Text Play: Pokemon Mega Adventure #9

Welcome back to the Akiba region, and it's time for the ninth entry in my Text Play series traveling through the fan game Pokémon Mega Adventure! It's also my 450th blog entry! Yay!

Last time, we arrived at Floroma Town. Yeah, I goofed and misspelled the town's name. It's FloROMA. Get it? Flower and Aroma? Yeah. My bad there, folks. Sorry about that. Anyway, I've been doing a bit of grinding, building a team to take on the Grass-type Gym in Floroma.

Mostly Flying-types, but they can hurt Grass, so I included them. Litwick and Torracat are the only Fire-type Pokémon I have, so I wanted to include them. Litwick can bring the burning pain with Fire Spin and Will-O'-The-Wisp. Wonderful little candle. And Torracat will be a great backup for Litwick.

During my grinding session, I got a variety of items from talking to the Pokémon following me. I think I may have said it before, but I love this mechanic. It's a fun way to encourage interaction with your Pokémon. I do think there is room for improvement, though. Like, the more you interact with your Pokémon, you can make them friendlier with you, which allows you to get better items. For example, a Pokémon finds Potions for you. But with increased friendship over time, that Pokémon could end up finding Super Potions, and then Hyper Potions. I wonder if one gets different items from different Pokémon. Would be a great way to encourage players to play with different Pokémon.

I also have to admit, the grinding wasn't so bad. I got many of my Pokémon caught up rather quick. I like it when an RPG tries to make grinding less of a chore. So, on to the Gym.

I love that the Gym looks like a giant forest. Appropriate for one that specializes in Grass-type Pokémon. I went through some of the Trainers in the Gym. Steamrolled a few of them. I think I made my Pokémon a bit too powerful, ha ha. So, with that, on to take on the leader of the Gym, Hai.

I wonder if his name is a reference to something. His first Pokémon is a Lv. 20 Deerling. Timex the Hoothoot and Betty the Butterfree tag-teamed this one. Wasn't an easy fight, though. The Deerling had an Oran Berry and got a Super Potion. Really hurt Timex and Betty. The next Pokémon Hai brought out was a Lv. 21 Nuzleaf. I had to use a Super Potion of my own to get Betty back in fighting shape, but I had four, so it was fine. Betty's gust wrecked that one. His final Pokémon was a Lv. 22 Roselia. Torracat took it down with one bite of its Fire Fang. And that was it.

Hai notes he used to be a trainer himself in Sinnoh. He gives me the Nature Badge, which allows me to use Rock Smash outside of battle. I also got TM86 (Grass Knot). He's also hoping for a rematch once I beat the big league tournament. I'm looking forward to that. When I left the Gym, I got a surprise.

O hai, Ash! I show off my newfound Nature Badge, which looks like a green leaf. Ash brags that he has 4 badges now. Good for you, Ash. It's not a race. He tells me that I should go to a place called Sunnyvall City. Serena evidently has a gift for me there. Okay, why couldn't she give me this thing here? What could she possibly be doing? I can get to Sunnyvall through the Eleton Cave. Hey, the old man in front of said I needed three badges before he's let me go in there. I guess that's not going to be a problem anymore, heh heh.

And with that, Ash just leaves. Well, see you, I guess. I got a call from Jeff at Rocky Cave. He and his Mienfoo want a rematch. I'll have to oblige sometime.

Remember the flower shop? Well, I thought I'd check it out again, expecting to see it fully opened up now that I have beaten the boss of this town, as it were. But surprisingly, it was still in its previous state. That was surprising.

Eleton Cave is rather unusual when it comes to caves. When you go to caves in Pokémon games, I know one may think that you'd find plenty of Rock/Ground-types, and of course, Zubats. Tons and tons of Zubats. The bane of caves. Instead, in Eleton Cave...you find Electric-type Pokémon, as well as Steel-type. Although Steel would make sense as metal is often mined from underground. Huh. I did spot a Team Prime member near a ladder, but he made me go away.

While exploring the Cave, I found this guy.

His name is Harmos. He gave me TM94 (Rock Smash). Awesome. I taught it to my Geodude. I introduce myself, and he explains that there is a Gym in Sunnyvall City. Just have to get through the cave.

Outside the Cave, I found TM73 (Thunder Wave), and found myself in Mitsugi Town. Mitsugi Town is the home of Luan, who became Pokémon Champion some four years ago. There's also a Day-Care Center here. If I ever catch a Ditto, I'll try breeding some Pokémon here. I passed through the town and noticed Brendan zipping by me faster than a cheetah on cocaine. What was that about? I wish there was a Pokémon Center here, though. Luan's home is also here, but you can't go inside.

From Mitsugi Town, was Aerocliff Bridge. There are wild Pokémon on the Bridge. Mainly Rattata, Ekans, and Pidove. I battled a Black Belt named Hachi there, and added his number to my contacts list in my Pokégear. One of the Trainers on the bridge is nervous about battling on the bridge, but does so anyway. Dude, we don't have to do this. After I beat him, my player character calls him a coward. What the heck, man?!

Thankfully, Sunnyvall City is right at the end of the bridge. When I finally make it, Brendan is waiting for me. He needs my help. Team Prime has taken over the Power Plant here, and we gotta clear them out, because the cops are too busy guarding the local donut shop. I gotta meet a friend of his down at the Gym.

Sunnyvall is a weird city, because you have to enter a cave to get in the city itself. There, I found Serena, and we had a battle. I was worried about this, as my Pokémon were pretty wrecked after Aerocliff Bridge, but they all got healed up somehow. Maybe Brendan or Serena herself did it?

She brings out her Pidove, which was dealt with by Bulbasaur and Luxio, who also took care of Wartortle. Torracat took care of her Sewaddle. After the battle, she reveals that Professor Oak has sent me...a bike. I also got an Ice Stone, whatever that is.

The city seems to be split in half by a big line of rock. One of the houses on the right side has a family. The kid has an Electrike he's willing to trade for a Tynamo. Well, I encountered a wild Tynamo in the Eleton Cave map, and I did catch it, so I made the trade. You can also encounter a wild Magneton in the cave. The Pokémon Center in Sunnyvall has a man who will take it in exchange his special Raichu. His Raichu is special, alright.

It's the Alolan variant. Cool!

At the Gym, I encounter May. She is there to help stop Team Prime activate the Power Core at the Power Plant. Why? Well, they want to destroy the world. Wait, why? There's no profit in that! Before we go in, she gives me a choice of Mega Stones: Venusaurite, Blastoisinite, and the two varities of Charizardite (X and Y). I chose the Venusaurite because I have an Ivysaur, and it can use it once it evolves again. Next time, we take on Team Prime at the Power Plant! Wish me luck!

Pokémon Obtained:
Route 7
- Shroomish
- Snivy
- Ralts
- Pidgeotto (evolved from Pidgey)

Eleton Cave
- Voltorb
- Magnemite
- Klink
- Drilbur
- Ferroseed
- Bronzor
- Joltik
- Tynamo
- Emolga (100th Pokémon obtained)
- Magneton

Eleton Path
- Minun
- Pachirisu

Aerocliff Bridge
- Hoppip

Sunnyvall City
- Electrike (Obtained via Trade)
- Raichu (Alolan variant, obtained via trade)

Street Fighter V Cody Gameplay Trailer, My Thoughts

A new batch of characters has come to SFV! Well, in this case, an old veteran: Mr. Cody Travers, from the Final Fight series. He also was in Street Fighter IV, because the two games are set pretty much in the same universe. When we last saw him, Mr. Travers was rather bored with life, rotting in a jail cell thanks to a growing addiction to fighting. But now, he's turned his life around. He's done such a good job of it he's succeeded Mike Haggar as mayor of Metro City! I'm guessing Haggar is out being Mayor of the World now or something like that.

But despite his busy life, he always makes some time to throw down when he has to. Because sometimes in Metro City, the only way to keep the streets clean is to clean them yourself. Makes you wonder if Cody plans to actually institute a police force at some point. But, I am rambling. Here's his gameplay trailer!

Somebody's got a phone call. I bet Cody is really tired of that guy thinking his office is the pizza parlor.

