The Flash #62 (May 1992)

The Flash has had a long and wild history ever since the original, Jason Peter "Jay" Garrick, debuted all the way back in 1940. And like many other superheroes, others have worn the lightning-bolt symbol over the decades of the character's existence. And one of the most prominent holders of the Flash mantle was a Mr. Wallace "Wally" West.

With the death of Barry Allen in Crisis on Infinite Earths, it seemed to make sense that Wally would inherit the mantle. After all, Wally was Barry's nephew by marriage, and he had a long career as Kid Flash both in the real world and in-universe, even being the founding member of two incarnations of the Teen Titans: The original 1960s incarnation, and the more famous Wolfman/Perez 1980s team.

Thing was...that was not the original plan. Turns out the original plan was to introduce a new character as the new Flash. This new character would be named Mackenzie Ryan, a single father with a young daughter named Jamie. Also, unlike his predecessors Jay Garrick and Barry Allen, Mackenzie would not be a speedster. Instead, he would have the power to manipulate various forms of energy, light, sound, that kind of thing. Mac and Jamie would be on the receiving end (and unseen) of a phone call in New Teen Titans #19 (April 1986). Ultimately though, as history shows, this never happened and Wally took up the mantle.

With a new Flash also came a new comic for the Scarlet Speedster, launching in 1987. This new series was launched by writer Mark Baron and artist Jackson "Butch" Guice. This series would have Wally be public with his identity and reside in New York City. Issue #15 would see writer William Messner-Loebs and artist Greg LaRocque take over the book. This run would be notable not only for introducing Linda Park, Wally's girlfriend and eventual wife, but also reintroducing the Pied Piper. The Piper was an old foe of Barry Allen's but became an ally to Wally. It was also established here that he was one of DC's first confirmed gay characters. The title won the first GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book in 1992. Loebs' final issue on the book was issue #61 (April 1992). Taking over for him would be Mark Waid.

Waid had been involved with DC Comics for several years at this point. His first story was published in Action Comics #572 (October 1985), an eight-page Superman story called "The Puzzle of the Purloined Fortress". He mainly worked as an editor around this time, overseeing various titles. 1989 would see him step down to be a freelance writer, although he still continued to work for DC, mainly in their short-lived Impact Comics line. However, it will be his coming on board The Flash as the new writer that would make him a big name in the industry. His run not only introduced the Speed Force, but his run would also emphasize the Flash's history and legacy. Waid's actual first Flash tale was Flash Special #1 (1990), a one-shot tale that was put out to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Flash's debut, the tale being an overarching story involving the Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, and Wally West Flashes. This story also introduced a new far-future Flash: John Fox. 

The comic we're looking at here is Waid's first issue as the then-new writer of the Flash's own ongoing comic book. Is it a strong start, or is it an early stumble? Let's look at Flash #62!

The cover is a Greg LaRocque and Jose Marzan Jr piece. It's pretty good. It shows a very young Wally West seemingly being blasted by lightning, this event taking the young boy towards his destiny as one of the World's Greatest Super-Heroes.

"Flash: Year One - Born to Run!, Chapter 1: Thunder Struck"
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciler: Greg LaRocque
Inker: Jose Marzan Jr.
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Letterer: Tim Harkins
Editor: Brian Augustyn
Executive Editor: Dick Giordano

The story begins with Wally West, aka the third Flash, in the Central City Airport. He was waiting for someone when, in superhero comic tradition, he finds himself having to deal with something. Not a supervillain, just some mundane terrorists. They had committed some local bombings. The police managed to catch them, but there was still one bomb left. Turns out, the bomb was supposed to go off at midnight. And of the braintrust terrorists set it to go off at noon accidentally. The time now is 11:55 AM. 

Despite this, they refuse to tell where it is. Wally is fast, so he's able to quickly search the airport and can't seem to find the bomb, until he gets a brainwave.

It's an airport. Why work to hide something there? You could put it in a regular bag, "lose it", and then the airport staff unknowingly hides it for you. Wally looks through the lost-and-found area and finds his explosive quarry.

"This candy bar disguise is terrible!"

Wally realizes he has less than a second left before it blows. Zooming through the airport at Mach 3, he can see the bomb starting to go off. To Wally right now, a microsecond might as well be an hour. It gets him thinking about a game he used to play as a kid every Fourth of July. He would light a firecracker and hold on to it as long as he could before he threw it. He managed to get pretty good at it, and his dad gave him a whupping for it. Wally always thought his father Rudolph was overreacting, but this whole thing makes him think he may have had a point. Wally's lucky he still has all his fingers.

