Agatha All Along Trailer, My Thoughts

The Mighty Marvel Cinematic Universe marches on! After WandaVision, that show's head writer, Jac Shaffer, had made several pitches for new series, including usage of the character of Agatha Harkness, who had debuted in WandaVision, portrayed by Kathryn Hahn. 

In October 2021, development started on a new miniseries focused on Harkness. The series would get several titles over development, like Darkhold Diaries, House of Harkness, and Coven of Chaos. In May 2024, the show got its true title: Agatha All Along, named after the song. It was also revealed that the name changes were intentional, a nod to Agatha's messing with people's minds. The series will see Hahn return as Agatha Harkness, alongside Debra Jo Rupp, who also had appeared in WandaVision. The cast also includes Patti LuPone, Aubrey Plaza, and most interestingly, Joe Locke and Sasheer Zamata will be joining as Billy "Wiccan" Kaplan and Jennifer Kale, respectively.

After the events of WandaVision, Agatha Harkness found herself trapped in Westview, New Jersey. But when she's freed, she and a teenager named Billy Kaplan must join forces and form a new coven to take on the trials of the Witches' Road. So, how is this sneak peek of the MCU's upcoming 11th TV miniseries? Let's look at the trailer!

When Agatha woke up today, she didn't expect to have to play a detective in a murder mystery. You see, that's normally on Thursdays.

I've heard theories that this figure is meant to be the Wanda Maximoff of Earth-838. But I...highly doubt it. I think her name appearing is meant to reflect the events of Multiverse of Madness. Watch that movie, it's good. 

Yeah, I think the events of that movie is why Agatha can now break out of Wanda's spell. 

Agatha wants her powers back. I can imagine this ending very well.

Man, this new Batwoman reboot is WEEEEEEEIRD.

In case you're wondering, the Witches' Road is from James Robinson's 2015-17 Scarlet Witch series. Read it, it's really good. First appearing in the third issue of this series, the Road is an alternate plane of existence that can only be accessed by sorcerers. Hey, does this mean we may get a mention of Natalya Maximoff? In the comics, she was Wanda's biological mother...and the Scarlet Witch before Wanda.

Well, from what I heard, the Road has no signs or rest stops. That can't be legal. 

Yup, this show will be for those who like the spooky. 

"Also, you owe me 50 bucks, Agatha! WHERE IS MY MONEY, WOMAN?!" But seriously, considering how long Agatha has lived, I can imagine she's ticked off quite a lot of people in her time. 

Yeah, that's what happens when you do an exorcism while high on hard drugs.

Well, this looks rather interesting. 

Tales of Suspense #80 (August 1966)

Since last week was July 4th, the birthday of the United States of America, I thought I'd do a comic focusing on Captain America, in particular a prelude to one of his greatest battles against his undoubtedly greatest nemesis: The Red Skull. This is Tales of Suspense #80!

The cover is a Jack Kirby, Don Heck, Stan Goldman, and Sam Rosen piece. It is an awesome cover. I think it's a rather iconic cover. The Red Skull holding up the Cosmic Cube in triumph, said item emanating waves of power, enough to even make the good Captain take pause. 

"When Fall the Mighty"
Writer: Stan Lee
Penciler: Gene Colan
Inker: Gary Michaels
Colorist: Unknown
Letterer: Artie Simek
Editor: Stan Lee
Editor-in-Chief: Stan Lee

The story begins with our man Cap witnessing a plane explode in the air.

Cap sees the pilot eject out thanks to a capsule. Said capsule heads for the river, and Cap dives in to get the pilot out. As he swims towards the capsule, he notices that it has no markings on it, leaving the Star-Spangled Avenger to wonder who it belonged to. 

He then realizes it belongs to AIM, aka Advanced Idea Mechanics. Cap is able to get the occupant of the capsule out, clad in AIM's iconic yellow "beekeeper" outfit. 

The AIM man babbles about a Cosmic Cube. The Cube was AIM's crowning achievement, the ultimate weapon. In the wrong hands, it can devastate the cosmos. And it's in the hands of the Red Skull.

At an unknown location, the Red Skull is watching the Cosmic Cube's keeper being pursued by AIM. He overrides the Keeper's plane's controls and shoots down the pursuing AIM forces. A pilot managed to eject (the same AIM man Cap found), but it doesn't matter. Red Skull now has the Cosmic Cube for sure. His crony Wolfgang wonders how on Earth Red Skull managed to convince the Cube's keeper to bring him said Cosmic Cube. 

The Skull explains that when he attended a meeting that included AIM (as it was thought the Red Skull was an ally of AIM's), he managed to shake the keeper's hand...like he just shook Wolfgang's.

The little gadget in Wolfgang's hand is a miniature mind-control device. The Red Skull also planted one on the Cosmic Cube's keeper, allowing him to command said keeper to bring said Cube to him. And now that Wolfgang's under the Skull's power, the supervillain commands him to take his own gun and...shoot himself in the head as the crimson-headed monster leaves the room.

