Text Play: Pokémon Xenoverse #37

Hello, and welcome back to the Eldiw region! This is entry number #37 in my Text Play of Pokémon Xenoverse!

Before we begin, I wish to once again thank you all for once again joining me on this journey through this Pokémon fangame over the last three years. I hope every one of you has had a much fun reading and enjoying these Text Plays as I have had making them. Now, as is tradition, I will be warning you, I will be spoiling this game.

As such, I highly recommend that you download the game and play it for yourself before you read these Text Plays. You can do so right here. And with that out of the way, on with the show!

Last time, we made our way through the Hypelion City Gym, getting ready to take on Wallace Daddy, the man of multiple talents. Musical sensation, gym leader, and founder of Hypelion...which did lead me to have questions.

But that's for another time. After grinding up my team, we are now ready to face Wally.

We enter the Hypelion Gym and take the elevator to the Golden Studio. 

You may notice ol' Wally Daddy's assistant Sebastian hanging out right here in front of this door. If you talk to him, he wishes us luck against Wallace. Thanks, bud. We enter the door...

And here we are. It was in this very room that Wally records his music that makes him a sensation here in Eldiw. And hey, it's that Slurpuff X we encountered! Remember that little monster? We discovered he unintentionally poisoned Wally's concert in entry #31. Looks like the little twisted creampuff is doing well. Wally compliments our toughness, but I think he means to compliment our intellect, as we were able to figure out the clues to get through his Gym. Well, I suppose toughness can fit as well, considering we had to do our fair share of battling. He compares himself to a lion, which...is kind of apt. Lions are seen as the "Kings of the Jungle"...even though lions actually live on grasslands and savannahs. Whoops.

Back on topic, he is the unofficial "King of Hypelion" in a way. And as the saying goes, if you go for the king, do not miss. And we don't intend to miss. Let's win this battle!

1st Pokemon: Arbok (Lv. 43) - Defeated by Palossand. Arbok has Subwoofer, which can land critical hits and make Pokemon flinch. Wally used a pair of Hyper Potions.
2nd Pokemon: Noivern (Lv. 45) - Defeated by Harrowk.
3rd Pokemon: Pyroar (Lv. 46) - Defeated by Palossand. Pyroar has Subwoofer as well. 
4th Pokemon: Skravroom (Lv. 44) - Defeated by Trishout.
5th Pokemon: Slurpuff X (Lv. 45) - Defeated Avalugg. Defeated by Xatu.

And with that, Wallce Daddy is beaten, and we got the Beat Badge. That's right! At long last, Badge #6 is ours!

We also get TM21: Subwoofer. 

I admit, I do feel a bit bad for Avalugg. Poor old walking glacier. Gave Slurpuff a good fight, though. Hopefully I'll be able to use it in another Gym battle where it can get a win. He also says he may have a special invite for us for the release of his next record. Well, now that we've beaten Wally, where do we go from here? Well, remember that airport we discovered? Let's try there. If we head to the front door, we have someone special waiting for us.

Hey, it's Alice! We haven't seen her since...that Quasar Express disaster in entry #30. Yeesh.

I am so shocked that we are not in jail for that. Anyway, she was in town because she wanted to see Wallace Daddy's big show...but her work for Aster caused her to miss it. You didn't miss much, Alice. Don't worry about it. We tell her about beating him and getting the Beat Badge. She's not surprised. After all, she knows how good we are.

She's grown stronger, too. And she wants to show much in the classic way: A Pokémon battle. Let's do this.

Trainer Alice
1st Pokemon: Harrowk (Lv. 45) - Defeated by Harrowk.
2nd Pokemon: Pikachu (Lv. 47) - Defeated by Palossand.
3rd Pokemon: Hystearic (Lv. 44) - Defeated by Xatu.
4th Pokemon: Eevee (Lv. 44) - Defeated by Pelipper.

