Justice League of America #208 (November 1982)

In a superhero world, some crises can get pretty big. So big, that it takes multiple teams to take care of it. In the days of the pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths Multiverse, such crises seem to happen literally once per year. These stories can arguably be seen as pre-cursors to modern-day event stories like King in Black or Endless Winter. This week, I thought it would be neat to look at a part of one of those stories. This JLA/JSA crossover story was so big that it required the addition of a third team: The All-Star Squadron.

Created by Roy Thomas, Jerry Ordway, and Rich Buckler, the All-Star Squadron debuted in Justice League of America #193 (August 1981). Much like the Legion of Super-Heroes, the Squadron were a large group, consisting of many of DC's Golden Age-era heroes, set in the days of World War II. The group would get their own book, which lasted from 1981 to 1987. The group's name was a reference to All Star Comics, the title that introduced the Justice Society. 

So, what kind of adventure would require the JLA, the JSA, and the All-Star Squadron? Let's find out in Justice League of America #208 (November 1982)!

The cover is a George Perez piece. Naturally, it is awesome. The center depicts the heroes of this story, members of the Earth-1 Justice League and the Earth-2 All-Star Squadron and Justice Society, heading towards what looks like a living atomic explosion. The explosion seems to cackle madly at the heroes, confident they cannot stop it. 

"Crisis on Earth-Prime Book Three: The Bomb-Blast Heard 'Round the World!"
Writer: Gerry Conway
Penciler: Don Heck
Inker: Sal Trapani
Colorist: Carl Gafford
Letterer: Phil Felix
Editor: Len Wein
Executive Editor: Joe Orlando

The story begins with members of the All-Star Squadron being all like "Who are you and what're you doing here in our house?!"

Meet, from left to right, Dannette "Firebrand" Reilly, John "Johnny Quick" Chambers, Hank "Commander Steel" Heywood, Robert "Robotman" Crane, and Libby "Liberty Belle" Lawrence. Johnny Quick charges in and attacks the Earth-1 Hawkman. This results in the traditional "heroes brawl with each other over a misunderstanding" moment.

The All-Stars and Justice League face off, and Superman has had enough of this.

Everyone in that building is now deaf.

Robotman agrees with the Man of Steel on this. Johnny Quick points out that Superman doesn't quite look like the Superman "they" know. Mainly because the Earth-2 Superman's costume had a shorter cape and a slightly different "S" logo. 

Yeah, I'm beginning to wonder if the JSA ever told these guys about the JLA. But really, it's not a plot hole. The JSA didn't start having the annual teamups with the JLA until the 1960s, both in real time and in-universe. Anyway, the teams talk a bit, and Superman provides some historical spoilers, because the JSA are from 1942, and the JLA are from the then-present day 1982 Earth-1. Blast it, Supes! 

Anyway, we get a bit of a recap of how we got here. The JLA and JSA were going to have their annual meeting/team-up adventure. However, the Crime Syndicate (an evil version of the JLA from Earth-3), ambushed the JLA and escaped to Earth-1 in a shuttlecraft. The JLA transported themselves to Earth-2 and not only found the All-Star Squadron's headquarters in shambles...and a world under the tyranny of the time-traveling villain Per Degaton. 

Per Degaton's drunken rampages are...disturbing.

Yeah, I'm beginning to see why DC was seeing the Multiverse as getting a bit too confusing for new readers at the time. Anyway, the heroes realized that the headquarters had been left in that state since 1942. Hence, they're here. The All-Stars get a call from the White House. Harry Hopkins escorts them to meet his boss, the man he was the personal adviser of, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The President summoned our heroes because they got a strange little gift.

Yeah, it looks like a VCR. The JLA recognize it as a projector from their era. The projector starts playing footage of Per Degaton. The heroes realize it's a two-way communication system, as he tells them to shut up after Firestorm insults him. The signal is being relayed by a satellite, something that would not be seen for about fifteen years. He also has another thing from the future, something from much closer in time: Nuclear Bombs. And he's willing to demonstrate them tomorrow. 

We then next switch scenes to Earth-Prime in the then-present 1982. Members of the Justice Society are looking around the devastated world looking for life: Starman (Ted Knight), Green Lantern (Alan Scott), Dr. Fate (Kent Nelson), Power Girl (Kara Zor-L), and Huntress (Helena Wayne). They ended up here thanks to...switching places with the Crime Syndicate in Limbo. I have no idea how that works. 

