Happy Halloween!

 Happy Halloween, everybody!

May your day be filled with scares and candy!

Amazing Spider-Man #101 (October 1971)

With Halloween right around the corner, I thought it would be time for this here blog to get a bit spooky. With that, I thought it would be neat to give some love to one of Marvel's more horror-based characters: Morbius the Living Vampire.

Unlike most other vampires in fiction, Morbius's transformation into one of the Creatures of the Night was due to a scientific mishap, not any form of supernatural curse. It's why he's called the Living Vampire, after all. Despite his villainous origins, Morbius would eventually go on to become more of an anti-heroic character. He would eventually associate himself with Marvel's other horror-themed characters like Ghost Rider, the original Werewolf by Night, and even the vampire slayer known as Blade in the group known as the Midnight Sons.

Morbius's origins came about thanks to the Comics Code getting updated in the early 1970s, allowing comics to portray supernatural characters like vampires. Morbius's debut was also the first issue of Amazing Spider-Man to not be written by Stan Lee. He had bequeathed the book to editor Roy Thomas. Thomas drew inspiration for the character from an unidentified film he saw as a child that had a man be turned into a vampire by radiation. Artist Gil Kane drew inspiration from actor Jack Palance for the character's look.

Morbius would go on to appear in other media outside of comics, mainly in animated series focused on Spider-Man. He also is getting his own feature film out next year (it was delayed from its original release date last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

So, with that out of the way, let's look at the debut of the Living Vampire in Amazing Spider-Man #101!

The cover is a Gil Kane, John Romita Sr. and Artie Simek piece. It's pretty cool. We got our man Morbius giving a six-armed Spidey a Mighty Backhand, claiming that even the newly Goro-styled Spidey is no match for a vampire such as himself. It's a great cover.

"A Monster Called Morbius!"
Writer: Roy Thomas
Penciler: Gil Kane
Inker: Frank Giacoia
Letterer: Artie Simek
Colorist: Unknown
Editor: Stan Lee

The story begins with Peter Parker's day getting quite a bit worse.

Man, that Parker Luck really likes to beat the Web-Slinger upside the head with a monkey wrench, huh? But it's not so bad! Peter can now can now be a one-man rock band! Also, he'll never have to worry about needing an extra hand!

Yeah, Petey here tried to make a potion to remove his spider-powers. But he didn't test it first, and now he's in this mess. Also to add to Peter's stupidity, he didn't consider that this kind of side-effect would happen, so he never bothered to make an antidote.

Okay, so let's get on that. He gets a call from his then-beau, Gwen Stacy. She wants to see a movie, but Peter turns her down, the excuse being that he's going to be out of town for a while. Gwen is a bit heartbroken by it. Peter gets another call, this one from Robbie Robertson over at the Daily Bugle. Ol' Robbie's got a photography job for Petey! Peter tells him that he's got a bit of mono, so he's going off to get some rest out of town. J. Jonah Jameson takes it well.

What a wonderful employer Jonah is. Peter still has one contact that can help him, out in Florida. One Curt Connors, aka the Lizard. The man has a place in Southhampton, complete with a lab in the basement. Peter suits up, and Spidey swings his way (and does a little train-riding) to Southhampton.

Connors really didn't do a great job making the place look any bit welcoming, huh? We next switch scenes to a ship about a mile away. The crew is meeting up over a bit of a problem. You see, members of the crew have been vanishing lately. And the captain of the vessel has turned up dead. Maybe the ship is haunted. But one crewman, a Mr. Whitey, thinks that the cause is their guest. They had found a man adrift at sea, and being good sailors, they helped him. But since he came on board, the crew started vanishing. It's too much of a coincidence. The surviving crew find their guest in the engine room. 

They attack him, but the man fights back, showing considerable strength, toughness, and speed. He's able to evade the crew. Thinking he went overboard, the crew congratulate themselves and head to bed for the night. While the guest...undergoes a bit of a transformation.

