Wonder Woman #218 (July 1975) - Part 2

Last month, I took a look at the first Labor of Wonder Woman in Wonder Woman #218. I had decided to do a two-part review because this comic had two Labors in it for some reason, and I wanted to cover one Labor each month. The first Labor in this comic I found rather lacking. Hopefully, this second Labor will be more fun! Let's take a look at the second story in Wonder Woman #218!

As I have said in the past, I liked this cover. It's a Nick Cardy piece, and this Labor is is what is being previewed here. You'll see what I mean. Look at Part 1 for my review to hear more of my thoughts on this cover.

"Give Her Liberty--and Give Her Death!"

Writer: Martin Pasko

Penciler: Kurt Schaffenberger

Inker: Kurt Schaffenberger

Colorist: Unknown

Letterer: Unknown

Editor: Julius Schwartz

The story begins on the Justice League Satellite. The JLA are debating over who should monitor Wonder Woman's 8th trial. However, one face basically steps in and says, "I'll do it!"

Meet the Phantom Stranger. I'm not sure if we've talked about him much here in this blog. He's had a variety of possible origins. What is known is that he's a being of incredible godlike power, who basically uses it as a guide to help others take care of crises.

He shows the League a crystal ball that, as you can see, is showing the Statue of Liberty coming after the Amazing Amazon like she owes money to the statue. The ball then shows an old enemy of the League: One Felix Faust. He's managed to escape jail again, and he's summoned some demons. He's been trying for years to mystically conquer America, and he keeps failing. The sorcerer is at the end of his rope, and doesn't know what to do. The demons give their response:

After their little impromptu poetry slam, they leave behind some mystic texts for Felix to look through. The ball than shows Diana Prince enjoying the sight of the Statue of Liberty at New York Harbor. The statue then comes to life, and she is hacked off.

"When she said 'give me your huddled masses yearning to breathe free', she meant it."

Diana tries to use her magic lasso to get the Statue to stop, but Lady Liberty is able to resist her command. She then notices that the angry statue is shrinking in size as it flies off. Diana pursues the rogue landmark in her Invisible Jet, until she ends up powerless thanks to some magic chains linking her bracelets. She's knocked out by a spike being fired from the tiny Lady Liberty's crown. When she wakes up, in typical Wonder Woman style, she's bound and in peril.

"Marston would be proud, Felix."

Diana notices that Faust is wearing the tiny Statue of Liberty around his neck like an amulet, and wants to know why. Faust had allowed her one question before he finished her off with the gas in the chamber she was trapped in, but not that one. Diana lets out a scream that causes her manacles to disappear. You see, when Felix Faust cast the spell that allowed him to animate the Statue of Liberty, he did it as a high-frequency signal that most people can't hear. However, the vibrations of Wonder Woman's lasso allowed her to hear it. And since Diana knows every language, she was able to translate it, and reverse her imprisonment.

Felix tries to flee, but Wonder Woman is able to easily catch up with him. She screams to reverse Faust's statue spell, and the statue starts to grow. He chants his own spell, but Wondy shuts him up thanks to her lasso.

"BAH GAWD, KING! SHE SHATTERED THE DARN SOUND EFFECT!"

Faust is furious. All his years of scheming down the drain. He had learned than when the Statue was built, certain mystical forces had been in alignment. These forces would cause the statue to become an actual spirit of liberty and freedom. It's very Golden Age.

Felix tries to blast Wondy with some magic bolts, but she's able to use her bracelets to make him eat his own mystic energy. And with that, the day is saved. The Statue of Liberty is restored to her home, and Faust's mystic tomes are confiscated by Wonder Woman and kept on Paradise Island. The Phantom Stranger vanishes, but it's clear. Diana has shown once again she is worthy of rejoining the JLA, not that the League likely ever questioned it.

The story ends with Superman being worried. Diana was able to handle a crisis the JLA didn't know about. What if another crisis happens, and the JLA is unable to be there to handle it because they're monitoring Wonder Woman?