Harrowk is a beast of a Pokémon, and I really have to work on a way to counter it. Alice takes the loss in good humor, as she likes to battle for fun. She can't stay long, so she gives us a goodbye. She leaves, allowing us to enter the airport.

I have to admit, it's a nice little airport. At least, I think so. I also think it's really cool that we get to see an actual airport in a Pokémon game. Yeah, a fangame, but a Pokémon game nonetheless. I think the hologram globe is a pretty cool decoration. It appears to be made of hard light, as I can't walk through it. And evidently, Europe, Asia, and Africa exist in this universe. Eh, why not. A Pokedex entry in Red and Blue mentioned Guyana. Anyway, a nearby sign has a map of the airport, and it is evidently a massive complex. So, let's explore it and talk to some people, starting with this blue-haired kid right nearby.

Yeah, does anyone know what that means? According to Google Translate, he's saying "Excuse me, could you tell me where the station is?" But I don't one-hundred percent trust Google Translate. I would like to be certain.

Nearby, there are two people on a bench. They were enjoying a bit of a shopping spree. It's not as strange as you think. Big airports tend to have lots of shops in them. Heck, I once went to an airport, and it had a bookstore in it. The blonde is named Victoria, and the brunette is named Charlotte. Charlotte was given a bonus gift, but she "didn't like the way it suits [her]." I think this is a bit of a translation goof. I think it would have made more sense if she meant it was something she didn't need, or something she didn't want, or maybe just she just thought it was ugly and is eager to get rid of it. So, they decide that we can have it.

A Silk Scarf is a power-boosting item. It boosts the power of Normal-type attacks. for example, if you have a Pokémon that knows a move like Tackle or Scratch, it can make that move hurt a bit more. If we head upwards from here, we enter the check-in area.

Evidently, Eldiw doesn't need as many security measures as real-life airports. What is cool is that we do get to meet people speaking other languages. And since this game was originally Italian, we naturally meet an Italian tourist.

It's a nice little detail. Google Translate tells me he's saying, "To flights that are too high and sudden the precipices are usually close." Okay. We also meet a tourist from France...or likely Kalos, considering it's modeled on France.

Maybe he's come to Hypelion to record something for Wallace Daddy. In case you're wondering, he's saying (again, according to Google Translate), "It makes it modest to travel: you see what a small place you occupy in the world". I did pick up a little, thanks to my high school French. 

If you talk to the two hostesses behind the counter, they just welcome you to Samuel Oak Airport. Nearby, there's a backpacker who is waiting for the gate for his flight to open. 

He figures a nice Pokémon battle will be a good way to kill some time. You know, I can imagine airports in the Pokémon universe have special areas where traveling Trainers can battle and train their Pokémon.

Backpacker Ridge
1st Pokemon: Scarphasmo (Lv. 43) - Defeated by Phantump with Leech Seed and Phantom Force.

After beating him, he remarks he has to hit the Pokémon Center, and he hopes he doesn't miss his flight as a result. Wait, I do get that there is a Pokémon Center in Hypelion, and it's really not that far away from the airport, but it wouldn't make sense if the airport had its own Pokémon Center? I mean, that would be rather convenient. 

By the way, you see that garbage bin behind Ridge? There are no items in it, don't worry about it. If we go up the nearby stairs, we end up in this upper area where there are a bunch of people sitting around, just presumably waiting for their flights to come. 

This person caught my interest. Just staring at a wall. I talked to her, and she spoke in Spanish. You can't enter the door in the screenshot, so don't bother trying.

And right here, there is another backpacker. And I'm afraid that's where we're going to have to stop for the month. I do apologize for this. Work has been kicking my butt, and I have not had a lot of time to work on this game. Hopefully, next time we'll get through this airport. Wish me luck! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

Hot Chocolate Day

Happy Hot Chocolate Day, everyone!

In my opinion, there is no better drink to enjoy on a cold day than a nice piping hot cup of hot chocolate. It's become a drink associated with the winter. 

