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. 

All I Want For Christmas Are These Comic-Based Goodies...

Brief reading note I wanted to mention, before I wrote today's blog proper.  I have NO clue what it is about the late 70's/early 80's DC titles, but as of these past two days, I've read one issue of "The Flash" and one issue of "Wonder Woman" that BOTH featured battles against dinosaurs, and hyper-evolved dinosaurs.  Maybe Bronze Age comics influenced Michael Crichton for a trip to a certain "Jurassic Park"?  Theories, theories...

Yesterday, I discussed favorite Christmas comic issues of mine.  But while sharing the Christmas Spirit through the printed page is a noble cause, there will STILL be a "little kid" side of me, around this time of year, wanting to ask the Comic Book-Based Santa to reply to a few measly "wish list" items of mine.  And for today's blog, I wanted to share with you some of those items that either:

• Do not exist in a 100% legal format, as far as I know.
• DO exist in a legal format... but NOWHERE near the states.
• Just have not been given ANY justice, whatsoever.

So, hope you enjoy my trip down my wish list...  But sorry, Santa; no sitting on your lap.  I do have SOME measure of dignity to uphold.

1. Complete DVD Set of the 1960's "Marvel Super-Heroes" Cartoon Series: If you've ever done a Youtube search for ANY of the featured series under the Grantray-Lawrence Animation studios helmed series KNOWS it is not an animation dynamo.  Comic panels are BARELY animated, hardly bear any continuity... watch ANY episode of the "Mighty Thor" feature, so you can see Odin wear at least SIX SEPARATE OUTFITS in a single episode... and sometimes you get some of the cheesiest voice acting this side of American dubbings of Japanese video game dialogue.  That being said, this series STILL holds a soft spot in my heart, for being one of the first efforts to bring the Marvel Comics Universe to a televised medium.  And since the stories are based SPOT-ON from the source material, you get stories that are interestingly interpreted dramatizations of the budding Marvel Universe.  And as far as I've seen, this series is ONLY available via... er... "less than honorable" means.  So c'mon Marvel... I KNOW you've had better animated efforts through the years, but you need to pay some tribute to your founding steps!

2. The ULTIMATE 1980's "Spider-Man/Woman" Animated Series Collection: Are you able to find "Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends" in its entirety on Netflix Instant?  Sure!  ... But there is a noticeable gap in finding Stateside access to the precursor to that very series, a series with the simple label of "Spider-Man".  Some fond memories of that particular series that I STILL carry are an episode featuring Spidey's battle with Doctor Doom, as Victor seeks to gain control of the United Nations, along with a clash with Dr. Curt Connors... AKA the Lizard!  Pushing together both series into a nice simple DVD set would be a dream come true for a person who found his initial Marvel Comics LOVE by these shows' exposures.  But why not make a tidy Oreo Cookie with this set, by also including the one-season only collection of the "Spider-Woman" animated series, of which I have ZILCH memories of!  Now, remember my mention of the "Stateside access" to these series?  Well, those lucky English citizens DID see proper DVD releases of ALL THREE of these shows?  Why doth thou forsake us, Mighty House of Ideas?  Need FURTHER proof?

3. A Heaping Helping of BOTH "Incredible Hulk" Series on DVD: Yep... Denied yet ANOTHER revisit of a classic set of Marvel Animated series.  I was CONVINCED at least the 90's "Incredible Hulk" series would see a re-release with the theatrical release of the most recent "Hulk" feature film.  (Heck, when "Iron Man 2" was released around the same rough time, the 90's "Iron Man" series was collected into a DVD set!)  But much like a repeat "Hulk" sequel, the prospects of the 1980's Hulk cartoon AND the 1990's Hulk cartoon are about as likely as Marvel NOT putting out another event after their current comics event ends.  Which is a shame, because I remember the 80's series having AMAZING animation quality for a single season, along with one of the BEST animated theme songs of all time.  And the 90's series was about 2 seasons worth of a distillation of the best of the Peter David era of the comic title.  And even better... it ALSO featured a set of episodes with Doctor Doom, who ALSO was the inadvertent creator of She-Hulk for that show!  Hail Latveria!

