The Annual's first section addresses 9 new characters and 1 new henchmen group. As always, players are free to use these characters in the "official" game universe, adapt them to their own settings or to ignore them altogether. The new characters include a group of robot mooks, an evil genius disembodied head transplanted into an android frame, and a team of alien bounty hunters. These characters are actually recently released models in the miniature line. The robot mooks are pretty much my favorite, reminding me of the bots from Sky Captain.
After the new characters are covered, the Annual turns its sights on new powers. Foresight, for example, affects scenario selection and enables a character to better anticipate his foes during close combat. Nemesis helps simulate arch-enemy relations such as Joker and Batman or Spidey and Green Goblin. Invulnerable can make a difference in whether or not a character buys the farm or not in campaign games. Sense Weakness can help simulate the ever present "Go for the eyes or the crystal or fill-in-the-blank" weakness discovery we've all seen in the movies and comics.
Using dump trucks, lamp posts, etc. as weapons is a staple in comic book stories. Still, you can only beat the Thing or the Hulk with one of these items for so long before the article is worn down or broken into a useless nothing. A single rules addendum notes that you should note how much damage the VW Beetle has taken each time it bounces off a Superman clone's chest. After X amount of damage accrues, you'll have to find a new weapon to use----the original makeshift item having been pulverized into worthless bits.
Without spoiling too much, a few cool new scenarios including a tip of the hat to Night at the Museum as well as Cthulu are provided at the end of the Annual. In addition to introducing new characters for these scenarios, the authors also include some useful model/terrain altering and making tips and examples of using dollar store toys to make inexpensive gaming set-ups. The last couple of items are volcano/lava/magma templates, a list of models in the S2 range, and summary sheets for keeping track of the game turn.
The Annual is interspersed with full color photos of the miniatures and gaming tables. New rules are provided in typical S2 fashion with an example to explain how they are intended to work. Editing and layout are decent and functional. The supplement provides new additions in several categories and offers ideas that don't require purchase of extra stuff. This first Annual does a flawless job of expanding material for an excellent game.