Its history is rather intertwined with the history of chocolate itself. The first chocolate drinks were believed to be consumed by the Mayans as early as 500 BC. They were made by grinding cocoa seeds into paste and mixing them with a variety of ingredients like water, cornmeal, and even chili peppers. These chocolate drinks were rather bitter-tasting and cold, as sugar had not come to the Americas. Huh. You'd think the chili peppers would give it some heat.

Europeans' first known contact with chocolate was in 1502, thanks to Columbus on his fourth voyage. What we think of as hot chocolate first rose in the 17th century. It was considered a luxury item at first for the upper classes as cocoa and sugar were very expensive. From there, hot chocolate would spread throughout the world, many places doing their own little twists on the drink.

Hot chocolate has a fascinating history, so I recommend you get yourself some today, and think about the journey it took to get here. Thanks for reading this blog entry! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

Nintendo Switch Online January 2025 Updates

The Mighty Nintendo Switch Online Service marches on! This month, they have added a trio of new games for your enjoyment! Let's look at the trailer!

Fatal Fury 2 - Developed and published by SNK. Released into worldwide arcades in 1992, SNES port released in Japan in 1993, and North America/Europe in 1994. Set one year after the first Fatal Fury, a mysterious nobleman starts a new King of Fighters tournament to get revenge for the death of Geese Howard, the villain of the previous game. This game is notable for the introductions of Kim Kapwhan (The first Korean character and taekwondo practitioner in fighting games) and Mai Shiranui, the pyrokinetic kunoichi who would go on to become one of SNK's mascots, and one of video games' major sex symbols. The arcade version was highly praised, and the SNES port got mixed to positive reviews.

Super Ninja Boy - Developed and published by Culture Brain. Released in Japan in 1991, North America in 1993. Part of the Super Chinese series, this game focuses on a pair of ninjas named Jack and Ryu as they fight to save their home of "Chinaland" (Yes, that's what it's called) in this action RPG. It's a sequel to the 1989 NES game Little Ninja Brothers. Most of the Super Chinese games were never officially released in North America. Also, in the original Japanese versions, Jack and Ryu were kung fu practitioners, fitting for the Chinese-based setting. They were changed to ninjas for marketing in North America. In Japan, this game was known as Super Chinese World.

Sutte Hakkun - Developed by Indieszero and Nintendo R&D2 and published by Nintendo. Released originally only in Japan in 1997. It was broadcast on the Super Famicom (the Japanese SNES) add-on known as the Satellaview, only released in Japan. A side-scrolling action puzzle game, you play as a being called Hakkun, who must collect shards of a rainbow on each level. This game was one of the most popular games for the Satellaview thanks to its user-friendly tutorial and intricate puzzles. This is the first time the game has come to North America...officially. This game got a fan translation in 2017, and in 2020, the Nintendo Gigaleak revealed ROMs for unreleased ports of the game for the Game Boy and Game Boy Color.

I have to say, it's an interesting trio of games we got here. They cover a variety of genres, and we get a game that never left the Land of the Rising Sun. That's really neat. I think I'm going to have to re-subscribe to NSO to play Fatal Fury 2...even though I suck at fighting games. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!  

Lunar New Year

Happy Lunar New Year!

Lunar New Year, aka the Spring Festival, is the Chinese New Year. Every year is associated with an animal in the Chinese Zodiac. For example, 2025 is the year of the Snake. 

The beginning of the Chinese New Year is celebrated on the new moon that occurs between January 21 and February 20. This is meant to mark the end of winter and the beginning of spring. This holiday is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture. It's also celebrated in other places that have Chinese populations, like in the United States. 

All-Star Superman #1 (January 2006)

In 2005, DC Comics started an imprint known as "All-Star". The goal of the All-Star imprint was to pair DC's characters with top-tier writers and artists, allowing them to tell their own stories with the World's Greatest Superheroes without being beholden to the continuity of much of DC's mainline superhero comic books. It had been compared to the original Ultimate Marvel universe, but the All-Star stuff was not all meant to be a part of any sort of shared universe, just creators all doing their own thing.