Ladies, gentlemen, whatever you wish to identify as, say hello to Morbius, the Living Vampire. And being a vampire, he needs himself some blood. The Living Vampire attacks and feeds on the remaining crew. His thirst is sated, but he also has blood on his hands. Metaphorically, of course. The vampire dives into the water, and makes his way to the summer home of Curt Connors. 

It's here we join Spider-Man. He's working hard on trying to cure his six arms. It's going rather well.

Yup, going excellently. The Living Vampire attacks Spider-Man. The man just woke up, and he wants his bloody breakfast. Spidey tries to fight him off, but the man is weakened by lack of sleep and lack of coordination of his extra arms. Morbius is able to knock our hero down the stairs and into Dreamland. He plans to have himself some Spider-Blood Shake when Curt Connors shows up. The shock causes him to transform into the Lizard. Peter Parker wakes up to find himself caught between one heck of a rock and a hard place.

I enjoyed this issue. We get a basic idea of Morbius's personality. The comic tries to establish the tragic nature of the character, although I do feel it didn't quite do a good job on pointing that out. Morbius does seem to act a bit more outright villainous in this story, to me. Maybe that's just a case of them not quite figuring Morbius out yet. The cliffhanger is pretty awesome, a weakened Spidey being caught between two monstrous (emphasis on monster) foes, old and new. Gil Kane's interpretation of Morbius makes him look very inhuman, perfect for a man-turned-monster. 

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2020 trade paperback Morbius Epic Collection Vol. 1: The Living Vampire. Happy Halloween, everybody! And thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, get vaccinated, and wear your masks! See you next time!

Steel Assault Launch Trailer, My Thoughts

From the post-apocalyptic ashes of what was once the United States of America, a man named General Magnus Pierce has taken over and created a tyrannical empire. And only one man can save the former US from his evil grip: Taro Takahashi. He must fight, shoot, and grapple his way through the wastelands and Pierce's lieutenants to restore freedom. Let's look at the trailer!

Ooh, Mega Man X-style entrance complete with superhero landing. Iron Man would be proud. Well, so would Deadpool.

I imagine those birds will be annoyed.

So, Taro Takahashi is the lovechild of Simon Belmont and Rad Spencer from Bionic Commando.

Heh heh, remember when Hamilton was the talk of the town?

So, how are those billboards still working?

DIE METAL BIRD DIE!

The bosses look cool. I think it would be cool if Taro got a special weapon from them after he beat them like in Mega Man.

Well, this game looks to be a nice bit of fun. It is the clear lovechild of several classic games. A bit of Contra, Bionic Commando, Mega Man, and Castlevania. I want to play this game. 

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get vaccinated! See you next time!

The 355 Trailer, My Thoughts

Sometimes, to take care of a crisis, you need to bring in a few good men. Or in this case, a good women. In particular, Penelope Cruz, Lupita Nyong'o, Fan Bingbing, Jessica Chastain, and Marion Cotillard. As agents from five different intelligence agencies, they have to become a team to stop a top secret weapon from being used to cause World War III. Let's look at the trailer!

Nice to see that Bucky Barnes found some work at the Company, ha ha.

The whole "Agent 355" thing? That's a real thing. There was an actual lady spy that worked during the American Revolution known as "Agent 355". She was part of the Culper Ring, and there's a lot of information that to this day, remains unknown about her. Even her real name and her final fate. She is who the film's title is referencing.

You know, Jessica Chastain could make a good Jessica Drew...

You know something bad is going down if people from the intelligence agencies of five countries have to join forces. Wait a minute...US...UK...Germany...Colombia...China...all they need is spies from an African nation, Australia, and Antarctica, and you'd have all the continents represented!

"Well, I still cuddle my stuffed tiger in bed every night. IT HELPS ME SLEEP."
"...that's not a bad thing."

A short film with all five of these women in character in group therapy would be a fun watch.

"And you have blades in your shoes. What? I LIKE THE BOND MOVIES."

"And he flaps his arms weirdly when he runs."

Well, this looks...actually like it will be a bit of fun. I think this will be a rollicking good time, and I'll give it a shot. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get vaccinated! See you next time!

