Kickers Inc. #1 (November 1986)

Back in February of 2021, I wrote a review of D.P.7 #1 (November 1986). Unlike most of Marvel's titles, this series was set in the New Universe, a Jim Shooter-spearheaded imprint created to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the debut of the Fantastic Four in 1961. The basic caveat of the New Universe was that unlike the Marvel Universe, this was a world just like ours, with none of the fantastical elements of Marvel's other superhero books, until a White Event hit on July 22, 1986, at 4:22 a.m. EST, causing this world to have its first generation of superhuman beings. 

The line launched with eight titles, including this one. Kickers, Inc. had been created by writer Tom DeFalco and artist Ron Frenz for the New Universe before the imprint got fleshed out. The original title was Mr. Magnificent and the Team Supreme, the group being in the vein of the Challengers of the Unknown, including having an all-terrain "Ultramobile". DeFalco and Frenz intended the book to be a rather tongue-in-cheek adventure title. However, when the New Universe got more fleshed out, DeFalco realized that the book would not fit, but Shooter convinced them to bring the book in, as he wanted a "sports book"...even though being football players was just the group's day job, and the focus was meant to be on their adventures off the field.

Kickers, Inc., like all the other New Universe titles, didn't last very long, only 12 issues. This was mainly due to the book being unable to keep a creative team (DeFalco had lost interest in doing the book early on, only writing the first two-and-a-half issues, and plotting out the next two to be written by others). It was a problem that plagued most of the other New Universe books had as well. 

Did this book start with some promise? Well, let's find out as we look at Kickers. Inc #1! 

The cover is a Ron Frenz piece. It's pretty neat, showing one of the main characters of the series getting empowered while the rest of the presumed Kickers are watching with concern. It's a pretty neat cover, not much else to say about it. I do like the masthead logo, the usage of a solid blocky font and the little football helping show the sport connection these characters have. 

"This Legend Born!"
Writer: Tom DeFalco
Penciler: Ron Frenz
Inker: Sal Buscema
Colorist: George Roussos
Letterer: Phil Felix
Editor: Michael Higgins
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

The story begins, naturally on the gridiron. The New York Smashers are in a bit of a pickle. They're losing the game to their unnamed opponents with 17 points to 21. There's only seconds left before the game ends. Smashers Quarterback Giovanni "Jack" Magniconte attempts to make one last pass as the opposing team's linemen jump at him. 

Despite this, Jack manages to make a pass. His teammate Dallas "Dasher" Corbin manages to make the catch but gets tackled hard on the two-yard line. 

However, Corbin managed to get himself knocked out of bounds, forcing the game's clock to stop. He managed to buy the Smashers time for maybe one or two more plays.

Jack gets the ball, but he gets blitzed. But Mr. Magnificent has a plan.

He manages to fake a fumble, forcing the clock to stop again. Another snap, and one Thomas "Suicide" Smythe (yeah that's his nickname. Don't look at me, I didn't write this) runs the ball. Thanks to their teammate Beauford "Brick" Wohl (pronounced "wall" for the sake of the pun) mowing down the other team like a weedwhacker through...weeds, Smythe is able to make the touchdown. This gives the Smashers six points, giving them the win, 23 to 21.

In the locker room, the team enjoys and celebrates their win, which allows us to see a bit of the team's personalities. Jack is the humble leader, Smythe is the showoff, Wohl is the intelligent financier, and Corbin is the refined rich guy. We also see a bit of the dynamics of the team, mainly in Smythe and Corbin pranking each other. We also learn that Jack enjoys drinking a nutritional drink made by his brother Steve, who is a nutrition expert. After the team gets cleaned up and changed, Jack goes to meet his beloved wife Darlene. The two head out to meet Steve. Darlene wishes he wouldn't spend so much time with him, as Steve had a gambling problem and as such, she sees him as a bad figure in Jack's life. Jack rationalizes that gambling was a way for Steve to keep involved in sports after his knee got wrecking playing football in college. Also, Steve raised Jack by himself after their parents died. Makes sense Jack would feel a great loyalty to him after that.

Anyway, the two head out for Steve's business.

"And to think, honey, this started as a pizza joint..."

Jack is really proud of his elder brother. He's seemingly kicked his addiction and turned his life around, with Darlene pointing out that the reason he was able to start a business was because of money he borrowed from Jack. Steve greets the two and introduces them to his invention: the "Intensifier".

"Bobby suggested 'The Man Enlarger'. He doesn't work here anymore."

The device is meant to artificially stimulate muscles and increase their mass, making someone stronger, faster, tougher. Regular treatment with this device could increase a man's speed and strength by ten, possibly fifteen percent.

