Marvel Super Heroes: Secret Wars #6 (October 1984)

The Secret Wars rage on! Last issue, we saw Galactus get ready to turn Battleworld into his personal buffet. The heroes get a healer. Doom was plotting, and we saw a big hero/villain brawl which led to Colossus getting injured. So, what will go down next? What's Doom up to? Can our heroes regroup? Let's find out in Marvel Super Heroes: Secret Wars #6!

"Villains, ATTACK! ...God, Doom can do so much better than that..."

I love the cover. A Bob Layton piece, it is essentially a mirror of the cover of the first issue, only focusing on the villains...and Galactus. Had to put him somewhere, and he eats planets, so...yeah. He's stuck with these guys. I also like that the new villains Titania and Volcana are given such prominence. It gives the idea that these two are going to be sticking around for a while. And they actually did. Well, Titania more than Volcana, but yeah, they did stick around for a long time afterward.

"A Little Death..."
Writer: Jim Shooter
Penciler: Mike Zeck
Inker: John Beatty
Colorist: Christie Scheele
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Editor: Tom DeFalco
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

The story begins with a shuttlecraft flying out of control.

"JAAAAAN! STOP THIS CRAZY THING!"

The Wasp is flying said shuttlecraft, but she's having some trouble figuring out the controls. This woman was one of the original Avengers. Did she never learn how to fly a Quinjet? I mean, I get that people like to see her as a flighty dilettante, but she's not a moron. She ends up crashing the craft, and lamenting that she broke a nail.

*facepalm*

But all is not lost, though. She discovered a holographic readout of the area. It points out something, but Janet Van Dyne is unsure what it means. Deciding she has nowhere else to go (did she make any attempt to call anyone during her little flight of fancy?!), she decides to head to the location of the object she has pointed out. But before she leaves, she destroys the shuttlecraft, because reasons. I do not know.

While flying to the location, she notes how quickly that the terrain changes thanks to Battleworld being essentially a patchwork planet. Wasp flies into a forest, and is miserable about the heat and humidity. She likely flew into the Everglades. I went there, it is humid. She zaps away some alien bugs, but it's worn her out. I can imagine the craziness she went through combined with the heat and humidity of the jungle had wiped her out.

She found the location marked on the holomap and hopes that it's a place to rest and relax. But she has company.

"Blasssted kidsss! Get off Lizard'ssss lawn!"

Yup, the Lizard is here, and he's not here to make friends! Which he shows by attempting to give the Wasp a boulder to the face. The scene next shifts to Galactus's craft hovering over Battleworld. Last issue ended with Doctor Doom nosing around the craft and discovering something. Well, let's find out what he found shall we? Well, ol' Doom found a strange energy within the walls of the craft thanks to sensors within his armor. He managed to find a gizmo that would allow him to gather that energy up. And what was that strange energy?

"Uh, Scotty? I think you screwed up with the transporter..."

Ulysses Klaw, the Master of Sound. His return to solidity has left him a little bit on the loopy side. He started ranting about how he ended up in the mess he was in. In Dazzler #9 (November 1981), she had absorbed Klaw's body into her own. You see, Klaw's body is essentially solid sound, and Dazzler was a mutant whose body could absorb sound and convert it into light. In Dazzler #10 (December 1981), she blasted Galactus with a big light beam, which left Klaw trapped within Galactus's ship...and a bit loopy in the head.

Doom is completely uninterested in Klaw's comeback story, as he's looking for a way to conquer both the Eater of Worlds and the Beyonder. The Latverian dictator finds a monitor and learns that Galactus is almost finished with building the equipment he needs to convert Battleworld into the energy he feeds on to sustain himself.

Galactus needs to be delayed, but how? The heroes are too battered and beaten up, the X-Men and Magneto lack raw power, and the villains are listless without a strong leader. Doom has to take a subtle tack to make this happen. He needs to poison Galactus's well. The mad doctor has a plan, and uses Klaw as a messenger, beaming him down to the villains' HQ.

Back in the swamps, the Wasp realizes that the Lizard is posturing, as he didn't hit her with the boulder. He's being territorial. Basically, he's claimed the swamp has his turf, and he's in no mood for neighbors...or visitors. The superpowered fashion designer notices that the mutated scientist is visibly wounded, probably from the battle in issue 2. She tries to get him to let her help him out.

Back at Magneto's HQ, the X-Men are recovering from Galactus's attack. Xavier goes to rest, wishing he had brought his wheelchair with him. His legs are still quite a bit weak, as he hasn't used them regularly in a long time. He does fear that if he did, the X-Men would lose confidence in him as a leader. Why? It's not like Xavier being in a wheelchair would be a strange sight to them. He figures he'd better take the opportunity to do some telepathic reconnoitering.

His mental probes reach the villains, but the Enchantress is able to discover it. She magically seals her and the other villains' minds from him, but he may have already picked up what they're up to. He telepathically orders Cyclops to take Rogue and Wolverine to find out more and stop them if necessary. Storm is infuriated and goes to speak to Xavier.

"We're going to confront your pizza roll problem NOW, Charles!"

Storm is the leader of the X-Men, and she does not appreciate Xavier suddenly taking command. Xavier reminds her that her anger is causing the weather around the base to go crazy, delaying the team Xavier sent off. Storm's like "They can wait! We're settling this!" Xavier compares himself to an aged general: Experienced, but unable to lead in the field anymore. Storm points out that she is the field leader of the X-Men, and she should be the one actually leading the X-Men into battle. In her own words, "leave the war to the warriors". If Xavier has an issue with it, she's outta here.

Xavier basically threatens to mess with Storm's mind if she does so. Yeah, this whole thing with Xavier being a jerk, it's nothing new. It seems to be a thing with many Marvel writers over the years.

We next go to Zsaji's village. A recuperating Colossus watches Captain America and the other heroes helping to fix the village up. It leads him to wonder why there must be such mistrust between them and the X-Men. Uh, Piotr? The X-Men were the ones who decided to go off on their own. If they wanted to ease the mistrust so badly, why didn't you guys stick around and help the heroes out?!

