Stuber Trailer, My Thoughts

When you're a driver for Uber, you never know what kind of passengers you're going to get...and to be fair to the passengers, you never know what kind of drivers you're going to end up with. The former is certainly the case for a driver named Stu, portrayed by Kumail Nanjiani. All he wanted to do was make some extra money by driving people around. Simple, right? Well, he ends up ferrying a possibly insane cop named Vic Manning (Dave Bautista) on the trail of a killer. Hijinks ensue! So, let's take a look at the trailer for the upcoming film Stuber!

Ohhhh, Vic's one of the crazies! Drive, Stu, drive! Drive for your life, man!

You know, Vic...you're a cop. You could commandeer his vehicle.

I'm guessing Vic is a big N.W.A fan. That reminds me, I should watch Straight Outta Compton sometime.

Oh, I get the feeling this film is going to be fun.

Why did you select the pool option, Vic?! HAHAHA!

Dude, Stu's not a cop! This reminds me of the latest Shaft film. Saw that last Saturday. It was pretty good.

HAHAHAHAHAHAAAA! That criminal may lose his leg.

Holy cow, that actually worked!

I love the usage of the Beach Boys music here. It's great. And the Beach Boys are great.

Heh heh, now that's Gun Fu.

Uh yeah, Stu? You have to switch to an outside line. You should have used the phones in the office. Trust me, I work in a supermarket.

Well, this looks like it'll be a fun film. The trailer gave me some laughs. I enjoyed Dave Bautista in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. He can do action and comedy, so I think he'll be great in this one. I don't think I've seen Kumail Nanjiani in anything...*checks* Oh wait, he appeared in Central Intelligence. Oh, okay. This will be the first time I see him in a major role, then. He's also in talks to be in The Eternals. Neat! This seems like the kind of film that you turn your brain off for a couple hours and just enjoy! Can't wait!

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Uncanny X-Men #121 (May 1979)

Since June is Pride Month, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss an early appearance of an LGBT character in a comic book. And who better to spotlight than an early appearance of one of Canada's greatest superheroes: Northstar?

Who is Northstar, you may ask? Well, Northstar is Jean-Paul Beaubier, super-fast skier. Born in Montreal, Quebec, his parents were killed in a car accident. This incident would cause him to be separated from his twin sister Jeanne-Marie, aka Aurora. The two twins would be raised separately, and it would have affects on both of the twins that still linger today: Northstar would have anger issues, and Aurora would develop dissociative identity disorder.

As a young man, Jean-Paul would discover that he was a mutant, with the power of super-speed. His sister Jeanne-Marie, aka Aurora, is also a speedster. He's faster, but she can run longer. Also, when the twins slap hands, they can create powerful flashes of light.

Northstar is primarily associated with the Canada-based superteam Alpha Flight, but he has also been a member of the X-Men in the past. He's a bit of a pioneer, too. He's one of the first gay characters in mainstream American comics. Also, his wedding to Kyle Jinadu in Astonishing X-Men #51 (June 2012), was the first depiction of a same-sex wedding in mainstream comics.

So yeah, Mr. Beaubier has had an interesting life, and has a lot to be proud of. He paved the way for a lot more LGBT+ characters to appear in comics (many of them in Marvel connected to the X-Men). As such, I thought it would be neat to show how he first appeared in comics. Technically, he appeared in issue #120, but that was just a cameo. In this issue, we get to see him in action! So let's take a look at Uncanny X-Men #121!

The cover is a Dave Cockrum, Terry Austin, and Gaspar Saladino piece. And it's a great one! It tells you exactly what you're going to get: A four-alarm brawl between the X-Men and Alpha Flight. I wonder if this was what those guys who wanted a Cold War in Canadian Bacon were hoping for.

"Shoot-Out at the Stampede!"
Writers: Christ Claremont and John Byrne
Penciler: John Byrne
Inker: Terry Austin
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Letterers: Diana Albers, John Costanza
Editor: Roger Stern
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

Our story begins at the Canadian Stampede, a massive outdoor exhibition. Three of the X-Men (Colossus, Storm, and Cyclops) burst their way in as only they can.

