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Here’s what we reviewed in comics this week that you might want to check out:

Batman & the Outsiders #13

Batman & the Outsiders #13 starts the beginning of a new arc after the action-packed finale of issue #12. The Outsiders faced Ra’s Al Ghul and his depleted reinforcements and kind of gave him an ass-whooping. But that wasn’t before he was able to use a mysterious new weapon that could have serious implications on the state of the world.

Read the Full Review Here

Dark Nights: Death Metal #1

Death Metal is both a follow up of everything Scott Snyder has touched over the past few years, while also being DC’s next big event. In addition to that, it’s yet another combination of DC’s favorite tandem of Snyder and Capullo. The story takes place in the aftermath of the Justice League’s fight with Perpetua back on Scott Snyder’s run on the Justice League series.

Read the Full Review Here

Strange Adventures #2

But before we get to that Terrific and unexpected news, we need to get into this series as a whole. For one, it is a reunion of Tom King and Mitch Gerads, the team that brought us a melancholy reimagining of Mister Miracle. That comic was what everyone was talking about for the entire year that new issues were released. It was an inevitability that these two would work together on a book again. And lo and behold, we’re getting a new melancholy reimagining, this time following the hero of Rann: Adam Strange.

Read the Full Review Here

Don’t fret about the short list. Go enjoy Juneteenth!

What books did you check out this week that we didn’t cover? Hit us in the comments or on our social media!

Want to see what else we’ve reviewed? Check out our previous Pulls.

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The post The Pull – 06/17/2020: Juneteenth…To Freedom! appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.

I, like many 90’s children, have adored the Pokémon franchise since its inception. I distinctively remember the trials of raising a Venosaur in Blue and navigating twisted cavern systems to throw a Master Ball at Mewtwo and then just destroy literally everything because Psychic types were legitimately overpowered back in first gen. I remember my adventures in Pokémon Silver and Ruby, I remember taking a break because I didn’t have the appropriate consoles for the next couple generations. I remember breaking down and getting a 3DS so I could play Pokémon Y, only to lose interest right before the 8th gym because I couldn’t be bothered to do another whirlpool puzzle.

Adventures in the Isle of Armor, pt. 1 #PokemonSwordShield #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/up19HuJJHY

— Mikkel Snyder (@ChimericNotion) June 18, 2020

Pokémon Sword was the first mainline title game that I had finished since Ruby, and as alluded to when I interviewed with the BNP Galarian League, there was a good reason for that. The game felt like what the Pokémon world should have always felt like. Gym battles in giant stadiums where the crowds are cheering you on. The Wild Area where Pokémon of all levels and types are just wandering around in the open. You are unconstrained by an invisible grid are freely able to wander and none of your Pokemon are subject to just being on your team because they have some particular move you need for a particular puzzle. Pokémon Sword and Shield was a culmination of a lot of the successes of the previous generations, but truly the thing that kept me playing a few more hours after the end was the Wild Area.

Now, for me personally, I’m not one to fill out National Dexes. I don’t really care for IVs and EVs. I tend to get emotionally attached to a couple Pokémon, try to make sure I have decent type coverage, and then go from there. Pokémon to me, is at its best when it’s an RPG with clear goals and story beats. Which is why I was excited when they announced this DLC model. I promptly devoured it in Day 1 and now that I have seen the the end card flash “THE END”, I end… satiated. That’s probably the best word.

Assuming you bought the DLC (and please double check that you bought the correct DLC), when you login you’ll be greeted with a notification that you know have an Armor Pass. The game promptly tells you exactly where you need to go to start the first piece of “endgame” Pokémon content. After some travel, you find yourself on the Isle of Armor and meet your latest rival (Klara in Sword, Avery in Shield).

Adventures in the Isle of Armor, pt. 2 #PokemonSwordShield #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/zAyGjVFmJC

— Mikkel Snyder (@ChimericNotion) June 18, 2020

The Isle of Armor is essentially another Wild Area, although the biomes are slightly different. In additional to your standard forests and wetlands, Isle of Armor also has mountains, caves, and most notably: open seas. Hell, the first thing I did was look off into the distance and see the giant profile of a Wailord. I wondered, “Could I reach that.” The answer dear readers is yes, I could and that behemoth was level 80.

Which brings us to the next key point: this is endgame-ish content. The lowest level of Pokémon on the Isle seems to be 60 and the trainers tend to fall under the 60-70 bracket. Not too difficult. Although on more than one occasion, I got careless with my typing and was promptly punished for it.

I was able to beat the story in about three hours give or take, playing at a very aggressive rate and making use of bunch of experience candies that I just had laying around. It’s about as basic a as story you expect. Case of mistaken identity, you meet a rival, you do tasks, you complete tasks, there’s a couple more involved tasks after that and then you’re pretty much left to your own devices. Which is fine. The story has always been a means to an end, but Isle of Armor did bring me back in with what it brought to the table.

