Wonder Woman #222 (March 1976)

The time has come at last! Every month this year, I've taken a look at one of Wonder Woman's Twelve Labors, twelve adventures she's underwent to prove her worthiness to rejoin the Justice League. Sadly, most of them have not been the most enjoyable comics I've ever read. Hopefully, this final issue will allow the Labors to end on a positive note. With that, let's take a look at Wonder Woman #222!

The cover is an Ernie Chan piece. I kind of like it. You got Batman standing next to an image of Wonder Woman hanging on to a Ferris wheel as she is kicking herself. The Dark Knight is asking us to help him decide which Wonder Woman is the real one. Why are you asking us, Bats? You're the detective! You figure it out!

"Will the Real Wonder Woman Please...Drop Dead!"
Writer: Martin Pasko
Penciler: Jose Delbo
Inker: Tex Blaisdell
Colorist: Unknown
Editor: Julius Schwartz

The story begins with Batman making one demand before he explains the mystery of the two Wonder Women.

It makes sense he'd want to have the entire JLA at the time together for this. After all, this is Wonder Woman's final labor. After the Dark Knight makes his report, the JLA will vote on whether Wonder Woman should be allowed to rejoin the JLA. I personally think this is a bit unnecessary. Anyway, what did the Caped Crusader observe? Well, he was taking his Bat-Plane to the United Nations. Diana had just returned from her adventure in the Catskills, and was about to deliver her report on it to her boss Tracy Morgan. However, it seemed someone had beaten her to the punch.

Huh. Evidently Diana has a twin sister that even she didn't know about. Anyway, she pursues her mysterious double and engages her. It turns out that the duplicate Diana is just as tough and has just as much skill in the martial arts as she does. While this is happening, someone is preparing a disaster.

The dupe Diana spots the plane about to hit the building, and switches to Wonder Woman...just like the real Diana would do. The fake Diana uses her lasso to whip herself onto the plane, knocking its wing downwards. The real Diana pursues with the same lasso trick. The fake Diana rips off the plane's door to get the pilot...only to find it was a dummy. 

Wonder Woman decides that enough is enough. She's going to get the truth about who this imposter is, and she's going to do it with her magical lasso. She asks if the imposter is Diana Prince, and the fake Diana tells her she is not. The real Wonder Woman expected this, as that's how she would have answered the question. However, nobody can lie when they're under the lasso's power. Not even Wonder Woman herself.

The two Wonder Women tussle on the plane, until the dupe Diana is able to get control of Wondy's robot-plane. She tries to flee, and Diana follows her using the plane the two were fighting on. They end up on their way to...a theme park of all places.

Yes, Dazzleland! The Most Joyful Place on Earth! Dazzleland was the big dream of Wade Dazzle. Dazzle was a children's writer, who created some of the most popular fictional characters in the DCU: Jerry Gerbil and Harriet Hamster. He also created Mike Mallard, who is huge in Italy. I joke, but yeah. Dazle is basically a pastiche of Walt Disney. Wondy arrives and finds herself meeting Harriet Hamster, who is packing heat. Wondy isn't intimated. After all, Harriet is a short hamster whose gun looks morel like a gumball dispenser. She switches back to her Diana Prince guise and looks around the place.

She spots her double in an area of the park called "Disasterland". It includes rides that are based on the destruction of the Hindenburg and the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Yeah, because that's what kids love, rides based on horrific disasters.

Anyway, Diana heads towards the Chicago Fire attraction. As part of the attraction, she has to put on a special "fireproof" suit. The ride is all special effects, the suit is just part of the illusion. She notices that she and one of the tour group has been brought away from the other. A green mist overcomes the two, and Wondy witnesses a real-life horror of the theme park.

Much like what'll happen to Barry Allen in about a decade, the man crumbles to dust. Wonder Woman then hears a voice inviting her to come visit, and all will be explained. Batman was able to catch up with her, but she ends up disintegrating as well. Diana is turned into vapor, and rematerializes in front of what seems like Wade Dazzle himself, standing in front of a curtain. However, the park has one final secret.

Remember how I said earlier that Wade Dazzle was a pastiche of Walt Disney? Well, this is a nod to an urban legend regarding Disney. The legend said that after he died of lung cancer in 1966, he was cryogenically frozen. In actuality, Walt Disney was cremated after he died. Anyway, it's explained that Dazzle had contracted a disease that medical science could not cure yet, so he was frozen until a cure could be found.

Thing is, the machinery needed to keep Dazzle in suspended animation needs a special fuel to work: The life forces of other people. People are chosen at random in the park, and their life forces are drained to keep the machine going. This energy is also used to create duplicates of the victims so that nobody notices that anyone is missing, so what does that have to do with Wonder Woman? Well, Wonder Woman is immortal. As such, she has a infinite amount of life forces that can be tapped by the cryogenic machinery used to keep Dazzle alive. 