The three race into the fairground, Storm scouting by air while Cyclops and Colossus search on foot. What is going on here? Well, the X-Men were returning home from an adventure in Japan when a freak storm (Storm could not dissipate it, as if it were guided by a will of its own) forced them to land in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. When they landed, they encountered a man called Vindicator. As Weapon Alpha, he attacked the X-Men in their own home, in an attempt to retrieve Wolverine for the Canadian government. The X-Men fought him off.

But now, the X-Men were on his turf, and he had some friends backing him up. One of those friends tossed the plane into the hangar. The X-Men made their escape by having Storm bring a blizzard down on their heads, heading into Calgary itself. Vindicator and his allies pursued the X-Men into town. Vindicator himself managed to corner Storm and Banshee in a mall, but got his butt handed to him. However, Nightcrawler and Wolverine weren't so lucky. The two vanished, likely captured.

Naturally, Cyclops vowed to find and rescue his missing teammates. But how? Well, when he flew off, Vindicator left an energy trail. One that Storm can follow. So, with the Windrider playing bloodhound, the group tracked him to the grounds of the Canadian Stampede. Ororo found the two missing X-Men, alone and unconscious on a field. The X-Men press on, fully aware it's likely a trap.

Storm points out that Wolverine is a wanted man. Cyclops reminds her that a) Wolverine isn't a criminal, and B) The Canucklehead resigned from Canadian government service. The X-Men find their missing comrades tied up on a field.

The lights go up, and...

"*trumpet noise* NOBODY expects the Canadian Inquisition!"

Everyone, say hello to Canada's Mightiest Heroes: Alpha Flight! Shaman! Sasquatch! Snowbird! Vindicator! Aurora! Northstar! Who looks real happy to be there! Vindicator tells them that they can take Nightcrawler, and they'll ensure the X-Men return safely to the US...but Wolverine is staying.

Meanwhile, Banshee arrives alongside the Daughters of the Dragon: Misty Knight and Colleen Wing. Due to injuries he suffered in X-Men #119 (March 1979), Banshee can't use his sonic powers. However, the man was a former Interpol agent and NYPD officer, so he got other skills. However, what appears to be a wall of solid invisible force has kept the three out.

Cyclops and Vindicator argue over Wolverine. The optic blaster points out that the last time Vindicator attempted to get Wolverine [In X-Men #109 (February 1978)], he almost got a friend of theirs killed. Also, Sasquatch wrecking their plane nearly got them and their pilots killed. Colossus notices that Northstar is moving towards Cyclops...

And with that, the fight begins. Sasquatch punches out Colossus, while Vindicator screamed he didn't want a brawl. But we get one anyway. Sucks to be Vindicator right now. Wolverine and Nightcrawler wake up, revealing they were playing possum. Storm takes to the air, Snowbird chasing after her. Shaman reaches into his magical satchel and pulls out some...wooden statues that come to life.

What are those? Cyclops blasts the wooden statues, which is kind of sad as I can imagine the craftsperson who made them worked very hard on them. Northstar takes him down with a super-fast Mighty Punch to the head. That'll hurt. Nightcrawler engages Aurora. Storm notices that Snowbird is trying to keep her away from the stadium. The weather around the area has become so unstable that she dares not use it as a weapon. Snowbird transforms into a large Arctic owl.

Wolverine notices that the X-Men are having some serious trouble against these guys, despite their recent string of victories against guys like Magneto and Moses Magnum. Shaman reminds him that Alpha Flight has something that the X-Men do not: Teamwork. He then uses his magic bag to summon a wind...but there is a problem. You know that freak storm I mentioned earlier? Well, Shaman used his magical powers to create it so that the X-Men would be forced to land in Calgary. Thing is, when you twist primal natural forces...it makes said forces angry. And when they get mad, it causes problems. Big problems...like the storm going out of control.

By the way, the guy in that panel? That's John Byrne himself. The brawl continues on, with Wolverine trying to engage Vindicator, while Colossus is having trouble against Sasquatch. Cyclops is also having trouble against Northstar, mainly because of his head still ringing thanks to that superfast punch he took from the skier. Colossus is able to get a head up on Sasquatch, thanks to some judo.

Aurora is searching for Nightcrawler, thinking about how she is different from her brother Jean-Paul. You see, Northstar is a fighter at heart. He's been one his entire life. In contrast, Jeanne-Marie is more of a lover...although future stories with her (mainly the first Alpha Flight series) would establish that Aurora's situation is much more complex. Nightcrawler teleports above her and gives her a kiss, which infuriates her.

