Fallen Angels #1 (April 1987)

One maxim that is associated with Marvel Comics is "with great power comes great responsibility". While the maxim is naturally most associated with Spider-Man, it can be associated with just about any of the superheroes of the Marvel Universe. One group that should definitely keep this maxim to heart is the original New Mutants.

The first "new" generation of Xavier's mutant student body (before a bunch of retcons), the New Mutants didn't just have to deal with the transition to adulthood and all the growing pains that entailed, they also had to deal with having superhuman abilities. Thing is, teenagers can be emotional and not always think before they act. And for Roberto da Costa, a moment of temper loss leads him down a new path. It leads him to become a Fallen Angel. This is Fallen Angels #1!

The cover is a Kerry Gammill and Tom Palmer piece. It's pretty good. It depicts an enraged Sunspot standing over what looks like an unconscious or possibly dead Cannonball. 

"Runaway"
Writer: Jo Duffy
Penciler: Kerry Gammill
Inker: Tom Palmer
Colorist: Petra Scotese
Letterer: Jim Novak
Editor: Ann Nocenti

The story begins at the Xavier Institute, with a soccer game. The narration is being provided by founding New Mutant Roberto "Sunspot" da Costa. We first met him back in the New Mutants graphic novel. The group of teenage superhumans are having a ton of fun playing the game. Not all of them are participating in the game, however. The alien known as Warlock and Rahne "Wolfsbane" Sinclair are sitting it out. Rahne (pronounced "Rain") has no interest in sports, and prefers siting peacefully with the alien. 

We then check in on the new headmaster of the Institute: Magneto.

"This office is so blasted stuffy."

Yeah, that Magneto.

I imagine your confusion. Don't worry, I'll explain. At that time, Charles Xavier was left in a bad state, and asked Magneto to take over the Institute for him. He joined the X-Men and used the name "Michael Xavier" as an alias. Magnus admits to himself that as much as he tries, he doesn't really have a knack for guiding young mutants like his old friend does. After all, he tended to work with mutants that were already adults. So, he decides to place a call to someone he believes can help him: one Moira MacTaggert. 

I hate what the Krakoa Era did to her. But this is before that bit of utter character assassination. Moira is working with a young mutant herself: Theresa Rourke-Cassidy, aka the Siryn.

"🎵 I WANNA LOVE YA, ALL NIGHT LONG! 🎵"

Moira and James "Jamie" Madrox, aka Multiple Man, are testing her powers out. She's able to now hold herself in the air for five minutes on one note. Great job, Terry!

Magneto tells her about his troubles, and he also adds on that the New Mutants are still dealing with some trauma thanks to their encounter with the Beyonder in Secret Wars II. Meanwhile, the New Mutants are still enjoying their game of soccer.

Roberto is able to block Sam's goal attempt, but the Kentuckian accidentally collides into the Brazilian rich kid. Roberto loses his temper, and actives his mutant power. He angrily knocks Sam off of him.

"Augh, my first vertebrae! Doc says I'm not supposed to be hit there!"

Yeah, that's gonna hurt.

The other New Mutants are understandably angry. Sam could have gotten killed, and Roberto takes it very hard. Thankfully, Sam is only dazed.

"Captain America, is that you?"

Magneto goes to get Sam to a doctor to make sure that the group's resident bluegrass redneck doesn't have any complications. In his room, Roberto stews in his regrets, how he feels that he is not a hero. He comes down the stairs to talk to Magneto. He finds the office empty, but there is a file folder that Magneto accidentally left on the desk. He looks through it and finds this document.

He doesn't take it well. Meanwhile, Sam Guthrie gets examined by a doctor. Turns out he has a concussion, and just needs some rest. And at Muir Island, Siryn expresses excitement over getting to visit America. For her, seeing the United States, especially New York, will be an adventure in itself.

The New Mutants return to the Xavier Institute, only to find the place darker than the bottom of a pit at night. Rahne notices a note...from Roberto.

