WEEEE Are The Champions, My Friends...

Time to turn the spotlight on a Marvel team that, due to their short shelf life, doesn't get much mention by the comics community.  Which is fairly unusual, since two of their members were former X-Men, two had Avengers ties, one was a popular Spirit of Vengeance, and the other... well... she was a Soviet superhero.  (I know, not exactly a pedigree that ranks much note for current comics fans, but at ONE point, this was a big deal!)  We're talking about "The Champions", today!

The Champions were unusual for the 70's period of Marvel comics, because they weren't introduced initially in an anthology title.  Nope, they leapt right into the potential pool of success in their very own book, cover-dated October 1975.  I teased the roster of the team, and the illustration DOES give it away, but I'll just drop the membership on your collective knowledge.

• Hercules: Prince of Power and son of Zeus.
• Iceman: Bobby Drake, mutant master of ice and snow... and who once resembled a big poofy snowman.
• Angel: Warren Worthington III, possessor of mutation-spawned wings, rich as bloody hell, and rather stylistically challenged during this period of his superheroing life.  Seriously... did we NEED to see your chest bared that much, Warren?
• Black Widow: Natasha Romanov, former Soviet spy master, at this time still nursing her relationship conclusion with Daredevil... who I wish had Angel's bared-chest costume.  Ahem...
• Ghost Rider: Johnny Blaze, bonded with the spirit of vengeance, Zarathos, becomes a leather-clad, flaming skull-headed force for justice.  Sure, he had a healthy run in the 70's, but it wasn't until the very late 80's and early 90's that the character grew as hot as the furnaces of Hades, itself.
• Darkstar: She didn't show up until later in the run.  Soviet superhero... who I can't remember if she was a mutant or not, but she possessed the ability to project black rays to blind, or cause impact blasts.

The initial event that causes them to cross paths goes a little like this.  Warren and Bobby are attending college.  Don't ask me WHAT specific Californian college; I am not so anal-retentive to really pull that name up.  Hercules is on campus to deliver a speech about mythology to a study group.  Black Widow and her mentor Ivan are on campus as a way to sort out the confusion of the fizzling out of her relationship with Matt Murdock.  Ghost Rider... I think he just arrives on the scene, later.  Pluto, master of Hades, comes up with an interesting scheme to intermarry Hercules to his collaborator... Hippolyta.  (Yeah, go figure, right?  I bet Princess Diana was scratching her head over her mother crossing universes so callously.)  In return, Pluto would get a amnesiac Venus, who also happens to be on campus, to become his bride, and grant him grand powers.  A demonic assault on school grounds gathers most of our heroes in a three-issue arc to squash Pluto's scheme.  (I say most, because Darkstar did not show up until much later into the run.)

Now, initially facing off against demons, gods, and supernaturally-powered regular beings, you'd think the team could only go "up" for threat levels, right?  Well... Er... The next two issues deal with a mad scientist that has created a ray that works as a mind-washer... along with a "Super Soldier" serum, and uses them on homeless people for his person army.  Then the team clashes with Rampage, an unemployed and angry man who gains a power suit, and isn't afraid to us it.  (Geez... I'm in your shoes, Rampage, but even if I DID have access to a suit that grants me impressive physical violence capacities, I DON'T want to use it to go on assaults.)

But one fun thing of note is a villain that people, including myself, fondly remember for his general goofiness first saw life in "The Champions"!  That's right, the being formed of bees, and possessing a killer purple cloak, Swarm, first appeared in "The Champions" book.  Or should I pronounce it as the cartoon version that appeared in "Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends? did, ZZZZWWWWAAAARRRRMMMMMM?  And "The Champions" also rated a crossover issue with a story arc in "Super Villain Team-Up", involving two of the biggest villainous guns of the Marvel Universe, Magneto and Doctor Doom!

And for a book that only lasted 17 issues, between a bimonthly schedule, if you end your run going up against the Sentinels, THEN crossing over into an issue of "Spectacular Spider-Man", then I'd say you were somewhat of a success!

So what makes this team so appealing to me, despite the fact that there were a radar blip on the Marvel team landscape?  I think it's a mixture of their original villains, and the haphazard nature of the team members, that bring me to mind of this team also being like the "West Coast Avengers" version of "The Defenders".  Now granted they weren't as confrontational as the team Hulk, Namor, Silver Surfer, and Dr. Strange built, but the thing I've always loved about the Defenders... who will receive their own write-up in due time... is the team WASN'T as organized as The Avengers.  It felt like you were getting a superhero sundae that you make at a buffet restaurant.  You know, the one where you have your basis of ice cream, and you just PILE ON the toppings to see how they work.  That random basis of elements are what worked for me for the Defenders, and had they rotated the toppings a bit more regularly, it could've worked out better for the Champions.  But for their brief spark in the Marvel Universe, they still showed as bright, bizarre, diamonds in the super team rough.  The best part for people that want to explore the title are most issues can be found on the cheap, AND every single issue... along with their 70's guest appearances... were collected into two trade paperbacks!

Missus or Captain, She's Still Marvel-ous!

I'll try to keep this opening segment short, because I DID have a pre-planned topic in store for today, and I want to maintain that plan.  But there's a few quick knowledge drops I want to get out of my system.  Cue the bullet points!