Anyway, they're trying to find their way back home...and find out how Earth-Prime ended up in this state. Green Lantern's ring detects life. The ring leads the JSAers to a tunnel...and to an ambush.

The JSA members are able to fight off the...rat...men...things. I don't know. Anyway, the...rat...men...things mention a "Mad One" who claimed to have warned them of others coming. The group discover who this "Mad One" is.

"...are you the pizza guy? I've been waiting THIRTY YEARS!"

An old, blind man surrounded by TVs. Using his magic, Dr. Fate reads the man's memories and reveals on Earth-Prime, the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 escalated into nuclear war...and it was because Per Degaton stole the Russian nukes from Cuba. Let's jump back to Earth-2, 1942!

The JLA and ASQ members are on a boat.

Why are they on a boat? Well, boats are awesome. But also, they're there to witness Per Degaton's demonstration. Degaton drops his bomb. 

Zatanna summons a giant wave of water to protect the heroes from the nuke. There's gonna be a ton of radiation there, Zee. You may want to...I dunno, maybe magically clear that up?

Superman and Commander Steel spot a Time Bubble, a time-traveling gizmo often used by the Legion of Superheroes. The heroes find the JSAers that were traveling around in Earth-Prime's 1980s, and they need a doctor. Or six.

Per Degaton observes this from a jetliner. His bomb didn't kill the heroes, but he's fine with it. After all, his demonstration should convince the Axis and Allies alike to surrender to him, and then he can kill the JLA, JSA, and the All-Stars at his own convenience. 

I enjoyed this issue, but I admit, I did feel a bit confused about some things, but the story itself was not that hard to follow. I do feel this is one of those comics that is better read as part of a reading of the whole story at once. Don Heck's art is fine. I like his rendition of the post-apocalyptic mutants, although his rendition of Superman screaming "STOP IT" is wonky. It amused me, though.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 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 healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get vaccinated! See you next time!

Avengers Forever #12 (December 1999)

Well, this is it! This is the end! Every month this year, I've looked at an issue of Avengers Forever. From what seemed like an insidious plot to kill long-time Avengers associate Rick Jones, sprouted a scheme to destroy humanity on an unimaginable scale...and a conspiracy that seemingly encircled the entire history of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. An adventure that took a ragtag team of Earth's Mightiest heroes from the Wild Wild West to a horrific future with humanity making one last desperate stand against alien invaders. 

And now this is it. The Avengers having to team with their long-time nemesis Kang the Conqueror to stop the Time-Keepers and their lackey Immortus (Kang's future self) from destroying humanity. Do they succeed? Let's find out in Avengers Forever #12!

The cover is a Carlos Pacheco, Jesus Merino, Steve Oliff, Tony Kelly, and John Roshell piece. Five people on one cover?!

Yeah. Anyway, it's pretty cool...if a bit basic. It depicts what looks like the 70s-era Avengers roster and allies charging into battle...until you notice Songbird and Sandman there. That's because this is meant to depict Avengers from various eras fighting together. It's a neat cover.

"Avengers Assemble"
Writers: Kurt Busiek and Roger Stern
Penciller: Carlos Pacheco
Inker: Jesus Merino
Colorist: Olyoptics.com
Letterers: Richard Starkings and Albert Deschesne
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras

The story begins with...well, a big ol' brawl. 

I'm serious. A big ol' brawl.

The Time-Keepers' Citadel has basically become a gigantic warzone, as various versions of Avengers from timelines that both went well and went wrong have waged an epic battle over the fate of humanity. In the room containing the Chrono-Cannon, the makeshift Avengers are also fighting to get to the Time-Keepers and the cannon. They notice the temporal tyrants trying to force Kang into becoming Immortus.

Yeah, the Time-Keepers are Cronenberg fans. Libra tries to strike the Time-Keepers, but one of them blasts him for his efforts.

Rick Jones's elder counterpart warns him that things will be rough for his younger self that things will be rough for a while, but it doesn't have to be that way. Just be smarter than him. The older Rick switches places one last time with Genis-Vell. Genis tells the young Rick to find a safe place to hide and wait this out. But Rick is like, "No way! I'm helping out!"

Wasp leads a group of heroic Avengers towards the Time-Keepers. It leads to another battle with a squadron of evil Avengers. Janet is understandably sickened and horrified by all the death that results. She's especially disturbed by a particular pair of casualties.