Wolverine engages Vindicator, and their dialogue exchange hints at their past relationship. Evidently, Vindicator's name is Jimmy, and they were old friends. He and a woman named Heather evidently took him in at some point and helped him rediscover his humanity. This was one of the first major
hints about Wolverine's past.

The storm outside has reached insane levels of power...power enough that even the X-Men and Alpha Flight notice it, and their battle comes to a screeching halt. Storm is stuck in a aerial battle with Snowbird, until she gets a bolt of inspiration. The Kenyan windrider wraps up and captures the demi-goddess in her cape.

Storm has tried to shape a weather pattern like this once in the past. She failed...and nearly died in the process. She takes to the air, and reaches out to the rogue event with her mind and soul. The effort is great, the strain is massive. However, she is able to dissipate the super-storm. She lands on the ground, weakened...but alive. Northstar takes the opportunity and downs her with the same superspeed punch to the back of the head he gave Cyclops. A furious Scott Summers nails the speedster with an optic blast. He gets in the man's face, but Wolverine stops him from turning Northstar's face into hamburger.

Wolverine checked on Ororo. She's alright, just stunned. He decides to surrender, as he feels that this was his fight, and he shouldn't have drawn the X-Men into it. He admits he enjoyed the roughhousing, and things going out of control so fast did not help. Cyclops counters that the X-Men are a team. If Wolverine has a problem, then it's the team's problem. Wolverine appreciates it, but he has no desire to see his teammates take a beating on his behalf.

He agrees to go with Vindicator, on one condition: The X-Men are allowed to return home. Vindicator gives his word. An armored car arrives, and Wolverine is brought into the back of it.

Hours later, the X-Men's plane is heading back to the USA, accompanied by members of the Canadian Air Force. Cyclops weighs his options: Either continue on back to the US, or double back to rescue Wolverine. The X-Men all agree to turn back. Cyclops goes to order the pilot to turn around, but turns out she's got a friend with her in the cockpit.

Yup, our favorite Canucklehead managed to escape and sneak on the plane. But this leaves Cyclops worried. Alpha Flight are going to figure out he escaped. But Wolverine's not worried. He lives life one day at a time, taking it as it comes. Right now, he's in the mood for some drinking and celebrating. Finally, the X-Men are coming home!

This was a good comic. We got to learn a little bit about Canada's Mightiest here, their powers and a bit of personality in some cases. The comic was essentially one big fight scene, but I think it was done very well. I do wish that did get to learn a bit more about the personality of the characters. Maybe a scene of Alpha Flight mobilizing or something, give us a better idea of who they are. I would have liked that.

I did get a good laugh out of Wolverine's escape, though. I wonder how he pulled that off. Byrne's pencils and Terry Austin's inks are great together. The art looks so clean.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend hunting down the 2016 trade paperback X-Men/Alpha Flight. 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! See you next time, when we take a look at the debut of Alpha Flight's solo title...

Contra Anniversary Collection Trailer, My Thoughts

As a way of celebrating their 50th Anniversary, Konami has been releasing special game collections that bring some of their classic games to a new generation of consoles. The first was the Arcade Collection, a group of games (mainly shoot-em-ups) that appeared in arcades back in the day. The second was the Castlevania Collection. Castlevania was one of Konami's great franchises once, and this collection showed off the 8-bit and 16-bit games that made the franchise a hit.

And now a third collection is here, one dedicated to another Konami franchise: Contra. The Contra games were a series of run-and-gun shoot-em-up platformer games. In the games, you often play a soldier saving the world from aliens and other futuristic threats. The series has been going strong since 1987, and has appeared on many platforms. Let's take a look at the Contra Collection trailer!

Huh. I don't remember seeing people smoke in the games. But then again, my experience with Contra is rather limited. I did some looking, and it turns out in the intro of the first Contra game, Bill Rizer is seen with a cigarette. Ah.

10 games, huh? Let's see what they are.

