Morbius Teaser Trailer, My Thoughts

Michael Morbius was once a man. Born in Greece, Morbius had a rare blood condition that would kill him one day. However, Morbius was also a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist. He attempted to use his scientific skills to cure his condition, but something went wrong. Horribly wrong. Using an experimental treatment derived from a mixture of vampire bat DNA and electroshock therapy, he ended up transforming himself into a vampire-like monster, cursing himself to be a creature of the night.

Created by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane, Morbius first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #101 (October 1971). Thomas was inspired by a science fiction movie of his boyhood. Kane drew from legendary actor Jack Palance for his appearance. At first, Morbius started out as a tragic villain for the Webslinger, but over the years would become a brooding anti-hero. The Living Vampire would get his own series a couple of times over the years, and be associated mainly with the supernatural superteam known as the Midnight Sons.

Morbius would also make appearances in various media outside of comics, mainly connected to Spider-Man. And now, he's set to get his own movie. Yup, the Living Vampire is making his cinematic live-action debut. Let's take a look at the teaser trailer!

I think that nun there is supposed to be Greek Orthodox. Would make sense, as Morbius is Greek.

Oh my God, it's Moriarty! No wonder Morbius ends up a villain here!

Ah, there's Mikey in his brooding hoodie. He wears that brooding hoodie when he broods. That's why it's called a brooding hoodie.

I love that the film kept his being a Nobel Prize winner.

Uh, Mike? Those bats have to be radioactive. You know, like that kid in the red and blue suit? He got the spider powers thanks to a radioactive spider.

Oh, they found the Batcave. Bruce Wayne is going to be Bat-Furious.

Do those bats think they're sharks?

"At what cost?" Well, Mike just may have given himself rabies, but he thinks the foaming at the mouth is worth it.

"It's okay, hon. The bats just like me, that's all. They think I'm their king."

You know, blood substitutes exist. Just make milkshakes with them, Boom! Mike's problem is solved.

Yeah, this is set in the MCU. That mural of Spider-Man with "Murderer" graffiti'd across it. Watch Spider-Man: Far From Home. I'm not spoiling it.

Hey, Matt Smith! A Doctor Who/Spider-Man crossover would be pretty cool.

I bet he's going to look like that at the end of the movie.

And further proof this is in the MCU. Michael Keaton in the end. He's clearly Adrian Toomes there.

I did not have the reservations regarding this film that I did with Venom, mainly because unlike Venom, Morbius is not really dependent on Spider-Man. His motivations had nothing to do with the Webslinger. However, this film does have the vibe that it was made in the 90s a bit, with the color palette and all that. It may fit here. Jared Leto seems like he'd do a good job as the Living Vampire. I think I may give this a watch.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! See you next time!

NWA Powerrr Episode 12, My Thoughts

It's that time again! It's time to feel the powerrr! Here's my look at Episode 12! You may want to watch the episode first, as I will be spoiling it here. Enjoy!

Recap time! What a power alliance that had been formed!

Tim Storm is a man with something left to prove! He wants that TV gold!

Dear GAWD, Stu Bennett is so much better to listen to than Jim Cornette. Good riddance to him.

Oh my God, they got a "Momma Storm" t-shirt! I want that shirt!

If I were Tim Storm's mamma, I'd be proud to be on a shirt.

"Look how cool I am, everyone!"
- Nick Aldis, 2019.

Nick Aldis is just mad nobody chants for his mom.

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!

Aron Stevens and the Question Mark have shown to be an amazingly entertaining duo.

I like the little detail of Aron personalizing the belt with the stripe addition. It helps show how big his ego is and how little he respects the belt's legacy...despite the National Championship belt being butt-ugly, in my opinion.

There's only one "Shooter", Bennett. And that's Mr. Shooter McGavin.

Match #1 - Submission Exhibition Match - Aron Stevens vs. Sal Rinauro

We've seen quite a bit of Sal Rinauro over the show. Maybe he'll be given a bigger role as time goes on? Also, I like his tights.

Can't win that way, Aron! You ain't the Karate Kid!

If I were Sal, I'd just start beating the tar out of him.

Sweep the leg! Put him in a bodybag!

Cobra Kai would be proud, Aron.

Sal danced around too much.

Winner: Aron Stevens

And looks like Trevor Murdoch is none too impressed with Aron's ka-ra-TAYYY.

It ain't about belts, Murdoch wants to hand out a beating.

Don't do it, Trevor! Oh, he is.

Match #2 - Aron Stevens vs. Trevor Murdoch

Ouch. I would not want to be on Murdoch's bad side.

Aron really using his head!

Murdoch shows he's got some submissions of his own!

