Red One Trailer, My Thoughts

What do you do when Santa Claus goes missing? That's the question the upcoming film Red One attempts to tackle. With ol' Santa (J.K. Simmons, having previously played Santa in the animated Netflix film Klaus) missing, two men must join forces to find him: North Pole security chief Callum Drift (Dwayne Johnson) and bounty hunter Jack O'Malley (Chris Evans). The film was directed by Jake Kasdan (son of legendary director-writer Lawrence Kasdan), and written by Chris Morgan from a story by Hiram Garcia. 

The cast also includes Lucy Liu, Nick Kroll, and Mary Elizabeth Lewis. Let's look at the trailer!

Wow. Santa is ripped.

I bet those reindeer are on steroids.

Plot twist: The Grinch was framed. ☝ 

Dude. Taking candy from a baby? What's wrong with you?

Dude, you fought aliens. You can't believe Santa is real?

Heh heh, bear. 

Yeah, there's levels to the naughty list. I mean, look around you. You can get why.

Hey, the Headless Horseman!

Ooh, that dude's jaw is likely permanently damaged!

Man, those snowmen are truly...abominable. 

Yeah, I apologize for that. You know, I just had a thought. They're snowman. Use a bunch of hair dryers on them. Melt those suckers!

Yeah, I admit, I chuckled a bit at this trailer. I think this'll be at worst, a harmless little bit of holiday silliness. But I will give it a shot. It looks fun. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! See you next time!

Uncanny X-Men #322 (July 1995)

You ever heard the phrase "calm before the storm"? The phrase is used to describe a feeling of peace before something big hits. Said calm can have an unnatural feeling, that everything seems quiet and relaxing, but deep down in your bones, something is coming. For the superheroes of the Marvel Universe, it can be a regular feeling. For the X-Men in the mid-1990s, that feeling was in the air, as there was something big coming not just for them, but the whole Marvel Universe at that point. 

In the 1993 storyline "Fatal Attractions", Magneto ripped the indestructible metal known as adamantium lining Wolverine's skeleton and famous claws out of his body (adamantium is a ferrous metal, meaning it can be affected by magnetism). This left the Canadian X-Man in... a very bad state. Enraged by this, Charles Xavier used his mental powers to render Magneto catatonic. Aspects of this were used in X-Men' 97. However, in the comics, this caused...a new problem. Something was growing in Xavier's mind. Something that threatened to bring down the MU as we knew it. 

The cover is a Joe Madureira piece. It's pretty neat, depicting a fallen Juggernaut being looked over by Beast, Bishop, and Psylocke. I like Joe Mad's interpretation of the Juggernaut here. It fits the codename. He looks like he isa big indestructible inhuman engine of destruction. My only complaint is the lettering of the "Who Stopped Juggernaut". It does look a bit like dorky '90s clip art to me.

"Dark Walk"
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Penciler: Tom Grummett
Inker: Mark Pennington
Colorist: Steve Buccellato
Letterers: Richard Starkings, Comicraft
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras

The story begins with one of the original X-Men, Warren Worthington III/Archangel, flying over the skies of New York City. You could say he was in the mood to...spread his wings.

Anyway, the X-Men's resident rich kid got a call from Det. Charlotte Jones, an officer of the NYPD. When he arrives, one of the cops angrily tries to shoot at the mutant, but it naturally has no effect. Warren at this time had wings made of organic metal, similar to fellow X-Man Colossus's steel skin. Those wings were bulletproof. The cop gets a feather from Warren's wings, which knock him out for a short time.

Jones defuses the situation, and guides Warren into the building the cops are investigating. It turns out the building is a dance club...well, it was. 

Page 4, Panel 4

All the evidence points to a mutant attacking the club. This was why Charlotte called Warren here. You may ask yourself, "How do they know a mutant is behind this?" Well, that's because the killer signed the carnage, in a sense. She asks him to take her up into the sky, because it's the best way to see the signature. She fears that this will make things a lot worse between humans and mutants. Which is not a surprise. After all, mutant/human relations seem to always be on the brink of collapsing. Just seems to show just how lousy the X-Men are at promoting human mutant-peace. But enough of that plotline for now, let's head to the Xavier Institute!