• One MAJOR omission I neglected to mention in the "Super Powers" trilogy is another figure you could've purchased with a mail-order offer.  Who was this exclusive figure?  A rare DC hero that didn't get immediate inclusion?  A threat so malicious, they couldn't be put on the shelves?  Er... Actually try on for size a Clark Kent mail order figure.  Because Superman also needed his alter ego to be part of the figure line?  (But to be fair, they'd do just the same thing in current years, only it would probably be a Bruce Wayne figure offer.)
• A certain shock to my reading system, this morning, was how legitimately excellent DC's "Captain Atom #1" from the mid-80's was.  SERIOUSLY!  The story, from Gerry Conway, is almost an odd blending of "X-Files" and "The Matrix", and one element from Nathaniel Adam's life could be taken as... ahem... "inspiration" for Todd McFarlane's "Spawn".  And that Pat Broderick artwork... Seriously, just give this issue a try, people!  I am curious where the rest of the series goes!
• Am I the only one that finds it funny that my total blog views, as of this writing, was 911? I'm VERY happy it's nearing 1,000 views, and I thank everyone that has been reading to date.  But such a number for today?  Crazy!
• Finally, I cannot state enough how much comics have come to mean to my current life.  I've been through some rather drastic emotional highs and lows these past few weeks.  As some may know, my life isn't exactly the easiest of lives in regular time.  But I can say that for the love of friends, family, and a lady amazing enough to keep me around for close to 3 years... and the excitement that comics reading grants me... it keeps me from ending up in a mental morass that I doubt I could pull myself out of.  I still have my low days, my pessimistic days, but even on those days, comics give me an escape for chunks of time, and help me think that in SOME ways, the good guy can win the day.

Alright, enough of that sappy crap!  Time to get back to the program!  Today's entry was influenced by my starting a trade paperback I picked up from the library.  It had been a while since I've read this character's solo adventures, but my fondness for her over the years had abated very little.  In fact, this current run Marvel gave her, under the engaging writing pen of Kelly Sue DeConnick sparked an urge in me to give her the proper time in the spotlight she deserves.  (And it was also no mean feat that she managed to place a somewhat significant role in "Captain America: Winter Soldier" in the theaters!)  I bring you Carol Danvers... AKA Ms. Marvel, AKA Binary, AKA Warbird, AKA now the inheritor to the title Captain Marvel!

The history of the Kree champion of Earth is a bit complicated, but I'll try and squeeze it into a nutshell.  Captain Marvel started off as Kree warrior, Mar-Vell, who was exiled to Earth, and broke from his imperious ways to become a champion of our people.  (But on the minus side, he got saddled with being stuck in the Negative Zone, and being part of a body-share scheme by the person NO ONE loves in the Marvel Universe, Rick Jones.)  Captain Marvel died, and rather notably not in battle, but from something as somewhat mundane as cancer.  After Carol's time came and went, the title was then passed on to New Orleans police officer Monica Rambeau.  I could've also taken the time to also write up Monica, because I feel the character never fully was paid her due.  After that, my history on the Captain Marvel title becomes fuzzy, because the namesake feels like for a while it's passed around like a game of "Monkey in the Middle" between various characters.  But even after such naming issues, Carol Danvers has been solid as a rock in the Marvel Universe, even when she WASN'T part and parcel of the "Marvel" name!

Her heroic life began when Carol was still with the Air Force, caught in the middle of a conflict involving the original Mar-Vell Captain.  Caught in an explosion of cosmic energies, Mar-Vell shielded Carol with his own body.  But... because science works this way in the Marvel universe... his Kree energies were passed into Carol's body.  It wasn't until the 70's that Carol became more than a background character, and emerged with her own book!  But while life was looking pretty sweet for Carol, getting an editor's job for a female-centric magazine to be published by J. Jonah Jameson, she suffered from blackouts whenever her "Seventh Sense"... AKA Maybe a concept slightly lifted from Peter Parker's Spider-Sense... kicked in to danger, and Ms. Marvel was the dominant persona.  Thankfully this was NOT to be the constant gimmick in Carol's life, and she ended up reconciling her two identities.  This was not her sole reconciliation.  This picture really doesn't illustrate the initial ridiculousness of her first costume.  Basically if it weren't for shorts, Ms. Marvel would be baring her "family jewels" with bare belly and thighs.  So, before her title was cancelled, Carol began the transition to Warbird.

I say "transition", because she held on to that Ms. Marvel title to the bitter end.  It was through Ms. Marvel that we met the black sheep of the Shi'ar Empire, Deathbird.  She was also made a member of the Avengers.  She... um... essentially was "seduced" by a machination by Immortus, giving birth to a rogue time element known as Marcus.  Alas, as if that weren't enough to potentially crush Carol, along came various elements of the team that would be known as the second iteration of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.  It was through her book that Mystique was introduced to the world.  But it took an unpublished story... that is, until the 90's... and a mention in "Avengers Annual #10" to introduce Mystique's adopted daughter, Rogue.  Y'see, Rogue has the ability to absorb other people's powers by touch.  And if she absorbs from one person for too long, it drains them of their life essence.  So, cue one drained, and comatose, Carol Danvers, from that confrontation!

