All-Star Superman #4 (July 2006)

It's that time again! It's time to look in on the last days of Superman! Last time, we saw Lois and Clark enjoying a super-date that also saw the Man of Steel engage in an adventure with a pair of mythological powerhouses. So, what happens next? What is the next adventure for the Man of Tomorrow? Let's find out in All-Star Superman #4! 

The cover is a Frank Quitely and Jamie Grant piece. It's really cool. It depicts Jimmy Olsen running for his life from what appears to be an evil Superman. The dialogue on the cover is very much a take on classic Silver Age covers. It fits this miniseries perfectly.

"The Superman/Olsen War..."
Writer: Grant Morrison
Penciler: Frank Quitely
Inker: Jamie Grant
Colorist: Jamie Grant
Letterer: Phil Balsman
Editors: Brandon Montclare, Bob Schreck
Executive Editor: Dan DiDio

The story begins with Lucy Lane, Lois Lane's younger sister, reading a newspaper in Jimmy Olsen's apartment. And she basically declares that she is done with Jimmy. He's been declared the "Worst Dressed Man in Metropolis" for the second year in the row. To be fair to the guy, he claims those awards were given to him because of looks that were out of context. After all, he was in Medieval England and competing in the Homeless Olympics those years. Got a bronze and everything.

I hope Jimmy was stripped of that medal. He has a home! WHY WAS HE THERE?! THE IOC IS FRIGGIN' CORRUPT, MAN!

Anyway, Lucy has been asked by the space pilot Rock Hansom (who likely is handsome) to be his plus one for the premiere of Frankenstein on Ice. Yeah, the critics called it "Frankenstinker on Ice". Jimmy wonders why he gets called "Worst Dressed Man".

This is why people write those fanfics about you and Superman, Jimmy.

At the Daily Planet, Jimmy gives Perry White a proposal on his next "For a Day" piece. He's going to be the head of P.R.O.J.E.C.T. for a day (This world's version of Project Cadmus. We met them in issue #1). At the project, Leo Quintum introduces Jimmy to the Electrokind.

Leo Quintum learned the hard way they were trying to mug him.

The Electrokind are gaseous beings with exoskeletons of glass, found by Superman when their lightship crashed into one of Saturn's rings. They communicate with light, their greetings potentially blinding to a human. They've invited him to visit their homeworld. As such, Quintum lets Jimmy run the place for a day. He's also a fan of Jimmy's columns. With that, Jimmy dons Quintum's colorful coat, and the place is his.

During the tour of the P.R.O.J.E.C.T., Jimmy sees a door marked "Do Not Open Until Doomsday". It contains an experimental stem-cell accelerator that make a soldier into an unstoppable super-soldier, a legacy from P.R.O.J.E.C.T.'s origins as the US Army's Cadmus Division. Remember this room.

He is next taken to a room that is exploring a superheavy gravity well located beneath the structure of the universe as we know it. Gravity is so dense there that time becomes solid. Yeah, imagine being able to hold time in your hand like an ice cube. That's some crazy stuff, man. Morrison have been taking the good drugs when they wrote this.

Anyway, as is typical of a superhero story, a disaster occurs, and Jimmy is left hanging for his life.

She's called "Queen of the Roma", Jimmy!

Good thing he has his signal watch. So, where is the title character of this comic, hmm? Well, he's in Perry White's office. And White is quite fond of Clark's journalism skills.

"This article on the Kitten Bowl is fine work, Clark!"

Superman hears Jimmy's watch and flies out to help. He's able to save Jimmy and bring up the thing causing the disaster. 

"This had better not be some alien turd."

It's a piece of Kryptonite that likely ended up buried in the "Underverse" for years. It's caused the typically green or red rock to become black in color. Jimmy is understandably nervous about this. Kryptonite radiation was one of the only things that can kill the Metropolis Marvel. Emphasis on was. Superman also remarks that he can't feel anything from the new Black Kryptonite. As far as they know, it's just an inert oversized pebble now.

