Omega the Unknown #1 (March 1976)

The 1970s was a rather interesting time for Marvel Comics. In the previous decade, fans saw the foundations of the modern Marvel Universe come to be. The beginnings of the X-Men, Spider-Man, the Avengers (which featured a second more successful attempt at reviving Captain America), the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Daredevil, the original Guardians of the Galaxy, among others.

With the loosening of the Comics Code, Marvel was able to branch out further into other genres, like sword-and-sorcery (Conan the Barbarian), martial arts (Shang-Chi), and science fiction (Killraven). One of the writers working for Marvel at the time was the late Steve Gerber, who is most famous for co-creating Howard the Duck. 

In 1976, Gerber (alongside Mary Skrenes and Jim Mooney) set out to tell a story of a rather unique superhero. This is the first appearance of that superhero. This is Omega the Unknown #1!

The cover is pretty neat. An Ed Hannigan piece, it depicts our man Omega rushing to save a boy from a mysterious being. It's a well-made cover, but it is a bit deceptive. You'll see what I mean.

"Omega the Unknown"
Writers: Steve Gerber, Mary Skrenes
Penciler: Jim Mooney
Inker: Unknown (Heh)
Colorist: Petra Goldberg
Letterer: John Costanza
Editor: Marv Wolfman
Editor-in-Chief: Gerry Conway

The story begins with our mysterious Greek letter-named man seemingly on the run.

Omega fights off some strange men, showing that he is incredibly strong. He can also fire energy beams from his hands. One of the men is able to blast him in the back, making him scream.

At the same time on Earth, a young boy named James-Michael Sterling is screaming as well. He woke up from a nightmare. Seemingly, the battle we saw was that nightmare. His parents come in to comfort him. James-Michael grew up home-schooled, but his parents want him to attend a regular school. The Starlings think it will be good for him. He'll be able to befriend other kids, experience new things, broaden his horizons a bit. 

James-Michael isn't so sure. He is bored by other kids. The next morning, the Starlings head out from their home in the upstate mountains to New York City, where J-M's new school is. You know, I live in Upstate New York. New York City is not exactly a short commute. There were no towns closer to the Starlings' home he could have gone to that had schools?

The Starlings try to get J-M excited. This is a new adventure for him, and he should embrace it. However, the trip is cut short when the Starlings' car hits a truck. J-M is thrown from the car, and it appears that he's the only survivor...until he hears his mother. It's here that he gets a shocking surprise.

Huh. So, Mrs. Starling is a robot. That must've been awkward when James-Michael asked them about the birds and the bees. "Well, you see, son. When a boy-bot meets a girl-bot..."

Okay, okay! Anyway, James-Michael is left confused by his mother's last words. What "voices" was she talking about? Some people run to help the boy (remember, he was thrown from the Starling family car), but he's numbed by the shock and trauma...and he starts hearing whispers in his head. Uh-oh... The scene then switches back to space. How's our man Omega been doing?

Oh. Yeah, he's had better days. These strange metal men he was fighting are forcing him to watch. To watch as they destroy the homes of and slaughter these seemingly innocent villagers. There's only one option left to the mysterious Omega: Get the heck out of Dodge. He breaks his restraints and makes his way to a rocketship. He has a destination planned, and a reason to get there...but it's not revealed to us. Omega then stares into the darkness of space...

...as James-Michael Starling emerges from some darkness of his own. He finds himself waking in a hospital bed, in restraints. The boy is wondering where he is. The nurse, a Ruth Hart, explains he's in the Barrow Clinic in New York City. He thrashed a lot in his sleep, hence the restraints. She calls the doctor to tell him Jimmy-Mike is awake, but Hart notes that the boy sounds so analytical and cold. Almost...robotic.

A moment later, Dr. James Barrow arrives to talk to the boy. 

Wait, his name is Barrow. Does that mean he runs the clinic? I can presume so. Privately-funded clinics are a thing, so...back on topic! Barrow explains that James-Michael has just awoken from a coma. One that he's been in for the past month. James-Michael is happy, as he believes he doesn't have to go to the school his parents placed him in after all. Hart remarks that he's finally reacting like a normal kid. Heh heh.