Colossus's thoughts then drift to Kitty Pryde...or is it Zsaji? His emotions are in a bit of turmoil. He seems to be thinking of the alien healer more and more. Zsaji herself comes over and heals him up. He tries to confess his feelings to her, but the language barrier messes that up. She speaks no English or Russian, he speaks no...whatever her native language is called. Johnny Storm scoops her up in his arms, and they share a kiss in the air.

Johnny Storm hopes that kissing means the same thing in her world...

While this bit of drama was going down, the other heroes are cooking up a plan to stop Galactus. She-Hulk points out the Wasp is still missing. Cap responds that he has Monica Rambeau searching for her, and Janet is likely looking for them, too. She then suggests they go after Magneto for kidnapping her. Cap isn't worried about the Master of Magnetism at the moment, as he and the X-Men seem to be on their side...despite they're not being there to help right now. Yeah, there's Colossus, but he's on the injured list. Hulk then jumps in the argument by angrily smashing a rock.

We get some more character moments. Spider-Man spots Hawkeye making some new arrows, as Reed used all his hi-tech ones to help the heroes escape being crushed by mountain. Spidey tries to give the archer some sympathy, as he got his webshooters cannibalized, too. But Hawkeye points out that Spidey still has his powers. Hawkeye is merely...human.

Iron Man tries to chat up Monica Rambeau, but she's not in the mood for it. She wonders if there's a new man in the suit (She's unaware Jim Rhodes is in the suit), and Rhodes himself has a headache (Due to compatibility problems with the armor's neural interface at the time).

In a volcanic area of Battleworld, a craft touches down. Its occupants emerge: Doctor Octopus, Absorbing Man, Titania, an Molecule Man. They encounter Rogue, Cyclops, and Wolverine of the X-Men, and a battle breaks out. During the battle, Absorbing Man asks Titania out on a date. She agrees, but she calls the shots.

Wolverine tries to introduce the Molecule Man's spine to his claws. A horrified Cyclops blasts him away, but the Canucklehead is able to injure Owen Reece.

"Logan, you dope! You were supposed to claw his buttcheek!"

This forces the villains into retreat. The X-Men are left confused. Why were these villains in this desolate place? What could they possibly be after here? Scott guesses they were there to protect the Molecule Man.

Makes sense. Molecule Man is a guy who can manipulate molecules, which means he could do just about anything...including igniting those volcanoes. But why? It seems rather roundabout of Doom to ignite some volcanoes to deal with the X-Men themselves, or Cap's group...what if it was part of a plan to deal with Galactus? After all, he's just as much a threat to Doom as anyone else on the planet. Maybe that was the reason?

Cyclops fires an optic blast, which sets off one of the volcanoes...and then another. And another. And another. Nice job, Scotty! You just started a chain reaction. Time to RUN!

Meanwhile, in the swampland, the Wondrous Wasp has bandaged the Lizard's wound. I have no idea, she must have a first-aid kit somewhere on her. The Lizard thanks her for the help by saying how much he hates humans and that lizards should rule. You know pal, you could just say "Thank you" and be on your way. Wasp points this out and threatens to tell Gucci where he is. Hilariously, he actually apologizes. It makes no sense, but it's funny. Sadly, the fun doesn't last long.

"Oops! Sorry, I was aiming for a bird!"

Yup. Wasp gets a laser to the chest. She's dead. The Wasp is dead. A big red vehicle emerges, driven by the Wrecking Crew. Thunderball and Bulldozer come to collect the Lizard. They figure Doom wants more muscle. The Lizard is not very happy with their killing his friend, so he goes bananas on them. The Wrecker hits the area with a stasis beam, and it allows them to collect the chunk of swamp the Lizard stood on...and also letting them take Wasp's body with them as well.

"Doom is going to be so proud of us after we finish building his new condo!"

This vehicle is awesome. I want a Hot Wheels car based on this toy. How can this happen? We finally head to Zsaji's village. Galactus's device is nearly done, and the heroes are kind of stuck. Evidently, Cap's planning session did not quite work out. Reed wants one more chance to reason with the World-Eater. Meanwhile, the story ends with a mysterious figure watching them...

I admit, I'm rather positive about this issue. There were some parts I enjoyed. I thought the Wasp's interaction with the Lizard was rather humorous. I kind of wish we got to see them interact more in comics after this. I also wish that we did get to see more of her bonding with the Lizard a bit. Her getting blasted was quite a shock. Keep in mind, the closest we got to seeing a superhero actually die at this point was Colossus getting injured by beatdown...despite his being nearly indestructible in his metal form. Klaw's return was also a surprise. I liked how they used past continuity to explain it. It's something most Big Two writers don't do anymore, and that's sad.

I also liked the little character moments between Jim Rhodes and Monica Rambeau, as well as Spider-Man and Hawkeye. I wish we got those expanded a bit more.

I also liked the clash between Storm and Xavier. Evidently, Kitty Pryde was not being dramatic when she famously said that "Professor Xavier is a jerk", heh heh. Me thinks the Prof is feeling the need for some field action because he can walk again.

As for the art, Mike Zeck is back. Something I have noticed about the art is that it does look a little rushed. My scans come from a trade, so maybe it's just the reprinting causing details to be lost. Did the original art look better? I think it's fine, just looks a bit rushed.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! And if you want to give this blog some additional support, please drop a tip in my Digital Tip Jar! It would be greatly appreciated! Next time, we join the Avengers as they witness the wedding of Henry "Hank" Pym and Janet Van Dyne...

Super Mario Maker 2 Direct, My Thoughts

Back in February, I gave my thoughts on the upcoming sequel to Super Mario Maker. I loved the original game, and I was so thrilled that there was a sequel coming to the Switch. What more would be added? New features? New worlds? New enemies to place and items to use? Well, this Nintendo Direct dedicated to Super Mario Maker 2 should answer that question! Let's take a look!

Hey, Builder Mario! And Builder Luigi, too!

You'd be surprised how much fun it is to just place blocks wherever you want.

Heh heh, line of Goombas. It's funny that a Goomba can support six or seven of his comrades on top of him, but is easily squished by Mario or Luigi. Maybe they're actually just very light?

This reminds me, I gotta get back to work on that level I started designing who knows how long ago.

Oh, that would suck if you desperately needed a power-up, but ended up getting a Chain Chomp. ...Somebody's going to do that to be cruel, aren't they?

