Tag: DC Comics

The Weekly LIVE 261 – Super Hero Trademark Defeated, Darktide Card Game, Mythic Dissolves and Mothership Collaboration

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Marvel and DC Comics have lost their joint trademark for the term “super hero” after decades of holding it. Initially, the trademark was obtained in collaboration with Ben Cooper, Inc., a costume maker who had licensed Marvel and DC characters in the 1960s. After a series of legal disputes involving companies like Mego Corporation, Marvel and DC became joint owners of the “super hero” trademark in 1977, solidifying their control over its use across various media. Over the years, both companies aggressively defended this trademark, opposing various businesses that tried to use the term. However, this year, after Marvel and DC failed to respond to legal challenges, a U.S. court invalidated their trademark, allowing other entities like Superbabies to use the term without restriction.

“Darktide: The Card Game,” a new Warhammer 40,000-themed card game coming in 2025. Meanwhile, Mythic Games, a company plagued by crowdfunding controversies involving delays, miscommunication, and unmet promises, has dissolved, marking the end of its turbulent existence in the tabletop gaming industry.

Mythic Games, a tabletop role-playing and board game company, has filed for liquidation due to a series of controversies and financial difficulties. The company, known for its crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter, faced backlash for significant delays in delivering games, poor communication with backers, and unmet promises regarding stretch goals and content quality. Notably, games like Reichbusters: Projekt Vril and Solomon Kane suffered extended delays, while backers of Super Fantasy Brawl and Joan of Arc were disappointed by missing or lower-quality content. Financial mismanagement became a concern as backers speculated that funds from newer campaigns were being used to fulfill older projects, a practice dubbed “Kickstarter juggling.” Rising production costs, shipping challenges, and the global economic climate exacerbated these problems. A lawsuit over the Time of Legends: Joan of Arc campaign and unexpected increases in shipping costs further damaged the company’s reputation.

The indie RPG “Mothership” is back with a new collaborative funding effort on Backerkit, featuring a variety of new projects from different creators. This “collab-funding” initiative seeks to expand the sci-fi horror universe of “Mothership” with new content, including modules that explore bounty hunting and mystery-driven adventures.

#superhero #darktide #mythicgames #mothershiprpg

Unboxing D&D Expert Set:

https://youtu.be/l1Pef7vq-EQ

High School Cthulhu:

https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/gear-games/high-school-cthulhu-roleplaying-game

Submit to Wharf Rat Games:

https://wharfratgames.com/submissions

Alien 2E Kickstarter Campaign URL: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1192053011/alien-rpg-second-edition-and-rapture-protocol

4-Hour Dune RPG Review:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/review-dune-in-106781242

Humble Bundle (affiliate link):

https://www.humblebundle.com/?partner=upturnedtable

Check out our new shirts on Red Bubble:

https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/161648028?ref=studio-promote

Try Fantasy Grounds VTT (affiliate link):

http://affiliates.fantasygrounds.com/360148/15958

Outgunned RPG – Action Hero Pledge UNBOXING:

https://youtu.be/IYDyzNvQQKo

Shop at Noble Knight Games (affiliate link)

https://www.nobleknight.com/affiliate/aw.asp?B=3&A=1312&Task=Click

Dragonbane Actual Play Episode One:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC9u841QuXM

Dragonbane Core Set:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/418106/Dragonbane-Core-Set

Dragonbane Free Quickstart:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/409397/Dragonbane-Quickstart

Support Us by Shopping on DTRPG (afilliate link):

https://www.drivethrurpg.com?affiliate_id=2081746

Matt’s DriveThruRPG Publications:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.php?author=Matthew%20Robinson

https://substack.com/@matthewrobinson3

Chris on social media:

https://hyvemynd.itch.io/​​

Abusecartoons Weekly Cartoons:

http://www.abusecartoons.com/​​

https://www.twitch.tv/abusecartoons

https://twitter.com/abusecartoons

​​Support Us on Patreon:

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Intro song is “Chips” by KokoroNoMe

https://kokoronome.bandcamp.com/

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The Weekly LIVE 208 – Highlander RPG, Stronghold Games Defends AI, Monsters! Monsters! 2.7, Larry Elmore Volume 3 and Fables in Public Domain

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Highlander Cinematic Adventure: Evil Genius Games has released a “Cinematic Adventure” for its Everyday Heroes RPG, based on the Highlander movie franchise. Written by Sigfried Trent with an adventure designed by Ree Soesbee, the adventure focuses on the first Highlander film and introduces a few subclasses and a unique dueling mechanic for Immortal characters. While it doesn’t delve deeply into the lore of Highlander, it offers a fun RPG experience.

