Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines 2 Trailer

Posted in Gaming by Bizarre Brunette

During October, the World of Darkness Discord would release news, new products, and content relating to Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf: the Apocalypse, and Hunter: The Reckoning. Towards the end of the month, a new trailer for Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 was released. Bloodlines 2 has been a long-awaited game that’s been delayed and picked up by various studios. Will this game be good? I hope so, but I won’t keep my hopes up.

Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 is a sequel to Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines a game released in 2004. Before you ask, no, I haven’t played Bloodlines. This game came out before I started getting into gaming and before I was introduced to Vampire. At the time, Bloodlines was considered a commercial failure. In the years since Bloodlines was released, it’s developed a cult following with gamers playing the game and citing that for the period it was released, it’s a decent game. I can’t say much more about that since I haven’t played it.

In 2015, video game publisher Paradox Interactive purchased White Wolf, the publisher behind Vampire, Werewolf, and Hunter. This is when there were rumblings that a sequel to Bloodlines could be possible. In 2019 the game was formally delayed and another delay was announced in 2020. In 2021, one of the developers left the project and there were talks of canceling the game altogether. In 2023, The Chinese Room was brought in to finish the game. I was under the impression that the game was supposed to come out in October of this year, but the release date was pushed into 2025. For those who aren’t gamers, I would equate this situation to the Disney Star Wars movies having two different directors. When you have multiple creative companies working on something, it can be messy. This has left fans wondering, will this game be any good?

With the success of Baldur’s Gate 3, I think there’s more pressure for Bloodlines 2 to be the Vampire: The Masquerade version of that. When I think about what I want from the game, I want to create my own character. I can pick her clan, what she looks like, how she feeds, and her flaws. I can wander around an open-world Seattle, completing missions and undergoing side quests. I can maintain a reputation, do I help people? or am I close to breaching the masquerade? I want to have reasons to replay the game. Based on what I know from the game, players choose a pre-made vampire character. It’s a bummer if I can’t customize my own character.

I watched the Bloodlines 2 trailer twice. Putting aside everything I talked about, the game looks good. I liked how the characters were revealed. I am more drawn to Safia, the Tremere, or Lou, the Venture. Do we get to play as all of these characters? or do you choose one for the whole game? I’m not sure. When it comes down to it, it’s not the game fans would have wanted, but I guess we will take what we can get.

I mentioned this before, but I hope this game is good. If Bloodlines 2 is decent, it could catapult Vampire: The Masquerade into more mainstream TTRPGs. If it isn’t good, then the game will fade into obscurity. I’m not going to pre-order the game yet, I want to see the reviews once it comes out. If you have been following Bloodlines 2 for a while, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

4Nov2024

My Favorite Moments from Naddpod’s Last 50 Episodes

Posted in Bizarre Brunette Big-Screen Watches by Bizarre Brunette

I did it! I finished listening to all 100 episodes of the first campaign of Not Another DnD (NADDPOD) podcast. This campaign was everything I remembered and so much more. I remembered some pieces from the first time I listened, but there was so much I completely forgot about. I wanted to share some of my favorite moments from the last 50 episodes of NADDPOD.

In case you missed my first post summarizing the first 50 episodes, I wanted to provide a summary. NADDPOD is a TTRPG podcast where the cast are playing Dungeons & Dragons. The podcast follows three characters: Moonshine Cybin (played by Emily Axford), Beverly Toegold V (played by Caldwell Tanner), and Hardwon Surefoot (played by Jake Hurwitz). The campaign is DMed by Brian Murphy or Murph for short. The first campaign focuses on Moonshine, Beverly, and Hardwon as they attempt to save Bahumia again.

Spoilers for the last 50 episodes of NADDPOD

The History of Balnor – Episode #51

In episode #51, the characters are reunited with Alannis, one of the original saviors of Bahumia. She reveals a lot of background into how she tried to take out Thiala, another of the saviors of Bahumia. When Alannis speaks, she talks about Balnor and how Balnor came to them. Balnor was originally picked out of the “Deck of Many Things”, however, Alannis says that Balnor was placed there by her. Alannis found Balnor after his family was killed by Drow Elves. Alannis asked if Balnor wanted to help and he agreed. Alannis put Balnor in the card the group drew.

