Nintendo Switch Online Sega Genesis April 2023 Update, My Thoughts

 Let's see what's new!

Flicky - Originally a 1984 arcade game developed and published by Sega (and published by Bally Midway in the United States), Flicky has been ported to various computers. It got a Genesis port for Europe and North America in 1991. 

In Flicky, you play as the titular flightless blue bird, whose goal is to gather smaller birds called Chirps and gather them safely to the exit while trying to avoid cats and lizards. The game would be rather popular in Japanese arcades, and was hailed for being fun to play, but criticized for having what was considered inferior graphics and sound. 

The titular bird would become a minor mascot for Sega, appearing in other games. Most notably, Flickies appeared in the 1996 game Sonic 3D Blast, in which Sonic has to guide Flickies to the exit.

Kid Chameleon - Released in 1992 and developed by Sega Technical Institute. In this game, you play as Casey, aka the titular Kid Chameleon. When a video game boss/artificial intelligence named Heady Metal starts kidnapping players and holding them in his video game world, Casey must go in an rescue them. How, you may ask? Well, Casey can collect special masks that allow him to assume various alternate forms, each with their own unique special abilities.

The game was highly praised for its music, the mask-switch mechanic, and graphics, but it had been criticized for its lack of a save/password system. 

Pulseman - Developed by Game Freak (yes, the same company behind Pokemon) and released by Sega in 1995. It was released originally only for the Mega Drive (The Genesis's European/Japanese counterpart) in Japan in physical form. In the US, it was released on the now-defunct online service known as The Sega Channel. 

Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition

Wonder Woman #178 (October 1968)

When it comes to long-running comics, things are bound to happen that will shake up the status quo of a series. These status quo changes can happen for a numerous amount of reasons. Sometimes the creatives want to shake things up a bit. Sometimes, it's done to try and get a series' sales up. After all, comic book companies are first and foremost businesses. If a series isn't making money, it's going to get cancelled.

Wonder Woman's book was having that problem back in the late 1960s. Despite the fact that her book was one of the very few superhero titles to remain publishing after the end of the Golden Age, and is considered part of DC's "Trinity" alongside Superman and Batman, her book's sales were suffering. They had gotten so bad that DC was seriously considering axing the book. Under then-new editor Dennis O'Neil and then-new writer Mike Sekowsky, it was decided that Wonder Woman needed a shake-up, and perhaps a bit of a updating for the swinging 1960s. So, how did it start? Let's find out in Wonder Woman #178!

The cover is a Mike Sekowsky, Dick Giordano, and Gaspar Saladino piece. It's pretty cool. It depicts Wonder Woman in mod fashion standing with a can of paint in her hand. She used it to paint an X over a pair of images of herself in her Wonder Woman costume and her uniform she wears as Diana Prince. It really helps send the message that we're going to be seeing something a bit different here in this issue. 

"Wonder Woman's Rival"
Writer: Dennis O'Neil
Penciler: Mike Sekowsky
Inker: Dick Giordano
Colorist: Unknown
Letterer: Unknown
Editor: Jack Miller
Executive Editor: Carmine Infantino

The story begins with the police paying a visit to Wondy's long-time beau, Col. Steve Trevor. 

"Just the facts, Steve."

The police want to know where he was last night, in particular, between 10 PM and 1 AM. Trevor explains that he was a place called "That Tangerine Trolley" with a girl. He doesn't remember her name. he wants to know what this is all about. Well, it turns out that a man named Alex Block was murdered. Before he died, he and Trevor had a fight. The police consider him the prime suspect. 

Trevor is arrested and put on trial. A prosecutor asks him to recall the events of the night of Block's death. You know what that means.

Exactly. We look back on that fateful night. Col. Trevor and Wonder Woman was throwing a farewell party for Block's business partner Roger Seely. 

"TAKE IT AWF!"

Block had himself a few too many at the party.

In his drunken stupor, Block mocks Wonder Woman's superpowers and tries to get her to have a drink with him. Yeah, make fun of the woman who could tie your spine into a knot by looking at you, buddy. Real smart.

Steve gives Block a well-deserved KO in the form of a Mighty Punch.

The two then leave, as they have to drop Roger off at the airport. After doing so, Steve apologizes for his behavior at the party, but calls Block a rat. Wonder Woman isn't bothered. The two share a kiss, then Wondy goes off to save the world. Meanwhile, he heads off to the "Tangerine Trolley". It's a hippie club (remember, this was the 1960s). 