All-Star was essentially a bust, with several announced titles never getting released. Only two made it to comic shelves: All-Star Superman, and All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder. The Batman book is still unfinished as of January 2025 and was met with a lot of critical scorn. However, All-Star Superman...was the opposite. It garnered much critical praise.

All-Star Superman came about because of a pitch by Scottish writer Grant Morrison. Inspired by a "shamanistic" encounter with a Superman cosplayer, this miniseries also incorporated some ideas from a rejected revamp of the Man of Steel that Morrison proposed called "Superman Now". Morrison's goal with this miniseries was to make Superman as accessible as possible to comic readers. Did they (alongside artist Frank Quitely) do the job? Let's find out in All-Star Superman #1!

The cover is a Frank Quitely and Jamie Grant piece. It's very nice. It depicts Superman just sitting on a snowy...hill? Mountain? A snowy high place just enjoying the sunset. Or sunrise. He looks at the reader as if he wants to enjoy some pleasant conversation about how beautiful the sun is. The cover was Morrison's idea (inspired by the Superman cosplayer encounter I mentioned earlier), as they felt that a being as powerful as Superman with his personality would just be rather chill. If you're almost completely invincible, then you can afford to just relax and enjoy things. It's certainly a unique cover, I'll give it that.

"...Faster..."
Writer: Grant Morrison
Penciler: Frank Quitely
Inker: Jamie Grant
Colorist: Jamie Grant
Letterer: Phil Balsman
Editors: Bob Shreck, Brandon Montclare
Executive Editor: Dan DiDio

The story begins with a four-panel retelling of the Man of Steel's origins. The basics, really. Superman, last survivor of Krypton, crashes on Earth, found by the Kents, yada yada yada.

Right. The story actually begins near Sol, our Earth's sun. A crew of astronauts on board a ship called the Ray Bradbury are working to collect samples of the Sun itself. Yeah, a bunch of astronauts right near a gigantic star full of gravity and radiation.

Murphy (of Murphy's Law fame) is clearly in a bad mood, because something does go wrong.

The ship is falling into a sunspot the size of South America. And on top of that, Murphy seems to be teaming up with Lex Luthor, as one of the astronauts is revealed to be a living suicide bomb. Naturally, our man Superman is flying to the rescue. There is worry about how he'll be affected by being so close to the Sun, despite it being the source of his power. 

Back at the Daily Planet, Lois Lane is typing up an article about Superman rescuing the astronauts, even though no one is sure if he has even succeeded yet. Perry White has called a meeting, and the Planet is about to print an expose on Lex Luthor. You see, Luthor has claimed that he has reformed. And since he is a rich and powerful man, people believe it...despite his damming rivers and investing in water, so he can profit from a water shortage. 

Yeah, this is much more plausible than you think. I'm surprised Luthor doesn't have weird fanboys sending death threats to the Planet, screaming they're just jealous of him. 

In an unknown location, Luthor is virtually guiding his living suicide bomb. General Sam Lane comes in and wants to talk to him. He tells Luthor that the government freed him so he could work for America. Luthor is well aware of that. He tried to be a model citizen, but here's the thing. Three months earlier, he looked in a mirror. He saw the crow's feet forming around his eyes, and it gave him a revelation: He's getting older...and Superman is seemingly not. Faced with this idea that the one person he hates most on the planet will likely outlive him, and not even show any visible signs of aging the whole time...Luthor's become more hellbent than ever on his goal to kill the Man of Steel. Say, this is supposed to be Superman's book, right? Where's he at?

"I'm here to OHMYGODPUTYOURCLOTHESBACKON!"

There he is! He's made his way to the ship and tackled the living bomb. The bomb screams that Superman has no right to prevent him from completing his purpose, his reason for existing. Superman is like, "You're right. I'm going to help you, but Mr. Quintum just has to open the hatch". Once the two are out of the ship, Superman then blasts the living bomb into the Sun...with a strange new form of vision. 

