Marvel Premiere #15 (May 1974)

Daniel "Danny" Rand was a man. Just a flesh-and-blood man. He didn't have alien heritage, he wasn't a super-soldier, he didn't have an encounter with a radioactive spider or was given a trinket by a space cop. He was just a man. But he was a man with skills. Growing up in a mystical city allowed him to become one of the deadliest men on Earth. His mastery of martial arts also had a bit of a boost. He plunged his fists into the burning heart of a dragon, allowing him to charge his fists with chi, allowing him to punch hard enough to level a mountain. Danny Rand was a man on a mission. He would avenge his parents' death. And he would do it with a fist of iron...

Yup! We're going to take a look at the first appearance of the Iron Fist. Created by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane, Thomas was inspired to create the character after seeing a pre-Bruce Lee kung fu film that had a scene with a 'ceremony of the Iron Fist' in it., as well as drawing inspiration from a Golden Age superhero known as Amazing Man.

Over the next four decades, Fist would have many adventures, most notably being a Hero for Hire alongside his best friend Luke Cage. Like Fist, Cage was created to capitalize on the popularity on a film genre: Blaxploitation. In my opinion, the Fist/Cage Heroes for Hire title was genius because it allowed the two characters to become much more three-dimensional, allowing them to retain their popularity and fanbase long after the film crazes that inspired them fell out of fashion. Rand has died, been resurrected, he's been an Avenger, he's going to be a Defender, and he even recently discovered he was just the latest in a long line of Iron Fists, an Immortal Weapon.

With that, let's take a look at his humble beginnings.

The cover is a pretty neat one. Iron Fist beating down some men in gis. Fist's pose is bit funny, though. It looks like he was firing a backhand and a high-kick at the same time. We do get to see his chi-charged fist, though. Which is good, as that's why he's called Iron Fist in the first place.

"The Fury of Iron Fist"
Writer: Roy Thomas
Penciler: Gil Kane
Inker: Dick Giordano
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Letterer: L.P. Gregory
Editor: Roy Thomas

The issue begins with Iron Fist facing off against a group of attackers, a bunch of heads around him.

Evidently, Randy Orton is not the only one who hears voices in his head. A group of men in green hoods are watching the face-off. Iron Fist assumes a stance.

And the attackers...well, attack. Iron Fist is able to show his stuff. Fist walks his way through the attackers, using kicks and punches given fancy names like "The Blow of the Hammer" and "The Sword Hand" and "The Elephant Kick". During the fight, Fist looks up at the green-hooded council, and hopes for some approval from one of them.

The man give no expression...mainly because he has a mask over his face. But I can imagine him thinking, "Rand, you ain't done! Finish kicking those butts!" With a renewed fury, Fist returns to his thrashing of his opponents. After he's done handing the men a beating. Iron Fist turns to the council and states that he has prevailed in "The Challenge of the Many", and now he is ready to face "The Challenge of the One". Yu-Ti, one of the green-hooded men, asks him to do some contemplation on how he got to where he is. Basically, he's saying Iron Fist should remember his origin tale for the audience.

Danny Rand then thinks back, back to when he was a small boy. When he was in the Himalayas on a journey with his parents Wendell and Heather Rand, as well as Wendell's business partner, Harold Meachum...

Wendell is looking for the legendary land of K'un Lun, a Shangri-La-esque land hidden in the Himalayas. You know, I just realized something. The Inhuman city of Attilan was in the Himalayas for a while. I wonder if K'un Lun and Attilan ended up neighbors.

The narration states that Wendell appeared out of nowhere about ten years before this flashback, becoming a sudden entrepreneur with some mysterious funding. Is this a hint he himself went to K'un Lun? If so, why is he going back there?

Anyway, little Danny takes a wrong step and ends up falling over a gorge, causing his parents to fall with him. The rope that held them together snapped, which allowed Heather and Danny to tumble away on to a ledge. Wendell is left hanging over the gorge. Wendell tells Harold to throw another rope to Danny and Heather. Harold has another idea.

Harold, using his spiked boots, stomps on Wendell's hand, causing him to careen down the gorge. This is witnessed by a horrified Heather and Danny. Harold is proud of what he's done, saying now that their company is now his, and he gets a rock to the face. It was revealed the rock was thrown by Heather.

Harold pleads Heather to stop as, well, he has a bit of a thing for her. Yeah, way to impress her by killing her husband right in front of her. And she herself may have died, so...yeah. Way to go, Harry.

Meachum asks Heather to come with him. Heather, enraged, tells him that she'd rather risk dying of frostbite than go anywhere with him. Heather should've let Harold rescue her and Danny, then figured out some way to go from there. But Meachum, being a evil jerk, decides to let her and Danny freeze to death on the ledge. She encourages Danny to save his strength, and prepare for a climb. The flashback ends in the present, where Danny announces he is ready for the Challenge of the One. His next opponent is revealed...

Shu-Hu! The man with fists like thunderbolts! Shu-Hu! His punches have shattered mountains! Shu-Hu! The silent destroyer! Shu-Hu! The purveyor of fine beatdowns since 1968! And he's single, ladies.

Shu-Hu and Danny bow and begin their fight. Shu-Hu no-sells Iron Fist's attacks, and backhands him into a wall, but Danny's training allows him to avoid becoming a splat on it. Taking advantage, Shu-Hu takes the offense, beating Iron Fist down like he owed Shu-Hu some money. Danny finds himself flashing back again.

Heather and Danny manage to climb up the mountain and they decide to go forward.

I have to give kudos to the Rands here. They are a tough bunch. they managed to, without equipment or supplies, climb their way up a mountain and get this far. However, they're weakened, and there are wolves after them.

A miracle occurs. The two find a bridge. They don't know where it came from, but the wolves bearing own on them give them no choice but to cross it. The wolves pause for a moment, but Heather knows the bridge won't stop them, so she runs at the wolves.