4. A Marvel 75th Anniversary Music Compilation: Sigh... Marvel, you DO realize DC STILL has you beat on this front, because for their 75th publishing anniversary, they put out a VERY fun music compilation of the various iterations of their popular characters' themes in cartoons, television shows, and movies.  (Man, jamming out to that "Wonder Woman" television theme NEVER gets old, nor does the excitement chills of hearing that John Williams "Superman" theme.)  Marvel has close to 50 years worth of cartoon, movie, and television show themes that people KNOW and LOVE!  (I'm sure you're all familiar with the 1960's "Spider-Man" cartoon theme, and more than a few could probably hum the 1960's "Iron Man" show theme.)  Why not tap that RICH history of their characters' exposure to media, and collect them as either a hard CD release, or maybe even just a digital download?  Some, I do understand, are probably points of legal contention.  (Good luck seeing hide OR hair of that Danny Elfman "Spider-Man" theme on the collection, thank you VERY MUCH, Sony...)  But think of how much this collection could tap into people that just LOVE catchy theme songs for their favorite Marvel characters throughout the years.  Marvel, I will even send you a BLANK CHECK to make this happen. 

But as we're about to see, DC is not totally free of guilt with lacking in materials that just BEG to see release!  So, why don't we look at two particularly notable deficits in their trade paperback program...

5. An ACTUAL Series of Reprints for "Fury of Firestorm": The reprinting of the first six "Firestorm" issues, along with "The Flash" backups in ONE TRADE does not count as a comprehensive exposure to the history of Ronnie Raymond and Professor Martin Stein.  And due to the fact that Firestorm is starting live-action life in CW's "The Flash" series, you would THINK the company would want to give their nuclear-powered paladin some proper time in the sun by FINALLY giving reprint trades to the long-running series that started in the 80's.  It's only right, y'know!

6. Reprinting at LEAST the first "DC Who's Who" Mini-Series: Obviously, the Internet makes any comic book reference book outdated, by nature.  But where would those Wikipedia entries be without the influence of that original 26 issue guide to the DC Universe that took place during, and AFTER, the initial "Crisis on Infinite Earths"?  A lot of these characters' backgrounds are NOWHERE near where they are reported to be for the course of this series, but there's still something quaint about seeing the character write-ups at the time, along with various artistic interpretations of certain characters.  Plus, I think this series represents a HUGE chunk of DC at their nadir, with emphasis on the growing popularity of the "New Teen Titans"... and by proxy, AWESOME artwork by George Perez for those particular entries.  How hard can it be to give this series just ONE SINGLE omnibus/trade, and see how it goes, before delivering on the remainder of the future year entries?

And just because I KNOW it exists, but still find it VERY hard to get my hands on in a reasonably-priced manner...

7. A Carded Original Superman figure from the Kenner "Super Powers Collection": ... A guy can dream, can't he?

And before I forget, while it's early, it is still NO LESS sincere, when I wish everyone that's helped support this blog, or even just read it, the best the Christmas Holiday can offer.  May you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Half The Days Of Christmas, All The Great Reads Of 12 Full Days

Before I start blogging, proper... as usual... we start with a few notes.  I should refer to this section as being a spiritual successor to "Stan's Soapbox", except it is NOWHERE near as potentially spiritually enriching.  Or at the very least, nowhere near as shilling in nature.  This is more like a shuffling off of topics in my general life and/or fandom with comics before the ACTUAL subject matter.  So, lemme clear my throat...

• My new job started, this week.  The new place I work for, contract-based work that it is, is VERY comfortable.  I still have much to learn about the job, along with my actual tasks, but for the work I do at the moment, it IS a case of learning to "crawl" before I "run". 
• Life couldn't resist throwing me a curveball, regardless of this new station in life, by smacking my immune system in the face with a case of the flu for the first half of this week, involving one day where I had to miss work to spend time recovering.  As my lady Alanis would say, "Isn't it ironic, don't you think?".
• Christmas shopping is NEARLY done for me, at least.  My bank account is whimpering more than a current comics fan finding out about ANOTHER major comics event dawning on the horizon, but at least I won't have to commit much more finances to the "spirit of Christmas".  I admit to not being as much of a "Grinch" for the season, but there's a splinter of my cynicism that wonders if that same "spirit" is more akin to a "vampire" of Christmas.
• Finally, I refer all readers to this blog to my 100th post for the still ongoing anniversary quiz contest.  I've not seen any entries trickle into my email account JUST YET, but you readers still have until Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January to send in your answers and entries!  Please don't feel like you have to "last minute" your chances like this was an eBay action to become a winner!

