Manga Meh-nia: The Waning Phases of My Manga Interest

The best way to summarize this week would be to use the comic-based term known as "The Parker Luck".  Those of you familiar with a certain Friendly-Neighborhood Web-Slinger know what that turn of phrase intends; it portrays a mixture of genuine good fortunes, but with MORE than a few setbacks to still leave one feeling like difficulties are just as natural to life as BREATHING.  Still, I can but learn from my mistakes, improve upon them, and move forward.  (And this is ALL just job-related discussion.  And really, it's not all THAT terrible, but as a whole, I spent more time admonishing myself on stupid mistakes than probably my supervisors would have even THOUGHT to do so.)  So, with my mind crammed with so many personal strategies to improve my performance, worries about how my performance would be even perceived in a review session, and wondering what my next main task would be, due to my main initial project being completed... there was a VAST stretch of time where I just didn't think of a topic for this blog.  Heck, I will admit today's topic was just pulled out of thin air for a spit-ball idea to write about!  But I figure it will still be a subject I can devote thoughts to... ironically on a subject I've NOT discussed at length as of yet... so it will weather the impromptu nature of its selection.  Hopefully if this proves to be a failed fluke of an idea, there's always tomorrow to attempt for something better.  Hmm... Oddly enough, this almost acts like a metaphor for my professional life in GENERAL!  As Sir Keanu would say, "Whoa...".

As a fan of comics, I... and I'm sure you as a reader... have had various "phases" of your reading life.  You stick with Marvel for a while, then maybe you focus on DC.  Or maybe you decide more "Indie" companies like Dark Horse, Image, Boom, Dynamic... etc., are more your speed for a chunk of time.  Maybe you're all about super-heroics, or more "adult" fantastic fare, or even semi-autobiographical slices of comic based life!  That's the wonderful thing about the medium I so love; for every phase of interest I have, comics will have that interest covered, so I can find my chosen "happy spot" for the time being.  There is, however, one particular style of comics... and anyone who INSISTS that today's topics are not just "comics", I outright tell them there are wrong, because even the Japanese would more likely share the same outlook... that I have a more "fickle" relationship with.  I can run VERY hot with it, at times, but for the majority of my life, this comic medium I tend to be rather cool and disinterested towards, and I wanted to talk about some of the books that have helped derail and frustrate my interest with the art form known as Manga.

In a VERY fast nutshell, the origins of Manga stem from the 19th century of Japan's history, and are STILL an immensely popular form of entertainment for EVERYONE.  The one key feature I will still give credit to Manga for is that it's a socially acceptable reading option for EVERY AGE RANGE.  Unlike these parts, you won't generally be looked at in an unusual fashion to be reading a comic in public in your mid-30's in the Japanese reading publics' eyes.  And Manga covers many genres just as we've begun expanding more towards in North American culture.  But Manga... in AMERICA... began gathering some minor interest in the mid to late 80's, but it just EXPLODED in the mid 90's.  Bragging about being part of the "Anime/Manga Explosion" period in the States is a very unusual thing to discuss, but I was there.  I devoted countless funds to buying translated manga volumes, purchasing VHS' and DVD's of various series, and even picking up various series' soundtracks.  Such was the height of my devotions, I even COSPLAYED for 3-4 conventions.  (Something I've YET to do for any "actual" comic convention.)  Before you ask, DO NOT ask for pictures of my cosplay efforts, since I've lost track of the original Kodak hard copies, and they were FAR from accurate portrayals.  Still, when I was in the midst of my love affair with the medium, the highs were oh-so-very high.  I can even remember how I was SO passionate about it, I pressed it towards a girlfriend I had at the time.  Pressed it HARD.  So much so that, after I was long gone from her life, she STILL had much more interest in Anime/Manga than she really honestly ever devoted to ME.  Oh well... c'est la vie. 

But I can still recall those certain series that chipped away at my interest, that exposed the chinks in my loyalty's armor, causing my Manga fandom to ebb away in rivulets of bloodied disinterest.  Now that I've given you the background/"origin story", let's talk about those books that served as a frustration, and essentially caused me to put emotional distance between myself and a comics medium I used to shake HEAVEN AND EARTH for...

GOLGO 13: Now before I begin, I should say that my INTEREST in Golgo 13 has not waned.  My actual "beef" with the title is that selections for it in the United States are FAR from complete.  I suppose it's "difficult" for companies to collect the complete chronicles of Duke Togo, who began life in 1968 under the creative direction of Takao Saito, but c'mon!  Viz has NOT done a great job portraying vast enough swathes of the history of a character that has been often compared to James Bond, Batman, and another Japanese creation, Solid Snake, for his "badness".  Not really a "spy", Duke's adventures follow this international man of contract killings all over the globe, even occasionally brushing paths with real-world figures.  (I remember stories that involved Saddam Hussein and Nelson Mandela.)  I still insist that if a company started giving "Golgo 13" an "Essential/Showcase" reprint treatment, with 500-some pages of content for a value price, I would start purchasing volumes like I had VAST stores of disposable income.  But the withholding of the full Togo "monty"... which none of the MULTITUDES of ladies he's encountered NEVER had to worry about... served as a frustrating barrier for this manga commitment.