"Behold! ELECTRO VISION!"

Superman is able to get the solar explorers to safety by manifesting another new power: extending his own bioelectrical field to pull them away from the Sun. Later, Dr. Quintum exhaustively tests the Man of Steel. There is good news. Superman appears to have become more powerful than ever, strong enough to press 200 quintillion tons. Keep this in mind: A quintillion is the equivalent of a million trillions, and a trillion is composed of 1 million millions. Now multiply that by 200. Yeah, Superman is able to press a lot of weight.

However, there's some bad news. You see, when Superman went to the sun, he absorbed a lot of solar radiation. "No problem", you may think. "Superman's powered by solar radiation, right?" Well, yes. The thing is, even his body can only process so much. His cells are so saturated by solar radiation they are bursting. Like balloons when you overinflate them. The Metropolis Marvel...is dying.

Quintum explains that he was inspired by Superman to start the DNA P.R.O.J.E.C.T. (Yes, it's an acronym), a way to create superhumans in case something happened to Superman. He promises to find a way to save the Man of Tomorrow, or failing that, create something that can take up the task of protecting the world when he's gone. Superman, ever the optimist, thinks there's always a way out. He wants his condition kept quiet for now. He has some business to take care of first. 

Back at the Daily Planet, Perry White is on the verge of firing Clark Kent. If he doesn't show his face in the next five seconds. But that's nothing for our man. Elsewhere, Lex is getting arrested. In an epilogue, Lois Lane and Clark are heading for her apartment. Ever the nice guy, Clark carries her groceries for her. Lois notes that Lex could get the electric chair. Clark asks her if she thinks about death, what she would do if she knew she was dying. Lois thinks Clark is being morbid. As they head for her apartment, Clark says he has something to tell her. The story ends with him opening his shirt, revealing his Superman costume, and Lois dropping her groceries. 

This was really good. Morrison's love of the character shines in this comic. They clearly are fond of the Metropolis Marvel and his corner of the DC Universe. This series is heavily influenced by the Silver Age, but there are aspects of post-Silver Age Superman, like Steve Lombard from the Bronze Age, and this universe's version of Project Cadmus, which was from the Post-Crisis Superman mythos. Luthor's reason to kill Superman here is hilariously petty, which fits modern Luthor. He really can't stand the idea of Superman out-living him. It's very Silver Age.

I have to admit, I have always rather...mixed view of Frank Quitely's artwork. He's not my favorite artist. He's not bad, don't get me wrong. He's got a strong sense of storytelling. And one thing I do love is how he draws Clark Kent compared to Superman. Helps give more plausibility as to how people can believe that Clark Kent and Superman are not the same person. It isn't just putting on a suit, slicking his hair back, and wearing glasses. For me, the thing that I never liked about Quitely is how he draws people. People drawn by him always look a bit...uncanny valley to me, for a lack of better term. They always look...off to me. Like animatronics trying to imitate actual people rather than actual people. It's something that always stuck in the back of my mind when reading this. 

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2011 trade paperback All-Star Superman. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time.

National Pie Day

Happy National Pie Day!

Not to be confused with Pi Day, National Pie Day is about celebrating the fluffy flaky treat known as the pie. This day was created in the 1970s by Armenian-American author and brewer Charles N. Papazian. He chose this day as it is his birthday. Happy Birthday, Chuck!

This day has also been sponsored by the American Pie Council since 1986. So, what's the deal with pies, huh? Well, pies can be pretty versatile. You can fill them with fruit, custard, nuts, meat, veggies...you can make a pie out of just about anything.

The first known usage of the word "pie" appeared in 1303, on expense account records from an English church known as the Bolton Priory. The origins of the word "pie" aren't really known, but one possibility is from the species of bird known as the magpie. This is because medieval pies could have all sorts of animal meats in them and magpies are known for collecting odds and ends in their nests. 

