Arcade Time

 Here's another little short story I have written! I hope you like it!

Masterplay cover by Jim Warren, 1987

Disclaimer: All characters are my own.

Friday nights were always busy at Nolan's Arcade. After all, it was the first night of the weekend. For many kids and teenagers, it was the best night to come here as they didn't have to worry about school the next day. And for two such young people, this night meant a bit of fun and good times.

“Yeah!” The aurburn-haired boy whooped as he pumped his fist in triumph. “That's how it's done, baby!” Jonas Taggert called out. The small console in front of him showed the word “HIT” in red letters on its screen. The screen was in a white monitor that was connected to a pair of white joysticks at the sides. Each of the joysticks had a red button on top of it. The apparatus was connected to a large purple surface the size of a table tennis field. The surface was inside a white table. The surface was brightly lit, showing a pair of three-dimensional holograms of a pair of knights on horseback. The kid on the other side on his own control apparatus groaned and drooped his head on his control apparatus.

“Aw, mannnn...” The teenager groaned.

“Hey, don't feel bad, bro! It just was not your day!” Jonas told his opponent, giving him a pat on the back.

“Come on, Jo-Jo.” A feminine voice said. Jonas turned around and saw two teenage girls frowning at him. The speaker was Latina, dressed in a pink polo shirt with a pair of blue jeans, and her long brown hair in a side ponytail. The other was East Asian in appearance, tall, curvaceous, and muscular. She wore a sleeveless leather jacket and a tiger-print tanktop with a pair of blue jeans and cowboy boots. She also had red skin and a pair of devil-like horns on her forehead. Her dark hair was in a pair of braids. Pilar Gonzalez scoffed. “You already beat him. You don't need to rub it in.”

“Aw come on, girls! I can't help that I am good at this stuff.” Jonas chuckled.

“A sore winner is arguably worse than a sore loser.” Chika Miyamoto told him, her English showing a Japanese accent. After all, Chika was originally from there, the eldest daughter of a human man and the daughter of a prominent Oni clan. Her family came to the United States when she was eleven. “At least sore losers have a reason to be sore...Jo-Jo.” She said the name with a smirk.

“You two both know I hate that nickname.” Jonas sighed.

“Why? It suits you, Jo-Jo.” Pilar teased with a grin.

“Makes me sound like a reject from an anime.” Jonas explained.

“You say that like it's a bad thing.” Chika chuckled. Jonas rolled his eyes.

“Alright, alright. How about I get you ladies a couple of snacks and drinks, huh? My treat.” Jonas offered. Pilar and Chika looked at each other.

“What do you think, girl? Should we accept his offer?” Pilar asked.

“I don't know.” Chika put her finger on her chin in thought. “Maybe if he begs.”

“Come on, you two...” Jonas groaned.

“Now, now, you can do better than that.” Chika teased, a wicked grin on her face. “I know you can do better than that.”

“Careful, Chika...” Pilar warned.

“Don't worry, my dear.” Chika assured, patting the Latina's hand with her own. “I know his limits.”

Jonas rolled his eyes. “So, do you girls want the snacks and drinks or not?” Pilar and Chika looked at each other.

“Very well.” The half-oni admitted. “But we are going to make sure that you pay plenty. Come along now.” Chika grabbed Jonas's hand and dragged him to the arcade's snack bar. Marie shook her head in amusement and followed the two. She was feeling a bit peckish anyway. The three went over to the snack bar.

“What can I get you three?” The perky redhead manning the bar asked in a friendly tone.

“Hot dogs.” Chika smirked at Jonas. “Lots of them.”

“Uh...okay.” The redheaded server blinked. “...how many is that, exactly?”

Chika's smirk never left Jonas's face. “...fifteen.”

“Fifteen?!” Jonas yelped. “Seriously?!”

“Yeah, I'm with him. Seriously?” The vendor agreed.

“I have a big appetite.” The half-oni shrugged.

“You did offer to treat us.” Pilar reminded with a chuckle. “I'd like some fries and a Coke, please.”

“Yeah, I did. I suppose I did.” Jonas admitted. “You want a drink, Chika?”

