Text Play: Pokemon Zeta #6

Hello, and welcome back to the Vesryn region! This is my sixth entry in my Text Play of Pokémon Zeta!

As always, I want to warn you all that I will be spoiling this game here. As such, if you want to play this for yourself, I recommend that you download the game at its wiki right here. And with that, let's begin!

I've been doing quite a bit of grinding getting ready for Thor at the Pokéhadron Collider. I chose to add Diglett and Geodude to my team, replacing my Weepinbell and Seadra. Seadra had the type disadvantage, and Weepinbell was out because...well, space reasons. I can only have six Pokémon on the team, after all. After all the grinding, I'm going to hit the Pokéhadron Collider.

We can't get into the Collider from the front door, unfortunately. We'll have to pass through a couple of routes (306 and 307), as there's an alternate entry point at the remains of Nyasa Town. Ahhh, God. Team Olympus just destroyed...everything, didn't they? That awesome arcade down on Rawlins Street...that barber shop with the nice lady that always knew how I liked my hair cut...man, all those memories...all just gone.

I said this in the last entry, and I'll say it again. Be prepared before entering the collider. Because if you go in...you cannot leave until you beat Thor. So, yeah. Make sure your Pokémon are ready for a fight, and you have plenty of healing items and the like. I bought a bunch of Potions and Paralyze Heals for my Pokémon. Thor uses Electric-types, so it's good to prepare for paralysis.

I've also been doing a ton of grinding of my Pokémon in preparation for this whole thing. Once they were powerful enough, it was time to hit the Collider. I traveled through a tunnel to get to the Collider. It was just a tunnel. Just a plain old tunnel. Nothing special. It was at the end of the tunnel that some action went down.

"Not responsible". Yeah, I call BS on this. Team Olympus was swarming Nyasa and had the town quarantined. If they didn't blow up Nyasa Town, then who did? What, did it blow itself up?! Well, according to Thor, it was the scientists at the Collider's fault. They caused some epic screw-up, and Team Olympus evacuated the town. But it wasn't a complete loss. The Time Caller, enhanced somehow by the Collider, was able to summon a being called "Divaevus, the Traveller".

I think Divaevus is a new Pokémon created for this game. There's nothing on Bulbapedia about it. Anyway, Thor (the game calls him Apollo. Yeah, I talked about this in the last entry) claims they can now use this new Pokémon to move anything through time. I was confused for a moment. Wait, didn't they already have that ability with the Time Caller? Why did they need the Collider? Well, you see, the Time Caller can only summon things through time to the present. It doesn't allow its user to travel through time. Naturally, one can assume that Team Olympus somehow used the Collider to enhance

Thor spots me, and we end up battling. He wants a bit of payback for my beating Athena in Onega Town. Let's do this.

1st Pokémon: Elekid (Lv. 22) - Defeats Diglett. Defeats Gible. Defeated by Magmar.
2nd Pokémon: Carvanha (Lv. 24) - Defeated by Luxio.
3rd Pokémon: Luxio (Lv. 24) - Defeats Luxio. Defeats Butterfree. Gets defeated by Confusion's after effects.

Thor is furious. He uses the Time Caller to bring his Pokémon back. However, I get a savior.

We meet at last, Mr. Wilson. And he's a member of the Elite Four! He specializes in Dragon-type Pokémon. Thor does the smart thing and backs off, but warns that Zeus will hear of this. With him exiting stage left, Wilson congratulates me for beating him, as Team Olympus is no joke. I wonder if he knew about my previous encounter with Athena. And Thor was the only member of the team that actually gave me a challenge so far.

Wilson has a past with the Collider. He was a former worker there, specializing in...creating synthetic Pokémon. Hoo boy, there's a mountain of issues with this. Anyway, he came by to see me. Why? Well, the Legend Researcher claimed to him I was a great trainer. Looking at me, he is reminded of someone he once knew...maybe he knew Aria. He wonders if I can run an errand for him.

He wants me to go to Ladoga Town, over in the Chrome Circle. To get there, I need four badges, and a Pokémon that knows the Surf technique. I believe I only have two so far. No problem, I can get those badges at the Gyms in Fianga City and Agassiz City. Well, the Collider is right in Fianga, so we can go hit that Gym first.

The Fianga Gym specializes in Steel-type Pokémon. And the Gym leader is a unique one...because their leader is a robot.

Yup. It's bizarrely appropriate that a gym specializing in Steel-type Pokémon be led by a robot. The robot's name is PK-096. And we'll have to solve a puzzle at the gym to get to it. However, there's a problem. You see, there's a branch you have to use Cut on in front of the Gym. I don't have any way to Cut said branch, so I can't just go inside the Gym.

Aw, well. I still have a bit of unfinished business at the Collider, anyway. The scientists inside are hard at work making crimes against nature. Most of them are very thankful for clearing Team Olympus out of the Collider. One even offers to teach my Pokémon Return. There is always one Grumpy Gus, though.

Heh heh. There are more scientists upstairs, and one of them claimed that they were unaware of the commotion downstairs.