Steve meets a pretty blonde there, but she doesn't give her name. He does notice that she has a rather funky-looking ring on her finger.

"I got it in a cereal box."

The blonde explains that the ring is a gift. But before she can tell him who it's from, she suddenly feels uncomfortable and leaves. Steve then went home. The prosecutor says that nobody remembers seeing Steve or this girl at said club. He then calls Wonder Woman herself to the stand. The prosecutor plays up the idea of Steve Trevor being Wondy's resident "Distressed Dude". He's needed her help in the past, but she's hardly ever needed his. 

The prosecutor points out that he may not be able to protect her from supervillains, but he can take down a regular drunk jackwagon like Block. Diana admits Steve called him a rat. Steve is hurt by this, but Diana says she had to tell the truth. Which...yeah. She had to on the stand or get charged with perjury. Anybody who has watched an episode of Law and Order understands this. 

Evidently, there was so much proof that Steve was guilty that he gets convicted. This utterly breaks Diana's heart and convinces her that perhaps Alex Block was right about her. That she is a freak. She vows to prove Steve's innocence. As Diana Prince, not as Wonder Woman. 

The next day, she visits Steve in prison. Even though he's only been there for a day, he's already doing the "bitter loner" act, pointing out it's Wonder Woman's fault he's in here. His only hope is the girl he met at the Tangerine Trolley. Diana vows to find her. Better hurry, Diana. If he's like this after one day in prison, he'll likely rip someone's spine out if he spends another day there.

Diana decides to get a hippie makeover so she can fit in at the Trolley. 

"Groovy."

Diana's lookin' groovy!

Being a head-turner worth of Aphrodite in her own right, quite a lot of the men (and presumably some women) are entranced by the Amazon. She asks around about the girl with the cat ring, but nobody claims to have seen her. One man seems rather bent on getting Diana out of the club. This naturally gets Diana's alarm bells going. Thankfully, a new friend comes by to help her out.

"I had nothing better to do, ma'am."

Meet Buck and his scooter. He takes Diana to a cemetery. A bunch of hippies hang out here. He heard that Diana is looking for Cat Ring Girl. A couple months earlier, someone offered Buck a bunch of money to make her...disappear. And it turned out the cops were after her as well. 

My thoughts exactly. Diana asks who hired him, but says it's too dangerous to say. He can tell her where the girl is, though. He tells her she needed a bit of cash, so she pawned her cat's head ring. Any further discussion is tabled by a biker gang called the Stompers riding up and raising some Cain. They make off with some of the girls from the hippie party. Diana is able to stop them, but then finds Buck dead.

Diana would discover later that he was only slightly dead.

Awww, dang it! Not Buck! I liked Buck and his scooter! They should have become regular members of Wonder Woman's supporting cast. God knows that Amazon needs more friends besides Steve and Etta Candy! James Gunn, I want Buck and his scooter in the next Wonder Woman movie! It's not a complete loss. Diana knows the mysterious blonde pawned the ring, so she can just look into any pawn shops in the area. Buck also said "the fuzz" was after her as well. As such, she could ask the police. After all, they probably wanted to ask her about Steve Trevor. As she returns to her apartment for the night, Diana gets some good news.

Roger Seely had heard about Steve's predicament, and he's on his way to visit. The next morning, the Amazing Amazon goes to visit all the pawn shops in the city. After a while, she's able to find the name of the girl that pawned the cat's head ring. She heads home to find Seely waiting for her.

"Just hangin' out, enjoying a smoke..."

She goes to find the girl, asking him to call the warden of the prison so Steve can be updated to what is going on. Seely seemingly agrees to do so, but actually fakes making the call. Once that's done, he and Diana visit the girl.

"Also, this is an ugly ring."

We learn the girl's surname is Carvan. Diana informs her Buck is dead. Carvan implies she's some sort of agent, as she reveals that Buck had told her to stay undercover. Diana wants to know why she didn't come forward to testify at Steve's trial some months back. Carvan reveals she didn't know about the trial, as she's been cooling her heels in her home, engaging in her love of painting. Wait, she didn't watch any TV or read any newspapers during that time?!

Diana takes her to the DA's office to sign a statement. On the way there, Seely pulls out a gun. Seely then explains what his was all about. You see, Seele is a paranoid sort, for good reason. It turns out that he was embezzling funds from his company. He was the man behind Buck's death, for some reason. He also was responsible for Alex Block's death, as Block was the one who discovered his activities. He used an actor to take his place on the flight...because reasons. 