NARUTO: Now we start getting towards the genuine sources of disinterest... All due credit to Masashi Kishimoto, who since 1997 has made a VERY healthy living with his 15-year run with the adventures of Naruto Uzumaki, in his quest to become the "Ultimate Ninja", and to overcome the stigmata of his demonic past, but man... This series sort of epitomized the feeling of "been there, done that" with Manga for me.  I realize this is "pot calling the kettle black", considering my love for superheroic comic material... which is VERY much a copy-and-paste, wash-rinse-repeat style of storytelling... but "Naruto" just hit all of the familiar spots for YEARS of Manga reading... and not really sparking anything spectacular for me.  Themes of unrequited love, acquiring strength and wisdom, overcoming personal darkness, and side-diversions with "QUIRKY SIDE CHARACTERS": all ear-marks have been checked.  And I think that with a medium that I found to be an earmark for truly "different" storytelling, the way that such perceived "generic" materials became MASSIVELY popular for State-side fans really did puzzle me.  I believe "Naruto", to this day, may have been my actual "last gasp" for sustained Manga interest, but even that wasn't strong enough to see me to the story's ultimate conclusion.

INUYASHA: This book was one of the pair to have REALLY started clearing my interest table for Manga, in general.  Remember the girlfriend I mentioned, earlier in this article?  As events turned in my life on that relationship front, we only just STARTED to invest time in this 1996 creation by the esteemed Rumiko Takahashi.  (I can recognize her contributions to the medium, but I fully admit... even when I was HEAD-DEEP in my interest with Manga/Anime, her creations never seemed to fully draw me in.  Not even the much-lauded "Ranma 1/2".)  The way I'd describe the story is a stereotypical role-playing game scenario; Kagome is a modern-era schoolgirl who travels back in time to roughly 16th century Japan, and encounters the man-dog-demon that is known as Inuyasha, and after she shatters a mystical jewel, the pair... along with more WACKY COMPANIONS... travel the land to collect the jewel pieces, and put down the demonic incursions into Japan due to the jewel shattering.  What I find personally humorous about how this series helped put to rest my initial wave of interest in Manga was a staple that I generally LIKE about American comics; the fact that while "Inuyasha" did EVENTUALLY have an ending, the series felt like it was just a NON-STOP narrative, and with characters acting as annoying to each other as Kagome and Inuyasha were, (Essentially their relationship boils down to irritation with each other... which OF COURSE leads to inevitable attraction), the journey felt more laborious than it honestly should have been.  But at least the seeds of interest in this series WERE cultivated.  They didn't result in a full bloom, but I did make the effort to try and reconcile why this series bothered me, before laying it and the medium to rest.  My last example, though...  Well...  I'll just "show and tell".

MARS: Oh boy... Since I REALLY remember very little about this series, which was started by Fuyumi Soryo, aside from it being a very "pretty" soap opera in Manga form, I'll tell you how it was first introduced to me.  This was during my "re-entry" period of community college, after I took a break from my studies, since one of my guidance counselors misled me on how many credits I initially needed to complete my degree.  One of my fellow students from a biology class noted how I was reading a Manga, one day, and we struck up a period-specific friendship.  (For historical record, it MAY have been a volume of the "Sorcerer Hunters" Manga.)  We talked often about what we enjoyed, and didn't enjoy, about certain series.  Then he suggested I try out a series called "Mars".  Note that I said HE recommended; even a mutual female friend between us was kind of puzzled that of all series I would be recommended from an average male Anime/Manga fan, THIS would be one of those recommendations.  When I first heard the title, I assumed it would at least be of a Science Fiction bent.  Even if it was a "Hard Sci-Fi" story, I've not explored much in that sphere of Japanese comic storytelling, so I was game.  Instead, my dim memories recall a story about parental loss, mysterious "attractive youths", and the pains of trying to find love.  If this story could crush the years-long love affair I had with Manga, and this is WHOLLY my feeling on the book, then I guess all I really needed was a "Soap Opera" to deliver a more fatal blow than any action-packed narrative.

Chillin' On A Sunday Afternoon

One detail I forgot to mention, upon yesterday's return to blogging, is I received ZILCH-O entries for my 100th. post contest.  Still, I remember when I ran my "Action Attraction" podcast that contest entries can be a bit slow in coming, if you try to create it around a gimmick.  So, since I STILL want to commemorate that milestone posting, with you fellow readers, I have an alternate idea.  By Valentine's Day, your address to write to is still ocean1212w@gmail.com.  All you have to do is just send me a quick e-mail about how you want in on the contest.  That's it!  I'll still aim for 3 winners of various comic-related prize packages, but hopefully with enough entries, I can simplify matters by just taking the names I receive, doing a random paper drawing, and those three I pick out of a storage space walk away as winners.  And if I only just receive THREE entries, then you three people win by default!  So make sure that if you still want in on packages containing weird comics, comics magazines, and a few graphic novels, then please send some confirmation letters to the aforementioned email account by 02/14/2015!  Thanks for continuing to support this endeavor of mine!