Outside his room, she and Doctor Barrow discuss the clinic's financial woes. You see, the board feels the clinic has taken a few too many charity cases lately, and it's hurt the bottom line. Barrow finds James-Michael's case fascinating for some reason. James-Michael's oddness, the lack of any human remains left at the crash that killed his parents. It's a weird case, and he's hoping that the board will continue funding to let him study this. He asks Hart to spend some time with James-Michael. Get to know him, and learn what she can about him.

She tries to do so over the coming weeks, but it's not very effective. She hasn't learned much...almost as if James-Michael knew what they were planning and he deliberately is keeping quiet. Also adding to Barrow's problems? The board of the clinic is putting pressure to make the clinic profitable. As such, Barrow really has not much other choice but to discharge the boy. But Barrow does have an idea.

He asks Nurse Hart to take him in. After all, he's got nowhere else to go. Hart doesn't mind. All she has to do is clear it with her roommate Amber.

Amber gets introduced to Jimmy-Mike, and the two seem to hit it off. They talk over a game of chess. James-Michael is getting bored with playing alone, as it's causing him to be stuck in his own head. Amber admits to having a similar issue when she tries playing chess alone, which makes James-Michael jump. Ruth and Amber explain that he'll be staying with them for a while. James-Michael agrees as he finds Amber interesting.

That night, James-Michael is having some trouble sleeping. The boy is finding himself thinking about Amber, implying that he's got a bit of a crush. He then gets a visitor...one who is not interested in reading him a nice lullaby.

The metal man scans James-Michael...and believes he is the mysterious "Omega" from earlier. He reaches for his gun to vaporize the boy, but Omega himself shows up and the two brawl in the room. James-Michael instinctively raises his arms...

James-Michael is able to kill the metal man in one blast. He then notes that he's seen Omega in his dreams. He wants to know who his savior is. However, Omega gives no answer. He just takes the metal man's body and departs. Barrow bursts in, confused as to the commotion. He examines James-Michael's hands and notices sudden burns on the palms.

The burns form the Greek letter "omega".

This comic was rather interesting. What I like about the comic is the mysteries between James-Michael Starling and Omega. What is this strange connection between them? Why are his parents robots? It's got plenty of questions, and practically no answers. I also find it rather interesting that Omega himself...is silent. He doesn't say a word during this comic. It's rather unique among superheroes of the era, and it is a good contrast to James-Michael, who is more talkative, albeit unusually mature. 

In another move, Omega himself is not the focus. Despite the fact that he's the title character of the comic, James-Michael clearly gets the lion's share of the spotlight. Omega himself is really just there to provide some action and to help set up the mystery between them. It almost feels like that Gerber and Skrenes want to do a new twist on the Billy Batson/Captain Marvel thing. At least, that's the vibe I get from it.

Since Omega is silent, the art has to carry him, and Jim Mooney does do a decent job. Especially in the close-ups when you can really see Omega's facial expressions. He was kind of an appropriate choice for drawing Omega as he'd had plenty of experience drawing powerhouses at this point.

Omega's series lasted for only ten issues, but managed to become regarded as a cult classic. Gerber had intended to finish Omega's story in The Defenders, but Marvel fired him in 1978. Turns out ol' Steve had an issue with deadlines. However, fans were writing Marvel wanting to see the story finished. As such, the book's then-editor Al Milgrom assigned Steven Grant to finish Omega's storyline. Grant wasn't into the character, but he did try to approach it in a way that Gerber himself would have. Omega's story would be concluded in Defenders #77 (November 1979).

Omega would get a mini-series in 2007, written by novelist Jonathan Lethem and artist Farel Dalrymple. Lethem was a fan of Omega, and felt there was more that could be done with the character. Gerber was unhappy with this, due to his legal battles in the past with Marvel over ownership of Howard the Duck (Gerber was a big supporter of creator rights, from what I understand). Happily, Lethem and Gerber talked things out, and Gerber was basically like, "Yeah, he's cool." I haven't read the 2007 miniseries. If you have, let me know what you think.

Omega the Unknown is a very interesting series, and I highly recommend it if you want to read something lesser-known from the House of Ideas. Omega's original series was reprinted in the 2006 trade paperback Omega the Unknown Classic. 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! Join me next time when we take a look at the first appearance of a certain intergalactic trash panda...

Willy's Wonderland Trailer, My Thoughts

Nighttime at a family restaurant can be scary. I mean, imagine the building in the dark. The animatronic animals seemingly staring. Staring. Endlessly staring. And plotting. Planning. Their goal: End the human race. And the only man that can stop them? Nicholas Cage, the only man likely legitimately crazy enough to fight monstrous robots. No, it's not Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, it's Willy's Wonderland! Let's look at the trailer!