This story was, in my honest opinion, was better than the last story in this issue. I liked seeing Green Arrow freaking out about the Phantom Stranger. It's an insane story, but considering that the villain is a sorcerer, I felt that the sillier stuff is more forgivable. After all, magic can make things loopy. Also, Kurt Schaffenberger, like in the last story turns in some great art. I think he would have made a great regular artist for Wondy like he did for Lois Lane. His art is a joy to look at.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend hunting down the 2012 trade paperback Wonder Woman: The Twelve Labors. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other. Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, and wear your mask! See you next time, when we join up with the original X-Factor as they battle a pair of dangerous, and tragic mutants...

Panzer Paladin Launch Trailer, My Thoughts

Over the last few years, it has been popular to create games that evoke the classic 8 and 16-bit era of video games. It makes sense, as many of today's game developers grew up playing games during those eras. The people at Canadian game studio Tribute Games are no different. This little offering from them is not just for those who liked those eras of games, but also for those who were fond of giant mechas like Gundam...and swords. Let's look at the launch trailer for Panzer Paladin!

Well, this looks neat. That's what I thought when seeing this for the first time. I like robots.

...what is this thing called, anyway? Pyramidas? Pharoah Man? Seriously, what is this giant robot called? I found this picture of it years ago.

Panzer Paladin. Now that is a name with some punch.

I love the mechanic of beating down enemies with their own weapons. Reminds me of Armored Warriors a bit. Speaking of Armored Warriors, if you like beat-em-ups, get the Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle. It's awesome. Seven great games.

I like the usage of the announcer. Makes the trailer come off as more epic and exciting. It's like you have to get this game.

You can leave the robot and fight enemies yourself? Reminds me of Blaster Master. The reboot was pretty good, too.

Hey, you can make weapons, too? Sweet! I'm gonna beat monsters with a fish. Monty Python-style!

I'm no speedrun fan myself, but I'm sure there are people who are happy to have this mode. I hope they are.

Travel the world, pilot a robot, and cut monsters open with a sword? Where do I sign up for this? What's the pay? Are there benefits? Does this job come with good insurance? I hope so. Because this looks fun!

Well, I consider this a game I have to play! It reminds me a lot of games that I really enjoyed, like Shovel Knight, DuckTales, Mega Man, the remake of Blaster Master, etc. It also is about a giant mecha travelling the world beating up demons. How is that not awesome?! I mean, that's so cool! How can you not want to play a game like this?! This is a definite add to the Switch library.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, share it with others! Take care of yourselves, and each other. Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, and wear a mask. See you next time!

Battletoads Trailer, My Thoughts

Back in 1991, Tradewest released the Rare-developed video game known as Battletoads for the NES. The game told the tale of Rash, Pimple, and Zitz. They were a trio of hard-brawlin' anthromorphic amphibians who fought to save the universe from the evil machinations of the Dark Queen. 

The game would get ported to various consoles and computers, including the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, the Amiga, and the Game Boy. The game was praised for its variety of playstyles and graphics, but did get criticism for its notorious difficulty.

The game would spawn a minor franchise, even doing a crossover with Double Dragon. It has been announced that a new game is coming. Let's look at the trailer for it!

I've seen the new look of the Battletoads compared to cartoons like Rise of the TMNT, and I can see why. I think Rise has more fluid animation.

Heh, people may complain the Dark Queen's design isn't "sexy" enough, but this version has already shown she has something resembling a personality. Far more than the original had.

Oh, I get what's going on here. The Queen's going to trick the Battletoads into doing her bidding until they realize she's the bad guy and they kick the tar out of her. Not complaining about this, Battletoads doesn't need to have a complex story.

Green shape is right. Pink Shape looks great. That workout plan's really done them good.

Now THIS is what people play Battletoads for! This looks fun! The 'Toads morphing into things while fighting is pretty funny.

It's kind of a shame that this game likely has no online multiplayer. I do get they're homaging the original not having it, but it would be nice for those who like that sort of thing. Doesn't bother me personally.

Ohhh, the Turbo Tunnel. This was a notoriously difficult part of the original game, so it's not surprising that it was brought back. A whole new generation of gamers will get tormented!

Hey, there's a space shooter part of this game?! Awesome!

Yeah, working for the Dark Queen is not something you may want to be famous for, boys.

Well, this game looks like a ton of fun. I am a bit sad that it's likely that this game is never coming to the Nintendo Switch. Previous Battletoads games have come to Nintendo systems in the past, so it's kind of strange that that's likely not going to be the case here. I get why, but it's a shame. Still it looks like a ton of fun, and I hope it does well.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other. Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, and wear a mask! See you next time!

