Squadron Supreme #9 (May 1986)

Welcome back to Earth-712! Over the past eight months, we've watched the Squadron Supreme, the World's Mightiest Heroes, attempt to become more than just mere superheroes, the protectors of their world. We saw them attempt to actually fix their world. However, it would be shown that fixing the world is not an easy job. The Squadron endured triumph and tragedy, and it's not over yet.

Previously on Squadron Supreme: Master Menace attempted to bring the Squadron Supreme down from within by kidnapping Hyperion and replacing him with his counterpart from Earth-616. However, the plan would go wrong as 616-Hyperion fell in love with Zarda, and decided to screw over Menace. 712-Hyperion would break out of Menace's trap and engage 712-Hyperion in battle. Their battle devastates their world's Mount Rushmore, Presidents' Mountain. The battle ends with 616-Hyperion dead, and 712-Hyperion blinded.

The cover is interesting. Tom Thumb is holding up a container triumphantly, and the other members of the Squadron seem shocked by this. It's like they discovered what was actually in the container, and are shocked he's going to drink the stuff inside. "No, Tom! Don't drink it! It's spiked with laxatives!" There's also a text box that states, "At last--THE CURE!" Wait, The Cure is appearing in this comic? Okay, this could be interesting. If Mecha-Streisand shows up, we'll need Robert Smith and his Robot Punch.

"Borrowed Time!"
Writer: Mark Gruenwald
Penciller: Paul Ryan
Inker: Sam De La Rosa
Letterer: Rick Parker
Colorist: Max Scheele
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-In-Chief: Jim Shooter

The story begins with Hyperion lying on a bed in Squadron City's hospital complex, Dr. Decibel examining him.

Dr. Decibel thinks about the troubles he's had using a laser to repair Hyperion's damaged eyes. You see, because Hyperion is so durable, it makes it very hard for the medical laser to reattach his optic nerves. Another subtle bit of clever deconstruction from Gruenwald here. Decibel has tried this operation several times, and each time was a failure because the laser was just not powerful enough. This is the eighth attempt, with this new laser being the most powerful that Tom Thumb can devise.

Hyperion then recounts the events of the last issue (Remember, this was from 1986. Comics were still being sold in newsstands then), and then undergoes the procedure. Zarda watches this, and wonders why. She's been going through a lot emotionally since 616-Hyperion killed her husband. She had a void in her heart, and 616-Hyperion was only too happy to fill it.

She admits to herself she was angry with the "main" Hyperion for killing off 616-Hyperion, but then realized she only fell for 616 because she thought he was 712. Yeah, I apologize for this. Multiverses can be a pain sometimes. Decibel's procedure is finished, but it'll be a couple of days before he and Hyperion know for sure it's a success.

Meanwhile, one of the Squadron members is looking at footage of a battle.

In the past, the Grandmaster played one of his cosmic games with the Scarlet Centurion, which was the origin of the Institute of Evil. And you may notice that Skymax, the Skrullian Skymaster, appears in the panel. Yeah, my bad. I did say he only made one flashback appearance in this mini, I missed this. I goofed. Sorry about that.

Anyway, Foxfire gets to the part of the footage showing her engaging Nighthawk in battle. Foxfire notes the tape states that Nighthawk was easily able to beat her with his fighting skills. She scoffs at this, saying he beat her through luck. Nice little subtle bit of deconstruction here. In reality, some heroes probably would embellish their battles a little. She has the holo-library pull of a file on her, and it's not much.

There is a bit of a missed opportunity here with Foxfire. Much like the other Institute of Evil members, we never really get to learn her origin. It would have been neat to learn more about how they came to be who they were in this mini. I get why, they're not the focus of the story, but it still would have been neat to learn their origins. I personally imagine that like Earth-616, Earth-712 may have mutants, but I that world, they are much more rare. Foxfire may be one of those mutants. It has been established that Earth-712 doesn't have as many native superhumans as Earth-616, so maybe there aren't as many mutants.

Also, look at her. You can not tell me Foxfire was not inspired by Grace Jones. This was the mid-80s. A View to a Kill was out in theaters. This was her heyday. Anyway, Foxfire looks up information on the Scarlet Centurion.

How'd they get those mugshots of him? Fun fact, he's another version of Kang the Conqueror. An energy beam covers her eyes as she's learning about him, and she fights back. However, she stands down when she realizes that it was Doctor Spectrum. Spectrum has come to ask her to join in a poker game he's starting in an effort to fight off some Sunday boredom. Foxfire responds with a bit of flirting.

There's something rather...unnerving abut this whole thing. Keep in mind, Foxfire was a former villainess who was B-Modded to be a hero. Despite Tom Thumb's reassurances, it has been shown that yes, the B-Modding does affect her free will a bit. In the hospital complex, Blue Eagle goes to visit Quagmire, who is lying comatose in his bed.

Eagle recalls how he was hard on the former villain because he was different, and his regrets over not helping Quagmire rescue a group of people from a gas leak, resulting in him taking massive doses of a tranquilizer gas. He's hoping that Quagmire pulls out so he can make things right. On a tennis court, Whizzer and Lamprey are having a super-fast tennis match.

It's revealed that Whizzer allowed Lamprey to leech off a small amount of his power so Lamprey can play at Whizzer's level. This match is being watched by Maddy, Arcanna, and Phil Jones. Maddy Stewart reveals that Whizzer is a fan of tennis, but wasn't able to play with anyone after gaining his superspeed. Phil says he's going to check on the children, and finds the Jones children playing with Shape.

Phil asks Shape if the kids are hurting him, but he doesn't mind. He loves playing with the kids. Shape himself is rather child-like in mind. It can be argued that he has a mental disability of some kind. And he was likely B-Modded like the rest of the Institute of Evil. Yeah. The Squadron screwed with the head of a mentally disabled man. Let that sink in. We next go to the lab.

Ape-X and Tom Thumb are working on a device known as a Hibernaculum. Evidently it's meant to be used to put sick people in suspension until a way can be found to heal them. Ape-X is really enjoying working with Tom Thumb, and finds herself wishing she was human, so she could start something with him. It's a neat little hint of Ape-X's past, hinting she was always a gorilla. I wonder if Ape-X was a nod to Gorilla Grodd. Anyway, Thumb has a coughing fit, and leaves, saying he's going to get some cough syrup.

In Thumb's office, Aida the computer encourages Thumb to tell someone about his illness. Thumb refuses, saying if he couldn't find a cure for his cancer, nobody else in the Squadron could. He also doesn't want to be looked at with pity. It does tie into the self-esteem issues Thumb was shown to have in earlier issues. My guess is his bitterness towards his being overlooked is also causing him to keep quiet. He tells Aida that he's going to take a nap, and to wake him up in a half-hour.

As Thumb sleeps, Aida puzzles over what to do next. As Tom's computer, she is programmed to follow his commands. However, Tom needs help. If he doesn't, he'll die. Despite that disobeying Tom's command could damage her systems, Aida decides to tell Ape-X about his illness.

Out on the Apache Mountain Range, which is in...I don't know, Nighthawk and his crew are flying in a helicopter. The magical trinket that Professor Imam gave Nighthawk in Captain America #314 is indicating there is someone they can recruit nearby.

I like the bit of banter between Mink and Remnant. Helps give the impression the two of them were old friends. Nighthawk and Remnant use Remnant's magic carpet to fly down and investigate. And they find their man.

