Text Play: Pokemon Zeta #9

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Vesryn Region! This is entry number nine in my Text Play of Pokémon Zeta!

As always, I want to warn you that I will be spoiling the game, so I recommend playing the game yourself beforehand. You can download it at the Pokémon Zeta/Omicron wiki here. And with that, let's rock!

Last time, we got the Android Badge, traveled to Kivu Town, and joined up with the Pokémon Rangers! They gave us an assignment to investigate some Team Olympus activity. Yeah, they're at it again.

They never seem to learn their lesson, do they? Well, before we go, I wanted to do a bit more grinding. As I said last time, my Pokémon were well within the recommended level range to undergo this mission, but I want to be sure they can take the journey. After all, once we start this mission, we can't go back to a Pokémon Center to heal them up. So, we'd better stock up on some supplies as well. As traditional for an RPG, I tried to talk to everyone in town, and one character got me thinking.

How long has Team Olympus been around? What have they done in the past? Who stopped them back in the day? Did Ash Ketchum kick their butts? Considering that I'm playing as a young boy and I have had little trouble with these guys, so I can imagine him doing it easily. Even when he's portrayed at his dumbest.

Despite the Team Olympus problem, there is something nice about Kivu Town: The beach! Yes, Kivu Town is a beachside town, and it's very nice. Bright yellow sand, clear blue waters. And a glowing thing in the distance.

What on Earth is that? When I get Surf (or likely a speedboat or some other item to make it obsolete), I'm so checking that out. The swimmers who hang out here really like talking about Clamperl.

I can somewhat see why. It's a cute little Pokémon. I can imagine they're the source of the Pearls that you can sell for extra money in the Pokémon games. Maybe you can catch them here? You'd likely have to dive underwater to find them. Like the games set in Hoenn (Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald) that introduced them. I'll have to look into it in the future.

Further exploration has revealed an item hiding in the grasses above the beach area.

It's TM30 (Shadow Ball)! Appropriate I find it near a town with a Ghost-specializing Gym. It's a Ghost-type move, after all. I have a Gastly, so maybe I can teach it that move. It's gotten me thinking about what Pokémon to bring in against Graham. Ghost-type Pokémon are weak against Dark-types and itself. I have a Gastly and Rotom for Ghost-types, so not much option there. However, when it comes to Dark-type Pokémon...

Oh I got plenty of those. Yes, sir! I got Dark-type Pokémon! Absol, Murkrow, Stunky, Sandile, Scraggy, Zorua, Poochyena, and Pawniard. As for team adjustments, I think I'll keep my Butterfree on board. It's not a Dark-type, nor does it know any Dark-type moves, but she hits hard and she's fast. Not to mention she knows Sleep Powder. Also, she can learn Shadow Ball (a Ghost-type attack) I am thinking of also keeping my Luxio, as he knows Bite. Bite is a Dark-type attack. Absol knows that attack, too. I also want to add Sandile, as it can learn some Dark-type attacks.

But which Pokémon to replace? Well, the thing is, I don't think my regular team has any Pokémon that is outright weak to Ghost-types. My regular team is comprised of Magmar, Seadra, Weepinbell, Gabite, Luxio, and Butterfree. So, which ones to replace? Weepinbell knows Sleep Powder, but so does Butterfree. Maybe I can remove Weepinbell. And Gabite's moveset is mainly physical, which may not be very helpful against Ghost-types, so I'll have to switch her out.

I decided to switch out Weepinbell and Gabite, for Sandile and Absol. Although I am also thinking of including Murkrow, Poochyena, and Zorua. I decided to grind up my Sandile and Absol, but I also wanted to work with my Poocheyna and Murkrow, just in case. Grinding them up was surprisingly easier than I thought it would be. Poochyena can learn Odor Sleuth, which allows Ghost-types to be smacked by Normal and Fighting-type moves. That'll be handy.

I ultimately decided to go with Absol, Poochyena, and Murkrow as my choices to tackle the Gym. Murkrow is rather easy to grind up on Route 310, because there are a couple of Grass-type Pokémon native to the route (Roselia and Maractus). Murkrow is part-Flying, and it can learn Wing Attack. Wing Attack is a Flying-type move, and it's great against Grass-type Pokémon. A word of warning, though. Rosalia on this route can have the attack Grasswhistle, which puts Pokémon to sleep. Also, there are wild Charmeleons on this route, and they know Dragon Rage. Yes, the attack only does 40 HP of damage, but considering that my main Pokémon are nearing or at level 30, that can HURT. So be careful of that, too.

The inside of the Gym is, naturally for a Ghost-type Gym, dark and creepy.

I can't help but feel that a Gym run an eleven-year-old boy who mainly trains Ghost-types would be a bit more...imaginative. Make it look like a haunted house. Have skeletons, spooky music, monster statues all over the place. That kind of thing.