 Her next phase, aside from being in a coma, was a rather... confusing one... for me.  I never really DID catch on to how Carol Danvers became part of the Shi'ar Empire, assisting the Imperial Guard as an energy being known as "Binary".  It happened, though, and it left me rather confused upon picking up whatever random issues of "Uncanny X-Men" I could lay my hands upon.  But just because I know jack and diddly about this phase of Carol's life, that doesn't mean it didn't merit mention.

But like all things gone weird/wrong/fatal in comics, give it enough time, and the original status quo will be reinstated.  And after the events of "Heroes Reborn/Return"... which I will talk about somewhat in a future entry... Carol was back and bad full-time in the Avengers as her Warbird persona.  ... Until she was fired.  WHA?!?  Yes, you thought Tony Stark held the monopoly on super-heroic alcoholism, but Carol took that to the next level, and that led to her firing from the Avengers.  But in due time, she did recover, and was granted her very own book again!  Of course, events threatened her title, because as a result of "Dark Reign", the villainous Moonstone was "gifted" the original Ms. Marvel title and costume as part of his Dark Avengers team.  And you just KNEW this was gonna lead to a catfight!  But be it her Warbird costume, or the scarf-sporting Ms. Marvel costume, you just can't keep Carol down.  And in her latest solo book run, after suggestion from Captain America, and her own soul-searching quest, she fully adopted the Captain Marvel mantle!

So, at the end of the day, what endears me most to the Carol Danvers Captain Marvel?

• She's been a far more involved presence in my reading encounters with the Marvel Universe over the years.
• Restating a point from earlier, Monica Rambeau never got a chance to fully shine on her own, which is a real shame.
• Mar-Vell... while I admire the concept, he was rather bland when not being handled by Jim Starlin.
• The other title holders I've just never read.  At all.  The closest I could come to that would be the inheritor to the Nega-Bands, Quasar, and the teenage semi-terrorist Marvel Boy.

Couple those facts, with just my interest in her power set, and her character arc, and I can dare say having Ms. Marvel/Captain Marvel in the Marvel Universe is a grand asset, indeed!

Friday "Funnies" Foolishness: Top 5 Comic Simians

This weekend, I'm fairly certain most of my blog readers will be heading to their local theaters to catch the opening weekend release of "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes".  I know that my lady and I aim to either make this weekend a viewing trip, or at the very least, head out next weekend.  Regardless, seeing that film will be the end result.  Now, aside from various "Planet of the Apes" comic adaptations, I wanted to attempt something different for today's FFF entry, tying into such a weighty genre-related movie.  Thankfully, the comic book world does not fail me.  Hell, for most of the 50's and 60's, DC ALONE provided us with a wealth of simian superstars in our comics for us to enjoy.  Because as everyone knows, a book with a monkey SELLS!  So I wanted to present you with my top five "Super Simians" listing for the launching day of "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"!  Keep in mind this list is purely subjective: you may have other nominations that you feel are better, or options you feel I forgot.  (For example, reading the debut issue of Black Orchid in "Adventure Comics", this morning, I noted an ad for "Angel and the Ape".  Not ONCE did I consider that character for this list until this very moment!)  Also, today's list is a bit light on Marvel entries, but bear in mind Marvel didn't really tap the monkey market for their superhero universe to the fullest.  So, before the top five begins in earnest, let me spotlight one jerk that THOUGHT he could get into the listing.  Consider this public shaming...

Dishonorable Mention: Man Ape- For years I've never really grew attached to this character.  Sure, his costume gives him the "mystic attributes" of the ape, such as strength and speed... But c'mon... T'Challa deserved MUCH better as a threat for the Black Panther's solo title.  And I'll just up and say it about the costume; it looks bloody ridiculous.  So nice attempt, Man Ape, but only GENUINE apes are allowed into today's entry.  Now feel free to fade back into comics obscurity, once more...

5. Detective Chimp

Combine the deductive reasoning of Sherlock Holmes, the wit and attitude of a continental op... and the physique of Lancelot Link, and you result in Detective Chimp.  Now granted, I know NOTHING of his past in either the first pre-Crisis period, or previous to "Infinite Crisis", but I grew attached to the character with his involvement in the search for Doctor Fate's helmet, and his participation in the "Shadowpact" team.  Plus, Chimpie made enough of a cultural impact to have appeared in an opening segment of "Batman: The Brave and the Bold".  Not bad for a deerskin cap wearing simian super sleuth!

4. Titano

The main reason why Titano ranks above Detective Chimp is due to my actually being more familiar with the character in various iterations.  From his comic appearances as an unfortunate chimp mutated by space rays into a giant ape that had... no joke... Kryptonite vision powers, to cartoon appearances in the 60's, 80's, AND 90's.  It just pays dividends to be an ape that, while not being a repeat offender in his rogues' gallery, is STILL a presence in Superman's threat history.  (And for the record, that Titano episode of "Superman: The Animated Series" was probably the most repeated episode for my syndication viewing of the show.  Seriously, it felt like that episode was aired every-other-day, along with the "Prometheus" episode!)