Contra - Originally released in arcades in 1987, it would be given a well-regarded port to the NES a year later. It also got ported to various computers like the MSX2. The game would be released in Europe later on as Gryzor on various computers and Probotector on the European NES. It was the first game in the series, establishing the game's formula. In this game, Bill Rizer and Lance Bean, a pair of elite guerilla commandoes, must battle the evil Red Falcon organization and their alien masters. This game would go on to be ported to various other consoles and computers over the years. It also was one of the first games to use the Konami Code. When used on the title screen, it grants 30 lives. Yay! You'll need them.

Super Contra - Originally released in arcades in 1988, it would be ported to the American NES as Super C in 1990, and as Probotector II: Return of the Evil Forces in PAL regions in 1992. It's a sequel to the original Contra. Bill Rizer and Lance Bean are back, as more aliens have come to Earth to get their butts whipped by them. This time, the aliens have possessed their soldier comrades, forcing the two to take on their friends to save the world. Like its predecessor, this game would be ported to various consoles and computers over the years.

...I think the third game is the NES Contra. Looks like it. I have no idea, I can't read Japanese. I think it may be the Japanese version of the NES Contra.

Wait...the fourth game is? This is weird.

Super C - the NES port of Super Contra. Moving on!

Contra III: The Alien Wars - Ahhh, now this one I have played. It was released in 1992 for the Super NES. It was called Contra Spirits in Japan, and Super Probotector: Alien Rebels in Europe. You play as Jimbo and Sully, the decendants of Bill and Lance from the previous two Contra games, as the Red Falcon organization made their comeback in the year 2636. Well, in the American version. In Japan, you play as Bill and Lance again. This game introduced new features like destructible environments, commandeering tanks, and levels that took advantage of the Super NES's Mode 7 feature. This game would get ported for the Game Boy and Game Boy Advance. I played this on my Wii. It's hard. Even on Easy, it's very hard.

Contra: Hard Corps - This was the first Contra game released on a Sega console. It was released for the Genesis/Mega Drive in 1994. It was called Probotector in Europe and Australia, and Contra: The Hard Corps in Japan. Set five years after The Alien Wars, you play as one of a group of four commandoes set on stopping the rogue Colonel Bahamut. The colonel got himself some alien tech recovered during the Alien Wars, and now wants to use it to make weapons. It was the first game in the series to have branching paths, which allowed for multiple endings.

Operation C - Released in 1991 in the US/Japan, and 1992 in Europe for the Game Boy, it was the first game in the series released for portable consoles. It drew from the first two Contra games for its gameplay. It also was the first Contra game to have auto-fire as the default. As such, the game doesn't have the Machine Gun power-up. You play as Bill Rizer (Lance Bean in the Japanese version), who must stop an alien organization called "Black Viper". In the Japanese version, Bean must stop the army of an unnamed hostile nation who obtained some alien tech.

Super Probotector: Alien Rebels - It's just the European version of Contra III. Moving on!

Probotector - Again, European/Australian version of Contra: Hard Corps. Moving on again!

Take revenge again, huh? We shall, by attacking aggressively!

Huh. I admit, the choices here seem a bit...lazy. I mean, quite a few of these games are just alternate versions of each other from various regions or ports. What is the point of this? I feel like the arcade versions of the first two Contra games should have been part of the Arcade Collection. Would have made a nice switch-up from all the space shooters. I do love old video games, but I'm not so sure about getting this.

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Luigi's Mansion 3 E3 Trailer, My Thoughts

Back in September 2018, I gave my thoughts on the announcement of the third game in the Luigi's Mansion series. As I have said, I'm a fan of Luigi's Mansion. I enjoyed the first one on the Nintendo GameCube, and the second one on the 3DS. So, when a third was announced, I was overjoyed. I couldn't wait to see Luigi take on the malicious ghosts one more time! In the first game, he cleared out a mansion! In the second, a bunch of mansions. So, what's next for the third game? An entire city? That actually would be neat.

Well, not exactly. You'll see what I mean when I take a look at the E3 trailer for Luigi's Mansion 3!

What's up, Luigi? Had a bad dream about your adventure in Castlevania?

Hey, the Mario Brothers got a hotel! Again! This one is bound to be better.

Aww, it's nice to see that Luigi and the ghost dog became friends.

Heh heh, Luigi is so me there. I too like to enjoy reading a book in bed.

Huh, Luigi got an upgraded Poltergust, huh? Makes sense. Gotta keep the tech top of the line if you want to exorcise buildings.

