Happy Halloween

 As the title says, Happy Halloween, everyone!

Ah, Halloween! the time of year when the barrier between the living and the dead is at its weakest. When the monsters and creatures of the night roam amongst the world of men. Nothing is what it seems, and if you do hear a bump in the night... it is something out there. It's the night where your worst fears can come to life.

So sit back, and enjoy the day as the zombies are shuffling, the werewolves are howling, the vampires are partying, and the ghosts are haunting. Enjoy some candy, a good horror movie, and be glad this day only comes once a year. Because you never know what's out there in the shadows this Halloween, and there is no guarantee you may survive to see November...

International Animation Day

Happy International Animation Day!

International Animation Day is meant to celebrate the art of animation. On this day in 1892, Charles Emile-Reynaud debuted the Theatre Optique in Paris. This was the first ever broadcasting of animation. While his invention would be outshone and Emile-Reynaud sadly would be driven to bankruptcy, he would leave a massive legacy. 

This day was created by the International Animated Film Association in 2002 to celebrate the art of animation. From Emile-Raynaud's little exhibition, animation would grow as an art form to encompass a wide variety of subjects and mediums all over the world, like clay and CGI, or even a mixture of mediums. Animation has been used in commercials and in feature films alike. What is considered the very first animated film was the 1906 silent short Humorous Phases of Funny Faces, created by British-American producer James Stuart Blackton. The 1986 film The Great Mouse Detective was one of the first, if not the first, animated film to use CGI (in the climax inside Big Ben).

Animation has a long-storied history, and has entertained millions, if not billions of people. So go enjoy something animated today! Thanks for reading this blog entry! See you next time!

National Pumpkin Day

 Happy National Pumpkin Day!

It's only appropriate that this day be in October, considering that this month also has Halloween, and pumpkins area big part of the holiday.

Pumpkins are the popular name for certain species of winter squash from the Cucurbita genus. Pumpkins are originally native to North America, mainly Mexico and the southern United States. They're actually one of the oldest known domesticated plants, believed to have been domesticated between 7,000 and 5,500 BC. 

There are a couple of theories as to how the pumpkin got its name. One is that the word derives from an Ancient Greek word meaning 'melon'. The other is that it's derived from a word in the Massachusett language that means 'grows forth round'. 

Pumpkins are one of the most popular crops in the United States. 1.1 million tons of pumpkins were produced in the country in 2020. And some farmers like to grow pumpkins big. Real big. The world record for biggest pumpkin was set by a horticulture teacher named Travis Gienger of Anoka, Minnesota. He grew a pumpkin that weighed 2,749 pounds. You can get a lot of pie out of that pumpkin. Mmmm, pumpkin pie...

Anyway, that's the pumpkin for you! With Halloween and Thanksgiving coming up, enjoy yourself some pumpkin pie! Thanks for reading this blog entry! See you next time!

Deathlok #1 (July 1991)

In a time where humanity and technology seem to grow ever more intermingled, there is a character in the Marvel Universe that sees to embody its logical endpoint: Deathlok.

There have been several Deathloks in Marvel's history. The original one debuted in Astonishing Tales #25 (August 1974), created by Rich Buckler. Set in an alternate timeline, this Deathlok was Luther Manning, a fatally injured soldier that was reanimated as a cyborg in the vein of Frankenstein's Monster. Buckler had intended to use the character in a novel but made him into a comic character. 

In the mid-1970s, Marvel was negotiating for the rights to publish comics based on the sci-fi series The Six Million Dollar Man. 

The Deathlok here is actually the third Deathlok (the second from Earth-616, the mainstream comic universe): Michael Collins. Collins first appeared in Deathlok (Vol. 1) #1 (July 1990), created by Dwayne MacDuffie, Gregory Wright, and Jackson Guice. Unlike Manning or John Kelly (the second Deathlok, who would later be known as Siege), Collins was a pacifistic man, turned into a weapon of war against his will. Collins would get his own ongoing series, lasting for 34 issues. Collins got to meet many other superheroes during his 90s heyday, even participating in the Maximum Carnage event over in Spider-Man's family of comic books. So, how did his on-going series debut go? Was it fully functional, or a failed test run? Let's find out in Deathlok #1!