The machine begins to tap into Diana's life force, but she's able to use her lasso to break free in a rather...explosive matter. 

The explosion wrecks the machinery used to keep Dazzle alive. Diana escapes and engages her duplicate. The duplicate Dazzle tries to use the Mt. Vesuvius ride's lava to kill Diana. The "lava" used there contains a powerful acid that is used to dispose of the remains of the victims of Dazzle's life-draining device. He realizes that the dupe Wondy will die as well...and the Dazzle dupe can't let that happen. She was one of his creations, and she shouldn't die for anything Wondy did. He calls to her to get out of there. The real Wonder Woman weaves her lasso into a screen to protect herself, but the two duplicates are not so lucky, being reduced to yellow blobs.

She spots Batman, who explains that Wade Dazzle was already dead. How does he know this? He's Batman, the Mary Sue of the DC Universe, that's how. The two look over the schematics of the bio-duplicates and note that they were designed to imitate people to the pint that they even can imitate human bodily functions. The Crisis Bureau will have to figure out a way to detect and track them down. 

Back in the present day, Wonder Woman realizes that since the duplicate was the one that battled Chronos in Wonder Woman #220, she only actually completed 11 labors, not twelve. Batman suggests that since the duplicate did such a perfect job imitating Wondy, it be counted anyway, rendering this whole duplicate thing utterly pointless. 

The votes are cast, and Wonder Woman is readmitted into the JLA. And there was much rejoicing.

Agh, I hate to say this. I really do. But this issue made Wonder Woman's Twelve Labors end with a whimper, not a bang. And that's sad. What irked me the most about this issue was the whole thing with the duplicate Wonder Woman revealed to have done one of the Labors. What was the point of that if the JLA were just going to count it anyway? It felt like incompleted editing. I did get a good laugh out of the whole Dazzleland thing. It's kind of hilarious that a theme park that's meant to be a pastiche of a place that is supposed to be "family-friendly" would have rides and exhibits based on horrific disasters. I wonder if there was a "Sink in the Titanic" ride in Dazzleland. 

The biggest positive of the issue is the art. Jose Delbo does some good work here. I really like it. 

The Labors themselves are, in my opinion, not Wonder Woman at her best. I think the biggest problem they had was the rotating creative team. This storyline had four writers on it and seven pencilers. It made the overarching story feel very uneven. I think if the Twelve Labors would have been a lot better if there was a constant creative team. There was potential to make a really good epic story here. Shame it turned out the way it did. 

I do get the impression from this that Wonder Woman's book was not really seen as a high-priority book for DC at the time. Which is kind of sad and baffling, considering her significance as one of the first female superheroes, and her increased presence in pop culture thanks to the TV show.

I would only recommend the Twelve Labors if you're a hardcore Wonder Woman fan, or have a nostalgic connection to these stories. If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend checking out the 2012 trade paperback Wonder Woman: The Twelve Labors. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, and wear a mask! Join me next time when we look at the first issue of a cosmic superhero...

Torchlight III Launch Trailer, My Thoughts

 In October 2009, Perfect World released the Runic Games-developed action-RPG hack-and-slash called Torchlight. In the game, your mission is to help clear out the monsters from the dungeons surrounding the town the game is named after. The town is above a rich vein of a substance called Ember, a special ore that can imbue people and items with magical powers. However, there's a dark secret of the magical substance that the player has to deal with as they explore the game.

Torchlight would be greatly praised for its graphics, music, and combat style, but it would receive criticism for a shallow storyline and lack of multiplayer. The game would be ported to the Xbox 360 in 2011, OS X in 2010, and Linux in 2012. The game would also get a sequel in 2012, which would eventually get ported to other operating systems, as well as the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.

And now a third game is here! Let's take a look at the launch trailer!

A gear gadget powered by a human heart. I'm sure that's not an indication of anything horrific at all. 

And it puts out sickly purple mists that form a skull. That means nothing! There's nothing horrific here! I'm sure this machinery is perfectly fine and safe to use.

So, the land needs our help, huh? Well, okay.

I'm impressed with that lady's skill. Being able to pick off jetpack-wearing monsters at that distance? She must have an eagle's eyes.

Hee hee, alpaca.

You know, I've played the first game on the X-Box 360. I remember getting bored with it due to the game's dungeons seemingly being endless.

That cannon robot is awesome. And it packs a UNIBEEEEEEEEEAM!

Oh great, we get a party this time! Awesome! 

Well, I have to say this. This does look fun. I do hope they've adjusted the dungeons to make them less of a chore, and I do like a good action RPG. I hope there's a demo out there so I can give this a try. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other. Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, and wear a mask! See you next time!

