Monthly Media Recap - April 2025

Quick note: to keep this from becoming a post of videos, linked titles will now bring you to YouTube to view a trailer. No one was really using the Amazon affiliate links anyway. 

 

For the first time in Monthly Media Recap history, I completed two franchises! 

Was it worth it? Read on!

 

 

Series

 

Goosebumps (S2, Disney+) 

Another good round of weaving multiple books into a single story line. I haven't read a lot of the books so I have no idea how close they may be sticking to the source material. The young main actors are good and like the first season, this is aimed more at kids their age than young readers of the books. The horror this season is body horror-centric and is really well done.

Daredevil Born Again (Disney+)

I'd say this is not only the best Marvel show but one of the best seasons of any show I've seen in recent years. Some complained there wasn't enough Daredevil in the show but that's not what it's about, especially this season. Kinda eerie how much it reflects our country's current situation considering it was written a few years ago.

 

Movies

*Dungeons & Dragons (2000, Prime)

My favorite movie review podcast, Now Playing, is doing a board game retrospective which includes the D&D movies. I hadn't seen this since renting it in the early 2000s and I remember not liking it much. That hasn't changed but after watching the sequels, I appreciate it a little more. There is some fun to it but there's also video game cut scene level CGI, Jeremy Irons overacting like you've never seen, and Marlon Wayans out Jar-Jar-ing Jar-Jar.

Rating: 5/10

 

Dungeons & Dragons LEGO Minifigs

 The latest wave of LEGO blind packed minifigs has arrived from the realm of Dungeons & Dragons! With 2024 being the 50th anniversary of D&D and the recent release of the incredible Red Dragon's Tale set, this minifig series couldn't come at a better time.

When I saw someone on Reddit post they found them recently, I went on the hunt. Suprisingly, my local LEGO store didn't have them yet and I ended up finding them at Walmart. I usually try to limit my minifig collecting to those that are Halloween/horror/monster themed and there are definitely some in this series that fit that bill. Which is not to say there aren't a couple more I want to pick up!

Another Redditor posted that OMG Bricks has a phone app that not only allows you to track your collection but can scan QR codes on the boxes to let you know what's inside! I'm so glad I had this. There were around 20 packs and many of them were the same. Had I picked a few at random, I'm pretty sure I would have gotten a duplicate. There were three of the twelve that I didn't see at all.

Let's open em up after the break!

Hasbro's Dungeons & Dragons - Sheila

 Here we are, finally wrapping up Hasbro's Dungeons & Dragons figure line based on the 80s animated series. The line of figures has had a mediocre reception by fans at best. If they couldn't do these right, I almost would have preferred a retro 3.75" 5 POA line which would likely be what we should have got back in the 80s.

At any rate, here's the final figure...Sheila the thief.

I've mentioned it many times before but whether it's actual tabletop RPGs or computer based games, I tend towards the sneakier, more Dexterity-based classes. (Could it be because my last name is Dexter?) And despite how cool the other kids' magic items are, an invisibility cloak is the one you could get the most day to day use out of.

Hasbro Dungeons & Dragons - Presto

We're almost done rounding out the crew from Hasbro's Dungeons & Dragons animated line. The penultimate kid trapped in a world he never made is Presto the Magic User! Now it's been a minute since I watched the entire series so I don't remember if he actually cast spells himself or if it was all the hat. I mean, I know most everything he did was trying to conjure something out of the hat but did he have the magic in him? If not, is he even a Magic User?

Presto was the only kid that exclusively went by a nickname. Must think he's pretty hot stuff to get by going by one name. The show bible lists him as Albert and in a '96 D&D comic appearance, he introduced himself as Preston, which makes more sense as an origin for Presto.

 

Here's Presto Stayin' Alive with his d4. He also comes with two magic effects and an alternate hair. No, you read that right. Not an alternate head...alternate hair. 

 

Prepare yourself...

 

Hasbro Dungeons & Dragons - Eric

 Back in November, I picked up the second wave of the animated Dungeons & Dragons kids. Thanks to a hot tip, I got them from Target online at a discount, $40 for all three figures! Quick note, the second wave is no longer available online.

One thing they got right with these three is they didn't cut off the side art that overlapped to the other boxes.

Out of all the kids, Eric was always my least favorite. To me he always came across like a whiny, rich brat who was super annoying!

I had high (unreasonable?) expectations for the second wave of figures. Maybe between production runs Hasbro figured out they did some things wrong with the first wave and corrected their mistakes?