The cover is a Denys Cowan piece. It depicts our man Mike seemingly trapped in wires. It's a basic cover that looks like it could be used as a poster. However, what I like about this cover is that it does tell us something about Deathlok: that he is a man trapped in a machine, fighting his way out in his quest to reclaim his humanity. 

"The Wolf is at the Door"
Writers: Dwayne McDuffie, Gregory Wright
Penciler: Denys Cowan
Inker: Mike Manley
Colorist: Gregory Wright
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Editors: Tom Brevoort, Bob Budiansky
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco 

 The story begins with a monster being restrained. This creature is a Warwolf, and Harlan Ryker wants to unleash this thing. That mailman will never give him junk mail ever again!

But seriously, he's sending this critter out because he wants to tie up some loose ends. After all, Ryker has been a very naughty boy. He's committed treason, and he wants to make sure that the law can't touch him for it. All of his conspirators are jailed...except for one: Billy Hansen. 

Hansen made a deal with presumably the Feds: Suspend my sentence, and I turn in evidence against Ryker. He was once the Ryker's right-hand man, so he's got a lot of dirt. Naturally, the Feds accept the deal. He's just driving along, enjoying the tunes of James Brown...until the Warwolf pays him a visit.

Page 3, Panel 5

"It's BACONNNNNNN!" 

But this isn't the Warwolf's book, it's Deathlok's. Where is he, anyway? Well, he's in Paterson, New Jersey. He's looking in on his wife Tracy and son Nick. He writes a letter to her which lets us recap the origins of this particular version of Deathlok. He won't give up until he's restored to his human body and reunited with them. He doesn't send the letters, just writes them. 

Mike, I get that you're all broody over being turned into a cyborg against your will, but dude, send the letters. It'll give your wife and kid some kid of peace of mind. I mean, this is the Marvel Universe! Being turned into a cyborg is probably low on the weird scale here.

He heads to the former location of a Cybertek lab in Jersey, which is being shut down. This is being overseen by Jim Dworman, who helped Collins shut the company down. This got him a promotion by Roxxon, the company that owns Cybertek (presumably as a way to help buy his silence). He's been using his new position to secretly help Collins find his human body. Collins detects an intruder in the building. He goes to check it out.

Page 9, Panel 4

"You got bacon?" 

Deathlok and Warwolf scuffle, Collins realizing that the cyborg monster is wrecking Cybertek's servers and databases. It manages to do so and flees, being much faster than Collins. Thankfully, Dworman is okay.

Dworman knows what the Warwolf is, so he's able to inform Collins.

The Warwolf was a protoype, the precursor to the Deathloks. It's a cyborg, but with the brain of, naturally, a wolf. It's a living weapon, designed for assassination work. Collins's sensors detect two NSA agents arriving, so he hides out. The agents inform Dworman that something broke into their headquarters and destroyed the records of the investigation into Ryker. So far, the Warwolf is doing a pretty good job covering Ryker's tracks. After all, without rock solid evidence, the government can't get Ryker locked away. Collins's cybernetics allow him to hack into NSA headquarters, confirming the agents' statements. However, there's still the records of the court that is trying Ryker. He learns of a list of witnesses. They're all locked up, except for the earlier-seen Billy Hansen. However, we saw what happened to Billy-Boy. 

Page 13, Panel 7

Collins has his internal computers calculate the Warwolf's next striking point. It determines that it will next likely hit Danbury Federal Penitentiary. Makes sense, the other witnesses are presumably there. It's also, presumably like in the real world, a low-security prison. If they die, Ryker will get away with his crimes, scot-free. Collins has to move.

He goes to the prison, where Ryker himself is interred (presumably due to being remanded). Ryker himself doesn't outright say he secretly ordered the Warwolf to cover his tracks, but his dialogue implies that even if he actually did not, he's not complaining. After all, he'll be a free man. Alarms then erupt.