One of the things I loved about this game is the fact you can do some outright insane stuff, like have Chin Chomps pop out of pipes, or have Goombas carry Bullet Bill launchers.

Take that, Thwomps. Heh heh.

Oh, you can create slopes now? Neat! Sliding around in Super Mario World was always fun.

Oh, no! The Angry Sun?! These people are crazy! I can imagine this guy was a source of great torment to many a Mario 3 player. And now they can inflict it on a new generation of Mario fans! Fun!

I played Mario World, I remember snake blocks. I had no idea they were unavailable in the original. Ah well, nice to see them here. I'm guessing the blue ones were icy blocks.

On/Off Switches would make for some nice possibilities if you want to create sneakier levels that require a bit of smarts to play through.

Seesaws are going to raise a lot of blood pressures.

Heh, Swinging arms. Neat.

I like the Custom Scrolling feature. Gives more control over where the player has to go to avoid death.

The Vertical Sub-Area feature reminds me of the vertical levels of the American Mario 2. I wish stuff from that game could be used, like the vegetables and enemies. Maybe in DLC?

HOLY CRUD BANZAI BILL!

I'm surprised the Dry Bones Shell has never been a legit Mario Power-Up.

Big Coins and new sound effects are neat.

Hey, you and a friend can make levels together! Awesome!

I like the ability to create clear conditions. Allows a bit of shaking up to the gameplay. Oh, you don't just have to get through the level, you have to do THIS as well! Ups the challenge.

I like that this game has added more items to use. And Red Yoshis, huh? Are Blue and Yellow ones also available?

Boom Boom! Absolute Madlad!

Wait, this game has a STORY MODE?! Cool! And you have to rebuild Princess Peach's castle. Appropriate for a game about building. And I'm guessing Bowser wrecked it again.

Nice variety of new themes. And a night Mode for them, neat! I like the idea of the Moon contrasting with the Sun by being helpful.

I hope those extra surprises can be shut off.

Hey, new game style! I loved Mario 3D World! But I wish you could use the cat suit in other game themes. Maybe in an update.

I wish you could use these enemies and items from 3D World in other game styles. They'd be awesome in a Mario World style.

Wow. I'll have to get Switch Online, then.

Nothing like a little multiplayer madness!

Well, I am quite impressed. I am very impressed with what this sequel has to offer. Super Mario Maker was an incredibly fun level design game, so it's nice to see that Nintendo went clearly above and beyond to give a sequel that would build (pun semi-intended) on it. There are some minor things that bother me, though. As I said, I wish you could use elements from 3D World in other game styles, and there was elements from the American Mario 2, but those can be fixed with updates. I can't wait for this game! Thankfully, that wait won't be long!

Also, I am so happy to announce that this blog is my 700th entry!

Yes, 700 entries! Thank you to everyone that has read and supported this blog! It's greatly appreciated! I hope you readers will continue to do so in the future, and have just as much fun reading this blog as I had writing it!

Pokemon Sword and Shield Direct, My Thoughts

Back in February, it was revealed that Game Freak and Nintendo were bringing the eighth generation of Pokémon games to the Nintendo Switch in the form of Pokémon Sword and Shield. You can read my thoughts on that reveal here. The reveal of these games were especially exciting to me as the new region of the game, Galar, is heavily modeled on the United Kingdom. I was born there, and I had kind of hoped that the Game Freak team would create a region based on the country.

So far, we haven't learned a lot about these new games. Mainly just the region and the new starter Pokémon. But a new Pokémon Direct has come out, which promises to reveal some more about this new adventure in the long-running series. So with that, let's take a look at this video!

Hello, Mr. Ishihara! It's nice to be here! I like the little Pikachu on his desk cabinet.

This game looks really good.

I'm guessing that old lady is the resident Pokémon Professor that sends us out on the journey.

Some of these new Pokémon are neat. My favorites are the sheep one and the turtle.

I get the impression that we're going to be visiting a variety of environments here. Awesome.

Oh, cool! Pokémon wandering around the overworld?! That is awesome! In the 3DS remakes of Dragon Quest VII and VIII, monsters did that, too! It helped the player control the amount of encounters they had so they could get places faster. I hope that's what we get here. Grind when you want.

That grumpy Gyarados is like, "WHAT YOU LOOKIN' AT?! YOU STAY OFF MY LAKE! THIS IS MY LAKE!"

Butterfree are awesome. They are such great Pokémon to have on a team.

Hey, a water trike! I wonder if you can fish on those.

I wonder if that whistle is to get the attention of wild Pokémon?

You know, fans have gotten the idea that the female trainer is the Pokémon world's version of a Scot. It's because of the tam-o' shanter she wears.

...GIANT POKEMON! SOMEBODY CALL GODZILLA!

Wait, you can make YOUR Pokémon giant, too?! I'm guessing the developers watched a LOT of Godzilla movies lately.

I bet people in the world of the Godzilla films wish you could solve the kaiju problem that easily. Just throw a giant pink Poké Ball at it.

This dude is significant.

Hi, Mr. Masuda! Hi, Mr. Ohmori!

We've met the three starters before, and they look really neat. I have honestly been gravitating towards Scorbunny, but I do want to get all three. Gotta Catch 'Em All, and all that.

I like the idea of Galar being a place where man and Pokémon truly collaborate on things. And that Wynaut playing hopscotch was too cute.

I'm guessing the stadiums WILL be the Gyms of this game. Maybe they'll also build on the trial aspects of Sun and Moon, having to do additional things with your Pokémon before facing the Gym Leader.

Appropriate that a Britain-themed region's Gyms are like association football stadiums.

Hello, Mr. Turner! That's cool they got a Brit to be art director of a Britain-themed Pokémon game.

Wooloo here has gotten quite popular on the Internet, with tons of fanart already. Makes sense, it's a cute sheep Pokémon that likes to roll away from trouble. I can imagine they are everywhere on Galar, and sweaters made from their wool are insanely soft and comfortable.

Gossifleur kind of reminds me of Flabebe from Pokémon X and Y. Maybe they're cousins?

Dreadnaw is awesome and deserves more love. It's a snapping turtle with attitude, and they can chew rocks. I imagine it to be a grumbly surly Pokémon that has a subtle talent for snark.

