Sunday, July 30, 2017

Spider-Man: Homecoming Review

The Mighty Marvel Cinematic Universe marches on! It's sixteenth film, a co-production with Sony, focuses on a certain wild and wooly wall-crawler. That's right, Spider-Man made his big homecoming, and I got to see it!


First of all, I think the title is actually pretty clever. Not only is Spider-Man "coming home" to Marvel as it were, but Peter Parker's Homecoming dance does play a role in the film. It's a minor spoiler, I assure you.

Basically, young Peter Parker, after the events of Captain America: Civil War, struggled to prove himself worthy of being an Avenger in the eyes of Tony Stark, while dealing with the threat of the criminal scavenger known as the Vulture.

First of all, I have to say, I love the fact that the Vulture is the villain here. It is tempting for a Spider-Man film to use the Green Goblin as the villain, as the Goblin is considered Spidey's greatest nemesis, like Red Skull for Captain America, Joker for Batman, or Lex Luthor for Superman. But this film chooses to use the first supervillain Spider-Man fought as its villain. Nice nod to the comics there. I also like the nods to the various nod to the Spidey canon in the film. I'll leave you to find them all.

The film had a lighter tone, with many funny moments, which was rather appropriate for a Spider-Man film. The cast is also very strong. Tom Holland shows a range of emotions as Peter Parker, Michael Keaton turns in a great performance as Adrian Toomes/The Vulture, Marisa Tomei gave us a wonderful take on Aunt May, Jacob Batalon is a joy to watch as Ned Leeds, and Zendaya does well as Michelle, a loner student. It's a great cast, and they are fun to watch.

I also liked the film's take on the Vulture, especially his armor. My only complaints are they should have tried to make the faceplate look more like a beak, and tried to slap more green on it. Otherwise that, I loved the armor. There was another twist with this version of the Vulture that shocked me, but again, no spoilers.

I do have one complaint about the film, though. There does seem to be some confusion about the timeline of the MCU in this movie. It didn't bother me when I was watching it, but looking back, yeah, they should have cleared that up. I also like that another trope that happens in the MCU was averted here.

I loved this movie, and I highly recommended it. Especially if you love Spider-Man. He's one of my favorite heroes, and the MCU did him justice. On to Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War!
 

Friday, July 28, 2017

Inhumans SDCC Trailer, My Thoughts

The Inhumans TV series got itself a new trailer that premiered at the San Diego Comic-Con! And here it is for all of you to enjoy!



The trailer begins with Triton meeting an Inhuman with yellow eyes. He tells her that there is a place for her and fellow Inhumans. Based on this and what we have seen in the previous trailer, Triton must be trying to rescue this young lady.

The Inhuman city of Attilan and Inhumans running around on Earth makes for an interesting concept. What if you suddenly found yourself with strange powers and abilities? What if those abilities caused you to be looked at with fear and suspicion? And what if there was a place where there were other people like you? But unlike the X-Men, who only have a pseudo-university...it was a city? An ancient city that holds a thriving civilization?! That's the interesting thing about the Inhumans in the MCU. They have a refuge and don't even know it.

We do get a brief scene of Maximus about to preach to a group of Inhumans that most likely did not get Terrigenesis. We also see a Moon Rover on the Moon.

Maximus does raise a good point. Attilan will be discovered at one point. If human technology keeps advancing, they may spot it on the moon at some point. Whether it's on a telescope or with a manned flight, it will be found.

Gorgon collects rovers. NASA is going to be so mad at you, man.

Triton does raise another good point. We've seen how humanity reacts to Inhumans in Agents of SHIELD. Could you imagine how they'd react to the idea of a city full of them? A city full of superhuman beings. And if such a population could easily become an army...that's some scary stuff.

We do next see Maximus talking about how the Inhumans need to get to Earth now, talking of "striking first". It seems Maximus may have darker plans for the Inhumans' return to Earth. Medusa points out it would lead to war. She could be right about that.

I'm getting the idea that Maximus is starting an armed insurrection, a coup against his family. Maybe this could lead to his going crazy. After all, Maximus is called "The Mad" in the comics. I haven't seen any hint of using his mind-control powers from the comics. Maybe he never underwent Terrigenesis yet.

I don't get why people are so angry about the CGI Medusa's hair. It looks fine to me. Oh wait, Medusa's an Inhuman. I did like her seeing using it on Maximus.

I also really liked the choice of song for the trailer, "Human" by Rag 'n' Bone Man. I do like the symbolism of it. The Inhuman Royal Family have the powers of gods, but are still only human, warts and all.

I enjoyed this trailer. It was action-packed, we got to see more of the Inhumans, and it was exciting. Can't wait to see this show!

Thursday, July 27, 2017

Thor Ragnarok Trailer #2, My Thoughts

Thor's newest MCU adventure has a new trailer to go with it! Let's give it a looksee, shall we?


First of all, I have to say, sorry for the lack of posting on this blog. I had just spent the last couple days on Lake George, and I only got back yesterday.

The trailer begins with Thor recounting how he ended up on Sakaar...okay, he exaggerated some things about his journey, which is punctuated by footage from the last trailer. The trailer also includes some awesome retro new wave tune. I found out it was called "In the Face of Evil" by Magic Sword. Give it a listen. It's an awesome tune. The trailer does use a darker remix of it, and I hope that version gets a release in the future.

I can't imagine this film would not explain how Bruce Banner ended up on Sakaar. After all, he was last seen flying off in Age of Ultron, so some explanation of how he ended up there would be nice. Maybe the Grandmaster spotted him somewhere and had him picked up. It does appear Hulk has spent some time there, and according to what I have heard, Hulk kind of likes it there.

