Stuber Trailer, My Thoughts

When you're a driver for Uber, you never know what kind of passengers you're going to get...and to be fair to the passengers, you never know what kind of drivers you're going to end up with. The former is certainly the case for a driver named Stu, portrayed by Kumail Nanjiani. All he wanted to do was make some extra money by driving people around. Simple, right? Well, he ends up ferrying a possibly insane cop named Vic Manning (Dave Bautista) on the trail of a killer. Hijinks ensue! So, let's take a look at the trailer for the upcoming film Stuber!

Ohhhh, Vic's one of the crazies! Drive, Stu, drive! Drive for your life, man!

You know, Vic...you're a cop. You could commandeer his vehicle.

I'm guessing Vic is a big N.W.A fan. That reminds me, I should watch Straight Outta Compton sometime.

Oh, I get the feeling this film is going to be fun.

Why did you select the pool option, Vic?! HAHAHA!

Dude, Stu's not a cop! This reminds me of the latest Shaft film. Saw that last Saturday. It was pretty good.

HAHAHAHAHAHAAAA! That criminal may lose his leg.

Holy cow, that actually worked!

I love the usage of the Beach Boys music here. It's great. And the Beach Boys are great.

Heh heh, now that's Gun Fu.

Uh yeah, Stu? You have to switch to an outside line. You should have used the phones in the office. Trust me, I work in a supermarket.

Well, this looks like it'll be a fun film. The trailer gave me some laughs. I enjoyed Dave Bautista in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. He can do action and comedy, so I think he'll be great in this one. I don't think I've seen Kumail Nanjiani in anything...*checks* Oh wait, he appeared in Central Intelligence. Oh, okay. This will be the first time I see him in a major role, then. He's also in talks to be in The Eternals. Neat! This seems like the kind of film that you turn your brain off for a couple hours and just enjoy! Can't wait!

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Uncanny X-Men #121 (May 1979)

Since June is Pride Month, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss an early appearance of an LGBT character in a comic book. And who better to spotlight than an early appearance of one of Canada's greatest superheroes: Northstar?

Who is Northstar, you may ask? Well, Northstar is Jean-Paul Beaubier, super-fast skier. Born in Montreal, Quebec, his parents were killed in a car accident. This incident would cause him to be separated from his twin sister Jeanne-Marie, aka Aurora. The two twins would be raised separately, and it would have affects on both of the twins that still linger today: Northstar would have anger issues, and Aurora would develop dissociative identity disorder.

As a young man, Jean-Paul would discover that he was a mutant, with the power of super-speed. His sister Jeanne-Marie, aka Aurora, is also a speedster. He's faster, but she can run longer. Also, when the twins slap hands, they can create powerful flashes of light.

Northstar is primarily associated with the Canada-based superteam Alpha Flight, but he has also been a member of the X-Men in the past. He's a bit of a pioneer, too. He's one of the first gay characters in mainstream American comics. Also, his wedding to Kyle Jinadu in Astonishing X-Men #51 (June 2012), was the first depiction of a same-sex wedding in mainstream comics.

So yeah, Mr. Beaubier has had an interesting life, and has a lot to be proud of. He paved the way for a lot more LGBT+ characters to appear in comics (many of them in Marvel connected to the X-Men). As such, I thought it would be neat to show how he first appeared in comics. Technically, he appeared in issue #120, but that was just a cameo. In this issue, we get to see him in action! So let's take a look at Uncanny X-Men #121!

The cover is a Dave Cockrum, Terry Austin, and Gaspar Saladino piece. And it's a great one! It tells you exactly what you're going to get: A four-alarm brawl between the X-Men and Alpha Flight. I wonder if this was what those guys who wanted a Cold War in Canadian Bacon were hoping for.

"Shoot-Out at the Stampede!"
Writers: Christ Claremont and John Byrne
Penciler: John Byrne
Inker: Terry Austin
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Letterers: Diana Albers, John Costanza
Editor: Roger Stern
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

Our story begins at the Canadian Stampede, a massive outdoor exhibition. Three of the X-Men (Colossus, Storm, and Cyclops) burst their way in as only they can.

The three race into the fairground, Storm scouting by air while Cyclops and Colossus search on foot. What is going on here? Well, the X-Men were returning home from an adventure in Japan when a freak storm (Storm could not dissipate it, as if it were guided by a will of its own) forced them to land in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. When they landed, they encountered a man called Vindicator. As Weapon Alpha, he attacked the X-Men in their own home, in an attempt to retrieve Wolverine for the Canadian government. The X-Men fought him off.

But now, the X-Men were on his turf, and he had some friends backing him up. One of those friends tossed the plane into the hangar. The X-Men made their escape by having Storm bring a blizzard down on their heads, heading into Calgary itself. Vindicator and his allies pursued the X-Men into town. Vindicator himself managed to corner Storm and Banshee in a mall, but got his butt handed to him. However, Nightcrawler and Wolverine weren't so lucky. The two vanished, likely captured.

Naturally, Cyclops vowed to find and rescue his missing teammates. But how? Well, when he flew off, Vindicator left an energy trail. One that Storm can follow. So, with the Windrider playing bloodhound, the group tracked him to the grounds of the Canadian Stampede. Ororo found the two missing X-Men, alone and unconscious on a field. The X-Men press on, fully aware it's likely a trap.

Storm points out that Wolverine is a wanted man. Cyclops reminds her that a) Wolverine isn't a criminal, and B) The Canucklehead resigned from Canadian government service. The X-Men find their missing comrades tied up on a field.

The lights go up, and...

"*trumpet noise* NOBODY expects the Canadian Inquisition!"

Everyone, say hello to Canada's Mightiest Heroes: Alpha Flight! Shaman! Sasquatch! Snowbird! Vindicator! Aurora! Northstar! Who looks real happy to be there! Vindicator tells them that they can take Nightcrawler, and they'll ensure the X-Men return safely to the US...but Wolverine is staying.

Meanwhile, Banshee arrives alongside the Daughters of the Dragon: Misty Knight and Colleen Wing. Due to injuries he suffered in X-Men #119 (March 1979), Banshee can't use his sonic powers. However, the man was a former Interpol agent and NYPD officer, so he got other skills. However, what appears to be a wall of solid invisible force has kept the three out.

Cyclops and Vindicator argue over Wolverine. The optic blaster points out that the last time Vindicator attempted to get Wolverine [In X-Men #109 (February 1978)], he almost got a friend of theirs killed. Also, Sasquatch wrecking their plane nearly got them and their pilots killed. Colossus notices that Northstar is moving towards Cyclops...

And with that, the fight begins. Sasquatch punches out Colossus, while Vindicator screamed he didn't want a brawl. But we get one anyway. Sucks to be Vindicator right now. Wolverine and Nightcrawler wake up, revealing they were playing possum. Storm takes to the air, Snowbird chasing after her. Shaman reaches into his magical satchel and pulls out some...wooden statues that come to life.

What are those? Cyclops blasts the wooden statues, which is kind of sad as I can imagine the craftsperson who made them worked very hard on them. Northstar takes him down with a super-fast Mighty Punch to the head. That'll hurt. Nightcrawler engages Aurora. Storm notices that Snowbird is trying to keep her away from the stadium. The weather around the area has become so unstable that she dares not use it as a weapon. Snowbird transforms into a large Arctic owl.

Wolverine notices that the X-Men are having some serious trouble against these guys, despite their recent string of victories against guys like Magneto and Moses Magnum. Shaman reminds him that Alpha Flight has something that the X-Men do not: Teamwork. He then uses his magic bag to summon a wind...but there is a problem. You know that freak storm I mentioned earlier? Well, Shaman used his magical powers to create it so that the X-Men would be forced to land in Calgary. Thing is, when you twist primal natural forces...it makes said forces angry. And when they get mad, it causes problems. Big problems...like the storm going out of control.