Back in Squadron City's lab complex, Ape-X wakes Tom up from his nap. She explains that she knows Tom is very ill, and he's shocked by this. She says that he should have told her and they could have found a way to help him. Tom explains that he tried. He tried everything, but there's no way to beat this. He's going to die. He even recalls when he attempted to bargain with the Scarlet Centurion for a cure, saying he refused when Centurion demanded that in exchange, he wanted Tom to poison the rest of the Squadron.

Ape-X asks why Tom didn't just, well...steal the Panacea Potion. Tom explains that it would be wrong. Ape-X counters that it's wrong to just give up and let his cancer kill him if there's a way to save his life. Tom suffers a bit of a crisis. He doesn't want to die, but he can't break his moral code, even if it is to save his life. She suggests that he...borrows the Panacea Potion. When he has it, he can analyze it, return it, and make his own. She reasons it's no different than borrowing a book from the library. It will be returned, so Tom wouldn't have stolen it.

Tom reluctantly agrees, and asks Ape-X if she'll help him. She can't because of the B-Modding. This is another problem with the B-Mod process. It doesn't allow for complex moral problems like this. She then suggests another idea as Tom doesn't want to involve his old Squadron friends in this, so she suggests another idea.

Later, Ape-X brings in Lamprey. Thumb equips him with a time-traveling harness. He then lies to Lamprey that the Scarlet Centurion stole something from the Squadron, and they're going to travel to his time to get it back. Tom laments his having to lie to Lamprey, but his B-Modding would make Lamprey not help him if he was told he was going to steal something. With Aida and Ape-X's help, Lamprey and Tom Thumb arrive to the future ruled by the Scarlet Centurion.

The two search for a hospital or something like it in the air. A pair of flying drones spot the two and engage them. One of the "rovers" blasts Lamprey with an energy beam, which Lamprey absorbs thanks to his powers. He uses his charge to blast them out of the sky. The two then find themselves near the Centurion's citadel.

Back in the 1980s Squadron City, Hyperion is recovering from Decibel's treatment, and doing some thinking. He's wondering if his losing his sight is some form of punishment. Punishment for his killing his 616-counterpart and destroying Presidents' Mountain during that battle. He remarks he never let himself go so wild with his powers before. To be fair, he probably never faced a foe that could match him in raw power. It wasn't like 616-Hyperion was some stereotypical "90-pound weakling". Zarda comes by to visit.

Zarda explains that she has been very busy with running the Squadron, hence why she hasn't been able to visit him lately. Hyperion compliments her on her hard work and tells her if she still wants to lead the Squadron when he gets his sight back, it's fine by him. That's awful nice of him. However, Zarda has something else in mind. She had fallen for the 616-Hyperion, thinking he was the 712 one. 616 may be dead, but her feelings for him have not gone away. Hyperion is shocked by this, as he's always had the utmost respect and admiration for Zarda, but...

Yeah, Zarda. Just force a kiss on the guy. Back in the 41st century, Tom Thumb and Lamprey look around for the Panacea Potion. They find a worker, who is able to converse with them. He explains that 20th Century American English is required learning among certain people in the Centurion's time. This series is known for deconstructing superheroes, but this is a nice bit of subtle reconstruction. Despite being from the far future, the Scarlet Centurion was able to converse with the Squadron in 20th century English. It makes sense language would have evolved in the large time gap, and this little bit explains how that gap was bridged. Clever.

The worker points out where the Potion is kept. They run inside, but find the place full of various potions. Which one is the right one?

We whip back to Nighthawk's crew in the 1980s. Remnant is making a costume for Redstone, their new recruit.

Well, that outfit is certainly...something. It was the 80s, this was stylish then. I'm guessing Lamprey thought it would be funny to give him a red suit because his name is Redstone. The group's Power Pyramid glows, revealing that their next recruit is nearby. It's a real shame we never get to see what Redstone looked like without his mask. It looks like it was a deliberate decision. I also heard that this version of Redstone is supposed to be Native American. Neat. Not many Native American characters in comics. I've also heard he's supposed to be a pastiche of possibly Geo-Force and Steel.

Back in the 41st century (seriously, this comic bounces back and forth like a child in a bouncy castle), Tom Thumb and Lamprey find the Panacea Potion.

Some guards rush in, and Lamprey fights them off. However, the battle destroys all the containers of Panacea Potion except the one in Tom Thumb's hands, as he kept it with him in his personal forcefield. Tom realizes that he hold the very last of the Panacea Potion. He does consider that more can be made, which is something I'm thinking myself, but he wonders...what if people in this time need the potion at the moment? If they steal this potion, it could doom those people.

Tom decides that since he's gone this far, might as well just take the Potion, anyway. He and Lamprey return home, much to the amusement of the Scarlet Centurion.

He tells his guards there's no need to pursue Thumb and Lamprey to the 80s, as his fate is known to him...and Thumb's fate is sealed. Back in the Squadron City labs, Tom analyzes the Panacea Potion...and is shocked by what this supposed "cure-all" actually is.

It's just penicillin and vitamins. Yeah. The people of the 41st century have bodies that been so perfected thanks to eugenics that if they ever do get sick, they just take some vitamins, maybe get some bed rest, and they're good. I just wonder if chicken soup was rendered obsolete...or maybe it's made with super-chickens. They're like regular chickens, but stronger. They peck like a mother.

All the compromising of his beliefs and values Tom did, and it was all for nothing. All for a "Panacea Potion" that would not help him at all. A despondent Tom decides to return the Potion, and the comic ends with a somber final panel.

The resident scientific genius of the Squadron dying in his lab. Something...appropriate about that.

This was an amazing comic. It's one of the strongest showings of the morality theme that Gruenwald liked to explore in his work. In a way, we've seen the Squadron Supreme subtly compromise their morals over the course of this miniseries, with their taking over the United States and their programs to help others. Tom's story here is kind of a microcosm of the whole miniseries, in a way. To save himself, he compromised on his beliefs, and it cost him.

And even better, this story was backed up by some great art. Paul Ryan does some fantastic work in this issue. The characters are expressive, it's detailed, and it's just a joy to look at. It does make me wish he could have done the entire miniseries. Can you imagine the entire miniseries looking like this? It would have been incredible. That's the ultimate tragedy of this miniseries, the lack of a consistent artist.

Next time, we'll take a look at a hero who I think never had any solo adventures covered in this blog. That's right, the Dark Knight is coming, and he'll be dealing with the Beginning of Tomorrow...

DuckTales Reboot, My Thoughts

DuckTales is making a comeback, baby! The reboot has finally arrived, and Disney XD put up the full premiere on YouTube! Here it is!

Before I begin, I have to say, I have seen some of the original 1987 DuckTales series as a kid. I do distinctively remember two episodes: "Pearl of Wisdom", in which Scrooge and the gang have to return a pearl that can grant the power of infinite wisdom to its homeland. "Launchpad's Civil War", in which he portrays an ancestor who fought in the Duck world's version of the Civil War. "The Curse of Castle McDuck", in which Scrooge takes his nephews and Webby to his family's old castle in Scotland, only to encounter a group of druids and their ghostly hound.

Like many kids around my age, you may have watched the original series at some point. And you may have enjoyed it. So, when a reboot was announced, I'm sure there were a lot of people who were, like me, excited...and naturally, I bet there was dread. I didn't have dread. But watching the clips and trailer really excited me for this, and...

