Text Play: Pokémon Xenoverse #44

Hello, and welcome back to the Eldiw region! This is entry number #44 in my Text Play of Pokémon Xenoverse!

Now, as is tradition, I wish to warn you that I will be spoiling this game.

As such, I highly recommend you play through this game yourself before you read through these Text Plays. You can download the game here. And now, on with the show!

Last time, we made our way through the Shyleon Temple, obtaining three special masks in the process. Now that we got the masks, we can get past that Alakazam that was blocking the upwards entrance with blue flames. We head to the left-side hallway. An unknown voice states that only "those who disguise their faces in the blue" are allowed in this room. Basically, if we have the Blue Shyleon Mask, we can come in. Since we did get said mask, we are allowed inside. The game asks us if we'd like to unlock accessing this room. Well, YEAH. We have to go in there! It's the only way to go forward! This is so weird. Anyway, once the access is unlocked, we end up here.

I wondered what I do here next, until I noticed the trees. They look like the kind of trees that can be cut down. And they are. Apply a bit of Kaiserium H, and voila!

There's a tunnel here! The tunnel is actually an entrance to a Pokémon Den. It's been a while since we last saw one of these. I think the last time we encountered a Den was all the way back in...entry #3. Yeah, that far back. I can't help but think there are more Dens that we missed along the way. That may be the most likely case. I do apologize to all you readers for that, I'm essentially playing blind here. I sent Trishout inside.

Huh. Venusaur flowers. I didn't think those things grew in the ground. I always thought they were only on Venusaur backs. Shows what I know. :/

We have to play a bit of a guessing game here with these flowers. You see, if you interact with the flowers, you will get hit with a sweet scent that will knock your Pokémon right out of the Den. However, there is one flower in the top left corner of the Den that will give you a nice gift.

The Old Miracle Seed. It's the seed of a plant that only grows here in the Shyleon Temple. Huh. And with that, the Den is complete! I don't think there are any wild Pokémon in there anyway. Now that we got the seed, let's move on. We head back to the room with the Porygon Center and head to the hallway on the right side. The voice tells us we are only worthy to enter if we have the Red Shyleon Mask. Since we have that, we're good. 

We answer the question of unlocking access with a resounding yes. The screen flashes white, and we can enter. Welcome to the Red Shyleon Mask room.

You know, this would make a great set for a 1980s low-budget Indiana Jones ripoff. You may have noticed the yellow-topped Item Box on the lower right corner. That's easy to get to. Use some Herculeum H to push down the golden boulder nearby. Like this. 

From there, we can just go behind the column and open the box. It contains TM48: Round. Round is a team attack move. One Pokémon starts attacking by singing, and then others can join in, increasing the attack's damage. So yeah, if you like seeing Pokémon hand out beatdowns as a team, there you go.

You may have also noticed that slab in the center of the room. It has a seed-shaped slot in it. The slab has writing on it.

"Here you will have to plant an old new life."

The meaning is pretty obvious. We have to take the Old Miracle Seed and put that in the slot. Once we do, the room flashes green a couple times. The big head opens its mouth, revealing...

Another Shyleon Mask, this one green. We take the mask and then the room flashes white. Something has happened in the main room. We head back to the main room, only to discover that everything has seemingly not changed.

Well, one detail has changed. The Alakazam and the flame barrier it was generating is gone now. Huh. who would have thought that it all it took to make the Alakazam go away was collecting a bunch of masks? Aw who cares, he's gone!

Anyway, we go further ahead and...

The Alakazam is still there after all.

Well, at least it's not making that flame barrier anymore so...progress? You may notice that there is a Sentinel named Karma standing behind the Pokemon. How many of these guys are there? But seriously, that's likely the Alakazam's trainer. The Sentinel is shocked that we got the three masks, as the riddles had supposedly protected the masks from thieves for millenia...what riddles? I don't remember any riddles. But that doesn't matter. Karma thinks we're thieves, so he wants to take us down. He also confirms the Alakazam is his. 

Sentinel (Karma)
-1st Pokemon: Alakazam (Lv. 46) - Defeated by Harrowk.

Before he faints, he laments that despite the power his "master" gave him, he still failed. I'm guessing this "master" is why the Sentinels here all have glowing tattoos. Anyway, now that we have beaten him, we can go further, which leads us here.

I bet you know what you're thinking: "Now what do we do?" Well, the answer is easy. You see those three statues of Shyleon on the octagonal ring? Well, we have to take the three Shyleon masks and put them on the statues' heads. The Red one goes on the middle statue, the Blue one on the right, and the Green one on the left. You have to put them on in that order: Red in the middle, Blue on the right, then Green on the left. The screen flashes green twice, the Temple rumbles, and the gate on the far end of the room opens up. 

Looks like we're finally going to get to the bottom of this whole mess. We head towards the gate, and...

Looks like there's something bad going down. Not surprising. Why can't it just be a surprise birthday party? A voice yells at us to not move.

And of course, it's Ruta. He grumbles that the Sentinels were a waste of time and he wants to get through this quickly. What're you complaining about, kid?! I'm the one who had to fight them! 

Ignoring Ruta, we start to head into the next chamber. The game asks us if we wish to proceed. Well, yes. Of course we do. We can't go forward without going into that chamber! We go inside the chamber, and...him!

Yes, it's Victor! We last encountered him all the way back in entry #30...which led to us blowing up the Quasar Express.

Not one of our proudest moments. Yes, in case you forgot, it was heavily implied (if not outright said) that this man caused the likely death of Versil (our player character's dad) thanks to his Tyranitar. I admit, I had forgotten about him since them. Maybe a part of me hoped he got blowed up real good with the train. But he did, which sucks. Ruta loudly demands to know what he's doing here, but Vicotr tells him to keep quiet, as this is a sacred place. Okay, that was funny.

Ruta sics his Decidueye on the white-haired man, but Victor has a surprise for him: An X Roserade.