I get people being annoyed by getting their cars keyed. But it could be worse. You could have your tires taken out by sudden spike strip.

Sometimes there are days when all you can do is get drunk.

Yeah, this totally is not Five Nights at Freddy's.

Sheesh, if I was an animatronic, and I looked like that...I'd be filled with murderous rage, too. MAKE ME PRETTYYYYYYYYYYY!

"Kid, I need the job. Shut your hole and let me clean this pinball table in peace, please."

He's Nicholas Cage, kid. He cannot be killed with conventional weaponry. 

Yeah, it's not Nicholas Cage we should be worried about here. We should pray the animatronics survive the night!

I think that most of Nic Cage's dialogue here will just be him screaming like a crazy man. He does crazy man very well. Don't play this at work.

Well, I have to make an admission. I am not really a fan of horror movies. They're scary. Very scary. I don't like scary things. I do Killer Klowns from Outer Space, so I'm hoping this movie is more in that vein. This does look like it'll be some enjoyable dumb fun, so 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!

Machine Man #1 (April 1978)

There has been a question that has plagued humanity since it first gained the ability to comprehend: What makes a human...human? One Marvel character is hardly unfamiliar with this struggle: Aaron Stack, the Machine Man.

First appearing in 2001: A Space Odyssey #8 (July 1977)...yes, there was a comic series based on the 1968 Stanley Kubrick film adaptation of the 1968 Arthur C. Clarke novel. The ongoing series branched off from a Treasury-sized comic adaptation of the film. Jack Kirby would write and draw the adaptation and the spin-off series. The spin-off series would last for 10 issues. 

In his introduction, Aaron Stack was known as "Mister Machine". He was created as part of a series of robots created by Dr. Abel Stack that malfunctioned and went insane when they evolved into sentience. However, Machine Man aka X-51 (because he was the 51st robot made), was able to overcome the malfunction thanks to developing a loving bond with his "father" Abel and encountering one of the Monoliths. Machine Man would be the focus of the series for its final two issues as he ended up on the run from the Army. This would help perk up interest in the series, but not enough to keep the title going.

The comic we're looking at here is the first issue of his own ongoing series. This series would last for nearly twenty issues, with Jack Kirby writing and drawing the first nine. Machine Man would never get an on-going series again after this one, but he would continue making appearances in the Marvel Universe, counting membership in the Avengers (both original and West Coast flavors). He would gain new popularity as part of the Nextwave series, and was most recently adventured with Iron Man during the Iron Man 2020 event. So with that, let's look at Machine Man #1!

The cover is a Jack Kirby piece, and it's pretty awesome. You got our mechanical man front and center, surrounded by soldiers. It sells the idea that he's a being on the run.

"Machine Man"
Writer: Jack Kirby
Artist: Jack Kirby
Inker: Mike Royer
Colorist: Petra Goldberg
Letterer: Mike Royer
Editors: Jack Kirby, Archie Goodwin
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

The story begins with our robotic man finding himself in a not-unusual situation for stars of their own comics in the Marvel Universe: playing hero.

Using his extended arm, he tries to reach out to Freddy the Frightened Young Adventurer. However, Freddy is too paralyzed by fear to grab the arm. He ends up losing his footing and falling off the cliff to his seeming death. Machine Man flies down and grabs him in mid-air. The rescue leaves Freddy's friends in awe of our mechanical hero. He accepts their thanks and takes his leave...by walking down the cliff. Now he's just showing off.

We next shift scenes to an unknown location, home of a top-secret research project. A bureaucrat is visiting one of the scientists, a Dr. Broadhurst, there for a report. It's here we get a basic recap of Machine Man's origins. He was part of a series of robots known as the "X-Models". However, each of these robots eventually evolved into sentience and they went insane, resulting in then getting destroyed. Our mechanical hero was one of those robots, model X-51.

One of the scientists at this project was a psychologist named Abel Stack. Stack took X-51 home and basically raised the robot like a son, even giving him the name Aaron. This seemed to have a positive effect, as X-51's evolution into sentience ended up not resulting in madness. The bureaucrat points out that the roots were all supposed to be destroyed. Since Aaron is still roaming free, he has to be captured. 

Meanwhile, our machine man is leaving a forest when he sees a man trying to get a tree off the road. Luckily, our man is armed with superhuman strength, so he clears the road with ease.