Terraforming Mars AI Art Controversy: Publisher Stronghold Games has faced some backlash from fans after using AI-generated content, such as artwork, in an upcoming board game expansion for Terraforming Mars. Some backers were surprised by the use of AI tools for art creation, and Kickstarter now requires creators to justify their use of AI in projects. Concerns are raised about the potential impact of AI-generated art on artists’ job opportunities in the industry.

Monsters! Monsters! 2.7 on Kickstarter: Ken St. Andre and Steven Crompton have launched a Kickstarter campaign for “Monsters! Monsters! Rules 2.7 & Crystal Caves Challenge solo,” an expanded RPG rulebook and adventure. The project offers various books, standees, maps, and adventures, exploring the world of Zimrala with a focus on monsters. It’s the latest installment in the Monsters! Monsters! series, offering a comprehensive rulebook for fans of the RPG.

Larry Elmore’s Complete Elmore Volume III: Larry Elmore, a renowned fantasy artist, has announced the third and final volume of his career retrospectives, titled “The Complete Elmore III: Highlights of a Path Well Traveled.” This hardcover book will feature over 300 pieces of art, some previously unpublished, and will put the artwork front and center with minimal commentary. It’s available exclusively through Kickstarter and includes limited-time offers for previous volumes and additional artwork.

Bill Willingham, the creator of the popular comic series Fables, has made a surprising announcement by releasing the entire franchise into the public domain. This decision stems from a deteriorating relationship with DC Comics, with whom he had a long-standing agreement for Fables. Willingham cites various issues with DC, including disputes over contracts and creative control, as reasons for this move. While his contracts with DC remain in force, he believes he can legally relinquish his ownership of Fables, allowing anyone to create new works using the series’ characters and settings. This decision reflects his desire for more equitable intellectual property laws and his frustration with DC’s practices. It also adds to the ongoing discussion about how major comics publishers treat their creators, highlighting issues of compensation and creative control in the industry. The impact of this bold move on Fables’ future and how DC will respond remains uncertain.

Monsters! Monsters! 2.7 Kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stevecrompton/monsters-monsters-rules-27-and-crystal-caves-challenge-solo

Larry Elmore Volume 3 Kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/larryelmore/larry-elmore-the-complete-elmore-volume-iii-hardcover-book

Shop at Noble Knight Games (affiliate link)
https://www.nobleknight.com/affiliate/aw.asp?B=3&A=1312&Task=Click

10% off First Purchase from Modiphius:
http://r.sloyalty.com/r/vhbUPnHm6tIp

Dragonbane Actual Play Episode One:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC9u841QuXM

Dragonbane Core Set:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/418106/Dragonbane-Core-Set

Dragonbane Free Quickstart:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/409397/Dragonbane-Quickstart

Support Us by Shopping on DTRPG (afilliate link):
https://www.drivethrurpg.com?affiliate_id=2081746

Chris on social media:
https://hyvemynd.itch.io/​​
https://twitter.com/hyvemynd​​
https://twitter.com/ConanSalaryman​​

Abusecartoons Weekly Cartoons:
http://www.abusecartoons.com/​​
https://www.twitch.tv/abusecartoons
https://twitter.com/abusecartoons

​​Support Us on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/upturnedtable

Give us a tip on our livestream:
https://streamlabs.com/upturnedtabletop/tip​

Intro song is “Chips” by KokoroNoMe
https://kokoronome.bandcamp.com/

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The Weekly LIVE 153 – Tolkien Gets Embraced, 40th Anniversary Call of Cthulhu Starter Set, DC Comics Deleted and GW Versus Cults 3D

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The Embracer Group has acquired the rights to Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. by purchasing Middle Earth Enterprises. This is one of five acquisitions that cost the Swedish company a reported SEK 6 billion ($576 million). Middle Earth Enterprises was a division of The Saul Zaentz Company, which had stewarded the intellectual property rights to author J. R. R. Tolkien’s worlds for more than 50 years. What does this mean for Amazon’s rights and how will this affect the destruction of established characters from this setting?

To celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Call of Cthulhu we are getting a new release of the Starter Set. This will include updated booklets and handouts. This set also includes the solo adventure that will teach you the rules of the game in a choose-your-own-adventure style booklet. After the fulfillment of Call of Cthulhu Classic (which is actually second edition) this amazing digital restoration of Call of Cthulhu history should also be available.

