National Puppy Day

Today is National Puppy Day!

This day is about celebrating puppies. Puppies are adorable. They run around, they play, they lick faces. We love looking at videos and pictures of them online. Puppies may grow up, but to the millions of dog owners around the world, they're still babies.

This day was created by animal activist and author Colleen Paige in 2006. She wanted to use this day to not only celebrate the puppy but also call attention to the many dogs and puppies in animal shelters still in need of loving homes. National Puppy Day is also meant to raise awareness of the cruelty of puppy mills. Puppy mills first started appearing in the 1950s because of farmers looking to make some extra money, and noticing a rising demand for pets after World War II. Hey, people pay good money to get a puppy, why not provide puppies? Thing is, these mills often cruelly treated puppies and their mothers. Mother dogs would literally get bred to death in these facilities. Also, puppy mills can contribute to the population of unspayed/unneutered feral dogs. This led to the signing of the Animal Welfare Act in 1966. Despite this, puppy mills still operate, most notably in Pennsylvania and Missouri.

What can you do? Well, you can call your local reprentatives and Senators to put in stronger rules to protect puppies/dogs, and if you want to adopt, do so from a shelter. 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 Water Day

Today is World Water Day!

This day is an annual United Nations observance (first proposed in 1992 and observed in 1993) that is meant to highlight the necessity and the importance of the conservation of fresh water. After all, fresh water is something that is critical to human survival. Fresh water helps keep people hydrated and clean. It's something that is taken for granted by many people.

Sadly, according to this, there are still nearly 785 million people that lack access to clean fresh water. Most water is used for agriculture, to feed crops. Climate change is also affecting water access, with worsening rainfall as well as droughts. If you want to learn more about how you can help with this, even in a small way, you can look here. There are also small other ways you can help conserve water, like taking quick showers nor not using the tap while brushing your teeth. We can all help conserve water. 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 Punisher: Shadowmasters #2 (November 1989)

Last year, on this exact same month, I took a look at the first issue of a spin-off miniseries from Frank Castle, the original Punisher's comic book: Shadowmasters. This miniseries told the tale of a group of ninjas that had an adventure with Frank in the comics at the time. In the first issue, we got to see the birth and growing pains of a friendship between two men that crossed cultures and nationalities in the shadow of World War II and the American occupation of Japan. And we also got to see the beginnings of an obsession with revenge that would have an effect on both men that would last a couple generations. Where did it go from here? Let's find out in Shadowmasters #2!

The cover is a Mark Texiera piece. It's a wraparound cover that looks utterly gorgeous. It depicts a swordsman ready to strike, a ghostly geisha behind him, as well as a big ol' Buddha. The other side also had a Japanese-style pagoda castle. It is a cool cover (I would love to hang it as a poster), but I do wish the cover was more of a preview of the story. Still, I like it.

"The Invisible Enemy"
Writer: Carl Potts
Penciler: Dan Lawlis
Inker: Tod Smith
Colorist: Steve Oliff
Letterer: Jim Novak
Editors: Al Milgrom, Marc McLaurin
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story begins a recap of the previous issue. While Japan was occupied by the USA after the events of World War II, Shigeru Ezaki (secretly a ninja protector of his home village) had met and befriended an American Army man named Captain James Richards. The two end up joining forces to take on Kantaro (I mistakenly spelled his name Kentaro in the last issue 😖) Umezu, the commander of a group of Imperial Japanese Army holdouts, wanting to continue the war. Kantaro had a new plan: instead of outright fighting, the holdout soldiers would take a tactic from their ninja foe: blend in. Work their way up to influential positions in the society of post-war Japan and then use said influence to subtly take over the country and push it back to war. 

Years had passed since then. It's now 1962. Richards returned to America for a while and had married. Thing was, his time in Japan made him fall in love with the country. He would return to the country to help coach in Japan's growing pro baseball league. Yeah, baseball is huge in Japan. James is likely a coach for a team in the Nippon Professional Baseball league. It was around back then, and it's the biggest baseball league in the country. 

This time of peace also meant the growth of families. In 1957, the Richards family welcomed their first child and future Shadowmaster Phillip. Ezaki was a widower, but even he found his own family growing. He would remarry and welcome another child in 1960: his daughter Yuriko. His elder son Sojin is also growing up. The two families were close friends, the children growing up together. It seems almost idyllic. But a dark shadow lulls over this group.

Kantaro's group has worked hard over the past decade and a half. They have achieved their goals of infiltrating Japanese post-war society. They've become powerful men...and some of them have started questioning Kantaro's goal. After all, time and their new positions have gotten some of them thinking that perhaps they are better off letting it go and continuing to prosper. Kantaro...disagrees with them.

"And you all will like the pineapple on pizza, too!"

Years pass. It is now 1972. Ezaki has been training his children and James's son Phillip in ninjitsu, wanting to pass the secrets of the Shadowmasters to a new generation. James is aware of the training, but he doesn't participate. He and Ezaki may see each other as brothers, but their experiences and cultures still show a wide gap they can never truly reconcile. The kids, though? They grew up in a blend of their parents' worlds. They'll be the ones to be the bridge. They're the future.