Hey, it's Kenny Omega! Who is Kenny Omega? He's a pro wrestler. Very big in Japan, often rolls with a faction called the Bullet Club. The Bullet Club are essentially a ripoff of a certain 90s faction WCW hit it big with back in the day. At least, that's my impression of them. And on the phone? That's Xavier Woods, pro wrestler and gamer extraordinaire. He has his own YouTube channel which you can see here.

I just realized that this is a nod to the first Final Fight game's intro! Clever Capcom.

Considering Cody's character, his fighting style to me would be plain old brawling mixed with some pro wrestling as a nod to Haggar, and maybe even some martial arts moves as a nod to Guy. His best friends are a pro wrestling mayor and a Converse-wearing ninja, so he would pick up something from them.

...why is he wearing Haggar's pants? Do they get passed down from Mayor to Mayor? I hope they get washed at the very least, consider how much sweat and blood Haggar's bathed them in over the years.

Cody using his knife and a pipe are a great nod to Final Fight, which was a beat-em-up that let the player use weapons. And I love his using a pipe as a baseball bat. Trying to project that All-American image there, Mr. Travers?

I do like the funky music in the background.

Cool, you can play him wearing his original Final Fight outfit? Awesome!

Well, this was really cool. I got a PS4 now, so I think I'll give SFV a shot. I also want to get that Street Fighter Collection for Switch...

Luke Cage Season 2 Trailer, My Thoughts

I cannot believe that I have not talked about this until now. I had kept meaning to, but life got in the way. Stupid life...anyway, when Luke Cage made his solo Netflix debut, it was a big hit. I heard that it literally broke Netflix for a while. So many people wanted to see it, it managed to overload Netflix. It was also critically acclaimed and won several awards. So, with that kind of success, it was natural a second season was in order. And here's the trailer for it! Fair warning, this trailer is slightly NSFW, because it briefly has a naked dude (you don't see anything, but he clearly is naked) and Cage does curse once. So, I thought I'd warn you all before showing this.

The trailer begins...with a BANG! ...I hope they got the okay to blow up that truck.

Luke Cage is not just bulletproof, folks. He's also fireproof.

Heh heh, Cage should try pro wrestling. He's got the promo making down.

I love that Cage has become a bit of a celebrity in Harlem.

Heh heh, I love that those bad guys know they are going to get their butts handed to them, but try to take him on anyway.

Maybe he wouldn't have to beat up all the criminals if these cops actually caught them.

HOLY CAPOEIRA, BATMAN! CAGE GOT WRECKED! CAGE GOT WRECKED!

I'm with Stephen A. Smith on that. Sucks seeing a good man get wrecked like that.

I'm with Claire and Hat Guy there, Cage. This cat is bad news.

Say hello to Bushmaster, everyone! Well, there are two of them in the comics, a pair of Caribbean brothers named John and Quincy McIver. John was the first, and I think that's the one Cage is facing here. Quincy was the second. Quincy lost all his limbs when he tried to flee the police, and gained cybernetic ones. He also has a snake tail for a lower body now. He fought Captain America. John having powers like Cage's makes sense. In the comics, he did try to get powers like Cage's, but the process went wrong and was turned into a metal statue.

I wondering if John's empowering here will be more mystical in nature. Would make a great connection to Doctor Strange.

The ultimate battle between Cage and McIver will be brutal.

They burned Cage's house down. To quote Jack Burton, "Son of a b***h must pay."

And Mariah's hoping to take over Harlem. Oh, dear.

Hey cool, Misty Knight gets her bionic arm.

I have to admit, I enjoy the music in the trailer.

I think Cage possibly becoming like the monsters he fights will be the big theme of this season. It makes sense, since it seems the big villain will be someone who is essentially a dark mirror of Cage himself.

And he does have a point there, Misty. The show does have his name on it. But hey, maybe you'll get a spinoff. Worked for the Punisher...

...I think I finally need to get off my butt and watch Season 1. I had been wanting to, but I am lazy. But since I am going to Vegas soon, I may have some time to check it out. This is going to be fun!

Skyscaper Trailer #2, My Thoughts

Back in February, I took a look at the first trailer for the upcoming flick Skyscraper starring Dwayne Johnson, and surprisingly, Neve Campbell. Yeah. Where had she been? Well, there's a new trailer out, so let's take a look at it!

This has been something I have been seeing in trailers lately. A flash of scenes before the actual thing starts. I first remember seeing it in the trailer for Blade Runner 2049. Why is that? That reminds me, I gotta see Blade Runner 2049. Heard it was good.

The trailer starts with Dwayne Johnson's character, ex-FBI agent Will Sawyer, putting on his prosthetic leg. I always wonder how they pull off an effect like that. I imagine it's a mix of body double and a bit of creative CGI myself.

You know, Will, it could have been worse. You could've ended up like Alex Murphy.

So, he married the surgeon who saved his life? Heck of a way to start a relationship. How did that start? Did he ask her out in the recovery ward or something?

That skyscraper looks like a DNA strand.

I do remember getting Die Hard vibes from the last trailer, but now, I find myself thinking of something else: J. G. Ballard's 1975 novel High-Rise. The novel in the book was like the one here in the movie, an advanced building that basically could be a small society on its own...but then it all goes to Hell. It inspired a 2015 film adaptation starring Tom Hiddleston, and a 1975 episode of Doctor Who: Paradise Towers.

You know, I bet somewhere right now, Hans Gruber is kicking himself for not adding a butt-kicking woman to his crew that tried to clean out Nakatomi Plaza.

He told himself to not look down...and he looked down. Why did he do that? You're just gonna freak yourself out, man!

See what I mean? You lost your focus, and you nearly slipped!

I doubt he could make that jump in real life. But hey, it's a movie.

Man, they never gave John McClane a chance to get his shoes on.

I wonder if some theme park is going to make a thrill ride inspired by that elevator.

THIS IS WHY YOU DO NOT START A HELICOPTER INSIDE.

Heh heh, I can imagine he's going to literally kill a man with that prosthetic. And I can also imagine that very last scene he is thinking, "Aw come ON, MAN! Do you know what kind of day I had today?!"

Well, I have to admit, I think this film will be at the very least, be a fun popcorn flick.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day.

Here in the United States, the last Monday in May is spent honoring those who had made the ultimate sacrifice, giving their life in service to this country.

Memorial Day as we know it had evolved from many ceremonies done to honor soldiers in the American Civil War. In 1882, the holiday got the familiar "Memorial Day" name over the previous "Decoration Day", but it wouldn't really grow in popularity until WWII. However, it would not be until 1967 that the American federal government law would declare "Memorial Day" be the official name. On June 28, 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which moved the holiday from May 30 to the late Monday of May, creating a three-day weekend.

On this day, like we have in various forms over the last century plus, we honor those who have given their lives for this country, and ensure they have not been forgotten.

The Predator Teaser

The Predator. Since 1987, this extraterrestrial hunter has been going after the most dangerous game: Man. From fighting a group of soldiers in a jungle led by Arnold Schwarzenegger to facing a group of earthlings on an alien world led by Adrien Brody, the Predator franchise is considered one of the most beloved franchises of the 1980s. Like many other franchises, the Predator has appeared in various media: comic books from Dark Horse, novels, video games, even crossovers with the Alien franchise. I'm surprised they didn't they to do a cartoon around the character. But now, a new Predtor film has been announced, a sequel set between the events of 1990's Predator 2 and 2010's Predators. Here's the teaser for it!

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Evidently you can order alien artifacts off of Amazon these days. Is there anything they don't have? Oh yeah, pensions for their employees.

Uh, kid? I think you broke the spaceship. The Yautja are going to be so mad...Yautja are what the species of the Predator are known as. Their whole thing is hunting other species.

For a moment there, I thought it was Chris Hemsworth. But nope, it's Jake Busey. He's Gary Busey's son, who was in Predator 2. I heard Jake is playing the son of that character. Nice subtle nod to Predator 2 there.

Yeah, he saw something, alright.

Holy Toledo, Keegan Michael-Key is in this movie?!

So, these Yautja are upgrading themselves with human DNA, huh? Now, I know what you are thinking. "Why would they upgrade themselves with human DNA if they are supposedly stronger and tougher then humans?" Well, I look at it like this. Humans have beaten the Yautja a couple of times. They have shown they can take on things tougher than them and win. To a species like the Yautja, I can imagine they must think the humans have something unique about them, and they are trying to find it so they can be better hunters. The Predators are trying to adapt to fighting humans.

