Nintendo Switch Online February 2020 Update, My Thoughts

If you're a fan of the Nintendo Switch like I am, then you ay be aware of its Nintendo Switch Online service. The big feature is that it has an expanding library of games. A couple more games have been added to the service this month. Let's take a look!

Originally from the SNES:

Pop'n TwinBee

Developed by Konami. Released in Japan and Europe in 1993 by Konami, this is the first time the game is coming to the United States. It's the sixth game in the TwinBee series. It tells the tale of TwinBee and WinBee's quest to prevent a mad scientist named Dr. Mardock from conquering the world with an army of Acorn Men. Don't ask, it's Japan.

I think I remember seeing an article about this game in an English gaming magazine many years ago. It looks like a cute little game. I admit that I am a bit of a fan of space shooters, so I may give this a try.

Smash Tennis

Released in Japan by Namco in 1993 and by Virgin Interactive in Europe in 1994. Like Pop'n TwinBee, this is the first time it was officially released in the United States. I've never heard of this game before now. I like that the Nintendo Switch Online service is showcasing hidden gems like this.

It looks interesting, despite my tendency to not really be into sports games. I think it's worth a try.

And originally from the NES:

Shadow of the Ninja

Developed by Natsume. Released by Natsume in Japan and North America in 1990. Taito released it in Europe in 1991. The year is 2029. The evil Emperor Garuda has conquered the United States of America. The only ones that can stop him are a pair of Iga clan ninjas: Lord Hayate and Lady Kaede. Together, the two ninjas must storm Garuda's stronghold to give Garuda a proper thrashing.

This game comes off to me as an attempt to cash in on the success of Ninja Gaiden. I have heard this was a good game, so I think it's worth a shot. It also makes me think of firing up The Messenger on my Switch...

...Oh my God, that guy's legs are still going!

Eliminator Boat Duel

Developed by Sculptured Software and Radioactive Software. Released by Electro Brain in North America in 1991, Europe in 1993. You basically earn money racing the fastest powerboats to ever hit the seven seas. You use your winnings to soup up your powerboat, making it faster, tougher, and more maneuverable. It's just a powerboat racing game. If you enjoyed this game, you may be happy to play it here.

It's pretty neat that the Switch Online service is bridging the gaps between international releases of games here. I hope that Pop'n TwinBee gets a good fanbase in America thanks to this service as the game looks so cute and fun. I'll have to consider subscribing one day...

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! See you next time!

NWA Powerrr Episode 14, My Thoughts

Hello, everyone! It's time once again to feel the powerrr! That's right, it's time to once again check in with the superstars of the National Wrestling Alliance as they go through another episode of mat action and madness! Before we continue on, I want to apologize for not being as regular with these looks as I would have liked. Life has been wreaking havoc with me, and as a result, I couldn't devote a lot of time to doing these weekly like I wanted to. But I am intent on getting caught up, so let's do this!

Before we begin, I suggest you watch the episode before reading this blog entry. And with that, let's feel the POWERRR!

Recap time!

Why is it Scott Steiner gets to have music on the regular show and everyone else doesn't?

God, do I love that theme song. Can't go wrong with Dokken.

I like Stu Bennett. 5000% better and less annoying than Jim Cornette.

And here come the Rock 'n' Roll Express!

Uh, Rob? You got your belt upside down. There you go!

Morton with the standard babyface promo, delivered with conviction.

And we got some brackets for the NWA TV Championship! Ricky Starks and Zicky Dice are in a bit of a spot, though. Who knows who they're going to face in this tournament. Tim Storm isn't in that bad a position. He's only got two potential opponents to face. But the next episode of Powerrr will reveal who will fill those two open slots.

Like Tim Storm, The Question Mark only has two potential opponents to face: Trevor Murdoch...or Wild Card Thom Latimer.

Zicky Dice rocking that Magnum P.I. Hawaiian shirt.

I got the reference, Zicky!

