Avengers #23 (December 1999)

It was a day comic book fans hoped would never come. Sadly, legendary artist George Perez had passed away on May 6 due to complications from pancreatic cancer. Perez's contributions to comics are immeasurable. I can't say anything about him that anyone else can, but much better. For myself, as I have said in the past, he's one of the reasons I fell in love with comics as a medium.

On this blog in the past, I have talked about how much I loved his run on Avengers with Kurt Busiek. As a tribute to Mr. Perez, I thought I'd talk a bit about how I first got exposed to his run. You see, many years ago, I went to a Barnes and Noble. I had heard of the trade paperback, and the concept of it fascinated me. A bunch of comics collected into a book form? That sounds awesome. In that visit, I picked up a trade called Avengers: Living Legends. It would be my first exposure to the Avengers in comic form, my first exposure to the Busiek/Perez-era Avengers, and a love affair with a medium began. So, let's take a look at the very first issue of their run I read: Avengers #23!

The cover is a George Perez piece, and it's pretty awesome. It depicts Wonder Man and Vision facing off with a big pink Scarlet Witch being concerned in the background. It's the real meat of the issue. We don't quite get a fight, though. You'll understand.

"Showdown"
Writer: Kurt Busiek
Artist: George Perez
Inker: Al Vey
Colorist: Tom Smith
Letterer: Richard Starkings, Comicraft, Albert Deschesne
Editor: Tom Brevoort

The story begins with Captain America throwing his Mighty Shield, commanding the Avengers to move. So, what villain or villains are they fighting? Kang? Ultron? The Masters of Evil? The Assassin? Well, not exactly. They're training!

Being the top-tier superhero team they are, the Avengers have to stay sharp. The team (Cap, Thor, Iron Man, Black Panther, Justice, and Firestar) are training in the "Playroom". It's a special room designed to allow the team to sharpen their powers and skills. It's basically their equivalent of the X-Men's Danger Room. The group share some casual banter while they exercise. Justice, one of the newbie Avengers at the time, has got himself a bit of a plan. He slips by the other Avengers while they deal with the various traps and obstacles of the Playroom, taking advantage of the defenses being distracted to reach his goal.

"JUSTICE WINS! ONE-NOTHIIIIING!"

With that, the exercise is over. Cap and Thor praise Justice for his quick thinking. 

Even better, Justice's broken leg is healing up nicely, so he can come back to active duty soon. Elsewhere in Avengers Mansion, Wanda "Scarlet Witch" Maximoff approaches the room of the Vision. She really does want to talk to him, as there had been some issues between herself, Wonder Man, and the synthezoid recently. 

Captain America finds Janet "Wasp" Van Dyne and Henry "Giant Man" Pym watching some protestors out a window. 

The group has been protested lately over what seems to be the lack of POC representation in the Avengers recently. It doesn't help that the current roster is seemingly not very diverse. Sure, Wanda is Roma/Jewish, but that seems to be about it. The Avengers are also suffering from PR problems in other fronts: the recent escapes of the robotic villainess Alkhema and supervillain Grim Reaper, not to mention Ultron's recent genocide in Slorenia.

Iron Man points out the press arrived alongside the protestors, which makes him believe this whole thing is a massive setup. Elsewhere in the Mansion, Wanda tries to get Vision to talk to her. You see, in the previous issue, Vision admitted that he still does love the hexcaster...even though she's now with Simon Williams, aka the ionic-powered superhuman called Wonder Man. 

He's got a lot of frustration and issues bottled up. Simon tries to talk to him as well, and it forces Vision to admit he's frustrated with Wonder Man. You see, when the Vision was created, his mind was created with the mental engrams of Wonder Man. 

It has led to the two being similar in certain ways. Both of them are fond of jazz music, chess, and Pogo. Simon doesn't see this as an issue. As he sees it, the two have things in common. But this just infuriates the synthezoid, and he treats Simon to a Mighty Punch.

"I WAS PROUD OF THOSE COOKIES!"