He didn't bring this Pokemon out when we encountered him last, so either he didn't feel a need to bring this swordslady out against us on the Quasar Express...or he didn't have it back then. Either possibility is plausible. Either way, the X Roserade makes short work of Ruta's Decidueye, as in a flash of white, it is shown getting knocked backwards. Victor mocks Ruta, saying that for a Cardinal's son, he sure cries a lot. Hey screw you, buddy! Ruta's a kid! A royal pain of a kid, but still a kid!

(you suck)

Victor claims that Ruta's father has been a wonderful host, and even agreed to open the Xeno Gate here at this temple for him. Ruta screams he's lying, and I actually agree with him. I smell Tauros turd here. I doubt Victor would have cared if the Cardinal wanted to open the Xeno Gate or not. He wants that gate opened, it will get opened. And true to our thoughts, Victor admits that he needed a little help to get the Cardinal's cooperation...and that's where the X Roserade comes in. 

Similar to the Sirens of myth, the X Roserade can sing a song that weakens the wills of anyone who hears it and make them susceptible to suggestion. This was a big help to Victor, who can now use the gate to access Xenoverse Energy. Victor claims that there is someone looking for the Energy on the other side of the portal, wanting to use it to increase his power...and he's due to arrive at any moment. And once he does, Team Dimension will also have "both energies" at its disposal. Victor thinks there's nothing we can do to stop him now, but just in case, he'll have his X Roserade deal with us.

(you're dead)

Ruta begs us to get that Roserade. No problem. Been a while since we battled an X Pokemon.

(here we go)

Now, we have to remember a couple of things. One: X Pokemon have multiple health bars. Two: Since this is an X Roserade, it's not going to have the standard typing. Standard Roserades are Grass/Poison. X Roserades are Sound/Poison. Ground is great against it. 

X Roserade (Lv. 50) - Weakened by Palossand, Captured. 

Victor seems impressed, but he says it doesn't matter. He won't be stopped! He took advantage of us catching the X Roserade to get the X Energy. The temple rumbles. A flash of white. And he's gone.

(and he's gone)

We check on Ruta, and he apologizes to us. Yeah, I can't really be mad at him here. He was trying to save his dad. Victor caught me by surprise back at the Quasar Express, too. Let me take care of this, kid. Hopefully, I can save your dad. You know, where is Ruta's mom? Is she in the picture? Is she out traveling the world or something? Never mind, we have to take care of Victor. Luckily, he didn't get very far.

I'm guessing the man in the funny hat and face paint is Ruta's dad, the Cardinal. And with him appears to be...Trey?!

(what)

Yeah, it's been a while. We last saw him back in entry #22, where we battled A & B together. I always got the impression that he had no love for Team Dimension. So, why is he working with Victor?! Dahlia had noted that Victor saw Trey as a son, but Trey didn't share the feeling. Well, he did say we'd meet again. Is that why he's doing this, because he knows we've crossed paths with Team Dimension in the past, and he wants to face us again?! Dude, you could have just talked to me! I would have been happy to rearrange a rematch with you down the line!

(come on, man)

Trey's feeling powered up thanks to the Xenoverse Energy. Despite that, he still craves more. Yeah, some people, when they get a little bit of power, end up hungering for more. Victor tells him that the mission is done here, and that Trey should get back to the hideout. Trey agrees...but because he wants to. Yeah, sure pal.

(roll eyes)

Victor is surprised by how obedient he is. Guess that Blue Energy must have been more effective than he thought. We're going to have to take this guy on.

(let's do this)

Trey scoffs at fighting us...until he makes an interesting remark.

Yeah, he says he's an Alter. it's then that I noticed something: Trey's skin (the skin that isn't covered in metal) is gray. Last time we encountered Trey, his flesh was more of a normal tone, for lack of better words. He's been taken over by his Alter! No wonder he's working for Victor! This is Trey's Xenoverse counterpart! 

(jawdrop)

What're the odds he'd be a cyborg, too?

(shrug) 

It does make sense. Our Alter is our darker side, in a way. It would be logical to assume that this would be the case for Trey. Which gets me wondering. Does the Xenoverse have a version of Victor? And what would he be like? I think it would be so funny if it turned out his counterpart was a big ol' sweetheart. 

(I'm just saying)

Alter!Trey claims he will be the strongest Alter of all. Seems Trishout has an issue with that, though.

Yeah, it came out...in its Xenoversal Form. Naturally, Alter!Trey is not impressed, as he brings out his own Sabolt in a new form.

Looks like an angry cyborg werewolf. Turns out much like Trishout, Sabolt came out of his ball of his own free will. Alter!Trey is not happy about this, as he has no desire to waste time or energy facing us. Hey buddy, I think your Sabolt doesn't care about any of that right now. That Pokemon wants a fight. Well, Alter!Trey doesn't care what Sabolt thinks and recalls it. He tells us we'll meet up again. Only then will he face us. Victor also takes his leave, and they vanish. How do they do that?!

(how)

Well, this was a bust. Victor got the Xenoverse energy. We really could have used Aster's help here. Ruta laments that he dragged us into this, and yet he wasn't able to help save his father. Ehhh, Ruta was a jerk, but...he did mean well. We call him brave for it. The Cardinal tells Ruta he should take the compliment, and that things are alright now.

The man's name is Chua. And if there is one silver lining in this cloud, it's that he's free of the X Roserade's control and seemingly back to his old self. Ruta managed to help make this happen, so he should be proud. Yeah, I suppose he has a point there. Ruta says I deserve all the credit, as I captured the X Roserade and freed Chua. He just got in the way. Chua points out that if he didn't bring me here, he'd still be under that X Pokemon's control. So, in a way, Ruta did help out. 

Chua points out there is no harm in asking for help when you need it. I mean, he's not wrong. There's no shame in asking for help if you need it. Ruta ultimately helped out when he needed to, and that's what's important. Chua also decided that after this whole thing, he needs a friggin' vacation. So he's going to take a break from his Cardinal duties for a while to do some father-son bonding with Ruta. You know, where is Ruta's mom in all of this. Was she just waiting for them to come home for dinner? Is she dead? Did she dump them for some rich guy over in Kalos?