Man, Ricky is ON FIRE!

Big bang, what?

...somebody better make sure that Ricky Starks is well-fed before his matches. Don't want anyone to get eaten. He'll likely end up in jail.

Match #1 - NWA TV Title Tournament Qualifier - Dave Dawson vs. Zane Dawson

 The halves of a tag team facing off in this tournament.

Looks like them Dawson boys are perfectly willin' to throw down tonight...

And Zane Dawson gets the win with one big punch to Dave's mug!

Winner: Zane Dawson

Zane's wrist and hand have seen better days...

What is this song?

Ken is totally bitter.

Women's match time! Ashley Vox is looking for a bit of revenge!

I like Melina's old gear better.

Match #2 - Ashley Vox vs. Melina

Is it just me, or was that hurricarana a bit sloppy?

Ooh, good pin try by Vox there!

Good fight by Vox, but in the end, Melina's experience wins out.

Winner: Melina

Allysin Kay wants to go! I say let 'em go now!

"DIS NWA TURF, PUNK!"

Da Pope hyping up Outlawz Inc. Good stuff. Looks he wants them to hire him as their manager. I love managers.

Nice Prince shirt, Eddie. Purple Rain is great.

I love that Aron and Question Mark found some dude to wave the mighty ensign of Mongrovia.

Aw come on, Eddie! That flag did nothing to you!

Match #3 - Outlawz Inc. Vs. NWA National Champion Aron Stevens/Question Mark

I have to admit, the Mark/Stevens combo are incredibly entertaining.

You could get a fun little program from this. The goofy wannabe martial artists vs. the angry street brawlers.

Winner: Stevens/Question Mark

Homicide's shoulder may not be quite at 100% after all...

This commercial is a lot better than that Kayfabe Cocktail one...*shudder*

That was creepy.

As Starks said, he went the distance with Nick Aldis. Why is this guy not in the NWA title hunt?

They didn't get Scott Steiner a Strictly Business jacket.

On the other hand, he may have tried to eat it.

Aldis probably gave him money.

"GIMME A F%&^$# MIC!"

"SCOTT, WE STILL HAVE STANDARDS AND PRACTICES HERE!"
"*unintelligible yelling with a Minnesota accent*"

It was Jim Crockett Promotions that became WCW, Scott! At least, I think so.

Oh, this main event is going to be good!

Match #4 - Robert Gibson, Eli Drake, and Tim Storm vs. Strictly Business (Wild Cards and Scott Steiner

WHAT A SLAM BY TIM STORM!

The Totally Not the People's Elbow from Eli Drake!

Huh. Steiner shaved his head.

Crowd's really getting behind Eli Drake!

Camera cut to the far shot in the hot tag.

Morton's team gets the win!

Winners: Gibson, Drake, and Storm

Morton's got a shot at the NWA World Title, and Nick Aldis is beside himself!

Well, that was a fun episode! I can't wait to check out the next one! I wish we did get more footage of Nick Aldis invading Ring of Honor, though. And I liked that many of the major storylines were still touched on in this episode. Only bothered by a couple of minor things, like the camera cutting to a far angle, so we didn't see Robert Gibson's hot tag. It was an enjoyable episode, and I can't wait for next week!

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! See you next time!

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #1 (December 2018)

It's February, and it's also Black History Month. In honor of this, I thought I'd take a look at one of Marvel's more popular black characters: the second Spider-Man, Miles Morales.

Before I talk about Miles himself, I have to discuss the Ultimate Marvel Universe a bit. In the late 90s, the comic book industry was doing badly. The speculator bubble had burst, and Marvel Comics had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It was also felt that potential new readers were feeling intimidated by the long history and continuity of the Marvel Universe.

It was Bill Jemas who came up with the original idea for the imprint. What made it unique was that unlike other comic book reboots, there was no in-story explanation for this new universe. Also, comics set in the mainstream Marvel Universe would naturally be published, satisfying old and new fans.

