Crisis on Infinite Earths #9 (December 1985)

The Crisis on Infinite Earths rages on! In the last two issues, we had to say goodbye to two of the DC Multiverse's most prominent superheroes: Supergirl and the Barry Allen Flash. However, their sacrifices would seemingly bring a much-needed bit of lull to the heroes of the DC Multiverse. Or so it seemed, as the various supervillains of the DCM have some plans of their own. Of course they do.

This would be the final issue of Crisis for the year of 1985. Yup, this miniseries is crossing over into a new year! So, how does this story decide to cap off 1985? Let's find out!

The cover is awesome! Yeah, it's just a bunch of villains on it, but its incredible to look at. Perez shows why he is a comic book art god in this cover. I also like the giant Brainiac ship looming over the background, giving a bit of extra menace. And is it sad that I kind can identify many of the characters on this cover?

"War Zone"
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Penciler: George Perez
Inker: Jerry Ordway
Colorist:  Anthony Tollin
Letterer: John Costanza
Editors: Marv Wolfman, Robert Greenberger, Len Wein

The story begins with the planet of Oa. Several of the Guardians of the Universe are addressing a man standing before them. They recall the events of the last issue, which has brought about the schism in the Guardians. Six of them have decided, as they feel they are partially responsible for the evil permeating the universe, that it must be eliminated. As such, they have found a man to be their soldier. Their Green Lantern. Who is this man?

Mr. Guy Gardner, everyone! His more "iconic" personality, as well as his bowl cut, is something we'll see post-Crisis. Just after he states that no evil shall escape his sight, a mysterious explosion erupts. Guy's slacking off already. But in all seriousness, the explosion manages to kill all but one of these Guardians. Guy is shocked by this, as the Guardians are supposed to be immortal. Yeah, they are, but that does not make them unkillable. Just ask the MacLeods. Off with their heads, and all that. The one surviving Guardian explains that the explosion used antimatter, and he needs Guy to avenge the deaths of his brothers. Guy vows to do so, and this adventure leads up to Green Lantern #195 (December 1985). Over Earth-1, Brainiac's skull ship is floating in its orbit, and it has some passengers.

A murder of Supervillains (get it? like a murder of crows), have been gathered onboard the giant skull. The newest arrival is one T.O. Morrow, who had vanished after the events of the last issue. Mirror Master grumbles about Morrow, but Doctor Polaris and Psimon shut him up, reminding him that there is a crisis on. Psimon recalls when he nearly got killed, but was able to save himself with his mental powers. But Lex Luthor, in his awesome warsuit, counters that he and Brainiac saved him.

Luthor and Brainiac had gathered all the villains together for a reason. The Anti-Monitor, as far as they know, has fled or died. As far as they are concerned, this crisis is over. And with it is an opportunity. An opportunity to strike out against the heroes and destroy them once and for all. Lex Luthor will be the field commander of the villains as they set out to make their big conquest. However, Luthor's Earth-2 counterpart is not happy with this as he feels his genius is greater than his younger Earth-1 counterpart's. As such, Earth-1 Luthor is not needed. Brainiac does agree with the redheaded villain on one thing: Two Luthors are not needed.

With that settled, Earth-1 Luthor starts to explain his plan. The scene then shifts again to another ship orbiting the other side of Earth-1, as shown in New Teen Titans #14 (November 1985). It's a Tamaranean ship, commanded by a Captain Karras. One Princess Koriand'r, aka Starfire, is being summoned back to Tamaran, but she has no idea why. Karras has no intention of telling her, as he feels she should hear it from her father. With that, the ship transports up Nightwing, Starfire, and Jericho. As Starfire makes some introductions, Jericho overhears Karras and a crew member whispering about the reason why Starfire must return to Tamaran. The mute metahuman is rather worried.

As the ship flies off, life seemingly returns to normal...well, as normal as it can. However, there is a giant feeling of unease in the air. People feel a bit on edge. In Greenwich Village, there is a strange warp zone, where time is acting all screwy. Donna Troy is worried, as her then-husband, Terry Long, is trapped in the zone. It's not helped that the police have cordoned it off, keeping people out...and people in.

Yeah, time and space have become cosmic LEGO sets, and somebody was in the mood to build something wacky. Firehawk offers to help Donna find him, and they head off to the events of Firestorm #42 (December 1985). We next go back to Earth-1's World War Two. Sgt. Rock and Easy Company. Easy is discussing the recent craziness, but as far as Rock is concerned, there's still a war on. Jeb Stuart notices a strange warp in the sky, but then it vanishes as quickly as it appeared.

On three of the five remaining Earths, the villains strike. They managed to conquer the Earths, despite the heroes there valiantly trying to fight them off. At the UN of Earth-1, Alexander Luthor, Lyla, and Pariah speak about the Crisis. In a nice little character moment, Lady Quark and the Earth-1 Wonder Woman watch this on a television. Diana reminds Quark that Pariah released the Anti-Monitor accidentally. Quark is aware of it, and states she may be able to forgive him one day, she'll never forget it.

Pariah, to his horror, suddenly vanishes. The crisis is not over yet!  And a giant hologram of Brainiac's head appears before the assembled body.

He has announced his army of supervillain have conquered Earths 4, S, and X. They have demands for Earths 1 and 2. And Luthor spells them out. Either the two Earths surrender, or they will unleash forces that will destroy the Earths under their control, and since the five are linked, Earths 1 and 2 will go with them. This drives various heroes to leap into action, like Superman and the Creeper.

In 1917, one Steven Savage, aka the Balloon Buster, sees an odd storm in the sky, similar to the one the Haunted Tank crew would witness nearly twenty years later. He thinks nothing of it, and heads to his biplane. After all, there's a war on. Back in the present, the heroes try to smash through the barriers to the conquered Earths, but it's no good. But Lyla may have an idea.

We go to Blue Valley, Nebraska. An idyllic college town located in middle America, it's the home of one Wally West, aka the former Kid Flash. He had retired from the Teen Titans because of an illness related to his speed powers. Lyla, accompanied by Jay Garrick (The Golden Age Flash), has come because she needs his help. Wally refuses. After all, the crisis is over, and he's retired. Jay convinces him that with Barry Allen missing (At this point, no one is aware he's dead), they need his help. He ultimately agrees to put back on the old ring. A group of heroes gather in Greenwich, with a rebuilt and modified Cosmic Treadmill.

Jay and Wally run on the Treadmill, faster and faster. As their velocity increases, they see a rift in space. And with that, the heroes vanish. Brainiac and Luthor discover this, but it was anticipated. Brainiac predicts some heavy losses on both sides, but Luthor isn't worried. As long as the villains win, then the losses will be worth it. The heroes will be too weakened to take on himself and Brainiac, and they can always blow up the three Earths anyway. A shadowed figure watches this, pleased they stayed behind.

On the conquered Earths, the war is on. Beast Boy (Then called Changeling) takes down Riddler and Trickster. Tempest of the Doom Patrol and Kole of the Titans attack the Masters of Disaster. Cyborg takes down Grodd, Speedy fights the Shaggy Man. Brainiac points out that the heroes have one big advantage: Unlike the villains, they are willing to work together. Luthor isn't worried. To him, it's an opportunity to see some rivals disposed of.

