Uncanny X-Men #143 (March 1981)

Since this week saw the celebration of Christmas, I thought it would be appropriate to do a comic that celebrated the season. I know last time, I promised I'd look at the first return of Jean Grey, but since it's a holiday, I thought I'd postpone it to next time. As such, let's take a look at Kitty Pryde doing her best Ellen Ripley in my final comic review for 2017!

The cover is pretty neat. We have a rather gangly-looking Kitty Pryde holding out a flashlight, and a demon is looming over her, ready to attack. We do get a glimpse of another room, which is showing a Christmas tree. Hey, horror and Christmas go well together, just ask Bill Goldberg in Santa's Slay. The text on the cover reads, "...guess what just came down the chimney!" I'm betting that demon ate Santa Claus.

"Demon"
Writer: Chris Claremont (Also Co-Plotter)
Artist: John Byrne (Also Co-Plotter)
Inker: Terry Austin
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Editor: Louise Jones
Editor-In-Chief: Jim Shooter

The story begins with Storm getting impaled through the heart with a spear of light.

Pleasant way to start a comic, huh? The Windrider is under siege, trying to fight off what appears to be demons from a cairn. Yeah, this part is basically a retelling of some of the events from X-Men #96 (December 1975). Here, it's revealed that one of the demons managed to escape being sealed by the events of that old issue.

Next, we meet Douglas and Ellie Moore. They were a couple of newlyweds. Young, innocent. Their lives ahead of them, the hopes and dreams of a lovely, wonderful future. Picket fences, a couple kids, long happy retirement, the works. It's their first Christmas together, and they want to chop down a real tree, as they want this one to be special. Doug and Ellie hear something in the trees. Doug goes to investigate, and well...

Goodbye, Doug and Ellie. Your job in this story is done. We now go to the Xavier Institute, where Charles Xavier is tutoring Kitty on how to ignite the engines of the X-Men's Blackbird jet. It had been a quiet time for the X-Men after the craziness of the Days of Future Past storyline, so Kitty Pryde had been concentrating on her schoolwork and X-Men training. Warren Worthington III, aka Angel, one of the original five X-Men, tells the professor that his car is ready.

In the Mansion's foyer, Piotr "Colossus" Rasputin and Logan "Wolverine" are hanging out, and Wolvie has some company: His lovely lady friend Mariko Yoshida. Yoshida introduces herself to the Professor, and she gets to see a little Christmas tradition first hand. One Kurt "Nightcrawler" Wagner teleports in with some mistletoe, and gives her a kiss on the cheek. Logan takes this with the calm, reasonable demeanor that made him one of the most famous and beloved of the X-Men of this era.

Not having any tranquilizers available, Piotr armors up and holds his hirsuite teammate back, trying to get him to calm down. Xavier does so with a bit of telepathy, which helps. Wolverine apologizes to Kurt for his loss of temper. To lighten the mood, Kitty takes the mistletoe and gives Piotr a kiss on the cheek. It makes Pitor blush. Yeah, time to get off track a bit, Jim Shooter was not fond of this whole Kitty/Piotr thing going on at the time. You see, Kitty is supposed to be around 13/14 years old, and Colossus was essentially an adult. Yeah. Shooter tried to kibosh it during Secret Wars by having Piotr fall for an alien healer.

The other X-Men leave the Mansion for various reasons, and Kitty Pryde realizes something.

Unfortunately, Kitty doesn't take the opportunity and throw a wild party. Kitty, it's the 80s! That kind of thing is expected of you, kid! Come on! Anyway, Kitty also realizes that it's also the first time she has ever spent Hanukkah away from her parents, so she decides to give them a call. No answer. The phone then rings, but it's not her parents calling. It's Scott Summers, aka Cyclops.

After the events of the Dark Phoenix Saga, a grieving Scott had decided to take a leave of absence from the team and go on the road for a bit. Honestly, this was what I felt the X-Men should have done after the 2015 Secret Wars event. The X-Men break up for a while to reconnect with humanity.

Scott had called to check in and see how everyone was doing. He wishes Kitty well, and he'll try again tomorrow. As he leaves the phone booth, Scott recalls how he spent many lonely Christmases in an orphanage, and as a result, he empathizes with Kitty feeling a bit lonely being in the mansion by herself. Scott approaches a figure working on a boat, and inquires about a Lee Forrester. Scott is looking for a bit of work, and he heard Forrester was hiring some crew.

I am curious, though. What kind of name is "Aleytys"? I tried putting it in the Wikipedia, and the closest I got is Alytus, which is a city in Lithuania. Yup, this comic is also her first appearance. She would become a part of the X-Men's lives over the years, and was one of the human friends and allies the X-Men had during that time. It's kind of something I miss about modern X-Men, they have no real human friends anymore. Having human friends and allies help give the idea that the X-Men's crusade was having an effect, and it's a part of their mythos that I feel should be brought back. Forrester would be romantically involved with Cyclops for a while, then Magneto, then she would have an interest in Cable. Nowadays, she's living in an alternate dimension, guarding artifacts with her boyfriend Skull the Slayer.