The punch rocks the Mansion. Yeah, Simon is a powerhouse, but don't discount the Vision. His power to alter his density allows him to play muscle if he needs to as well. Vision flies off, and Simon heads off after him. Vision tries to fight him, but Simon refuses to take the bait. Vision then admits that he now feels like a sham, a fake human being. All because of Simon. 

You see, the Vision is a bit of what can be described as a "patchwork man", a Frankenstein's monster. In Avengers #57 (October 1968), he was built from the body of Jim Hammond, the original Human Torch and had a mind based on the mind of Wonder Man. And naturally, since his mind was modeled on Simon's, he had some of Simon's interests. 

His first real taste of individuality also came with his first taste of love. He and Wanda married and started a family. However, it would be marred by tragedy. Vision would end up disassembled by rogue agents of the federal government. The Avengers were able to rebuild him, but because he no longer had his old mind, he was now essentially an emotionless robot. Wanda's children would be revealed to be fragments of Mephisto. After all of that, Vision didn't Wanda to go through any more pain, so he severed ties with the Scarlet Witch.

But now Simon is back, and he's with Wanda now. She gets to be with the "real person" at last, not the duplicate. Simon points out that both he and Vision had changed since then. They've become very different people since then. Even Ultron had pointed that out.

Vision refuses to believe that. Simon then points out something: He envies the Vision. You see, Simon sees Vision as the man he could have been...if his life was free of the shame and failure that defined his. You see, growing up, Simon Williams tried very hard to be the son his father wanted him to be. But it seemed that no matter how well he did, it was never good enough.

As an adult, he embezzled from his company, which led to Baron Zemo. Zemo would empower Simon, and that's how he became Wonder Man. Simon's brother Eric was assumed to be the embezzler, but that was obviously not the case. It led him down the path to become the Grim Reaper. Simon died...but then returned and became an Avenger. But he was haunted by the shame he felt of his past actions. It led him to confess to the embezzlement on national TV. 

This led Simon to become arrogant and selfish, even going so far as to refuse to let his mind be recorded for rebuilding Vision. He would even lose his mind for a while thanks to the Nega-Bomb from Operation: Galactic Storm. When Force Works started, Simon seemingly died again. He felt like he was finally paying for his sins. But nope. Here he is. Back again, forgiven. And he even got to have Wanda, the girl of his dreams. But he still is ashamed of his past actions. He's never been able to forgive himself. 

Vision is not Simon, but Simon sees him as the man he could have been if he were stronger. Vision is amazed by this. He flies off, wanting to think on it. 

"I...I think I need to get drunk."

Simon flies back to the other Avengers, fearing that he may have broken Vision beyond repair. The story ends in the Himalayas. A figure blasts its way underground, where he is seen by others. 

"Get in, loser! We're goin' Revengin'!"

They offer him a chance to rejoin the other Exemplars. The reason? Revenge.

This was a really good comic. It doesn't have a lot of action, but that's kind of the point. This is a character study. This issue basically is a primer on the history of the Vision and Wonder Man, examining their long histories and how it has affected them as people. Stories like this are why I love continuity. You can't tell a story like this without using a character's history. I HATE when people say that continuity is not important/prevents good storytelling. Busiek shows that a character's history can be used to examine them, and make it compelling to learn. Those past stories? They mattered. It made me fascinated with their histories, and gave me a desire to read those past stories. Perez turned in some spectacular artwork. Especially in the usage of layout and faces. The layouts do a great job guiding the eye, and Perez was able to make the characters truly unique.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2004 trade paperback Avengers: Living Legends or the 2012 trade paperback Avengers Assemble: Vol. 2. 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!

Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers Teaser, My Thoughts

In 1989, a new animated series debuted on the Disney Channel: Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers. It starred a new take on classic Disney characters Chip and Dale. This series reimagined them as a pair of detectives who fought crime alongside their allies: Cheese-addicted adventurer Monterey Jack, genius inventor/pilot mouse Gadget Hackwrench, and powerhouse housefly Zipper. This series was created as part of a programming block known as The Disney Afternoon.