Pies have a much longer history than that, dating all the way back to antiquity. Evidence of early pies called galettes could be found on the walls of the tomb of the Egyptian king Ramesses II. A tablet from Sumer was shown to have a recipe for chicken pie in it.

Another ancestor of the modern pie was the placenta cake, which more resembled a modern cheesecake. The Romans also made pastries of goat's cheese and honey. In the 15th century, pies with fruit and custard began appearing more. Pumpkin pie would grow popular in 18th century England, and from there, would also become a favorite of American colonists. In America, apple pies became popular thanks to apples being easy to dry and store over the winter. Apple pies would end up becoming a dish associated with the United States. "As American as apple pie!"

Different regions of the US would have favorite pies, like the Northern states favoring maple syrup, the South loving sweet potato pie, and cheese and cream pies being the apple of the eye of the Midwest.

Pies in the United States would decrease in popularity due to health concerns and the migration of women into the workforce. But they would rebound in the 1950s thanks to the creation of things like frozen ready-made crusts, Cool Whip topping, Jello, and instant pudding mixes making pies less labor-intensive. 

So, yeah. The pie has a long and fascinating history. Enjoy some today! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! See you next time!

Squirrel Appreciation Day

Today is Squirrel Appreciation Day!

How did this day come about, you may ask? Well, you can thank wildlife rehabilitation specialist Christy Hargrove. Hargrove coined the day in 2001 for the purpose of promoting kindness towards these critters. 

Squirrels can be seen as nuisances and pests, but they actually can help with reforestation. You see, squirrels have a habit of burying nuts to keep hidden from others so they can grab them later because, well...they get hungry. Thing is, like with people occasionally forgetting where they place things, squirrels can forget about the nuts they bury. And those nuts...can end up growing into trees. Yeah, squirrels can help with reforestation, albeit indirectly. 

Before the 1800s, squirrels weren't really seen in urban areas. In 1847, squirrels were introduced into Philadelphia's Franklin Square. The experiment ended in the 1860s as many squirrels had passed away or were killed out of fear they'd disrupt birds. Despite that, in the 1870s, the introductions returned as many major cities had expansive parks that could serve as habitats.

So, yeah. Squirrels are neat. Thanks for reading this blog entry!

Martin Luther King Day

 Today is Martin Luther King Day!

Martin Luther King Day, or MLK Day for short, is a federal holiday that is celebrated on the third Monday of every January. 2024's MLK Day is special because it falls right on the man's birthday himself: January 15. Yup, he was born on this day in 1929. 

Now, how did this day come about, you may ask? Well, it first came about thanks to labor unions, believe it or not. King is most known for promoting non-violent activism when it comes to civil rights, but he also campaigned for labor rights as in his lifetime. These campaigns began after King was assassinated in 1968. A bill to make his birthday a holiday first came to the Congress floor for a vote in 1979. This bill was proposed by Senator Edward Brooke (R-Massachusetts) and Representative John Conyers (D-Michigan). However, this bill didn't get enough votes to pass into the Senate. 

The campaign to make MLK's birthday a national holiday would continue on for decades. Stevie Wonder released the song "Happy Birthday" to help popularize the movement. A petition sent to Congress to pass a law making MLK's birthday a holiday got six million signatures. 

President Ronald Reagan originally opposed the idea, citing cost concerns. In 1983, he signed a bill into law making MLK's birthday into a federal holiday. The bill that made this happen was proposed by Representative Katie Hall (D-Indiana). Appropriately enough, she was the first Black woman from Indiana to be elected to the House of Representatives. The new law would take effect in 1986.

Despite this, several states didn't celebrate the day at the state level. It wouldn't be until 2000 that every state celebrated an MLK Day. 

If you want to learn more about the history of MLK Day, you can read more here. Thanks for reading this blog entry! See you next time!