The imprint's goal was to provide an updated and then-modernized take on the Marvel Universe. The first title in this imprint would be Ultimate Spider-Man, created by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley. Their critically-acclaimed run would last 111 issues, making their collaboration the longest in American comic book history, even beating out Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's run on Fantastic Four (102 issues). The universe would be expanded further with Ultimate X-Men, Ultimate Fantastic Four, and The Ultimates (The Ultimate Universe's version of the Avengers).

Morales first appeared in Ultimate Fallout #4 (August 2011), which explored the effects of the death of the Ultimate Universe's Peter Parker. Co-created by Brian Michael Bendis and Italian artist Sara Pichelli, Bendis drew inspiration from actor/rapper Donald Glover's appearance in Spider-Man pajamas in an episode of the TV series Community. Morales would become the lead character of the Ultimate Universe's Spider-Man book. Fun fact, Morales is also Puerto Rican on his mother's side, making him the second Latino Spider-Man (The first was Miguel O'Hara, aka Spider-Man 2099, who was half-Mexican).

The Ultimate Universe would reach its end with 2015's Secret Wars event. As a result, Miles was brought over to the mainstream Marvel Universe. Once there, he's spent time as one of the Avengers, and is more recently associated with the Champions. Miles would become popular enough to appear in other media outside of the comics. He's appeared in the 2012 animated series Ultimate Spider-Man (appropriately, he was voiced by Donald Glover), and the 2017 animated series Spider-Man. The Marvel Cinematic Universe alluded to Miles in Spider-Man: Homecoming, which featured a cameo by his uncle Aaron Davis. Davis was played by Donald Glover. Heh.

Most notably, Miles was the central character of the 2018 animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, voiced by Shameik Moore. The film would be a critical and box-office smash, and even win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

The comic we're going to look at is the first issue of his fourth on-going series. Yup. His first two were set in the Ultimate Marvel Universe, and the latter two in the mainstream Marvel Universe.  Let's take a look at Miles Morales: Spider-Man #1!

The cover is pretty cool. It's a Brian Stelfreeze piece. It's a basic cover, just Miles in his Spider-Man costume standing in front of some buildings in New York City. The cover shows basically that this is who you're going to meet in this book. I also like that Miles's costume is practically bordered by the buildings' lights. Puts him right front and center.

"Untitled"
Writer: Saladin Ahmed
Penciler: Javier Garron
Inker: Javier Garron
Colorist: David Guriel
Letterer: Cory Petit
Editors: Nick Lowe, Kathleen Wisneski
Editor-in-Chief: C.B. Cebulski

The story begins with our hero in class.

You see, the narration in this comic is from Miles's point of view, in the form of a journal he's writing as part of a class assignment. His journal is a place where he can write down his private thoughts. The only way to fail the class is the journal gets read by someone else. I can presume this means the journals are read without the consent of the writers.

Miles thinks the idea of writing a journal is kind of silly, but his friend Judge is more open to it. In fact, he's been doing so already. You see, Judge started doing so as part of his poetry class last summer. He thought it was silly at first like Miles did. However, it ended up sticking. It allowed him to vent and get some things out of his head. This convinces Miles that he can use a journal to write about being Spider-Man.

It allows us to get a recap of how Miles got his spider-powers, and about being Spidey. In the journal, he admits that like Peter Parker before him, being Spider-Man can be rather complicated. He has trouble getting enough sleep before his classes, for example. Back in reality, Miles and Judge meet a fellow student named Barbara Rodriguez.

Judge lets Miles hang with her a bit, teasing them a bit about the slight romance they seem to have. The two exchange a bit of banter, and Miles tells her he'll text her on Saturday. The day comes. In the morning, Rio Morales (Miles's mother) reads about him saving some kids from a fire, and expresses pride in him. It's an interesting contrast with Peter. You see, Miles's parents know he's swinging around as Spidey. Back in Peter Parker's teen years as Spider-Man, his Aunt May was unaware that he was the original Spider-Man. In fact, she was terrified of Spider-Man.