Kitty spends some time exercising in the Danger Room. She starts thinking about how the X-Men take the superhero life really seriously, and she also thinks about how they still get sad around Jean Grey. She thinks about Jean's death, and how the X-Men life could claim her next. She hears the intruder alarm and learns that something happened in Ororo's attic...which is where she keeps her garden.

Kitty decides to investigate. She was told that if something happened, she should call the cops, but last time she did that, it turned out to be a tree branch smashing a window during a windstorm. The cops were understanding, but she felt guilty for wasting their time. She's going to make sure that this time, it's not some branch. She's not worried about burglars, as her power to phase through solid objects would allow her to handle herself. Keep in mind, this was before she got the ninja training.

She makes her way to Ororo's attic garden, and notices the window is smashed open and all the plants in it are dead. Kitty wonders what exactly could kill Ororo's plants this quickly, as the cold air couldn't. She also finds herself stepping in some green slime. Unfortunately, it's not Slimer Kitty ends up meeting. That would be neat if Kitty met Slimer. What she meets...is worse.

The N'Garai demon slashes at the teenager, but Kitty Pryde is a superhero, not a slasher character. She is able to duck and get through the floor. The demon just smashes the floor open. The demon pursues Kitty around the Mansion, smashing its way through walls in pursuit of her. Kitty wonders about her options. She is way outmatched against the monster, so straight-up fighting it is out. She can't flee the Mansion, because it could decide to leave and go attack someone else, or wait for any cops to show up, and as Jack Burton says, "Cops have better things to do than get killed". So, Kitty decides to outwit it.

She does a little test of the creature's smarts. She ducks into a stairway, then phases through it in the middle of the stairway, hiding underneath it. The ploy seems to work, as the demon appears to have walked off. Kitty peeks out of the room and tries to reach for a nearby telephone. Yeah, keep in mind, this was 1981. Kitty doesn't have a smartphone yet. Heck, she probably could have invented them in the Marvel Universe. She just about has the phone when the demon lunges at her. The N'Garai monster slashes her, but it doesn't kill her, or even cause her any physical injuries. Kitty was able to phase in time, but the attack still hurt and numbed her right arm.

Despite this, Kitty is still able to escape, coming to the realization that she has to fight the demon. She decides to face the monster in the Danger Room. She programs the most dangerous sequences ever, but finds that it's taking more time than she hoped thanks to her only being able to use one arm. The N'Garai demon is smart, and ambushes Kitty in the control room. Kitty phases her way out, and the demon follows her, smashing the control room's computers in the process. The demon thinks it finally has Kitty trapped, but the Danger Room's systems activate, and Kitty's trap is sprung.

The demon rips up the floor, causing the Danger Room's systems to run wild, cancelling the special safety locks that prevent the Room from truly injuring or even killing someone. Kitty is trapped in a wild Danger Room with the demon. She tries to turn this to her advantage, leading the demon to the worst of the Room's assault, hoping it will kill it. Kitty runs up against a forcefield. Forcefields are more difficult for her to pass through than solid objects, so she needs time and concentration to pull that off. However, the demon is not willing to be that patient with her. The demon manages the thrash the Danger Room, much to Kitty's shock, and the chase continues.

Kitty is exhausted and terrified. She's not even sure if she has even hurt the beast with the Danger Room's exercise equipment. She's scared of the demon killing her, but she's even more frightened of the N'Garai demon killing her fellow X-Men. She does manage to note that fire seemed to have some effect on it, so she has one last gambit. She uses a car in the X-Mansion's underground subway to get to the hanger. The Demon derails the car, forcing Kitty to make the rest of the journey on foot.

She phases into the Blackbird's cockpit and prepares to ignite the jet's engines. She lures the creature closer to the plane's engines, then...

The demon is engulfed by the white hot flames of the jet engines firing, which also causes the jet to fly into the wall of the hangar. Kitty emerges from the wrecked jet, looking around for the demon's body. The monster's arm lunges at her, making the young mutant scream. If you're a movie buff, and this seems familiar to you...it is. Claremont and Byrne were homaging the 1979 film Alien with this story.

At midnight, Professor Xavier's Rolls-Royce pulls up to the X-Mansion. There were some various delays, due to traffic jams and icy roads, but notably there was a police roadblock. Evidently Doug and Ellie were not the only ones the demon met on its way to the Xavier Institute. Colossus notices the lights are off, but he reasons Kitty could have just gone to bed. Xavier senses that there's an evil aura about the house. He and Colossus go to investigate, and Piotr notices the house is colder on the inside. Colossus hears the TV going in the living room, and checks it out.