To ease my re-entry into regular weekend blogging, I decided to choose another "softball" subject, and while this topic was formulating for me into this past weekend, taking a walk outside in this FRIGID day only cemented the appropriateness of spotlighting a few various "Ice/Snow" based characters.  I did walk into this entry with three key exemptions I wanted to make, because they would be TOO obvious:

1. Iceman- I love Bobby Drake as much as the next comic fan, but considering Iceman was a figure of my comics formulation years as a cast member of "Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends", and because I think ANY X-Man gets their fair share of commentary, he was placed out of the running.
2. Captain Cold- Geoff Johns' initial "Flash" run helped place the Rouges into the comic fandom spotlight, and with his recent exposure on the CW "Flash" television series, I think Leonard Snart is not hurting for any additional attention, and hence could be exempt from the conversation.
3. Mister Freeze- Go ahead... Bombard me with ALL of the ice puns Arnold Schwarzenegger delivered in "Batman and Robin", but even with THAT unusual piece of comic book cinema, it's not like Victor Friese's reputation and popularity would be hurt with my not nominating him for this list.

Alright, are we "cool" about the exclusions?  Let's talk about some Arctic personalities!

JACK FROST/BLIZZARD- "Tales of Suspense #45" gave us one of our first ice-themed villains in the Marvel Age of comics in the 1960's in Gregor Shapenka, better known as the THREATENING persona of Jack Frost.  Resembling a slightly more jagged Iceman in body structure, Gregor's main goal in professional life was achieving immortality with the study of cryonics.  And the best way to do that?  Why, get a high profile job at Stark Industries... which probably pays WELL enough to fund any scientific pursuits your little heart desires... and STEAL TECHNOLOGY AND PLANS.  Faster than you can say "soup kitchen", Gregor is caught, fired, and decides to create a suit that allows him to take revenge on society via cold manipulation.  Later realizing that "Jack Frost" is "Jack... er... word I can't say on here" of a villainous name, Gregor altered the look of his costume, and bequeathed the name "Blizzard" onto himself.  A bad encounter with Arno Stark, AKA Iron Man 2020, ended Gregor's career... and essentially life.  But the name of Blizzard carried on to two latter criminals, ensuring that the Marvel Universe won't be lacking for a "cool breeze" of criminality!

ICE- Tora, Tora, Tora Olafsdotter!  She who provided much innocent humor foils in the Giffin/DeMatteis "Justice League" era of books!  She who was best friends with Beatriz Costa/Fire!  She who ENDURED a relationship with the then-boar-headed Guy Gardner of the American branch of the Justice League!  Oh, you managed to die, come back to life, and even SURVIVE through a universal reboot in the post "Flashpoint" DC Universe!  I WAS going to shoot off at the mouth, and surmise Tora's first appearance was in the debut of the Global Guardians in the "Super Friends" comic.  (And to be fair, I DID just read their debut, recently, and there WAS a purposely Scandinavian ice-powered female in the team!  It was later revealed that both Fire AND Ice would retroactively have ties with the Global Guardians, causing me to cross my "i's" and dot my "t's" prematurely.)  So in all continuity reality, Tora's debut was in "Justice League International #12".  Her polar powers are fairly extensive, not just limited to ice blasts, and ice slides, but being able to create constructs wholly out of ice, and taking a page from Storm in being able to effect atmospheric conditions of a battle to a more arctic clime!  But to go into her history?  Er, yeah... She was part of the "BWAHAHA!" era of the League, was killed in a REALLY weird crossover, was resurrected in a questionable fashion, figured into the "Blackest Night" and "Brightest Day" events, and currently resides as part of the current Justice League International. 

POLAR BOY- Thank you, chosen profile picture, for not ONLY telling my readers the civilian name of this 30th century hero, but ALSO his particular power!  All you need to know is that Brek was introduced in "Adventure Comics #306", and his career with the Legion began in failure... which would actually become a minor triumph!  You see, Polar Boy wanted to be part of the Legion, but his cold manipulation powers proved to be too unpredictable for the Legion's tastes, so his membership drive was rejected.  But instead of fading into obscurity, Brek took life's "lemons", and made them into lemonaide, being the founding member and LEADER of the Legion of Substitute Heroes, a team of heroes that were Legion membership rejects, but STILL wanted to help in the cause of universal justice.  The Substitute Legion even proved to be valuable help to the Legion-proper in many cases, and in due time, Brek earned his "stripes", and was granted membership into the Legion-proper!  Not bad for an initial dream career reject!