By the way, the guy in that panel? That's John Byrne himself. The brawl continues on, with Wolverine trying to engage Vindicator, while Colossus is having trouble against Sasquatch. Cyclops is also having trouble against Northstar, mainly because of his head still ringing thanks to that superfast punch he took from the skier. Colossus is able to get a head up on Sasquatch, thanks to some judo.

Aurora is searching for Nightcrawler, thinking about how she is different from her brother Jean-Paul. You see, Northstar is a fighter at heart. He's been one his entire life. In contrast, Jeanne-Marie is more of a lover...although future stories with her (mainly the first Alpha Flight series) would establish that Aurora's situation is much more complex. Nightcrawler teleports above her and gives her a kiss, which infuriates her.

Wolverine engages Vindicator, and their dialogue exchange hints at their past relationship. Evidently, Vindicator's name is Jimmy, and they were old friends. He and a woman named Heather evidently took him in at some point and helped him rediscover his humanity. This was one of the first major
hints about Wolverine's past.

The storm outside has reached insane levels of power...power enough that even the X-Men and Alpha Flight notice it, and their battle comes to a screeching halt. Storm is stuck in a aerial battle with Snowbird, until she gets a bolt of inspiration. The Kenyan windrider wraps up and captures the demi-goddess in her cape.

Storm has tried to shape a weather pattern like this once in the past. She failed...and nearly died in the process. She takes to the air, and reaches out to the rogue event with her mind and soul. The effort is great, the strain is massive. However, she is able to dissipate the super-storm. She lands on the ground, weakened...but alive. Northstar takes the opportunity and downs her with the same superspeed punch to the back of the head he gave Cyclops. A furious Scott Summers nails the speedster with an optic blast. He gets in the man's face, but Wolverine stops him from turning Northstar's face into hamburger.

Wolverine checked on Ororo. She's alright, just stunned. He decides to surrender, as he feels that this was his fight, and he shouldn't have drawn the X-Men into it. He admits he enjoyed the roughhousing, and things going out of control so fast did not help. Cyclops counters that the X-Men are a team. If Wolverine has a problem, then it's the team's problem. Wolverine appreciates it, but he has no desire to see his teammates take a beating on his behalf.

He agrees to go with Vindicator, on one condition: The X-Men are allowed to return home. Vindicator gives his word. An armored car arrives, and Wolverine is brought into the back of it.

Hours later, the X-Men's plane is heading back to the USA, accompanied by members of the Canadian Air Force. Cyclops weighs his options: Either continue on back to the US, or double back to rescue Wolverine. The X-Men all agree to turn back. Cyclops goes to order the pilot to turn around, but turns out she's got a friend with her in the cockpit.

Yup, our favorite Canucklehead managed to escape and sneak on the plane. But this leaves Cyclops worried. Alpha Flight are going to figure out he escaped. But Wolverine's not worried. He lives life one day at a time, taking it as it comes. Right now, he's in the mood for some drinking and celebrating. Finally, the X-Men are coming home!

This was a good comic. We got to learn a little bit about Canada's Mightiest here, their powers and a bit of personality in some cases. The comic was essentially one big fight scene, but I think it was done very well. I do wish that did get to learn a bit more about the personality of the characters. Maybe a scene of Alpha Flight mobilizing or something, give us a better idea of who they are. I would have liked that.

I did get a good laugh out of Wolverine's escape, though. I wonder how he pulled that off. Byrne's pencils and Terry Austin's inks are great together. The art looks so clean.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend hunting down the 2016 trade paperback X-Men/Alpha Flight. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you enjoyed it, spread it around! And if you want to give this blog some additional support, please drop a tip in my Digital Tip Jar! See you next time, when we take a look at the debut of Alpha Flight's solo title...

Contra Anniversary Collection Trailer, My Thoughts

As a way of celebrating their 50th Anniversary, Konami has been releasing special game collections that bring some of their classic games to a new generation of consoles. The first was the Arcade Collection, a group of games (mainly shoot-em-ups) that appeared in arcades back in the day. The second was the Castlevania Collection. Castlevania was one of Konami's great franchises once, and this collection showed off the 8-bit and 16-bit games that made the franchise a hit.

And now a third collection is here, one dedicated to another Konami franchise: Contra. The Contra games were a series of run-and-gun shoot-em-up platformer games. In the games, you often play a soldier saving the world from aliens and other futuristic threats. The series has been going strong since 1987, and has appeared on many platforms. Let's take a look at the Contra Collection trailer!

Huh. I don't remember seeing people smoke in the games. But then again, my experience with Contra is rather limited. I did some looking, and it turns out in the intro of the first Contra game, Bill Rizer is seen with a cigarette. Ah.

10 games, huh? Let's see what they are.

Contra - Originally released in arcades in 1987, it would be given a well-regarded port to the NES a year later. It also got ported to various computers like the MSX2. The game would be released in Europe later on as Gryzor on various computers and Probotector on the European NES. It was the first game in the series, establishing the game's formula. In this game, Bill Rizer and Lance Bean, a pair of elite guerilla commandoes, must battle the evil Red Falcon organization and their alien masters. This game would go on to be ported to various other consoles and computers over the years. It also was one of the first games to use the Konami Code. When used on the title screen, it grants 30 lives. Yay! You'll need them.

Super Contra - Originally released in arcades in 1988, it would be ported to the American NES as Super C in 1990, and as Probotector II: Return of the Evil Forces in PAL regions in 1992. It's a sequel to the original Contra. Bill Rizer and Lance Bean are back, as more aliens have come to Earth to get their butts whipped by them. This time, the aliens have possessed their soldier comrades, forcing the two to take on their friends to save the world. Like its predecessor, this game would be ported to various consoles and computers over the years.

...I think the third game is the NES Contra. Looks like it. I have no idea, I can't read Japanese. I think it may be the Japanese version of the NES Contra.

Wait...the fourth game is? This is weird.

Super C - the NES port of Super Contra. Moving on!

Contra III: The Alien Wars - Ahhh, now this one I have played. It was released in 1992 for the Super NES. It was called Contra Spirits in Japan, and Super Probotector: Alien Rebels in Europe. You play as Jimbo and Sully, the decendants of Bill and Lance from the previous two Contra games, as the Red Falcon organization made their comeback in the year 2636. Well, in the American version. In Japan, you play as Bill and Lance again. This game introduced new features like destructible environments, commandeering tanks, and levels that took advantage of the Super NES's Mode 7 feature. This game would get ported for the Game Boy and Game Boy Advance. I played this on my Wii. It's hard. Even on Easy, it's very hard.

Contra: Hard Corps - This was the first Contra game released on a Sega console. It was released for the Genesis/Mega Drive in 1994. It was called Probotector in Europe and Australia, and Contra: The Hard Corps in Japan. Set five years after The Alien Wars, you play as one of a group of four commandoes set on stopping the rogue Colonel Bahamut. The colonel got himself some alien tech recovered during the Alien Wars, and now wants to use it to make weapons. It was the first game in the series to have branching paths, which allowed for multiple endings.

Operation C - Released in 1991 in the US/Japan, and 1992 in Europe for the Game Boy, it was the first game in the series released for portable consoles. It drew from the first two Contra games for its gameplay. It also was the first Contra game to have auto-fire as the default. As such, the game doesn't have the Machine Gun power-up. You play as Bill Rizer (Lance Bean in the Japanese version), who must stop an alien organization called "Black Viper". In the Japanese version, Bean must stop the army of an unnamed hostile nation who obtained some alien tech.

Super Probotector: Alien Rebels - It's just the European version of Contra III. Moving on!

Probotector - Again, European/Australian version of Contra: Hard Corps. Moving on again!