Ezaki continues his training. The kids are progressing, but they still have a ways to go. After all, one does not become awesome ninjas overnight, ha ha. We get a nice little laugh from Yuriko as she fell asleep while practicing keeping herself concealed. 

The next morning, Phillip is talking about what he learned from Ezaki to his parents. His mother is understandably concerned about her son being taught to be a ninja. James isn't too worried about it. Ezaki's a friend, and at least Phillip isn't spending his nights running around and causing trouble. Not to mention he sees it as good character building. 

That night, a ninja sneaks their way towards Ezaki's home...then leaves. Maybe he thought they got the wrong place. This is a really bad start to a ninja pizza delivery service.

The next day, the two families head out to watch a baseball game. Ezaki's eldest son Sojin isn't with them as he's on a field trip as part of his marine biology studies in college. The team James is coaching is playing for the league championship. Ezaki was able to notice the ninja visiting his house last night...was Phillip.

Ezaki noticed that the crickets that were chirping this time of year were silent, indicating they were disturbed. Also, Ezaki saw him. His face may have been concealed, but his body and moves gave him away like an ID card. Phillip only did it to prove how good he was getting at stealth. And he noticed Ezaki had spotted him because he heard mosquitoes buzzing. Mosquitoes tend to settle on bed netting around midnight, and their buzzing indicated something disturbed them. Phillip's mother grounds him for a month.

The game goes well for James's team, winning the championship. James and Ezaki get a picture. Sojin also returns home, with a couple new pets.

"I also found a Kraken, but I couldn't fit it here."

Not exactly a new kitten, but hey, at least they'll be good ice-breakers and conversation-starters. Ezaki's little photo ends up causing a big problem, as Kantaro has seen it in the sports section of a newspaper. That night, as the man sleeps, he is haunted by memories of his childhood. One, in particular. His father was an alcoholic and like to play a trust exercise with him. The old man put the young Kantaro on a wall, and told him to jump, saying he'll catch him. But when he does, the father moves away, causing Kantaro to fall on his face.

It's meant to teach the boy to not trust anyone outside of his own instincts. Kantaro's mother objects to this, but his dad smacks her around. The enraged boy picks up a sword and stabs his father with it, killing the old drunk. It was the first time he killed a man, and for Kantaro, it was an eye-opening experience. He felt a thrill and great satisfaction from it, implying that he enjoys killing. 

In a secure office in Tokyo, Kantaro meets with his fellow renegades. Now they know the identity of the ninja and his American ally, they can finally strike and get both their heads. However, the other ex-soldiers are...not fond of the idea. And it's not because they've grown to enjoy their new positions in life. It's more that they fear Kantaro's grudge will jeopardize the plan to take over Japan, the plan Kantaro himself conceived. After all, they have been building up the tech and soldiers they need. They're about ready to go. 

Kantaro doesn't care about any of it right now, as his thirst for Richards and Ezaki's blood is too great. That night, Ezaki discusses being Shadowmasters with Phillip and Yuriko. He taught them everything he knows, and he hopes they use this knowledge well, and grow as best as they can. Afterwards, he meditates, visualizing a small waterfall. Normally, this visual is of the waterfall endlessly flowing, but now...it's dried up. Foreshadowing...

A week has passed, and Mrs. Ezaki notices her hubby moves like he's in a fog. The vision has shaken him, like he fears something bad will happen. However, he still has to go to a mayoral conference in Iga. Everything should be fine. Totally fine.

Over the next few days, Richards and Ezaki live their lives. Richard's baseball team gets ready to tour the USA, and Ezaki works at the conference. The mayor returns home and finds his place unusually quiet. There should be noise from his family at this time. He heads into his home via a secret passageway from a fake well. The other opening is at the garden. It should allow him to see the stars at night...but it's completely dark. Something is blocking it. And the blockage was something that he hoped he'd never have to see.

"We also ate all your ham. Sorry about that."

His dear friend Richards, now a corpse. The killers left a note. They have his and Richards's families. Ezaki quickly gets to work, doffing his mayoral suit. It's time for the Shadowmaster. But even his knowledge and skills can't compete with some aspects of modern technology. Thanks to heat sensors surrounding his home, Kantaro and his subordinates can track the ninja. 

Kantaro is enjoying himself right now, as he gets to be the hunter. He sends some men in to get Ezaki, then reveals that the hostages are tied to a pillar in Ezaki's home. But getting them out will not be easy. There is an explosive at the base of the pillar. The hostages are also standing on dead man's switches. If they are moved, it goes off. The bomb also has a timer on it, so they'll get blown up anyway. It's overkill, but it fits Kantaro's madness and obsession with revenge.

Ezaki makes his way inside his home. He fights off Kantaro's men. Even their using infra-red goggles to negate the darkness doesn't help them. 

"AW GOD, IT TASTES SPIKY!"

Remember those sea urchins that Sojin brought home? They turn out to be very handy weapons, especially when tossed into a man's face.

The broken fish tank leaks water into the motor of its filter, causing a short...which leads to a fire.