Like its companion series DuckTales, Rescue Rangers would be fondly remembered by children of the era. It would be nominated for an Outstanding Animated Program Emmy at the 17th Daytime Emmy Awards in 1990. The characters would appear in toys, comics, and video games. 

In 2014, it was announced that a film would be made. A blend of live-action and animation, this film would be a meta-referential take on the series, intended to be a love letter to not just the original show, but to animation in general. Let's look at the teaser!

Love the parody of the celebrity bio shows here.

Say what you will about the original show, it had an epic theme song.

Hey, MC Skat Kat!

And Roger Rabbit! I love that movie!

You know, that...actually makes a bit of bizarre sense for Dale.

Monterey Jack really needs help with his cheese problem.

"Nobody wants a reboot!" Well, nobody wanted the original either, but...there you go. I hope this film makes fun of that side of fandom.

I don't know why, but I think it would be so hilarious if it turned out Gadget isn't here because she actually has a quiet rather normal life now, and has the mentality of "Yeah, it was fun, but that's behind me now. Good luck, guys!" It'd be a nice inversion of the "embittered with fame" thing.

Heh heh, poking fun of the Uncanny Valley.

Wow, what a cast.

I have to admit, I'm willing to give this a shot. It looks like it might be a ton of fun. It seems like they're not going to skimp on the action and laughs here. I'm definitely firing up the Disney+ and watching it when it comes out!

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get vaccinated/boosted! See you next time!

Prey Teaser, My Thoughts.

In 1987, the film Predator debuted. The film told the tale of a military rescue team in the Central American jungle finding themselves facing off against an alien hunter, the titular Predator. Even though initial reviews of the film was mixed, the film would later be regarded as an action film classic.

The film would go on to spawn a franchise, with film sequels, video games, and comic books. The titular alien hunters would also occasionally battle Xenomorphs from the Alien series. It had been established in the film Alien vs. Predator that Predators had made contacts with humans at various points in time. That's where this upcoming film comes in.

Prey, the fifth film in the Predator series, is a prequel to the previous four, set in the 1710s, focusing on a tribe of Comanche encountering the alien hunter. Let's look at the teaser!

I never saw 10 Cloverfield Lane. Is it any good?

Run for it, Naru!

"Keep it down, Naru! We'll lose this game of hide-and-seek if you keep making noise!"

Careful with that bow, buddy! You might shoot your eye out! And that won't be a pretty sight!

The Yautja take laser tag very seriously.

This teaser was short, but very sweet. It was a very well-done teaser. I do like the first three Predator films (I haven't seen the fourth, but I heard that it was not very good), so I would love to watch this one.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccination and booster! See you next time!

Justice #5 (June 2006)

It's that time again! It's time for our monthly jaunt into the DC Universe, where we join the Justice League in their biggest battle ever against the Legion of Doom! Last time, we saw members of the Justice League ended up ambushed. One particular Justice Leaguer end up in some real dire straits: Superman. Out-powered and poisoned within an inch of his life, the Man of Steel ended the last issue crying for help. How will the League recover from this? Let's find out in Justice #5!

The cover is an Alex Ross piece. It's pretty cool. At first glance, it would be just a plain pin-up of Wonder Woman. The twist is showing the Cheetah ripping it up with her claws. It reflects something that does happen in the comic, and it helps make the cover more eye-catching. What I also like about this cover is that it reflects Cheetah's character a bit. Her hatred of Diana is so great, even seeing images of Diana makes her fly into a murderous rage.

"Chapter Five" 
Writers: Jim Krueger, Alex Ross
Pencilers: Alex Ross, Doug Braithwaite
Inker: Alex Ross
Colorist: Alex Ross
Letterer: Todd Klein
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Executive Editor: Dan DiDio

The story begins with Ralph Dibny, the Elongated Man and JLA member himself getting a phone call.