This is probably where I begin to sound like a stereotypical aging "geek", but the subject for today's blog seems to be a lost art, or tradition, in comic companies.  Why tell individual issue fun holiday stories, when they'd only break the flow of their next MEGA-SUPER-EPOCH MAKING event?  But should your comic-buying spirit be "Merry and Bright", then with a little bit of bargain-buying savvy, you can ensure you can find more than your fair-share of books that will leave your Christmas Spirit feeling like it's fully in the white!  I couldn't even BEGIN to cover all of the Christmas-based comic books in existence, because some I just don't have access to, some I've not read in a VERY long time, and some... I have to wonder if it's REALLY necessary to give my thoughts on them.  (C'mon, Rob Liefeld... Even YOU have to be given a break around the Holidays.  Unless someone sends me a copy of the "Troll Christmas Special" for a review, that's not exactly a priority project.)  But since we're under a week for the arrival of Christmas, then I'll offer to you readers six of my favorite Christmas-themed comic stories to explore.  Sure, after today, there's only 5 days left until the holiday that could be considered a "mutant" based on its "X-Mas" branding, but who says you can't read TWO of the issues I mention on that magical day of the 25th of December?  We'll kick things off with the Merry Christmas Marvel Marching Society!

Marvel Team-Up #1: I'm trying to remember if "Spectacular Spider-Man" was launched as a regular series before this debut issue of the Spidey team-up title saw release on the spinner racks of America, but for 150 issues, and a handful of annuals, Peter Parker... with occasional diversions for other character guest spots... would weave his web of friendship with other Marvel heroes for mostly one-off adventures.  I'm honestly a SUCKER for rotating team-up books from both companies.  (I'm still holding off of the blog topic for a future date, but you'll see at least THREE of the primary books of this trend showing up as examples in this particular blog entry.)  And for his inaugural story, we are treated to long-time Spider-Man ally/friendly rival, the Human Torch, teaming up with the wall-crawler to battle the recently escaped from prison Sandman.  All this leads up to a Christmas Eve showdown, where not only do we get some fun brawls in the Mighty Marvel Manner, but we find out just WHY Flint Marko shuffled his sandy soles outta prison for this festive night.  And if this ending doesn't give you the Holiday squishies in your soul, then you're more hardened than ANY hard-sand structure the Sandman can build!

Marvel Two-In-One #8: Not to be outdone by that Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, that "Idol o' Millions", the ever-lovin' blue-eyed Benjamin J. Grimm proved SO popular, he gained his OWN regular team-up book, as well!  And while the debut issue was reserved for a story with the boggy Man-Thing... no jokes about being "Giant-Sized" here, PLEASE!... the eight issue of the series featured not only a team-up with the Spirit of Vengeance, Ghost Rider, BUT it was a Christmas issue!  We start off with the skeletal biker form of Johnny Blaze running into what appears to be the scene of the first Biblical Christmas, complete with nearly road-pancaking those three Wise Men!  Cut to the Fantastic Four Plaza, where Reed Richards spots a new star in the sky, pointing at the selfsame village where Ghost Rider finds himself.  Not one to ruin a family gathering, the Thing volunteers to go investigate.  This particular location is the location of the Native American tribe Wyatt Wingfoot originated from, and upon our heroes crossing paths, they decide to investigate this unusual "Nativity" scene, dressed as Wise Men of their own!  The whole situation unveils itself to be a means for a long-forgotten FF villain, the Miracle Man, to gain more mystical power by means of reenacting the birth of Jesus!  ... Obviously, spoilers have no place for this issue, but if this sounds like a good comic to down some eggnog with, you'll honestly have a lot of fun with the Ghost Rider and the Thing in period-appropriate desert garb, beating up on a massive MORT of a villain!

Incredible Hulk #378: I think people forget that while Peter David created some great psychological and interpersonal dramatic situations with his long-tenured run on the Incredible Hulk, he ALSO was able to crank out some honestly hilarious Comedy spotlight issues, on occasion!  Cue this particular issue, where Bruce Banner is in his lean-and-mean Grey Hulk phase, running into a VERY unusual Mall Santa.  It turns out that, in his plans to go incognito... and maybe earn a few extra bucks... that long-running mental-dynamo of the Marvel universe, the Rhino, disguises himself as a charity Santa.  However, things go awry for our villain, as he is recruited to fill in for a missing Santa for a children's mall display.  Sure enough, exposure to enough bratty kids starts to wear on the Rhino's nerves, and after TOSSING a kid for a 40-yard pass, night-time falls, and Bruce begins his transformation, which leads to a mall thrashing the likes humanity has not seen since Chuck Norris battled terrorists in "Invasion U.S.A."!  All of this story is ACTUALLY part of a tale longtime Hulk buddy, Rick Jones, is telling to a gathering of hospitalized children.  So, you have a little bit of genuinely sweet nature sandwiched in to a story that features a METRIC ton of physical and witty Comedy to lift even the most hardened Scrooge's spirit for the season!