The fire makes it impossible to track Ezaki with the heat sensors, much to Kantaro's fury. But Ezaki is still on the clock. He finds his and Richards's families.

"Uh...okay?"

He has 90 seconds to free them. And the clock is ticking.

Ezaki tries to use a corpse of one of Kentaro's men to keep the dead man's switches from triggering the bomb early. 40 seconds left. The corpse can't cover all four switches, though. Ezaki tells the others to get out. 20 seconds left. He sticks a piece of glass into the pillar. And the house goes up with a BANG.

The story ends with the families being alright...but Ezaki himself is seemingly dead, much to the sadness of little Yuriko.  

I enjoyed this comic. Yes, it's not as action-packed as the first issue, but it was nice to see the family lives of Richards and Ezaki. I enjoyed seeing the I also give kudos to the creative team for not killing off Philip, Sojin, and Yuriko's mothers. I do wish we got names for them, though. I doubt it would have been that hard to do. I also liked seeing the family life of Richards and Ezaki. It helps show that the two, despite their disparate cultures, do have a lot in common, mainly being loving family men. It was also neat seeing Ezaki train Yuriko and Phillip in the art of ninjitsu, passing his knowledge to the next generation. It also helped the theme of bridging the East and West. Seeing so much of the two families' idyllic lives also made Kantaro and his men's attack hit much harder. Not to mention I got a good chuckle out of Yuriko's falling asleep during training and Ezaki giving one of Kantaro's men a sea urchin to the face. 

I know that some will criticize the brief scene in which we saw a bit of Kantaro's childhood. And I can see why. After all, he's not a good dude. And then there's the cliche of "abused children becoming villainous". But I look at it like this. You see, there is a difference between having a sympathetic backstory, and being a sympathetic character. Yes, Kantaro didn't have a good childhood, if that flashback was any indication. But that does not mean he's a good person. He's a monster. All we saw is just how he became one. 

I've said it before, and I will say it again about the art. It's very well done. Dan Lawlis is an artist I never hear talked about much, and that's a shame. I think he's very good. His art is detailed, expressive, and has a good bit of storytelling ability. The inking also helps the pencils instead of hurting them, like say Rey Garcia with Tom Tenney. 

I believe I've said this in my review of the first issue, and I will say it again here. I think Shadowmasters is a hidden gem in Marvel publishing history, and I highly recommend seeking it out. In fact, I recommend tracking down the 2018 trade paperback The Punisher: Shadowmasters. You won't regret 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!

International Day of Forests

 Happy International Day of Forests!

This day was established by a United Nations resolution in 2013, for the purpose of raising awareness of the importance of forests. Healthy forests are a major carbon sink. That basically means they absorb greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and help mitigate the effects of climate change. 

Forests don't really have a hard definition, although they are defined by the UN's Food and Agricultural Organization as "land spanning more than 0.5 hectares with threes higher than 5 meters and a canopy of more than 10%, or trees able to reach those conditions on site". Forests are found all over the world, encompassing a variety of flora and fauna. Forests first came about during the Middle Devonian period thanks to the first appearances of trees like Calamophyton. These early trees spread throughout the world. And another early plant, Archaeopteris, would drop its dead leaves on the ground, helping make it fertile for more plants to grow. Much of the earth's biomass (the amount of species in one place at one time) is found in forests. 

Forests have a magical quality to them. They can be seen as both places of peace and comfort, as well as places of fear and danger. The forest can be the home of heroes and monsters. They can be portals to magical worlds or barriers.

Sadly, around 32 million acres of forests are lost every year. Healthy forests also help promote biodiversity and provide food, shelter and medicines for various indigenous people all over the world. They also help induce rainfall and reduce the impacts of climate change, as well as purify water and mitigate hazards like floods. It's why we should call and work to help protect these wonders of nature. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

Spring Equinox

 Today is the March Equinox, aka the Spring Equinox! 

Right now, you may be asking yourself, "Spring equinox? So? Why should I care?" Well, the spring equinox has often been traditionally considered the first day of spring. It's also considered the start of the new year in the Persian (Iranian) and Indian calendars, so happy new year to you all there!

Where did the term "equinox" come from, you may ask? Well, the word "equinox" is descended from Latin words meaning "equal nights". That's because for most latitudes, as shown in the diagram, the duration of the day and the night is about equal. This is because of the Earth's rotation axis becoming perpendicular to the Sun's light. It's not tilting towards or away from the sun at all. The equinoxes are the only time the sun appears to rise in the East and set in the West. 

As it has been considered the first day of spring, the March equinox has been referred to as the spring equinox or the vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, the March equinox has been referred to as the autumnal/fall equinox because for those people down there, this equinox is the start of autumn. This equinox will lead the Earth's rotational axis tilting towards the sun, leading to warmer weather in the Northern Hemisphere, and colder weather in the Southern one.

If you want to read some more interesting facts about the spring equinox, you can do so 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!