...How were you all not aware of the Pokémon battle going on downstairs?!

Anyway, one of the scientists reveals he used to work for Team Rocket, and was involved in the creation of Mewtwo. He showed me one of the results of the research that was done that led to Mewtwo's creation...and it's a Ditto. The idea that Ditto is an artificial Pokémon is an interesting one. The first Pokémon games had a theme of genetic engineering, and Mewtwo was a Pokémon created through genetic engineering. Whose to say there weren't other Pokémon created in the process?

I have to admit, I was a bit nervous going into this. I only had a couple of Pokéballs, and if I failed to catch Ditto here, I would not get another chance until later in the game. Thankfully, I managed to catch it easily thanks to Butterfree and its Sleep Powder. It was surprisingly easy. Must've been lucky. Huh. I'm not going to complain. If I failed to catch this Ditto here, I'd have to wait a very long time for another shot at one. Having a Ditto is also great, as I can now breed Pokémon. That's pretty much all I use Dittos for. Now I have to find a Day Care Center...

I had been thinking about what to do when battling PK-096. The common strategy to battle Steel-type Pokémon is to use Fire-types. Unfortunately, they're in short supply in my case. I only have a couple of those: Magmar and Ponyta. Maybe Route 308 will have some more. Route 308 leads to Agassiz Town, so maybe there's some Fire-types to get there.

On Route 308, I fought a Trainer armed with a Ivysaur, Wartortle, and Charmeleon he claimed to have gotten from Professor Oak. Yeah, I doubt the man would give a trainer all three original starter Pokémon. I'll have to ask him next time I see him. Maybe he knows somebody who breeds starters for beginner trainers?

I also fought another Trainer who wanted to brag about how beautiful her Pokémon were. After I beat her, she called me awful. Hey, not my fault you cared more about making your Pokémon pretty instead of making them good battlers. Also, I found another goof-up on this Route.

Yeah, the Pokémon you encounter is called Espurr, but that sprite there? That's not Espurr. That's Goomy. Whoops. And it's happened a couple of times. Whoopsie. Route 308 is not a very eventful route. Just travel through, catch a couple Pokémon and battle some trainers. I did discover an item on the way.

It's a pair of Super Potions! Those could come in handy! Never know when you'll need a Potion in this crazy world. Route 308 is a rather long route, one

Partway through, we get a nice surprise.

Welcome to Kariba Town! And yes, it's named after another lake. Lake Kariba is another African lake, located on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe. It was created by the building of the Kariba Dam. The town is essentially a giant rest stop on the way to Agassiz Town. As such, it's a very basic town. It has some houses, a Poké Mart, and a Pokémon Center. If you talk to an old man in the Center, he'll give you a Lucky Egg. It's a handy item for grinding. Give it to your Pokémon, and if you battle with it, it'll get more experience points than normal, allowing it to get stronger faster. It can be useful if you're making adjustments to a team, and you want to get new members caught up with the Pokémon you already have.

Interestingly, the town is built on top of the Pokéhadron Collider. It's not as implausible as you think. Check out the Large Hadron Collider in France/Switzerland. It has a ring 17 miles in circumference. It's plausible to have towns around and on it.

I did get a chuckle from one moment. There's this wannabe fisherman who is...having some issues with catching some fish.

...Dude, there's no water there! No wonder you can't catch any fish, man! Come on!

Kariba Town does seem like a glorified "rest stop", but it still has a couple of things to do here. If you have an extra Rapidash, you can trade it to this kid near the Poké Mart for an Absol.

This trade is hilarious. You see, you can get Ponytas pretty easily in this game. Absols are hard to come by. I do have a Ponyta and a Ditto. I can just breed one, raise it until it evolves, then trade it for the Absol. I hope this region has a Day-Care Center. Can't see why it would not have one. There also is a home that has a Corsola.

Unfortunately, the poor critter has seen better days. You're probably wondering why the Corsola's owner didn't take it to a Pokémon Center? Well, it's hinted the Corsola is a wild Pokémon the old man found, and that it has an illness the Pokémon Center can't treat. You can try to catch it, but you need an item called a Medical License for it. It's obtained via the Mystery Gift feature at the game's select screen.

There is one other interesting thing here in Kariba Town...

I got a bike. I'm sure it's fine. Totally fine. I just got a free bike from a stranger hanging around the woods. I'm sure there's absolutely nothing shady about that.

Kariba is a cute little town, but I can't stay forever. I have Badges to get, and Team Olympus is still out there. Got to give them more beatings, too. And thanks to my new bike, I can do it a little faster now!

So far, the bike seems to work perfectly fine. And it allows me to go at a very good speed. Kariba Town splits Route 308 in half. The part of Route 308 that connects Kariba and Agassiz Town is known as Route 308.5. I'd have personally gone with Route 308 North and Route 308 South, but that's just me. The grassy area of 308.5 has a Trick house nearby.

Unfortunately, the door is locked at the moment, so there's no exploring it for now. We continue on the route until we reach a large desert area...and we get a faceful of sandstorm.