Take revenge again, huh? We shall, by attacking aggressively!

Huh. I admit, the choices here seem a bit...lazy. I mean, quite a few of these games are just alternate versions of each other from various regions or ports. What is the point of this? I feel like the arcade versions of the first two Contra games should have been part of the Arcade Collection. Would have made a nice switch-up from all the space shooters. I do love old video games, but I'm not so sure about getting this.

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Luigi's Mansion 3 E3 Trailer, My Thoughts

Back in September 2018, I gave my thoughts on the announcement of the third game in the Luigi's Mansion series. As I have said, I'm a fan of Luigi's Mansion. I enjoyed the first one on the Nintendo GameCube, and the second one on the 3DS. So, when a third was announced, I was overjoyed. I couldn't wait to see Luigi take on the malicious ghosts one more time! In the first game, he cleared out a mansion! In the second, a bunch of mansions. So, what's next for the third game? An entire city? That actually would be neat.

Well, not exactly. You'll see what I mean when I take a look at the E3 trailer for Luigi's Mansion 3!

What's up, Luigi? Had a bad dream about your adventure in Castlevania?

Hey, the Mario Brothers got a hotel! Again! This one is bound to be better.

Aww, it's nice to see that Luigi and the ghost dog became friends.

Heh heh, Luigi is so me there. I too like to enjoy reading a book in bed.

Huh, Luigi got an upgraded Poltergust, huh? Makes sense. Gotta keep the tech top of the line if you want to exorcise buildings.

I am SO going to love the Slam feature. There were quite a few ghosts in the last two games I wanted to do that to.

Hey, I think this feature was foreshadowed in the reveal of Simon Belmont in Smash Ultimate.

I like that there's a feature to counter being surrounded by ghosts. Can come in handy.

Huh, so Gooigi can help with exploration, too? Nice to see he's more than just the Player Two avatar.

Oh man, ScareScarper mode sounds like lots of fun!

I love that there appears to be a Western film set in this haunted hotel!

Heh heh, I bet Cop Ghost would be easy to deal with. Just give him a ectoplasm-glazed donut!

Oh, Robot Knight and Giant King Boo sound tough. Bring them on!

I am so excited for this game! I can't wait to play this! I want this now! Give it to me now! That's all I have to say, really! Give me this game!

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! And if you want to give this blog some additional support, please drop a tip in my Digital Tip Jar! It would be greatly appreciated! See you next time!

Avengers #60 (January 1969)

Weddings and superheroes go together better than one may think. There are quite a few comic book weddings out there, notably the weddings of the Fantastic Four's Reed Richards and Sue Storm, the wedding of Cyclops and Phoenix, and notably the wedding of Donna Troy and Terry Long. I looked at that joyous occasion right here. But now we're going to look at another comic book wedding, one that was...a bit crazier: the nupitals of the winsome Wasp and the rogue Yellowjacket! Let's take a look at Avengers #60!

The cover, a John Buscema piece, is pretty cool. You got Janet bound by a giant snake, the Circus of Crime's Ringmaster and Princess Python commanding it, and Yellowjacket trying to save her with dramatic posing. The floating heads are rather amusing. I think that was a popular cover motif for the Avengers at the time. It does make Vision look like he's glaring at the cake for being ruined.

"...Till Death Do Us Part!"
Writer: Roy Thomas
Penciler: John Buscema
Inker: Mike Esposcito (credited as "Mickey Demeo")
Letterer: Sam Rosen
Colorist: Unknown
Editor: Stan Lee
Editor-in-Chief: Stan Lee

The story beings with Captain America holding an invitation.

Yup! It's official! Janet Van Dyne, the Winsome Wasp, is walking down the aisle with her new groom, the mysterious man known only as Yellowjacket. Cap's been dealing with some events in his own book when he got the news. As such, he hits Avengers Mansion, hoping to get caught up...which he does.

Cap is shocked by this. Wasp is going to marry this man she just met, and knows nothing about. She doesn't even know who he is under the mask. Even worse, Yellowjacket claimed that he killed Hank Pym, who was Avenging as Goliath at the time. Yellowjacket also says he attends to join the Avengers. Yeah, because killing one of the founders will really endear you to them, buddy. Well, it's more complicated than that. You'll see.

Yellowjacket and Wasp arrive at the mansion, and the mysterious man gets into a verbal scrap with Hawkeye. Wasp breaks it up, and explains why she's marrying YJ: She loved Hank Pym, but her money and his research always got in the way. She finally has a chance to be happy, and she's not going to let it slip away.

Jarvis, the Avengers' loyal butler, welcomes the preacher doing the service. He then goes to greet the caterers. But they're not the caterers.

Say hello to the Circus of Crime, a group of circus performers/criminals: The Human Cannonball (Jack Pulver), the Italian acrobatic sensations known as the Great Gambonnos (Ernesto and Luigi Gambonno), the original Clown (Eliot "Crafty" Franklin), snake tamer Princess Python (Zelda DuBois), and it's leader: The Ringmaster (Maynard Tiboldt)!

Why are they here? Well, they're here for a simple reason: Revenge. Back in Thor #147 (December 1967), Thor foiled one of their schemes. Problem is, the Thunder God is not in attendance at the moment. He's engaged in a bit of a donnybrook with the Sentinel of the Spaceways, the Silver Surfer, in Silver Surfer #4 (February 1969). Yeah. Whoops. Despite that, they're going to blow up the Mansion. Elsewhere in the mansion, the guests are arriving. Sue Storm of the Fantastic Four and her friend, the Inhuman princess Crystal are helping Jan with her wedding dress.

Gotta admit, Jan looks good in that wedding dress. Crystal wonders why Jan is marrying this man she just met and barely knows. Jan's reason? She loves him. Yeah...

Anyway, the gang's all here for the big event!

The Fantastic Four, the original X-Men, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, even Nick Fury's come out of the Helicarrier to enjoy the fesitivities. And also the open bar. It's definitely the open bar. Jan walks down the aisle, and YJ kisses his new bride.

You and me both, Hawkeye. He storms off, and figures he might as well go see what's taking the caterers so long with the cake. He's a hungry archer! He wants some cake, dagnabit! The master marksman discovers the Circus of Crime. The Human Cannonball and the Gambonno Brothers are able to knock the archer out. You'd think with all the other superheroes in attendance, they'd pick up that something was going down. Maybe Jean would pick up Clint's thoughts, somebody would hear him, Spider-Man's Spider-Sense may be going off...just, something.

The Circus (presumably in disguise, of course) bring out the cake. Wasp uses the Black Knight's Ebony Blade to cut it. Fun fact, this Black Knight was Dane Whitman. He would be an Avenger himself in the future, where he'd have a bit of a crush on Wasp. The millionaire cuts into the cake...and gets a nasty surprise.

ANACONDA! SOMEBODY CALL ICE CUBE! The giant snake coils itself around Janet Van Dyne, but Black Panther comes to the rescue. He gets the snake off and the Vision blasts it with his eye beams. The Circus of Crime bursts into the room. You'd think they would notice all the superheroes in the room, and just surrender peacefully. Well, they would...if they were smart. But they're dumb. Very dumb.

Despite the fact that the wedding is attended by practically every major active superhero Marvel had at the time, the Avengers are the ones who engage in combat with the Circus. Ringmaster and Princess Python hold the Wasp hostage, demanding the Avengers surrender. Yellowjacket is trembling in rage and fear...and he undergoes another transformation.

Yellowjacket is Hank Pym! "But wait!", you may ask yourself. "Didn't he say he killed Hank Pym?" I did say that it was more complicated than that. You'll see. The giant Avenger is easily able to free Janet from the python, and uses it to tie up the Ringmaster. The Black Panther is able to dismiss the Great Gambonnos, and the Vision dispatches the Clown. But wait, where's Hawkeye?

