Alrightreads: Comixxxxxxxxxxx

Mike W. Barr, Peter David and artists, Star Trek Graphic Novel Collection: All Those Years Ago

1985-88 (collected 2020) / Ecomics / 118 pages

***

Three vintage DC annuals filling in some landmark historical blanks with commendable respect for canon, if less compelling plots.

Kris Straub, The Chainsawsuit Initiative

2011 / Ebook / 64 pages

**

I don't get it.

Various, Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror: Heebie-Jeebie Hullabaloo

1995-97 (collected 1999) / Ecomics / 144 pages

***

Even more authentic than the main series, and early enough to have free reign for parody before they presumably worked through absolutely everything.

Walter Simonson and Sal Buscema, The Mighty Thor, Vol. 3

1985-86 (collected 2013) / Ecomics / 264 pages

***

A bit of a comedown from the epic confrontation as our overpowered hero deals with various nuisances. I'm so used to it now that it's not even amusing any more, but since I'm over half way through, I might as well stick it out.

Joceline Fenton and Chrystin Garland, Steven Universe and the Crystal Gems

2016 / Ecomics / 128 pages

***

More on-model than the earlier comics, this is basically an episode, and it's fine. Includes an extensive gallery of misleading covers.

Alrightreads: Further scoops from the bottomless Rhys Hughes well

Rhys Hughes, Eyelidiad

1996 / Ebook/audiobook / 138 pages

****

Borderline classic of Gothic surrealism.

Rhys Hughes, The Crystal Cosmos

2007 / Ebook / 80 pages

*****

Inverse rationalism taken to its illogical conclusion.

Rhys Hughes, The Abnormalities of Stringent Strange

2013 / Ebook/audiobook / 205 pages

***

Hirsute pulp fun with some impressively deranged sci-fi concepts.

Rhys Hughes, The Million Word Storybook: Male Edition

1993–2015 (collected 2015) / Ebook

*****

After filtering out the crossover tales of the Female Edition and other collections I've read previously, there were only 11 new stories to get around to. There's not a significant difference between the two versions, which both give you more Rhys Hughes than most people strictly need, unless you're me.

Rhys Hughes, The Rhys Hughes Fantastic MEGAPACK

1995–19 (collected 2019) / Ebook / 319 pages

*****

A good selection for a possibly unauthorised best-of, with a few newer ones I hadn't read.

Alrightreads: Gamesmaster V

Various, My Little Pony Roleplaying Game: Dark Skies Over Equestria

2023 / Ebook / 168 pages

****

Some entertaining adventures with less engaging padding in-between, like an old Doctor Who serial, but easily abridged to taste.

Andrew Peregrine, My Little Pony Roleplaying Game: Nightmare Moon Campaign

2023 / Ebook / 4 pages

***

A decent outline for an unrealised campaign book, though riffing on existing concepts (even before they were specific episodes and comic stories). It's probably a bit scary for me to try my hand at expanding, so that gets me off the hook.

John Kennedy, My Little Pony Roleplaying Game: Great Cake Mistake / Sundae Mystery

2023 / Ebooks / 82 pages

***

These convention-oriented scenarios are more inviting than the standard introductory adventures, and we might try one or the other, though I wonder how much actual play these got, coming about a decade late for the brony craze.

Ryan Costello, Andrew Popowich and Mary Bellamy, My Little Pony Roleplaying Game: In a Jam

2024 / Ebook / 40 pages

**

Lower key than the equivalent second adventure from Tails of Equestria, MLP RPG players are spoiled for food-festival-themed escapades, if they like them apples. The montage challenge is a fun idea, at least.

Various, Sword & Sorcery: Relics & Rituals Core Rulebook

2001 / Ebook / 224 pages

****

An abundance of ideas for spells, items and other specific magical strangeness to supplement the single-page spellbook in our roleplaying system. 'Core' is right, this'll get a lot of digital nosing.

Alrightgames: Adventures on a Single Page – The Archmage's Thermal Baths (Adapted)

Adventures on a Single Page: The Archmage's Thermal Baths (Adapted)

2020 / Roleplaying game adventure / 2+ players

***

Another substituted quickie, taking out the baddies and ponied up as Flim & Flam's inadequately-researched mountain wellness resort (I was disappointed once again at recurring characters not being included in the Tails of Equestria standees pack in favour of random OCs). I didn't know what we were going to do with the dragon egg we'd be left with at the end, but after incubating in my mind for a few weeks, the ending emerged, which also solved the problem of my own pony character being underdeveloped and boring. Weredragon, bitches!

