Today, Lord Abyss checks the status of his evil plan...

...and instead finds Adam Warlock "battling a giant warthog!" in today's book: from 1994, Warlock and the Infinity Watch #28, "Chaos at the U.N.!" Written by Jim Starlin, pencils by Jeff Moore, inks by Tim Dzon. (And I just noticed "awsome" is misspelled on the cover!)

The Avengers had been sent to Monster Island to fight the Infinity Watch, at the behest of U.S. Senator Munson, because the Watch had formed an alliance with the Mole Man to help him protect his sovereignty. After the prerequisite scuffle, the Avengers had come to agree; although Abyss's agent Lady Maya had accidentally been knocked out by Hercules. (She, and Abyss's plan, would continue next issue; but I find it hard to believe Herc knocked her out...not very gentlemanly.) As Munson speaks at the United Nations, declaring the Avengers murdered by Warlock; he, Captain America, and the Vision show up. Warlock makes a brief speech as much as threatening the U.N. to leave the Mole Man be, and then points out that Munson...

...is really his old foe the Man-Beast! Go, Man-Beast! Manny and his henchman, warthog-man Triax, immediately attack. Not because they were caught in a lie, but because the Man-Beast hates him some Adam Warlock. He had pretty much ruled the High Evolutionary's Counter-Earth, until a young Adam wrecked that for him--with some help from the Hulk!

Warlock beats Triax down handily, even laying some smack talk on him, and then he and Man-Beast punch it out for three solid (and not especially well-illustrated...) pages. Adam considers killing his old foe, but Cap convinces him to have poor Manny thrown in the Vault or something. (Worryingly, Man-Beast is an alien, evolved animal: I'm not sure he'd have a ton of civil rights...) Taking his leave of the Avengers and the U.N., Adam returns to Monster Island, where Pip the Troll tells him he has "other fish to fry," since Maya has regained consciousness...sadly, Moore may not have gotten the reference material from previous issues, and doesn't draw that great-looking bottle of wine seen prior.
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"They Shoot Hulks, Don't They?" is a helluva weird B-side for this.

We mentioned creepy bug villain Psyklop a while back, and I managed to pick up a fresh copy of this one:

Reprinting Avengers #88, Incredible Hulk #140 and #142. The first two were co-written by Harlan Ellison and feature Psyklop and the Hulk's first visit to the sub-atomic world of his love Jarella, while the latter is a odder duck, in which a fundraiser for the Hulk (guest-starring Tom Wolfe!) leads to the Enchantress and the Valkyrie!

From the same eBay seller, I snagged this Marvel Illustrated Books reprint of Giant-Size X-Men #1, backed with 'Psi-War!' from Uncanny X-Men #117. I know I had others of these paperbacks, like the two Star Wars paperbacks reprinting the British Marvel weekly comics...I know I had more! There's also an Avengers: Origin of the Vision one with a great cover: I already have those issues, and it's already too spendy, but a great cover...
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As good an excuse for Mike Parobeck's Man-Bat as any...

I was out for a couple days last week...and a couple more this week! Couldn't get them all off in a row, but taking the Youngest to some Apple thing where he can learn to edit videos and whatnot. Better he make his own YouTube nonsense than sit around watching it...

I miss this run so much: from 1993, the Batman Adventures #11, "The Beast Within!" Written by Kelley Puckett, pencils by Mike Parobeck, inks by Rick Burchett.
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"Stinkmonkey."

Kurt is not tied up especially well there. I don't think Kraven is at all curious what the guys are doing in space: if he can't hunt it, kill it, and mount it on his wall, he's not particularly interested. Actually, I'm not sure Kraven's even a big trophy guy, either. Sure, he'd love to kill Spider-Man, but he may or may not literally want his head. Maybe? I don't know if I've seen Kraven show any particular tendencies towards conservation.