Like the great comic book scientist he is, Steve's been testing it on himself. So far, he's seemingly suffered no ill effects. Yeah, you can tell this was originally not intended to fit into the New Universe. More on that later. In Central Park, Jack and Darlene discuss the device. Darlene is naturally worried it would cause harm to Jack. But Jack isn't worried. He trusts his brother, and this machine could make him a better player. As they return home, the White Event hits, and Jack momentarily gets dizzy. 

The next day, Jack prepares to undergo the Intensifier. Steve warns him to not expect miracles. It may take months and regular treatment to show results. Steve flips the switch, and well...a miracle happens.

Steve did not remember putting in a system for dyeing hair.

Steve is shocked, as the Intensifier is not supposed to work this well this quickly.

He runs some tests on Jack and finds nothing wrong with him. Jack himself decides to go for a nice head-clearing jog. He gets splashed by a car driven by some pranksters and angrily runs after it. Evidently Jack wants to go Mortal Kombat on those punks. 

To the passengers' amazement, Jack is able to keep up with their car, and it's going 40 miles per hour (around 64.4 kilometers per hour for you metric folks). Jack grabs the car, but it manages to drive away...leaving him holding the rear bumper.

Later at the Sports Power Plus building, Steve run more tests...and he's left utterly baffled. He asks his brother not to tell anyone about this until he's studied the effects more closely. Don't want any nasty side effects to suddenly pop up, after all. Jack agrees and heads to practice. After Jack leaves, Steve gets a phone call from a man named Sloane, demanding the money he is owed. Thing is, Steve already spent it developing the Intensifier. 

Sloan...is surprisingly fine with it. He even offers Steve a chance to break even, booking a couple bets for him in the next football game. After all, Sloan sees the Magnicontes as an investment in the future that will pay off big time. Maybe Darlene was right about Steve after all.

Speaking of Darlene, Jack is showing off his new powers to her. She's far more worried than impressed, thinking he really needs to see a doctor. But Jack is too excited. He can't wait to see what he can do on the field.

The day of the game arrives, and problems arise thanks to Jack's new powers. He throws a pass at Dasher, only to end up cracking his ribs.

Yeah, new power comes with new problems. Despite this, the Smashers win the game. Over the next few weeks, the Smashers become one of the winningest teams in the League (presumably the NFL but not named due to legal reasons). The team also makes a massive profit thanks to appearances in commercials, product endorsements, and doing charitable events. They even do their own version of the "Super Bowl Shuffle". However, over time, Jack seems to grow more depressed. It's like despite holding back, football doesn't challenge him anymore. He's now undoubtedly the strongest, fastest, and most powerful man in the League. It's...become too easy. 

Back at Sports Power Plus, Steve is giving a man an Intensifier treatment. But so far, it seems only Jack has become powerful because of it. Steve is worried about this, as he's invested everything he had in it. He even started gambling again in an attempt to clear his debts but only ended up owing more money. I'm assuming he's betting on other sports besides football, because otherwise, it makes Steve look like an idiot.

The Smashers win their conference championship, guaranteeing a ticket to the Super Bowl. But Jack is too depressed to celebrate. Unaware of his powers, this leaves his fellow teammates utterly confused. While this went down, Sloan suggests an opportunity for Steve to clear his debts. You see, the bookies theorize the Smashers will win the Super Bowl by 17 points. Sloan wants Steve to convince Jack to make sure the team doesn't let that happen. Win or lose, it cannot be by 17 points. Steve refuses (likely because he knows Jack will never go for it) and gets a Mighty Punch to the side from Sloan's enforcer for his trouble. 

The next day, Steve is testing Jack, his mind in conflict about Sloan's demand. Jack hears his older brother muttering, and fears that he's fallen off the gambling wagon again. But there's something more important on his mind, the Intensifier's effects being reversed. He wants to be his old self again, as he feels he's a living cheat code for football. 

That night, he laments to Darlene that he can't do the thing he loves anymore because of his new power. He feels there is nowhere to go that would understand his problems. Remember, DP7 exists in this universe as well, but Jack is unaware he's a paranormal (what superhumans in the New Universe are called).

The Super Bowl arrives, and thanks to Jack, the Smashers win it, 65-17. Sloan is not going to be happy...

After the game, Jack goes to visit Steve, only to find a crime in progress.

"HEY! YOU OWE ME A PIZZA!"

Jack hands a Mighty Beatdown to Sloan and his men. However, they managed to fatally shoot Steve. In his last moments of life, Steve laments that things got out of hand, and he gives an apology to his younger brother before dying in his arms. 

Three weeks pass. Wohl, Smythe, Dasher and Darlene are meeting Jack at Steve's old business. Jack shows off his powers to them and catches them up on everything. He has them undergo the Intensifier...even though it was shown earlier that it didn't work...and the only reason Jack seemingly got power from it was because of a delayed reaction to the White Event. 