You know, geographies of Pokémon regions can be pretty weird. I mean, Route 308.5 has a grassy area that goes straight into a desert, and you get hit by a sandstorm the second you step foot in it. Anyway, there's plenty of Trainers to battle in this place. Fighting them here can be tough due to the perpetual sandstorm. Unless your Pokémon are Rock, Ground, or Steel-type, they will get battered by the sandstorm while fighting Trainers here.

Sounds intimidating, right? You may be thinking, "Is there any way to prevent this happening?" Well, yes. There is. In the desert there is a big ol' rock formation. On the top of it lies a special item that can help with the sandstorm: A pair of Go-Goggles.

What are Go-Goggles? Well, Go-Goggles are an item that when you put them on, they can dissipate weather effects in the overworld, like this here sandstorm. Two questions. One: Who left these goggles here? Two: ...how do the Go-Goggles do that? I mean, I get that the goggles would protect a trainer's eyes from sandstorms, but how do they dissipate it. ...I'm putting too much thought into a game about catching monsters and making them battle each other, aren't I?

The desert area is rather big, but there's no wild Pokémon here to catch. This is odd as desert areas in previous games have had Pokémon dwelling in them. This would have been a great place to catch Darumaka, for example. It's a Fire-type, and dwells in deserts. Not to mention given us something to use against PK-096.

At the entrance to Agassiz Town, there's trouble afoot.

Yup, Team Olympus is up to something. I know they blew up Nyasa Town. Just because they say they didn't doesn't mean they didn't. And is...is that Jake?! What is he doing here? Evidently, he's claiming to be part of...Team Yoloswag? Seriously?! Hey jerkoff, these clowns blew up Nyasa Town!

Funny enough, Team Olympus and I are on the same page regarding Jake. They think he's a moronic clown, too. So they decide to just go up and leave. That. Is. Hilarious. Jake himself is rather mad about it. So, he decides to take it out on me. Yeah, sure pal. I wish the Team Olympus guys were still here just so they could see me whup you. He says if he loses, he'll give me an HM he has.

Vs. Jake
1st Pokémon: Charmeleon - Defeated by Seadra
2nd Pokémon: Aron - Defeated by Magmar
3rd Pokémon: Seadra - Defeated by Weepinbell
4th Pokémon: Scraggy - Defeated by Butterfree

Seadra and Scraggy were pretty tough opponents, but I still managed to pull off the win. Kicked Jake right in the swag, ha ha. Jake rants that Team Yoloswag will be the greatest team ever! Yeah, greatest at making people laugh themselves silly unintentionally. But to be fair, he did keep his promise regarding the HM. I now own HM01: Cut. I can go into the Gym in Fianga now...once I beat the Gym in Agassiz Town.

And speaking of Agassiz, we have arrived!

Also, the humor is dry, too. And before you ask, yes. Agassiz does share the other towns and cities' lake naming theme. This time, the name comes from Lake Agassiz, a glacial lake in North America. It's between Canada's Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario, and the U.S.'s Minnesota and North Dakota.

And I think that's where we'll end this entry for now. Next time, we'll explore Agassiz Town, this little desert oasis, and then face its gym. I hope you'll join me then! Wish me luck!

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

Pokémon Obtained:
Pokéhadron Collider
- Ditto
Route 308
- Helioptile
- Espurr
Route 308.5
- Sandshrew
- Sandile
- Hippopotas
- Phanpy
- Gabite (evolved from Gable)

Wonder Woman #213 (September 1974)

It's time to rejoin the Amazing Amazon as she undergoes her 12 labors! To prove to the Justice League that she was worthy of rejoining the ranks of the World's Greatest Heroes, she would undergo her own version of the Herculean Twelve Labors in the form of her next twelve adventures. Each of those adventures would be monitored by a member of the League. Last month, Superman chronicled her first Labor, saving the life of a dignitary from the overly-ambitious sword-wielding Musketeer-wannabe known as the Cavalier. It was...rather stupid.

But that was last month. This month, we're going to join the Scarlet Speedster as he takes over chronicling duty. He's going to regale us with the tale of the robot that caused the end of war. Will it be better than the last issue? Let's find out as I look at Wonder Woman #213!

The cover is pretty neat. A Bob Oksner piece, it depicts a mob trying to stop Wonder Woman from stopping a strange robot from smashing a house into the ground. A house with a woman trapped inside it. The Flash is holding up the image like it's a painting or a giant blown-up photograph, saying the world has gone mad...and he's going to explain how. The cover is very Silver Age, with the Flash talkin to the viewer. I like it.

"The War-No-More Machine"
Writer: Cary Bates
Penciler: Irv Novick
Inker: Tex Blaisdell
Colorist: Unknown
Letterer: Unknown
Editor: Julius Schwartz

The story begins with Barry Allen, aka the Flash, racing across the countryside.