Never work with the Red Skull, kids. It's not the best for your health. Captain America is in hot pursuit of the AIM craft containing the Cosmic Cube. He got some help from SHIELD for it, thanks to a special ID card Nick Fury Sr. gave him in Tales of Suspense #78. Captain America leaps from his SHIELD craft to the AIM plane thanks to his power of being awesome. He and the mind-controlled AIM pilot end up struggling.

The brawl causes the two to eject from the plane. 

They end up landing on the Red Skull's private island. The Red Skull tells the AIM man to guard the cube while he faces the Sentinel of Liberty. Cap and Skull fight, Cap noting that the Nazi villain's clothes are covering protective armor. The Skull gets into Cap's head by revealing that he was the man behind the seeming death of Bucky Barnes as revealed in Avengers #4, decades before it would be retconned that he was turned into the Winter Soldier.  

As the madman hoped, this throws Cap off-balance, allowing the supervillain to blast the All-American Avenger with some gas from a hidden device. 

The mind-controlled AIM man hands the Skull the Cosmic Cube. He now has the power to reshape the cosmos in his evil hands.

He tests the Cube by using it to exile the AIM man to another dimension. 

The story ends with Cap getting back to his feet, realizing that this is no longer the Nazi madman he fought back during the war. He's now facing off against a god.

This was a crackling little adventure. It got me excited to read the next issue. I found myself wondering how Cap was going to get out of this mess. Stan, Gene, and the gang did a great job illustrating just how much of a monster the Red Skull is. I did wish there was a bit of technobabble put in to help explain exactly how the Cosmic Cube can alter reality, but I can understand why there wasn't here. After all, there's only so much space a story has in an anthology comic. 

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2011 trade paperback Captain America vs. The Red Skull. You can also track down the 2014 trade paperback Captain America Epic Collection Vol. 1: Captain America Lives Again. It was reprinted in 2021. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

World Chocolate Day

Today is World Chocolate Day!

Chocolate is mainly produced from cocoa beans. The plants that produce these beans are native to the tropical areas of the Americas, mainly in South America. This plant was first domesticated around 5,300 years ago in what is now Ecuador by the Mayo-Chinchipe. They served it as a bitter drink mixed with spices and corn. This would spread to Latin America, where there is a modern descendant of this drink served in southern Mexico and Central America: Chilate. From there, it would spread further to Pueblo peoples in what is now the Southwest USA. 

Chocolate would be introduced to Europeans in the 16th century, thanks to Chistopher Columbus seized a canoe used by natives to trade, which had cocoa beans. However, it would be Spanish friars that would make the big impact, thanks to them introducing chocolate to the Spanish royals. It was originally a luxury item, enjoyed only by the rich, where sugar was added to counter its natural bitterness. But when the steam engine was invented in the 1700s, it became possible to mass-produce chocolate. It would also help lead to the rise of the transatlantic slave trade.

Improvements in technology, like Walter Churchman's mechanical cocoa grinder in 1729, and Dutch chemist Coenradd van Houten's press that removed half the natural fat from chocolate, made chocolate cheaper and easier to produce, also allowing its transition from strictly a drink. In the late 19th century, several chocolate companies were born. Some are still around today, like Cadbury and Hershey.

Chocolate has had a long history, and if you want to learn more, you can read here and here. Thanks for reading this blog entry and treat yourself to some chocolate! See you next time!

Green Lantern #182 (November 1984)

This is Green Lantern #182!

The cover is a Dave Gibbons piece. 

"It's a Dirty Job, But..."
Writer: Len Wein
Penciler: Dave Gibbons
Inker: Mark Farmer
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: Anthony Tollin

Editor: Len Wein

Executive Editor: Dick Giordano 

The story begins with Hal Jordan driving in a jeep through the forest. the man isn't here to enjoy the sights of the beautiful Sierra Madre mountains of California. He's actually here to see a friend of his.

“Oh, good. No graffiti.”

We get a recap here of how Hal Jordan became Earth-One's Green Lantern (remember, this is pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths, so his predecessor Alan Scott is on Earth-Two). Summoned by the dying Abin Sur, being given his ring, you know the rest. After Sur died, Hal buried the spaceship and Sur's remains in the mountains. He wants to talk to Sur, in a way. 

He talks about how Sur entrusted him and put so much faith in him as a Green Lantern. Hal feels he failed Abin. He did his best with the ring he was entrusted with. Before he became a GL, Hal had dreams of his own. A woman he loved. A life of his own. And now that he's resigned from the Corps (He resigned in the previous issue, fed up with the Guardians demanding he prioritize his Lantern duties over his personal life), he can get on with his own life. Be with Carol Ferris. Achieve his dreams. Get on with his own life. He hopes that wherever he is, Abin Sur understands. And can forgive him. 

Back on Oa, the Guardians of the Universe witness Hal's talk with Abin's grave, and realize that he is not coming back to the Corps. But Sector 2814 still needs protecting, it still needs a Green Lantern. 

In Los Angeles, Carol Ferris and April O'Rourke are heading out from lunch during a hard rain. 