KILLER FROST- Oh, to savor the frosty affections of ANY version of Killer Frost.  Y'see, the identity of Killer Frost is probably the MOST generational of all of this blog's entries, carrying over into FOUR INDIVIDUAL WOMEN!  The one shared factor between all of them is an intense rivalry/hatred towards that famed Nuclear Man of the DC Universe, Firestorm.  We first have Crystal Frost, who debuted in "Firestorm #3", then we carry over to Louise Lincoln who popped up in "Fury of Firestorm #21", then we pass the snowball to Loren Fontier... whose first appearance I see no results for from my EXTENSIVE RESEARCH... on Wikipedia, and finally end off with Caitlin Snow, who we first met in "Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #13".  Does that latter name sound SLIGHTLY familiar?  Like maybe you heard it in an aforementioned CW television series?  Hmm...  The unique piece of Killer Frost's powers is that her power source is based on HEAT absorption.  Namely, the more heated an environment, the more ice she is able to generate, regardless of her identity.  And she can actually be incapacitated by being FROZEN!  Another shared trait of all Killer Frosts is one of their favorite delivery systems of her frosty fury; a crisp kiss, delivering a massive chill.  A trip down nostalgia road reveals that the first time I personally encountered Killer Frost was in the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" event, where she was spellbound into cooperating with Firestorm... and even to consider him her "lover"!  I don't think I envied the fusion of Martin Stein and Ronnie Raymond so much until that point!

COLDSNAP- You all know me.  I HAD to shoe in some Rob Liefeld crazy content into a general theme topic!  And the master of poorly planned anatomy has not failed us for some cold comfort character creation!  "Brigade #1" introduced the younger of the Brieros brothers.  (Don't ask me what their first names where.  Heck, I'm lucky enough to have even remembered the family name, PERIOD!)  Coldsnap and Seahawk carried on the stereotypical brother spats while in the team, and in his initial appearances in the Brigade miniseries, he wore a primarily white and blue costume, with a backpack unit with hoses attached to wrist control units, which shot out controlled bursts of ice.  That connective/support unit was destroyed in the launch of Brigade's "regular series", and that resulted in Coldsnap becoming physically subdued by his body shifting into an ice-like structure, which resulted in the frosty behemoth you see in the illustration.  At that point, Coldsnap's purpose on the team was playing the role of the "muscle", but also being the "woe is me" voice of self-defeat that was better portrayed with Ben Grimm, AKA the Thing.  But just in case you grew weary of a whiny "Ice Hulk", don't worry: when the "Extreme Sacrifice" crossover occurred, that problem character was nipped in the bud.  But... that's another story for another day...

Bustin' Down The Doors, And Breaking The Source Wall!

... Miss me much?  So, an interesting story about my extended absence... I really don't have one.  Last weekend was a case of my simply being generally exhausted, which is funny since it is the last full holiday weekend I have for my current contracted job.  The weekend before that was a case of both mental AND physical exhaustion, after spending THREE STRAIGHT DAYS of cleaning up the aftermath of a rather hectic Michigan winter storm front.  (It wasn't a three day blizzard, or any crisis to that degree, but just when you think the area on the street where you park is FINALLY cleaned of the rapidly thawing road slop, the Grand Rapids road commission figures out a way to pile yet MORE near your curb.  Geez...)  But my sincere apologies for making you all wait this long for my latest blog entry.  Come hell, or high water... or the next MAJOR EVENT REBOOT... I'll attempt to make more of an effort to be more "weekend ready" for content. 

Now, is there anything really new and exciting for me, in terms of comic book content?  I have recently finished reading the Dan Abnett "Guardians of the Galaxy: Rocket Racoon and Groot" prose novel, and it comes HIGHLY recommended to anyone that's a fan of Abnett's previous work with the "Guardians", or even just people who are familiar with what they enjoyed from the major motion picture.  It was a fun ride, riddled with TONS of Marvel Cosmic continuity for us hardcore "geeks".  I've also started receiving notifications about the upcoming C2E2 convention in Chicago, which makes for a great excuse for my girlfriend and I to make the trip out to the Chi-Town area to visit with friends of ours, and for myself to luxuriate in comic book BLISS.  There's still a few things I wish to check out in the near future, such as I BELIEVE the recently... or so-to-be... released "Justice League: Throne of Atlantis".  (My opinions on that film may prove to be EXTREMELY volatile, as they were for "Justice League: War", but I can't give an opinion until I witness it for my own, correct?)  We had a casting for the upcoming CBS "Supergirl" series, "Batman V. Superman" was extended to TWO feature films, so on and so forth.  Just because I don't actively spend a weekend writing about comics does NOT mean the world of comics-based news stops.  Say... Didn't you readers show up here for my writings, in the first place?  Heck, I haven't even gotten to thanking EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU for putting my page views over the 6,000 mark!  I imagined I would have reached that point when my grandkids would be asking me why I'm reading these "funny paper piles with colored illustrations".  So, let's get back into the ball game!