I've had that Predator for some time, and NECA has done a bunch since: there's always the idea of getting a few of them for a little hunting party. Maybe sometime.
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2015, year of the Build-a-Figure!

We're two-thirds of the way through the year, and Hasbro's put out Marvel Legends figures in a quantity I don't think we've seen since Toy Biz's last year with the Marvel license, back in 2006. Along with con and store exclusives, five series have been released so far--six if the second batch of Spider-Man figures have turned up in your neighborhood--so we're up to five Build-a-Figures for the year! Wait, did I say five...?

The Captain America: the Winter Soldier figures came out in 2014, but I didn't finish the Mandroid until January of this year. Although you could build it by purchasing six figures, the case assortments split: the A.I.M. Soldier and Baron Zemo both came with an arm, as did the Hydra Soldier and the Red Skull. (I used the extra arms with my Iron Monger pieces!) The Stealth Suit Cap and the Winter Soldier weren't high on my list to get, but when I was found them for a few bucks off I grabbed both.

2015's first Build-a-Figure was the Allfather Odin! Or, alternately, you could build King Thor. Did anyone? Beats me! Odin's a bit static, because of the big cape; but the figure moves well enough for the character. Odin could be built with only five figures--but not the ones I wanted! Captain Marvel and Machine Man came with King Thor parts, while Scarlet Witch and Sentry came with the equivalent Odin pieces.

Given a choice, I might've passed on Sentry and Iron Fist, but they were worth getting for Odin. I grabbed the whole lot at once, from a local Wal-Mart at five in the morning, before they were hung on the pegs. (Incidentally, the Hawkeye figure which comes with the torso piece, is double-packed in a case: I mention it because I visited another Wal-Mart that had no less than ten.)

Although I had a few of the Thanos parts first, Hobgoblin was my next Build-a-Figure completed: I ordered the entire case from Hasbro Toy Shop. This left me with a spare Anti-Venom and "Pizza" Spidey; I gave Anti-Venom to one of my nephews, but kept Spidey because the first one's neck joint was popping out. Hobby is an odd duck for me: I'm not terribly familiar with this redesign; and the wings are on there unless you want to remove the arms, which I wouldn't recommend. The flaming sword is also slightly flimsy, and I don't know where I put his pumpkin grenade, either.

I really wanted the Spidey, Spider-Man 2099, and Daredevil figures from this series, to the point that I was willing to grab the whole case. The Spider-Girl wasn't bad, and Anti-Venom was surprisingly fun even though I didn't know anything about the character. The Ultimate Spider-Woman was disappointing, but maybe she'll come in handy later.

Next, Thanos! I really wanted Hellcat and Batroc, then thought maybe Spider-Woman was a worthwhile upgrade from the old Toy Biz one--mine had insanely loose hips! And of course then I decided I needed Thanos himself, which meant shelling out for Age of Ultron-style Hulk, Cap, and Iron Man. Then you have the toss-up between whether this Thanos is quantifiably better than the cheaper, not-terribly hard to find Marvel Select version.

On the other hand, the Hulkbuster Iron Man? So good it's worth buying all the other characters in the series! Even Blizzard! Actually, I rarely mind getting another villain; but most of the rest were modernizing or upgrading characters I already had: Valkyrie, Vision, War Machine, and Doctor Strange. They're all nice figures, but it may depend how attached you are to their older (or more classic) looks; or whether you enjoy them enough to buy them again. Thundra was a new character as far as getting a Marvel Legends figure (as was Blizzard) and I'm not sure if she's anyone's favorite even out of this series; but I was glad to have her.

I got a deal on the case, from Hasbro Toy Store again, which left me with a spare War Machine for my nephews. Who now have to convince my sister to buy them the rest of the figures...