There he is! The Avenging Archer is able to free himself from his predicament thanks to some acid arrows. He hears the din of battle has ended, and goes to find out what's going on. The battle has ended thanks to the Wasp laying out Princess Python with a Mighty Punch. Hawkeye is disappointed that he missed the brawl, he's also confused as to where Goliath came from.

Wasp explains it because somehow she knows how it went down: Turns out Hank had a little accident in his lab with some gases that messed up his mind a bit.

Considering that future stories [particularly Avengers A.I. #5 (October 2013)] will reveal that Hank suffers from bipolar disorder (His daughter Nadia would suffer from it herself), I can imagine this did not help things. Wasp states that Hank had developed a case of "schizophrenia" from the accident which created the Yellowjacket persona...but I don't think that's how it works. But then again, it is 1969, and it's likely Roy Thomas did no research on it.

Janet claims that she noticed the clues that tipped her off, but this makes no sense. Yellowjacket first appeared in the issue before this one. There wasn't a lot of time to hint that YJ was Pym. What clues did Wasp see? Either way, it turns out that the marriage is legal. Wasp looked it up. Yeah, because that is marriage law works, today AND in the 1960s.

I get that this era was an iconic one for the Avengers, and had effects on the team that still have impact today. It introduced the Vision, the first clash with the Squadron Sinister/Supreme, and went more cosmic thanks to the Kree-Skrull War. But I will be honest. This really isn't a great comic.

The big fight scene makes no sense. You had all these superheroes at the wedding, but they didn't help fight the Circus of Crime?! What were they doing, all hanging out at the bar?! They were all passed out drunk or something?! The whole story comes off like a first draft, a quickly-slapped together thing that should be edited further. At the very least, Yellowjacket should have stuck around longer and dropped more hints that he was Pym. And that whole thing with Wasp agreeing to marry Pym despite his clearly being not in the right mind? Yeah, that was awkward.

Fun fact, it would be during the events of this comic that Yellowjacket would be one of the Avengers recruited to stop Immortus and the Time-Keepers in Avengers Forever #1 (December 1998). Hank Pym would continue to use the Yellowjacket identity until Avengers #93 (November 1971), when he reassumed the Ant-Man identity. He would go back to the Yellowjacket name when Scott Lang took up the Ant-Man mantle, Pym's second tenure as Yellowjacket was longer, but much rougher, with him suffering a mental breakdown (which led to a notorious moment in his life), being imprisoned on false charges of treason, and Janet divorcing him. More recently, he ended up merged with Ultron and his soul was devoured by a monster living inside the Soul Gem (One of the six Infinity Gems).

Buscema's art is really nice, so that's something in the comic's favor, but Roy Thomas has written better. If you really want to read this story for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2015 trade paperback Avengers Epic Collection Vol. 4: Behold...the Vision. Thanks for reading this blog entry! Next time, in honor of Pride Month, let's take a look at an early appearance of Marvel's first major LGBT character...

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Trailer, My Thoughts

In 1959, Walt Disney released their adaptation of Sleeping Beauty. It was the 16th film in the Disney Animated Canon. It initially received mixed to positive reviews upon its original release, but it has gone on to be regarded as one of the best films Disney has ever made. The film would be released in theaters a few times over the years. The film was Disney's last attempt to adapt a fairy tale until 1989's The Little Mermaid.

This film would introduce the world to Maleficent, a dark fairy and self-proclaimed "Mistress of All Evil". In the original film, she was voiced by the late Eleanor Audley. She became one of the more iconic Disney Villains, appearing in various other media: novels, live shows, cartoons, and even on the ABC show Once Upon A Time.

Maleficent would get a live-action film in 2014, with Angelina Jolie playing the character. In this film, Maleficent was recast as a more tragic character. This film got mixed reviews from critics, but the visuals, costumes, and score was praised. Also, Jolie's performance as Maleficent would get positive reception as well, and this film was the highest-grossing movie she ever starred in, making nearly $760 million at the box office. It was the 4th-highest grossing film of 2014.

In So, with all that out of the way, let's take a look at the trailer for the upcoming sequel: Maleficent: Mistress of Evil!

Like the take on the Walt Disney castle logo there. It's fun seeing how they alter it for various movies.

Hey, it's the three pixies!

Bald dude is so dead.

Maleficent is pondering whether she should go out for a nice flight today. She should, why not? It's not like you have pressing appointments or anything.

I would admit, if I saw the leaves of a tree exploded into fairies, I'd freak out a bit.

Ah, that old cliché. "This is not a fairytale."

"Do you mind? I'm playing with my magnifying glass right now. Hee hee, it makes small things look big."

Those can't be Angelina Jolie's real cheekbones.

Hey, Michelle Pfeiffer!

Well, she is known as the Mistress of Evil, Aurora. Being evil is kind of her thing.

That's a lot of birds. Probably heading south for the winter.

Man, Aurora's kingdom flies some weird kites.

I think that's what Maleficent wears when she goes to the beach.

Coming out in October, huh? Just in time for Halloween!

I have to admit, I have never seen the previous film, nor even the original Sleeping Beauty. They never really got caught in my radar. I have to say, I am curious as to how Maleficent became the Mistress of All Evil, so I may give it a shot. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you enjoyed it, spread it around! And if you want to give this blog some additional support, please drop a tip in my Digital Tip Jar! It would be greatly appreciated! See you next time!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day, everyone!

To all those with fathers and stepfathers, and the mothers who have to do double duty, I want to wish you a wonderful day today!

Celebrated on the third Sunday in June, Father's Day had a couple of parts to its origin. One of the origins of the tradition was from a memorial service for a group of miners who died in an accident in Monongah, West Virginia in 1907.

In 1910, Sonora Smart Dodd, daughter of a Civil War veteran, founded Father's Day in Spokane, Washington. She was inspired to find it by a sermon about Mother's Day. She wanted there to be a companion celebration for fathers and fatherhood. She originally intended it to be on June 5, her father's birthday. However, a celebration was unable to be prepared in time, so it became the third Sunday in June.

The celebration was not a big success at first, but Dodd would not give up. She had help from various trade groups, like men's retailers. It would lead the holiday to be derided at first as just a stunt to rack up sales, but the trade groups got the last laugh as the holiday ended up growing in popularity.

In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson would declare the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. In 1972, President Richard Nixon would sign an official Father's Day into law. You can find out more about its history right here.

Today, I treated my dad to dinner at the Chinese buffet in town. It was wonderful. The ham was really good.

Happy Father's Day, everyone. Families should be together to celebrate it, no matter where they came from.

Marvel Super Heroes: Secret Wars #6 (October 1984)

The Secret Wars rage on! Last issue, we saw Galactus get ready to turn Battleworld into his personal buffet. The heroes get a healer. Doom was plotting, and we saw a big hero/villain brawl which led to Colossus getting injured. So, what will go down next? What's Doom up to? Can our heroes regroup? Let's find out in Marvel Super Heroes: Secret Wars #6!

"Villains, ATTACK! ...God, Doom can do so much better than that..."

I love the cover. A Bob Layton piece, it is essentially a mirror of the cover of the first issue, only focusing on the villains...and Galactus. Had to put him somewhere, and he eats planets, so...yeah. He's stuck with these guys. I also like that the new villains Titania and Volcana are given such prominence. It gives the idea that these two are going to be sticking around for a while. And they actually did. Well, Titania more than Volcana, but yeah, they did stick around for a long time afterward.

"A Little Death..."
Writer: Jim Shooter
Penciler: Mike Zeck
Inker: John Beatty
Colorist: Christie Scheele
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Editor: Tom DeFalco
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

The story begins with a shuttlecraft flying out of control.

"JAAAAAN! STOP THIS CRAZY THING!"