In my "Super Powers" trilogy mini-series, I may have espoused a fondness for a certain villainous icon.  Who would have ever suspected a book like "Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134" would give birth to not ONLY the period of time where Jack Kirby entered the world of DC Comics after achieving fame and creative highs at Marvel, but also to a character that DC has grown to save for some of their "major events"... and the first six issues of the "meh" New 52 "Justice League" book, Darkseid.  The thing is, today's entry is NOT about Darkseid, himself!  Father of Orion, lord of Apokolips, and seeker of the Anti-Life Equation is sort of a "gimme" subject, and thereby too easy to fall back on for subject material.  What I've often thought about is how Darkseid's "extended family", though, resembles a bit of a WACKY sitcom situation!  I mean, his lackies are menacing, and contain many varied powers and abilities to make even a Superman take pause, but you cannot deny that Darkseid HAS to have some sort of cosmic sense of humor to surround himself with some of the "crazy characters" that I'll shine a bit of a light on for today's entry!  And we can't get much better of a starting point than a character that's also a "chip off the old block"...

KALIBAK- "New Gods #1" showed us that hairy, squat men had room for comic book superstardom, as well!  Kalibak, Darkseid's OTHER offspring, was a major heavy for Seid's power plays.  Physically intimidating, occasionally possessing the Beta-Club, which can inflict nerve pain in any living being, and can pummel the LIVING TAR out of Earth-based cops like Dan Turpin, Kalibak loves a good rumble.  He's also AMAZINGLY fashionable for a Cro-Magnon-esque being, either being draped in the best emerald clothing in the universe, sporting fall-based browns for his major animated series debut, and being transformed into a tiger-man for "Final Crisis"!  I picture Kalibak to be the mischievous, but still adorable, child actor of the Darkseid sitcom.

DESAAD- I've also mentioned, in the past, of my general lack-of-enthusiasm for the Forever People, but in "Forever People #2", we first met Darkseid's sometimes buddy, sometimes pain in the butt... and in my eyes, the Balki to Darkseid's "Corsin Larry", Desaad.  His main super-power is the fact that he's extremely intelligent and crafty, but oh... how he LOVES the pain of others, almost to the point where he often derails Darkseid's plans in order to luxuriate in the misery of others! 

DOCTOR BEDLAM- No... This master of android animates did NOT just decide upon that name, because "Doctor Doom" was already taken.  "Mister Miracle #2" introduced us to another scientific contributor to Darkseid's cause, the energy-being known as Doctor Bedlam, who's main power involves instant transfer among his animate constructs.  Because of this lack of reliance on a physical form, Doctor Bedlam is essentially "invincible", but it DOES take time for the body transfers to fully integrate.  I imagine he'd end up being one of Darkseid's wacky neighbors that would show up less frequently than his kid or his wicked roommate, but he wouldn't show up for just one episode per season!

GLORIOUS GODFREY- Can you believe ANOTHER issue of Forever People, namely #3, gifted us with ANOTHER cast member of Darkseid's wacky crew?  Geez, this was CERTAINLY a case where the villains were outshining the featured heroes of the title!  Glorious Godfrey's main ability is possessing a tongue more honeyed and persuasive than a politician, able to manipulate the thoughts and feelings of average men.  He also possesses helmet technologies that help create his personal army of Justifiers.  He was even a major force behind the first post "First Crisis" event, "Legends", turning the Earth against heroes, and even partly tweaking the ear of President Ronnie Reagan!  (He even took a page from Kalibak, and turned into Don King for "Final Crisis"!  ONLY IN AMERICA!!!)  I imagine he'd be another semi-regular guest star, persuading someone into some CRRRRAZY scheme!

GRANNY GOODNESS- You just KNOW our beloved Granny would be a series regular, acting as the Ms. Garrett to Darkseid's collection of friends and buddies!  GODS!  GODS!  GOOOODS!!!  "Mister Miracle #2" introduced the world to Darkseid's go-to for education for his elite soldiers and his Female Furies strike squad.  And if it weren't for the time, love, and tenderness that Granny gives to these mere "lowlies", Darkseid would be sorely lacking in foot soldiers to throw at the DC Superheroes!  Plus, we wouldn't have the awesome Ed Asner donating his voice to an OBVIOUSLY FEMALE comic character for animated features!  I wouldn't want to live in a world without that, would you?!?

KANTO- Don't tell him, but even though he debuted in "Mister Miracle #7", I sometimes keep forgetting Kanto even really EXISTS as a member of Darkseid's posse!  Heck, I believe the first time I even SAW the character was in an issue of "Adventures of Superman" for a crossover that dealt with Superman investigating his own death, and that travel taking Kal-El to Apokolips, where he met with this Ren Faire frequenter.  His main "claim to fame" was being Darkseid's "master assassin", but considering I have probably seen him show up as many times as one hand can count, he must not have been heavily relied upon.  Maybe he was showing up at aforementioned festivals, macking on the "fair maidens", and purchasing fried turkey legs.  Maybe an every-other-season guest star, for when the cast needs to make a special event trip to a new locale!  "Darkseid Does Denmark"!