With the airport saved, Wally then meets up with the person he was waiting for: his grandfather Professor Ira West. A Nobel Prize-winning scientist, West has a brilliant mind, but can be rather addled by simple thing like where he put his glasses...while he's wearing them. Wally feels bad about him coming, as even though he's a super-speedster and Ira lives only twelve miles away, Wally never visits. But then again, family is a bit of an issue for Wally. 

Wally's face says it all about his family.

Ira had three children, two daughters and a son: Charlotte, Rudolph, and Iris. Charlotte is arguably the least famous of the West siblings, first appearing in DC Special Series #11 (May 1978). She was the eldest and always talked down to Wally. Rudy was next, and he and Ira were never close. But then, Rudolph never seemed close to anyone. And finally, there was Iris. She was adopted by the Wests, her biological parents coming from the future. Yeah, that was a whole thing.

Unlike Charlotte and his father, Wally has nothing but fond memories of Iris. She was like a second mother to him, but she passed away three years earlier. Yeah, she was seemingly murdered by Professor Zoom in Flash #275 (July 1979), but then her life-force was brought back to the future and she was resurrected. Yeah, that was whole thing. Presumably, Wally is unaware she actually is alive in the future.

Since then, Wally hasn't seen much of Ira. When he gets to Ira's home, he looks through some of old Iris's effects. Mainly, her scrapbooks. Iris kept many scrapbooks of Barry Allen's time as the Flash. Wally wonders if she did the same for him, but he shakes it off. He wasn't Barry Allen. Barry was King Arthur, he was the court jester. But then, he finds another scrapbook. This one yellow with a red lightning bolt on it.

Wally should not have been surprised she kept a scrapbook about him.

Yeah. She was just as proud of Wally during his time as Kid Flash. It gets Wally thinking back to one particular summer: the summer he was ten years old. It was during that summer that he got spend time at Central City with Iris. The young Wally thought that Central was the coolest place in the world. Cooler than Disneyland, cooler than the Moon. Why? Because it was the home of the Flash. In particular, the Barry Allen incarnation. He went there by bus. It was a long ride, but Wally endured it. When he arrives at Central, Iris offers to take him to the Flash Museum. However, as it is in superhero comics, we get some action. In particular, the Flash dealing with some armed jewel robbers.

"This is better than the movies!"

It seems to go well...until Barry falls thanks to some of the thieves' ill-gotten gains spilling on the ground.

Wally is left wondering what to do, until he sees a handyman with a large wrench. And he gets, well...a bolt of inspiration.

One of the robbers has the Flash dead to rights and is about to provide a bullet to the speedster's brain...until a geyser of water hits him in the face.

"Aw, man! Why couldn't it have been a beer wave?!"

Wally decided to take a cue from AC/DC and let the robber have a drink on him. You see, growing up in the hot summers of Midwestern America had taught Wally an important lesson: Fire hydrants are a great way to cool off and can pack a watery punch. It didn't KO the thieves, but it did buy the Flash several valuable seconds to recover. And when you're the Fastest Man Alive, a few seconds are plenty to work with. The Scarlet Speedster easily takes down the robbers, leaving them nice and KO'd for the cops.

Before he leaves, he thanks Wally and says the kid's his hero today. So yeah, Wally's day just got a lot cooler. Iris returns (having called the story in), and then introduces her to her fiance, forensic scientist Barry Allen. In comparison to the Flash, Wally finds Barry Allen a rather dull man. Barry and Wally heads to his apartment, as Iris has to work. It's here that the forensic expert reveals something to Wally: He and the Flash...

...are friends.

Actually, this makes a bit of sense. Barry just met Wally, and he likely feels he doesn't know the kid well enough that he can be trusted with the knowledge of his secret identity. Keep in mind, it also can be implied at this point, Iris is unaware Barry is the Flash, so...yeah. To prove to young Wally he's not making this up, Barry uses a little bit of his speed and a bit of trickery.

"Yes. I am awesome!"