Yup, the boy's flown the coop. Warlock intends to go find him. We look in on Roberto in the city. It turns out he didn't put a lot of thought into his plan to run away, and now he's starving and also has no money. He's watched by what appears to be a Korean-American boy. Another youth approaches the boy, asking if he'd like to buy a calendar. The boy is enraged by this, he tears up the calendars and gets in the youth's face, accusing him of being part of Reverend Yune Kim Park's Glorification Church. Let me explain this.

You see, Reverend Yune Kim Park and the Glorification Church are references to the real-life Unification Church and its founder Sun Yeung Moon. Moon considered himself a messiah, and the Church became famous for its Blessing ceremonies, which were mass weddings. This would not be the first time that Marvel had referenced the group. Steve Gerber and Gene Colan parodied the Church and its Moonie members in the form of Reverend Joon Moon Yuc in Howard the Duck #6 (November 1976). In fact, I think the creators here should have just said the kid was a Yucchie. 

Anyway, the boy has a hatred for the church as he grew up in it. He grew up doing the exact same things this kid is doing now. It was in exchange for the Church bringing his family to the United States from South Korea. The boy then snatches away the other youth's merchandise...and the money he made from selling the calendars. The youth realizes the boy is what the Church calls the "renegade"...and is actually a girl known only as Chance. Chance leaves, impressed with the money she got. Two men offer to hold on to the money for her, but Chance isn't interested in their idea of banking services. 

Not really much of a fight, though. Chance runs like heck, the two wannabe-thieves after her. However, it looks like her namesake is against her, as she finds herself at a dead end.

Chance's luck appears to have run out. However, Roberto da Costa is there, so...maybe not. He powers up into his Sunspot form, and seemingly easily thrashes the two men. However, he runs out of power and changes back to his human form. The story ends with the two teenagers at knife point.  

I personally did enjoy this comic. I know some would kind of find Roberto's decision a bit dramatic for a lack of a better term. But I look at it like this. Roberto at this point is going through some things. His father joined up with an evil organization that has caused tragedy for him, he accidentally injures someone he considers his best friend, and he learns that there are fears that he could turn out like his dad. Combine that with the fact that teenagers can be dramatic, and...yeah. It would make sense he'd run away from home. 

I do like the art as well. It reminds me of the art of the late 80s Avengers book...which does make sense considering the involvement of the late great Tom Palmer. the art's biggest strength is honestly, the facial expressions. There's some fantastic "acting" in this book. 

Fallen Angels is an underrated little miniseries in my opinion. A sequel to it was planned, with Jo Duffy penning and Colleen Doran on art, focusing on the new characters, but it never came to pass. This miniseries would lead to further things down the line. Most notably, Siryn and Multiple Man would work together in X-Factor Investigations. Other members of the group would go on to appear in other books. Sadly, Chance is the only Fallen Angel to never make a comeback in any form. And the title would be revived in 2019, but with an unrelated roster.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2011 trade paperback X-Men: Fallen Angels. 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 vaccine/booster! See you next time!

Shark Awareness Day

Happy Shark Awareness Day!

What is Shark Awareness Day? Well, it's a day that raises awareness of the importance of the shark.

Sharks are critters that have been the victim of stigma. Sharks have a very important role in maintaining balance in the oceans' food chain. Sharks are apex predators, and help keep other species from going too out of control, population-wise. Sharks in media are often portrayed as bloodthirsty and murderous, but in reality, shark attacks on humans are incredibly rare. In honor of this day, here are some more fun shark facts, courtesy of the NOAA Fisheries:.

1. Sharks are very old

Based on fossil records, sharks have been around in some form for possibly 455 million years. These guys have been around for a long time.