(what is going on)

Chua thanks us for watching over Ruta. Yeah, sure. You owe me, pal. He says the energies have found their rightful owner. I'm assuming he means me. And he wants to continue discussing this with us somewhere else. After all of this, he's hungry. I don't blame him. I could use a meal right now. It's feast time! 

(woo-hoo)

And so, we head out...to feast.

I don't know, I think for an improvised feast, it's mighty fine. Mighty fine, indeed. Chua asks Ruta to leave for a moment, as he wants to talk to us in private. Yeah, we're gonna do some man talk, kid. Hit the bricks.

(get out of here)

He tells us that he has some important info for us: Two gates have been drained of their energy now, the first being the Zenith Cave. We went to said cave all the way back in entry #16, where we learned the origin of this version of the Pokémon universe, and the secret of the starter Pokémon of this region. It was then that we got the Xenoversal Ring and Core, allowing Trishout to take on its Xenoversal Form. There's still two more Xeno Gates. One is located in a place called Borealis Town. It's also guarded by a Cardinal. Finally, there's the one in a place called Welkin Falls. It's dedicated to Luxflon, the embodiment of Vakuum's better nature. Only the Cardinals know of that gate. The reason Chua is letting us in on this is because he believes we're some kind of "Chosen One".

Now that Victor and Trey have the Xenoversal Energy from the Xeno Gate here, we're destined to fight it out with them. Chua points out that we're chosen because we received legit blessings from the Cardinals, and we have to free Trey from his Alter. Sure. The kid's a punk, but he didn't deserve this. Chua has faith in us. It's a heavy burden, but he thinks we got this. 

As we leave, he tells us that this gate was targeted for a reason. It may be that this gate was convenient. They may have actually been heading to Vega City, and the Temple was a convenient stop. Of course, he could just be assuming...

(Batman hmmm...)

And I think that's where we'll stop for the month. Next time, we'll figure out where to go next. Wish me luck! thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

The Brave and the Bold #1 (April 2007)

In a universe filled with superheroes, it makes sense that they would team up on occasion. I'm not talking about the massive event comics; I'm talking about the kind of adventures in which a couple heroes meet up and help save the day together.

DC Comics had its fair share of books like that. Most notably, DC Comics Presents, which told tales of Superman teaming up with various characters around the DCU. But there was another team-up title that became iconic in its own right: The Brave and the Bold. For more on the history involved with that name, please give this a read. 

The comic we're looking at here is the third volume of the title, spearheaded by Mark Waid's writing and the pencils of the man, the myth, the legend, the late great George Perez. I miss George Perez. This version would not be a team-up between Batman and various heroes, this title would showcase heroes all over the DCU. So, how did it start? Let's find out in The Brave and the Bold #1!

The cover is a George Perez and Tom Smith piece. Naturally, it's awesome.

"The Lords of Luck (Part 1) - Roulette"
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciler: George Perez
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Colorist: Tom Smith
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Executive Editor: Dan DiDio

The story begins with two members of the Green Lantern Corps, John Stewart and Hal Jordan, flying in space, telling some team-up tales. Hal then heads towards his hometown of Coast City on Earth. The ring engages autopilot to the city, but Hal tells it not to. He's flown home with his ring so many times he can do it blindfolded. There is nothing that can surprise him on the way...

Page 2, Panel 1

Should have engaged the autopilot there, buddy. Hal contacts Batman in Gotham City, and he describes the body to the Dark Knight. The corpse is a Caucasian male, likely been dead for about twenty minutes. Cause of death was not exposure to space, but a gunshot wound to the chest. Body has no ID, and the fingertips are calloused. Batman seemingly channels his inner Sherlock Holmes and says the body has blond hair, is around 26 years old, and has a watch on his right wrist. But it's not because of some magic detecting powers Batman has (although considering that Batman is DC's resident Mary Sue, wouldn't surprise me if it did)...

Page 4, Full Page

"Found your twin brother, buddy. Sorry but, he's dead too."

...it's because Batman has the exact same corpse in his Batcave. 

(what)

No, he has not started collecting corpses. Batman is creepy, but he's not that creepy. The situation gets crazier from there. Hal brings his corpse to the Batcave. Bruce points out a map. Identical corpses have been appearing all over the world. But not just in any random places. They've appeared in places linked to various superheroes in the DC Universe...the comic book universe, not James Gunn's cinematic universe. Places like the Daily Planet, Atlantis, the Flash Museum. This guy was clearly either spying on superheroes...or trying to get one's attention before he was shot. 

Hal points out something: Even in a universe like this, how can sixty identical men be shot by sixty identical bullets? Batman found the answer: whatever hurts one body...also harms the others the exact same way.

Page 5, Panels 7-9

Also, to make things weirder? If a person can survive in space unaided, it's unlikely an earth pistol's bullet is going to do any damage to them. Hal agrees, noting there's strange radiation traces in the wounds. This wasn't a bullet; this was an energy blast. Batman finds the logo of a casino on his shirt, giving a possible clue as to where he was. However, the two get distracted by an attack by a yellow monster.

Page 7, Panel 1

The creature's energy signature matches the traces on the corpses. The attacker can't be Sinestro, as he is aware that Hal's ring now works on yellow objects. Yeah, that was a whole thing. It can't be Clayface as he has no idea where the Batcave is, and this thing is a lot tougher than him. Hal throws the big mechanical dinosaur from the Batcave at the monster. Batman is able to use the Batmobile's jet engine to incapacitate the monster, and it falls into the water, getting crushed by the giant penny that is often seen in the Batcave.

Unseen by the two heroes, some beings have bet on the battle. One grumbles the loss was unfair, as the "Haruspex" wasn't aware the Green Lantern's ring could affect yellow objects now. The two head to Vegas, in particular the Kismet Casino. As Bruce Wayne, Batman and Hal get into the casino, Bruce learning the owner had retired, and Kismet is under new management.