I'm getting the feeling that Cate Blanchett is just having tons of fun in the role of Hela, based on how she delivers her lines. That scene with Hela fighting the Valkyries is AWESOME. Seriously, look at it. It's utterly amazing.

I got a good chuckle out of Thor telling Bruce Banner he easily beat Hulk.

Heh heh, Valkyrie got a little bit of a pro  wrestling-style entrance there.

I can't help but wonder if Banner remembers that Hulk smashed Loki to paste in the first Avengers movie. And that bit with Thor and Loki greeting some mooks before blasting them was great. For Thor, it must have been nostalgic. I imagine as boys, he and Loki went on adventures together.

I loved the brief flash of seeing Skurge dual-wielding the M-16s. And this trailer gives us a better look at Karl Urban as Skurge. He looks like a badass. That is fantastic. I'm betting Taika Waititi must've been reading some Simonson-era Thor when he was working on this movie.

Hulk fighting Fenrir (the giant wolf) looks like that will be epic.

Hela really should not have asked what Thor was the god of again. He will go Raiden on you, as seen in the trailer.

That scene with Thor and Hulk talking was great. It's fantastic to finally see Hulk talk. I'm hoping there will be lots of banter in this movie with them.

OH MY GOD, THAT IS SURTUR. THE FREAKIN' FIRE DEMON, THE KING OF MUSPELHEIM. AND HULK WANTS TO FIGHT HIM. HULK IS INSANE:
Hulk: Hulk smash that.
Me: Hulk, you can't smash that.
Hulk: Hulk gonna smash that. Hulk can smash anything!
Me: YOU CAN'T SMASH THAT!

I am excited for this movie! I can't wait for this movie! Bring on November! Yahoo!

Friday, July 21, 2017

Squadron Supreme #7 (March 1986)

Welcome back to Earth-712!

Previously on Squadron Supreme: The Squadron Supreme work on their new base of operations: Squadron City. A group of villains flee Earth-712 in an attempt to escape the Squadron's increasing tyranny. Golden Archer's B-Modding of Lady Lark is discovered and he is expelled from the Squadron. The Squadron gains new members in the B-Modded Institute of Evil. Amphibian, fed up with being not listened to anymore, destroys the B-Mod machines and returns to the ocean permanently. After several months in hiding, Nighthawk appears at a mysterious tower, having a plan to stop the Squadron...


The cover is actually pretty neat. We see Hyperion, crazed and ranting, about to drop a heavy object/piece of technology on someone, screaming that he's doing it to win Zarda over. It's a clever cover, because it does hint about these things happening in the comic. Read on to see what I mean.

"Love and Death"
Writer: Mark Gruenwald
Artists: John Buscema (Breakdowns), Jackson Guice (Finishes)
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Michael Higgins
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

The story begins with Nighthawk rappelling down from Remnant's flying carpet.


The narration also provides us with a bit of exposition of Nighthawk's origins. When he was 18, his father, a billionaire who made his fortune in pharmaceutical manufacturing, passed away of a heart attack. It was discovered not long afterwards that he made his fortune through rather unethical means. This drove Nighthawk to become a superhero to not only atone for his father's sins, but to avenge the evil acts like his father committed.

The Batman-analogue rappels down into what appears to be an ordinary observatory, but it turns out to be the secret lair of Master Menace, one of Earth-712's greatest villains. Menace demands to know how Nighthawk found him, and he explains it was thanks to the villains that Menace helped take to another Earth. Nighthawk then recaps Captain America #314 (Basically, the three villains ended up in the Marvel Universe's Earth, and Nighthawk is able to convince them to return and help fight the Squadron). Nighthawk wants Menace's help to fight the Squadron. Menace basically says no to that. If anyone's going to stop the Squadron, it will be him and him alone.

After Nighthawk leaves, Menace gets to work on a project of his own. You see, he has been scanning the Multiverse, looking for a powerful underling he can use for his own plans against the Squadron. And luck is with him this day. He finds...


...another Hyperion. Yeah, there have been several Hyperions in Marvel's history. As a result, keeping track of them can be rather...complicated. You can find info on the four Hyperions here.

This Hyperion's memory is rather...hazy at first, but it slowly comes back. He remembers a being called the Grandmaster recruiting him as part of a great galactic game, claiming that this Hyperion was rescued from a destroyed micro-world. It is certainly plausible. In the Marvel Universe, it is possible to go to other universes by shrinking. Just ask the Micronauts...well, the ones Marvel owns. After that, this Hyperion bummed around for a while, until he ended up on Earth-712. He battled his counterpart, got locked up, but got rescued and returned to Earth-616 by Nth Command. They wanted him to go after a character called Thundra because she had a gadget they wanted. He ended up growing fond of Thundra, and decided to help her go back to her homeworld instead. He leapt in after her and got lost in some purple fog. These events all happened in Avengers #70, Thor #280, and Marvel Two-in-One #67.


His thinking of Thundra was able to keep him sane in that foggy place. Master Menace makes him a deal. This Hyperion helps him fight the native Hyperion and the Squadron, and Menace will help him find Thundra. I love that panel. The clouds forming Thundra's head really help illustrate what was going through 616-Hyperion's mind.

A few days later, the native Hyperion is flying Foxfire to a prison, Foxfire trying to flirt with our resident Superman-analogue. They're visiting Warden Yates, a warden who refuses to let the criminals in his prison get B-Modded. Foxfire is there to help convince the warden.



Honestly, I really find it hard to believe that Mark Gruenwald was not inspired by Grace Jones to create Foxfire. Seriously. Look at her. Jones was big in the 80s, and yeah, she did wear the flattop back in the day. Heck, Foxfire looks like she and Simon Phoenix from Demolition Man hooked up.


