Dungeons and Dragons is a great game and a terrific innovation on war games, but it has a dark side. First there was that Tom Hanks movie. Then the game spawned a whole category of fiction that is no less than a crime against humanity.

The problem with D&D-inspired fiction isn't especially with the semi-medieval setting, the funny-ha-ha uncouth barbarians, or the haughty elves. The problem is that most of the stories in the "based on a D&D campaign!" genre can be summed up like this: "Some guys fought some guys, then they went for ale." A gripping game is not a gripping read.

So the first thing you may think when you hear that The Gods of Arr-Kelaan is based on a D&D game is that you're in for a lot of pain. You're not.

Say, did you know science-fiction fans like Star Trek more than they probably should?

Not only that, but Republicans are unconcerned about the poor, gay men are stylish, and Italian men are good lovers! It's true! And those are only the first few revelations you can get from sampling our pop culture!

Heroes, Kids, and Hope

Tonight was the night I'd been waiting a year for.

Spiderman 2 was finally out, and while I'd promised my friends back in my old college town I'd see it with them on Friday, the geek in me was screaming to see it ASAP. So I bought my ticket a day in advance, put off drawing my comic for a few hours, and headed out to the theater.

For over two years now, fans of beautiful graphics in space battle scenes and beautiful female characters have been aware of Angels 2200, a series set in a well-developed future where most men have died off in the previous generation due to a bioengineered plague. With a gritty military militarism similar to Space: Above and Beyond but with a cast and a sense of fun not unlike the first Charlie's Angels movie, Peter Haynes and Nathan Savio have been pursuing this unique vision.