He's heading to a tape recorder so he can make his report about Wonder Woman's second labor. His report will tell the tale of Wondy and two regular humans as they stand up against a crazy machine. It was a dark and stormy afternoon in New York City. However, this night would give rise to one of the craziest cosmic coincidences ever.

On this day, Diana Prince would bump her foot on the sidewalk on the way to her new job at the UN's Crisis Bureau. A graduate student named Angie Blake would get a splinter in her finger as she was participating at a protest. A gangster named Marty Tragg (No relation to Arthur Tragg from Perry Mason) ends up crashing his car into a lamppost after it skidded on the rain-slicked pavement. At that very same moment, a robot lands on Earth thousands of miles away, and it starts emitting unearthly radiation.

A couple of days later, Diana is summoned to the Crisis Bureau. Something big has gone down. A massive outbreak...of peace.

No joke. Everyone's suddenly gotten...peaceful. Diana doesn't see an issue with it at first. After all, isn't world peace a good thing? However, this peace...is problematic. This was a peace forced on people. It's fine for people to not want to fight, but...

As shown here in this panel, having no aggression can cause problems, too. Brazilian farmers run away from locusts. In Japan, a martial arts exhibition ended in disaster because the fighters refused to fight. And the Inuit in the Arctic won't hunt for food. Yeah. It's too peaceful. A Dr. Hans Krissen is flying into Kennedy for a strategy meeting, and Diana goes to meet his plane.

Up above the airport, Krissen's plane is getting skyjacked. The man responsible? One Martin Tragg. He points his gun at the pilots, and they're so frightened that they won't even grab the plane's controls, causing it to go out of control and dive. Diana spots the plane while on the freeway, and summons her invisible plane. The plane drops some smoke down on the freeway, allowing Diana to change into Wonder Woman. She joins her plane, and uses her magic lasso to bring the plane to a safe landing.

Diana is able to stop Tragg, and get Krissen. It's odd, because with everyone forced to be super-pacisifistic, Tragg should not have been able to even hold up the plane. He's somehow immune to the forced peace. Why him, some random guy? Krissen and Diana arrive at the UN Plaza, where Angie Blake is still protesting war. Uh, Angie? Have you been watching the news lately? Anyway, after Krissen arrives and starts the meeting, Diana heads off to Paradise Island.

She believes she might find some answers to why she and Tragg are immune to the peace wave at the Amazons' home. It's there that she finds a beast called a Rhinotaur on the rampage.

The Amazons, normally fierce warriors when the time calls for it, show their own lack of immunity to the forced peace. They're panicked, and terrified of the beast. Wonder Woman tries to stop the bizarre beast with her lasso, but the Rhinotaur sends her tumbling into a column. She then grapples with the Rhinotaur, forcing it down into the ocean...where it turns out salt water is able to calm it. Huh.

Hopefully it knows how to swim. With that crisis solved, Diana heads to an ancient temple on the island. Contained within was the Magic Sphere, a gift from the goddess Athena given to Diana's mom Hippolyta eons ago. The sphere was evidently some kind of ancient artifact...that looks more like a washing machine.

Seriously. It looks like the Amazons use it to do their laundry! The sphere's power may have dulled with age, but hopefully it can still help Diana get the answers she needs.

Two days pass. Marty Tragg finds himself released from jail. Man, the justice system works quick in the DCU. The failed skyjacker finds himself in the custody of Wonder Woman. Hey, it could be worse, Marty. She also picks up Angie Blake. The Amazing Amazon then takes the two to a hill in New Jersey. She wants them to gaze into the Magic Sphere. The sphere shows that recently, a robot had landed in the middle of the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

Upon landing, the robot started emitting waves of energy that reached across the world. This is the cause of the crazy peace everyone's been feeling lately. So, why were Diana, Marty, and Angie unaffected? Well, at that moment, there was a thunderstorm in New York, and all three of them were near a freak lightning bolt that hit the street. Marty theorizes that the electricity in the lightning bolt interfered with the robot's energy waves.

Marty's half-right. It wasn't just the electricity. Remember earlier in the story? Marty crashed and hit his head. Angie got a splinter from a sign she was holding. Diana stubbed her toe on the sidewalk. It was the pain they felt combined with the electrical exposure that made them immune. Marty points out that if the Magic Sphere could reveal the cause of this mess, then it could show how to stop it. However, the Sphere's power has faded over the years, so it can't. How convenient.

Diana needs their help to stop the robot causing this. They both refuse. Angie is a pacifist, and Marty feels he doesn't owe the world anything. Also keep in mind this. Marty's a gangster. He's probably the last criminal left on Earth. He can literally do whatever he wants and nobody will be able to stop him. Not even Superman. So, I can see why he'd refuse to help from that angle.

Angie, though...I would find it more understandable if she said that she's reluctant to do this because in way, this is what she wanted. No war. No violence. She wanted peace. Then Wonder Woman can convince her that this peace is false, and that it's causing harm to people because they have zero aggression whatsoever.

Anyway, Diana is desperate, so she uses her magic lasso to compel them to help her. The three head to the Grand Canyon, where they find the robot. When they arrive, Wonder Woman tells them to stay with her robot plane. If she can't stop this thing, they'll take the plane and warn the world.