Rio laments that the whole world seems to be going crazy, while showing a newspaper with a headline about immigrant children being detained. She works at a hospital, and tells him that people are scared to bring their kids there because they fear they'll be locked up. It does seem like evil is winning everywhere...

That afternoon, Miles meets up with Barbara. She has a little friend with her: her cousin Eduardo.

He's from California. Miles offers to get Eduardo some ice cream. Barbara explains to him that his father was deported last month. His mother has been trying to get citizenship for herself and him. Eduardo had been living in the United States since he was 2 years old. She asks how Miles is doing...and what exactly is going on between them. Miles...can't give her an answer. At least a good one.

In his journal, Miles writes that in honesty, he's very confused. He's confused about everything. The comic shows him swinging by a soup kitchen, a little girl staring up at him sadly. Miles is very sure about his power, but the most important thing about being Spider-Man is responsibility. And he's never been more confused about that. You know, Miles...you could talk to Peter about this. I'm sure he's grappled with those issues himself, and maybe he could offer some helpful advice.

Miles hears a burglar alarm, and goes to check it out. A group of men are stealing some tech. Miles may be confused about a lot of things, but he can understand a robbery. Miles swings down to kick their butts, but something about this robbery catches him a bit off-guard.

The robbers are dead quiet, and look more like advanced androids than people. Miles also notices that one of them looks rather small, almost...child-sized. His Spider-Sense alerts him there's danger nearby, and the young Spider-Man almost gets ran down.

Yup, it's the Rhino! Amusingly, he mistook Miles for Peter. Dude, their Spider-Man costumes were completely different! How can you get them mixed up?! Anyway, the classic Spidey villain isn't in any mood to fight, so he tells Miles to go home and play some Sega. He's got business here, and he doesn't need Web-Heads right now. Miles assumes the Rhino is behind all this, and the two end up tussling.

Rhino is able to get the upper hand on Miles easily, due to the teenager's lack of experience and his being rather tired. He tries to web up Rhino, but the powerhouse is easily able to rip his way out. Miles then uses his "venom blast" at full strength, which actually manages to hurt Rhino a bit. Rhino admits defeat...but this robbery wasn't his job. He's here because he's looking for his niece. She's been kidnapped, and he was following the robbers. He thinks they had something to do with her disappearance.

Miles webs up the thieves' truck, and they surrender. He takes off the masks of one of them, and gets a nasty surprise.

It's Eduardo, the cousin of his main squeeze Barbara! The kid's eyes are blank, like he's being mind-controlled or something. The story ends with Miles and Rhino receiving a very nasty electrical shock and falling into unconsciousness.

This comic is really good. It does a great job giving us an idea of who Miles Morales is, and shows off his own little corner of the Marvel Universe. The fight scene with Rhino was really good, as it helped show off Miles's powers and potential. The narration being done in the form of a journal that Miles was writing was quite a clever way to get into our hero's head. I was very fond of the twist that Rhino wasn't the real bad guy of the comic. I would love to see Miles and Rhino develop a bit of an odd friendship, as their interactions are great.

I also really like Javier Garron's art on the comic. The characters are expressive, and there are nice little flashes of character.

All in all, this comic is a...well, spectacular jumping-on point if you're interested in reading about the adventures of Miles Morales. I knew almost nothing about Miles's own corner of the Spider-Man mythos before reading this comic, and I did not feel lost or confused by anything. If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend hunting down the 2019 trade paperback Miles Morales Vol. 1: Straight Out of Brooklyn.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! See you next time, where we check in on Wonder Woman as the Amazing Amazon undergoes her second labor...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Hope you all have a wonderful day today!