“Hmmm...” The half-oni put her finger on her chin, dramatically miming thinking. “It would not be right to have hot dogs without a drink to wash them down. Very well, I shall have the biggest Diet Coke that you have.”

“...a small fries and plain water for me.” Jonas sighed as he pulled out his wallet. “I need the hydration.” He wiped some sweat off his brow.

“Okay...” The vendor nodded. She typed the order into her cash register and called out the price. Jonas sighed and handed over the money. He shot his now much-lighter wallet a sad look and a sigh before putting it back into his pocket.

“Gary! Gonna need some help here!” She called out. "Got a big order!" 

“You know, if video games make you sweat that much, we may need to discuss your need for further exercise.” Chika teased.

“Be nice, Chika.” Pilar chided half-mockingly, smacking the half-oni's arm.

“I only speak out of concern.” Chika assured as she accepted her tray of hot dogs and giant soda. She quickly then provided trays with the other two teenagers' orders. “After all, I like Jonas, and I want to keep him around for a good long time.” The half-oni started to wolf down the foodstuffs. Pilar shook her head in amazement.

“God, I don't know how she can eat all that and not end up with massive hips.” The Latina girl remarked.

“Maybe it's an oni thing.” Jonas shrugged as he ate his fries. Much more slowly than his Japanese comrade, of course. Pilar gave him a smile.

“Don't worry.” She reassured the auburn-haired teenage boy, rubbing his back slightly. “I'll see if I can get her to pay you back.”

“Thanks.” Jonas said, continuing to eat his fries. He then heard the sounds of a scuffle. “What in the name of...”

“You cheated!” A teenager yelled, angrily shoving another teenager he was playing a fighting game with. “You think I didn't notice?!” Paul Redford was clearly not taking his loss well.

“Hey, not my fault that you friggin' suck!” The shoved teenager snapped. Calvin Cole was no cheater, and the suggestion he was made him bristle like one could not believe.

“Oh, brother...” Pilar muttered, taking a sip of her Coke.

“Just ignore it.” Chika scoffed. “Maybe the two idiots will find a way to knock themselves out.”

“They should get booted out of here.” Jonas grumbled.

“Yeah.” Pilar agreed. “After all, it's just a blasted video game. Hardly a case of life or death.”

“Hopefully they will get booted.” Chika snorted, returning to her beloved hot dogs. The three tried to ignore the argument, but it was to no avail. The two were shoving themselves more intensely, and a small crowd had started to gather to watch. A couple of the watchers whipped out their phones to record it.

“Uh oh...” Jonas winced.

“Hoo boy...” Pilar ducked down and hid her head, as if it would magically protect her from being seen.

“What're you so embarrassed about?” Chika snorted. “They're not friends of yours.”

“It's still embarrassing.” Pilar grumbled.

“You son of a-!” Calvin angrily grabbed Paul and tossed him...into the back of Chika. It knocked the half-oni girl forward onto the table. It didn't hurt her, just winded her. After all, her heritage made her hardier than the avergae human. However, it did cause what the teenager would consider a tragedy: it caused her to spill her soda and hot dogs on herself. Jonas and Pilar's eyes widened.

“Oh, no...” Jonas and Pilar whispered in horror. Chika growled, her eyes glowing a furious yellow.

“The hell's your problem, hornhead?” The teenager snapped. Chika just angrily punched Calvin out.

“AGH, BY DOSE!” He held his bloodied and clearly broken nose. She then grabbed him and ran towards the door. Another arcade-goer, eyes wide as dinner plates, quickly managed to get the door open. With a roar, the half-oni tossed Calvin out the door and across the street. Jonas and Pilar ran up to the door.

“Whoa, look at him fly!” Jonas gaped.

“OOF!” Calvin grunted as he landed on the sidewalk. “My shoulder...” He whimpered. Jonas and Pilar looked at each other.

“...I think we're going to have to call a doctor.” The Latina teenager told her auburn-haired compatriot.

“On it.” Jonas nodded and grabbed his phone from his pocket. Chika took some deep breaths to calm herself down.

“What in the name of God happened here?!” The owner of the arcade exclaimed as he walked up to them.