Batman #377 (November 1984)

Throughout his long history, Batman has fought a variety of foes, street-level criminals and supervillains alike. However, one foe he faced in the mid-1980s could be argued as one of his...strangest. She once was an astronomer, but an accident transformed her into a pale criminal obsessed with the nights of Gotham. Her name was Natalia Knight, aka Nocturna.

The Nocturna Saga was a big part of Batman's life in the Me Decade, and the last major villain he'd fight before the Crisis on Infinite Earths hit. Her saga would end right when the red skies of the Crisis covered Gotham. Rather appropriate, if you ask me. However, like a lot of things post-Crisis, she would return, but not quite the same she once was. Much like many other pre-Crisis elements of the DCU reintroduced after the event. So, with that out of the way, let's look at Batman #377!

 

The cover is pretty awesome! It's an Ed Hannigan, Dick Giordano, and Anthony Tollin piece. It's like a warped dream, what with Jason Todd riding on a bed with wild legs. Batman is flying towards him with actual wings for arms. How does he eat? And then there's the main woman herself: Nocturna. Her pose and the shadows covering her face give her a monstrous look. It's like she's a vampire or a dark sorceress that is cursing our Dynamic Duo. It's such a unique cover, I love it so much!

"The Slayer of Night"

Writer: Doug Moench

Penciler: Don Newton

Inker: Alfredo Alcala

Colorist: Adrienne Roy

Letterers: Ben Oda, Alfredo Alcala

Editor: Len Wein

Executive Editor: Dick Giordano

The real story begins in a courtroom. There's a bit of a legal battle going on. In one corner, in the pink suit, is one Bruce Wayne. In the other corner, in a black dress, is one Natalia Knight. The judge is getting ready to make his decision. He's rather impressed by Knight, but Bruce angrily objects to this.

Yeah, she looks like a porcelain doll, and she lives in Gotham City. No wonder Bruce thinks she's a supervillain. Well, she is, but that's beside the point. You see, the two are battling it out for custody of Jason Todd, aka the second Robin. Despite the billionaire's objections, the judge is willing to grant Knight's petition to adopt Todd. He's further convinced by Todd himself saying that he wants to be adopted by the pale ex-astronomer.

Wayne is convinced that the judge is being bought off. Knight tells him that there is a way that he can still be a part of Jason's life. Since the judge is clearly going to let Natalia adopt the young Robin, he can become his father by marrying her. Bruce decides that he needs to pay Jason a visit at the Gotham Bureau of Child Welfare, which he does...that night.

Batman is utterly confused by Jason's decision. Why would he want to be adopted by the pale criminal? Well, to collect evidence. Jason was hoping that as Natalia's new son, he could find some hard evidence proving she's Nocturna, get it to Batman, and then they can bust her. Batman thinks the idea is really ill-advised. After all, so much could go wrong. He thinks Jason is doing this to try and prove his worth to him. But Jason doesn't need to do that. Batman is already convinced f his worth. Jason just needs to understand that.

Amanda Groscz, Jason's guardian, hears them and checks it out, only to find Jason alone, reading a book. He's got homework to do, after all. He then breaks down into tears. He hates it here. He wants to go home. To Bruce and Alfred. Groscz never thought highly of Wayne as a guardian, but if Jason really wants to go home to them that badly...maybe she underestimated him. She asks him why he said he wanted to be adopted by Natalia Knight, then. Well, Natalia was nice to Jason, and Groscz hates Bruce Wayne, so she'd never let him adopt Jason. If letting Natalia adopt Jason meant getting out of the Bureau, he'll take it. This saddens Amanda, making her question if she is really any good at her job.

We then look in at the Gotham Penitentiary upstate. Batman is there investigating a breakout. Last Tuesday, a sudden storm rolled in over the prison. The clouds made it very dark, and the prison did a headcount for their prisoners. After all, in a superhero universe like the DCU, it's very feasible that this storm was not a natural one. Their inventory revealed that one of the inmates escaped: One Anton Knight.