Corviknight is awesome, too. It's definitely a British-themed Pokémon. Knights and ravens. And they're used as taxis. I can't help but feel this Pokémon is far too cool to be a taxi. There should be hordes of them hanging around Galar's version of the Tower of London.

Ah, we see our first Galar evolution line. Eldergoss kind of resembles a dandelion that's ready to spread some seeds.

See? I'm guessing these Pokémon were inspired by dandelions. Iwonder if we'll see any special Galar-based variants for certain Pokémon, like Sun and Moon had for Alola.

I do hope we get a good variety of Pokémon from previous generations as well.

So...everywhere between cities in Galar is essentially a Safari Zone? That is actually pretty neat And I like the idea of what Pokémon you encounter changing based on where you are and the weather. Good for replayability.

Dynamax feels like a mechanic that would have been more appropriate for games set in Kanto or Johto. After all, those regions were based on Japan, and Japan is known for its fair share of giant monsters.

Hi, Mr. Iwao!

Letting two giant Pokémon fight in an arena does not sound like a good or safe idea. I also wonder if Mega Evolution is still a thing.

Dynamax makes your Pokémon super-powerful, but at a price. Only can be big for three turns. I can also imagine that it can only be done once per battle, like Mega Evolution. Balance is sort of a hidden theme in Pokémon, so it's great the Dynamax keeps that up.

Hey, Max Raid battle is pretty neat. I love the idea of trainers working together to catch Dynamax-empowered Pokémon. And it encourages further strategy. ...Do all the trainers get the Pokémon if one manages to snare it with the giant glowing pink beach ball Pokeball? I'm kind of mixed on the idea that some Pokemon may only be caught this way. Yeah, it can encourage Trainers to join forces and work together. However, if you don't have many friends to play the game with, it makes it much harder to complete the Pokedex.

I knew that guy would be important! ...I hope Leon doesn't end up a villain.

Hop kind of reminds me of Hau from Sun and Moon.

I wonder what impact Sonia will have on the journey?

I'm betting this Gym here is the first one.

Where's Milo's nose? Why does he have no nose?

And we have our Legendary Pokemon for this game? Meet Zacian and Zamazenta. I wonder how Zacian eats? Does it ever put down its sword?

Oh, I can't wait for November! And it's about time they did a double pack for these games. There are people who buy both versions...myself included. I can't wait for these games.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! And if you want to give this blog some additional support, please drop a tip in my Digital Tip Jar! It would be greatly appreciated! See you next time!

Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #32 (February 1992)

By now, everyone should know who Nicholas "Nick" Fury is. Director of SHIELD, the Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate (Before 1991, SHIELD stood for Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage and Law-Enforcement Division. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it stands for Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division), he is regarded as the Marvel Universe's premiere spymaster.

Fury was not always a superspy, though. Created by the late great Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, he actually first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandoes #1 (May 1963), where he was portrayed as the commander of an elite unit of soldiers. These stories were set during WWII. In Fantastic Four #21 (December 1963), also by Lee and Kirby, the character would be reintroduced as an agent of the CIA. It would be in Strange Tales #135 (August 1965), again by Lee and Kirby, that Fury would become the SHIELD agent we all know and love. That comic was also the first appearance of SHIELD.

This revamp made quite a bit of sense. It was the 1960s, and there was a bit of a spy craze at the time, thanks to the James Bond movies, and television series like The Avengers, the Man from U.N.C.L.E., Get Smart, and I Spy. In fact, Stan Lee was inspired by The Man from U.N.C.L.E. to revamp Fury as a superspy. Fury would be the lead in the Strange Tales anthology title alongside Doctor Strange, taking over from the Human Torch and the Thing's solo adventures.

With Strange Tales #151 (December 1966), Jim Steranko would do both writing, art, and coloring for the book. Lee and Kirby would make Fury a spy, but Steranko would make him the coolest cat in town. Steranko built on Kirby's usage of photomontage and multiple-page spreads (Steranko was the first artist to create a four-page spread), and would also draw on 1960s op art and psychedelia to make the book one of the most unique on the stands. His plots had plenty of intrigue and sensuality, pushing the boundaries of the Comics Code. Eventually, Nick Fury and his S.H.I.E.L.D. comrades would get their own ongoing in 1968.

Over the years, Nick Fury and SHIELD would appear in various comics, and get miniseries and one-shots over the years. The comic we're going to look at here comes from the 1988 on-going. This ongoing was spawned from the miniseries Nick Fury Vs. S.H.I.E.L.D. that came out the same year.

Fury would not just be in the comics, though. The character got to appear in various media, including cartoons, he got a novel, and even in his own TV film, starring David Hasselhoff as the spymaster. I remember seeing this and enjoying Hasselhoff as Nick. However, the character would become truly famous thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, being portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson.

Jackson's portrayal of the character came from the Ultimate Marvel line, which used his likeness for its version of Fury (With Jackson's permission, of course). Since the 2000s, portrayals of Fury in other media were based on this version. Even the comics introduced a version based on Jackson, revealed to be Nick Fury Jr., the son of the original Nick Fury. So, with all that out of the way, let's take a look at Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #32!

The cover is okay. It's a Dave Hoover piece. You got Fury and Weapon Omega (more on him later) brawling their way through some bad guys to rescue a damsel in distress. It's a well-drawn cover. Nothing special. I am amused by Weapon Omega trying to do a Power Rangers-style flying kick. I expect him to put out a Bruce Lee-style scream with it. I also noticed that the masthead logo is of the 1960s Fury series, instead of the masthead logo the 1980s series used when it came out. I wonder why they changed it.

"Formal Wear"
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Penciler: Dave Hoover
Inker: Don Hudson
Colorist: Tom Vincent
Letterer: Tom Felix

The story begins with Nick Fury accepting a martini from a bartender.

"Rrrrgh, this tie is too tight..."