2. Sharks don't have bones.

Unlike humans, sharks do not have bones. Instead, their bodies are composed of cartilaginous tissues. T Just like human ears and the tips of their noses. This also helps sharks be more buoyant in the water.  Their skeletons can still fossilize thanks to calcium salts that get deposited in their bones as they ag. The same is true of sharks' teeth, because they contain enamel, just like human teeth.

3. Sharks can sense electromagnetic fields.

If you ever look at a shark, you may notice that they have these black spots near their eyes, mouth, and nose. Those are very special organs called ampullae of Lorenzini. These organs not just allow sharks to sense electromagnetic fields, but also temperature changes. These ampullae, combined with what are believed to be special cells in shark brains, help sharks navigate. 

4. Sharks have a variety of reproductive methods.

Different shark species can reproduce in different ways. Some shark species lay eggs, and others even have live births, like humans. 

National Kitten Day

Happy National Kitten Day, everybody!

If you have a kitten (or a cat), give them a hug! If not, watch some kitten videos! They will always cheer you up!

Captain America #358 (Late September 1989)

Sometimes, I admit, I have troubles picking what comic to review for this blog every week. But this week was not one of those. July 4th was this week, and I also saw Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny last Sunday (I quite enjoyed it), I figured that this would be the best time to not just look at a Captain America comic. Not just a Captain America comic, but also one that was part of a story that showed him going on an Indiana Jones-style adventure. And luckily, Mark Gruenwald did provide such a story during his long tenure on Cap's book during the 1980s/1990s: The Bloodstone Hunt.

I have talked about The Bloodstone Hunt before, in my review of Captain America #357 (Early September 1989). Basically, it told the tale of Baron Zemo and his allies, Batroc's Brigade, as they sought out pieces of the Bloodstone, the stone that for millennia lied in the chest of the immortal monster hunter known as Ulysses Bloodstone. After the stone was removed from his chest, it became a monster, it was destroyed, and the pieces of the stone ended up scattered all over the Earth. Ulysses himself died saving the world from the crystal monster. And now Captain America must stop Zemo from uniting the pieces of the Bloodstone. So, with that out of the way, let's look at Captain America #358!

The cover is a Kieron Dwyer and Al Milgrom piece. It's pretty awesome, depicting Captain America trying to keep himself from getting crushed by a spiky ceiling. It's an eye-catcher, making someone want to read this comic. 

"Bones of Contention"
Writer: Mark Gruenwald
Penciler: Kieron Dwyer
Inker: Danny Bulanadi
Colorist: Gregory Wright
Letterer: Jack Morelli
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story begins with Captain America rappelling to catacombs far below the streets, sewers, and subways of Manhattan. He has not just his trusty indestructible shield, but also a light and a transmitter. When he tries to get his bearings, the Sentinel of Liberty gapes at a shocking sight.

Cap identifies the remains as Moloids, the subjects of the Mole Man. He gets a feeling they didn't die of natural causes. His theory is proven right when spikes shoot out at him from all sides. He manages to get past them, only to end up on a trap door that threatens to drop him into a lava pit. The floor panels also sprout spikes. Yeah, no kill like overkill.

But, not to worry. Cap uses the spikes as improvised handholds to climb back out. He then sees a wall come down. He manages to get under it and tries to catch his breath. After all, even a super-soldier has limits to his stamina. However, another wall comes down. Cap isn't able to get past it, leaving him trapped. 

The ceiling sprouts spikes and starts to come down. And the floor gets spiky, too.

Luckily, Cap had packed a little spelunking kit. Can't go spelunking without a proper spelunking kit, after all. That's just simple common sense. 

In his little spelunking kit, he has a blasting cap. He uses it to blow his way out of the trap.

And then Cap accidentally causes a cave-in.

Once he escapes, Cap finds himself in another chamber...and some more dead bodies within it.

This new Living Dead film is weeeeeird....