...What good will that do?! Thanks to this robot, people are literally TOO AFRAID TO FIGHT! THERE ARE ONLY THREE PEOPLE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD THAT HAVE THEIR MINDS FREE! Anyway, Wonder Woman tries to engage the robot...and it goes well.

"Just because I create pacifism, does not mean I am a pacifist!"

Mighty warriors indeed, those Amazons are. The robot is able to smash the Amazing Amazon into the ground. Barry Allen tries to rush in to help. Remember, he's been observing this whole thing. However, he discovers that he was forcibly pacified, too. Gee, you think, Barry?!

The robot is about to stomp Diana's face into Wonder Hamburger. Luckily, Tragg and Blake somehow manage to shake off Diana's mind control lasso, grab said lasso, and use it to trip up the robot. Barry notes the irony of a violent criminal and a pacifist working together. The distraction allows Diana to dig herself out of the ground. The two civilians toss her the lasso, and she gets to work. Diana loops the lasso around the robot, knocking it down.

With that, the three celebrate like they were friends. Barry Allen disassembles the robot, and Wonder Woman then makes like the Third Doctor and reverses the polarity of the robot's peace-making device. And everything is back to normal.

As Barry Allen recounts the case to a recorder, he adds that Diana discovered a message in the robot. It's from the creator, a scientist whose world was ravaged by a massive nuclear war. The scientist created and sent the robot to another world, hoping it would save another world from the terrible fate of their own. The scientist's intentions were noble, but if humanity is to truly ever get world peace, they're going to have to work at it. He's also looking forward to learning about Wonder Woman's next labor, which will be monitored by the Hal Jordan Green Lantern.

This issue... was significantly less stupid than the last one. It still was pretty dumb, though. There were a lot of moments that made me ask plenty of questions. Like Angie Blake, for example. Why was she still protesting war when there was no more war? I would have liked to see more interaction between Wondy and her new allies. Tragg's violent nature and Angie's pacifism would have made for some very interesting character interplay. There was potential there.

I actually think the idea of Wonder Woman facing a robot that forced peace on people was actually rather cool. The robot was a great foil to Wondy in a way. Diana wants to bring about peace on Earth as well, but her way is through inspiring others and being a negotiator. The robot doe it through subjugation, making people so pacifistic that they can't even defend themselves. That's pretty scary when you think about it.

Irv Novick turns in some fine artwork. It's wonderful to look at, and it does contribute to the very Silver Age feel of the story. At this point, comics had entered the Bronze Age. As such, the story feels like a bit of a throwback.

This issue was better than the last one, but it's still pretty goofy. If you want to read it for yourself, I recommend that you hunt 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 we look at a hidden sequel to a classic Marvel miniseries...

Nintendo Switch Online February 2020 Update, My Thoughts

If you're a fan of the Nintendo Switch like I am, then you ay be aware of its Nintendo Switch Online service. The big feature is that it has an expanding library of games. A couple more games have been added to the service this month. Let's take a look!

Originally from the SNES:

Pop'n TwinBee

Developed by Konami. Released in Japan and Europe in 1993 by Konami, this is the first time the game is coming to the United States. It's the sixth game in the TwinBee series. It tells the tale of TwinBee and WinBee's quest to prevent a mad scientist named Dr. Mardock from conquering the world with an army of Acorn Men. Don't ask, it's Japan.

I think I remember seeing an article about this game in an English gaming magazine many years ago. It looks like a cute little game. I admit that I am a bit of a fan of space shooters, so I may give this a try.

Smash Tennis

Released in Japan by Namco in 1993 and by Virgin Interactive in Europe in 1994. Like Pop'n TwinBee, this is the first time it was officially released in the United States. I've never heard of this game before now. I like that the Nintendo Switch Online service is showcasing hidden gems like this.

It looks interesting, despite my tendency to not really be into sports games. I think it's worth a try.

And originally from the NES:

Shadow of the Ninja

Developed by Natsume. Released by Natsume in Japan and North America in 1990. Taito released it in Europe in 1991. The year is 2029. The evil Emperor Garuda has conquered the United States of America. The only ones that can stop him are a pair of Iga clan ninjas: Lord Hayate and Lady Kaede. Together, the two ninjas must storm Garuda's stronghold to give Garuda a proper thrashing.

This game comes off to me as an attempt to cash in on the success of Ninja Gaiden. I have heard this was a good game, so I think it's worth a shot. It also makes me think of firing up The Messenger on my Switch...

...Oh my God, that guy's legs are still going!

Eliminator Boat Duel

Developed by Sculptured Software and Radioactive Software. Released by Electro Brain in North America in 1991, Europe in 1993. You basically earn money racing the fastest powerboats to ever hit the seven seas. You use your winnings to soup up your powerboat, making it faster, tougher, and more maneuverable. It's just a powerboat racing game. If you enjoyed this game, you may be happy to play it here.