Winner: Trevor Murdoch

Looks like his spot in the TV Title tournament is safe.

Drunk Eli is fun Eli.

Hopefully he's been able to shake the hangover.

He needs a moment.

YEAH!

I think he's still a little lost in the sauce.

Yup, he's still lost in the sauce.

Burn by Cabana there.

Guys, I think he's still a little drunk.

Girl Powerrr, eh? I wonder what's the deal here?

So, Marti felt Allisin Kay was never a real friend to her, huh? I like that we're getting some deeper explanation here. I can imagine Melina was behind this.

Match #3 - Marti Belle vs. Tasha Steelz

The girls trying to wrench each other's arms out of their sockets!

Steelz knocked silly with that knee!

Marti Belle trying to ring Steelz' bells!

Marti's association with Melina really has brought out a mean streak in her.

I think that neckbreaker was a bit mistimed.

Os-Cutter from Steelz!

Winner: Tasha Steelz

What an upset from Tasha! And Melina does not look happy...

Dice vs. Konley next week!

TV Title Tournament match time! Every match has a 6 minute 5 second time limit!

Aldis wanted to have some fun in this tournament, but Tim Storm had to suck all the fun out of it.

"Coward" is an appropriate chant.

"Strictly Business". Sounds like a sequel to Risky Business in which Tom Cruise's character grew up.

Come on, Nicky boy! Get in there! Prove you're no coward!

AW, YOU COWARD!

So, he's sending in Royce Isaacs? The look on his face is HILARIOUS! "Wait, WHAT?!"

Main event time!

Match #4 - NWA TV Tournament Qualifier - Tim Storm vs. Royce Issacs

This'll be short. Get it?

If Tim Storm can't get his hands on Aldis, he'll give Issacs the beating instead!

Issacs is thinking "Is it too late to turn in my two weeks' notice?!"

I like Royce's boots. And of course Thom Latimer would try shenanigans!

BIG BOOT FROM STORM!

I don't think Aldis is too worried that Tim may murder Royce.

Storm showing his ring savvy...

PERFECT STORM!

Winner: Tim Storm

And the show ends with the Rock 'n' Roll Express showing up! I guess we'll have to wait until next week to fin out what they want!

Well, this was another fun episode. I can't wait to see what happens next week!

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! See you around!

Wonder Woman #212 (July 1974)

Over the past couple of years, I've spent a month every year looking back on a twelve-issue miniseries. For this year, I decided to so something a little different. What I'm going to dive into this year is not really a mini-series. It's twelve issues of Wonder Woman's series that are dealing with a particular theme: Wonder Woman making like Hercules and undergoing her own Twelve Labors to prove herself worthy of rejoining the Justice League.

It's kind of appropriate that Wonder Woman pay homage to mythology. After all, the Amazing Amazon and Greek mythology have gone hand in hand since the character first appeared way back in 1941. During the Silver Age, when the character's ties to Greek myth were increased, Diana had been described during the Silver Age as being "beautiful as Aphrodite, wise as Athena, stronger then Hercules, and swifter than Hermes". The Silver Age was also a time of great upheaval for the Amazon. In an attempt to shake up the character, a storyline was conceived in which the Amazons would go to another dimension to "recharge their magic", but Wonder Woman would stay behind, losing her powers.

For some years afterwards, Wonder Woman would continue adventuring as a white-suited martial artist/mod boutique owner, in the vein of Emma Peel. This change was received with criticism, but Wonder Woman eventually did get her powers back. The 12 Labors deals with a newly-repowered Wonder Woman showcasing her worthiness to rejoin the League. Unfortunately, I have not really been able to find any information about how this storyline came to be. A shame really, as I would have loved to have learned what inspired it. Ah, well. Let's take a look at Wonder Woman #212!

The cover is rather amusing. A Bob Oksner piece, it has the vibe of a romance comic cover from the 1950s. You have Superman pleading with Wonder Woman to return to the League. Wonder Woman tells him she cannot. The way they're posed does look like a pair of star-crossed lovers. Batman, Flash (Barry Allen) and Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) are also on the cover, and their poses are amusing. They look so confused, like they have no idea what in the name of Rao is going on. On the bottom, Superman promises to tell the strangest Wonder Woman story ever. He's not kidding. Admittedly, I'm not the biggest fan of Wonder Woman's masthead logo here. It looks a bit plain to me.

"The Man Who Mastered Women!"
Writer: Len Wein
Penciler: Curt Swan
Inker: Tex Blaisdell
Colorist: Unknown
Letterer: Unknown
Editor: Julius Schwartz

The story begins at the Justice League Satellite, orbiting 22,300 miles above the Earth. Superman has announced that the task he was assigned is done, and he's out of the Justice League because of this. With that, he slams down a file folder filled with pictures of Wonder Woman.