What can I really say about this that no one else has? This reboot is fantastic! As someone who enjoyed the original as a kid, I felt that this reboot really did a great job of modernizing the series, but retain the fun feel of the original 1987 series.

I also liked that the series is making an attempt to be more loyal to the original Carl Barks/Don Rosa-era Duck comics. I do have a bit of a confession about this. I never read any of those comics, but I do want to read The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck. Funny enough, I heard the writers of this series were required to read it.

I love that Huey, Dewey, and Louie have been given distinct personalities. Let's be honest with ourselves. I love the 80s series, but you have to admit, the nephews were rather...interchangeable character-wise. The three nephews seem to reflect an aspect of Scrooge, which is clever. Huey has his intelligence, Dewey has his love of adventure, and Louie has his greed.

I also liked that the series made subtle nods to other Disney Afternoon shows like Goof Troop, TaleSpin, and Darkwing Duck. Speaking of the latter, they have said Darkwing will appear in the series. Oh, I want to see that!

I also really liked the voice cast. I imagine casting Scrooge must have been a tough thing, considering the late Alan Young's legendary performance in the '87 series. Luckily, David Tennant did splendidly. I have heard complaints of the voice actors from the nephews sounding not "child-like" enough, but that didn't bother me when I watched this. To be honest, I was happy they were comprehensible. No offense to Tony Anselmo, but I did find his Donald voice a little hard to understand sometimes. It wasn't terrible, but it was a bit hard to figure out at times.

I don't really have any real complaints about this series. It was a great modernization of the original, drew from the comics, and felt like its own thing. It was fun, it was funny, it has action, and it set up an interesting mystery. If you like the 1987 original, you'll love 2017's take. Enjoy!

Tomb Raider Trailer, My Thoughts

Tomb Raider. Since 1996, gamers have enjoyed the adventures of the British archeologist Lara Croft as she investigated various ruins and, well, tombs around the world and helped save the world from various forms of evil.

Like many video game series before, Tomb Raider would also make the leap to live-action film. In 2001, the film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider came out, with Angelina Jolie portraying the title character. The film would also get a sequel in 2003: Lara Croft: Tomb Raider-The Cradle of Life. The two films did get negative receptions, but Jolie's performance as Croft was praised. But now with a reboot on the way, Swedish actress Alicia Vikander has taken up Croft's crop top and twin handguns/bow-and-arrow. And it has a trailer!

The trailer begins with Lara Croft running through a jungle. She's holding a bow-and-arrow, which has become a weapon associated with her in the recent reboot game series. Lara's gotta move, because she is going to be so late for archery practice. Again. Lara has been having trouble keeping her appointments since getting a Nintendo 3DS for Christmas. She can't put down Link Between Worlds. She probably had an easier time in that third dungeon than I did.

We get a voice over asking who she is, and she says her name is Lara. It turns out to be a secretary at a building that has the family name on it. When he hears her name, he's like, "whut?" Lara should really come by more often.

Lara is in a boardroom, messing with what looks like a bizarre puzzle. There's a flashback of her playing a cube and...is that the Lament Configuration from Hellraiser?! WHY DID HER PARENTS LET HER PLAY WITH THAT?! WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEM?! THEY WERE RICH! THEY COULD AFFORD A REGULAR RUBIK'S CUBE!

Anyway, she gets a key out of the puzzle. She puts it in her father's place in a mausoleum, and discovers he had his own little lab. Yup, Lara. Your dad was Batman. She finds a camera with a recording in it, from her dad, saying if he found this, he must be dead. That or he got lost on the way to Ibiza again.

He explains he found something, a tomb, which Lara has to raid. Get it? The tomb is called the Mother of Death. You know Thanos will want to meet this tomb. He explains a group called Trinity is after the tomb, and Lara has to stop them. Wait, isn't this similar to the first Tomb Raider movie? Angelina Jolie's Lara had to battle a secret society, too.

Lara's on a boat heading to the Devil's Sea. Which is a real place. The boat hits a storm, and Lara takes a mighty leap into the sea...and washes up on an island full of bad guys.

And lots of action sequences, including one where Lara runs across an airplane's wing. Neat.

The final scene of the trailer is her at a gun shop. Hey, Nick Frost! And there's a nice nod to the 1996-era Lara with her choosing a pair of twin guns. Hope she uses those in the movie.

As someone who never really played the games, I have to admit, this looks like it might be a fun movie.

Wonder Woman #15 (April 1988)

Wonder Woman. The Amazing Amazon. One-third of DC's "Trinity", their Big Three heroes. She's been given spotlight on this blog before, as I reviewed Wonder Woman #58 (September 1991) back in June.

First appearing in All-Star Comics #8 (October 1941), Wonder Woman was created by William Moulton Marston and Henry G. Peter. Marston, a psychologist by trade, had already helped lead to the invention of the polygraph, or "lie detector". He saw potential in comics as a medium, and wanted to created a new type of superhero. His superhero would use love to fight evil, instead of guns or fists. His wife Elizabeth suggested that this new superhero be a woman.

Sadly, cancer would claim Marston's life in 1947, and he wouldn't get to see just how big, and how beloved Wonder Woman would become. The character would become a major icon, despite her never getting as much of the treatment in other media that her two compatriots in the Trinity, Superman and Batman did.

In 1986, as part of DC's massive reboot/house-cleaning event known as Crisis on Infinite Earths, Wonder Woman's old canon was wiped out and given a fresh start. A new title with Wonder Woman was launched, with George Perez, Len Wein, and Greg Potter at the helm. This new title was a hit with fans and critics. Wonder Woman would get rebooted yet again with the New 52, and her origins would get wrecked again in DC Rebirth, but despite that, she's endured and become one of DC's most beloved heroines. And Perez's work on the Amazon Princess has stood the test of time, despite numerous reboots and constant futzing with her origin, thank you New 52 and DC Rebirth.

I also picked this issue for another reason. Recently, comic legend Len Wein, who many know for co-creating Wolverine and Swamp Thing, had passed away. As I was picking a comic to review, I pulled out my copy of Wonder Woman by George Perez Volume 2, and found his name in the credits. I felt it was the cosmos telling me to do this comic as a bit of a tribute. Wein has edited and written many characters in his long career. I think almost every major character in the Big Two of comics has been touched by his pen in some form, and this is just one issue in a very large body of work in comics and television. Goodbye, Mr. Wein. You will not be forgotten.

And with that, let's look at Wonder Woman #15!

The cover is really awesome. I think it's one of those covers that only George Perez could pull off. You got the new Silver Swan front and center, letting out her sonic scream. The negative space created by the white of her costume is used to highlight several characters, and the bottom features three images of a screaming Wonder Woman holding her ears. It sells the idea of the Swan being a dangerous new threat to the Amazing Amazon. The lines used on Wonder Woman give it a bit of a horror vibe.

"Swan Song"
Writer: George Perez (Story), Len Wein (Script)
Penciller: George Perez
Finisher: Bruce D. Patterson (pages 4-22)
Letterer: John Constanza
Colorist: Carl Gafford
Editor: Karen Berger

The story begins with Wonder Woman riding on a beach.

She notices a storm in the sky, thunder booming and lightning flashing, the whole nine yards. She looks up and sees a face and hand form in the clouds. Wonder Woman flies up to check it out. The storm begins to dissipate, and a light shines. She looks up and sees...