He finds Kitty relaxing in the living room in front of a fireplace, wearing a robe and a towel over her head. She is overjoyed to see him. The Professor also brings another surprise: Her parents are here to visit, much to her delight. The group hold a little party, despite the mansion probably still showing some damage from the demon's rampage. Ororo wants to know what happened to her garden. Kitty tries to explain the monster, and that in the process of killing it, the Danger Room and the hangar got wrecked. Ororo is shocked by this. She shouldn't really be that surprised. She fought demonic monsters once, this should not be that weird to her.

The story ends with a look at the wrecked hangar. Kitty was too tired and scared to phase when the demon lunged for her throat one last desperate time, but her gambit worked. The demon crumbled to dust, and it is dead. Kitty Pryde endured a trial by fire, and came out stronger for it.

This comic is AWESOME. It's a Kitty-focused issue, and it really helped show a lot of things that would become trademarks of the character, like her smarts. It's a story in which we got to see what this at the time rookie X-Woman was capable of, and she did not disappoint. It's a thrilling story with some scares and Christmas cheer. It also touches on some other plot points, like Logan's ultimately doomed romance with Mariko, and Kitty's own crush on Colossus. John Byrne turns in some great artwork here, and I always liked Terry Austin's inks on his work. It made Byrne's art look very clean.

If you are a fan of Kitty Pryde, or the X-Men in general, his story is a must-read. I have it from my copy of the Days of Future Past trade paperback. It's a great story to read if you're looking for something a little spooky to enjoy during the holidays. I hope you all enjoyed this belated Christmas gift. Kind of funny an issue set during the Christmas season would focus on a Jewish character. Next time, we truly begin a look at the first return of Jean Grey...

A Wrinkle in Time Trailer, My Thoughts

In 1962, Madeline L'Engle's book A Wrinkle in Time was published. The book told the story of Mag Murry, a young genius girl who is recruited alongside her younger brothers and best friend by a trio of cosmic beings to fight an evil force known as the Black Thing. The book blended sci-fi and fantasy, reflecting both L'Engle's Christian faith and her love of science. The book has been challenged and banned, but for many, it has become a beloved part of their childhoods. Me, personally? I never read it as a kid. Really. Skipped me completely.

The book has been adapted into other media, including a stage play, a TV Movie (which L'Engle wasn't fond of), an opera, and a graphic novel. But now, it's hitting the big screen, with Ava DuVernay in the director's chair. And here it is.

The trailer begins with the Disney castle logo getting...messed up. We meet Meg Murry, a young brilliant girl struggling with the disappearance of her father.

You all know that if Chris Pine is in trouble, he can call Spock and Wonder Woman to pull his butt out of the fire, right?

Suburb where all the kids are bouncing balls on the sidewalk in unison. Totally not creepy at all. Seriously. It's not creepy. It's not an indication that something here is seriously wrong.

Mrs. Jones is going to be so mad if this "wrinkling time" thing messes up her flowers.

Yeah, I am pretty convinced that everyone in this movie did a ton of acid while making it. Is this what an acid trip is like?

Meg's dad is alive, but he is...somewhere. Evidently doing crazy experiments meddling with the primal forces of the universe has consequences. Who knew?

Heh heh, Zach Galifianakis.

Mindy Kaling running among flower things. Yup, this trailer is an acid trip.

Yeah, you two had better run from the giant tornado. Don't expect Superman to save you. His dad got him convinced saving people from tornadoes is a bad thing.

Well, this trailer was...something. It certainly was. I honestly don't know what to think of it. I felt I was in the mind of some alien being, but maybe that's the point. I'll give it a watch. It could be fun.

Pokemon Crystal 3DS Announcement, My Thoughts

Over the last couple of years, several of the older games from the Pokémon franchise have found their way to the Virtual Console, like the original Red and Blue, as well as Gold and Silver. Personally, I think they should have put out the remakes of Red and Blue, as I think they are improved versions of the originals, and the DS does have remakes of Gold and Silver available. Anyway, another game is coming to the 3DS's Virtual Console service: Pokémon Crystal!

Originally released for the Game Boy Color in 2000, Pokémon Crystal was the first Pokémon game developed solely for the original Game Boy's successor handheld, and it was the first Pokémon game in which the player could choose the gender of their player character.

I have to admit, I never played Crystal. Never owned a GBC, just went straight to the Game Boy advance and Ruby/Sapphire. So, I'd love to give this a shot.

Interesting that the game promises a shot at capturing the Legendary Pokémon called Celebi. You see, Celebi was a Pokémon that could only be obtained in a event. Otherwise, you'd have to hack the game. I'm hoping they included a way to obtain it in a less...limited manner.

I like that this game is also going to be compatible with Pokémon Bank. It means that Pokémon caught here can be brought up to later games like X, Y, and Sun and Moon. Awesome! I could bring a Cyndaquil to Alola! Now if only they can make Bank compatible with Black and White, and Diamond and Pearl, we can really get down to business! Gens 4 and 5 get neglected by the Bank!

This is a neat announcement. I think I may give this game a play...