I think we're going to see some serious upgrading to the Predator's weaponry, based on that glaive. Or that particular Yautja has major Krull envy.

Heh heh, Krull.

Well, this looks like it will be a fun film. I can't wait to see where they go with this movie. It does look like it has a bit more of an action over a stealth bent, but a good hunter always adapts, and I think the Predator can adapt to this, too.

Crisis on Infinite Earths #5 (August 1985)

The Crisis on Infinite Earths is still tearing through the DC Multiverse! We've seen death, destruction, betrayal, and madness. And now...it all seems to be over. The Earths are gone...or are they? After all, there are still seven issues left of this miniseries...

Previously on Crisis on Infinite Earths: Supergirl tries to pep up a scared Batgirl as the white wall of anti-matter consumes the city. John Constantine appears. Pariah is able to rescue Lady Quark from the doomed Earth-Six. The Monitor creates a new Dr. Light from arrogant Japanese scientist Kimiyo Hoshi. The Monitor's enemy kidnaps the Red Tornado. Members of the Harbinger Group protect the Monitor's towers in the Medieval and WWII eras alongside the Shining Knight and Sgt. Rock. Harbinger, against her will, kills the Monitor, and Earths One and Two are seemingly consumed in a wall of white.

And with all that out of the way, let's take a look at Crisis on Infinite Earths #5!

The cover is pretty cool! We got Earths 1 and 2 put together in the style of a Venn diagram. In the background are...faces. Faces of various characters from the two Earths. And a very nice detail, the faces down the very center are the Justice League members who had active Justice Society counterparts: The Flashes, Supermen, Hawkmen, Wonder Women, the Atoms, Green Lanterns, and the Green Arrows. It's a clever touch.

"Worlds in Limbo"
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Penciler: George Perez
Inker: Jerry Ordway
Colorist: Anthony Tolin
Letterer: John Costanza
Editors: Robert Greenberger, Marv Wolfman, Len Wein
Executive Editor: Dick Giordano

The story begins with the Monitor's mysterious enemy crowing in triumph. Both Earths One and Two have been destroyed. However, there's a bit of a problem. The enemy had grown more powerful with every Earth destroyed, but he did not do so here. The Psycho-Pirate is none too happy about it, as he felt the enemy reneged on his promise for a world of his own to play with. The enemy is not too concerned about it, as he's wondering why, with those two Earths and the Monitor dead, he did not get their power. Psycho-Pirate pleads to let him help, and he wonders why the enemy needs the Red Tornado and the Flash. The enemy tells him to shut up, and he's quickly wearing out his usefulness.

He needs the Pirate and the Tornado as his servants, and he needed the Flash contained as the nature of his powers allowed him to easily travel the Multiverse. We next look into the Monitor's satellite, where Pariah is basically wondering what just happened, and why the Monitor allowed himself to die if he knew it was going to happen. He's feeling hopeless as now...it's over. The enemy has won.

He hears a teary-eyed Lyla horrified about what she had done, and this gets Pariah confused. She wonders why she killed him, because she owed him everything. The Monitor appears on a screen.

He assures her that he was aware of her possession, and used it to make one last desperate gambit to save the remaining Earths. You see, the Monitor's "tuning forks" were not ready yet, mainly because the Monitor had not been able to finish their power sources. When Harbinger killed him, the Monitor's "energies" went into the towers, and were used to power them. It also created a "netherverse" containing Earths One and Two, as well as calming down their populations.

However, there's another problem. You see, in the old Multiverse, every universe had a different vibrational rate. It's how Barry Allen ended up accidentally traveling to Earth-Two years earlier. But the vibrational rates of the two Earths are starting to sync up. When they do, they will start to merge. And if they end up occupying the same space at the same time...

Yup. Kiss everything and everyone you ever loved goodbye. The Monitor then wishes Lyla farewell...and that he loves her. Lyla laments that she never said it to him. Alexander Luthor appears and tells her he knew. The Monitor also left Alex instructions about how to help the remaining Earths. But first, a moment to mourn. A short time later, the three eject his body into space, a la Spock's corpse after Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, only there's no Genesis Planet for the torpedo to land on. The three are determined to honor the Monitor's last wish: Save the remains of the Multiverse.

Elsewhere, the enemy realizes what the Monitor has done. The Psycho-Pirate wonder why he's here. The enemy explains that there are not two, but five Earths left. The other three will be his to play with. But for right now, he can work his emotional games on Barry Allen. Allen is left petrified in terror.

In Earth-One Metropolis, Lana Lang is reporting on time seemingly on a drunken bender.

The heroes and villains alike are shocked by this. Dinosaurs in the streets. Pterodactyls and zeppelins flying alongside jet airliners! Cavemen alongside 18th century people in a modern apartment building! Man, that would make one funny sitcom. People from various places in time forced to live together in the modern day by a cosmic event. The heroes and villains are gathered together on the Monitor's satellite by Harbinger, Alex, and Pariah.

Look at that spread. Look at it. This is why George Perez is known as "The Master". Look at how many characters are in this crowd. And look how distinct they are from each other. It's a feast for the eyes. Anyway, Firebrand is furious, saying that Firebrand lied to her and the rest of the Harbinger Group. Pariah explains that the Monitor did keep tabs and records on various heroes and villains, but because he needed them. He needed them to work together, because that is the only way to save their worlds. Superman and Wonder Woman of Earth-One are convinced. Alex explains that the Monitor had an enemy, and that enemy is out to destroy all the universes. The only way to save them is to merge them all into one.

The various heroes and villains there are uncertain about this, so Alex invites them to return to their worlds and see the craziness for themselves. The Earth-Two Superman states that the heroes will stand and fight in the end. On Oa, the center of the Earth-One universe, the Green Lantern Corps return to the planet by spaceship as their rings seem to be non-functional. They discover this.

The Guardians of the Universe are trapped in some sort of stasis beam, unable to move or interact. The GL Corpsmen then get ambushed. In Earth-One Metropolis, Lois Lane nearly ends up sabertooth tiger chow, but the Earth-Two Superman saves her. In the time stream, Rip Hunter and his fellow Time Masters are trying to ride out a time storm. In Wayne Manor, Alfred discovers that a cave, and some cavemen ended up in Wayne Manor.

Oh hey, it's Anthro! Batman teamed up with everyone in the DCU back in the day, it was only a matter of time before he and Anthro met up. In Russia, Starfire, Firestorm, and several other heroes encounter Red Star fighting dinosaurs in Moscow. Starfire commands the others to back him up as he's Russia's only superhero. Yeah. A big freakin' country like Russia has one superhero. I'm going to assume Starfire thinks that because Red Star was the only Russian superhero she met beforehand. I find the idea of an entire country having only one superhero kind of silly. It would have made more sense if Starfire said he was its most prominent superhero, as in he's not the only one, just the one we know of, and in-universe, is the most well-known of Russia's heroes.

Anyway, Red Star is reluctant to accept the help because he feels Russia is his responsibility alone. Starfire reminds him Russia may be his responsibility, but so is the rest of the world, and they need to unite. Red Star agrees, admitting Starfire's words here are wise ones. He gets a bit optimistic, hoping that maybe this will lead to a better world for it.

In the enemy's lair, the enemy is doing something to Red Tornado. He is taking the robotic hero and transforming him into...something more. The enemy studied the Tornado and discovered something: The robot...is not a mere robot. He is a man. He is more than that. There's a primal force in that robotic body. A horrified Barry Allen watches a massive storm erupt around the Tornado. The storm isn't just a giant tornado. It's a hurricane. It's a typhoon. Rain and wind erupts everywhere. Thunder cracks and lightning strikes. The Red Tornado...is gone.

The merging of the Earths is starting to take effect. An elderly couple on Earth-Two see the Earth-One counterpart of their deceased daughter. I like this bit, as it gives a slight window to how this event is affecting regular people. The headquarters of the Legion of Super-Heroes appears on Earth-Two. On Earth-One, the living storm that was the Red Tornado arrives. Some heroes try to engage the transformed Tornado, unaware it's their compatriot. The Ted Grant Wildcat, one of the heroes that was helping to evacuate people, gets struck by a bolt of lightning and badly injured. Jay Garrick, the Flash of Earth-Two, realizes that the storm is the Tornado.