They aren't from Collins himself. The Warwolf has arrived. Its target? A Cybertek accountant named John Rozum. Yeah, this is MacDuffie likely paying homage to one of his future Milestone Media compatriots. Thankfully, Collins is able to get the cyborg monster away from Rozum. During the fight, the Warwolf tries to blast at Collins with laser cannons in its eyes. Collins's internal computers note that when it's using said optical blasters, it cannot see. A design flaw that perhaps Collins can use?

The fight goes further into the prison. Collins is able to do some damage to the cyborg. It blasts at a wall, endangering some guards. Because he's a heroic man at heart, Collins is able to save them. Collins's computer reports that because of the damage to its systems; it's basically going to explode.

Collins is able to blast at the Warwolf in a way that prevents the detonation while ensuring it can't hurt anyone. The creature is now on its last legs, and on its way to meet the Grim Reaper. Collins knows that the creature is suffering and basically puts it down. The creature's suffering is over. And in further good news, the Warwolf's backup computers hadn't gotten too banged up. Dworman was able to get into it and find more evidence that Ryker orchestrated the murder of Billy Hansen and the attempted murder of Rozum. Evidence strong enough that Ryker will be put away. 

Sadly, though, because the Warwolf managed to destroy most of Cybertek's records, Collins now has no clue where his old human body is located...if it still exists. In his letter, he admits that as terrible as he felt when he had to put the Warwolf down, he wished he was in its place. He walks away, lamenting that there is no one to do the same to him.

I enjoyed this little comic. McDuffie and Wright do a great job showing Collins's personality and how he operates as Deathlok, his struggles to reconcile his pacifism with his being inside a cyborg built for war. That's arguably the most interesting thing about this book. The Warwolf is a bit of a tragic character in its own right, an innocent being forced into becoming a monster, making it a nice parallel/mirror to Collins. Unlike the Warwolf, Collins is still able to guide his machine half to a better way. 

If you want to read this story for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2015 trade paperback Deathlok: The Souls of Cyber-Folk. Thanks for reading this blog entry! See you next time!

International Artist Day

Today is International Artist Day!

This day was founded by Canadian artist Chris MacClure. The purpose of this day is to celebrate artists. Artists express their creativity in a variety of ways: sculpture, painting, drawing, music, and writing. Art enriches society. It can be used as commentary on society, as well as entertain. Art makes life a bit more colorful and richer. So go enjoy or make some art today! See you next time!

International Snow Leopard Day

 Happy Snow Leopard Day!

Snow leopards are native to the mountain ranges of central and southern Asia. During the summer, they'll move to areas above the tree line, and they like broken, rocky terrain.

Snow leopards are solitary critters by nature. They like to be alone. They are often most active at dawn until early morning and then afternoons until early evenings. They prefer resting in places that give shade and high vantage points. I'm guessing because they like to keep cool as well as an eye on what's around them.

Snow leopards are carnivorous, liking the Himalayan blue sheep, the Himalayan tahr, and wild goats. They are active hunters, their preferred tactic is to leap down on prey from above, using that momentum to help give chase. Farmers can encounter them, but attacks on humans are actually extremely rare.

Snow leopards can live around 15-18 years out in the wild. Their mating season is late winter, and mating pairs tend to stick together as they have short mating seasons. Female snow leopards give birth of litters of typically two to three cubs, but it is possible for bigger litters to happen.

Snow leopards are considered a vulnerable species, the biggest threats to them and their habitats being global warming, human farming, and poaching/trade of its skin. Various countries in the animal's range have been working together to protect the species, including India and Kyrgyzstan. 

So, yeah. Snow leopards are pretty cool creatures. I hope you learned something neat about them here. Thanks for reading this blog entry! See you next time!

Wombat Day

 Today is Wombat Day!

This day was started by wombat enthusiasts in 1975 as a celebration of the critters, as well as promote wombat conservation and education of their importance to the Australian ecosystem. In 2005, it would spread thanks to online campaigns by wombat enthusiasts.