Alrightgames: Adventures on a Single Page – Wizard Tower for Sale (Adapted)

Adventures on a Single Page: Wizard Tower for Sale (Adapted)

2021 / Roleplaying game adventure / 2+ players

***

Ponied up with no fuss to replace a duller sub-module in our ongoing Changeling campaign, it offered the chance to catch up with the accident-prone unicorn mage from our first outing and was just some fun time-warping craziness generally. The player was in such a hurry to ascend the floors that we missed the overpowered Wand of Silence sitting in a desk that could have been useful in our inevitable forthcoming confrontation. I did try to hint.

Alrightgames: My Little Pony RPG – The Balance of Harmony (Adapted)

My Little Pony Roleplaying Game: Dark Skies Over Equestria – The Balance of Harmony (Adapted)

2023 / Roleplaying game adventure / 2-6 players

***

A more roleplay-intensive chapter was welcome after the previous one was a bit dicey, but the scenarios themselves could have been more interesting than mostly mundane domestic problems, especially since they're so loosely related to the theme and open to interpretation that they could have been anything. We only worked through a few, replacing the rest with imported modules and improv to advance our personal stories.

She had the most fun in between quests as we returned to Ponyville to demand our share of broth. We don't save the world for free.

Alrightgames: Top Trumps Pairs – Sea Animals

Top Trumps Pairs: Sea Animals

2021 / Card game / 2+ players

**

"Top Trumps" in meaningless branding only. This is the least played of her primary-coloured Happy Meal wildlife card games, but she's found a new fascination in the camouflaged stargazer fish.

Alrightgames: Cozy Town

Cozy Town

2022 / Roleplaying community-building game / 3-4 players (played with 2)

***

I limited the card-based turn-taking activity to one short season to prevent boredom, but the young player continued the extracurricular roleplaying of Sonic Town's milestone Happiness Festival all evening, complete with extracurricular Lego diorama. You had to be there.

Since then, she's just enjoyed coming up with a town but not bothering with the game aspect. Fair enough.

Alrightgames: Nautilion expansions

Nautilion expansions

2016 / Solo/cooperative board game expansions / 1-2 players

These voyages on the low-rolling high seas took a little longer to love than some of the other games, but it got there. Here are the essential expansions and optional screwovers.

The Mages ***

More stuff you have to collect, but more time to do it in, and the game gets easier if you do. I thought this was going to be one of the more far-out titles in the series, but it's often just Onirim on tiles.

The Mercenaries *****

Even if I hadn't been aware of this battle expansion in advance, the base game might still have had a nagging feeling of something lacking each time the enemy ships passed without incident. It also makes sense of all those stray harpoons. Thematically essential, if taxing.

The Reefs ****

Environmental obstacles you can work to your advantage, just don't forget all the other stuff you're supposed to be doing simultaneously. Like the Mercenaries, it would be hard to go back to an uncluttered route now. Add in the Mages too and all your crew are pulling dual roles. This is the proper game now.

The Darkhouse ***

The Oniverse isn't normally this wordy. These punishing actions are satisfying to overcome, but there's probably too much to think about at this point, especially if you're also adding in:

Heroic Actions **

Couldn't they have come up with illustrations for these, like in Sylvion? I add them in to be comprehensive, but can't muster enthusiasm for special powers you not only have to discard precious crew for, but are yet another mandatory task for victory. The game becomes too demanding.

Hark!: Aerion >

Alrightgames: Nautilion

Nautilion

2016 / Solo/cooperative board game / 1-2 players

****

The Onirim sequel I was most looking forward to, this convoluted nautical Ludo is as ingeniously devised and balanced as the rest, but its fiddly setup and lean towards strategy over tactics (yes, in a dice-throwing game) make it less appealing than the card-based ones for a quick work procrastination activity. It's not the first or last that feels distinctly lacking before rounding it out with the expansions, but it does seem notably easier than average without their insane demands, even when working through the trickier submarine boards. Never fear, the expansions will take care of that little quibble.

Babyliography CCXVI

Andrea Beaty and David Roberts, Aaron Slater, Illustrator

2021 / Library book / 40 pages

**

A bit wordy for a book about drawing, but it means well.

Rosie Greening, The Very Hungry Worry Monsters

2019 / Library book / 32 pages

**

Some of the friendly monsters were more distressing than the phobias.

Sarah Coyle and Adam Walker-Parker, Pick a Story: A Wizard Astronaut Pyramid Adventure

2025 / Library book / 32 pages

***

She chanced across the good ending on the first path, but gamely went back in for more.

Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet, Doug the Bug That Went Boing!

2013 / Library book / 32 pages

**

It always feels like there's a page missing in these before the abrupt resolution.

Suzy Senior and Dan Taylor, How to Spot a Unicorn

2024 / Library book / 32 pages

**

Commendably leaves the legitimacy of the party unicorn open to interpretation before patronisingly spelling that out and then featuring a bonus unicorn anyway. It's like it was written for little kids.