Legion of Super-Heroes #291 (September 1982)

Back in February 2018, I took a look at Legion of Super-Heroes #290 (August 1982), the first part of one of my personal favorite Legion stories: The Great Darkness Saga. In that issue, the far-future superteam found themselves under attack from a new threat: A group of mysterious beings encountering an equally-mysterious master. This "master" attacked various sources of great magical power, clearly planning to become quite the threat. 

Last issue, the Legion dealt with the first waves of attacks from these mysterious servants of darkness. It left the Legion utterly clueless as to who was their master. However they did manage to capture one of the servants, and maybe they might finally get to the bottom of who their master was...and what their goal is. So, with that out of the way, let's join the Legion as they continue their battle against the servants in Legion of Super-Heroes #291!

The cover is a Keith Giffen and Romeo Tanghal piece. I like it. It depicts the Servants of Darkness' mysterious master making a triumphant pose. And in the tradition of anime, his pose puts out an aura that has got the Legion making JoJo poses. And I think Mordru on the bottom there just got his mid utterly blown.

"Great Darkness Saga, Chapter Two: ...a Sign of Darkness Dawning"
Writer: Paul Levitz
Penciler: Keith Giffen
Inker: Larry Mahlstedt
Colorist: Carl Gafford
Letterer: Annette Kawecki
Editor: Laurie Sutton
Executive Editor: Joe Orlando

The story begins with the Legion examining one of the mysterious servants of darkness that they managed to capture in the last issue.

"Well, we at least know Sun Boy is not the father."

The examination had revealed something rather shocking. This servant appears to have been made from the DNA of one Lydea Mallor, a member of the 20th/21st century era intergalactic police force known as L.E.G.I.O.N. Lydea was also the ancestor of the Legion's very own Tasmia Mallor, aka Shadow Lass. Despite the advanced tech of the future, the Legion still has no idea of who sent this servant. And Shadow Lass is understandably shaken up. Element Lad summons the two to a Legion meeting, but Shadow Lass doesn't feel up to attending. Mon-El agrees to skip it with her.

We next look in on a planet called Avalon. It's a primitive world, largely unchartered. It's located on the borders of United Planets territory...and it's the last known location of the villainous sorcerer Mordru. The mysterious villain arrives there and frees the magician from his earthy prison.

"Aw COME ON, MAN! I just got free! This is some bull!"

However, the villain is not there to propose an alliance (even thought Mordru clearly wouldn't be interested in one anyway), he there for the malicious magician's power. Back on Earth, Chameleon Boy is talking to his lawyer. In the past, the Durlan Detective had gathered a group of Legionnaires to act on growing tensions with an alien race known as the Khunds. The mission was a disaster, and the shapeshifter was arrested for treason. But his lawyer has bad news: He's basically screwed.

Meanwhile, in the Legion's HQ, the Lydea Mallor-esque servant stirs. Uh oh...

We then head to the meeting room of the HQ, where the Legion are debating whether they should hold the Legion leader's election, consider Chameleon Boy's...situation. 

The Legion are major gossips, based on the word balloons here. Ultra Boy wants to lead the team again, but he wants the election postponed out of respect for Chameleon Boy. But Element Lad (the current Legion leader) basically tells him "He got himself into this mess, the election goes on". Then Dream Girl announces that she's in the running for Legion leadership, too. Yeah, keep this in mind. Dream Girl's power is precognition. You can guess why she's choosing now to run for Legion leadership.

Speaking of her precognition, she gets a vision. It's of her sister Mysa on their homeworld of Naltor, and she'll be attacked by the mysterious servants of darkness that the Legion encountered last issue. Two more crises have popped up as well: A massive breakout on the prison planet of Takron-Galtos, and the liberation of Mordru. 

Mon-El, Shadow Lass, Phantom Girl, and Ultra Boy go deal with the breakout on Takron-Galtos. They corral up the prisoners, and find the center of the destruction: The Time Trapper's cell. The villain's special cell is busted up...and the Trapper himself looks like he's taken quite a thrashing. They realized that he's not responsible for this. So who is? Well, a dark warp in space reveals who.

"Hello, Legion! I'm the conductor for your ride on the PAIN TRAIN!"

The servant wrecks the four Legionnaires. Ultra Boy and Mon-El try to pursue the creature, but he manages to escape them. They realize that the servants' master must have come here to get the Trapper's power. We then look back on the Legion's HQ. Superboy is visiting Saturn Girl. She's watching over Lightning Lad, who is ill. He's got some strange electrical fever in his brain. Superboy remarks that he's going back to his home century to celebrate his parents' wedding anniversary.

This sends Saturn Girl into tears. She tells the Boy of Steel to leave. You see, being from the future, she knows that eventually, Jonathan and Martha Kent will die of a fever similar to the one that's inflicting Lightning Lad right now. This was established in Superman #161 (May 1963). 