 Batman #219: Admittedly, this story is NOT the main feature of this particular issue.  That honor belongs to a tale called "Death Casts the Deciding Vote", involving a rescue attempt the Batman has to make for a threatened Congressman.  (He was probably being threatened into making some ACTUAL progress with the political system...)  But while that particular story... entertaining as it was... has fallen into a measure of obscurity, this eight-page tale written by Mike Friedrich, with the LEGENDARY artwork of Neal Adams, has endured well past this issue's initial publication!  The premise of the story is very simple, but by no means lesser for its simplicity.  It involves Batman going on patrol in Gotham City on Christmas Eve.  The Batman... that dread creature of the night... is ever-vigilant for signs of the worst that humanity can offer in this dark city, even on a Holiday night.  But as his patrols show, even crime APPARENTLY takes a break on Christmas Eve, with potential scenes of robbery and violence dissipating before they can spill over into action.  The Batman even has time to carol with officers of the Gotham City Police Department, and... heaven forbid... SMILE!  It's 8 pages of excellent artwork, and a message that even the worst places and situations can sometimes be moved to better places with the right spirit of the season!  Essential reading, bar-none!

Justice League of America #110: I've written, before, about my love for 100-page comic issues.  Not only does this Justice League issue offer you ONE-HUNDRED PAGES of content, including two whole story reprints, but you also receive a BRAND-NEW Justice League Christmas story!  A mall Santa's murder leads Batman and Superman to assemble the League to get to the bottom of the mystery.  All this leads into the team confronting a semi-regular League villain, the Key, in a series of themed traps for the participating JLA members.  But what the Key does NOT count on is the surprise element of an unfamiliar Green Lantern participating in this adventure.  (This must've been the Ryan Reynolds Hal Jordan, because who ELSE would've knocked himself unconscious by slipping on a bar of soap, while in possession of the galaxy's GREATEST OFFENSIVE/DEFENSIVE weapon in EXISTENCE?!?)  So we get a guest appearance of John Stewart as Green Lantern in this issue!  This issue also features Red Tornado learning about the Christmas Spirit, along with getting stripped pants!  Merry AND bright tidings with those tights, and you as a reader are gifted with a gigantic comic for your reading pleasure!

DC Comics Presents #67: We end this particular blog entry with a story detailing a crossover between Krypton's last son, the Man of Steel... and the man behind the material end of the Season, that North Pole Saint Nicholas!  Superman and Santa Claus!  In one story!  Which also features mental manipulation of innocent children by the Toyman, a massive brawl among toys that serve Santa and that mirthful menace, and an exploration as to why the Fortress of Solitude is located in the North Pole, but why is it that Superman has NEVER seen Santa or his Factory ANYTIME during his relocation for some peace and quiet?  This issue is just one of those bizarre Christmas stories that just begs to be explored if you want some goofy... but well-intentioned... Bronze Age adventures!

Finding Strength In Weakness... No Matter How Ridiculous...

Ironic that I write a post about comic book character "Achilles heels" that I find charming... but STILL ridiculous... on a day where I, myself, am starting to feel a bit off.  OPTIMISTICALLY, it's just a case of my girlfriend's soup not agreeing with me.  (It was FAR from bad, but sometimes my belly finds arguments in odd places.)  But I begin to dread that maybe one of my former coworkers left me with a delightful "parting gift" of a stomach virus.  Sigh... Well, we'll see what we'll see, tonight and tomorrow!  The furthest I've gone for discomfort is some cases of reflux, and minor chills.  So, former workplace, you managed to gain a MEASURE of revenge for my transitioning!  Next time, Inspector Gadget, next time...

One needs look at Superman to find a PRIMARY source of comic book character weakness packaging.  Be it physical, in terms of exposure to Kryptonite, spiritual, in terms of magical influence, or even emotional, where he feels overly responsible for those he cares for and loves.  It was the Last Son of Krypton that proved that even the BEST of heroes can have chinks in their crime-fighting armor.  Now, I do admit that today's article is more heavily weighed towards DC discussion, because Marvel GENERALLY has the cross-character weakness of "human hubris" for their ENTIRE universe.  But I still did pry one Marvel example of character weakness that, while an established trait, still makes me roll my eyes a BIT in good-natured annoyed amusement.  Hey, sometimes the source of weakness in potential greatness can be kind of laughable, at times!

Green Arrow (Runaway Mouth)- I can't be sure if this particular trait carried over into the New-52 DC Universe, but one KEY weakness that Oliver Queen possessed during a majority of the Bronze Age was his instinct to put his foot in his mouth... OFTEN.  It's kind of weird that he would make odd transitions from Liberal political stances, to engaging in hardline Conservative views.  All the while, he STILL managed to make time to say things that would make Dinah "Black Canary" Lance stare DAGGERS at the Arrow slinger.  Let's just say... diplomatically... that Ollie did not truly have the "sensitive man's" instinct for romance and female relations.  If it wasn't for his personality quirks, it was his inability to keep his mouth SHUT that also contributed to his weakness.  I can't count how many times I've wondered how that stick-in-the-mud Hawkman hesitated in shoving Ollie out of a random Justice League Satellite headquarters airlock, due to something he uttered in a given issue.