If you have Flash, you can use it to light your way through. The trainers in here are invisible...well, more like translucent. They can be seen, you just have to look carefully. They also rotate around to try and catch any Trainers that pass by them. As such, you have to be careful where you step. I'd recommend fighting these trainers as they can help give your Pokémon a bit more XP before facing Graham himself.

But before we face Graham, there's one more piece of business to take care of. Kivu Town has another Ancient Tome. Where can it be found? Well, there's a house with a Smeargle in town.

The house is located below the Poké Mart, and it's got a red roof. You see that bookshelf in the top right in the screenshot? The right side of the bookshelf has the Tome hidden there. This makes it Tome number...I don't know. The game doesn't keep track of how many of these Tomes that have been collected so far. I don't understand why. The Tomes are put in the "Key Items" section of my bag, giving the idea they're important. So why doesn't the game count them? I mean, you likely will be able to get something important if you get them all. So why are they not counted? How will you know you got them all? It's just something that went through my brain when getting the Ancient Tome here. It's so weird.

Anyway, I have to admit, facing Graham...this is the first time I've ever actually gotten a little nervous about fighting a Gym leader. Ghost-types are a type I don't really use a whole lot, and they seem to be, well...the antithesis of how I play the game. I admittedly just power through using type advantages. It's not fancy, but it works for me. With Ghost-types, while they do have their weaknesses, I always get the feeling that they're going to give me a lot of trouble. It's a weird issue I have, even after playing so many Pokémon games over the years.

And I think we'll stop here for now. I want to get a team ready to face Graham and also get ready for my first mission in the Police Club. Wish me luck! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it around! Take care of yourself, and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, and wash your hands often! See you next time!

Pokémon Obtained
Kivu Town
- Luvdisc
Route 310
- Mightyena (evolved from Poochyena) - 110th Pokémon! Whoo!
- Luxray (evolved from Luxio)

Doctor Strange #1 (June 1974)

If you're a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you may be familiar with one Stephen Strange, aka Doctor Strange. The Master of the Mystic Arts. The Sorcerer Supreme. The big magical cheese. The man you call in when some seriously bad mystical stuff goes down. The good doctor has visited this blog before. He first visited this blog in my review of Amazing Spider-Man Annual #2 (1965), in which he teamed up with the titular Wall-Crawler. We've also seen him alongside the Defenders (A "non-team" he has a long history with and was a founding member) in my reviews of Defenders #94 (April 1981) and Defenders #113 (February 1983). However, I don't think that we've ever looked at an issue of his own comic.

Yup, Dr. Strange has had his own comic several times over the years. His first series was actually his taking over as the central character of the Strange Tales title with issue #169 (June 1968). This series would last until issue #183 (November 1969).

Strange would return in another title: Marvel Premiere. Starting in 1972, this anthology series was used to give a starring role to pre-established Marvel characters. It also was a place to debut new characters; both Iron Fist and the second Ant-Man (Scott Lang) debuted in this title. Another neat thing? This title also featured the first comic adventures of rock singer Alice Cooper, and it reprinted UK-produced Doctor Who stories for American readers. Also, Black Panther and the Falcon had adventures chronicled in this series.

The third issue of Marvel Premiere would see Dr. Strange himself become the lead feature. He would continue to be the lead feature of the title until issue #14. With issue #9, writer Steve Engelhart and artist Frank Brunner would be the chroniclers of the adventures of the Master of the Mystic Arts. It was during their time on the title that in-universe, Stephen Strange would take up the mantle of the Marvel Universe's Sorcerer Supreme after the death of his mentor, the Ancient One.

Their run on Marvel Premiere would be successful enough to allow Dr. Strange to get his own on-going series again, which would be his second. The first issue of this series is what we're looking at here. This series, fully titled Doctor Strange: Master of the Mystic Arts, would last nearly 13 years. The final issue would be #81 (February 1987), and then in a bit of cosmic full circle, Strange would return to a new Strange Tales series in which he shared top billing with a certain pair of street-level heroes you may know of: Cloak and Dagger. It was the good doctor's longest-lasting solo series to date. So with that out of the way, let's take a look at Doctor Strange #1!

The cover is pretty neat. A Frank Brunner and Gaspar Saladino piece, it depicts the titular Master of the Mystic Arts struggling with some tentacles coming from a big crystal ball. It's a very well-drawn cover, and it communicates very well that our dear doctor is in big trouble...

"Through an Orb Darkly"
Writers: Steve Englehart, Frank Brunner
Penciler: Frank Brunner
Inker: Dick Giordano
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Letterer: John Costanza
Editor: Roy Thomas
Editor-in-Chief: Len Wein

The story begins with Dr. Strange brooding in his Sanctum Santorum.