This was so heartbreaking! It shows what a good DM Murph is because of the way he links his stories together. Who would have thought a knight could have had such a tragic backstory? Balnor has helped the group so much and they would not be alive without him.

Hardwon getting turned into a Vampire – Episode #61

In Shadowfell, the group enters a vampire club. After some back and forth, a group of vampires attack and take Hardwon. Hardwon is drained by one of the vampires and after a tense moment, he’s let go. This forever changes Hardwon’s character because after escaping Shadowfell, Moonshine casts Reincarnate on Hardwon and he’s reborn as a half-elf instead of a dwarf.

I chose this moment because of how it shaped Hardwon’s story. His backstory is how he grew up in an orphanage and didn’t feel connected to the other dwarves. You could tell that Jake felt a little down after this happened. Once he’s reborn as a half-elf, he gets the respect of the other dwarven kings who accept Hardwon as worthy to keep wielding the king’s hammer even though he isn’t a dwarf.

Lydia Stormborn becoming the new leader of Shadowfell – Episode #69

Lydia Stormborn is Hardwon’s mom. Lydia was killed by Galad Rosell and became a Revenant. Hardwon kills Galad which traps Lydia in Shadowfell. The group travels to Shadowfell to save Lydia. After defeating Galad a second time, Lydia becomes the new ruler of Shadowfell.

Hardwon reuniting with his mom was so sweet. Lydia becomes an ally to the group and has several personal conversations with each of them. Despite everything she’s been through, she rises to the occasion and becomes the person she was always meant to be.

Moonshine meets her dad. – Episode #70

Before the events of the campaign, Moonshine never knew her father. It’s revealed that Moonshine’s dad is Lucanus, a high elf. In Bahumia, the High Elves are seen as high and mighty while the Crick Elves are seen as inferior and dense. Moonshine was shocked to learn that her father was a High Elf. This may not be the first episode where they meet, but it’s the episode where Lucanus asks Moonshine for a hug. While Lucanus is introduced later in the campaign, he helps Moonshine learn and evolve.

Moonshine Learns Counterspell – Episode #90

Speaking of learning and evolving, Moonshine learns Counterspell from Lucanus. For those who will be extra critical, Counterspell is not a spell Druid’s would be able to take. That’s the beauty of TTRPGs, you can homebrew anything. As someone who uses Counterspell frequently, it’s clutch to have someone in your party that can Counterspell.

This is a lovely moment between Lucanus and Moonshine. Moonshine is not known to study and Lucanus brings it out of her. There’s a moment later on where Moonshine does Counterspell one of Lucanus’s spells after he’s under the influence of a plague. He is so proud of her once he’s told of what happened.

Jaina and Moonshine getting together – Episode #99

One part of some TTRPG campaigns and live shows is romance. Jaina, one of Hardwon’s closest allies, approaches Hardwon asking if she can date Moonshine. It leads to an awkward and endearing moment between the two leaving Hardwon to give his blessing. Jaina talks to Moonshine and they have fun together before the final battle.

I love these two together! It’s not revealed if they have been together for a long time or if this was a fling, but I ship these two together.

Hardwon rolling so many critical hits on Thiala – Episode #100

In the last episode, the group goes after Thiala. Hardwon unlocks reckless attacks meaning he can attack with advantage. He’s a fighter which means he can get a critical hit on a 19 or a 20. I believe there was an ability where he could get a critical hit on a 17 or 18??? I can’t remember the mechanics off the top of my head. Hardwon rolled SO MANY critical hits against Thiala. He was carrying this fight.

I hope Jake saved the d20 he rolled throughout that episode. I picked this moment because, without Hardwon, I think the group wouldn’t have survived. Every group needs a party member who can deal huge amounts of damage.

Balnor being reunited with his family – Episode #100

To end the campaign, Alannis reveals that she can make a wish to return Balnor to the moment the Drow Elves attack his family. With Balnor leveling up with the group, he’s strong enough to defend his village. The group tearfully wishes Balnor goodbye and good luck as Alannis guides Balnor away.

I wasn’t crying. Nope. Not at all. I am so happy for Balnor! He gets to explain all of this to his son, Bobby. How his dad saved the world and how his dad protected him. This was a great send-off to Balnor who is arguably the most important NPC in this campaign.