In Earth-4's New York, the walking container of chemicals known as Chemo uses its powers to poison the waters around the city. The heroine Tula, aka Aquagirl, is caught in the toxins, and is quickly killing her. Aqualad tries to save her, but Brainiac states that she is pretty much dead already. Evil seems to have won on this world.

On Earth-S, we see more combat. Earth-1 Superman battling Starro. Elongated Man facing Sinestro. Plasmus facing off against the Hank Heywood III Steel, only to get sent underground by Vibe. Another villain called Warp makes the cyborg vanish. The villains appear to have won on this Earth, too. Eclipso takes down the Earth-1 Wonder Woman, and Captain Cold and Icicle put Aquaman and Mera on ice. Heh. Pun.

Earth-X is also besieged, although that's nothing new for that world. One city looks like nature has reclaimed it. Poison Ivy, the Joker, the Floronic Man, and the Silver Ghost have the Freedom Fighters and Firebrand in the clutches of some angry vines.

The Joker tries to turn on the charm with Phantom Lady. However, she's not Harley Quinn, so she's not going for it. However, the heroes are getting reinforcements in the form of the JSA, Infinity Inc., and the Outsiders. Luthor calls the villains on Earth-X and tells them to work together. Doctor Phosphorus leaps on the Earth-2 Hawkman and tries to burn him alive, much to Northwind's horror.

On the Skull Ship. Have I said that I love Brainiac's Skull Ship? Anyway, Luthor notes that the battle on Earth-X seems more even. Yeah, he'd like his side to win, but the villains losing there won't hurt his plans at all. He and Brainiac will be the ones to finish off Superman. Considering there are two Supermen active at the time, I have this image of them squabbling over which one gets to kill which Superman, and it amuses me to no end. Luthor notices that something is wrong with Brainiac.

Brainiac's body explodes into smithereens. Luthor is wondering who did this. And the story ends with Brainiac's destroyer revealed.

Yup, it's the mental menace known as Psimon. And he's taking over!

This issue was...perfectly fine. It is one of those issues that does stand stronger when read as part of the whole storyline than on its own. It is also not surprising to see some treachery among the villains, considering they're villains, and all that. There are also moments that clearly set up things that will be fulfilled in other titles, but that's kind of unavoidable in a big event like this with lots of tie-ins. Despite this, it was still enjoyable. I loved seeing the various heroes and villains of the Earths battling it out. It was a feast for the eye and the imagination thanks to George Perez's art and Wolfman's writing.

Next time, we join Spider-Man as he deals with a factory that is being burned by the Inferno...

Text Play: Pokemon Mega Adventure #13

Welcome back to the Akiba region! This is entry number 13 in my Text Play of Pokémon Mega Adventure. I just hope this is not an unlucky one, heh heh.

Last time, I defeated Volkner and got my fourth badge. We're at the halfway point, people! Awesome! I also arrived at Fairy City, a famous town because it's the home of many Gym leaders, as well as it has the Game Corner. I can imagine this town gets a ton of tourist money thanks to the Game Corner, despite Fairy City being more rainy than Seattle.

Speaking of the Game Corner, I decided to check it out. Naturally, they gave me a Coin Case. Gotta have something to carry any winnings I get here. Also, they have a kiosk where if your Pokémon's ID number matches a drawn number, you win a prize. I decided to give it a shot for a laugh. I never win these anyway. Well, now I did. The last digit of Thundra's ID matched the lucky draw number's, so I got the Fourth Place prize: An Ultra Ball. I shall use this wisely.

There's also a kiosk where one can buy cards for a Pokémon-themed Triple Triad minigame. Evidently, the makers of this game are Final Fantasy fans. Evidently, the more Pokémon you catch, the more cards are available. At this point, I have obtained over 110 Pokémon, so I have quite a lot of cards to choose from. Some are crazy expensive, but they're supposed to be rare cards so that makes sense. I also gave the coin game a shot.

I have to admit, as a kid, I hated this. I never got how to play it. Recently, I think I managed to figure it out...somewhat. Thank my love of Picross for it. It's a bit of a logic puzzle. You have to guess where all the Electrodes re hidden on the game board, using the numbers on the sides as hints.

After playing some games, I decided to do some exploring. One of the interesting things I found in this town was this tower.

It kind of looks like a lighthouse. Anyway, the door is locked, so I can't explore it. Maybe it will be later in the game. Anyway, I thought it would also be fun to explore the Gym Leaders' homes. After all, in Pokémon games, nobody locks their doors, right?

Huh. Evidently, the Gym Leaders in this game do know what locks are and how to use them. Well, I have to admit, that is a surprise. A neat surprise, but still a surprise. There's also a nice little open-air market in this town. It reminds me of the one in Anomi Town.

Speaking of Gym Leaders' homes, I'd better go to Mary's. Red is waiting for me, and I don't want to keep him waiting all day long.

Red introduces me to her, and I still am wondering how it was possible for a child to be a Gym Leader. Can someone please explain this to me? Since she wants me to face her, I'll hit the Fairy City Gym.

Considering the city's name, it's not a surprise that Mary is a specialist in Fairy-type Pokémon. I'll have to figure out how to counter those. The Gym employs some sort of teleporter puzzle. Reminds me of Sabrina's Gym from the original Red and Blue. Sheesh. I admit, I hated Sabrina in Red and Blue. You see, the original two games did have some balance issues regarding Pokémon, particularly with Psychic-Types. They were overpowered, for lack of a better term. There wasn't much that could counter them at the time. Yeah, Bug and Ghost-types could counter them, but there weren't many attacks of that type back in those early days. There was not much you could do against them. Future games would fix this by adding more attacks of those types, more Pokémon of those types, as well as the adding of the Dark type.

Anyway, I'm ranting. I did some looking on Bulbapedia, and I think Fairy is weak to Poison and Steel-type Pokémon. I love Bulbapedia, but its explanation of Pokémon elemental strengths and weaknesses is...not always helpful. Anyway, I have a bunch of Poison and Steel-type Pokémon, so I gotta put together a new team to face her. I sure could use my Alolan Grimer from Pokémon Sun right now. That Pokémon was a beast. As such, I went with this team.

Back to the grind game. Here we go again... Anyway, I put Grimer in because I enjoyed using Grimer in Sun and Moon....despite that Grimer being an Alolan variant. Seriously, Alolan Grimer is a freakin' beast. Magnemite and Klink are there because they are Steel-types, and they know Steel attacks. Butterfree is there because she is awesome. Ivysaur is on board because of his Poison Powder and Leech Seed. And as for Torracat...I like Torracat.

The grinding actually didn't turn out to be so bad here. Having an Exp. Share helped, but I do wish it was the Sun and Moon-styled one that gave experience points to the whole team. Would make grinding even less tedious. Surprisingly, grinding at the Windflow Bridge wasn't that bad.

And next time, I'm taking on Mary at the Fairy City Gym. Wish me luck!

Pokémon Obtained:

Windflow Bridge
- Spearow
- Fletchling

Dark Phoenix Trailer, My Thoughts

The Fox X-Men movie franchise is moving on! This new film is out to bring one of the X-Men's greatest stories into film: The Dark Phoenix Saga. Honestly, I've been rather meh on the X-Men movies. I watched and liked the first one, thought X-Men Origins: Wolverine was...okay, and that's really it. With the merger with Disney coming, I'm kind of hoping that we'll see some new X-Men films that are closer in spirit to the comics. So, let's take a look at Fox's attempt to bring the fall of Jean Grey to live-action film's trailer.