Wally is in awe. Barry Allen, the rather dull CSI is friends with the Flash? Yup! Heck, Barry even has his own lab that he lets the Flash use if he needs to crack a case. He thanks Wally again for saving his life earlier and asks how he can return the favor. And Wally's basically like:

Well, more in the manner of utter amazement than confusion like Spidey here. The Flash doesn't tell Wally who he is under his mask, but he is happy to tell Wally how he got his speed powers. Basically, Barry was working in a lab during a thunderstorm. A bolt of lightning hit him and a wall full of chemicals. Now, normally, this would result in a man getting royally toasted. But instead, Barry got powers. Wally thinks that's the coolest thing ever and wishes something like that happened to him. And wouldn't you know it? There's a thunderstorm brewing over Central City...and Wally is standing next to a wall of chemicals and a window. Certainly something like that couldn't happen again? Barry doesn't think so. After all, lightning never strikes the same place twice, as the old adage says. As if the lightning bolt wanted to prove Barry wrong, said bolt strikes the shelf of chemicals, dumping their electrified contents all over Wally. And that's how the story ends. Be careful what you wish for, folks. You just may get it.

I thought this was an enjoyable issue. This issue is clearly meant to be a jumping-on point, familiarizing readers with the character of Wally West, who he is, and how he first gained his powers. We get the idea that even though Wally comes from a dysfunctional family, he still highly values it. They are important to him, even if it seems like he wasn't important to most of them. We see how much he especially valued Iris and Barry Allen. Not to mention there was a good chuckle had about Ira's absent-mindedness. I can't help but wonder that if this was written today, Ira would be seen as suffering some form of dementia. The beginning is also rather exciting, showing Wally's brains and experience.

Greg LaRocque's art is really good. It's very clean and detailed. The characters are expressive, and there's some strong storytelling. I also love how he, Marzan Jr, and Whitmore render Wally's suit. To me, it makes Wally's Flash suit look like it's meant to be shiny, helping differentiate his suit from his uncle Barry's. 

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2016 trade paperback The Flash by Mark Waid, Book One. Thaks 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 Oceans Day

 Today is World Oceans Day!

World Oceans Day is about, well, celebrating the ocean. This day was first proposed in 1992 by representatives of the Canadian government as well as the Oceans Institute of Canada at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. June 8th was chosen as the 1992 Earth Summit was held from the 3rd to the 14th of June. This day was also inspired by a 1987 report by the Brundtland Commission determining that the oceans needed more representation compared to other sectors.

In 2008, the United Nations made a declaration officially recognizing this day. And it's rather important. The ocean is arguably the biggest biome on Earth. It hosts the vast majority of life on Earth and helps provide Earth with about half of its oxygen. It also serves as a heat reservoir and has an effect on climate and weather. Sadly, despite the importance of oceans to life here on Earth, they do have their fair share of threats. Overfishing, climate change, pollution, that kind of thing. The oceans are extremely important to our planet, and we should do all we can to protect them. 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 my blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!

Marvel: The Lost Generation #7 (August 2000)

It's that time again! It's time to join the First Line, the Lost Generation of Marvel's superheroes, as we look at their history from the end to the beginning. Last time, we saw Pixie and Black Fox battle the Fox's old enemy Nocturne in late-70s Romania. And now, we go a few short years back, still in the turbulent 1970s, when the First Line cross paths with another old-school Marvel villain. This is Marvel: The Lost Generation #7!

The cover is a John Byrne piece. I do like it, although I do think that the rendition of Nocturne in the back does look a bit...stretched and incomplete. I wonder if Byrne was homaging the cover of X-Men #100 (August 1976) with this cover. I didn't see an "after Cockrum and Crespi" on his signature, so maybe it wasn't an intentional one. We got members of the First Line and the Invaders facing off, which is actually a pretty cool thing to see. Makes you wonder what Nocturne's involvement is in this whole thing. And the Invaders are not the surprise guest stars? Well, who is? Only one way to find out!

"Highly Placed Sources"
Writers: Roger Stern, John Byrne
Penciler: John Byrne
Inker: Al Milgrom
Letterers: Jack Morelly, Jim Novak
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras

The place? Cleveland, Ohio. The time? The Nixon Era, which means this story is set between 1969 and 1974. So, this issue is set likely not too long before the events of the last one.

First Line members Pixie and Effigy are joining forces with Russian heroine Katyusha, as well as English heroes Ian Fitzwilliam-Dare/Templar and his Scottish squire Vulcan to face something unseen. Elsewhere, something smashes into some snow. But that's not important, you're here to see some superheroes fighting villains, right? Well, we do get some of that, in the form of the First Line facing off against...the Invaders?! And the Red Skull?! And they're on the same side?! And they're all under the command of Nocturne?!