MANTIS- Whether you love his more costumed appearance, or his Terminator-bug appearance, Mantis was yet ANOTHER product of those dirty space Hippies, the Forever People, in issue #2.  Unusual that he's ANOTHER character that hasn't been terribly prolific, akin to Kanto, but the MAJOR difference is that I still find Mantis to be much more memorable.  Master of the "Bug" army of New Genesis, after a plot to gain their control, and possessing the power of "energy vampirism", Mantis certainly makes for a fun sparring partner for any super powered being!  (Or maybe he's that one character that works at the same office Darkseid does, just to be "that jerk guy".  Hey, they serve as "energy vampires" for sitcom characters AND in real life!)

VIRMAN VUNDABAR- "Mister Miracle #5" just continues on with the hit parade of granting us memorable characters for Darkseid to play with!  Heck, his name even BESPEAKS how awesome he is, with a slight mistranslation of the German word, "Wunderbar", which is of COURSE rather "wonderful"!  In a way, his sitcom role would be as a "bosom buddy" to Granny Goodness, since they are rather close associates.  It's not often showcased in a majority of Darkseid's appearances, because the 'Seid prefers to take direct command, but Virman's main role in this kooky cast of characters is to serve as a military strategy figurehead.  Which is ironic... in the Alanis Morissette way... since his short stature places him WELL BELOW most people's head levels!  I made a funny!

SIMYAN AND MOKKARI- We end today's entry with the C3PO and R2D2 of Darkseid's universe... or so they are in my head... Simyan and Mokkari, who to tie up the whole package, first showed up in "Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #135"!  Guess which one is which?  G'wan!  Think about what character most resembles a simian!  If you figured that out, you also know which one is the "goldenrod" of this mad scientist duo.  They are best known as the primary movers and shakers for Darkseid's covert Earth-based plans, often starting underground labs for weapon and lifeform developments in the war against light, life, and liberty.  But darned if they fellas don't STILL put a smile on my face, just because of their "Odd Couple" nature!

New Year's Time-Tripping Part 2: Marvelous Time Pieces!

The nice thing about Sunday entries is I get most of my external life thoughts out of the way the day previous.  The only iffy thing about Sundays is that on days like today, where I feel like my subject matter is a WEE BIT too short of material, it's not exactly a lengthy read.  But hey, I'm the one that chose the material, so I have to be the one to work with it.  Consider normal entries to be a Progressive Rock track, and today's entry to be a lean-and-mean Punk Rock track.  On to some of the ways Marvel handled traversing the time-stream, in light of the New Year!

Doctor Doom's Time Platform, AKA Don't Breakdance on This at Home, or ANYWHERE:  Of all the early Stan Lee/Jack Kirby "Fantastic Four" issues, where they were freshly introducing new concepts to their budding Marvel Universe, one of my personal favorites is "Fantastic Four #5".  For not only did we see the debut of one of Marvel-dom's most VILE villains in existence... Victor Von Doom... , nor were we treated to the first time Ben Grimm as the Thing donned fake hair PLUS a beard as a disguise, but it was the debut of the Marvel Age's first time travel device, the Time Platform!  It was introduced as a means for Dr. Doom to send the male members of the FF back into the age of Blackbeard, in order to retrieve a sunken treasure chest... which puzzled the FF, since Doom is a leader of a NATION, and isn't exactly looking for chump change.  But this chest contained mystic stones used by the legendary Merlin; y'know, the chap that helped raise King Arthur, and was purported to be one of the most powerful mystics in legend.  (Note I said the MALE members, because it wasn't until the FF's title started reaching into the double-digit numbers that Stan Lee started making Susan Storm more active in their adventures, and not just "pretty eye candy" and essentially a "Pauline" to be put into peril.)  Every so often, Doctor Doom would make use of the platform to further his war against the Fantastic Four, but there've even been times where the FF have been in possession of the platform, itself, and have used it for their own time-crossing purposes.  And the time platform was integral to a loose "trilogy" of stories dealing with Iron Man and Doctor Doom clashing in the age of King Arthur! 