The man is amazed by our robotic hero's strength, and introduces himself as Peter Spaulding. He's a psychologist and he was on vacation. He offers to drive the living robot into town, and the two engage in some small talk. Basically, all Aaron Stack wants to do is just live a regular life. He sees himself as just as human as anyone else. The two drive towards Central City, and encounter some congested traffic. But our Mr. Stack has a very useful device to solve that problem.

Instant motorized skateboard. His weaving through the cars annoys the drivers for some reason, and he gets spotted by some highway patrolmen. These Smokeys found a Bandit to chase! Stack evades them by leaping high into the air. Unknown to the Machine Man, a group of military men are ready to move out. Their mission: Destroy the Machine Man!

This man is Colonel Joe Kragg, birth name Joseph Kragowski. He has a bit of a personal grudge against the Machine Man. You see, he lost many good men stopping the rampage of Aaron's fellow X-Model robots. It's also the reason he's got the eyepatch there. Broadhurst pleads with Kragg to not destroy Aaron. After all, he's the only one of the X-Models to not go insane. He must be studied. But Kragg, much like a certain sea captain with a certain whale, only cares about seeing Stack be reduced to scrap metal. And Kragg will track him down, thanks to a homing device implanted in Aaron's head.

Manwhile, Aaron himself in the outskirts of a town, presumably a suburb of Central City. He gets ambushed by a chopper carrying sonic weaponry. 

Aaron seems to be especially vulnerable to sonics, as he is easily crippled by them. Despite the damage, Aaron can still fight back. He uses a built-in flamethrower to evade the soldiers, and uses tank treads in his arms to escape. He finds a sign revealing that Central City was a couple miles away. Aaron recalls that Peter Spaulding was headed there. The story ends with him deciding that maybe getting Spaulding's help would be a good idea after all.

This comic was rather enjoyable in my opinion. I did notice that the comic did not mention the Monoliths from 2001. I can understand why, as they were likely something they couldn't refer to again due to copyrights. The issue does a good job establishing Aaron's new status quo, and establishing his supporting cast. They're not much character-wise, but nothing that future issues can't build on. It does its job.

Jack Kirby is known for his artwork, and it's pretty enjoyable here. It's rather dynamic, although I do admit, I find his faces rather funny. They seem a bit samey to me. But despite that, it is enjoyable to look at. But then again, it is Jack Kirby. He is the King of Comics, after all. 

If you want to read this for yourself, I highly suggest hunting down the 2016 trade paperback Machine Man by Kirby and Ditko, the Complete Collection. 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! Join me next time, when I look at the beginnings of another piece of lesser-known Marvel history...

A Bigger Badder Bowser Trailer, My Thoughts

In November 2013, Nintendo released the game Super Mario 3D World for the Wii U. It told the tale of Mario's travel through the Sprixie Kingdom, to help save the Kingdom to stop Bowser from conquering it. 

The game was given great praise for its presentation, level design and soundtrack. However, the game was given criticism for its camera work and multiplayer. It sold 5 billion units worldwide, making it the Wii U's 2nd best-selling game. And it's now coming to the Nintendo Switch, with some new content called Bowser's Fury. Let's take a look at the "Bigger Badder Bowser" trailer! 

That's one big Kitty Bell.

Wow, that world looks incredible.

Huh. It's funny seeing Bowser Jr. on Mario's side.

Whoa, watch out for the ostrich beaks! I can imagine that getting pecked by then would hurt.

Huh. I imagine those cat heads are the things you collect in the game, like Shine Sprites in Super Mario Sunshine or the Power Stars in Super Mario 64. Yeah, I get Super Mario 3D All-Stars for Christmas. It's fun!

I wanna ride the plesiosaur.

I get the impression that this is one giant world that you can run around on.

Uh-oh...

Awww, Mario with the kitties.

...WHAT KIND OF STEROIDS DID BOWSER INHALE?!

Bowser with the atomic breath! He's become Bow-Zilla!

Cat Mario is evolving! Congratulations! Your Cat Mario has become Giant Golden Lion Mario!

Of all things to expect in Mario games, I never expected Mario and Bowser to become kaiju. I like it!

I admit, this got me hyped! I really liked the original Super Mario 3D World, and I'm looking forward to adding this game to my Switch library. This little add-on looks like a lot of fun, and I can't wait to play as a giant lion Mario against Bowserzilla! Bring it on!