Yeah, that's something that'll shock a reader. Meanwhile, we learn what crashed in the snow. 

"Oh GAWD, what'd I drink last night?!"

Yup, it's our heroine Cassandra Locke. She realizes that she has ended up in some snowy mountains. Meanwhile, back with the First Line! A chained-up Oxbow is horrified at the idea of the Invaders in league with the Red Skull of all people. Mr. Justice (who is also chained up with the First Nations powerhouse archer) notes that the Skull has brainwashed the Invaders before. Around the time of Invaders #5 to be exact. If Nocturne has learned how the Skull pulled it off, then the First Line is going to be for one heck of a fight.  

Meanwhile, out in the snowy mountains of...somewhere, Cassandra is trying to figure out where she is. While also not freezing to death.

She then spots a trail of flame in the sky. That means only one thing: the Human Torch. But is it the Jim Hammond Torch or the Johnny Storm Torch? Only one way for her to find out: follow that fiery trail.

Back to the fight! Captain America tosses his Mighty Shield at Oxbow and Mr. Justice, who are struggling to free themselves. Vulcan blocks the shield with his sword...sort of.

"I knew this sword was tough, but boy howdy!"

Don't worry, folks. Templar is just as confused as you are. After all, isn't Captain America's Mighty Shield supposed to be for all intents and purposes indestructible? That's a second sign that there's something funny about these "Invaders". The first was Vulcan noticing that if this was somehow the supposedly-dead Bucky Barnes, he'd be in his 50s by now. Remember, this was long before the Winter Soldier storyline in Captain America's book revealed Bucky was actually alive, but that he was also actually an older man who was trained in black ops that looked like a teenager. 

Meanwhile, Cassandra finds the source of the flame trail: Johnny Storm, the second Human Torch. She realizes that she's in the Modern Age of Marvels. But enough of that revelation! Back to the titular "Lost Generation"! First Liner Reflex realizes these Invaders are fake.

He rips off "Captain America"'s mask, revealing that...

"NOOO, NOT MY PRETTY ZOMBIE FAAAAAACE!"

It's a zombie! Yes, these "Invaders" are actually zombie minions of Nocturne's. Realizing they are not really alive, our heroes take care of these fake wartime heroes...only to find that Nocturne has escaped. Again.

Back in the snowy mountains, Cassandra watches Johnny Storm make a fire, and then get attacked.

"Where's my money, Johnny?!"

Yup, it's the former First Liner known as Yeti. Cassandra is left confused as to how he could have survived the First Line's destruction in issue #12. It's not implausible. I mean, can't imagine every single member of the team died. And considering it's the Marvel Universe...yeah. Anyway, let's look in on Washington, DC.

"I know the First Line wants to see me naked!"

President Richard Nixon, in a fit of paranoia thanks to his being up in his ears in the whole Watergate scandal, is seriously considering revoking the First Line's government privileges, for some reason. My guess is that he's trying to distract the press. Again, Watergate. Jake Scott (aka the Skrull hero known as Effigy) is horrified by this, as it's nothing more than domestic subversion. Black Fox also makes his way into the Oval Office and gets in Nixon's face about it. 

Back in the snowy mountains, Johnny Storm pursues the Yeti, having heard him say he must warn the other Inhumans. Johnny pursues him, hoping Yeti will lead him to Attilan where Crystal is. Yes, Cassie is in the Himalayan mountains, during the events of Fantastic Four #99 (June 1970). In that comic, Johnny Storm had flown off to the Inhuman city of Attilan (which was in the Himalayas at the time), thinking that his then-main squeeze, the classical Greek element-manipulating Crystalia "Crystal" Amaquelin was taken there against her will. He was also attacked by the Yeti in the original comic. Clever stuff by Stern and Byrne here.

Black Fox and Effigy argue over the former's actions in the Oval Office. Fox wants Nixon stopped. If he outlaws the First Line, then it will harm their ability to help others. He suggests Effigy impersonate Nixon, but the Skrull refuses, believing that'll make him no better than Nixon. Robert Paine tells him that if Scott won't do something, he will. 