I am SO going to love the Slam feature. There were quite a few ghosts in the last two games I wanted to do that to.

Hey, I think this feature was foreshadowed in the reveal of Simon Belmont in Smash Ultimate.

I like that there's a feature to counter being surrounded by ghosts. Can come in handy.

Huh, so Gooigi can help with exploration, too? Nice to see he's more than just the Player Two avatar.

Oh man, ScareScarper mode sounds like lots of fun!

I love that there appears to be a Western film set in this haunted hotel!

Heh heh, I bet Cop Ghost would be easy to deal with. Just give him a ectoplasm-glazed donut!

Oh, Robot Knight and Giant King Boo sound tough. Bring them on!

I am so excited for this game! I can't wait to play this! I want this now! Give it to me now! That's all I have to say, really! Give me this game!

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!

Avengers #60 (January 1969)

Weddings and superheroes go together better than one may think. There are quite a few comic book weddings out there, notably the weddings of the Fantastic Four's Reed Richards and Sue Storm, the wedding of Cyclops and Phoenix, and notably the wedding of Donna Troy and Terry Long. I looked at that joyous occasion right here. But now we're going to look at another comic book wedding, one that was...a bit crazier: the nupitals of the winsome Wasp and the rogue Yellowjacket! Let's take a look at Avengers #60!

The cover, a John Buscema piece, is pretty cool. You got Janet bound by a giant snake, the Circus of Crime's Ringmaster and Princess Python commanding it, and Yellowjacket trying to save her with dramatic posing. The floating heads are rather amusing. I think that was a popular cover motif for the Avengers at the time. It does make Vision look like he's glaring at the cake for being ruined.

"...Till Death Do Us Part!"
Writer: Roy Thomas
Penciler: John Buscema
Inker: Mike Esposcito (credited as "Mickey Demeo")
Letterer: Sam Rosen
Colorist: Unknown
Editor: Stan Lee
Editor-in-Chief: Stan Lee

The story beings with Captain America holding an invitation.

Yup! It's official! Janet Van Dyne, the Winsome Wasp, is walking down the aisle with her new groom, the mysterious man known only as Yellowjacket. Cap's been dealing with some events in his own book when he got the news. As such, he hits Avengers Mansion, hoping to get caught up...which he does.

Cap is shocked by this. Wasp is going to marry this man she just met, and knows nothing about. She doesn't even know who he is under the mask. Even worse, Yellowjacket claimed that he killed Hank Pym, who was Avenging as Goliath at the time. Yellowjacket also says he attends to join the Avengers. Yeah, because killing one of the founders will really endear you to them, buddy. Well, it's more complicated than that. You'll see.

Yellowjacket and Wasp arrive at the mansion, and the mysterious man gets into a verbal scrap with Hawkeye. Wasp breaks it up, and explains why she's marrying YJ: She loved Hank Pym, but her money and his research always got in the way. She finally has a chance to be happy, and she's not going to let it slip away.

Jarvis, the Avengers' loyal butler, welcomes the preacher doing the service. He then goes to greet the caterers. But they're not the caterers.

Say hello to the Circus of Crime, a group of circus performers/criminals: The Human Cannonball (Jack Pulver), the Italian acrobatic sensations known as the Great Gambonnos (Ernesto and Luigi Gambonno), the original Clown (Eliot "Crafty" Franklin), snake tamer Princess Python (Zelda DuBois), and it's leader: The Ringmaster (Maynard Tiboldt)!

Why are they here? Well, they're here for a simple reason: Revenge. Back in Thor #147 (December 1967), Thor foiled one of their schemes. Problem is, the Thunder God is not in attendance at the moment. He's engaged in a bit of a donnybrook with the Sentinel of the Spaceways, the Silver Surfer, in Silver Surfer #4 (February 1969). Yeah. Whoops. Despite that, they're going to blow up the Mansion. Elsewhere in the mansion, the guests are arriving. Sue Storm of the Fantastic Four and her friend, the Inhuman princess Crystal are helping Jan with her wedding dress.

Gotta admit, Jan looks good in that wedding dress. Crystal wonders why Jan is marrying this man she just met and barely knows. Jan's reason? She loves him. Yeah...

Anyway, the gang's all here for the big event!