The Wasp is flying said shuttlecraft, but she's having some trouble figuring out the controls. This woman was one of the original Avengers. Did she never learn how to fly a Quinjet? I mean, I get that people like to see her as a flighty dilettante, but she's not a moron. She ends up crashing the craft, and lamenting that she broke a nail.

*facepalm*

But all is not lost, though. She discovered a holographic readout of the area. It points out something, but Janet Van Dyne is unsure what it means. Deciding she has nowhere else to go (did she make any attempt to call anyone during her little flight of fancy?!), she decides to head to the location of the object she has pointed out. But before she leaves, she destroys the shuttlecraft, because reasons. I do not know.

While flying to the location, she notes how quickly that the terrain changes thanks to Battleworld being essentially a patchwork planet. Wasp flies into a forest, and is miserable about the heat and humidity. She likely flew into the Everglades. I went there, it is humid. She zaps away some alien bugs, but it's worn her out. I can imagine the craziness she went through combined with the heat and humidity of the jungle had wiped her out.

She found the location marked on the holomap and hopes that it's a place to rest and relax. But she has company.

"Blasssted kidsss! Get off Lizard'ssss lawn!"

Yup, the Lizard is here, and he's not here to make friends! Which he shows by attempting to give the Wasp a boulder to the face. The scene next shifts to Galactus's craft hovering over Battleworld. Last issue ended with Doctor Doom nosing around the craft and discovering something. Well, let's find out what he found shall we? Well, ol' Doom found a strange energy within the walls of the craft thanks to sensors within his armor. He managed to find a gizmo that would allow him to gather that energy up. And what was that strange energy?

"Uh, Scotty? I think you screwed up with the transporter..."

Ulysses Klaw, the Master of Sound. His return to solidity has left him a little bit on the loopy side. He started ranting about how he ended up in the mess he was in. In Dazzler #9 (November 1981), she had absorbed Klaw's body into her own. You see, Klaw's body is essentially solid sound, and Dazzler was a mutant whose body could absorb sound and convert it into light. In Dazzler #10 (December 1981), she blasted Galactus with a big light beam, which left Klaw trapped within Galactus's ship...and a bit loopy in the head.

Doom is completely uninterested in Klaw's comeback story, as he's looking for a way to conquer both the Eater of Worlds and the Beyonder. The Latverian dictator finds a monitor and learns that Galactus is almost finished with building the equipment he needs to convert Battleworld into the energy he feeds on to sustain himself.

Galactus needs to be delayed, but how? The heroes are too battered and beaten up, the X-Men and Magneto lack raw power, and the villains are listless without a strong leader. Doom has to take a subtle tack to make this happen. He needs to poison Galactus's well. The mad doctor has a plan, and uses Klaw as a messenger, beaming him down to the villains' HQ.

Back in the swamps, the Wasp realizes that the Lizard is posturing, as he didn't hit her with the boulder. He's being territorial. Basically, he's claimed the swamp has his turf, and he's in no mood for neighbors...or visitors. The superpowered fashion designer notices that the mutated scientist is visibly wounded, probably from the battle in issue 2. She tries to get him to let her help him out.

Back at Magneto's HQ, the X-Men are recovering from Galactus's attack. Xavier goes to rest, wishing he had brought his wheelchair with him. His legs are still quite a bit weak, as he hasn't used them regularly in a long time. He does fear that if he did, the X-Men would lose confidence in him as a leader. Why? It's not like Xavier being in a wheelchair would be a strange sight to them. He figures he'd better take the opportunity to do some telepathic reconnoitering.

His mental probes reach the villains, but the Enchantress is able to discover it. She magically seals her and the other villains' minds from him, but he may have already picked up what they're up to. He telepathically orders Cyclops to take Rogue and Wolverine to find out more and stop them if necessary. Storm is infuriated and goes to speak to Xavier.

"We're going to confront your pizza roll problem NOW, Charles!"

Storm is the leader of the X-Men, and she does not appreciate Xavier suddenly taking command. Xavier reminds her that her anger is causing the weather around the base to go crazy, delaying the team Xavier sent off. Storm's like "They can wait! We're settling this!" Xavier compares himself to an aged general: Experienced, but unable to lead in the field anymore. Storm points out that she is the field leader of the X-Men, and she should be the one actually leading the X-Men into battle. In her own words, "leave the war to the warriors". If Xavier has an issue with it, she's outta here.

Xavier basically threatens to mess with Storm's mind if she does so. Yeah, this whole thing with Xavier being a jerk, it's nothing new. It seems to be a thing with many Marvel writers over the years.

We next go to Zsaji's village. A recuperating Colossus watches Captain America and the other heroes helping to fix the village up. It leads him to wonder why there must be such mistrust between them and the X-Men. Uh, Piotr? The X-Men were the ones who decided to go off on their own. If they wanted to ease the mistrust so badly, why didn't you guys stick around and help the heroes out?!

Colossus's thoughts then drift to Kitty Pryde...or is it Zsaji? His emotions are in a bit of turmoil. He seems to be thinking of the alien healer more and more. Zsaji herself comes over and heals him up. He tries to confess his feelings to her, but the language barrier messes that up. She speaks no English or Russian, he speaks no...whatever her native language is called. Johnny Storm scoops her up in his arms, and they share a kiss in the air.

Johnny Storm hopes that kissing means the same thing in her world...

While this bit of drama was going down, the other heroes are cooking up a plan to stop Galactus. She-Hulk points out the Wasp is still missing. Cap responds that he has Monica Rambeau searching for her, and Janet is likely looking for them, too. She then suggests they go after Magneto for kidnapping her. Cap isn't worried about the Master of Magnetism at the moment, as he and the X-Men seem to be on their side...despite they're not being there to help right now. Yeah, there's Colossus, but he's on the injured list. Hulk then jumps in the argument by angrily smashing a rock.

We get some more character moments. Spider-Man spots Hawkeye making some new arrows, as Reed used all his hi-tech ones to help the heroes escape being crushed by mountain. Spidey tries to give the archer some sympathy, as he got his webshooters cannibalized, too. But Hawkeye points out that Spidey still has his powers. Hawkeye is merely...human.

Iron Man tries to chat up Monica Rambeau, but she's not in the mood for it. She wonders if there's a new man in the suit (She's unaware Jim Rhodes is in the suit), and Rhodes himself has a headache (Due to compatibility problems with the armor's neural interface at the time).

In a volcanic area of Battleworld, a craft touches down. Its occupants emerge: Doctor Octopus, Absorbing Man, Titania, an Molecule Man. They encounter Rogue, Cyclops, and Wolverine of the X-Men, and a battle breaks out. During the battle, Absorbing Man asks Titania out on a date. She agrees, but she calls the shots.

Wolverine tries to introduce the Molecule Man's spine to his claws. A horrified Cyclops blasts him away, but the Canucklehead is able to injure Owen Reece.

"Logan, you dope! You were supposed to claw his buttcheek!"

This forces the villains into retreat. The X-Men are left confused. Why were these villains in this desolate place? What could they possibly be after here? Scott guesses they were there to protect the Molecule Man.

Makes sense. Molecule Man is a guy who can manipulate molecules, which means he could do just about anything...including igniting those volcanoes. But why? It seems rather roundabout of Doom to ignite some volcanoes to deal with the X-Men themselves, or Cap's group...what if it was part of a plan to deal with Galactus? After all, he's just as much a threat to Doom as anyone else on the planet. Maybe that was the reason?

Cyclops fires an optic blast, which sets off one of the volcanoes...and then another. And another. And another. Nice job, Scotty! You just started a chain reaction. Time to RUN!