Look at him! He's totally her dad!

Yates is still unsure, and one of the guards whispers in amazement that the Squadron would let in someone like Foxfire, calling her a "bimbo". Don't insult the superhuman ex-criminal, dude. Hyperion tries to convince him further by saying that the Squadron has implemented a special program to help the B-Modded criminals find work after the procedure. He then spots a large meteorite heading for the Earth...even though a meteor is called a meteorite when it lands.

Hyperion flies up to give it a Mighty Punch, but something odd happens.


The whole thing is a ruse, set up by Master Menace to replace the native Hyperion with the false Hyperion so he can sow a little discord in the Squadron and get the B-Mod machine. With the switch done, Menace detonates the false meteor. Foxfire borrows a helicopter to find Hyperion, and she does, lying in the desert. The 616 Hyperion, playing unconscious, can't help but gawk over Foxfire while he does.

Dr. Decibel checks him over, and remarks that he has a concussion. How did the 616-Hyperion fake that? Foxfire and Power Princess are surprised by this, as they thought that he was invulnerable. Decibel remarks his instruments are meant for examining humans, and there may have been something in the meteor that weakened him. 616-Hyperion "comes to" and fakes total amnesia.

Power Princess calls a meeting of the Squadron, and tells them the news. Tom Thumb and Quagmire volunteer to go to the landing site of the meteorite and collect samples of it for analysis. Foxfire offers to nursemaid Hyperion through his "amnesia", but Power Princess says she'll handle that. Whizzer suggests that Hyperion's injuries be kept under wraps, fearing it would erode people's confidence in the Squadron. Doctor Spectrum offers to return to combat duty despite his still not being over his trauma regarding Nuke.

Zarda goes to visit 616-Hype, and asks him to squeeze an artificial diamond to test his strength. He manages to crush the diamond easily. She then asks him if he's up for a flight. He agrees and takes her for a flight around Squadron City. During this, Zarda thinks that seeing Hyperion is rather appealing, and 616-Hyperion notes she reminds him of Thundra in some odd way. Basically, they start to get attracted to each other.


As Zarda heads home, 616-Hype thinks about how he's so quickly interested in Zarda, despite his thoughts of Thundra keeping him sane during his time lost between dimensions. He surmises that Zarda may share Thundra's height (616-Hype likes his women tall), strength, and beauty...but Zarda has a softer, sweeter aspect to herself that Thundra didn't. He sees a light come on in her house, and peeks in.



616-Hype is shocked to see Zarda with this strange old man he's never seen before, and flies off. A few minutes later, he sees Dr. Decibel, who was making his rounds. 616-Hype asks him about the old man, and Decibel reveals that that's her husband, Howard Shelton. They've been common-law married for about 40 years (Keep in mind, this comic originally was published in the 80s. WWII was only four decades past at that point). They were both younger then, but Shelton aged normally and Zarda hasn't due to her Utopian nature. 616-Hype is disgusted by this.

The next morning, 616-Hype is woken by a scream.


Decibel and his medical team try to save the elderly war veteran, but despite their efforts and the advanced medical tech of Squadron City, Howard Shelton has shed the mortal coil. 616-Hyperion gives Zarda some comfort.


Look at the expression on Hyperion's face. Foreshadowing... That night Whizzer and Arcanna hang out with their spouses, and discuss the news about Hype's "amnesia" and Shelton's death. Madeline Stewart, Whizzer's wife, remarks that Zarda's been spending a lot of time trying to help deal with 616-Hype's "amnesia", and she remarks that she always thought they'd make a cute couple...

616-Hype walks Zarda home, maintaining his amnesiac act. When she gets home, 616-Hype thinks over his conflicting feelings regarding Zarda and Thundra. He decides to take a flight to clear his head. While flying, he recalls how he killed Howard Shelton by sucking all the air out of his lungs and letting his heart go out. I'm not sure how that works, but comics. 616-Hype is a jackwagon. He struggles over his new feelings for Zarda, and puzzles over what to do: Go with his deal with Emil Burbank/Master Menace for a shot at getting with Thundra, or betray him for a shot at Zarda. He makes his decision and flies back to Burbank.


Yup, 616-Hyperion has decided to take a more sure shot at winning over Zarda. He beats the holy tar out of Master Menace, but the supervillain is able to flee. Despite this, 616-Hype is satisfied with what he's done, and flies back to Squadron City. The Squadron holds a funeral for Shelton, a simple little ceremony. He is buried on a hill that Arcanna proposes be named for him. The comic also revels that Dr. Decibel did do an autopsy on him, and determined that Shelton died of "natural causes", unable to detect any sign that 616-Hype murdered him.

The final panels show that 616-Hype is able to make a successful public appearance, and the final panel is of the two...letting out their feelings.


I can't help but wonder if this is where people started getting the idea of shipping Superman and Wonder Woman.

This comic was really good. It was neat to see an old fashioned supervillain plot in this story. It was also awesome to see Master Menace's scheme blow up in his face. I did think that Hyperion got into Zarda a bit too quickly. Despite this, I enjoyed the issue. The art was fantastic (Then again, it's John Buscema and Jackson "Butch" Guice), but it does illustrate one of the few things about this mini that really drove me crazy: This mini could not keep a consistent artist. Seriously, this mini has several artists. Good artists, don't get me wrong, but it would've been nice to keep one for consistency's sake. Next time, we're going to look at an adventure of the Incredible Hulk...

