Batman #0 (October 1994)

Batman. The Dark Knight. The Caped Crusader. One half of the Dynamic Duo. First appearing in Detective Comics #27 (May 1939), Batman has become one of DC's most popular and beloved superheroes.

Before I begin this review, I have to talk a little bit about a little 1994 event known as Zero Hour. Subtitled A Crisis in Time!, it was meant to not only be a bit of a follow-up to Crisis on Infinite Earths, but intended to further help clean up continuity issues caused by CoIE's radical revamping and rewriting of the DC Universe's history. However, it did not quite work out. Hawkman's history ended up becoming even more of a mess (It got so bad that DC editorial actually considered the character "radioactive" for several years and forbade writers from using him in stories). It affected the Matrix/Linda Danvers Supergirl's origin, and like CoIE did about a decade earlier, it wreaked havoc on the history of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Yeah, it did a lot of damage for a event that that was supposed to help clean up history. 

In the aftermath, DC's main canon books relaunched with #0 issues, meant to tell the new origins and histories of the characters or teams they covered. This here is one of them.

And with that, let's take a look at the origin of the Batman after the time-altering effects of Zero Hour! Let's look at Batman #0!

The cover is well-drawn, if a bit basic. It just depicts Batman posing on a building, grabbing his cape, while the Bat-Signal shines in the background. As I said, it is well-drawn. It was done by Mark Manley, who also does the interior art. I can't help but snicker a bit as it looks like the wind is making Bats's cape fly out of control, and he's trying to keep it under wraps, as it were.

"Creature of the Night"
Writer: Doug Moench
Penciller: Mike Manley
Inker: Josef Rubinstein
Colorist: Adrienne Roy
Letterer: Ren Bruzenak
Assistant Editor: Jordan B. Gorfinkel
Editor: Denny O'Neil

The story begins with Batman swinging through Gotham, the Bat-Signal shining.

I don't know how he resists the urge to yell "WHEEEEE!" when he does that. Spider-Man totally would do that, and that's one way Spider-Man is cooler than Batman. Anyway, during his little journey to his traditional meeting with Commissioner Gordon, he starts having a flashback to his childhood, before the fateful day his parents were killed.

The young Bruce Wayne has fallen into a hole in the ground, which also had a nest of bats in it. The bats go nuts over the intruder in their home and start flying around all over the place, scaring the boy. Luckily, his father Thomas managed to come down and get him out. The young Bruce asked if he was in Hell.

In the present, Batman arrives at the Gotham Police HQ. Commissioner Gordon apologizes for keeping Batman from taking care of the "larger demons", aka his regular rogues' gallery. He needs the help, as his force is spread thin as it is. He explains that on his lap is a series of muggings. They would be random, but the forensic experts have discovered that the same gun was used in all of them.

Of course, for Bats, this triggers another flashback to witnesses his mother's shooting. Gordon explains the muggers have gotten about six hundred dollars...and put some bullets in their victims' hearts. Batman agrees to look into it. Gordon thanks him and shuts off the signal, only to see that in classic fashion, Bats disappeared. Heh.

Batman returns to Stately Wayne Manor, where he looks at a photograph of his parents. It triggers another flashback to him asking his parents about his family's wealth.

Martha Wayne tells Bruce that wealth is not important, it's what one does with themselves. Thomas is a doctor, for example. Even though he really doesn't need the work, he still does it because he wants to help people. Much like Martha does herself with her charity work helping the poor of Gotham. I don't think Martha's charity work was ever really explored, which is kind of a shame. It would have helped show why Bruce does so much charity work in his civilian life. It's something he got from his mother.

Bruce thinks about Alfred being gone. I think he had quit at the time because Batman was becoming more self-destructive thanks to the events of Knightfall. It causes Bruce to think to when he first entered the employ of the Wayne family.

Alfred does have a rather convenient set of skills, doesn't he? Perfect for helping out a rich superhero. Bruce goes down to the Batcave, which is smashed up to the point that it no longer feels like a sanctuary to him. I think this was not long after Knightfall, which dealt with Jean-Paul Valley's disasterous turn as the Dark Knight. It then causes Bruce to think about the night his parents died.

The choice of colors in this flashback is a good one. The shades of reds and pinks stand out from the other flashbacks, making it look like a major flashback, which is the point. This was the point Bruce Wayne died, and Batman appeared in his place.

The Tim Drake Robin appears and apologizes for not telling him about Jean-Paul sooner. Yeah, this is not long after Knightfall. Bruce reassures him it was alright, and that the fault was his own. In choosing Jean-Paul, Bruce ended perverting the ideals he was meant to employ as the Batman. He then thinks about what those ideals were, including his vow to never use a gun. Tim snaps him back to reality, and Bruce tells him to see what he can salvage, like the microscope. The Batman is going out as there's a crime to solve, and the game is afoot! I gotta pull out my copy of The Hound of the Baskervilles and read it again...

Batman investigates the crime scene, leading him to remember his parents' funeral, and his start to becoming the Batman. It shows that Leslie Thompkins was a counselor to him after his parents died. To me, Leslie is another unappreciated piece of the Batman mythos. She was the closest thing Bruce had to a mother after Martha Wayne's death, and likely helped play a role in helping Bruce maintain some sort of sanity after such an event. Bruce then gets to work preparing himself to become the Batman.