He makes Diana drive the car off the cliff. He jumps out of the car, while Diana becomes Wonder Woman and saves the car and Carvan. The Amazing Amazon spots Seele flying away, but is able to capture him. With Seele caught and Carvan's testimony, Steve Trevor is freed. The story ends with the two cuddling on the couch. Steve compliments Diana Prince for her efforts (He's not aware that Diana Prince and Wonder Woman are one and the same...despite Wondy not concealing her identity in any way), and this gets Wondy worried. She fears Steve will fall for another woman. Yeah, your guess is as good as mine. She's going to have to make a change...

Yeah, this comic to me is a bit...weak. The most intriguing thing about the comic is the mystery of Steve's frame-up, but I can't help but feel that was handled badly as well. I'm guessing part of the problem was the length. This was trying to do quite a bit in one issue. The ending is also rather, well, kind of dumb. Why doesn't Diana just tell Steve that she's Wonder Woman? I mean, I can't imagine that would hurt things between them that much. But then again, I'm surprised he hasn't figured it out at this point myself. 

One positive I can give the comic is Mike Sekowsky's art. It's very well done. One detail I did think was clever was the panels. When the story was at the Tangerine Trolley, the panels were not square-shaped. My scanner made them square when I scanned a couple of them, that's why they look a bit...odd. I also liked that Sekowsky gave Wonder Woman a new hairstyle when she's acting as a civilian. That's a cool detail, and it's something I think all other Wonder Woman artists should have done afterwards.  

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2008 trade paperback Wonder Woman: Diana Prince Vol. 1. 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 you hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccine/booster! See you next time!

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day, everyone!

What is Earth Day, you may ask? Well, Earth Day is a day to celebrate the Earth's natural beauty and to call for protection of the environment. The first Earth Day was celebrated on this day in 1970. One year earlier, a peace activist named John McConnell had proposed a day to celebrate the concept of peace that would be held on March 21, 1970. That day was considered the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. He proposed this day at a UNESCO conference. This proposal would be made into a proclamation that was written by McConnell and then signed by then-UN Secretary General U Thant.

A month later, United States Senator Gaylord Nelson (yes, that was his name) proposed an idea for a nationwide teach-in to be held on April 22, 1970. Nelson was inspired by witnessing the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill from an airplane. He hired an activist named Denis Hayes to be the teach-in's National Coordinator. The event became "Earth Day". Hayes took the idea national, and 20 million Americans participated in the protest, making it the largest single-day protest in human history.

Over the next 50 years, the event would grow. In 1990, Hayes would organize Earth Day events in 141 countries. In 2020, over 100 million people amassed online to celebrate Earth Day's 50th anniversary, the largest mass-mobile gathering ever.

On this day, we should do something we should do every day, think about our natural world. Enjoy its beauty, appreciate it. And also, stand to protect it. We only got one planet, better take good care of it.

The Marvels Teaser, My Thoughts

The Mighty Marvel Cinematic Universe marches on! 

Let's look at the teaser!

Space. The Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the oh, sorry! Wrong franchise!

I imagine S.A.B.R.E. is the new form of S.W.O.R.D. I wonder what it stands for?

Monica, just point a tricorder at it!

Why does Monica always have a need to touch things?!

I know this part is supposed to be scary, but the way Iman Vellani screams "OhmyGodohmyGodohmyGodohmyGod!" makes me chuckle.

...I can imagine that's one of the few times in his life Nick Fury was ever genuinely dumbfounded by something.

Oh, Kamala is a delight. 

Hey, isn't this a version of the post-credit scene in Ms. Marvel?

Yeah, I can imagine Carol feeling a bit creeped out. After all, she just appeared in a room in the middle of Jersey, and for all she knows, she's in the room of a stalker.

I have this mental image of Muneeba Khan making Fury and Monica clean up the damage to her house thanks to all this madness.

Say hello to the Flerken, Kamala.

I imagine Carol there was thinking "Thor ain't the only one that can bring on Hammer Time!"

Yeah, you three are totally a team, guys.

Eternals #4 (January 1986)

It's that time again! It's time to join the Eternals as they battle their greatest threat: Ghaur, Priest Lord of the Deviants! Last time, we got formally introduced to the Eternals' resident inventor Phastos, and the fun-loving Sersi was trying to help a suicidal man re-embrace life. And the Deviants got ready for a massive attack. So, what will happen next? Let's find out in Eternals #4! 