The heroes gather around the injured Wildcat to help him. Ultra Boy of the Legion uses his "Penetra-Vision" (basically X-Ray vision on steroids), to assess the damage. Wildcat's legs are badly shattered, and the former boxer may never walk again. He dropped a little girl when he got hit, but a young woman named Yolanda Montez managed to catch her. Keep an eye on her, folks. The heroes are convinced of the danger to the two Earths, so they agree to help Alex Luthor.

Luthor gathers a group of heroes to the Monitor's satellite, as he has a mission for them. Earths One and Two are fine for now, but there are three more, and they need to be saved. If they aren't saved, the heroes won't be able to resist the Monitor's enemy. Among the heroes is the new Dr. Light, who hates the idea of being involved in this, but Luthor reminds her that she has to do her part, or everyone is doomed. Luthor is about to send them on their way, but Pariah and Harbinger senses something wrong.

The satellite starts shaking, energy crackling all around it. In the enemy's lair, Psycho-Pirate is amazed that the enemy is able to attack the satellite without weapons. Despite this, the enemy knows that it's only going to delay the heroes. But it will delay them enough so they won't be able to stop him. The Pirate remarks that the enemy had also talked about a place called Apokolips. But Darkseid and his Elite will be dealt with soon enough. Barry Allen taunts the enemy, saying he is a coward. He refuses to show himself. The enemy finds Allen's taunting foolish, as the enemy is not burdened with emotions. He is burned with glorious purpose, though. Oh wait, that's Loki. The enemy agrees to show himself.

Everyone, meet...the Monitor. Or as he's been more popularly known as...the Anti-Monitor. Look at this design. This is a design that only George Perez could pull off. When I first saw the withered vestigial organic mouth area, I honestly thought they were teeth. He little speaker on the chin is a nice and clever detail. It gives the idea that his is what this monster speaks through, and it's voice is electronic. I also love that the Anti-Monitor's mostly machine in appearance, to contrast the more organic Monitor. The cybernetics also give the idea that he is cold and inhuman, more of a monster.

The story ends with the antimatter wave hitting Earth-X, a world where World War II lasted for decades with a Nazi victory. The story ends with this world's resistance fighters-turned-defenders known as the Freedom Fighters watches the wall consume a city. They know they don't have the power to stop it, but they're not going to give up. They'll save the world, even if it costs them their lives.

This issue was...not bad at all. Not a lot happens in it, but that's bound to happen in a 12-issue mini-series. It does read better when read as part of a whole than on its own. Not much may have happened, but we do get a nice exciting cliffhanger, the reveal of the Anti-Monitor's true appearance, and plenty of action. We do get to see heroes do hero things. Red Star being Russia's only superhero seems kind of silly to me, though. As I said earlier, Russia is a very big country. I find the idea that it only has one superhero kind of...crazy.

George Perez's artwork is epic as ever. I don't know what I can say that no else has already about his art. The detail is astounding, and it's really cool seeing what so many characters would look like under his pencils. Next time, we'll go backwards from the dying days of the original DC Multiverse, and head to the swinging 1960s! There, we will join DC's super-sorceress Zatanna as she begins her search for her father...

Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition Launch Trailer, My Thoughts

Hyrule Warriors. A simple, but rather ingenious mash-up. Combine the mythos of Nintendo's long-running Legend of Zelda series with the hack-and-slash action of Koei Tecmo's Dynasty Warriors series, and you get a rather fun game. It was one of the best-selling games on the Wii U. It would be ported to the 3DS later on as Hyrule Warriors Legends, but it's making it's jump to the Switch! And here's the launch trailer for it!

I did play a demo of this in a store once, but I never got the game. I wonder why, as I really enjoyed it. Maybe it just escaped me.

Heh heh, Linkle. I remember all the complaining and whining when she first appeared.

29 Characters? Wow. Shame they couldn't get one more to make it to the big 3-0. Maybe future DLC.

Yeah, this game feels like a massive tribute to the Zelda series with all these characters from various games appearing.

Ho ho, that attack from Ganondorf looks so awesome!

Heh, Link just WRECKED Ganondorf.

Changing warriors on the fly, huh? Well, that makes sense with different characters have different strengths and weaknesses. Switch to the best character for the situation you are in.

I can imagine the Ocarina Warp would make heading to various battlefields a lot easier, especially if they are under siege and need your help. You can respond quick and hopefully help even the odds.

I like the co-op idea, too. Kick some butt with a friend.

That's one big Bombchu.

...was that Godzilla? Coming out of the ground there?

Adventure Mode, huh? Neat. I love the usage of graphics from the first Zelda game.

Were the fairy partners from the 3DS version? I don't think they were in the Wii U version. I wonder what they do? Do they provide bonuses or something?

Challenge Mode, huh? I wonder what you'd get for beating that?

Hey, Breath of the Wild costumes for Link and Zelda! Awesome! I wonder if we'll see characters from that game as future DLC? I can imagine the Guardians from that game would be fun to play as here. Man, I gotta get Breath of the Wild, too.

I love that you get all the DLC from the previous ports. I wonder if it's all available at once, or you have to unlock it somehow?

Well, this game looks awesome! For some reason, I skipped out on this one, despite it looking like a ton of fun to me. I'll definitely have to correct that mistake in the near future. You know, they've also mashed up Dynasty Warriors with the Fire Emblem series, I would love to see more mash-up games like this. I can imagine maybe the Mario series could have fun with this. Or the Avengers! Having a member of the Avengers fighting swarms of HYDRA agents or AIM Adaptoids? That would be awesome!

Text Play: Pokemon Mega Adventure #8

Welcome back to the Akiba Region! And this is entry number eight in my Text Play of Pokémon Mega Adventure!

On my way to Florama Town, I battled a rather...not very bright Pokémon Ranger. He mistook me for a "Pokémon hunter". Must be that world's version of a poacher. He gave me a Pecha Berry as compensation for the trouble. Well, that's nice of him. I'll have to find somewhere to plant it.

Florama Town is a rather small place, with another open-air market. Reminds me of Anomi Town. The entrance to the Eleton Caves is nearby, but I am told by an old man that there are a lot of dangerous Pokémon there. I can go in if I get three badges. Well, I got two already, and this town has a Gym, so I guess I have to beat that gym and get the Badge it offers.

The Gym in this game uses Grass-type Pokémon. Hey, that's changing it up! In the original Red and Blue, the Grass-type Gym was the fourth Gym, and the third was Electric-based. Don't have many Fire-types to counter Grass Pokémon, though. I have Torracat, but that's really about it. Litwick is a mix of Ghost and Fire, so maybe I can bring her... Grass are also weak to Poison, Bug, Flying, and Ice, though. Haven't caught any Ice-types yet..

I do have quite a few Flying-types, so maybe I'll being in Pidgey, Taillow, Hoothoot, Starly, or Pidove. Hoothoot has the Insomnia ability, so it can't be made to fall asleep in battle. There's also Zubat, who is Poison/Flying...I got a Grimer, Koffing, and Gastly which are a Poison-type (also Ghost in Gastly's case)... Yeah, I got way too many options here.

I decided to go with Pidgey, as I have a fondness for that line, Hoothoot because of its Hypnosis attack, and Litwick because of it having a Fire-type attack and being part-Fire type. I kept Torracat because it's a Fire-type, Butterfree because it knew Gust and was a part-Flying type. I also brought up my Grovyle because it knew Cut, and I need a Pokémon with that technique to get through the Gym.

There's also another place of note here.

These two lovely people are starting a flower shop here. It's rather appropriate that a place like that be started in a town called Florama. Unfortunately, they're not quite ready for business yet. Shame. I'm hoping they sell those pots that allowed a player to grow seeds on the go. Those would be really handy.

Funny enough, a girl in the Pokémon Center here told me the town's flowers have a very sweet scent that tends to attract Pokémon. It's kind of funny as in other places, I see Pokémon wandering everywhere, but here, there aren't any. Weird.

Well, I'd better get my new team ready for the Gym. I got some grinding to do. Thankfully, grinding doesn't seem so bad to me in this game. Wish me luck!

Mister Miracle #1 (March 1971)

Mister Miracle. The World's Greatest Escape Artist. Springing from the mind of Jack "The King" Kirby, he was inspired by fellow writer/artist Jim Steranko, who was also an escape artist in the past. No joke. Raised by evil, Scott Free ended up becoming a hero in his own right, his love of freedom leading him to defend the Earth against evil, and even becoming a member of the Justice League.