Huh. Evidently Zack Snyder was not the only one with use Jesus imagery when it came to Superman. She takes his hand, and the two are about to kiss...when Diana wakes up. Yup, Diana was riding around in dreamland. She picks up a Daily Planet newspaper and remarks that she hears Superman's name and sees him everywhere. Evidently, the princess of the Amazons has a bit of a crush on the Man of Steel. Huh. Superman/Wonder Woman shipping was not a new thing. Go figure.

Night has fallen over the city of Boston, Massachusetts, as we look in on the offices of  Ogawa Electronics. Normally, these offices are rather quiet at night, but this night is an exception. A hacker has found his way into the building, and is after some information.

He's after some project called "Silver Swan". A guard enters the room, worried that his fellow guard hasn't come back yet. He pulls out his gun, and the hacker takes the guard down, fleeing the scene. However, it did appear the hacker found what he was looking for.

Meanwhile, at the offices of Diana's publicist, Mindy Mayer, Mindy is being shown a poster...that she and some people are evidently standing on.

Yeah, this panel is weird. I was genuinely confused about it. Is that a mural? A giant poster? A projection? What are they standing on? Was it so big that they had to put it on the floor? What's going on here? Mayer is thrilled with the creator, Skeeter LaRue's, efforts. She takes him to her favorite watering hole to celebrate. This leaves LaRue's two assistants, Deni and Steve to talk amongst themselves.

Deni is furious that Steve lets LaRue take the credit for his ideas. Steve responds that there's no point in speaking up as Mindy never listens to him since LaRue joined up. She then states she's like to kick LaRue, but then Steve advises her to let it go, as LaRue can't have Mindy's ear forever.

The scene then shifts to Boston's Chinatown. There is an actual Chinatown in Boston. A woman is waiting at a phone booth. Phone booth. Don't see much of those anymore. She's waiting to meet her friend, someone named "Val". The woman wonders why she was sent a note by Val to meet her in Chinatown at this hour. She then sees headlights turn on, and hears a squeal of tires.

Realizing that the car's driver is trying to kill her, the woman flees for her life. She runs to an alley, where the car's tire gets shot out, causing it to crash. Despite this, the driver survives, and tries to shoot the woman. The driver hears someone calling out in what I think might be Chinese, but then gets shot. The woman thanks her mysterious savior, but...

The scene switches again to Wakefield. Diana prays to Eros, asking for some clarification regarding her feelings towards the Man of Steel. Vanessa Kapatelis finds her, and asks her what she's doing. This scene sets up that there will be a fair in Diana's honor tomorrow, and Vanessa thinks Diana is praying to steady her nerves for it. Diana was praying in Themysciran, whose language is an offshoot of Ancient Greek, and Vanessa doesn't know much of it. Her mother Julia was of Greek heritage, and was able to speak the language, which helped her become Diana's first friend in Patriarch's World.

We then look in on a cottage in Massachusetts, where the strange woman in Chinatown wakes up, having a bit of a headache. She wonders if she had a dream, but then finds that one of her hands is handcuffed to the bed. The man who shot her welcomes her back to the waking world, and apologizes for the headache. It's an unfortunate side-effect of the tranquilizer dart he shot her with.

The man is named Solomon, and he explains that the woman, a Miss Maxine Sterenbuch, was deliberately targeted. He hands her an envelope containing proof. Sterenbuch is confused by this, and he explains that she was targeted by the Silver Swan, aka Valerie Beaudry.

Sterenbuch thinks Solomon is insane. The Val Beaudry she knew would never do this. She explains the two of them were old friends. When Maxine was 15, she found an ad in a magazine looking for a pen pal. The two started exchanging letters over the years. Maxine's narration does give the impression that her feelings for Val were deeper than simply friendship, despite her never seeing Val's face.

The two did eventually agree to finally meet face-to-face, but she never showed. Maxine tried to find her, but it seemed that nobody in town knew her. The two eventually lost contact, and Maxine found a job working a boutique in Boston. However, Val would call her and arrange a meeting after seven years. Maxine would finally see Val for the first time.

However, something wasn't quite right. Val had a boyfriend, a Henry Cobb Armbruster. He wasn't a pleasant man, and he basically told Maxine to shove off. Maxine noticed that Val seemed nervous around him. Maxine and Val would meet on the sly, but Val was showing signs that she was abused. She also noticed that Val wished she could be as beautiful as Wonder Woman. Maxine explained she got another letter saying she was leaving Armbruster, and wanted to meet her in Chinatown.

Solomon explains that it was a set-up. He also explained that the reason why it happened was to prevent Maxine from learning something about Valerie, mainly...what she actually looked like.

Yeah, you can get why Val was reluctant to send Maxine a picture of her back in the day. Maxine is shocked, wondering how she ended up looking like that. Solomon explains that it's a five year old picture. Val's parents were exposed to nuclear radiation, causing her to be born mutated. When that photo was taken, she was the subject of an experiment code-named Silver Swan. Solomon then shows her a video.

The old man in the tape is Solomon's father, a scientist on the project. The transformed Valerie, using sonic disruption powers she developed, is seen wrecking the lab and killing Solomon's father. Valerie Beaudry has become Solomon's Moby Dick, as it were.

Dawn has risen over the city of Boston. Henry Cobb Armbruster is awake. But he's not eager to greet this new day. He's angry over the assassin's failure and Maxine's vanishing. Armbruster's...colleague, a Mr. Choi, asks if the Silver Swan can deal with Wonder Woman. Armbruster is certain of it, as the Swan despises Wonder Woman and is all too eager to take her on.

At an Air Force base, Etta Candy is getting weighed, and she's managed to lose 35 pounds. Good on her. She says she still has to lose 20 more to reach her target, but Steve Trevor assures her she's within acceptable parameters now, but her effort is to be commended. As an Air Force brat myself, yeah, they do go on about weight parameters in the service. Etta notices a flyer for the Wonder Woman Fair in Boston, and notes that Steve will be there. She wonders how she can compete with the Amazing Amazon.

At Boston Commons, the Fair is in full swing! Rides, stalls, kiosks, and ridiculously expensive junk food! Steve Trevor is there, and he wishes Etta was with him. He runs into Vanessa Kapatelis, who introduces him to her prospective boyfriend Barry. However, Barry seems to be more interested in seeing Wonder Woman.

A woman who is working for a charity is confronting Skeeter, saying she feels that this fair should be about helping needy children, not feeding Wonder Woman's ego. Skeeter counters that the point of the fair is to make money, and it's a big success at that aspect. Honestly, I could imagine Wonder Woman wanting the charitable aspects of the fair emphasized.

A woman approaches a podium, and introduces Princess Diana. We get a brief glimpse of Solomon and Maxine. Solomon says he can sense the Silver Swan is here, but Maxine tells him she hopes he's wrong about that.

Wonder Woman makes her big appearance, to the joy of the crowd.

Diana flies towards the podium, but a low humming is heard in the air. The cast look around, and...

A sonic blast destroys the giant poster of Wonder Woman behind the podium. The perpetrator makes herself known: Valerie Beaudry, the Silver Swan.

Solomon tries to make his move, but gets a gun put to his head. Diana tries to talk to Beaudry, but the Silver Swan is having none of it. She lets out a sonic scream that hurts Diana's ears and wrecks the Ferris wheel. The story ends with Diana watching the wheel collapse in horror.