Yeah, so far it's alright. Jean has need help from Xavier to deal with her nascent powers in the comics.

So, I'm guessing here, Jean accidentally killed her parents.

And there's Jennifer Lawrence, who is one of the biggest names here, so she gets the focus.

I'm guessing Jessica Chastain will be playing Lilandra Neramani. I guess they're going with a version based on the Ultimate Marvel version of the character. In the Ultimate Marvel Universe, Lilandra was a human who claimed to be part of a Scientology-esque religion worshipping an entity called the Phoenix.

Hey, Mystique is blue again. I bet that will be brief.

Is Magneto turning evil again? If I were him, I would just be like, "You know what, I'm not doing this again. I'm just going to go over there and get drunk. REALLY drunk. 'Lose-my-pants-and-wake-up-in-Timbuktu' drunk. Just to warn you all, I am a crier when I am drunk."

Why is Storm holding an umbrella in the rain? YOU CAN CONTROL THE WEATHER. YOU CAN MAKE IT NOT RAIN ON PEOPLE.

Honestly, this trailer has me feeling rather...meh. It doesn't help that this whole Dark Phoenix thing is clearly a do-over of The Last Stand. It doesn't look terrible, but it does not get me really that excited, either. I'll borrow it when it comes to the library.

Starlink: Battle for Atlas Story Trailer, My Thoughts

Earlier this month, I gave my thoughts on the gameplay trailer for Starlink: Battle for Atlas. I think it looks like a ton of fun. But this game also is supposed to have an epic story, a space opera about the liberation of a star system. Or maybe a silly excuse to blast aliens. Let's look at the story trailer!

Who's Nova?

Man, whoever came up with the idea for piercings for spaceships needs to catch a beating.

Heh heh, giant cosmic pizza cutter. Or buzzsaw, take your pick.

Hey, Fox! Good to see you back in action! I take it things are calm in the Lylat System?

Wait...does that mean this game and Star Fox Zero is set in the same universe? That would actually be pretty cool.

I have no idea who these people are.

Wait, that bit with Grax and the worm thing. Is that a nod to the Ceti Eel scene from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan? Because that gives me Wrath of Khan vibes.

Oh, Nova must be some kind of energy thing.

That's not how a fist bump works.

Well, of course you can do it, kid. You got Starfox backing you up!

And space dogfighting action!

Well, this looks...kind of neat. Didn't really get much idea of the characters, though. Except that this spaceship has no regulations when it comes to uniforms, ha ha. Still, it does seem pretty fun.

Sega Ages Sonic/Lightning Force Launch Trailer, My Thoughts

Sega Ages. This was the term Sega had used for their compilations of classic games on modern platforms. These ports would often be developed by Japanese game developer M2, they were an unusual take on the retro game compilation. Whereas most retro game compilations would be basically a bunch of games all bunched together for one price, Sega Ages' idea of it was to release one old game at a time, and sell it at a very low price.

For example, A company could release a bundle of old Atari or Activision games for about, say ten dollars. Sega Ages, though? They release a couple of games at a time over a period of time, like say they start with Comix Zone or Space Harrier, then release a couple more over the next few months or so. In the meantime, you could buy those two games for only about oh, maybe 50 cents each.

Well, Sega Ages is coming to the Nintendo Switch. And their first two games are out. One is one that needs no real introduction: 1991's Sonic the Hedgehog. It's classic, the birth of one of Sega's most beloved franchises, despite it's roughness in recent years. It was the game that established Sega as legit competition to Nintendo. It's considered one of the greatest games of all time.

The other is 1993's Thunder Force IV, known here in the US as Lightning Force: Quest for the Darkstar. A horizontal space-shooter, it told the tale of a fighter pilot who is humanity's last hope against the Ohn Empire. The Empire wants nothing more than the destruction of the human race. The game was highly praised for its graphics, music, and gameplay. It was criticized for a lack of originality.

Thanks to Sega Ages, these games will be playable on the Nintendo Switch! Let's take a look at the launch trailer!

Is that Sega Ages intro a nod to the intro of Genesis games?

I have to admit, this the first time I've ever really heard of Lightning Force. It does look neat. I have gotten into space shooters recently, and it looks like a fine one.

That enemy ship looks like a shark from Hell.

Is that spaceship shooting energy shuriken? That is awesome!

I have to admit, seeing the footage of Sonic put a smile on my face. This was one of the games of my childhood. I grew up in the 16-Bit era. Sonic the Hedgehog and Super Mario World/All-Stars were my gaming jams.

I love the Marble Zone theme. I wish that was one of the levels in Sonic Mania.

I have to admit, I am more interested in getting Lightning Force, as it's a game I never played before, and as I said earlier, I've gotten into space shooters recently. It looks really cool, and it is supposed to be a great game, so there ya go. But don't get me wrong about Sonic. I still would like to play Sonic on the go, and to be honest, I never liked the idea of playing Sonic on a phone.

Seriously, I once saw a phone in an Apple Store that had Sonic 2 on it. I thought, "Neat, I like Sonic 2, I'll give it a play." I couldn't control it too well, because of the touch controls. I need actual buttons. So putting Sonic on the Switch is a great idea. It has actual buttons. I like actual buttons. I play old platformers better when I have actual buttons. Feels more responsive and precise.

But enough of my weird ranting, it's great these old games are coming to the Switch. Many old games are still fantastic, and it's a great way to get a new generation into retrogaming, and for old gamers like me who never played those games when they first came out to give them a try. I can't wait to see what comes next from Sega Ages!

Stan & Ollie Trailer, My Thoughts

From 1927 to 1955, Englishman Stan Laurel and American Oliver Hardy entertained audiences all over the world as the slapstick double act known as...well, Laurel and Hardy. The two would make over 100 films together, managing to survive film's transition from the silent era to sound. They became iconic for numerous things, including their bowler hats, and the catchphrase "Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into!" It's often misquoted as "another fine mess" because of their 1930 short film Another Fine Mess.

It had been announced in January 2016 that Jon S. Baird would be directing a film based on the lives of these two comedy legends. It would be set in the early 1950s, during their tours of Great Britain. Steve Coogan would be portraying Stan Laurel, and John C. Reilly would bring Oliver Hardy back to life. And now there's a trailer! Let's take a look!

And here are Stan and Ollie doing what they do best: Making the people laugh.

Poor Stan. Life can imitate comedy sometimes.

I went to London once. Got to ride a train. It was wonderful.

Hey, if the material ain't broke, don't fix it.

Aww, poor Stan and Ollie. Times are a-changin', boys.

Wait, was that an edit there? And to be fair, Stan, both you and Ollie did a lot of work even before coming together.

Yeah, this was about the time Hardy started suffering some health issues. He and Laurel were both heavy smokers, so that did not help things.

Man, John C. Reilly really resembles Hardy in some shots. It's freaky.

I have to admit, my exposure to Laurel and Hardy is rather limited. But I do want to see this movie, if only out of curiosity. I enjoyed Steve Coogan in Tropic Thunder, and it looks like he and John C. Reilly really make an effort to capture the legendary comedians. I'll give this a look.