A few days pass. At Jack's apartment, the group put together plans to create something new, something to help people with...unusual personal issues like Jack had. It'll give the group something to do in the off-season...and allow them to keep doing something once they have to hang up the cleats. Darlene remarks that these "dumb kickers" are going to need more than a new name if they break her lamp (Jack and Dasher were tossing it around like a football), and with that, they got a name: Kickers, Inc.

I though this issue was...decent. You can tell this was meant to fit into the New Universe if you knew anything about the ground rules of it, though. For example, the Intensifier. One of the ground rules of the New Universe was that it was meant to be a world just like ours, the real world. No aliens, no monsters, no demons, no super-high-tech stuff. The Intensifier can qualify as that.

Also, Jack being hit by the White Event. In the New Universe, the White Event occurred between 4 and 5 AM.  Unless the Smashers playing a game really late at night, which I doubt as even football players need to sleep, then he should have been hit while he was asleep, not walking with Darlene in presumably the middle of the day or evening. 

Speaking of Jack, he's clearly the main character of this story, and it does do a decent job establishing who he is: a humble man who has a bit of an obsession with being the best at football. And in the classic Marvel tradition, he finds his new power more of a curse, and his origin has a touch of tragedy. I also like that we get to see a bit of the personalities and dynamics of the other Kickers, ripe for growth and development in future issues 

I've talked about Frenz's work in the past. You can see the Jack Kirby reverence in the way he draws faces, hands, and certain poses. 

I don't think this is bad, but DeFalco and Frenz would go on to do better stuff. For example, their Thor run, which I think is ridiculously underrated. Sadly, Kickers Inc. has never been collected in trade form, so you'll have to scour a comic book shop's back issue bins and hope you find this if you want to read this for yourself. 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 Pie Day

 Happy National Pie Day!

Not to be confused with Pi Day, National Pie Day is about celebrating the fluffy flaky treat known as the pie. This day was created in the 1970s by Armenian-American author and brewer Charles N. Papazian. He chose this day as it is his birthday. Happy Birthday, Chuck!

This day has also been sponsored by the American Pie Council since 1986. So, what's the deal with pies, huh? Well, pies can be pretty versatile. You can fill them with fruit, custard, nuts, meat, veggies...you can make a pie out of just about anything.

The first known usage of the word "pie" appeared in 1303, on expense account records from an English church known as the Bolton Priory. The origins of the word "pie" aren't really known, but one possibility is from the species of bird known as the magpie. This is because medieval pies could have all sorts of animal meats in them and magpies are known for collecting odds and ends in their nests. 

Pies have a much longer history than that, dating all the way back to antiquity. Evidence of early pies called galettes could be found on the walls of the tomb of the Egyptian king Ramesses II. A tablet from Sumer was shown to have a recipe for chicken pie in it.

Another ancestor of the modern pie was the placenta cake, which more resembled a modern cheesecake. The Romans also made pastries of goat's cheese and honey. In the 15th century, pies with fruit and custard began appearing more. Pumpkin pie would grow popular in 18th century England, and from there, would also become a favorite of American colonists. In America, apple pies became popular thanks to apples being easy to dry and store over the winter. Apple pies would end up becoming a dish associated with the United States. "As American as apple pie!"

Different regions of the US would have favorite pies, like the Northern states favoring maple syrup, the South loving sweet potato pie, and cheese and cream pies being the apple of the eye of the Midwest.

Pies in the United States would decrease in popularity due to health concerns and the migration of women into the workforce. But they would rebound in the 1950s thanks to the creation of things like frozen ready-made crusts, Cool Whip topping, Jello, and instant pudding mixes making pies less labor-intensive. 

So, yeah. The pie has a long and fascinating history. Enjoy some today! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

Squirrel Appreciation Day

 Today is Squirrel Appreciation Day!

How did this day come about, you may ask? Well, you can thank wildlife rehabilitation specialist Christy Hargrove. Hargrove coined the day in 2001 for the purpose of promoting kindness towards these critters. 

Squirrels can be seen as nuisances and pests, but they actually can help with reforestation. You see, squirrels have a habit of burying nuts to keep hidden from others so they can grab them later because, well...they get hungry. Thing is, like with people occasionally forgetting where they place things, squirrels can forget about the nuts they bury. And those nuts...can end up growing into trees. Yeah, squirrels can help with reforestation, albeit indirectly. 

Before the 1800s, squirrels weren't really seen in urban areas. In 1847, squirrels were introduced into Philadelphia's Franklin Square. The experiment ended in the 1860s as many squirrels had passed away or were killed out of fear they'd disrupt birds. Despite that, in the 1870s, the introductions returned as many major cities had expansive parks that could serve as habitats.

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

Penguin Awareness Day

Today is Penguin Awareness Day!

Penguins are semi-aquatic flightless birds that generally live exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Of the around 17-19 species (different sources count differently, with the International Ornithologists' Union recognizing 18) of penguins, only the Galapagos penguin resides north of the equator. They reside in the Ecuadorian islands they're named after.