Batman tells Superman that he's overreacting, and this needs to be done. Blast it, Bats. Can't your lazy Bat-Butt perv on Wondy yourself? But in all seriousness, the Dark Knight asks for the Man of Steel's report. And with that, Superman tells his story. In his civilian identity of Clark Kent, he was reporting live from the United Nations, covering an address by Indira Gamal, Prime Minister of a nation called Pamanisia.

"I'm Clark Kent reporting live from YES I HAVE PANTS ON!"

I know what you're thinking. "What is that thing on his head?" and "Why is Clark Kent a television reporter? Doesn't he work for a newspaper?" Well, at the time in the Superman comics, Galaxy Communications bought out the Daily Planet, and Clark Kent ended up working as a TV anchor. A group of men parachute down. They are gunmen out to assassinate the Prime Minister. Clark is unable to do much as he's on camera, and at gunpoint. Luckily, Wonder Woman is in town, and she's able to easily dispatch the gunmen...well, almost.

One of them tries to shoot the Amazing Amazon in the back. Remember, Diana is not bulletproof, hence the bracelets. Before Wondy gets a bullet in the back, Morgan Tracy (The UN's security chief) is able to tackle the gunman to the ground. Tracy rips off the mask of the gunman to realize...

"My God! It's Mrs. Richards!"

It's a gunwoman. In fact, all the masked assassins are women, which shocks the two. ...why? Women can be assassins. However, the Star-Spangled Amazon has other business, so figuring out the motive of these women is going to have to be on Tracy. Gamal's address proceeds without further incident. When the cops arrive to arraign the women, one of them grabs a gun and tries to shoot Tracy. Wonder Woman is there in her civilian identity as Diana Prince, and she's able to take the woman down with a couple of judo chops.

Tracy introduces himself to Diana, but she tells him they meet briefly back in Wonder Woman #205 (April 1973). He offers her a job at the UN Crisis Bureau. After all, Diana can speak every language and she's clearly quite a fighter. She would only be an asset to the Bureau. Diana tells him she'll consider it. She then meets up with Clark Kent. He asks her when she got her powers back. You see, in Wonder Woman #179 (December 1968), Wonder Woman lost her powers when she declined to join the other Amazons in their journey to another dimension. This led to, as I said earlier, the controversial "Mod Era" in which Wonder Woman fought crime as a white-clad martial artist inspired by Emma Peel.

The thing is, the Amazing Amazon...doesn't remember any of this. Clark points out she quit the Justice League because of her power loss. She also does not remember quitting the League, but noted that it does explain why she never got any summons to help the League out with cases. He asks her to meet him at the League's headquarters. He'll meet her there. And with that, Diana Prince exchanges her 70s power suit and glasses for the Amazon bustier of Wonder Woman.

...where does her 70s power suit go?

Superman heads to the Justice League Satellite, the Flash (Barry Allen at the time) reports that Wonder Woman never showed up. It's not like her to just not show up...unless she's not aware that the satellite is the League's current HQ! he heads to the remains of the JLA's old mountain headquarters. Diana is afraid. Why can't she remember months of her life? What is going on?

Superman takes her to the JLA satellite, where the League try to piece together how and why Wondy lost the last several months of memory. She can't remember her "mod period", her martial arts training with her mentor I-Ching, even her beloved Steve Trevor. She wants some answers. Superman tells her they can help her if she rejoins the Justice League. However, she fears her memory loss may make her unreliable.

However, she has an idea to prove her worthiness. She'll rejoin the League if she succeeds in twelve labors, a la Hercules and his twelve labors. And those twelve labors will be her next twelve adventures. The League will monitor her adventures, and if she completes them to their satisfaction, she'll rejoin the JLA. The League agrees, and with that, Wonder Woman heads out. She's got an appointment. The League have one final task: Who is going to monitor Wondy first? Flash nominates Superman to do it, as he brought Diana's plight to their attention in the first place. Meanwhile, Wonder Woman arrives at her home of Paradise Island, and meets up with her mother Queen Hippolyta.

Diana wants to know one thing: Why did Hippolyta play havoc with her memory? Wait, how does Diana know Hippolyta messed with her memory? Well, the Amazons have the tech to cause selective amnesia in people. That does not necessarily mean that Hippolyta messed with Diana's mind. For all we know, it may have been a rogue Amazon. Hippolyta takes her to the Hall of Science. She shows Diana the Memory Chair.

"I got it at a yard sale on Apokolips. It was dirt cheap! Paid for itself!"