World Snow Day

Punisher War Journal #9 (October 1989)

Frank Castle is a man who is often seen as an outlier within the Marvel Universe. It's not hard to see why. After all, the man isn't called "The Punisher" for being a cuddly, friendly guy. Even though ol' Frankie tends to stick to his own little corners of the Marvel Universe that tend to stay in the mundane, he will occasionally find himself being involved in the some of the more fantastical parts of the MU. Which makes sense. After all, his first appearance had him cross paths with Marvel's resident mascot: Peter Parker, the original Spider-Man. 

The comic we're looking at here is one of those occasions. Ol' Frankie was riding a wave of popularity in the late 1980s, being one of the few solo characters that supported multiple books. The other, ironically enough, was his first superhuman sparring partner: Spider-Man. This story also tied into a miniseries called Shadowmasters, which focused on a group of ninjas. Again, the 1980s. Daredevil had to put with ninjas, why not Frank Castle as well? This is Punisher War Journal #9!  

The cover is a Jim Lee piece. I think it's really cool. It depicts Frank trapped in a spider's web, struggling against a giant Black Widow spider wearing a red wig. It's like a poster you see in a theater promoting a horror movie. A box on the cover says it's "Dreamtime with the Black Widow". I can imagine that for a lot of fans, this is not their idea how a "Dreamtime" with the Black Widow would go. 😈 But in all seriousness, this is a cool cover.

"Guilt Trip"
Writer: Carl Potts
Penciler: Jim Lee
Colorist: Gregory Wright
Inker: Jim Lee
Letterer: Jim Novak
Editors: Kelly Corvese, Don Daley
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story begins with Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, swinging over New York City. She agreed to help her old friend/ex-paramour Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil with something. As she swings, she wonders why she did this. After all, she's an espionage agent. She's supposed to be cold, caring only about the mission. Attachments, even long-running ones are dangerous for her business. But her turn at playing Byronic hero will have to be tabled for the moment, as a group of criminals try and break into an apartment.

The Black Widow may see herself as a cold woman, but even she can't ignore something like this. She swings towards the apartment's skylight. Being a skilled hand-to-hand combatant as well as packing her Widow's Bite gauntlets, she is easily able to take care of the robbers and leave them tied up for the cops. With that, the Widow swings on her way. Over at her destination, a woman named Yuriko is fighting a man in an armored suit. The suited man tumbles to the ground like a rock dropped from a high place. The helmet shatters, revealing the wearer's face. And Miss Yuriko is horrified by the reveal. 

An old man tells them their cover is blown, and they need to get the heck out of there. 

He's accompanied by three other people: Yuriko, a blond man named Phillip (whose hair is colored as black in the book, it's supposed to be blond, trust me), and a fat sumo-like man named Manzo. As they flee, another man in a similar power armor attacks them. However, they get saved by a certain skull-wearing vigilante. After all, it is his book. The Punisher's Battle Van seemingly manages to bring down this power-armored man. Seemingly, as in he just gets right back up.

The power armor punches its way into the Battle Van, but Frank is able to bring the big metal monster down. In the process, the helmet is blasted away. And much to Yuriko's horror, the operator also has the face of her deceased father. She then faints, presumably due to her injuries from the battle earlier. The old man tells Phillip and Manzo to distract the armored man while he tends to Frank and Yuriko. While the two do so, the old man enters Frank's and Yuriko's minds. 

It's here we get a recap of Frank's origins, but we also get a recap of Yuriko's history as told in the Shadowmasters miniseries. It shows that the two are pretty similar. They both lost family due to violence and sought vengeance. Both driven by guilt over their inability to save their loved ones, but whereas Frank was turned into the Punisher, Yuriko was tormented into helplessness by hers. This is observed by the Black Widow.

The old man briefly notices Nat, but then goes back to his journey through Frank and Yuri's minds. In the mindscape, a large spider appears, the narration noting that appearances can be deceiving, and saviors can come in strange forms.