Before I talk more about Scott Free, I think I have to mention Jack Kirby's "Fourth World" saga. The saga was a metaseries that connected three titles of Kirby's creation: The New Gods, The Forever People, and Mister Miracle's own ongoing series. Kirby was inspired by the beginnings of the end of the newsstand method of distributing comics to create the metaseries. The metaseries was intended to be a complete story with a beginning, middle and end, that could be collected later on into a single book. Huh. Kirby predicted the trade collection.

He attempted to do the metaseries in Thor and The Inhumans at Marvel, but things did not work out. Combined that with his unhappiness at Marvel for not being what he felt was properly compensated for his co-creations, he took the idea to DC Comics. The three series that came from this didn't last very long. Forever People  and New Gods lasted 11 issues, but Mister Miracle lasted 18. The Fourth World became a part of the DC Universe, interacting with DC's other superheroes and villains. It ended up preventing Kirby from really doing the end of the saga he wanted to. In the 1980s, Kirby supposedly ended the saga with the DC graphic novel The Hunger Dogs, but it didn't stick.

The Fourth World saga would go on to be regarded as one of Kirby's greatest works, and the New Gods mythos would go on to be a part of DC's projects in other media, like the last season of the Super Friends cartoon in the 1980s, and Superman: The Animated Series, and even DC's cinematic universe.

So, who is Mister Miracle? Well, Mister Miracle is Scott Free, the son of Highfather, the head of the beautiful world known as New Genesis. As a baby, he was traded with another baby, this one the son of Darkseid, monarch of the planet Apokolips. If New Genesis was a Heaven, Apokolips was a hell. The son Darkseid traded to New Genesis would grow to become the warrior known as Orion, the wielder of the amazing Astro-Force. Free would grow up in one of Apokolips's horrific orphanages run by the living embodiment of child abuse known as Granny Goodness. But despite this, Scott still retained his good nature, becoming part of an Apokoliptian resistance group led by Himon.

Scott Free, like many other New Gods, is an immortal being with superhuman physical abilities (strength, stamina, speed, reflexes, etc.) and is immune to all diseases and illnesses. He's also a talented inventor, devising many of the gadgets he used in his superhero career. He is also a talented warrior, despite his preference for pacifism.

As for why I chose this comic to review? Well, last year celebrated what would have been his 100th birthday, and I discovered that I should review more DC stuff.

So, with all that out of the way, let's take a look at Mister Miracle #1!

The cover is pretty cool! We got Mister Miracle strapped to a rocket that is taking off. The men below say he's lost his wager, and with that, his life. But the World's Greatest Escape Artist has a surprise for them. It's a great cover. The cover promised the creation of a legend, and boy did we get that.

"Murder Missile Trap!"
Writer: Jack Kirby
Penciller: Jack Kirby
Inker: Vince Colletta
Colorist: Jack Kirby
Editor: Jack Kirby
Assistant Editor: Steve Sherman

The story begins with what appears to be the man himself preparing an escape stunt.

The trap is being checked over by Oberon, Miracle's dwarf assistant. This is being observed by a young man behind a fence. Oberon takes his cape, and pleads with the escape artist to not do this stunt, but Miracle insists. He orders Oberon to bolt him into a cabinet. Oberon reluctantly agrees. He then, to the shock of the young man, grabs a flamethrower and sets it ablaze. Horrified, the young man leaps the fence in an attempt to help the trapped Miracle, but Oberon stops him. I think they knew what they were doing, buddy.

The young man ignores the dwarf's pleas makes to attempt the rescue, but Miracle easily breaks out. The young man asks how he did it, and Miracle says that is just part of the escape artist trade. Oberon insists that age has dulled his reflexes. Miracle takes off his hood, revealing himself to be...

Wait...that's not Scott Free! Nope, it's Thaddeus Brown, escape artist extraordinaire. He thanks the young man for the attempt at heroism, and the young man reveals that his name is Scott Free, which amuses Brown to no end. Get it? "Scot free"? Free explains he grew up in an orphanage and he was given the name to promote individuality. Scott says he should be going, but Brown asks him to stick around as a guest for a while. However, some other guests would come say hello. With guns.

Meet Intergang. They are essentially a Mafia-type criminal organization with connections to Apokolips. If you've watched Superman: The Animated Series, you'd be familiar with these guys. One of the Intergangsters waves a gun at Thaddeus and Scott, and Scott attacks the men with his bag. The two men are able to dispatch the men, and Scott is left wondering why these men would be after Thaddeus. He explains he knew the head of Intergang in the area, a man called Steel Hand.

Meanwhile, in Metropolis, the named criminal has his hand in what looks like a clear box with an engine inside it. He's getting a radiation treatment of some kind. He gets a call on his TV, and it's one of the men sent to deal with Thaddeus Brown. The man reports that they couldn't deal with him, and Steel Hand is incredulous. They were men with guns going up against an old man and a dwarf. Hand then is told about the young Scott Free. Hand then grumbles that he'll deal with it himself, pulling his hand out of the box, showing that "Steel Hand" is not just a nickname.

And in classic Silver Age style, he rants out his origins. Steel Hand was once an ordinary man...who got his hand shot up by a Tommy gun. And evidently, in the hospital, he became a test subject for an experimental prosthetic. And radiation treatments were involved somehow (presumably to reduce rejection), and he ended up gaining super strength in his metal hand, powerful enough to easily smash a block of titanium. He used his new power to make his way into Intergang. He decides to personally take care of Brown and Free. His boys tell him they'll get their best sniper.

Back at Thaddeus Brown's home, Scott is settling into the spare room. He likes the room, as he feels it's a young man's room. Okay. Thaddeus explains that it was his son Ted's room once upon a time. Sadly, Ted died in the Korean War, and Thaddeus is also a widower. Ted was a devoted son, keeping a scrapbook of his father's exploits and helping Oberon prepare the various tricks and traps that Thaddeus would thrill audiences by escaping from. In fact, Ted was the one who came up with the whole "Mister Miracle" gimmick.

Thaddeus reveals to Scott that he plans a big new stunt, one very dangerous. It's so dangerous that even if he manages to pull everything off perfectly, he could still die. Terrific. In a rather...awkward sequence, Thaddeus and Oberon somehow get the idea Scott is a genius, and tests him by locking him in some chains. Scott just calmly stands there and closes his eyes as if he's meditating. And then...

Thaddeus and Oberon are amazed, wondering how he did that. Scott holds up a tiny device and explains that it caused the chains' links to magnetically repel each other. Thaddeus is curious about Scott's bag, and Scott tells him it contains some...keepsakes that were left with him at the orphanage he grew up with. Oberon pleads with Thaddeus to let Scott help him use his gadget to help keep him safe with the upcoming stunt. Thaddeus refuses, saying a professional must live of die by their own methods. ...God's sake, Thaddeus.

Thaddeus explains that he knows that Steel Hand is worried about him. You see, the two men made a wager long ago, and Steel Hand fears that Thaddeus could win. Wait, this local crimelord is this worried over losing a wager to an escape artist? Over whether the escape artist can make an escape?! Steel Hand is a moron. A petty moron. The next day, a sniper is getting into position.

The oblivious Oberon, Scott, and Thaddeus are preparing their latest stunt. Oberon prepares to send a large metal sphere rolling down a ramp towards Thaddeus. Scott hears a crack, and his heart grows cold. Thaddeus grunts in pain, and Scott realizes that something has gone wrong. He rushes to the great steel ball in the middle of its run, and puts out an energy blast that diverts it. Scott realizes Thaddeus has been shot, and he's dying. The young man frees the elder man and lays him down. A dying Thaddeus pleads for Scott to stay with him, and Scott obeys. The young alien man pulls out a small box from under his sleeve, and puts it to Thaddeus's head.

Folks, this is a Mother Box. And this is often the form they are in in the comics. They more resemble smartphones or PDAs than the giant cubes seen in the Justice League movie. They're pretty neat little gadgets, can do many things. Thaddeus hears a comforting sound from the Mother Box, and Scott is saying it's giving him comfort so he can die without pain.