Page 6, Panel 1

Yes, like in the cliche, it's a dark and stormy night at the Institute. That's no bother to a certain weather manipulator like Ororo "Storm" Munroe, though. She is thinking about Rogue and Gambit, when she spots Logan. The man has been living out on the grounds since the events of Wolverine #90. He's been feeling that his humanity is slipping away from him, bit by bit. Ororo tries to comfort him, pointing out that in all the years she's known the man, she has never known him to give up or stop fighting when it comes to maintaining his humanity. However, this is tabled by the appearance of X-Force member Siryn (before the events of X-Force #44), who alerts the windrider of what Archangel found in the city.

In Hoboken, New Jersey, Hank "Beast" McCoy and Lucas Bishop are leaving a movie theater, having just checked out this (at the time) new film. Some little indie thing called Pulp Fiction. Bishop expresses a bit of confusion over why people were laughing at the violence. The two get to talk about Bishop's struggles since his return from the past. Their conversation is interrupted by what seems to be a meteor crashing into the city.

Page 9, Panel 3

The two X-Men go to investigate, but find that the thing that crashed was not a meteor. It was a man. But not just any man. It was the Juggernaut. But before we can dwell on that, we go now to the village of Annadale-on-Hudson, in upstate New York. Yeah, it's an actual place. Jean Grey is there, taking to her dad about the recent death of her sister Sara. She was killed when she was absorbed by an alien race called the Phalanx. Her father assures her there was nothing Jean could have done to save Sara, and that she'd be proud of Jean right now. Scott is with her, and the two discuss if they wonder what sacrifices they made for being X-Men. As they leave, a mysterious man is watching them. He thinks about how much they matured, how strong their love is...and if it will see them through the dark times that are coming.

Page 13, Panel 4

Back in Hoboken, Bishop and Beast are looking over the villainous powerhouse. They are joined by Psylocke. Hank hears no pulse and doesn't hear him breathing, so he assumes the man is dead. But the Juggernaut is like those villains in those slasher movies. Just because he seems dead, does not mean he is.

Page 15, Panel 2

That'll hurt!

Psylocke hits him with her psi-dagger, and she picks up that the Juggernaut...is terrified. Ranting and raving that he has to flee, and that "he" will kill everyone. Yeah, keep in mind, the Juggernaut is arguably the most physically powerful being that the X-Men ever faced by that point. He's practically invincible. So, what on Earth could terrify him?

Beast asks where he thinks he is, and Juggernaut tells him he's in Canada. Because he was punched in Canada. Huh, so much for that rep of Canadians being friendly. Beast points out he's in New Jersey right now. Naturally, Juggernaut does not take this well. Bishop uses his mutant power to channel energy to hit the powerhouse with a massive blast of electrical power, drawing from Hoboken's power grid. Much of the city's blacked out, but Juggernaut is stopped. He laments nothing make sense anymore. He's the Juggernaut. Nothing should be able to stop him, much less punch him into another country. The X-Men asks who did this to him, and he answers with one word: "Onslaught".

I did enjoy this issue, even though it was mainly set-up. We get a few nice character moments. I especially liked seeing Beast hang out with Bishop. I like fun Beast. I miss fun Beast. Being an X-Man really brought out the worst in him over the years. I also liked that it touched on some other ongoing storylines with other characters. Bishop's issues, Jean Grey mourning her sister, etc. 

Tom Grummett's art is always welcome here. I think he's one of the unsung heroes when it comes to superhero comic artists, the underrated artist who always turns in great work. I first became aware of him thanks to his work on Superman, and I tend to associate him with Superman and the Conner Kent Superboy as a result. As such, it's a pleasant surprise to see his art in a Marvel book. I always felt Spider-Man would fit him. 