Nothing better than the sounds of these at night. 😊

Carol took April out to help get her mind off of her troubles regarding her fiancé Clay Kendall and his injuries. Kendall ended up crippled in issues #179-180. April accidentally bumps into a man in a hat and trenchcoat, and he ignores her attempts to apologize. Carol waves it off, and the two drive away. The man walks into an alley, thinking about how he refined his powers in prison. A lightning bolt strikes him, revealing his true self.

“Quick change with lightning! I should patent this!.”

Yup, Major Disaster is back. Over at Ferris Aircraft, John Stewart is hard at work, overseeing the building of a new runway to launch a solar jet for a client. Carl Ferris enters the scene, and much to his chagrin, he is accompanied by a man named Smith.

John naturally thinks this "Smith" fellow is not good news. 

We next go to the Baldwin Hills Dam. Major Disaster appears and blows away the guards. Carol arrives at Ferris Aircraft after dropping off April at the hospital. She gets visited by another friend of hers: Dr. Bruce Gordon. And he has something for her.

Carol wonders if it's another threat from Congressman Jason Bloch. Bloch's father Conrad had co-founded Ferris Aircraft with Carl Ferris, Carol's father. Thing was, Conrad was a lazy drunkard, and he got fired. The elder Bloch started a new company and tried to get some government contracts for a solar jet. However, Ferris Air got the contracts instead, bankrupting the elder Bloch. His hatred for Ferris was shared by Jason, who used his power in Congress to prevent Ferris from getting contracts. However, it can't be either of the Blochs. Conrad died in Green Lantern #140 (May 1981), and Jason was murdered by the Predator (no, not the alien hunter) in Green Lantern #181 (October 1984) that's impossible. You see, Bloch was murdered earlier in the week. He's hoping that it's some morbid joke, because he dares not consider the alternative...

On the news, reporter Tawny Young is announcing that Major Disaster is attacking the dam. Hal arrives at Ferris Air, looking for Carol. He only finds Tom Kalmaku fixing a plane. Hal asks where Carol is, but Tom's like "I'm not your friggin' secretary, go look for her yourself!" 

Yeah, Hal is confused, too. John tells him not to worry about it, and the two go for some drinks. At the bar, the two see Tawny's news report. Picked a heck of a time to retire, Hal. Hal goes to a payphone (Yeah remember, this was the 1980s), but it's occupied at the moment. 

Hal goes to find another phone when he sees something shocking.

Yeah, Stewart is the new Green Lantern. John flies up to the dam. Major Disaster is enraged, as John may be Green Lantern, but he's not Hal. Major Disaster is unaware Hal retired, and I doubt he'd care if he did know. Major Disaster demands that Hal appear...or he'll bring down the dam.

I actually enjoyed this comic. It's mainly a character story, where we look into Hal's mind a bit. It's easy to dismiss him as a rather bland character, mainly because he came about in the 1950s, and an entire generation of comic readers came up with him being Kyle Rayner's insane/dead predecessor. But here, it shows that Hal is more than just the cocky test pilot. He's shown to have struggled with his time as a Green Lantern, how he feels he failed to live up to Abin Sur's legacy. It's understandable why he'd put the man so high on a perch. He didn't know Sur too well, only meeting the alien in the last moments of his life. And considering how much Sur changed Hal's life, his mentality does make sense. 

I do admit, I did feel a bit lost when it came to the comic, some text boxes would have been nice. 

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2013 trade paperback Green Lantern: Sector 2814 Vol. 2. Thanks for reading this blog entry!

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Fourth of July, everyone! I hope you all have fun and be safe celebrating America's 248th Birthday.

For those not in the know, the Fourth of July, also known as Independence Day, is essentially America's birthday. On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, which was their stating that the Thirteen Colonies, which would become America's first 13 states, were breaking off from Great Britain. Congress would make it a federal holiday in 1938.

The holiday is traditionally celebrated with parades, barbecues, baseball games, concerts, and carnivals. And at night, beautiful displays of fireworks are shown all over the country, from major cities to small towns. All for saying "Happy Birthday" to the nation.

I hope you all enjoy this day! Enjoy the hot dogs and the parades, and don't forget to watch the fireworks! And most importantly, be safe.

World UFO Day

Today is World UFO Day!

The purpose of this day is to encourage watching the skies for potential signs that other beings are visiting us. There were originally two days it was celebrated: Today, and on June 24. Some celebrated this day because on that day in 1947, American aviator Kenneth Arnold claimed to have seen nine strange objects flying near Mount Rainier, Washington. This is considered the first modern UFO sighting.

Others chose to celebrate on this day because it's the day it's believed a UFO crashed in Roswell, New Mexico. 

Canada Day

Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian readers!

To all my non-Canadian readers, you may be asking what Canada Day is. Well, in a way, it's the birthday of modern Canada. On this day in 1867, the confederation of Canada occurred. What this basically means is that the passing of the British North America Act (1867) the British colonies of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and the United Canadas were combined into a Dominion of Canada. This essentially made Canada into a self-governing country while still a part of the British Empire. 

Before 1982, this day was called Dominion Day. In that year, the Canada Act was passed, giving the country full sovereignty. Canada Day is a federal holiday in the country. Much like July 4 here in the USA, Canada Day is celebrated by barbecues, parades, and fireworks.