This might be my all-time favorite TTRPG campaign. There were so many great moments. As far as what’s next, I’m going to listen to Trinyvale which is a campaign that Caldwell DMs. After that, I’m going to listen to Hot Boy Summer which Emily DMed. My goal is to get all caught up on campaign #3. It will be weird to have to wait for the next NADDPOD episode to drop. I still have some time before that happens.

1Nov2024

Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver

Posted in Reading/Books by Bizarre Brunette

CW: Accidental Cannibalism. I am not making this up. Here’s a list of all content warnings for Butcher & Blackbird.

Photo of a book cover for Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver. It shows a couple in pink and different pink symbols surrounding them including a chainsaw, bones, a skull, an axe and birds.

Dark romance is a genre I avoid, it usually feels a bit too much for me. With that said, I’m not here to dump hate on a subgenre as everyone has different book tastes. When I read the content warnings for Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver and saw Accidental Cannibalism as a topic covered in this book, I had to read it. Accidental Cannibalism, how does that even happen. This book was going to be a book I loved or hated. Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver was unhinged; I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.

Sloane and Rowan are serial killers who kill other serial killers. In a chance encounter, they become fast friends and decide to have a competition. They figure out where a serial killer lives and then compete as to who can find them and kill them first. After spending time together, they hook up and develop feelings for each other. Can two serial killers love one another? or are they destined to meet a grisly end in their violent game?

This book was SO FILTHY. This was the dirtiest, smuttiest book I have ever read. Sloane and Rowan’s chemistry was on fire. I don’t normally blush when I read smut, but my face was pink when I read certain sections of this. I think it’s easy to reduce this book to its sexier portions, but moving away from that, I liked Sloane and Rowan’s romance. Sloane drew this picture of a raven that Rowan tattoos on his body, that’s true love. They had this banter back and forth that felt natural. I love these two together.

As one would have it, this book is over the top. I hate to be practical, but I find it odd that Sloane and Rowan haven’t gotten caught yet. They leave their crime scenes without cleaning anything, how have they not been captured? I get it, this is a romance book, let’s suspend some disbelief. The biggest gripe I have with this is how unrealistic this concept is.

Butcher & Blackbird is a book I’m surprised is a new favorite of mine and I’m glad I gave this book a chance. Although, I hate how this book ruined Cookies & Cream Ice Cream. I rated Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver four stars on Goodreads.

29Oct2024

Critical Role Live Show Announcement

Posted in Life Lately by Bizarre Brunette

Image is a screenshot Critical Role posted on Beacon. It says at the top "How Do You Want To Do This?" With Critical Role 10 Years & Still Rolling below. The image is split into two halves. The left half has a lot of the show dates with the right half showing various pictures of the Critical Role cast. — The image was posted to Beacon by the cast of *Critical Role.*

By the time this post is live, I may or may not have secured tickets to one of Critical Role’s live shows. I was at work when I heard about Critical Role’s live show announcement and could not be more excited. I told my husband repeatedly that if Critical Role was in the Chicago area or a city nearby, I would make the time to see them. My husband is so sweet and offered to go with me, so I wouldn’t have to go alone. Since I’m a Beacon subscriber, I get early access to purchase tickets. I’m trying not to get overly excited in case I can’t get tickets for their live show.

Another exciting portion of this announcement is their live show in Indianapolis. I quickly confirmed that Critical Role will be in Indianapolis the same weekend as Gen Con. This makes me hopeful that Darrington Press will also be at Gen Con promoting Candela Obscura and Daggerheart. It’s too early to tell if that will be the case, but I missed seeing Darrington Press at Gen Con this year.

No matter what happens, I’m happy to see Critical Role hosting live shows. I went to NADDPOD’s live show a few years ago and it was great to be around fans. TTRPG live shows are a unique experience and I’d love to be a part of the audience at one of these live shows.

26Oct2024

The Serpent & The Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

Posted in Reading/Books by Bizarre Brunette

CW: Violence, Torture, Flashbacks to SA, Emotional Abuse. (I will not go into detail about any of this in my review.

It took me two and a half months, but I finally finished reading The Serpent & The Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent. I purchased this book at Tropes & Trifles after seeing the book described as “Hunger Games with Vampires.” I couldn’t agree more. I’d also add that anyone who enjoys Sarah J. Maas would probably enjoy this series. The Serpent & The Wings of Night has me hooked and I’m curious to see how the rest of the series will play out.