Penguins can come in a variety of sizes. For example, the emperor penguin can reach nearly 4 feet in height and weigh nearly 80 pounds. The smallest known penguin species is the little blue penguin, aka the fairy penguin. These little guys reach about one foot in height and weigh around 2 and a half to around three pounds.

Penguins spend half their lives on land, and half in the sea. Their wings also function as powerful flippers, and they are very agile in the water. Their bodies have thick insulating feathers to help keep them warm in the water. They can also drink salt water, thanks to having a special organ that filters out the salt.

Most species of penguins breed in large colonies, the size depending on the species. Some penguins species' chicks are gathered in large creches. Penguins in pop culture are associated with Antarctica. In reality, not all penguins live there. Penguins reside in southern Africa and South America as well. 

Penguin Awareness Day came about because it had been discovered that penguins can be indicators of the health of the polar environment. Climate change is endangering these animals because global warming is making it harder for them to breed. And that's sad. Penguins are amazing creatures and deserve to be enjoyed by future generations. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

Martin Luther King Day

 

Martin Luther King Day

 Today is Martin Luther King Day!

Martin Luther King Day, or MLK Day for short, is a federal holiday that is celebrated on the third Monday of every January.

Now, how did this day come about, you may ask? Well, it first came about thanks to labor unions, believe it or not. King is most known for promoting non-violent activism when it comes to civil rights, but he also campaigned for labor rights as well in his lifetime. These campaigns began after King was assassinated in 1968. A bill to make his birthday a holiday first came to the Congress floor for a vote in 1979. This bill was proposed by Senator Edward Brooke (R-Massachusetts) and Representative John Conyers (D-Michigan). However, this bill didn't get enough votes to pass into the Senate. 

The campaign to make MLK's birthday a national holiday would continue on for decades. Stevie Wonder released the song "Happy Birthday" to help popularize the movement. A petition sent to Congress to pass a law making MLK's birthday a holiday got six million signatures. 

President Ronald Reagan originally opposed the idea, citing cost concerns. In 1983, he signed a bill into law making MLK's birthday into a federal holiday. The bill that made this happen was proposed by Representative Katie Hall (D-Indiana). Appropriately enough, she was the first Black woman from Indiana to be elected to the House of Representatives. The new law would take effect in 1986.

Despite this, several states didn't celebrate the day at the state level. It wouldn't be until 2000 that every state celebrated an MLK Day. 

If you want to learn more about the history of MLK Day, you can read more 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!

World Snow Day

Happy World Snow Day!

This day was founded by the International Ski Federation, the international governing body for snow sports like snowboarding and of course, skiing.

This day was first celebrated in 2012 and is celebrated on the third Sunday of January every year. The purpose of it is to promote snow sports, especially for children. The holiday is about growing the next generation of winter sportspeople, as well as a way for families to build memories and moments of joy. And that's pretty much it for this day. Not much else to say about it. I hope this was a good day for you. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

Starman #4 (December 1988)

Legacy is a big deal in the DC Universe. Mantles are often passed around like candy there. For example, Barry Allen is actually the second man to wear the Flash mantle, having succeeded Jay Garrick, and himself being succeeded over the years by his nephew Wally West and grandson Bart Allen. Not to mention all the Flashes of various future timelines.

Among those heroes that have passed down their mantles is Starman. Ted Knight, the original Starman, debuted in Adventure Comics #61 (April 1941). Created by Gardner Fox and Jack Burnley (sort of. Editor Whitney Ellsworth conceived the character, but Fox expanded the concept), Ted Knight was an astronomer and inventor. He created a "cosmic rod" that could collect energies from the stars in the sky (Including the Sun presumably, as the Sun is a star). This device allowed Starman to fly and shoot energy beams. 

With the 1950s, Ted and his fellow Golden Age heroes fell into obscurity as superhero comics fell from popularity. However, Detective Comics #247 (September 1957) saw a brief appearance of a new Starman that would become known as the "Starman of 1951". This was originally Batman taking up a new persona after being hypnotized to fear bats. That Starman would be retconned to be Charles McNider/Dr. Mid-Nite I and David Knight, older brother of future Starman Jack Knight.  

with the rise of the Silver Age, new versions of Golden Age heroes like Green Lantern, the Flash, and the Atom were introduced. Starman himself was revived, but it took longer for a new one to show up: Mikaal Tomas. First introduced in 1st Issue Special #12 (March 1976), he was a member of an alien race of conquerors who would end up turning against his people and defending Earth. He would be regarded as one of DC's first LGBTQ+ characters, established to be gay, then bisexual in later stories. 