The Champions' Ballad Trailer, My Thoughts

Hey there, everyone! Hope your Christmas was excellent! Mine was awesome! And one of the things I got was a Nintendo Switch. One of the games I do want to get for it is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Nintendo recently put out a trailer for some of the game's DLC. And here it is.

The trailer begins with Link holding some glowing tuning fork thingy. The fork explodes, sending energy wisps into the air.

My guess is this game will explore the Guardians who fell one hundred years before the events of the game. That's neat. I love the idea of learning more about them and what they were like. I also read that this DLC will add another dungeon to the game and some challenges. Hope it's a fun dungeon.

The game footage looks incredible. Looks even more incredible in person on a big TV.

LINK GETS A MOTORCYCLE?! THAT IS EPIC! GAME OF THE YEAR, RIGHT HERE!

Not a lot else to say about this trailer, really. Link getting a motorcycle made me smile in delight. I played a demo of this game in a Wal-Mart in Texas, and it was so much fun. I can't wait to get this game. Hopefully, when I get my Switch connected to the Internet, I can get this DLC when it comes out...

Merry Christmas!

To all the readers of my blog, I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday!

May you all have a wonderful day that brings you great tidings, cheer, and joy. And to all those who may be feeling a little down and lonely this holiday season, just know this. You are not alone, and you are loved. You do matter.

So, in the words of Krusty the Klown, "Have yourself a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, Kwazy Kwanzaa. A tip-top Tet, and a solemn, dignified Ramadan." Happy Holidays, everyone!

Batman: Ninja trailer, My Thoughts

Over the past 80 years, The Dark Knight has undergone many an adaptation and reinterpretation. And this one promises to be a rather unique one. Say hello to Batman Ninja, coming in 2018! And it's also my 350th blog entry! Yay!

That intro is pretty neat.

I wonder if this will be given subtitles or dubbing. I'm hoping there's a dub version, just to see Kevin Conroy say some Japanese words, like katana and wakizashi.

From what I understand, Batman somehow gets transported from modern Gotham City to Feudal Japan, which causes Feudal Japan-esque versions of his allies and villains to appear...somehow, and big fight to save the day, swords a flying, there's a gorilla, all that good stuff.

You know, I would love to see DC bring back the Elseworlds and do a full-on Feudal Japan Batman story, get Laura Joh Rowland on it. She wrote mystery novels set in Feudal-era Japan, if you don't get why. A friend of mine suggested it to me.

The characters are designed by Takashi Okazaki, who created Afro Samurai. I liked Afro Samurai. Looking over the credits, I did see people who also worked on other animes I enjoyed, like JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. So, it looks like it will be well-made.

OH MY GOD, BATMAN SMASHING INTO THE ROOM WITH HIS BATCYCLE. Then there's a pair of what looks big golden hands and WHAT ON EARTH IS THAT THING?!

I did like the brief flash of Batman and his boys in the tea house. I half-expected Damian to say something smarmy, and then get smacked by a giant fan or something like that. I also liked the general design of the characters, although I will admit, I do wonder how they will all fit in this movie in a way that will give them all fair spotlight. Also, I love the look of the animation. It just screams cool.

This looks really cool. I can't wait to watch this. Thanks for reading this, and if you celebrate, hope you have a very Merry Christmas tomorrow!

Squadron Supreme #12 (August 1986)

12 issues. One year. Once a month throughout the year, I looked at an issue of an obscure Marvel miniseries that deconstructed the concept of the superhero before Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons did with a bunch of Charlton Comics pastiches. Yes, I'm talking about the miniseries that was hailed as the late Mark Gruenwald's masterpiece, his magnum opus, his ultimate creation: Squadron Supreme.

Before this mini, the Squadron were a group of characters meant to pastiche/homage the Justice League of America. But Mark Gruenwald had taken these characters and turned into an examination of the superhero concept, which has sadly become forgotten. That was why I did these reviews, to call attention to it. This was doing it before Watchmen made it cool. As such, I thought it deserved attention, and a place in superhero history.

Previously on Squadron Supreme: The Squadron have a training session, while Nighthawk plots. His attempt to rescue and restore the former surviving Institute of Evil members to their regular selves causes them to be caught by Blue Eagle. Nighthawk is forced to use the B-Mod device on his former compatriot, leaving him wondering if he has already lost his battle against the Squadron.

And with that out of the way, let's take a look at the final issue of Squadron Supreme!

The cover is awesome. It really is. The Squadron surrounded on all sides by Nighthawk's America Redeemers. The Redeemers are drawn more aggressively, as if they are itching to get their hands on the Squadron. I love this cover so much.

"The Dregs of Victory"
Writer: Mark Gruenwald
Penciler: Paul Ryan
Inker: Sam De La Rosa
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Christie Scheele
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

The story begins with Foxfire getting her B-Modding undone.

