Tag: Alt-Hero

Normally we’d spread these out a bit, but since it’s been a while and because publishing the sixth issue means we can start putting the omnibus together, we decided to release issues #5 and #6 at the same time. And besides, if you’re on lockdown, what better way to spend the day than in Avalon City with The Legend Chuck Dixon? If you’re an Alt-Hero backer, please check your email, as links to the .CBZ and .mobi versions have been sent to you!

Chuck Dixon’s Avalon #5: Forced Entry

The hunter has become the hunted. As the mysterious vigilante continues to stalk her prey, the crack international superhero team is on her trail and is determined to bring her down before she can accomplish her deadly mission.

But is there another way to find her? What is the connection between the vigilante and the unknown coma patient she was once observed visiting in the hospital? The Avalon police, too, are patiently trying to track her down before she adds to her body count.

If you weren’t an original Alt-Hero backer, Chuck Dixon’s Avalon #5: Forced Entry is available for $2.99 in two digital formats at Arkhaven Comics and in Kindle format on Amazon. It is also available in a gold-logo print edition for #3.99 at Castalia Direct.

Chuck Dixon’s Avalon #6: Unforced Error

Vengeance is the order of the day in Avalon. But when King Ace and his new team finally manage to track down the murderous vigilante and interrupt her latest hit, he learns that it is a lot easier to take on an unwilling villain than to take her in to face justice. And he also learns a much more difficult lesson about betrayal.

In the meantime, King Ace’s old friend and former not-sidekick has also fallen in with some new friends who do not hesitate to use their superpowers in some very illegal ways and towards some very questionable ends.

Chuck Dixon’s Avalon #6: Unforced Error is available for $2.99 in two digital formats at Arkhaven Comics and in Kindle format on Amazon.

MComix and ComicRack are both reliable free CBZ readers for Windows. I prefer MComix. SimpleComic is recommended for Mac. There are many free CBZ readers for Android and iOS available on the Play and Apple stores.

UPDATE: It’s interesting to note that, by contrast, that the industry’s primary distributor Diamond will stop shipping new comics on April 1, and that with the exception of DC, many of the establishment comics publishers are no longer releasing digital comics.

UPDATE: Batman is now Chinese. And in high school. With the Joker. He lives with an older gay gentleman named Alfred.

After admitting she has no clue about Batman, De La Cruz then details her lack of knowledge doesn’t matter because she’s radically altering the character anyways. She explains, “Bruce Wayne is the billionaire. He’s the richest man alive. So I thought, wouldn’t it be fun if his family was Chinese and from Hong Kong? That made it feel real.”

De La Cruz then details she’s basically telling an autobiography of her own life using a DC Comics character, “There’s been a big influx of wealthy Chinese people who moved from Hong Kong to Arcadia in Los Angeles, and that’s where my mom lives, I’m part-Chinese, my brother lives in Hong Kong, so I thought it would be great to put what I know into Bruce Wayne. I just wanted him to be a little bit more representative of my background and giving him an authentic family.”

Meanwhile, our upcoming Shade comic, written by The Legend Chuck Dixon, is going to crush.

UPDATE: Chuck Dixon’s Avalon #5: Forced Entry  is the #1 New Release in Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Graphic Novels

Comic book RPGs tend to be sub-divided into “descriptor-based” and “effect-based” games. “Bolt of Fire” is a descriptor, while “Ranged Attack that 50 points of damage to one target” is an effect. A descriptor-based game prioritizes the descriptor over the effects. An effect-based prioritizes the effects over the descriptor.

Ascendant strives to be neither a descriptor-based nor effect-based game. It is, rather, a physics-based game. The game mechanics are intended to be the physics engine of the game world. Powers have both descriptors and effects. Some effects are precluded by the logic of the descriptor, and some descriptors inevitably entail certain effects. The mechanics are elaborate and detailed (as in an effect-based game) but they are also broad and universalized (as in a descriptor-based game). Players are expected and encouraged to use their powers in whatever manner makes sense within the physics of a comic-book world, but not in ways that don’t make sense.