Green Lantern (Yellow Weakness)- Each generation's Green Lantern had some TRULY unusual quirks.  Alan Scott, with his MYSTIC power ring, could be taken out by a weakness for anything wood-based.  But you know, at least a weapon of magical origins could FEASIBLY be tuned out by a natural element.  And the "necessary imperfection" that so plagued the Green Lantern rings is mostly a thing of the past, there's no denying that Hal Jordan and his fellow Green Lantern Corps members got the weakness short-end of the stick.  Anything... ANYTHING... that was yellow, was impervious to being damaged by ring constructs, and they could not be defended against.  Geoff Johns could say ALL he wants that it was due to a power-battery-based parasitic being called Parallax that was CONVIENENTLY yellow, but there's no denying that for 30+ years of Green Lantern history, you could technically assault a Green Lantern Corps member with a package of unwrapped Twinkees, and not be completely defenseless.  Criminals could paint bullets yellow, start developing lasers that would project yellow light, heck... a yellow CROWBAR would still be a fatal development!

Red Tornado (Crippling Self-Doubt)- We've seen how difficult it is for super-heroic androids to transition from questioning their "humanity", to melding fully with their team.  The Vision had those issues.  The original Human Torch had those issues.  But Red Tornado took such self-identity doubts to NEW extremes!  Sure, he audibly bemoaned the lot of life he had as an "unfeeling machine", while VERY OFTEN disproving that to be the case.  But his self-doubt also caused Reddy to risk his life... MANY TIMES... to prove by stupidity-based action that he was TRULY human... and often putting his teammates in the Bronze Age Justice League at risk.  He also made sure that he was injured and blown up as OFTEN as possible, just to prove how "human" and "noble" his true nature was.  Listen, Reddy... You sacrificed yourself in the "Seven Soldiers of Victory" storyline.  That helped cement your "humanity" in the eyes of your fellow heroes.  STOP.  WORRYING.  SO.  MUCH!

Wonder Woman (Bracelets of "Submission")- I know... It's a long-established lore piece for Diana Prince.  I know many writers have taken proper advantage of the effects of what happens when Wonder Woman loses her bracelets.  It's not simply her lacking the ability to play "Bullets and Bracelets".  Y'see, according to comic book Amazonian myth, those very bracelets help to keep Amazon women from going completely BER-SERK.  Reasonable, right?  Well... I still can't shake the feeling that, in the particular run of "Wonder Woman" I am currently reading, the bracelet stabilizing nature isn't so much part of the mythology, as it is almost a reaction of a woman going MENTAL over losing a prize possession.  But then again, as I may eventually write about, ole' Diana Prince had MANY rough years prior to her being reformed after the first "Crisis", and it wasn't just because of her doofy Rogues' Gallery.  Just make sure not to make her remove her earrings, or her bracelets, because buddy... Hell hath no fury equal to a woman scorned... or deprived of her décor!

May Parker (Seemingly WEEKLY Heart Attacks)- I've written, before, about how truly sinister I consider Aunt May's nature!  So wicked that not even DEATH wants her in that afterlife domain!  Still, that doesn't mean there's lack of forces that bring Aunt May to Death's door, at the very least.  I would imagine that you couldn't even count on both your fingers AND toes the number of times May has suffered from cardiac arrest.  It's like the very devious nature of her soul forces her heart to want to just SHUT DOWN.  And all of this medical trauma causes Peter Parker to overly stress, and put him in dire straights from any given super-hero battle.  Y'know, there MAY be something to Aunt May having known for YEARS that Peter was Spider-Man, and to show her loathing for her nephew's selfless actions in the cause of crime fighting, she figured out a way to SHUT HER OWN HEART DOWN to derail his crusading ways.  So it could be argued this infarction tendency is less of a weakness, but a potential STRENGTH.  Oh May... Your evilness knows no depths...

Batman (No REAL Weaknesses)- There is much vocalized hullabaloo about how Batman is the BEST SUPERHERO, because he has no "super powers", and therefore is more noble for fighting crime, and using his physical and mental prowess to put him on equal footing with individuals FAR out of his power league.  But... it's because of some writers' emphasis on this self-made SUPERIORITY that makes him weak, to my reading eyes.  I've mentioned, in the past, that Batman is smack-dab in the middle of my top 5 comic book heroes listing.  I appreciate his legacy, and enjoy his adventures, but there are times where I feel some creators make him TOO "superior" to his general human standards.  Whether it's inexplicably being able to plan ahead for any conflict, despite having NO previous experience with that given threat.  Or maybe it's because he still manages to face overwhelming physical odds, being bloodied and bruised, only to show up in the next story arc with a physical rebound that would make most Warner Bros. cartoon characters BLUSH with envy!  Sometimes, I think, Batman's primary weakness is his overemphasized strengths, which make him VERY difficult to identify with as the exemplar of the "human" Super-Hero.