Spectacular Spider-Man #139 (June 1988)

By the late 1980s, Spider-Man had shown himself to be one of Marvel's most popular characters. He was such a hit with readers that he actually had three ongoing series around him and his supporting cast: his main title Amazing Spider-Man, Web of Spider-Man (which replaced Marvel Team-Up. This title is also known for first teasing the eventual appearance of Venom), and the title we're going to look at here: Spectacular Spider-Man.

At the time of this issue, Gerry Conway had been writing the book. He wanted to focus on the lesser-known characters in Spider-Man's supporting cast, as many of the main members of the cast, like Aunt May, Mary Jane Watson, and J. Jonah Jameson, got spotlight in Amazing. He also had a desire to give Spidey a ruthless gangster much like the old Spidey villain Hammerhead, but not Hammerhead himself. And thus, Tombstone was born. His storyline would go over quite well with readers, and the albino gangster would be a menace to New York since.

But how did Tombstone come to be in the Marvel Universe itself? What made him into the gangster he is today? Well, let's find out as we take a look at Spectacular Spider-Man #139! 

The cover is really awesome. The stark white cover makes you focus directly on the man himself. The facial expression, the way he holds his hands, the bodies at his feet. It all gives the message that this is a man who is not to be messed with. The cover does a great job selling how scary Tombstone can be. I can imagine he killed on these men on the cover with his bare hands.

"Grave Memory"
Writer: Gerry Conway
Penciller: Sal Buscema
Letterer: Rick Parker
Colorist: Bob Sharen
Editor: Jim Salicrup
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story begins with, well, a dark and stormy night. Peter Parker is swinging through the city, just on his way to Robbie Robertson's office, and he just dodged a sniper's bullet.

Thank everything for the Spider-Sense. Spidey spots the gunman and swings after him. The sniper tries to flee, but Spidey webs the door, and flashes the Spider-Signal at him. Spidey demands to know who hired him, but the sniper refuses to tell him, so he gets knocked out by a light tap from the Webhead. When the sniper wakes up, he finds himself hung from a flagpole.

Spidey warns him the rain might make the web melt, so he'd better start talking. The gunman quickly explains that it was a blind hire. All he was told was he was supposed to shoot Robbie Robertson. Spidey just was in the way. Typical Parker luck. Spidey swings away, telling the gunman that the cops will pick him up. As for the melting webbing...Spidey lied. Heh.

Spidey arrives, realizing that "blind hire" is an underworld term. Basically, someone anonymously hired the sniper to kill Robertson. That leaves Spidey with a big question: Who would want Robbie Robertson dead that badly? Peter finds Robbie's office deserted, except for a file folder and a cassette deck. Yeah, it was the 80s. The Wall-Crawler notices that the tape has his name on it. Curious, he plays it.

The tape is of Robbie speaking. He's got another commitment to fulfill tonight, so he made this tape to explain to Peter why he's not there to meet him. Robbie has a confession to make, one that could destroy his career. Since Peter works freelance, he has no vested interest in protecting either Robbie or the Daily Bugle itself. Well, Peter does care for Robbie and the Bugle seems to be the only paper that will hire him, so maybe he has something of a vested interest. But what is this confession Robbie has to make?

A figure known as "Tombstone" is back in town, and there are some deaths connected to him. Robertson clearly blames himself for those deaths, to the point where he considers himself an accessory to those murders. He hears Daily Bugle City Editor Kate Cushing calling for Robbie, and Spidey decides its time to make himself scarce. She and J. Jonah Jameson arrive at Robbie's office and find it deserted. They're worried about him. Thing about Jameson, he can be a loud skinflint with serious envy issues towards Spider-Man, but he is capable of caring about others.

The scene shifts to a building owned by Wilson Fisk, aka the Kingpin. A man named Roland Rayburn is getting himself slapped around the pale powerhouse known only as Tombstone. The Arranger, Kingpin's right-hand man, has followed Rayburn's career as a Wall Street trader for several months, and it's allowed him to make a discovery. You see, Rayburn is a mutant, with the power to persuade people to do what he asked them.

However, Rayburn thinks the Arranger is crazy. And Tombstone gives him another whack for it. Rayburn tries to convince the Arranger to release him. It starts to work, but Tombstone points out he's using his power. Realizing this, Arranger shakes it off, and Tombstone dislocates Rayburn's arm. He then gets a call from Robbie Robertson.

Tombstone leaves, as he has some personal business with Robbie in Battery Park in an hour. A nurse comes in and helps fix up Rayburn. The Arranger states that Rayburn's power will be used in the Kingpin's service, one way or another. Spider-Man swings through the city, listening to Robbie's cassette. Robbie has been keeping a secret for thirty years. Back in high school, Robbie Robertson was editor of the school's newspaper. He was over the moon, as he got a scholarship to the Columbia School of Journalism. His teen years did have a dark side, embodied in one Lonnie Thompson Lincoln.

Born an albino, Lincoln's pale appearance made him the object of mockery and torment by other kids. He would be given the nickname "Tombstone" because...well, he looked like a tall slab of rock. However, he was bigger and tougher than the other kids, and often would physically abuse others in response. However, he did consider Robbie Robertson a friend...in his own way. On a Friday night, Robbie was finishing up work on the school paper. When he left, the school was empty...expect for Tombstone.

The big albino found Robbie and dragged him outside. He's learned that Robbie is writing an article about him in the school paper. Tombstone at the time was very worried about his image. Robbie tells him he can find out by reading the school paper. Tombstone doesn't like what's being written about him, and he expresses his issue in the only way he knows how.

He decides that he considers Robbie a friend. Lincoln's idea of friendship is basically, "Do what I say, and I won't beat the tar out of you.", though. As such, he considers Robbie a friend. Tombstone's beating has an effect, and Robbie kills the story. From then, he vowed to never do that again. But in his own words, "Kids are so naïve."

Eight years later, Robbie was married and working for a paper in Philadelphia. He worked the night desk, so any tips he got usually were from wacky people. However, he got a serious call once. A tipster called, saying he saw who killed a local crime figure named Ozzy Montana. He wants Robbie to meet him, as he feels the phone is unsafe. Robbie arrives at the tipster's location, only to find...

Tombstone got to the tipster first, taunting Robbie by winking at him. The old nightmare of Robbie's past came roaring back into his life. Utterly terrified, Robbie fled. He managed to make it home, but Tombstone gives him a call, telling him he does good work. He knew how much of a monster the man was, and he was understandably afraid. Eventually, Robbie would go to New York and be hired by the Daily Bugle. He would spend the next twenty years following Tombstone's career as a Philly mob enforcer. He would get arrested, but never tried. Presumably due to the big pale powerhouse's talents for intimidation and murder.

Robertson then recalls when he saw Tombstone outside a pub near South Street. This happened in Web of Spider-Man #36 (March 1988). All of Robertson's old fears came roaring back. The monster that was Tombstone was haunting him again, and he lost his focus. He would encounter and speak with his old bully again in Spectacular Spider-Man #137 (April 1988). On this night, he was at a bar that Daily Bugle employees regularly frequented. He overheard Ben Urich discussing Tombstone, explaining that the man had been rumored to be hired by the Kingpin. Robertson snaps at Urich, saying that reporters deal with facts, not rumors.