Lastly, for now, we have Ultron! I thought Avengers: Age of Ultron was alright, if not as good as the first movie (or Guardians, or Winter Soldier...or Ant-Man) and he's probably the weakest of the BAF's so far. His somewhat glum face reminds me of Groot, but not in a good way: Ultron's face should've been more eeee-vil. Not as detailed, paint not as good, slightly disappointing design; yet I still had to get Bulldozer and Giant-Man to finish him! I had a gift card that alleviated the cost somewhat, but the normal-sized Giant-Man leaves me a bit cold so far; and I'd enjoy Bulldozer more if I had ever even seen the rest of his Wrecking Crew! (Maybe I saw Piledriver in the wild, but that was about it.)

In this series, I grabbed Tiger Shark and Grim Reaper immediately; then Ant-Man, then Wasp. Four out of six leaves a lot of Build-A-Figure parts, and if they had been readily available on eBay I might've snagged the last two there; but getting the figures doesn't hurt anything. They could always go to eBay later themselves.

I'm certain these aren't the last Marvel Legends I'll get this year: the upcoming Walgreens exclusive Daredevil comes with an unmasked Matt Murdock head, which just sold me on either a Chameleon or an Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Coulson for the suit body. But will I go all in for the Rhino? And are more figures still to come in 2015? Time will tell.
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Wow, the Ant-Man movie took a lot of liberties from the source material...

From "The Amazing Ant-Man" in 2000 AD #640, reprinted in Dredd Rules #8. Story by Alan Grant, art by Carlos Ezquerra. As young Henry Pymm takes his genetically-engineered ants for 'walkies,' Judge Dredd tails a drug supplier who has a run-in with Pymm's pets. Things go a bit sideways after that.

This issue also reprints some other fun Dredd short stories with allusions to other comic books, including "Curse of the Spiderman" and "Kirby's Demon."

Picked this up, along with a ton of other books, at Kalispell Comics! If you're in the Glacier Park area, check 'em out!

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It's getting old. By which I mean me.

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On vacation!

Out for a couple days, so have a good weekend!

(Cover from a rough copy of Charlton's Kid Montana #46--is it Kid Montana or Montana Kid? Well, either or.)
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"Beamover."

I wrote this strip over a month ago, and finished it July 7; but the new Spider-Man Legends Infinite Kraven the Hunter may be out by now...and while he doubtless outclasses this old Kraven, I think some collectors are going to miss this crazy bastard. I wanted to give him a sendoff, but how would Kraven the Hunter get to space? You could probably guess if you really thought about it: I cheat a little, and a non-Marvel character guests next time!

Also this week: Deadpool continues a running gag that I think has so far gone the entire length of the Stars My Aggravation...every episode we see Pool with a gun, it's a different one than the last time.

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A warning: I was going to say this issue gets dark, quickly; but it pretty much starts from there and goes deeper. From 1985, Incredible Hulk #312, "Monster" Written by Bill Mantlo, art by Mike Mignola and Gerry Talaoc, with a cover from Mignola and Bill Sienkiewicz.

I mentioned wanting this issue almost a year ago when we checked out #310, and I thought this would be in the same vein, a bit of a laugher: the mindless, savage Hulk, still trapped in the extradimensional Crossroads; his only companions the manifestations of his mind. Namely Glow, Goblin, and Guardian. They might be symptoms of bigger psychological problems, but seemed mostly played for comedy; or so Mantlo would have someone to dialog besides the Hulk's inarticulate growling. Here, we see their secret origins, along with the birth of Bruce Banner. His father, Brian, seems an almost-stereotypical drunk at first, in the waiting room as his wife delivers; but he wonders if his research in atomic radiation might not have altered his genes somehow. The term mutant isn't thrown around for a bit, but Brian goes with another m-word: "Monster."

Bruce's mother Rebecca is attentive and doting, and Bruce associates her with a star-shaped mobile over his crib: the inspiration for Glow. Brian resents Bruce taking Rebecca's attention away from him, and tries to monopolize her, leaving Bruce with an uncaring nanny, who Bruce sees as a Goblin. His beloved doll, however, protects him, his Guardian. At four years old, Bruce snuck down Christmas morning and opened one of his presents: an erector set, which the young genius took to immediately. Seeing his son's handiwork, instead of pride, Brian is convinced Bruce is a "freak" and the radiation altered his son's mind. Rebecca defends Bruce and is struck, as is Bruce.