For some reason, the bartender thought the super-spy would have wanted it "shaken, not stirred". Evidently, he got the one-eyed spy confused with somebody else. So, why's Fury wetting his whistle? Well, it turns out he's on a boat. An Italian cruise boat. A boat full of dignitaries, celebrities, dilettantes, and the like. And Nick Fury is, well...BORED. The United Nations Security Council (mistakenly called the World Unity Council in the comic), Fury's bosses, want him to do some mingling because reasons. They don't even trust SHIELD to be security for the boat. Considering what happened in recent issues of this book (mainly HYDRA managing to infiltrate the SHIELD Academy and destroy it)...yeah.

Fury is a man of action. He'd rather be on the field cracking codes, toppling a dictatorship or two. You know, spy stuff. But it turns out Fury may get to at the very least make a new friend on the ship.

"Hello, dahling...."

Meet Lynette Cole, world famous actress, and owner of a pair of nice lungs. The joke she wanted a light from Fury because of his cigar. Fury starts to chat her up. After all, it's not every day he gets to talk to a famous person. But then, an explosion erupts. The security boats have been blown to smithereens. A submarine surfaces nearby, and the occupants reveal themselves.

Meet ULTIMATUM, the Underground Liberated Totally Integrated Mobile Army To Unite Mankind. They are an anti-nationalistic terrorist organization established by Karl Morgenthau, aka the first Flag-Smasher, a Captain America villain. Fury reaches for his gun, but his holster is empty. Yeah, it was confiscated before he went on board, so he's going to have to improvise. Worked for John McClane.

Cole spots more ULTIMATUM men rappelling down from a helicopter. As they take hostages, Fury and Cole hide behind a table. Fury tells he he's got to take care of these men. He emerges from his hiding place. The ULTIMATUM goons notice Fury, recognize him, and try to give him lead poisoning. Fury leaps over the railing, going overboard. The guards are satisfied. The ocean will kill him. However, Fury is as dry as a bone in the Nevada desert.

"Those exchange guys from Q Branch are geniuses."

Fury's cufflinks are also powerful magnets, allowing him to stick to the side of the boat. I love this scene, because it feels like something from a classic Bond movie. Nearby, off the coast of Rome, the harbor has a guest. Who is it?

"For the last time, I am NOT Spider-Man's Canadian cousin!"

Meet Kyle Gibney, aka Weapon Omega. He is more known as Wild Child by comic fans. I can't help but think of Spider-Man when I see his mask. I wonder why. He and the rest of the Canadian superhero team known as Alpha Flight have been doing a "world tour" in their own book at the time. Omega is on a fact-finding mission to see how other countries handle the issues of superpowered beings like mutants and the like. Italy has no government-appointed superheroes like Alpha Flight of their own, though. I can imagine it has its fair share of vigilantes, though. Like the Italian Spiderman.

Gibney notices a room with some activity in it, but his guide quickly tries to move him on. Yeah, nothing suspicious or anything. Back at the boat, Nick Fury is just hanging around. This gives him an opportunity to do some thinking. There's something about this that makes no sense to him. ULTIMATUM are anti-nationalist. They believe in uniting the world in one government. That's basically the ultimate goal of the World Security Council, but the WSC want to do it legit. But then, ULTIMATUM are fanatics. Good luck reasoning with them.

Fury finds his way to the ship's radio room. Two ULTIMATUM goons burst in, but Fury is able to burst in and call for help. The ULTIMATUM goons shoot at the radio, but Fury escapes through the ship's dumbwaiter. One of the men shoots out the rope, leaving Fury to fall to his death. Well, no. Fury's got another trick that would make the Sean Connery Bond smile in pride. Fury's cummerbund has a grappling hook in it, complete with a winch. Fury makes his way up to one floor, where he spots something interesting.

"We're in the money...we're in the money..."

Yup, the hostage situation is just a distraction. ULTIMATUM needs some money, so they're helping themselves to the gold bullion onboard the ship. He then asks if the explosives have been set yet. Don't know why, maybe it's just something he figures they'd do? One of the men explains they're on Deck 12...until he realizes he's telling Nick Fury this. The men shoot at him, but they are such bad shots, the Star Wars stormtroopers would facepalm.

Oh my God, I love Google. Fury is able to escape. He's not worried about the gold, his priority is the passengers. He's gotta get his butt down to deck twelve and get some bomb-diffusing done. However, he has another obstacle. ULTIMATUM has Lynette Cole hostage.

"This reminds me of my role in 'Death Boat'!"

Cole tells Fury the rest of the passengers are locked in the Dining Hall. If Fury doesn't surrender, they'll die. Fury knows that if he does surrender, they're dead anyway, thanks to the explosives. However, Weapon Omega arrives on the scene.

"Here I come to save the dayyyyyy!"

Omega is able to rescue Cole, and he and Fury kick some ULTIMATUM terrorist butt. This causes some of the men to flee for their lives. Kyle Gibney explains that he picked up Fury's SOS, despite ULTIMATUM had people on shore to make sure no one got it. Fury informs Gibney about the bomb on Deck 12. Finding it shouldn't be a problem for Weapon Omega, considering his enhanced senses and all. But then they got another problem: Lynette Cole somehow got herself caught again and tied the ULTIMATUM submarine. Wait...how?!

Well, Fury has to save her butt again. So, he takes his bowtie and turns it into a pair of wings.

"Huh. I thought Red Bull gave you wings."

He goes to save Cole while Gibney finds the bomb. A helicopter tries to intercept the SHIELD head. The ULTIMATUM men on board try to shoot at him, but Fury is prepared. He tosses a cigar at the helicopter, which happens to also be a grenade. The blast sends Fury flying to the sub. He manages to land on it, but the impact dislodges his wristwatch. This annoys Fury. It wasn't a special SHIELD spy watch, it was an Apple Watch. Darn things are expensive.

Fury goes to retrieve it, but gets a gun to his head. And who's finger is on the trigger?

"Remember the time I played a villain in 'Blood Ocean'? Fun times, Fury."

Lynette Cole. Turns out the actress is an ULTIMATUM agent. I wonder how she got recruited. She starts doing the whole classic villain spiel about how the gold bullion is going to keep ULTIMATUM in the black for decades, and about how the boat is going to send the passengers to a watery grave. You know, the regular gloating about how they're going to win just before something goes wrong for them. And true to the trope, it does.