This comic is really enjoyable. Perez and Wein juggle multiple storylines with ease, and they come together in a epic manner with the Silver Swan's attack. The post-Crisis Silver Swan's origins here have a tragic and horrific aspect due to the character being born hideously mutated, then abused and experimented on. It's a much darker nod to the Ugly Duckling, with aspects of Moby Dick thanks to Solomon's vengeful crusade.

The art is...interesting. You see, Perez himself only did the first few pages of the comic, while doing the layouts for the rest. Patterson's job just seemed to be "clean up the rough pencils so they'll look pretty for printing". As a result, the art for the main story is still very Perez-esque. The angles, the faces, all still retaining Perez's essence. As a result, the main story's art is not jarring at all. Fantastic.

Next time, we return to Earth-712, and the Squadron Supreme facing new problems...

Netflix Punisher Trailer, My Thoughts

After his big MCU debut in Daredevil's second season, it only was a matter of time before the Punisher got his own spinoff series. And here's the trailer for it!

The trailer begins with a man in an undisclosed location, hefting a hammer. No, this isn't Thor, folks. He's up in space right now.

The man smashes the hammer into the ground, intercut with Frank Castle speaking. He talks about how memories never hurt him. Memories may not hurt you, Mr. Castle, but if you're not careful with how you swing that hammer, you'll throw out your shoulder.

Based on what the Punisher is talking about, and the clips we see, this series may explore some more stuff about Castle's pre-Punisher life. That's good.

I haven't finished watching Season 2 of Daredevil, so I really got to catch up, but it seems that Frank may have gotten himself into some trouble in his military days, based on the scenes I can see in this trailer. I'm not completely certain, though.

I haven't seen much of the Netflix side of the MCU, but I have enjoyed what I have seen so far. I think I might enjoy this, too.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Trailer, My Thoughts

The September Nintendo Direct has alerted us gamers to a lot of stuff coming up for the Nintendo Switch and 3DS. And one of those things is a sequel to Xenoblade Chronicles called...Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Hey if it works. Let's take a look!

Welcome to the land of Alrest! It's...cloudy, isn't it? Heh heh.

That's a big dragon...thing. Titan is an appropriate name for it. If people have built cities on their back, do they make a deal with the Titans or something? Do the Titans mind all those people with their cities on their backs?

A Tree of Life? Does that mean this world has an Asgard or Muspelheim? Or Valhalla? And if there's a place called Elysium on it, will it be attacked by a bald Matt Damon wearing power armor?

There's a bunch of kingdoms here. Neat.

Uraya are essentially very much nature-lovers.

Mor Ardain are techno-freaks. They have turtle-tanks. I want a turtle-tank! Although it probably would be expensive to feed.

I'm guessing that the Titans must not have any issue with the cities on them, as the Indoline Praetrium worship them, and also have a city on the back of one of those dragon plesiosaur...things. They have much of the control over the military thanks to their faith. Yeah, religion and military always go well together...

And of course, you have to have your trade guild in Argentum. I'm guessing you buy items and weapons in the game from their merchants.

Torna, huh? They're a nation built on black ops. Okay, then. They seem a trustworthy sort.

So, there's this little girl, and I think we can assume that she has this Aegis thing. Honestly, I keep thinking it should be a shield.

Hi, Azurda! Wait, Titans can talk? If they can talk, then that means they can communicate with people! id the people who built these cities on them basically ask them if it was cool first?!

Heh, Rex. He's probably going to the character with the most "normal" name, if you get what I mean. He's awful young to be scavenging for things on his own. I'm guessing Azurda watches his back. And of course, this whole thing starts because of a boy and his hormones.

The combat system isn't like most RPGs I'm familiar with.

Heh heh, you can have Blades shoot or slash. Whichever is your preference.

Hmm, looks like the combat system encourages you to try out different blades and figure out the right ones for the job. Good way to encourage not sticking with one the entire game.

I have to admit, some of the stuff in this game does make me scratch my head. Like the combat system. I find it a bit weird. To be fair, I never played the original Xenoblade Chronicles, so it may just be something I'm not used to...if this combat system was used in the last one. At least it does allow to put some thought into how you fight monsters. The game does look really cool, though. I like the idea of people living on the back of giant flying monsters. I have heard good things about the original, so I hope the sequel does well, too.

Metroid: Samus Returns Accolades Trailer

It's here! The newest addition to the Metroid franchise is here: Samus Returns! Samus Returns is actually an enhanced remake of the 1991 game Metroid II: Return of Samus for the original Game Boy. The remake was a collaboration of Nintendo and MercurySteam, and it retells Samus's extermination of the titular Metroids on the planet SR388. Nintendo has released an accolades trailer for the game, and I have it here for your viewing pleasure.

The trailer shows basically some positive reviews of the game mixed with some gameplay footage. I have to admit, the footage looks really good. It's amazing to see Samus back blasting monsters with various weapons in a 2.5D-esque environment.

Did Samus just do a finisher on a rhino beetle-like monster?! That's awesome!

I've been wanting this game since it was announced, and seeing these reviews really makes me smile. Looks like this little collab between Nintendo and MercurySteam has gone quite well.

There's not a ton I can say about this trailer except the game seems to be really good, which is good. I want to get this game as soon as I can.

The Flash #71 (December 1991)

The Flash. The Fastest Man Alive. One of the World's Greatest Heroes. Since 1940, The Flash has brought criminals to justice using fleet feet. There have been quite a few Flashes over the past 77 years, and this entry will focus on the third man to take up the Flash mantle: Wallace "Wally" West.

First appearing in The Flash #110 (December 1959), Wally West started out as Kid Flash, the sidekick of the previous Flash, his uncle Barry Allen. He gained his power in a duplication of the chemical and lightning accident that granted Allen his own super-speed powers. As Kid Flash, Wally was one of the original Teen Titans. When Barry Allen sacrificed his life to save the universe in Crisis on Infinite Earths, Wally took up his mentor's mantle.

Over the next two decades, Wally would grow into the mantle and make it his own. However, despite the character's popularity (boosted by appearing in the DCAU Justice League cartoon), he would be ignored by DC when Barry Allen returned in Final Crisis. Then Flashpoint and the New 52 hit, wiping out Wally's Flash tenure from continuity, a move (among many) that alienated many readers from DC. DC would then reintroduce a new Wally West, a black teenager. And then Rebirth hit, and with it, the return of the original Wally West...while still keeping the New 52 Wally West around.

Yes, folks. You have heard right. There are now TWO Wally Wests running around in the DC Universe. That is totally not confusing. They have tried to explain it as that the black Wally is the cousin of the white Wally. You know, nobody is going to get Peter Parker and Miles Morales mixed up. Nor will anyone get Tony Stark and Riri Williams mixed up. I hate DC Rebirth.

And with that, let's take a look at one of Wally's many adventures during his original now non-canon tenure as the Flash, Flash #71!

The cover is a basic one, showing Flash facing off against the new Doctor Alchemy. We see Wally West valiantly charging towards the new Doctor Alchemy, while he's getting ready to use his Philosopher's Stone. I noticed that above the masthead logo, there is a bit of a pun. "The criminal...ELEMENT!" Get it? Criminal element? Dr. Alchemy can mess with elements. That's the joke.

Writer: Mark Waid
Penciller: Greg LaRocque
Inker: Tony Richardson
Letterer: Tim Harkins
Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth
Editor: Brian Augustyn
Assistant Editor: Ruben Diaz

The story begins with Wally West being tortured.