I love the last panel there. It makes me think of a description of Sherlock Holmes I once read, and it does feel rather appropriate. Like Holmes, Bruce Wayne is a genius who dedicated that brilliance to fighting crime. It gives me the idea that much like there is a link between Batman and the pulp characters that preceded him, Batman is also a bit of a spiritual successor to Holmes.

He finds some dried mud, some cigarette butts, and a book of matches a block from the actual shooting site. Bats gets suspicious and gathers the evidence. We get another flashback to Bruce's further training to become the Bat.

"Everybody was Bat-Fu Fighting..."

The flashbacks all have different "tints" to them. More on that later. Bruce finds a partial print on the matchbook, not enough to make a ID. He does have more luck with the mud. He finds that it's got a lot of clay in it, which makes it from near the Gotham River. Its eastern bank has a lot of clay in the ground, whereas the western one is more sandy. I think we can assume the west bank of the Gotham River is the closet thing Gotham has to a beach.

The matchbook could be from anywhere. Batman decides to investigate this the only way he knows how: by assuming one of his favorite disguises: Gotham's most beloved ne'er-do-well, "Matches" Malone.

Batman collects a whole bunch of matchbooks from various bars at the East Wharves. He notices a man following him as he's getting some matches from a dispenser. It's circumstantial, but it's enough to get the Dark Knight's instincts flaring. We get another flashback to when a bat crashed into a younger Bruce Wayne's window, which was what inspired him to create the bat-themed costume that became the Batsuit.

We then get some VERY abridged recounts of his rogues' gallery, his recruiting of Dick Grayson as the first Robin, Grayson becoming Nightwing, the Joker killing the second Robin (Jason Todd), the recruiting of Tim Drake as the third Robin, and then the recent stuff with the Knightfall storyline.

Batman notices the man he encountered as "Matches" Malone. As he observes, he wonders if it's worth it becoming the Batman, all he has been through. A man and his son are walking into the alley, and the man Batman is observing pulls out a gun and demands the family's money. Batman strikes.

The mugger decides to shoot the father, only for Batman to swoop in like a vengeful angel.

I keep thinking that panel should have "REKT" as a sound effect, because that's exactly what happened to that mugger. Batman growls to him that criminals like him created and deserve the Caped Crusader's wrath. Batman ties up the mugger and hangs him from a lamppost. He tells the family to call the police and essentially wishes them well. I actually really like that little detail. I don't think you see little things that much in Batman comics anymore. Batman should ideally only want to scare criminals, not innocents. Him wishing the family well shows that to them, he's a protector.

He swings away, deciding that...yeah, being the Batman is worth it. If it can allow Bruce Wayne to prevent any more tragedies like he had to suffer through, then being the Batman was worth it.

But it does leave one question remaining. When the time comes, can he hang up the cowl and walk away? Honestly, based on the modern interpretation of the character, I think we can say...no. Not if he can help it. He's that obsessed. Well...at the version from recent comics.

This issue is...perfectly fine. The mugger story is a simple one, but the focus is really on the flashbacks talking about Bruce Wayne's past and history before he became the Batman.

What I thought was clever was that the flashbacks all had different "tints" to them, and one could argue they were symbolic. The flashbacks to Bruce's childhood before his parents die are golden-tinted. It gives off the idea we're looking at an old film, a nostalgic time. It's the only time one could argue that Bruce was ever truly happy. The ones depicting his parents' death are done in shades of pink and red, seemingly emphasizing the blood the Waynes shed. The flashbacks of Bruce's training to become Batman are done in blue, which I think could be symbolizing the gloom that Bruce lived under after his parents' death, and arguably still does in a way. And maybe it's also a nod ot the blue in Batman's suit at the time. No idea why the flashbacks to Bane breaking Bruce's back in Knightfall are done in green, though. May it represents illness?

I also liked that this issue got to show Batman being a detective. Sometimes, I do think his fighting skills can be overly emphasized at times, so it is nice to remind readers he does have a brain to go with his fists and feet. As for the art...it's perfectly fine. I have no real complaints about it. It's very well-done.

Next time, it's October, baby! As such, we'll check in on Spider-Man and Doctor Strange as they deal with the menace of Xandu and the Wand of Watoomb...

First Day of October

Hey there, everyone! Today is the first day of October!

I hope you all had a good day today! I know many of you are excited for Halloween, and so am I. I have to figure out what to dress up as this year. Last year, I was a monster with a fried-up face.

On the blog front, I am working on a Batman comic review, and I also do want to review something special for Halloween. I do want to also review some old movies, but my TV died, and this other TV I have has a missing remote, so I can't hook up my DVD player to it. Nuts.

I am still working on that Batman review, so I do have something in the works. I like to have things to do. Take care, and have a great October!

Squadron Supreme #9 (May 1986)

Welcome back to Earth-712! Over the past eight months, we've watched the Squadron Supreme, the World's Mightiest Heroes, attempt to become more than just mere superheroes, the protectors of their world. We saw them attempt to actually fix their world. However, it would be shown that fixing the world is not an easy job. The Squadron endured triumph and tragedy, and it's not over yet.