Wombats are native to the mountains, forests, and heaths of southern and eastern Australia. They are marsupials, and talented burrowers. They have backwards-facing pouches, which is believed to allow them to dig around without getting dirt in their pouches. Their burrowing abilities have given them a reputation of being pests by Australian farmers. 

The name "wombat" actually comes from the Aborigines, in particular the Dharug, who originally inhabited the area that was now Sydney. Early settlers often referred to wombats as "badgers" because they were similar to badgers in size and habits. 

Wombats are mainly active during the dusk and at night. As a result, they are not often seen by people during the day. They are herbivorous, mainly feeding on grass, bark, and roots. They are also not exactly quick to grab their next meal. Due to having slow metabolisms, they can take between one and two weeks to digest meals. But don't let that fool you. When threatened with predators or intruders to their terrain, they can run at speeds of 25 mph.

In the early 20th century, wombats would become symbols of Australia, right up there with kangaroos and koalas. All three species of wombat are protected under Australian law, with the Northern hairy-nosed wombat being the most critically endangered. 

So, yeah. I hope you learned something neat about this little critter. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccine/booster! See you next time!

Diwali

Happy Diwali, everyone!

What is Diwali, you may ask yourselves. Well, Diwali (aka Dewali, Devali, and Deepavali) is the Hindu festival of lights. While it is primarily celebrated by Hindu people, it's also celebrated by practitioners of Jainism, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Muslims in India. Diwali is the celebration of victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and good over evil. 

Appropriate for a time known as the "festival of lights", it's celebrated by lighting diyas, a kind of oil lamp. Candles and lanterns are also lit at homes and temples, and fireworks are fired off.  Among Hindus, a ritual oil bath is had at dawn on every day of Diwali. Yeah, it's a five-day festival. Usually, Diwali falls around mid-September to mid-November. Basically, it's celebrated at the end of the summer harvest. 

Homes are decorated with long strips of fabric called jhalars, and the floors are decorated with rangoli designs. The festival is also centered around family. It's a time for family to get together, do some bonding, and remember departed ancestors. Families enjoy feasts and have desserts called mithai.

Towns and cities organize events, parades, and dance performances to celebrate Diwali. It also holds religious significance to Indians, as the holiday is associated with Lakshmi (goddess of prosperity), Ganesha (god of wisdom), and Rama (one of the supreme beings of Hindu myth). Various places in India have rituals that connect the holiday to various other gods and goddesses.

So, yeah. If you wondered what Diwali was about, hope this gives you a basic idea of it. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

All-Star Superman #10 (May 2008)

It's that time again! It's time to join the Man of Steel in what appears to be his final adventures.

The story begins in Egypt. It's 7:02 AM. What's going on there? Well, if you were at the pyramids on this day, you may have seen a flying school bus. 

Page 225, Panel 1

Nothing sinister going on, it's just Superman taking a bunch of ill children on a little field trip. They love his visits. Last time, he took them to see that Moonbase. Got to see some moon rocks. It was neat. 

The time? 11:25 PM. Superman is hard at work composing something he thought he'd never have to do...at least, not at this point in his life: writing his last will and testament. And because he's Superman, he doesn't do it with a pen and paper. He has a laser write Kryptonese on a slab of metal, the laser attached to an apparatus that reads his thoughts. Because he's Superman. He recalls that the time-travelling adventurer known as Samson told him he'd complete Twelve Challenges before he died. So far, he has accomplished seven. Every one of these tasks has brought him closer to meeting the Grim Reaper himself. And he has no time to waste.

The time? 10:25 AM. Yeah, we're moving back and forth through one day. Leo Quintum has headed towards the Bottle City of Kandor. He's there because he believes he has found a solution to Kandor still well, being shrunk. He also heard that Kandor has some great restaurants. Mmmm, Kryptonian mac and cheese...

The time? 12:01 AM. Superman wanted to study what a world without him would be like. So, he made a universe.

Page 230, Panel 5

"Yeah, how did Bizarro DNA end up in it?" 

The time? 4:35 PM. Superman is stopping a bullet train that ran amuck. 

Page 231, Panel 2

Remember that man screaming on the phone there. This'll be important.