Unsighted Launch Trailer, My Thoughts

In the city of Arcadia, a woman known only as Alma has made it her home. She also has made herself some friends. But then she woke up to a world that was wrecked by war. Now she has to save herself and her friends from being "unsighted", or basically fading from existence. Let's look at the trailer!

Don't you just hate it when a giant freakin' crystal lands in the middle of a city. That's something that'll ruin a commute. And I would not be surprised if SpaceGodzilla cracks out of that thing.

...WHY DO PEOPLE ALWAYS TRY TO TOUCH STRANGE CRYSTALS FROM SPACE?!

...Oh God, we got a Clone Saga on our hands!

Aww, nothing like a nice lie down in the park with your robot girlfriend. 

The gameplay reminds me of CrossCode. I gotta pick that game up again sometime. 

Wall-jumping!

Hey, I wonder, can you pet that dog?

That platform on rails makes me think of Mega Man for some reason.

That's one big shuriken.

Fighting on a giant robot eagle head. I think the developers were messing with a certain powder...

Well, I have to say this. This game looks like a ton of fun. I wonder if there's a demo. I love games like this, and I think this'll be a wonderful time for players. 

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get vaccinated! See you next time!

Avengers Forever #10 (September 1999)

It's that time again! It's time to join Earth's Mightiest Heroes in their epic battle throughout time and space to stop the mad schemes of Immortus. Throughout this adventure, we've seen tragedy, triumph, and betrayal. So, let's continue this adventure and look at Avengers Forever #10!

The cover is a Carlos Pacheco and Jesus Merino piece, and it's...well...yeah. It depicts the Avengers being changed up. But I can't help but wonder if Songbird's posing there was deliberate.

Seriously.

"Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow..."
Writers: Kurt Busiek and Roger Stern
Penciler: Carlos Pacheco
Inker: Jesus Merino
Colorist: Steve Oliff
Letterers: Richard Starkings and Albert Deschesne
Editor: Tim Brevoort
Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras

The story begins with the Avengers waking up and finding themselves...in big trouble. Mainly in the form of facing the Avengers-themed army of Emperor Rickard. Remember that from the first issue? And the ragtag group of Earth's Mightiest Heroes have another problem. They were put under some sort of illusion make the army think they are…

Yup, the original Guardians of the Galaxy! 

And naturally, a big ol' fight breaks out. The Avengers Army try to capture them with special tactical nets. But the Avengers have a little secret weapon.

The heroes manifest a strange power that allows them to break free of the nets, but it doesn't save them from the power of Emperor Rickard himself. He reveals that the Avengers had just unknowingly tapped the Destiny Force. The Avengers are captured, but they get an unlikely savior.

Yup, ol' Yellowjacket himself. "But, wait!" You may be asking. "Didn't he betray the Avengers?!" Well...kind of. He is working for Immortus...and he is the reason why Emperor Rickard thinks the Avengers are the original Guardians of the Galaxy. He had infested the Avengers with "limbo bugs", little green insects that can warp perceptions. 

Anyway, Immortus had brought the Avengers to this future because he wanted them to see why he wanted Rick Jones dead. Yellowjacket brings the Avengers to meet some people.

Yup, the Time-Keepers. You may be somewhat familiar with them from the Loki series on Disney+. We learn about their origins here. The Time-Keepers were beings of pure knowledge created by He Who Remains, the last living being in the universe. The purpose of the Time-Keepers would be to safeguard the next version of the universe. However, the Multiverse is vast. And in some timelines, instead of becoming Time-Keepers, they became malevolent Time-Twisters.

One such Time-Twister rampage was shown in Thor (1966) #242-245. But the Time-Keepers see one group as the true threat to the universe: Humanity. Humanity has a unique drive amongst all the other races, and access to the Destiny Force. It's clear the Keepers want to basically eliminate humanity. Immortus, however, sees another way. His schemes over the years have all had one purpose: Keep humans on Earth. He's turned the attention of the "Martians" (Prior to Amazing Adventures (1970) #18), and the Badoon (Prior to Silver Surfer (1968) #2, which showed the Surfer driving them off) to the planet as part of this goal. If they stay on Earth, then they can't subjugate the cosmos. The Keepers think Immortus is nuts.