They were able to use the chair to restore Diana's full memory of her time in Man's World. The reason why they omitted her "Emma Peel era" memories was because they had incomplete records of that time in her life. Remember, Diana had stayed behind when the Amazons left for another dimension. Diana is furious about this as she needed those memories. She wants to now what happened to her beloved Steve Trevor. Hippolyta then gives Diana another bit of sad news: Steve Trevor is dead. There was a Steve she knew for several weeks before this comic, but he was a simulacrum designed to keep Diana's head straight. Wow.

Yeah. I honestly wonder sometimes what drugs these creators ingested. Anyway, after some tears are shed for her lost love, Diana heads back home and decides that she needs a distraction. Hey, that Tracy guy offered Diana a job at the U.N.'s Crisis Bureau, didn't he? That could be just the thing the Amazon needs. She calls him, but learns that he's entertaining Indira Gamal at The Casbah. The Casbah is a new nightclub in the West Side of New York City.

Unfortunately, it's not inspired by the Clash song. Although to be fair, this is 1974, and the song wouldn't come about until 1982. Instead, the Casbah is given the stereotypical "Arabian Nights" theme. Gamal wanted to eat here because she heard a lot of good things about the place. A man claiming to be the owner of the restaurant asks how they like the service. Gamal praises it, and the trap is sprung. The seats become a slide, and the two guests are sent to a hidden lair under the restaurant.

Diana heads towards the Casbah, her thoughts indicating that she feels a strange desire to go there. Like she is drawn to the club. Despite this, she senses something is preventing her from going inside. This gets the Amazing Amazon's suspicions up, so she changes into her Wonder Woman togs. Meanwhile, underneath the Casbah, Tracy finds himself tied up. Now he knows what's like to be Wonder Woman in the Golden Age.

He demands for himself and Gamal to be released immediately. After all, she's a head of state. Whoever is doing this is risking an international incident here. So, who is crazy and/or stupid enough to do this?

"Nobody expects the Musketeer Inquisition!"

Meet Mortimer Drake, the Cavalier! The Cavalier is a rather obscure Batman villain, first appearing in Detective Comics #81 (November 1943). Created by writer Don Cameron and artist Bob Kane, the Cavalier's gimmick is that he basically dresses up as a Musketeer and commits crimes. And swordfights Batman. It is interesting to see him face a different superhero.

Tracy's being alive is a bit of a problem for the Cavalier. You see, he was supposed to die trying to stop Gamal's assassination. Now he has to kill him here and convince Gamal (who is lying in some strange stasis chamber) that the US was responsible for the assassination attempt. Wait, what?! Despite the sheer ludicrousness of this plan, the Cavalier is sure he can pull this off. How? Well, he claims to have a..."way with women".

Like me, Tracy is confused by this. What is in it for the Cavalier? Well, simple. You see, if he controls Gamal, he can control her country...which can be a step towards world domination. ...Morty, maybe you just stick to swordfighting with Batman. Thankfully, Wonder Woman bursts in. Cavalier sends his henchwomen to take her down. However, they're human women with machine guns, and Wonder Woman is an Amazon, so you can guess how that fight went.

After easily dispatching the henchwomen, Wondy tries to get her hands on the Cavalier. However, the swordsman's presence seems to have caused her to waver. It's like his mere presence is able to make Wonder Woman seemingly fall in love with him. Unbeknownst to either of them, Superman is watching this from the skies with his telescopic vision. He's ready to dive down and give Diana a hand, but it's not needed. Diana, using some Green Lantern-worthy willpower is able to resist the swordsman's charms and gives him a Mighty Backhand.

The Cavalier is understandably shocked. No woman has ever resisted his chemically-advanced charms before! Well, Diana of Themyscira is no ordinary woman, Morty. He fires a bolt of lightning from his sword at her, admitting he was hoping that Diana Prince would have came as well (He had Tracy's phone bugged).

Wonder Woman's lasso is able to cut the Cavalier's sword to pieces. He whips his hat at her, the hat firing some sharp plumes at her. Wondy takes her tiara and tosses it like a boomerang, destroying the projectiles. The Cavalier then whips out his snuffbox. Wonder Woman than suddenly develops super-breath and blows the contents of the box back at him. The dust in the snuffbox covers the villainous Musketeer-wannabe, leaving him in a coughing fit. Before Wondy can capture him, the Cavalier's female servants suddenly rush the man and start beating him senseless.

Wonder Woman wanted to stop the Cavalier, but she did not want him dead. She lassoes him and the women and commands them to fall asleep. Tracy is understandably confused by this. Wonder Woman theorizes that the Cavalier's snuff somehow countered the chemical he used to make himself hyper-attractive to women.