He's investigating a rampage, caused by someone looking for what appears to be a time capsule from the far future. Then he spots the cause of the whole mess.

Page 232, Panel 1

"The Power Rangers just had to be on vacation today..."

That is one angry giant robot. And even worse, it has Lois Lane in its grasp. This is a Tuesday for her. Superman smashes the robot's head, revealing it's actually a giant mech piloted by an old mad scientist named Mechano-Man with Alzheimer's. And he's after Luthor for some reason.

Superman is able to calm that situation down, and Lois reveals she got herself captured because she's been unable to get Superman's attention any other way, and she really wants to talk to him. She knows that he's dying from the events of issue #1. Leo Quintum accidentally slipped it out to her, but he also feels that he shouldn't burden this alone. 

Lois begs Superman to find a way to save his own life. He has always found a way out of situations like this before. Superman points out to Lois that there is no way to stop this by telling her that they can't have children (Kryptonian and Human DNA being too incompatible). Again, she says there has to be a way. After all, that's what he himself says. Superman then hears the man from earlier screaming to a girl named Regan to not put the phone down and that he's on his way. He has to take care of something. On a building, a young woman gets ready to jump off it, but Superman arrives. He assures her that the doctor did get held up. She's a lot stronger than she thinks, and things are not as bad as she believes.

Page 236, Panels 3-4

This moment has become a rather iconic one from this miniseries. More on this later. The time? 11:00 AM. The Kandorian Council is debating Quintum's proposal. The Kandorian Emergency Corps have made up their minds after hearing Quintum's proposal. And they have a plan to save Superman's life.

Page 237, Panel 5

"And we're going to look real spiffy doing it, too!"

The time? 1:36 PM. Superman is repairing the world's bridges. Meanwhile, on the artificial Earth-Q, its version of Australian Aboriginals is making rock paintings of gods. 

The time? 3:27 PM. Superman is reciting his genetic code. On Earth-Q's India, a man is carving a statue of one of the many gods of Hindu mythology. In particular, Krishna. 

The time? 5:13 PM. Superman goes to visit Luthor, who has started reading up on making cocktails. Gotta find some way to pass the last weeks of your life, I guess.

 Superman tells Luthor he has won. The world is his for the next three weeks before he is executed. As such, Superman gives him a challenge. Since Lex likes to say that his big brain could have saved the world if Superman would just stop getting in the way by existing, this is his chance to do so. Luthor responds by hocking a loogie at him. It's a nice subtle way of showing that Luthor's talk of how he could have made the world a better place is exactly that: All talk. 

Meanwhile on Earth-Q, that Earth's undergoing its own Renaissance. Its version of scholar and philosopher Giovanni Pico della Mirandola is giving a public discourse that would be known as the Oration of the Dignity of Man. This oration would become known as the "Manifesto of the Renaissance". In real life, it was never delivered due to Pope Innocent VIII canceling it and having it investigated for heresy.

The time? 9:10 PM. Superman opens the "time capsule", revealing that it contains a message from the 24th century. The message is from a scientist known as Roo Mac2. Roo wants to warn Superman that "Solaris" is coming. He's forbidden from doing this, but he feels he has to as well, he owes his life to Superman. Why? Because if it weren't for the Man of Tomorrow, Roo wouldn't exist.

Remember that girl Superman managed to save earlier? Well, it turns out that she is an ancestor of Roo's. Yeah. One act of kindness, a life being saved has a very big impact. 

The time? 11:20 PM. Superman is at work making a new supersuit. The 8th Challenge is coming. 

The time? 4:30 PM. Superman and Leo Quintum are placing the Bottle City of Kandor on Mars. Superman has to go, as he's seeing Mechano-Man on a rampage. Before he leaves, he gives Quintum a couple of gifts: A book that records his entire genetic structure (Quintum has never been able to develop a successful clone of Superman without it becoming a Bizarro), as well as instructions on how to combine it with human DNA, basically allowing a hybrid to exist. A little something for Lois. 😉

Over on Earth-Q, Friedrich Nietzsche is developing his concept of the Ubermensch. 