The two play a bit of blackjack, with Hal winning big. 

(woo-hoo)

Bruce learns that the new owner isn't taking any visitors. She hasn't left her suite for days. Even the discovery of a dead man outside the casino's front door didn't get her out. Bruce and Hal go to investigate. The two sneak into an office and find an interesting photo. 

Page 15, Panel 8

The new owner is Roulette, a supervillainess who fought the Justice Society in the past. And the man in the photo is the dead guy. 

(what a twist)

A door blasts open, revealing that Roulette is trying to burn a book. 

Page 16, Panels 2-4

Batman stops her, wanting to know what's going on. Roulette screams that she promised Drake she'd destroy it, but nothing she tries even made a dent. She swore she would not look in the book, but she could not resist looking in. She was clearly overwhelmed by the book's contents, ranting that Drake was trying to find heroes to warn about it. He was hired by aliens to steal the book, but he realized what it was. He gave the book to her instead of them, and the aliens killed him as a result. And now they're here.

Page 17, Panel 5

The aliens fight Hal and Bruce, revealing they are from a planet called Ventura. One of the aliens, Atum by name, blasts at Roulette, counting on Batman moving to save her over the book, and he figured right. Atum's partner, Neferto, is taken down by Hal. Atum gets away with the book. Roulette tells Batman that the book showed they'd lose it to the Venturans. You see, the book is no ordinary tome. It is the Book of Destiny. The Book is a powerful magical artifact that has all of time recorded in it: past, present, future. And whoever has the book has the power to change reality to its will. And now the Venturans have it.

Spectacular Spider-Man #107 (October 1985)

While not Peter David's first professional comic book story (this actually was his second story), this story allowed David to break into writing as a full-time career, a career that would cement him as a living legend in the industry until his passing in May 2025.

This story came about because of Jim Owsley, whom you may know better as Christopher Priest. He was editor of the book at this time. In fact, he was the first African-American editor of mainstream comics. Priest was not a fan of the book's more whimsical tone at this time under scripter-artist Al Milgrom. As such, he replaced Milgrom with David and artist Rich Buckler. The three took the book in a darker, more serious direction. This storyline was meant to cement that.

Priest wanted to shake things up in the book, so he decided to kill off Jean DeWolff. Yeah, killing her off was not David's idea. It was Priest's. David actually did have plans for her as a living character. Priest and David worked the story out, with David contributing ideas of his own, mainly the idea of Spider-Man being pushed over the edge by a villain that was much more heinous than the costumed villains he faced at the time. He also wanted to underscore differences between Spider-Man and Daredevil, which is why he appears in this story. 

So, who was Jean DeWolff? First appearing in Marvel Team-Up #48 (August 1976), created by Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema, DeWolff was a tough-as-nails, acerbic cop with a love of 1930s fashion who would become a prominent ally to Spider-Man. She would also encounter other superheroes in her lifetime, most notably Iron Man and Doctor Strange. She was one of the few cops that seemed rather appreciative of the superhero set, 

The story begins with a look back on the life of Jean DeWolff. The daughter of a police inspector, he was never happy with the idea of being a dad to a daughter. He had wanted another son like her brother Brian, the future Wraith. He blamed her mother for it, leading them to split for good when she was six months old. In the divorce proceedings, Brian ended up with him, she ended up with her mother. 

Her mom remarried, her new husband being a patrolman named Carl Weatherby. I'm guessing her mother had a thing for boys in blue.

Unlike her biological father, Weatherby adored Jean. They grew close, him inspiring her to want to be a cop just like her dear old stepdad. When she graduated from the police academy, Weatherby did not smile, but it didn't matter to her. She knew he was incredibly proud of her. She rose through the ranks, collecting commendations like they were Pokémon cards, yet he stayed a sergeant. He wasn't bitter about it. In fact, the opposite. He wanted her to not only surpass him but also become a commissioner. The first woman to be one. Sadly, that doesn't look like it will be in the cards for Captain DeWolff. 

Page 7, Panel 5

So, where is Peter Parker in all of this? Well, he's taking some photos around New York City, hoping to make a bit of cash off of them. He then runs into a Mr. Ernie Popchik, who was rooming in May Parker's boarding home at the time. He's gone to cash his Social Security check so he can do some shopping. Unfortunately, he gets ambushed by some pickpockets.

Page 9, Panels 4-6

An infuriated Peter Parker sees this and goes to check on the man. He ten tells someone to call an ambulance while he goes to get help. Remember, this is the 1980s. Cell phones are not as ubiquitous then as they are now. Peter switches into his Spider-Man togs and pursues the pickpockets.

Page 11, Panel 3

Yeah, this version of the Black Costume is not the symbiote that would eventually become Venom. This was a regular cloth version given to him as a gift by Black Cat, I believe. Spider-Man easily takes care of the pickpockets. The police come by to pick them up and tell him that the man (Mr. Popchik) they mugged is on the way to the hospital to get checked out. It's then they also inform him about Jean deWolff being murdered. Spider-Man is naturally shocked, as he just saw her the other day. 

Over at a church, a man goes to a confessional booth. He has some sins to confess. 

We next go to the Daily Bugle, where Robbie Robertson and J. Jonah Jameson discuss DeWolff's death. Jameson laments that he'll never get used to a headline like this one. He calls her a fine officer, which amuses Robertson as he believed that Jameson didn't like DeWolff that much. Jameson didn't, but that doesn't mean he can't be genuinely sad for her death. You can tell that DeWolff's death has shaken him as he states that as much as he hates Spider-Man, he doesn't consider him as bad as the person that killed DeWolff.