And that's the story Superman recounts to the League. Wonder Woman had completed her first of her 12 labors, her test of self. There's just one thing left to do next. Who is going to observe and report on Wonder Woman's next labor? Well, since Flash volunteered the Man of Steel to watch over the Amazing Amazon, it's only fair that the Scarlet Speedster be the observer for the next mission.

"Flash, I choose you! Use Quick Attack!"

This was...not a great start to Wonder Woman's 12 labors. It felt like a first draft that never really got any proper editing. The whole thing with Diana mysteriously forgetting months of her life would have made for an interesting mystery over the course of the 12 labors, but it feels like it just got tossed aside. Not to mention it makes Hippolyta look like a jackwagon. One thing I did like about this story was Wonder Woman fighting the Cavalier. It's really cool seeing superheroes occasionally fight villains that are not part of their usual rogues' gallery. It helps sell the idea of an interconnected universe...even though the Cavalier's scheme is pretty stupid.

Also, I have to say I like the art. It's a pretty comic. Curt Swan is mainly known for his work on Superman. From the 1950s to the mid-1980s, Swan pretty much was the man who drew Superman in the comics. He also drew the very first meeting between Batman and Superman in Superman #76 (May-June 1952). As such, it's really cool to see him draw another one of DC's most iconic and oldest characters. Superman guest-starred in this issue, so no wonder he got the art duties. He really does give Diana the beauty of Aphrodite, I tell you what. He also makes characters expressive, especially Diana herself. I love Swan's art here.

Honestly, this is one story I think is only really good for the artwork. The writing itself is not that great. If you really want to read this for yourself, I would recommend tracking down the 2012 trade paperback Wonder Woman: The Twelve Labors. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! See you next time, where in honor of their upcoming cinematic debut, we'll take a look at the beginnings of the next generation of genetic heroes: The New Mutants...

Super Crush KO Launch Trailer, My Thoughts

Brawlers, better known by their more famous name: beat-'em-ups, have been around for decades. The first such game was 1984's Kung-Fu Master. 1986's Renegade would introduce two tropes often associated with brawlers: Urban settings and revenge stories. However, the genre would truly become popular with 1987's Double Dragon. The genre would include some rather iconic games, like Streets of Rage, Final Fight, and licensed games like X-Men and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

The genre would lull in popularity until the 2000s. It made a comeback thanks to the 3D hack-and-slash formula games like God of War and Bayonetta would use. The traditional-style beat-'em-up would make a comeback among indie game developers as well. A new game in that genre has come out, called Super Crush KO. Let's take a look at the launch trailer!

The music and general color scheme of the game kind of remind me of Steven Universe. The pastel colors and all that.

Yeah, the protagonist is beating up all these monsters because...an alien stole her kitten. Yeah, that's literally it. It's kind of hilarious, really. All this girl wanted to do was get back her kitten. Oh yeah, and she just might end up

I do like that the game uses things like jump pads and hazards. Adds a nice bit of platforming to the game.

Oh, for the love of-! Lady, just give the girl back her cat, huh?

I can imagine these boss battles are easy to figure out once you get the pattern.

I do think the attacks the girl (does she have a name?) can do look pretty cool. Can they be things you can do from the start, or are they things you have to unlock RPG-style?

I also really liked the comic book-style cutscenes. I wonder if those will be a thing in the game?

Well, this game looks pretty neat! I wonder if there's a demo? I hope so, because I want to try this game out. It looks fun.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! See you next time!

Birds of Prey Trailer #2, My Thoughts

Back in October 2019, I gave my thoughts on the first trailer for the upcoming film Birds of Prey, based on the DC comic book of the same name. I remember not being very impressed with the trailer, mainly because I felt that the film was more about Harley Quinn then actually about the Birds of Prey. Say what you want about Joker, but at least that film actually did focus on the titular character.

A new trailer has come out, so maybe we'll see the Birds get some more spotlight. Let's find out in my look at the second Birds of Prey trailer!

"These boots are made for walkin'...and that's just what they'll do..."

Yeah, if Margot Robbie can't do a good Brooklyn/"New Yawk"-type accent, maybe she shouldn't have just...not done it.

Yeah, she'll be back to him. She always comes back to him.

Remember folks, this film is called Birds of Prey.

Considering Harley's association with Joker and willing participation in his crimes, I can get why a lot of people would want her dead.

So evidently, cocaine is for Harley what spinach is to Popeye the Sailor. I expected her to flex a bicep and it showing an image of generators going FULL POWAH.

Shopping with Harley is likely an experience that has inspired nightmares.

And there's the "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" bit again. I would not be surprised if this was just put in randomly. It...would kind of fit, actually. Considering Harley's character and all. You have noticed I have not mentioned the actual Birds yet, right?