A horrified Danny watches Heather get torn to shreds by the wolves, and runs back towards her, but the monks at the other end stop the boy and take him in, bringing him to K'un Lun. The flashback ends with Iron Fist back in the present, asking who Shu-Hu is, as he is so able to take him down so easily.

In response, Shu-Hu fires daggers from his hand. Literally fires them from his hand. One hits Iron Fist in the shoulder, and he hears his mother's voice. The issue doesn't say what he hears her saying, but I imagine it's some form of encouragement. Fist pulls the blade out, and the pain seems to make hi go berserk and find his second wind.

He attacks Shu-Hu with fury, nailing him with kicks and elbow strikes, but the big man won't go down. Fist then lets himself grow calm, so he can deploy his ultimate weapon. He calls upon his chi and will, and draws it to his fist, until it becomes...like unto a thing of iron.

His fist charged with chi, glowing like the sun, Daniel Rand, the Iron Fist, nails Shu-Hu in the kisser with one mighty blow.

Shu-Hu turned out to be a robot. Yup, they have robots in K'un Lun, too. Wonder where they got it from. And who maintains it?!

Danny stands before the green-robed council, and states that he is ready for the final challenge: The Challenge of Oneself. He is bloody, but unbowed, and he is ready. The August Personage of Jade, one of the council, agrees that the right to take the challenge is his: The right to choose between immortality...and death. Not much of a choice, who wouldn't choose immortality over death?

You know, I wonder something. Since it has been established Danny Rand is only the latest in a long line of Iron Fists, I wonder if any of the previous ones had been through tests like this to show their worthiness? I'd love to see how Orson Randall or Wu Ao-Shi dealt with trials like these.

This origin story was...pretty enjoyable. The last comic I reviewed that was essentially a large flashback was Marvel Fanfare #10, and I have to admit, the two comics do share a similar structure: A little bit of action dominated by flashback.

However, I think that works better here than in the Marvel Fanfare issue. It works better here because this is the first appearance of Iron Fist, so it is perfectly fine to use flashbacks this much to explain how Danny Rand got to K'un Lun and give us glimpses of the place he has called home for the last ten years, which can be further explored in future issues. The flashbacks also help plant seed for future storylines, particularly Rand's desire for vengeance against Harold Meachum. Gil Kane does some fine artwork on this one.

Next time, in honor of the release of Kong: Skull Island, I thought I'd take a look at a comic that featured a giant ape. So, join me as we look at Superman shedding some Tears for Titano...

Spider-Man: Homecoming Trailer #2

Not much longer now! Not much longer until the Webhead's first solo MCU adventure hits the big screen! I gave my thoughts on the last trailer, and now a new one has dropped!

The trailer begins with Peter Parker putting on the suit. The suit's features appear to be more than just the mechanical eyes that allow the mask to be expressive. It can automatically fit to Parker's body. Wonder how it does that?

It his funny seeing Tony Stark growing exasperated with Peter's eagerness with joining the Avengers. It's nice to see that the big brawl he went through in Civil War didn't dampen his spirits. It was pretty funny seeing him swing into the swimming pool.

I have heard that the fat Asian kid that Peter is friends with might be Ganke, but we hear Peter say "No, Ned, no." Yeah, it's not Ganke, folks. It's Ned Leeds. Ned's pretty funny. And I thought it was so cool seeing that video showing "Captain America's Fitness Challenge." And it was pretty funny seeing him try on the mask. "Badass..."

I have to admit, this is an interesting take on Adrian Toomes/The Vulture. This Adrian appears to see himself as a bit of a Robin Hood/social crusader-type. He's striking out against the rich. I love the Vulture's design here, especially the talons. His interactions with Spidey are rather interesting. It seems that maybe Vulture may know about his associations with Stark, and is trying to get him to turn against him.

And we get a preview of the Shocker. Nice to see the Shocker make his debut.

The bit with Spidey and Iron Man saving the boat that got blown in half was AWESOME! I also liked the little attempt at a pep talk by Stark. Shows how much he's grown and changed since the first Iron Man movie.

I have to admit, this trailer has got me excited. I can't wait to see this movie! It's going to be so much fun!

Justice League Trailer, My Thoughts

It's here, it's here! The World's Greatest Heroes are finally getting to make their big-screen debut! And the trailer has finally dropped!

The trailer begins with a man getting ready to mount a horse in the snow. Because nothing screams epic action and the Justice League like a man practicing his equestrian skills. :P

The man rides his horse as a voiceover, Ben Affleck's Batman, remarking that they have to be ready, and that there's not much time left. The horse pulls up to a cliff overlooking some sort of...outpost? The rider pulls back his parka and goggles to reveal...Ben Affleck's Batman. This version of Bruce Wayne has some bizarre hobbies.

We then get a brief cut of a man in his apartment, and a box glowing and morphing. We then briefly get a shot of what I think is a parademon...or Tony Stark wearing that goofy Iron Man armor from the 90s. You know, the Heroes Reborn one with the pipes on it?

Yeah, that one. And yes, that was an actual armor Iron Man wore.

We get a brief glimpse of Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry/Aquaman. We rescues a sailor, takes him to a bar, dups him on a table, takes a beer, and tells then to put it on the sailor's tab. Okay, I like him already. I hope he's the fun guy of the team. The DCEU desperately needs a fun guy. I hope he yells out "OUTRAGEOUS" at least once.

Next, we meet Cyborg, portrayed by Ray Fisher, who is shown...blowing up a tank. Is it just me, or do Wonder Woman and Batman sound really bored when they're describing these people? Like they could just not care less? Look, I get that Wonder Woman is from a group of warrior-scholarly women from an Ancient Greece-esque island, and Bruce Wayne is one of the richest men in the DC Universe, but they're talking about an actual cyborg and the King of Atlantis. Can't they at least PRETEND to be impressed?!

Is it just me o does Cyborg's CGI seem a bit...wonky? I'm not one of those people who complain endlessly about CGI in movies, but I can't help but think here that maybe the CGI could've been better-done here.