The Fantastic Four, the original X-Men, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, even Nick Fury's come out of the Helicarrier to enjoy the fesitivities. And also the open bar. It's definitely the open bar. Jan walks down the aisle, and YJ kisses his new bride.

You and me both, Hawkeye. He storms off, and figures he might as well go see what's taking the caterers so long with the cake. He's a hungry archer! He wants some cake, dagnabit! The master marksman discovers the Circus of Crime. The Human Cannonball and the Gambonno Brothers are able to knock the archer out. You'd think with all the other superheroes in attendance, they'd pick up that something was going down. Maybe Jean would pick up Clint's thoughts, somebody would hear him, Spider-Man's Spider-Sense may be going off...just, something.

The Circus (presumably in disguise, of course) bring out the cake. Wasp uses the Black Knight's Ebony Blade to cut it. Fun fact, this Black Knight was Dane Whitman. He would be an Avenger himself in the future, where he'd have a bit of a crush on Wasp. The millionaire cuts into the cake...and gets a nasty surprise.

ANACONDA! SOMEBODY CALL ICE CUBE! The giant snake coils itself around Janet Van Dyne, but Black Panther comes to the rescue. He gets the snake off and the Vision blasts it with his eye beams. The Circus of Crime bursts into the room. You'd think they would notice all the superheroes in the room, and just surrender peacefully. Well, they would...if they were smart. But they're dumb. Very dumb.

Despite the fact that the wedding is attended by practically every major active superhero Marvel had at the time, the Avengers are the ones who engage in combat with the Circus. Ringmaster and Princess Python hold the Wasp hostage, demanding the Avengers surrender. Yellowjacket is trembling in rage and fear...and he undergoes another transformation.

Yellowjacket is Hank Pym! "But wait!", you may ask yourself. "Didn't he say he killed Hank Pym?" I did say that it was more complicated than that. You'll see. The giant Avenger is easily able to free Janet from the python, and uses it to tie up the Ringmaster. The Black Panther is able to dismiss the Great Gambonnos, and the Vision dispatches the Clown. But wait, where's Hawkeye?

There he is! The Avenging Archer is able to free himself from his predicament thanks to some acid arrows. He hears the din of battle has ended, and goes to find out what's going on. The battle has ended thanks to the Wasp laying out Princess Python with a Mighty Punch. Hawkeye is disappointed that he missed the brawl, he's also confused as to where Goliath came from.

Wasp explains it because somehow she knows how it went down: Turns out Hank had a little accident in his lab with some gases that messed up his mind a bit.

Considering that future stories [particularly Avengers A.I. #5 (October 2013)] will reveal that Hank suffers from bipolar disorder (His daughter Nadia would suffer from it herself), I can imagine this did not help things. Wasp states that Hank had developed a case of "schizophrenia" from the accident which created the Yellowjacket persona...but I don't think that's how it works. But then again, it is 1969, and it's likely Roy Thomas did no research on it.

Janet claims that she noticed the clues that tipped her off, but this makes no sense. Yellowjacket first appeared in the issue before this one. There wasn't a lot of time to hint that YJ was Pym. What clues did Wasp see? Either way, it turns out that the marriage is legal. Wasp looked it up. Yeah, because that is marriage law works, today AND in the 1960s.

I get that this era was an iconic one for the Avengers, and had effects on the team that still have impact today. It introduced the Vision, the first clash with the Squadron Sinister/Supreme, and went more cosmic thanks to the Kree-Skrull War. But I will be honest. This really isn't a great comic.

The big fight scene makes no sense. You had all these superheroes at the wedding, but they didn't help fight the Circus of Crime?! What were they doing, all hanging out at the bar?! They were all passed out drunk or something?! The whole story comes off like a first draft, a quickly-slapped together thing that should be edited further. At the very least, Yellowjacket should have stuck around longer and dropped more hints that he was Pym. And that whole thing with Wasp agreeing to marry Pym despite his clearly being not in the right mind? Yeah, that was awkward.