Superman carves his symbol into the table with his...finger? heat vision? the art isn't clear. The Man of Tomorrow starts grumbling about Jimmy getting himself into trouble all the time. Jimmy realizes the rock did have an effect: it's made Superman go bad.

And now that he's gone bad, Superman decides that maybe it's time he should wreck stuff and conquer the world. So, he proceeds to go do that. 

Superman helped create three defenses against him in case something like this happens. The first was an unseen Kryptonite-based weapon. But that's useless now. The second is a space-based Phantom Zone Cannon. Thing is, if they put Superman in the Zone, he's never getting out. Jimmy points out the third. Remember that door that said "Do Not Open Until Doomsday"? Yup, Chekhov brought out the gun, and now it's getting fired. Superman made his way to Metropolis.

"BAD SUPERMAN AM GOT LOIS PRETTY NEW CAR."

Yeah, he's now also starting to talk like Bizarro. Jimmy confronts him. Agatha, Quintum's assistant, warns Jimmy that the Doomsday weapon is too dangerous. It could stop Superman, but it could also destroy Jimmy. He takes the chance, grabs the syringe gun, and injects himself with Doomsday.

Jimmy Olsen's newest form: Naked Spike Monster.

Yup, this is the All-Star Superman-verse's version of Doomsday. The two end up brawling, Superman sounding more Bizarro-like in his speech and seemingly growing weaker. The Doomsday-ified Jimmy stalks towards the downed Metropolis Marvel, who is whimpering that he's scared and he can't die. Jimmy's Superman signal watch starts beeping, seemingly knocking some sense into Jimmy as well. He holds the downed Superman as he changed back to human form. Nearby, he sees a pair of men and demands they do not let anyone see Superman in this state. 

The two men thank him and Superman for saving them from Doomsday, seemingly unaware that Jimmy was Doomsday. It also turns out that they're the producers of Frankenstein on Ice, and they give the roving reporter two VIP tickets for the show.

Later, Jimmy is recovering. He'll be fine, but he laments he has nothing for his column as he has to keep this madness on the down-low. The Black Kryptonite is safely locked away in a lead-lined box. Jimmy noticed that under the influence of Black K, Superman got weaker the worse he acted. It was like his very power was rebelling against his new darker nature. He was being everything that at his core, Superman is not: a bully and a coward. Either way, Superman is grateful the crisis is over and he appreciates Jimmy's help. Agatha remarks that his little stint as "Director for a Day" cost the PROJECT the whole year's budget. Jimmy doesn't believe that, as being the master hacker he is, he discovered that the amount of money in their Zurich bank account is an infinity symbol.

Jimmy still has ten minutes left as Director of PROJECT, so he has a couple of last requests. Later that night, Jimmy finds Lucy at his apartment. Evidently, she no longer has a date to Frankenstein on Ice. That's because Rock Hansom decided to be a greedy idiot and sell some Martian rocks on eBay. 

Luckily, Jimmy still has his tickets, and he has a special message for Lucy on the Moon.

"You should see what I did to Mars!"

Don't worry, it's only temporary. The story ends with Lucy telling Jimmy to get over here, because she wants to give him some smooches!

This was a fun comic. I do like this universe's take on Doomsday, and seeing some of the wonders of the PROJECT was really cool. It's clear the PROJECT is just Grant Morrison's imagination letting loose a bit. I would love to see more of the Electrokind. I want to learn more about their culture. The fight between the Black K-affected Superman and Jimmy was really cool. I liked the idea that Superman in this state grew weaker as he got worse, implying the idea that Superman's power is tied to his kind and good nature, a subtle bit of foreshadowing. 

I have said this before, and I will say it again about Frank Quitely's art. I don't hate it, but it does have that "uncanny valley" quality that always makes it look very "off" to me. That's really about it.

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!

World Aquatic Animal Day

Today is World Aquatic Animal Day!

This day is meant to celebrate animals that live in the water in general. From the tiniest plankton to the mightiest blue whale. Aquatic animals are very diverse. They are vertebrates and invertebrates. They can breathe in the water or air. They can come in a variety of forms. 