It's then that a man arrives at the Daily Bugle, a man of the cloth: Reverend Jackson Tolliver. He was hoping that his new ministry in New York would get some notice by the Bugle. Jameson remarks that he was mentioned in the "Atlanta child slayings" some years earlier. Yeah, this is a topical reference, one to the murders of Atlanta children from 1979 to 1981. It was believed that the majority of the murders were committed by alleged serial killer Wayne Williams. Williams was convicted for the murders of two adult men and was never tried for the child murders, even though police did attribute many of the child murders to him. To this day, Williams has claimed he is innocent of the child murders. It's some dark stuff, so be careful before clicking the Wikipedia links. 

That evening, Spider-Man visits the police station, wanting to speak to whoever is investigating the killing of DeWolff. He learns it's a Sergeant Stan Carter. The two meet and discuss the case. Carter doesn't mind superheroes very much, as he sees them as nuts. Well, they're nuts, but they're obvious about it. It's the quiet, hidden nutjobs that worry him. Stan reveals that Jean was actually quite well-liked by the force, and she was fond of them too. She was also rather fond of Spider-Man, which is why Carter is willing to talk to the Web-Slinger in the first place. Peter admits he liked her, too.

With a new dawn comes a new day. And with the dawn comes the Man Without Fear, Daredevil, swinging through the rooftops. Matt Murdock not here to fight a supervillain, though. He's working pro bono, playing public defender to the punks that attacked Mr. Popchik. In that role, he gets the punks released on their own recognizance. Popchik is understandably outraged, despite May assuring him this is arraignment (formal reading of the charges a defendant is accused of), not an actual trial. Peter confronts Murdock, and this allows Murdock's super-senses to discover that he's Spider-Man.

Matt confers with the judge, a Horace Rosenthal. He points out that he was taught that everyone had to be treated equally under the law. And yet, he now feels terrible about his letting the punks go. Horace waves it off, telling Matt that he dislikes getting his hands dirty. Maybe working a few years as a public defender would help with that. He heads out to use the little judge's room. That is rather convenient for Matt.

Why? Because his radar sense picked up someone in the judge's study. He goes to investigate and finds a man there. His pulse and perspiration indicate he may be on something. The man points a shotgun at him, and introduces himself as the Sin-Eater.

Page 24, Panel 8

The sin-eater takes his name from a British isles ritual in which someone eats a ritual meal to take on the sins of a deceased person, absolving their souls. 

The Sin-Eater shoots at Matt, but he's able to get behind a desk. Unfortunately for Matt, Judge Rosenthal peeks in.

Page 26, Panel 2

Matt is paralyzed. He could leap up and stop the Sin-Eater, but it would jeopardize his secret identity. Rosenthal pleads for his life...and the story ends with the Sin-Eater giving the judge some hot buckshot.

It feels a bit tamer compared to many comics today, but I can imagine that in the mid-80s, this was quite a shocking way to start a run. 

Jean DeWolff's death would have some major impact on the Spider-Man mythos. The Sin-Eater would return in a later storyline (also written by David), and most notably, the investigation into the identity of the villain would lead to Eddie Brock becoming Venom. Her friend, fellow officer Yuri Watanabe, would become the latest Wraith (the first being DeWolff's brother Brian) In the Dead no More: The Clone Conspiracy event, Jean DeWolff would be brought back to life as a clone of the original, one of the many deceased friends and allies of Spider-Man by the Ben Reilly Jackal to win over Spider-Man's allyship. This Jean would give her life aiding Spider-Man in stopping him. 

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2013 trade paperback Spider-Man: The Death of Jean DeWolff. Thanks for reading this blog entry!

Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution Launch Trailer, My Thoughts

Sometimes, a video game takes a lot longer to be released than expected. That was the case with this game: Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution. This game originally started development in 2002, originally intended for the Game Boy Advance. The sixth game in the Shantae series, this game was set between the first and second games in the series. In this game, Shantae would try to stop her nemesis, the pirate queen Risky Boots, from terraforming the world with a special underground machine.

At the time, WayForward was unable to find a publisher for the game, causing it to seemingly end up forever unreleased...until now. Risky Revolution has been brought to the X-Box One and Series X/S, PlayStations 4 & 5, Windows, GBA, and the Switch. Let's look at the trailer!

Sometimes, you just need to take a swim to get your head together. 

Some may think that whipping with a ponytail is silly, but a) Shantae is half genie, and b) being whipped by hair can hurt. Ask anyone who wrestled Bianca Belair.

Aw come on, Shantae! That cannonball was only two days away from retirement!

I can imagine that it's only her being half-genie that is the reason that her seeing the world rearrange itself like that doesn't cause her to get dizzy, vomit everywhere, and faint.

That robot was not paid enough to get smashed by an angry elephant.

I wonder if Shantae had ever been bothered by the Inheritors in her spider form.

Having a 4-player battle mode makes sense. This game was originally developed for the Game Boy Advance, and one could link up 4 GBAs with enough cables.

Alternate costumes, eh? I wonder if they'll be homages. I never really worried about that kind of thing myself, but if you want to give her a new look, have fun with it.

Well, this looks really fun! I've never had the opportunity to play any of the Shantae games in the past, so this will be a great place for me to start. I love the concept of Shantae taking various forms. I can imagine that each of the forms will have different uses for exploration and combat. It looks bright, colorful, a real feast for the eyes. I think this game looks like a winner! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other! See you next time! 

Viking 1 50th Anniversary

 Today is the 50th anniversary of 

Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight Announcement Trailer, My Thoughts

Batman has not just had a long legacy in comic books, but also in other media. That includes movies...and video games. And he has quite a long legacy in LEGO video games as well. Over the years, there have been LEGO games based on various franchises, from Star Wars to Indiana Jones to yes, the superheroes of the Marvel and DC Universes (By "DC Universe", I mean the comic book universe, not the new film franchise that James Gunn is spearheading). Batman has gotten his own LEGO games, the first released in 2008, and followed up by two sequels in 2012 and 2014, the latter two games drawing focus to more of the rest of the DCU in general.

The most important thing to keep in mind when putting on your Batsuit? Making sure you look good.