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Pacific Rim Uprising Teaser, My Thoughts

Pacific Rim. Guillermo Del Toro's epic film featuring giant robots battling extradimensional monsters, it was praised by critics and has become quite a popular little movie. And in 2018, it's getting a sequel: Pacific Rim: Uprising. And here comes the teaser for it!


The first thing I thought when I saw this teaser was, "Did they get GLaDOS to voice this?". Sounded just like her. I have to admit, I never saw the whole movie. I have seen parts of it on TV, and I enjoyed what I saw. Upon looking up the cast list, I found out that the woman who voiced GLaDOS did voice a Jaeger's computer in the movie. Heh. That's neat.

This teaser seems to imitate a car commercial. It focuses on the looks of the Jaegers, and they look good. The way the narration talks about them does sound like hyperbole describing a car's capabilities mixed with an inspiring speech about humanity using the Jaegers to save themselves from the kaiju that attacked Earth from another world.

We get to see some of the Jaegers' weapons, and they rock! One's got a chainsaw, one's got an arm cannon like they took Mega Man's Mega Buster and pumped it full of steroids, there's one that dual-wields swords and can do martial arts kicks. These Jagers look awesome.

Oh hi, John Boyega! Nice to see you're recovering well from Kylo Ren's whupping of you. Also, I know that the Jaegers in the original movie required two people to operate in sync, but that might not be the case anymore here.

Not a whole lot to say about this teaser except that it looked really cool. I liked the car commercial vibe to it. Certainly makes it stand out from other trailers I've seen of stuff like this. I have enjoyed the first Pacific Rim...well, the parts I saw on TV, and I think I'll give the sequel a shot.

Monday, July 17, 2017

My Additions to the SNES Classic

Recently, I wrote a blog entry giving my thoughts on the upcoming SNES Classic. I liked what was coming, and I was eager for it. I also liked the roster of games they chose for it. However, I did feel that the roster of games could use a bit of...beefing up. As such, I went over the library and picked out a few games that I felt would have been great additions to the SNES Classic's library.

Gradius III


Gradius III was a launch title for the SNES in North America, and is considered one of the best side-scrolling shooters for the console. This game would make a wonderful inclusion as it would diversify the offerings of the SNES Classic a little bit more by representing side-scrolling shooters. The SNES did have its fair share of games in various shooter categories, and Gradius III was one of the best. The Vic Viper deserved to be flown by a new generation of gamers.

Wild Guns



Wild Guns is regarded as a cult classic. An arcade-style third-person shoot-em-up, the game's concept, style, and soundtrack have made it unique. Even though the original cartridge is hard to come by, the game was made available on the Virtual Console services for both Wii and Wii U. I imagine that availability has helped the game gain so much popularity, it got an enhanced remake for PS4: Wild Guns Reloaded. This is a fun game, and deserves to be played by many more people. It has a great soundtrack, brings a unique kind of game to the library, and is fun to play. Adding it to the SNES Classic's library is a well-deserved honor for this game.

Final Fight


Much like Gradius III, Final Fight is an arcade port. Also, it was an SNES launch title. Many have said the SNES version of the game is a rather inferior version compared to other ports, for understandable reasons. This was mainly due to the various changes made to this version during the localization process. The two-player co-op feature was removed as well due to the SNES's technical limitations. So, if there are better ports out there, why include this here? Well...simply because Final Fight is one of the great beat-em-up games, and that genre could use a shout-out in the SNES Classic's library.

Pilotwings



For the life of me, I don't get why this one was not included. It was a launch title. It's a flight sim, so it would provide more options for types of games, and it is a critically-acclaimed game. I've gotten to play this recently, and it's a lot of fun. Maybe it wasn't as big a seller as the others? I don't know. It's an odd choice not to include this game.

Run Saber


Run Saber is, admittedly, an obscure title. It's also a bit of a Strider clone, mixed with a bit of Metroid. I'll have to be honest about this one. I have never played this game. I have also never heard of this game until I saw this video on hidden gems in the SNES library. Watch that video. All the games on that list could be good additions to the SNES Classic library. But based on what I saw, it seemed like a fun game, and it would make for a nice surprise addition for people who have played it.

Donkey Kong Country 2 & 3



We got both of the Super Mario World games in the SNES Classic, so I say let's include the complete Donkey Kong Country trilogy with it as well. DK2 was the best-selling game of 1995, and it was the sixth-highest selling game of the entire SNES trilogy. The whole DKC trilogy is critically acclaimed, so I think it would be nice to have seen the whole trilogy in the SNES Classic. My familiarity with the trilogy comes from the GBA ports, which are rather enjoyable.

And those are my ideas of additional games for the SNES Classic library. I'd love to hear your ideas for additional games!

Saturday, July 15, 2017

Hero for Hire #1 (June 1972)

Happy 45th Birthday, Luke Cage! That's right, 2017 marks the 45th anniversary of his debut! Created by Archie Goodwin and John Romita Sr., the character was inspired by the popularity of Blaxploitation films at the time. However, when the genre faded, he was paired in a book with Iron Fist. Funny enough, Iron Fist was also created in response to another 1970s film fad: kung-fu flicks. The pairing was genius, allowing the two to become more three-dimensional characters, and allowing their series to survive well into the 1980s.

Since then, Cage has managed to stick around in the Marvel Universe, protecting Chicago in his own series (which I looked at the first issue of right here), having his own serial in Marvel Comics Presents, and even being a main cast member in the Heroes for Hire series.

In recent years, the character has undergone a bit of a renaissance. He's been an Avenger, led the Thunderbolts, and now is in the new Defenders series. He's also the husband of the super-strong PI Jessica Jones, a father to a daughter named Danielle, who has an alternate future counterpart that became Captain America.