If a descriptor-based system aims to let players experience a comic-book story; and an effect-based system aims to let players play a superhero game; our physics-based system aims to let players simulate a comic book world. To do so, we have created logarithmic chart-based universal mechanics, a style of design that has not been widely used in the last two decades, but which will be instantly familiar to fans of the classic FASERIP and MEGS RPGs from the 1980s. 

ALT-HERO fans will be pleased to know that although it is an entirely different superhero universe, ASCENDANT is based on the same set of brand new superhero RPG rules that the forthcoming ALT-HERO RPG is using. If you’d like to back our friends at Ascendant, you can do so here.

The hunter has become the hunted. As the mysterious vigilante continues to stalk her prey, the crack international superhero team is on her trail and is determined to bring her down before she can accomplish her deadly mission.

But is there another way to find her? What is the connection between the vigilante and the unknown coma patient she was once observed visiting in the hospital? The Avalon police, too, are patiently trying to track her down before she adds to her body count.

Chuck Dixon is the most prolific comic book writer in history. Set in the world of Alt★Hero, CHUCK DIXON’S AVALON is the legend’s newest creation.

Now available in print at Castalia Direct and at Amazon. The digital version will be going out to the backers as soon as it is ready. Chuck Dixon’s Avalon #6 will be ready soon, at which point we will begin producing the omnibus editions for the original Alt★Hero backers.

After federal agent Roland Dane survives the successful assassination of the U.S. Secretary of State in Peru, he makes his way back to the United States in secret with the help of a mysterious organization opposed to the global establishment. But when a famous film star is reported dead just hours after the agent visits his house in the Hollywood Hills, Dane realizes that the reach of the evil that is hunting him extends further than he had ever imagined.

Arkhaven has assembled a first-rate production team to create the Alt★Hero: Q series, which explores the incredible QAnon phenomenon that is sweeping the planet. Set in the superhero world of Alt★Hero, Alt★Hero: Q is an astonishing action tale of everyday heroes taking on corruption and evil on a global scale.

The limited gold logo edition of AH:Q #2 is now available in print for $3.99 from the Arkhaven Direct store (US only) or from Amazon. AH:Q backers will receive their gold logo editions after all six print editions are completed. We expect to release the digital edition of AH:Q #3 later this month.

Alt★Hero: Q #2: NOT DEAD ENOUGH

After federal agent Roland Dane survives the successful assassination of the U.S. Secretary of State in Peru, he makes his way back to the United States in secret with the help of a mysterious organization opposed to the global establishment. But when a famous film star is reported dead just hours after the agent visits his house in the Hollywood Hills, Dane realizes that the reach of the evil that is hunting for him extends further than he had ever imagined.

Arkhaven Comics has assembled a first-rate production team to create the Alt★Hero: Q series, which explores the incredible QAnon phenomenon that is sweeping the planet. Set in the superhero world of Alt★Hero, Alt★Hero: Q is an astonishing action tale of unflinching everyday heroes taking down corruption and evil on a global scale.

The CBZ file contains high-quality 2048 x 1316 images. Kindle format is 1280 x 800. AH:Q #2 is now available at Arkhaven Comics. Available soon on Amazon. AH:Q backers, please check your email.

It’s a fair and detailed review of the six issues collected. I disagree, of course, with the idea that comics must be relentless BIF! – SOCK! – POW! action, as I see no problem with what is described here as “the talking head problem”, or as we novelists refer to it, dialogue and character development. And while I understand that not everyone is interested in current events, I am, and it would be very strange indeed if a fictional battle between globalists and nationalists did not bear some resemblances to the real-world version.