Oh, dear reader, if only that were true...

Dark Dungeons (2014)

 Regular visitors know I usually wait until the end of the month to give a recap on what shows/movies I've watched. But after seeing this, I felt it needed its very own post.

When JR Ralls (writer) won $1000 in the lottery, he decided to do something special with it. That thing was to adapt the Chick tract of the same name into live action. The Kickstarter got him enough attention that Zombie Orpheus Entertainment, known for their comedic films about RPGs, jumped on board.

If you're not familiar with Chick tracts, they're preachy, illustrated religious pamphlets. You can read the original Dark Dungeons one right here. Somehow I wasn't aware of this despite it having a cult status in the RPG community for how ridiculous it is. As someone that got into D&D around the age of 13, I can assure you there is nothing nefarious going on at the gaming table...at least not in the games I played (cue mysterious music).

 

They managed to produce something that's true to the source material but also comes across as a satire because of how over the top the original is. Going into the movie, I had only known it was adapting a Chick tract and while I had no trouble believing someone suffering from Satanic Panic would see this as a warning, it became apparent that they were poking me in the ribs as if to say "Can you believe this?"

If you don't at least have a toe in the RPG community, you probably won't get as much enjoyment out of it as someone that knows the difference between a d10 and a d100.You can watch the entire 40 minute short on YouTube.

Roll for intiative!

Lincoln Middle School D&D Club Newsletters (2009)

This week in random fun things I found out on the internet: The Newsletter of the Lincoln Middle School D&D Club.

If you recall my somewhat recent post about my history with D&D (if not, you can read it here), I got my first books when I was in middle school. Unlike the kids at Lincoln Middle, I didn't have a club to play with so until I got to high school, it was just me and these arcane rulebooks making up characters, studying the spell section like it was an actual spellbook, and using random tables to have solo dungeon crawls.

 

 

It looks like the club is mostly playing "original" Basic D&D, the same system I cut my teeth on way back when! The first newsletter does say they play other games and mentions Labyrinth Lord by name. LL is what they call a retro-clone or OSR (Old School Revival). There's quite a few systems out there now that emulate the OG D&D rules with some minor tweaks. While I pretty much understood the rules back then, if I were introducing middle schoolers to role-playing, I'd probably start with something a little less rules intensive.

 

I found these newsletters particularly interesting because they're a snapshot in time and, at the same time, timeless. If not for the dates listed on them, they could almost be from any time after 2007 when Labyrinth Lord was published. It seems like they're intended for GameMasters and players alike but there's also stuff in there that seems to be exclusively for GM eyes only. This also makes me curious about who ran the games. Were they teachers, students, a mix of the two?

 

Dungeons & Dragons Mystery Minis (Series 1) by KidRobot

 It feels like it's been more than a few months since I first caught wind of KidRobot's Dungeons & Dragonis Mystery Mini series. After waiting and waiting to see them pop up at a local store, I deicded to snag a couple online.

As far as blind packed figures go, I felt they're a little pricey. But I say that as someone that has no clue what KidRobot figs are going for right now. Most places I found online have them around $15. I ended up ordering from ToyWiz who had them at $13.99. Plus they gave a first time sign up bonus of 5% off. They also have series 2 up for pre-order so I guess I'll be grabbing a couple more!

Here are the contents and odds for Series 1. If you're not familiar with these creatures, they're all based on the artwork from the original AD&D Monster Manual. That original art is what gives them their interesting, slightly weird style. As you'll see, they basically took the illustration and turned it into a 3D figure. And if I had planned this post out better, I would have taken the pics from the same angle as the illustrations.

Personally, I was hoping for the Dragon or Rust Monster as those stand out for me and take me way back to flipping through the Monster Manual when I first got into D&D . They're just certain ones that have stuck with me. I also like Mimics but prefer them showing off a lot of teeth. So, what did I get?

Hasbro Dungeons & Dragons - Venger & DungeonMaster

 Finally getting around to wrapping up wave 1 of Hasbro's Dungeons & Dragons animated figures and we've got the biggest for last: Venger and DungeonMaster.

Two figures for double the cost, how can you go wrong? If you're lucky, you might be able to find them at 50% at Target. I learned my lesson with pre-ordering all these figures. I could have easily gotten the entire wave at clearance price so no pre-ordering wave 2.

DM is a solid figure and I mean that quite literally! He has no legs and his torso just kind of goes all the way down to his feet, which are also melded into the body. No issues with the shoulder or wrist joints which are the only articulation. He's a cool little figure that I'd keep on my desk at work if that was an acceptable thing to do. Now I feel like I need to get a Black Series Yoda so they can hang out together.