Previously on Squadron Supreme: Master Menace attempted to bring the Squadron Supreme down from within by kidnapping Hyperion and replacing him with his counterpart from Earth-616. However, the plan would go wrong as 616-Hyperion fell in love with Zarda, and decided to screw over Menace. 712-Hyperion would break out of Menace's trap and engage 712-Hyperion in battle. Their battle devastates their world's Mount Rushmore, Presidents' Mountain. The battle ends with 616-Hyperion dead, and 712-Hyperion blinded.

The cover is interesting. Tom Thumb is holding up a container triumphantly, and the other members of the Squadron seem shocked by this. It's like they discovered what was actually in the container, and are shocked he's going to drink the stuff inside. "No, Tom! Don't drink it! It's spiked with laxatives!" There's also a text box that states, "At last--THE CURE!" Wait, The Cure is appearing in this comic? Okay, this could be interesting. If Mecha-Streisand shows up, we'll need Robert Smith and his Robot Punch.

"Borrowed Time!"
Writer: Mark Gruenwald
Penciller: Paul Ryan
Inker: Sam De La Rosa
Letterer: Rick Parker
Colorist: Max Scheele
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-In-Chief: Jim Shooter

The story begins with Hyperion lying on a bed in Squadron City's hospital complex, Dr. Decibel examining him.

Dr. Decibel thinks about the troubles he's had using a laser to repair Hyperion's damaged eyes. You see, because Hyperion is so durable, it makes it very hard for the medical laser to reattach his optic nerves. Another subtle bit of clever deconstruction from Gruenwald here. Decibel has tried this operation several times, and each time was a failure because the laser was just not powerful enough. This is the eighth attempt, with this new laser being the most powerful that Tom Thumb can devise.

Hyperion then recounts the events of the last issue (Remember, this was from 1986. Comics were still being sold in newsstands then), and then undergoes the procedure. Zarda watches this, and wonders why. She's been going through a lot emotionally since 616-Hyperion killed her husband. She had a void in her heart, and 616-Hyperion was only too happy to fill it.

She admits to herself she was angry with the "main" Hyperion for killing off 616-Hyperion, but then realized she only fell for 616 because she thought he was 712. Yeah, I apologize for this. Multiverses can be a pain sometimes. Decibel's procedure is finished, but it'll be a couple of days before he and Hyperion know for sure it's a success.

Meanwhile, one of the Squadron members is looking at footage of a battle.

In the past, the Grandmaster played one of his cosmic games with the Scarlet Centurion, which was the origin of the Institute of Evil. And you may notice that Skymax, the Skrullian Skymaster, appears in the panel. Yeah, my bad. I did say he only made one flashback appearance in this mini, I missed this. I goofed. Sorry about that.

Anyway, Foxfire gets to the part of the footage showing her engaging Nighthawk in battle. Foxfire notes the tape states that Nighthawk was easily able to beat her with his fighting skills. She scoffs at this, saying he beat her through luck. Nice little subtle bit of deconstruction here. In reality, some heroes probably would embellish their battles a little. She has the holo-library pull of a file on her, and it's not much.

There is a bit of a missed opportunity here with Foxfire. Much like the other Institute of Evil members, we never really get to learn her origin. It would have been neat to learn more about how they came to be who they were in this mini. I get why, they're not the focus of the story, but it still would have been neat to learn their origins. I personally imagine that like Earth-616, Earth-712 may have mutants, but I that world, they are much more rare. Foxfire may be one of those mutants. It has been established that Earth-712 doesn't have as many native superhumans as Earth-616, so maybe there aren't as many mutants.

Also, look at her. You can not tell me Foxfire was not inspired by Grace Jones. This was the mid-80s. A View to a Kill was out in theaters. This was her heyday. Anyway, Foxfire looks up information on the Scarlet Centurion.

How'd they get those mugshots of him? Fun fact, he's another version of Kang the Conqueror. An energy beam covers her eyes as she's learning about him, and she fights back. However, she stands down when she realizes that it was Doctor Spectrum. Spectrum has come to ask her to join in a poker game he's starting in an effort to fight off some Sunday boredom. Foxfire responds with a bit of flirting.

There's something rather...unnerving abut this whole thing. Keep in mind, Foxfire was a former villainess who was B-Modded to be a hero. Despite Tom Thumb's reassurances, it has been shown that yes, the B-Modding does affect her free will a bit. In the hospital complex, Blue Eagle goes to visit Quagmire, who is lying comatose in his bed.

Eagle recalls how he was hard on the former villain because he was different, and his regrets over not helping Quagmire rescue a group of people from a gas leak, resulting in him taking massive doses of a tranquilizer gas. He's hoping that Quagmire pulls out so he can make things right. On a tennis court, Whizzer and Lamprey are having a super-fast tennis match.

It's revealed that Whizzer allowed Lamprey to leech off a small amount of his power so Lamprey can play at Whizzer's level. This match is being watched by Maddy, Arcanna, and Phil Jones. Maddy Stewart reveals that Whizzer is a fan of tennis, but wasn't able to play with anyone after gaining his superspeed. Phil says he's going to check on the children, and finds the Jones children playing with Shape.