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2014 trade paperback X-Men: Road to Onslaught Book 1. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

Summer Solstice

 Happy Summer Solstice, everyone!

What is the Summer Solstice? Well, basically on this day, one of Earth's poles is tilting the furthest towards the sun. The summer solstice happens every year. From the perspective of those on Earth, the Sun is in the highest position possible in the sky. In the Northern Hemisphere, where I live at, the Earth's maximum tilt happens towards the sun, as shown here.

In the Southern Hemisphere (think places like Australia and New Zealand), their summer solstice will come in December. Now, I know what you're thinking. "Wait, tilting towards the Sun?" Well, yes. You see, as the Earth orbits the sun, the planet itself spins around at a slight angle. This angle is known as axial tilt, or obliquity. 

This tilt can change as the Earth undergoes its orbit. It's why, from the perspective of the Northern Hemisphere, days get longer in summer, and the nights get longer in winter. the tilt causes different parts of the earth to get less or more sunlight at different times. 

Many cultures all over the world see these solstices as significant. For example, in Sweden, this is considered a major holiday and the country closes down, like on Christmas.

So, yeah. The summer solstice is pretty cool. Hope it was a good day for you!

Juneteenth

Today is Juneteenth!

What is Juneteenth, you may ask? Well, Juneteenth is a portmanteau of "June Nineteenth". The purpose is to celebrate the end of slavery in the United States.

"But wait!" You may ask yourself? "Didn't slavery end in 1863 thanks to the Emancipation Proclamation"? Well, sort of. You see, said Proclamation did play a major role in the end of slavery in the United States. However, the Proclamation only applied to states that were in the Confederacy. As a result, slavery was still legal in states that never seceded from the Union. It would not be until the 13th Amendment's ratification in 1865 that slavery was truly ended in the US.

So, what does that have to do with Juneteenth? Well, on this date in 1865, Major General Gordon Granger ordered that the Proclamation be enforced in Texas. Often celebrated on the third Saturday in June, the day is celebrated with cookouts, family get-togethers, and education of African-American culture. Early celebrations were held at churches due to African-Americans being barred from public facilities.

Over the 20th century, celebrations would decline due to the instatement of Jim Crow and the Civil Rights Movement. African-Americans could still continue to celebrate in Texas. In the late 1970s, Texas would be the first state to enshrine Juneteenth as a state holiday. Juneteenth celebrations would make a comeback in the 1980s. On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden would sign the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, making it a federal holiday, the first new since Martin Luther King Day in 1986.

If you want to learn more about this holiday, you can read about it here and here. Thanks for reading this blog entry! See you next time!

Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection Announcement Trailer, My Thoughts

In the 1990s, two titans of two mediums joined forces: Marvel Comics and Capcom. Capcom had become quite in the force in the early years of the decade thanks to their arcade fighters and beat-em ups like Street Fighter II and Final Fight. Marvel was also becoming a force in pop culture thanks to characters like Spider-Man, the Punisher, and of course, the X-Men. Capitalizing on the X-Mania of the time, Capcom released the fighting game X-Men: Children of the Atom. This game would go on to spawn the beloved Marvel vs. Capcom series of fighting games.

In the latest Nintendo Direct, it had been announced that after many years, these games would be released in a collection together alongside the 1993 Punisher beat-em-up called the marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection. Let's look at the trailer!

I remember seeing the second MvC in an arcade somewhere. Never owned any of the previous ports.

Yeah, being an Avengers fan must have sucked in the 1990s. All you really had was comic books and prayers that other heroes outside of Spider-Man appeared in other things. Yes, the Avengers did get a beat-em-up, but nobody talks about that one.

Man, Iceman would be really handy right now with the summer heat.

For those who didn't know, the Punished got a beat-em-up back in 1993. It was ported to the Sega Genesis, but it's seen as a much inferior version of the game. There was a port to the PlayStation in the works, but it was never done.

