While titles like DC Comics Strange Sports Stories are no more, there still seems to be a fair amount of superheroes playing baseball. Or, at least there was. Really don't see the Dark Avengers playing a game on a sunny afternoon. Can't even picture that lot out in the daytime, honestly. But maybe it's time for superhero teams to play ball again. To take a day off from Civil Wars and Secret Invasions and Battles for Cowls and remember that it's not all bad. There's still hot dogs and cold beer and sunny afternoons and friends. Friendly competition, and competition making friends. Think about it, won't you?
...or don't: I broke my thumb playing ball as a kid--well, that's not strictly accurate: I was hit by a wild pitch during practice, and that was the end of my ball-playing days. To be fair, I was pretty bad, but in theory could've got better that year...probably not, but still.
Anyway, new strip on Sunday that possibly maybe has something to do with this. And it's a special occasion for here, so I'd better get going on it. Possibly more baseball tomorrow: another X-Men game, but not one most of you will remember!
Panel one from X-Men Annual #7, "Scavenger Hunt" Plot and script by Chris Claremont, pencils by Michael Golden, inks for that page Michael Golden.
Panel two from West Coast Avengers Annual #2, "Death and Texas!" Story by Steve Englehart (with "creative kibitzing from Mark Gruenwald, editor and Tom Defalco, scripter of the East Coast Annual") and art by Al Milgrom. The conclusion in Avengers Annual #16 is better, and I had forgotten Defalco wrote that.
Page three from JLA #76, "Picking Up the Pieces" Written by Joe Kelly, pencils by Lewis La Rosa, inks by Al Milgrom. A quiet issue after the Obsidian Age storyline, with several team members leaving the book: Plastic Man, J'onn J'onzz, Aquaman, and Kyle Rayner. J'onn and Plas would be back before the end of Kelly's run.
Page four from Uncanny X-Men #379, "What Dreams May Come..." Story by Alan Davis, pencils by Tom Raney, inks by Scott Hanna; and we'll be coming back to this issue later, too.
Ha! I had that X-men comic (first panel), with them playing baseball. Isn't that the one where Air Force One is flying overhead, Rogue chases after a pop-fly hit by Colossus and ends up making kissy-face at Ronald Reagan through the plane window?
ReplyDeleteAh, yes. Back when the X-men were FUN.
That was Uncanny X-Men #201, which I have at my desk at work! A reprint came with the Cyclops Marvel Legends figure, which didn't seem very fair, since Storm kicks his ass sideways that issue.
ReplyDeleteMan, the X-Men play a lot of baseball: I have one more I'll scan later, but I didn't even connect this one!
Baseball seems to be THE superhero sport, probably because the various positions can showcase powers in a variety of ways (hitting, running, catching, pitching, stealing, etc.)
ReplyDeleteI remember the New Mutants also playing, and probably others. And Deep Space 9.