Is it a warning from the future? Were those alternate versions of herself and Hank? Who knows? But it only disturbs the Winsome Wasp more and makes her more determined to end this madness. Nearby, Songbird notes that Genis-Vell seems...sincere. It's because he knows that something is about to happen...and he's accepted it. I wonder what that could be...

The Time-Keepers have managed to almost completely transform Kang into Immortus. However, the Conquerer has managed to find new strength, literally ripping his way out of his own changing body. This causes an energy backlash that rocks the Time-Keepers. The Keepers summon some more "Dark Avengers" to defend them, and the "Avenger War" continues on. Rick Jones makes one desperate gambit to stop the Time-Keepers from activating the Chrono-Cannon. The young man draws the Destiny Force from all the Avengers into himself, and he slams into the Cannon as it fires.

And you guessed it, it makes a big ol' explosion.

Thankfully, the explosion doesn't cause the universe to go "Kablooie". The Chrono-Cannon is destroyed, at the seeming cost of Rick's life. Kang finishes the Time-Keepers off by blasting them into little pieces. Like that scene in Robocop where the ED-209 shoots that executive into powder. Kang takes a moment to gloat about it, when he notices that Captain America has the Forever Crystal. Cap gazes into the Crystal, feeling the temptation to use its time-altering power. 

After all, there's plenty of things Cap could have done with the Crystal. He could have rescued Bucky. He could have saved Rick Jones. He could have used it to prevent World War II by taking out Hitler. He could...even erase Number One from history. Remember, this is Captain America from just after the events of the first Secret Empire story, when he was rather disillusioned with America. 

In the end, though, Captain America realizes that such power has a price. It means the loss of freedom and dignity. And not even Captain America has the right to impose his way on others. He smashes the Forever Crystal to pieces in his hands. Kang gets in his face all like, "YOU HAD THE POWER TO REWRITE HISTORY TO YOUR WILL, AND YOU JUST THROW THAT AWAY!?" ...yeah, Kang does not comprehend Cap.

Anyway, it turns out that the Crystal is not permanently lost. And neither is Immortus.

Yeah, when Kang tore his way out of his own body earlier, what was left also somehow reformed into Immortus. Immortus, who quickly ages to young adulthood, explains that Cap's destruction of the Forever Crystal is only temporary. The Crystal will reform one day. Immortus knows this, as he's studied the thing for centuries. Hawkeye is left confused. If Kang is supposed to become Immortus, then how did the two end up becoming separate people? 

Well, Libra provides an answer. When the Time-Keepers tried to force Kang's eventual evolution into Immortus, and Kang tore his own way out of his changing body...it caused his personal timeline to split. It mirrors how Immortus had used the Forever Crystal to split Jim Hammond's body in two, allowing one Jim Hammond to become the Vision, and the other to get revived as the Original Human Torch and joined the West Coast Avengers.

Immortus has a good attitude about his revival. He sees his rebirth as a second chance. He wasted his old life in service to the Time-Keepers, and he's quite eager to see where his path goes this time around. Kang is overjoyed as well. His own future is now as well unwritten. He feared become what he considered a simpering academic, but now...his fate is up in the air. Both Immortus and Kang leave. 

But there's a more pressing concern. The ragtag Avengers found Rick Jones' body...his dying body. There's only one way to save him now...and Genis-Vell knows it. With the help of the Supreme Intelligence, Genis-Vell takes a fateful step....

Rick is saved, thanks to Genis merging Rick's life-force with his own. The heroes have won today, but have learned a valuable lesson. Humanity has a great spirit, an indomitable spirit. But that spirit needs to be tempered. Kang was that spirit at its most raw, unfiltered, and aggressive. And it made him into a conqueror. A tyrant. That spirit needs to be tempered by compassion and a desire to respect the rights and freedoms of others. And with that, the remaining Avengers are returned to their proper points in time.

When the "present day" Rick, Wasp, and Giant-Man return to their proper time, Rick notices he's wearing the Nega-Bands again. He clanks them together.

He finds himself switched with Genis-Vell, whose appearance suddenly changes to resemble his older self. Likely thanks to a time-flux. The younger Genis has now gained the Cosmic Awareness his father Mar-Vell and his older self was shown to have, but is none too happy about being bonded to Rick. Wasp and Hank decided to make a report on this...later. They're tired, and they need a drink.

An epilogue shows Libra on the Moon, discussing things with the Supreme Intelligence. The former supervillain is wondering what the Supreme Intelligence gained from this adventure. The Intelligence is not sure, but he expects to be happy with the results. Libra has research to get back to, thinking it will be interesting to see where and when the Forever Crystal will return. When Libra leaves, the Intelligence focuses his energies...