The story then goes to the 22nd century, in Tranquility City. Cassie Locke's father Alexander heads to her room, and finds it still looks like it's being used, even though she's been gone for a week at his point...from his perspective. That's because it is still being used.

"And if you call me 'Flathead' again, I will kick you in the nards."

Meet Omega-20, or as he likes to be called, "Gene". I don't know, he seems more like a "Tom" to me, but if he wants to be called "Gene", I'm not going to judge.

Alex Locke never liked the idea of Cassie dating Gene. Mainly because of the fact that Gene here got himself genetically altered for life in deep space. To him, it's something crazy people do. Gene also said that Omega-20 is his "cyborg classification", so I'm assuming that he also has some cybernetic parts put in. Anyway, Gene knows full well that Alex doesn't like him and Cassie together due to Alex having a prejudice against people like Gene. 

Gene says his alterations were radical, but they are nothing compared to what the Skrulls were doing. Their diplomats preach peace, but they've been secretly reigniting the old flames of bigotry and hatred among humans. Alex blames Gene for Cassandra going off on her little time-travel adventure. Thing is, he did not tell her to do so. All he did was give her information. Cassie's a historian, so of course she'd see the pattern of Skrull deceit over the centuries. And someone else confirms this. Someone who's been dealing with Skrulls for a long time.

"I never did get that money Oxbow owed me."

Yup, Pixie is still around. Which makes sense, as she's an Eternal.

We then look in on Detroit of the mid-1970s. In particular, a man named Russell. 

This family should be a sitcom.

As you can see, he's a loving family man. A hard worker, formerly of Texas. His eldest son, a cynical sort named Russell Junior, just got fired from McDonalds. His wife Alma suggests he have a talk with him. He agrees to, after dinner. Until then, he be in his workshop. While down there, it's seen exactly what he's building: the Flatiron armor we briefly saw him wearing in issue #12. Oh yeah, didn't the First Line fight some fake Invaders? We kind of have forgotten about that, have we? Well, let's look in on them, shall we? Back in Cleveland, Pixie is in hot pursuit of Nocturne, but he manages to get away.

The next day, it's time for a happy occasion. It's the wedding of Templar and his lovely missus Rossalyn. 

"Gettig married is for losers! Did you see what it did to that one Parker guy?"

With this, Dare is hanging up his sword and retiring. Robert Paine is outraged by this, as he feels Dare is ignoring his responsibilities as Templar. Thing is, Dare has new responsibilities now, and his sword will be taken up by Vulcan. Not to mention that there are now plenty of other heroes that can take up the slack. Robert refuses to retire, even if he has to go underground. He'll still play best man for Ian, though.

Over in Georgetown, a week has passed. Effigy laments that he couldn't stop Nixon from rescinding the First Line's security clearances, which is why they're shown to operate underground in previous issues. The Skrull considers Black Fox's idea to pose as Nixon...but he shoots it down. Nixon has a family, and not to mention he swore he would be different. He would be better than that. He does admit the Fox is right, and there is something else he can do. All he has to do...is make a phone call...

"And after this, I'm ordering me some pizza!"

Yup, he places a call to Bob Woodward of the Washington Post. Yes, that Bob Woodward. The very same man alongside Carl Bernstein who would help expose the Watergate scandal to the public, which would lead to Richard Nixon resigning the Presidency. So, yeah. In the Marvel Universe, a Skrull was Deep Throat. Keep in mind, this comic was put out (based on cover dates) about five years before the informant's actual identity was revealed to the public.

As all this was happening, Cassandra had made her way to Attilan and met the Fantastic Four, who again, were going through the events of Fantastic Four #99. Reed is able to fix her time belt, which causes her to undergo another time jump...and the FF to forget she was ever there. She finds herself in 1961. And she intended to be in 1964. 

It's revealed that she was thrown off course thanks to something that happened in the upcoming issue #4. Remember, this miniseries is numbered backwards. She hears footsteps and spots the Sub-Mariner. This confuses her, as in 1961, he was still missing. He wouldn't be discovered until Johnny Storm discovers him living as a vagrant in Fantastic Four #4 (May 1962). She discovers that he isn't just around, he's become a servant of Plan Chu, aka the Golden Claw. Or as he was known back then, the Yellow Claw.