3. Monsieur Mallah

It's not enough to be an intelligent ape with a Francoise heritage.  It's also not enough that said ape is a master of armed combat... and sports a wicked bullet bandoleer.  No, when said Monsieur Mallah forms a life-long semi... or wholly... romantic relationship with a brain inside of a robot skull head unit, that's when the magic truly happens.  I'd dare say the pairing of Monsieur Mallah and The Brain established them as the best known devilish duo of Doom Patrol's history, and their appeal even carried them over to other teams and crossover events!  (I remember fondly when they formed the Brotherhood of Evil to tackle the New Teen Titans, as the best example of their cross pollination.)

2. The Mandrill

A mutant that shares the physical attributes of the mammal he shares his namesake with, Mandrill is a villain that basically lives the dream for all us "comic nerds".  For his unique appearance is not his sole mutation heritage.  His key power is the ability to release a pheromone that causes all women in the surrounding area to fall under his will.  Yes, even heroines could not resist the sexual scent that Mandrill exudes.  What a life to have a power to have the ladies flock to your every word and command.  Mandrill exemplifies the term "big pimping".  (And his sister, Neraka, is MIGHTY hot in her own right.  Thankfully, Mandrill isn't so twisted that he uses his power to "keep it in the family".)

1. Gorilla Grodd

Like there was any question as to who was tops.  The Flash granted us the hidden Gorilla City.  The Flash also introduced us to the nobility of King Solivar.  But those elements would be forgotten if it weren't for the supreme villainy of Gorilla Grodd.  Physically imposing, and possessing mental powers that do include control over focused subjects, Grodd has become a truly iconic DC villain.  He's crossed paths with nearly EVERY hero in the universe, and to showcase his staying power, he even lasted into the New 52 influence... and REMAINED a great villain with very little change.  Grodd, don't ever change, and keep going "ape" on the forces of justice in the DC Universe!

Super Powers Trilogy Volume 3: Because One Red Tornado Wasn't Enough

Continuing in the tradition of forgotten information in previous issues of comics, I also neglected to mention one VERY important fact about the second "Super Powers" miniseries.  The Jack "King" Kirby-helmed run is the ONLY one you can find traded in any format!  It's available in the second "Jack Kirby Omnibus" volume, along with various odds and ends of his from DC that didn't immediately involve the "Fourth World".  If you're curious about a previously unknown corner of the Kirby DC creations, I'd recommend checking it out!

So, we find ourselves in the final leg of our journey in 1986.  Tom Cruise took our breaths away in "Top Gun"... or maybe it was Barbara Crampton in her tight outfits in "From Beyond".  And Kenner decided... maybe due to less-than-spectacular returns for the second line... to offer up a very "unusual" third "Super Powers" line of figures.  Repping for the Justice League of America, we have:

• Cyborg: HEY!  Remember that current JLA member I was teasing, yesterday?  Well, back in his New Teen Titans days, Kenner was trying to shoehorn Victor Stone into the world's greatest superheroes!  But to Vic's credit, he was the rarest figure to find!
• Plastic Man: Y'know, he could also count as a JLA prediction nomination, since Grant Morrison made him part of the team in the 90's.
• Captain Marvel: None of this "Shazam" malarkey, thank you DC...  And yet AGAIN, they predicted his involvement in at least 2 iterations of the JLA!
• Mr. Miracle: New Genesis represents!
• Orion: AKA the Man-E-Faces version I mentioned in another posting.
• Samurai: Eh... Okay, to be fair, he did have some representation in "Super Friends", but a JLA membership that does not make.
• Golden Pharaoh: Er... What?  I highly doubt even the Inferior Five were itching to include him in their ranks.
• Cyclotron: As today's title suggests, having one android on the team with tornado powers wasn't enough... even if Red Tornado had MUCH more tenure as a JLA figurehead... so we have to give the robotic losers some sympathy.

You may be thinking, "Hey!  That's a lot of heroes!  I wonder if the villain line additions can stack up!".  You may now hang your head in depression, because the answer is: No.  Not at all.

• Mr. Freeze: I do admit to liking this goofy costume version of Victor Frieze, but this was in an era where the character had ZILCH past, so he was a disposable Batman villain at best.  Oh yeah, and a return to the Batman well...
• Tyr: Another "Huh?" addition with a character that if you weren't following "The Legion of Superheroes", you had NO IDEA who this mohawked guy with a robo-gun arm was. 

This may be a rather unusual action figure assortment to go out on, but what does this mean for the DC Comics miniseries that comes in the wake of this toy series launch?  Read on and find out!

 

I also neglected to mention Paul Kupperberg as a hero of yesterday's posting, and today's... because HE was the writer of the second AND third "Super Powers" miniseries.  Thus making another boneheaded mistake on my part.  (Or hell... I wrote yesterday's entry on five hours of sleep, so a lapse in scholarly research is expected...)  But somewhat spoiler alert for the end of the last series: How is it that Darkseid is a prisoner in the Tower of Darkness in this series, when I SWORE he was accidently destroyed by Desaad at the conclusion?  Oh well, he's currently a prisoner in the tower, Apokolips is not doing so hot even WITHOUT a tyrant to lord over them, and it's up to the super-escape artist and Man-E-Faces to pay... a congenial visit?  Which is unusual, because Darkseid's buddies and family plan on hiring a random Legion of Superheroes villain that just shows up to help with their cause.  My mind blanks as to whether it's meant to be a rescue operation they plan, or an assassination plot.  All I know for sure is on Earth, Mr. Freeze gets to take on the ENTIRE JLA, with the brainwashed assistance of our three lame-duck characters, Samurai, Golden Pharaoh, and Cyclotron.