And the Forever Crystal reappears right in front of him. I smell a potential sequel...

This was an epic ending to the story. The best part of this was the big ol' Avengers War in the Time-Keepers' chamber. It was really cool looking at the various cameos of characters from throughout Marvel history. I also liked the callback to various old What If and alternate universe stories. What is interesting about this big event is that in a bizarre way...how many people actually won here. The Avengers managed to save humanity from the Time-Keepers, and Kang managed to free himself from his destiny. Heck, even Immortus won, getting not only reborn, but also freed from the Time-Keepers. This was an epic ending to an epic story.

I have nothing against Carlos Pacheco's art, but here...of all the issues of Avengers Forever that I've looked at, this is the one I wish the most that George Perez drew. This issue features epic battles with loads of characters. This would have looked incredible under Perez. On its own merits, Pacheco doesn't do a bad job at all. It's still good to look at. 

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 enjoyed it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get vaccinated! See you next time!

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Trailer, My Thoughts

Back in 2020, Paramount Pictures released Sonic the Hedgehog, the first live-action feature film starring Sega's iconic blue hedgehog mascot. The film would feature Ben Schwartz voicing the titular character. It would be the sixth-highest grossing film of 2020, making $319.7 million on a $85-90 million dollar budget. The film would get mixed reviews from critics, praised mainly for James Marden and Jim Carrey's performances as Tom Wachowski and Ivo Robotnik, respectively. The film was criticized for its product placements and seeming lack of ambition.

In May 2020, Paramount announced a sequel. Let's look at the trailer!

"*movie trailer voice* In a world where anthropomorphic animals walk amongst men..."

Also, the fact that he is a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog in a world full of humans would mean that maintaining any sort of secret identity would be...a challenge. 

The Blue Hedgehog Returns.

Yeah, that heroic speech is not prophetic of anything.

...okay, how did Robotnik get the materials to build some new robots?

...is that the Master Emerald from Sonic 3?

Even funnier? In Sonic canon, "Tails" is a nickname. His full actual name is Miles "Tails" Prower. Get it? Miles Per Hour? You get it? MPH, a measure of speed?

You think Robotnik has a...bit of an excess of time on his hands?

Ouch.

Yeah...Tails gonna die.

Oh hey, Knuckles.

"BAH GAWD, KING! HE JUST SMASHED THAT HEDGEHOG STRAIGHT TO HELL!"

My guess is the plot of the movie will draw heavily from Sonic 3. Which makes sense. Knuckles debuted in that game, that green gem is likely the Master Emerald, and Knuckles' traditional role in the classic Sonic games was the caretaker/guardian of the Master Emerald. He was a bit...gullible. Basically, Robotnik tricked him into fighting Sonic so the Eggman could make off with the Master Emerald himself. The Sonic Boom series kind of flanderized that to making Knuckles essentially dumb muscle.

I admit, despite my disdain for Paramount bucking to internet complaining, I did enjoy the last Sonic movie. I think it was the last movie I ever saw in theaters before the pandemic hit. And I am excited to see this one. It looks like it will be a ton of fun.

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, wear a mask, and get vaccinated! See you next time!

Peacemaker Trailer, My Thoughts

 Let's look at the trailer!

Well, that's...not unfair that this guy has never heard of Peacemaker. There are so many friggin' superheroes that it's hard to keep track of them all.

(knocked out)

He also has this strange thing about apple pie. I dunno, Peacemaker's weird.

(shrug)

Ah, Peacemaker has a screwed-up dad. Explains a lot.

Oh my God, his trailer! HAHAHAHA!

As someone who has read some of the Adrian Chase Vigilante stuff, it is admittedly strange to see him portrayed as so...goofy. But I guess it can be argued that this is just a different kind of insanity that he would be driven to in the comics.

I think the basic idea here is that Peacemaker is having a bit of a mid-life crisis. And he's questioning a lot of things about himself. That's not a bad thing, giving him some growth

Across the Spider-Verse (Part One) Trailer, My Thoughts

In 2018, Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation released the film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. It told the tale of teenager Miles Morales who gains superpowers and teams up with various versions of the legendary hero Spider-Man to save his home of New York City from the Kingpin. The film was a critical and box office success, even winning an Oscar for Best Animated Feature at the 91st Acadamy Awards. It makes sense that considering this success, a sequel would be on the way. Let's look at the trailer!