This day was created in 2010 by the Animal Law Clinic at the Lewis & Clark Animal Law School in Portland, Oregon. They created this day to promote the protection of marine life. Marine life does face its fair share of threats, from overhunting to global warming. Marine biodiversity is very important for things like helping maintain water quality and even food security. 

If you want to learn more about this day, you can do so here and here. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

11th Anniversary

On this day, 11 years ago, I started this here little blog.

Since then, I have used this blog to express my thoughts on various topics related to things I like, like video games, movies, and comic books. I have written Text Plays on various Pokémon fangames, and I've even written a couple of short stories on here. 

I have only two words I want to say to all of you that have been regular readers of this blog: Thank You. Thank you so much for enjoying my silly quiet little corner of the Internet. I hope you have all enjoyed my little blog entries, and I also hope you all continue to do so in the future. Here's to another 11 years! Rock on!

Gradius ORIGINS Announcement Trailer, My Thoughts

In 1981, Konami developed the side-scrolling shooting game Scramble. This game was Konami's first major hit, and it was a rather important game. This game was the first shooter with forced scrolling (meaning the game forced you to move forward), and distinct levels. It would also pave the way for one of the most iconic side-scrolling series of games of all time: Gradius. In fact, the first Gradius game was intended to be a sequel to Scramble. It's why Konami considers Scramble the spiritual predecessor to Gradius. 

Gradius pioneered the "power-up bar". Whereas in other shooters, the player can pick up a variety of power-ups that have different effects, the Gradius has only one power-up item. By picking up a certain number of these items, the player can choose the effect from a bar on the bottom of the screen. Later games (starting with Gradius III) would allow the player to choose what combination of effects before starting the game. 

Over the decades, the series would make its way out of arcades and into various home consoles and computers. It would also get spin-offs, most famously Salamander (If you ever played the NES game Life Force, that was the first Salamander).

It has been announced that a collection of the early Gradius games is in the works for the Nintendo Switch. This collection contains the first three mainline Gradius games, the first two Salamander games, as well as Life Force. And it has a special surprise. Let's look at the trailer!

That music is awesome!

M2? Yeah, they're the guys behind those Sega Ages ports of old Sega games. I have their ports of the first Phantasy Star and the first two Sonic games they did on my Switch. They're great ports of fun games.

They also did the "3D Classics" Sega game ports for the 3DS back in the day.

A third Salamander game?! Neat! And it looks really cool!

It's insane how many versions some of these games have. It would be neat to see the differences, though. And I'll get to play Life Force on my Switch. I have it on my 3DS. I am wondering why the SNES version of Gradius III isn't included, though.

A rewind feature is only welcome in this house. As well as an easy mode. I like easy modes.

A training mode, too? They're really going all out to make the games more welcoming to people. That's a good thing.

Well, this looks like another great addition to my Switch library. I am a bit familiar with the Gradius series, thanks to having Life Force on my 3DS, and also having Gradius Galaxies on my GBA. As such, I am excited for this. I'm looking forward to playing some of these 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! 

April Fools' Day

 Happy April Fools' Day,  everyone!

April Fools' Day is the day of jokes and pranks. The exact origin of this holiday is unknown, but one theory is that it may be linked to Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. One of these tales is of a rooster that got tricked by a fox. It was believed the fox tricked the rooster on April 1. 

Regardless, I hope you had a good day today, and managed to avoid getting pranked too badly.

Text Play: Pokémon Xenoverse #39

Hello, and welcome back to the Eldiw region! This is entry number 39 in my Text Play of Pokémon Xenoverse! 

As is tradition, I want to warn you all I will be spoiling this game.

As such, I very strongly recommend that you download the game and play through it yourself before reading these Text Plays. You may download it here. And with that out of the way, on with the show!