The cover is a Keith Pollard piece, and I have to say, it's my favorite of the covers so far. It's very dynamic, showing the Eternals fighting a monster. It's a cover that promises some big monster-fighting action, and who does not love that?

"Masked Gods!"
Writer: Peter B. Gillis
Penciler: Sal Buscema
Inker: Keith Williams
Colorist: George Roussos
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

The story begins with the Eternals and their human ally Margo Damian trying to convince Phastos to help them in their latest war. But Phastos adamantly refuses to help.

Phastos has no desire to help as he does not want to ravage the Earth with more war. Phastos sees war as just an endless source of pain and madness. Kingo tries to convince him that not moving against the Deviants could just as easily result in the ravaging of the Earth as well. Phastos tells them if they need a mystery solved or a device built, he will happily do it, but he will no longer fight. The group goes through a portal that takes them to a steel plant in Germany. The group are disguised as simple workers.

Phastos has a secret identity of his own: the chief engineer of this plant. And he's actually quite happy with that. The plant gets a special alert. The plant has a special hidden system that picks up warnings of Deviant attack. And this one is big.

"Ahhhh, poopsicle."

Yeah, the Deviants are unleashing a full armada. They're going big with this one.

Ikaris feared this was happening. Phastos wishes the Eternals luck. As they leave, he wonders why they don't understand his position. He has a goal of his own, and that is all he cares about. Out in the Pacific Ocean, the Deviant fleet is heading towards its destination. On the flagship, Kro is thinking. he's now the ruler of the Deviants, but yet...he is still a puppet. A puppet of Ghaur and the Priests. Kro has long sought the rulership of the Deviants, and he understands the symbolism of the Priest stepping on the circlet in issue #2. His quest is a failure. He is still held down. However, this doesn't keep him down. Kro vows to learn Ghaur's endgame...and he will bring the blue monster down. 

He starts to activate a small gem but puts it away when he gets a visit. 

"Put that away, Kro. Nobody wants to see what you look at on the Internet."

The green-hooded figure claims that he thought Kro had summoned him. I'm presuming this is the same figure that appeared at the end of issue #2. He asks to inspect Kro's command chair, as he believes the mistaken summons may have been due to a glitch in the chair's system. Kro allows it.

The figure easily diagnoses and fixes the problem: A faulty sequencer. The figure leaves, and Kro is wary of him. He knows that the figure is not one of Ghaur's spies. He will have to keep an eye on the jade-cloaked being...

Over in Olympia, Thena and Karkas are observing the Deviant fleet. Karkas notes the sensors are picking up a signal from the flagship. It's not on the standard Deviant channels, and it's omnidirectional. Thena realizes what it is.

Thena swore never to do cocaine with that bear again.

Thena tells Karkas he has to keep secret what she's about to do. She places the crystal in a special dais, and it starts broadcasting.

"Every streaming service and STILL nothing good on!"

Karkas is naturally shocked. Kro was supposed to have been dead. How is he still alive?

This causes Thena to have a flashback...

A younger Thena is shown angrily asking her father Zuras why they don't just wipe the Deviants off the face of the Earth, considering the threat they face? Zuras points out that there must be a balance between Human, Eternal, and Deviant. This causes an infuriated Thena to storm out of Olympia. She is stewing over this on the cliffs of Greece when she gets a visitor.

"Can't an Eternal brood in peace, man?!"

A younger Warlord Kro. You see, Thena and Kro have one of those Romeo and Juliet-type things going between them. Because of this, and Kro's new position, she's in a bit of a bind. She loves the bald pink Deviant, but he's moving against the world. She orders the launch of the Alpha Craft. Karkas is shocked.

You see, the Alpha Craft is only supposed to be deployed in the most dire of emergencies. Even Zuras refused to it because it can really wreck some stuff. Thena pulls rank on the Deviant defector (alongside threatening to outright kill him), and he obeys. 

Out in the Pacific, Kro's ships pick up a vessel heading towards them. 

"WAHHHH-HOOOOOOOO!"

The vessel contains our heroes. Makkari, Ikaris, and Kingo engage the Deviant ships. And it's a slaughter. With the help of Ransak, the group decimate much of the Deviant fleet. But Kro has a nasty little surprise for our heroes. 

Well, not a Kraken, but he does have a powerful beast under his command.

"HUGGGGGGGGGG!"

