Indigenous People's Day

National Dessert Day

Happy National Dessert Day!

The word "dessert" comes from a French term meaning "to clear the table". Which makes sense, as desserts are often the last course of a meal. 

The earliest sweeteners are dried fruits and honey, often used as offerings to gods in various gods like in Mesopotamia and India. Speaking of India, they would help create desserts as we know them. How? Because before 500 BC, they would grow and refine sugarcane. Sugarcane would spread throughout Asia thanks to trade, allowing sugar to be a staple ingredient in cooking and dessert-making for the next thousand years there and in the Middle East. 

In Europe, sugar and sugarcane would be rather rare, if not outright unknown until the Crusades and colonization. Still, desserts would remain a luxury for the rich in Europe. It would not be until the rise if the Industrial Age that sugar and desserts would be readily available to commoners. 

Desserts can take many forms. Cakes, pies, ice cream, cookies/biscuits, or even something like a little candy bar. But they generally are something that is delicious, but not the healthiest thing to have regularly nutrition-wise, ha ha. So yeah. Treat yourself to a nice dessert today! Tnaks for reading this blog entry! See you next time!

The Final Night #2 (November 1996)

Back in April 2022, I took a look at the first issue of the 1996 DC Comics crossover storyline known as The Final Night. I consider this crossover a rather underrated one, and I got very eager to look at the next issue. This is The Final Night #2!

The cover is a Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan Jr. piece. I think it's really cool, depicting one of those "The End is Near" sign you see on the stereotypical "nutty guy that wanders the city streets" in movies and TV shows in a snow-covered city. Hanging from it are Superman's cape, Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth, and Batman's cape-and-cowl. It really helps give a feeling of hopelessness.  

"Darker Grows the Night"
Writer: Karl Kesel
Penciler: Stuart Immonen
Inker: Jose Marzan, Jr.
Colorist: Lee Loughridge
Letterer: Gaspar Saladino
Editors: Alisande Morales, Dan Thorsland
Executive Editor: Mike Carlin

The story begins with the last image of the Sun as it was covered up by the Sun-Eater in the last issue. 

“Man, this eclipse SUCKS!”

We get a brief recap of the events of the last issue. Jimmy Olsen is reporting for GBS about the "Final Night", when he gets word of a breaking development: Lex Luthor has returned to Metropolis. 

Great, just when things couldn't get any worse. Luthor announces that he plans to help end this crisis and save the world. I mean, it makes sense. Luthor is a narcissist. Playing hero will allow him to bask in the praise of the world, as well as stick it to Superman. Meanwhile, Barbara "Oracle" Gordon is trying to help coordinate superhero responses throughout the world. It's a Herculean task, and Oracle is only one woman. But she's doing her best, goldarn it!

In Gateway City, Big Barda, the Ray, the Guardian, and Captain Marvel Jr. are trying to rescue people from a massive fire. While they work, Wonder Woman helps get some fire trucks over there. A lady asks the Ray if he can get her home to her family. 

Over at the Louvre in Paris, the immortal villain known as Vandal Savage is planning to steal the Mona Lisa. The painting supposedly depicted the Italian noblewoman Lisa del Giocondo. Savage evidently knew back in the 1500s, when Leonardo da Vinci painted her. Savage desired the noblewoman's hand, but she thought he was a vulgar, demanding man. Considering he's a former caveman, that's not surprising. 

Thing is, Vandal Savage is not a man who can handle being told "no". Evidently, he used blackmail to get Leonardo to paint her, as well as to get Lisa to pose for the painting. The comic doesn't elaborate, but it does have me wondering what Savage was babbling about.

Anyway, Batman catches him, and notes that Savage is really frickin' pathetic. 

“You are a sad, strange little man, Savage. And you have my pity.”

Bats is not exactly wrong on that. He is pretty pathetic. Savage isn't too bothered by this crisis, as he has arranged off-world transport. He wants to take the painting as a momento. He couldn't even be bothered to disable the security systems there, as he figured the cops had more important things to worry about. You know, it would have been neat to see Batman teaming up with a French superhero for this scene. I mean, the Constance D'Aramis Crimson Fox was still around back then. 

Savage shoots at Batman, his gun's bullets being teflon-coated and hollow-point. Batman's naturally got body armor, but even he isn't bulletproof, right?

Well, sort of. Yes, he's Batman, but he's also got some help. 

"Seriously, Batman. I need sleep, man!"

Yup, his regular World's Finest team-up buddy, Superman. And it looks like he needs a nap.