Spider-Man: Brand New Day Trailer, My Thoughts

The Mighty Marvel Cinematic Universe marches on! Tom Holland returns to the webbed costume of Marvel's mightiest mascot: Spider-Man in the upcoming film Spider-Man: Brand New Day! Directed by Daniel Destin Cretton (who also had directed Shang-Chi: Legend of the Ten Rings), and written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, this film will the MCU's 38th movie (part of Phase Six), and this'll be the first time a live-action Spider-Man got a fourth film. This film will also see the return of Zendaya as Michelle "MJ" Jones, Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds, and it will also see Jon Bernthal and Mark Ruffalo appear as Frank Castle/Punisher and Bruce Banner/Hulk. Let's look at the trailer! 

Sounds like our Mr. Parker is feeling a bit of regrets about his actions in No Way Home. Yes, he made that sacrifice to save his world, but maybe he felt the price was far too high.

I think Peter needs a hand. And a vacation.

Hey, it's that lady from Daredevil: Born Again! 

I think she was working for Fisk. My guess is at the point of this film, he may still be the mayor of NYC.

Frank running into Peter made me chuckle. I like to think that's happened quite a few times between them.

Frank: Aw God, not you again! How does this keep happening?!
Peter: ...we live in the same city, you gun-crazed goof!

RIDER KICK THROUGH THE WINDOW!

Woof, Peter at the party...and MJ got a new beau. 

I hope to God, it's Paul Rabin. Because the meltdowns from Spider-Man fans will be hilarious.

But seriously, Pete shouldn't worry. There's plenty of fish in the sea. I mean, Peter has hooked up with other women in the comics. I wonder if he'll meet Gwen or Felicia in this movie...

Pete! Go to bed!

Yeah, I think they're drawing from The Other for this film. Peter's powers are going bonkers here like that story. I wonder if they'll also draw from the Six Arms Saga. 

It's Keith David! That voice is very distinct. Based on his dialogue here, I think he's playing Ezekiel Sims.

The Scorpion! 

That girl on the bus kind of resembles Rogue. I think it's a red herring. Something slipped in to get people talking. 

Amazing Fantasy #15 cover reference!

The Tarantula! Also, that moment was a reference to the cover of Amazing Spider-Man #134 (July 1974), drawn by the late Ross Andru. That comic introduced the first Tarantula: Antonio Rodriguez. I think he's the Tarantula Peter is fighting here.

Spider-Man vs. the Hand. Hey, why not? In the comics, he's fought lots of villains outside his own rogues gallery.

Casual reminder that Spider-Man goes hard, as they say. Remember, he's a lot more powerful than he seems. He just holds back a lot to avoid hurting others.

Yeah, I think that last shot was altered to hide something important, like No Way Home's trailer was altered to hide the Garfield and Maguire Spider-Men. 

I just had a crazy thought. Daniel Deston Cretton directed Shang-Chi: The Legend of the Ten Rings. He's directing this film. And Peter seems to be battling the Hand here. Maybe this'll set up Shang-Chi and Peter meeting down the line? 🤔

I'm personally hyped! I can't wait to see this movie! I know it'll be a blast! I've been enjoying the MCU Spider-Man films, and I think this'll be another hit for them! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

St. Patrick's Day

 Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!

What is St. Patrick's Day? Well, St. Patrick's Day is a holiday held on March 17 of every year. The day is the day of the death of St. Patrick, the patron saint of engineers, paralegals, and most notably, the main patron saint of Ireland.

It commemorates the arrival of Christianity in Ireland and is considered a celebration of Ireland and Irish culture in general, hence the drinking of Guinness and wearing green and the shamrock decorations.

The shamrock is often used as the symbol of St. Patrick's Day, because of the story that St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to the Irish as part of bringing them to Christianity.

Here in the United States, St. Patrick's Day isn't a national holiday, but it is considered a day to celebrate the Irish and their cultures. Many major cities, most notably New York City and Boston (who's had a parade since 1737), have big parades, beer is drank, and the goal is generally to have a wonderful day and enjoy some great Irish music. Which I hope you had 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!

National Panda Day

 Today is National Panda Day!

National Panda Day is a day to celebrate the panda! Pandas are a species of bear that are native to China. In fact, they are considered a national symbol of the country, much like the bald eagle here in the United States. 

Pandas in the wild predominantly eat bamboo, but they have also been known to eat other grasses and even birds and rodents. Raw bamboo is toxic to humans thanks to containing cyanide compounds (hence why bamboo is boiled for human consumption), but pandas can eat it thanks to their stomachs having cyanide-digesting gut microbes.

Pandas are mostly known for having black and white fur, but the Qinling panda has brown and white fur. 

As adults, outside of humans, pandas don't really have any natural predators. But their young can be vulnerable to snow leopards, Asian black bears, eagles, and yellow-throated martens. 

Pandas are terrestrial, meaning they live entirely on land. Adult pandas are solitary critters, with female pandas not liking others in their ranges. Wild pandas have been known to attack humans, but they generally are considered docile. 

Pandas have been threatened by habitat loss and deforestation, but conservation efforts over the years have shown a rise in the number of wild pandas. They are still vulnerable, but things are improving. 

Yeah, pandas are a wonderous example of nature. Give them a thought 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!