"Do I get some apple juice or orange juice? Such decisions..."

His then-disciple and his on-again off-again girlfriend Clea comes by, and her presence is able to get Strange back to reality. The former surgeon admits that he's been neglecting her both as a boyfriend and teacher in the mystic arts due to a previous adventure in which he (possibly) literally witnessed the creation of the universe [Back in Marvel Premiere #13-14 (January-March 1974)]. She isn't too bothered, as she's been busying with her magical studies. She shows how far she's been going by doing a very dangerous trick, one that could unravel the universe if not done with great care.

"I summon the Lagomorph of Zatanna!"

Truly the mightiest spell of all. It is late, and even the Master of Mystic Arts must turn in for the night. Clea plays with her new pet rabbit, being unaware that a figure is watching outside the Sanctorum. The sorceress believes that Strange has a place of safety in the Santorum, considering the kind of threats and enemies he's faced. However, the figure intends to prove her wrong. They fire a magical spell at the rabbit.

"Oh dear, the rabbit got embiggened..."

Evidently the spell was a mystical form of steroids. The now-gigantic rabbit smashes its way out the window. Clea freaks out, as the giant rabbit will bring a lot of attention for sure. And Strange can't have a ton of attention on his Sanctum, due to all the mystical stuff inside it. The intruder leaps in and introduces himself.

"You are now a horsey!"

Wong witness Silver Dagger's attack on Clea. He tries to fight the Dagger off, but the man is easily able to take him down. Silver Dagger eyes Strange's Eye of Agamotto, and grabs it. However, the Eye has a little alarm in it in case someone tries to steal it. Very smart of Strange to have some sort of security system for it.

The Dagger is able to neutralize the alarm, and make his way to Strange himself. He spies the Sorcerer Supreme meditating. And we learn why this man refers to himself as "Silver Dagger".

It's not fancy, but sometimes the simple solution is the best one.

You see, the Silver Dagger fancies himself a holy warrior, a man on a holy crusade against demons. His namesake weapon is made of silver, which is supposedly good against demons. Although silver may be more famous as a weakness of werewolves. His dagger is also dipped in holy water. He believes he's finally slain the most powerful demon on Earth. Silver Dagger takes his leave, taking Clea with him.

Wong wakes up and finds Strange lying on the floor, seemingly dead. He's alive, but for much longer. Even though Strange is no demon, he's still not dagger-proof. He asks Wong to retrieve the Orb of Agamotto and his cape. He returns with the items, and Strange works some magic. The Orb reveals that Silver Dagger has Clea chained up somewhere, and he's trying to force her to renounce her magic. The image in the orb transforms into a skull, and it sends out some grabby snake hands at Strange.

"This is not the 'jazz hands' orb I ordered!"

Well, there's something you don't see every day. But for Doctor Strange, this is just another day in the office. Strange tries to fight off the grabby hands, but their grabbiness is just too great for the Sorcerer Supreme. They drag the former surgeon into the Orb.

Nothing like watching the Sorcerer Supreme fall flat on his face to get a laugh out of Death.

This spread is awesome. Strange finds himself inside the Orb of Agamotto. He also feels better, which makes him wonder. Was he healed, or is he dead. Necromancy is involved, so it's likely the latter in my opinion. But before the good doctor can figure out what's his status, he meets a certain caterpillar.

This is what happens when you get into Lewis Carroll's LSD stash.

Evidently, Wonderland is located in the Orb of Agamotto. He basically tells Strange, "Welcome to the Orb of Agamotto, you're stuck here, enjoy your stay." Strange basically is all "Screw that! I'm getting out of here!" The caterpillar transforms into a more monstrous form and points out something to Strange: Magic is a double-edge sword. Spells come at a price. When he used the Orb to save his life, Strange opened himself up to the unreality within the Orb. Strange will become part of the unreality of the Orb, and Clea will be lost to him.

Strange angrily blasts the caterpillar, seemingly destroying it. Strange may die, but it will not be by the caterpillar's many small hands. He did wish that it didn't have to end this way. However, the caterpillar is okay. After all, the Orb's world is nonsensical and backwards. Death has no sway on the unreality here.

The caterpillar tells Strange there is one way out: Head to the center of the Orb. Everything comes together there. Strange can't fly straight there, as the unreality of the Orb doesn't allow the straightforward road. Too "real". Strange has no choice to trust the Lewis Carroll leftover, and heads out. The story ends with the caterpillar vanishing, planning to keep his eyes on the Master of the Mystic Arts...