Say hello to the Banderhude! This big kaiju is known as a "mind-siren", and it shows why when it sings its song. The song torments the minds of the heroes, but we only see Ikaris's torture. He finds himself standing at a cliff, lamenting that he lost someone. He will no longer fight for Earth if love is the price for it. A bit of foreshadowing there...

He finds himself back in reality. A certain party animal brought him back.

"🎵 Here I come to save the dayyyyy...🎵"

Yup, our girl Sersi used her own telepathic powers to free Ikaris and the others. Ikaris engages the warships further. They rise into the air. Ikaris tries to bring them down, but something stops him, and the dreadnoughts flee. Kro orders the fleet to head north, quickly. The Eternals are unable to pursue, the battle having drained them. Margo wants to know how they escaped. Ikaris realizes only one thing allowed that to happen: The Alpha Craft. The ultimate weapon of the Eternals. And only Thena, as the ruler of the Eternals, could authorize its use. She betrayed the Eternals.

I did like this issue, although it does feel like it's one of those issues that is read best as part of a whole than on its own. I like that we do learn a little bit more about Phastos, and his desire for neutrality. His position is understandable, but I hope his arc here is that he does realize that Ghaur is not going to care, and he's going to have to fight. This episode has plenty of action, and we get to see Thena give in to her feelings for Kro. A little bit of intrigue, a bit of action, and some characterization. This issue had it all. I did wish it touched on Sersi's trying to help Dave embrace life again, but that took up quite a bit of the last issue, so I can forgive it.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2020 trade paperback The Eternals: The Dreaming Celestial Saga. 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 vaccine/booster! See you next time!

Blue Beetle Trailer, My Thoughts

The DC Cinematic Universe marches on! This universe has had its share of bright points (Shazam!, Wonder Woman, Aquaman) and very dark points (Batman v Superman). With the ascension of James Gunn and Peter Safran as the new heads of DC Studios, it's been announced a reboot is in the works. But there's still a couple of last pieces of business that the old DCEU needs to take care of. One of them is the live-action cinematic debut of the Blue Beetle. 

This film will focus on the newest incarnation of the Beetle: Jaime Reyes. First appearing in a cameo in Infinite Crisis #3 (February 2006), Reyes is an El Paso-born teenager that bonded with the scarab that originally belonged to his predecessors Dan Garrett and Ted Kord. Unlike with Kord or Garrett, the scarab created a special alien armor that grants Jaime various powers. In the comics, Reyes would end up becoming involved with Ted Kord's former allies in the JLI. 

The character has appeared before in other media. He's appeared in various cartoons and in video games. This film is his first live-action cinematic appearance, where he will by portrayed by Xolo Mariduena. Let's look at the trailer!

Jaime Reyes is a kid who lives big.

...oh, never mind.

Welcome to Palmera City! I can imagine that this will be Jaime's Metropolis. Although I wonder why they didn't just have him in El Paso, Texas? I mean, he is from there in the comics, and the movie was partially filmed there.

I like the idea of Jaime going to work for Kord Industries. I personally always felt that Ted Kord would have fit perfectly in the mentor role for him.

From what I understand, Jenny Kord is Ted's daughter here. At least, that's what I got when I looked this film up. 

Jaime's transformation reminds me of Venom.

"I am an alien probe and you have bonded with me. WE'RE BUDDIES NOW."
"...aaaaaaah, nertz."

Those bus riders are going to have an interesting story to tell.

Wait, was that the Reach?!

Susan Sarandon is playing Victoria Kord, Jenny's mother. I think it can be presumed that She was Ted's wife and she's after the Scarab because she believes it should only be used by the Kord family.

THE BUG! TED KORD'S BUG!

Scarab: "I can make any weapon you want."
Jaime: "Gimme a Buster Sword, please."

I do like that the film will establish that Dan Garrett and Ted Kord existed and held the mantle of Blue Beetle in the past. If there's something that the DCEU was sorely lacking, in my opinion, it's a feeling of having a history of superheroes, a feeling there has been legacies. Heck, I've long said that the second Wonder Woman movie should have been about her forming and leading the Justice Society of America.

I'm not one of those guys who will grumble about changes when it comes to adaptations. Adaptations by nature have to make changes, and the reasons for that can be varied. However, I do think it's sad that we don't get to see Brenda or Paco in this film. They're friends of Jaime's from the first series. But still, I think this will be a fun film. 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 vaccine/booster! See you next time!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter, everyone!

Hope you have a good day!