Next, we meet Barry Allen, the Flash...not played by Grant Gustin, but by Ezra Miller. We get to see him running...and I think the Flash costume in this movie looks a little...overly-designed. It's got brighter red than the TV suit, which is good, but it doesn't need the black.

We get a neat scene with Barry catching the batarang. That's pretty cool.

We then see Batman swing down and toss something at a Parademon, I think...geez, they couldn't bother to try and make them resemble Kirby's designs a little bit? And then we see the rest of the League fighting more Parademons, Aquaman impaling a couple.

That bit with Barry and Bruce was pretty funny. Nice to see they're starting to realize it's okay to have a little humor in a superhero flick.

We then next see a mash-mash of scenes, set to a cover of the Beatles' "Come Together": Arthur doing something with water, Mera appearing (She's probably just a cameo), Lois Lane cameo, Barry visiting dad in jail, Victor Stone playing football in slow motion, Linkara getting his YouTube account back, and the Batmobile.

There is a nice allusion to the Bat-family with Gordon telling Batman that it's nice to see him working with people again. And Aquaman saying he digs that Batman dresses like a Bat. Yeah, he's totally going to be the fun guy.

Honestly, I am...rather mixed when it comes to my thoughts about this movie. Much like the Avengers, the Justice League is one of my favorite superteams, and I really want this film to be good. However, the DCEU's track record has filled me with worry. Man of Steel has gotten mixed reviews, Batman v Superman was a critical disaster, and Suicide Squad got mixed reviews. What I'm worried about is that this film will end up an action-filled overly-packed mess. I do want to be optimistic, and I do hope this and Wonder Woman are at least enjoyable. These heroes deserve that.

Justice League #1 (May 1987)

In the late 1980s, The DC Universe flew into an upheaval. Crisis on Infinite Earths had destroyed DC's vast Multiverse, and amalgamated the five remaining alternate Earths into one brand-spanking new DC Earth, with aspects and characters from the five Earths all now co-existing, with characters and histories altered to fit.

With this, DC decided to relaunch the Justice League title, and editor Andy Helfer, in response to Keith Giffen's numerous pleas, put him on the book alongside J.M. DeMatteis, and a hotshot young artist named Kevin Maguire. It was a risky combination, but it would pay off. The 1987 Justice League relaunch would be the genesis of one of the most beloved incarnations of the superteam through its now-50-year history: The Justice League International.

So, how did this incarnation come about? Let's find out!

The cover has become rather iconic, parodied and homaged by other artists and companies over the years. Interestingly, these days, this League is thought of as a group of "B-List" heroes, but back in 1987, this roster was a big deal. Keep in mind, Crisis was still rather recent, and some of these characters were originally from other worlds. Dr. Fate came from Earth-2. Captain Marvel came from Earth-S. Blue Beetle was from Earth-4 (The Charlton Heroes). Dr. Light was created during Crisis. This team was meant to show the variety of heroes from various worlds were now all together. This was a big deal, and the cover was a great symbol of that unification of the five worlds that survived Crisis. Well, most of them, anyway.

"Born Again"
Writers: Keith Giffen (Plot/Breakdowns), J.M. DeMatteis (Script)
Pencils: Kevin Maguire
Inker: Terry Austin
Colorist: Gene D'Angelo
Letter: Bob Lappan
Editor: Andy Helfer

The issue begins with Guy Gardner, who had become a Green Lantern again during Crisis on Infinite Earths, sitting alone in a room, mentally practicing his declaration of intent to lead the new Justice League.

Guy notices someone is teleporting in. And it's Black Canary, wearing a...rather goofy outfit.

She and Gardner share some banter, Canary showing her disdain for Gardner's arrogance, and the teleporter activates again, revealing more new arrivals.

It's the Scott Free Mister Miracle and his manager Oberon! Oberon is thrilled with the idea of Miracle joining the League, as it will increase Mister Miracle's profile. Oberon tries to introduce himself to Guy, but GL just makes a joke about him being one of the Seven Dwarves. Canary remarks that out of the entire Green Lantern Corps, they get stuck with "Rambo with a Ring".

Captain Marvel arrives, and remarks that there is a crowd of reporters outside. Mister Miracle remarks that it's not unexpected. A new Justice League team forming would be big news.

We next meet the Ted Kord Blue Beetle and Martian Manhunter. J'onn J'onzz is rather cynical about the press, viewing them as wolves. Ted thinks that J'onn is being a bit overly grim, but J'onn remarks that he does not know him or what he has endured.

J'onn sadly looks at images of four members of the previous Detroit-era League: The Hank Heywood Steel, Gypsy, Vixen, and Vibe. During an attack by Professor Ivo, Vibe and Steel were killed, and during the Legends miniseries, Gypsy, Vixen, and Elongated Man quit, which effectively disbanded the League. These four heroes are shown on the screens for another reason: They were essentially young heroes, introduced at a time when the League was revamped to take advantage of the popularity of superhero teams that focused on heroes in their late teens/early 20s, like Marvel's X-Men, and DC's own New Teen Titans. J'onn led this version of the League after Aquaman quit, so it makes sense that he would be hurting after all of that.

Guy Gardner calls the team to order. In Washington DC, we are introduced to a certain successful businessman: Maxwell Lord IV. He's watching a bunch of televisions...how is he able to focus on one of them? He is scribbling the Justice League's name on a legal pad, and he scratches out "America". Lord seems to be inspired by what he's watching.

Back with the League, Canary and Guy are having a...bit of a disagreement. Canary is disgusted with Guy's lack of respect for the League's rules and traditions, and Guy is furious that Canary refuses to acknowledge that he's in charge. Can't really blame her on this one, Guy put himself in charge.

Oberon tells Guy to apologize to Canary, but Guy uses a construct of a brush to literally brush him off. J'onn tries to break it up. Guy's not having it, and uses his ring on him. Captain Marvel tries to get Guy to calm down and try to work in harmony with the others, but Guy mocks him. Oberon tries to tackle Guy, but Guy tosses him into Mr. Miracle.