The 1980s would see another Starman introduced: Prince Gavyn. Debuting in Adventure Comics #467 (January 1980). He was a playboy alien prince who could survive in space unaided, as well as absorb and process stellar energies. Gavyn didn't last very long, ending up seemingly killed off in the Crisis on Infinite Earths maxiseries...although later on, it would be established that his actual fate was...a bit weirder.

After the Crisis, DC was focused on the new. A new Justice League, a new history for Superman and Wonder Woman, etc. And among that wave of "new stuff"...was a brand-new Starman. This one being Will Payton, an editor who got hit with a beam of energy and got superpowers from it. Created by Roger Stern and Tom Lyle, Will would actually be the first Starman to get his own comic series. This series lasted 45 issues, from 1988 to 1992. So, with that out of the way, let's look at Starman #4!

The cover is a Tom Lyle piece. It's pretty good, depicting the titular hero being surrounded by the Power Elite, the enemies he'll face here. It gives the impression our man is in big trouble.

"Baptism of Fire"
Writer: Roger Stern
Penciler: Tom Lyle
Inker: Bob Smith
Colorist: Julianna Ferrer
Letterer: Bob Pinaha
Editor: Robert Greenberger
Executive Editor: Dick Giordano

The story begins with Will doing what a superhero does best: save the day. The Norchemco chemical plant is ablaze, and our man is doing what he can to get people out so the firefighters can concentrate on putting out the fires. He manages to rescue the foreman, but she tells him that there's still one other man trapped in there. Naturally, he succeeds. 

"Here I come to save the dayyyyyyyy!"

He gets them to an ambulance so they can get treated for smoke inhalation. The fire chief tells Starman there's still plenty do to, as the factory is still burning, but then the whole thing goes kablooie.

The night passes, revealing that Will has spent the whole night helping to keep the fire from spreading. The plant couldn't be saved, but at least the fires are out. Not to mention those two plant workers Will saved will be fine. 

The firefighters are amazed by Will's powers. After all, it's not often that the southwestern US gets a superhero of their own. Will points out that they're the real heroes. After all, they willingly choose to fight fires with no superpowers, just their equipment. 

One firefighter asks how he doesn't sound hoarse after going in and out of smoke all night. He must have breathed quite a bit of it in. Will tells him that he doesn't have to breathe if he doesn't want to. 

Later, he goes to bathe in Roosevelt Lake. This allows him to think about the effect he has on people as Starman. He even, in the classic cliche, starts to wonder if he or Starman is the real person. The scene then changes to a man showing a satellite.

It took twelve billion LEGO bricks to make that.

This satellite is the reason Will Payton has his powers in the first place. A man named Melrose gives as the 411 on it. Sent up four years earlier by the Hutchings Institute, the purpose of the satellite was to collect energy and use it to give a person powers. The powers were meant to go to a group of people presumably working for the Institute. However, as it goes in these things, something went wrong. A piece of space junk hit the satellite, wrecking it. Yeah, evidently it was made from tissue paper.

But before it was destroyed, the satellite did discharge a beam of energy. That energy beam hit Will, and that's why he's now the then-newest Starman. Melrose recaps Will's previous adventures to a group of superhumans that the Institute created:

- Olivia Hardy, the super-strong powerhouse
- Samantha Morgan, the shape-shifter (she mainly prefers taking the form of a super-strong muscular giant)
- Frank Donovan, the plasma pyrokinetic
- Dennis Blake, who can fire concussive blasts from his hands. 
- David Winters, the Cyclops expy of the bunch. He can shoot radioactive beams from his eyes.  
- Stanley Hale, the telekinetic.

Meet the Power Elite. These folks were empowered by the Institute for the purpose of creating a new team of superheroes to protect American interests. 

Melrose wants the power the Starman has back, and he's brought this group of superhumans, his Power Elite together to go get him.

Back home, Will is doing some editing work for a novelist. He then gets himself a visitor.

"Shut up, Will! This is all I can afford!"

Meet Jayne Payton, Will's sister. He has a good laugh about her outfit, as it makes her look like an old-fashioned school marm (Jayne is a junior high school teacher). She asks him if anything is wrong, and Will has to admit, there is. He hasn't been sleeping much, but then again, h doesn't seem to get tired that often anymore. And when he does sleep, he gets...strange dreams. Dreams of being around faceless people that chase him down and seemingly kill him. But he's not really dead despite a doctor declaring him so. And he wakes up with Starman's face. 

Jayne thinks it's just Will's subconscious messing with him. He's been through a lot. After all, he's only human. But that leads Will to wonder if he still is anymore. He woke up as Starman, not Will. It makes him wonder if Starman is taking over. Jayne finds it ridiculous. Which she isn't wrong about. Will may not have chosen to get powers, but he certainly did choose to use them to be a superhero. Jayne is pretty proud of him for that. 

Later, Will buys a newspaper, feeling good about his new job. He then notices a want ad from a research lab asking for Starman's help in testing some new heat shielding they developed. Unknown to our man, this want ad is a trap.