So, with that, let's take a look at where it all started. Here is Hero for Hire #1!



The cover is pretty nicely drawn. Luke Cage is posing in front of a woman, some playing cards, a woman, some neon signs, and Rackham standing over a beaten-down man, being held back by another guard. I like that the background is in shades of red and pink, allowing Cage himself to stand out and catch the eye. My only real complaint is the masthead logo. It's a little too big, in my opinion. It goes nearly halfway over the cover. Doesn't give a ton of room for the image.

"Out of Hell--A Hero!"
Writers: Roy Thomas, John Romita Sr., and Archie Goodwin
Penciler: George Tuska
Inker: Billy Graham
Letterer: Skip Kohloff
Editor: Stan Lee

The story begins at Seagate Prison, a maximum security facility that claims, like Alcatraz, no one has ever escaped. In fact, it's known as "Little Alcatraz". It's essentially a bit of a Hell on Earth. We look in on a trio of guards, letting a man named Carl Lucas out of solitary confinement. One of the guards, a Mr. Quirt, taunts Lucas, saying that he'll be back, and when he does, Quirt will break him.


Lucas heads to the yard, where he meets another prisoner called Shades. He and some of his fellow prisoners are planning a little bit of a demonstration for the warden, as they are fed up with him being a jerk. Lucas wants nothing to do with it, saying that if he's going to get his head bashed in by batons, he'll do it himself. Another prisoner, named Comanche, threatens him with a knife, but eats Lucas's fist for his trouble. Lucas walks off, saying all he cares about is getting out of Seagate, and if he needs a group, he'll do the organizing.

Quirt and the warden, Captain Rackham, watch this exchange from their office. Quirt is all too eager to throw Lucas back into solitary for this, but Rackham nixes it. He sees other possibilities for the loner, and orders Quirt to gently bring him to his office.

Rackham makes Cage a bit of an offer.


You see, Markham wants to quell the planned uprising. Quirt and Rackham are heavily hinted that they are a pair of racist punks, but the creative team had to be subtle about it due to the Comics Code at the time. Anyway, Markham wants Cage to be an informer, alerting him to when the planned uprising will occur. It also would help make Markham look good for the new warden coming in. Cage refuses. Markham tells him that a man needs friends in the pen, but Cage isn't that lonely. Furious with this, Markham orders Quirt to send him back to solitary. On the way, Quirt decides to have his own bit of fun with Mr. Lucas...


The other guards and even other prisoners are outraged by Lucas's treatment. However, the future Luke Cage would get a savior. The new warden, a man named Stuart, has arrived. He hears the commotion and is rather unhappy with what he is seeing. In a bit of poetic justice, he decides to...end Quirt's employment as a Seagate guard, and leaves him alone with Carl Lucas so the two can...discuss their issues. In the warden's office, Captain Rackham is enjoying a drink, and offers one to Quirt, only to see that it's Warden Stuart.


I love that last panel. If that were made into live-action or something, I can imagine Markham accidentally dropping his cigar and spilling his drink on himself. Stuart is unimpressed by Markham and basically tells him that he is demoted. Markham has one week to impress as a regular guard, or he's done. Markham blames Carl Lucas for this.

Some time later, a doctor comes to visit Lucas. He introduces himself as Dr. Noah Burstein. He looks over at Lucas's healing injuries, and explains that he got special permission to visit him. Burstein is working on a certain medical experiment, and he thinks Mr. Lucas fits the bill. Lucas is one of the toughest, fittest, and strongest men in the prison, so he'd be the most likely to survive it. He looks over Lucas's files, and finds that he's not going to be leaving for good behavior anytime soon. You see, Lucas claims he was framed.


Burstein says everyone who goes to the prison says that, but he would still like to hear Lucas's side of the story. Figuring there was no harm in telling him this, Lucas starts to tell his tale. Carl Lucas grew up in the streets of Harlem. Harlem was a tough place, where you had to scrape to survive. However, Lucas didn't have to do it alone. He had a friend named Willis Stryker. Together, the two turned to crime to survive.


Over time, Stryker developed a talent for knife-fighting, while Lucas best one of the best street brawlers in town. Over time, Lucas grew tired of the criminal life. Stryker was just getting started, getting involved in the rackets. But then, something, or more appropriately, someone had come into the boys' lives.



Her name was Reva. And she has stolen the heart of both Lucas and Stryker. However, Stryker was able to win her over initially because he had the money to get her nice gifts and take her to fancy restaurants. On one of their dates, a man approaches Stryker. He is a representative of the Syndicate, and says they don't like Stryker's business cutting into their territory. Stryker doesn't care. Reva is worried about this whole thing.

Stryker decides to leave out a side door, as the Syndicate man left out the front. The Syndicate had prepared for this, and set up an ambush. Much to Reva's horror, the Syndicate men lay a beating down on Stryker, and she goes for help, finding Carl Lucas playing poker. He and Stryker may had their issues over Reva, but they were still friends. Lucas comes to Stryker's aid, giving the Syndicate men a beating of their own, and getting Stryker to a hospital.

This whole thing has given Reva a bit of a revelation. She realized that Stryker is embracing a dangerous way of life, and she is terrified by it. She tells a healing Stryker this in the hospital, and he takes it well.


Carl and Reva grew close over time, to the point where they were talking marriage. During that time, Stryker was plotting his revenge. And he does with a frame-up.