The time? 6:45 PM. The Kandorian Emergency Squad has some bad news. Despite their superhuman abilities, they can't stop the solar overdose from killing him. That's fine, though. They were able to buy some time, which is something Superman needed. And it's not like they can't still do some good. Remember those sick kids Superman took to Egypt? Well, Kandorian super-doctors may not have been able to cure Superman...but there isn't any Earth disease they can't tackle. So, yeah. Those kids are going to be a-okay. 👍 

And on Earth-Q, in Cleveland, Ohio, a Canadian immigrant is sketching something. Something that'll become a big hit.

Page 245, Panel 3

The time? 11:49 PM. Lois Lane finds an article open on Clark's computer. It's another gift he gives to her: the Headline of the Century.

Page 246, Panel 4

"God, even in death, he beats me to the punch!" 

Morrison has long stated that they see superheroes as modern mythology. It's not hard to see why they would come to that idea. I mean, think about it. Superhero stories often feature beings with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal man, having grand adventures while interacting with mortals, and their stories have been told and retold in various forms over the decades. It's hardly an unreasonable conclusion to make. The point of Earth-Q is meant to show that even in a world without any of the fantastical elements we think of in a superhero universe, Superman can still come into existence in some form.

The main meat of the story is basically a day in the life of a Superman reaching the end of his life. We see him make plans for a future without him. The Kandorians have a new home and potential for a new golden age on Mars. Leo Quintum has a chance to make new protectors to take over for the Man of Steel. This amused me as this seems to imply that outside of Batman, there are no other superheroes running around...which makes no sense to me. We've seen Bizarro versions of Wonder Woman, Flash, and Green Lantern, which seems to imply that they exist as well. I get not having them appear (this is a Superman-focused story, after all), but 

International Archaeology Day

Happy International Archaeology Day!

This day is traditionally celebrated on the third Saturday in October. As a result, it fell on October 20th in 2024. This day was organized by the Archaeological Institute of America alongside various other such organizations around the world to celebrate archaeology and its contributions to society. 

World Bread Day

Happy World Bread Day, everyone!

World Bread Day was created in 2005 by the International Union of Bakers and Confectioners for the purpose of celebrating the cultural, and nutritional value of bread, as well as recognition of the art of making bread. Mmmm, bread...

Bread is a rather universal concept. It's a staple food in much of the world, especially in Europe and the Middle East. Bread is one of the oldest foods around. In fact, it's arguably been around as long as agriculture itself has been around. The first evidence of breadmaking was in rocks with traces of starch found in Europe and Australia dated to around 30,000 years ago. Further evidence of early breadmaking includes a 14,500-year-old statue found in the country of Jordan.

Bread also holds cultural significance all throughout the world. It has been used as a metaphor for basic living conditions. It has also been used in religious ceremonies. For example, in Christianity, bread is one of the elements of the Eucharist.   

So, yeah. Bread is a simple food, but it's an important one. It's arguably the food of civilization itself. So go enjoy some bread today! ...if you can. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

National Fossil Day

 Today is National Fossil Day!

What is this day about? The purpose of this day is to promote awareness and appreciation of fossils and paleontology. The day was originally born as part of an Earth Science Week established by the National Park Service in 2010, but has become a separate celebration in its own right. 

Fossils are important because they give a record of what animals and plants were like in the distant past. The oldest known fossil is the cyanobacteria fossil. These fossils were found in the Archaean rocks of Western Australia. These fossils have been dated to around 3.5 billion years old.

The youngest known fossils are from around 10,000 years ago, around the end of the last Ice Age. When it comes to humans, some of the oldest fossil evidence of evolution into modern humans was discovered in Ethiopia, dating back between 195,000 and 233,000 years ago. 

If you want to learn more about his day, you can click right here on the National Park Service website. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

National Dessert Day

 Happy National Dessert Day!