After it's done, Nighthawk introduces Foxfire to everyone. Interestingly, Mink is rather chilly towards her. It's an odd thing. It would have been nice to hint that they knew each other. Wasted opportunity there. Foxfire asks why Nighthawk is doing this, and he recaps his own adventures. He asks if Foxfire is willing to help him stop the Squadron, and she agrees.

Nighthawk tells Lamprey to take her back to the Squadron, and act like they're still B-Modded. When they leave, the Dark Crusader thanks Master Menace for his help. The brilliant supervillain goes on his own way, having no desire to join a "mob that fancies itself an army". Nighthawk hopes that this can be resolved without violence. Menace mocks this, saying the Squadron will fight this threat to their Utopia to the bitter end.

Menace suggests that the Redeemers go with his plan and B-Mod the Squadron to force them to end the Utopia Program. An enraged Nighthawk refuses, saying that B-Modding a person is evil, and the Redeemers would be no better than the Squadron if they used the B-Mod machine. Menace points out that he himself is "corrupt" by the moral standards of most people.

Remnant agrees with Menace, saying it would save a lot of hassle. Mink also points out that they already B-Modded Blue Eagle. Pinball adds if Blue Eagle's B-Modding can be justified, so can doing it to the rest of the Squadron. Nighthawk still refuses, saying he regrets what was done to Eagle. Archer is on his side on this, as he made that mistake, and refuses to do it again. Menace leaves, telling them Nighthawk knows how to reach him if his mind is changed. Nighthawk asks Pinball, Remnant, and Mink if they are leaving too, but they stay.

Lamprey and Foxfire are heading back to Squadron City. Lamprey is ranting about how he's going to make the Squadron pay for what they did to him, but Foxfire is too lost in her own thoughts.

Foxfire is a bit conflicted. You see, much like the Thunderbolts of the main Marvel Universe after her, Foxfire has rather grown to...like being a superhero. She is aware that she should be angry at the Squadron for violating her mind, but she has actually started to like the idea of being one of the good guys. This is shown when she's pointed out a shootout in progress. Lamprey convinces her that they don't need to play superhero right now, and the Squadron isn't going to notice they missed it.

In Squadron City, Doctor Spectrum is enjoying breakfast with the Whizzer and his family. It's a nice little moment. I love nice little moments like this. It really underlines the humanity underneath the costumes.

I love that bit. I just had to include it. I can't blame Doctor Spectrum for wanting more pancakes. I love pancakes. Maddy then brings up Foxfire by asking if seeing Whizzer with his family makes him want to settle down. Spectrum has been seeing Foxfire for about a month now, but she doesn't seem like the pancake-making type to him. He's jut going to see how things go with the two of them.

The scene then shifts to Squadron City's hospital, where Ape-X has been, completely catatonic. Shape wonders why she is this way. He believes that she is just sad.

This scene really shows a lot about Shape. It gives the idea that he wasn't really outright evil, just a lonely man who just wanted friends. And based on this panel here, maybe it can be assumed that Ape-X was the one who found him and brought him into the criminal life. Shape expresses his confusion over the B-Modding to Ape-X, as it has left him wondering who his friends are after this whole thing. Moonglow, have decided to keep an eye on Shape, uses her powers to create an illusion of Ape-X, who advises Shape that that Squadron are not to be trusted. Moonglow mentally grumbles that messing with Shape's mind is risky, and we do get some confirmation that Shape is mentally handicapped. Yeah, the Squadron screwed with a mentally handicapped man's mind.

Elsewhere in the hospital complex, Arcanna is getting her checkup, and she's just about ready to pop. Arcanna asks if it's alright to travel, as she has business in Capitol City, but the midwife doesn't recommend it. Arcanna's going to do it anyway, considering how cavalier she has been with her pregnancy. It's a miracle her last three kids made it to term.

On the Squadron airfield, Redstone is carrying a large tube. Blue Eagle offers to help, but Redstone has it handled. Redstone finds this odd, as Blue Eagle has never been this friendly towards him or any of the other new recruits. Evidently, he wasn't made aware that Blue Eagle was B-Modded. The tube that Redstone is carrying to a flying craft is revealed to be carrying Tom Thumb's corpse. The tube is a cryogenic one. He was put in it in the hopes that one day, his cancer can be cured, and he can live again.

We next go to the Squadron dorms, where two of the new recruits, Inertia and Haywire, are making out in a hot tub. Inertia wonders why Haywire seems so nervous. You see, Haywire is new to the whole costumed crusader thing, and he's nervous about the upcoming fight with the Squadron. Inertia reassures him that the Squadron won't be trying to kill anyone. Haywire also remarks that he's nervous about betraying the Squadron as he's had some fun during his time with them, and if it weren't for them, he and Inertia wouldn't have met. Inertia understands his feelings, but they volunteered to stop the Squadron because they knew their actions were wrong. The conversation is interrupted by the water in the tub suddenly freezing into ice. The perpetrator is the prankster called Thermite.