Meanwhile, in the swampland, the Wondrous Wasp has bandaged the Lizard's wound. I have no idea, she must have a first-aid kit somewhere on her. The Lizard thanks her for the help by saying how much he hates humans and that lizards should rule. You know pal, you could just say "Thank you" and be on your way. Wasp points this out and threatens to tell Gucci where he is. Hilariously, he actually apologizes. It makes no sense, but it's funny. Sadly, the fun doesn't last long.

"Oops! Sorry, I was aiming for a bird!"

Yup. Wasp gets a laser to the chest. She's dead. The Wasp is dead. A big red vehicle emerges, driven by the Wrecking Crew. Thunderball and Bulldozer come to collect the Lizard. They figure Doom wants more muscle. The Lizard is not very happy with their killing his friend, so he goes bananas on them. The Wrecker hits the area with a stasis beam, and it allows them to collect the chunk of swamp the Lizard stood on...and also letting them take Wasp's body with them as well.

"Doom is going to be so proud of us after we finish building his new condo!"

This vehicle is awesome. I want a Hot Wheels car based on this toy. How can this happen? We finally head to Zsaji's village. Galactus's device is nearly done, and the heroes are kind of stuck. Evidently, Cap's planning session did not quite work out. Reed wants one more chance to reason with the World-Eater. Meanwhile, the story ends with a mysterious figure watching them...

I admit, I'm rather positive about this issue. There were some parts I enjoyed. I thought the Wasp's interaction with the Lizard was rather humorous. I kind of wish we got to see them interact more in comics after this. I also wish that we did get to see more of her bonding with the Lizard a bit. Her getting blasted was quite a shock. Keep in mind, the closest we got to seeing a superhero actually die at this point was Colossus getting injured by beatdown...despite his being nearly indestructible in his metal form. Klaw's return was also a surprise. I liked how they used past continuity to explain it. It's something most Big Two writers don't do anymore, and that's sad.

I also liked the little character moments between Jim Rhodes and Monica Rambeau, as well as Spider-Man and Hawkeye. I wish we got those expanded a bit more.

I also liked the clash between Storm and Xavier. Evidently, Kitty Pryde was not being dramatic when she famously said that "Professor Xavier is a jerk", heh heh. Me thinks the Prof is feeling the need for some field action because he can walk again.

As for the art, Mike Zeck is back. Something I have noticed about the art is that it does look a little rushed. My scans come from a trade, so maybe it's just the reprinting causing details to be lost. Did the original art look better? I think it's fine, just looks a bit rushed.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! And if you want to give this blog some additional support, please drop a tip in my Digital Tip Jar! It would be greatly appreciated! Next time, we join the Avengers as they witness the wedding of Henry "Hank" Pym and Janet Van Dyne...

Super Mario Maker 2 Direct, My Thoughts

Back in February, I gave my thoughts on the upcoming sequel to Super Mario Maker. I loved the original game, and I was so thrilled that there was a sequel coming to the Switch. What more would be added? New features? New worlds? New enemies to place and items to use? Well, this Nintendo Direct dedicated to Super Mario Maker 2 should answer that question! Let's take a look!

Hey, Builder Mario! And Builder Luigi, too!

You'd be surprised how much fun it is to just place blocks wherever you want.

Heh heh, line of Goombas. It's funny that a Goomba can support six or seven of his comrades on top of him, but is easily squished by Mario or Luigi. Maybe they're actually just very light?

This reminds me, I gotta get back to work on that level I started designing who knows how long ago.

Oh, that would suck if you desperately needed a power-up, but ended up getting a Chain Chomp. ...Somebody's going to do that to be cruel, aren't they?

One of the things I loved about this game is the fact you can do some outright insane stuff, like have Chin Chomps pop out of pipes, or have Goombas carry Bullet Bill launchers.

Take that, Thwomps. Heh heh.

Oh, you can create slopes now? Neat! Sliding around in Super Mario World was always fun.

Oh, no! The Angry Sun?! These people are crazy! I can imagine this guy was a source of great torment to many a Mario 3 player. And now they can inflict it on a new generation of Mario fans! Fun!

I played Mario World, I remember snake blocks. I had no idea they were unavailable in the original. Ah well, nice to see them here. I'm guessing the blue ones were icy blocks.

On/Off Switches would make for some nice possibilities if you want to create sneakier levels that require a bit of smarts to play through.

Seesaws are going to raise a lot of blood pressures.

Heh, Swinging arms. Neat.

I like the Custom Scrolling feature. Gives more control over where the player has to go to avoid death.

The Vertical Sub-Area feature reminds me of the vertical levels of the American Mario 2. I wish stuff from that game could be used, like the vegetables and enemies. Maybe in DLC?

HOLY CRUD BANZAI BILL!

I'm surprised the Dry Bones Shell has never been a legit Mario Power-Up.

Big Coins and new sound effects are neat.

Hey, you and a friend can make levels together! Awesome!

I like the ability to create clear conditions. Allows a bit of shaking up to the gameplay. Oh, you don't just have to get through the level, you have to do THIS as well! Ups the challenge.

I like that this game has added more items to use. And Red Yoshis, huh? Are Blue and Yellow ones also available?

Boom Boom! Absolute Madlad!

Wait, this game has a STORY MODE?! Cool! And you have to rebuild Princess Peach's castle. Appropriate for a game about building. And I'm guessing Bowser wrecked it again.

Nice variety of new themes. And a night Mode for them, neat! I like the idea of the Moon contrasting with the Sun by being helpful.

I hope those extra surprises can be shut off.

Hey, new game style! I loved Mario 3D World! But I wish you could use the cat suit in other game themes. Maybe in an update.

I wish you could use these enemies and items from 3D World in other game styles. They'd be awesome in a Mario World style.

Wow. I'll have to get Switch Online, then.

Nothing like a little multiplayer madness!

Well, I am quite impressed. I am very impressed with what this sequel has to offer. Super Mario Maker was an incredibly fun level design game, so it's nice to see that Nintendo went clearly above and beyond to give a sequel that would build (pun semi-intended) on it. There are some minor things that bother me, though. As I said, I wish you could use elements from 3D World in other game styles, and there was elements from the American Mario 2, but those can be fixed with updates. I can't wait for this game! Thankfully, that wait won't be long!

Also, I am so happy to announce that this blog is my 700th entry!

Yes, 700 entries! Thank you to everyone that has read and supported this blog! It's greatly appreciated! I hope you readers will continue to do so in the future, and have just as much fun reading this blog as I had writing it!

Pokemon Sword and Shield Direct, My Thoughts

Back in February, it was revealed that Game Freak and Nintendo were bringing the eighth generation of Pokémon games to the Nintendo Switch in the form of Pokémon Sword and Shield. You can read my thoughts on that reveal here. The reveal of these games were especially exciting to me as the new region of the game, Galar, is heavily modeled on the United Kingdom. I was born there, and I had kind of hoped that the Game Freak team would create a region based on the country.

So far, we haven't learned a lot about these new games. Mainly just the region and the new starter Pokémon. But a new Pokémon Direct has come out, which promises to reveal some more about this new adventure in the long-running series. So with that, let's take a look at this video!

Hello, Mr. Ishihara! It's nice to be here! I like the little Pikachu on his desk cabinet.

This game looks really good.

I'm guessing that old lady is the resident Pokémon Professor that sends us out on the journey.

Some of these new Pokémon are neat. My favorites are the sheep one and the turtle.

I get the impression that we're going to be visiting a variety of environments here. Awesome.

Oh, cool! Pokémon wandering around the overworld?! That is awesome! In the 3DS remakes of Dragon Quest VII and VIII, monsters did that, too! It helped the player control the amount of encounters they had so they could get places faster. I hope that's what we get here. Grind when you want.

That grumpy Gyarados is like, "WHAT YOU LOOKIN' AT?! YOU STAY OFF MY LAKE! THIS IS MY LAKE!"

Butterfree are awesome. They are such great Pokémon to have on a team.