This was a fun comic. It established a new villain for Strange to face, although I will admit one thing: Silver Dagger does seem like a step down from Strange's previous foe he faced. Although to be fair, considering the last adventure he had involved a sorcerer potentially becoming the Big Bang that started the universe (I'll have to look at that one sometime), it's hard to top. I also like that we get to see Strange set off a potentially epic quest. And considering the Orb's world is supposed to not make sense (appropriate then that the Caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland appeared here), there's potential for some crazy stuff here, and it's exciting.

Frank Brunner became famous thanks to his work here on Doctor Strange with Englehart. His art really fits the darker feel of the story. It's almost like a horror film with the Silver Dagger in the role of a slasher villain.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2016 trade paperback Doctor Strange Epic Collection Vol. 3: A Separate Reality. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! Take care of yourself and each other. Stay safe, stay home, stay healthy, and wash your hands often! Join me next time as Spider-Man brawls with a crazed Electro...

Memorial Day

Today is Memorial Day.

Here in the States, we give thanks to those who sacrificed their lives to serve this country. We thank those did not get to come home to their loved ones. They will not be forgotten.

Justice League of America #75 (November 1969)

Last week, I took a look at Wonder Woman #216 (March 1975), in which Black Canary told the tale of Wonder Woman's fifth labor as part of her proving she was worthy to rejoin the Justice League. When I thought about what comic to look at for this week, I thought "Maybe I should take a look at how Black Canary joined the League"? So, with that, let's take a look at Justice League of America #75!

The cover is pretty awesome. A Carmine Infantino, Gaspar Saladino and Murphy Anderson piece, it depicts the Black Canary standing triumphantly over the Justice League, basically demanding to take Wonder Woman's place in the Justice League. The message is clear: Black Canary is here, she's kicking down the door to this boy's club, and she's not taking no for an answer!

"In Each Man There is a Demon!"
Writer: Dennis O'Neil
Penciler: Dick Dillin
Inker: Joe Giella
Colorist: Unknown
Letterer: John Costanza
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Executive Editor: Carmine Infantino

The story begins with Oliver Queen introducing himself. "Wait!" you may ask yourself. "Isn't this supposed to be about Black Canary?" Well, don't you worry. This is still her tale, Ollie's just playing narrator to us today. You see, at this time, Ollie Queen was a rather rich man...well, he was a rich man. Thanks to some forged documents, he ended up losing his company.

While taking a walk to think about what to do next, he hears a cry for help. There's a mugging afoot! The Emerald Archer leaps into action and easily takes care of the robbers thanks to a trick arrow and some Mighty Punches. The mugging victim thanks the Green Arrow for the help, remarking that he's the most useful guy in town. However, Ollie doesn't feel very useful.

Black Canary takes over, saying "This is my story Ollie, I got this." The Justice League are debating over whether the bird-themed heroine should join the League. Hawkman points out that Canary may not be ready to face the kind of threats that the Justice League regularly take on. This leads Canary to think back to the events of Justice League of America #73-74 (), in which the Justice League of Earth-One and the Justice Society of Earth-Two joined forces to battle a monster from the stars called Aquarius.

During this conflict, Dinah's then-husband Larry was killed. She felt like she could no longer stay on Earth-Two due to the memories and her grief, so she moved to Earth-One to start over. Yeah, if you've read my Crisis on Infinite Earths reviews, you may be familiar with the old DC Multiverse. The Canary is brought out of her reverie by the argument over her joining the League.

You see, Hawkman and Batman believe that despite her skills in martial arts, she still can't take on the kind of foes the League faces.

...that...is HILARIOUS coming from the two of them. Keep in mind, Batman has no superpowers. He's just a very smart and rich man with martial arts skills and a utility belt filled with gadgets. Hawkman has no innate superpowers, either. He just has a mace and a winged harness made of a fancy metal! Man doesn't even wear a shirt when fighting villains! So yeah, Black Canary can't handle being a Leaguer? Well, by your own logic, neither can you two clowns!

Dinah demands that the two of them stop talking about her like she's not in the room, and discovers that she can make her demand rather...loudly.

Yup, Dinah has somehow gained the power to fire off a mighty sonic scream, strong enough to stagger even Superman himself. Ollie himself wasn't there to see this. He had been feeling a bit down, and he decided to get some psychiatric help. Hey, good on you, Ollie! Therapy is a good thing!

Dr. Oyal believes that Ollie's suffering a bit of an identity crisis. But luckily, the doc is also a bit of an inventor, and he's cooked up this nice little gadget that will help the Emerald Archer out. The device is known as an Id-Actualizer. It's a device that probes the user's subconscious and allows the user to see themselves as they actually wish to be. Ollie gets strapped in, and...the device does its thing.

I love the panel on the left. Ollie's facial expression says it all. Yes, Arrow. You willingly let this man put that thing on your head. The device projects a construct of the Green Arrow. The construct announces that he's the real Green Arrow, the warrior spirit that lies in Oliver Queen's mind. The fake Arrow punches Dr. Oyal and runs off, much to the shock of the doc. After all, that's not what the machine was supposed to do.