(I make this look good)

Bruce: Jim, what're you doing in the Batcave?
Commissioner Gordon: ...this is my office!
Bruce: ...Oh. This is awkward.

(awkward)

Bruce knew they'd go after that valuable rubber duckie shipment! That's why he's the World's Greatest Detective.

(smart)

It would have been so funny if he said "Boo" there.

(Boo)

Oh neat, a version of the suit from The Batman.

And a nod to Batman Begins.

"Didn't even have the Bat-Signal ready! I gotta do everything myself around here!" 

WHEEEEEEEE! GLIDING IS FUN!

Arkham game-style combat. Neat.

He said the thing! 😀

(let's get nuts)

The Joker's not...well, joking. Last time he ate a candy bar with it, his face swelled to the size of a small planet. And he vomited rainbows. It was weird.

(shudder)

"You know Selina, you could just ask."

And Batman is now deaf.

Homaging that scene from The Batman, using a Penguin similar to the Tim Burton one.

(chef's kiss)

Even Bane is not immune to the pain of stepping on a LEGO.

All-Star Superman #8 (August 2007)

It's that time again! It's time to join Superman in what looks like his final adventures! Last time, the planet got invaded by Bizarros, this new take on them being more like zombies than in the traditional Silver Age comics. Superman ended up trapped on Bizarro World, and his powers are weakening, only to end up meeting a strange new being called Zibarro. How will Superman get out of this mess? Let's find out in All-Star Superman #8!

The cover is a Frank Quitely and Jamie Grant piece.

"Us Do Opposite"
Writer: Grant Morrison
Penciler: Frank Quitely
Inker: Jamie Grant
Letterer: Phil Balsman
Editors: Bob Schreck, Brandon Montclare
Executive Editor: Dan DiDio

The story begins on Htrae, aka Bizarro World, where Superman ended up after the events of the last issue. Superman can't escape because Bizarro World is shifting into a place called the "Underverse". It's causing the sunlight to shift in color from yellow to red, and being a Kryptonian, Superman is powerless under a red sun.

Zibarro, the imperfect Bizarro clone we were introduced to in the last issue, starts lamenting how alone he is, the only intelligent being in a world of backwards mindless Bizarros. And it still won't matter in the end, as when the All-Night comes, he'll be subsumed into the sludge like everyone else here. Superman can't possibly understand how lonely his existence can be.

Yeah, that's hilarious. But that's tabled when Superman hears a voice.

Page 4, Panel 1

Yup, that's Le-Roj, the Bizarro version of Jor-El, Superman's biological father. Which makes sense. Bizarros are all about being opposite to Earthlings. Jor-El got blowed up real good, Le-Roj lives. Anyway, Le-Roj grumbles about some blueprints not making sense (In Bizarro terms). Superman exclaims that it can't be hopeless. There has to be a way to escape Bizarro World...and then he gets an idea.

If a spaceship can be built, Superman can escape this place like he escaped Krypton as a baby. Zibarro thinks that is impossible. The Bizarros are idiots, and they'll just be consumed when Bizarro World goes fully back to the Underverse.

Back on Earth, Leo Quintum briefs Lois on the situation. Once Htrae goes back completely into the Underverse, even Superman won't survive there for long. This understandably has Lois rather confused. After all, the Man of Steel seems to have become more powerful than ever in recent months. Leo realizes that Lois isn't aware Superman has actually been dying since the vents of issue #1. Lois puts it together and realizes that Luthor caused that space disaster as a way to finally achieve one of his life goals: Killing Superman...and he used the very thing that gave the Man of Tomorrow his power to do it.

Leo assures her that P.R.O.J.E.C.T has been busting their butts to try and cure Supes. So far, they've failed. Not to mention when they looked at the data from the solar probe that Luthor sabotaged, they discovered that something was hiding in the sun. 

Back to Htrae! Superman tries to get the Bizarros to help him, but they won't. Zibarro points out that it's useless, but Superman realizes something: Bizarros think in opposite to humans. For example, a Bizarro will describe something a human finds boring as "interesting". Using this, Superman convinces the Bizarros to help him build the rocket, saying they can be "lazy" and the rocket will be "useless". In Bizarro speak, they can work hard and build the useful rocket! 

Bizarro not only agrees to help, but he brought his own help: The Unjustice League!

Page 12, Panels 1-4.

Yeah, the Bizarro JLA is hilarious. Sadly, in the Bizarro tradition, they're as useless as the Justice League is effective. Zibarro notices the plans for the rocket indicate there is only room for one person. Superman explains that the rocket will be subjecting him to some imaginable stresses, and there's no guarantee that he will survive, much less Zibarro. After all, Zibarro seemingly has no powers. Superman does promise him that he'll try and help Zibarro.   

Zibarro screams he'll gladly take the risk, as he's desperate to get off Bizarro World. He doesn't fit in. He's a flaw, a failure, an imperfection. But Superman points out that Zibarro is unique. He's special. He's not a freak, or an imperfection. He's a sign. He's proof that Bizarro World can be better. After all, why else would this world make him? 

The All-Night is coming. The Bizarros are getting ready to launch the rocket, and they're not willing to wait until Superman is on it. However, Superman has weakened very badly by this point. He's struggling to even stand. Zibarro muses that he wants what Superman has: love. Respect. A home where he belongs. But he muses that maybe in his own way, Superman is as lonely as he is. After all, he's seemingly the last survivor of Krypton on an alien world. He helps Superman to the rocket.

When he's on it, Superman calls Zibarro a friend, which seems to genuinely touch the copy's heart. He isn't able to light the rocket, so Superman insults his Bizarro counterpart, who angrily tosses him off of the planet. Back on Earth, Leo Quintum reports that Htrae has been completely absorbed into the Underverse...and Superman is seemingly gone. The story ends on a hopeful note: Zibarro smiling and waving goodbye as Bizarro World retracts into itself. 