Haywire goes after him, firing his tanglewire, and Inertia is trying to get him to back off. Thermite's powers have messed his body up, and he needs to stay in his special suit to keep them under control. He plays pranks as a way to keep himself sane. Thermite is a rather tragic character in this way, and it's a shame this wasn't explored more.

In Capitol City, Power Princess and Hyperion are addressing the White House. They are announcing that as they promised one year earlier in issue one, they will step down from their regulatory authority, except for maintenance of the Utopian program tech, and law enforcement. In a funny moment, two of the Cabinet talk about one winning a bet, and the other grumbles that as Secretary of Defense, he's not going to have a lot to do.

Hyperion compliments Zarda on her speech, and the two fly off together. The two decide to kill some time by doing some flying. Hyperion is feeling pretty good. The two talk about their relationship, which leads to a revelation about Hyperion. His whole life, like the superhero he was created to be a pastiche of, Hyperion assumed he was an alien being. However, thanks to some analysis of his tissues done during his eye surgery, it turns out...Hyperion is human. Yeah. He's an advanced human, but Earth-made all along. Could he be from the Scarlet Centurion's time? That time did establish that eugenics were a thing. Maybe Hyperion was the penultimate goal of it. Well, the world may never know. Zarda is overjoyed at this revelation as it means...they could have kids one day. Maybe they'll name that kid Aiko, or something like that.

Two hours later, the gathered Squadron make a speech at a new building near the White House. Hyperion speaks of all the accomplishments that the Squadron had made this past year, and of the price they paid for it. Hyperion speaks of the reduction in crime and disease, and a new announcement. The building the Squadron are speaking in front of? This is the Hibernacle. And Tom Thumb will be its first resident.

Zarda takes up the podium next, where she talks about the Hibernacle to a growing crowd. However the crowd is shown to be angry, and protesting the Hibernacle.

This scene honestly confused me a little bit at first. I do get the purpose of it. It's to show that people are growing unhappy with the Squadron's imposed Utopia, but why are they protesting something that could help save their loved ones?  It did confuse me at first, but looking back at it, I think the protests are over the idea that they won't get to decide whether to put an ill person in the Hibernacle. Zarda tries to reassure the crowd that participation is purely voluntary.

In the crowd, there is another person.

It's Lady Lark! Yup, Lady Lark is back! Still suffering under the effects of the B-Mod machine. Archer had ditched her the first chance he got, and she's been looking for him since. Okay, let's get this clear. Archer is with a bunch of people who have a machine that can safely reverse the B-Mod device's effects. And he never told the Redeemers that Lady Lark is still out there so they could find her and undo the B-Modding? Yeah, Archer's a jerk. I get the idea that he does want to redeem himself, but if you knew of a way Lark's B-Modding could be undone, why not do it? Archer's a jerk and an idiot.

As he and the rest of the Redeemers fly towards Squadron City, Nighthawk ponders what will happen next. He fears their confrontation will lead to violence. He also wonders...what if the Squadron will fight to the death to save their Utopia. It's an understandable fear, as the Squadron worked on this for a full year. One can assume they would want to protect their work, despite their fulfilling their agreement to give up power over the country.

A couple of hours later, the Squadron arrives in their city, and see Nighthawk's helicopter. And for the first time in a year, Nighthawk and Hyperion stand face to face. The America Redeemers meet the Squadron Supreme for the first, and only time.

Nighthawk demands that the Squadron peacefully surrender. Hyperion is amused by this, but Zarda points out that the Squadron outnumber the Redeemers fourteen-to-five. Nighthawk pulls out his trump card, asking his spies to join them. And all of the Squadron's new recruits reveal themselves to be secretly Redeemers. The remaining members of the Squadron react in various ways.

I love how each of those reactions help illustrate their characters. Hyperion is shocked, but does show respect for Nighthawk's strategic skills. Zarda isn't intimidated and vows to fight. Doc Spectrum is shocked that Fox is with the Redeemers, and wonders if their relationship was real. Whizzer is scared, and wants to run...but is still haunted by the events of issue five. Blue Eagle is furious. And Arcanna wants to get out of there as she is about to go into labor.

Tensions rise between the two groups as Nighthawk threatens to use force to make the Squadron surrender, but Hyperion tries to convince his old teammate and friend that the Utopia Program has done a lot of good. Nighthawk said it's not worth putting America under Squadron control. Lamprey and Blue Eagle are all-too-eager to beat the holy bejesus out of each other.

Doctor Spectrum tries to avoid a fight by secretly using his Power Prism to restrain the Redeemers, but...it doesn't help.

The big fight Nighthawk feared breaks out. Blue Eagle nails Lamprey, while Whizzer knocks down Black Archer. Whizzer then goes for Pinball, but Inertia uses her power to transfer kinetic energy to make Whizzer stop and knock back Power Princess. I like Inertia's power, it's a rather unique one. I can get why we don't see a power like this in comics more often, it can be hard to explain.