Cable, or the Man that is LESS Headache Inducing than Who's Next: I swear, writing this blog should earn me a share of the royalties that Rob Liefeld collects.  Seriously, his creations show up an INSANE amount of times for writing, and today is no exception.  Because in "New Mutants #87", the world was not only starting to see the public introduction to Liefeld's... er... "artistic stylings", it also got the first full story featuring the future-bred offspring of Scott Summers, AKA Cyclops, and Madeline Pryor, AKA the Goblin Queen and lover of revealing costumes, Nathan Summers... better known as Cable, or Askani'son, or Nathan Dayspring if you're NASTY.  Ready for a brain bender, that STILL makes a little bit of sense?  Okay... Nate was born to Scott and Mads, until Mads was revealed to be a clone of Jean Grey, and she turned evil.  Nate was raised by Scott and Jean, until he contracted a techno-organic virus from being kidnapped by Apocalypse.  X-Factor saved the boy, but couldn't cure him of his virus, and thereupon a time-traveler showed up to offer to take Nate into the future, where he would stand a chance to be cured.  To make a VERY long story short, Nathan grew up in the future with a society under the oppressive thumb of his clone, Stryfe, and the machinations of Apocalypse.  But in order to change his future, Nate found a program named the Professor to serve as a connection to "bodyslide" between locations and even timelines to help combat the twisted designs of the aforementioned deadly duo.  WHEW!  (The techno-organic virus was even managed to be kept in check by his NIFTY metal arm... whom my friend Chris B. is fixated upon.  Heh!)  Leading up to the birth of the character Hope, Cable was sent into the future on a fixed trajectory FORWARD to keep the first mutant birth after "House of M" safe in the future.  (That turned out to be a rather cruddy plan, since it led to a story where Cable could only travel FORWARD into the future, was pursued by an unconvincingly turned EEEEVIL Bishop, and came back to the present to be "killed off" in the "Second Coming" storyline.  But like all Marvel/ANY comic book character, he "got better".)  So, lengthy history of time-tripping, and due to his nifty post-apocalypse appeal, earns Cable his mention for the Marvel time-traveling portion of this blog!  But if you thought THIS was a mouthful, then feel free to join me as I bang my head against a table for my final entry on this particular subject...

Kang the Conqueror, or I Give Up: "Avengers #8", or "Fantastic Four #19", gave birth to one of the biggest headaches in comic history.  I don't know if you want to count his first appearance as Rama-Tut, or as Kang the Conqueror, but all that matters is that in the years following, the legacy of the character provided more insane twists than an M. Night Shyamalan film marathon.  I am REALLY not going to go into much of his history, because it gets altered WAY too many times in the character's history.  Apparently he began life as Nathaniel Richards, tying him into the Fantastic Four, but I just know him best as a 40th Century despot that felt his "FUTURE SUPER SCIENCE" would be enough to conquer the super heroes of the present day, and kept getting screwed out of his conquering designs because of his attachment to his beloved, Ravonna... who kept rejecting him and/or being killed BEFORE she could reciprocate such fond feelings.  It was later revealed to be that Kang ALSO time travelled under the guise of Rama-Tut, that he also adopted the identity of a super villain known as the Scarlet Centurion, would LATER in a timeless future-ish void become Immortus, and would inspire countless conquering types from all over the galaxy to form the Council of Kangs.  Oh yes... and Kang managed to score himself an action figure in the initial "Secret Wars" Mattel toy line.  Not bad for a character that I am SURE you need a few chemical substances to really "grasp" his timeline.  (Sorry, Kurt Busiek, but your efforts to try explaining the background of Kang REALLY didn't help me map out the hows and whys of this purple-and-blue pain in the you-know-where.)  At the VERY least, we know for sure he ISN'T a relative of Doctor Doom as he suspected himself to be, for a stretch of time.  I'm fairly certain Victor breathed a sigh of relief at that revelation...

New Year's Time-Tripping Part 1: Directing Chronolgies!

You all know the routine, by now; before I rush into my topic at hand, I have to share a few thoughts, so I can operate this blog on a clear conscience.  (A New Year may have dawned, but some routines do NOT necessarily require a resolution.)  First off, I do apologize for not writing blog entries for this previous in-between holiday weekend.  Laziness is probably one of my more MAJOR excuses, but bear in mind I had a lot of preparations to keep in mind for Christmas, generally questionable sleep for that entire week's span, and still getting used to my new work routines.  (For an official update, I DO truly appreciate and enjoy my newer job.  I just kind of wish my hiring agency would get the message that I NEED paychecks to actually operate in life!  Hopefully my time registry will synch up sooner, rather than later, so I'm not potentially facing a second job of panhandling off of the highway exits.)  So again, my humble apologies for missing a blog entry weekend.

Secondly, I wish to remind all my readers that my contest from blog post 100 is STILL running!  C'mon, Merry Marching Society members!  I've not received one single entry, yet!  The rules, and questions, are to be found in that particular post, and I can still guarantee there are BUTTLOADS of comic-related booty to be found with the prize packages up for the offering.  The only way this contest could get any better was if I had connections to the main publishing companies, and could offer winners their choice of dictating what the next major company-changing event SHOULD be.  (I still stand by my opinion the next major event should be NO MAJOR EVENTS for at LEAST an entire year.  Comic writers, it REALLY wouldn't hurt to learn how to write some stories that can be told in ONE ISSUE.)

Thirdly, and finally, my own comic developments.  Christmas was pretty kind to me in terms of comic-related swag.  From a mail-based Kringle program I take part in for the "Gentleman's Guide to Midnight Cinema", I not only walked away with a TON of movies... including the animated "Wonder Woman" feature, I also picked up some great novel omnibuses, and two particular trade paperbacks that I am FULLY intending on holding for a review set of blogs.  I'm thinking those will be done within this very MONTH!  (The only hint you'll get about what's to come involves a Bronze Age comic icon's return to a particular caped detective that is a highly... er... "interesting" tale.)  My girlfriend also kept me well-fed with geekish items, such as DVD copies of "Captain America: Winter Soldier" and "Guardians of the Galaxy", and a surprisingly adorable Bat-Pig piggy bank!  2015 may be a New Year, but comics are STILL going to be part of the life blood that keeps my days from becoming drastically dark, worrisome, and stressful!