“That...that was...” The half-oni panted out. “Uncivilized of me. I take full responsibility for it.” She bowed respectfully to the arcade owner, trying to look dignified despite the hot dog condiment and soda stains on her clothes. The man sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Miss...Miyamoto, right?” He asked. The half-oni girl nodded. “Next time, just tell someone. You don't need to literally throw someone out of the building.”

“I allowed my temper to get the better of me. It was not somethng I should have done.” She agreed.

“I just hope those boys weren't hurt.” Jonas said. He and Pilar looked over at the street, where an ambulance was nearby, the EMTs checking them over. The auburn-haired boy and Latina girl noticed a familiar woman among them.

“Oh, it's Officer Fairouz.” Pilar noted. “Glad she's on this.”

“Not hard to see her around, considering she sticks out like a sore thumb around here.” Jonas snickered. Pilar frowned at him and lightly smacked his arm.

“Be nice.” She chastised.

“Hey, you know I don't mean it.” Jonas chuckled. “Glad to see those guys will be alright.” Pilar noticed the other arcade goers looking at them.

“Jo-Jo, maybe we should go.” She suggested. Jonas winced a bit.

“Yeah.” He agreed. “Besides, I got homework to do, and I know Mom and Dad will get on me if I don't do it.”

The stars shone over the town as the three left the arcade. They stood in front of the building, enjoying the night. It was perfect, weather-wise. The dark sky was clear and the stars shone brightly. However, the three also got some extra illumination thanks to the glowing streetlights.

“God, that's one beautiful sky.” Pilar said. “I think you can see the Big Dipper.” She pointed out said constellation.

“Yeah, there it is.” Jonas grinned as he saw what Pilar was pointing at. “Man, that is beautiful.”

“Not as beautiful as me, of course...” Chika grinned, putting her arms around her two friends' shoulders.

“Chika...” Both Pilar and Jonas said, playfully pushing her arms off them, making the half-oni laugh. The three saw a limousine drive up. The driver, dressed in a crisp black uniform and shining hat, emerged from the vehicle.

“Miss Miyamoto, I have come to take you home.” The driver said, opening the back door.

“Ah, my parents must be worried about me.” Chika said. She smiled at ther two companions. “I'll see you both at school on Monday?”

“Of course.” Jonas said with a shrug. “After all, we all do attend the same school. It's not like there are any others in town.” Chika laughed.

“This is why I adore you, Jonas.” Chika snickered. She smiled at the auburn-haired teenager and kissed his cheek.

“I'd better get going myself, Jo-Jo.” Pilar nodded. “See you around.”

“You sure you don't want me to walk you home?” Jonas offered. “You never know what kind of loonies can be out there.”

“I can handle myself.” Pilar said. “Besides, Chika can give me a ride.”

“Indeed. Come on, girl.” The half-oni gestured to the limo. Pilar walked into the vehicle and sat inside. “Good night, Jo-Jo.” She smirked and entered the limo herself.

“Night, girls.” Jonas waved. Chika and Pilar gave another wave as the limo drove away. The auurn-haired gamer watched the black vehicle drive away. A smile appeared on his face.

“I love those girls.” He chuckled. He then let out a sigh. “Time I get home myself.” He then went to get his bike, which was locked on a rack near the front door of the arcade.

“Well, well, well. Heading home, Mr. Taggart?” A woman's voice, familiar to Jonas's ears, got his attention. He turned his head and saw a woman smirking at him with her arms crossed.

Her dark hair was in a shoulder-length bob, and face had the features and complexion of an Egyptian beauty. She was a plainclothes officer, wearing a white blouse with a black tie, and a matching skirt with dark blue leggings. Her feet were bare, showing they were like a lion's paws. Her arms and paw-like hands were covered in golden fur. Around her neck were some golden necklaces, and she had golden-feathered wings.

“Yeah, Officer Fairouz.” He nodded. Detective Fiona Fairouz nodded.

“Heard about some kid getting tossed out of here. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you, kiddo?” The Sphinx woman said.

“Me?” Jonas blinked. “Well, I didn't toss him out, if that's what you're thinking.”

“Oh, I know it wasn't you.” She smirked. “I know it was that oni friend of yours.”

“If you mean Chika, yeah.” Jonas nodded. “A fight broke out, and they messed up Chika's shirt. Knowing her, it was expensive.” He rolled his eyes. “Of course, she took it like Chika did.”