I enjoyed this issue. It was an interesting one-off tale. The concept of Zibarro is actually pretty brilliant. A planet of copies upon copies upon copies? One is bound to end up not quite right by Bizarro standards. The idea of a Bizarro that is much saner than his fellow Bizarros is rife with story-telling potential. The ending is bittersweet for Zibarro, but I like to think that it's more sweet than bitter. After all, as Superman said, Zibarro is proof the Bizarros can become better than what they are now. Things can improve for them. There will be bumps and forces will cause stumbles and backtracking, but ultimately, Zibarro is hope the Bizarros can grow beyond their current state.

I did find the Bizarro Justice League hilarious. It also implies that the rest of the JLA does exist. I know issue #2 mentioned Batman, but I like that this implies that the other members of the JLA exist as well. I would have liked to have heard their thoughts about Superman dying. Yeah, I know this is Superman's tale, but I would have been fine with a cameo of them reacting to it in various ways. 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again about Frank Quitely's art. I'm not a fan of it. But I think it really works well for the Bizarros and Bizarro World. His tendency to make people look rather "uncanny valley" really helps make the Bizarros look like pale imitations of humans. It works here. 

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2011 trade paperback All-Star Superman. Thanks for reading 

World Lizard Day

Today is World Lizard Day!

Lizards are cold-blooded animals, mostly members of the order Squamata. There are about 7,000 species of lizards, living all over the world, except for Antartica, naturally.

Lizards tend to have four limbs, and move in a side-to-side motion. However, there are some species of lizards that are legless like snakes. They're still considered lizards because they lack some of the features of snakes, like having eyelids, long tails (snakes have short tails and long bodies), and their lungs are equal in size (snakes have a short lung and a very long one). A lizard will also typically have a short neck that elevates the head. They also can regrow their tails if they get broken off.

Most lizards are small animals, but they still can vary greatly in size. For example, the Nosy Hara leaf chameleon can be a few centimeters long, and the Komodo dragon can be three meters long. Lizards can also have a wide variety of diets depending on where they live. The majority of lizards are predatory animals. They can be carnivorous, omnivorous, herbivorous, even insectivorous. Some species of lizards have variable teeth. What that means is that they have teeth that can do different things, like humans have.

Most lizards lay eggs to hatch their young. The number and size of the eggs can depend on the species. Unlike mammals, lizards do not raise their young, often abandoning the eggs after they are laid. There are some species that do have live births, though. The gender of the babies can be dependent on the ambient temperature. Lower temperatures produce more females while higher ones produce more males.

Lizards are predators, but they can be prey themselves. And they have a variety of ways to protect themselves from predators. Lizards are fast and agile, allowing them to flee predators. They can also shed their tails to help distract predators. And horned lizards can squirt blood from special pouches under their eyes. This blood contains toxic compounds. 

Most lizards are generally harmless to humans, but the Komodo dragon has been known to stalk and attack humans. In fact, some are kept as pets. I'd like to have a pet chameleon myself. Chameleons are neat. 

Lizards are part of mythologies and folktales all over the world. For example, Hawaiian myth has a lizard king named Mo'o. African folklore links them to ancestral figures.

So yeah, lizards are pretty cool! If you want to learn more cool lizard facts, you can read some here. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

Fantastic Four #232 (July 1981)

In honor of the release of Fantastic Four: First Steps (Great film, by the way), I thought I'd take a look at a comic book starring Marvel's First Family. Now, I wondered what comic I should look at this week. First steps clearly drew from the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby era (which makes sense, as it was the foundation for the Marvel Universe as we know it today), but I decided to go in a bit of a different direction. I love 80s comics, so...why not look at something from the John Byrne era? 

This comic was the first issue of his run on the run. Well, kind of. You see, he had actually joined the book with issue #209 (August 1979), his role being pencil breakdowns for Joe Sinnott to make into finished art. The first FF comic he wrote was actually a promotional comic starring the FF for Coca-Cola. They didn't like the comic as they felt it was too violent, so it got made into issues #220-221 (July-August 1980). It wouldn't be until this comic that he fully took over as writer, penciller, and inker. Originally, it was planned for Byrne to write with Bill Sienkiewicz doing the art, but the latter would go and do Moon Knight instead, and the rest is history. 

Byrne was just what the book needed at the time, as Fantastic Four was struggling in the early 80s. His work and imagination helped revitalize the book, as he wanted to show what made the FF great in the first place. Byrne's run would see the FF go through changes, like She-Hulk joining up in place of Thing for a while, Alicia Masters leaving Ben for Johnny Storm, and the group would even get a new headquarters. He left the book after five years, claiming that he grew tired of "office politics" and he found the book "no longer fun" to work on. But that would be in the future. For now, let's look at the proper start of John Byrne's run, Fantastic Four #232!

The cover is a John Byrne and Terry Austin piece. It's really cool. It depicts what looks like a giant Diablo trying to make the FF into the victims of a ritualistic sacrifice. It's a really cool creepy cover, got me wondering how the First Family of Superheroes are going to get out of this.

"Back to the Basics!" 
Writer: John Byrne
Penciler: John Byrne
Inker: John Byrne
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Letterer: Jim Novak
Editor: Jim Salicrup
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

The story begins with Diablo, the mad alchemist, doing what he does best: Mad alchemist stuff. He's created small effigies of the FF, and it's not because he wants to enter the action figure-making business. A shame really, as I think he could make a legit mint. Worked for Todd MacFarlane. 

Now, this is the FF's book, right? So, what are they up to? Well, let's first check in on the team's powerhouse: Susan Storm, the Invisible Girl. Yeah, she hasn't become the Invisible Woman quite yet. That's a ways off. She's getting her hair done. It's the 80s, after all. It is then that a being made of rocks attacks, demanding the head of Sue Storm. Naturally, Sue is not interested in just letting this wannabe Ben Grimm get it, so she goes invisible to try an avoid the beast. she wants her FF flare to call for help, but the rock creature blasts dirt all over the room. The dirt sticks to Sue, threatening to suffocate her.