Knight was the son of a gangster named Charles Knight. He travelled the world, dedicating his life to being a skilled fighter and master of stealth. He also is Natalia's adopted brother. He became a thief to help support his adopted sister. He had murdered a man named Sturges Hellstrom, aka Nightshade.



No, there's no relation. This murder got Anton the name of Night-Slayer. And there's only one place that he'd go...to his sister Nocturna. We join Nocturna herself enjoying her favorite hobby, gazing at the night skies of Gotham.

She laments the absence of someone to love while staring up at the skies and full moon over the city. Anton returns to her, telling her he's dealt with Hellstrom. Natalia is horrified by this. She had no issue with thievery, yes. But murder? It ruined the romance of the night to her. I can imagine that from a practical perspective, Natalia being linked to a murder would also hurt her petition to adopt Jason Todd. A heartbroken Anton leaves. Yeah, he has a bit of a thing for Natalia. They're not biological siblings, but it is creepy.

Back in Wayne Manor, Bruce and Alfred are playing a nice game of chess, and they're discussing Bruce's personal life. The whole Jason situation and his romantic issues with reporter Vicki Vale. Yeah, Vicki Vale was from the comics. If you ever saw the 1989 Batman movie, she was portrayed by Kim Basinger. Basically, Alfred is worried that Bruce isn't dedicating enough time to being Bruce Wayne, building a life outside of Batman. After all, even Bruce can't wear the cowl forever, and if it consumes him...what's left?

Speaking of Vicki, what's she doing?

As if fate is proving Alfred right, Vicki's been seeing another guy, but she's still attached to Bruce. Over at Picture News (where Vicki was working as a photographer), Julia Remarque Pennyworth spies some photos of Bruce on Vicki's desk...and starts to develop a crush on the crime-fighting billionaire. Seriously, what is it about Bruce that makes all these women go nuts for him? It's the Batmobile, isn't it?

You may be wondering who Julia Pennyworth is. Well, basically, she was Alfred's daughter. Her mother was Mademoiselle Marie, a French resistance fighter during WWII. Marie first appeared in Star-Spangled War Stories #84 (August 1959), by Robert Kanigher and Jerry Grandenetti. Julia would be erased from DC canon after Crisis on Infinite Earths, but Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV would reintroduce her in the New 52 universe in Batman #28 (April 2014). Anyway, Julia makes off with the photos.

Bruce Wayne dons his Batman togs and heads out into the night, despite his knowing he's growing more obsessed with Nocturna. The Dark Knight pays Nocturna a visit, and he discovers that she is wearing a perfume that acts like a drug. It clouds the Caped Crusader's mind, whereas she admits to having committed theft in the past, but harmed no one. She tries to play on their mutual obsession with the night, the two closing in for a kiss...

Way to ruin the mood, Anton. He is furious that Batman seems to have the hots for her. This was why he killed Hellstrom. He had a thing for her, too. The Night-Slayer and the Batman brawl into Nocturna's apartment, but the Bat's reflexes are clouded by Nocturna's perfume. The two tumble out of the apartment and land on a lower roof. Anton recovers first. The crazed killer is about to introduce Batman's head to his knife, but...BLAM!

He takes a shot to the back. The gunman was a gunwoman. Natalia Knight herself fired the shot that brought down the Night-Slayer. Batman notices the brightness of the moon, seeing it in the pale face of Nocturna. The story ends with the two sharing a kiss, and further falls being promised.

This comic was pretty fun. There's plenty of drama with Bruce's struggles to formally adopt Jason Todd. It does lead me to wonder if he ever did the same for Dick Grayson back in the day, though. It's also interesting to see Jason be portrayed as a likeable kid, eager to prove himself as a new Robin. His origin was similar to Dick's, as well. After Crisis on Infinite Earths, Jason was revamped to be an orphaned street delinquent, and have a much angrier and more brutal personality. I think this was one of the factors that led to fans calling for him to be killed off in the notorious Death in the Family storyline. So it's kind of neat to see pre-Crisis Jason being shown to be a decent kid.  

One interesting thing I noticed in this comic is that Nocturna and Night-Slayer's dialogue is rather...melodramatic, for a lack of a better term. It give the vibe that they stepped right out one of those old gothic romance novels. It's rather amusing.