Oberon is heartbroken over his old friend being gone. Thaddeus was also needing to make a comeback, as he was in some financial trouble. That's where Steel Hand came in. The two were in a hospital together, and they got to talking. They ended up making a wager. The future Steel Hand bet $10,000 dollars that he could device a trap that Thaddeus could not escape from. The wager was forgotten about until Steel Hand appeared in the paper. By then, he had become a notable figure in crime, and Steel Hand feared that he would lose face if he lost the wager. I can imagine Intergang makes tons of money from their criminal activities. If Steel Hand was one of the big moneymakers for them, would they really think that less of him over a wager he made before becoming one of their big moneymakers?

A few days later, Steel Hand is checking out something new.

Steel Hand is in the mood for a bit of a workout, so he tells the operator of the remote-controlled robot to make the robot arm-wrestle him. The robot is strong, but the crime boss is able to smash its arm to pieces with his namesake prosthetic. Much to his surprise, what appears to be an alive and well Thaddeus Brown, in his Mister Miracle costume, leaps into the room. Steel Hand is understandably shocked, as he's supposed to be dead. Miracle taunts him by reminding that the Age of Miracles is far from over! Steel Hand demands that Miracle forget the wager.

Miracle refuses, as it's not about money anymore. He wants Steel Hand to go to the police and confess his role in Brown's shooting. Steel Hand just summons some guards with a hidden panic button. The guards are able to overwhelm the costumed man and knock him out. One of the guards wonders why Steel Hand didn't just kill him by...maybe, just punching him with his metal hand. Steel Hand answers since Mister Miracle wanted an escape-proof trap, he'll get one.

He makes a call to Intergang's secret missile site. Yes, Intergang has one of those. I don't know how, it's comics. Steel Hand reveals this was the trap he had prepared for Thaddeus Brown. Maybe this was why he was afraid of losing the wager? He was using Intergang resources for his trap? I think they would be unhappy with him using their resources for his little trap regardless of whether he won or lost the wager. Miracle gets to work trying to escape the trap.

The rocket lifts off, Steel Hand tipping his hat to him. After all, not many men get to die twice. The rocket explodes, and Steel Hand is convinced that the Age of Miracles has come to an end. After all, Mister Miracle was...merely human. He heads back to his office and finds that the lights have dimmed. A voice invites him in.

Duh-duh-DUNNNNNNNNNNN! Yup, Mister Miracle is back, much to the horror of Steel Hand. The gangster is fed up, and decides to crush the escape artist himself. Steel Hand tries to break Mister Miracle's face with his invincible metal fist, while wondering how Miracle escaped. Turns out, the escape artist had a pair of "hyper-sound intensifiers" hidden in his gloves, which he demonstrates, damaging Steel Hand's prosthetic hand. He then uses some small retro jets in his suit (the same ones that let him flee from the exploding rocket) to give Steel Hand a big ol' Mighty Punch to the mouth.

He then uses one last gadget: A "compact cocoon spinner", a small gizmo that can produce lots of plastic/cloth-like material in moments. He then wraps up Steel Hand in the material like a Christmas present for the cops. Oberon and the police enter the room. The story ends with the police carting away Steel Hand, and Thaddeus Brown being avenged. Oberon jokes that Scott Free had one hack of an act, and he'd be happy to assist him like he had with Brown before. Scott agrees, and formally takes the name of Mister Miracle, to honor the Earthman who gave him a place to belong.

This issue...is a fun little tale. I do have one big complaint about it, though. I know it's almost blasphemous to criticize Jack Kirby, but I'm going to have to say it. I think Steel Hand's motivations here were kind of stupid. He killed a man simply because he was afraid of losing a blasted wager. That's kind of dumb. There's also a few rather awkward moments in the dialogue and pace. I also would have liked to have seen Thaddeus stick around a little longer and mentor Scott in the fine art of escape artistry.

But those negatives are minor. This was a fun issue that used Scott Free's gadgetry to hint that there was more to him than just an ordinary young man. His tech was a clever way of hinting at his origins. It also was a fun tale, and helped establish Scott Free as a cool new hero to keep an eye on. If you want to read this issue, DC recently put out a trade collecting the entire Mister Miracle series. And Kirby's art is just...worthy of a King. It's powerful and dynamic, fun to look at.

Next time, we'll stay in the DC Universe as the Crisis on Infinite Earths rages on...

Movie Review: Deadpool 2 (2018)

In 2016, Deadpool made his solo film debut, and the Merc with A Mouth got much critical praise and lots of money from the box office. And naturally, a sequel came about. Was it a hit, or did it make people want to shut Deadpool up? Let's find out!

Deadpool has been making a living for the last couple of years as a mercenary. But when a failed hit comes back to bite him, the Merc finds himself in a rough place. He needs to get his mojo back, and when a mutant teenager causes an incident, and the time-traveling cyborg Cable shows up, it just may be the thing Deadpool needs to get himself back in order.

There are a couple of things I think this film does do very well. One is surprising people. If you've seen the trailers, you know Deadpool forms a team. Well, what happened to them was a genuine shock, and is utterly hilarious. This film had me laughing through it. Also, I think the people in charge of Deadpool's soundtrack had a thing for 80s music.

One of the villains was also surprising. I never expected this character to be appearing in the film at all. But it was awesome to see him there.

The cast was fantastic. There was a cameo that I never expected in the movie. Ryan Reynolds shows how much he embodies Deadpool like Robert Downey Jr. embodied Iron Man, or Christopher Reeve embodied Superman. Reynolds brought the hilarity, but also showed some wonderful emotional moments. Josh Brolin as Cable was also a ton of fun, but it's not hard to think of him as Thanos a bit. It's the voice. Zazie Beetz was fun as the ever-lucky Domino, and the film shows off her luck power well.

I don't really have any major complaints about the film. It does use one trope that did cause some controversy, but the film in its own way turns it on its head. There was another new character I  wanted the film to explore a bit more, since she did something cool in the movie. Sorry about the vagueness, I'm trying to avoid spoilers.

Should you see Deadpool 2? I say, yeah. It's a hilarious movie with a surprising amount of heart. But it does have the R rating for a reason, so keep that in mind.

Robin Hood Teaser, My Thoughts

Robin Hood. The legendary English outlaw, he robbed from the rich and gave to the poor alongside his Merry Men. The legend has become rather iconic, and has been through much adaptation and retellings in various media. Film has seen its fair share of retellings, notably the 1938 film starring Errol Flynn, the 1973 Disney animated movie (In which Robin Hood was a fox), the 1991 movie starring Kevin Costner (one of my personal favorite movies from my childhood), a 1993 Mel Brooks parody, and the 2010 movie staring Russell Crowe. Well, this year, a new adaptation is coming with Taron Egerton in the title role, and here's the trailer for it!

Is this set in some alternate reality version of the 13th Century? 

That's a lot of hoods.

I don't think that's how crossbows work.

I don't think riot police were a thing back then, either.

I'm guessing Jamie Foxx's character will be the Azeem of this movie. Azeem was a Moor who fought Prince John alongside Robin in Prince of Thieves.

I get the feeling that the creators of this movie intended this take on Robin Hood to be set in a time other than the medieval era, but was forced to change it to make it a medieval era-set movie. I actually think that setting Robin Hood in a near-future cyberpunk-esque world would be a really cool twist.

Well, this film was...something, alright. It does look rather...weird. I don't know if I will actually see it, but maybe I'll give it a look when it comes out on DVD.

Death of Superman Trailer, My Thoughts

The Death of Superman. One of the DC Universe's most famous storylines, it basically was about Superman...well, dying in battle. In the early 1990s, DC had four books focused on the Man of Steel and his supporting cast: Superman, Action Comics, Superman: The Man of Steel, and The Adventures of Superman. It would also crossover with the Justice League and Green Lantern's books.

The storyline, devised by editor Mike Carlin and the team of writers making the Superman books at the time (Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, Louise Simonson, Roger Stern, and Karl Kesel), was a response to DC telling them not to have Superman and Lois Lane get married until the TV series Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman reached it own wedding episode. As a joke, Ordway said, "Let's kill him off", and this story was born.

The story has been regarded as a powerful and moving tale, but it also has been derided as a cheap publicity stunt. It has been novelized twice, adapted into a video game, and in 2007, the story was loosely adapted into a direct-to-DVD animated feature: Superman: Doomsday. But now, there's another animated adaptation in the works, simply called The Death of Superman. And here's the trailer for it.

The last adaptation was a PG-13, too.