The second issue involves the team investigating the background of the Trio of Tepid Titans, and Darkseid schemes further to escape his prison.  And the villains generally scheme... period.  I also forgot to mention another mystery the JLA has to attempt to solve.  Y'see, the reason why the entire team had to dogpile on Mr. Freeze was that he increased greatly in power.  And yes... this DOES tie back into Darkseid, because when he was blasted in the last series' conclusion, his power essence does travel to Earth, and Mr. Freeze ends up with a portion of said power.

The third issue actually involves Darkseid SUCCESSFULLY making it to Earth to track down his missing power.  Which does lead to a small bit of hilarity when he gets roughed up by muggers.  You would think if he still possessed the Frank Welker cartoon voice, that ALONE would cause any street thug to crap their pants.  I guess the rough streets around the Hall of Justice create a more jaded breed of criminal.  And the Super Powers team are assaulted by... some super-powered bad guys I can't remember a thing about, and they really don't matter because they never appeared in comics... ever again.  What does save the JLA is the timely intervention of a new hero by the name of Janus.  Odd that Janus happens to show up around the same time Darkseid does on the face of the Earth...  Hmm...

The fourth issue involves Darkseid's quest to recover his power, in the guise of Janus.  The JLA take a road trip back to Apokolips to help restore order to a planetary civil war.  Darkseid does manage to snag back his power, but for the life of me, I don't recall if we're left with Darkseid in control of the whole shebang again.  Eh, what matters is civil war is averted... even on a dungheap of a planet like Apokolips... the JLA arrives back on Earth, and we as readers are left confused.

If you paid close attention, even with such pathetic sleep, yesterday's entry was pretty exact about
events in individual issues.  That's because Kupperberg and Kirby did craft a fun story.  Not exactly epoch-making, but a fun series that COULD be memorable.  This time out, I would bet not even Paul Kupperberg even remembers writing this, and the art chores are handled by Carmine Infantino.  ... Carmine was a true icon of comics art in the 50's and 60's, and while his style changed in odd directions in the 70's, it was still quality.  Sadly, that REALLY couldn't be said for his 80's production, and this mini-series is another example of that.

But it's not like we got another chance to see if we could get the "Super Powers" storyline right.  Kenner stopped production at the third series, and thus the DC Comics run ended on it's third miniseries.  If you look up information on the Kenner "Super Powers" line, you can find information about figures planned for a fourth line, which would've made it TRULY awesome!  (Think about it: a Man-Bat figure in the 80's.  HOLY COW!)  Still, we did have some fun while the good times rolled, and the figure line remained in fond favor with collectors.  Heck, this Fall, Mattel is issuing a 30th anniversary "Super Powers" run of figures for their regular DC Collector's line.  What more could a person want?

... Unless you're me, and would literally have a heart attack of joy if I were able to find at a VERY reasonable price, or was gifted with, an original Super Powers Superman figure.  Hell, it wouldn't even have to be in card!  But it wouldn't hurt!

Super Powers Trilogy Volume 2: Gardening, Apokolips-Style

Amazing that on only five hours of solid sleep into today, I DID remember some things I wanted to mention, as of yesterday for the first entry.  Hey, whoever said I was perfect!  So, some quick bullet points for you to absorb before today's entry, proper:

• "Super Powers" actually is the "Super Friends" cartoon series with a bit of a "serious" bent to it.  I don't think the team is actually called the Justice League of America in the first mini-series, but I do believe that is rectified in the second volume.
• Other "Super Friends" connections include the "JLA" headquarters being the traditional Hall of Justice, and Robin being a member of the team.  How ironic that in the DC Universe continuity, Dick Grayson had to wait until he BECAME Batman to become a member of the JLA during James Robinson's run.  
• The cartoon series, itself, was starting to reflect the toy line rebranding, with the season introducing Firestorm to the team being called "Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show".

But we're now in 1985.  We've seen the first "Wrestlemania".  We've watched "Rambo: First Blood Part 2" 10 times in one day.  (Because Sylvester Stallone is the greatest Action Movie Star of all time.  Just ask my Action Attraction fellows!)  I do believe it's time for another DC "Super Powers" mini-series to reflect the changes to the second line of action figures!  Showing up for this new round of merchandising are new JLA members:

• Doctor Fate
• Firestorm
• Green Arrow
• Martian Manhunter
• Red Tornado (Barbershop pole pants included!)

But for this second run, we couldn't just rely on more Batman/Superman villains.  No... no.... We need a threat of galactic import!  So, REALLY seeing introduction in this series is Darkseid and his band of followers:

• Desaad (Who came with what looked like a high-tech accordion.)
• Kalibak (Whose redesign actually benefited the character, if I say so myself.)
• Mantis (Who... eh... was there to fill the robotic-design character spot?)
• Para-Demon (Who I felt Jack "King" Kirby really dropped the ball on that redesign.  But Mantis was hogging all the green and yellow, I guess.)
• Steppenwolf (Who I still wonder why he was considered "big league", because even in the "New Gods" comic, he only appeared ONCE!  Guess being related to Darkseid pays off for appearances!)