Don Newton's name does not pop up often when mentioning comic artists, and I think that's a real shame. He does some fantastic work here. Quite a few of the poses Newton does for Nocturna are pretty melodramatic, and it's kind of hilarious. It does fit her melodramatic character, so kudos to him for that.

This comic has not been reprinted in trade as far as I know, so you'll have to search the back issue bins for it. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, and wear a mask! See you next time, when we join Wonder Woman in the second part of a two-part labor...

Text Play: Pokemon Zeta #11

Hello, and welcome back to the Vesryn region! This is the 11th entry in my Text Play of Pokémon Zeta!

As always, I want to warn you, I will be spoiling the game here. As such, if you want to play this game for yourself, I recommend downloading the game at its wiki right here. No emulator needed! Let's go!

Last time, I ended with preparing to run the gauntlet of Team Olympus members as part of my first assignment with the Ranger Club. I had tried to do it once, but despite my buying plenty of supplies for it, I got my butt handed to me. Yeah. That sucked.

As such, I felt the need to do some grinding. And I spent quite a bit of time doing so. Weepinbell was surprisingly easy to train up a bit on Route 310. There's plenty of Grass-type Pokémon there, and Weepinbell knows Acid. Acid is a Poison-type attack, and Poison-type attacks are super-effective against Grass Pokémon. It's also a good Route for training up my Magmar, it being a Fire-type and all.

However, it's not a great Route for training up my Seadra or Gabite. Seadra is Water and Gabite is Dragon/Ground. Grass is strong against Water and Ground. That's a pain. There are wild Charmeleons on Route 310 though, so it's not all bad. They do know Dragon Rage, though. Dragon Rage always does 40 HP of damage, and my Pokémon are at the mid-30s in power level right now, so that can hurt.

And admittedly, the grinding did start to wear on me a little bit. I got no issue with grinding in an RPG, but even I have my limits.

As such, I figured that maybe if I go a bit forward with this game's main story, I can make my Pokémon stronger and more ready to face the Team Olympus Gauntlet. So, where do we go next? We've beaten the Gym, and collected this town's Ancient Tome (Reminder: it was hidden in the bookcase in the house that had the Smeargle running around). There's also a hidden item near the beach.

It's a bit hard to see with the tree in the way, but it's there. It's a Max Ether. Can't go wrong with stocking up Ethers. Never understood why they were so darned expensive... Anyway, let's hit the beach! And we reunite with an old friend!

We've encountered Jeremy in the past. One of Professor Oak's assistants, we first met him way back in the Escape Route. He basically helped provide the tutorial for battling to new players and was the first person you battled in the game. We met him again in Zarivar Town. And now, he's here. Probably on a mission from Oak or something. He wants to engage in a friendly battle with me. If I win, I get HM03 (Surf). I'll need that thing, so let's do this!

1st Pokémon: Granbull (Lv. 32) - Defeated by Butterfree.

2nd Pokémon: Swablu (Lv. 30) - Defeated by Luxray

3rd Pokémon: Nidorino (Lv. 31) - Defeated by Gabite

4th Pokémon: Weepinbell (Lv. 30) - Defeated by Magmar

Jeremy's Pokémon team differs slightly depending on which Pokémon you pick at the start of the game. He always ends up with the Pokémon starter that's weak against your chosen starter. Since I started with Magby (Fire), he ended up with Bellsprout (Grass).

Not only do I get HM03, but I got some info. Turns out that Team Olympus is infesting Ladoga Town, which is eastwards of Kivu. Wonderful. Considering the Ranger Club has also been dealing with these guys, it's no surprise they're become like cockroaches. But then again, the game is not over yet, so it makes sense that they're still around.

I admit, I'm still very reluctant to use the HM despite its necessity here. I have ranted about how I'd prefer items like the Dolly and the Machete to HMs. I just wish instead of this HM, I had gotten an item, like a boat or a raft. Or even something like...this.

That's a real thing. That's a real thing, it's awesome, and I want it. Anyway, I picked up some Pokéballs, and taught Surf to Swirla, my Poliwhirl. And away we go!

Heh heh, you become a Lapras. This waterway is Route 311. There are plenty of swimmers floating around who want to fight. There's also lots of little "islands" all over the route. One had an item.