Babyliography CCXV

Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet, Norman the Slug with a Silly Shell

2011 / Library book / 32 pages

**

Reckless antics of a bodydysmorphic mollusc.

Sean McArdle and Kathleen Teece, How to Tell Time

2019 / Library book / 20 pages

***

The most in-depth and interactive version of these we've found so far with its lift-the-flap Q&A, I just need to stick with it like a proper teacher.

Samantha Montgomerie and Alfredo Belli, Collins Big Cat Phonics for Letters and Sounds: The Power Cut

2020 / School book / 16 pages

**

That's right, shine it in your eyes, idiots.

Jonathan Emmett and Vanessa Cabban, Bringing Down the Moon

2002 / Library book / 32 pages

**

The desperation to be a timeless classic is unattractive.

Adam Hargreaves, Little Miss Scary

2003 / Library book / 32 pages

*

About as terrifying as her Spice Girl namesake.

Babyliography CCXIV

Various, Read with Oxford: Stage 4 – Non-fiction – Animal Superpowers

2020 / Library book / 126 pages

****

There's only one interesting animal compendium per level between all the fairy tales and Biff, Chip and Kipper, so she's getting fast tracked.

Claire Freedman and Ali Pye, Teeny-Weeny Queenie

2016 / School book / 32 pages

**

More unnecessary sisterhood lessons, one's hard enough. She insists it's called Teeny-Weeny Little Queenie, in spite of all the evidence, much as I did with the Postman Pat lyrics.

Oliver Jeffers, There's a Ghost in This House

2021 / Library book / 44 pages

**

Insubstantial beyond the tracing paper gimmick, but a better way to break in haunted houses and horror appreciation than Vampirina.

Roger Hargreaves, Little Miss Star

1984 / Library book / 32 pages

**

Little Miss meta.

Viviane Cohen, Evelyne Lallemand and Colette David, Little Miss Fun

1990 / Library book / 32 pages

*

One of the French ones, conventionally pointless.

Babyliography CCXIII

Unknown, Peppa Pig: Peppa's Magical Creatures – A touch-and-feel playbook

2021 / Library book / 10 pages

**

A retrograde texture book courtesy of the unicorn. The narwhal felt the nicest. It's also a real animal and not a magical creature, but whatever, I guess.

Roger Hargreaves, Little Miss Trouble

1981 / Library book / 32 pages

*

Shockingly violent and mean-spirited.

Roger Hargreaves, Little Miss Fickle

1984 / Library book / 32 pages

****

Shockingly quite genuinely funny. This might be the best Mr Men & Little Miss book of them all. No, that's still Mr Bounce. On the other hand...

Catherine Baker, Collins Big Cat Phonics for Letters and Sounds: Owls in the Night

2020 / School book / 16 pages

**

With special guest start Dead Rodents in the Night.

Jim Smith, My Big Fat Smelly Poo Diary: Tight Squeeze

2025 / Library book / 240 pages

**

240 pages of shit, we only read the first story.

Babyliography CCXII

Felicity Brooks, Frankie Allen and Mar Ferrero, Usborne All About Feelings

2019 / Library book / 32 pages

**

Not as helpful as the other one, but I still found some talking points.

Paul Harrison, Collins Big Cat Phonics for Letters and Sounds: Down the River

2019 / School book / 16 pages

**

Likely to be one of the more memorable ones, since we spent ages being silly with the I-spy page.

Roger Hargreaves, Little Miss Neat

1981 / Library book / 32 pages

**

Uneventful "classic."

Dana Simpson, Virtual Unicorn Experience: Another Phoebe and Her Unicorn Adventure

2017-18 (collected 2020) / Paperback / 176 pages

***

Maybe getting funnier again?

Mª Isabel Sánchez Vegara and Borghild Fallberg, Little People, Big Dreams: Taylor Swift

2024 / Library book / 32 pages

**

The singers are more relatable than the scientists.

Babyliography CCXI

Liz Miles and Rupert van Wyk, Collins Big Cat Phonics for Letters and Sounds: The Hopper

2019 / School book / 16 pages

**

Assuming this wasn't just adapted from a proper book, they put more effort into making it distinctively quirky than necessary, kudos.

Ann M. Martin and Gabriela Epstein, The Baby-Sitters Club: Claudia and the New Girl

2021 / Library book / 176 pages

***

Imbibing more vicarious life lessons for future application. She can't get enough of illustrated tween realism.

Quentin Blake, Mrs Armitage on Wheels

1987 / School book / 32 pages

***

Long-winded, but at least it has a punchline.

Roald Dahl and Rachel Godfrey, Ladybird Readers: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

2021 / Library book / 64 pages

**

Doesn't sanitise, but does abridge all the life out of it.

Jake Banfield, Show Me Cool Magic

2019 / Library book / 112 pages

***

Nicely presented, if mostly crap. TikTok audiences don't have the highest standards.