Yeah, the Sun getting blocked off is a big problem for the Man of Steel. After all, his powers are fueled by sunlight. Yes, he is essentially a living solar battery, but the thing is, without ol' Mr. Sun to keep his batteries charged, he'll run out of solar power, which means his powers are fading. And of course, Luthor is secretly loving this.

"I, Lex Luthor, do not intend to credit any of you on this."

He's working with some other folks to collect any information they can on the Sun-Eater. Dusk (from last issue) points out that she's seen many worlds try to find ways to combat the Sun-Eater, only to fail. Brainiac 5 of the Legion of Super-Heroes (that's a whole thing) grumbles about her ship not having any of those other attempts recorded. After all, any information from those attempts would have been really helpful. 

Luthor suggests they create a probe to examine the Sun-Eater. And he may have just the thing...

In Opal City, Jay Garrick/Flash I, Libby Lawrence/Liberty Belle I (remember her from my All-Star Squadron #1 review?) and Ted Grant/Wildcat I meet up with Ted Knight, the original Starman. The JSA are suiting up to help out, and they wonder if Ted can get his Starman suit out of mothballs as well. Thing is, Ted has been observing the Sun-Eater crisis through his telescope, hoping to find something to help. The other Golden Age heroes understand and let him stay. So, what does Luthor plan to use as a probe?

"Eat your heart out, John Henry Irons!"

Kyle Rayner, the Green Lantern! Well, not exactly. You see, Saturn Girl of the Legion of Super-Heroes has created a telepathic link-up between Luthor, Brainiac 5, and Rayner? Basically, Luthor and 5 are designing a probe, and Rayner can use his ring's ability to make hard-light constructs to build it. Well, the art makes the probe into a suit around Kyle. The Lantern goes right into the Sun-Eater. He descends over 2000 miles (around 3200 kilometers for you metric folks) into the creature.

There is some good news...and some bad news. Good news, the sun is still there. Bad news, the probe's readings imply that it's not in great shape. And worse...Saturn Girl tries to call Kyle back telepathically, but she can't pick him up.

Elsewhere, Dusk is preparing to leave. She fears the Earth is going to end up like so many others, so she might as well get out while the getting is good.

Black Canary asks if she's ever managed to succeed in saving a world. Dusk answers that she never has. She's managed to save a few people here and there, but never a whole world. The two then spot some angry locals.

"That alien chick stole our beer money!" 

The locals are angry, and they are panicked. They believe Dusk brought the Sun-Eater to Earth. The alien and Black Canary try to fight them off. The two women are skilled hand-to-hand combatants, but the numbers are not in their favor. They get some backup from Nightwing, the Tim Drake Robin, and the Wally West Flash. One of the torchbearers manages to knock Wally upside the head (he's not invulnerable, and he was standing still). Chaos breaks out, and the crowd gets their hands on Dusk. 

Elsewhere, Ray Terrill takes the woman who asked him to take her home to presumably South America. Ray watches the tearful reunion, and he laments that he can't save these people. He refuses to let them die. He takes to the air and unleashes a massive blast of light. He tries to maintain it, but it's impossible for him. As he does this, Dusk is under attack. She screams that humanity deserves the Sun-Eater. However, she would get a savior.

Ferro Lad, of the Legion of Super-Heroes.

I enjoyed this comic, but then again, as I said before, I think this crossover is rather underrated and should be read by more people. One thing I did like about this issue is that it shows the heroes of the DCU at the time doing what they can to save civilians. I especially liked the subplot with the Ray and he civilian woman, as it helps remind readers of why the heroes do what they do. I also liked the scene with Dusk being attacked while Ray tries to give a village light. It's a nice way to show that the heroes are fast approaching their darkest hour. I also think Immonen and Marzan Jr turned in some strong quality artwork.  

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2021 trade paperback The Final Night. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

Fall Astronomy Day!

 Happy Astronomy Day, everyone!

Astronomy Day is a day for astronomy enthusiasts and professionals to celebrate and promote an interest in the field. I'm a bit of a space nut, so this day gets me excited. 

Astronomy Day was created by Doug Berger in 1973. At that time, Berger was the president of the Astronomical Association of Northern California. He wanted to install telescopes in various urban areas so passersby could enjoy views of the heavens. 