Fun fact. In the comics, Cassandra Cain is the daughter of two assassins, David Cain and Lady Shiva. She was trained from birth to be an assassin herself. She was deprived of human contact, and never even taught to read or write. In fact, she was taught to speak through fighting. As such, in her early appearances in the comics, she was mute as a result of this. However, she was able to read body language to the point that she could predict what a person could do before they did it, based on how they moved their body. It made her one of the best fighters in the DC Universe, able to give even Batman a run for his money. Here, she's just some pickpocket, evidently. But for this...I get it. Can't have her outshine Harley Quinn.

This really should have been a Gotham City Sirens movie.

Oh, what do you know? Black Mask actually puts on a black mask. Finally.

This film is definitely Harley Quinn: The Movie.

Oh yeah, little nod to Harley being a psychiatrist in the comics...before she went cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs.

Would it kill anyone to show Huntress at least wearing something purple?

A bunch of characters that are not really going to be in the movie...and Harley Quinn.

Well, this was something. As I have said, the trailers have not really been getting me hyped for this movie. And this one...hasn't either. I do think that the Birds of Prey should get a movie. Captain Marvel showed people want to see female heroes kick butt on film. But I still get the impression this was intended to be a Harley Quinn solo movie and the Birds got tacked on to. A shame, really.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! See you next time!

Avengers #89 (June 1971)

With the dawn of the 1970s, Stan "The Man" Lee had been stepping away from writing the titles that would lay the foundation for the Marvel Universe as we know it. After he stopped chronicling the adventures of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, "Rascally" Roy Thomas would step in as the storyteller for the Avengers.

In 1971, Thomas (alongside artistic titans Neal Adams and the Buscema brothers Sal and John) would lay the groundwork for what would be regarded as the Avengers' first epic storyline, a tale of two alien races in an ancient war that was threatening to engulf Earth. The tale...of the Kree-Skrull War.

According to an afterword in the first trade collection of the story, Thomas drew inspiration for the storyline from the 1952 novel This Island Earth. The storyline also contained parallels to the anti-communist hunts of Joseph McCarthy as well as HUAC and the Arab-Israeli War. The storyline would be regarded as a classic, establishing the Avengers as one of Marvel's premier superhero teams.

It's understandable why the story is revered by Avengers fans. It was arguably the first Avengers storyline that was truly epic and cosmic in scope. Its effects would echo in the Marvel Universe for decades afterwards. It would be revealed that this was the event that lead to the formation of the group known as the Illuminati, and that the Young Avenger known as Hulking was conceived during this event. It also would be a spiritual inspiration to the (criminally-underrated in my opinion) storyline Avengers: Galactic Storm. The story was even used as inspiration for the Captain Marvel film.

But how did this storyline start? After all, even the most epic stories have to start somewhere. Let's find out in Avengers #89!

The cover is a Sal Buscema and Sam Rosen piece. It's pretty good. It depicts what looks like the Mar-Vell Captain Marvel being executed in an electric chair. We see the Avengers members Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Vision, and their ally Rick Jones looking on in horror. The text also gives the idea that Mar-Vell is being murdered, even though in the actual story, that's...not quite the case.

"The Only Good Alien..."
Writer: Roy Thomas
Penciler: Sal Buscema
Inker: Sam Grainger
Letterer: Sam Rosen
Colorist: Unknown
Editor: Stan Lee
Editor-in-Chief: Stan Lee

The story begins with the Avengers discovering a man skulking around the city of Miami.

The Avengers in attendance (Quicksilver, Vision, and Scarlet Witch) want the man to come along peacefully. They have no desire to fight him. The man angrily throws off his coat, revealing himself to be Mar-Vell, aka Captain Marvel. Pietro, being the impatient speedster he is, tries to charge the Kree warrior...only to get a free knuckle sandwich for his trouble.

Vision tries to explain to the alien that he's in danger, but Mar-Vell is in no mood to hear it. He disables Vision with an alien gadget, and tries to make his escape (He doesn't believe in hitting women, which is why he doesn't try to engage the Scarlet Witch). However, he gets blasted out of nowhere, knocking him out. Who fired the knockout laser?

That's right, Rick Jones! Sidekick to the superhero stars! He and Mar-Vell were also buddies, so he feels guilty about the Avengers recruiting him to help catch Mar-Vell. The four take Mar-Vell to their ship and fly off. In transport, Wanda notes something about him. She can identify with the alien superhero a bit. He's an outcast, a being that doesn't "fit in" with Earth. At the time, Wanda believed she and Pietro were mutants, outcasts in their own way. All of them strangers in a strange land. It has an effect on Vision, who stays silent.

The Avengers arrive at a hospital, where a Dr. Donaldson is waiting for them. He tells them to put the Kree man in a special chair.