An asteroid coming down, eh? This must be how Doomsday comes about here. And Lex's voice feels a bit...off to me. I don't know why.

Is that Wonder Woman from Justice League: War? Yeah, DC has also been doing their own brand-new animated universe with a series of animated films. The Suicide Squad film Hell to Pay is part of it, too. I don't hear people talking about this universe very much. And I haven't seen any of the films, so I can't really give my own thoughts on it.

Man, Doomsday is really wrecking the League, huh? He did the same thing in the original comic story, too. And that League roster at the time (Guy Gardner, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Fire, Ice, Maxima, Bloodwynd) did have a couple powerhouses at the time.

"Don't hold back." Yeah, that'll end well.

I have to admit, Doomsday looks good.

You'd think Superman would look a bit more...banged up.

Yeah, I'm not sure why they're redoing this. I have seen Superman: Doomsday, and this does look like it'll try to be closer to the original comics, which is fine. Personally, I'd prefer them seeing the League have some more original adventures here. I hope it's good, though.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day, everyone!

Celebrated on the second Sunday in May, Mother's Day is the day we celebrate mothers and all they do for us.

The holiday has its roots in 1868. One Ann Jarvis attempted to create "Mother's Friendship Day" as a way to help families get back together after the American Civil War. Jarvis wanted to expand this into an actual memorial for mothers done yearly, but her death in 1905 prevented that. However, her daughter Anna would continue her mother's efforts.

Anna Jarvis would go on to establish the current Mother's Day as we know it in 1905. She campaigned to make it a national holiday. In 1910, West Virginia would be the first U.S. state to declare the holiday officially, the other states at the time quickly following suit. On May 8, 1914, Congress passed a law declaring the second sunday in May be Mother's Day, which led then-President Woodrow Wilson to declare Mother's Day a national holiday the next day.

Since then, the holiday has been seen as a time to show a little extra love for the mothers of the world, mainly celebrated through the giving of flowers and gifts. So, I hope you got your mother a nice bouquet of flowers and a nice little gift today. And showed her a little extra love today.

Infinity Gauntlet #1 (July 1991)

The Infinity Gauntlet. On first glance, it's just a fancy glove. That's literally what it is. It's still considered one of the most powerful artifacts in the Marvel Universe. But not because of the glove itself. The actual glove...is just a holder. When one places six stones called Infinity Gems on the glove, it gives the wielder the power to be...well, for lack of a better term, be God.

The Infinity Gauntlet is mostly associated with Thanos. Created by Jim Starlin, Thanos first appeared in Iron Man #22 (February 1973). A native of the Saturnian moon Titan, Thanos was born with an...odd physical appearance. He became fascinated with nihilism and developed an obsession with Mistress Death, the physical embodiment of...well, death. This led him to become one of the greatest threats to the Marvel Universe, as he will do anything to win her heart, even destroy half the universe.

In recent years, Thanos has gained a much higher profile thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After appearing in a mid-credits scene in the 2012 film The Avengers (Avengers Assemble to my UK readers), Thanos had been established as the Big Bad of the MCU at that point, the ultimate threat the MCU has been building towards for the next six years, culminating in his finally arriving to raise hell in Avengers: Infinity War, and its sequel due out next year. Much like in the comics, the Mad Titan is proving to be the greatest threat the heroes of the MCU have ever faced. So, with that out of the way, let's take a look at Infinity Gauntlet #1!

The cover is AWESOME. But then again, it's a Perez piece, so of course it will be awesome. Seriously, I doubt that man could draw badly even if he wanted to. What I love is the way the shining of the Gems on the Infinity Gauntlet help create various "slivers" that show various characters that appear in the book. It's an awesome effect. Thanos himself is right in the center, which is where he should be. He's the "star" of this book, as it were. It's a great cover, and I love it so much.

"God"
Writer: Jim Starlin
Penciler: George Perez
Inkers: Josef Rubinstein, Tom Christopher
Letterer: Jack Morelli
Colorists: Max Scheele, Ian Laughlin
Editor: Craig Anderson
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story begins with a barren world, the only sign of life being two pairs of footsteps. There are text panels, the words in them are of someone kissing up to someone else. The two footsteps lead to Thanos and Mephisto, observing the word "GOD" seemingly carved out of giant rocks.

I had to go to Google to get this image, as my tablet scanner HATES double-page spreads and threatened to murder me if I tried to make it scan one ever again. Mephisto is kissing up to the Titanian madman, asking how he may serve. Thanos basically tells him to shut up. Heh heh, shut up, Mephisto. He then says the time as come, as he casually destroys the construct. He will no longer be denied his rightful place in the cosmos. He's coming for the universe.

The scene shifts to the Sanctum Santorum in New York City. Doctor Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme, is contemplating the universe. He then has some dinner, while reading a medical journal about some people in the catskills going crazy all of a sudden. He and Wong hear a thump on the roof. Two of Strange's allies at the time, Rintrah (A green-furred Minotaur-like being), and Imei are out shopping, so it can't be them. Strange grabs his Cloak of Levitation and prepares to leap into action, but what he finds is not a threat.

It's the Silver Surfer, and he looks like he went ten rounds with the Champion of the Universe and lost badly. He is moaning that he has to see Strange. Strange and Wong quickly get him on a couch. The weakened Surfer says he's got to warn Strange that Thanos is coming. However, the thing is...Thanos is dead. He was turned to stone during the events of Avengers Annual #7 (1977) and Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2 (1977). But he is dead no longer.

Mistress Death had gotten the idea that there were too many people that were alive. She felt it was creating some kind of cosmic imbalance between life and death. Sound familiar, MCU fans? So, in order to restore the "balance", she resurrected Thanos and made him much more powerful. This happened in Silver Surfer #34 (February 1990). She has also given Thanos a mission: Slaughter half the sentient life in the universe. Again, sound familiar, MCU fans?

Back on the planetoid, Thanos contemplates what to do with all this power that is now in his hands. After all, he can now do pretty much anything. The answer hits him like a lightning bolt: He can do whatever he wants. As such, he blows up the planet. He looks around at the pieces drifting through space. anything he dislikes, he can just reverse. Thanos is supreme. Thanos is God.

Surfer then recaps the 1990 two-issue miniseries Thanos Quest, which basically was about Thanos obtaining the Infinity Gems from the various cosmic beings who held them at the time. He had convinced Mistress Death that to do the task she had imparted on him, he needed the Gems. Hence, the Thanos Quest storyline.

Now that he's got the Gems in his gauntlet, he is now essentially...God. He is now even more powerful than Mistress Death herself. We're all gonna die. And then the scene shifts again, to a narrator in shadow. He blows some smoke rings and talks about a group of "Grade-A Losers".

Meet Jake Miller, Ralph Bunker, and Bambi Long. Three criminals on the run. Miller had just robbed a liquor store and shot the shopkeeper. Bunker is clearly the smart one in the bunch, as he yells at Miller for spending the day at a bar instead of fleeing. Long thinks that "Fats" needs to relax and enjoy life. The three enter a car and drive out on the back roads, Miller claiming he knows them like the back of his hand. Mr. Miller overestimated his knowledge of the roads, as he ends up driving the car off a curve and over a cliff at 65 MPH. Farewell, Jake, Ralph, and Bambi. They would have more importance to the universe in death than this trio ever did in life.

Back at the Sanctum Sanctorum, Silver Surfer recalls a battle he and Drax the Destroyer had with Thanos before the events of this story. The battle ended with Thanos using the Soul Gem to rip Surfer and Drax's spirits out of their bodies. The two then found themselves in Soulworld, a world inside of the Soul Gem. I think this was in Silver Surfer #46-47 (February-March 1991). There were others inside the Gem as well, including Gamora and Adam Warlock. Warlock had become sort of a spiritual leader of the area, and he was able to bring the Destroyer and the Sentinel of the Spaceways back to reality.

It turns out that Surfer was made aware of what Thanos was up to by Mephisto. Evidently, the embodiment of evil is running his own agenda. Surfer raced to Earth to warn Strange, but got caught up in some adventures on the way. Mephisto himself is back with Thanos, being awed at his natural ability to handle the power at his hands. The two arrive at the home of Mistress Death. Thanos throws on the charm, asking her to forgive him for his duplicity when it came to obtaining the Gems. But she's like, "Whatever", and walks away.