It's an unusual sight. Three dead men, one dead woman, and...a dead dolphin of all things. The humans are clad in bizarre costumes. Yeah, Cap unknowingly stumbled on the final resting places of the Conspiracy, the group that killed Ulysses Bloodstone years earlier in Rampaging Hulk #8 (January 1978). He notes the signal his transmitter is picking up is getting stronger than ever. He follows it to a pit. The good captain kicks a rock down the hole to check its depth, and notices he never heard it land...and there's a pinprick of light at the bottom.

Cpa uses his rope to rappel down the hole. The hole has a powerful updraft, and Cap tries to get a foothold. He ends up discovering a coffin.

Cap opens it and finds the person he was looking for: Diamondback. She had been locked in the box with the skeleton of Ulysses Bloodstone in the last issue. Cap grabs the skull, and then the two then head back to Avengers Island. Avengers Support Team member Fabian Stankiewicz equips the skull with a handle and a radiometer. 

"We totally desecrated the remains of this man. We are the good guys!"

The skull emits a strange radiation, presumably due to its millennia of being exposed to the energies of the Bloodstone. And it's picking something up south-southeast from the Island. Cap and Diamondback fly off in a Quinjet piloted by John Jameson. The Skull Radiometer guides them to the Amazon Rainforest. And since there's nowhere for the Quinjet, they're going to have to take...a leap of faith.

Don't worry, Cap and Diamondback have parachutes. And Ms. Leighton is having the time of her life.

It was at that moment that Diamondback realized...she effed up.

See? Having a blast already! Yeah, she's having a tough timekeeping up with Cap, and laments that she should have stayed in Australia with the X-Men, as shown in X-Men Annual #13 (1989). Diamondback trips over an Incan idol, and the two costumes characters end up being held at spear-point by what appears to be Incans.

"Uh, Cap? Did we end up in a serial?"

As the Incans take Cap and Diamondback to a pyramid, Cap wonders if this is how they treat all their "guests"...or did Batroc somehow pull a Belloq from Raiders of the Lost Ark and managed to inform the tribe of them? The chieftain provides an answer in the form of ordering a raising of a wheel. Not a wheel of fortune, but a wheel of death.

This reboot of Wheel of Fortune is weeeeeeeird...

Baron Zemo and Batroc's Brigade are already tied up to it, and now it will be Cap and Diamondback's turn next...after getting sent to dreamland thanks to a couple blowdarts to the neck.

I enjoyed this comic. It was a fun little ride. It's neat seeing Captain America have an adventure that seemed out of the adventure serials that inspired Spielberg and Lucas. Certainly shows the versatility of the superhero genre. I do think it can be argued that the portrayal of the "Incas" in the issue can be seen as a bit problematic for lack of a better term, and that would be understandable. This still was an exciting issue, and a wonderful part of an underrated storyline.

 I got some laughs out of Diamondback, poor girl was so in over her head. Special shout-out to Kieron Dwyer for her facial expressions. He's very good at that. I consider that his big strength as an artist. 

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2010 trade paperback Captain America: The Bloodstone Hunt or the 2018 trade Captain America Epic Collection Vol. 15: The Bloodstone Hunt. 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 vaccine/booster! See you next time!

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th to everyone who celebrates!

Hope you had a wonderful day and got to enjoy some delicious barbeque!

Batman #402 (December 1986)

Superheroes can be an inspiring sort. They can make people want to be better. They can bring out the best in people. However, like anything good...there can be a dark side to it. In the 1970s and 1980s, comic books started to explore the darker side of the superhero and the effects of them on society. Watchmen was most notable for this. Even the Dark Knight was not immune to this phenomenon.

The comic we're looking at here is a showing of the darker effects of the superhero. This is a tale of a man obsessed. A man inspired by the Batman to take justice into his own hands...and cross lines that Bruce Wayne himself would never dream of doing. This...is Batman #402.

The cover is a Jim Starlin and Anthony Tollin piece. It's pretty good, depicting what looks like Batman strangling himself. It's like a dark parody of a Silver Age-era cover. It's an eye-catcher, that's for sure.