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!

Avengers Forever #1 (December 1998)

Every year, I like to devote one month to look at an issue of a twelve-issue miniseries. I admit, last year's looks at Wonder Woman's Twelve Labors wasn't a mini per se, but it was a storyline that allowed me to do one review a year. And it was...not great. I wish it was. But this year, I can cover a miniseries I love. So the year's going well for me already!

If you've been on this blog a while, you'd probably know by now I am a big fan of Kurt Busiek's 1998-2002 run on The Avengers. It was one of the comics that made me a fan not just of the Avengers (Yeah, I was an Avengers fan before the MCU made it cool to love the Avengers), but of comics as a medium thanks to his writing being backed up by the artwork of guys like George Perez, Jerry Ordway, and Alan Davis. 

As such, with 2021 arriving, I knew what I wanted to cover for the year: Avengers Forever, a 12-issue miniseries from 1998-99. How did this miniseries come about? Well, let's travel back to 1998. Spanish artist Carlos Pacheco had just finished up a run on X-Men. He then told Marvel that he wanted to work with Kurt Busiek on an Avengers project. Marvel thought "Hmm, Carlos and Kurt doing an Avengers thing? That sounds frickin' cool, let's make this happen!" 

Busiek himself had been wanting to work with Pacheco on something. He had first discovered the artist thanks to his work on the Marvel UK title Dark Guard and was "This dude does awesome art". Pacheco, Busiek, and editor Tom Brevoort worked out a story based on an old pitch Busiek had sent for Captain America's 50th anniversary in 1991. The basic idea was that longtime Avengers and Hulk supporting character Rick Jones would get sent into an alternate universe in which the Marvel Universe's history had run differently. This story would have been called Avengers: World in Chains. The two had started work on it...

...but then the title Mutant X was announced. This 1998-2001 title told the tale of X-Men member Havok getting thrown into a parallel universe...where things ran very differently. Yeah. So, Busiek and Pacheco needed another story. 

Mark Waid suggested the idea that the new story involve Avengers from different points in history. Busiek then drew from the Kree-Skrull War...and Avengers Forever was born. Early on, Busiek realized he was going to need a bit of help with writing this. Keep in mind, at this time, he was writing not just the Avengers' comic, he was also writing the Thunderbolts' and Iron Man's books. Roger Stern was brought in to help out, and the rest is history. So, with that out of the way, let's look at Avengers Forever #1! 

The cover is pretty cool. It's a Carlos Pacheco and George Perez piece. Front and center is Rick Jones, sitting in his wheelchair with some energy crackling in his fingers. Behind him is a bunch of heads of various Avengers members over the years. I noticed the words "Hot Tuna" on Rick's shirt, and wondered if it's a reference to something. Turns out there's a long-running blues band by that name. Makes sense, as Rick in the comics has been known to be a singer and guitar player. It's a unique cover.

"Destiny Made Manifest"
Writer: Kurt Busiek and Roger Stern (Plot), Kurt Busiek (script)
Penciler: Carlos Pacheco
Inker: Jesus Merino
Colorist: Steve Oliff
Letterers: Richard Starkings, Albert Deschesne
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-In-Chief: Bob Harras

The story begins on the planet Beta Centauri IV, in the 26th century. We look in on the city of Zatoa, the source of the sound-sensitive metal known as Yaka, which is used to make special arrows. It's also where the fruit known as kruna is grown. It's a delicious fruit. Tastes kind of like oranges, with a bit of lemony zest. It is in this city we join a party of Centuarians. 

If you've ever watched the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, you may be familiar with the Centuarians. Yondu Udonta was one. This particular group is a guerilla force with one goal: Seize a spaceship. There's a group of satellites over their world, and if they get a spaceship, they can destroy them. However, before they can strike, they are struck...still. But this guerilla group are not the only ones. It's like somebody hit pause button on the planet. 

Then...the ships come. The ships come, raining death and destruction on this world and its people. But it's not enough. The armies come. Scores of men armed with hammers donning winged helms. Men in red and gold armor raining repulsor rays. Dark knights in blue, white, and red, wielding large shields and swords. And finally, tiny men in silver and red, sneaking into nooks and crannies.

Their rampage is swift and brutal. nearly a fifth of Beta Centauri IV's surface is ravaged, and about a third of its population are dead. And the one responsible is all too happy to reveal themselves.