Oh God, somebody rebuilt the Collider and the multiverse is about to violently upchuck again.

"Sunflower" could be considered Miles's theme at this point.

Hee hee, the portal scattered stuff everywhere.

Nice landing, Gwen.

It's nice to see that Gwen and Miles are still talking to each other after the events of the last movie. Also, both Gwen and Miles look a little older. Looks like some time has passed since the last movie.

Ha ha, Miles trying to clean his room and Gwen seeing his drawings of her. That's funny.

Gwen's got a point. 

Miles flying through hexagons. Wanda's drunk again.

Hindi onomatopoeia. Does that mean we may see Pavitr Prabhakar? Also, Miles' Spidey suit got a new look!

"HIMILESI'MMIGUELO'HARANICETOMEETYOUIMMABREAKYOUFACE!"

Earth-928! That's the Earth of Marvel 2099! That's awesome! I love this! I've been so excited to see Miguel in action since the last Spider-Verse movie! Also, the music sting when Miguel ambushes Miles reminds me of the Prowler's theme from the last movie.

Miguel got buff!

I can't believe this is just part one!

...Obviously, I'm hyped! I am so hyped for this movie! I cannot wait to watch it! Bring it on! And it's in two parts, which is even better! 

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, wear a mask, and get vaccinated! See you next time!

X-Men #62 (March 1997)

Recently, the Marvel Cinematic Universe had debuted its first film with an East Asian lead: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. In a way, it was appropriate that the Master of Kung Fu was the first East Asian character to get a lead film in the MCU as his comic counterpart was one of the Marvel Universe's first East Asian superheroes.

Over the years, Shang-Chi has had many encounters with various other heroes. And this week, I thought it would be neat to showcase one. Let's join the Master of King Fu as he joins forces with the Marvel Universe's resident Merry Mutants in X-Men #62!

The cover is a Carlos Pacheco, Art Thibert, and Liquid! piece. I like it, even if it is a bit basic. It just depicts Shang-Chi and Wolverine facing off against unseen foes. I like the title "Hellfire in Hong Kong". I think it's a snappier title than the story's actual title.

"Games of Deceit and Death - Part 1 of 3"
Writers: Scott Lobdell (plot) and Ben Raab (script)
Penciler: Carlos Pacheco
Inker: Art Thibert
Colorist: Chris Lichtner, Liquid!
Letterers: Richard Starkings, Comicraft, Albert Deschesne
Editors: Mark Powers, Jason Liebig, Bob Harras
Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras

Our story begins with our man Shang-Chi heading to Scotland. It's there he's meeting an old friend from his British Intelligence days: A Sir Clive Reston.

Shang-Chi's latest assignment: Beat Up This House.

Fun fact, the comics have implied that he's related to both James Bond and Sherlock Holmes.

Anyway, Shang-Chi senses something in the air, like an ill wind has blown in. The Master of Kung-Fu is ambushed by assassins from the Si-Fan, the organization ran by his evil father, Fu Manchu (Not mentioned by name due to Marvel no longer having the rights to the Fu Manchu novels by 1997). Shang-Chi is confused by this, as the Si-Fan seemingly disbanded after Manchu's supposed death. The martial artist fights them, but they only showed up because they wanted confirmation that Shang-Chi was alive. They try to leave, but they meet a very...nasty roadblock.

"OHMAHGAWD, ARE YOU BATMAN?!"

The Best There Is at What He Does has arrived. Wolverine's claws are bone here as the adamantium that normally lined his bones and claws was ripped out of him by Magneto during the "Fatal Attractions" storyline. It played havoc with his mutation (particularly his healing factor. The trauma to his body was so great that his healing factor was burned out for a time), causing him to take on the more animalistic appearance he has here. Anyway, Shang-Chi and Wolverine end up tussling. 

Wolverine gets the upper hand, thanks to his powers. Storm blasts Wolverine with some lightning, chastising him for picking a fight with Shang-Chi for no reason. The X-Men are here on a mission of their own. You see, Reston had also contacted them. he called them because something was up with one of the X-Men's old enemies: a Mr. Sebastian Shaw. And it involves a crisis that the X-Men had been dealing with at the time: the Legacy Virus, a disease that was fatal to mutants. First appearing in X-Force #18 (January 1993), the Virus was seen as a metaphor for the AIDS crisis. 

Shang-Chi enters Reston's house, and the martial artist gets the feeling that he's being watched. Because, well...he is.