“Yeah, that's what those boys said.” Fairouz nodded.

“Do you think I caused it or something?” Jonas frowned.

“No, just trying to get the facts.” Fairouz assured. “Although you do attend to attract trouble.”

“Not my fault I got weird luck.” Jonas said to the Sphinx.

The cop chuckled. “I know that. I also know that you're a good kid.” She ruffled his hair with an amused smile on her face. “Take care, Taggart. Say hi to your mom for me. Tell her that casserole recipe she gave me was delicious.”

“Yeah, thanks Officer.” Jonas said, watching the Sphinx woman fly off. He got on his bike and headed home.

Thanks for reading!

World Manta Day

Happy World Manta Day, everyone!

This day is meant to raise awareness and celebrate the manta ray. Manta rays are native to warm temperate, subtropical, and tropical waters. The word "manta" is Portuguese and Spanish for "mantle", as in a cloak or blanket. This is a reference to their large pectoral fins, which they "flap" to move through the water like a bird flying through the air. They have also been known as "devilfish" thanks to the fins on their heads resembling a devil's horns. However, mantas are very far from evil beings. 

Manta rays mainly feed on zooplankton. They catch them by swimming around with their mouths open. They can also feed on smaller fish in lower depths. They are the prey of certain sharks, orcas, and the false killer whale (which is actually a dolphin).

There are little fossil records of manta rays as their skeletons are made of cartilage, not bone. Mantas have also been known to make leaps out of the water; the reason is unclear. Maybe they just want to see the sun every now and then. 

There are three known species of manta ray: the giant manta ray, the Atlantic manta, and the reef manta. None of these species are exactly small, but the giant manta earned the name. From wingtip to wingtip, that manta can be as long as 7 meters. That's about 23 feet. Yeah, you need a measuring tape to catch that wingspan!

Mantas don't have litters. They have single or two births at a time after about a year's gestation. Mantas can live about 50 years. They were once believed to be dangerous because of their size, but they're actually rather docile around humans.

And speaking of people, the Moche of Peru, who worshipped sea animals, featured mantas in their art. Amongst fish, mantas have been found to have the largest brains. In fact, it's believed that they may have a degree of self-awareness.

If you want to learn more about these wonderous critters, I suggest you look here and here. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!

Godzilla Minus Zero Trailer, My Thoughts

In 2023, the film Godzilla Minus One stomped its way into trailers. The 37th film in the Godzilla series (33rd by Toho), it was directed, written, and featured visual effects by Takashi Yamazaki. Set in post-WWII Japan, it told the tale of an ex-kamikaze pilot named Koichi Shikishima, who witnessed an attack by a certain big monster in 1945. The experience left him with survivor's guilt and PTSD, and guess what happens when that certain big monster decides to do a bit more stomping around. 

Released on November 3 in Japan as part of the celebration of Godzilla's 70th anniversary, it would reach theaters in the rest of the world on December 1st. In Japan, the film was met with mixed criticism. Internationally, the film was a critical and box office success, making $116 million on a $10 million budget. It was the most financially successful of all the Japanese films in the franchise, beating out the previous record holder: Shin Godzilla. Among the accolades this film would get included nomination for 12 awards at the 47th Japan Academy Film Prize (basically the Japanese equivalent of the Oscars) and won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects at the 96th Academy Awards. I saw this movie on Netflix, and it earned those accolades. 

Naturally, a sequel would be in the works. In November 2024, Toho announced that they had greenlit a sequel, again helmed by Yamazaki, who started writing it in 2025: Godzilla Minus Zero. This film will also be the first Japanese production filmed for IMAX. Let's look at the trailer!

"Wait, he's still alive?! Welp! Time to get friggin' drunk!"

Guys, you do realize that Godzilla is too profitable and iconic to die, right? As long as he makes money, he's immortal.

Oh yeah, create a giant monster to fight the giant monster. That totally will not go wrong! 

We're gonna fly on an airplane!

Dude, you're never going to get your money back from Godzilla. That's his money now. 

That cry...ohhhh, no. No no no no. NO NO NO NO.

Yeah. We got Ghidorah. One of the ony monsters that managed to wreck Godzilla. We are in TROUBLE.