It's from Iris. Barry Allen has seemingly vanished again. Those who saw my review of the last issue may know why. Under the ocean, the Martian Manhunter realizes that his burning is not real. As he rises out of the ocean, the Flash zips by, still trapped in super-speed. Luthor teleports into Brainiac's lab, noting that the Coluan computerized supervillain still has Aquaman on his slab. He asks if the King of the Seven Seas is dead, only to get asked by Brainiac in response if that matters at all. 

Brainiiac knows Luthor is plotting against him. After all, Luthor may be a brilliant man, but he does have limitations. That still wouldn't stop a man with an ego like Lex's. Luthor is awaiting confirmation that the League are all dead or incapacitated. And he's here to collect something from Brainiac: The cities. Brainiac confirms he has them, holding out six black orbs.

In Metropolis, Parasite, Grundy, Bizarro, and Metallo continue their torture of Superman. A group of bystanders spots them but get a taste of Bizarro's Freeze Vision for their troubles. The four villains then hear a crack of thunder, and lightning crackles in the sky.

A blur of red-and-gold rips the Kryptonite out of Metallo's chest, and then takes down Bizarro, Parasite and Grundy. 

Billy Batson, the original Captain Marvel, got Superman's signal. Marvel takes Superman away. Shortly afterwards, Lex Luthor teleports in and mocks the four villains, especially Parasite. We briefly cut to a hospital, where Ray Palmer is recovering after being shot. Jean Loring wants him to be okay, even if that means he continues fighting crime as the Atom. 

Meanwhile, Wonder Woman is fighting the Cheetah, and the feline femme fatale has a secret weapon. She slashes into the Amazon Princess's body, her claws being tipped with a poison called "Hercules' Lament". Diana tries to reach Priscilla Rich, but to no avail.

The Black Canary sees Clayface towering over Green Arrow, and she uses her sonic scream to distract him, while Arrow uses a broken lamp to shock him. The shapeshifter is driven off. As for why he wasn't affected by her screams...

Man had earplugs. Carter and Shayera Hall open up a sarcophagus they had hid in during Toyman's attack. Hal Jordan is trapped in an unknown area of space. The ring can't duplicate the Boom Tube that Sinestro used to trap him there. It only leaves one question left: ...how long does Hal have left? One the ring's charge runs out, he's exposed to space. And without the protection of his ring...yeah. 

Captain Marvel takes Superman to the Batcave...much to the Dark Knight's chagrin. Yeah, this is very much modern Batman in mentality. Captain Marvel places Superman on a special bed with energy lamps to give Superman some extra yellow sunlight to help Superman heal and recover.

As they rest, Marvel reveals his human form of Billy Batson to help make Batman more comfortable. After all, Bruce likes kids. Superman asks if everyone is okay...and then nails Batman with a Mighty Punch. Even wakened and wounded, the Metropolis Marvel still packs one heck of a right cross. But why would Superman punch Batman? Well, he did it because he saw the Kryptonite hidden in Batman's glove. When Superman's vision returned, he was able to see tiny little robots inside of the Dark Knight's body. Those little robots fused themselves to Batman's nerves, and have taken control of him. And Superman discovers they're inside him, too. They're also inside another man, one of the few that the Caped Crusader truly trusted.

Elsewhere, Lex Luthor releases the black orbs that Brainiac gave to him earlier into the ocean. They grow to massive size and emerge from the water, the mad genius remarking that he knows Brainiac will try and betray him. After all, he'd do the same thing. This world isn't big enough for both of them. 

Back at the Batcave, Billy Batson is able to free himself from Alfred's grip, allowing Superman to knock him out with the help of a coffee cup. Billy then transforms back into Captain Marvel. Superman tells him to bind up Alfred and Batman. And keep the Dark Knight away from his utility belt! Superman knows that the little worms will control him, too. So, they have to be removed. How? Well, Captain Marvel needs to throw Superman into the sun. Burn the little mothers out! ...what?