Back in JLA headquarters, Superman and the Atom examine Dinah to determine why she is suddenly able to shatter glass with a scream. They discover that her brain was altered somehow, allowing her to generate sonic waves. Batman theorizes that she was mutated by being exposed to mystical forces from battling Aquarius. Hawkman points out that if she was affected, other members of the JLA may be as well. After all, she was not the only superhero there.

But before they can test that theory, the Green Arrow construct bursts in. The League try to restrain him, but...

Yup, the Leaguers end up with their own ids personified. The ids basically trash the place and leave. They also decide to lay a pummeling on Superman, who is seemingly unaffected. The other Leaguers can't seem to fight them. After all, these things are the embodiments of their ids, their most basic drives and desires. It's left them feeling low, but Superman has a plan to perk up their spirits.

Everyone has a dark side, even the Man of Steel. Unlike the others, Superman eagerly leaps into battle with this embodiment of his basest desires. And like the hero he is, he's triumphant. This gives the other members of the League some much needed inspiration, and they jump into action. The Man of Tomorrow stays behind, revealing the id construct was one of his robots, and that fight was a ploy to perk the League up. Where does Supes go after this? He doesn't go after any of the ids alongside the League? Did he have an appointment or something? GO HELP THEM, YA BIG DUMB BRICK!

The League give chase to their green doppelgangers, but have to split up to find them. Hawkman is the first to find his living id in an abandoned factory. The id-Hawkman rants about how he's superior to the original, but the Winged Warrior is able to dispatch him. Justice League 1, id doppelgangers 0.

Batman finds his alternate self in front of a sleazy diner. The doppelganger demands to be left alone. He's having some dinner, after all. The two of them have a short fight that ends with the Dark Knight literally tossing his id in the trash.

Justice League 2, doppelgangers 0. The Atom manages to chase his doppelganger into a thimble. It's a short fight, as the Atom is able to trick his id into growing and knocking himself out. Justice League 3, doppelgangers 0. Black Canary's id steals a motorbike during a race and Canary gives chase on her own bike. One of the racers, being a macho idiot, decides to pursue them as he doesn't want a woman to win the race. Moron, THEY AREN'T PARTICIPATING IN THE RACE! Canary tries to use her Canary Cry, but she lacks control of it. As such, the macho idiot ends up eating sonic scream.

It's funny not just because he's an idiot getting what he deserves, but also Canary manages to knock him off his bike with her scream without even turning her head in his direction. Oopsie. Seeing her scream as unreliable, Dinah uses her martial arts skills to take down her id. Justice League 4, doppelgangers 0. I think we're going to get a clean sweep, folks!

Back to Green Arrow! Ollie finds his id robbing a jewelry store. This is a nice little subtle touch. Oliie's recent loss of his wealth had been bothering him lately. As such, it makes sense that his id would prioritize regaining that wealth without being restrained by Oliver's morality.

The id taunts the Arrow, saying that he fought criminals not because he wanted to do some good, but it was for the thrill. Ollie got a rush from fighting bad guys, and enjoying the fame that comes from them. Ollie admits this, letting his id get away with the loot. The store owners are shocked, but they understand. After all, they're just regular people trying to get by, not glamorous superheroes like he is.

This makes Ollie pick up his bow and vow to catch his id. He manages to confront the construct. Arrow confesses that yes, he does enjoy the fame and thrill of being a superhero...but he also wants to do some good. The two Arrows fire at each other. Ollie takes an arrow to the leg, NOT THE KNEE. The id Ollie vanishes, as well as the other id constructs. WE GOT A CLEAN SWEEP, FOLKS! JUSTICE LEAGUE WIN, FIVE-NOTHING!

The story ends with Ollie and Dinah finishing up their retelling of the story. Both Ollie and Dinah are hurting in their own ways (Green Arrow from his leg injury, and Black Canary from her grief), but they hope to heal up as JLA members.

This was not terrible, but it doesn't feel like the story I was hoping it would be. I thought this would be a story of how Black Canary got to join the Justice League. Instead, it feels more like Ollie's story. Think about it. It was Ollie's identity crisis that kickstarted the story, and he gets to be the one that saves the day.

I don't understand why they couldn't have had Canary be the one to visit the psychiatrist. I mean, she would have had a reason to visit one. What with her grief over the death of her husband being still rather fresh after all. Perhaps her mental construct could have tried to get her to give in to her despair over it. You could tie it in to her discovery of her new sonic scream. She has trouble mastering it at first, but when she's confronted her own id, she's able to master it and defeat the construct. Feeling stronger from the experience, Dinah believes she is ready to fight evil once more and joins the Justice League. There, that's how I'd do it. Heck, you could even hint at the beginnings of the Ollie Queen/Dinah Drake romance. He's into her, but she's not ready to hit the dating scene yet. I'm not against Ollie getting character development, but the cover promised we'd see Black Canary join the Justice League, and this story seems to treat that as an afterthought.