The Sensational She-Hulk #2 (June 1989)

Since March is Women's History Month, I wanted to look at a comic focused on a superheroine. Now there's no shortage of lady superheroes out there, so it was quite a decision. I've shouted out quite a few lady heroes on this blog before, but my love of the 1980s drove me to take another look at the Marvel Universe's resident glamorous green Amazon lawyer: Jennifer Walters, the original She-Hulk.

Ol' Jenny has been featured on this blog before. Both in solo adventures and as a member of the Avengers. In fact, back in June of 2022, I took a look at the first issue of her second solo series. I enjoyed the issue, so where did our heroine go from here? And what have the Headmen planned next for her? Let's find out in Sensational She-Hulk #2!

The cover is a John Byrne and Jack Kirby piece. Now there's a collaboration right there. Well, the Kirby co-credit is because Shulkie is shown enjoying a copy of Incredible Hulk #2 (July 1962), which Kirby drew the interior art and cover of. The cover really fits the tone Byrne is going for, She-Hulk enjoying a comic, while lightly poking a bit of fun at some of the earlier wackiness of the Marvel Universe...as a group of seemingly actual Toad Men get ready to fill her with hot lasers. It's a good cover. 

"Attack of the Terrible Toad Men (or Froggy Came Cavortin')"
Writer: John Byrne
Penciler: John Byrne
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Letterer: John Workman
Editor: Bobbie Chase
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story begins with Jennifer being shown a nice new NYC apartment by her fellow femme fatale Avenger Janet Van Dyne, aka the Wasp. She's been spending more time in California with Hank Pym with the West Coast Avengers, and she's all too happy to let Jennifer have the place. However, as the tradition in a superhero comic book, there are some vile villains plotting against our lovely green heroine in the background.

"It's good to appear in a story."

Yes, the Headmen from the last issue. You may also remember Ruby Thursday from her cameo in my review of Deathlok #2 (August 1991) from a couple weeks earlier in honor of Black History Month. They've found someone new to test out Shulkie for an unknown purpose. But enough of that, back to the apartment! 

Jan shows Jen around. And when Jenny asks if the neighbors will complain to the landlord about a former Avenger being around (after all, there are plenty of villains who'd want a piece of Shulkie), Jan says not to worry. After all, she is the landlord. 

That night, Jenny decides to enjoy some popcorn and catch up on some TV. In the morning, she'll look for some work. Suddenly, the Plot Convenience News Network cuts in, announcing that flying saucers have appeared over Manhattan. Oh no, they're here to kidnap the yuppies! Not the yuppies!

Jennifer notes there is something familiar about these ships. One of the ships blasts at her, and some of a ship's occupants come down.

"I don't even get to fight good-looking evil aliens!"

Meet the Tribbitites, aka the Toad Men. They first debuted in Incredible Hulk #2 (July 1962), the comic She-Hulk was reading on the cover. Their names tend to be frog/toad-themed. Elsewhere, we're introduced to a lady who be one of She-Hulk's best friends during this run: a Louise "Weezy" Mason. She shows Jennifer's qualifications to Manhattan DA Blake Tower. And she is exactly what he's looking for... 

Meanwhile, Jennifer and the Toad Men are...

"Too bad it's 1989. A smartphone or Nintendo Switch would have been really handy right now."

Oh. They were waiting to be the focus again. Since we're back, they go back to fighting. She-Hulk notices that something is very odd about this invasion, and it's not just that the other heroes of New York are not springing into action. The ships seem to be just...floating around. No movement, no firing on people and/or buildings. The Toad Men Jennifer is fighting seem to be the only ground troopers. There should be tons of them in the city. During the battle, Jennifer's sweater gets shot to pieces, giving us a bit of fanservice. She angrily grabs one of the Toad Men's guns and crushes it, realizing that it's a regular assault rifle dolled up to look like a ray gun. Yeah, this invasion's a fake!

The Toad Men also are speaking English, making Jennifer realize they're just dwarves (very short people, not the fantasy creatures) in costumes. One of the men seemingly jumps to his death, but that's a trick, too. The backdrop is nothing more than a gigantic matte painting...hanging from a dirigible.

Selling their stuff in the multiverse has been a big boon for Acme.

All of this points to one villain: the malevolent Mysterio. Which makes sense. This stuff is right up Quentin Beck's alley. The fake invasion, the use of matte paintings, people in costumes, special effects, this is all the kind of Hollywood movie magic that is his modus operandi. He uses his tech to try and disorient our heroine, but our dear Jenny got brains to match that green bod of hers. She knows his style, so she ignores the illusions, digs into the solid ground under her feet (Well, the floor of the dirigible under her feet at the very least), and uses it to flip Mysterio off his feet. 

She goes to send him to dreamland with a Mighty Punch, but he has one last trick up his sleeve, a bit of sleeping gas, and our heroine is down for the count.

Now that Shulkie is taking an unintentional nap, Mysterio takes her to the Headmen's hideout. Gorilla-Man offers Mysterio membership in the Headmen, but he's not interested. He just enjoyed the challenge of faking an alien invasion...and he wants the money. He gets his money and leaves.