Oraya is a human woman rescued by Vincent, the King of The House Of Night. Vincent has been training Oraya to be more than her human self, so she can defend herself when necessary. Part of that training was to aid Oraya as she entered the Kejari, a bloodthirsty competition where the winner would receive a gift from Nyaxia, the goddess of vampires. Oraya is introduced to Raihn, a Rishan vampire and Vincent’s sworn enemy. Oraya and Raihn team up as they need to survive all the trials, each having their own agenda for winning. As they train together, their bond strengthens and Oraya is tested between her allegiance to her father and the love she’s developing for Raihn.

I am obsessed with all the lore in this book. I loved Obitraes, the three vampire houses, how they came to be, and how Nyaxia fits into this. As a Dungeons & Dragons player, Nyaxia was giving Raven Queen vibes. The similarities between the two are uncanny. The book has this darker tone and shows the horror the vampires inflict on humans and each other. I’m glad there was a map to reference with a glossary list of terms, so I could quickly page back and forth if I was ever confused about any of the terminology. If Carissa Broadbent were to write more books within Obitraes, I would buy them all.

As far as the characters, I loved Oraya. She was angry, scorned, and strong. She can hold her own against the vampires she seeks to destroy. The only thing I would have wished for is for Oraya to have something else about her besides only wanting to kill vampires. Her personality was a little lackluster because she only has room for vengeance and I’d like to see more from her as a character. Raihn is the stereotypical Romantasy male character and I’m here for it. I liked the banter Oraya and Raihn had. Also, I liked how much consent was present throughout this book. With vampires, there’s always a blurry line with vampires feeding from humans and I felt this book was respectful in developing Oraya and Raihn’s relationship.

I’m highlighting everything I loved about this book, so this should easily be a five-star book, right? I mentioned this already, but this book took me two and a half months to finish which is way too long. Every time I read this book, I’d read fifty pages and then not read for several weeks. It’s funny because every time I read a chapter, I enjoy it. This book has so much lore dump which slowed down the book for me. While the Kejari was interesting, seven trials were a lot. This book could have benefitted from cutting some things and the story would have been the same.

I’m hooked. There are so many cliffhangers and I’m curious how much will be revealed in the next books in the series. I rated The Serpent & The Wings of Night four stars on Goodreads.

23Oct2024

Hunting Monsters in Kingdom Death

Posted in Gaming by Bizarre Brunette

Last weekend, me and my brother drove a few hours away to visit friends. Our main goal was to set up regular gaming days as we always talked about getting together more frequently throughout the year and it wouldn’t happen. Our main goal was to find time to play Kingdom Death, a horror cooperative miniature game. My first introduction to Kingdom Death was at Gen Con in 2019. The line for Kingdom Death’s booth is massive. I have always wanted to try playing Kingdom Death and it finally happened. I liked Kingdom Death and would play the game again, but Kingdom Death is not for the weak.

Image is a photo of a bird's eye view of a game. There's a White Lion mini and four other mini's nearby the White Lion. There are two sets of black dice off to the side.

As mentioned, Kingdom Death is a horror, miniature game. Unlike Warhammer where players go up against each other, in Kingdom Death, players have to work together to set up a settlement, build resources, and go up against monsters. I was warned that Kingdom Death is brutal and that’s absolutely the case. I went through three characters who all died by the end. To begin the game, each player is given a sheet to name their character and provide basic stats. I jokingly named my character Mariah as I thought it would be funny to name my character after myself knowing they wouldn’t live long. After setting up our characters, we did a prologue section where our group went after a White Lion. After succeeding, we made camp and began to create our settlement. I had rolled for our group and rolled a 1, therefore, our settlement was much smaller than we would have liked.

Image is a photo of a character sheet with the name "Mariah" written on it. To the right is a card of Lion Testes which is quite literally lion testicles.

This is where things started to deteriorate for our group. Our characters had to begin a hunt to collect resources to make weapons and armor. We went up against another White Lion and I had wounded the creature. To make matters worse, I gained the White Lion’s testes, which made me the permanent target for the lion. Oops. As such, I was mauled and my character died. Our whole group kept rolling so poorly that we all ended up being TPKed (total party kill). As we returned to camp, we gained resources, but in a settlement encounter, two more members of our settlement were killed, so only four people remained. This meant that if we didn’t survive the next encounter, we would lose the game since everyone in our settlement died.