For a normal man, waiting in line at the bank is tough. For a man used to running at velocities that would make race cars jealous, it is Hell. He tries to suggest to a man in front of him how to speed things up, but the man tells him to get bent. The wall of the bank seemingly melts away, and guess who has arrived.

It's Doctor Alchemy, in the flesh. I do like the costume, although I can't help but wonder if he really needs his boots that high. Aw well, if it works for him, I guess. I'm not gonna judge. Wally changes into the Flash with the aid of a revolving door, and engages the villain, who introduces himself as "The Alchemist". The original Doctor Alchemy, Albert Desmond, also started his criminal career as "Mr. Element". Wally asks if that's the original Alchemy's Philosopher's Stone he's holding. Alchemist says, "You tell me", and turns the ground beneath the Flash into tar.

Wally escapes by ditching his boots, and tries to grab the stone. He notes that if he really wanted some easy money, why not use the stone to turn a lamppost into platinum? That does raise a good point. He's stopped by Alchemist changing the air in front of the Flash into a crystal barrier. Alchemy then goes after the man Wally was waiting behind at the bank, revealing his name is Migliani, and they have a score to settle. The shocked Migliani recognizes the Alchemist under his hood.

This Alchemist is named Curt. Which means he's definitely not the original Dr. Alchemy. Flash realizes that the Alchemist may be an assassin. He uses some velvet ropes to distract the Alchemist, allowing Migliani to make his escape. Wally again goes for the Stone, but fails. Alchemist turns the air into unbreathable ozone, and makes his escape while the Flash gets the people out. Flash also notices that Migliani is gone. A search turns up no leads, and Wally West feels down. As such, he knows who to go to when he needs cheering up. He zips by a girl selling flowers.

Heh heh. During this, Wally remarks about his time in Justice League Europe, and that no matter what, the person he's getting flowers for is always there for him. The unmasked Wally arrives at the news studio to his girlfriend, talk show host Linda Park...and her farewell party.

Much to Wally's shock, Linda is taking an offer for a job in Midway City, who have been after her talents for a while. Linda explains that Midway gives her a change of pace. She has no family in Keystone City, no real reason to stay...right? Yeah, Wally and Linda's relationship is having some troubles. Evidently, the speedster can't seem to decide whether they are friends or something more. The Flash may be the Fastest Man Alive, and one of the World's Greatest Heroes, but even he is not immune to troubles of the heart. Linda tells him she's going on the train at two this afternoon, and if he has an answer, he'd better deliver it by then. Flash is forced to table the problem for now by an urgent police bulletin.

While on the way there, Wally practices what he intends to say to Linda at the train station, zipping by various couples. Nice touch there. He arrives at the police department, where he has a guest.

The police explain that Moe Migliani offered to turn in some state's evidence against some big-time mob bosses. His credibility is not get, but it is good enough for the police. They have to keep him safe until the feds can pick him up. Only, there is one problem: Alchemist. Migliani wants the Flash to protect him because he claims the Alchemist was his former cellmate. The police provide the Flash with his file, revealing his name is Dr. Curtis Engstrom, a brilliant biochemist, who is also rather nuts.

I love this spread here. I like that the panels covering Engstrom's origins are in the Philosopher's Stone itself. Long story short, Engstrom stole a medical microcomputer that was made from a piece of the Stone. You know, I can't help but wonder if his name was an homage to Swedish programmer Christian Engstrom. Anyway, Curtis Engstrom was caught, but the computer was never recovered. However, Engstrom's big priority happened to be Migliani. There's a little moment where Migliani tries to buy a favor from a cop with a watch, but the chief puts a stop to that. "Payola." "Bad." "Internal Affairs Investigation." "Really bad."

What the police want Flash to do is zip Migliani around the city, so Alchemist will have a harder time finding him. Migliani is thrilled by this, and in a funny moment, becomes a little kid again when the Flash runs off with him.

Migliani tries to give Flash a watch as a gift, and Wally only accepts it so he'll shut up about it. Wally West asks why Engstrom wants to kill him. See, Migliani couldn't get him out of jail. Yeah. Wally realizes that he's Moe "Mouthpiece" Migliani, the jailhouse lawyer. Yup. He once went to jail, studied law in jail, and was able to use his knowledge to get him out all nice and legal. He considered Engstrom a friend and tried to get him out. However, medical crimes are hard to fight in court, so despite his best efforts, Engstrom couldn't get out. So Engstrom got furious and vowed to kill Migliani.

Migliani asks what time it is, and reveals that he has a talk show appearance to do. Wally is understandably infuriated by this, as Migliani is supposed to keep a low profile. Doing an appearance on a talk show is the opposite of this. Migliani reassures him it will be fine, as TV shows are taped, and won't be broadcast for days, giving Flash time to deal with the Alchemist.

I feel for Wally. He wants to punch Migliani in the face so hard. You can't really blame the guy. Flash takes Migliani to the studio where the talk show is being filmed. The interview is a man named Fernando. Get it? It's a nod to Geraldo Rivera. Fernando states that the episode is being filmed live, much to Migliani's shock and Wally's seething fury. The spotlights explode, and the Alchemist attacks.

Alchemist and Flash fight, but Wally West is left wondering something. If Engstrom is so mad at Migliani for not getting him out, why all these theatrics? Why didn't he just kill him? Maybe there's something more going on here. But the Fastest Man Alive can't puzzle on it right now, as he has lives to save. The Alchemist tries to attack some people with his Philosopher's Stone.

While he's saving people, Wally remembers that the original Dr. Alchemy had to make a lot of effort to mess around with basic compounds, but he was able to change a person into another substance. But that happened only once, and it took years for the original to master the Stone enough to pull that trick off. He's hoping Engstrom isn't able to master the Stone enough to pull off that trick. Flash saves a woman from a blast from the Stone, and...

...Curtis Engstrom has mastered the Stone enough to turn him into gold. Which actually makes sense. Remember, Engstrom is a biochemist. He is an expert on the chemical processes within living beings. He could use that knowledge to make the Stone pull these kind of tricks.

This issue was really good. It had drama, action, and a nice little bit of humor here and there. It was an epic introduction to a new legacy villain. The Alchemist was a great way to update one of the Barry Allen Flash's old Silver Age Rogues for Wally to take on in the then-modern 1990s. Wally is a different Flash than Barry was, so it'd be appropriate the Alchemist be a different man that the original Dr. Alchemy. Waid's love of science does get shown in this issue, and Greg LaRocque's art is well-done. There was also a nice little twist here with Engstrom and Migliani's little sub-plot. If you ever find Mark Waid's Flash run, I highly recommend it.

Next time, we stick around in the DC Universe as we look at an adventure of Wonder Woman...

300th Post!

This snuck up on me faster than I thought, but it has finally arrived. It's a time for celebration! My 300th post on this blog!

I never imagined that this would happen. 300 blog posts. That is a milestone. As such, I thought I'd like to show off some of my personal favorite blog entries and a couple milestones:

Justice League #221 (December 1983) Review - This is my most-viewed comic review. It's the only blog entry to have broken 7,000 views...and counting. People seem to really enjoy this one, and honestly, I enjoyed writing it. I don't know what about this one made it so popular. Maybe people really like catgirls, ha ha. But in all seriousness, I am glad people liked this review, and I hope people continue checking out my other comic reviews.