 

Dungeons & Dragons Minatures

 At one point in my teens I started experimenting with painting miniatures. Technically, I don't think any of these are specifically D&D branded figures but I think it makes for a clearer post title then "Little Meal Fantasy Figures." I got my feet a little wet at an even earlier age by messing around with some of the figures from my Dragonriders of the Styx Tower of Night playset.

For the most part, the games I played in were "theater of the mind" and we rarely used maps and minis. If a map was needed, it was usually a quick sketch of the area to give the players a better idea of how things were laid out.

These are by no means high art and were done by a total novice decades before you could go online and find a tutorial for everything under the sun. The paint is old and wearing off in places. Partially because I had no clue about sealing them once done and them all being kept in a long, thin jewelry box like you'd use to keep a watch or bracelet. I should probably give them a better home.

With these being generic figures, it's up to you to decide how to paint them. Since it was so long ago, I can't say what I might have been thinking except black and red look really cool together. I can definitely see this dude cracking some monster skulls.

D&D & Me

Welcome to Dungeons & Dragons month!

 

With the release of the new movie (it's fun!) and having a few figures I wanted to post about, I figured why not post about D&D the whole month? To kick it off, I'll be sharing my memories (what's left of them) on getting into the whole D&D thing.

My intro to D&D goes all the way back to the 80s when you'd rarely hear it mentioned without some kind of reference to the devil, black magic, and/or animal sacrifices. The infamous Satanic Panic of the 80s that hit everything from D&D to comic books to metal/rock music. Ah, the good ol days.

This is what got me into the game, the boxed Basic Set, complete with a set of dice and a crayon that you used to color in the numbers. Before I go any further, I have to give a shout out to Erol Otus who did this cover and lots of other art for D&D. I absolutely love his style! Look him up, you won't be disappointed.

Hasbro Dungeons & Dragons - Hank

 I was going to hold off on the next D&D figure installment but since the second wave just went up for pre-order (affiliate link) I figured it would be a good time to post.

Hank the Ranger is my second favorite kid in the series. Not so much because he's the leader but because he's got the coolest weapon, a bow that shoots endless energy arrows!

 

For those of you that haven't yet experienced the new windowless boxes, here's how the figures and accessories are packed.

 

Hasbro Dungeons & Dragons Figure - Bobby & Uni

 Come, traveler, let us return to the realm of Dungeons & Dragons to meet a boy and his dog...uh, unicorn.

Today we're joined by Bobby the Barbarian and his unicorn friend/pet Uni. Good job with the naming there, kid.

Again, loving the external package design even if the contents are wrapped in thin paper with nothing really to keep them from getting tossed around inside. Remember last time when I said how much I liked the way they were making a larger image with the box sides? Well, someone fell asleep on that.

Where is the top of Hank's bow or Diana's right foot?? I swear this line just gets more disappointing the further down the rabbit hole I go. I can't overstate how much I want to truly love this line but keep feel like I'm getting kicked in the teeth. Oh well, let's see what's in the box.

Hasbro Dungeons & Dragons Figure - Diana

 Well, it took almost 40 years but we are finally getting action figures based on the 80s Dungeons & Dragons cartoon! As soon as it was announced, I knew I was going to go all in on the line...even if I have no idea where I'm going to display them.

We're starting it off with the group's most agile member, Diana the Acrobat. By the way, if you're not familiar with this cartoon, you may at least want to watch the intro to get an idea about the series and characters.

Now, Acrobat itself wasn't really a class in D&D and I always thought it was an odd thing to be when you have Fighters, Thieves, Magic-Users, etc. Earlier the same year the show debuted, the class Thief-Acrobat was introduced in Dragon magazine. I'm guessing having a character be even part Thief was frowned on for a kids cartoon so they went with Acrobat.

This is my first purchase with the plastic-free packaging and I have to say, I like the look of it! The box art is fantastic. I understand some people's gripes with it and I think it's definitely going to lead to an increase of scumbags buying them, tossing some other figure in, and returning it. One thing I'm not a fan of is the figure and accessories are just wrapped in a thin paper and not held down inside the box. It feels really cheap.

Dungeons & Dragons at Spirit Halloween

Are you bored with being a generic fantasy character for Halloween? Spirit has rolled out an official Dungeons & Dragons line of costumes and accessories!

Well, maybe "rolled out" sounds a little ambitious. There's not much in the line for now but let's have a look.