Batman and Dr. Fate arrive. It's revealed that Dr. Fate suggested that the League be regrouped, but he is surprised that Bats is also there. They hear a crash.

Yup, a big ol' brawl broke out! It's Guy Gardner vs. The Justice League! Who will take home the DCW World Championship?! Place your bets, folks! Place your bets! Sadly, Dr. Fate and Batman are not fight fans. Fate offers to break it up with his magic, but Batman insists on handling it himself.

I love the panel layout here. The detail is really good, too. The League getting out of the way as Batman walks across the room. Kevin McGuire's expressive character work really shines here with Batman's growl and Guy instantly submitting to his order. With Guy quieted down, Batman calls the meeting to order.

You know, some people like to blame Grant Morrison for the whole "Bat-God" thing, but I think that this comic shows that it was not exactly new. To be fair, in this case, I think it was played more for laughs. And it is genuinely funny here.

Batman reads the charter, and then he suggest that since this League incarnation is rather new and filled with people who never really worked together before, the team maintains a low profile before they go public. This way, the team would have an opportunity to get to know each other and learn to work together better.

Canary grumbles about being put on monitor duty, but Batman tells her they need someone on that at all times. Evidently, Canary drew the short stick on that. Guy grumbles about Batman, but Mister Miracle comments that he is Mother Teresa compared to Guy. Guy tells him he'll beat Miracle like a government mule for that (BAH GAWD ALMIGHTY, KING), but Bats catches him.

In the United Nations building in New York City, Kimiyo Hoshi, aka the Japanese scientist/doctor/superheroine known as Doctor Light, is fiddling with a signal device in the ladies' room, trying to get it to stop beeping.

Ahh, late-80s technology. Nowadays, the Justice League would have a special app for that. It's also kind of funny to see the normally proud and arrogant Dr. Light actually pleading with the gizmo to shut off. Frustrated with the device's unwillingness to shut off, she shoves it in her purse in an attempt to muffle it. A flashback reveals that a mysterious person found her and offered her membership in the new Justice League.

Hoshi then encounters a group of terrorists, who drag her into the main assembly area and sit her down, but not before she was able to secretly activate the signal device. The League get the signal, and Guy is all to eager to leap into action.

Batman, however, has a plan. Because of course he does. This was well before Morrison-era JLA, folks. He orders Captain Marvel and Dr. Fate to fly ahead, but stay out of sight. The others will be following in Ted Kord's Bug. A news broadcast reveals that the lead terrorist has a special bomb grafted to his chest. If his heart stops beating, it goes off. Miracle believes it may go off.

The group makes a plan. Batman tells Guy Gardner to use his ring to seal off the building, much to his chagrin. In the UN, the lead terrorist is ranting about speaking for the forgotten ad how there is so much pain and misery on the planet, my God, this guy should write monologues for Final Fantasy villains. Doctor Light sits and thinks about what the man is saying, but determines he needs to be stopped. Problem is, she can't really do anything with risking lives, much to her frustration.

Captain Marvel, Martian Manhunter, and Black Canary are taking out the terrorists, while Beetle is using the Bug's systems to hack into their walkie-talkies and keep up the illusion that everything is fine.

J'onn, ever the Swiss Army Knife of superheroes, uses his power to turn invisible to find Doctor Light, and whispers some instructions to her. Batman swings down and gives the lead terrorist a bit of a fright.

Heh heh, I like Batman saying "Boo". I know everyone likes to portray him as this super-serious paranoid lunatic ultra-awesome buttkicking machine, but I do like to think that there's still this part of him that has some fun scaring criminals.

Upon J'onn's command, Doctor Light creates a MASSIVE flash of light, which allows Guy Gardner to swing in and give the terrorists a good bricking.

Doctor Light dispatches her captor with an elbow to the gut. The lead terrorist yells and rants at Batman, who just orders everyone to evacuate the room will staring at the man. Guy is furious, wanting to rip his lungs out (At the time, Green Lantern power rings did not allow lethal force), but Batman tells him to shut up and follow the orders of the Bat-God.

Batman just stares at the terrorist, causing him to rant and scream that he's there to test his faith. The lead terrorist grabs his gun...

He then shoots himself in the head, but the bomb does not go off. The news covers this, revealing that the terrorists were members of various radical groups. The leader was a drifter and former mental patient named John Charles Collins, who was not connected to any such radical groups.

Maxwell Lord watches this, and remarks it was a real shame that Collins shot himself, and that his bomb went off.

Too bad Mr. Collins didn't have the firing pin. Yeah, I think I can get exactly why they ended up retconning Maxwell Lord as a real villain around Infinite Crisis. I mean, look what he did here. He took advantage of a mentally ill man and a bunch of radicals, and nearly got people killed. Maxwell Lord is a royal jerk.

This was a great issue. It set up the interpersonal relationship, an had lots of funny moments. Some may take a dislike of Kevin Maguire's art, and I can see why. Everyone's faces are full of lines, and at times, for some reson, I can't help but think that everyone looks like they're made of clay. However, I don't mind it so much, as his art is very expressive. This issue was a fun one, and if you find it, as well as the rest of the JLI era in back issues or trade form, pick it up.

Next time, in honor of his Netflix series dropping, we'll take a look at the origins of one of Marvel's premier martial artists, the man who punches with the power of a dragon. Yup, we'll take a look back at the chi-powered-punching origin of the Immortal Iron Fist!

Sonic Mania, My Thoughts

Sonic is flipping the Switch, baby! That's right, Sega's most famous mascot is going to race his way into the Switch with a brand new game: Sonic Mania! And here's a trailer of it!

The game is meant to be a return to Sonic's roots, and I think many of the fanbase would agree, this could be something Sonic could really use right now, considering the reaction to the Sonic Boom games and television series.