Last time, we explored the Samuel Oak Airport, a large transportation hub where we got to meet various people from around the world. So, with that out of the way, where do we go next from here? 🤔

Well, back in the airport, one lady remarked that she captured a Bulbasaur at a place called the Cluster Jungle. Said jungle's entrance is literally right next to the tarmac, so let's explore that place. Before we go, we should make sure we have plenty of supplies. Potions, PokéBalls, and the like. 

After all, we're going to a jungle. Rather have tons of Potions and Antidotes that end up not being needed than needing a healing item and not having them.

Once we are ready, we go to the left side of the tarmac, where there is a bridge that leads into the Jungle itself.

I do kind of find it funny that there is a jungle right next to an airport. Anyway, the sign just warns us that if we run in tall grass, we'll encounter Pokémon more often. Well, yeah. Let's go into the jungle!

This jungle is rather neat, I'll give it that. I can imagine a jungle like this would be hot and muggy. 🥵 I hate humidity. I hate it so much. If you look around, you can spot an Item Box near a log.

The box contains a Revival Herb. If we go to the river, there is a sign with what looks like a Croconaw on it. When you go up to the river's edge, we hear someone screaming at us to get out of the way.

Do what they say! Do what they say!

Why didn't we get out of the way?!

Feral Kid here is confused by our presence, as he's presumably never seen a "citizen" before in the jungle. I'm guessing he means a city-dweller. I can imagine he's seen his fair share of Pokémon trainers here. He whispers to his Decidueye that he can use us to spite his father. Hey, kid. I can hear you. 

He decides to play the helpful guide, asking us if we're lost and all that. Well, not really, considering we just walked into this here jungle. I'll play along, just so I can tell on the brat to his father. 

I tell him we're on the way to Dorado Village. I find the name appropriate, yet odd. I get the name is referencing the legendary city of El Dorado (the mythical South American city of gold, the name meaning "The Golden One" in Spanish...at least, according to Google Translate), but it doesn't really fit the theme of stellar references. Anyway, we need to cross the stream to get there. Luckily, Feral Kid has a friend to help with that. If you're thinking his friend is a boat, then you are wrong. 

It's likely a Pokémon. Thing is, this Pokémon will only help those who defeat it and Feral Kid here in battle. Let's do this.

(Wild) Boy
1st Pokemon: Decidueye (Lv. 45) - Defeated by Harrowk

He used Decidueye to test us. Wanting to keep us quiet, Feral Kid here decides to summon his friend.

I wonder if that's a shiny Feraligatr or some kind of regional variant. Anyway, this guy can carry us on the stream to Dorado Village. He's one of the many wild Pokemon that Feral Kid here has befriended in the Cluster Jungle. He assures us that this Feraligatr is a big softie, and they can swim through rapids easily. He also points out that the signpost is a way of summoning it. I can imagine that people in Dorado Village train multiple Feraligatr as a way to get around in the Jungle. Feral Kid and Decidueye head out. Before he leaves, he gives us his name: Ruta. Is this a nod to rutabaga? 

When we call Feraligatr, we have two options, straight to the Dorado Village, or further into the Jungle. I'm choosing to go straight to the Village. I want to explore it, and we can always check out the Jungle later on.  

We get a cute short animation of Feraligatr taking us down the river. While there, we pass by another path ending with a summoning sign. That's presumably where this big croc will take us if we decide to explore the jungle further. And we have arrived at the entrance to Dorado Village. 

Alright, a jungle village. That's something unique. That's part of the fun of fangames. Let's go see Dorado Village.

It's a very nice little place. Very peaceful. I can imagine myself visiting here if I need a break from the hustle and bustle of city life. You see those stairs near the entrance? You go up them, and you'll see this guy.

Hey, an Alolan Exeggutor. Must have been brought in. Based on all the shadows from presumably the treetops, I can't imagine an Exeggutor getting enough sunlight to grow into this form on its own. The native standing next to the Pokemon reveals that the soils aren't nutrient-rich enough for him anymore. Yeah, he was clearly brought in. And he's clearly never seen an Alolan Exeggutor if he didn't expect this. This is an opportunity for a trade. If we have the "classic-style Exeggutor", basically one that looks like this...