You see, while Lynette was running her mouth, our friend Mr. Kyle Gibney had been able to find the bomb and defuse it. She discovers this, and tries to shoot Fury. However, the spymaster's watch has one little trick. His watch has tech in it that allows it to fuse the circuitry in her getaway sub...and give her a nasty shock. So, why didn't Fury get to do the electrocution mamba? His suit is made of a protective weave.

Gibney arrives on the sub, and cracks that a watch should tell the time. Fury shows him the clock on it and remarks that it wouldn't be much use if it couldn't. He then asks Kyle where his ski-sled is (Gibney had arrived to the ship in one). Kyle tells Fury he thought that Fury's shows had tiny yachts in them or something. The story ends with Fury telling him his left shoe is, but it only holds one. Heh.

I admit, I enjoyed this little done-in-one tale. It basically is "James Bond doing Die Hard on a Boat", but it's entertaining. I do wish there was more foreshadowing of Lynette Cole's true allegiance, and a bit more banter between Fury and Weapon Omega. I loved the usage of Bond-style gadgets in the story, a nice nod to James Bond, and I did chuckle at the gag that started the story. The art is also pretty good. Considering this was the 90s, compared to what was popular at the time, this is actually rather nice. It was the late great Dave Hoover, after all. He was a pretty good artist.

If you want to read this comic yourself, I recommend hunting down the 2015 trade paperback Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Classic Vol. 3. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you enjoyed it, spread it around! And if you want to give my blog some additional support, please drop a tip in my Digital Tip Jar! It would be greatly appreciated! Next time, the Secret Wars rage on...

Movie Review: Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)

In 2014, Legendary Pictures released Godzilla, the 30th film in the long-running Japanese kaiju franchise. The film was a reboot of the franchise, but also meant to kick off Legendary Pictures' own MonsterVerse (A cinematic universe of films that also included 2017's Kong: Skull Island.). The film was a major critical and box office success, making over $500 million worldwide. It was praised for Gareth Edwards' direction, musical score, visual effects, cinematography, and the performance of Bryan Cranston. It was given criticism for its characters and Godzilla's low screen time. Personally, I loved this movie.

For the sequel, Legendary decided to go bigger. We weren't getting just one monster in this movie, we were going to get new takes on some of Toho's most iconic monsters, like Rodan, Mothra,...and King Ghidorah. So, was this movie worthy of the King of the Monsters? Let's find out!

The film starred Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga and Millie Bobby Brown as the Russell Family: Dr. Mark Russell, Dr. Emma Russell, and Madison Russell. Dr. Mark Russell was a scientist who once worked for Monarch, the MonsterVerse's resident government organization that deals with the giant monsters. After a tragedy caused by Godzilla's battle against the MUTOs in San Francisco, the family has fallen apart, but the rise of a new group of monsters bring them into an epic adventure.

One of the big issues I had with this movie was Charles Dance's character of Alan Jonah. He didn't really seem to do a lot in the movie. There wasn't a whole lot of reason for him there. Hopefully, a future movie will give his bioterrorist group some more spotlight and deepen his character a bit.

I also personally did wish that we got to see Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Ford Brody again. I would have liked to see what Brody had been up to since the events of the last movie. It would have helped strengthen the connection between the two movies.

The human characters are a bit underdeveloped, and the story is a bit cliché, but it didn't bother me that much. I don't think anybody watches these movies for the human characters much, anyway. It's all about the monster fights, and the film does deliver well on that.

The big thing I loved about this movie was of course, the monster battles. We get plenty of them in this movie. I did with some of the monsters that cameoed in the movie did get to appear in the final battle, though. I get that they're establishing that there are quite a few monsters out there, but it felt a little unsatisfying.

Another positive was Bradley Whitford as Dr. Rick Stanton. He was a great character. I really liked him. Also, there was a scene that nearly made me shed a tear. I will not spoil it. Another thing I will not spoil is a link to another movie.

Do I recommend this movie? I personally enjoyed it. The monster battles were fun, and there were a couple shout-outs I found to some classic Godzilla films, including the original. If you like seeing giant monsters beat the holy macaroni out of each other, this is for you.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you enjoyed it, spread it around! And if you want to give this blog some additional support, please drop a tip in my Digital Tip Jar! It would be greatly appreciated! See you next time!

Ford v. Ferrari Trailer, My Thoughts

The 1966 Le Mans race became rather infamous because of one thing: the rivalry between American motor company Ford and Italian automaker Ferrari. The rivalry started when Ford attempted to buy Ferrari, but Enzo Ferrari put an end to the buyout attempt at the last minute. This infuriated Ford's then-CEO, Henry Ford II. He vowed to get even with the Italian, but how would he do that? Crank calls? A prank war? Nope. Ford wanted to hit Ferrari where it would hurt. And he would do it at the Le Mans race.

In the 1960s, Ferrari dominated the Le Mans. They had won the 24-hour endurance race for five years straight at that point. Henry Ford II was determined to create a Ford car that could not only handle Le Mans, but break Ferrari's dominance. A team of engineers and designers (including the legendary Carroll Shelby) would end up creating the Ford GT40, the car the managed to slay the dragon that was Ferrari's Le Mans winning streak.

In 2009, A.J. Baime wrote a book about the rivalry called Go Like Hell. The title came from the phrase Australian driver Bruce McLaren yelled to fellow Australian driver Chris Amon as they raced to victory. In 2016, Adam Carolla and Nate Adams co-produced and co-directed a highly-rated documentary about the rivalry called "The 24 Hour War". And now, Hollywood is going to take the Ford/Ferrari rivalry to the big screen.

Originally, Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt were attached to this film, with a screenplay by Jason Keller, but that fell apart. But the Butterworth brothers (Jez and John-Henry Butterworth...mmm, pancakes...) wrote a new script, and with it a new cast including Matt Damon as Carroll Shelby, Christian Bale as driver Ken Miles, and Jon Bernthal as Lee Iacocca. And with director James Mangold is the director's chair, we're off to the races! Let's take a look at the trailer for Ford v. Ferrari!

Was this how fathers and sons bonded in the 1960s? Dads took their boys to the airport and they sat on the runway together?

VROOM VROOM.

Lee Iacocca was vice president of Ford in 1966. He's most known for reviving Chrysler in the 1980s.