Fun fact, it would be during the events of this comic that Yellowjacket would be one of the Avengers recruited to stop Immortus and the Time-Keepers in Avengers Forever #1 (December 1998). Hank Pym would continue to use the Yellowjacket identity until Avengers #93 (November 1971), when he reassumed the Ant-Man identity. He would go back to the Yellowjacket name when Scott Lang took up the Ant-Man mantle, Pym's second tenure as Yellowjacket was longer, but much rougher, with him suffering a mental breakdown (which led to a notorious moment in his life), being imprisoned on false charges of treason, and Janet divorcing him. More recently, he ended up merged with Ultron and his soul was devoured by a monster living inside the Soul Gem (One of the six Infinity Gems).

Buscema's art is really nice, so that's something in the comic's favor, but Roy Thomas has written better. If you really want to read this story for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2015 trade paperback Avengers Epic Collection Vol. 4: Behold...the Vision. Thanks for reading this blog entry! Next time, in honor of Pride Month, let's take a look at an early appearance of Marvel's first major LGBT character...

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Trailer, My Thoughts

In 1959, Walt Disney released their adaptation of Sleeping Beauty. It was the 16th film in the Disney Animated Canon. It initially received mixed to positive reviews upon its original release, but it has gone on to be regarded as one of the best films Disney has ever made. The film would be released in theaters a few times over the years. The film was Disney's last attempt to adapt a fairy tale until 1989's The Little Mermaid.

This film would introduce the world to Maleficent, a dark fairy and self-proclaimed "Mistress of All Evil". In the original film, she was voiced by the late Eleanor Audley. She became one of the more iconic Disney Villains, appearing in various other media: novels, live shows, cartoons, and even on the ABC show Once Upon A Time.

Maleficent would get a live-action film in 2014, with Angelina Jolie playing the character. In this film, Maleficent was recast as a more tragic character. This film got mixed reviews from critics, but the visuals, costumes, and score was praised. Also, Jolie's performance as Maleficent would get positive reception as well, and this film was the highest-grossing movie she ever starred in, making nearly $760 million at the box office. It was the 4th-highest grossing film of 2014.

In So, with all that out of the way, let's take a look at the trailer for the upcoming sequel: Maleficent: Mistress of Evil!

Like the take on the Walt Disney castle logo there. It's fun seeing how they alter it for various movies.

Hey, it's the three pixies!

Bald dude is so dead.

Maleficent is pondering whether she should go out for a nice flight today. She should, why not? It's not like you have pressing appointments or anything.

I would admit, if I saw the leaves of a tree exploded into fairies, I'd freak out a bit.

Ah, that old cliché. "This is not a fairytale."

"Do you mind? I'm playing with my magnifying glass right now. Hee hee, it makes small things look big."

Those can't be Angelina Jolie's real cheekbones.

Hey, Michelle Pfeiffer!

Well, she is known as the Mistress of Evil, Aurora. Being evil is kind of her thing.

That's a lot of birds. Probably heading south for the winter.

Man, Aurora's kingdom flies some weird kites.

I think that's what Maleficent wears when she goes to the beach.

Coming out in October, huh? Just in time for Halloween!

I have to admit, I have never seen the previous film, nor even the original Sleeping Beauty. They never really got caught in my radar. I have to say, I am curious as to how Maleficent became the Mistress of All Evil, so I may give it a shot. 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!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day, everyone!

To all those with fathers and stepfathers, and the mothers who have to do double duty, I want to wish you a wonderful day today!

Celebrated on the third Sunday in June, Father's Day had a couple of parts to its origin. One of the origins of the tradition was from a memorial service for a group of miners who died in an accident in Monongah, West Virginia in 1907.

In 1910, Sonora Smart Dodd, daughter of a Civil War veteran, founded Father's Day in Spokane, Washington. She was inspired to find it by a sermon about Mother's Day. She wanted there to be a companion celebration for fathers and fatherhood. She originally intended it to be on June 5, her father's birthday. However, a celebration was unable to be prepared in time, so it became the third Sunday in June.

The celebration was not a big success at first, but Dodd would not give up. She had help from various trade groups, like men's retailers. It would lead the holiday to be derided at first as just a stunt to rack up sales, but the trade groups got the last laugh as the holiday ended up growing in popularity.

In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson would declare the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. In 1972, President Richard Nixon would sign an official Father's Day into law. You can find out more about its history right here.

Today, I treated my dad to dinner at the Chinese buffet in town. It was wonderful. The ham was really good.

Happy Father's Day, everyone. Families should be together to celebrate it, no matter where they came from.