Warner Bros. Discovery has removed the “comics” from the DC Comics website. Now the URL is simple DC.com. This may be a product of restructuring and streamlining the properties, but it may also be an indication of a future move where Warner Bros. Discovery holds the license and the comics are created elsewhere. That has always been the biggest difference between Marvel and DC comics. The DC characters all have identifiable and trademarked logos on their chests that probably make as much money in licensing as the comics ever did.

Cults3D has posted a statement about a takedown request they have received from Games Workshop. Cults is a 3D printing marketplace that sells user uploaded STL files and also offer a certain amount for free. 200 models were listed as violating trademarked IP with some of these possible being only filenames. Cults is working with the artists on the website to eliminate the offending names, logos or deigns so that they can be re-uloaded. They are also coming back at GW over the free models, saying that the constitute “fan art” and should be left alone. Cults shared the list of infringing terms that reinforces the GW strategy to de-Tolkien-ize their naming to make it legally defensible in situations exactly like this.

#lotr #tolkien #dcomice #cults3D

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The Weekly LIVE 141 – Marvel Loses Conan, Free Quest RPG, More Batman and Thirsty Sword Lesbians Wins Nebula Award

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Marvel Comics is losing the publishing rights to Conan the Barbarian. This may not be a bad thing as Conan was most recently introduced into the main Avengers continuity and teamed up with Wolverine and Venom to fight ninjas. He is also a member of the Savage Avengers. No thanks. Marvel first published the character in 1969 in their anthology comics and had a successful series that was true to the original series pulp stories that ran from 1970-1977. Darkhorse Comics also published a series between 2003 and 2017. Hopefully, now out of Marvel’s grasp the character will get some decent treatment. After surviving a never-made Amazon series and Jason Mamoa it can only be up from here.

Batman Gotham City Chronicles is back for a third season of the successful boardgame by Monolith Games on Kickstarter. In addition there will also be a role-playing game with the same setting as the board game. There will be a solo and a cooperative mode for the board game enabling you to play all your existing adventures, an extension with a campaign mode and of course more miniatures. Why an IP as big as Batman would need Kickstarter is anybody’s guess. The character is the only title with decent sales at DC Comics. I think he could go straight to retail. But the fact that you can play the entire game in French may make a few players think twice.

Quest RPG by the Adventure Guild, the rules light beginner friendly fantasy TTRPG, is now completely free in digital form on the publishers website. This may get me to finally read the rules. They have also announced a scifi setting for the same system. Is this a sign of confidence or desperation? Why do we keep talking about this game?

Thirsty Sword Lesbians by April Kit Walsh, Whitney Delagio, Dominique Dickey, Jonaya Kemper, Alexis Sara, and Rae Nedjadi published by Evil Hat Productions won the awrd for Best Game Writing in 2021. It was competing against Coyote & Crow, Granma’s Hand, Wanderhome and Wildermyth nominated in the same category. Is this a good thing for role-playing games or would a Nebula Award Winner sticker not make you look twice at a tabletop game?
#marvel #conan #questrpg #thirstyswordlesbians

Batman Season 3 Kickstater and RPG:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/806316071/batmantm-gotham-city-chronicles-season-3-and-rpg

Quest RPG Digital for FREE: https://www.adventure.game/store/digital-edition/

Thirsty Sword Lesbians at DTRPG (affiliate link):
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/348096/Thirsty-Sword-Lesbians

Support Us by Shopping on DTRPG (afilliate link): https://www.drivethrurpg.com?affiliate_id=2081746

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The Weekly 058: Patrick Rothfuss RPG, Mile High Comics Responds to DC, Warhammer 40k 9th Edition and The Bitter Reach

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Patrick Rothfuss and James D’Amato are creating an RPG set in the world of the Kingkiller Chronicles. Specifically, the University’s Arcanum where, with the author, Bee Zelda, Satine Phoenix, and Liz Anderson will play four students along with on the OneShot podcast every Monday. Mile High Comics of Denver, Colorado responds to DC Comics leaving Diamond Distribution. The core rules for the 9th edition of Warhammer 40k are released for free. The Bitter Reach, a new expansion and campaign setting for Forbidden Lands by Free League, has been officially released. We did an unboxing if you want a sneak peek.
#freeleague #bitterreach #rcharvey

Danial on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/danialbzl/

Bitter Reach Unboxing:
https://youtu.be/yQprK3jEBZA

http://www.RCHarvey.com
username: idleredhands
password: sneakpeek

Chris on Itch.io:
https://hyvemynd.itch.io/

Abusecartoons Weekly Cartoons:
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https://www.twitch.tv/abusecartoons
https://twitter.com/abusecartoons