The trailer begins with the Genesis-era "SEGA" intro. As someone who played the original Sonic games back in the day, it was nice to see that old intro again. The trailer then plays footage of the original Sonic game while stating that Sonic changed the world in 1991 on his debut, and then shows footage of various Sonic games over the last 25 years...wait, 25 years? Has it really been that long? Huh. Time flies, indeed.

 We then see some footage of the new game, Sonic's brand new 2D adventure. And I have to admit, I love what I see. It reminds me so much of the classic Genesis-era trilogy. It's so bright and wildly colorful.

The trailer hints at "reimagined classics", and shows footage of Sonic racing his way through what looks like Green Hill Zone from the first Sonic game. Could this mean we'll be seeing some classic levels from the original Sonic trilogy make a return? If that's true, I'm hoping that Chemical Plant is one of the returning Zones. It's a rather iconic Zone for its theme alone.

The trailer reveals that the game will have three playable characters: Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. Interestingly, they seem to be using the original 90s promotional art for the characters instead of the modern art. Well, it's appropriate. Old-school style game, old-school promotional art.

Sonic appears to have a new move for this game: The Drop Dash. Evidently, it allows Sonic to race into a curled-up dash right from the moment he hits the ground. I think it may be useful in a situation that requires Sonic to get going quickly. I wonder if Tails and Knuckles can do it.

I have to admit, I am excited for this game. I think it will be in my Switch library when I get one.

Squadron Supreme #3 (November 1985)

It's that time again! Time to take another look at the Squadron Supreme Maxi-series! I reviewed the second issue last month, and the first issue in January, so please check out those reviews as well.

Previously on Squadron Supreme: The World's Mightiest Heroes asked the world's governments to give them one year to repair the massive damage to their world. However, there are already problems the Squadron has to deal with. Nuke's parents are dying of cancer because of his increasing radioactive powers, and he is desperate to save them. Tom Thumb agrees to help as best as he can, but is unable to come any closer to a cure than anyone else who has researched the disease. His desperation nearly drives him to make a deal with the evil Scarlet Centurion for a possible cure, but decides against it to Nuke's fury. Tom then reveals he himself is dying as well.

The cover is a simple one. Doctor Spectrum and Nuke battling over a city. This is appropriate, considering what happens in this issue. I don't have a whole lot to say about it other than it's very well-drawn, and I like the muted colors on the city background. Makes the eye concentrate on the characters up front and center. Nice.

"Showdown"
Writer: Mark Gruenwald
Penciller: Bob Hall
Inker: John Beatty
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Christie Scheele
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-In-Chief: Jim Shooter

The issue begins with Zarda, aka Power Princess, showing off her shield, which allows her to deflect bullets.

She is fighting off some men who are shooting at her, and easily trounces them. However, it turns out Zarda is filming a commercial, complete with a voice-over by her. I can imagine her sounding like Susan Eisenberg...okay, she did voice Zarda in The Super Hero Squad Show. She's filming a commercial promoting and informing a program the Squadron is doing which would result with the military and police force's guns being replaced with non-lethal alternatives.

Doctor Spectrum is there as well, and he feels that Zarda takes things too seriously at times. So, he decides to have a bit of his idea of fun with her.

Zarda, understandably, is none too happy with Doc Spectrum's antics. She threatens to give him some similar humiliation, but settles for taking his cape. Se does warn him that one day, his irresponsibility and cockiness will come back to haunt him. Foreshadowing. After speaking with the President, and reassuring his concerns about how the American people will react to it, considering the obsession with the Second Amendment (mostly the "bearing arms" part), she decides to go back to her apartment. It's been a while since she saw her husband, and she's hoping the Squadron one day will be able to house their loved ones in their headquarters.

After three hours, she returns to Squadron HQ. Inside, Whizzer, Doc Spectrum, and Golden Archer are discussing the incident. Archer is laughing at Spectrum's story, and Spectrum claims he's getting the uncensored video from cameraman. Whizzer thinks that Spectrum went too far with his practical joke, and I have to agree with him on that, personally. Archer thinks Whizzer is a stuffed-shirt. Zarda passes by them.

I love this panel. It's really expressive. Zarda looks like she's trying to maintain her dignity, Spectrum is cocky, Archer is teasing with a wolf whistle, and Whizzer feels bad for her.

The Squadron have a meeting, and Spectrum worries that Zarda will report his actions to Hyperion. Zarda says nothing about it, which makes him relieved. Hyperion reports that every gun and manufacturer in America has been shut down. Golden Archer and Lady Lark talk about a personal appearance they made in a city called Angelopolis (I'm guessing that's their Los Angeles), and it was a smashing success.

Hyperion then turns the subject to Nuke. The youngest member of the Squadron has missed a lot of meetings, and they have been too busy to try and find him. Hyperion figures that now is the time that the Squadron find him. Tom Thumb recalls Nuke coming to him to cure his parents, but flipped out when he failed. He wants to tell the others this, but he fears the Squadron will think less of him for it.

This is some nice subtle character work here. Tom has been shown struggling with low self-esteem and his depression over it, and we see how it's affecting him. He's so afraid of being seen as worthless that he won't divulge information that could've helped the Squadron.

Whizzer offers to find Nuke, figuring his superspeed would allow him to find Nuke quickly, but Zarda decides to volunteer Doctor Spectrum to find him, stating that he and Nuke used to go out on the town a few times.

Queen of the subtle trolling, our Zarda. Spectrum admits that yeah, he did take Nuke out for drinks a couple of times, but he found the walking nuclear plant a bit of a nuisance. Despite this, Doc Spectrum realizes that he's not going to be able to talk his way out of finding Nuke, so he volunteers. Zarda gives Spectrum his cape back, telling him that things are still not even between them, and he should wash it on occasion. Tom Thumb points out that Nuke's parents are ill, and he should check out the hospitals in his hometown.

Spectrum flies off, grumbling about how long it will take him to find Nuke as he flies to Motor City, Wyandota (Earth-712's Detroit, Michigan).