What I enjoyed most about Kingdom Death is how players have to work together. I struggled to get into miniature games in the past for a multitude of reasons. I found it difficult to keep my armies straight and predict how my opponent would move their army. With Kingdom Death, we all struggled together, so I found it bound us together when times were tough. Another thing I loved about Kingdom Death is the minis. The minis are horrifying. The Screaming Antelope is disgusting with its belly opening into a huge mouth with massive teeth. The White Lion, while basic, is a menacing mini. There are multiple other creatures and bosses we didn’t have time to face, but my friend showed me those minis and they are detailed. I could see myself buying and painting Kingdom Death minis in the future even if I don’t play them.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Kingdom Death as I went into the game not knowing much. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed our session. I can understand why the game is as popular as it is. I would be open to playing Kingdom Death again. If I do opt to go to Gen Con again next year, I will swing by Kingdom Death’s booth and maybe I will purchase a mini this time.

20Oct2024

With Love From Cold World by Alicia Thompson

Posted in Reading/Books by Bizarre Brunette

I have quickly been incorporating audiobooks into my routine. I listen to audiobooks the most while I’m at work and if the audiobook is interesting enough, I will listen to it while driving. I had With Love, From Cold World by Alicia Thompson on hold since August? I heard mixed opinions about her books, so I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this one. I was pleasantly surprised! With Love, From Cold World was so cute, and I plan on reading more of Alicia Thompson’s books in the future.

Before I get into the review, I just have to say, that it’s so odd when female audiobook narrators try to mimic male voices. The audiobook narrator especially during the intimate scenes was trying to lower her voice and it did not work. It was so CRINGE. Can we please have more male audiobook narrators out there? Please and thanks.

Lauren Fox works at Cold World, a winter-themed theme park in Florida. Lauren enjoys what she does, but she contemplated going back to school. Lauren has been bickering with her co-worker, Asa Williamson, as he constantly bothers her. Lauren and Asa are paired up to create a proposal to help generate more revenue for Cold World. Lauren and Asa’s partnership develops into something more as they spend more time together.

I liked both Lauren and Asa as characters. They both had interesting stories and perspectives that I think contributed to how they interacted with each other. In romance, I think it’s easy to have two characters, they hook up, break up, and then stay together in the end and that’s the whole book. In With Love, From Cold World, listening to Lauren and Asa as they talked about their pasts, I felt for them! They both had been through so much and I think they bonded over their hardships. At first, I wasn’t fully convinced they would be good together as I initially thought they were better off as friends. By the end of the book, these two were adorable together.

Besides the romance, I thought there were so many memorable moments. One scene that comes to mind is Lauren berating Asa’s parents for abandoning him. I listened to this while driving home from a friend’s house and was like “YES LAUREN”. We love seeing the female lead calling out Asa’s problematic parents. Besides this scene, I liked how the theme park served as the setting for the story. If this existed in Florida, I’d go to it, why not?

With Love, From Cold World was so cute. Besides the cringe audiobook narrator, this was a book I looked forward to listening to. To avoid any more cringy audiobook narrations, I’m going to read Alicia Thompson’s physical books in the future. I rated With Love, From Cold World four stars on Goodreads.

17Oct2024

Midnight in Salem

Posted in Gaming by Bizarre Brunette

It’s been a bit since I last played a Nancy Drew PC game. This is the eleventh Nancy Drew game I played and I still am not halfway done with completing all of them. I was contemplating which game I wanted to play next and figured Midnight in Salem would be a good pick since it takes place in Salem, MA. Midnight in Salem is a departure from the previous Nancy Drew games, but I don’t think that’s bad.

Midnight in Salem begins with Nancy investigating a room in a castle. Her father, Carson Drew, asks Nancy to look for a book. When she finds it in a hidden compartment, a thief shows up to steal the book. While Nancy does her best to recover it, the thief gets away. Meanwhile, Nancy is called to Salem to help investigate a fire set on a historical building. Someone in the town is blamed for the crime, but Nancy is not convinced she did it. As usual, Nancy talks to the townsfolk, goes on a ghost-walking tour, and discovers the true culprit.