Shrunken Bones remarks that ol' Quentin is not going to be a very happy supervillain when he realizes that the money is fake. But that's another matter. So, why are the Headmen after Shulkie? Well, it's because of one of their comrades.

Meet Chondu the Mystic. After the events of Defenders Annual #1 (1976), ol' Chondu's mind hasn't been, well, in the best of shape. The other Headmen figure that maybe putting him on top of a more humanoid body would help him get back to sanity. Now you may be thinking, "wait, why not put him on Hulk's body"? Well, I figured it like this. Yes, Jennifer is not as physically powerful as her cousin (especially since he has that whole 'angrier he gets, the stronger he gets' thing and our Green Gal Jenny generally doesn't), but she is hardly a 90-pound weakling by human standards. She is a powerhouse in her own right. Not to mention that her gamma mutation (remember, this is decades before The Immortal Hulk introduced the Green Door concept) tends to be more stable than Bruce's. She's essentially a compromise. 

The story ends with Gorilla-Man intending to make the cruelest cut. He starts bringing down a circular saw on our heroine's neck...

I admit, I enjoyed this issue. One thing I liked was showing that Shulkie was able to peg the "invasion" as being a fake pretty quickly. I also liked the usage of lesser-known characters like the Headmen. I know that Mysterio's plan does raise a lot of questions about its execution. How did Mysterio learn of the Toad Men? Where did he get the equipment and resources to pull this fake invasion off? Thing is, you're not supposed to think about that kind of stuff in a story like this, as this comic is playing it all for laughs. It's John Byrne using some of the wackier parts of Marvel's mythos to poke a bit of light-hearted fun at it. I got a good chuckle out of the panels of the complaints of the editors of the book at the time. 

If you want to read this story for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2011 trade paperback The Sensational She-Hulk by John Byrne Vol. 1. It also can be found in the 2022 trade paperback She-Hulk Epic Collection Vol. 3: Breaking the Fourth Wall. Thanks for reading this blog entry! 

Pi Day

 Happy Pi Day, everyone! 

This day is called Pi Day because March 14 can be written out as 3/14, and the first three digits in the mathematical constant known as pi (𝝅) is 3.14. What is pi, you may ask? Well, pi is the ratio of a circle's circumference (the distance around a circle) to its diameter (the distance between two edges of a circle going through the center). It's been found by measuring circles that the circumference is always a little more than 3 times its diameter. No matter how big the circle is, this ratio applies.

For example, if a circle is 3 inches in diameter, then the circumference will be a bit more than 9 inches. This ratio applies to any circle of any size. Also, the symbol for pi is a lowercase Greek letter that is the first letter in the Greek word "perimetros", which loosely translates to "circumference".

The first Pi Day was celebrated in 1988. It was created by the late physicist Larry Shaw, who was working at the Exploratorium in San Francisco at the time. He was inspired by conversations he had with his co-workers about mathematical constants. In 2009, the US House of Representatives passed a non-binding resolution recognizing March 14 as Pi Day. And in November 2019, UNESCO designated Pi Day as the International Day of Mathematics. 

Eating pie is considered part of the tradition of celebrating Pi Day. Get it? 

Anyway, I hope you had a wonderful Pi Day! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th is a day that is associated with bad luck. The idea of it being bad luck can be traced back to the Middle Ages, tying back to the tale of the Last Supper. There were thirteen people at it (Jesus and his Twelve Apostles) and he was crucified on Good Friday. You can read more about it here.

Generally, Friday the 13ths tend to come once a year, but it is possible for one year to have as many as three of them. For a month to have this day, the first day of the month must land on a Sunday. While Fridays and the number 13 have been considered unlucky separately in the past, it's only been around since the 19th century that this day is considered unlucky. It's not known exactly how this came to be. One possible way this myth got popularized was thanks to the publishing of the 1907 novel Friday, the Thirteenth by Boston novelist/businessman T.W. Lawson. In the book, an unscrupulous broker used the superstition to create a panic on Wall Street.

Other countries have similar superstitions. In Hispanic countries (Countries in which Spanish is the main language), Tuesday 13th is considered unlucky. This is also true in Greece. In fact, in Greece, Tuesday in general is considered an unlucky day due to the Greek word for Tuesday meaning "third day of the week", and Greek superstition states that bad luck comes in threes. In Italy, Friday the 17th is considered an unlucky day. This is believed to be the Roman numeral rendition of 17 (XVII) being able to spell the word "Vixi" (I lived), which is seen as an omen of death. In fact, Italians consider 13 a lucky number, but some have adopted the "13 is unlucky" myth thanks to the influence of American culture.

In more modern popular culture, it's associated with this guy.

Hope you all managed to avoid him, as he tends to...not be a friendly dude. Got some weird thing about machetes and his mother and going all Mortal Kombat on people, yada yada yada. The last one was back in February. There will be another one coming this November. So, if you're a bit superstitious, I'd not make plans on that day.

Friday the 13th has a fascinating history. I suggest you look more into 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!