100-Pages, 100 Posts, And 10 Dream Crossovers!

I know this song lyric is often quoted, but considering that today brings me to my 100th. post, I cannot help but reflect on the Grateful Dead lyric, "What a LOOOONG strange trip it's been".  Comparison and contrast from the start of this blog:

• First post, I started this blog as a way to cultivate my love for comic book culture, and as a coping mechanism for my struggles with finding employment.
• 100th. post, my love for comics has not lessened in the least, and certain television programming has helped ENABLE that love, and as of this past week, I received notice that come 12/15/2014, I'll be starting a new job that will offer more pay and benefits.

It was with some bittersweet feelings that this transition happened, because I WISH I had more time to notify my previous job's coworkers of the changeover, and it will be REALLY weird, later this coming week, when I stop over for my last official job paycheck.  But evolution is far from easy; just ask the Cro-Magnon, or the residents of the pre New-52 DC Universe!  But just because I've reached "100 Pages" in this blog, that by NO means is the end of the book!  I never intended this blog to be a finite project; as long as I love comics, and they provide me with escapism and entertainment, I'll be writing as furiously as ever!  But how to cap off such a milestone?  Well... We shall expand on the genesis of this blog project to begin with!

As some of you may remember, this blog was born NOT FAR OFF from my actual birthday of June 13th., and a self-treat to myself that day gave me the idea of how exciting comic book conversation can be, when I found at a comic shop near my girlfriend's home copies of the TWO "Superman and Spider-Man" tabloid crossovers.  For YEARS, these books were sort of "Holy Grail" items for me.  I did once own copies of these two stories in the "Marvel/DC Crossover Classics" trade, but let's be honest; NOTHING beats the original tabloid presentation.  And the concept of two competing companies crossing over marquee characters for one EPIC meeting never lost its appeal.  ... Despite the fact that both Marvel and DC will probably NEVER engage in such a collaboration, again.  Sigh... Well, we had a fruitful set of years in the mid-70's to early 80's, then another boom in the 90's.  But for every crossover opportunity, including the mini-series "DC Vs. Marvel", there remained MANY missing opportunities.  Stories that, if the companies remained in a collaborative spirit, they could still plumb.  And this 100th. post is dedicated to 10 of the "Dream Projects" I would have wanted to see happen, along with what ideas I had for these special events!

Before I get into the gritty details, I have to thank kindly the permission of Ross from Super-Team Family: The Lost Issues, for the use of sets of images for this post.  I would HIGHLY recommend you readers check out his website, if you aren't familiar with it, already.  Not only is he well-spoken in his posts, but for EVERY SINGLE DAY, he generates some of the most FUN imaginary crossover covers your mind could even fathom!  Seriously, you could lose HOURS exploring this site, and you will make your phone wallpaper very happy with Ross' artwork!  So again, special thanks to him for allowing me to use some of his created artwork for some of my crossover ideas.  Great minds think alike!  So, let us proceed, and in no particular order...

NEW TEEN TITANS AND NEW WARRIORS: If only their "hot" periods had intersected more closely, these two teamings of the Marvel and DC universes' younger champions of justice would have been a genuine blast!  Picture, if you will, Robin/Nightwing trading martial arts counters with Night Thrasher, Changling and Speedball making TERRIBLY sexist remarks about their mutual female team members, Namorita and Starfire... er... "wrestling", and if this was done during the period where Rage was a member of the Warriors, I'm sure he and Cyborg would have a stereotypical "street-smart" character showdown!  But who would be their mutual threat sharing?  Hmm... We COULD go for their two big "powerhouse" villains to start the conflict, like maybe Trigon and the Sphinx.  Unless you wanted to count their first two major villains... but let's be honest: two teams of the most powered "kids" of each universe would not break MUCH of a sweat when facing down Doctor Light and Terrax the Tamer.