That afternoon, the Starman is flying towards the lab when he hears a cry for help.

I'd make a Hush joke, but it's 15 years too early.

Naturally, being a superhero, of course Starman is going to see if he can help anyone out here. The little girl tells Will the car flipped over because her dad tried to avoid a jackrabbit that jumped onto the road. She was thrown out, but her parents are still trapped in the car. Will naturally gets them out, believing that they're just shaken up, thankfully. However, the "mother" has a nasty surprise for our hero. 

"Ah! Stranger Danger!"

Yeah, it's a swerve that would have made Vince Russo proud. 

The members of the Power Elite have set up an ambush for our man. The group manages to give Starman a beatdown, knocking him cold.

The story ends with the knocked-out Starman being loaded into a truck. They're going to find out what makes him tick.

This was a pretty enjoyable comic. Roger Stern and Tom Lyle are a very good team. I have read a bit of this series before, and I think it was one of DC's hidden gems. It's not revolutionary, it isn't a groundbreaking series, but it still is a darn good comic. It has good writing, good artwork, everything you want in a comic. And that's perfectly okay. It has a nice mix of action and character stuff, and the scene with Will and Jayne made me chuckle and smile. I also liked the little bits of personality the Power Elite showed, like Olivia's bloodlust, Denny's cockiness. Helps show they are more than just disposable mooks.

So, what happened to Will Payton? Well, after his series was cancelled, he was killed off in the 1992 crossover Eclipso: The Darkness Within. The 1990s Starman series that focused on the Jack Knight incarnation of the character revealed that the beam of energy that empowered Will contained the essence of Will's predecessor Prince Gavyn, possibly causing them to fuse into one being. In 2020, Scott Snyder resurrected Will in his Justice League run. With his return, Will's origin was further tweaked (he was now empowered by a cosmic energy source) and was given a couple additional powers: the ability to create star-shaped portals a la America Chavez, and the power to see into alternate universes. And as far as I know, Will is still back in action. 

Sadly, the Will Payton Starman series has never been collected in trade format, you'll have to scour your local comic shop's back issue bins and hope you find some issues. Maybe now that DC has their DC Finest trade line going, that will change. After all, it did collect some of the Detroit-era JLA in the past. If you do find issues of this comic in your comic book shop's back issue bins, pick them up. You'll be glad you did. Thanks for reading his blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

National Bagel Day

 Happy National Bagel Day, everyone!

What is National Bagel Day, you may ask? Well, it's a day to celebrate...the bagel! Mmm...bagels...

Bagels have been around for far longer than you think. The modern bagel as we know it can be traced back to 1600s Poland, where they were given as presents to women in childbirth. Yeah.

The bagel may likely have derived from the pretzel, which was brought to Poland from German immigrants. It would go on to be a staple of the Polish diet. The word "bagel" derives from Yiddish world "beygal", which itself came from a German dialect word "beugel", which means "ring" or "bracelet". Which is rather appropriate for a food shaped like, well...a ring.

From there, the bagel would spread to Europe. Polish Jews immigrating to America would bring the bagel to the country, especially in New York City. The City that Never Sleeps had thriving bagel businesses controlled by the trade union Bagel Bakers Local 338. The innovation of automated bagel-baking machines would break the trade union's hold over the bagel-making business and help spread bagels all over North America. 

From there, bagels became a popular food to enjoy. It's not hard to see why. They're a quick little thing you can scarf down, and you can add all sorts of things to them. So enjoy yourself a bagel today! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! See you next time!

Marvel: The Lost Generation #12 (March 2000)

The Marvel Universe has a very long history of costumed heroes and villains. Its heroic history can be traced all the way back to Lifebringer One, a living embodiment of heroism. From there (and over several cosmos), generations of heroes would rise to help protect the world from evil. One of those generations would focus on a superhero team called the First Line. This group of heroes would become known...as the Lost Generation. 

Marvel: The Lost Generation came about because of a bit of a conundrum when it came to the Marvel Universe's history. You see, since the events of Fantastic Four #1 (November 1961), the Marvel Universe was considered to operate on a literary device called the "floating timeline", or as it's more well-known as, the "sliding timescale". Fantastic Four #1 was considered the start of the "Modern Age" of superheroes, about fifteen years before the present. For example, now that it's 2026, the FF debuted in 2011. And next year, the year they debuted will be 2012. Now, the exceptions are stories that are deliberately meant to be set in a certain point in time. For example, the miniseries Origin (a miniseries that told the, well, origins of Logan/Wolverine I) was set in Canada in the 19th century. Many of Marvel's predecessors, Timely Comics's stories were set during WWII, because that's when they were originally published. 