We can trade it for this Alolan Exeggutor. I have never written the word "Exeggutor" this much before. Unfortunately, we don't have one. I know we don't even have an Exeggcute right now. Sorry, pal. Looks like you're stuck with that Alolan Exeggutor for a little while longer. If we go upwards from here, we see these two houses.

I think they're intended to be huts. Anyway, the one on the left appears to be an ordinary home. 

Yup. Talking to the people inside confirms it. The old lady makes a philosophical point about there not being sunshine without rain. However, if you talked to the masked guy inside, he remarks that someone left behind an item at the Shyleon Temple. It's a Pincer Update.

The Pincer Update allows the usage of the Pokémon Transfer system to evolve Scyther into Scizor. He warns to avoid exploring the temple, as it's tempting fate. It's then that I realized something. The natives here all wear masks that evoke the face of Shyleon, one of the starter Pokémon of this game. The hut on the right is also seemingly another regular home.

The Shyleon-masked man inside gives us some Heal Powder, saying that they still use traditional remedies here away from the city. Uh, buddy? How far away from the city do you think you are? The entrance to this jungle is literally right next to the airport! Well, I checked my PokeWES's map feature and discovered that this jungle is pretty far away from the airport. Remember, we rode on a river to get to Dorado Village. SO yeah, that's my bad.

And I'm afraid that there is where we're going to have to stop for the month. My apologies for this. Hopefully, in the next entry, we can fully explore this village. Thanks for reading this blog entry! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

Pokemon Obtained:
(Cluster Jungle)
- Pepequeno (encountered, didn't catch)
- Kakuna (encountered, didn't catch)
- Beedrill (encountered, didn't catch)
- Litleo
- Floatzel (encountered, didn't catch)
- Sandile (Funny this game puts this Pokemon in a jungle even though it's associated with deserts).
- Gloom (encountered, didn't catch)

The Punisher: Shadowmasters #1 (October 1989)

Ninjas are cool. The masters of the silent kill. Experts in disguise and infiltration. They can come at you from anywhere, and they seemingly have superhuman powers. And in the 1980s, the ninja captured the imagination. A seeming evolution of the 1970s mania for martial arts, 1980s ninja-mania was an all sorts of media. Comic books were no exception. 

The Marvel Universe had dealt with its fair share of ninjas in the 1980s, mainly thanks to Frank Miller's Daredevil work and Chris Claremont's X-Men work. But another character also had his fair share of ninja madness: The Punisher. And that was primarily due to the influence of Carl Potts.

Potts was a man of many talents. He was an artist, a writer, an inker, and most notably, an editor. He joined Marvel's editorial staff in 1983, working on numerous books. He also helped discover many talented names like June Brigman, Art Adams, and arguably the most famous of his discoveries: Jim Lee. He raised the Punisher to a premier character. He still wrote on occasion, and in the Punisher's book, he introduced the Shadowmasters, an ancient ninja clan.

The Shadowmasters were born out of a pair of interests Potts had: Japanese history and World War II. Potts himself is half-Japanese, and in their origin miniseries, he told a tale that spanned generations from the end of the war to the then-current 1980s, a tale of the titular ninjas as they clashed with a secret group dedicated to bringing about the restoration of the Japanese Empire. So, how did this battle start? Let's find out in Shadowmasters #1!

The cover is a Jim Lee and Frank Cirocco piece, and I think it's really cool. You have a ninja in white with a monster mask fighting some soldiers in snowy hills. The night skies really help put the ninja front and center, as if it's telling you "This is the guy you'll be reading about here".

"Shadows of the Past"
Writer: Carl Potts
Penciler: Dan Lawlis
Inker: Russ Heath
Colorist: Steve Oliff
Letterer: Jim Novak
Editors: Al Milgrom, Marc McLaurin
Editor: Tom DeFalco 

The story begins on August 6. 1945 in Japan. On 8:15 AM, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Another bomb is unleashed on Nagasaki, driving Imperial Japan to surrender, formally ending World War II. And from there, the American occupation of the country begins, lasting until the 1950s. It's here we meet a Captain James Richards. 