Chris on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/hyvemynd
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Idle Red Hands Weekly 055: Single Artist RPGs, Warhammer Inclusion, DC Comics Leaves Diamond, Swords and Wizardry, The Dark Eye Second Bundle and Wretched Game Jam Date Extended

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A great article with interviews on d20 Radio about the rise of single-artist TTRPGs by Egg Embry. Warhammer posts an inclusion statement. It shows a new social awareness at the company and also how you need to present yourself when you are worth more than a billion dollars. DC Comics leaves Diamond Distributors after 25 years, showing us a glimpse of the post-pandemic world. Swords and Wizardry is a streamlined version of White Box Dungeons and Dragons by Frog God Games. The Dark Eye has a second Bundle of Holding for the English language version. Wretched and Alone Game Jam deadline extended until the end of June. Itch.io raised over $5 million with its Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality.

#thedarkeye #wretchedjam #swordsandwizardry

Swords and Wizardry Complete Rulebook FREE on DrivThruRPG:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/86546/Swords-and-Wizardry-Complete-Rulebook?affiliate_id=2081746

Wretched and Alone Game Jam on Itch.io:
https://itch.io/jam/wretched-jam

The Dark Eye Second Bundle of Holding:
https://bundleofholding.com/presents/2020DarkEye

Chris on Itch.io:
https://hyvemynd.itch.io/

Abusecartoons Weekly Cartoons:
http://www.abusecartoons.com/
https://www.twitch.tv/abusecartoons
https://twitter.com/abusecartoons

Chris on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/hyvemynd
https://twitter.com/ConanSalaryman

Idle Red Hands on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/idleredhands

Follow Idle Red Hands:
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Idle Red Hands Weekly 049: Tales From the Loop Boardgame and Series, Warzone is Back, Superman Plays 40k, CMON suspended, Ankh and Frosthaven on Kickstarter

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This week we discuss the Tales From the Loop Amazon series and the well-timed Free League boardgame on Kickstarter. Idle Red Hands is producing The Complete Mutant Chronicles, a video lore series about the Mutant Chronicles and Warzone setting. The Professional Nerd, @BryanCPSteele , announced that Res Nova has the license to produce a new edition of Warzone. The Man of Steel, Henry Cavill confirms his love for Warhammer 40k on Instagram. CMON ceases trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange because of “auditing issues”. They also launched a Kickstarter for Ankh: Gods of Egypt, which is third in the series of games by Eric M. Lang, including Blood Rage and Rising Sun. Fantasy Grounds reports a 150% boost in online sessions on their platform. Now maybe the time to see what a virtual tabletop is all about. The sequel to Gloomhaven is also live on Kickstarter. Frosthaven looks to be an equally impressive game and the designer, Isaac Childes, couldn’t deserve another big success more. He runs a great crowdfunding campaign. Here’s hoping things get back to normal soon and these projects go well.

Apologies for the sound quality this week. We recorded remotely for the first time since the shutdown in Japan. We will get the bugs worked out for next week.

#mutantchronicles #warzone #frosthaven

The Complete Mutant Chronicles Part One:
https://youtu.be/sPUZLTVvlDc

Frosthaven on Kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/frosthaven/frosthaven

Tales From the Loop Boardgame Kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1192053011/tales-from-the-loop-the-board-game

Announcement of the new Warzone with the Professional Nerd, Bryan C.P. Steele:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uByYE0bsL0&t=2560s

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Idle Red Hands Weekly 042: The Rise of Skywalker, The Last God Sourcebook from DC Comics, Second Aeronautica Imperialis Boxed Set and Return to Dark Tower

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Various versions of The Rise of Skywalker have leaked. An Alan Dean Foster treatment and an early script draft by the dismissed director Colin Trevorrow. We have posted our review with the return of Alan to the podcast. DC Comics is releasing a 40-page sourcebook for their fantasy series, The Last God. Oni Press gets into boardgames. The return of the coolest boardgame to ever hit the planet (their words, not mine), Dark Tower is resurrected as The Return to Dark Tower. It burned up Kickstarter and hopefully won’t disappoint. How much nostalgia is there left to grab? #returntodarktower #riseofskywalker #thelastgod

Chris on Itch.io:
https://hyvemynd.itch.io/

Abusecartoons Weekly Cartoons:
http://www.abusecartoons.com/
https://www.twitch.tv/abusecartoons
https://twitter.com/abusecartoons

Chris on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/hyvemynd
https://twitter.com/LoveUTilItHurts

Idle Red Hands on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/idleredhands

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