Astronomy Day doesn't fall on a consistent set day of the year because of the lunar cycle. Astronomy Day falls on a Saturday between mid-April and mid-May that is close to or on the first quarter Moon of the year. For example, in 2006, Astronomy Day fell on May 6 because that was a Saturday near the first quarter Moon of the season, which was on May 5. This year, it happened on May 15.

In 2007, the first autumn Astronomy Day was celebrated. This Astronomy Day is held between mid-September and mid-October to, like the spring one, be on a Saturday on or near the first Quarter moon of the season.

So, enjoy this day and spend some time looking up at the stars! Thanks for reading this blog entry! See you next time! 

Gimmick! 2 Launch Trailer, My Thoughts

In 1992, Sunsoft developed and published a game for the Famicom (the Japanese Nintendo Entertainment System) known as Gimmick! In the game, you play as a yokai called Yumetaro that is accidentally given to a young girl as a toy. When the girl's other toys kidnap her and take her to another dimension (just go with it), Yumetaro must rescue her and bring her home. 

The game would be given mixed reviews and little interest on release, mainly because it was released in a time where game developers, publishers, and fans were taking more interest in the emerging 16-bit consoles like the Super Famicom/Super NES and Sega's Mega Drive/Genesis. Sunsoft had trouble getting the game distributed and published due to this. Sunsoft's American branch wasn't interested in localizing the game due to its character design. In fact, the only other place that it got published in was Scandinavia in 1993. It wouldn't be until the remake called Gimmick! Exact Mix (aka Gimmick! Special Edition) got released for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and XBox One that the rest of the world would get to play this game. Officially, that is.

In June 2024, it was announced that a sequel was in the works called, naturally, Gimmick! 2 for the Switch, PlayStations 4 and 5, XBox One, Windows, and XBos Series X/S. Let's look at the trailer! 

Well, I hope Yumetaro can handle the cold. You'd think he'd at least have a scarf here.

"Gonna beat you with this star! ...and now it's wet. Good thing it's waterproof!"

If you're thinking Yumetaro looks like a ripoff of Kirby, it's understandable. But in reality, Yumetaro debuted several months before Kirby did. Kirby's first appearance, Kirby's Dream Land, was released in Japan in April 1992, whereas Yumetaro debuted in January of that year.

I like the idea of Yumetaro using his star to solve puzzles. Helps keep things interesting.

So, Yumetaro can assume different appearances...or are they different Yokai? Do these new forms grant different abilities? So much to think about here...

David Wise is most known for composing music for the Donkey Kong Country games, most recently Tropical Freeze.  

Yumetaro is like "OH COME ON NOT AGAIN!"

Oh, I get it! You have to time the star's bounces!

The original Gimmick! was criticized for its difficulty, so it would not surprise me if this game is also no walk in the park.

Well, this game looks like it will be a fun addition to my Switch library. The game looks nice and colorful art-wise, and I think it will be a nice bit of challenge and brain teasing for gamers. Thanks for reading this blog entry! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

World Octopus Day

 Today is World Octopus Day!

On this day, we celebrate the awesome sea dweller known as the octopus. Octopuses (yes, that's the correct plural, not octopi) are a member of the mollusk phylum, alongside cuttlefish, squids, and nautiloids. 

There are over 250 species of octopuses, living in every ocean. There are no known species of the critter living in freshwater environments, though. They tend to be solitary animals, and they are regarded as one of the more intelligent invertebrates. The legendary kraken of mythology is often portrayed and described as a very large octopus. All species are venomous, but only the blue-ringed octopus (native to the seas of Australia to the East Indo-Pacific) has venom strong enough to kill a human. People have been attacked by octopuses, but in general, octopuses tend to avoid humans. 

Octopuses are pretty cool. They can camouflage themselves by changing their bodies' colors, and regrow lost limbs. Their bodies are predominantly muscle. They have excellent eyesight. Many species of octopus can produce ink to escape predators...well, except for the ones that live deep in the ocean. They also have bluish-colored blood. That's because instead of hemoglobin (which is why human blood is red), their blood contains hemocyanin. Hemocyanin is better at ferrying oxygen than hemoglobin is in cold environments with little oxygen. You can learn more about these cool critters here. And also check out this cool infographic from Daily Infographic.

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 your vaccine/booster! See you next time!

Marvel Comics Presents #11 (January 1989) (Slag's Story)

So, as a nice little bonus, I thought I'd include a little story focusing on one of the members of the Wolfpack: Slag. This story was originally published in an anthology title called Marvel Comics Presents.