It's TM18 (Rain Dance). I kept going forward, and there was another little island with an item on it.

It's a Full Restore. You should get it. Route 311 leads right to Ladoga Town. And yes, it continues the lake theme. Ladoga Town is named after Lake Ladoga in Russia. It's the largest lake in Europe.

One of the first things I noticed when I arrived in town was this closed-off entryway here.

The purpose of this bicycle path is supposed to provide a shortcut to another town called Yangtze Town. I looked in the game's wiki about it, and I have some unfortunate spoilers. It doesn't open. It never does. Seriously. 

That's insane. What's the point of this Cycling Road entrance, then?! When you see something like this in a Pokémon game, you naturally assume that it will be opened at some point. This seems like a cruel joke! Why put this there if it's never going to be used?! I'd love to see a Cycling Road here! Cycling Roads are awesome! This is cruel.

But it's not important right now. Since we're in a new town, we have to uphold the old RPG tradition: Talk to everyone. And when I did so, I heard this interesting thing.

Yeah, this appears to possibly be Team Olympus's endgame: summoning a Pokémon called "Divaevus". Thing is...there's no such Pokémon. There really is not. It's a bit surprising to see as this game has pretty much used only "official" Pokémon so far. There are fangames out there that use original Pokémon, called "Fakémon" among fans. This, however, seemed to want to imitate an "official" fangame. I don't hate the addition of new original Pokémon, it's just a surprise. And if you want a laugh, talk to this dude.

He really loves the Luvdiscs. You get the same answer with all three choices, and I don't think it affects anything, so it's some harmless silly thing. But there is something interesting here. You know those Ancient Tomes that we have been finding all over the region? Well, there's a man living in a house above the Pokémon Center here. He's a bit of a rare book collector. And he says he'll take those Tomes off my hands in exchange for something special. Thing is, he wants the complete set. All 12 tomes, and I have only...4 or 5 right now, I think? I don't know, the game does not keep much track. But there are some cool things here. One is...you can get a Pokémon here.

I recommend leaving a spot open in your party before you come here. He gives you an Egg, one that he's been desperately trying to get rid of for some reason. It hatches into a Happiny.

And I think we'll stop here for right now. I want to maintain a monthly schedule on this Text Play, and I apologize if this sentry seemed a bit short and sudden in the end. My job has been taking up more of my time lately, and ending it here was the only way to keep the monthly schedule.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, and wear your mask! See you next time!

Pokémon Obtained:
(Route 311)
- Wingull

(Ladoga Town)

- Happiny

Justice League of America #196 (November 1981)

Back in November 2018, I reviewed Justice League of America #195 (October 1981). It was a multiversal adventure in which the Secret Society of Super-Villains captured some the members of the main superhero teams of two worlds: Earths One and Two. But there still some left to catch. So, how does tha go down? Let's find out in Justice League of America #196!

The cover is a George Perez piece, and naturally, it's quite awesome. It shows the Ultra-Humanite standing triumphant over the heroes. A nice detail I like is that he's standing right over Kal-L, the Earth-Two Superman. It does make sense, as the two were enemies for years. But then again, that's Perez for you. He's good with little details like that.

"Countdown to Crisis!"

Writer: Gerry Conway

Penciler: George Perez

Inker: Romeo Tanghal

Colorist: Carl Gafford

Letterer: Ben Oda

Editor: Len Wein

Executive Editor: Joe Orlando

The story begins with the Secret Society gloating over their success in capturing some of the target heroes of Earths One and Two.

It's here we get a bit of a recap of the previous issue. Basically, the Ultra-Humanite discovered that if ten particular superheroes from Earths One and Two were removed from the space-time continuum, the cosmos would get unbalanced. And the cosmos would rebalance itself by removing all the superheroes of one of these Earths. Ultra-Humanite claims to his villainous compatriots that he is unsure which of the Earths will lose their defenders. In actuality, he does know: his native Earth-Two.

"Gotta make sure everyone is caught up. That's common courtesy!"

This new Secret Society has managed to capture Wonder Woman and Black Canary of Earth-One, and the Hawkman of Earth-Two. Three down, seven to go. We check in on the Psycho-Pirate (You may remember him from my Crisis on Infinite Earths reviews) is on the Gotham City of Earth-Two. It's here that Hourman in his regular identity of chemist/businessman Rex Tyler is attending a dinner.