Spectrum's cockiness and arrogance is on full display here when he mentally remarks that Nuke brought him here once after he joined the Squadron, and he was not impressed by the city. Wow. Spectrum is a jerk. Spectrum discovers a steaming crater in the distance, figuring Nuke caused it battling one of the Squadron's foes. You know, Spec, Nuke could've had some villains of his own, like Carrion, or the Ice Queen. Or even Duplicator or Tornado.

Back at Squadron HQ, Whizzer is relaxing in bed, needing to rest after using his powers so much. It's an interesting caveat to Whizzer's speed, but I don't think it plays much of a role here. However, Tom Thumb has summoned him, Amphibian, and Arcanna. There's a raid on a gun factory in a place called "Alamo City, Olmstead".

Based on the Alamo mention, I'm assuming Alamo Town, Olmstead is the Earth-712 San Antonio, Texas. That's there the Alamo mission is. Seriously, Gruenwald, just use the real state names. Meanwhile, Doc Spectrum has found a hospital in Motor City, and finds out Nuke's parents, Gilbert and Florence Gaines, have passed away on June 18th and the 21st, respectively. Spectrum actually is able to stop being a jerk for a moment, realizing the Nuke was in mourning and probably wanted to be left alone. He does grumble that Hyperion would want Nuke to take an official leave of absence.

Amphibian, Arcanna, and Whizzer arrive in Texas, and Whizzer and Arcanna get to disarm the rioters awesomely. Arcanna then asks a rioter why they're causing all the panic. His answer?

When you think about it, the rioter...has an understandable point. The Squadron Supreme were mind-controlled into tyrants not long before the events of this miniseries. People would be understandably VERY nervous about the Squadron's Utopia plan. A clever bit of deconstruction on Gruenwald's part. It also leads Arcanna to consider that maybe the Squadron did not think completely through what they were doing. Despite this, she and Whizzer gather up the guns to be destroyed. Arcanna remarks that Amphibian will be left with nothing to do. Poor Amphibian, he REALLY gets the short end of the stick in this miniseries.

Gruenwald has remarked that Squadron Supreme is about the greater good vs. individual rights, and it shows here. In order to end war, the Squadron must take away the weapons of war. The Squadron are slowly becoming tyrants again, and this time, there's no mind control to absolve them.

Spectrum finds Nuke's neighborhood and meets his younger brother, Scotty Gaines. Scotty is a big fan of the Squadron, and even owns all their action figures, two of Doctor Spectrum.

This confuses me. The Squadron revealed their secret identities to the world on national television, yet in this issue, Scotty has no idea his brother was Nuke. How could he have been unaware of that? If he didn't see it, he must've heard people talking about it. Nuke's a Motor City boy, the city would've been abuzz about this! Also, if Nuke's parents got sick from being around him, how come Scotty seems perfectly fine? Was he not around his brother enough?

Anyway, Doc Spectrum explains Nuke has been missing for a month, and he wants to know if there's anywhere Al would go. Scotty says he may know where he is, if Spectrum flies him there. Spectrum does so. It's nice to see that even though Spectrum may think of Nuke as a nuisance sometimes, he is willing to do this for Scotty.

Spectrum and Scotty find Nuke in the cemetery where their parents are buried. Nuke himself looks like hell. He is overcome with grief, frustration, guilt, heartbreak, and rage. He hasn't slept or eaten in days, and I like to think his growing powers were also messing with his mind. Nuke is furious that Spectrum has brought Scotty here, and starts ranting about the Squadron, Tom Thumb in particular.

Spectrum asks how there was a crater in town, and Nuke demonstrates where it came from by blasting the ground, scaring Scotty. Spectrum tries to get Nuke to calm down, but Nuke decides, "Nah, I'm gonna nuke Tom Thumb", and flies off in a rage. Spectrum gets Scotty home, then takes off after Nuke.

Some people may think that Nuke went crazy rather quickly since last issue, but keep in mind, this mini takes place over the course of one year. Each issue covers a moment during a particular month. Nuke had plenty of time to get consumed by his grief and for that heartbreak and frustration he had with Tom Thumb to fester into rage, hatred, and insanity. He didn't go crazy overnight. This was building up for a long time coming.

Spectrum manages to catch up to Nuke, and encases him in an energy bubble. Nuke busts out.

Interesting that Spectrum still calls Nuke a "twerp" in his thoughts even though Nuke has clearly lost his mind, and needs help right now. Nuke and Spectrum trade energy blasts, and Spectrum is able to catch Nuke in another bubble. This time, Spectrum thickens the bubble to contain Nuke's power. Spectrum notes that the attacks in the bubble have stopped. He worries Nuke may be playing possum so he'll be released, but Spectrum is not taking chances, as as much as he finds Nuke annoying, he has no desire to see him actually hurt.

Spectrum notices something is very wrong. Nuke is completely still, and Spectrum fears that Nuke may have burned up all the air in the bubble and suffocated. He tries mouth-to-mouth to resuscitate him, but it's no use. Albert Gaines is dead. And he won't be the first Squadron member to fall here.

Zarda's warning to Spectrum comes to pass, but through no real fault of Spectrum's own. I have to note that this is the best-drawn panel in the entire comic, in my opinion. The clear anguish on Doctor Spectrum 's face is shown beautifully here.

It's another bit of subtle deconstruction on Mark Gruenwald's part. It would make sense that an energy bubble would only have the air inside the bubble as an air supply. Spectrum could've made very tiny holes in the bubble so that Nuke could breathe, like the air holes in the lids of jars used to catch insects.

In a panic, Spectrum considers hiding Nuke's body and saying that he couldn't find him, but he reconsiders, realizing that he could never live with himself if he could. It's another thing that pops up in Gruenwald's works, sticking to your principles and always doing the right thing.

Spectrum brings Nuke's body back to the Squadron HQ, and he admits what happened. He breaks down, and who is the first Squadron member to comfort him?

Zarda. Yup. Zarda. After what he pulled with her earlier, Zarda goes out of her way to comfort him after this. Really tells you a lot about Zarda.