I enjoyed this comic. I do feel that this is one of those stories that's better enjoyed if you read the whole maxiseries at once. I do wish we had more of an idea as to why Nocturne and the Golden Claw created the fake Invaders. Was it for the purpose of disgracing them? I mean, this story is set in the late-60s/early 70s, so WWII was long over, but it was still fresh in people's minds, so maybe that was the plan? I don't know.

I can imagine that for Robert Paine, seeing Templar getting married must also be pushing his buttons a little bit, as the woman he loved was killed by Nocturne, as we have seen in the last issue. It does make sense why he would be angry at the idea of a fellow superhero wanting to retire after being a hero. For Paine, being the Black Fox was likely the only thing he felt he had in his life, and seeing Templar put away the armor for good must feel like he's being forced to see something he believes he can never have. It's a nice little character bit.  

I also have another question. In earlier issues, set later in the First Line's history, we saw they were still operating underground in the 1980s. Why didn't Gerald Ford or Jimmy Carter or even Ronald Reagan restore their governmental clearances and privileges? Was Nixon's move against the First Line seen as a popular one? I get the idea that he did it out of paranoia, and I also understand that in the Marvel Universe, mistrust of superhuman beings is a bit of a regular thing, but it's still something that confuses me.  

The usage of the Golden Claw does make some sense. He's appeared in stories set in the 1950s before, and it's a nice way to link the First Line to the rest of the Marvel Universe. 

John Byrne still turns in some decent art, but it doesn't quite fit his X-Men/Fantastic Four prime. I believe I have said that before.

If you want to read this for yourself, you're going to have to look on eBay for issues. It was collected in the 2018 Omnibus: The Marvel Universe by John Byrne Vol. 2, but this maxiseries has never been collected in a standalone trade. I think it may be available in Marvel Unlimited, though. 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: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered Trailer, My Thoughts

In 2002, the game Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee was released for the Nintendo GameCube and the original X-Box in 2003. Developed by WayForward Technologies and Pipeworks Software, the game was a fighter starring the various monsters from the history of the Godzilla films up to that point. In the game's single-player adventure mode, the various monsters are made into slaves of the alien race known as the Vortaak (an alien race created for the game), except for the monster you choose to play as in a plot to conquer the Earth. 

The game had several modes, including Destruction Mode (in which you destroy as much of a city as you can for points), and Melee Mode (two to four players can fight as particular monsters). The game received mixed to positive reviews, praised for its many game modes, but criticized for its gameplay. 

It has been announced that a remastered version of the game will be coming to the Nintendo Switch 2, X-Box Series X, and for the first time, Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 5. The game isn't a simple porting, as Pipeworks rebuilt the game with Unreal Engine 5. Hey, rebuilding a game from the ground up? This is an opportunity! Maybe make some much-needed improvements? Make the 

You ever have one of those days when you just want to throw someone you hate at a building? Godzilla's entire life is like that. And he can throw people into buildings. And he does throw his fellow monsters into buildings. Basically, he throws people at buildings all the time. I mean, who's going to stop him: Michael McDoesn'tExist?

(Shrug)

And if he's in the mood, he'll throw a building at a monster! Changing it up every now and then is a good thing.

I've got to admit, all the cities look really good. I do think the color scheme is a bit washed out and dull, though. 

Yes, you can fight your friends online! That seems to be a requirement of fighting games these days, huh?

Sometimes, you just want to break things. Good thing this game has a mode for that. 

Yeah, this needs context. You see, the GameCube and Game Boy Advance versions of this game would be released in 2002. A year later, it was ported to the original X-Box. The X-Box version had enhanced graphics, a couple new levels, the Destruction Mode for single-players, and an additional monster: The incarnation of MechaGodzilla from the 2002 film Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla (as the film was released in Japan after the GameCube version came out)...yet the footage is of the first version of MechaGodzilla from the 1974 film Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla. Yeah, for context, this is what the 2002 MechaGodzilla looked like:

Yup. That's an oopsie.

I admit, I've never played the original version of this game, but I do want to give this remaster a try. It looks like it'll be a lot of fun. Nothing more enjoyable sometimes that playing as a monster throwing buildings at another monster sometimes...or throwing other monsters at buildings. 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 Bicycle Day

Today is World Bicycle Day!

When we think of the bicycle, we think of kids playing or adults using it for a variety of things like sport and way of making deliveries. However, the bicycle has a long and fascinating history. 