Indeed, as some have noted, the events taking place in the Alt-Hero world have even been observed to have anticipated events taking place in the real one. I also found it interesting that D&C so strongly preferred the US-based story to the Europe-based one, as it’s been my vague impression that a majority of AH fans tend to prefer the latter.

But regardless, I appreciate the review, which is one of the first to look at the entire volume one omnibus.

The Alt-Hero:Q dispute with Indiegogo has been resolved.  If you were a campaign supporter of Alt-Hero:Q on Indiegogo, please contact me via email with AHQ in the subject as we need your help with a few outstanding issues.

In other Alt-Hero news, the first omnibus will be going out to backers next week.

Please note that I will not be divulging any details about the resolution during this process, so don’t ask. Let’s just get it done with the same speed and efficiency with which we completed the second campaign.

Chuck Dixon’s Avalon #4: Hit Charade

The streets of Avalon are a hard place, even for superheroes. But while King Ace’s new employers at the SPC are busy trying to track down the mysterious female vigilante who is assassinating politicians in broad daylight, Fazer’s new friends are helping him escape from the high-tech security cells meant to hold even the strongest superhumans. Fazer is more than happy to get free of his electroshock collar and out of prison, until he learns to his dismay that his new friends may be even more cruel and ruthless than the SPC.

And to make matters worse, the very worst of them appears to harbor ambitions that have led him into the lair of the most powerful gang leader in Avalon.

Chuck Dixon is the most prolific comic book writer in history. Set in the world of Alt★Hero, CHUCK DIXON’S AVALON is the legend’s newest creation. Chuck Dixon’s Avalon #4: Hit Charade is now available in CBZ and Kindle formats at Arkhaven Comics. Kindle edition also available at Amazon should you care to Look Inside.

Speaking of Alt-Hero, we are very close to shipping out the Volume 1 omnibuses that collect AH 1-6. If you are a backer of either the Volume 1 paperback or the hardcover and your address has changed since October 2017, please email me with VOL1 in the subject line. Include both your previous address and your new address, as well as your backer number. This is in reference to the original campaign, NOT the AH:Q campaign. Please do this even if you think you emailed me previously; better safe than sorry.

Yesterday we sent out 25 emails to backers who didn’t receive the initial mail blast, and have just sent out another 18 to additional backers who contacted us to inform us that they didn’t receive it. So, if you’ve emailed us about AH:Q1 in the last 24 hours, please check your email.

In other backer-related news, we expect to send the omnibus editions of ALT-HERO issues #1-6 out, featuring new covers by Cliff Cosmic and another artist, before the end of the month. We also expect to release the first digital edition of SWAN KNIGHT’S SAGA.

If you didn’t back AH:Q #1 WHERE WE GO ONE, please note that you can still pick it up at Amazon, where it is the #1 New Release in graphic novels, ahead of the new Superman and Batman comics.

Arkhaven Comics is very pleased to announce that the digital edition of Alt★Hero:Q issue #1 Where We Go One is now available in CBZ and Kindle formats.

AH:Q backers should check your email, as we have sent out emails with download links to both formats to all the backers. Please note that these were only sent out to AH:Q backers, not backers of the original ALT-HERO campaign.

If you are an AH:Q backer who did not receive an email, please check your spam trap and your social media trap on Gmail before contacting us. If you still cannot find it, then please email us at books -at- castaliahouse -dot- com and we will add your email to the mailing list. Please note, however, that if we add your email to the list and discover that it is already there, then the problem is on your end which means there is nothing we can do about it. We would also suggest whitelisting the @castaliahouse.com address to increase the likelihood that you will receive the emails properly.

If you are not a backer, then you can purchase Alt★Hero:Q issue #1 Where We Go One for $2.99 at Arkhaven Comics, which includes both formats. The Kindle version should also be available on Amazon later today. Backers should note that we will not be sending out the individual print editions until all six issues are available in print and can be sent together.

UPDATE: You can now buy and review AH:Q #1 on Amazon.