On Avalon, a team of Legionnaires (Dawnstar, Wildfire, Brainiac 5, Timber Wolf, Element Lad, and Star Boy) find Mordru, but he's not in great shape. He's normally a threat that requires the entire team to face, but now he's a babbling mess, ranting about the dark and the cold. 

On Naltor, we join a third group of Legionnaires (Dream Girl, Light Lass, Invisible Kid, Sun Boy, and Blok) to meet Dream Girl's sister. And Mysa Nal makes her entrance in style.

"My name is Mysa, and I am the baddest witch."

Blok is entranced by the almost-spectral beauty before him. Sun Boy notices the crowd around them has dispersed. Most people on Naltor have some sort of precognitive ability, so they wouldn't do this unless there's a big communal vision of something really bad going down. Mysa Nal didn't have this power, so she studied sorcery instead. And true to the Naltorians' prediction, something bad is happening.

"Gaze upon my gloriously-sized head, Legion! GAZE UPON MY HEAD!"

The Legion engage Big-Head here, while the Invisible Kid tries to follow one of the portals the servants used to travel to learn their source. The servants' master is amused to see him. Yes, Invisible Kid's power is useless here. The master lets the rookie Legionnaire gaze upon him, and then gives him a taste of eye beams. 

Sun Boy blasts Big-Head, and notices that the large-craniumed servant really seems to dislike it when his flames turn yellow. Big-Head's master calls for him, deciding that the White Witch isn't worth it after all. Blok and Light Lass find Invisible Kid, shuddering like he had just seeing the scariest horror movie in the history of the universe.

The newbie Legionnaire needs a doctor...or five. Physically he's fine but his mind...not so much. The story ends with Dream Girl getting another vision: The Legion battling the servants of darkness on a place called Sorcerer's World...and losing. Badly.

There's also a little back-up tale! Let's take a look at that, too!

"Of Leaders and Lovers"
Writer: Paul Levitz
Penciler: Keith Giffen, Larry Mahlstedt
Inker: Unknown
Colorist: Unknown
Letterer: John Costanza
Editor: Laurie Sutton
Executive Editor: Joe Orlando

The story begins with Saturn Girl sitting at Lightning Lad's bedside, She's trying to use her telepathy to soothe her electrokinetic husband's fevered mind. She gets a call from Cosmic Boy. The far-future master of magnetism is conducting the vote for a new Legion leader over a remote hookup as due to all the chaos, it can't be done in person. Huh, election chaos. How timely... Anyway, Cosmic Boy gets ambushed.

"Outta my way! There's a sale at Bloomingdale's!"

It's the Lydea Mallor-based servant of darkness that the Legion had captured and examined earlier. The two try to fight her off, but it's no good. Thankfully, Lightning Lad is able to come to the rescue, by frying her with lightning.

"Oh nass, I need a drink..."

Later, Lightning Lad is resting. His fever has broken, and it looks like he may be finally on the road to recovery. Saturn Girl theorized that the stress of his time as Legion leader may have caused his powers to go bonkers, but now it's seemingly corrected itself. She and Cosmic Boy briefly discuss being Legion leaders, until Cosmic Boy gets some news. A new Legion leader has been elected, and it's Dream Girl. Because of course it was. She can see the future, after all.

This was an enjoyable issue. There are plenty of nice character moments here, like Blok being spellbound by the White Witch. Their romance is not talked about very much in my experience. I don't know why. We also get some further advancing of the main story, as we discover that one of the servants was made from the DNA of an ancestor of a Legionnaire, and we get another possible hint of another of the servants' potential DNA donors. We also still don't have any actual idea of who the servant is, which is also rather nice. 

My one question is...why Lydea Mallor? I get she's an ancestor of a Legionnaire, but Lydea Mallor wasn't exactly a major heroine. Why didn't the master use someone like Wonder Woman, or the Flash? It certainly would not be beyond their ability to get the DNA to do so. Maybe because those two heroes tend to not have any major connections to the Legion? I mean there's the Tornado Twins and all for the Flash, but did the Legion stories ever establish what happened to the Amazons? Just a thought.

The art here is rather well done. The backup tale's art does feel a bit jarring, despite the art being drawn by the same artist that did the main story. This is where Giffen's art started to evolve into the more Jose Munoz-esque style he would use for the rest of his Legion tenure, with the stocky figures and the shadowy faces at times. It never really "clicked" with me personally, but I never really was overly bothered by it, either. 

All in all, I liked the issue. If you want to read it for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2002 trade paperback Legion of Super-Heroes: The Great Darkness Saga. Yeah, I own a very old trade. They did a reprint in 2013, though. You may have an easier time getting that one. 

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you enjoyed it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, and wear a mask! Join me next time when we finally take a look at the last of Wonder Woman's Twelve Labors...

Text Play: Pokemon Zeta #15

Hello, and welcome back to the Vesryn Region! And this is entry number 15 in my Text Play of Pokémon Zeta!

As usual, I do have to provide a spoiler warning.