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

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

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

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

Wonder Man Trailer, My Thoughts

The Mighty Marvel Cinematic Universe marches on! And this time, it's time for adventures in the bright lights of Hollywood! Back in the day, a movie called Wonder Man was made. One of its watchers and fans was a young boy named Simon Williams. Now as an adult, Simon has a dream: to portray his favorite superhero in a remake of Wonder Man. 

Wonder Man is a miniseries, the 17th TV show in the MCU. It was co-created by Destin Daniel Cretton (who directed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day) and Andrew Guest. The film stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon, and the cast also includes Sir Ben Kingsley reprising his role as Trevor Slattery from Iron Man 3 and Shang-Chi. Let's look at the trailer!

I don't know about you all, but I loved the original Wonder Man movie, and I think the remake will be pretty good. And even if it doesn't work out, well, the original will still be out there and enjoyed. I mean, it's been on Tubi forever.

I will laugh so hard if it turns out they actually also did make a legit old-school-style Wonder Man film. 

LEO?! Why are they talking to a lion for this role?!

...oh, they meant Leonardo DiCaprio, oh! My bad! Right. Are they going for the whole "environmental aesop" with this movie?

You got this, Simon!

Oh my goodness, that was funny! 

I remember laughing so hard when that twist hit in Iron Man 3! Sir Ben is hilarious!

Wow. Mr. Kovak has a nice house. 

Yeah, he's a drunk.

Yeah, this is going to be good! I am excited for this! This sounds like a very fun addition! A little more low-key comedic series about an actor achieving his dream. I am looking forward to this! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

Quasar #11 (June 1990)

Back in November 2021, I took a look at Quasar #10 (May 1990). I enjoyed it. In fact, I think Mark Gruenwald's Quasar run is a rather underrated piece of Marvel's publication history. As such, I thought I'd return to it this week. So, let's take a look at Quasar #11!

The cover is a Mike Manley and Christopher Ivy piece. It depicts our man Quasar getting blasted by Rachel Summers, aka the Phoenix. It does do a good job of showing just how powerful the Phoenix (then hosted by Rachel Summers) is, and just how much Quasar is in over his head.

"By the Time I Get to Phoenix"
Writer: Mark Gruenwald
Penciler: Mike Manley
Inker: Fred Fredericks
Colorist: Paul Becton
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Editor: Howard Mackie
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story begins with our man Wendell Vaughn in the depths of the Pacific Ocean. He's on another assignment from Eon to find a pair of potential alien menaces to Earth. They've split up and left Quasar in the dust, as it were.

He decides to give up and look for them another day. After all, they likely aren't this great threat that Eon claims they are. He emerges from the water, thinking about how he prefers the expanses of space. Why? Well, space is open, space is wide, and space is big. Oceans are big, but they make Wendell feel like he is trapped. Water everywhere.

Wendell then gets hit with a tidal wave, like the ocean itself knew what he was thinking and decided to flip him the metaphorical bird. Wendell spots a wake indicating something was moving very fast across the water, as in on top of the water.

"Hey, I was looking for that sunken ship!"

Wendell pursues the wake, noticing tachyons are being emitted. Wendell can't fly fast enough to catch up with whatever is moving at that speed. However, he can create something that can slow it down. He blasts the figure with a bit of his Q-Energy that creates a parachute. Quasar hopes that whoever he's caught hasn't drowned. 

"Hey, isn't this that guy from that show?"

Thankfully, as can be seen here, he's breathing.

Our man Wendell hasn't been studying much of the Avengers' files, as he has no idea who this being is. Since the West Coast Avengers' HQ is closer (and had medical facilities specially made for superhumans), he takes the being there. While that is being taken care of, let's look in Jolly Ol' England, shall we? In particular, the lighthouse headquarters of the X-Men spin-off team known as Excalibur.

"Awww, super-team bonding. Disgusting."

They're enjoying a night of relaxation after the whole "Cross-Time Caper" thing. A pair of evil magical eyes are watching the group, and looks them over. The eyes' magic has no effect on Captain Britain. Nightcrawler's teleportation power is too limited. Meggan is a shapeshifter, so there are possibilities there...adn then the eyes turn to Rachel Summers, the young extradimensional mutant. She is the powerhouse of the group, thanks to her being able to channel the Phoenix Force. Yes, she is perfect! The magic eyes possess Rachel, seeing her as the key to the eyes' freedom...and revenge.