Pokémon Zeta/Omicron - My 100th blog entry. This was giving my thoughts on a pair of Pokémon fangames that I enjoyed. The creator also went on to create another Pokémon fan game I really enjoy: Insurgence. I highly recommend checking it out, too. And speaking of Zeta/Omicron, I have heard that there is being another game in development that is essentially the Emerald to their Ruby/Sapphire: Epsilon. Can't wait to give that a play when they got a demo out.

Squadron Supreme #1 (September 1985) Review - In January, I wanted to call attention to a classic miniseries that I felt was rather ignored and forgotten. This mini is considered the late Mark Gruenwald's magnum opus, deconstructing the superhero before Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons made it cool with Watchmen. And if you want to read my reviews on the other issues to this point, here they are: Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight. I also looked at a tie-in: Captain America #314 (February 1986). Enjoy!

When writing it, I had a funny idea. There's 12 issues, and twelve months in the year, why not spend once a month looking at each issue of it? I have stuck to that so far, and I hope it's managed to get this mini a bit more exposure. It's a great miniseries, and I do consider it a bit of a must-read. I had so much fun doing this that next year, I may do it again next year with 12-issue mini-series. In fact, I know the perfect one to do it with...

My additions to the SNES Classic - This one was fun to write as it let me get speculative. The SNES Classic's library is basically mostly all killer, no filler. So I wanted to add games that were considered good (as well as a couple hidden gems), and diversify the kinds of games that were available. The SNES could use a shooter. After all, the NES Classic got Galaga. That thought was what inspired that blog entry.

New Warriors #1 (April 2014) Review - This was the very first comic review I ever wrote, and it was especially fun because it was a comic I really enjoyed. This New Warriors series (the group's fifth), was really good, and it's a shame it only lasted 12 issues. I loved this roster, and I hope it returns one day.

My 10 Favorite Gen 1 Pokémon - I am a bit of a fan of the Pokémon franchise. Yeah. Mainly the games. I have talked about the games quite a bit on this blog. I bought Red and Blue as a kid, and it was a series that got me into JRPGs. I enjoyed writing this blog entry, which gave my thoughts on my favorite Pokémon from the original Red, Blue, and Yellow. Not much of an entry, but I enjoy it, and I'm proud of it. Maybe I'll do such lists for other gens in the future.

Guardians of the Galaxy Review - My first movie review. Even better that it turned out to be a great movie. The Guardians movies are some of my absolute favorite MCU films, and I had such a great time writing this review. It was just as much fun writing this blog as I did watching the movie in the theater.

A better way to handle the Mutant/Inhuman conflict - My 150th blog entry. I have to admit, I was in a bit frustrated when I wrote this one. You see, I really disliked the idea of Inhumans vs. X-Men. I felt it was a half-baked attempt to have the X-Men enter into yet another pointless brawl with another group of superheroes...although I doubt you really can count the Inhuman Royal Family as a standard superhero team. Also, it was an opportunity for me to kind of discuss some issues I had with the X-Men franchise in recent years. I still have some issues with the franchise, but that's for another time.

Action Comics #674 (February 1992) Review - My 200th blog entry. This was done during what I consider an actually great time in Superman's comics, the late 80s-mid 90s. It's an era that I think is quite underrated, as I don't see a lot of comic nerds talking about this era very much, if at all. I was first exposed to this era of Superman thanks to the Return of Superman trade, and it became a favorite of mine to read. It's an era of Superman's comics I think deserves more love. And as I said in this review, it appeared to be a big influence on the creative team of the 90s Superman cartoon.

Justice League #1 (May 1987) Review - I loved writing this review, as it was the birth of one of my favorite incarnations of the Justice League, the JLI/Justice League International. This comic laid the seeds for some of the trademarks of that era, particularly the more humorous tone. It's a fun era, and I highly recommend it.

Doom Guy's Mind - I wanted to give this video a shoutout because I thought it was hilarious and deserved more views. It was made with gameplay footage that I think also used the Brutal Doom mod. I loved Doom as a kid, and it was one of the few games I played on the computer. It's a funny video. If you played and loved Doom, you'll love this video.

Let's Play Pokémon Insurgence - I did attempt a Let's Play of a Pokémon fan game that I pretty much...well...abandoned after two videos. Now that I think the game is finally completed, I think that it may be time to pick this back up. I think the grinding is a bit less of a slog now, which makes things more tolerable.

Deadpool and the "R" Rating - This was one of the first blog entries that I had written that was an attempt to talk about something besides giving my thoughts on various media things like trailers and comics. I had concerns about Deadpool getting an "R" rating at the time. The problem for me was not that Deadpool got that rating. The rating fits for that character. My worry was that with Deadpool being the success that it was, other people behind superhero films would get the wrong idea and go for "R" ratings on films based on other characters, even ones that would not fit them. This blog entry was my attempt to voice my concerns. I think I could have done it a lot better now.

And that's some of my favorite moments from the blog's history. I want to say thank you to everyone who has been reading and enjoying this blog. I hope you all continue to enjoy what I put in it in the future.

Silver Surfer #54 (Early September 1991)

The Silver Surfer. The silver-skinned sentinel of the spaceways. Once an astronomer named Norrin Radd, his life would be changed forever when the Eater of Worlds, Galactus, came to his homeworld of Zenn-La. He saved his world by agreeing to be the world-eater's herald. With that, Galactus granted him some of his Power Cosmic, transforming him into a silver-skinned surfer with vast cosmic power.

Co-created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and debuting in Fantastic Four #48 (March 1966), the Surfer would go on to be one of Lee's favorite co-creations. He would write his first solo series in 1968, which became regarded as one of Lee's best and introspective works. The solo would end after 18 issues, but the Surfer would continue to appear in various adventures, even being a former member of the Defenders. His second series, which this comic is from, launched in 1987, and went on to last for almost 150 issues, ending in 1998.

This series would get itself a bit of a boost in 1991, as issues #51-59 tied into the Infinity Gauntlet storyline. Those comics are collected in the Silver Surfer Epic Collection The Infinity Gauntlet. I got the scans from that trade. I love the Epic Collection line. I'm trying to get as many as I can.

The cover is a bit basic, but it's well-drawn. It's basically the Silver Surfer fighting the Rhino. It's pretty much exactly what happens in this comic. A simple cover for a simple story. Rather appropriate.

"Cages"
Writer: Ron Marz
Penciler: Ron Lim
Inker: Tom Christopher
Letterer: Ken Bruzenak
Colorist: Tom Vincent
Editor: Craig Anderson
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story begins with Doctor Strange telling a group of other superheroes, including Richard Rider in his "Kid Nova" gear, that they have a bit of a problem.

Evidently, the Hulk, being the Hulk, has decided he wants nothing to do with helping the other heroes because he's angry at the Avengers. He's the Hulk, being angry is his thing. I knew it was a tie-in with Infinity Gauntlet, so I grabbed my trade of it so I could figure out when exactly this issue took place. And from what I could tell, it took place during Infinity Gauntlet #3. Sorry about the tangent, just trying to get the continuity straight. Back to the story!

Unnoticed by the other heroes, the Silver Surfer walks away quietly, thinking about how this is a bad omen. He also thinks about when he thought he had killed Thanos back in Silver Surfer #38, but it turned out be a ruse by the Mad Titan.

I like the touch of the Surfer glancing at a picture of the original Avengers.