I will be revealing things in this game, so if you want to play through it first, you can download the game at its wiki here. And with that, let's go!

I've been working on building a team to face off against Avery at the Gym here in Treader Town. I had decided on using Charmeleon and Pidgeotto as part of my Bug-beating team. However, there has been a complication. Grinding these Pokémon has not been easy. You see, there is really only one place right nearby you can grind them up besides the Gym around here: Route 314.

Unfortunately, Route 314 is...not the best place to grind up Fire and Flying-type Pokémon. The Route is mainly home to Phanpy and its evolved form Donphan, as well as Drilbur. Phanpy, Donphan, and Drilbur are Ground-type Pokémon. Bug-types (Avery's specialty) are weak against Fire, Flying, and Rock-types. Ground-types are strong against Fire and Rock. But on the other hand, I'm getting plenty of XP for my Kingdra and Victreebel, so that's an upside. Too bad I DON'T NEED THEM TO TAKE ON AVERY!

While grinding, I was able to put some more thought into what team I want to use to take on Avery. Magmortar is a must, thanks to it being a Fire-type. I have been grinding up my Pidgeotto and Charmeleon as well. Pidgeotto is a Flying-Type, and as for Charmeleon, well...it's pretty obvious why I'd include one of those in a team dedicated to fighting Bug-types.

Charizard is Fire AND Flying. Charizard can learn moves from both those types, so it's the perfect Bug-Fainter. Yeah, fainter. I know it sounds silly, but you don't kill Pokémon, you just KO them. They live to battle another day. Especially makes sense in organized battles like facing Gym leaders. And these games were made for kids, so...yeah. And also, Charizard is awesome. 

Anyway, as I said in what I believe was the last entry, Bug is also vulnerable to Rock. When I looked over the Pokemon I had obtained up to this point, I discovered that I had captured a Dwebble. Dwebbles are Bug/Rock, and mine knows Rock Blast. I may use him in my anti-Avery team. I've never used a Dwebble in a Pokémon game before, so that'll be fun to try out. Also, Dwebbles are kind of cute.

Look at that adorable little hermit crab-like Pokémon. I think this little critter will be very helpful on my anti-Avery team. Thing is, I caught him at a rather low level. Which means...yup. Lots of grinding.

There is a nice trade-off, though. Yes, there 's more work to be done with the grinding, but in the long run, I'll get a more powerful Dwebble out of the deal. So, that's a plus. I did consider backtracking a couple of Routes to try and ease the grinding, but that turned out to not be helpful as the wild Pokémon there are a bit too powerful to work with right now. Ugh. This is so frustrating. 

I really wish there was an area full of Bug Pokémon I could go to to grind up Pidgeotto, Charmeleon, and Dwebble around here. I can't help but wonder if Avery was intended originally to be a Rock or Ground-type-themed Gym Leader. It would explain why his Gym is in a mountainous area. You don't associate mountains with insects, after all. You'd likely expect 

While thinking about how to deal with Avery, I had discovered that Bug-types are also vulnerable to Poison. Which makes sense. I looked in my Boxes to see what Poison-types I owned. I wish it had a search feature. I own a Tentacool, but that was out. The Bug Pokemon in the Gym may know Grass-type attacks, and Tentacool is also a Water-type. I own both the male and female Nidoran. The male one knows Peck (a Flying-type attack) and Poison Sting, and it as the ability called Poison Point. 

Wait, "ability"? Well, allow me to explain.

Starting with Generation III (Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire), the Pokemon games introduced a mechanic called "Abilities". Basically, it's a special little passive effect a Pokemon can have besides its standard four attacks. Every Pokemon has an Ability. Some are helpful, some are a hindrance. For example, the male Nidoran I own in this game has an Ability called Poison Point. In this case, if the Nidoran is hit by an attack that requires physical contact to work, there's a chance that the attacking Pokemon will end up getting poisoned...wait...why don't I also use this Pokemon against Avery?!

To be fair, it's not like I'm going to fight Avery right away. And I also remembered that I had a Venonat. That's Bug/Poison. Yeah, I got plenty of options, but not a great place to grind them up. Lovely. This part of the game is going to make me go crazy...

Between this, and the fact that I have not had a ton of time to play this game, this entry will be a bit short this time around. I do apologize for that. I found myself putting up a Text Play entry every month, and I do want to keep that regular schedule going. So again, I apologize for this entry being so short. Hopefully, next month's will be more exciting. I might actually fight Avery in that one!

Well, I hope so, anyway. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other. Stay safe, stay home, wash your hands often, and wear a mask! See you next time! 

Firestorm, the Nuclear Man #2 (April 1978)

Back in December 2018, I took a look at the first issue of Firestorm's first solo series. I found it to be an enjoyable first issue, clearly in the vein of early Spider-Man. So, would the second issue be just as enjoyable? Let's find out in my review of Firestorm, the Nuclear Man #2!