The master chef behind this entire stew being Jack Kirby for writing AND penciling.  Add a pinch of salt, and wallah!  "Super Powers" mini-series part 2!

 One interesting thing of note about this particular "Super Powers" series is it's ACTUALLY a sequel to Kirby's then-conclusion to his "Fourth World" saga, the graphic novel "The Hunger Dogs".  The book starts off with Darkseid removed from power on Apokolips, hunted on the streets by the citizens he used to lord over.  But while he considers "home sweet home" a bit of a wash, he manages to take his merry crew over to a secret base on Earth's moon.  Because if he can't have Apokolips, why not make a new one on our Terra Firma?  So Darkseid sends his servants to various periods of Earth's history to plant seeds that will tap into Earth's core energies to form the fire pits that are featured on
Apokolips travel brochures.  (Along with spa treatments from the Female Furies, day care at Granny Goodness's Nursery, and poetry readings in the park with Kanto.)

Our heroes get squared away with what's happening at what given times, so as any superhero team does... they split into small groups to handle spreading crises!  In the first issue, we highlight Martian Manhunter and Aquaman traveling back to Arthurian England, with Desaad playing Grima Wormtongue to the wielder of Excalibur, himself!  The second issue is a different affair, with Hawkman, Green Arrow, and Red Tornado tackling their seed in the present time... but with Kalibak bringing the past INTO the present, with a dinosaur and prehistoric humanoid army!  Also, each issue does feature a little bit of Darkseid monologing and plotting further.  He's almost a bit like a child on Christmas Day morning, counting down the minutes until he receives that Red Ryder B.B. Rifle.  ... Oh, I mean the planet Earth.

The third issue is weirdly enough a return to Jack Kirby's creative themes of ancient aliens establishing civilizations, with Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and Doctor Fate tackling their seed issues against Mantis and the extraterrestrial sources of those Easter Island head statues!  And Robert Graves would be very happy with Superman and Firestorm in the fourth issue, which finds them traveling back to ancient Rome to face off against the still amazingly-alive Steppenwolf... and actual gladiators!  (Though I highly doubt, after this adventure, Clark Kent, Ronnie Raymond, and Martin Stein were itching to rent some Sword and Sandals VHS tapes.  Oh well... There's always the "Star Wars" trilogy.)

Before you can say, "Holy Marty McFly!", the fifth issue has Batman, Robin, and the Flash transported back... to the FUTURE!  They end up in a dystopian timeline where Darkseid finally got his innermost desire... a night on the Bunny Ranch... oh, I mean the planet Earth transformed into Apokolips.  But it's also by this issue that all wrongs in the past have been righted by their individual teams, and it all leads to the sixth issue, which is the big duke-a-roo between the... essentially... JLA versus Darkseid and the Apokoliptian forces!

Now I will be forthright and honest: this really isn't Jack Kirby's best work.  BUT it still has a lot of the Kirby vibrancy in each individual issue.  Plus, this is the only time in Jack Kirby's history with DC that they let him draw every single character, without an artist "correcting" their appearance to fit the "house style".  (A problem that would plague Jack Kirby in every issue of "Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen".)  And it's generally perceived that this is the best of the entire "Super Powers" mini-series runs, which I'd find hard to argue.  There's a lot of action, it's a fun tie-in with Kirby's somewhat rushed "New Gods" conclusion, and it also gave the new toy line additions plenty to do in their adventures with the expanding Justice League of America!  But can too much of a good thing become a questionable... if not "bad"... thing?  We'll ponder that for the conclusion of our trilogy, tomorrow!

P.S.  This mini-series was also adapted into an episode of "Galactic Guardians: The Super Powers Team", called "Seeds of Doom".  Not as many new members to the Justice League as was in this story, but you do get a team addition that won't show up until the third comic mini-series... and is oddly enough a current New 52 JLA member!  But again, wait until tomorrow for that mystery person!

Super Powers Trilogy Volume 1: From Plastic to Pages

This week marks the first "event" posting I've done for the blog with a trilogy of epic proportions!  (Hey, I need a project like this to occupy my time!  In a day where I've added to my application rejection collection, and annoying phone calls from employment/education offers, I NEED targets like this to keep from crawling into a fetal position!)  So, as you all know, I'm rather sided towards the DC universe.  When I was growing up, action figures had well hit their prime with the smashing success of Mego's line, and Kenner's market-creating "Star Wars" line.  So DC decided to work a little bit of that magic for their own toy line, and thus was launched the much-fondly reflected "Super Powers" line.

Now to be fair, out of this first run of action figures, I've only ever owned the Brainiac figure.  (And those that remember that particular figure know that while it looked awesome, the kicking leg feature more often than not resulted in eventual limb loss for our robotized intergalactic master intelligence.)  But the toy line was one I always wanted to expand upon.  With the launch of the toy line in 1984, DC Comics decided the mini-comics included with the action figures wasn't enough product advertising. SO... They decided to take a page from the Marvel commercializing of their "G.I. Joe" and "Transformers" lines, and create a comic mini-series based off their own toy line... Which they already held the rights to!  And we welcomed to our spinner racks the first "Super Powers" comic mini-series.