"And whatever you do son, don't ask for the fugu."

He is assigned to oversee the government of the mountainous Iga Province. Nowadays, it's part of the Mie prefecture. While being driven there, Richards is informed by his driver Sergeant Dewey that this province has many legends. Most notably, that a race of shadow warriors live here, powerful people who are half-man/half-demon, with mighty magical powers. Considering this is the Marvel Universe, it's certainly plausible that there are actual magical half-demon people there.

It does make a bit of sense that Iga would have such legends. Remember, Iga was the birthplace of the ninja. Ninjas love messing with people's minds. And again, this is the Marvel Universe. Ninjas having superpowers are a thing. Just ask Kwannon. Anyway, the two drive up to a group of villagers helping a woman. She was attacked by bandits, former Imperial Japanese soldiers who refused to accept the surrender and continue the fight. Richards and Dewey carefully put the woman in their jeep and take her to the nearest hospital in a village called Ueno. They arrive, unaware they're being watched.

"Those guys better not be messing with my weed garden."

This white-clad man watches the Americans very carefully, as part of his regular patrol of the town as its legendary guardian tengu. Shigeru Ezaki is the mayor of this village. While he did not share the dreams of Asian conquest that dwelled in the minds of men like Tojo, he isn't exactly a fan of Americans occupying the country either. But they're here, and his village needs him to lead. 

He spots a young boy in a growing crowd of curious villagers. This boy is his son Sojin. His mother was killed in an American bombing while she was in Tokyo. As Dewey and Richards take the woman to the village clinic, Ezaki secretly pushes the handbrake of their jeep, causing it to roll away. This sends the villagers into a panic, accidentally trampling and injuring Sojin...as the jeep barrels towards him. 

Thankfully, Captain Richards is a darn fast runner. It's close, but he's able to save Sojin from becoming a road pancake. 

Ezaki heads to a well, using a secret passageway to emerge from his home. He thanks Richards for saving his son's life. Richards is humble about it, pointing out that Sojin is a tough kid. Didn't even shed any tears. 

From here, a rather unlikely friendship is born. Ezaki and Richards hang out together, learning about each other's cultures. Richards helps Ezaki with his English (presumably learning Japanese himself along the way), and they attend traditional Japanese plays and baseball games. One day, Ezaki and Richards are discussing the village's security when they get some visitors.

"Candygram!"

The villagers have come baring gifts for Richards. It's not his birthday, they're just showing their gratitude for his help around the village. Richards is reluctant to accept the gifts, as (another showing of his humble nature) he's just doing his job. Ezaki convinces him to accept them, as it's a matter of honor. 

Later on, Richards is talking to a Japanese police captain, a Mr. Higashi. Higashi's men have been having some troubles finding the renegade Imperial Japanese soldiers that harass the citizens of Ezaki's town. Richards has been very reluctant to call in the Americans to help, as he has no desire to disturb this place with American presence any more than necessary, but if this keeps up...yeah. He's going to have to call them in. Higashi points out that the villagers are too afraid to speak, and some help hide them. Not to mention Iga is full of mountains. There are tons of places they can hide out. Richards gives them three days. 

That night, Ezaki is on patrol, and he finds a group of men near Richards's home.

"All our problems will be solved once we get that weed garden, gentlemen."

Looks like Ezaki found the renegades. They plan to kill Richards and Dewey. Knowing he can't warn Richards in time, he dons his tengu mask and takes matters into his own hands. 

Ezaki takes out one of the soldiers. The others fire at him, but he gets away thanks to the classic ninja trick of "throw a smoke bomb and leave". The leader commands two of the men to kill the Americans, and the others to take out Ezaki. The commotion gets the Americans' attention. And Ezaki himself proves to be a formidable force, taking down the soldiers. 