"Am I really...that boring?"

Rex announces a little film to promote his company's environmental initiative. The Psycho-Pirate knocks out the film projectionist and puts his face on the screen. Using his power to manipulate emotions, the Pirate causes the audience to laugh, and then flee in terror. Rex is unaffected, because he's not looking at the screen. He switches to Hourman.

"Prepare for an hour of pure, unadulterated American-made PAIN!"

Hourman easily beats down the Pirate, until the emotion-manipulator uses a small crystal device to make his face appear everywhere.

"Aw, no! His ugliness is on EVERYTHING!"

With nowhere to flee, Hourman is forced to gaze upon the Psycho-Pirate's tired expression...and off to dreamland he goes. Night night, Rex. Pleasant dreams. Four down, six to go. One detail about this fight I really liked was that there were captions telling the time. It makes sense for Hourman as thanks to his Miraclo, he has superpowers for one hour. Clever bit there. We then switch to Gotham City's Earth-One counterpart. The Dark Knight swings over the night skies, when he spots a bright light erupting from the top of the tallest building in the Midtown area.

"Aww, Bullock got drunk and broke the Bat-Signal again, didn't he?"

The light erupts in intensity, causing Batman to fall. The Signalman has struck! However, the Caped Crusader was able to save himself by swinging into a movie marquee in front of a crowd of people. He then notices flashes of light blinking around him like they're trying to communicate in Morse code or something. It's the Signalman's newest trick: strobe lights that affect people's nervous systems, allowing him to take control of people's minds. His order to the crowd? Clip Batman's wings.

"Hey hey HEY! It wasn't MY fault Batman v Superman was so terrible!"

The crowd overwhelms the Gotham Guardian. Five down, five to go. We jump to Keystone City on Earth-Two. Jay Garrick, this Earth's Flash, races to the docks for a meeting. He got a call that a tipster wants to give him some information. The tipster tells the Original Scarlet Speedster that the Rag Doll is hiding out on a ship called the Lazy Sue. The tipster is actually a disguised Monocle, and the trap is set.

Jay searches the ship, and can't seem to find the limber malefactor...until he realizes that since the Rag Doll is a contortionist, he can hide in places most people can't. The vile villain tries to ambush Jay from within a pipe, but Jay dodges it. He pursues the villain until he gets hit with an explosion, knocking the old hero into unconsciousness. Six down, four to go.

Back to Earth-One! In particular, Ivy Town in New England. The police call on the Atom to help deal with the Floronic Man. He's holding hostages in, naturally, the Ivy Town Arboretum. The Mighty Mite and the former human horticulturalist fight, but the former Jason Woodrue is able to get the win thanks to some mutated vines and special knockout pollen. Seven down, three to go.

And we jump to Earth-Two! Yeah, we're doing a little Earth ping-pong in this story. One Jonathan "Johnny" Thunder has won a little prize, and he's come to pick it up.

"I feel like I'm being tricked, but hey! Free suit!"

Aberhombie and Fitch. Was that the Earth-Two version of Abercrombie and Fitch? When coming to collect, he accidentally summons his genie, the Thunderbolt. You see, Johnny can summon the Thunderbolt by saying the phrase "Cei-U". However, it's pronounced "say you", so he can end up literally summoning the Thunderbolt just by having a casual conversation. The Thunderbolt notices that everyone else in the store seems still. Quiet. Like they were mannequins. The genie realizes that everyone is under a hypnotic spell. Johnny didn't notice because he...is not very bright. You see, despite his being a member of the JSA, Johnny's solo adventures tend to be more comedic because of this.

The Thunderbolt discovers the villain Brainwave, but gets torn apart by his mental powers. With the Thunderbolt out of the way, Brainwave then tries to fry Johnny Thunder himself. Thunder is able to find his Thunderbolt seemingly trapped in a bottle of cleaning fluid.  The man tries to flee his genie, but it's an illusion created by Brainwave. And with that, another hero is captured. Eight down, two to go.