"My Avengers demand...a shrubbery!"

This is Jonz Rickard, and this was a punishment. No kill like overkill must be the Rickard family's motto. Basically, the Centaurians have dared to defy the Avengers. And a price must be paid for it. Rickard then leaves the shattered planet and inhabitants to themselves. All this is observed by a trio of beings.

"Worst. Timeline. Ever."

It's a very nice bit of the cosmic coincidence that I looked at the Loki trailer from Disney's Investor Day before this. I did mention these guys in my look at them. They are the Time Keepers. They do not like what they're seeing here. Something has to be done. And unlike the Monitors in Countdown to Final Crisis, they will do something.

We shift back to the past. The then-present to be exact. We look in on the Blue Area of the Moon. After the events of Avengers #9 (October 1998), the Supreme Intelligence of the Kree has been living there, as part of a failed Kree invasion of Earth. Since the Avengers foiled the invasion, SHIELD and the science agency Starcore have occupied the Blue Area. The Avengers have also brought a guest with them: One Rick Jones.

This isn't the first time the Avenges had to deal with Rick Jones's hangovers...

Jones is rather important to this team. You see, he was the one who helped originally bring them together. He worked with the team through its early adventures, a particular high point being the events of Avengers #89-97 (June 1971-March 1972), aka the Kree-Skrull War. The Avengers fought mightily to stop the two alien races from bringing their war to Earth, but it was Rick who finlly settled it. With some help from the Supreme Intelligence. The Intelligence had unlocked the evolutionary potential of humanity within him, and he summoned a group of Golden Age-era heroes to help stop the war.

After this, Rick went on to further adventuring, mainly being associated with the Hulk. Sadly, in Incredible Hulk #457 (October 1997), the Green Goliath crippled Jones and nearly beat him to death. And in Incredible Hulk #470 (November 1998), he collapsed due to a mysterious illness. However, Iron Man has been able to figure out that Jones's current condition is related to the energies that he used to summon the Golden Age heroes during the Kree-Skrull War. 

That's why the Avengers are here. They're hoping the Supreme Intelligence can help. They're reluctant to let the Kree supercomputer examine him alone like it wants to, but here's the thing. The Intelligence could easily kill Jones if it wanted to. Also, the Intelligence needs the humans here at Starcore and SHIELD to help maintain it, so...yeah. Earth's Mightiest are over a barrel here...but the Intelligence is over a bigger one. Cap agrees and tells the Kree leader they expect a report in 24 hours.

When they leave, a new figure makes himself known. This figure and the Intelligence have had some secret conversations recently. The figure says that it's time. He serves the balance, and this is a critical point in history. This is the point in which humanity's destiny is determined once and for all. Freedom or stagnation. The figure has a vested interest in this because...he's still human. But he wonders why the Intelligence is interested in this. After all, it is an enemy of Earth. It reminds the man of the events of Operation: Galactic Storm, and the steps it took in that story to free its people of its evolutionary stagnation. He's wondering how humanity will handle it.

In the extradimensional realm known as Limbo, the being known as Immortus observes the injured Rick Jones, and grimly sends out the being known as Tempus to take him out...while freezing time around the base.

"Kill me...kill me..."

However, Jones gets the most unlikely of rescuers.

"Surprise, mothatrucka!"

Yup, longtime Avengers enemy Kang the Conqueror is here to save the day. Tempus confuses him for his master Immortus. Yeah, that's because Immortus is Kang's future self. Time traveling, everybody! Immortus demands that Tempus must kill Jones. After all, the safety of reality depends on it. Kang then presumably kills Tempus...which is something that Tempus wants. Yeah, Tempus is basically made of Limbo itself, and he can't die as a result. He hates that, so yeah. Don't feel bad for him, he's happy.

Immortus then summons an army from soldiers throughout time to fight his younger self. From Roman centurions to cowboys to medieval knights to Custer-style horse cavalry. Kang just whips out a pair of futuristic pistols and starts his own idea of a turkey shoot.

I'm surprised no one has made a DOOM mod based on this.

Immortus implores Kang to give it up. He can summon an army of trillions from throughout time and space. Even Kang can't fight something like that. Not alone anyway. But Kang, being Kang, is all eager to take them on. He knows he'll become Immortus one day...and he hates it. To him, Immortus is a sniveling wimp, and Kang finds it utterly disgusting that he'll become him. It's here that Rick Jones wakes up. The Intelligence signals that the time has come. The figure that he was talking to earlier touches Rick's neck. The energies that Rick channeled during the Kree-Skrull War fire up again, and heroes are summoned.