You can build the fastest car in the world, but you need a person with nerves of steel to drive it. Enter Ken Miles. He died in an accident while testing the GT40's successor car: The J-car.

Nice hat, Shelby.

Heh heh, sudden broken nose.

VROOM VROOM VROOM!

This reminds me of the time I went to see a race at the Poconos. That was fun. Great food.

I'm going to love the soundtrack of this movie.

"Go to war, son! No, not that kind of war, take that Army helmet off!"

Ooh, that crash looked like it would hurt.

BOOM.

Guys, I'd worry if Miles started running around in his underwear screaming he was on fire.

FLYING CAR.

Ha ha ha, that guy needs some clean underwear and some therapy.

Well, this movie sounds like it will be really neat. I would love to take my dad to see it, as he's a car guy. It's got a good cast that looks like they're having fun with this. I was fascinated by the synopsis for this film. I'm not the car guy my dad is, but this rivalry fascinates me. I can't wait to see this movie.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! And if you want to give this blog some additional support, please drop a tip in my Digital Tip Jar! It would be greatly appreciated! See you next time!

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #12 (November 1990)

Back in January, I looked at Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #11 (September 1990), the first part of the Prey storyline. I remember really enjoying it, and seeing as a great start to the storyline. I was struggling to figure out what comic to look at this week, and I figured, why not follow up on a previous comic I reviewed? And then looking at more of the Prey storyline just came to me. That's literally why I'm looking at this comic this week.

Prey is a storyline that I never hear anyone talk about when it comes to Batman stories. To me, that's a shame as I think it's a great storyline and deserves more attention. You'd think DC would be giving more of their lesser-known Batman storylines some spotlight as he's their biggest cash cow. I mean, they've been doing those animated movies lately, Prey would be a good story to adapt. It' got a great psychological angle they can play with, and I think Hugo Strange is an intriguing villain.

And with that out of the way, let's take a look at Legends of the Dark Knight #12!

The cover's pretty neat. A Paul Gulacy piece, it depicts Batman fighting Manny "The Fish" Cardona in a bar. This is something that actually does happen in the comic. I can't help but be amused at the way Batman is engaging the crime boss. It's like they stumbled into an old-school wrestling videogame.

"Prey, Part Two: Dark Sides"
Writer: Doug Moench
Penciler: Paul Gulacy
Inker: Terry Austin
Colorist: Steve Oliff
Letterer: John Costanza
Editors: Andrew Helfer, Kevin Dooley
Executive Editor: Dick Giordano

The story begins with Batman...not having one of his best nights.

"I need a car. Oh GOD, I need a car..."

Yup. He couldn't catch the Fish, and he ended up making an enemy out of Max Cort. This all happened in the previous issue. And, in a bit of hilarity, he had to walk home because the wind made his glider useless. He really needs a more reliable form of transportation, like a Batmobile or something. You know, I can imagine Batman has had his fair share of nights like this, but doesn't like to admit it. Hal Jordan would never let him live it down.

Meanwhile, in his apartment, Hugo Strange is messing around in his homemade Batman cosplay.

"Boolah, boolah! I AM THE NIGHT! ...these trunks are riding up!"

He rants and raves about the rush of power he feels wearing the costume. However, he's standing on the ledge of a high building. And the high winds tend to be more powerful than a looney in a Batman suit. Strange nearly gets blown off the building. With great effort, he's able to grab the ledge and save himself, but it leaves him lamenting that he can't match the Bat in physicality, which only makes his envy stronger.

He makes it to his store mannequin girlfriend, who just sits and stares blankly. She is a mannequin, after all. But to Strange, she's so much more. He thinks she's laughing at him, that she enjoys seeing him nearly getting him killed. He angrily whacks the mannequin's head off. He then wonders if Batman feels the blows that he rains on criminals...and he figures maybe not.

Back at Wayne Manor, Alfred alerts Bruce to the usual mail he's getting. Bruce isn't interested...until one of the letters is an invitation to a small dinner party with Mayor Wilson Klass. Alfred already accepted, because he and Bruce were on the same wavelength, realizing Hugo Strange might be there, too. So, party time!

"So, you all like Huey Lewis and the News?"

Klass and Strange are discussing Batman, Hugo announcing he plans to attack the vigilante's ego through a media campaign. After all, the Batman is a big ol' narcissist, so that'll wound him. Bruce Wayne is there, and he's struck up a conversation with Catherine Klass, the Mayor's daughter. Mayor Klass asks Bruce what he thinks about Gotham's resident nocturnal defender. Bruce plays dumb, saying that he has no real interest in the subject. Also, isn't Hugo Strange the big Batman expert in the room?

Hugo agrees with this, saying that he thinks that for the Batman, the night gives him a feeling of ecstasy. He craves the night, as it allows Batman to be violent, which gives him pleasure. Catherine counters that regardless of the psychological motives, the Dark Knight is actually doing something about the crime problem in Gotham.  It's not hard to see her point of view. We've seen in the last issue that crime is a big problem in Gotham City, and the police can't handle it. Batman actually stops criminals. Klass is outraged, but Catherine retorts that the Bat is more man than anyone in the room. She measures a man by his deeds, and Batman's has won her respect.

Hugo Strange is intrigued and impressed by her attitude. He would love to discuss it further with her, but she's not up for it. The next day, Max Cort and his task force are interrogating a man about Batman, and his response is hilarious.

"I saw this cute Goth chick who claimed to be Death..."

He's clearly cracked in the head...but, considering that this is the DC Universe...he could be more right than you think. It's not a complete loss for Cort, though. Batman's bat-glider was found. It was lying on a roof about a block away from the warehouse where the task force made their big bust last night. Cort is thrilled, and demands the lab boys get on that. Captain James Gordon is watching this, and he's filled with worry. Cort has a raging hatred of the Batman, and he's becoming more obsessed with catching him. He's becoming a fanatic, and that's not good.

In her apartment, Catwoman is reading the paper, surrounded by cats. Cue the crazy cat lady jokes! A headline grabs her attention. It insinuates that she is Batman's partner. This enrages her, as she has no desire to be seen as anyone's partner. She tears up the newspaper.

