FeaturedREVIEW:

This month, instead of a single review, each of us on staff will take a moment to step onto the soap box and talk about our favorite books and games for2008. This week, we have Mike Isenberg's top picks for the past year.

Scud: The Disposable Assassin - The Whole Shebang TP- One of my favorite comic series of all time, Scud had been left unfinished and out of print for a decade. This year creator Rob Schrab finally returned to wrap up the story of the vending-machine-robot-gone-rogue, and printed the entire 24-issue series, as well as some extras, in one giant volume.

Black Summer TP- Action, intrigue, and cutting-edge technology clash in this kinetic super-hero espionage story from Warren Ellis and Juan Jose Ryp. When one radical super-hero decides to take democracy into his own hands by assassinating the president, his former teammates suddenly find themselves labeled “public enemies number one,” on the wrong side of the military’s wrath.

Pax Romana #1-4 (Paperback collection slated for early 2009 release)- In this far-reaching time-travel story from Jonathan Hickman, researchers at the Vatican discover time-travel technology, which the Catholic church uses to send a modern army back to the time of Constantine in order to prop up the church throughout history. Less about religion and more about applied sociology and mankind’s struggle against history and human nature, this miniseries was my hidden-gem favorite of 2008.

Scrabble: Folio Edition Okay, so Scrabble isn’t exactly new to 2008. But this edition arrived at our store in 2008, which is when I picked it up, so it’s going on the list. This is the ultimate portable edition of Scrabble, with plastic pieces that click into place and stay there even when the game is folded and stored. For people who like playing board games but also like getting out of the house, this edition is perfect to bring with you out on the town for dinner or drinks. Because “can I buy you a drink?” can get pretty stale, but “can I interest you in a game of Scrabble?” is always a classy line.

Warhammer 40,000: Assault on Black Reach- As a novice to the world of the Warhammer 40K miniatures game, I realized that I could barely afford not to get this box set. Black Reach comes with about $300 worth of miniatures, a portable paperback version of the entire rules section of the new 5^th edition Warhammer 40K main book (itself a $50 value), army lists, rulers, and a full set of specialized dice and templates needed to play. The price tag for the whole set? Just $60. Seriously. I hadn’t even planned on collecting Orks or Space Marine armies (I had started with Necrons), and I still couldn’t resist a deal like that. New players will find a comprehensive introduction to the game, and veterans will find an incredibly cost-effective way to fill out their army lists and get their hands on the new edition of the rules. An incredible bargain.

--MikeI.