The scene jumps ahead to Bruce's high school days, where he's a hard-working student...that would make Peter Parker seem like Mr. Popular. He's also being raised by his aunt, since Brian had killed Rebecca. Brian had been declared "temporarily insane," and released; giving him the opportunity to assault Bruce at Rebecca's grave. He proclaims that he will expose Bruce as a mutant, but Bruce doesn't care, his father's already done enough.

Next, at GammaDesert Base, Bruce is welcomed by Betty Ross, and sees the same Glow in her that he did in his mom. They talk about his old doll, Guardian, before its arm is torn by General Thunderbolt Ross, in one of his most horrible appearances ever: Ross both praises Brian Banner as a "real man," even defending him after Bruce flat-out tells Ross he was a murderer. Ross also starts referring to Banner as a "milksop" not thirty seconds after meeting him, but his opinion had probably been formed long before.

In the present at the Crossroads, Guardian, Goblin, and Glow discuss how they've done everything they could to help the Hulk and Bruce; and now Bruce is going to have "t'come out from hidin' inside the Hulk an' reclaim his life again!" Which is why the Beyonder finds Bruce a complete wreck at the end of the issue, and resolves to help him...Along with the mandatory Secret Wars II crossover, Mantlo, Mignola, and Talaoc (who sound like Silver Age monsters in a classic Marvel story!) would only have one more issue on Incredible Hulk. During a crossover with Alpha Flight, they would trade titles permanently with John Byrne! Byrne would only stay for six issues, though; Mignola would stay with Alpha Flight for four issues (maybe five, he penciled part of #47) and Mantlo until #67.
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I want to say this has four times as many villains as usual...

The cover proclaims "3 Villains so mighty it takes 19 heroes to fight them in the..." Giant Justice League of America #148, "Crisis in Triplicate!" Written by Martin Pasko (with an assist from Paul Levitz), art by Dick Dillin, ink by Frank McLaughlin.

And they don't even count the Legion's bad guy Mordru! He started the plot the previous issue, bringing the JLA to the 30th century, in order to rediscover the mystic artifacts the Wheel, the Jar, and the Bell. They had been onboard the JLA's satellite, but lost when it was destroyed after the 20th century. (This was written in 1977, the Satellite would be destroyed in Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1985.) Mordru releases the Demons Three--Abnegazar, Rath, and Ghast--who promptly turn on him, and hypnotize some of the Legion of Super-Heroes to put Mordru's giant spirit-form back in his imprisoned body. Which would be a problem, since Green Arrow and Black Canary were trapped in Mordru's beard--no, Mordru's hourglass necklace, sorry. That sounds better.

Still, despite being together for centuries, the Demons Three are torn on what to do now: Abnegazar has tired of constantly fighting humanity, and just wants to live in peace in the 30th century. Rath wants to pillage and conquer the future; and Ghast wants to go old-school and completely destroy it, as it was in the "before-time." But their powers may not work on each other, so they decide to battle via proxies, champions. Abby gets the Legion (or a few members) while Rath gets the Justice Society and Ghast gets the Justice League. Each team is hypnotized in a different way, and throw down for most of the rest of the issue; with GA and Canary rescued since Ghast realizes his team was down a couple guys.

Wildfire and Superman pick up their rivalry from when Supes was a boy, Dr. Fate is reduced to just a mask (or possibly just a head) for a bit, Batman takes a rough-looking sucker-punch from Chameleon Boy. Still, Ghast hadn't hypnotized his guys hard enough, and Power Girl was able to resist the hypnosis entirely, so by throwing some fights they convince the Demons to attack each other directly again, and Ghast destroys the other two.