Because of that, by the year 2000, there was now a 4-to-5-decade long gap in time between the era of the Golden Age heroes like the Invaders, and the debut of the Fantastic Four. Remember, at this point, the FF would have debuted around the late 80s/early 90s thanks to the sliding timescale. Enter Roger Stern and John Byrne. By this time, the two were veterans to Marvel fans. Stern and Byrne's talents had graced many of Marvel's books: Amazing Spider-Man, Avengers, Uncanny X-Men, Fantastic Four, etc. They knew a lot of the MU's history, so it was only appropriate they be the ones to tell the tale of these lost and forgotten heroes. 

You may have noticed we are starting at issue #12 instead of #1. "Why is that?" you may ask? Well, that's because unlike the other maxiseries I've looked at in the past, this one is numbered backwards, issue #12 is the first issue, etc. So, with that out of the way, let's look at Marvel: The Lost Generation #12!

The cover is a John Byrne and Al Milgrom piece. It depicts a horrified woman surrounded by bodies. It's a pretty big attention-grabber and makes you wonder what happens here, who these people are, and what just happened here. The blurb on the cover is pretty accurate, too. You'll see what I mean. 

"This is Where it Ends"
Writers: Roger Stern, John Byrne
Penciler: John Byrne
Inker: Al Milgrom
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Letterer: Jim Novak
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras

The story begins with...the end. As we are going backwards in the First Line's history, we start with their final adventure: fighting an invasion of the Skrull Empire in the 1980s. This is being shown to time-traveling far future scientist Cassandra Locke by the Watcher. On the many screens, she sees many of the Earth's active heroes and even supervillains at this time fighting and dying to stop the Skrulls. They had been aware of Earth for centuries, but humanity really piqued their interests thanks to the creation of the atom bomb. A group of First Liners have managed to make it to the Skrull Fleet's flagship, but there's still a lot of soldiers, and the group is outgunned. 

Locke begs the Watcher to do something to stop this madness. However, he refuses, saying that it is forbidden. You may find this odd, considering Uatu has been known to bend if not outright violate his oath, but it does make sense. Remember, this story is set long before the events of Fantastic Four #13 (April 1963), when he revealed himself to the FF.

Locke realizes this, being a time-traveler and all. She decides to use her power belt to try and help, finding herself on the Skrull ship. 

"Oh God, the Skrulls discovered cocaine!"

Locke finds the dead body of the Skrull named Korya. We'll see her again in the future. However, Cassie angrily gets batted away by the Inhuman First Liner known as the Yeti.

"AND THE YE-TAY!"

The Yeti was rather...obsessed with Korya. He grabs her body and hops away, ranting that he's here and she'll be okay now.

The Yeti hit Cassie hard, possibly breaking her ribs. Thankfully, the Line's resident healer, Nightingale, is there to, well...heal her up. 

"Did you get that thing I sent you?"

This turns out to be the healing heroine's last act as she collapses and seemingly fades away, leaving only her costume. One of the last things Nightingale says is that she thought that Cassandra's warning was heeded. This confuses Cassie, naturally. She doesn't realize that this is a future event for her. Yeah, it's time-travel stuff. Elsewhere in the ship, the Atlantean criminal known as Mako is having the time of her life, tearing into Skrulls like they were made of tissue paper. She then encounters an injured Templar and his son Squire. 

Templar tries to urge Mako to not give in to her savage nature. Mako points out she was created to kill and destroy. Also, they're on a Skrull ship full of soldiers that are all too willing to kill them, so maybe now is not the time, Tempy.

As if to prove Mako's point, an injured Skrull manages to get to a blaster and shoot Templar in the head, his armor offering little protection against the alien weapon. Squire angrily impales the Skrull with a lance, only to get a blast in the back himself. Mako is infuriated and starts really tearing into the Skrulls. After all, even if she wasn't too fond of humans, they still were fellow natives of Earth. Desperate to stop the madwoman, some Skrulls blow an airlock hatch, seemingly blasting Mako and them into space itself.

The hatch blowing out is heard by two other First Liners: the Eternal Pixie and archer Oxbow. Pixie fears the First Line are losing this battle, but Oxbow isn't too worried. After all, they still have each other. Pixie dispatches some Skrulls with her pixie dust, turning them into stone. Oxbow uses an explosive arrow to blow open a door. The two find a badly injured Black Fox.

"You should have seen the other guy."

The Fox is wounded, but he insists it's mostly just his pride.

He bought some time for another First Liner named Effigy. He'll need their help, so they should just leave him alone. Alone with his wounds. Thankfully, he has a little company. 

"🎵Here I come to save the dayyyyyy!🎵"

Meet Gadfly. She's been a pain in the neck of the Black Fox, mainly because she's after his attention. She unmasks him, revealing the now-elderly face of Robert Paine. Fox dies in her arms, Gadfly lamenting that the two could have had so many years together. She kisses him and then joins Fox in death tanks to the Skrulls blasting her. Those Skrulls get ambushed by the seemingly-robotic Walkabout, who proclaims that the concept of an empire is a dying one. 