"There's Nothing So Savage--As a Man Destroying Himself!" 
Writer: Max Allan Collins
Penciler: Jim Starlin
Inker: Jim Starlin
Colorist: Daina Graziunas
Letterer: John Costanza
Editor: Dennis O'Neil
Executive Editor: Dick Giordano

The story begins with the Dark Knight on patrol in Gotham. Seemingly nothing strange about that. We then focus on a couple. No, their names are not Jack and Diane, they are Dick and Jane. The two just left a rock show, and they're mixed on the music. Jane liked it, but Dick thought they were a bad parody of Velvet Underground. I don't know, I thought they were pretty good myself.

The couple have tickets to see a group called "Del Fuegos". Oh yeah, their last album was so underrated. Two punks, a blond and a mustached man approach the couple, and they're not interested in being friendly.

The blond demands Dick hand over his wallet. Blondie gets annoyed with Dick's pleading not to hurt him, so he gives Dickie a wrench to the mouth.

Before anything else can happen, Batman arrives. Mustache charges the Dark Knight with a knife, but the Bat is easily able to disarm him...and then he helps Mustache with that crick in his neck by breaking it.

"It was at that moment that Bruce Wayne realized that he was a lousy chiropractor."

The triumphant "Batman" returns not to a Batcave, but to his garage. This Bat-Impostor feels proud. He applied some preventive medicine to Gotham City. And tomorrow night, he would be at it again.

This reboot of The Pretender is weeeeeeird...

Meanwhile, the real Batman heads towards Gotham PD's HQ, answering the summon of the Bat-Signal. And there's a surprise waiting for the Caped Crusader.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BATMAN! WE GOT A BIG CAKE AND EVERYTHING!"

The Batman avoids the cops' gunfire, noting that normally, Commissioner Gordon is waiting for him there. Instead, it was Deputy Commissioner Barnes. Gordon and Batman watch some TV together at his home. The news broadcasts that Batman is wanted for murder. As in the two muggers from the beginning of the story. The newscaster reveals that they were arrested for murder about a year earlier, but got let out on a technicality. Gordon is infuriated. He refuses to let his friend be smeared like this, and he knows Barnes is taking advantage of this because the man is hungry for Gordon's job.

Batman tells Gordon to play along while he looks into it. The next morning, Bruce Wayne is enjoying some breakfast with his young ward, Jason Todd. Bruce asks Alfred to look into something for him. If this imposter has a Batman suit, he may have bought or rented it if he didn't make it himself. He wants Alfred to call every theatrical costume maker in the city. If they can figure out where the suit was bought or rented from, they may be able to nail the impostor.

Meanwhile, Jason and Bruce do their own research. Jason finds out about the murder that Blondie and Mustache committed. The victim was the wife of a man named Howard Despond. She didn't even get named.

The two briefly debate on whether Batman should kill. Jason is perfectly fine that they're dead. Bruce admits he is as well...but he's not proud of it. Alfred reports that the seven companies he called had no Batman costumes...because they all have been stolen. So much for an open-and-shut case.

Bruce goes to talk to Mr. Despond, using his capacity as the head of the Wayne Foundation. They have a program to aid the victims of violent crime, and he's using that the murder of...I'm calling her Lenore. Despond tells Wayne that nobody seemed to care about the two murdering Lenore, but a young detective did. Busted his hump to catch the two, only for them to released, as established earlier. 

The night falls.

"The lengths people go to get drunk these days..."

A Mr. Davis, a news photographer, wants to know what happened here. The two walk off. Gordon tells Davis that the dead man was robbing this here liquor store, but then Bat-Impostor came along and snapped his neck like a twig, then tossed him through the window for good measure. No kill like overkill, indeed. Gordon recognized the dead man. Last year, he killed a convenience store manager during a robbery, but like the two muggers earlier, got off on a technicality. 