I also was rather amused that the machine seemed to have no effect on Superman and he had a specially-constructed robot for just such this situation. Maybe he used Wonder Woman's magic sphere. I've read better stories by Denny O'Neil than this.

The art is really good. Dick Dillin turns in some fine artwork for this comic. His rendition of Black Canary is gorgeous, and there's some fantastic storytelling moments in the comic, particularly the faceoff between the two Green Arrows. I got a Western vibe from it, the two gunslingers (or arrow-slingers in this case) facing off for the final showdown. It's great stuff.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2006 trade paperback Justice League of America: Hereby Elects... Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off to your friends! Take care of yourself, and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, and wash your hands often! Join me next time when we see the Master of the Mystic Arts debut a new series for the far-out 1970s...

Mortal Kombat 11 Friendships Trailer, My Thoughts

In 1995, Mortal Kombat II introduced the Friendship, a type of finishing maneuver that involved the character you played...doing something nice. It's believed they were introduced as a way of poking some fun at the controversy the Mortal Kombat series had gotten for its graphic violence for the time. The Friendship mechanic would eventually be dropped from the series from Mortal Kombat 4 afterwards, due to the series going to its darker roots and the controversies over its violence subsiding.

However, the mechanic is making a comeback in Mortal Kombat 11, so let's look at the announcement trailer.

Ouch.

Well, nice knowing you, Sub-Zero.

Oh, wait! That's hilarious! I love it when bears appear unexpectedly!

Ever since Sub-Zero got to try ice cream for the first time, he had to spread the glory of the frozen treat throughout Outworld. Now I want ice cream...

Who would've thought some of these characters were musicians at heart?

Hey, people all wanted Mileena in this game...

Smash Mouth's version of War's "Why Can't We Be Friends?" is rather appropriate for this trailer.

Oh my gosh, these are all great!

THE TERMINATOR BALANCING ON HIS BIKE! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Is it weird that I want to see Erron Black be the protagonist of his own Wild Guns-style shooter spin-off?

A BONK on the head for the Joker!

Cheers, Sindel!

Nice job, Skarlet!

People tend to underestimate Liu Kang's deadliest skill: his mastery of being funky.

And this is FREE? That's awesome!

I know this joke's been done before, but I have to say it: Epic Jax Guy.

Well, I think this is pretty cool! I always liked the idea of Friendships, and it's really neat that they're coming back. It's also very nice that this update is free. I hope people really get a kick out of these little animations.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, please tell others about it! See you next time! Take care of yourself, and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, and wash your hands often!

Wonder Woman #216 (March 1975)

It's that time again! It's time to join DC Comics's resident Amazing Amazon, Wonder Woman, as she undergoes another one of her Twelve Labors. Last time, she helped stop Ares, the Roman god of war, from causing...well, a war between the Amazons of Paradise Island and the underwater dwellers of Atlantis. This trial was overseen by the King of the Seas, Aquaman. This month, the trial will be overlooked by a female Leaguer, and Wonder Woman has to deal with a different kind of powerhouse than she 's normally used to trading punches with. Let's look at Wonder Woman #216!

The cover is a Nick Cardy piece, who is most known for his work with Aquaman and the Teen Titans. As such, it's very well-drawn. It has the Silver Age vibe with Black Canary pointing at an image. The image depicts Wonder Woman telling a man who clearly needs some help here that he can't get on the island because basically Aphrodite would get mad. Black Canary promises the answer as to why men cannot step foot on Paradise Island will be revealed. You'd think the Amazons would have a special island for such a situation. Be prepared and all that.

"Paradise in Peril"
Writer: Elliot S! Maggin
Penciler: John Rosenberger
Inker: Vince Colletta
Editor: Julius Schwartz

The story begins with DC's resident high-kicking mistress of martial arts, the Black Canary, sitting at a typewriter.

Dinah Lance is typing up a report, you see. She recommends that Wonder Woman be readmitted to the Justice League of America. Let's see why, shall we? It was a nice morning on the Mediterranean Sea. On this sea, there was a yacht. It was owned by a billionaire named Diogenes Diamandopoulos. Yeah, a name like that screams supervillain.

Diamandopoulos is a man who has goals. And he's managed to accomplish most of the goals he has set for himself in life. He graduated summa cum laude from college. He started a shipping company that made him rich and powerful. He wined and dined with kings and queens. He's even got himself an airline. But there is one goal that he has yet to achieve: He wants an answer to a mystery.