The earliest ancestor of the bicycle was known as the Laufmachine ("running machine"), created by German forest official Baron Karl von Drais. He introduced this device to the public in 1817. It worked by people propelling the device with their feet while steering the front wheel. 

From there, the treadle bicycle was created. It was called that because it was powered by the usage of a treadle. It was presumably created by Scottish blacksmith Kirkpatrick MacMillan in 1839, but there's little direct evidence of it. He was involved in the first known bicycle traffic offense in 1842. He accidentally hit a little girl and was fined 5 schillings, around 24 pounds today.

In the early 1860s, Frenchmen Pierre Michaux and Pierre Lallement (aka Pierre Squared) would make another innovation with the bicycle. They would introduce bicycles powered by the usage of a mechanical crank on an enlarged front wheel. This design would evolve into the "penny-farthing" bicycle.

Penny-farthings are neat to look at, but they are a pain to mount, get off, and brake. The bicycle was redesigned by making the front wheel smaller and moving the seat further back. This created a new problem: it couldn't maximize pedaling power. English inventor J.K. Starley (whose uncle had held found Britain's first bicycle factory) addressed this by introducing the chain drive to the bicycle. This, alongside other innovations like John Boyd Dunlop's pneumatic tire, led to the modern bicycle today.

Bicycles would become pretty popular, with dedicated clubs rising in the 1870s. In 1897, the electric bicycle was invented. In fact, bicycles still remain a popular form of transportation around the world. in 1970s California, the BMX bike was born. 1981 would see the rise of the mass-produced mountain bike, a bicycle designed for off-road riding. And bicycles continue to evolve and change with time, new technologies, new materials, and all of that.

So, yeah. Bicycles are incredible little machines. They show that a good invention can stand the test of time. 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 my blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!

World Reef Day

 Today is World Reef Day!

What is a coral reef, you may ask? Well, a coral reef is actually a colony of coral polyps that are all held together by a substance called calcium carbonate. These reefs grow best in well-lit shallow, clear, and sunny waters. Corals have been around for about 500 million years. They're little invertebrates that feed on fish using stinging tentacles.

The most famous reef is the Great Barrier Reef, in Australia. This reef is over 20,000 years old and is made up of nearly 3,000 singular reefs. It also stretches around 1,400 miles and covers about 133,000 square feet. It's actually visible from space. 

So, what do reefs...do, exactly? Well, reefs have been described as the rainforests of the sea. What that means is that they are important for oceanic ecosystems. That's because these reefs provide support for about 25% of all known oceanic species. They can also provide natural barriers against erosion.

Reefs are very sensitive to changes in water, so it's very easy to place them in danger. Sadly, they have a lot of hazards. Waters getting increasingly warmer and more acidic, coral bleaching, pollution, among others. But efforts have been made to save reefs because of their importance to marine life. You can learn more here.

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International Dinosaur Day

 Happy International Dinosaur Day, everyone!

Dinosaurs are extinct animals that lived millions of years ago. Their time was known as the Mesozoic Era, going from about 252 to 66 million years ago. They are the ancestors of modern reptiles and birds. Many dinosaurs are well-known in popular culture, like the Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus, and the Stegosaurus. Thing is, based on what we have learned from fossils, these species may never really have co-existed, even though pop culture likes to say otherwise. Also, pterodactyls? While they are often seen as dinosaurs by the general public (For example, Swoop the Dinobot), they actually are not dinosaurs. That's because they have their own classification: Pterosaurs. 

The word "dinosaur" comes from Greek. It means "terrible lizard", and it was coined in 1842 by English paleontologist Sir Richard Owen. 

The largest known dinosaur is the Argentinosaurus. It is believed to have weighed over 180,000 pounds. That's about 82,000 kilograms. Dinosaurs were originally believed to have been covered in scales, much like modern reptiles. However, further discoveries have revealed that some species may have had feathers. Also, it was believed that like modern reptiles, dinosaurs were cold-blooded. However, studies of dinosaur bones have led to the discovery that their metabolisms were closer to warm-blooded creatures (mammals and birds). 

Dinosaurs ruled the earth for millions of years, until a mass extinction event. The general consensus is that a large meteor caused it when it hit the earth, causing massive environmental upheavals. Mammals adapted better to the conditions, allowing them to survive. But some dinosaur species did manage to survive this event as well, allowing them to become the modern reptiles and birds of today.

Yup, dinosaurs are really cool. But you didn't need me to tell you that. 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 my blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!