Looks like an electric chair to me. The switch is thrown, and energy flows through the alien's body. The Avengers hope that whatever is going on here, it is able to help save the Captain. Rick is especially pulling for Captain Marvel to pull through. Because if Mar-Vell dies...it's his fault. We flash back to Rick performing for a small crowd in Bleeker Street, when he gets a migraine.

Rick goes outside, sayin he needs to take five. Mar-Vell is contacting him. You see, at the time, the two were bound together. They could switch places by clinking together the golden bands around their arms. When one was out in the world, the other was in the Negative Zone. The transformation was evocative of DC's Captain Marvel, aka Shazam. The Kree warrior has something to show Rick.

It's Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four, trapped in the Negative Zone. He's found a way to go in and out of the Zone, and Mar-Vell wants out. He instructs Rick to head to the Fantastic Four's headquarters. The young man clinks his wristbands together and switches places with Mar-Vell. He makes he way to the Baxter Building and finds the room where the FF keep their portal to the Negative Zone.

The FF are away, and most of the Avengers are dealing with a villain called Psyklop. But the Vision is on monitor duty, and he gets the alarm about Mar-Vell's little break-in. He summons Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, and the three Avengers find that the Baxter Building has erupted in a lightshow that would make Broadway jealous.

Mar-Vell is having a bit of trouble figuring out Reed's machinery, as it's surprisingly advanced for Earth. He still manages to figure it out, and activates the portal. Jump in, Rick! Jump for it, man! Jump!

The Avengers arrive just as Rick Jones escapes the Negative Zone. Finally, he and Mar-Vell can exist in the same place at the same time. Kind of easy. However, someone followed Rick out of the Negative Zone.

"WOOOOOGIE-BOOGIE-BOOGIE!"

Meet Annihilus, one of the warlords of the Negative Zone. The Avengers engage him, but the insectoid maniac is quite powerful. Only the Vision is able to really stand up to him. Rick activates the portal to drag Annihilus back to the Negative Zone. The monster tries to drag Vision in with him, but the synthezoid is saved by his power to become intangible. Annihilus is sent back to the Zone. Meanwhile, Mar-Vell had used the fracas to escape.

The Avengers prepare to pursue him, but then notice a device going off. It's a Geiger counter. It's calmed down, but it detected a ton of radiation where Mar-Vell stood. Rick believes the Kree warrior may have gotten his body saturated with radiation from the Zone that might end up killing him. They have to find him.

Mar-Vell tries to head towards Cape Canaveral, so he can head back to his people. And that's how we got here. Yup, the issue started in medias res, and we'd just caught up. They managed to almost completely decontaminate the Kree hero, but there's a problem. There's not enough power to finish the job, and if the job fails, the Negative Zone radiation in Mar-Vell's body will build back up, potentially poisoning him.

Vision suggests that the doctors use solar power. But where can they get that kind of power? No problem! Vision himself is a walking solar battery, as the jewel on his head allows him to collect solar power to power himself. They hook him up to the machine that is decontaminating Mar-Vell.

Virtual reality got WEIRD in the Marvel Universe.

Boosted by the energy from the Android Avenger's solar power stores, the machine is able to decontaminate the Kree man. However, Mar-Vell still needs to recover from the procedure. Rick Jones is still afraid. All Mar-Vell wanted was to go back to his homeworld, but he still may never get to do so.

In Kree space, a coup is going on. One Ronan the Accuser (you may know him from the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, and he cameoed in Captain Marvel) has decided that maybe he'd be a better leader for the Kree Empire than the Supreme Intelligence. And his first task as the new head of the Empire? There's a deactivated Kree Sentry hidden in Cape Canaveral. It's been there since the events of Captain Marvel #2 (June 1968) and Ronan's reactivated it.

The story ends with the Sentry making its way to the hospital where Mar-Vell lies in recovery from his decontamination. It's mission: Kill Mar-Vell...and anyone else who stands with him.

Heeeeeeere's SENTRY!

This comic was...it was fine. I admit, I can't think of a lot to say about it. There is the trope of the heroes fighting each other over some misunderstanding. I would have liked if Thomas tried a little harder to show that Mar-Vell was panicking

One thing I have to point out, though. Roy Thomas seemingly did not know much about radiation. The cliffhanger was pretty exciting. Kree Sentry robots are supposed to be pretty tough, and the Avengers at this point were not at their strongest, with Vision presumably still recovering from saving Mar-Vell, and Wanda presumably not exploring the full potential of her powers yet.

