparrow & Crowe Yuletide Anthology is a collection of short stories told in the Sparrow & Crowe/Wormwood universe set during the holiday season.

Weird Winter Stories consists of nine tales that all feature Sparrow and Dr. Crowe in one way or another. The writers for these tales come from different perspectives, and it's neat to see all these different takes on the characters and on aspects of the holidays. I've been spoiled by the audio drama and comic formats for the previous work set in this universe, which has always done a great job painting a picture (either literally or through sound) of the creatures and horrors that Sparrow and Crowe face. How well the writers did in inspiring my imagination was hit or miss depending on that particular author's style, but this is largely a personal preference. Overall, the stories are well worth reading for fans of either the comic or audio drama. The nine stories come largely in three flavors.

MINOR SPOILERS BELOW

"A Look at the Edge" is a series of reviews covering the Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Roleplaying Game by Fantasy Flight Games, which will review newly released products and supplemental online content and discuss experiences playing and running the game.

When Fantasy Flight Games (FFG) announced the Star Wars: Edge of the Empire game back at GenCon 2012 with the release of the game's Beta, my nerd heart just about burst in my chest I was so excited. Star Wars brought me into geekdom, Star Wars roleplaying was my introduction to the GM's chair, and many of my fondest gaming moments have been set a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. My gaming tastes have changed significantly from the rules crunchy d20 systems used for the last two Star Wars games, so I was even more delighted when I learned that FFG is taking Star Wars to a rules light, almost indie game design, which has a greater emphasis on roleplaying and characters than tactics and micromanaging. The Beta book was a fantastic way to kick off Edge of the Empire, but now we finally have the first true product in the new Star Wars line of games, the Beginner Game.

The comic book event of the summer is nigh!  Before Watchmen, the much-anticipated prequel series to Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen, will consist of seven limited series and an epilogue one-shot.  Stay tuned, as the Fanboy Comics crew will be reviewing each title as it is released. Hurm. 

Trapped by an insane reverend who intends to burn him alive, Rorschach is in serious trouble while Nite Owl and The Twilight Lady rush to his aid for reasons none of us can recall. Nite Owl #4 is a pretty good Rorschach story, further highlighting the man's descent into violence and mayhem as he reveals more of how his twisted mind works. Nite Owl is really a secondary character in this tale. Besides wagging a finger at Rorschach, he could be removed from this issue and it would have played out perfectly. This fact on its own made this issue kind of disappointing, although Rorschach's “You talk, I'll do” line to Nite Owl highlights that it's in the owl-themed hero's nature to stand on the sidelines while Rorschach kicks a-- and “hurms.”