Well, I'm excited for this movie! I loved Minus One, and I think this one will be a blast, too. I can't wait to watch it! I hope that we get some nice monster-brawling action now that it looks like Ghidorah will be involved! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!

The New Teen Titans #2 (December 1980)

When I was looking for a comic to write about for this week, I thought I'd take a look at a DC book. After all, I am fond of DC. I also had discovered that it had been quite a while since I looked at a certain team of teenage/young adult superheroes, the Teen Titans. In fact, the last time I did look at a book focused on them was all the way back in March 2023 when I looked at The New Teen Titans #8 (June 1981). Well, technically, I also looked at JLA/Titans #1 (December 1998) back in April 2024, which was the first part of the Technis Imperative story. It's a story I consider very underrated. If you ever get the opportunity to read it, do so. It's great. 

When I realized that, I thought "Yeah, maybe I give the Titans another bit of spotlight on my blog." So, here we are. Let's look at The New Teen Titans #2!

The cover is a George Perez piece. It's really cool. It shows off the new villain Ravager and gives the impression that he's going to be a big-time threat to our heroes...that is if the shadowy man in the background doesn't whup for taking the credit for his actions. That made me chuckle, it's like something out of a stereotypical soap opera.

"Today...the Terminator!"
Writers: Marv Wolfman, George Perez
Penciler: George Perez
Inker: Romeo Tanghal
Colorist: Adrienne Roy
Letterer: Ben Oda
Editor: Len Wein
Executive Editor: Joe Orlando

The story begins with a strange-looking man standing before a group of people in purple cloaks and hoods.

"...this is the weirdest session of D&D I have ever seen."

The cloaked figures are the HIVE, aka the Hierarchy of International Vengeance and Extermination. Yeah, they're debuting here, too. They're your standard superhero universe terrorist organization determined to rule the world. And Deathstroke the Terminator is in no mood for their theatrics. All he wants to know is who they want him to kill.

Naturally, since this is the Titans' book, Hive hired him to kill them. Slade demands payment in advance, but they tell him "No dead Titans, no money". Slade doesn't like those terms, so he decides to leave.

However, the HIVE have no desire to leave him alive. The room's automated defenses activate and try to turn the mercenary into Swiss cheese. Thing is, Slade Wilson is no ordinary merc. He's faster. Stronger. Tougher. And just too ornery to be taken down easily. He makes short work of these defenses. The Terminator grabs his sword to do a bit of beheading. People who refuse to pay him in advance and then try to kill him gets him in a beheading mood. Thing is, the HIVE folks who tried to hire him...were not there at all. Wait does that mean they...were ghosts?!

Not really, they were holograms. This leads Slade to wonder if they were really trying to kill him or test him. But it doesn't matter. He's still alive and his own man. Not to mention he has better things to do right now. Like polish his bottle cap collection. Or catch up on that book he was reading. He was really enjoying that book. I don't blame him. I'm a fan of Clive Cussler's works, too. 

As it turns out, the HIVE were testing him. As he battled their defenses, they scanned him, learning all about his biology, his abilities, even his shoe size. Because somebody at the HIVE is obsessed with shoe sizes.

We next look in an apartment in Manhattan. A young couple named Carol and Grant are having a bit of an argument. 

"I'm telling you Carol, the Cocaine Bear is good people! You're just species-ist!"

As you can see, Grant's been hanging out with a bad crowd. Naturally, Carol is very concerned and 2frightened. She fears he'll end up just like his father and brother. Grant is not happy to hear that, angrily grabbing her arm...and ends up blasted. 

To be fair to Grant, he was unaware "broccoli" was a slur on Tamaran.

It pays to have superhero friends. Donna Troy advises Grant to leave. He does so, but not before warning that he has friends as well, and he'll be back. Not only back, he'll also take care of Starfire and Wonder Girl.

Yeah, I doubt we'll see him again. But onto other issues. Kid Flash (Wally West) runs up and announces there's another emergency to take care of. The two Titan-ettes follow their speedy comrade in the air, Donna lamenting that she can't understand what Starfire is saying. Yeah, well. Starfire is a warrior, not a linguist. Also, it's the 80s, so the Rosetta Stone language-learning program doesn't exist yet. Fun fact, the first version of the program would be released in 1992, thanks to the rise of CD-ROM technology.