The cover is a Al Milgrom piece, and it's pretty...interesting. You got Firestorm being ambushed by the new villain he's facing here. He's pleading for Superman's help, but the Man of Steel is basically like "Yeah, you're on your own, kid." This gives the cover a bit of a Silver Age vibe thanks to the whole "Superman is being a jerk" shtick that it's using. It's kind of funny to see in a Bronze Age-era comic.

"Danger Doubled is Death!" 
Writer: Gerry Conway
Penciler: Al Milgrom
Inker: Bob McLeod
Colorist: Adrienne Roy
Letterer: Ben Oda
Editors: Gerry Conway, Jack C. Harris
Executive Editor: Joe Orlando

The story begins with Firestorm flying down to help and old man who is being used as a punching bag.

"Here I come to save the dayyyyyyy!"

The men were sent by a "Mister Oswald" to do a little bit of Mafia-style debt collection. Our matter-manipulating hero is able to stop them by turning the sidewalk into tar. Ronnie Raymond wishes his favorite girl Doreen Day could see him like this. Ronnie and Dr. Martin Stein debate in Firestorm's head whether Doreen would be impressed by Firestorm's powers. Firestorm tries to impress a girl by turning a piece of metal into a bouquet of roses. The girl just faints in response. 

Firestorm flies off, then splits into Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein. Because Stein was unconscious when the bomb that turned him and Ronnie into Firestorm went off, he has no memory of his time as one half of the Nuclear Man, which ends up bewildering a cop that was trying to get some answers out of him out about the Hudson plant explosion. 

"Ay! Ah'm a cop, and you will respect mah authoritah!"

He's then confronted by a furious Danton Black, who is going to sue him. He claims Stein stole his plans for the plant's reactor and caused the explosion to cover it up. Stein calls him a fraud, and Black stomps away, vowing to get Stein back. However, he starts to feel strange. He gets a splitting headache, and he's starting to see double. Remember, in the last issue, Black was also caught in the explosion that created Firestorm. I think it's going to cause problems for him, too...

Back at school, Doreen is reading about Firestorm in the paper, and she thinks "Hey, this guy's pretty cool." Future Thinker Cliff Carmichael is not so impressed. He sees Firestorm as just another violent moron.  Ronnie angrily tries to introduce Cliff's mug to his fist, but Doreen gets him to calm down, and tells Cliff to get bent. 

Later, at Chez Raymond, Ronnie asks what he thinks of Firestorm. Mr. Raymond tells him that he thinks Firestorm is taking the law into his own hands, and he feels that is not a good thing. A disheartened Raymond goes out for a walk. It seems like he can't get anything right for a change. But enough of this teenage angst. This comic promised us Superman, so let's deliver on that, shall we?

"This is Clark Kent for WGBS, and Rao, I miss my old job..."

Yes at the time, Clark Kent was working as a television reporter for WGBS. After delivering his report, he sheds his suit to go check out this new nuclear-powered hero. In the Hudson power plant, Dr. Martin Stein is working on some repairs. He's lamenting about Danton Black's court order, and the governor's concerns about the plant. However, his worry session gets interrupted by a guest. Or should I say, a pair of guests.

"That's right, Stein! Danton Black is TWINNING AT LIFE!"

Meet the new and improved Danton Black, aka...Multiplex. He has the power to show multiple movies at once! ...how'd he get a supervillain costume so fast? Ronnie felt the ambush, realizing that he and Stein in their civilian forms share a Corsican Brothers-style connection. Ronnie tries to make his way to the plant, but he can't quite there. So, he tries to trigger the transformation into Firestorm. It not only works, but it allows Firestorm to go instantly to the plant, where he confronts Multiplex.

Multiplex believes that since the radiation of the plant gave...him? them? their powers, further exposure will make those powers stronger. Firestorm and the twin terrors brawl, but each of the individual Multiplexes are really strong, and combined with their teamwork, are able to knock the Nuclear Man around. Luckily, Superman arrives to help.

"Everyone gets one, Ronnie."

However, Multiplex is able to get away. Firestorm is left confused, until Stein points out that there's an experimental pile in the physics lab at State University. Rejuvenated, the Nuclear Man flies off. What does Superman do? He just decides to stand there. Did Zack Snyder write this?

Anyway, Firestorm makes his way to State U, which was near Central Park. Multiplex tries to absorb the radiation in the pile, but they discover the pile is empty, and they're starting to weaken. You see, when Ronnie first engaged Multiplex here, he seemingly tried to blast the twin supervillain...and missed. But in actuality, he was aiming for the radioactive uranium in the pile, changing it to phosphorescence. 