The leader's men manage to find Richards and Dewey. A firefight erupts, and Dewey gets a bullet, and so does one of the leader's men. Richards struggles with the other man. Ezaki spots this and gives his American friend a hand in the form of a throwing knife, hitting the hand of the man Richards is wrestling with. 

Ezaki moves to help Richards. The man takes the knife out of his hand. He tosses it at the tengu, but Ezaki, being a skilled martial artist in a comic book universe, easily catches it. Ezaki and Richards struggle with the surviving man. During the struggle, the man manages to knock the Tengu mask off Ezaki, allowing Richards to see his face. 

Richards and Ezaki manage to handle the men, and they discuss this "Tengu" thing. Ezaki explains that he is the last of a long line of warriors who protected this area. He's the last of the Shadowmasters, if you will. 

This puts Richards in an awkward position. Ezaki is technically breaking the law, as martial arts have been banned in Japan. I'm not sure if that was an actual thing during the American occupation of Japan, or if that's just something for this story. Either way, Richards is bound by his duty to report this. Thing is, Richards owes Ezaki his life. Despite this, he'll have to turn Ezaki in...when the morning comes.

Ezaki thinks through his options. He could kill Richards, but he has grown to genuinely like the man, despite his being American. He could grab his son and flee, but this village needs him. He heads out to a small wooded area and meditates on this.

A couple days later, Richards returns. He reveals that he had made a proposal to his superiors that they were all for: If Ezaki uses his skills to help hunt and deal with the renegade Japanese soldiers, then not only will his identity as the "Tengu" remain a secret (known only to Richards, his own superior, and on a "need-to-know" basis, basically) but Ezaki will also remain free. 

Not long afterwards, Richards and Ezaki get an announcement from Higashi. The renegades attacked the Nori family's farm. They slaughtered the family and burned the farm to ash. Ezaki accepts the offer. For the next several months, he uses his Shadowmaster skills to hunt and bring down the renegades. He whittles their forces down, but he also grows weary of this new role. Despite this, their commander, Kentaro Umezu, is not the type of man to give up. 

"We WILL get that weed garden, gentlemen!"

He sent some men to get more supplies, telling them to travel by day and stay on the rocky mountains to reduce traces. They follow Umezu's orders, but they're clearly rattled by Ezaki's activities.

However, Ezaki is a ninja. Ninjas are masters at adapting. Ezaki may prefer striking by night, but he can work days. He creates some traps, like an avalanche to disarm the soldiers of their rifles.

"Oh man, Honda here owed me money!"

Two of the surviving soldiers continue on with their handguns out. One finds a piece of white clothing, believing that Ezaki is wounded.

One of the soldiers is bitten by a viper that Ezaki found earlier and put on a string. And the other gets a small knife to the chest. Ezaki finds another surviving soldier under a log from the avalanche. Ezaki..."recruits" him for some messenger work. The soldier gives Kentaro the message: Cease your activities and the Tengu will leave them alone. The war is over. It's time for a new Japan to rise from the ashes of the violent past. This causes a lightbulb to go off in Kentaro's head.

He now has a new plan of attack: Blend in. They will build covers, new lives, get themselves in high positions, use their connections and cunning to subtly steer Japan back to the Imperial past.  

I enjoyed this comic. In fact, I think the Shadowmasters miniseries is a hidden gem in its own right. I liked seeing Ezaki and Richards becoming friends despite the war and the gulf of their nationalities and cultures. I think Ezaki is a pretty cool guy, defending his home and being an awesome ninja. It was fun seeing him take down the tyrannical Imperial Japanese holdouts, and Kentaro is quite a terrifying villain. It's not hard to see a man like him easily get influence in a post-war Japan. Another nice touch is Richards finding a way for Ezaki to continue his work as the Tengu while accomplishing his mission, showing his smarts.

I also liked the art. Lawlis and Heath make some nice detailed art that is rather expressive and is good at storytelling. I don't remember seeing Lawlis's stuff in other comics, I wonder what else he's done.  

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2018 trade paperback The Punisher: Shadowmasters. It's a hidden gem that needs more love, in my honest opinion. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!