Arcade Archives: Tecmo Bowl Launch Trailer, My Thoughts

In 1987, Tecmo released a game to arcades called Tecmo Bowl. The game used a dual-screen cabinet which allowed up to four players to compete in games between two fictional American football teams. In 1989, the game was ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System. It would be notable as the very first time that an American football game featured actual NFL players.

I first learned of it thanks to Pat the NES Punk's review of the game, as I was a bit too young for the NES's big heyday. Heck, the only football game I ever played was a Madden game for the SNES.

The NES version of Tecmo Bowl would be a hit, spawning a small game franchise. The game would eventually get ported to the Game Boy and even mobile devices. And now, it's coming to the Nintendo Switch! Yes, thanks to Hamster Corporation, the original version of Tecmo Bowl has arrived as part of the Arcade Archives series! Let's take a look at the launch trailer!

I kind of like the graphics.

Okay, I get why the players are wearing red and blue. But why is one in purple? I'm no expert in American-style football, but I think that's a bit off.

This trailer isn't much, it's just gameplay footage.

What's a First Down?

Run! Run, purple guy, run!

Seriously, why is that guy in purple?

The noise of the football players colliding is kind of funny.

TOUCHDOWN!

And it looks like the Wildcats get to score first! Yeah, in the original arcade version, the teams you play as are the Wildcats and the Bulldogs. It was the NES version that had real NFL players and teams.

Oh, I get it! The purple guy is the one you play as! It's an indicator. Boy, do I feel stupid, ha ha. And it looks like we got a field goal attempt going! Yeah, I know that from that old Madden game.

AND IT'S GOOD!

Well, I have to admit that I am curious about this game. The thing is, I've never really been one for sports games. But if you like American football, I think you'll enjoy this game. Heck, this may have gotten you into the sport in the first place! Maybe I will give it the old college try.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! See you next time!

Movie Review: Birds of Prey (2020)

The DC Cinematic Universe rolls on! Their latest picture brings the DC Universe's resident all-heroine team known as the Birds of Prey to the big screen. When the villainous Black Mask (Ewan McGregor) goes after a young pickpocket named Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco) who absconded with a very important jewel, it's up to former Suicide Squad member Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), police officer Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez), vengeance-seeking assassin Helena "Huntress" Bertinelli (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and superpowered singer Dinah "Black Canary" Lance (Jurnee Smollet-Bell) to stop the mad crime boss. Can they save young Cassandra, and bring down Black Mask? Or is their film a gigantic mess? Let's find out.

The big thing I want to say is that the cast is very good. Two of the standouts are obviously Ewan McGregor as Roman Sionis/Black Mask and Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. You could tell they were clearly having a blast playing their characters. Robbie's Harley is surprisingly sympathetic and genuinely hilarious at times. I liked that she got to show that psychology knowledge at times.

I liked that the film gave some spotlight to a lesser-known villain in the Batman mythos. Black Mask, I feel, is not as famous as say, Penguin, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, or a certain homicidal clown who got his own movie recently. He has appeared outside of comics in other media, but ha hasn't made as many appearances in other media as other Batman rogues have. It's great he's getting some spotlight here. I liked the approach of portraying him as a smooth, charming rogue...who also is very ruthless and narcissistic.

Speaking of lesser-known Batman villains getting spotlight, we also get Chris Messina as Victor Zsasz. His Zsasz was wonderfully deranged and creepy. Something else interesting is that the film appears to hint that maybe there was something romantic going on between him and Roman. At least, that's the vibe I got from them.

One character I felt bad for was Huntress. I felt she didn't really get a lot of screen time and development. I enjoyed her being shown to be somewhat socially awkward when she wasn't trying to kill gangsters with her crossbow.

One thing that did confuse me about this film was the "R" rating. I felt like the film didn't really earn the rating. The characters were pretty potty-mouthed, but that's really about it. There was violence, but I felt it wasn't extreme enough to warrant the rating. The film was not really overly bloody or gory, so it made me think that they could have made the film PG-13 easily if they just turned down the characters' swearing a bit.