Mario Day

 Happy Mario Day, everyone!

Why is March 10 Mario Day? Well, it's a bit of a pun. You see, when March 10th is written as "Mar10", it looks like "Mario", hence March 10 being Mario Day. 

The day was an unofficial day of celebration for fans of the Super Mario franchise for years. In 2016, Nintendo officially recognized Mario Day, by creating special events around the day every year. Usually, these events revolved around sales of Mario games.

2021's Mario Day was a very special one as it was also the 35th Anniversary of the Super Mario series, with the original Super Mario Bros. game being released in 1985. That event triggered a massive celebration. And last year saw the 40th anniversary of that game's release.  

So fire up the Nintendo handheld of your choice, and enjoy a Mario game today! I hope your Mario Day was a good one! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other! See you next time!

International Women's Day

Today is International Women's Day!

This is a day to celebrate women's fight for equality and liberation. This day's roots can be traced back to February 28, 1909. This was the day of a "Woman's Day", which was organized by the Socialist Party of America under the suggestion of activist Theresa Malkiel. On March 1911, the first International Women's Day was marked in certain countries in Europe (Austria-Hungary, Denmark, Switzerland) by over a million people. Initially, this day had no set date, generally celebrated in late February or early March. It would spread over the world since then, with Russia starting to celebrate this day in 1913, and Germany following in 1914, Australia in 1928. 

International Women's Day was mainly associated with socialist and communist movements in those early years. In the USA of the 1960s, the day would also be embraced by the second wave of the feminist movement. At that point, it had become an obscure holiday, until the activist Laura X organized an International Women's Day march in 1969. She also called for an entire month to celebrate women. 

The United Nations started celebrating this day in 1975, proclaiming it the International Women's Year. And since then, this day has seen many protests and marches in favor of women's rights. After all, we still got a ways to go. If you want to learn more about this day, you can do so here and 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!

Marvel: The Lost Generation #10 (May 2000)

It's that time again! It's time to look back into the past of the Marvel Universe and its lost generation of superheroes: The First Line! Last time, we saw the Line engage in what was their seemingly last battle against the vampiric Nocturne, and a seemingly ordinary man made a shocking discovery...with a twist. So, where do things go from here? We're going backwards from the death to the birth of the Line, so what key moment in their history do we see here? Let's find out in Marvel: The Lost Generation #11!

The cover is a John Byrne and Al Milgrom piece. It certainly is an attention-grabber, I'll grant it that. It centers around what looks like some kind of mutated fetus, with members of the First Line in bubbles, showing it's suspended in some liquid. You get the impression the Line has no idea who this guy even is.

"Secrets: Great and Small"
Writers: Roger Stern and John Byrne
Penciler: John Byrne
Inker: Al Milgrom
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Letterer: Jim Novak
Editors: Ralph Macchio, Matt Hicks
Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras

The story begins in Maine, at the Carmody Institute. Well, the Institute in the process of being built. Yes, we are going backwards. Remember, this miniseries is going backwards from the fall of the First Line to the origins of the team. 

Anyway, there has been a lot of tight security around the complex. But no security is perfect. There's always a hole, and one man is taking advantage of this fact to slip into the complex. However, he manages to get caught by what looks like an incomplete version of the Walkabout robot.

"My God! David Hasselhoff!"

Yes, it's a pre-SHIELD Nick Fury Senior. In case you're wondering why he's not wearing an eyepatch, it's because he has a bionic eye. Effigy greets him. This place is meant to be a new headquarters for the Line, which is now more of a loose alliance of heroes than a formal team. The shapeshifting Skrull reveals that he is also Undersecretary Jake Scott. And Fury is, well...furious.

Fury mentions a scheme concocted by Scott that led to a lot of good men dying. Scott mentions that it was an unfortunate necessity, as there was more to an 'Operation: Clean Sweep' than meets the eye. My guess is that's something that will be discussed in future issues. The discussion is tabled by a call from a William Carmody, the owner of the Institute. Unknown to the Line and Fury, another unwanted guest is making their way in.

"Man, I cannot wait to shoe the First Line my stylin' new shades!"

It's Warlord Kro and the Deviants! You may know them from my reviews of the 1985 Eternals miniseries. This was long before that little event. He's learned that one of the Eternals (Pixie) is encouraging the humans to engage in superheroics, and he is intent on...discouraging that. And they're going to use a device called the Gouger in order to do it. They use the device to blow a hole in the headquarters. 

And with that, it's the First Line vs. the Deviants!

It's during the fight that Cassandra Locke appears, journeying backwards in time. She sees the Yeti run by, seeking Deviant blood. She notes that this confirms a legend about the line, that the Yeti was a member of the Line before something called "The Rapunzel Tragedy". She watches the Line battle the Deviants.

One of the Deviants under Kro's command suggests they retreat, but Kro refuses. He's faced superhumans before. This is a reference to . We then go back some hours earlier to Chicago. There, a teenaged girl named Truth MacRae (although she prefers to go by Ruth) is heading home from school. She finds her parents Fred and Autumn MacRae, aka the retired heroes Cap'n Hip and Sunshine, in her room.