Two days later, Spectrum visits Scotty and tells him that he accidentally killed Nuke. Scotty concludes that Al was not a very good superhero. In a heartwarming moment, Spectrum tells Scotty that no, Al was a great superhero, and he was proud to have known him. He asks Scotty to remember Al as the good man he once was, and that he hopes Scotty will forgive him for the accidental death of Al. The last line in the issue...

Scotty forgives Doctor Spectrum. Awww.

This was a very good issue. The art does seem improved over the last two issues (Maybe Bob Hall is setting into a groove), and the story is very well-told. Nuke's tale is a tragic one, and a sign of darker times to come. Next time, we'll go from a dark-toned ersatz JLA, to a light-hearted actual JLA. Next time, we'll look at the birth of my personal favorite incarnation of the Justice League: the Justice League International!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!

Ultra Street Fighter II Trailer, My Thoughts

30 years. The Street Fighter franchise is celebrating it's 30th anniversary this year. In 1987, Capcom released the original Street Fighter in arcades. It did pretty well, and even made it to some home computers and got ported to the TurboGrafx-CD.

But it was the sequel, Street Fighter II, that allowed the franchise to rocket to the massive level of popularity it enjoys today. The SNES port was one of the most popular games for the console, and it would introduce new versions that tweaked the combat balance and introduced new characters. Street Fighter II is regarded as the granddaddy of fighting games. And now, 25 years later...well, technically 26, Street Fighter II is coming to the Nintendo Switch! Say hello to Ultra Street Fighter II!

The trailer begins with a logo celebrating 30 years of Street Fighter. Nice logo. We then see footage of people in Japan lining up to play SFII in an arcade. This must be when it first came out. With this, I have a bit of a confession to make. I never played the game in the arcade. Never had a chance to as a kid. Did play the Genesis port on my Wii, though. I'll have to download it for my Wii U.

The game has HD graphics that look pretty good. I do like the option of being able to play with the original graphics as well. I'm sure that's something that many retrogamers would appreciate.

I have read this version will have more tweaks to the game's fighting balance. I think it would be nice to be able to pick different versions of the characters to play as, like in Hyper Street Fighter II.

The game allows two people to fight each other (One player gets a Joy-Con each), and there's a cooperative mode that allows both player to team-up against one CPU foe. I think this Cooperative Mode is a bit odd. Two against one? Why not have a "Tag Team" match up? Two players versus two CPUs. That would be fun.

I like that two people with Switches can battle each other. I'm guessing it's over local wireless. I wonder if online play is available?

Oh, and we get a brief glimpse of what looks like M. Bison getting Hadouken'd by Ryu, from a first-person perspective in the style of Street Fighter IV or V, I think. A mini-game of kind, maybe?

The trailer ends with giving us a brief glimpse of a pair of silhouettes. Based on the shapes, and he glowing fist, one is obviously Evil Ryu, a dark version of Ryu that first appeared in Street Fighter Alpha 2, and the other is Violent Ken, a dark version of Ken that first appeared in SNK vs. Capcom: SNK Chaos. He is described as a brainwashed version of Ken that uses M. Bison's Psycho Power. Neat.

Once I get a Switch, this will be on my list of games for it. This sounds like a lot of fun!

Wonder Woman #62 (February 1992)

Well, it's old-school comic review time again! As I said in the last review, I wanted to change things up a little bit! I wanted to review a DC comic, and since it was March, and March is Women's History Month, then who better to focus on than a comic starring DC's greatest heroine: The Amazing Amazon, Wonder Woman!

But which issue? I had my copy of the War of the Gods trade, and I wasn't sure which issue to cover, until I decided to cover #62, the last issue collected in the trade, and the epilogue of the War of the Gods? What is the War of the Gods? Well basically, the Greek Gods find themselves with their Roman counterparts, and it drags other pantheons and DC's superheroes into the mix. It's a...dense storyline.

So, let's take a look at Wonder Woman #62, shall we?

The cover is a simple one, but it's very nice. Wonder Woman flying away from Themyscira, a bag slung over her shoulder. I like it, it gives the idea that Wondy is heading for a new home, a new life, a new start.

"Pages Turned"
Writer: George Perez
Artist: Jill Thompson
Inks: Romeo Tanghal
Colorist: Nansi Hoolahan
Letterer: John Costanza
Associate Editor: Tom Peyer
Editor: Karen Berger

The issue begins with Wonder Woman flying over a wrecked Themyscira.

The War of the Gods was finally over, but it ended with great cost. The island home of the Amazons was wrecked and its location revealed to the world, and many Amazons lost their lives. The comic flashes back, showing Wondy and the surviving Amazons recovering from the War of the Gods. Hawkman and Hawkwoman plan to stay and help rebuild, and reassure Diana that she's not alone.

Queen Hippolyta is taken to get some rest so she can finish recovering from a spell Circe had on her. Diana then next has to preside over the funeral pyre of the Amazons that died during the War. The comic then goes to the present with Diana nearly colliding into a mountain.

Steve Trevor and Etta Candy are watching TV, and it shows a man speaking for the United Nations. The UN is announcing that they are admitting they had made a mistake. Yeah, during this whole kerfuffle, there were terrorists acting in Themyscira's name as part of a smear campaign against the Amazons. The UN, based on the testimonies of several heroes, state that the Amazons are innocent.

Etta is thrilled to hear this, but Steve has concerns about what could happen in the future. The next day, Steve and Etta go to a military tribunal, wanting answers about a bombing raid on Themyscira.

The scene then goes to Julia Kapatelis and her daughter Vanessa. In the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths  history of Wonder Woman, Julia was the first woman outside of her fellow Amazons that Diana met and befriended. At this time, Julia and Vanessa were two of Wonder Woman's closest friends and allies. I think we can safely say these two no longer exist in the DC Universe.