It's pretty neat that the Switch Online service is bridging the gaps between international releases of games here. I hope that Pop'n TwinBee gets a good fanbase in America thanks to this service as the game looks so cute and fun. I'll have to consider subscribing one day...

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

NWA Powerrr Episode 14, My Thoughts

Hello, everyone! It's time once again to feel the powerrr! That's right, it's time to once again check in with the superstars of the National Wrestling Alliance as they go through another episode of mat action and madness! Before we continue on, I want to apologize for not being as regular with these looks as I would have liked. Life has been wreaking havoc with me, and as a result, I couldn't devote a lot of time to doing these weekly like I wanted to. But I am intent on getting caught up, so let's do this!

Before we begin, I suggest you watch the episode before reading this blog entry. And with that, let's feel the POWERRR!

Recap time!

Why is it Scott Steiner gets to have music on the regular show and everyone else doesn't?

God, do I love that theme song. Can't go wrong with Dokken.

I like Stu Bennett. 5000% better and less annoying than Jim Cornette.

And here come the Rock 'n' Roll Express!

Uh, Rob? You got your belt upside down. There you go!

Morton with the standard babyface promo, delivered with conviction.

And we got some brackets for the NWA TV Championship! Ricky Starks and Zicky Dice are in a bit of a spot, though. Who knows who they're going to face in this tournament. Tim Storm isn't in that bad a position. He's only got two potential opponents to face. But the next episode of Powerrr will reveal who will fill those two open slots.

Like Tim Storm, The Question Mark only has two potential opponents to face: Trevor Murdoch...or Wild Card Thom Latimer.

Zicky Dice rocking that Magnum P.I. Hawaiian shirt.

I got the reference, Zicky!

Man, Ricky is ON FIRE!

Big bang, what?

...somebody better make sure that Ricky Starks is well-fed before his matches. Don't want anyone to get eaten. He'll likely end up in jail.

Match #1 - NWA TV Title Tournament Qualifier - Dave Dawson vs. Zane Dawson

 The halves of a tag team facing off in this tournament.

Looks like them Dawson boys are perfectly willin' to throw down tonight...

And Zane Dawson gets the win with one big punch to Dave's mug!

Winner: Zane Dawson

Zane's wrist and hand have seen better days...

What is this song?

Ken is totally bitter.

Women's match time! Ashley Vox is looking for a bit of revenge!

I like Melina's old gear better.

Match #2 - Ashley Vox vs. Melina

Is it just me, or was that hurricarana a bit sloppy?

Ooh, good pin try by Vox there!

Good fight by Vox, but in the end, Melina's experience wins out.

Winner: Melina

Allysin Kay wants to go! I say let 'em go now!

"DIS NWA TURF, PUNK!"

Da Pope hyping up Outlawz Inc. Good stuff. Looks he wants them to hire him as their manager. I love managers.

Nice Prince shirt, Eddie. Purple Rain is great.

I love that Aron and Question Mark found some dude to wave the mighty ensign of Mongrovia.

Aw come on, Eddie! That flag did nothing to you!

Match #3 - Outlawz Inc. Vs. NWA National Champion Aron Stevens/Question Mark

I have to admit, the Mark/Stevens combo are incredibly entertaining.

You could get a fun little program from this. The goofy wannabe martial artists vs. the angry street brawlers.

Winner: Stevens/Question Mark

Homicide's shoulder may not be quite at 100% after all...

This commercial is a lot better than that Kayfabe Cocktail one...*shudder*

That was creepy.

As Starks said, he went the distance with Nick Aldis. Why is this guy not in the NWA title hunt?

They didn't get Scott Steiner a Strictly Business jacket.

On the other hand, he may have tried to eat it.

Aldis probably gave him money.

"GIMME A F%&^$# MIC!"

"SCOTT, WE STILL HAVE STANDARDS AND PRACTICES HERE!"
"*unintelligible yelling with a Minnesota accent*"

It was Jim Crockett Promotions that became WCW, Scott! At least, I think so.

Oh, this main event is going to be good!

Match #4 - Robert Gibson, Eli Drake, and Tim Storm vs. Strictly Business (Wild Cards and Scott Steiner

WHAT A SLAM BY TIM STORM!

The Totally Not the People's Elbow from Eli Drake!

Huh. Steiner shaved his head.

Crowd's really getting behind Eli Drake!

Camera cut to the far shot in the hot tag.

Morton's team gets the win!

Winners: Gibson, Drake, and Storm

Morton's got a shot at the NWA World Title, and Nick Aldis is beside himself!

Well, that was a fun episode! I can't wait to check out the next one! I wish we did get more footage of Nick Aldis invading Ring of Honor, though. And I liked that many of the major storylines were still touched on in this episode. Only bothered by a couple of minor things, like the camera cutting to a far angle, so we didn't see Robert Gibson's hot tag. It was an enjoyable episode, and I can't wait for next week!

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

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #1 (December 2018)

It's February, and it's also Black History Month. In honor of this, I thought I'd take a look at one of Marvel's more popular black characters: the second Spider-Man, Miles Morales.