"Aw God! It's in my mouth! Tastes like donkey poo!" 

Elsewhere, Ben Grimm and Alicia Masters are leaving a Broadway show. They both were moved to tears by it. Ben notices that it's raining...on him.

Only you, Ben. The rain then solidifies into a bubble.

"Doc says I'm not supposed to be in wet clothes!"

Ben tries to fight his way out, but the bubble is stubborn. He also has another problem: He didn't get a chance to take a breath before he got trapped. And now he's running low on air. 

So, considering that we're just about to see Ben Grimm friggin' die, let's look in on Johnny Storm, shall we? The second Human Torch is flying over Central Park, because he has a bit of a meeting of his own: a redhead named Frankie Raye. The two are having some issues in their relationship, but that ends up tabled when a wind monster attacks the Four's resident firebrand.

When Red Tornado wants his money, he's going to get his money.

Ten minutes earlier, Reed Richards was doing what he does best: working in his lab in the Baxter Building. He's looking into some strange energy fluxes in the city at the moment (presumably thanks to Diablo), when he notices that it's gotten rather warm in the room. 

He goes to open a window when the reason for the heat reveals itself: an angry fire monster.

"Oh dear, Johnny's on a bender again."

The fight causes the temperature of the Baxter Building to increase, making the lab get hotter and hotter. Soon, Reed may melt from it. The fire monster blabs that his comrades are taking out his teammates. Reed manages to escape by leaping out of the Baxter Building in the form of a ball. He then stretches out into a sail-like form and glides to Central Park. It'll be a good place to deal with the fire monster. It's a big space, and the damp leaves on the trees will reduce the potential firestorm. It's here he meets up with Frankie Raye, who tells him about the wind monster attacking Johnny.

Reed engages the wind monster, and the fire monster catches up with him. However, the fire monster backs off when Johnny Storm tries to engage it, saying it's forbidden to battle their analogues. The fire monster tries to flee, but Johnny is in...hot pursuit.

Yeah, sorry. This gives Reed a brainwave. 

He pretends to flee, the wind monster chasing him. Back at the hairstylist, Sue is able to free herself from her dirt prison with her forcefields. She then also gets the idea to use her forcefields as a form of quick transport. Meanwhile, the drowning Ben Grimm spots a sporting goods store. He realizes they may have scuba tanks. Summoning the last of his great strength, he heads inside. Luckily, one of the employees has a filled scuba tank ready to go. 

To her horror, Patty realized the tank was filled with laughing gas.

The water monster then covers the employee in its element. Sue Storm-Richards to the rescue! She uses her forcefields to contain the water monster, allowing Ben to fight the Earth monster. He shatters the monster with one Mighty Punch. However, like the T-1000, shattering the earth monster doesn't kill it.

Reed arrives, air monster right behind him. He spots Sue outside of the sporting goods store, deducing that she lured the earth monster there for Ben to deal with. He spies a nearby generator, and picks up a couple of live wires, as he has a plan to deal with the water monster. Don't worry, folks. He's wearing unstable molecule gloves. They're good for this.

He has Sue snare the air monster in a forcefield.

"This will make a wonderful decoration, darling."

He then uses some electrical wires from a water generator on the water monster. The electricity causes the monster's watery body to undergo electrolysis, splitting it up into its component gases: hydrogen and oxygen. Science wins again!

This also allows Reed to confirm that Diablo was the man behind these critters. Ben defeats the earth monster by blasting it with water from a broken pipe, causing it to "melt" into mud. Finally, the air monster. Reed has Sue compress the monster with her forcefield. It's difficult, but the lady pulls it off. The increased pressure of the forcefield caused the air monster to condensate into water. Three monsters down one left to go: the fire monster. And they have no idea where it is. Johnny pursued it, but they have no idea where they went off to.

I don't think they'd be that hard to find. 

I've heard of a firefight, but this is ridiculous!

The fire monster, being literally made of fire, is able to bring the heat better than Johnny could. However, our man has one trick in his bag that could help: his Nova Blast. Basically, Johnny released his flames in one massive burst of power. Think of it like a pro wrestler's finishing move.

Johnny Storm was banned from eating beans forever.

The blast consumes all the oxygen in the immediate area, snuffing the fire monster out. However, this also knocks Johnny's powers out of commission for a bit. He ends up falling into the river, but he's able to signal a nearby tugboat. 

Reed explains to Sue and Ben that this is clearly the work of Diablo. Ben finds that ridiculous as he seemingly died during the events of Fantastic Four #193-194 (April-June 1978). Reed points out that Diablo has escaped death before. Reed then makes a call to someone he knows can help. 

That night, Diablo tries to sneak out of town, when he's caught by Reed. Diablo points out that the scientist can't connect him to the attacks by the elemental monsters. Reed admits that's true, but he's done some checking. As it turns out, a group of statues representing the classical four Greek elements had been stolen from various museums...and Diablo has them in a nice little customized suitcase. Diablo wants to know how Reed found him. Well, he called in one of his Illuminati buddies.

"That'll be $50, Reed."

Yup, ol' Doc Strange himself. Yeah, the Illuminati wasn't established yet, but I can imagine that this was the reason that Reed was able to contact Strange so quickly.

I enjoyed this comic. It's a simple story, but it lives up to the title. This is really a jumping on point for new readers, and something probably done by Byrne himself to introduce himself to the readers before he gets truly comfortable with the characters and stretches his muscles. The idea of the Fantastic Four reflecting the four classical Greek elements is not a new one. Heck, I know of one pastiche of the FF that was explicit about it. And it's not hard to see why. Another thing I liked about this story was that the heroes used some brains to win the day out. I do wish the statue thefts were more set up at the beginning, but otherwise that, this was a fun story. Byrne himself also turns in some strong enjoyable artwork for this. 

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2009 trade paperback Fantastic Four Visionaries: John Byrne Vol. 1. Thanks for reading this blog entry! if you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!