Also, I have criticized the advertising of the film or being rather Harley-centric in the past. And yes, Harley is very much the main character of this movie. There is a part of me that does feel they could have done this movie with giving her the lion's share of the spotlight. I am hoping this film does get a sequel in which the Birds of Prey can get to shine.

On the whole, the film is really good. It's unabashedly bonkers, there's some great fight scenes and set pieces. However, if you're a fan of Cassandra Cain, you may be a bit disappointed with her portrayal in the film, although Ella Jay Basco did do well with what she was given.

Captain America Corps #1 (June 2011)

Like many superheroes who have existed for decades, Captain America has left a big legacy behind him. Over the around eight decades of his existence, many people have worn the costume and wielded the shield of the Star-Spangled Avenger, some more famous than others. Among the more famous holders of the mantle are John Walker (aka Super-Patriot and U.S. Agent), Bucky Barnes (aka the Winter Soldier), and Sam Wilson (aka the Falcon).

With the announcement of the Disney+ miniseries Falcon and the Winter Soldier, I thought I'd take a look at the first issue of a mini-series that celebrated the history of Captain America. An underrated mini-series that teamed up some of the various characters that wore the mantle and suit of the American Avenger. This is Captain America Corps #1!

The cover is well-drawn, but it is a bit basic. A Phil Jiminez and Dan Brown piece, it depicts Bucky Barnes in his Captain America costume, looking ready for action with his shield and a rather large dagger. The cover is generally a plain white, putting Bucky front and center. There's also an inset on the bottom right corner showing what looks like soldiers in WWII. I like that little detail, as it links to Bucky's past as one of the Invaders during that war.

"Missing in Action"
Writer: Roger Stern
Penciler: Philippe Briones
Inker: Philippe Briones
Colorist: Matt Milla
Letterer: Cory Petit
Editor: Tom Brennan
Editor-in-Chief: Axel Alonso

The story begins with a group of Inuit men at the Arctic Circle years in the past, hauling up something frozen in the ice.

The men are in awe. There's a man frozen in the ice, perfectly preserved. They wonder who this man is, when he vanishes in a flash of red light. The Inuit are confused, but another man, a bald man in the distance, is not. In fact, this man is worried. He is Tath Ki, aka the Contemplator.

The Contemplator is one of the Elders of the Universe, semi-cosmic beings who are known each for having a particular specialty. You may be familiar with the Elders known as the Grandmaster and the Collector if you are a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Grandmaster appeared in Thor: Ragnarok, and the Collector appeared in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies as well as Avengers: Infinity War. Tath Ki's thing is, well...contemplating. He dedicated himself to expanding the mind and spirit. In general, the Contemplator is not one to worry about things...so the fact that's he actually worried here? Yeah, that's a big deal.

Ki discusses his issue with Uatu, the Watcher. The Watcher is not bothered by this. After all, Steve Rogers is still just one man. Also, if someone was doing this to mess with the timeframe, all they'd do is just create an alternate reality. However, Ki has pointed out that if counterparts of Steve Rogers keep disappearing, it could end up wrecking the multiverse. He pleads for the Watcher to help him, only for the being to vanish. Ki has to do something. But what? Well, there's one chance...and for that, we have to go to Camp Lehigh in April 1941.

It's there we meet Steve Rogers, who is getting ready for a mission.

A flash of blue light appears in the room, and Steve is gone. We next go to New York City in the present day. It's there that one James Buchanan Barnes, who has taken up the mantle of Captain America after the seeming death of Steve Rogers, is busting up a Neo-Nazi ring. As he is handing said Neo-Nazis their butts, some people are watching a show called "Vox Populi" on their mobile devices.

The talking head on the show is remarking about Barnes's past as the Winter Soldier, trying to set him up as a traitor to the nation who needs to answer for his crimes. Bucky is unaware of this, as he's lamenting at there still being lots of work to be done at the scene of the Neo-Nazi meeting. He gets visited by the Contemplator, who recruits him for a mission. Bucky follows him, and he ends up in Ki's cosmic home, alongside some guests.