Hey, a water trike! I wonder if you can fish on those.

I wonder if that whistle is to get the attention of wild Pokémon?

You know, fans have gotten the idea that the female trainer is the Pokémon world's version of a Scot. It's because of the tam-o' shanter she wears.

...GIANT POKEMON! SOMEBODY CALL GODZILLA!

Wait, you can make YOUR Pokémon giant, too?! I'm guessing the developers watched a LOT of Godzilla movies lately.

I bet people in the world of the Godzilla films wish you could solve the kaiju problem that easily. Just throw a giant pink Poké Ball at it.

This dude is significant.

Hi, Mr. Masuda! Hi, Mr. Ohmori!

We've met the three starters before, and they look really neat. I have honestly been gravitating towards Scorbunny, but I do want to get all three. Gotta Catch 'Em All, and all that.

I like the idea of Galar being a place where man and Pokémon truly collaborate on things. And that Wynaut playing hopscotch was too cute.

I'm guessing the stadiums WILL be the Gyms of this game. Maybe they'll also build on the trial aspects of Sun and Moon, having to do additional things with your Pokémon before facing the Gym Leader.

Appropriate that a Britain-themed region's Gyms are like association football stadiums.

Hello, Mr. Turner! That's cool they got a Brit to be art director of a Britain-themed Pokémon game.

Wooloo here has gotten quite popular on the Internet, with tons of fanart already. Makes sense, it's a cute sheep Pokémon that likes to roll away from trouble. I can imagine they are everywhere on Galar, and sweaters made from their wool are insanely soft and comfortable.

Gossifleur kind of reminds me of Flabebe from Pokémon X and Y. Maybe they're cousins?

Dreadnaw is awesome and deserves more love. It's a snapping turtle with attitude, and they can chew rocks. I imagine it to be a grumbly surly Pokémon that has a subtle talent for snark.

Corviknight is awesome, too. It's definitely a British-themed Pokémon. Knights and ravens. And they're used as taxis. I can't help but feel this Pokémon is far too cool to be a taxi. There should be hordes of them hanging around Galar's version of the Tower of London.

Ah, we see our first Galar evolution line. Eldergoss kind of resembles a dandelion that's ready to spread some seeds.

See? I'm guessing these Pokémon were inspired by dandelions. Iwonder if we'll see any special Galar-based variants for certain Pokémon, like Sun and Moon had for Alola.

I do hope we get a good variety of Pokémon from previous generations as well.

So...everywhere between cities in Galar is essentially a Safari Zone? That is actually pretty neat And I like the idea of what Pokémon you encounter changing based on where you are and the weather. Good for replayability.

Dynamax feels like a mechanic that would have been more appropriate for games set in Kanto or Johto. After all, those regions were based on Japan, and Japan is known for its fair share of giant monsters.

Hi, Mr. Iwao!

Letting two giant Pokémon fight in an arena does not sound like a good or safe idea. I also wonder if Mega Evolution is still a thing.

Dynamax makes your Pokémon super-powerful, but at a price. Only can be big for three turns. I can also imagine that it can only be done once per battle, like Mega Evolution. Balance is sort of a hidden theme in Pokémon, so it's great the Dynamax keeps that up.

Hey, Max Raid battle is pretty neat. I love the idea of trainers working together to catch Dynamax-empowered Pokémon. And it encourages further strategy. ...Do all the trainers get the Pokémon if one manages to snare it with the giant glowing pink beach ball Pokeball? I'm kind of mixed on the idea that some Pokemon may only be caught this way. Yeah, it can encourage Trainers to join forces and work together. However, if you don't have many friends to play the game with, it makes it much harder to complete the Pokedex.

I knew that guy would be important! ...I hope Leon doesn't end up a villain.

Hop kind of reminds me of Hau from Sun and Moon.

I wonder what impact Sonia will have on the journey?

I'm betting this Gym here is the first one.

Where's Milo's nose? Why does he have no nose?

And we have our Legendary Pokemon for this game? Meet Zacian and Zamazenta. I wonder how Zacian eats? Does it ever put down its sword?

Oh, I can't wait for November! And it's about time they did a double pack for these games. There are people who buy both versions...myself included. I can't wait for these games.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! And if you want to give this blog some additional support, please drop a tip in my Digital Tip Jar! It would be greatly appreciated! See you next time!

Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #32 (February 1992)

By now, everyone should know who Nicholas "Nick" Fury is. Director of SHIELD, the Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate (Before 1991, SHIELD stood for Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage and Law-Enforcement Division. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it stands for Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division), he is regarded as the Marvel Universe's premiere spymaster.

Fury was not always a superspy, though. Created by the late great Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, he actually first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandoes #1 (May 1963), where he was portrayed as the commander of an elite unit of soldiers. These stories were set during WWII. In Fantastic Four #21 (December 1963), also by Lee and Kirby, the character would be reintroduced as an agent of the CIA. It would be in Strange Tales #135 (August 1965), again by Lee and Kirby, that Fury would become the SHIELD agent we all know and love. That comic was also the first appearance of SHIELD.

This revamp made quite a bit of sense. It was the 1960s, and there was a bit of a spy craze at the time, thanks to the James Bond movies, and television series like The Avengers, the Man from U.N.C.L.E., Get Smart, and I Spy. In fact, Stan Lee was inspired by The Man from U.N.C.L.E. to revamp Fury as a superspy. Fury would be the lead in the Strange Tales anthology title alongside Doctor Strange, taking over from the Human Torch and the Thing's solo adventures.

With Strange Tales #151 (December 1966), Jim Steranko would do both writing, art, and coloring for the book. Lee and Kirby would make Fury a spy, but Steranko would make him the coolest cat in town. Steranko built on Kirby's usage of photomontage and multiple-page spreads (Steranko was the first artist to create a four-page spread), and would also draw on 1960s op art and psychedelia to make the book one of the most unique on the stands. His plots had plenty of intrigue and sensuality, pushing the boundaries of the Comics Code. Eventually, Nick Fury and his S.H.I.E.L.D. comrades would get their own ongoing in 1968.

Over the years, Nick Fury and SHIELD would appear in various comics, and get miniseries and one-shots over the years. The comic we're going to look at here comes from the 1988 on-going. This ongoing was spawned from the miniseries Nick Fury Vs. S.H.I.E.L.D. that came out the same year.

Fury would not just be in the comics, though. The character got to appear in various media, including cartoons, he got a novel, and even in his own TV film, starring David Hasselhoff as the spymaster. I remember seeing this and enjoying Hasselhoff as Nick. However, the character would become truly famous thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, being portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson.

Jackson's portrayal of the character came from the Ultimate Marvel line, which used his likeness for its version of Fury (With Jackson's permission, of course). Since the 2000s, portrayals of Fury in other media were based on this version. Even the comics introduced a version based on Jackson, revealed to be Nick Fury Jr., the son of the original Nick Fury. So, with all that out of the way, let's take a look at Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #32!

The cover is okay. It's a Dave Hoover piece. You got Fury and Weapon Omega (more on him later) brawling their way through some bad guys to rescue a damsel in distress. It's a well-drawn cover. Nothing special. I am amused by Weapon Omega trying to do a Power Rangers-style flying kick. I expect him to put out a Bruce Lee-style scream with it. I also noticed that the masthead logo is of the 1960s Fury series, instead of the masthead logo the 1980s series used when it came out. I wonder why they changed it.

"Formal Wear"
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Penciler: Dave Hoover
Inker: Don Hudson
Colorist: Tom Vincent
Letterer: Tom Felix

The story begins with Nick Fury accepting a martini from a bartender.

"Rrrrgh, this tie is too tight..."