In the Batcave, Bruce Wayne is watching the news. The newscaster announces that Hugo Strange states that the Batman was started by a serious crime. Bruce just heads back to his special project in the Batcave, not taking the bait. Meanwhile, Cort and his task force are preparing for some action on the town tonight.

"Ahhh, nothing like a big beautiful boomstick in your hand, right boys?"

Methinks Cort is overcompensating for something. They got the warrant to catch Manny "The Fish" Cardona, so they're going fishing! As for the extra hardware, well...Cort wants to be ready in case the Bat wants to bust him. Gordon reminds Cort that Batman has committed no capital crimes (basically nothing really extreme), so as such...no shooting. Cort is furious, but obeys the order.

Gordon then gets a visit from Batman. The Caped Crusader revealed he left a recorder at Cordona's home. It didn't pick up a single sound, so he has to be in hiding. Gordon's in a bit of a pickle, right now. Technically, Batman is breaking the law. Vigilantism is a crime. But the thing is...The Dark Knight is effective. He may be breaking the law...but he's doing it to uphold the law. Gordon warns Batman that Hugo Strange is getting close to him. The captain needs a way to contact the Caped Crusader. Maybe some kind of...Bat-Signal, perhaps?

Cort's men burst into Cardona's home...and it's empty. No one's been there for days, just like Batman discovered. But Cort doesn't mind: he's got a plan. The task force will camp out here, and they'll wait for their real target. After all, the Dark Knight has to be coming to check the place out, right? Maybe he'll like some s'mores.

Meanwhile, Batman has been searching for Cardona. Thanks to a very helpful informant, he learns that The Fish's new bowl is an apartment above the Skyline Bar in the Comstock section. Batman rewards him by tossing him in a nice warm dumpster full of trash. He'll be picked up on Tuesday. True to the helpful informant's word, Cardona is there entertaining a lady friend in the hot tub. He hears a noise and goes to investigate...while making sure he's armed, of course.

He goes down to the bar, where he gets a batarang to the hand, making him drop his gun. Cardona gets behind the bar and fires the shotgun hidden there. He and Batman end up having a brawl. It gets rather crazy, including Cardona taking a chair to the face, but the Dark Knight manages to win out. He informs Cardona's lady friend that the criminal's going to need some pants.

While this went down, Catwoman was robbing a woman's home. She uses her claws to wake the woman up, and she naturally screams at her. The cat burglar angrily tells the woman to make one thing clear: The Catwoman is not Batman's partner.

Dawn has come. And Max Cort's task force is miserable. They were waiting all night, and neither The Fish nor Batman showed up. An officer suggests that maybe Batman came by long before they did, and took out The Fish. Cort doubts it. In fact, he thinks that Batman was tipped off...

Catwoman sees a headline about Batman's fight with Cardona, and it insinuates he was trying to rob the tavern. She is enjoying this. Cort and his men head back to the police HQ. They get a surprise.

"So, we cool now? I caught your Fish."

The Bat has brought a peace offering: A tied-up Cardona. Max Cort is a proud man, though. A proud cop. And seeing the vigilante apprehend a criminal he was chasing? Well, his pride won't allow him to just say "Thank you" and take Cardona in. Despite Gordon's warning, Cort shoots at the vigilante. All he gets is a wrecked gargoyle. Cort roars in rage and smashes his gun. He orders his men to the roof. At his office, Hugo Strange calls Mayor Flass. He needs the complete police records on Batman, as the stuff he was given has some gaps. Some men take a large spotlight to the roof. That night, Gordon affixes a bat symbol to the spotlight, and turns it on.

"IT'S BEAUTIFULLLLL!"

Ladies and gentlemen, the first usage of the Bat-Signal. He keeps it on for a short time, because of the risk. Unknown to Gordon, Cort is watching him, and he spots Batman arriving on the roof. Gordon admits he made a mistake putting Cort in charge of the task force. After all, a man like him is easy to radicalize. Batman wounded his pride as a cop, and Cort values his pride. This may be the last time Gordon can speak to the vigilante, so he warns him of this: Strange is close. Real close...and there may be nothing Gordon can do about it.

Cort sneaks into Gordon's office and finds the files Hugo Strange had requested. All of this is worrying the Batman. Hugo Strange is turning the public against him, but that doesn't bother him too much. The problem is Gordon. Gordon is only real ally Bats has in the police department at this point. If Gordon can't help him, his job will be made much harder.

Cort also discovers the bat-symbol Gordon used as part of the Bat-Signal. The furious cop heads to Strange's apartment, where he's entertaining his mannequin.

"...*sigh* Mom was right, I need to go out more."

Yeah, it's as disturbing as it sounds. The doorbell makes him scramble to shove it in his closet. Cort gives Strange the missing files, and informs him Gordon suppressed them. Cort is an ambitious man, and he thinks Strange's connections to the Mayor can bring Gordon down...and if Cort gets promoted, that's a nice little bonus. Strange points out it will be Cort's word against Gordon's. As such, Strange has a better idea in mind. Cort is a big guy, and he's not the type to scare easily. As such, the story ends with Strange asking the sergeant one question: Is he as strong and athletic as he looks?

This comic was pretty good. We're getting to see how difficult it can be being a costumed crimefighter in a city that isn't quite used to them. Cort and Strange coming together in the end makes a lot of sense, considering both of them have an obsession with Batman. However, their obsessions are different. Hugo Strange envies Batman, sees him as a figure of power, power that he clearly desires for himself. Cort sees Batman as a mockery, a grievous insult to his pride as a police officer. The only real complaint I have about this comic is Catwoman. She doesn't really do anything very important in this particular comic. Just angrily tears up a newspaper and claws a woman's back. I think she was just there to reference Batman: Year One.

I love Paul Gulacy's art in this comic. It's detailed and intricate. I just enjoy looking at it so much. When it comes to reading a comic, nothing better than great art to go with a great story. Moench and Gulacy are magic together.

As I said, I recommend tracking down the 2012 trade paperback Batman: Prey if you want to read this yourself. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you enjoyed it, please spread it around! And if you want to give this blog some additional support, please drop a tip in my Digital Tip Jar! It would be greatly appreciated! And holy cow, I'm almost at 700 entries on this blog! That's incredible! Next time, we join Nick Fury as he pays homage to John McClane at sea...