The two Captains are joined by John Walker/U.S. Agent, Shannon Carter/American Dream, and a new character named Kiyoshi Morales, aka Commander A. John Walker first appeared in Captain America #323 (November 1986), Walker started out as the Super-Patriot, but then was chosen to be Captain America after Steve Rogers quit in the beginning of the "Captain America No More" storyline [See my review of Captain America #332 (August 1987) for details]. After that kerfuffle, he became U.S. Agent. American Dream comes from the MC2 imprint that focused on a potential future of the Marvel Universe.

The Contemplator introduces everyone to each other, and explains the mission he recruited them for. Walker, being the reasonable calm fellow he is, thinks Ki is full of it. He also finds it hard to believe the mantle of Captain America would eventually pass to a woman (Shannon), and a man of color (Kiyoshi Morales). Yup, he's the right-wing Cap, alright. Morales points out he's also one-quarter Nez Perce.

The others also have their skepticism. Steve thinks this is straight out of "Buck Rogers". Both Kiyoshi and Sharon are from different points in the future, and they both say according to their histories, Steve never vanished. As a way of showing proof, Ki takes them to present-day New York City...a twisted present-day Times Square to be exact.

The Caps are mostly shocked (John just sneers. Ever playing tough guy, our Johnny). The city's screens are filled with fascistic messages like "Real Americans First" and "Our Way". A large screen shows a rally centered around two seemingly new superheroes: Broad-Stripe and Bright Star.

Bright Star states to the cheering and chanting crowd that it was because of them that they were able to "take back" America. Steve is naturally confused. Was the country invaded? However, the Captain America Corps (title drop) get spotted by a bunch of cops dressed in black uniforms with gold masks.

Their uniforms are based on the obscure character known as the Americop. First appearing in Captain America #428 (June 1994), created by Mark Gruenwald and Dave Hoover, Bart Gallows was a former Houston PD officer who grew disillusioned with the police's inability to stop the lawless. He would resign and become an independent vigilante.

U.S. Agent brawls with the Americops, forcing the Corps to flee. They get pursued by an Americop who's got himself a jetpack.

Yup, they fly now. With help from the boys, American Dream is able to disable the flying Americop. They look for a place to hide, but get blocked by a giant shield, wielded by what looks to be a giant robot Captain America.

Meet the Ameridroid, another obscure piece of Cap's past. First appearing in Captain America #218 (February 1978), the Ameridroid was a powerful robot built by a Nazi scientist named Lyle Dekker. Dekker's mind would end up inside the robot. He's basically Captain America as a giant robot, and he's pretty tough. Our heroes are in trouble...

This issue was really good. In fact, I consider the entire miniseries really underrated and worth a read. Roger Stern really shows his knowledge of Cap's history, and it's great seeing allusions to obscure parts of the Captain's past adventures. As a bit of a nut for obscure characters, I was happy to see them here, used in a way that make sense: the Americop concept being morphed into a fascistic police force, and the Ameridroid being a powerful enforcer. Stern is a writer that to me, never really got the spotlight he deserved, despite the great work he put in on Captain America, Avengers, and Spider-Man.

From what I can remember, this miniseries was my first exposure to the art of Philippe Briones, who is a French animator and comic book artist. He worked on "A Goofy Movie". And it's really good. It's very clear, and there are points where I can really "see" the movement between panels, no doubt his experience as an animator showing.

Captain America Corps is a miniseries that I never see anyone talk about. And to me, that's a shame. It's very good, and a very underrated Cap story. If you ever find the 2011 trade paperback Captain America Corps somewhere, please pick it up. You'll love it. I guarantee it.

thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! Join me next time, as in honor of Black History Month, I take a look at an adventure of a young hero that only has one question: What's up, danger?!