Phil asks Shape if the kids are hurting him, but he doesn't mind. He loves playing with the kids. Shape himself is rather child-like in mind. It can be argued that he has a mental disability of some kind. And he was likely B-Modded like the rest of the Institute of Evil. Yeah. The Squadron screwed with the head of a mentally disabled man. Let that sink in. We next go to the lab.

Ape-X and Tom Thumb are working on a device known as a Hibernaculum. Evidently it's meant to be used to put sick people in suspension until a way can be found to heal them. Ape-X is really enjoying working with Tom Thumb, and finds herself wishing she was human, so she could start something with him. It's a neat little hint of Ape-X's past, hinting she was always a gorilla. I wonder if Ape-X was a nod to Gorilla Grodd. Anyway, Thumb has a coughing fit, and leaves, saying he's going to get some cough syrup.

In Thumb's office, Aida the computer encourages Thumb to tell someone about his illness. Thumb refuses, saying if he couldn't find a cure for his cancer, nobody else in the Squadron could. He also doesn't want to be looked at with pity. It does tie into the self-esteem issues Thumb was shown to have in earlier issues. My guess is his bitterness towards his being overlooked is also causing him to keep quiet. He tells Aida that he's going to take a nap, and to wake him up in a half-hour.

As Thumb sleeps, Aida puzzles over what to do next. As Tom's computer, she is programmed to follow his commands. However, Tom needs help. If he doesn't, he'll die. Despite that disobeying Tom's command could damage her systems, Aida decides to tell Ape-X about his illness.

Out on the Apache Mountain Range, which is in...I don't know, Nighthawk and his crew are flying in a helicopter. The magical trinket that Professor Imam gave Nighthawk in Captain America #314 is indicating there is someone they can recruit nearby.

I like the bit of banter between Mink and Remnant. Helps give the impression the two of them were old friends. Nighthawk and Remnant use Remnant's magic carpet to fly down and investigate. And they find their man.

Back in Squadron City's lab complex, Ape-X wakes Tom up from his nap. She explains that she knows Tom is very ill, and he's shocked by this. She says that he should have told her and they could have found a way to help him. Tom explains that he tried. He tried everything, but there's no way to beat this. He's going to die. He even recalls when he attempted to bargain with the Scarlet Centurion for a cure, saying he refused when Centurion demanded that in exchange, he wanted Tom to poison the rest of the Squadron.

Ape-X asks why Tom didn't just, well...steal the Panacea Potion. Tom explains that it would be wrong. Ape-X counters that it's wrong to just give up and let his cancer kill him if there's a way to save his life. Tom suffers a bit of a crisis. He doesn't want to die, but he can't break his moral code, even if it is to save his life. She suggests that he...borrows the Panacea Potion. When he has it, he can analyze it, return it, and make his own. She reasons it's no different than borrowing a book from the library. It will be returned, so Tom wouldn't have stolen it.

Tom reluctantly agrees, and asks Ape-X if she'll help him. She can't because of the B-Modding. This is another problem with the B-Mod process. It doesn't allow for complex moral problems like this. She then suggests another idea as Tom doesn't want to involve his old Squadron friends in this, so she suggests another idea.

Later, Ape-X brings in Lamprey. Thumb equips him with a time-traveling harness. He then lies to Lamprey that the Scarlet Centurion stole something from the Squadron, and they're going to travel to his time to get it back. Tom laments his having to lie to Lamprey, but his B-Modding would make Lamprey not help him if he was told he was going to steal something. With Aida and Ape-X's help, Lamprey and Tom Thumb arrive to the future ruled by the Scarlet Centurion.

The two search for a hospital or something like it in the air. A pair of flying drones spot the two and engage them. One of the "rovers" blasts Lamprey with an energy beam, which Lamprey absorbs thanks to his powers. He uses his charge to blast them out of the sky. The two then find themselves near the Centurion's citadel.

Back in the 1980s Squadron City, Hyperion is recovering from Decibel's treatment, and doing some thinking. He's wondering if his losing his sight is some form of punishment. Punishment for his killing his 616-counterpart and destroying Presidents' Mountain during that battle. He remarks he never let himself go so wild with his powers before. To be fair, he probably never faced a foe that could match him in raw power. It wasn't like 616-Hyperion was some stereotypical "90-pound weakling". Zarda comes by to visit.

Zarda explains that she has been very busy with running the Squadron, hence why she hasn't been able to visit him lately. Hyperion compliments her on her hard work and tells her if she still wants to lead the Squadron when he gets his sight back, it's fine by him. That's awful nice of him. However, Zarda has something else in mind. She had fallen for the 616-Hyperion, thinking he was the 712 one. 616 may be dead, but her feelings for him have not gone away. Hyperion is shocked by this, as he's always had the utmost respect and admiration for Zarda, but...

Yeah, Zarda. Just force a kiss on the guy. Back in the 41st century, Tom Thumb and Lamprey look around for the Panacea Potion. They find a worker, who is able to converse with them. He explains that 20th Century American English is required learning among certain people in the Centurion's time. This series is known for deconstructing superheroes, but this is a nice bit of subtle reconstruction. Despite being from the far future, the Scarlet Centurion was able to converse with the Squadron in 20th century English. It makes sense language would have evolved in the large time gap, and this little bit explains how that gap was bridged. Clever.