Anyway, the three join the other members of the New Teen Titans: Robin I (Dick Grayson), Cyborg, and Beast Boy. Those three are observing a theft at a pharmaceutical warehouse. The six Titans, even though they've been together less than a week, have already shown that they work pretty well as a team. It's discovered that the driver (and the thieves) are all robots.

Starfire goes...a little crazy with her starbolts on the robots. Robin tries to stop her, as she is destroying valuable evidence and clues. However, he fails. 

He notes that the orange alien seems to really enjoy fighting. He wishes that there wasn't this big old language barrier between them. It makes sense, Starfire is not an Earth girl, after all. But the orange-haired warrior has a fix for that.

This is how Starfire greets every Robin.

Yup. A big ol' smooch, and Starfire now magically knows English. Well, she explains that it just takes a bit of physical contact. She just chose to kiss Robin because she thought he was cute and it'd be fun. So, that's that problem magically solved. And to make things better, Cyborg found one of the robots. A bit water-logged, but otherwise undamaged. 

They're going to need help from S.T.A.R. Labs, in particular Silas Stone, Cyborg's father. Problem is, since Silas turned Victor Stone into a, well, cyborg, the former athlete wants nothing to do with him. He'll still make arrangements for them to talk to said labs, so it's not a major roadblock. Unseen by the Titans, they're being observed by Slade Wilson. The man is quite impressed. He can see why HIVE wants to be rid of them, even though working for them is still not appealing to him. 

As he returns to his penthouse in the East Side (presumably to polish his bottle cap collection), the scene next shifts to an island in the Mid-Atlantic. Grant Wilson lies down on a slab as someone tells him they're going to make him powerful enough to wreck the Titans. There are risks, but Grant is aware of them and is still ready to undergo this. 

Elsewhere, the young human/demon hybrid known as Raven is calling out to someone.

"Now go away, Raven! I'm watchin' my stories!"

She pleads for forgiveness for something, but Star-Eyes there is like "Nah", and blasts them away. 

We next go to Blue Valley, home of Wally West. He's been doing a bit of thinking. You see, he basically retired from heroics so he can concentrate on his college studies. But here is again, back in the yellow-and-red suit of Kid Flash. Maybe deep down, he missed being Kid Flash. After all, heroics can get in the blood. He finds Raven in his room. She tells him that she just needed some sanctuary, if even for a moment...but then reveals she said too much and vanishes. 

Teenagers can be overdramatic. Wally wants to know if Raven messed with his mind. Spoiler alert, she did, more on that later. 

We next look in on Robin and Beast Boy, who had been known as Changeling at the time. They're relaxing at Steve Dayton's mansion (Garfield Logan's stepfather). Dick Grayson is no stranger to living in a mansion himself. After all, he's Bruce Wayne's ward. But Dayton's mansion makes Stately Wayne Manor look like a shack. Meanwhile, Donna introduces Starfire to the concept of a swimsuit. Kid Flash goes to join them in the pool.  

Over in STAR Labs, Cyborg's father examines the robot and tells him that it's damaged beyond repair. 2And presumably, he can't identify who built the thing. Victor, who is still dealing with being, well, a cyborg, snaps at Silas, accusing him of not caring about anything but himself. As far as Victor is 2concerned, Silas is a sociopath that only cares about advancing science. He stomps away, a regretful Silas's thoughts revealing that the accident that caused Victor to become a cyborg...is also killing him. 

Victor stomps away, grumbling that if it weren't for Silas, his mother Elinore would still be alive, and he'd still be human...and then he gets hit with an explosion.

And the source stands revealed.

"I'm gonna beat this cyborg, and look good doing it!"

An empowered Grant Wilson, now the Ravager. He shows to be quite the tough customer. As he tries to strangle Victor, he rants that the Titans ruined his life. They destroyed his home, caused his girl to dump him, and now he's going to make the Titans pay. Uh, yeah, they didn't wreck your apartment, aliens did. And they didn't make Carol leave you, she chose to leave because you were on your way to beating the tar out of her, man. 