You see, men have never set foot on Paradise Island/Themyscira. And ol' Diogenes wants to know why that is. As for why he wants to know...I don't know. Maybe he sees business opportunities there? Maybe he wants to hire an Amazon as a bodyguard? Maybe he wants to ask Hippolyta on a date? Or maybe he's just weird.

Diogenes has been able to find the hidden island, and he sends his aide Peter to check it out. The bald man takes a helicopter to where the island is presumably located. To his shock, the helicopter seemingly vanishes, and he's about to fall to his death. Well, not really. He's caught by a net made of air. Hippolyta asks him "Why are you here?", and Peter extends greetings from his employer. The Amazons laugh at him and toss him into the ocean.

Black Canary learned of this the next day in the paper and decided to go check it out. She heads off to New York City and finds...well...this.

Art theft is not a crime unique to Earthmen...

Evidently we got alien art thieves. You see, the mayor was dedicating this statue (it was a gift to the city), and this saucer just showed up. Wonder Woman goes in hot pursuit of the saucer with her invisible jet. She manages to grab the statue, and the men inside release the piece of art, just as ordered. Wonder Woman lassoes the saucer, and puts the statue on her jet. She comes aboard and finds something.

"Hey, wait a minute! You guys aren't aliens!"

This saucer is staffed by regular human beings. She's easily able to take care of them, as they are ordinary men with guns, and she is a superpowered Amazon. Black Canary is observing this from the ground, unaware that Diogenes himself is also nearby. You'd think a big public figure like him would get, well, noticed. Diamandopoulos is very happy with things turned out. You see, he hired the crew to steal the statue, knowing Wonder Woman would foil the theft. She can't trace it back to him because the crew had no idea he was the one who hired them. He had managed to plant some "tracer-dust" on the statue which would allow him to contact the Amazing Amazon whenever he wanted.

Diana heads back to her job at the UN Crisis Bureau, and Dinah Lance follows by assuming the identity of a Daily Planet reporter named Shelley Ames.

"Awww, Hera! My office is haunted again!"

Yeah, this interview is over. Dinah listens in as the hologram of Diogenes introduces himself. He has been rather curious about the legends of Paradise Island, particularly ones about what would happen if a man set foot on Paradise Island.

"Ha ha, island go boom."

There's multiple ideas of what could happen, but no one is sure. All they have in common is that basically the gods have a hissy fit and the island somehow gets destroyed. He intends to step foot on the island, unless Wonder Woman contacts him in 24 hours. Yup, its a hostage situation. When he finishes the broadcast, Diogenes reveals that he doesn't expect Wonder Woman to contact him, but get her Amazon self to Paradise Island. And he intends to get there first.

Wonder Woman gets to her invisible plane and rockets to Paradise Island, contacting her mother Queen Hippolyte. Canary follows with help from her motorcycle and the JLA teleporter. Dinah arrives at the island and finds that it seems deserted. Remember, the legend says no man can step foot on Paradise Island. That's because after getting Wonder Woman's message, Queen Hippolyte engaged something called "Operation: Hideaway".

Dinah makes her way to the Amazons' library. It's a nice library, got a great selection of books. It's there that she sees a live feed of the Amazons fighting Diogenes' forces.

The Amazons, despite using swords, shields, and spears in battle, have a helicopter corps.

The weird thing is...well, one of the weird things is this battle is supposedly happening on the beach Dinah was just on...the deserted beach she was just at. How can this have erupted out of nowhere so fast? Well, it's easy.

"Amazons, get out that decoy island we used to mess with Hercules and Iolaus!"

It was a giant fakeout. The Amazons had tricked the men by using a decoy island...because they happen to have one of those. The Amazons are funny like that. They have advanced technology, but still fight with Ancient Greek swords, shields, and spears. Anyway, Hippolyte and the island vanishes, leaving a very confused army. The Queen of the Amazons appears in the library where Black Canary is hanging out. It's here that we learn exactly why a man can't set foot on Paradise Island.

Three thousand years earlier, the goddess Aphrodite returned the Queen's magic girdle Hercules managed to obtain from her by trickery. This event led to the Amazons living on Paradise Island in the first place. Aphrodite decided to punish Hippolyte for this and laid a curse on the Amazons.

The Amazon appetite for snu-snu is legendary.

Remember, Aphrodite is the goddess of love, beauty, and passion. Basically, if a man sets foot on Paradise Island, the Amazons will get so lust-crazed that they will fight each other and tear the island apart. You know that scene in Who Framed Roger Rabbit when Eddie Valiant busts into what he thought was Jessica Rabbit's apartment in Toontown only to discover it was Lena Hyena's? Imagine that, but with swords, shields, and togas...and there's tons of Lenas.