The worker points out where the Potion is kept. They run inside, but find the place full of various potions. Which one is the right one?

We whip back to Nighthawk's crew in the 1980s. Remnant is making a costume for Redstone, their new recruit.

Well, that outfit is certainly...something. It was the 80s, this was stylish then. I'm guessing Lamprey thought it would be funny to give him a red suit because his name is Redstone. The group's Power Pyramid glows, revealing that their next recruit is nearby. It's a real shame we never get to see what Redstone looked like without his mask. It looks like it was a deliberate decision. I also heard that this version of Redstone is supposed to be Native American. Neat. Not many Native American characters in comics. I've also heard he's supposed to be a pastiche of possibly Geo-Force and Steel.

Back in the 41st century (seriously, this comic bounces back and forth like a child in a bouncy castle), Tom Thumb and Lamprey find the Panacea Potion.

Some guards rush in, and Lamprey fights them off. However, the battle destroys all the containers of Panacea Potion except the one in Tom Thumb's hands, as he kept it with him in his personal forcefield. Tom realizes that he hold the very last of the Panacea Potion. He does consider that more can be made, which is something I'm thinking myself, but he wonders...what if people in this time need the potion at the moment? If they steal this potion, it could doom those people.

Tom decides that since he's gone this far, might as well just take the Potion, anyway. He and Lamprey return home, much to the amusement of the Scarlet Centurion.

He tells his guards there's no need to pursue Thumb and Lamprey to the 80s, as his fate is known to him...and Thumb's fate is sealed. Back in the Squadron City labs, Tom analyzes the Panacea Potion...and is shocked by what this supposed "cure-all" actually is.

It's just penicillin and vitamins. Yeah. The people of the 41st century have bodies that been so perfected thanks to eugenics that if they ever do get sick, they just take some vitamins, maybe get some bed rest, and they're good. I just wonder if chicken soup was rendered obsolete...or maybe it's made with super-chickens. They're like regular chickens, but stronger. They peck like a mother.

All the compromising of his beliefs and values Tom did, and it was all for nothing. All for a "Panacea Potion" that would not help him at all. A despondent Tom decides to return the Potion, and the comic ends with a somber final panel.

The resident scientific genius of the Squadron dying in his lab. Something...appropriate about that.

This was an amazing comic. It's one of the strongest showings of the morality theme that Gruenwald liked to explore in his work. In a way, we've seen the Squadron Supreme subtly compromise their morals over the course of this miniseries, with their taking over the United States and their programs to help others. Tom's story here is kind of a microcosm of the whole miniseries, in a way. To save himself, he compromised on his beliefs, and it cost him.

And even better, this story was backed up by some great art. Paul Ryan does some fantastic work in this issue. The characters are expressive, it's detailed, and it's just a joy to look at. It does make me wish he could have done the entire miniseries. Can you imagine the entire miniseries looking like this? It would have been incredible. That's the ultimate tragedy of this miniseries, the lack of a consistent artist.

Next time, we'll take a look at a hero who I think never had any solo adventures covered in this blog. That's right, the Dark Knight is coming, and he'll be dealing with the Beginning of Tomorrow...

DuckTales Reboot, My Thoughts

DuckTales is making a comeback, baby! The reboot has finally arrived, and Disney XD put up the full premiere on YouTube! Here it is!

Before I begin, I have to say, I have seen some of the original 1987 DuckTales series as a kid. I do distinctively remember two episodes: "Pearl of Wisdom", in which Scrooge and the gang have to return a pearl that can grant the power of infinite wisdom to its homeland. "Launchpad's Civil War", in which he portrays an ancestor who fought in the Duck world's version of the Civil War. "The Curse of Castle McDuck", in which Scrooge takes his nephews and Webby to his family's old castle in Scotland, only to encounter a group of druids and their ghostly hound.

Like many kids around my age, you may have watched the original series at some point. And you may have enjoyed it. So, when a reboot was announced, I'm sure there were a lot of people who were, like me, excited...and naturally, I bet there was dread. I didn't have dread. But watching the clips and trailer really excited me for this, and...

What can I really say about this that no one else has? This reboot is fantastic! As someone who enjoyed the original as a kid, I felt that this reboot really did a great job of modernizing the series, but retain the fun feel of the original 1987 series.

I also liked that the series is making an attempt to be more loyal to the original Carl Barks/Don Rosa-era Duck comics. I do have a bit of a confession about this. I never read any of those comics, but I do want to read The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck. Funny enough, I heard the writers of this series were required to read it.

I love that Huey, Dewey, and Louie have been given distinct personalities. Let's be honest with ourselves. I love the 80s series, but you have to admit, the nephews were rather...interchangeable character-wise. The three nephews seem to reflect an aspect of Scrooge, which is clever. Huey has his intelligence, Dewey has his love of adventure, and Louie has his greed.

I also liked that the series made subtle nods to other Disney Afternoon shows like Goof Troop, TaleSpin, and Darkwing Duck. Speaking of the latter, they have said Darkwing will appear in the series. Oh, I want to see that!