With the dawning of a New Year, I wanted to tackle how the "Big Two" companies handle time changes... namely elements from certain characters that manage to CHANGE TIME.  Some of my entries are a WEE bit of a stretch... as you shall see from one IN PARTICULAR, today... but time travel/manipulation is a standard stock-in-trade with fantastic fiction.  I CAN understand some people's arguments that time-travel stories cause more headaches than entertainment value.  (One example I'm saving for tomorrow is a GREAT example of that opinion in action.)  But there is no denying the story-telling possibilities of going back... or sometimes FORWARD... into time to try and alter events to fit a personal agenda, makes for a great fictional conceit.  And let's be honest; we've ALL thought about changing certain events in our lives, if only we just had the "McGuffin" means to do so!  So, let's talk about some time-twisting, DC-Style!

Legion Of Super-Heroes, and the Time Bubble: "Adventure Comics #247" brought to our attention the recognized travel method of the 30th century super teen club, the Legion of Super-Heroes!  Basically a gigantic sphere of glass-like material... and while it may not seem all THAT sizable in the picture, I've seen stories where up to 5-6 Legionnaires fit comfortable into the machine, and that's NOT including Bouncing Boy..., it features internal mechanics that allow the team to set what time they wish to travel back to.  The time bubble began life as a method for the Legion to travel back to visit the young Clark Kent/Superboy to give him "rides" into the future.  This was before he mastered the ability to... hey, I can't talk about that JUST YET!  But future crises have called the Legion to run down that rainbow road with calendar year dates CONVIENENTLY passing by, just for our validation of time passing.  The time bubble has not exactly remained a constant with the Legion, because certain phases of the team have eliminated the ability to time travel... PERIOD... from the DC Universe, but eventually that glass cueball manages to show up with any given retconning of the team into the DC Universe.  Heck, even OTHER characters have cribbed the efficiency of the time bubble!  (I know Rip Hunter... and by proxy the Linear Men... had their own bubble-matic ride to skate through the years.  And oh... how it KILLED me that the Legion had this concept first, because it eliminated Booster Gold from the focused conversation about the time bubble!  But maybe in due time I need to dedicate a blog entry to that time-travel troublemaker!)

Travis Morgan, AKA Warlord, AKA Our Guide to Skataris: Okay... So THIS is the "cheat" subject I had in mind for today's entry.  "Lost lands" where the ancient world can be found in the "modern time" have existed in popular fiction since the days of Edgar Rice Burroughs' "Pelucidar" novels.  And to be fair, Marvel DID coin the Antarctic "Savage Land" concept first before Mike Grell introduced us to Travis Morgan's adventures in Skataris, but if there's any given character/title that best represents the modern world finding a location in which time is COMPLETELY lost, and effectively traveling back into another era, it has to be DC's "Warlord".  Long story short, Travis Morgan crashes into the territory of Skataris in 1969, and the realm resembles a mixture of prehistoric Earth... with dinosaurs APLENTY... and early civilizations, with a barbaric existence and beliefs in supernatural powers.  (Except in this land, these beliefs were more based on the fact that evil wizards DID exist, and gave Travis and his friends plenty of difficult times!)  Other fun anachronisms to make note of for this time-blended territory include the "modern-age" weaponry and conceits that Travis carried in with him, and at one point the Kirby created world of Apokolips crossed paths with the hidden world, bringing in super-science into this ancient realm.  Time travel?  Maybe not in a chronological sense.  But in a blended element sense?  Hey, ask how that famous Vietnam-era pilot felt about being thrust into a world that was basically only known in history tomes for his then-current timeline!

An Indestructible Cape In Time Saves Nine, or Superman's Time Travel: You wouldn't believe how bloody hard it was to find Superman's first instance of breaking the time barrier, but according to the Internet, it occurred in the first run of Clark's solo title, in "Superman #48".  Basically, here's how the conceit works; the Golden/Silver/Bronze Ages Superman could generate enough speed while flying that he could burst the very bounds of time, and effectively time travel as easily as most of us would walk down the street to a gas station for a jumbo Zero Bar.  (If that's not the candy bar you are buying... then I feel bad for you, because Zero Bars are AWESOME!)  The concept wasn't used that often in the Golden Age of the character's existence, but during the Silver and Bronze ages, where Superman's powers were of near deity-levels, hitting up the past or future via the power of flight was "no big thing".  It wasn't until the first "Crisis" when that particular ability was taken off the table for Superman's powers.  But one other piece to note was that when Superman's cape was labelled as SPECIFICALLY indestructible, an average person could travel with Superman through time, as long as they were enclosed completely by the cape.  Indestructible cape means indestructible covering for your average Joe Schmoe.