Magic: The Gathering: Rise Of The Gatewatch: A Visual History
Hardcover | Kindle
Magic The Gathering Accessory
Abrams ComicArts and Wizards Of The Coast
Release Date: July 23, 2019

I try to be upfront with everything I write, folks. So when I say I have never in my entire life played Magic: The Gathering, I hope you know I am not kidding. When it was first coming out, I was well aware of it but only because at that time I was living above a comic shop and found myself constantly in there for one reason or another. This now defunct but eternally glorious shop was my refuge, just as it was for so many others. I saw the fervor with which newcomers took to the game but it sadly held no allure for me. I was and still am a diehard tabletop role-playing fan, but the entire concept of a trading card game just did not appeal to me. And until quite recently I had no idea there was more to it than the simple mechanics of gameplay. This is in no small way because of Magic: The Gathering: Rise of the Gatewatch.

The book itself is a fairly straight forward homage to the game with elaborate backstories and beautiful art for each of the eight planeswalkers, plus the added bonus of one of the most evil beings in the multiverse! The histories included show the planeswalkers in a variety of lights. Not every one of them is heroic, though most are to be sure. And while I may never play a single round of the game, I now see what appeals to those who do. It is just as gripping as what I would consider traditional gaming, though this has been around long enough that I must give it the due it deserves.

Over twenty years after being introduced as the first Trading Card Game, Magic: The Gathering is being optioned for the silver screen. 20th Century Fox recently closed the deal that gives them access to the franchise for the purpose of creating a feature film, though it has been rumored they might seek to rival other huge fantasy movie franchises in the future.

At the helm is Simon Kinberg, a writer and producer who already works closely with Fox. Word has it that he’ll be working closely with Hasbro’s Daniel Persitz to bring this to fruition. Assisting him in this are Kira Goldberg and Ryan Jones who were directly involved in the acquisition of the rights to M:TG. There’s not a lot of details right now but we’ll be bringing you updates as we get them.

Zero Charisma
Director: Katie Graham, Andrew Matthews
Screenwriter: Andrew Matthews
Cast: Sam Eidson, Garrett Graham, Brock England, Anne Gee Byrd, Cyndi Williams, Brian Losoya, Vincent Prendergast, Katie Folger, John Gholson, Dakin Matthews

Directed by Andrew Matthews and Katie Graham and written by Matthews, Zero Charisma is an indie-comedy about an obsessive fantasy nerd who becomes unhinged when a charming hipster joins his role-playing game.

Graham and Matthews served as Director of Photography and Editor, respectively, for Michael Stephenson‘s award-winning documentaries Best Worst Movie and The American Scream. They make their directorial debut with Zero Charisma, which is also Executive Produced by Stephenson.

The film stars Sam Eidson (Natural Selection, My Sucky Teen Romance) as Scott Weidemeyer, a metal-loving gamer geek who lives with his crazy grandmother and works a dead-end job at a donut shop. But every Tuesday night, the terminally uncool Scott is the all-powerful Game Master, guiding his role-players through a tabletop journey of dark fantasy and adventure.

Mike of Spiked Math Comics has created a parody of TCG Magic: The Gathering that only a true science/math geek will understand.

Anyone who has ever played the Magic: The Gathering card game will probably remember the high price of the game’s original beta print run. These cards are basically the same as the first set regular edition cards except for some sizing differences. Collectors, on the other hand, must have them.

If you’ve got $89,000 collecting dust in some savings fund, you can head on over to eBay to bid on a Beta Black Lotus with a grade of 10, which is allegedly the only one in existence.

For anyone that doesn’t play Magic or has never played it, a mint condition Beta Black Lotus card is the equivalent to an Amazing Fantasy #15 for comic book geeks. If you don’t know the significance of either of those two items then you need to keep reading our site for further knowledge of geek culture.

Brian Kibler was victorious in the final match to win the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour-Austin, which means he has the recognition of being the top player in one of the largest competitions and takes home a nice $40,000 in prize money. Also, there was a trophy I’m told.

For those of you who don’t play Magic, it’s a Collectible Card Game that has been around for decades. For those of you who have played Magic, yes, you read that headline correctly.

The second place winner, Tsuyoshi Ikedaat, who lost in the final matchup against Kibler, took home a modest $20,000 and the others in the top 8 were awarded anywhere from $15,000 to $9,500.

Why am I telling you all this? Partially because I think it’s cool that a nontraditional competition has gained enough steam over the years to do pro tournaments and offer up prize money. This is a game that lives in the local comic shops of the world and is very much a part of geek culture.