I liked this issue. It's the little character stuff that I like best. Luthor and Brainiac being aware that they will try to betray each other. It's a nice contrast to the Justice League's traditional camaraderie. What I'm wondering is how Batman got infected with the worms? I mean, it can be presumed Alfred got infected from Batman, but how did Batman get infected? Was it during his battle with the Riddler? I also did like the moment of accidental cleverness that Green Arrow showed with the earplugs. It was pretty funny. The art is spectacular as always. But then again, it's Braithwaite and Ross, they can't do a bad job even if they wanted to. 

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2011 trade paperback Justice. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get vaccinated/boosted! See you next time!

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Launch Trailer, My Thoughts

I love LEGO games. I have for years. I've played most of them: Marvel Super Heroes, Batman, Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones, Star Wars...Hey, there's another LEGO Star Wars game now, isn't there? Yes, there is: LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. 

The Skywalker Saga? Yes, that's what the three main trilogies (Original, Prequel, Sequel) in the Star Wars series are called. This game, the sixth in the series, is the first to cover all nine films. The Force Awakens, the first film in the Sequel Trilogy, got its own LEGO game in 2016. This game is the first time The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker gets the LEGO treatment. With that out of the way, let's look at the trailer!

Ah, I see they're going to be going with voiced cutscenes, like the LEGO Marvel and DC games.

WHEEEEE-Oops. Well, that's the hazard of a LEGO lightsaber.

I have to say that this looks really nice graphic-wise. 

That'll hurt!

Heh heh, dancing AT-ST. Get funky with your bad self!

Wow. That's a lot of ships.

Heh heh, flying Ewok.

I admit, I want to play this. I have played and enjoyed the previous LEGO Star Wars games, so yes. I am going to get this one, too. It'll be fun to play through all nine main Star Wars movies. I can imagine the DLC packs will be referencing the various spin-off media like The Mandalorian. This game looks like quite a ride, and I can't wait to jump on it!

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get vaccinated and boosted! See you next time!

Iron Man #234 (September 1988)

One of the fun things about a shared universe with a bunch of characters in it is the chance to see all those characters come together. To see them join forces to combat a great threat. But sometimes, it's fun to see a smaller team-up. A couple of characters having an adventure together. This comic is such an example. This is Iron Man #234!

The cover is a Bob Layton and Jackson Guice piece. It's well-drawn, but it's a bit basic. It just depicts Iron Man and Spider-Man flying (and swinging in Spidey's case) over a white background. There's not much else that can be said about this cover, really.

"Fallout!"
Writers: David Michelinie, Bob Layton
Penciler: Jackson Guice
Inker: Bob Layton
Colorist: Bob Sharen
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Editor: Bob Mackie
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story begins with Tony Stark introducing his then-new suit of armor at an innovators' expo.

Stark shows off a holographic projection to his audience. This projection is a presentation of the new suit's capabilities. The new suit impresses some people from Pendyne, a company he wants to use as a headquarters for Stark Enterprises on the East Coast. They agree to work with Stark...as long as the board gives the okay.

Unknown to the Armored Avenger, the expo gets another visitor.

Yup, a Mr. Peter Parker, aka the original Spider-Man. He's able to come to the expo because of his press credentials (The expo is not open to the public). He's covering the expo for the Daily Bugle, but he also has another goal while he's here. He is going back to college, and he wants to make some contacts so when he graduates, he has a chance at a better job. Nice bit of multitasking there, Mr. Parker.

As Peter is doing a bit of picture-taking and shmoozing, one James Rhodes is having some fun trying out a prototype flight simulator.

"Man, this new After Burner game is awesome!"

Yeah, it's likely it'll end up being made into an arcade game. Rhodey and Stark reunite and make some small talk until they encounter exhibit at the expo.

"This kiosk has nothing villainous about it. Nope."

You see, Stane International was once Stark International...until Obadiah Stane bought it out from under him. Stane had taken his own life earlier, but the company still lives on. The man heading the exhibit is a Dr. Chen Lu, aka the Radioactive Man. Lu is able to sense radiation, and he picks up a source of it. But he can't identify the source. Meanwhile, Peter is feeling a bit...weak. Like his energy is being sapped. His Spider-Sense briefly goes off. 