Victor does have one weapon that knocks the Ravager off his feet: his sonic cannon. It has Ravager on the ropes, but Slade comes to the rescue with a gadget that temporarily disables Cyborg. He grabs Grant and flees. 

We then next go over to the Dayton Mansion. Our young heroes discuss the need for secret identities. Gar finds the concept to be a pain. Also, considering that he is green, he wouldn't be able to have one. Wally West likes having his because it protects his family. Donna Troy doesn't conceal her identity, yet nobody's figured out she is Wonder Girl yet. Must be Amazon magic or something. 

Starfire points out that she doesn't need such protection, considering her parents. Which makes sense, she's a warrior princess. Literally. And the fact that she is also orange. But her family is very far away, and she believes that she'll never see them again. She says she cannot return to them. Wally points out that Superman or the Green Lanterns can take her home. After all, especially in the case of the GLs, space is their thing, and Superman's had his share of adventures in the Final Frontier. A teary-eyed Starfire is about to explain why, but Cyborg shows up. Way to ruin the mood, Vic!

But seriously, he's there to alert his teammates about the Ravager. Remember, this is the early 80s, and cell phones aren't remotely as ubiquitous as they are now. We next go to a townhouse in Manhattan. Slade watches over Grant as he recovers thanks to his enhanced metabolism. Grant is surprised to see Deathstroke. He says he's aware of the man thanks to his father. I'm assuming that Grant means his adopted father, as Slade is his biological father. Slade somehow knows Grant's enhancements are going to kill him and warns him not to use his new owners. However, Grant is not listening. He took an assignment to destroy the Titans, and he's going to do it. He's better than Deathstroke, and he will prove it!

Consumed by his desire for revenge against these heroes he barely knew a week earlier, he makes his way to the Dayton Mansion, where the Titans are waiting for him. And then Slade shows up, deciding to have a nice father-son battle with the Titans. 

"Time for a father-son beat-off! ...and I immediately regret saying that."

Just as the HIVE hoped. The two super-mercs....well, one super-merc and a super angry guy take on the Titans and give them a surprising challenge. 

As Slade fears, Grant's powers are burning him out and killing him. Raven then arrives, commanding Slade to take Grant out of there. The reason she formed these new Titans is coming, and they have more important things to worry about. Slade blames the Titans for is death, and Raven rightly points out that they did not kill him. But the thing is, in Slade's line of work, that's not how it works. Grant took a contract against the Titans, and that is why it's their fault he's dead. More on this later. 

In an epilogue, Carol goes to visit Grant's grave. Slade and Wintergreen watch her mourn. It's revealed that Slade took up the contract to honor Grant. Wintergreen says it's a shame that he never got to know Grant. But Slade knows Grant well enough. Like father, like son. The HIVE watches this, thirlled they got Slade under their thumb. For now, anyway. 

I enjoyed this comic, even though there were some things that made me scratch my head. I enjoyed the scenes with the Titans relaxing at the pool. I got a good laugh out of Donna trying to get Starfire to put on a swimsuit. I also enjoyed some of the storylines that were going on. It felt like every member of the team, save Robin, Changeling, and Wonder Girl, had something going on. Which made sense. After all, keep in mind, at this time, Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire were new characters, so it was logical they'd get the lion's share of the focus. I also liked setting up 

I did think that Grant's turn to becoming the Ravager was rather...quick. He only debuted in the first issue, and I'd like to have seen him more pre-Ravager. Maybe over time, the Titans keep unintentionally complicating his life, driving him crazy and making him become the Ravager. I love the implication that the HIVE deliberately botched Ravager's empowerment to bend his dad Slade to his will. It kind of makes sense, considering the HIVE wanting Slade to work for them to eliminate the Titans.

As for Slade taking up the contract, I was confused by that. Slade claims it was to honor his son, but...he didn't want to work for the HIVE originally. Not to mention, nobody forced Grant to turn to the HIVE for his empowerment. I also get that the HIVE was trying to manipulate Slade into working for them, but there had to be an easier way. Why not kill Grant and frame the Titans? I mean, that would be simpler and set up a more complicated relationship between Slade and the Titans. 