Burstein questions this, asking how Lucas can be certain it was Stryker that framed him. Lucas says it was obvious. The Syndicate had no idea who he was, and Stryker had a motive. While Lucas was in the clink, Stryker had made false promises to Reva that he'd help Lucas out. The two are driving down a road when their car gets shot up. Stryker survives, Reva is...not so lucky. Ever since then, Lucas has only cared about one thing: Getting out and getting his revenge on Stryker. Burstein believes his story, but reminds him that attitude won't get him out.

Burstein tells Lucas about the medical project he's working on. It's a risky one, but if it succeeds, Lucas could get parole. Lucas is tempted by this, but turns it down, saying that parole will do him no good if he's dead. Later, the demoted Rackham taunts Lucas in his cell, saying he's going to make Lucas's time in Seagate an absolute hell. Rackham has clearly not considered that Warden Stuart may be keeping an eye on him.

Lucas is fed up with it and decides that if he's going to partake in Burstein's experiment...for reasons. The next day, Burstein takes Cage to a lab with equipment provided by Stark Industries as part of his research grant. Heh heh, Iron Man reference. Burstein explains that he's researching human cellular regeneration. He believes that his research could one day allow any disease to be cured, perhaps even...immortality. Hey, anybody can be the Highlander!

Lucas then steps in the chemical bath, and the experiment is underway. Rackham sees an opportunity to get some revenge on Lucas, and messes with the controls.


You'd think that an experiment like this would have some people guarding it, considering it was being done in a prison. I dunno, maybe Rackham bribed them. Burstein tries to stop Rackham, but the damage is done. The chemicals in the bath go crazy, and Lucas bursts out. Rackham tries to shoot him, but Lucas knocks him on his butt. Burstein notes that Lucas's slap knocked him cold, like he put a lot more strength into it than he intended.

Lucas pounds the wall in frustration, but discovers that his punch actually cracked the wall...without even damaging his fists. He realizes the chemical bath must've made him much stronger and more durable than a normal person. Seeing a chance to finally escape, Lucas bursts through the wall like a battering ram.


The guards pursue him, and Lucas finds himself at the edge of a cliff. He grabs a rock to fight back, but gets shot by the guards, and sent careening over the cliff. The guards go down to check for his body, but only find a bullet hole-ridden shirt. As for Lucas himself...



He emerges from the water, discovering that the bullets bruised him, but otherwise didn't harm him. He's essentially become a super-strong walking bulletproof vest. Burstein looks out a window, and mentally apologizes to Lucas for seemingly getting him killed. Lucas hides in the water until dark, then heads into the city. On the way, he struggles with a problem: everyone thinks he's likely dead, and he has no way of making a living. Not to mention his newfound superhuman status.

Once he makes it back to New York City, Lucas has an encounter with a criminal at a diner. His new power allows him to easily take down the thief. The diner's owner is so grateful to Lucas that he gives him some money. The former prisoner is hit with a bit of a flash of inspiration, and he heads to a costume shop.

Later, he visits Reva's grave. He tells her he is back in town, and has taken up a new name: Luke Cage. The newly-renamed Cage swears he will avenge Reva's death. He asks around town for information about what Stryker is up to currently. Next, he heads to his cheap hotel room. His new costume is done, his business cards are printed up. He's ready to begin his new occupation: Luke Cage, the Hero for Hire.


People have poked fun at the costume (heck, comics have shown Luke Cage himself poking fun at it), but let's keep in mind, this was 1972. The costume would end up becoming rather iconic. It was such a part of the character that Cage would regularly use it until the 1990s.

Luke Cage isn't the only one who has embraced the costumed life, though. A messenger reports to a man about Cage's activities. He nearly gets a knife to the face in response. He goes to a rack of various knives and daggers, reminding that he fought his way into getting into the Syndicate and getting some turf of his own. And who was this man?


Yup, it's Luke's former friend Willis Stryker, with a fancy supervillain outfit and nom-de-guerre of his own: Diamondback. You see, in the Marvel Universe, Willis Stryker was the first character to use the "Diamondback" name. First of five. Stryker wants Cage brought to him. I'm guessing he's unaware Luke Cage was his former friend.

This comic is pretty enjoyable. Luke Cage was inspired by Blaxploitation, and you can see that influence all over it. It's set in an urban neighborhood, deals with crime, and I wanted to listen to some Isaac Hayes when reading this. It goes at a brisk pace, and George Tuska does some good artwork on this. We do see some early establishment of Cage's character, like his principled nature. If you are a fan of the character, or just curious about his origins, I highly recommend getting it.

Next time, we return to Earth-712, and go further into the fall of the Squadron Supreme...

Sunday, July 9, 2017

SNES Classic, My Thoughts

Nintendo is at it again! First they released the NES Classic, and now...this!



That's right, folks! The SNES Classic! This one got me really excited. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System was one of the first consoles I ever owned. I played Super Mario World and Super Mario All-Stars all the time on it, and this made me smile.

It also is going to be packed with a batch of games:

- Contra III: The Alien Wars
- Donkey Kong Country
- Final Fantasy III (Actually Final Fantasy VI)
- F-Zero
- Kirby Super Star
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
- Mega Man X
- Secret of Mana
- Starfox
- Starfox 2 (First released here)
- Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts
- Super Mario Kart
- Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
- Super Mario World
- Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
- Super Metroid

The West's SNES Classics will get some exclusive games, too:
- Earthbound
- Kirby's Dream Course
- Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting
- Super Castlevania IV
- Super Punch-Out!!

I have to admit, this is a nice roster of games, although I would have switched out Hyper Fighting for The New Challengers, which is what Japan's SNES Classics are getting. Was Hyper Fighting the best-selling version in the West? I'm not sure why we're getting this one.