AQUAMAN AND NAMOR, THE SUB-MARINER: Kings of the Seven Seas.  Monarchs of the depths.  Men who, at one time or another, BOTH sported long hair and beards... I think the Robinson clan owe Aquaman and Namor MAD PROPS for their general style.  We only got our "toes wet" with a brief meeting between the two characters in the aforementioned "DC Vs. Marvel" miniseries, but what I wouldn't have given for these Atlantean titans to cross paths for one SUPER-SIZED special!  Think of the fun that would ensue when Dorma and Mera would exchange notes about their aquatic squeezes, or when Namorita and Aqualad probably awkwardly flirted.  (I would mention any potential crossings with Aquaman's two noted "finny friends", Salty and Topo, but Namor really NEVER seemed to care to cultivate relationships with his aquatic subjects.)  And of course, we would REALLY see a prime exchange of aquatic prowess between Arthur Curry and Namor, that wouldn't just be limited to a handful of pages.  As for their mutual threats, can't do much worse than the constant thorns in their controlling sides, Ocean Master and Attuma teaming up to overthrow and dispose of their obstacles to absolute sinister rule of the Seven Seas!  In the words of the "Brave and the Bold" Aquaman, "OUTRAGEOUS!".

BLACK CANARY AND BLACK WIDOW: Now this is a tricky one to make happen... Not because of the notion of two of comicdom's most lethal ladies crossing paths, because who WOULDN'T want to see the Mistress of the Canary Cry square off against the carrier of the Widow's Sting bracelets?  But the one iffy point of this crossover is: who would be the villains?  I admit, my recollection of both characters' histories can be rather foggy on their individual basis, so hence coming up with ANY arch-enemies is rather difficult.  If I really HAD to stretch, I do remember Dinah Lance/Queen squaring off against Blockbuster more than a handful of times in "Birds of Prey", and you could always wrangle up one of Natasha Romanov's former Soviet allies, like the Crimson Dynamo, to serve as opposing "muscle".  But if you timed this crossover to just the RIGHT era, you could have Daredevil and Green Arrow show up to exchange notes about their relationships with the femme fatales!  (I imagine Matt Murdock would probably at LEAST want to sock Oliver Queen once for something silly he says.  Or maybe from a blind Green Arrow chili taste-test!)

BEN REILLY "SPIDER-MAN" AND DICK GRAYSON "BATMAN": Interesting that both concepts of "replacing" the "old-guard" were nearly a decade apart.  On Marvel's side, when the "Clone Saga" APPARENTLY wrapped up, Ben Reilly was supposed to step in for the full-time replacement of a retired Peter Parker.  And in the wake of "Final Crisis", when Bruce Wayne was Omega-Beamed REAL GOOD by Darkseid... and thought dead... Dick Grayson took up the mantle of the Batman, with Damien Wayne becoming a difficult Robin with this relationship.  If only these events occurred more closely together in timing, so that we could have seen how a crossover would have looked when we had a Spider-Man that was FAR more self-doubting, meeting a Batman that was a TIDGE more light-hearted than the Bruce Wayne incarnation.  As for their villains to face off against... as much as I LOATHE the Jackal, seeing Dick talk about how much the "Maximum Clonage" version resembled the Joker would be amusing, while Batman could offer that period's take on the Jason Todd "Red Hood" for his foe serving!

GREEN ARROW AND THE PUNISHER: Once upon a time, after Mike Grell's "Longbow Hunters" mini-series, Oliver Queen cultivated a hard-line edge on crime fighting.  Gone were the gimmick arrows, and the lack of a "killer instinct".  And I think that POTENTIALLY he could've seen eye-to-eye with Frank Castle's outlook on crime-fighting, which was let the lead fly, and let the Afterlife sort the scum out!  Of course, the MAJOR risk of a crossover between two characters that, at their particular creative periods, had LITTLE repeat villains, because it's hard to repeat criminals that have bullets... or arrows... in their brains.  But I think SOMETHING could have been worked out, like maybe Green Arrow's sometimes regular sparring partner, Merlyn, and Punisher's cyber-armed baddie, Bushmaster.  But ANOTHER appeal to this crossover is seeing how the more level-headed partners of Green Arrow and Punisher interacted with each other, talking about how difficult it would be to be associated with them; namely Black Canary and Microchip!

X-MEN AND JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL: I know... Some of you are probably saying, "What?  Are you NUTS?!?".  Hear me out: the X-Men are perennially regarded as the "misfits toys" of the Marvel Universe, and when the JLI period of the Justice League existed, they were certainly not what people usually regarded as their traditional "World's Greatest Heroes".  So it stands to reason that a team that was created mostly for interpersonal drama would make for a VERY interesting mix with a team that was created mostly for interpersonal humor!  I don't even think the villain choices would be all THAT important... though it WOULD be fun to see a team of X-Villain "losers" try and mash up with the "Injustice Gang".  Rather, seeing how a team that thrived on angst and alienation meshed with a team that argued and joked about each other would be the TRUE driving force of this crossover!  And c'mon... Just the thought of Guy Gardner and Wolverine butting heads would sell copies in ANY comic period!