After all, humanity has driven off Galactus, the World-Eater (Fantastic Four (1961) #50), the Celestials (Eternals (1976) #12), and even the Infinites (Foreshadowing of the 2000 miniseries Avengers Infinity). Because of this, the Time-Keepers have decided that the only way to solve the problem is basically...do a bit of timeline-culling, which means the deaths of an unimaginable amount of people. And not just on those Earths.

About 42% of the existing timelines should be enough, by the Keepers' calculations. Captain America is outraged. He points out in the majority of these timelines, humanity doesn't go bad. The Keepers should be helping try to save those bad timelines! Goliath points out that the Time-Keepers don't eliminate themselves in an attempt to prevent the Time-Twisters coming into existence. Songbird also adds that humanity does try and do better.

The Avengers start manifesting the Destiny Force briefly, and it seems like a fight is about to break out. But Yellowjacket has one last surprise. You see, he's called in a bit of help for the Avengers.

Yup, Rick Jones and Kang have come to party! And they're bringing along the Supreme Intelligence because...well, he was lonely and wanted to come along.

I enjoyed this issue, but I admit, it did feel like not a lot happened. It's weird because we do get some stuff pushed along, like we ultimately learn why this whole mess is going down. What I do love about this story, as I have said before, is how this story ties in various previous stories from Marvel's history and makes it look like they were all already part of a grand narrative. Busiek and Stern are masters at it here, and I am so envious. This is why I love canon and continuity. It feels like these old stories mattered. As I have said in the past, this story can be a bit intimidating for the non-hardcore Marvel fan. 

If you wish to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2001 trade paperback Avengers Forever. Thanks for reading this blog entry! See you next time!

Astonishing Tales #17 (April 1973)

For my first comic review since getting my new computer, I wanted to review something simple. I also thought it would be nice to use this to showcase a lesser-known comic character. So, why not show people an adventure of Marvel's resident Tarzan analogue, the Lord of the Savage Land, Kevin Plunder, aka Ka-Zar?

There have actually been two Ka-Zars, believe it or not. The first one was David Rand. Created by future Marvel publisher Martin Goodman (under the pen name "Bob Byrd"), this Ka-Zar first appeared in a pulp magazine: Ka-Zar #1 (October 1936). This Ka-Zar's pulp stories would be adapted in comic form starting with Marvel Comics #1 (October 1939). But after 1942, the original Ka-Zar would fade into obscurity.

The more famous version of Ka-Zar, Lord Kevin Plunder, debuted in X-Men #10 (March 1965). Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, this Ka-Zar drew not just from the Tarzan mold, but also drew from caveman character, his early appearances had him speak in stereotypical caveman broken English, but would later on show more articulance with his speech. 

The Kevin Plunder Ka-Zar would go on to make many appearances in the comics, his Savage Land home mostly tying him to the X-Men mythos. Over the last near-sixty years, Ka-Zar has appeared in numerous comics, and even had his own series a few times. He would also go on to appear in other media, most notably in the 1990s X-Men animated series. So, with that out of the way, let's look at Astonishing Tales #17!

The cover is a Dan Adkins and Morrie Kuramoto piece. It's pretty neat. It depicts the villainous Gemini trying to Mighty Punch our jungle man off of an airplane's landing gear. 

"Target: Ka-Zar!"
Writer: Mike Friedrich
Penciler: Dan Adkins
Inker: Frank Chiaramonte
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: Unknown
Editor: Roy Thomas
Editor-in-Chief: Roy Thomas

The story begins with our jungle man and his lovely blonde galpal about to be ambushed by some robbers. 

Ka-Zar is able to dispatch these gunmen with little issue, bragging that being a jungle man, he has the power of a mastodon and the speed of a cheetah. Basically, he's like a Power Ranger without the morpher, colorful costume, and the giant mech Zord. Also, cheetahs live in savannahs, mountains, and deserts, not in jungles. But he's from the Savage Land, which...doesn't follow the rules of animal habitation anyway.