Hyperion pleads with Nighthawk to call off the Redeemers before someone gets hurt. However, Nighthawk tells him that this whole mess is Hyperion's fault, and it can only be stopped by the Squadron surrendering. Hyperion refuses, saying the Utopia Program is popular, and it's the best thing he was ever a part of. Nighthawk retorts that the Squadron are out of touch, and that many people hate the program. This part is nice because it shows that Hyperion does genuinely like and respect Nighthawk. However, before things can go any further, Redstone ambushes Hyperion, punching him into a jet. The ambush knocks off Hyperion's glasses, rendering him blind.

Lamprey goes to leech off the Superman analogue's power, but Hyperion makes him eat a metal panel. Mink goes after Arcanna, wanting to impale her with her claws. Arcanna tries to flee, despite her being heavily pregnant. Thermite tries to freeze Whizzer with a freeze blast, but the speedster managed to dodge it. However, Haywire is able to snag the speedster with his tanglewire. Unfortunately, the momentum from his speed causes Whiizer to tumble forward into Thermite, and the speedster accidentally breaks Thermite's suit's regulator pack. Without it, Thermite loses control of his powers.

Thermite has become the first casualty of this fight. He's not going to be the last. Mink pursues Arcanna, with Foxfire trying to stop her. Arcanna sends them both flying with a magical spell, but then encounters Moonglow. Moonglow uses her illusion-casting power to make Arcanna feel like she is being crushed by increased gravity, but then the sorceress goes into labor.

Yeah, because Arcanna was intent on staying on active duty despite her pregnancy and using her own powers to hide it, Moonglow is now left wondering if Arcanna is trying to trick her. Arcanna is a jackwagon. Hyperion tries to punch Redstone, but finds his blows can't seem to connect. Inertia is using her power to take the kinetic force from those blows to use on Power Princess. Doctor Spectrum wakes up (He was KO'd by Zarda thanks to Inertia earlier), wakes up and sees this. For a brief moment, he gets over his reluctance to fight and blasts Inertia with his Power Prism. He goes to help Blue Eagle, who is dealing with Remnant, but is stopped by an explosive arrow. The former Golden Archer, now the Black Archer, faces off against his former friend.

Spectrum pleads with the Archer to stop this, as they were friends. However, Archer wants to redeem himself, and he feels the only way to do that is to take down the Squadron. Archer reluctantly fires an arrow. Spectrum prepares to fight back, but freezes up in fear he'll accidentally kill the Black Archer. The arrow hits his Power Prism, shattering it. Spectrum's body turns solid white, and he falls to the ground. A horrified Archer manages to catch him. Blue Eagle witnesses this, and is enraged. He then smashes the Archer upside the head with his mace. Yeah, that'll hurt. Satisfied, he decides to go after Nighthawk, who he calls "another traitor".

Shape tries to stop Moonglow from harming Arcanna, because he likes playing with her children. Arcanna takes advantage of the distraction to crawl away from Moonglow. She then is able to down the illusion-caster with one punch. Arcanna pleads Shape to get her to the hospital as she's about to have her baby. As he leaves with her, Shape notices that Moonglow's appearance has changed as well.

Moonglow is really a frumpy housewife. It actually does make sense when you think about it. If some people had the power to create illusions, they would use to make themselves appear more handsome or beautiful. Lamprey recovers from his steel plate tasting session (He did not like the taste of steel plate. Not enough body and a bit too nutty for him), and finds that Hyperion is being restrained by Redstone. Hyperion is shocked by this, as he never expected Redstone to actually be that powerful. Lamprey is able to leech Hyperion's power, and Nighthawk tells Redstone to take him to the chopper.

A horrified Foxfire pleads with Joe to not die, as she really loves him, and she doesn't want him to die thinking that she betrayed him. Much to her joy, he's alright. Lamprey, powered up by Hyperion's energy, engages Blue Eagle, who is just as eager to break some bones. The metahuman menace manages to drain the energy from the Hawkman analogue's wings. Eagle starts to drop, and he tries to glide to the ground. He spots an unconscious Pinball, and tries to land on him, as he's the only soft thing in the area. It doesn't go well.

The landing breaks Blue Eagle's neck, and crushes Pinball's spine, killing them both. The battle goes to a lull. Nighthawk remarks about the loss of life in this battle, saying that as horrible as it was, it would be even worse if he didn't stand up to the Squadron. Nighthawk tells the downed and weakened Hyperion (after giving back his glasses), that they'll find a way to keep the Squadron away from society and phase out the Utopia Program. He then says they'll restore the world the way it was before the Utopia Program.

Foxfire tells Spectrum that the Squadron made an honest woman out of her, and she's going to make them proud by giving them the win in this battle. Spectrum wants to stop her, but is unable to. Meanwhile, Nighthawk explains that morality aside, there still is one big problem with the Squadron's Utopia...

Yup. The Squadron had good intentions with the Utopia Program. But they aren't going to be around forever. Not even Hyperion. And no one can be sure that future generations will have the same intentions. It's very easy to corrupt the Utopia Program into real tyranny. As far as Nighthawk is concerned, that's too much of a risk to take. Again, I love the way Hyperion and Nighthawk's interactions are written in this issue. The two still see each other as friends and comrades after all of this.

