By now, all Mission: Comics and Art devotees know (or should know), that the shop is not just the best place in the City for comics and graphic novels, but it also boasts an impressive selection of tabletop games and accessories!

So it seemed only natural that the tenth edition of Idle Time trivia should expand its scope slightly to include gaming-adjacent questions as well. (Really, Leef was okay with me entertaining multiple obsessions in one quiz night. There is some danger that future trivias will include Star Trek or SF Giants questions…)

But despite the obvious signs, nearly every team qualified their participation with sighs of, “Oh no… my win streak ends tonight” or “I don’t know anything about games.” Guess what? Right on both counts!

Dan, last month’s winner, finished second to Ben’s team even though those guys blew nearly all of the gaming questions! Exciting! With the victory, Ben now takes a narrow 4-3 lead over Dan in lifetime Trivia Night victories. The first to 10 is getting a signed Claremont X-book. Neither of them know that yet (and won’t be able to claim it unless they read this blog).

Now for a chance to test your knowledge. Here’s the quiz in its entirety. Do it without Google, true believer!

Question #1 – Easy Opener
This classic Batman villain, known by his question mark motif, has a penchant for incorporating puzzling challenges into his schemes. Who is he?

Question #2 – Eisners
The 2023 Eisner nominations are led by this 25-year-old cartoonist thanks to her work on Joe Hill’s Rain and her autobiographical graphic novel, It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth.

Question #3 – Secret Identities
What is the villainous alter ego of Sergei Kravinoff?

Question #4 – Pioneers
The wargaming hobby has its origins in two rulebooks, Floor Games (1911) and Little Wars (1913), both written by this British author who has also been called the “father of science fiction.”

Question #5 – In which comic book series does The Grandmaster make his first appearance?

Question #6 – Legends
German game designer Klaus Teuber passed away in April. He is best remembered for revitalizing the hobby with the 1995 publication of this game, called “The Game of Our Generation,” which has been translated into 40 languages and has sold over 40 million copies.

Question #7 – In Memoriam, Part 1
John Romita will likely be most remembered for his iconic portrayal of Spider-Man, but his first work on a Marvel super-hero dates back to this character in the pages of 1953’s Young Men.

Question #8 – Sports
All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett, along with former fullback Johnny Stanton and two other members of this professional football team, have a D&D gaming club named “The Heathens” that has been hosting charity game sessions for several years.

Question #9 – All of the Marvels
At a 2022 SDCC panel, and in subsequent appearances, Douglas Wolk presented an epilogue to his book All of the Marvels, entitled “A History of the Marvel Universe in Five Objects.” Name two of them. 
(Partial credit)

Question #10 – Old School Roleplaying
Which of the following was not one of the original character classes in the first edition of Dungeons & Dragons?

a) Cleric
b) Fighting-Man
c) Magic-User
d) Thief

Question #11 – Science & Technology
We discover that Batman’s OCD, neuroses, and, let’s face it, borderline insanity are the result of an undetected toxoplasmosis infection. The source of the infection, of course, is this supporting character…

Question #12 – Cartoonists
This Brooklyn-born cartoonist became an integral part of SF’s underground comix movement in the early 70’s, helping to organize the United Cartoon Workers of America, and contributing to a number of Bay Area anthologies, one of which debuted his character Zippy the Pinhead. Who is..?.

Question #13 – Beyond the Tabletop
What does the “LARP” in LARPing stand for?

Question #14 – Music and Pop Culture
What musical artist/band swiped the background art from Michael Golden’s cover to Crystar #8 to create its now-iconic logo?

Question #15 – Around the World
Mick Anglo introduced British comic book fans to the character soon to be named Miracleman after a legal battle forced publisher L. Miller & Sons to cease reprinting strips of which character?

Question #16 – Conventions
Gen Con is the largest tabletop gaming convention in North America, and is currently held in Indianapolis. Its name, however, is derived from its original location. Gary Gygax founded the event in 1968 in what city?

Question #17 – Business & Retail
A pioneer of comic book distribution, Bud Plant co-founded this Berkeley-based comic book store in 1972. Subsequent openings in San Francisco, San Jose, and Sacramento made it the first comic book retail chain in the U.S.

Question #18 – Writers
This prolific Eisner-winning writer, known primarily  for his work in the horror genre, has begun self-publishing Razorblades: The Horror Magazine and Blue Book under his Tiny Onion Studios banner.

Question #19 – Marvel Cinematic Universe
After voicing Miguel O’Hara in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Oscar Isaac has now portrayed three different Marvel characters on film or TV. Name the other two characters. (Partial credit)

Question #20 – Geography
DC’s fictional nation of Kahndaq is situated in northern Africa east of Egypt and west of Israel and Jordan. This would place it on this peninsula.

Question #21 – Formerly Known As
Rick Priestley’s original name for this fantasy-tinged sci-fi wargame was Rogue Trader, but because of its similarity to 2000 AD’s Rogue Trooper, Games Workshop changed the name just prior to the 1987 release.

Question #22 – Comix
The origins of the 60’s underground comix revolution can be traced back to Gilbert Shelton and Frank Stack’s work in The Texas Ranger, the University of Texas’s humor magazine. In what city is UT located?

Question #23 – Ancient Artifacts
The Vettweiss-Froitzheim Turricula is a fourth-century Roman artifact that was discovered in Germany in 1985. How was this used by the ancient Romans?

Question #24 – Hall of Fame
Jeffrey Catherine Jones rose to prominence doing sci-fi pulp covers in the 60’s and 70’s and she soon found a home working on adult comics magazines such as Vampirella, Creepy, and Eerie for which publisher?

Question #25 – Magic: The Gathering
This card has been reprinted 47 times, making it the most reprinted non-basic-land card in Magic: The Gathering.

Question #26 – Controversies
The creators of this series were promised rights to the property once the book was out of print. However, since this never happened, DC president Paul Levitz lived up to the spirit of the deal, vetoing any attempt at using the characters*. After Paul’s departure, however, DC promptly gave the title a prequel series in 2012, soon followed by a merging with the DC universe.
*apart from a 2009 movie

Question #27 – Française
In gaming circles, a grognard is an older gamer who prefers wargames and rpgs “from back in the day” rather than modern innovations and complexities. The word is derived from the French grogner which means..?

Question #28 – In Memoriam, Part 2
In addition to iconic work on Batman, Green Lantern, and Deadman, Neal Adams will be remembered as a major advocate for creators’ rights. He founded this successful studio with Dick Giordano in 1971 which helped artists and creators find profitable outlets for their work.

Question #29 – But Who Will Kill the Giant Spider?
Abandoned in 1998, despite an initial investment of over $30 million, Superman Lives was scripted by Kevin Smith, and set to be directed by Tim Burton. Who was meant to star as Superman?

Question #30
Unscramble the anagram (Marvel limited series):
STOMP CHOSEN FACTION

Questions #31 through 35 are artist identifications, one each from five different eras of comic book history.

Question #31
Golden Age (< 1956)

Question #32
Silver Age (1956 – 1972)

Question #33
Bronze Age (1972 – 1985)

Question #34
“Steel” Age (1986 – 2000)

Question #35
“Diamond” Age (2001 – Present)

Questions #36 through 40 are part of the Imagram. Identify the characters in the puzzle below, and then use the circled letters to solve the final clue.

And, finally, a tiebreaker question…

Over the course of three separate Kickstarter campaigns, how much money has Monolith raised for its Batman: Gotham City Chronicles board games?