I also really liked the voice cast. I imagine casting Scrooge must have been a tough thing, considering the late Alan Young's legendary performance in the '87 series. Luckily, David Tennant did splendidly. I have heard complaints of the voice actors from the nephews sounding not "child-like" enough, but that didn't bother me when I watched this. To be honest, I was happy they were comprehensible. No offense to Tony Anselmo, but I did find his Donald voice a little hard to understand sometimes. It wasn't terrible, but it was a bit hard to figure out at times.

I don't really have any real complaints about this series. It was a great modernization of the original, drew from the comics, and felt like its own thing. It was fun, it was funny, it has action, and it set up an interesting mystery. If you like the 1987 original, you'll love 2017's take. Enjoy!

Tomb Raider Trailer, My Thoughts

Tomb Raider. Since 1996, gamers have enjoyed the adventures of the British archeologist Lara Croft as she investigated various ruins and, well, tombs around the world and helped save the world from various forms of evil.

Like many video game series before, Tomb Raider would also make the leap to live-action film. In 2001, the film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider came out, with Angelina Jolie portraying the title character. The film would also get a sequel in 2003: Lara Croft: Tomb Raider-The Cradle of Life. The two films did get negative receptions, but Jolie's performance as Croft was praised. But now with a reboot on the way, Swedish actress Alicia Vikander has taken up Croft's crop top and twin handguns/bow-and-arrow. And it has a trailer!

The trailer begins with Lara Croft running through a jungle. She's holding a bow-and-arrow, which has become a weapon associated with her in the recent reboot game series. Lara's gotta move, because she is going to be so late for archery practice. Again. Lara has been having trouble keeping her appointments since getting a Nintendo 3DS for Christmas. She can't put down Link Between Worlds. She probably had an easier time in that third dungeon than I did.

We get a voice over asking who she is, and she says her name is Lara. It turns out to be a secretary at a building that has the family name on it. When he hears her name, he's like, "whut?" Lara should really come by more often.

Lara is in a boardroom, messing with what looks like a bizarre puzzle. There's a flashback of her playing a cube and...is that the Lament Configuration from Hellraiser?! WHY DID HER PARENTS LET HER PLAY WITH THAT?! WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEM?! THEY WERE RICH! THEY COULD AFFORD A REGULAR RUBIK'S CUBE!

Anyway, she gets a key out of the puzzle. She puts it in her father's place in a mausoleum, and discovers he had his own little lab. Yup, Lara. Your dad was Batman. She finds a camera with a recording in it, from her dad, saying if he found this, he must be dead. That or he got lost on the way to Ibiza again.

He explains he found something, a tomb, which Lara has to raid. Get it? The tomb is called the Mother of Death. You know Thanos will want to meet this tomb. He explains a group called Trinity is after the tomb, and Lara has to stop them. Wait, isn't this similar to the first Tomb Raider movie? Angelina Jolie's Lara had to battle a secret society, too.

Lara's on a boat heading to the Devil's Sea. Which is a real place. The boat hits a storm, and Lara takes a mighty leap into the sea...and washes up on an island full of bad guys.

And lots of action sequences, including one where Lara runs across an airplane's wing. Neat.

The final scene of the trailer is her at a gun shop. Hey, Nick Frost! And there's a nice nod to the 1996-era Lara with her choosing a pair of twin guns. Hope she uses those in the movie.

As someone who never really played the games, I have to admit, this looks like it might be a fun movie.

Wonder Woman #15 (April 1988)

Wonder Woman. The Amazing Amazon. One-third of DC's "Trinity", their Big Three heroes. She's been given spotlight on this blog before, as I reviewed Wonder Woman #58 (September 1991) back in June.

First appearing in All-Star Comics #8 (October 1941), Wonder Woman was created by William Moulton Marston and Henry G. Peter. Marston, a psychologist by trade, had already helped lead to the invention of the polygraph, or "lie detector". He saw potential in comics as a medium, and wanted to created a new type of superhero. His superhero would use love to fight evil, instead of guns or fists. His wife Elizabeth suggested that this new superhero be a woman.

Sadly, cancer would claim Marston's life in 1947, and he wouldn't get to see just how big, and how beloved Wonder Woman would become. The character would become a major icon, despite her never getting as much of the treatment in other media that her two compatriots in the Trinity, Superman and Batman did.

In 1986, as part of DC's massive reboot/house-cleaning event known as Crisis on Infinite Earths, Wonder Woman's old canon was wiped out and given a fresh start. A new title with Wonder Woman was launched, with George Perez, Len Wein, and Greg Potter at the helm. This new title was a hit with fans and critics. Wonder Woman would get rebooted yet again with the New 52, and her origins would get wrecked again in DC Rebirth, but despite that, she's endured and become one of DC's most beloved heroines. And Perez's work on the Amazon Princess has stood the test of time, despite numerous reboots and constant futzing with her origin, thank you New 52 and DC Rebirth.

I also picked this issue for another reason. Recently, comic legend Len Wein, who many know for co-creating Wolverine and Swamp Thing, had passed away. As I was picking a comic to review, I pulled out my copy of Wonder Woman by George Perez Volume 2, and found his name in the credits. I felt it was the cosmos telling me to do this comic as a bit of a tribute. Wein has edited and written many characters in his long career. I think almost every major character in the Big Two of comics has been touched by his pen in some form, and this is just one issue in a very large body of work in comics and television. Goodbye, Mr. Wein. You will not be forgotten.