For some reason, the bartender thought the super-spy would have wanted it "shaken, not stirred". Evidently, he got the one-eyed spy confused with somebody else. So, why's Fury wetting his whistle? Well, it turns out he's on a boat. An Italian cruise boat. A boat full of dignitaries, celebrities, dilettantes, and the like. And Nick Fury is, well...BORED. The United Nations Security Council (mistakenly called the World Unity Council in the comic), Fury's bosses, want him to do some mingling because reasons. They don't even trust SHIELD to be security for the boat. Considering what happened in recent issues of this book (mainly HYDRA managing to infiltrate the SHIELD Academy and destroy it)...yeah.

Fury is a man of action. He'd rather be on the field cracking codes, toppling a dictatorship or two. You know, spy stuff. But it turns out Fury may get to at the very least make a new friend on the ship.

"Hello, dahling...."

Meet Lynette Cole, world famous actress, and owner of a pair of nice lungs. The joke she wanted a light from Fury because of his cigar. Fury starts to chat her up. After all, it's not every day he gets to talk to a famous person. But then, an explosion erupts. The security boats have been blown to smithereens. A submarine surfaces nearby, and the occupants reveal themselves.

Meet ULTIMATUM, the Underground Liberated Totally Integrated Mobile Army To Unite Mankind. They are an anti-nationalistic terrorist organization established by Karl Morgenthau, aka the first Flag-Smasher, a Captain America villain. Fury reaches for his gun, but his holster is empty. Yeah, it was confiscated before he went on board, so he's going to have to improvise. Worked for John McClane.

Cole spots more ULTIMATUM men rappelling down from a helicopter. As they take hostages, Fury and Cole hide behind a table. Fury tells he he's got to take care of these men. He emerges from his hiding place. The ULTIMATUM goons notice Fury, recognize him, and try to give him lead poisoning. Fury leaps over the railing, going overboard. The guards are satisfied. The ocean will kill him. However, Fury is as dry as a bone in the Nevada desert.

"Those exchange guys from Q Branch are geniuses."

Fury's cufflinks are also powerful magnets, allowing him to stick to the side of the boat. I love this scene, because it feels like something from a classic Bond movie. Nearby, off the coast of Rome, the harbor has a guest. Who is it?

"For the last time, I am NOT Spider-Man's Canadian cousin!"

Meet Kyle Gibney, aka Weapon Omega. He is more known as Wild Child by comic fans. I can't help but think of Spider-Man when I see his mask. I wonder why. He and the rest of the Canadian superhero team known as Alpha Flight have been doing a "world tour" in their own book at the time. Omega is on a fact-finding mission to see how other countries handle the issues of superpowered beings like mutants and the like. Italy has no government-appointed superheroes like Alpha Flight of their own, though. I can imagine it has its fair share of vigilantes, though. Like the Italian Spiderman.

Gibney notices a room with some activity in it, but his guide quickly tries to move him on. Yeah, nothing suspicious or anything. Back at the boat, Nick Fury is just hanging around. This gives him an opportunity to do some thinking. There's something about this that makes no sense to him. ULTIMATUM are anti-nationalist. They believe in uniting the world in one government. That's basically the ultimate goal of the World Security Council, but the WSC want to do it legit. But then, ULTIMATUM are fanatics. Good luck reasoning with them.

Fury finds his way to the ship's radio room. Two ULTIMATUM goons burst in, but Fury is able to burst in and call for help. The ULTIMATUM goons shoot at the radio, but Fury escapes through the ship's dumbwaiter. One of the men shoots out the rope, leaving Fury to fall to his death. Well, no. Fury's got another trick that would make the Sean Connery Bond smile in pride. Fury's cummerbund has a grappling hook in it, complete with a winch. Fury makes his way up to one floor, where he spots something interesting.

"We're in the money...we're in the money..."

Yup, the hostage situation is just a distraction. ULTIMATUM needs some money, so they're helping themselves to the gold bullion onboard the ship. He then asks if the explosives have been set yet. Don't know why, maybe it's just something he figures they'd do? One of the men explains they're on Deck 12...until he realizes he's telling Nick Fury this. The men shoot at him, but they are such bad shots, the Star Wars stormtroopers would facepalm.

Oh my God, I love Google. Fury is able to escape. He's not worried about the gold, his priority is the passengers. He's gotta get his butt down to deck twelve and get some bomb-diffusing done. However, he has another obstacle. ULTIMATUM has Lynette Cole hostage.

"This reminds me of my role in 'Death Boat'!"

Cole tells Fury the rest of the passengers are locked in the Dining Hall. If Fury doesn't surrender, they'll die. Fury knows that if he does surrender, they're dead anyway, thanks to the explosives. However, Weapon Omega arrives on the scene.

"Here I come to save the dayyyyyy!"

Omega is able to rescue Cole, and he and Fury kick some ULTIMATUM terrorist butt. This causes some of the men to flee for their lives. Kyle Gibney explains that he picked up Fury's SOS, despite ULTIMATUM had people on shore to make sure no one got it. Fury informs Gibney about the bomb on Deck 12. Finding it shouldn't be a problem for Weapon Omega, considering his enhanced senses and all. But then they got another problem: Lynette Cole somehow got herself caught again and tied the ULTIMATUM submarine. Wait...how?!

Well, Fury has to save her butt again. So, he takes his bowtie and turns it into a pair of wings.

"Huh. I thought Red Bull gave you wings."

He goes to save Cole while Gibney finds the bomb. A helicopter tries to intercept the SHIELD head. The ULTIMATUM men on board try to shoot at him, but Fury is prepared. He tosses a cigar at the helicopter, which happens to also be a grenade. The blast sends Fury flying to the sub. He manages to land on it, but the impact dislodges his wristwatch. This annoys Fury. It wasn't a special SHIELD spy watch, it was an Apple Watch. Darn things are expensive.

Fury goes to retrieve it, but gets a gun to his head. And who's finger is on the trigger?

"Remember the time I played a villain in 'Blood Ocean'? Fun times, Fury."

Lynette Cole. Turns out the actress is an ULTIMATUM agent. I wonder how she got recruited. She starts doing the whole classic villain spiel about how the gold bullion is going to keep ULTIMATUM in the black for decades, and about how the boat is going to send the passengers to a watery grave. You know, the regular gloating about how they're going to win just before something goes wrong for them. And true to the trope, it does.

You see, while Lynette was running her mouth, our friend Mr. Kyle Gibney had been able to find the bomb and defuse it. She discovers this, and tries to shoot Fury. However, the spymaster's watch has one little trick. His watch has tech in it that allows it to fuse the circuitry in her getaway sub...and give her a nasty shock. So, why didn't Fury get to do the electrocution mamba? His suit is made of a protective weave.

Gibney arrives on the sub, and cracks that a watch should tell the time. Fury shows him the clock on it and remarks that it wouldn't be much use if it couldn't. He then asks Kyle where his ski-sled is (Gibney had arrived to the ship in one). Kyle tells Fury he thought that Fury's shows had tiny yachts in them or something. The story ends with Fury telling him his left shoe is, but it only holds one. Heh.

I admit, I enjoyed this little done-in-one tale. It basically is "James Bond doing Die Hard on a Boat", but it's entertaining. I do wish there was more foreshadowing of Lynette Cole's true allegiance, and a bit more banter between Fury and Weapon Omega. I loved the usage of Bond-style gadgets in the story, a nice nod to James Bond, and I did chuckle at the gag that started the story. The art is also pretty good. Considering this was the 90s, compared to what was popular at the time, this is actually rather nice. It was the late great Dave Hoover, after all. He was a pretty good artist.

If you want to read this comic yourself, I recommend hunting down the 2015 trade paperback Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Classic Vol. 3. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you enjoyed it, spread it around! And if you want to give my blog some additional support, please drop a tip in my Digital Tip Jar! It would be greatly appreciated! Next time, the Secret Wars rage on...