By Thistle, on July 23rd, 2010
After collecting a bit of information from and about Kingdom of Adventure, we’re confident we’ve a few suggestions that can help to grow the business without jeopardising the existing customer base. They’re offered informally and presented as ‘zero cost’ options, so it’s up to the owner, or any other FLGS owner, to make [...]
By Thistle, on July 20th, 2010
An interesting email arrived from Favourite Local Game Store (FLGS) Kingdom of Adventure, which is based in the Scottish town of Kirkcaldy. The store’s owner runs a successful ‘comics, RPGs and wargames’ model that’s ideally suited to delivering a loyal customer base.
A quick look at the website, (and related [...]
By Thistle, on February 3rd, 2010
Between us we get through several graphic novels a month. Some of them probably merit a post but don’t make the cut. That’s mainly because sticking to ‘the best of the best’ helps to showcase the entertainment (and skills) delivered by good graphic novels. Another reason is to avoid disappointing fans of graphic [...]
By Thistle, on October 18th, 2009
Just a quick mention for the Wolverine standalone Not Dead Yet. None of us would usually try or buy a Wolverine ‘standalone’ collection packaged as a graphic novel. But a Warren Ellis storyline is always worth a glance and Leinil Francis Yu’s artwork drags you in. The action sequences work particularly well.
By Thistle, on September 1st, 2009
Blankets by Craig Thompson
Craig Thompson’s semi-autobiographical story about first love and growing up in a deeply religious community demonstrates a full range of graphic and storytelling skills. The brushed images are ‘to die for’ and consistently strong across hundreds of pages. The pace and content of the script is skilfully paced [...]
By Thistle, on August 23rd, 2009
300 by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley
The 300 is based more on the Hollywood movie of the same name than exact historical details of the battle at Thermopylae. Nevertheless, it presents a dramatic account of how Leonidas and his Spartans stood against King Xerxes’ massive Persian army. Miller’s composition and execution [...]
By Thistle, on August 20th, 2009
Charley’s War by Pat Mills and Joe Colquhoun
Charley’s War had a dramatic effect on publishers produced battle comics in the UK between the 1950s and the 1980s. The comic’s setting in World War 1 was an indication of what Mills and Colquhoun had in mind, as they turned away from the [...]
By Thistle, on August 19th, 2009
Plenty of games owe a debt to comic books and graphic novels, which provide a regular source of new ideas and inspiration for game designers and artists. The time when comic books were just for kids is long past and many games have been influenced by, or based on, ideas and [...]