Gordon also has a prime suspect for these "Batman Killings": Tommy Carma, formerly of the Gotham PD.  Youngest person to make the rank of Detective. Carma was an eager young cop...a bit too eager. His zeal caused him to make mistakes, break regulations, and it allowed criminals to get away thanks to charges of police brutality. It's revealed that "Davis" is actually Batman in disguise.

That night, Batman gets ready to leave, and tells Jason that he can't come along as Robin. Carma is a dangerous man. After all, man was a boxer (good enough to win a Golden Gloves tournament), a skilled practicitoner of Karate, and a massive chip on his shoulder. But it's not like he doesn't have a good reason to have said chip. 

"I know a Vigilante this guy can talk to..."

Yeah, Carma and Adrian Chase likely would bond over something like this. Batman drives off to a warehouse. Since the death of his family, Carma had either quit (or more likely had been fired) the police, taking a job as a night watchman. However, it turns out that he switched to working in the daytime, and the new guard is happy to give the Dark Knight his address. In the year since his family died, he's been living with his mother...or she moved in with him. The guard describes Carma as very quiet, but angry. Batman arrives at Carma's address. 

"Wait, are you one of his cosplayer friends?"

Carma's mother sees the Caped Crusader in his full Batman regalia, and assumes it's Carma himself. She takes a seat and has a drink...against doctor's orders. She's aware of this, but her work at the old folks' home does wear on her...as does Carma's activities as the Batman. She understands that he admires the superhero, even naming his late daughter "Robin", but Carma is not Batman. The old woman falls asleep, and Batman heads to the basement. He discovers Carma has turned it into his own version of the Batcave, with clippings of Batman's adventures on the walls...it's worse than Bruce feared. Carma isn't just impersonating Batman...he believes he is Batman.

Batman notices that three of the clippings are not about him. They're about three criminals that managed to slip the justice system in various ways. Looks like our man's found the imposter's potential next targets...

Meanwhile, Carma hunts down one of his targets: The Snuffer, a mob hitman who is under witness protection because he is turning state's evidence. Basically, he's going to testify against other mobsters. He's called "the Snuffer". Really? You'd think he'd get a better nickname. I mean, I do get it, his job is "snuffing" people out, but yeah.

Anyway, Carma manages to get the Snuffer and toss him out a window to his supposed death. The real Batman saves him, and the two Caped Crusaders fight. 

Then Robin appears in the alleyway, calling out to his partner. This gets Carma's attention and rattles him, making him think of his family. This allows Bruce to hit him with a knockout punch.

Bruce says he should be angry at Jason for disobeying his orders (He had told Jason not to accompany him earlier), but instead he's grateful. Jason's presence allowed him to stop the fight before somebody got really badly hurt. The police come, but Batman wants to stay to clear his name. The story ends with him remarking that it was hard to swing at him. After all, he's just another guy who thinks he's Batman...

I did enjoy this issue. it does make sense that there are people out there who would feel a superhero isn't going far enough in stopping criminals, and would try to take matters in their own hands. Carma is essentially a dark mirror for the Batman. He's a former cop-turned vigilante, working with modest means and limited resources. The story isn't really much of a mystery (which is funny as this comic was written by Max Allan Collins), but that's alright here. What this story is about is Batman facing a darker version of himself.

What I also found interesting here is Jason Todd. I think this is the beginnings of the darker, angrier personality that he would be established to have post-Crisis on Infinite Earths. His seeming support of Carma's activities allows for some good character stuff between him and Batman.

I am always surprised to see Jim Starlin on penciling duties, especially for a DC book, as my first exposure to him as a writer for Marvel, mainly associated with Warlock and Thanos. His art has a bit of a gritty feel to it, which fits this darker Batman story well. I do find amusement in his giving Batman's cowl the ridiculously long Bat-ears.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2015 trade paperback Batman: Second Chances. 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 vaccine/booster! See you next time!