And with that, let's look at Wonder Woman #15!

The cover is really awesome. I think it's one of those covers that only George Perez could pull off. You got the new Silver Swan front and center, letting out her sonic scream. The negative space created by the white of her costume is used to highlight several characters, and the bottom features three images of a screaming Wonder Woman holding her ears. It sells the idea of the Swan being a dangerous new threat to the Amazing Amazon. The lines used on Wonder Woman give it a bit of a horror vibe.

"Swan Song"
Writer: George Perez (Story), Len Wein (Script)
Penciller: George Perez
Finisher: Bruce D. Patterson (pages 4-22)
Letterer: John Constanza
Colorist: Carl Gafford
Editor: Karen Berger

The story begins with Wonder Woman riding on a beach.

She notices a storm in the sky, thunder booming and lightning flashing, the whole nine yards. She looks up and sees a face and hand form in the clouds. Wonder Woman flies up to check it out. The storm begins to dissipate, and a light shines. She looks up and sees...

Huh. Evidently Zack Snyder was not the only one with use Jesus imagery when it came to Superman. She takes his hand, and the two are about to kiss...when Diana wakes up. Yup, Diana was riding around in dreamland. She picks up a Daily Planet newspaper and remarks that she hears Superman's name and sees him everywhere. Evidently, the princess of the Amazons has a bit of a crush on the Man of Steel. Huh. Superman/Wonder Woman shipping was not a new thing. Go figure.

Night has fallen over the city of Boston, Massachusetts, as we look in on the offices of  Ogawa Electronics. Normally, these offices are rather quiet at night, but this night is an exception. A hacker has found his way into the building, and is after some information.

He's after some project called "Silver Swan". A guard enters the room, worried that his fellow guard hasn't come back yet. He pulls out his gun, and the hacker takes the guard down, fleeing the scene. However, it did appear the hacker found what he was looking for.

Meanwhile, at the offices of Diana's publicist, Mindy Mayer, Mindy is being shown a poster...that she and some people are evidently standing on.

Yeah, this panel is weird. I was genuinely confused about it. Is that a mural? A giant poster? A projection? What are they standing on? Was it so big that they had to put it on the floor? What's going on here? Mayer is thrilled with the creator, Skeeter LaRue's, efforts. She takes him to her favorite watering hole to celebrate. This leaves LaRue's two assistants, Deni and Steve to talk amongst themselves.

Deni is furious that Steve lets LaRue take the credit for his ideas. Steve responds that there's no point in speaking up as Mindy never listens to him since LaRue joined up. She then states she's like to kick LaRue, but then Steve advises her to let it go, as LaRue can't have Mindy's ear forever.

The scene then shifts to Boston's Chinatown. There is an actual Chinatown in Boston. A woman is waiting at a phone booth. Phone booth. Don't see much of those anymore. She's waiting to meet her friend, someone named "Val". The woman wonders why she was sent a note by Val to meet her in Chinatown at this hour. She then sees headlights turn on, and hears a squeal of tires.

Realizing that the car's driver is trying to kill her, the woman flees for her life. She runs to an alley, where the car's tire gets shot out, causing it to crash. Despite this, the driver survives, and tries to shoot the woman. The driver hears someone calling out in what I think might be Chinese, but then gets shot. The woman thanks her mysterious savior, but...

The scene switches again to Wakefield. Diana prays to Eros, asking for some clarification regarding her feelings towards the Man of Steel. Vanessa Kapatelis finds her, and asks her what she's doing. This scene sets up that there will be a fair in Diana's honor tomorrow, and Vanessa thinks Diana is praying to steady her nerves for it. Diana was praying in Themysciran, whose language is an offshoot of Ancient Greek, and Vanessa doesn't know much of it. Her mother Julia was of Greek heritage, and was able to speak the language, which helped her become Diana's first friend in Patriarch's World.

We then look in on a cottage in Massachusetts, where the strange woman in Chinatown wakes up, having a bit of a headache. She wonders if she had a dream, but then finds that one of her hands is handcuffed to the bed. The man who shot her welcomes her back to the waking world, and apologizes for the headache. It's an unfortunate side-effect of the tranquilizer dart he shot her with.

The man is named Solomon, and he explains that the woman, a Miss Maxine Sterenbuch, was deliberately targeted. He hands her an envelope containing proof. Sterenbuch is confused by this, and he explains that she was targeted by the Silver Swan, aka Valerie Beaudry.

Sterenbuch thinks Solomon is insane. The Val Beaudry she knew would never do this. She explains the two of them were old friends. When Maxine was 15, she found an ad in a magazine looking for a pen pal. The two started exchanging letters over the years. Maxine's narration does give the impression that her feelings for Val were deeper than simply friendship, despite her never seeing Val's face.

The two did eventually agree to finally meet face-to-face, but she never showed. Maxine tried to find her, but it seemed that nobody in town knew her. The two eventually lost contact, and Maxine found a job working a boutique in Boston. However, Val would call her and arrange a meeting after seven years. Maxine would finally see Val for the first time.