Quasar drops the figure off at the WCA headquarters, Wonder Man recognizing him as Makkari, one of the Eternals. He then heads back to his office in New York City. And just in time, too. You see, his small company has someone applying to join them.

"I also make a mean sub sandwich."

The mysterious lady is named H.D. Steckley. An engineer with systems technology and design experience, she thinks Vaughn Security Systems has potential to be one of the titans in the security field. She is so confident she'd be a boon to the company that she makes Vaughn a proposition: If she can get the firm five more clients in the next week, then he hires her. Wendell reluctantly agrees. 

He heads to his office and checks in Eon, his boss when it comes to protecting Earth from alien threats. The two look at a projection of Earth, showing where there are still potential alien threats. The two see an image of the Phoenix Force, and Wendell goes to check it out.

In the skies north of London, Rachel is fighting the presence in her head. She's a tough girl, but eventually the presence wins out. They tell her to concentrate her energies on a point where the fabric between Earth and their extradimensional prison is at its weakest, while they use their own energies at their end to do the same. This works, and the figure is freed.

"And Merlin will also pay for EATING MY PIZZA!"

The gentleman's name is Modred the Mystic...not to be confused with Mordred of Arthurian (and Marvel) mythology. First appearing in Marvel Chillers #1 (October 1975), he was created by writers Bill Mantlo and Marv Wolfman, and artist Yong Montano. An Arthurian-era sorcerer, he would try to master the evil tome of magic known as the Darkhold, making him a servant of the evil Elder God known as Chthon. Because of his connections to Chthon, Modred has waffled between being an anti-hero and a villain. Modred at this time has gone full on bad guy, wanting revenge on Merlin for banshing him from Earth in Captain America #308. 

Quasar arrives. He recognizes Rachel, but naturally, Modred is unknown to him. The mad mystic orders Rachel to make Wendell into cosmic toast.

Wendell finds himself feeling slightly overwhelmed by the sheer power Rachel is putting out. He gets his Quantum Bands working on analyzing her energies. If they fall under the electromagnetic spectrum, he could use his Q-Bands to control it. He's not able to control all of it, but he is able to blunt some of the potential damage she could cause. Modred steps in, binding Quasar with the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak. He and Rachel take their leave as Quasar struggles to free himself. Wendell remembers from his college days that iron is supposed to interfere with magic. But he's not going to need it, as he's got himself some backup.

"🎵Here we come to save the dayyyy...🎵"

Wendell and Excalibur pursue Modred and Rachel. Quasar captures Modred, but Rachel attacks him. He's having trouble concentrating, and it causes him to drop Excalibur into the water.

Modred also breaks out of his bonds. But Quasar's brain works fast. He creates a funnel that allows him to blast Rachel's attacks back at him.

As Modred is distracted, Kurt calls upon his fellow Excalibur member Widget to create a portal to send Modred packing. And it works. With Modred gone, Rachel's mind is free. The story ends with Quasar fliying off, feeling down about himself. He feels he's not the best man to be Protector of the Universe. If Modred can get one up on him, what chance would he have against any of the major threats of the Marvel Universe? 

I enjoyed this issue, but then again, I always felt Mark Gruenwald's Quasar stuff was very underrated. This issue helped emphasize how much of a rookie Quasar is at this point. Keep in mind, he hasn't been a superhero for very long at this point, despite his history connecting him to other heroes like the Thing. His whole thing is that he's, in the Marvel tradition, an everyman who ended up being given great power and a big responsibility. Of course he's going to feel overwhelmed and question whether he's up for the job. But that's part of his arc. I would have liked to have seen Excalibur give him a pep talk. That would have been nice. 

I think Mike Manley is an underrated artist as well. His art is very nicely done, with good storytelling.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2018 trade paperback Quasar: Cosmos in Collision. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off!Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

World Octopus Day

Today is World Octopus Day!

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

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

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

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!