Yeah, this is a regular thing throughout the miniseries. Thanos keeps trying to win Mistress Death's heart, and she's like "Nope". The Titanian Tyrant really needs to get it through his thick purple head that she's not into him.

Back at the car crash site, three small points of light come down from the sky and enter the bodies of the three dead criminals. The new owner of Ralph Bunker's body is horrified by its condition, as it's been thoroughly burned and fried. However, the new owner of Jake Miller's body reassures him it won't be that way forever. You see, the powers of  "Jake Miller" are healing the bodies...and changing them to fit their needs, but it'll take some time. The three climb out of the gorge and find a hotel. Since "Jake" is the least damaged, he'll go in and get them a room. "Ralph" notes that "Bambi" is looking...a little green. Literally.

Hmm, I wonder why she's turning green...

The scene then shifts to Mephisto, who is doing his best Macbeth impression. Alas, poor Yorick and all that. The devilish being is contemplating the sheer power in Thanos's hands now. He notes that despite this, Thanos is still a mortal being with mortal needs. And one need he has now is for the love of Mistress Death.

Thanos is pleading for Mistress Death's love and forgiveness, but she...isn't into it. Her spokes-zombie...yes, Mistress Death has a spokes-zombie. The spokes-zombie explains that because he's essentially become a slave to his love for her...and Mistress Death wants an equal, not a sycophant. Thanos roars that his love for her his worship, that he revers Death. Shrines should be built in her honor. As such, he decides to do so.

The shrine is massive, with Death's human and skeletal faces, big shiny bird heads, skulls upon skulls, and big torches belching out massive flames. As a final finishing touch, Thanos creates two golden thrones for him and Death to sit on together. Their domain will be the universe, and together, they will build a new future, where they determine who is worthy of living...or dying. Death just scowls and turns away. Mephisto suggests that Thanos needs to prove how far he'll go to win Death's heart. Thanos is furious at this. He killed his own mother. He has killed lots of people. What more does he have to do? Mephisto basically says to him, "Man, I know you're worthy of her, but I'm not the one you need to prove it to." Thanos agrees, and shows some proof.

Meet Nebula, space pirate, and self-proclaimed granddaughter of Thanos. He had not taken kindly to the claim, and thus used the Infinity Gems to turn her into this zombie-like creature, nearly mindless and in constant agony. But Death is not impressed, infuriating Thanos. Death's spokes-zombie explains that she thinks he has a big mouth, and his bravado is disgusting. Thanos angrily blows up the spokes-zombie. Great idea, Thanos. Win the girl over by blowing up one of her employees. And even worse, the spokes-zombie was just doing his job. Way to blow up the messenger, dude.

He demands that Mistress Death address him directly. Mephisto suggests that he do what Mistress Death brought him back to the world of the living for. Remember, eliminating half the life in all the universe was Mistress Death's idea, and she brought back Thanos to do that. Thanos thinks that the devilish being may have a point. He's been goofing around, reveling in his power. He marches up to the edge of the temple, Mephisto realizing he's really gong to do it. The Mad Titan is not all talk. And with that, Thanos snaps his fingers.

In New York City, Spider-Man is having a rather good night. He's caught some muggers, so he's ready to head home. He feels a weird burst of vertigo, which forces the Wall-Crawler to land on a building. His Spider-Sense goes nuts, giving him a heck of a headache. He looks down at Times Square, crowded even late a night. And to the Webhead's horror...half the people vanish. Just...vanish. No burst of light, no storm, no warning. Just...disappear. Spider-Man is left utterly confused. What just happened here? What could have caused this? Where did the missing people go? And is it happening elsewhere? He panics and web-swings away, screaming for Mary Jane.

At Avengers Mansion, Captain America is returning from a mission. He encounters Sersi (who was on the Avengers at the time), and Hawkeye, who was visiting from the West Coast. However, the happy moment would end sadly. In front of the shocked eyes of the Sentinel of Liberty, Hawkeye and Sersi vanished. Cap feels a strange terror. Something really bad is coming.

On the SHIELD Helicarrier, Nick Fury Sr. and Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine are discussing the disappearances. Half of Fury's SHIELD crew had vanished as well. SHIELD's Psi-Division (yeah, they have a bunch of psychics working for them. It's the Marvel Universe) has been unable to peg the reason for the vanishings. Fury has a bad feeling about this.

In a bar, a television reports that the disappearances are not just people. Animals are vanishing, too. Cattle farmers are reporting that half their herds are gone. A patron takes a drink and angrily tosses the mug at the TV, scaring the bartender.

The Hulk is in a fighting mood. The disappearances have not just hit Earth. On the Throneworld of the Skrulls, Empress S'Byll of the Skrull Empire is told that half the Skrulls in the universe are gone. Naturally, they decide, "Yup, we're gonna fight the Kree again". Yeah, the Skrulls and the Kree are ancient enemies. They do not get along, and they gladly look for any excuse to fight each other.

Strange is hit by the vanishings too, as Wong vanishes before his eyes. The Surfer collapses in lament. He can feel the confusion, fear, and horror...and it's too much for even such a mighty being as the wielder of the Power Cosmic.

On Titan, the Avenger known as Starfox (no, he was not named after the video game. He's also Thanos's brother) had brought the being called Firelord to Titan to get his help against Thanos. With them is Drax the Destroyer (who at the time, was basically a bigger, dumber version of the Hulk due to brain damage from resurrection), and Mentor, the leader of the Titanian people. Mentor greets Starlord, only to vanish. An enraged Drax tries to crush Firelord's skull, demanding to know what he did to Mentor. Starfox and Firelord are able to calm him down and convince him of Firelord's innocence.

The Titanian's resident supercomputer ISAAC (misspelled as "Issac" in the book) reports that half of the people of  Titan have mysteriously vanished, and there's no explanation. Firelord, Drax, and Starfox, though? They know in their hearts who the perpetrator was. They know it's the Mad Titan himself.

Back at the hotel, "Ralph Bunker" and "Bambi Long" are relaxing and getting comfortable while their bodies have started to change into new forms. Yup, they got new owners. "Ralph Bunker" is actually Pip the Troll, whose original body was destroyed previously. "Bambi Long" is sewing a new costume for herself, as she is slowly changing back into Gamora. Pip is rather happy to be back among the living. There's a lot of drinking, gambling, cigar-smoking, and womanizing he has to catch up on. Gamora jokes that he also has a lot of annoying people to catch up on as she vanishes too, much to Pip's horror. He races into the next room, where "Jake Miller" is. Pip screams he's got to do something. The story ends with Pip groaning that "Miller" is going to be a fat load of help now, as he is in a cocoon.

The new owner of Jake Miller's body? One Adam Warlock, Earth-created artificial man-turned-cosmic adventurer...and perhaps the universe's one hope against the threat of Thanos.

This issue is awesome. It fantastically sets up a big epic, cosmic event. We see that it doesn't just affect Earth, it affects the whole universe. We see Thanos reveling in his newfound power, all his quest for the heart of Death herself. It also shows that Thanos is a bit of a thick moron when it comes to Mistress Death. She ain't into him, but he refuses to get it. Yeah, I like the MCU take on him better for motivation.

As for the art, well...there's a reason why people refer to George Perez as "The Master". Who better than Perez for a big cosmic event like this with tons of characters and crazy visuals? It's a real shame that Perez was not able to draw the whole mini-series. At the time, he was also writing and drawing War of the Gods over at DC, a big storyline that was celebrating Wonder Woman's 50th Anniversary. War of the Gods was a stressful project for him, as he not only had to deal with editorial interference, but also he felt that DC was not really doing anything to celebrate the Amazing Amazon's big anniversary.

It was a rough time for him, and as a result, he was unable to finish the mini-series, and Ron Lim took over the series partway with issue #4 and fully with #5. It is really sad, because if any artist had shown they could do big cosmic epics like this, it's Perez. I wish he was able to finish this. Also, at the time, Perez drawing Marvel characters was a real treat, as he was predominantly associated with DC at this point thanks to his work on New Teen Titans, Crisis on Infinite Earths, Superman, and Wonder Woman. It's sad things were so rough for him at the time. Still, it's amazing work.

Don't forget to check out my last comic review: DC Comics Presents Annual #3! And next time, we return to the DC Universe, as we look at the debut of the universe's Greatest Escape Artist...