Sound Test! I love sound tests!

Training mode! Anything to help new players get better is a good thing in my opinion!

I do admit that my experience with these games is...limited. I never really played them as a kid. 

Happy Father's Day!

 Happy Father's Day, everyone!

To all those with fathers and stepfathers, and the mothers who have to do double duty, I want to wish you a wonderful day today!

Celebrated on the third Sunday in June, Father's Day had a couple of parts to its origin. One of the origins of the tradition was from a memorial service for a group of miners who died in an accident in Monongah, West Virginia in 1907.

In 1910, Sonora Smart Dodd, daughter of a Civil War veteran, founded Father's Day in Spokane, Washington. She was inspired to find it by a sermon about Mother's Day. She wanted there to be a companion celebration for fathers and fatherhood. She originally intended it to be on June 5, her father's birthday. However, a celebration was unable to be prepared in time, so it became the third Sunday in June.

The celebration was not a big success at first, but Dodd would not give up. She had help from various trade groups, like men's retailers. It would lead the holiday to be derided at first as just a stunt to rack up sales, but the trade groups got the last laugh as the holiday ended up growing in popularity.

In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson would declare the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. In 1972, President Richard Nixon would sign an official Father's Day into law. You can find out more about its history right here.

I hope you have a spectacular day today. Thanks for reading this blog entry! See you next time!

Wolfpack #6 (January 1989)

It's that time again! It's time to rejoin the Wolfpack as they engage in their battle against the Nine. Last time, the Pack took on a drug lord, Rafael's little brother Junior learns that the drug dealer life isn't worth the danger, Sharon's family takes in an abused boy named Malcolm Brown, and Slag finds a girlfriend. So, yeah. Quite a bit of drama in the last issue. So, what's going to happen next? Let's find out in Wolfpack #6!

The cover is a Ron Wilson and Chris Ivy piece. I think it's really cool. It looks like the poster of a horror movie, with the cowering kids, the only light source being a candle, and the hand dripping with blood reaching for them. You get the vibe that this is going to be a very scary issue, with the Pack dealing with a monster of some kind. Or a slasher villain.

"13-13 Haunted Ave."
Writers: Ron Wilson and John Figueroa
Penciler: Ron Wilson
Inker: Chris Ivy
Colorist: Max Scheele
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Editor: Terry Kavanagh
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story begins with Malcolm Brown in his family's home. He's tied to his bed, and he looks like he's gotten the tar beaten out of him. Which...yeah. I can imagine. I can imagine the kid's old man was not too happy with Sharon and her father giving the boy an oasis from his home troubles, and he took it out on the kid. Despite this, he's hanging tough. He believes in the Wolfpack, that they'll save him. And his faith is very much rewarded. 

Yup, the Pack are here on a rescue mission. They're going to get Malcolm out of there. 

Rafael and Slippery Sam look around the Browns' home. And squalor is a kind way of describing the Browns' home. the home has no electricity, no gas, and presumably no water. There's not even any food in the fridge. Not like it could keep any food cold with no power. Rafael and Sam do find drug paraphernalia, showing where the family's money goes. 

The Pack are ready to get Malcolm out of there, but Sam points out that this will open the Pack up to further problems, mainly that Browns can charge them with kidnapping. Also, this has nothing to do with the Pack's ultimate mission: Stopping the Nine. Slag and Sharon disagree. Going to proper channels here could take too long. And the system may end up failing Malcolm. Also, Slag sees the point of the Pack's mission is to protect people. People including Malcolm.

Elsewhere, a group of masked robbers are meeting in a house. The leader, the skull-masked...Skull believes one of their own ratted them out to the cops. He kills the supposed squealer and the crew ditch the body by throwing it into the water near the Willis Avenue bridge. 