He goes outside and spots a newspaper stand, showing a paper with a headline about Tombstone. He angrily punches the stand, and holds his bleeding, injured hand. He blames himself for all the deaths Tombstone caused. Robertson believes that if he had faced down the hitman twenty years earlier, when maybe those people would be alive. He can't change the past, but he's going to end this. He's going to make sure Tombstone never kills anyone else again.

Spider-Man bursts into the Arranger's office, demanding to know where Tombstone is. Arranger states that Tombstone is not under Fisk's employ. Spider-Man doubts this, but if that is the truth, then the Arranger is off the hook. Arranger warns Spider-Man that this is pure speculation on his part, but he suggests that the Webhead check Battery Park.

The Arranger's speculation is right on target, as Robertson meets Tombstone there. The two share some small talk, and Robbie pulls a gun on the gangster. Tombstone is amused by this, and lunges at the reporter. Robbie shoots him, but Tombstone was wearing a bulletproof vest under his suit. He decides to give Robertson a break, for old times' sake.

A break in his spine. Spider-Man swings into the park, where he hears Robbie's scream. He finds the man lying on the ground in pain, and Tombstone has seemingly vanished. He tries to help Robbie up, but Robertson's back injury makes that a problem. And that's how the story ends.

This issue was really good. I liked that we got a look back at the younger years of one of the Daily Bugle's regular cast members. The Tombstone storyline helped give the character of Robbie Robertson, in my opinion, much more prominence in the Spider-Mythos. Sal Buscema at this point had been an old veteran artist for Marvel, having drawn for the company for about two decades. His experience shines through in the issue. I especially like the way he draws facial expressions.

Tombstone himself would go on to be a further source of torment in Robbie Robertson's life, including making life for Robbie in prison miserable (Robertson was jailed by a crooked judge for suppression of evidence). He would also go on to have encounters with Daredevil and the Punisher, and even gain superpowers of his own. In Web of Spider-Man #66-68 (July-September 1990), Robertson shot Tombstone at the Osborn Chemical Plant, trapping him in a chamber filled with an experimental gas. The gas mutated Tombstone, giving him superhuman strength and durability. In gratitude for this, he ended his vendetta with the reporter.

He would also be part of a supervillain legacy. His daughter Janice would go on to be the second woman to wear the armor of the Beetle.

Tombstone himself is not one of the most famous of Spider-Man's rogues, but he isn't completely obscure either, as he has appeared in other media. He appeared in the 1990s cartoon Spider-Man: The Animated Series as a mob enforcer, voiced by Darian Harewood. His albinism in that series was a side effect of his gaining his powers. He would also appear in 2008's The Spectacular Spider-Man, voiced by Keith David and Kevin Michael Richardson. This version was portrayed as a Kingpin-esque mob boss who posed as a philanthropist in the public eye. Interestingly, he was amalgamated with another mob boss Spidey faced in the comics: The Big Man. If you want to read this yourself, I recommend picking up the trade paperback The Amazing Spider-Man: Tombstone. You won't regret it. It's some good late 80s Spidey.

Next time, we return to the DCU as the Crisis on Infinite Earths takes the fight to the beginning of time..."

Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle Launch Trailer, My Thoughts

In their glory years, Capcom was known for being one of the companies that ruled arcades. Yes, Street Fighter II helped make it into a fighting game powerhouse, but it also put out its fair share of fondly-remembered beat 'em ups. And now some of those games from the glory days are here in one collection to be enjoyed on the go with the Nintendo Switch! Let's take a look!

I love the effort they did in making this live-action part look like it was filmed in the late 80s-early 90s.

CAPTAIN COMMANDO. The costume is amazing. Kudos to the designers. And to the actor, too.

Yeah, let's take a bunch of kids from the early 90s to the present. I can see nothing going wrong.

WHOAAAAAA, HEADTRIP.

I've played the SNES version of Final Fight. I'd love to play the original arcade version.

I have also been wanting to play Knights of the Round and Captain Commando since I first saw a video on them by Cygnus Destroyer.

Armored Warriors was one of these beat 'em ups that never came to a home console back when it was first released in 1994. Battle Circuit is also making its home console debut here. As well as its Western debut. Battle Circuit was only released in Japan and Europe in 1997.

Again, kudos to the actor they got for Captain Commando.

Considering these games emphasize multiple people playing them together, makes sense they'd have online multiplayer.

Heh heh, the early 90s kids brought to the present have no idea what the Internet is.

Well, that was a rather dark, unsuspected twist. Nice work, Captain Commando.

Dark turn aside, this trailer was pretty awesome. I never got to play these games as a kid, so I can't wait to give them a try here!

Captain Marvel Trailer, My Thoughts

The Merry Marvel Cinematic Universe marches on! This time, it's getting ready to show off it's first ever female-led superhero film, and it's 21st film: Captain Marvel! This film will tell the tale of Carol Susan Jane Danvers, an airman in the 1990s who gets incredible powers and becomes part of an alien military unit. And she has to deal with evil shapeshifting aliens called Skrulls. So, let's take a look at the trailer!

Well, that's a way to start a trailer.

I bet Carol's like, "Ohhhh, I am never going drinking with Doctor Minerva ever again." At least she still has her pants this time.

God, I miss my local video store. It wasn't a Blockbuster, but it was nice visiting it and seeing what they had for rent.

You know, Carol...you could have just waited until tomorrow when the Blockbuster opened up. Then go rent a movie like a normal person.

Yup, Carol is never drinking with Doctor Minerva again.

Spaceship! Spaceship! SPACESHIP!

And Carol blasting someone's face off.

Wow. They really did a great job de-aging Samuel L. Jackson. It's still weird seeing Nick Fury with hair and two eyes. Maybe this film explains how he lost one.

I'm guessing that Carol may have been brainwashed to be part of the Kree's Starforce, and her true memories are returning.

I hope Carol and Maria Rambeau (that's the pilot with her) quote Top Gun. I feel the need for speed!

Yeah, Carol's been brainwashed.

Hey there, Jude Law! He plays Mar-Vell. Love the contacts.

That old lady was a Skrull. THAT WAS NOT A REAL OLD LADY.

Young Coulson. With hair. Wild. I'm guessing when he said to Tony Stark that this was not his first rodeo, he may have been referencing this.

Hey, Fury's pager from Infinity War!

And Carol's helmet! Love the addition of the glowing faceplate!

Yup, Carol Danvers is going to wreck someone.

This was pretty cool! I like the ideas of heroes being active in various eras between Captain America in WWII and the Avengers in the present, like the original Ant-Man in the 1960s and Carol in the 90s. I would love to see an Agents of Atlas film set in the 50s, for example. I loved this trailer, and I like that this film will give us an idea of where Fury was before he was the uber-spy he was in The Avengers. And it's good to see Coulson back, in a more...innocent time? Anyway, I am excited for this movie, and I can't wait to see Carol layeth a smackethdown on Thanos!

Luigi's Mansion 3 Announcement Trailer, My Thoughts

In 2001, Nintendo developed and released a game called Luigi's Mansion. It was a launch title for the Nintendo GameCube, and it focused on Luigi, one half of the world-famous Super Mario Brothers. The game's story was about Luigi exploring a haunted mansion and dealing with the ghosts inside it to rescue Mario.