Anyway, as I said, this roster of games is a good one. As with the NES Classic's game roster, it's pretty much all killer, no filler. Many of the games on this roster are considered classics and must-play games. And the fact that we're also going to get the unreleased Starfox 2 from this, is a fantastic bonus. From what I understand, the game was pretty much completed, just unreleased. The fact that Nintendo actually preserved the ROM all these years is just amazing to me.

A friend of mine has said that he has hoped that such a device will allow for updates in the future, and maybe possibly adding new games. I actually think that would be a great idea. There's a great roster of games, but there doesn't seem to be as much variety as the NES Classic's game library had.

Looking at just the Western version here, you got Street Fighter II T:HF representing fighting games, FFIII and Earthbound for JRPGs, Contra III for shoot-em-ups, F-Zero and Super Mario Kart for racing games, and quite a lot of platformers. Which to be fair, platformers and RPGs were the SNES's big thing. However, I would have liked to have seen some more games added. Hey, maybe that could make another blog entry. I'll have to think on this one.

I'm also hoping they fix some of the supply issues with this one.

Anyway, I WANT THIS THING. I REALLY WANT THIS THING. I would love to have a small SNES I can play anywhere. I can't wait for this thing!

Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Supergirl #1 (September 1996)

Supergirl. The Girl of Steel. The Maid of Might. Since 1959, various incarnations of the character have fought evil and save the day. Whether it was the original Kryptonian Kara Zor-El, the artificial lifeform known as Matrix, the "Earth Angel" Linda Danvers, the street girl named Nia who was altered into thinking she was the alternate universe daughter of Superman and Lois Lane Cir-El, Supergirl has been a important bastion against the forces of evil for about six decades.

In the 1990s, writer Peter David, who cut his teeth on titles like Spectacular Spicer-Man and he Incredible Hulk, was assigned to write a new Supergirl title by DC Comics. David decided to do something a little different with the character. Instead of writing her as simply "Superman with boobs", he wrote a Supergirl series that dealt with themes of redemption and faith, battling demons and monsters. He also wanted to bring back elements of the pre-Crisis on Infinte Earths Supergirl mythos, like new takes on Dick Malverne and a rather...wild take on Comet the Super-Horse.

With that, let's take a look at the first issue that started it all: 1996's Supergirl #1.


The cover is a simple one. It basically is a close-up of Supergirl's chest, her wearing a green flannel shirt over her suit, and carrying a skateboard. The Super--Family symbol is right square in the center, easily seen. It is a well-drawn cover, and it does communicate the impression that this Supergirl is going to be...a little different.

"Body and Soul"
Writer: Peter David
Penciller: Gary Frank
Inker: Cam Smith
Letterer: Pat Smith
Colorist: Gene D'Angelo
Separator: Digi Cham
Editor: Chris Duffy

The story begins with a young woman trying to clean off some cuts in the shower. She's rather confused as to where the wounds came from, who did them, and who she even is. She prays to God for answers, but finds it odd that she's even doing that. As she finishes and cleans herself up, she hears another woman walk into the room. She then remembers the woman's name is Mattie. Mattie is shocked to see her and says her name.


Mattie unintentionally helps jar the woman's memory a bit, reminding her that her name is Linda Danvers. Mattie is overjoyed to see her, saying everyone was saying she was dead. Mattie remarks that she doesn't even have a mark on her. A confused Linda looks in the mirror and notices that not only have her mysterious wounds all healed, her eyes are now blue. But they were supposed to be brown. Mattie notices some pink gunk in the bathtub, and demands to know what it is. Linda just says she was...empty.

Brushing it off, Mattie reminds Linda that she was kidnapped, and people in town were talking all kinds of things, like Satanism and all that. She remarks that there was a burned warehouse and they found her ID all charred. Linda finds a pair of jeans with a hole in them, and they trigger some memories. She remembers a man named Buzz burning her in the leg with a cigarette.


Yeah, this dude is totally not evil or anything. Perfectly nice guy. She remembers running out of the bar they were in and getting grabbed in an alley. A group of men try to attack her.


Yeah, that marking on that one guy's head is totally not indicating anything. She fights her way out, but not before getting a scratch. She then sees Buzz at the end of the street, smirking at her. Yeah, this dude is totally not some evil creature. She shifts back to reality, and Mattie tells her that she has to call her folks. Linda looks at the phone, which triggers another memory.

This one is of her and what appears to be her father. He's yelling at her, saying he's out of control. She mouths him off, calling him a controlling idiot. He angrily raises his fist as if to punch her, and she goads him into hitting her, saying he wants to do so. He puts it down, saying it's not what he wants. She angrily leaves the house, screaming that her parents hate her. The memory makes her flee in confusion, and she finds herself running faster. And faster. Until she is outrunning the wind itself.


Meanwhile, a police officer is trying to get a suicidal man to not jump off a building ledge. The man has had enough of the cop's speaking, and he takes the leap. Linda, still running at superhuman speed, leaps up and catches the man, safely bringing him to the ground. She zips off, nobody seeing or recognizing her. Someone thinks it might have been the Flash, but the suicidal man says that it was an angel who saved him. Remember this line.

Linda skids to a halt, noticing her Flash impression hasn't tired her out. She wonders if she is even human. She then puzzles over what she has learned. Her name was Linda Danvers. Her best friend was Mattie Harcourt. Her parents love or hate her, she's not entirely sure. What she needs is information, and she finds the Lessburg Tribune's building.

She goes inside, wanting a newspaper. However, she is told that she needs money to buy a paper. Newspapers are cheap, but they are not free. She eyes a man carrying a bunch of newspapers, and asks if those are the latest edition. You'd think the poor guy would have a wagon or dolly of some kind to help him carry those papers around. Anyway, he says they are, and she easily lifts one of the bushels of newspapers. She gets a look at the front page.