Yuriko is able to dispatch the armored man with an impact grenade. The group spot Natasha, but Frank assures her she's one of the good guys in his own way. Another power armor comes from the park, but Nat is able to dispatch it. The Shadowasters thank Frank for the help and tell him they'll meet again. Frank and Nat have a terse exchange. The story ends with Nat swinging away, advising him to get out of there. The cops are coming.

I did enjoy this comic, although that was because I had also read the Shadowmasters miniseries beforehand. Thanks to that, I didn't feel lost or confused about what was going on. I did appreciate the flashback from the old man, though. I do wish that we got to see Natasha interact with Frank and the Shadowasters more. The beginning gave her heavy focus, setting up the idea that she would play a major role. She was helpful in the battle, but it seemed like after the beginning, she was in general an afterthought. Considering her monologue in the beginning, I can imagine that she'd be more open and understanding of Frank's way of cleaning up the streets than Matt's. Would have liked that explored a bit.

This is early Jim Lee, so I admit, I was surprised to see this was his work. It wasn't quite as recognizable as it is nowadays. But upon closer inspection, you do start to see some of the hallmarks, mainly in his faces. 

If you want to read this story for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2018 trade paperback The Punisher: Shadowmasters. Thanks for reading this blog entry!

Daredevil: Born Again Trailer, My Thoughts

You just can't keep the Devil down. Especially if that Devil is named Matthew Murdock. And it was true for his Marvel Cinematic Universe counterpart. From 2015-2018, Daredevil got his own show on Netflix, produced by Marvel Television. The series would start a whole sub-universe within the MCU that focused on several street-level characters: The Punisher, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist, which led to the Defenders miniseries. 

The show would develop a passionate fanbase, who hoped the series would be revived in some form after it was cancelled by Netflix. Charlie Cox, who played Daredevil in the original series, would reprise the role in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and cameo in Echo and Spider-Man: No Way Home. Vincent D'Onofrio would also reprise his role as Wilson Fisk in Hawkeye and Echo.

In March 2022, it was announced a continuation was in development. It went through changes and revamps, as series do, and filming got suspended by the 2023 Writer's Guild Strike. Cox and D'Onofrio are returning in their roles, but so are Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page, Elden Hensen as Franklin "Foggy" Nelson, and Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/The Punisher. Let's look at the trailer!

Fisk: "You know, this...this is actually nice. The two of us, sitting here...shooting the breeze, enjoying some coffee (good coffee by the way)...we should do this more often."
Matt: "Yeah. We should."

Looks like we are getting a nod to the era in which Fisk became Mayor of New York City after the events of Secret Empire.

I imagine this is set after Daredevil's appearances in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and Kingpin's appearance during the events of Echo, considering how that miniseries ended. 

I can imagine that ol' Rich just threw a bit of money around...and a bit of muscle. And that's why Matt is understandably skeptical of Fisk seemingly having changed.

"A line was crossed." My guess is that Daredevil killed someone. And nice little detail with the missing horn in his helmet forming a "D".

Fisk raises something interesting here. He claims that he and Matt are naturally violent men. However, I can also see that he is looking at Matt through the lens of his own ego. Fisk is himself a violent man at his core, but I can imagine that one of Born Again's themes is that even though Richard and Matt may seem similar in that aspect, they are actually very different. 

Introducing the newest supervillain tam sensation: The Rainbow Mask Gang!

The Daredevil theme in church organ is awesome. Very foreboding.

Matt in the club. 

Oh God...that dude on the white mask with the black beanie...that's Muse. He was an Inhuman serial killer who was, as the Jack Nicholson Joker would describe himself, a "homicidal artist", although I think they'll erase his Inhumanity like they did to Kamala Khan.

Frank Castle: YOU'RE ONE OF THEM! YOU'RE ONE OF THOSE COCAINE BEARS!

White Tiger!

Ooh, that guy is never going to walk normally ever again.

I just love that he has his own little Devilcave with all the different masks.