However, something wasn't quite right. Val had a boyfriend, a Henry Cobb Armbruster. He wasn't a pleasant man, and he basically told Maxine to shove off. Maxine noticed that Val seemed nervous around him. Maxine and Val would meet on the sly, but Val was showing signs that she was abused. She also noticed that Val wished she could be as beautiful as Wonder Woman. Maxine explained she got another letter saying she was leaving Armbruster, and wanted to meet her in Chinatown.

Solomon explains that it was a set-up. He also explained that the reason why it happened was to prevent Maxine from learning something about Valerie, mainly...what she actually looked like.

Yeah, you can get why Val was reluctant to send Maxine a picture of her back in the day. Maxine is shocked, wondering how she ended up looking like that. Solomon explains that it's a five year old picture. Val's parents were exposed to nuclear radiation, causing her to be born mutated. When that photo was taken, she was the subject of an experiment code-named Silver Swan. Solomon then shows her a video.

The old man in the tape is Solomon's father, a scientist on the project. The transformed Valerie, using sonic disruption powers she developed, is seen wrecking the lab and killing Solomon's father. Valerie Beaudry has become Solomon's Moby Dick, as it were.

Dawn has risen over the city of Boston. Henry Cobb Armbruster is awake. But he's not eager to greet this new day. He's angry over the assassin's failure and Maxine's vanishing. Armbruster's...colleague, a Mr. Choi, asks if the Silver Swan can deal with Wonder Woman. Armbruster is certain of it, as the Swan despises Wonder Woman and is all too eager to take her on.

At an Air Force base, Etta Candy is getting weighed, and she's managed to lose 35 pounds. Good on her. She says she still has to lose 20 more to reach her target, but Steve Trevor assures her she's within acceptable parameters now, but her effort is to be commended. As an Air Force brat myself, yeah, they do go on about weight parameters in the service. Etta notices a flyer for the Wonder Woman Fair in Boston, and notes that Steve will be there. She wonders how she can compete with the Amazing Amazon.

At Boston Commons, the Fair is in full swing! Rides, stalls, kiosks, and ridiculously expensive junk food! Steve Trevor is there, and he wishes Etta was with him. He runs into Vanessa Kapatelis, who introduces him to her prospective boyfriend Barry. However, Barry seems to be more interested in seeing Wonder Woman.

A woman who is working for a charity is confronting Skeeter, saying she feels that this fair should be about helping needy children, not feeding Wonder Woman's ego. Skeeter counters that the point of the fair is to make money, and it's a big success at that aspect. Honestly, I could imagine Wonder Woman wanting the charitable aspects of the fair emphasized.

A woman approaches a podium, and introduces Princess Diana. We get a brief glimpse of Solomon and Maxine. Solomon says he can sense the Silver Swan is here, but Maxine tells him she hopes he's wrong about that.

Wonder Woman makes her big appearance, to the joy of the crowd.

Diana flies towards the podium, but a low humming is heard in the air. The cast look around, and...

A sonic blast destroys the giant poster of Wonder Woman behind the podium. The perpetrator makes herself known: Valerie Beaudry, the Silver Swan.

Solomon tries to make his move, but gets a gun put to his head. Diana tries to talk to Beaudry, but the Silver Swan is having none of it. She lets out a sonic scream that hurts Diana's ears and wrecks the Ferris wheel. The story ends with Diana watching the wheel collapse in horror.

This comic is really enjoyable. Perez and Wein juggle multiple storylines with ease, and they come together in a epic manner with the Silver Swan's attack. The post-Crisis Silver Swan's origins here have a tragic and horrific aspect due to the character being born hideously mutated, then abused and experimented on. It's a much darker nod to the Ugly Duckling, with aspects of Moby Dick thanks to Solomon's vengeful crusade.

The art is...interesting. You see, Perez himself only did the first few pages of the comic, while doing the layouts for the rest. Patterson's job just seemed to be "clean up the rough pencils so they'll look pretty for printing". As a result, the art for the main story is still very Perez-esque. The angles, the faces, all still retaining Perez's essence. As a result, the main story's art is not jarring at all. Fantastic.

Next time, we return to Earth-712, and the Squadron Supreme facing new problems...

Netflix Punisher Trailer, My Thoughts

After his big MCU debut in Daredevil's second season, it only was a matter of time before the Punisher got his own spinoff series. And here's the trailer for it!

The trailer begins with a man in an undisclosed location, hefting a hammer. No, this isn't Thor, folks. He's up in space right now.

The man smashes the hammer into the ground, intercut with Frank Castle speaking. He talks about how memories never hurt him. Memories may not hurt you, Mr. Castle, but if you're not careful with how you swing that hammer, you'll throw out your shoulder.

Based on what the Punisher is talking about, and the clips we see, this series may explore some more stuff about Castle's pre-Punisher life. That's good.

I haven't finished watching Season 2 of Daredevil, so I really got to catch up, but it seems that Frank may have gotten himself into some trouble in his military days, based on the scenes I can see in this trailer. I'm not completely certain, though.

I haven't seen much of the Netflix side of the MCU, but I have enjoyed what I have seen so far. I think I might enjoy this, too.