The game was critically praised, but reviews also stated the game was a bit short. It became the fifth-best selling title for the GameCube in the United States, selling 2.19 million units. The game became a minor franchise of its own. The game got a battlefield representing it in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS. It also got represented in the game Nintendo Land. It also got a sequel on the 3DS: Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon. It's also getting a remake for the 3DS, but I'll look at that announcement another time.

There's another surprise in the works for fans of Luigi's adventures in ghostbusting: A third game is in the works! That's right! Luigi is strapping the Poltergust back on, and he's preparing for another jaunt in the haunted mansion! Let's take a look at the announcement trailer of Luigi's Mansion 3!

I am so excited for this already! I've loved the previous two games in the series, albeit I did tend to get stuck in those games every so often.

You can't help but feel bad for the poor green guy. All he wants is just to enjoy a nice quiet night in, eat some take-out, and watch a movie. You know, just relax. But nope! He's gotta go ghost busting!

Game looks amazing so far.

I'm guessing the plunger is a new mechanic. I don't remember it from the last two games. But then again, it has been a while...

Aw come on, Luigi! Don't suck up the ghost dog! Ghost dog did nothing to you!

Well, I'm hyped for this already! I can't wait! Bring it on, 2019!

Treasure Stack Announcement Trailer, My Thoughts

Puzzle games. This genre of video games have been around since, well...about the same length of time as video games themselves. One of the earliest puzzle games was Heiankyo Alien, released in Japan for the arcades and PC-8001 computer in 1979. Other such puzzle games would follow up, like Lode Runner. But it would be the Alexey Pajitnov-created game Tetris that would revolutionize and popularize the genre. Tetris would be released to just about every game platform available. Puzzle games continued to be popular thanks to games like Lemmings and Minesweeper. Also, the rise of gaming on mobile phones would continue to keep the genre popular, thanks to games like Candy Crush Saga.

Puzzle games have graced practically every gaming platform known to man. And the Nintendo Switch is no exception. Let's take a look at the announcement trailer for Treasure Stack!

I like the look of the game.

I'm guessing the object is to match treasure chests of a particular color.

Playing as different characters, huh? I wonder if each character has advantages and/or disadvantages to play as. Same with the hooks.

I like the multiplayer feature. Many of the older puzzle games in this style had that feature, and nothing was more fun than sending your friend a sudden drop of blocks.

I've heard people compare this to Wario's Woods. I never played the game, so I looked it up. I can see why, the game mechanics look similar.

This looks like a nice bit of fun. It's nice to see simple games like this. Some games don't need complicated stories and tons of features to be fun. Often, it just comes down to exciting gameplay. And I can see this being enjoyed by a lot of people. I hope it is. If it has a demo, I'll give it a try.

X-Factor #1 (February 1986)

In 1963, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby introduced the strangest teens of all: The X-Men, fighting for a world that feared and hated them. This group comprised of: Scott "Cyclops Summers, who could shoot beams of concussive force from his eyes. Jean "Marvel Girl" Grey, whose mighty mind could read thoughts and manipulate objects. Warren "Angel" Worthington III, a rich kid who could fly like a bird on white-feathered wings. Henry "Beast" McCoy, a brilliant man with an ape-like body. And finally, Robert "Iceman" Drake, who could bring the cool with cryokinesis.

By 1969, the book was not doing very well. Yes, there was time when the X-Men were not very popular. Writer Roy Thomas and artist Neal Adams attempted to rejuvenate the book, most notably by adding Cyclops's brother Havok and the green-haired Mistress of Magnetism Polaris to the team. However, it didn't help out very much. X-Men #66 (March 1970) would be the final original adventure of the team for several years. The book would continue on, but #67-93 would be reprints.

However, that would change. Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975), would be the first new X-Men tale in five years. Written by Len Wein and illustrated by Dave Cockrum. this tale would introduce a new team of X-Men, comprised of some of the group's most iconic characters...and Thunderbird. Poor John Proudstar. Killed off because he was considered redundant.

The issue would help revitalize the X-Men and pave the way for Merry Mutants to become one of Marvel's most popular and beloved franchises by the 1980s. In the 80s, artist/writer Bob Layton, who at this point was known for his artwork on Iron Man's book, wanted to reunite the original five X-Men for a new series. But there were a couple of problems. For one, Jean Grey was dead due to the events of the Dark Phoenix Saga. Also, Angel, Beast, and Iceman were members of the New Defenders team at the time. And in Uncanny X-Men #138 (October 1980), Cyclops had left the X-Men, feeling lost and unsure of himself after Jean Grey's death. He would come back to the team, but would return to retirement after the events of Uncanny X-Men #201 (January 1986), as his then-wife Madelyne Pryor had given birth to their son Nathan, who would eventually become Cable.

Well, one of those problems was easily solvable. In New Defenders #152 (February 1986), several members of the New Defenders and their allies seemingly perished battling the Dragon of the Moon, freeing up Angel, Iceman and Beast. Another, not so much. During the events of Dark Phoenix Saga, Jean Grey, corrupted by the power of the Phoenix, had consumed an inhabited planet, remorselessly killing the billions of inhabited beings on it. Marvel's then editor-in-chief Jim Shooter felt that made Jean an irredeemable monster, and he felt she got her proper punishment for it at the end of DPS. Despite this, he still greenlit the new series.

The team still needed a female member, so Bob Layton figured he would use Dazzler instead. However, Kurt Busiek would suggest an idea for Jean Grey's return, one that we saw play out in Avengers and Fantastic Four issues we looked at previously. Shooter also liked the idea as it absolved Jean of her whole "committing planetary-level genocide" thing, and he gave it the go ahead. And with that, Jean's return was set into motion. So with that out of the way, let's take a look at the formal reunion of the original X-Men in X-Factor #1!

The cover is pretty good. You got the original five X-Men together again, and the cover helps show off their powers. And I have to admit, I like Jean and Scott's new suits. "Baptism of Fire." Heh heh, pun.

"Third Genesis"
Writer: Bob Layton
Penciller: Jackson Guice
Inkers: Bob Layton, Jackson Guice, and Josef Rubenstein
Colorists: Petra Scotese, Christie Scheele (credited as "Max Scheele"), and Glynis Oliver
Letterer: Unknown
Editors: Mike Carlin, Michael Higgins
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

The story begins with Scott Summers chopping some wood.

He doesn't need an axe, he is an axe! Scott seems to have finally found some peace and happiness as a civilian and family man. Good for him. His wife Madelyne Pryor asks him to watch over baby Nathan while she goes to run some errands. Madelyne notes that Scott has been doing a lot of blasting wood. They probably got enough firewood for twenty years. The TV then broadcasts a special news bulletin.

Turns out there's been an increase in mutant activity lately, and there are calls in Congress for a Mutant Registration Act. Basically, if the Act becomes law, mutants would have to register themselves with Congress and report on their activities yearly. Huh. If this was written today, there would be no need for such an Act, considering social media and all that. This has gotten Scott concerned.

Madelyne demands that Scott gives her a hand with baby Nathan. She sees him watching TV and she realizes that Scott is thinking of suiting up again. She demands that Scott focus on helping their marriage and family. He's done enough with the X-Men. They can handle themselves right now. They don't need him anymore. But Scott can't let the X-Men go. It does make a sort of sense regarding him. Keep in mind, Cyclops was the very first X-Man. He was Xavier's very first student. Out of all the original Merry Mutants, one could argue that Scott was the one who's life was the most intertwined with the X-Men. Heck, you could argue the X-Men are his life. As such, he would have the most difficult time transitioning away into being a civilian. And it shows.