Yup, Supergirl is missing, feared dead. Nobody knows what happened to her. A bald man walks in and notices Linda. The man, Cutter Sharp (Oh yeah, cutter and sharp. I get it), realizes who she is, and is overjoyed to see her. She's not happy to see him, but...well, just look.


It's funny stuff. Cutter literally begs on his knees to Supergirl. It's a great moment of humor here. He's Cutter's got a big story on his hands here, and he's not letting this one slip by. He's got the exclusive scoop on The Mysterious Return of Linda Danvers.

The scene briefly shifts to a crime scene. The strange (and TOTALLY NOT EVIL) Buzz watches this, and grumbles about the police presence being there for days. Concealed in the shadows is an unseen figure with green catlike eyes, reminding Buzz that he still wants and needs "her". Buzz reassures him that he'll get what he wants. The figure, Lord Chakat, wants blood.

Back at the Tribune building, Cutter has done some research in an attempt to help Linda figure out ore about herself. He asks her if she has amnesia. Linda says she's unsure. She remembers bits and pieces, but she feels a lack of connection, like she was someone else. Then this happens.


Yeah, you see, at the time, Superman had just recently come back from the dead. As a result of it, he had the world's most powerful Super-Mullet for a time. He calls her "Mae", which is a reference to Mae Kent, the Earth name the Matrix Supergirl used as a secret identity. If you want to learn more about her, you can read this. Also, I did review two Action Comics issues that had her in them: #644 (August 1989), and #674 (February 1992).

It knocks her out of reality for a moment, but she's able to rejoin it quickly. Anyway, Cutter has found that Linda is a college dropout (Cutter wasn't able to find out what drove her to leave), and made a living by selling sculptures at craft fairs. And that according to her mother, the only think that had any meaning in Linda's life was Supergirl. I'm guessing she may have been a fan.

We then go to a...flashback, I'm assuming. Supergirl goes to visit Linda's parents. Linda's mom, Sylvia Danvers, had put out a plea for Supergirl to save her on TV. Sylvia is a spiritual person, and believes that God intended her to help Linda. Fred Danvers, Linda's father, tells Sylvia she's being a fool for discussing spirituality with someone who isn't human. A neat little gag is when he lists the things Supergirl would be one of them is a "shape-changing soulless blob of protoplasm". Question of soul existence aside, Supergirl at that time was a shapeshifting blob of protoplasm. Supergirl reminds him she's here to help, so knock it off. He apologizes to her and pleads with her to save Linda. I think Fred has an issue with mood swings.

Supergirl flies off to save Linda. Cutter explains that there was a cult operating in Leesburg. This cult had been able to evade the police despite being responsible for several grisly deaths, including beheadings. Linda's van was found in the woods, with the cult's symbol all over it, leading people to believe she was one of the cult's victims.

There was a big fire in a warehouse a couple of days later, only finding Supergirl's costume, and a bunch of Kentucky Fried Cultists. Cutter lights up a cigarette, the flame of his lighter causing Linda to freak out. Cutter realizes the flame is setting off a PTSD-like flashback, but Linda shoves him away.



Cutter runs out after her, but doesn't see that Linda has made her way to the roof. While huddled into a ball, more memories come back. She remembers Supergirl battling the cult...while also remembering Linda Danvers being stabbed by Buzz as part of a ritual. There's a demon trying to make his way into the world, and requires blood to be brought forth. Buzz tries to throw the blood-stained knife at the demon, but Supergirl stops it with a psycho-kinetic blast. The demon screams as the ritual fails.

Linda remembers dying, her wounds taking their toll. She also remembers Supergirl standing over her, trying to comfort her. They look into each other's eyes. And something...insane happens.


The protoplasmic Matrix and Linda seem to...merge, combining into one person. The words accompanying this are rather interesting, as Linda remembers Matrix as essentially a living statue, an artificial being that can imitate, but not be truly human. Personally, I do think Matrix was rather human in her own way. She may have been a living blob of protoplasm, but she was a sentient being who used her powers to help others.

During a press conference, a police officer announces that there's still no sign of Supergirl, holding up her costume...aaaaand it's gone. The story ends with Linda fully transformed into Supergirl, taking to the air, fully costumed.



This comic was actually rather enjoyable. Peter David does something very unique with the Supergirl character, and the comic really does set the tone of what Supergirl's adventures will be like for the future and her new status quo. It also leaves an interesting way to explore this new status quo, the merged Matrix/Linda Danvers having to learn alongside the readers about Leesburg and its residents. Gary Frank's art is very enjoyable to look at, although his take on Buzz kind of broadcasts that he's evil a bit much. Bit too obvious. Otherwise that, I love the artwork on this book.

Next time, in honor of his 45th anniversary, we take a look back at the beginnings of one of Marvel's toughest heroes, the king of the Harlem streets, Luke Cage...

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Fourth of July, everyone!


On this day, we celebrate our Independence Day. On this day, in 1776, the thirteen American colonies declared themselves a new nation, the United States of America. They were no longer part of the British Empire. And over the next 240+ years, this nation has celebrated this day as its birthday.

The holiday is celebrated in many ways, mainly in the form of parades, barbecues, and at night, firework displays. It's a time where family gets together. It's time to play some baseball, the national pastime. It's a time to enjoy a juicy burger or hot dog. It's also a day to celebrate a country that has been called "The Great Experiment".

So, on this day, hang out with your family, have some fun, get some good food, and watch some fireworks. Enjoy the day! Happy Birthday, America!