George Perez turns in some very fine artwork as usual. While it's not as...evolved as it would be in his work on Avengers with Kurt Busiek, it's still very nice to look at. It's astonishingly detailed, and it has a good sense of storytelling in places.

If you want to read this story for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 1999 trade paperback The New Teen Titans Vol. 2. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!

World Dolphin Day

 Happy World Dolphin Day, everyone!

Dolphins are aquatic mammals. There are 40 extant species of dolphins, and they're rather common critters, depicted in numerous cultures. Many of them prefer the warmer waters of the tropic zones, although some don't mind colder waters. 

They have very strong senses of hearing. They also breathe through blowholes, much like whales. In fact, so they don't suffocate in their sleep, dolphins only take short 15-20 minute naps. Dolphins also sleep in a way that makes them still aware of potential threats. 

Male dolphins are called bulls, while female dolphins are called cows. Appropriately enough, baby dolphins are called calves. Like all mammals, the babies are raised by their mothers. Dolphin calves can take between 9 and 17 months to be born. They are nurtured between about one to two years, and they stay with their mothers for about another one to seven years. 

Also, believe it or not, dolphins are most closely related to hippopotami. Yeah, they shared a common ancestor that branched around 40 million years ago. 

Dolphins are known to be rather intelligent. They have been known to make friends with other dolphins. They are social creatures, speaking to each other with clicks and whistles. They live in pods that can comprise of up to about a dozen individual dolphins each. They have also been known to make plans, use tools, teach and learn things, and even grieve lost friends and family. They are presumably the most like humans among all sea life in that aspect.

So, yeah. Dolphins are incredible creatures. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!

Metroid Ravenous Trailer, My Thoughts

Samus Aran is back, in a wild new adventure! Co-developed by Spanish company MercurySteam (who also helped make the last game in the series: Metroid Dread) and Nintendo EPD, Metroid Ravenous is the eleventh mainline game in the Metroid series. Not much has been revealed about the story of this game, so maybe this trailer will reveal something! Let's take a look!

I imagine Samus is thinking right now "Do you have any blasted idea how long it took me to get all the way up there?! Now I have to do it ALL OVER AGAIN!"

Never tell Samus the odds!

Yup, the gameplay is classic Metroid. 

SAMUS NEEDS MOAR DAKKA!

Hey, the counters from Samus Returns! Makes sense they'd be here, as MercurySteam was involved with that game, too. I've got to finish it one day...

Yeah, you wouldn't want to get eaten by that thing. 

OOH, THAT HAS GOTTA HURT!

Aw, man. This game looks so cool. Samus looks so dynamic. 

I think it would be such a funny running gag if Samus kept asking if people were going to eat things.

Whoa, what happened to her armor?! Is this like some kind of werewolf transformation? Is she becoming a monster? I think I need to play Dread...

Oh, Samus isn't just hungry, she's HANGRY. ...Who forgot to give her sandwiches?! Did Ridley steal her sandwiches? 

Well, this game looks like it'll be a lot of fun! A shame it's not coming to the Switch, but at least I have a reason to pick up a Switch 2 down the line. Seriously, Nintendo, Super Nintendo Switch was right there. Anyway, I heard nothing but good things about Dread, so I think this will be, too. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give it some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!

Labor Day

Happy Labor Day, everyone!

What is Labor Day, you ask? Well, the American Labor Day is celebrated on the first Monday in September, which is when Canada also celebrates their own Labor Day. It marks the end of the summer, and it's a federal holiday here. It also means a three-day weekend.

What is Labor Day? Well, it's basically to honor and celebrate the working person, the people who work hard to build, to heal, to create, and to feed. A day to express gratitude to the worker and remember their contributions to the country.

So, how did Labor Day get started? Well, in the late 19th century, the growth of trade unions and labor movements led to a call to celebrate the working person. In 1887, Oregon became the first U.S. State to declare Labor Day a public holiday. 29 other states would do the same by the time 1894 rolled around, in which Labor Day became a federal holiday, signed into law by President Grover Cleveland. You can learn more about the history of Labor Day here.

The labor movement is the reason we have a minimum wage, Social Security, a 40-hour work week, Medicare, and even family leave. So when you celebrate this day, think about this...and thank a working person. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other! If you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! Thanks for reading!