The February/March 2007 issue of the Geek Gazette webzine is online and ready for download. This time around there are video game reviews of Marvel Ultimate Alliance and Justice League Heroes for PlayStation 2, thoughts on geek culture's invasion of the mainstream, a rundown of the D&D 4E rumor mill and speculations on when (and if) it will be released, an editorial on the merits of frequenting your friendly neighborhood gaming store vs. shopping online for games, and an increasingly robust convention calendar.

The issue clocks in at 12 pages, but as always it's a quick and enjoyable read. I'm torn regarding Michael Scott's local gaming store vs. online shopping editorial -- while I agree in principle, in truth it's damn hard to find a good gaming store nowadays, particularly a good RPG gaming store. At least in my area, stores have an anemic selection of titles that only covers the basics. It's sad (though understandable, given their margins and the risk of carrying "dead" RPG titles for years) but if I want to buy an RPG locally, I'm much better of heading to the local Borders than I am going to any of the local comic book stores.

Oh I'll still buy games there, like the occasional HeroClix, Pirates or D&D Mini booster, but for RPGs its either a 30-minute trip to MacArthur Road or (more likely) a much quicker visit to Amazon. I could order a book through my local store, but I've found that if I do that, I must be exceedingly patient as the books often take 2-4 weeks to arrive. Compared to a lower price and 3-5 day shipping through Amazon, well, that's just a combination that's hard for the locals to beat.

So I still hit my local comic book store for comics and games ... but for RPGs Amazon is now my vendor of choice.