Yeah, a little science lesson here. Phosphorescence is not a substance, it's a property a substance can have. Materials that are phosphorescent don't emit radiation it absorbs right away. For example, have you seen a watch whose face can glow in the dark? That's because the watch's face is made of materials that are phosphorescent. Basically, Firestorm turned the radioactive uranium into a material that absorbs radiation. So, when Multiplex tried to absorb it, they essentially...short-circuited. Looks like Stein's smarts are rubbing off a bit on Ronnie.

Superman arrives as Ronnie unmasks the twin terror. And yup, they're Danton Black. The two heroes take them to a hospital, where the two Dantons merge back into one, presumably due to the radiation charge wearing off. Ronnie and Martin worry that Danton may remember being Multiplex, and he may return to menace them again.

On a happier note, Superman thinks our neophyte hero has potential. Perhaps one day, Firestorm may be able to call himself a member of the Justice League. The story ends with the Nuclear Man flying through the air in joy. Yeah, his day was not a complete loss after all. He stopped Multiplex, and Superman gave him props. 

I honestly enjoyed this comic. With the origin out of the way, we're able to delve into Ronnie and Martin starting their crimefighting career including facing their first supervillain. As I said about the first issue, there is a bit of early Spider-Man vibe, and that vibe continues on here, with things seemingly not ever working out right for Ronnie. It's a classic way to convey relatability, as everyone had felt like they had one of those days where nothing has ever seemed to go right. And Al Milgrom's art is wonderful to look at.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2011 trade paperback Firestorm: The Nuclear Man. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, and wear a mask! Join me next time when the Legion of Super-Heroes continue being haunted by a great darkness... 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

I hope this day was a fun one for you all. I hope you all have something to be thankful for out there. As for me, I am thankful I have my family and my job. I also was thankful I had some delicious ham for dinner, ha ha. 

I am also thankful to every one of you who's come and visited this little blog over the years. I hope you continue to do so. Happy Thanksgiving! 

Domino #1 (January 1997)

It's been said that fortune favors the bold. The heroine that's getting the focus here would definitely agree with that statement. Especially since she always seems to have good fortune with her. Of course, I'm talking about Neena Thurman, aka Domino.

Co-created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld, Domino first appeared as a cameo in X-Force #8 (March 1992), and then fully appeared in X-Force #11 (June 1992). She supposedly first appeared in New Mutants #98 (February 1991), but that was another character called Copycat impersonating her. The result of a government breeding program in an attempt to create supersoldiers, Domino has enhanced agility and reflexes, but her main power is her 'luck'.

In actuality, her 'luck' is a form of telekinesis. Basically, she subconsciously causes random effects that result in things working out for her. She is also a skilled markswoman, acrobat, and martial artist. Domino has been a mainstay in various incarnations of X-Force over the years. She also has gotten some solo adventures over the years, mainly a couple of miniseries, and a short-lived ongoing in 2018. The comic we're going to look at here is the first issue of her first solo miniseries from 1997.

Fun fact, Neena Thurman was not the first character in the Marvel Universe to go by the name "Domino". Back in various comics in the 80s, several minor supervillains were killed off by a mysterious character known as the Scourge of the Underworld. A man named Dominic Dunsinane [first appearing in Rampaging Hulk #4 (August 1977)] worked as an informant for the Scourge. The two Dominoes are not connected in any way. So, with all of that out of the way, let's look at Domino #1!

The cover is a David Perrin piece. It's pretty good, if a bit basic. It basically shows Domino leaping out at the reader, gun ready to fire. It is a bit fanservicey with the way the uniform clings to her...tracts of land. Like she was vacuum-sealed. 

"Rise and Fall"
Writer: Ben Raab
Penciler: David Perrin
Inker: Harry Candelario
Colorist: Joe Rosas
Letterer: Richard Starkings, Comicraft
Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras

The story begins with a man playing with dominoes.

He's standing them up, while citing the names of various world leaders throughout history. There is a lesson here this man is trying to show: That all empires fall...like dominoes. The man is Milo Thurman, and he's got a "hyper-developed brain" that allows him to predict events. He reports to a man named Henry Peter Gyrich. 

Gyrich is a man who is not unknown to the superhero community. He has worked with the Avengers in the past. He's not interested in Thurman's lessons, just results. Next time that Thurman predicts a major chance in the balance of power, he has to report it to Gyrich. After their meeting concludes, Milo picks up a copy of his favorite book: Dante's Inferno. As he reads, he gets a visitor.

Wait, you say? Isn't this book titled Domino? So, where is our titular character. Well, Miss Neena Thurman's letting her hair down in Carnival.

It's been a long time since our heroine's just been able to relax and enjoy the day. And she's been able to do that here in Brazil. But even a mutant mercenary needs to take a powder. She tries to, but she ends up meeting a little person...with some big whips.

There's a joke in here somewhere... Domino tries to flee from him, but the little guy is actually quite quick. She also seems to know his voice from somewhere. He mentions Cable and the X-Men, and that only makes the super-lucky merc more suspicious. She's able to get his mask off, and it reveals his enhanced face.