Not quite a perfect analogy, but you get the idea, right? Well anyway, Diogenes arrives on the decoy island, and finds Wonder Woman waiting for him. She wants to know one thing: Why? Why do this? What is his deal? Well, his reason is simple: He's in love with her.

Yes. Literally. Diogenes was spellbound by the beauty of our Amazon heroine. This whole stunt was just to impress her. Diana is rather furious about it. As she sees it, it wasn't her Diogenes loved, it was her power, and she also sees it as flaunting his ego. I think it's just him being an idiot. Either way, the billionaire surrenders.

With that, Black Canary completes her report. She plans to take a copy of it to the Justice League...without the part that explains exactly WHY a man can't set foot on Paradise Island, as she feels it's something that should not be known to any man, not even the male members of the League. Uh, Dinah? Wouldn't the male members of the League want to know this in case some other guy tries this stunt, and Diana is unavailable? I mean, Diogenes was not likely the first man to try and set foot on Paradise Island, and I doubt he'd be the last. And nothing in the story indicated that Hippolyte told Dinah to keep it a secret, so...yeah.

Although, I can imagine the League quoting Q from Octopussy regarding a certain member in such a situation: "Hal Jordan on an island populated exclusively by women? We won't see him until dawn!"

This was actually better than the last issue, but...yeah. Also like last issue, I felt there was some real potential here. Mainly in the character of Diogenes Diamandopolous. I felt his motivation was kind of dumb. Personally, I would have characterized him as a man who sees business opportunities in the Amazons, and maybe his fascination with them comes from a passion for Greek mythology. Maybe his crush on Wondy would allow him to return in future issues. And considering the he seems to be a goal-oriented man, I doubt he would give up on setting foot on Paradise Island so easily. And considering the resources he had at his disposal, he certainly would try again. He had potential to be a recurring character, is all I'm saying.

I'm also mixed on the revelation of the reason why man cannot set foot on Paradise Island. On one hand, it is kind of goofy...but at the same time, I think it bizarrely fits, considering the nature of the Greek Gods and all. Aphrodite is the goddess of love and passion, so...yeah. This would be the kind of thing she'd consider a curse.

John Rosenberger, like last issue, turns in some fine artwork. His rendition of Diana is really gorgeous, and it's a shame that his career and life was cut short by cancer. I think if that didn't happen, he may have ended up been one of the artists associated with the Amazons. He does stunning renditions of them. Which makes sense considering his romance comics background. He's a great artist whose work deserves more appreciation, in my opinion.

This issue is one of the better stories of the Twelve Labors. Maybe things will continue to improve from there. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! Take care of yourself, and each other! Stay safe, stay home, stay healthy, and wash your hands often! You know, considering that Black Canary was in this issue, let's find out next time show she got to join the ranks of the Justice League next time...

Huntdown Launch Trailer, My Thoughts

The name Coffee Stain Studios may not ring a lot of bells. However, you may have heard of a certain game they made called Goat Simulator. Yup, Goat Simulator came from this Swedish company. In recent years, the company has also gone into game publishing. One game they're doing is a game developed by fellow Swedes called Huntdown. Let's take a look at the launch trailer!

I like the graphics. They kind of remind me of the style of 16-bit/32-bit sprite style games.

And of course, we have the cyberpunk setting. I get why it's a very popular setting. There's something inherently cool about the aesthetic of it. I wonder what city it's set in? New York? Los Angeles? You know, let's assume Peoria. Why not? That's never been done.

Yeah, it's your typical cyberpunk dystopian future, crime rules the streets, we gotta blow up stuff, blah blah blah. But hey, we might get some laughs out of this.

Man, how bad do things have to get for the cops to call in these bounty hunters? Is there no cyber-S.W.A.T. in Peoria? That's a fun name. Peoria, Peoria, Peoria...

Okay, okay!

Anna Conda. Get it? You know, I think Miss Conda would be a great addition to the Mortal Kombat roster. She's certainly got the bloodthirstiness. I can imagine people give Miss Conda a very wide berth. If they're smart.

John Sawyer, cyborg. Descendant of Tom Sawyer. Rush fan. I can imagine it being very awkward for him in grade school, being a man and all.

John bleeds bullets and spits gunpowder. That's why he can't legally donate blood.

Mow Man. That's...that's just beautiful. I love that he also has this classy British voice while bringing the pain and carnage.

This is what The Warriors would be if it was set in the cyberpunk 80s. The Misconducts are my favorite of these gimmicked gangs. 

I loved this trailer. It was funny. I had a good laugh from how the voiceover descried the characters, and the game itself looks like a ton of fun. I hope there's a demo, because I want to try this game out.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, please show it to your friends! Take care of yourself, and each other. Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay home. See you next time!