Before I go into the mini-series, I wanted to give a plug to Rob Kelly and the "Irredeemable" Shagg's podcast "The Fire and Water Podcast", which can be found at the following link: Fire and Water Podcast.  Not only is the show exceedingly entertaining in all of its network of programs, but check out the archives for their "Super Powers" episodes, which cover the history of the figures, and comic line, far more in detail than I could!

The basic gist of this mini-series is on Apokolips, Darkseid... Er, kinda spoiler alert... has a gladiatorial contest to judge which four "Fairy Godfather Warriors" will make the trips to visit with four of Earth's most fiendish villains to grant them vast power to conquer their foes.  (Although the villains list seems to more stacked against Superman and Batman.  And really... as much as I like the Penguin, is he EVER going to be considered a "cosmic level" threat, even with super powers?)  Our first issue details our villains general schemes for their new powers: Lex Luthor plans on making himself even FASTER than Superman and the Flash combined, to challenge them.  Joker creates an insane reality to trap Batman, Robin, and Hawkman in.  Brainiac begins a campaign to influence Wonder Woman into a militant Amazon mentality, so that she can lead her Amazonian sisters into combat.  And Penguin... Well, he decides that Alfred Hitchcock had a great idea with that "Birds" movie of his, and commands the forces of flying nature.  I say general "flying nature", because apparently this includes flying fish, which of course means the involvement of Aquaman.  (I KNOW Green Lantern figures into this story, but I can't remember who his initial threat is.)

A fun fact about this series, and the general time period at DC, was this toy line was the first appearances of the new Luthor and Brainiac redesigns, which where handled by Ed Hannigan and George Perez.  To my eyes, these redesigns should've lasted FAR longer than they were given.  I mean, that Luthor power armor is synonymous to the character for my eyes!  And Brainiac has never looked more threatening than when he became a "Terminator" riff!  But as the series proceeds, our heroes manage to puzzle out the means to their... AKA Superman and Batman's... arch fiends.  And whenever a villain meets their defeat, their Apokoliptian "Fairy Gladiator Godfather" removes their cosmic power from their being.  I seem to recall Lex Luthor and Penguin falling fairly early in the game, with the Joker lasting right up until the midway point.

Fairing more successfully on his conquest rounds is Brainiac... but you have to give Brainiac some credit; instead of trying to engage the Super Powers team directly, like Luthor and Penguin attempted, his plotting with Wonder Woman and the Amazons allowed him the option to wage war against humanity at a safe distance!  So while the Amazonian army seeks to crush an island nation, most of our Super Powers team is free to attempt to stem the conquest tide.  However, at the conclusion of the midway point in the series, a wrench is thrown into peacekeeping efforts, in that Brainiac de-evolves Superman into becoming a savage Super Cro-Magnon!

With great effort... and a LOTTA combat, including Aquaman being given the short end of the heroic stick in this particular issue... the Super Powers team manages to quell Super CAAAAAVEMAAAAAN rage via a trick involving Green Lantern's power ring acting as a containment unit.  It's also in this penultimate issue that the Apokoliptian "Fairy Gladiator Godfathers" start getting into major trouble with their boss, revealed in this issue to be Darkseid.  (And also featured in this issue is Granny Goodness, looking surprisingly her most feminine in any comic portrayal to date!)  So the "Fairies" are blasted into oblivion for their efforts, and in the process, the villains and heroes are forced to unite against the greater threat that Darkseid represents, which then leads them to being Omega Beamed into another dimension, and our grand conclusion.

I'll be honest about this cover blurb: it is NOT "Final Combat with Darkseid".  That comes... eh... well, let's just say that saying ANYTHING is "final" in comics is rather doubtful unless your Neil Gaiman, Garth Ennis, or James Robinson.  But for the time being for this mini-series, it is NOT the last time our heroes get to butt heads against Apokolips' Lord and Master.  But a special treat... and teaser for the next mini-series... awaits in this final issue, with the art chores being handled by Jack "King" Kirby, who snagged a sweet deal helping to develop aspects of the toy line, and redesigning some of his created characters for the toys/comics!  All you need to know for the moment is that the general balance of Good and Evil was restored by event's end.  But Darkseid would make his presence known in another "Super Powers" mini-series in 1985... Or by this blog's reckoning, tomorrow!  But in conclusion, the first "Super Powers" mini-series wasn't exactly what you consider a "stellar" event, but for a tie-in to a toy line, it still entertains, providing our available at stores everywhere heroes and villains a conflict, and the shadow of a grander threat to come... AKA A grander threat that will ALSO soon be available at your local stores!

My Mutant Summer

Odd that just last week, I wrote a somewhat critical article about Marvel's Merry Mutants.  And here I return to the theme, once more, only with a more POSITIVE perspective.  Some could say it's a creative approach to presenting pros and cons about a certain subject.  Some could say it's just a stroke of laziness.  I could say it's a result of figuring out bridging topics to lead into a 3-part entry to come this Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  (And after the night I had, I could also call it an easy out from terrible sleep as a result of KILLER overnight heartburn.  Bleh...)  But our paths lead us down the chains of the X-Gene again, as we talk about possible Mutant-dom's shining moment in the summer of 1991...  That didn't involve a release from Jean Claude Van-Damme.