Thanks to her pink telepathic field, Jean Grey got to see the world as Scott saw it: Pink.

By X-Men members Scott "Cyclops" Summers and Jean "Phoenix" Grey. Shang-Chi throws a statue at them, and Clive Reston himself shows up. He's not too happy about Shang-Chi tossing around his statues. They're his prized collectibles, after all.

"I may be disabled, but I still can kill all of you in 15 ways."

Reston explains he summoned Shang-Chi because Shaw's plans involve him as well. Well, a legacy of Shang-Chi's evil old man. A little thing called the Elixir Vitae.

The Elixir Vitae was a mystical substance said to grant immortality, and it was an obsession of Fu Manchu's. Since Manchu seemingly died in Master of Kung Fu #125, the secrets of the Elixir were seemingly lost with him. But desperate men do not care about seemingly dead men's secrets. And Shaw is trying to use Manchu's old organization, the Si-Fan, to get it.

It's not hard to figure out why Shaw wants the Elixir. Its life-extending properties could potentially be a treatment for the Legacy Virus. If that ends up being the case, he could use it to protect himself from Legacy, and being the rich evil businessman he is, hide it behind a paywall from desperate mutants.

In Hong Kong, a figure has learned their expected "guests" have arrived. The X-Men and Shang-Chi have arrived in the territory, but they ended up stuck in traffic. Only to Marvel superheroes does this happen. It's what makes them identifiable. Logan senses something is up, and he's right. Something is up.

Wolverine hates being right.

Luckily, the Jean got Logan's telepathic warning early enough to protect her fellow X-Men and Shang-Chi with a nice pink telekinetic energy bubble. Makes the X-Men look like they were trapped in bubblegum. And as for the perpetrators? Your standard cyborg ninjas. Because it's the Marvel Universe, and cyborg ninjas are a thing in the Marvel Universe.

I did enjoy this issue, but I did have an issue with it. Mainly Shang-Chi acting like he's never heard of the X-Men before. I get that there's drama in superheroes facing each other, but the thing is...it's not like either the X-Men or Shang-Chi were brand-new to the superhero community at this point. The X-Men were one of the first superteams of the modern MU, and Shang-Chi was a long-runner himself. You'd think he'd at least have heard of them. Also, it's kind of weird to me that the X-Men are fighting cyborg ninjas in Hong Kong. I'm just saying, it seems a bit odd that Shaw is using mooks based on ninjas, which are associated with Japan, in a place that, at the time of the comic's publication, was being transitioned to becoming Chinese territory. 

The narration of this comic is somewhat Claremont-esque. Shows what a big mark he left on the franchise even thought he had not been involved with the Merry Mutants for six years at that point. I thought the usage of the Elixir Vitae as a possible treatment/cure for the Legacy Virus is a clever idea. It helps show that the Marvel Universe is interconnected, that something from one hero's mythos can have an effect on another hero. 

The art... well, I am familiar with Mr. Carlos Pacheco's art thanks to my looks at the issues of Avengers Forever this whole year. It has a bit of an... oddly cartoony vibe. That's the best way I can describe it. I don't mind it.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2021 trade paperback Shang-Chi: Earth's Mightiest Martial Artist. 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, wear a mask, and get your vaccination and boosters! See you next time!

LEGO Super Mario Question Block Launch Trailer, My Thoughts

Many a franchise has had the honor of being immortalized in LEGO form. One of them was Nintendo's own Super Mario. In recent years, LEGO has made a series of sets based on the classic Mario games. And this new set pays tribute to Mario's first foray into 3D: Super Mario 64. Let's look at the trailer!

Ahhh, the Question Block, aka the ? Block. The fun of these blocks is you never know what is in them. And inside this one is a group of small Lego recreations of worlds from Super Mario 64!

I can't help but feel that maybe this set should have been based on Peach's Castle, as that castle was the hub world from where you accessed the other worlds in the game. You know, you jumped into the paintings.

It makes sense that Bob-Omb Battlefield would be included here. It's the first level in the game, I believe. I am curious as to why they used Cool, Cool, Mountain and Lethal Lava Land for the other two. I do get that some of the worlds in the games would be a little hard to do in LEGO form, like Jolly Roger Bay or Wet-Dry World. Maybe that was the reason, they were simple to recreate in LEGO form?

This does look cool, but it does seem like a set that is bet for display over actual play. It seems like the kind of set you put on your coffee table as a conversation starter, especially if you have nerdy friends. :)

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, wear a mask, and get vaccinated! See you next time!