Foxfire runs to Nighthawk, saying that the only way to win Spectrum's heart...is to rot his. She uses her powers to make Nighthawk have a massive, and fatal, heart attack, much to the horror of Hyperion, and Spectrum. A furious Mink then impales Foxfire in the chest with her claws. Spectrum screams in horror, causing his body to emit a blast of energy that knocks back Mink. Spectrum realizes that because the fragments of his Power Prism are in his body, he still can access its power.

Spectrum tries to get Foxfire to the hospital. Lamprey tries to leech off Spectrum, and the angry Green Lantern analogue gives him all the power he can handle...power enough to make him explode.

Hyperion looks over Nighthawk's body, and states that the Squadron surrenders. Later, at the Squadron City Hospital, the survivors of the battle are at the morgue, with the bodies of those who have died. Nighthawk by heart attack. Foxfire by massive blood loss. Blue Eagle by broken neck. Pinball by broken spine. Black Archer from head trauma. Thermite is in critical condition, but there's only a ten percent chance of him recovering. And as for Lamprey...they haven't found all the pieces of him yet.

Hyperion states that he now realizes what Nighthawk was trying to tell him. That their Utopia was precarious, and too dangerous to society. As such, he moves to disband the Squadron, and dismantle the Utopia Program. But the story doesn't end on a completely dark note. Elsewhere in the Hospital, Shape and Arcanna's children witness the successful birth of Arcanna's fourth child.

Meet Benjamin Thomas Jones, inheritor of the future. And hopefully, proof that a wiser, brighter world would arise from the mistakes of the Squadron.

This issue was awesome. The final battle is the focus, and it's a nasty, brutal one. I think it's honestly a bit more brutal than other such fights in Big Two comics at the time. In a way, I think this miniseries addressed a criticism I have heard of superheroes: Their maintaining the "status quo" and not actually doing anything to change things. When I hear that, I do think of this miniseries. There is a reason for that, and this miniseries shows exactly why.

Paul Ryan's art is spectacular, and it really makes me sad he wasn't doing the whole miniseries. One of my only other real complaints is that we don't really get the new recruits explored that much. Nor do we get the Institute of Evil explored that much. It's a bit of a shame, as they fascinate me, and I would have loved to learn more about their backgrounds and origins. I think it would have given some depth to their character, like the setting up Mink killing Foxfire.

Despite that, this mini is a classic, and you should read it. If you find it somewhere, pick it up. Give it its due. Enjoy it. Wherever they are now, I'm sure that Mark Gruenwald and Paul Ryan would appreciate it, and I hope I did them proud with this look at this work.

So, why did Squadron Supreme end up obscure while other works that deconstructed superheroes like Watchmen end up iconic? Well, I got a couple reasons...

1. Not set in the Mainline Marvel Universe
 This miniseries was obviously not set in the main Marvel Universe. The closest they came to interacting with any mainline Marvel characters was the tie-in with Captain America, and that was because Gruenwald was writing that book at the time, too. This mini was set in an alternate timeline that only appeared in a few issues of Avengers and a couple issues of Defenders, so probably Marvel didn't think it was worth heavily promoting. Heck, I can imagine that Gruenwald had to have some editorial pull just to make this thing. And speaking of mainline versions of characters...

2. Crisis on Infinite Earths
 Yup. Crisis helped keep this obscure. Keep in mind, Squadron Supreme was hitting newsstand shelves at around the same time Crisis on Infinite Earths was. And it would make sense Crisis would get more attention from comic readers. It was a big epic storyline featuring almost every superhero in the DC Universe, fighting probably the most powerful threat they ever faced, and it was an event celebrating DC's 50th Anniversary. Squadron Supreme is a great mini in its own right, but when it came to epic scope and celebration, it was no Crisis.

So, whatever happened to the Squadron Supreme? Did they have any further adventures? Well, Mark Gruenwald did write a sequel, Death of a Universe. It focused on the remaining Squadron members fighting a massive Crisis-esque threat to their universe called the Nth Man, and as a result, ended up marooned in the main Marvel Universe for a while. I haven't read this story, so I can't give my thoughts on it.

They would return home, and find their world had been conquered by a Global Directorate using old Squadron Utopian technology in the events of New World Order. They would get the aid of the second Nighthawk, the son of the original to overthrow the Directorate. Like DoaU, I haven't read this either, so I can't give my thoughts on it.

Sadly, most of this version of the Squadron are now gone, their universe destroyed during the events of the 2015 Secret Wars storyline. But with the Richards family out restoring the Multiverse, there is hope for their return.

With that all said, I hope you all enjoyed the journey of this forgotten group over the year. I certainly have enjoyed chronicling it. Next time, we're going to look at the original return of a certain red-haired merry mutant...