WONDER WOMAN AND THOR: Sure, sure... This crossover already KIND of happened twice: "DC Vs. Marvel" and a bit in "JLA/Avengers".  But I would want a REAL crossover between the two mythological figureheads of both companies, the Amazonian princess and the God of thunder.  I would want to see how Diana Prince's Amazon might would stand to the test in a showdown with the Odinson's might and fierce pride!  And I would also REALLY like to see as the foes behind this showdown appear to be their mutual primary trickster thorns in their side, Circe and Loki.  And if you wanted to throw some "muscle" into the mix, you couldn't go much more wrong than giving focus to their primary physical threats, the Cheetah and Ulik.  But this is but ONE part of my Thor Crossover "trilogy", as we then lead on to...

THOR AND THE NEW GODS: For those of you old... or retro... enough to remember "Thor Annual #5", that special featured an epic battle between the Greek and Norse pantheons.  Now, take the basis of that special, and transition it over to the Norse Gods clashing with their potential "Fallout" successors... the Gods of New Genesis and Apokalips... and you have a crossover with more explosive firepower than a Boom Tube!  Thor clashing with Orion!  The Warriors Three good-naturedly meeting with the Forever People!  Lightray and Sif... or maybe even Baldur... being level-headed soothers of hot tempers!  Odin and Highfather trying to seek wisdom in the midst of the chaos most LIKELY instigated by either Loki... or for something different, the Enchantress, and Darkseid!  ... Awesome, I know, right?  Well, see where you stand with the final part of the "Thor"-logy...

SUPERMAN AND THOR: We saw the results of their clashing in "JLA/Avengers", but what about a simple TEAM UP with the two most recognizable powerhouses of their shared universes!  The space-science powers of Kal-El meshing with the mystical musculature of the Odinson!  But this time out, for such a crossover, we would have to fade away from the Loki connection, because even Trickster Gods need SOME vacation time!  So they could go the way of scientific threats for both characters by having the WELL-KNOWN Lex Luthor cross plans with the lesser-known Zarko the Future Man.  Or if you wanted a "Tag Team Slobber Knocker" of a crossover, why not have the mindless menaces of Doomsday and the Destroyer meld to try utterly DEMOLISHING our team of heroes?  DC and Marvel... If you made that happen, you may as well ask for my check RIGHT NOW for a copy.

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA AND THE INVADERS/SGT. FURY AND SGT. ROCK: We end this entry's list with the option of DC's and Marvel's World War II-era titans in a DREAM crossover!  I can't even begin to think about how much fun it would be to see unions of the Axis Powers of BOTH universes be unified against the JSA and the Invaders!  I imagine Per Degaton and Red Skull would have their sticky Nazi fingers in the middle of stirring the pot of first misunderstood conflict among the teams, then assembling allies in a BATTLE ROYALE conclusion!  As an added bonus, to make this maybe an EXTRA-SIZED crossover special, you could include the "grunt's point of view" story with Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos meeting with Sgt. Rock and Easy Company to sling hash... and lead... with the Axis foot soldiers!  Man... The only way this book could be more more Americana fun was if each copy came sealed with a fresh slice of apple pie!

Once more, I wish to thank Ross of Super-Team Family: The Lost Issues for the genesis of this blog entry, and the usage of images.  I cannot say it enough: CHECK THIS SITE OUT!  But if you thought this was the end of this entry...  Oh-ho... NO!  To make this a REAL fun special occasion, I offer up a contest!  Here's what you gotta do: to test your long-time readership of this blog, I have cultivated three questions to ask that relate to this blog's history.  All you have to do is send your answers to ocean1212w@gmail.com, and the first three entries to get ALL THREE questions answered correctly... by, let's say, Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January... will be eligible for prize packages!  I'll announce the winners for the weekend leading up to that particular Monday, and notify them via e-mail of their winning.  What stands for the winning are HUGE packages of various "Wizard Magazine" issues, mixed ridiculous comic lots I pulled from back issue bins, trade paperbacks, and other goodies!  So, if you feel ready to test your meddle, I leave this anniversary entry with a HEARTY thank-you to everyone that's read and supported this personal project of mine, and with the three contest questions!  Have at them, true believers, and keep on flying the Mighty Metal Mikey blogging flame!  'Nuff said!

1. What comics creator has shown up the most in all of my postings?
2. What was the first trade paperback I wrote an entry about?
3. What is the EXTREMELY random price I have mentioned paying for cheap back issues at my girlfriend's nearest LCS?  (A hint, it is FAR from being close to a number that manages to even out.)