First is fan favorite Drizzt Do'Urden from The Dark Elf Trilogy by R.A. Salvatore. Arguably one of the best known characters from the Forgotten Realms setting. If you like fantasy and haven't read his series, I highly recommend it! The costume looks a little weird on a white dude since Drizzt is a Drow, or Dark Elf, and he has dark skin.

Next is Human Fighter, and his love, Catti-Brie. It's nice to see a tasteful female costume.

Of course, weapons are sold separately! They would all probably look nice hanging on a wall if you're the kind of person that decorates by hanging weapons on your walls.

And finally, saving the best for last...

DungeonMaster from the D&D cartoon! I have to say, this looks a bit off on a taller person. But I'm thrilled that the cartoon is getting some kind of recognition. Maybe they'll put out other characters over the years. I wouldn't necessarily buy any costumes but I could be tempted to pick up a few replicas of the kids' magic items. Also, this opens the door for an adult Warduke costume which I'd totally be down for!

I didn't see these in my local store but you can see everything D&D on Spirit's site.

Seattle's Museum of Pop Culture - Fantasy

As promised in the horror post, here's more of Seattle's Pop Culture Museum!I know I teased sci-fi would be coming up, and it is, just not this go round.

When you think of Fantasy, the first thing that pops into your head may be Harry Potter or mighty warriors fighting dragons. There's some of that on display but we're starting with a different kind of Wizard.

Dungeon Thief Figure (Spy Monkey Creations)

Spy Monkey Creations dropped a new wave of Battle Tribes a couple weeks ago. While they're pretty darn cool, I usually resist the urge to get one from every wave but this drop had a figure I couldn't pass up, the Dungeon Thief.

As usual, the figure comes with multiple heads and an assortment of equipment, like this punch knife and dagger. This one also comes with a belt which is a separate piece that can be removed. I call this head helmet dwarf. Original, right?

This here is mohawk dwarf with warhammer and spiky shield. I'm not a big fan of the shield piece. Because of the bulky design (more below) they never look like the character is holding it quite right. But where they are pretty genius in their design is the other way you can use them. A quick peg swap in the back of the shield...

And it becomes armor plating for your dino warrior dude!

I love this dino head! I'm no dinosaur-ologist but it reminds me of an Ankylosaurus which is one of my favorite extinct lizards. Note without a beard and the belt, you can see more of the torso graphics.

If you've been reading along and had something nagging at the back of your brain that something is familiar about this figure, you're not wrong.

This is what sold me on the figure. It's very much inspired by the classic LJN Dungeons & Dragons assassin figure Zarak!

They done this head before but I don't think it's ever had such a maniacal look. He's just itchin to get in some trouble!

The Dungeon Thief is still available at Spy Monkey's site along with many other Battle Tribes figures. And if you're a fan of the classic D&D figures, there's one based on the Dwarf. 

If you haven't dipped into the world of Battle Tribes yet, it's never too late. The figures really are a lot of fun because all the figure parts are interchangeable.

TSR's Dungeon Board Game

Originally released by TSR in 1975, Dungeon may be the original hack-n-loot dungeon crawling board game. If you're familiar with TSR in the 70s, it will come as no surprise that game design legend Gary Gygax was on the development team. If you're not, Gygax is one of the co-creators of the original Dungeons & Dragons RPG. Dungeon enjoyed an unusual amount of longevity for a non-mainstream board game, releasing no less than 4 revised editions between 1980 and 1992. New editions often incorporated new rules as well.

Dungeon board, cards and parts

The premise of Dungeon is pretty simple. Each player selects their hero's class (the original line-up: Hero, Elf, Superhero, Wizard) and proceeds into the depths of the color coded six level dungeon, avoiding traps, navigating secret doors and slaying monsters for treasure. Each class of hero has a preset amount of treasure they need to win the game, expressed in gold piece value. The biggest rewards are at the lower levels but that's also where the tougher monsters hang out!

Monsters and Treasure from the 5th and 6th Levels
The card artwork really takes me back to playing the game

I played this game a lot and it's no doubt responsible for getting me into D&D while I was only in junior high. I'm so old, my first D&D set was the red box Basic set, where elf and dwarf were classes! There were no races as we know them now. It came with module B2 - Keep on the Borderlands.

Here's a few comic book ads from 1982. Clicking them takes you to Flickr. You can then click on Actions > View All Sizes to actually read them.

Additional Info
Dungeon! wiki entry

Photo gallery at BoardGameGeek.com