Marvel, seeking a repeat of the record-setting "Spider-Man #1" sales of the summer of 1990, took a similar approach to the already wild-fire popular X-Line of books.  So you had an already hot property being relaunched in certain cases, with some of the hottest artists and writers attached to those projects.  I can recall all four key books being a success for the company, with one book in particular surpassing "Spider-Man #1's" success!  (I say four key books, because I'm having a devil of a time remembering if "Excalibur" received a refurbishing during this period...)  Now I have no real clue HOW I found out about these relaunches.  Remember that roughly around this time period, I wasn't considered a real "comic book collector", unless it was a cheap oversized comic book and/or digest.  But knowing I could step into the X-Universe from a relatively ground zero approach felt rather inviting, so I took a chance on each of these books, and I bring you my impressions from my 12 year old self in the summer of 1991!

It was interesting to see the return of the traditional X-Uniform in "X-Factor #71".  But I do remember a sense of ambivalence about the team members.  Yes, I did have an interested in Havoc from when I actually did buy late 80's "Uncanny X-Men" issues, and Wolfsbane was a fond favorite member of "New Mutants".  But at best I was luke-warm with Polaris, didn't come to any attachment to Multiple Man... and Strong Man... Ugh... Guido NEVER hit any of my sweet spots.  Couple that with a Peter David writing style that didn't grant me any sense of attachment, and Larry Stroman artwork that you STILL can't convince me to like, and you had an X-Book that I only bought one other issue of... #75, to be exact... because it featured the return of Mr. Sinister and his new team, the utterly forgettable "Nasty Boys".

"Uncanny X-Men #281" opened with a bang.  LITERALLY a bang, with the decimation of both the cyborg mercenaries known as the Reavers, and the White Queen's team known as the Hellions.  (Not counting Firestar, who was busy playing with the New Warriors at the time.)  This was the issue to also introduce the concept of a new Hellfire Club, and a technically advanced foe known as Fitzroy, who had control of a new breed of mutant-hunting Sentinel robots.  You also had a teaser page featuring the first appearance of Bishop, would-be savior of mutantdom's future!  One other unique element of this book was the splitting of the X-Men into two key teams: Blue and Gold.  I BELIEVE the team in "Uncanny" was the Gold team, featuring Colossus, Storm, Iceman, Archangel, and Jean Grey.  (Never did get around to that code name for Jeannie, eh?)  The key selling point for me was the rather stylistic artwork by Whilce Portacio, which was at its most killer at this time period.  However, the introduction of Bishop made this book REALLY hard to track down subsequent issues of, and I didn't stay on the title due to inability to find connective issues at the time.

Between selling Levi 501 jeans, Rob Liefeld was also busy working with Fabian Nicieza in reworking Louise Simonson's "New Mutants" into the militant wing of Xavier's dream: "X-Force".  Oh, this rebooting I WAS aware of in advance, because I did randomly purchase an issue of the second printing of "New Mutants #100", and they did advertise "X-Force".  Now... say what you will about the ridiculousness of Liefeld's artwork... including one main two-page splash that COMPLETELY rips off a "New Teen Titans" splash... and say what you will about Fabian's writing, which was cliché-ridden and far too open-ended for its own good.  BUT... the energy of this first issue kept me hooked on "X-Force" until Liefeld's ultimate departure.  I believe my dropping point was after the New Brotherhood of Evil Mutants were introduced.  Also, this issue was my first exposure to speculator's market mentalities, with the polybagged card incentive.  Oh, I never bought more than one issue, because while the included collectors cards were pretty cool, I already HAD my issue.  Why purchase more?

Now we're at the record-holder for Marvel.  The book that dethroned the McFarlane success train that was "Spider-Man #1".  Chris Claremont and Jim Lee's one-two punch that was "X-Men #1".  The Blue Team that featured the hot characters of Cyclops, Beast, Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Psylocke, and... Jubilee.  (Yeah, maybe she was more like microwave lightly defrosted for "heat".)  The book that reintroduced Magneto as a threat to the Marvel Universe once more, with a new team in tow in the Acolytes, who had a hidden agenda of their own.  That Jim Lee artwork, at that time, was like catnip to comic collectors.  I know it was a major selling point for me, and I didn't even regularly follow his run on "Uncanny X-Men", because it was bloody hard... and expensive... to find!  This book I did purchase the initial Magneto three issue storyline, and... I didn't consciously drop the book afterwards, but the remaining issues that Jim Lee had artistic chores on were a battle to find off the shelves.

You may notice a theme with a lot of these issues.  Namely artists... and Chris Claremont... that migrated away from their bread-winning titles a little less than a year later, leaving Marvel and the X-Universe in a bit of a lurch.  However, the power of the Mutants tends to overcome creative losses, and the X-Books found their audience once again.  But during this summer of 1991, even if you weren't HUGE on the X-Books, I can probably guarantee you did sample one of these four milestone issues of the period!  Or you were a sucker like me, and bought into them ALL!