...how'd he hide that wannabe Vader mask underneath his jester mask? Anyway, the man's name is Pico. He was shot by Cable in X-Force #14 (September 1992). Domino gives the diminutive cyborg a punch in the mouth and some shuriken for his trouble. She was keeping them in her boots, in case you were wondering. Pico is able to deflect them, and he leaps at Dom. Luck always being on her side, she finds a clothesline and uses it to restrain the cyborg. Pico pleads for Dom to not hurt him, but she doesn't care what he thinks. She wants to know one thing: Who sent him? Another guest makes their appearance, but we don't see who they are quite yet. 

Back in the facility Milo is a "guest" at, Henry Peter Gyrich is doing some thinking while on his way to pay Milo another visit. He is pondering about how the world is in greater danger than ever thanks to the seeming deaths of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four (This is a reference to the Onslaught crossover. See my Thunderbolts #1 review to learn more about that). He goes to Milo's cell and has found the man has seemingly decided to go outside.

He demands the computer explain where Milo is. The computer basically tells him he's still in the cell, and Gyrich gave the authorization to release him.

Back to Brazil! Who's the mysterious new voice?

Say hello to Eugene Milton Judd, aka Puck of Alpha Flight! You may remember him from Alpha Flight #1 review. Neena his thrilled to see him, as evidently, the two are old friends. So, what's he doing here in one of South America's most famous countries? That's a secret. By the way, she's going by "Beatrice" these days. A nod to a man she once knew. The "one that got away", as it were. She realizes that Puck isn't here to play catch up. He's been rooting around Department H, and he shows her an image of Milo from earlier. 

The sight of Milo cuts Domino deep. You see, Milo was Neena's "one who got away". Puck is understanding. If there's one thing he knows about our lucky merc, it's that she's actually got quite a big heart. That's why Puck's here, to give her a warning. Something's going on in Department H, and Milo's going to be a dead man as a result of it. Yeah, that's not something she's going to brook. Later, we join Domino in the desert as she prepares to infiltrate a government facility.

Yeah, more on her choice of infiltration gear. She makes her way into the base. While she's infiltrating, we get to look inside her mind a bit. It's pretty clear that she still has feelings for Milo, and she's trying to keep her focus. She notices that the base may been compromised based on the entry codes being changed.

Yeah, you'd think that a top-secret military base would regularly change its codes. It's a simple security measure. It's not the only surprise Neena gets here.

These big yellow mechs are called Mandroids (these ones are based on the Mark II design), and they're actually power armors. They've primarily been associated with SHIELD, but considering that this is the Marvel Universe, it could be anyone using these suits. Neena feigns putting down her guns, but then blasts them. The energy blasts from her guns ricochet around the room, but Dom's luck powers protect her from being hit by keeping her moving out of the way. After dispensing the Mandroids, she continues on.

Later, she finds bodies. Lots of bodies. Someone turned this place into a slaughterhouse. The sight of dead bodies is nothing new to Domino (after all, she is a mercenary), but even after her experiences, the stench of death still bothers her. She finds more downed Mandroids...with claw marks on them. The Mandroids' armor is made of titanium, and not much could slice them up. Wolverine could with his claws, but the slash marks are in groups of four, not three. 

Domino makes her way to the chamber where Milo was held, and only finds some dominoes...and the copy of Dante's Inferno he had. It's odd that this book is here, as it's his prize possession. He used to read the book to her. It's then that our heroine discovers that she's not alone here, and she's not here to make friends.

Meet Yuriko Oyama, aka Lady Deathstrike. You may be familiar with her if you ever watched the film X2 (played by Kelly Hu) or saw X-Men: The Animated Series (voiced by Jane Luk). And she wants to make our favorite lucky lady into some lucky ribbons.

I enjoyed this comic, to be honest with you. It was neat seeing a look into some of Domino's past. I also liked how she was portrayed in the story, how she does have some cocky swagger. It makes sense. If someone had her skills and powers, that person would feel cocky and invincible, too. The story does show that Domino does have a heart, which I thought was nice. It's easy to portray her as cold and only caring about the money, but this helps show that she's a bit more complex than that. I also did like the slight nod to the events of Onslaught, as it helps show that the universe is interconnected.

The art is pretty good, very clean. I do think it was a bit fan-servicey at times, though. It wasn't much of a problem with the scenes in Brazil, as Domino was there to relax and enjoy Carnaval. Although I thought the suit she wore when infiltrating the base was...an odd choice. I mean, Neena is a professional. I get going to the beach in it, but infiltrating a military base? Yeah. It's not surprising, it was the 90s. 

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2018 trade paperback X-Men: Domino. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, and wear a mask! Join me next time when we take another look at the early days of a Nuclear Man...