Julia is conversing with her parents in their native Greek. Yup, Julia's knowledge of Greek (She was a Harvard professor of history and a Greek immigrant) was what allowed her to speak with Diana at first, as Themysciran was not that different from Greek. Her mother, Maria Deneiros, is reassuring her that she and her husband Agostos are doing just fine. Heck, Agostos is going out treasure-hunting.

Maria mentions something about a bunch of Wonder Woman cultists (I have no idea) were dead, and she laments their lost, confused lives. Again, I have no idea. Julia then watches the UN's statement while her daughter Vanessa talks to Maria. Vanessa would eventually become the Wonder Woman villain Silver Swan.

The scene then shifts to Boston policeman Ed Indelicato, who was one of Wonder Woman's allies at the time, and mostly likely no longer exists in the "Rebirth"-ed DC Universe. He watches the whole thing on a pocket TV while mentally grumbling about their casual apology about nearly, in his own words, "blowin' up the whole freakin' planet".

He then looks at a picture of his old partner on the force, a man named Shands, who died (I don't know), and Eddie laments never listening to him.

Indelicato's captain comes in, saying he found Ed's resignation in the trash. He wants Ed to stay on the force as some higher-ups find him important. He tries to reassure Ed that everyone makes mistakes, and blowing a chance at getting a pension would not help anything. Ed says its his problem, and he's leaving.

The comic flashes back again to Diana attending the funeral pyre for the Amazons who died in the War. The Hawks, Captain Marvel (Billy Batson), and the Inza Nelson Dr. Fate (Yup, women taking up the mantles of male characters was nothing new) are there with her. The Amazon Penelope presides over it, shedding some tears over her love Menalippe. And people flipped out when Wonder Woman was established to be bisexual. Menalippe's body is burned, her soul hopefully heading towards the Elysian Fields.

The flashback continues, showing Diana and Hawkwoman conversing, Hawkwoman convincing Wondy that she should find a place of her own. In a neat moment, they are conversing on the beach whose very sand was used to create Wonder Woman in the first place. She says that she misses Hermes (who died during the War of the Gods), and Captain Marvel tells her if she needs a shoulder, she's got his. Aww.

We next go back to the present, and see the results of Etta Candy's tribunal trial:

Etta Candy was determined to violate no regulations, and she is returned to duty with full rank. She discusses things with Steve Trevor, who is deciding to resign from the Air Force. A lot of resigning in this comic. He's tired of the crazy Air Force bureaucracy. He also has an admission to make of Etta: He's been in love with her for a long time.

Yup, Steve springs marriage on her. Meanwhile, Diana goes to visit the Amazon general Philippus, who was in the "care" of someone named Yedziniak. I think. A LOT happened during War of the Gods. I'm just going by the context of the issue. Philippus wants to know if it's true that Menalippe is dead. Diana confirms it, and a teary-eyed Philippus remembers that Menalippe always thought she was a poor warrior.

Diana and Hippolyta talk while she recovers from the injuries she endured when she battled Wonder Woman as Shim'Tar. Yeah, that happened. The two discuss Themyscira's exposure to the outside world, and Hippolyta worries that it may mean the end of the Amazon way, but Diana believes that the Amazons will be strengthened by this.

Back with Ed Indelicato, he's gone back to his apartment building...only to find that it's on fire. Ed tries to run in, but a fireman stops him. Ed explains there was a book in his apartment he was working on for the past five years in there, even got interest from a movie studio, but the fireman tells him it's most likely burned up.

Should've waited until you could collect your pension, Ed. He's now got no job, no house, and no money coming in. On a happier note, Vanessa Kapatelis is about to graduate high school! Julia is waiting for Diana to arrive. And Wondy does.

Julia happily hugs her, saying Vanessa will be thrilled to see her. Diana reacquaints herself with Vanessa's guidance counselor. Diana helped deliver her son. On Themyscira, Hippolyta and another Amazon, Iphthime, are discussing what will happen to the Amazons now that they have been exposed to the outside world. Which does make me well, wonder. How long was Diana adventuring at this point? You'd think the outside world would have had some idea about the existence of the Amazons. I can't imagine Wonder Woman would've kept quiet about that if asked. The conversation ends with Hippolyta reassures Iphthime that regardless of what happens next, the Amazons will be alright.

The scene shifts to Nessie's high school, where Julia and Diana watch the graduation ceremony for Vanessa.

The graduation speech mentions a girl named Lucy, who was a friend of Nessie's who took her own life. Julia never truly recovered from it, which was one of the events that would lead her to become the second Silver Swan in post-Crisis on Infinite Earths continuity. But enough foreshadowing, look at Nessie in her little graduation gown and hat. The graduation goes off without a hitch.

In a nice little epilogue, Mayer Publicists, the group that represented Diana when she first came to Man's World, they're trying to contact Diana. Someone working on Diana's official comic book is retiring, and they sent a letter.

It's a bit of a fourth-wall breaking moment that is actually rather sweet. You see, it was George Perez's last issue as Wonder Woman's writer, and the letter is a wonderful thanking of Diana for letting him chronicle her adventures, and wishing her luck under William Messner-Loebs. It's a really sweet letter.

This issue was wonderful to read. It did have some head-scratching moments in it, mainly the fault of War of the Gods. The book promised an end of an era, and it does feel that way. There's a real sense of finality and change in this issue, both positive and negative. A marriage proposal, the loss of a home, a graduation. It gives a real sense of change in the air. It does have flashbacks, like Marvel Fanfare #10, but unlike that comic, we do see other stuff happening in this comic.

Jill Thompson does some fine artwork in this issue, I saw no real issues with it. It was a shame that Perez's final issue with the Amazon Princess didn't feature his artwork (This issue would've looked GORGEOUS with his artwork), but since he did do the main War of the Gods mini at the time, he probably was unable to draw this one. Still, Thompson does fine work.

I would recommend this issue if you find it. Just make sure you bone up on the War of the Gods before you read it, just in case. Next time, we'll take a trip back to Earth-712, where we'll check on the Squadron Supreme, and look into their progress on making their world better...