Dr. Fate had already put Ghast's defeat into motion, though; by absorbing the magic of the other two demons, and using it to recreate Ghast's prison...the JLA satellite! Which may or may not still be orbiting 22,300 miles above earth today!...in the 30th century. Give or take some reboots. This is like the fifth JLA/JSA crossover issue I've bought where I don't have the prior chapter, and I think I still have another where I only have part one!



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I didn't set out to get all Madcap's early appearances, but here we are.

Today, safety lessons your mom should've taught you! The definition of "'sponsible"! And how long it takes two super-powered children to realize someone's not right in the head, in 1988's Power Pack #34, "Child's Play" Written by Howard Mackie, art by Larry Alexander and Louis Williams, inks by Tony DeZuniga.

Katie, the youngest of the Power Pack, is bored out of her mind, and gets in trouble for trying to pull a practical joke on her older brother Jack. Meanwhile, at Four Freedoms Plaza, the visiting Franklin Richards is likewise bored, and gets in trouble for trying to pull a practical joke on the Human Torch, and nearly getting disintegrated in his father's lab. Franklin's age and power levels seem to vary wildly, but today he seemed younger than usual, and had the power to appear elsewhere in a "dream form," so he visits Katie. Together, they catch an episode of the Madcap Mystery Hour!

Presumably the show was public access, but I could see it catching on. Katie and Franklin decide Madcap would be a fun guy to hang out with, and with their powers they're able to find him for a visit. And Madcap's game for running around with super-powered children, since he's crazy. Madcap sticks his head in a garbage truck, squashing it and his hat flat, but both recover: Madcap has a healing factor, I'm not sure what the hat's excuse is...Madcap tells the kids the pursuit of fun is the only thing that matters, and gets them all sticks to play pirate. The kids point out their respective moms told them not to run with sticks, lest they poke an eye out, so naturally...

When Madcap turns his insanity power on the crowds, the kids have to try to keep anyone from getting hurt. Katie has to swipe a Porky Pig-like mask, to protect her identity, as Madcap interferes with a bank robbery. But the kids both learn responsibility...from the example of someone utterly without it.

I think there have been a few stories with an aged-up Power Pack: getting most of them up to tweenage, maybe? And Alex has shown up in Fantastic Four in recent years. Still, if this issue had been written today, it probably would've featured Deadpool in Madcap's role...even though there are probably laws in place to keep Pool away from kids.
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"Patent Pym'ing."

Question: In regular Marvel continuity, how many people have stolen Hank Pym's tech? Not used or borrowed; straight-up jacked? I'm pretty sure Hawkeye started that ball rolling when he helped himself to Hank's serum to become Goliath. Bill Foster got the Pym particle formula when he worked with Hank, but I don't know if he had permission to use it as Black Goliath. Eric Josten, the mercenary known as Power Man, Goliath, or Atlas; he definitely stole it; as did Ant-Men Scott Lang and Eric O'Grady. Rita DeMara stole the Yellowjacket uniform and used it as a member of the Masters of Evil and then as a Guardian of the Galaxy...before being horribly murdered. Stature got her powers from stealing Pym particles from her dad Scott, and Tom Foster stole it from Avengers Mansion.

It seems like Pym's work is swiped, a lot--I mean, how often is Iron Man armor stolen? (The tech on occasion, but full-on armor?) Anyway, still haven't seen Ant-Man, and don't know if I'll be able to get in this weekend. Still, found a Walgreen's exclusive Ant-Man/Black Ant, at like the sixth Walgreens I checked.
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"Balance."

I wrote this strip about the same time composer James Horner died: although probably best known for Titanic and being at least partially responsible for "My Heart Will Go On," he did the scores for Star Trek II and III. And then he got big and didn't cost out for those anymore...I've had the Star Trek II CD for years, and however many times you think I might've listened to it...go ahead and multiply that by like a million.

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