I mentioned how Midnight in Salem was a departure from the previous games. The controls in this game were noticeably different. To view an area, I had to hold down the right mouse and move it around to see an area versus the point-and-click motion from the previous games. At first, this was clunky and I did not like it. However, once I was used to it, it was fine. Another noticeable change was Nancy’s smartphone. Instead of logging her tasks in her journal, she has her phone which lists her task list. Most of the Nancy Drew games came out in the early 2000s, so I liked how this game made her character more modern. With the tasklist, I felt the tasklist was short and concise. In previous games, there would be eight or nine tasks to complete. This task list featured broad goals and it made the game way more straightforward than other games I played in the franchise.

When I played Midnight in Salem, it reminded me of Ghost of Thornton Hall because there were jump scares in both games. To be clear, I do not do well with jump scares or horror games, so while I may think this game has jump scares, some might disagree. I thought it made for the perfect game to play before Halloween.

With this being a more recent Nancy Drew game, I liked the inclusion of achievements. There are 23 achievements to unlock. Most of them are story related and there are a few that I didn’t unlock when I first played the game. I like the inclusion of achievements because it adds replay value to the game. If I want to play this game again, it gives me something new to unlock.

Midnight in Salem has some mixed reviews on Steam and I get it. This game is different than other Nancy Drew games. Once I got past the initial shock of this being a different game, I found myself enjoying this game a lot. I loved the setting, the mystery, and the history revealed throughout Nancy’s time in Salem. I’d put Midnight in Salem towards the top of my list of favorite Nancy Drew games I have played.

14Oct2024

The Return of MNCBA FallCon

Posted in Life Lately by Bizarre Brunette

Before the pandemic, I used to go to these comic conventions called SpringCon and FallCon. Hosted at the Minnesota State Fair Grounds, they focused heavily on comics and featured local comic creators. I’m not exactly sure why, but this event went through a hiatus in which this convention didn’t happen. I’m not aware of the exact reason, I’m sure the pandemic had something to do with it. I’m happy to say the convention has returned and is trying to gain traction in the Minnesota convention scene. I tabled at FallCon with Twin Cities Geek and hope to see this convention back at the Fair Grounds.

Image is a photo of the FallCon brochere. It has a glowing squirrel lit up by black and yellow.

FallCon is a different type of convention than other conventions I have been to. With the heavy focus on comics, this event doesn’t have gaming or a ton of panels. Instead, it’s like an indoor market where vendors are set up. Vendors range from local comic book stores to independent artists, and booths like Twin Cities Geek handing out free stuff. Since that’s the case, I would highly recommend bringing cash to spend. I like walking down the aisles and seeing what I find. I stop and flip through comics in bins or I listen as someone tells me about their comic and why they created it.

Image is a photo of me we, wearing a baby yoda mask, and holding a black gloved hand into a fist. I'm looking at the camera.

I wouldn’t say FallCon has a big cosplay scene, but that doesn’t stop me from cosplaying. I was mulling around what cosplay I wanted to wear and settled on Jessica Jones. I cosplayed as Jessica Jones at Twin Cities Con one year and it’s nice that I have everything in my closet to pull from. I wore a black body suit, faux leather jacket, black gloves, light blue jeans, and black combat boots. I like this cosplay because it’s subtle. For those who aren’t familiar with Jessica Jones, you would think I’m wearing my normal clothes. As I was leaving the convention, someone stopped to take my photo. I wasn’t expecting it as this is a pretty normal cosplay.

Part of the reason I love tabling at conventions is talking with people. All it takes is for someone to walk by our booth, make eye contact, and by me saying hello, they come over to talk to me. I tell them about Twin Cities Geek and what we do. It’s entertaining and it makes the day go by fast. With FallCon, there were fewer people there than I had anticipated there would be. Having fewer people attend means less money is spent on vendors who are paying for a table to be there. I wasn’t there on Saturday, so I hope Saturday was busier. It felt oddly desolate for a convention when in years past, there would be several groups of people walking up and down the aisles.

With that said, I was glad I made it to the convention. It reminds me why I love reading comics and why I am glad to be a part of this part of the geek community.