Before I talk about Miles himself, I have to discuss the Ultimate Marvel Universe a bit. In the late 90s, the comic book industry was doing badly. The speculator bubble had burst, and Marvel Comics had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It was also felt that potential new readers were feeling intimidated by the long history and continuity of the Marvel Universe.

It was Bill Jemas who came up with the original idea for the imprint. What made it unique was that unlike other comic book reboots, there was no in-story explanation for this new universe. Also, comics set in the mainstream Marvel Universe would naturally be published, satisfying old and new fans.

The imprint's goal was to provide an updated and then-modernized take on the Marvel Universe. The first title in this imprint would be Ultimate Spider-Man, created by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley. Their critically-acclaimed run would last 111 issues, making their collaboration the longest in American comic book history, even beating out Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's run on Fantastic Four (102 issues). The universe would be expanded further with Ultimate X-Men, Ultimate Fantastic Four, and The Ultimates (The Ultimate Universe's version of the Avengers).

Morales first appeared in Ultimate Fallout #4 (August 2011), which explored the effects of the death of the Ultimate Universe's Peter Parker. Co-created by Brian Michael Bendis and Italian artist Sara Pichelli, Bendis drew inspiration from actor/rapper Donald Glover's appearance in Spider-Man pajamas in an episode of the TV series Community. Morales would become the lead character of the Ultimate Universe's Spider-Man book. Fun fact, Morales is also Puerto Rican on his mother's side, making him the second Latino Spider-Man (The first was Miguel O'Hara, aka Spider-Man 2099, who was half-Mexican).

The Ultimate Universe would reach its end with 2015's Secret Wars event. As a result, Miles was brought over to the mainstream Marvel Universe. Once there, he's spent time as one of the Avengers, and is more recently associated with the Champions. Miles would become popular enough to appear in other media outside of the comics. He's appeared in the 2012 animated series Ultimate Spider-Man (appropriately, he was voiced by Donald Glover), and the 2017 animated series Spider-Man. The Marvel Cinematic Universe alluded to Miles in Spider-Man: Homecoming, which featured a cameo by his uncle Aaron Davis. Davis was played by Donald Glover. Heh.

Most notably, Miles was the central character of the 2018 animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, voiced by Shameik Moore. The film would be a critical and box-office smash, and even win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

The comic we're going to look at is the first issue of his fourth on-going series. Yup. His first two were set in the Ultimate Marvel Universe, and the latter two in the mainstream Marvel Universe.  Let's take a look at Miles Morales: Spider-Man #1!

The cover is pretty cool. It's a Brian Stelfreeze piece. It's a basic cover, just Miles in his Spider-Man costume standing in front of some buildings in New York City. The cover shows basically that this is who you're going to meet in this book. I also like that Miles's costume is practically bordered by the buildings' lights. Puts him right front and center.

"Untitled"
Writer: Saladin Ahmed
Penciler: Javier Garron
Inker: Javier Garron
Colorist: David Guriel
Letterer: Cory Petit
Editors: Nick Lowe, Kathleen Wisneski
Editor-in-Chief: C.B. Cebulski

The story begins with our hero in class.

You see, the narration in this comic is from Miles's point of view, in the form of a journal he's writing as part of a class assignment. His journal is a place where he can write down his private thoughts. The only way to fail the class is the journal gets read by someone else. I can presume this means the journals are read without the consent of the writers.

Miles thinks the idea of writing a journal is kind of silly, but his friend Judge is more open to it. In fact, he's been doing so already. You see, Judge started doing so as part of his poetry class last summer. He thought it was silly at first like Miles did. However, it ended up sticking. It allowed him to vent and get some things out of his head. This convinces Miles that he can use a journal to write about being Spider-Man.

It allows us to get a recap of how Miles got his spider-powers, and about being Spidey. In the journal, he admits that like Peter Parker before him, being Spider-Man can be rather complicated. He has trouble getting enough sleep before his classes, for example. Back in reality, Miles and Judge meet a fellow student named Barbara Rodriguez.

Judge lets Miles hang with her a bit, teasing them a bit about the slight romance they seem to have. The two exchange a bit of banter, and Miles tells her he'll text her on Saturday. The day comes. In the morning, Rio Morales (Miles's mother) reads about him saving some kids from a fire, and expresses pride in him. It's an interesting contrast with Peter. You see, Miles's parents know he's swinging around as Spidey. Back in Peter Parker's teen years as Spider-Man, his Aunt May was unaware that he was the original Spider-Man. In fact, she was terrified of Spider-Man.

Rio laments that the whole world seems to be going crazy, while showing a newspaper with a headline about immigrant children being detained. She works at a hospital, and tells him that people are scared to bring their kids there because they fear they'll be locked up. It does seem like evil is winning everywhere...

That afternoon, Miles meets up with Barbara. She has a little friend with her: her cousin Eduardo.