These Avengers all need a big ol' drink...

Instead of a gaggle of Golden Age heroes, Rick has summoned seven Avengers, all from different points in time and space. The Destiny War has begun.

This was awesome. It really is awesome. The idea of Kang and Immortus being in conflict is an interesting one, especially since that the theme of their fight is predestination. Kang is going to become Immortus one day. Kang is at heart a warrior, a conqueror, a fighter. For him, becoming Immortus is a fate worse than death. It's kind of the double-edged sword of being a time-traveler...and it makes sense. If you know your fate, and you know it's an unpleasant one, you'd try to fight it.

One of the things I love about the story is the call-back to previous Avengers tales, particularly the Kree-Skrull War. It's pretty obvious that Busiek is a fan of the 1970s-era team, as his Avengers work contained plenty of callbacks to it. The setup is a very interesting one. Why would these two incarnations of a time-traveling supervillain fight over the life of an ordinary man? 

Carlos Pacheco would turn in some enjoyable art. This was the first time he'd work with American inker Jesus Merino. Since then, Merino would be the regular inker of Pacheco's work. It's very enjoyable to look at. There is almost a cartoony vibe to it.

I love this miniseries, and I can't wait to take you on this ride through time and the Avengers' past. If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2011 trade paperback Avengers Forever. 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! Join me next time, when we take a look at the beginnings of a living robot...

Wonder Woman #17 (June 1988)

With 2021 on the way, I found myself wondering what comic I should talk about for my first review of 2021. 2020 was easy, but this year, not so much. Luckily, providence provided some inspiration. Wonder Woman 1984 had just released, so I figured "Why not look at another Wonder Woman comic"? I did spend the last year looking at her Twelve Labors, but I didn't think the stories were that great. So, it was another opportunity to return to an era of greatness for the Amazing Amazon: The George Perez era. As such, let's join the Amazing Amazon as she returns to the homeland of her gods' worshippers in Wonder Woman #17! 

The cover is a George Perez piece, and it's pretty spectacular. It depicts Wondy throwing up the Amazon salute in a Greek temple. What's unique about this cover is that it's done in front of a...sunrise? Sunset? Either way, it's composed to cover Wonder Woman and the temples in shadows.

"Traces"
Writer: George Perez
Penciler: George Perez
Inker: Dick Giordano
Colorist: Carl Gafford
Letterer: John Costanza
Editor: Karen Berger
Executive Editor: Dick Giordano

The story begins on a cold winter morning at Wakefield, Massachusetts. 

Our heroine is getting ready for a nice trip to Greece. Sun, sand, surf, and of course, the gyros! I wanna try a gyro...wrapped lamb meat...

Any way! Diana is able to go thanks to a special passport from the U.N. provided by Etta Candy. The two discuss their feelings towards Steve Trevor. Etta mistakenly believed Diana had a thing for him, but it turned out that was hardly the case. Diana admits she herself was a bit envious of Steve. Upstairs, young Vanessa Kapatelis is chatting to her friend Eileen. Teen girl gossip, that kind of thing.

Their gossip is over a teenage boy named Barry. Eileen is trying to warn her that Barry is only into her because he wants to meet Wonder Woman. Yup, teenage romance in a superhero universe. You gotta love it. Steve Trevor returns from packing up the car, where he found a little feathered friend.

It's a messenger pigeon, coming all the way to Boston from Themyscira. It brings some mail from Hippolyta, Wondy's mother. Things are fine in Themyscira...well, except for a weird storm that ended as quick as it came. Their oracle Menalippe had sensed some unease from Olympus, but she said Di herself was okay.

The Amazons have also been debating where they should open up Themyscira to the world. They've learned quite a bit about the outside world thanks to Diana sending them pictures and books from Man's World. Honestly, I would have suggested that she send them Kurt Busiek/George Perez Avengers. That alone would convince them that Man's World is worth talking to.

Steve Trevor hopes that Hippolyta's forgiven him for nearly bombing the island, and Diana's like, "She knew Ares screwed with your head, so she's cool about it." Etta Candy is curious about something. How was Hippolyta able to write so much on such a small parchment. It turns out the Amazons have a pictogram-based alphabet. By arranging certain symbols and using colored inks, they can literally say a lot with two characters.