Stark meets a former security guard named Vic Martinelli who stayed with Stane after Stark was bought out. He hopes that Stark is holding no hard feelings. Stark is fine with it, as the man did what he had to do. He shakes Stark's hand, wishing him the best of luck. Stark discovers the guard slipped him a note. Stark and Rhodey go outside, where they meet a new player in this game.

Meet Kathy Dare. Her life would...not go so well. But that's the future. Stark agrees to go out to dinner with her. That night, Chen Lu is fiddling with some boxes at the Expo Center. his thoughts reveal that he's displeased with his being an employee of Stane. However, as an employee of Stane's, he's got access to funding and equipment he would have...a lot of problems getting otherwise, so it's not so bad. He picks up that radiation again.

Meanwhile, Spider-Man swings in, wanting to investigate why he felt weak. He starts to feel it again...and his Spider-Sense tingles.

Radioactive Man and Spidey tussle, which ends with the Chinese supervillain winning. The next day, Tony Stark gets a view of the paper. 

"Huh? I thought Omega got shot in Vegas."

Stark finds this odd, and wonders if it has something to do with the note that Vic had slipped him. Stark reads the note and sees that it's a call for help. There's some...weird things going on at Stane Enterprises, and he wants Stark to take a look. Later on, the two meet. Vic reveals that Stane had hired a man named Chen Lu. They built a special lab for him that was lined in lead, and his work there is top secret. Hush-hush. Beyond his pay grade.

This made Vic suspicious, so he decided to do some snooping. He discovered that the near-crash of a Stane nuclear satellite that happened last issue was deliberate. It was caused by Lu because he wanted to observe the effects of nuclear radiation on humans. That night, Stark suits up in his Iron Man armor and investigates the Stane Enterprises campus. So, what of Spidey and Radioactive Man?

Dr. Lu finds Spidey's irradiated blood fascinating and wants to study it. And he's gonna need a lot of Spidey's blood for this. Exsanguination time!

Luckily, Iron Man bursts in. He and Radioactive Man brawl. Iron Man tells Spidey to get out, as he'll be no help here. Lu's radiation weakens him, after all. However, Spidey wants to help. Being the clever arachnid-themed hero he is, he attacks Lu...wearing a radiation suit.

The suit is cumbersome, so Spidey can't use his full powers or his webbing. But he is able to distract Radioactive Man long enough for Iron Man to stop him by melting the lead ceiling, then freezing the molten lead, trapping the Chinese supervillain. The next day, Stark and Rhodes are watching a news report on the fight. Stane officials deny they were aware of Lu's criminal activities and intend to cooperate fully towards Lu's deportation to China. Stark is feeling good. He saved Spider-Man, stopped the Radioactive Man, and made it out in one piece. As far as he's concerned, today was a good day.

This was a fun little one-off adventure. It really was. It was neat seeing Iron Man and Spider-Man team-up against a common threat. One thing that I thought was interesting that as far as I know, Chen Lu seeing Peter unmasked never led to Lu learning who the face belonged to. It was clear in the story he wished to study Peter's radioactive blood. And his presence did weaken Peter. I think it would have been neat for Lu and Peter to cross paths more often after this.

I also can't help but wonder how the events of One More Day affected Lu's memories of this event. Does he remember it differently? I mean, it's not like he learned Peter's name or anything...It's interesting to think over. Anyway, Jackson Guice does the actual interior pencils, with Bob Layton doing the inks. The two must have enjoyed working together, as they also collaborated on X-Factor beforehand. It's pretty good, I must say. 

This comic hasn't been reprinted in trade as far as I know, so you may have to search the back issue bins if you want t oread this for yourself. I recommend it, it's a fun little team-up one-shot story. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get vaccinated and boosted. 

May the 4th Be With You!

It's May 4th, everybody!

May the Fourth be with you. Always.