He's from California. Miles offers to get Eduardo some ice cream. Barbara explains to him that his father was deported last month. His mother has been trying to get citizenship for herself and him. Eduardo had been living in the United States since he was 2 years old. She asks how Miles is doing...and what exactly is going on between them. Miles...can't give her an answer. At least a good one.

In his journal, Miles writes that in honesty, he's very confused. He's confused about everything. The comic shows him swinging by a soup kitchen, a little girl staring up at him sadly. Miles is very sure about his power, but the most important thing about being Spider-Man is responsibility. And he's never been more confused about that. You know, Miles...you could talk to Peter about this. I'm sure he's grappled with those issues himself, and maybe he could offer some helpful advice.

Miles hears a burglar alarm, and goes to check it out. A group of men are stealing some tech. Miles may be confused about a lot of things, but he can understand a robbery. Miles swings down to kick their butts, but something about this robbery catches him a bit off-guard.

The robbers are dead quiet, and look more like advanced androids than people. Miles also notices that one of them looks rather small, almost...child-sized. His Spider-Sense alerts him there's danger nearby, and the young Spider-Man almost gets ran down.

Yup, it's the Rhino! Amusingly, he mistook Miles for Peter. Dude, their Spider-Man costumes were completely different! How can you get them mixed up?! Anyway, the classic Spidey villain isn't in any mood to fight, so he tells Miles to go home and play some Sega. He's got business here, and he doesn't need Web-Heads right now. Miles assumes the Rhino is behind all this, and the two end up tussling.

Rhino is able to get the upper hand on Miles easily, due to the teenager's lack of experience and his being rather tired. He tries to web up Rhino, but the powerhouse is easily able to rip his way out. Miles then uses his "venom blast" at full strength, which actually manages to hurt Rhino a bit. Rhino admits defeat...but this robbery wasn't his job. He's here because he's looking for his niece. She's been kidnapped, and he was following the robbers. He thinks they had something to do with her disappearance.

Miles webs up the thieves' truck, and they surrender. He takes off the masks of one of them, and gets a nasty surprise.

It's Eduardo, the cousin of his main squeeze Barbara! The kid's eyes are blank, like he's being mind-controlled or something. The story ends with Miles and Rhino receiving a very nasty electrical shock and falling into unconsciousness.

This comic is really good. It does a great job giving us an idea of who Miles Morales is, and shows off his own little corner of the Marvel Universe. The fight scene with Rhino was really good, as it helped show off Miles's powers and potential. The narration being done in the form of a journal that Miles was writing was quite a clever way to get into our hero's head. I was very fond of the twist that Rhino wasn't the real bad guy of the comic. I would love to see Miles and Rhino develop a bit of an odd friendship, as their interactions are great.

I also really like Javier Garron's art on the comic. The characters are expressive, and there are nice little flashes of character.

All in all, this comic is a...well, spectacular jumping-on point if you're interested in reading about the adventures of Miles Morales. I knew almost nothing about Miles's own corner of the Spider-Man mythos before reading this comic, and I did not feel lost or confused by anything. If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend hunting down the 2019 trade paperback Miles Morales Vol. 1: Straight Out of Brooklyn.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! See you next time, where we check in on Wonder Woman as the Amazing Amazon undergoes her second labor...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Hope you all have a wonderful day today!

Arcade Archives: Tecmo Bowl Launch Trailer, My Thoughts

In 1987, Tecmo released a game to arcades called Tecmo Bowl. The game used a dual-screen cabinet which allowed up to four players to compete in games between two fictional American football teams. In 1989, the game was ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System. It would be notable as the very first time that an American football game featured actual NFL players.

I first learned of it thanks to Pat the NES Punk's review of the game, as I was a bit too young for the NES's big heyday. Heck, the only football game I ever played was a Madden game for the SNES.

The NES version of Tecmo Bowl would be a hit, spawning a small game franchise. The game would eventually get ported to the Game Boy and even mobile devices. And now, it's coming to the Nintendo Switch! Yes, thanks to Hamster Corporation, the original version of Tecmo Bowl has arrived as part of the Arcade Archives series! Let's take a look at the launch trailer!

I kind of like the graphics.

Okay, I get why the players are wearing red and blue. But why is one in purple? I'm no expert in American-style football, but I think that's a bit off.

This trailer isn't much, it's just gameplay footage.

What's a First Down?

Run! Run, purple guy, run!

Seriously, why is that guy in purple?

The noise of the football players colliding is kind of funny.

TOUCHDOWN!

And it looks like the Wildcats get to score first! Yeah, in the original arcade version, the teams you play as are the Wildcats and the Bulldogs. It was the NES version that had real NFL players and teams.

Oh, I get it! The purple guy is the one you play as! It's an indicator. Boy, do I feel stupid, ha ha. And it looks like we got a field goal attempt going! Yeah, I know that from that old Madden game.

AND IT'S GOOD!

Well, I have to admit that I am curious about this game. The thing is, I've never really been one for sports games. But if you like American football, I think you'll enjoy this game. Heck, this may have gotten you into the sport in the first place! Maybe I will give it the old college try.

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