That's some language. Diana writes back a response. And with that, Steve and Etta see our heroine off to Greece, accompanied by Vanessa Kapatelis. So, remember when Menalippe sensed some unease from Olympus? How are the Greek Gods doing?

"We should've just given Darkseid his money..."

Yeesh. What did they do last night?! Well, basically Darkseid brought his idea of a party to Olympus. And by "party" I mean he attacked and wrecked the place. This happened in Action Comics #600 (May 1988). Heracles wants to fight back, but Zeus warns him that despite his great strength, even he can't face the tyrant of Apokolips alone. The Gods debate on what to do next, but Hermes is seemingly more interested in Earth at the moment. Maybe he's feeling a bit of cosmic ennui, he's feeling a bit tired of being a god...

Back on Earth, Di and Nessie arrive in Greece, where Nessie's mother Julia and a friend are waiting for them. The friend is Stavros Christadoulodou, a noted epigraphist. Basically, he studies writing. Yes, that's an actual thing. Diana is going to have a meeting with the Greek Prime Minister and attend a diplomatic banquet, do some speeches, talk with the press, yada yada yada. But after that, Di can go do what she wants.

A nervous man carrying a rolled-up piece of paper is watching Diana. He has to reach the Amazing Amazon. He has to tell her something very important...but he's being watched.

Giving Mittens Olympian catnip was a horrible mistake...

Beasts. Beasts with red eyes. Eyes matching the blood they seek. They pursue the man and manage to reach him. I think your imagination can fill in the rest. Back in Boston, Mindy Mayer (Remember her from my review of Wonder Woman #20?) is summoning her assistant Christine "Chrissie" Fenton.

Mama needs her liquor! Mindy's been having some troubles with her firm. Fenton believes "Skeeter" LaRue is behind the firm's problems, but Mindy won't hear a word of it. Elsewhere, a man named Mikos is talking to a mysterious woman about Diana. The woman is worried that Diana may be an actual Amazon, and that she's heading to the Ionian island of Cephalonia. Mikos assures her that if our heroine does show her face in the woman's domain...she'll be leaving in pieces.

The next morning, Diana is at the Acropolis, presumably the one in Athens. Diana feels the presence of the gods in the Parthenon. Seeing the ruins gives her a sense of understanding of the loss the gods felt when man moved away from worshipping them. 

Our heroine continues on through her tour of Greece. She looks over the various ruins of temples and shrines to her gods and goddesses. She and her party take a boat through the Ionian Sea, which allows her and Julia Kapatelis to bond a bit. Julia and Vanessa visit Greece every year because Julia is Greek by birth. She even married her late husband, an archaeologist named David, in Greece. Diana notices one of the islands. She asks if that's Cephalonia, but Julia says it isn't. It's a private island owned by a reclusive billionaire. The Amazon princess senses something odd about that island. There's something there, beckoning her, and making her feel...cold. Very cold.

The feeling makes Diana collapse like a house of cards.

Caffeine affects Amazons...differently...

Stavros glances at the island and mutters the word "magia", meaning "curse". The woman watches the boat, saying that was the Amazon's first warning. On Cephalonia itself, a group of shepherds find the body of a dead man. He looks like he was mauled by a wolf. But there are no wolf tracks nearby, just the footprints of the men and their sheep. But one of the sheep...looks a little odd...

"Coming this Summer. The Gyros...eat YOU."

I've read the issues after this one, and I think I have something to look at for Halloween 2021...

I really liked this issue. George Perez is given lots of due credit as an artist, but I think this series shows that he could write pretty well, too. We get some nice character moments, and some great setup for a potentially very scary mystery. We also get plenty of bonding moments between Julia and Diana, and we also get to learn a but more about the past of Diana's first post-Crisis human friend. What's also neat is that we get a peek into the Amazons' culture. It's really neat learning that the Amazons communicate through a form of pictogram. It would have been cool if they managed to release a actual language like they did with Interlac.

And as always, Perez turns in some spectacular art. I don't think I can say anything that everyone else hasn't already said about it. It's fantastic.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2017 trade paperback Wonder Woman by George Perez Vol. 2. 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! Join me next time when we join the Avengers in their biggest adventure...

Happy New Year!

 Happy New Year, everyone!

I hope your 2021 is a wonderful year full of joy and fun times!