That night, Madelyne wakes up and sees Scott is not in bed with her, but on a balcony, staring out at the horizon, lost in his thoughts. She apologizes for snapping at him earlier, but she loves him and does not want to lose what they have. But Scott is not so sure what they have anymore. Madelyne has tried to overlook a lot in their marriage, including his missing Nathan's birth and her reminding him of the dead Jean Grey. She asks him if he's thinking about Jean. Scott admits that he is.

Yeah. Smooth move there, Scotty. But let's get away from Scott and his crumbling marriage, and go to something a bit more sunny. The next day, one Warren Worthington III, the high-flying Angel, is taking a nice relaxing flight. Inside his mansion known as the Aerie, Bobby "Iceman" Drake and Hank "Beast" McCoy are preparing to move out, as they plan to retire from superheroing themselves. Bobby makes an ice slide to help get the luggage down faster, but Hank is none too happy. After all, Bobby just left a bunch of ice to melt in the living room. But as far as Bobby is concerned, Warren will just use it as an excuse to redecorate the place again.

They find Warren's girlfriend Candy Southern lounging in the pool, and she notes they're all packed up. Yup, Much like Scott Summers, Hank McCoy and Bobby Drake are going to try out putting the costumes and superheroics behind in favor of living "normal" lives. Bobby got a job at an accounting firm and Hank has an interview at Empire State University.

Despite this, Bobby still feels they have another shot at being heroes. Warren explains they tried with the New Defenders, and half the team is now dead. They're washed up. Best to hang up the costumes while they still have some dignity as far as the Angel is concerned. Meanwhile, some construction workers are grumbling about working a job for the mutant millionaire. Dudes, he's paying you cash money. Quit whining and do your job.

One of the workers gets distracted staring at Candy and causes a power saw to go wild. It causes their scaffold to collapse. Thankfully, everyone makes it out okay thanks to the three former X-Men. Hank then realizes that Warren may have a point. Without a leader like Cyclops, they are rather rudderless. Hank and Bobby then drive away, Warren and Candy wishing them luck.

Warren then notices Hank forgot one of his bags. He checks it to make sure Hank hasn't forgot anything important, and finds a picture of him and the other original X-Men when they were starting out. Candy answers the ringing phone. It's Reed Richards. Warren thinks that maybe the FF accidentally wrecked his property again. I imagine it was the Thing that usually causes that. When he hears Richards's announcement, he's shocked. He's so shocked that he grabs his clothes and tells Candy to get his private jet fueled and ready in twenty minutes.

The scene then shifts again, to a shipyard. Particularly the San Diego Naval Yard. There, a medical frigate known as the USS Essex has docked after spending several months at sea. Funny enough, there have been several real life ships that had the name, but none of them were medical frigates. A chief named Fisher wants to take a young redheaded sailor out on a night on the town. You know, get drunk, get into a bar fight, meet some pretty ladies, your stereotypical fictional sailor stuff. They go to a bar, and the young sailor is introduced to Emma La Porte. La Porte happens to be a part of the World's Oldest Profession.

The young sailor is a bit nervous, and he's not gotten used to his beer yet. Chief Fisher suggests that La Porte...take the young sailor out for some air. She agrees, and tries to make out with him. The nervous sailor starts feeling very hot, but he's not coming down with a fever.

Meet Rusty Collins, newly manifested mutant. Horrified and scared beyond belief, the burning young man flees into the street, fire erupting from his body. The scene shifts again to JFK International. Warren's plane lands, and the Angel himself flies through the airport, looking for Reed Richards. Some angry people try to throw things at Warren, because he...flew. Ah well. People are stupid. Reed takes Angel to his transport on the roof of the terminal. Destination? Avengers Mansion.

The heroes arrive at the Mansion, Warren overjoyed to hear Jean is back. Reed figured that Jean having some old friends around would help her adjust. Back in San Diego, Rusty Collins is carted away to a truck by men in white fireproof suits, Rusty himself clad in a special outfit and straitjacket. Chief Fisher screams at Rusty, convinced he tried to murder Emma. He swears revenge on the young mutant.

In his Waldorf-Astoria Hotel suite, Warren contemplates calling Scott. He knows that his former X-Me nteammate has been having marital troubles. Jean being back would not help things. I think the story also hints that Warren himself has some feelings for Jean himself. Seriously, what is it with this story and guys in relationships desiring other women? After soul-searching for twelve hours, he realizes he has no other choice. In Alaska, Scott and Maddie are doing some washing up when the phone rings. Scott answers and hears the news. He's got to meet Warren in New York. Maddie tells him if Scott leaves, don't bother coming back.

Scott arrives in the City that Never Sleeps, and encounters some guards. They let Scott in after recognizing him. With all the anti-mutant sentiment out there, Warren wants to be safe. Which makes sense. He's a rich mutant. I bet people would hate him a LOT more than a middle-class one. Warren tells her she's in the next room. Scott and Jean meet up for the first time in years.

Jean is overjoyed to see her former flame again, but Scott is a married man now. His marriage is on the rocks, but yeah, he's still married. Scott is confused as to how Jean could be back, so Warren recounts the whole Phoenix/Dark Phoenix thing, then Jean's discovery by the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. Jean is back, but her telepathy is gone. She still does have her telekinesis, and that power appears to be stronger than ever.

Jean has a bigger worry. It seems that anti-mutant sentiment is higher than ever, which shows that the X-Men ABSOLUTELY SUCK at promoting human-mutant peace. And mutantkind seems to be on the verge of extinction because...reasons. Yeah, that seems to happen a lot to mutants. She explains that since Professor Xavier is gone and Magneto now leads the X-Men...she, Scott, and Warren should form their own group. But it's not that simple. Both Warren and Scott have essentially retired from the superhero biz. Jean is infuriated, as she feels they're just going to stand by and do nothing while mutants die out. Yeah, why are they dying out again? Well, she's going to do something about it!

You, Jean's casually wrecking a hotel room might not help their idea that mutants can be peaceful. She flies off, and Warren pursues her. Scott is far too emotionally tormented to do anything. Warren manages to catch up to her. He explains that she has a point...and he has an idea.

Two weeks later, the Beast visits Boston. He's getting an interview for a job at Harvard's Medical School. Dean Hauser greets him and clears his throat a lot. Man probably has a cold or something. He has some bad news for the Beast. Despite his scientific acumen, the rest of the staff don't feel very comfortable with the idea of working with a mutant. As such, Dean Hauser feels he has no choice to reject the Beast's application.

This scene does bother me for a bit. Yeah, what Dean Hauser did was wrong, but that's not what bothers me. Here's the thing. The Beast was an Avenger. He was one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. He was hailed as a hero. Dean Houser even mentions this! I get the whole "He's a mutant, and mutants are hated and feared thing", but in Beast's case, wouldn't it make more sense for Dean Hauser's rejecting Hank's application to be because the Avengers have fought some bad dudes, and they fear those bad dudes might come to the campus and wreck the place because they want some payback?! I mean, I can imagine the Absorbing Man attacking the place if he learned the Beast worked there.