Adventures in the Isle of Armor, pt. 3 #PokemonSwordShield #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/6C5YgC32e8

— Mikkel Snyder (@ChimericNotion) June 18, 2020

New addition, Kubfu, is a great inclusion to the Pokémon roster and bonding with the martial arts bear and guiding him on his path was great. The addition of Max Mushrooms Max Soup letting you unlock the Gigantamax variants of Pokémons is much appreciated. Previously, you could only get them in frustratingly difficult Raid Battles (to say nothing of the worthless AIs if you couldn’t find folks online). I fully embraced taking Venosaur back into the squad, and the Isle of Armor had a bunch of familiar species and ways to get some non-Galarian variants which was a nice touch. Plus, as is tradition with endgame content, there were resource sinks galore that took all of my stockpiled Watts in a couple blinks.

Adventures in the Isle of Armor, pt. 4 #PokemonSwordShield #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/xC3lLXzV7o

— Mikkel Snyder (@ChimericNotion) June 18, 2020

As of writing, I’ve managed to reassemble a new party, get enough mushrooms to get my Interleon to be a tall snipy boi, and feel like I’ve probably gotten my money’s worth out of the DLC. I’ll probably login in every so often and see if I can’t find more Max Mushrooms, but for whatever reason, I’ve never felt compelled to completion-ism with Pokémon. I don’t want to find the 150 Alohan Diglets that are scattered around the island (although, of course some British analog would bring an invasive species from another island nation to an isolated ecosystem and promptly lose them). Nor do I feel the need to complete the Armor Dex. I got my Wushu Bear and he can follow me in the Wild Area, and that’s enough for now.

Bonus Round #PokemonSwordShield #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/X3rpDOAKhW

— Mikkel Snyder (@ChimericNotion) June 18, 2020

So I really like the franchise, I really like the new bear, and I’m viewing this as good payout for my $15 that presumably went into this half of the season pass. Does Isle of Armor justify getting the season pass right now for $30? Questionable. Holistically, this is a good deal, but how much time you get out of the game is gonna vary based on how you play. Maybe this will last you until Winter. Maybe you’ll also be done in a day and be like me waiting for the Frozen Tundra. For me, I think it was sound investment and I look forward to the occasional skirmish before I return in full force later this year.

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The post The Isle of Armor is A Short But Satisfying Expansion for Pokemon Sword & Shield appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.

Source: Kathryn Scott Osler / Getty

On this Juneteenth, Freedom Day:

Whether you recently came to understand the full embrace of June 19th, or if you were wrapped in a badge that read “Miss Juneteenth,” our arms are locked around you.

I break every time I read Lucille Clifton’s “Won’t You Celebrate With Me,” when she writes, “celebrate with me that everyday something has tried to kill me and has failed.”

And maybe that is our gifted curse. How do we shelter from the inevitable? Living life in a body coated with oils and butters, relief from the drought. My Black body will not be used as a shield or weapon today. This body is what happens when love enters the space. A rightful choosing to exist and breathe because Oluwatoyin and Dominique couldn’t. And if Black women are held under, none of us are free. Without the source there is no subject.

Hence George couldn’t. Eric couldn’t. And it begat somewhere on the shores of Virginia in 1619.

I want to unleash the cries of our Galveston, Texas, ancestors who first learned of their freedom, left two years laboring in the inevitability that the stroke of a pen miles away in Washington could not ensure their safety.

Today my steps will be ordered like a deep bass line, representing the heartbeat of the ancestors who aren’t here. Who weren’t allowed to feed into joy.

I’m going to play Sister Rosetta Sharpe, Nina, Stevie, Aretha, Mary, Beyonce, and read James, Toni, Audre, Tanehisi, and Sister Souljah. I will moan with every bite of mac and cheese, greens, and cornbread. I want to overdose in Blackness. I want it to offend.

I want to parade the names which are hard to say. But speak them loudly with conviction. Showing all of my gleaming white teeth. I want to parade all of the names that we know and don’t know, who have suffered under the blinding slap of America again and again.

I’m going to swoop my edges, gathering all of this bountiful energy while my gold earrings kiss my shoulders. This is my liberty bell. To be in communion with all of you.

This Juneteenth and every day, I want—we want to live.

Source: Jose Luis Pelaez / Getty

There’s always been a tremendous amount of honor in working in the medical field, but I think we all feel a heightened respect for those doing so now, during the COVID-19 pandemic. We always knew, to some extent, that doctors and nurses do something very similar to firemen, in that they walk into the situation from which everyone else is trying to escape. Nobody hopes to wind up in the hospital. But every day, doctors and nurses go there, intentionally, knowing they’ll witness some horrifying things. They’ll also witness some beautiful things, but they know they’re embracing an emotional roller coaster that’s beyond comprehensible to those who don’t work in this field. And then, there are those quieter heroes who maybe we don’t talk about as much: those behind the doctors and nurses. Their loved ones who support them. Their family and friends and romantic partners who give them the strength to keep going. That’s no small task, either. If you’re romantically involved with someone in this field, you know what it’s about. Now, if you’re involved with someone currently in medical school, that is its own heaven and hell. Med school is quite a bit like training camp for the military: every day is meant to be like the hardest day on the real job may be, so they’re prepared for when those days come. Here is what to know if you’re going to be with someone in medical school.

via GIPHY

You’re in a waiting period

You’re entering what will feel like the waiting room or lobby of your relationship. You’re not fully in it right now. It’s just on the other side of some doors. You can see it and taste it. It’s right there. But now, you have to wait. There is no semblance of a normal relationship when you’re with someone in medical school.