11Oct2024

My Favorite X-Men The Animated Series Episodes

Posted in Bizarre Brunette Big-Screen Watches by Bizarre Brunette

Image is a promotional image for X-Men The Animated Series. To the left, there's Magneto looking menacingly to the X-Men who are featured front and center.

After watching Deadpool & Wolverine, I was reinspired to finish watching X-Men The Animated Series on Disney+. I have been watching X-Men on and off for close to three years. I would watch a few episodes, then take a break, watch a few episodes, then take a break. I decided enough was enough and I devoted time to finish the series. I’m glad I did because I think the show still holds up all these years later. Instead of writing a traditional review, I wanted to share some of my favorite episodes from the show.

Night of the Sentinels Part 1 – Season #1 Episode 1

Night of the Sentinels is the first episode of the series. In this episode, the Sentinels attack and go after Jubilee. Jubilee is eventually recruited by the X-Men after the attack is thwarted. I picked this episode as a favorite because it starts the series with a bang. On top of that, Jubilee becomes a valued member of the X-Men. Jubilee develops a great friendship with Wolverine throughout the episodes. She brings youth and positive energy to the X-Men which I think they needed.

Repo Man – Season #2 Episode 5

Repo Man is the fifth episode of the second season and focuses on Wolverine. Wolverine goes to meet a woman from his past and is captured. Through flashbacks, we see Wolverine being injected with Adamantium which explains his increased healing factor. Wolverine is helped by several allies to escape the facility.

One of the many reasons that X-Men The Animated Series holds up is how great the show is at highlighting classic comic storylines. If someone is ever new to comics or to the X-Men in general, this show is a great way to introduce someone to the characters. Wolverine is often seen as the face of the X-Men and his story is tragic. He has powers, but because he can be healed so quickly, it makes him close to immortal. That’s a lot to grapple with and that’s what makes Wolverine’s story so interesting.

A Rogue’s Tale – Season #2 Episode 9

In A Rogue’s Tale, this episode focuses on Rogue and how she came to be. When Rogue gained power, her father was abusive. Rogue is forced to flee and struggles with her powers.

When X-Men 97 was released on Disney+, fans critiqued the series for making the X-Men “woke”. I can’t help but laugh. The X-Men have always been political. Charles and Magneto represent two ideas of fighting for basic rights. Charles serves as the pacificist who doesn’t want to hurt humans even though some truly hate the existence of mutants. Magneto offers a hint of brutality and why should he protect humans when they hate him. It can’t get more political than that. The X-Men are all about fighting for equality.

With this episode, the look of Rogue’s father reminds me of Trump supporters. Rogue’s father is wearing a baseball cap with the American flag. He believes he’s a patriot because he loves his country, but can’t even learn to love his own daughter? I think this episode is one of the more tragic episodes in the series and it’s done so well.

No Mutant is an Island – Season #3 Episode 8

This episode is a Cyclops-focused episode where he confronts Killgrave! For those unaware of who Killgrave is, he’s a villain with mind-control capabilities. He was played wonderfully by David Tennant in Jessica Jones. I wasn’t expecting to see Killgrave in this series, so I thought this episode was a pleasant surprise.

Nightcrawler – Season #4 Episode 8

In Nightcrawler, this is what you would expect as Nightcrawler’s introduction in the series. While in Germany, Wolverine hears rumors of a demon in the area. When Wolverine confronts the demon, he realizes he’s also a mutant named Nightcrawler. Wolverine and the other X-Men protect Nightcrawler from the other townsfolk. This was another solid episode. I like how this series focuses on each member of the X-Men and how they get their episode to shine

Family Ties – Season #4 Episode 13

This episode centers around Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver discovering Magento is their father. Scarlet Witch is one of my favorite Marvel superheroes, so any episode that features her front and center will automatically be a favorite of mine.

Old Soldiers – Season #5 Episode 7

Old Soldiers is a flashback episode where Wolverine teams up with Captain America during World War II. During their mission, they encounter Red Skull, another classic supervillain in comics. This episode was unexpected, I did not think any of The Avengers would appear, so I had to add this episode to my list.

This post ended up being much longer than I anticipated! I consolidated my list and removed episodes I originally had. If you have been watching X-Men The Animated Series, let me know in the comments which episodes you liked the most.