Back to the Pack! They take Malcolm to Sharon's apartment, where her father...seriously, what is this dude's name? His name was never revealed. You know what? I'm calling him Bill. Bill helps with fixing Malcolm up, as he was a medic in Vietnam...or Siancong nowadays, thanks to the sliding timescale. He wonders what happened to this kid.

He notes that Malcolm is running a fever, and he's got a broken arm. With Malcolm safe for now and on the way to the hospital, the Wolfpack decide to head home for the night. Catch up on some homework and sleep and the like.

Slag notices a woman walking into a bar and realizes it's Malcolm's mother Esther. He follows and confronts her about her and her husband's treatment of their young son. The confrontation gets heated with Slag accusing Esther of not caring about the boy at all. She claims his father beats her too, but the big man does not want to hear it. 

Esther threatens to press charges against Slag and even tries to hit him with a beer bottle. It ends with Esther saying she's a worthless junkie. Slag advises her to get help. If she really cares about Malcolm, she'll try and change her life. 

A few days later, Malcolm meets up with some other kids. They're going to check out the old house on 213th Street. Evidently, it's haunted. Hey, it's the Marvel Universe. There could be a legit ghost in there. Also, another kid found a hundred-dollar bill there. Which means there could be free money. Yeah! Free money!

Malcolm's all in. They head to the house, where it's revealed an old lady used to live there until she passed on. Since then, the house has been pretty much left alone, the only people using it are junkies and thieves. It led to stories that the old house is haunted. 

Over at Slag's house, he introduces his new lady love Tammy to his mother. Mrs. Slagley also has some great news. She's been promoted! 

And after only a week at the job! That is something. She still is unaware that her boss, Crenshaw, is not a good dude, nor is she aware of her son being in a group that's fighting him and his Nine bosses. Over at her place, Sharon notices that Malcolm still hasn't come home, so she goes looking for him. She learns that he's gone to the haunted house.

Speaking of the haunted house, Malcolm and the kids are exploring. Unknown to them, the criminals from earlier have returned, and noticed the kids are there.

Meanwhile, the kids find the criminals' stash of money. Sharon calls up Wheels to gather the pack meet her at the place. The robbers catch up to the kids. They try to fight back with their baseball bats as the Wolfpack sneak into the building. However, the criminals manage to trap most of the kids in a corner, Skull planning to put some bullets in them.

The Pack make their way through the house, taking down the criminals. Slag finds the money stash, and it gets him distracted. One of the criminals tries to put an axe into the big man's spine, but he gets a spooky surprise.

Mr. Mack's ghost also knows your internet history. And he's disgusted.

Evidently, the house is haunted after all. Slag takes the axe-wielder down with a Mighty Punch, and thanks Mr. Mack's ghost. At least now they have confirmation he is dead. I remember in previous issues they thought he vanished, which I found odd. The Wolfpack tie the robbers up. They chastise the kids for exploring this dangrous place on their own...but it did lead to the robbers' capture, so they call them heroes, too. The story ends with Inspector Cassidy taking the robbers to jail. 

I thought this was a neat little story. One thing I did notice was that Rafael Vega seems to be taking on the leader role of the team, when previous issues implied Sam was. I do wish we got that explored a bit more. The "main story" is focused on Malcolm Brown. I liked seeing the kid being rescued from his abusive home. It is understandable why the Pack would take the actions they did. After all, they're in a position to help. I can also understand why some would find the appearance of Mack's ghost a bit jarring. Keep in mind, at this time, it's perfectly reasonable to assume that this book is not set in the Marvel Universe, where things like ghosts are just as real as anything else. And this series has never really delved into the more...fantastical elements of most other Marvel titles. Still, I enjoyed this story, and it did allow the Pack to get some closure about what happened to their mentor.

The art by Ron Wilson has improved here, in my opinion. I have no idea if it's Ivy's inking, but it does look better here. Where it really shines is the closeups. The art of the facial expressions are really good here. And there is some good storytelling here.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2018 trade paperback Wolfpack: The Complete Collection. Thanks for reading this blog entry! See you next time!