He considers that maybe if he had actually killed Thanos, this whole crisis could have been averted. The Surfer has long considered himself a "champion of life", as he liked to put it and he did feel shame when he thought that Thanos had died by his hand. However, he wonders if maybe he was justified when he thought he had killed the Mad Titan. His thoughts then turn to the current crisis, and he realizes he's going to need a clear head to deal with Thanos becoming a god.

As such, he decides to take a flight on his surfboard. He flies around over New York City, and the Surfer isn't too fond of the city. He thinks of it as an "ugly growth of concrete and steel", but his flight takes him to Central Park. The former Norrin Radd thinks here would be a fine place to think, as he's found peace and calm in nature in the past.

Silver Surfer looks at a fallen tree, and thinks about how Thanos was able to wreak such destruction so casually. He then looks at a mourning man and realizes that as much as the park was destroyed...the human cost was even worse. In an attempt to impress Death, Thanos casually killed half the population of the universe. It let to trillions of deaths on Earth. Surfer decides for now that even though he can't heal the motional wounds, he may be able to help repair the park a little bit. In the process, he amusingly encounters a penguin.

The penguin just looks at the Surfer and waddles away, Surfer remarking that he's not very familiar with all of Earth's creatures. You'd think that in the time he's spent on Earth thanks to Galactus's exile and his time with the Defenders, somebody would have told him about penguins. Although to be fair, it probably just never came up. Surfer vows to learn more about life on Earth, thinking maybe after the crisis, Doctor Strange could help with that. He heard a scream about animals on the loose. A man runs by him, screaming at everyone to save themselves. The Surfer wonders what has got the man all freaked out, and then he sees a tiger.

The Surfer may not be completely knowledgeable about Earth's fauna, but he does have the idea that a tiger should not be allowed to roam free in a city full of people. He investigates and finds a tiger enclosure. The Surfer realizes that he's at a zoo. Yes, Central Park does have a zoo. Interestingly, the Surfer remarks that back on his native Zenn-La, zoos had been abolished. He then realizes that the animals in their holding pens were deliberately set free. It's not long until he finds the perpetrator.

Yup, it's the Rhino, mainly known as a part of the Amazing Spider-Man's rogues gallery, although he has also occasionally tangled with the Incredible Hulk. The Surfer sees Rhino unlocking a tiger cage, and demands to know what he is doing. Rhino explains that he's doing so because the end of the world is coming. He's been locked up quite a few times in his life, and he wanted to give the animals a bit of freedom before the end hits. Surfer tries to explain that the universe is in danger, but there are heroes gathering to stop the danger and save the world. He asks for Rhino's help in getting the animals back, but Rhino decides basically turns down the offer in his classic manner.

Yup, Mighty Punch to the Surfer's silver-sheened jaw. Surfer tries to avoid a fight, but Rhino would rather throw punches. Surer tries to explain that he's a being with cosmic power, whereas Rhino is just a very tough guy with a very tough suit. The Rhino does not care, and shows the Surfer one thing.

Even a being armed with the Power Cosmic and able to surf the spaceways without suffering any of the negative exposure to the vacuum is not immune to getting speared into a lake. As a fan of wrestling, I had Joey Styles screaming "OH MY GOD!" in my head when I read this.

Rhino and the Surfer tussle in a lake, and the big villain tries to strangle/drown the Surfer. However, that doesn't work. You see, the Silver Surfer doesn't need to breathe. And he makes that clear to Rhino.

You would think at this point, the Rhino would consider that maybe he's punching way above his weight class with this one. But the big lug doesn't seem to get it. Surfer warns him he'll only get hurt if he keeps trying to fight him, but Rhino does not care. He's going to gore the Surfer good and show him those horns he wears aren't fancy decorations.

I love this cluster of panels. They really give an idea of the Rhino charging closer and closer to the Surfer, the Rhino's rage and intent, and Surfer's lack of fear over this as...well, he's faced threats that would turn the Rhino's suit white with fear. The Surfer shows his power by easily stopping the villain.

One hand. Just one hand. That's all it took to stop the Rhino, a villain who has tangled with The Hulk. The Surfer is fed up with Rhino's antics, and decides to give him a Power Cosmic-charged Mighty Punch to the face. However, the Rhino's jaw is saved by the sound of a gunshot. The two decide to check it out, and Rhino is shocked by what he sees.

A policeman had seen a tiger running around, and shot it in a panic. The Rhino is furious and wants to beat the officer to a pulp. The Surfer stops him from doing so, saying that this was Rhino's fault. His foolhardiness led to the tiger getting shot. He stated his desire to free the animals led to them getting endangered, as he just let them loose in a place that was not meant for them. However, the zoo's pens were meant and designed for them, a place where they could be safe.

Rhino kneels over the injured tiger in remorse, saying he didn't mean for this to happen. He just didn't want them to spend the end of the world in a cage. The Surfer does agree that they do deserve to be free, but that isn't meant to be here. They need to be somewhere safe. They need to be back in their pens. Using the Power Cosmic, the Surfer heals the injured tiger, and asks the Rhino to help him repair the damage he did to the zoo. The Rhino reluctantly agrees.

The Rhino helps repair the damage he caused without incident, but he still feels what he's doing isn't right. He feels that there was no point to all this as Thanos is bringing the world to an end. Surfer tries to reassure him that Thanos will bring about his own downfall and the world will be saved. He suggests that Rhino join the heroes, as his strength would be a help against Thanos, and considering much of the superhero community are among the people whom Thanos has made vanish. Rhino turns it down, saying he'll keep an eye on things in the city.

The Surfer understands, and heads out. He hopes that he and the Rhino meet again under better circumstances, but they both think they doubt that. The Surfer returns to the heroes' gathering area, feeling renewed, only to hear a new voice.

Yup, it's the Hulk. Evidently, while the Surfer was having his little donnybrook with the Rhino, the Hulk had changed his mind and decided to help the heroes battle Thanos.

This was a good issue. I had to admit, I was left a little confused as to how this brawl with the Rhino helped clear the Surfer's mind. It's not a bad issue, though. It's was nice seeing another, more empathetic side of the Rhino. One can understand his actions, and the good intention behind them. He believed the world was doomed, and he just wanted to give some animals one last taste of freedom before the end. Maybe that's what did it.

I like to think that the Surfer convincing the Rhino to help him repair the zoo and put the animal back in their cages was his way to trying to being some optimism to the Rhino, trying to reassure him the world will not end, and the heroes will triumph in the end. That, and letting a bunch of wild animals loose in a city that is already freaking out over half its citizens vanishing is not the best of ideas. I have no complaints about Ron Lim's art, it's great work. 

I also have one other complaint about this comic, but it's not one you can really hold against this story. From what I figured, this comic takes place during Infinity Gauntlet #3, but there's a bit of a continuity mishap. You see, this comic states that Hulk had changed his mind and arrived at Avengers HQ before the Surfer returned from his adventure with the Rhino. But in the Infinity Gauntlet miniseries itself...

Silver Surfer is shown to be in the room when Hulk does arrive. I don't know if it was an art goof, or there was some miscommunication between Jim Starlin (who wrote the main IG mini) and Ron Marz, but it's something I noticed and wanted to point out. It's not a strike against Silver Surfer #54 at all, it's still a good comic. And I just wanted to show a panel drawn by George Perez. Who doesn't love George Perez art on things?

Next time, we're going to the DC Universe, as the Flash battles the new Doctor Alchemy...