"FOR DEMOCRACY!"

The robot manages to take down the Skrulls, but suffers some damage, revealing said robot is actually a form of power armor for what looks like a telepathic fetus in a jar. The vampiric villain known as Nocturne then attacks Walkabout, revealing the fetus was a "Dr. Carmody". 

"I HAD ONE PAYMENT LEFT ON THIS MECH, YA JERK!"

Unfortunately, as the dialogue explains, Nocturne just doomed himself as Carmody can't stop the nearby Skrull blaster from overloading...and exploding. As Cassandra watches the battle, she notices that there was seemingly no record of this invasion before. As far as she's aware, the first major Skrull incursion into Earth occurred in Fantastic Four #2 (January 1962) ...and it was not at this scale. Not to mention she was unaware of these superheroes before. 

However, that's tabled when she is recognized by Mr. Justice. He notes her time-travel belt looks like the one the Yankee Clipper used. She had found it in some ruins on a dig in her far future time. Justice realizes that she's the future woman the Clipper told him about...but nothing more is revealed as he gets shot in the back by a Skrull. Man, getting shot in the back is happening a lot here. I mean, I get why, but it's just a noticeable pattern.

 She runs through the battles on the Skrull ship, seeing First Line members fighting valiantly and dying left and right. She tries to find a quiet spot to adjust her time belt, but finds herself in the company of Oxbow, Pixie...and a blond man. He's the "Effigy" Black Fox mentioned earlier. Effigy implores Oxbow and Pixie to get to an escape craft, as he has his own way out. They're going to blow the ship up. And Effigy is the latest First Liner to get a shot to the back. The dying Effigy transforms back into his true form...into a Skrull.

Thing is, Effigy may have been a Skrull, but he was hit by the "Alien invader becomes fond of Earth and decides to stand with it" trope. He has lived on Earth for decades, and he's come to consider it his home. Before he got blasted, he was able to somehow rig the cruiser's engines to all explode together. Cassandra tries to talk to Pixie, but the Eternal just tells her if you got a way out, take it now. Cassie agrees, using her time belt to travel further back in time. Maybe she can stop this madness before it starts. Good luck with that, Cass.

Pixie flips the switch, and the Skrull ships go kablooie.

The invasion is stopped, but the First Line has seemingly been exterminated in the process. And the governments of the world work to cover it up to not only panic people about the existence of aliens. The Watcher notes that the government will also keep an eye on scientists like Reed Richards, Henry Pym, and Bruce Banner to help create a defense, and also may play a role in the birth of the next generation of heroes: The Marvel Age. He and another guest converse.

"By the way, you know when that pizza I ordered will come?"

Strange asks if Cassandra's quest is doomed to fail, if this is the end result. But the Watcher points out that just because she failed to save the First Line, doesn't mean that she hasn't succeeded at their beginning. And that is her true tale...

I did enjoy this comic. Starting it with the death of the First Line is quite an interesting choice. I do have a bit of an issue of the explanation of how they ended up being forgotten. A bit of a minor spoiler here, the First Line debuted in 1958 (in-universe, not the real world). They've been a superhero team for about thirty years by this point. You'd think someone would notice that a whole bunch of superheroes and supervillains had suddenly vanished. Maybe a sorcerer with a grudge against the Line took advantage of this and cast a spell to make people forget? It would not be that implausible in the Marvel Universe, and I can imagine the Line has faced their share of magical foes. 

Another thing I liked is the bits of character stuff and foreshadowing we saw here. For example, Templar and Mako's interactions could imply that there was some form of mutual respect between them. Oxbow and Pixie also seemed close. And the revelation of Effigy being a Skrull is a nice twist. It helps show that not all Skrulls are warmongering conquerors. Also, in a way, he can be seen as in-universe foreshadowing of Skrulls that end up being allies and friends of Earth's heroes like Lyja the Lazerfist and Jazinda. 

About my only criticism is the bit with Gadfly and Black Fox. It's a bit squicky, although to be fair, the Fox didn't seem to be too fond of her. 

John Byrne's art here looks a bit, well, rougher for lack of a better term. I can't help but wonder if it just looks that way from Al Milgrom's inks, though. I mean, look at his art on Uncanny X-Men with Terry Austin inking. It looked cleaner. But still, Byrne is a veteran, and his style then was still preferable to the likes of the 90s imitators.

All in all, this was a good story about a team of heroes facing their final battle, sacrificing their lives to save the world. Sadly, the miniseries has never been collected in a standalone trade. It has been collected as part of an Omnibus: The Marvel Universe by John Byrne Vol. 2. If you don't want the Omnibus (they're big, heavy, and expensive), you'll have to hope a comic shop's back issue bins have it. I got the maxiseries on eBay. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!