Thomas seems to also be trying to imitate the bombastic style of Stan Lee with the narration and dialogue. It makes sense, as "The Man" edited the book at the time. I like Sal Buscema's art. It's rather dramatic.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2000 trade paperback The Avengers: Kree-Skrull War. I have the 2000 one, but it was reprinted in 2008. The 2008 one might be easier to find. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! Join me next time, as we join Wonder Woman when she starts undergoing her 12 Labors...

NWA Powerrr Episode 11, My Thoughts

It's that time again! It's time to feel the Powerrr! Let's take a look at episode 11 of NWA Powerrr! I'm going to be spoiling the episode, so I recommend you watch it first. You can see it right here!

Recap time!

Bare turnbuckle to the face sounds painful.

Aldis looks freaked out! I would be too, considering Marty Scurll's fondness for Plague Doctor cosplay.

Yeah, this is the Christmas 2019 episode. Man, am I behind.

Stu Bennett is so much better than Jim Cornette.

Congrats to Trevor Murdoch on getting an NWA contract! Good on you!

Zicky Dice looks like the kind of man who would be banned from a strip club just for fashion crimes.

What is the Pope up to? Does he want to be NWA champion, too?

The Pope wants to get into the world of managing, huh? I'd like to manage a wrestler.

Pope's like, "Yeahhhh, Pope out."

Match #1 - NWA TV Title Qualifier Match - Ricky Starks vs. Eddie Kingston

Each of these TV Title matches are 6 minutes 5 seconds long. I guess that's the gimmick for these matches. Get it? It used to be on TV at 6:05 PM.

WHAT AN EXPLODER BY KINGSTON!

Nice slingblade by Starks!

Winner: Ricky Starks

Good match. The time limit made it very breezy.

Here comes Royce Isaacs! And it seems he's got a new lady friend!

Say hi to May Valentine, everybody!

Isaacs is like "Dude, ask her about her Nintendo Switch!"

Hey, Royce Isaacs wants to prove he's more than just one half of the Wild Cards, eh? Well, James Storm is eager to help him with that!

Match #2 - Royce Isaacs vs. James Storm

Hey, Royce! You wanted to fight someone! Get in that ring, ya coward!

Orange Santa helping out!

There really needs to be barricades in the audience area.

Royce is like, "Yeah, never mind I'm outta here! Bye!"

Winner: James Storm via countout.

This was a fun segment and match. Nice way to give Royce some personality. Hopefully, this doesn't foreshadow a breaking up of the Wild Cards anytime soon.

Eli Drake's been drinking for Christmas!

More like Eli's had a couple of bottles.

Eli clearly plans to enter 2020 hungover.

About time that this show do something Christmas-themed.

Eli, please don't puke on the carolers.

Nice to see the crowd enjoy the carolers.

And here comes Aldis and his crew! It would be so funny if Eli staggered over to Aldis and puked on him.

Personalized track jackets. That's...a way to do some team bonding.

"WE WORKED EVERYONE INTO A SHOOT, BROTHER!"

I bet Aldis has underwear with the NWA logo on it.

Match #3 - Melina, Thunder Rosa, and Marti Belle vs. Allysin Kay, ODB, and Ashley Vox

I remember ODB from TNA back in the day.

Yeah, I can imagine that any of the women on Melina's team would want to face Allysin Kay. After all, she is the Women's Champion. She's got a big target on her back.

I never got that bit with the faces arguing with the ref. You're helping the heels beat up your teammate!

Winner: Thunder Rosa, Melina, and Marti Belle via pinfall.

Well, since Thunder Rosa got the pin, who does she want to face?

It's interesting to hear her speak English. Yeah, she can in real life, but I thought her only speaking Spanish in character made her stand out a bit.

Hey Melina, let Rosa pick! This could be a seed for dissension in the future...

I doubt that's an actual law firm...

Tim Storm is facing Nick Aldis next week in the TV Title Tournament? That's really interesting.

Happy Birthday, Mama Storm!

Main event time!

Match #4 - NWA TV Title Qualifying Match - Colt Cabana vs. The Question Mark

I'm amazed by how well-received the Question Mark was. They struck gold with the guy.

I like how the rectangle counts down with the actual clock.

Cabana trying to get in the quick pins.

Winner: Question Mark by pinfall

Well, this has been a rather fun episode. I liked the gimmick of the TV title tournament matches. It'll be neat to see Tim Storm and Nick Aldis collide again. And I can't help but think that maybe Aldis is in the tournament because he wants to consolidate as much of the gold as he can. Being a dual champion would serve to make him more powerful storyline-wise. I liked the segment with Royce Isaacs and James Storm. That was pretty funny. Also, Melina choosing Thunder Rosa's opponent for her. It could hint about Melina being more controlling in the future. This was a fun episode, and I can't wait to see the next one!

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! See you next time!