Hank McCoy is fed up. This was the 15th interview with him ending with rejection, so he tears off his shirt and leaps away. However, a man sent by Warren wants to talk to him. In an accounting firm, Bobby Drake is rather bored. He's auditing some invoices, and he's soooo ready for lunchtime. He's hoping nobody ate his ham sandwich. He put his name on the bag, so nobody had better touch it. He gets a call from Warren, and this happens.

Heh heh, those guys should have gotten his autograph. Six hours later, the former New Defenders arrive at a large piece of waterfront property. This is the headquarters of Warren's new corporation. He also has a special surprise for the boys.

Jean is back, boys! ...why didn't Scott and Warren call them earlier? After a joyful reunion, Warren and Jean need Hank and Bobby's help. Scott's decided to make himself scarce, and they can't find him. Warren and Jean have some things to finalize, and they can't do this project of theirs without him. Why? Why not just let him stay retired and work on his marriage problems? If they need him to lead, well, why not just let Jean try it out instead? She's pretty gung-ho about this project.

But evidently, they HAVE to have Scott onboard. Hank and Bobby eventually manage to find him hanging around Jamaica Bay, where this whole mess started. He doesn't look good. He's all haggard, got himself some stubble going. Scott is an emotional mess. He mourned Jean. Everything has changed. And it turns out the woman he mourned...wasn't Jean. It was an impostor. He's also clearly still in love with her. Yeah, more on this later.

He's also scared of losing Jean again. Hank tells him Jean will understand. He moved on, which she would have wanted him to do. He's able to convince Scott to see her, and he has a chance to do something beneficial with his life, like the old days. Scott agrees.

The next day, Warren introduces the X-Men to his old friend Cameron Hodge, a public relations expert. Hodge explains the problem the X-Men have is that they have to gain the trust of other mutants, so they can be trained to use their powers responsibly so they can be good citizens. Also, they have to deal with the fact that a lot of humans are very frightened of mutants. It's not hard to see why. Who would not be a bit freaked out by someone who can kill you with a thought?

Hodge's plan is simple. The new "X-Factor Investigations" will pose as mutant hunters. You got a mutant around? They'll check it out and take care of it. So basically, the X-Men will feed the anti-mutant hysteria to help their fellow mutants. Yeah, this totally will not go horribly wrong.

Hodge had got some ads out already going on the TV. Meanwhile, Rusty Collins is confined in a Naval facility over his accidentally burning Emma. Chief Fisher comes by, and he wants some revenge. He believes Rusty intended to harm the poor woman, and he wants to teach the young mutant a lesson, by putting a bullet in him. Rusty freaks out, and it causes his powers to flare up again.

Nice work, Fisher. I hope you get keelhauled. Rusty tries to flee, but the facility's security goes after him. He panics, and his powers flare out of control. Fisher managed to escape himself, but realizes that mutant or no, he tried to kill someone in cold blood. He needs to find a way to cover his butt. He sees an ad for X-Factor at a bar's TV, and he gets an idea. All he needs is a couple quarters, and a pay phone...Yeah, it's 1986.

It's X-Factor's first mission! Scott is a bit reluctant to go, but Jean convinces him to come along because they need him. And so does she. He agrees, but only because he wants to tell her about Madelyne. They head to LaGuardia in their special jet, which is also a mobile headquarters.

Only Jean, Scott, and Bobby come along because Warren's wings and Beast's blue fur would make it obvious they are mutants. Yeah, deprive yourself of their help because you don't want to freak people out. They meet Fisher. He keeps out the fact he tried to murder Rusty, but tells them that the military's been pursuing Rusty into the hills nearby. True to Fisher's word, the military is engaging the young firecracker, and Rusty is preparing to fight back. However, an energy beam blasts a helicopter out of the sky. Who are this young man's saviors?

The X-Men are here! Yes, this is part of their plan. They also pose as mutant vigilantes to help save young mutants, so they can get them to safety. This seems...needlessly complicated. They send the military scurrying off and go find Rusty. However, Rusty is incredibly freaked out and understandably paranoid. People have tried to kill him A LOT over the past few days, and he's had enough.

The X-Men try to contain him, and it's not helping that the heat the pyrokinetic is putting out is causing the cave to come a-tumblin' down. The cave collapses, but Jean's telekinesis and Scott's optic blasts save everyone. They're able to escape, with Rusty contained.

An...asbestos bag?! Nice work, X-Men! You just gave Rusty lung cancer and mesothelioma! YOU PEOPLE ARE IDIOTS!

Anyway, they go back to Fisher, and say Rusty is caught. They ask him want to do with him. He suggests they just use him as a guinea pig. They hand him the bill: $42,000 dollars. He screams that's two years' pay. X-Factor offers to take Rusty back to where they found him, but he agrees to the payment. This part was pretty funny.

Rusty is confused as to why X-Factor would help him. Well, they're mutants themselves, and they want to help Rusty with his newfound gift. And they're going to do this while helping fuel anti-mutant hysteria. The X-Men are idiots.

The newly-crowned X-Factor are in a celebratory mood. But their triumph has come at a cost. The story ends at night in Anchorage. Madelyne Pryor sees an ad for X-Factor on TV, and she looks forlornly at a photo of Scott and baby Nathan.

Way to go, Cyclops.

This issue was...alright. But I feel it does have some problems. For one, the whole thing with Scott basically dumping Madelyne for his resurrected ex-girlfriend...that could have been handled a LOT better. It's pretty clear that the direction was for Scott to get back together with Jean. This was a very controversial moment for fans, and it hurt the character of Cyclops for years. Chris Claremont himself had said that he intended for Cyclops to permanently retire from the X-Men, as a metaphor for moving on in the next stage of life.

I would have gone for a compromise myself. Scott has moved on. He's happy Jean is back, but he's moved on, and he's a married man now. He'll help out X-Factor here and there, but he's generally doing the family man thing now. You'd still get the drama of Scott working with his ex, but it would go differently. Not to mention it would make Scott look like much less of a jerk.

Another thing is the whole "mutant hunter/vigilante mutant" double-identity thing. Personally, I think it is a bit unnecessarily complicated. I think it would be a lot simpler seeing then just being open mutants helping police their own. It could spread the message that not all mutants are these crazy monsters who want to blow up humans simply because they can. They should be doing things to educate people about mutants, appearing at schools and the like. Now that would be a story. Jean Grey going to meet a bunch of school kids and they ask her to show off her powers? That would be fun! Not to mention Beast was a former Avenger, that could give the X-Men a bit of help in the whole PR thing. After all, if an Avenger says they're good folks, then they must be, right?

I have no complaints about the art. I like it.

I've recently read some of this era of X-Factor, and I felt it had some unreached potential. If you want to read it yourself, this has been reprinted in the 2011 mini-trade paperback X-Men: Phoenix Rising. However, it's more readily available in the 2017 Epic Collection X-Factor Vol. 1: Genesis and Apocalypse. I recommend the Epic Collection. It collects the first 9 issues of X-Factor, its first Annual, Avengers #263, Fantastic Four #286, Iron Man Annual #8, Amazing Spider-Man #282, material from Classic X-Men #8 and #43, and it also has some awesome special features, like promo material and original pencils of select pages. All for only 40 bucks. It's a steal!

Next time, we go visit Spider-Man as he deals with the deadly Tombstone...