His date admonishes him for his recklessness. Marvel's resident Tarzan analogue could have gotten hurt, or someone else hurt, but Ka-Zar will have none of it. The two leave, debating life in the city compared to his home in the Savage Land. It's here that the story notes that despite their differences, Ka-Zar is quite fond of the beautiful blonde. It's here that the blonde gets a call from ol' Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD.

Yes, the blonde is no ordinary bombshell. She's a SHIELD agent. In particular, future West Coast Avenger Barbara "Bobbi" Morse. She's got a briefing to get to. We next switch scenes to a prison, where a man known only as "The Pusher"...yeah, there's only so many cool codenames in the world, is getting taken to his cell. Ka-Zar had busted him in the previous issue. 

The man hears a voice taunting him, saying he's a failure. The Pusher looks at some of the other inmates, but it wasn't any of them. We look in one of said prisoners, a Josh Link. You see, he's half of a set of twins. The Link twins had the classic "Good twin, bad twin" thing going...you can guess which twin Josh was. 

Josh and Damian Link had first appeared in issue 8. The crimebusting cop Damian knocked himself and Josh into an electro chamber. The rays of the chamber mutated the Link brothers, giving them a sort of psychic link. Josh's gang rescued him, but tried to kill him. Josh's spirit seemed to call out to Damian...and Damian sensed him coming. He was able to save his brother, noting that he was much faster and stronger than a normal person. 

Josh Link has figured out how to control this power, and it's unlikely he plans to use it in a positive manner. But let's go away from Mr. Link for a while and check in on the SHIELD Helicarrier.

Yeah, this wouldn't be happening under Phil Coulson. He'd have a plan for this. Anyway, Fury asks Ka-Zar and Bobbi to join in on a briefing discussing an attempt at duplication of the Super-Solder Serum that turned the skinny Steve Rogers into Captain America. There has been a new serum made derived from the notes of one Ted Sallis. One of the people at the briefing is one Damien Link, the NYPD's liaison to SHIELD. Link isn't feeling so well, so he goes to lie down. Ka-Zar jungle instincts warn him there's something about this cop.

Link is able to take over Damian's mind and switch to his new supervillain outfit.

This dude would've been a great fit in the Zodiac Cartel. Oh, wait. He was in the Zodiac Cartel! Back with our heroes! Ka-Zar and Nick Fury discuss the need for super-soldiers. Fury says having more super-soldiers like Steve Rogers would be an asset in protecting freedom. Ka-Zar fears that such an action would hasten the beginnings of a war. It's not much of a conversation, but I do like this scene. I think the idea of Ka-Zar being a bit of a philosopher would have helped him stand out from other Tarzan-archetype jungle men. 

Gemini bursts in and steals the serum. Ka-Zar gives chase, nothing the two are about equal in speed. Gemini is stopped by fire from SHIELD Agents. He may be strong and fast, but the villain is not bulletproof. The firing forces him to stand still, stuck in a standoff.

Ka-Zar catches up with the two-in-one villain, but he's able to escape and make his way to a SHIELD jet. The King of the Savage Land hitches a ride by grabbing the plane's landing gear. Gemini is able to land the plane, where he prepares to pass off the new serum to his partner. And who is his partner?

Lord Plunder, aka Ka-Zar's brother. And he's packing a big ol' monster with him!

I enjoyed this story. It's not anything really special, but that doesn't mean it's not good. What I did like was the mentioning of Ted Sallis' work on duplicating the Super-Soldier Serum that would make Steve Rogers into Captain America. I loved that. It really helped show that the Marvel Universe is an interconnected world. That events that happened in one book matter because they can impact events in another book. 

It's why I really hate the idea that continuity is a hamper to tell a good story. To me, that's just an excuse to be lazy. Continuity these days is easier than ever to research. Also, I think being able to tell a good story and respect continuity is not an either/or thing. Look at Kurt Busiek's Avengers run. It used past continuity and told great stories with it. So, yeah. Continuity is not a bad thing, IMO. 

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2016 trade paperback Mockingbird: Bobbi Morse, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get vaccinated! See you next time!