"Honey, you have some weird magazines!" 

They've found her collection of photos of the Black Fox. Hip ain't too fond of the Fox, as he thinks he's a fascist. I think the idea is that Hip is well, an old hippie who thinks the Fox represents "The Man". Fred, you may need to examine that weed you've been using. 

Truth argues with her parents about keeping secrets. After all, they preach being open with others, yet they've kept quiet about being superheroes in the past. She leaps out the window, only to be okay.

Evidently she's inherited some kind of superpower from her parents. Fred tries to pursue her, but she manages to escape him. In an alley, Ruth's body is erupting in pain, while she laments that her parents now know she has powers like them. She feels numb as her skin turns a pale purplish white. Ladies, gentlemen, whatever you choose to identify as...you just witnessed the birth of Gadfly from issue #12. 

Back to the Carmody Institute in Maine. Cassandra Locke is there, and she witnesses the robotic Walkabout pick up something and integrate it into its body.

"Finally, I can go out to get pizza again!"

She realizes that it's William Carmody, who was one of the great scientific minds of the late 20th century. He was supposedly fatally shot, but it turns out reports of his death was greatly exaggerated. Carmody lives, but he is now a sort of fetal-looking clone. As she watches the Line fight the Deviant invaders, she notes that the belt keeps taking her back to moments of conflict: the final battle of the First Line in issue #12 for example. It leads her to wonder if there's something else at work here...

Effigy notices that the Deviants seem to be after Pixie specifically. He wonders why that is. She claims to have never seen them before, and Oxbow angrily shoves the Skrull agent-turned-superhero away. Cassandra reveals herself to them, telling them she's from the future. Pixie compares her to Kang the Conqueror, hinting the Line faced him at some point. I'd love to read that story. Of course, the group has another problem. The Yeti has gone...a bit bananas. A bit out of control. A bit around the bend. A bit insane.

Right, right, sorry. The reason why they're concerned is because the Line wants to question the Deviants. And they can't do that if the Yeti tears them into little pieces. Thankfully, the trichokinetic power of the Line's resident soul sister Rapunzel are able to calm the savage beast that is the Yeti.

"Yeti...must...know...shampoo brand..."

Trichokinesis is basically the power to control hair. Arguably, the most famous owner of a superpower like this is Medusa from the Inhumans.

The battle forces the Deviants to flee.

However, Oxbow manages to seal the Deviants' exit with a special arrow. Seeing these troopers as failures, Kro evidently remotely triggers hidden explosives on them, blowing them up.

Pixie investigates the hole and discovers a tunnel, joking that Effigy has wanted to add a submarine pen to the place, and now they can use this for it. Hey, look on the bright side of life, that's what I always say.

Oxbow suggests that she tell the others the truth about the Eternals and the Deviants. He's kept it mum for a long time himself. Pixie is reluctant to say anything as she fears how the rest of the Line will react. To be fair to them, I can imagine at this point, the Line has seen a lot of crazy stuff. I think this revelation would rank rather low on the weird scale for them. 

The Line then interrogate Cassandra. She tells them that she's here to warn them about the Skrulls. This sets Effigy off (remember he's a Skrull himself). Cassie realizes that none of the Line are aware that he's a Skrull himself. Yes, one that has become loyal to Earth, but a Skrull none the less. She wonders what Effigy is up to, and decides to travel further back and find out. Nick Fury has also vanished in the fracas. 

The story ends in Langley, Virginia. Fury is reporting about the battle to his own superiors. He recommends that the Line be allowed to do their thing for now, as they seem to be genuine. The superiors all consider a more important assignment for Colonel Fury...

"I'm just grateful that we overrode Johnson's suggestion..."

Yes, we're also witnessing the birth of SHIELD...

I did find this issue rather enjoyable. It was neat seeing Ruth become Gadfly (it's pretty clear by issue #12 that she figured out how to control her appearance despite her short life), as well as the union of Professor Carmody and Walkabout. I also liked that we got to see some of the dynamics of the First Line at this point, with Effigy being the leader with his secrets to keep, and I also liked Rapunzel. 

Cassandra brings up the "Rapunzel Tragedy" in this issue, and it's a pretty intriguing mystery. Not much is revealed here about it, and since Rapunzel is not seen in the previous two issues, it can be presumed that something bad happened to her. Not necessarily a fatal thing. After all, Rapunzel could have been just comatose or unable to help fight for whatever reason. The Marvel Appendix's entry on Rapunzel theorizes that she was attacked by the Yeti thanks to Korya manipulating him. Would make sense considering their appearances together in #11 and #12. That same entry also stated that Roger Stern himself declined to give any further details, wanting to leave it to future writers to expand on. Sadly, due to the obscurity of this maxiseries, that may never happen. 

As I have said before, this maxiseries has never been collected as a stand-alone trade. It was included in a 2018 Omnibus: The Marvel Universe by John Byrne Vol. 2. However, if don't want that Omnibus, you'll have to look in the back issue section of your local comic shop or find it online. I found all twelve issues on eBay for 50 dollars myself.