Marvel Comics Presents often told short stories featuring various characters from around the Marvel Universe. Their covers were wraparounds showing the characters that were featured in an issue. These stories would also feature work by authors who were starting out in comics. The first volume lasted from 1988 to 1995, with 175 issues. This title is most known for broadening the mythos of Wolverine, as this title would not only debut the fictional country of Madripoor (which you may be familiar with if you watched Falcon and the Winter Soldier and/or X-Men '97), but this title also revealed exactly how he got his indestructible adamantium claws. 

But Wolverine wasn't the only one of Marvel's Merry Mutants who got featured here. Other X-Men members like Cyclops, Havok, and Colossus also got solo stories. Plenty of non-mutant characters also got stories, like the Scott-Lang Ant-Man, She-Hulk, the Man-Thing, Shang-Chi, Ghost Rider, and the Black Panther. In fact, this series introduced T'Challa's stepmother Ramonda, whom you may be familiar with if you watched the Black Panther films.

So yeah, this little-known book is more significant to Marvel history than you think. Let's look at Slag's story in Marvel Comics Presents #11! 

The cover is a Rick Leonardi and Terry Austin piece. It's a wraparound, depicting the characters who will get stories here. Colossus takes up half the cover, which makes sense, as the X-Men were hot at the time, and he presumably has the "main story" of the anthology. I have to admit, I find Leonardi and Austin's interpretation of Scott Lang rather amusing. They make him look rather bulky. I also find the cover itself interesting as it appears to be depicting the characters standing on an American flag...well, Man-Thing is...hovering? What is he doing up there? And is that why Colossus looks so sad?

"Over and Over!"
Writer: John Figueroa
Penciler: Ron Wilson
Inker: Christopher Ivy
Colorist: John A. Wilcox
Letterer: Michael Heisler
Editor: Terry Kavanagh
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story begins with our man Slag making a slam-dunk. A board-breaking slam dunk. And when I say he broke the backboard, I mean it.

"BOOM-SHAKA-LAKA!"

It's not much of a problem, though. He's broken this board before, and he can easily fix it. He's then visited by his cousin Chris. Chris has a problem. 

"He also thinks I stole his lunch! I don't even like kelp sandwiches!"

You see, Chrissy-boy here has got himself a fondness for crack. He's in debt by a thousand bucks. However, Ty-Rock (Chris's dealer) is willing to cancel the debt if Chris will kill a cop for him. Thing is, Chris doesn't have it in him to kill a cop. Also, if he caught, the law would throw a very big book at him. Not to mention other cops would really want his head on a silver platter.

So yeah. Chris is in quite a pickle here. Mmm...pickle...

Ah, sorry. Since Slag is in the Wolfpack, and they've been busting up drug dealers, maybe he and the rest of the Pack can convince Ty-Rock to back off. Slag agrees, but he'll do this on his own, and Chris must agree to go to rehab. Chris does, and leads Slag to the crackhouse that Ty-Rock does his business in.

"This place needs a serious remodeling..."

Slag goes in, and deals with Ty-Rock's men. He sends them scattering. And then our man Slag meets the big man himself.

"Are you here to steal my kelp sandwiches?"

Slag tells Ty-Rock he'll get his money when he gets it. Until then, no more selling to Chris. Ty-Rock gives a counter-offer: Slag works for him, he'll cancel Chris's debt. Also, unlike the Wolfpack, Slag could make some money as one of Ty-Rock's enforcers. 

It's kind of funny that he would make that offer, as if this story is set after the last issue of the Wolfpack's miniseries we looked at here, money isn't exactly much of a problem for the Pack anymore. Slag is not impressed by Ty-Rock's offer. 

Slag is far worse than annoyed with Ty-Rock. In fact, he's angry. Our man thinks of Ty-Rock as an exploitive monster, who preys on the desperate and vulnerable, just so he can live the high life. Slag shows him exactly what he thinks of those kind of men.

"This outfit is not you! You are a SUMMER!"

He rips off Ty-Rock's gold chains and clothes, leaving him naked. He then takes his leave, warning Ty-Rock one last time to never bother Chris again. After he's done, he assures Chris he's safe now, and he can go to rehab. Chris agrees, but he'll do it tomorrow. Maybe. Maybe tomorrow as he walks away. The rest of the Wolfpack run up to Slag, wondering if everything's alright, and if it's over. A tearful Slag says that it's not over. It's never over. 

I have to admit, I did struggle a bit over what to say about this story. It's very basic. I do wish we had a bit more opportunity to explore Slag a bit more as a character.