We next go back to Earth-1, all this multiverse hopping is giving me a headache. One Ronnie Raymond is preparing to enjoy some TV at his home with his best gal, Doreen Day. The tube puts out a special bulletin from Plot Convenience News: Killer Frost has escaped jail, and she's rampaging in Manhattan. Ronnie heads outside and transforms into Firestorm (dragging Dr. Martin Stein out of the first decent meal he had in months). The two-in-one hero engage the ice maiden. She keeps trying to blast Firestorm, but she seemingly can't hit him...or can she?

"Agh, my buttbone!"

Yup, she was icing up the ceiling to make it collapse on the matter manipulator's head. Nine down, one to go. Back on Earth-Two's Metropolis, Kal-L, aka the Original Man of Steel, is investigating vandals at the zoo, when he gets attacked by the Ultra-Humanite.

Before his eventual battle against Godzilla, King Kong got a warmup against Superman.

The two fight, the brain-swapping mad scientist using gorillas and elephants against the elder Kryptonian. Ultra-Humanite gets one up on Supes by using Kryptonite spray. And with that, it's done. All ten heroes are collected. At the new Injustice Society's headquarters, the heroes are placed into special stasis tubes. Cheetah wants to tear out their throats, but they have to be alive when they're sent to limbo. The tubes are part of a centrifuge-like device. The story ends with the Ultra-Humanite activating the device. It spins faster and faster, until it activates a space-time warp, and the trapped heroes are sent to limbo.

When being transported into Limbo, please remember to keep your limbs inside the capsule at all times.

This story was enjoyable...despite not much seemingly happening. Seriously. All that really happened in this story was a bunch of heroes got captured. Perez does make the fight scenes really look spectacular, with nice storytelling and flashes of character. I did admittedly get a bit annoyed with the constant going back-and-forth between the two Earths. It's just something that bugged me personally, it's not hurting the story. I don't know why. I would have also liked to see some more interaction between the villains. Would have helped with foreshadowing to maybe hint that the Earth-One villains didn't really trust the Ultra-Humanite. After all, he was lying about which Earth would lose their heroes...

It's worth the price of admission alone, but this comic is really best when read as part of a trade than on its own. Luckily, you can find it if you track down the 2013 trade paperback Crisis on Multiple Earths Vol. 6. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other. Stay safe, stay home, stay healthy, wash your hands often, and wear a mask! Join me next time, when we join the Dark Knight as he has some trouble with...the night...

Nintendo Switch Online July Game Updates, My Thoughts

The Nintendo Switch Online service is growing! We got three old-school games coming on board to take their place in the mighty library! Let's take a look!

Donkey Kong Country - Hey, DKC! Developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the SNES in 1994, there's not much I can say about this game that so many people already have. I was one of the first console games to have pre-rendered graphics, and it was the first Donkey Kong game that Shigeru Miyamoto did not direct or produce. It would be the third best-selling game for the SNES, and help keep the SNES popular when more advanced consoles like the PlayStation came out.

I'm surprised this didn't come to the Nintendo Switch Online Service sooner! It's a classic game, and I think it's one everyone should play. I believe I own the Game Boy Advance port of it. Play it, it's a great game!

Natsume Championship Wrestling - Developed and published by Natsume for the Super Nintendo in 1994. This was a conversion of a Japanese video game for the Super Famicom (The Japanese SNES), the original was based on a video game that used wresters from All-Japan Pro Wrestling.

This game was given mixed reception by critics. I've never heard of this game before, and it looks neat.

Ooh, that clothesline looked like it hurt!

The Immortal - Developed by Will Harvey and published by Electronic Arts, this game was ported from the Apple IIGS to the NES in 1990. The game has been praised for its graphics and controls, but criticized for its linear gameplay and lack of replay value. It also had a surprising amount of graphic violence for a game of the time. In the game, you play as a wizard that is searching through a labyrinth to find their mentor.

I first learned of this game thanks to the Angry Video Game Nerd. He did an episode on it. It looked kind of "meh" to me. As much as I love seeing lesser-known games get some exposure, this really doesn't do anything for me personally. If you remember it, I'm sure you'd like to play it again.

I do wish that the updates had more than only three games at a time. I can't help but wonder why they bring out such a low number. Still it is nice to see the Switch Online game library growing, and they're giving lesser-known games some love in the updates.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourself and each other. Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, and wear a mask. See you next time!