"The End" Week: She-Hulk #15!

I've mentioned Savage She-Hulk #25 before, as one of the first last issues I ever read; but Jen is probably more blase about it than most, since I think she would've had, um, like at least four after that and before this one! From 2023, She-Hulk #15, "Girl Can't Help It, part 5" Written by Rainbow Rowell, art by Andres Genolet, color art by Dee Cunniffe. Cover by Jen Bartel.

Jen had spent most of this series getting closer to Jack of Hearts, but had been tempted by the handsome, roguish Scoundrel; who has been revealed as less dashing and more of a cad, as his client Drapurg was going to blow up New York City! Scoundrel was trying to save Jen, for himself; but she can't let NYC blow up, and calls Jack before he crushes her phone. (I don't have the previous issues next to me, but Scoundrel had "magically fortified" powers and a space yacht, so he wasn't coasting entirely on his looks!)

As Drapurg's alien horde attacks the city--I think the plan was, get the super-heroes in fighting them, then blow them all up--Jen's friends, and enemies, in her fighting social "Punch Club" commence punching them. Jen ties up Scoundrel, who was game at first, then races through the fight in Central Park trying to find the hidden bomb, in a fountain. A quick search says there's over 200 in the park, but I think that dumb thing means drinking fountains...it's probably in Bethesda Terrace and Fountain, 'cause that's maybe the first one to show up on Wikipedia! It appears to get destroyed, but Jack was there to absorb all the energy. (The dialog makes it seem like Jack sucked the juice out of it before it blew, but it's drawn more like it exploded and he just took it in, and the fountain was wrecked, so...)

Full of energy, Jack is free to kiss Jen without messing with her gamma powers, then flies off to release the excess energy into the sun. Titania and Ben watch him go, with Titania commenting "holy crap, Walters. You sure like 'em weird," while Ben is surprised Jack wasn't dead...to be continued in Sensational She-Hulk #1! Yet another Marvel relaunch where the first issue got more variant covers than the series got issues; but she'll be back. Read more!

Same, Jen, same.

Although, in continuity, Doc Samson might still think Jen's crazy for talking back to the reader, from way back in Incredible Hulk #442; but she could find a better headshrinker if she wanted! I figure she probably did, in her grimmer grey Hulk series, but today's book is way more colorful and cheery, even if it's still not smooth sailing. From 2022, She-Hulk #3 (LEG #166), written by Rainbow Rowell, art by Rogê Antônio. Cover by Jen Bartel.

I mention the cover, because Jack of Hearts hadn't looked that good in years, and we still didn't get a Marvel Legends of him? Missed a window there. Anyway, Jack looks better, because he wasn't currently dead or zombified or leaking radiation or anything. Although they had some bad experiences when they were on the Avengers together, Jen's put that in the rear-view mirror; and Jack was staying with her for a bit while he tried to figure out what to do with his life. Meanwhile, Jen tries to get back into the law game, which does involve the return of supporting character fave Awesome Andy (rebooted by his boss-slash-girlfriend Mallory Book) but she was hard-pressed for clients, since she was not supposed to be taking superhuman clients. Of course, that goes awry almost immediately, as Ben Grimm calls up trying to beat a leash-law summons--seriously, who would want Lockjaw leashed up? Who hates everything that much? Regardless, by issue #6, Jen would have some quality clients!

Later, Jen calls Hellcat, trying to get some background on Jack of Hearts; and Patsy helpfully volunteers to get Jack's Avengers file, from her then-boyfriend Tony Stark. And Jack discovers, not only can he eat and drink again, he can wear people-clothes and take off his power-containing armor! Jen gives him an oversized tee with a heart on it.

I had to look if it was still running, but this series would wrap at #15, then 10 more issues as Sensational She-Hulk. She and Jack would be a couple for most of it, but I would be surprised if he wasn't sent back into space at the end there, best case.

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If he doesn't get a figure in the next couple years, egg will be on my face. Or half my face maybe.

I don't think I'm one to repeat rumors, but supposedly Jack of Hearts is finally on the list of upcoming Marvel Legends figures: he's probably got a bit of a bump from his recent appearances in She-Hulk, but we're going way back today: from 1978, Marvel Premiere #44, "The Jack of Hearts!" Written by Bill Mantlo, breakdowns by Keith Giffen, finishes by Rudy Nebres.

Headed home from an appearance in Iron Man, Jack of Hearts helps a Coast Guard cutter find some sinking yachters, with the old-school flourish of slipping his 'calling card' into the captain's pocket. Jack displays some of his grab-bag of powers: energy projection, seemingly enhanced senses and intellect--his so-called "computer mind." But his power could build up explosively, to the point that he had to wear his armor 23 hours a day: he could use Tony Stark's "neutro-mist" to negate his powers for an hour. At his home, his late father's mansion, Jack chats with his butler, Martins, a S.H.I.E.L.D. scientist assigned to help him. Martins has a recent letter for him--ooh, perfumed, nice! Except it's from a Corporation assassin, Hemlock, calling him out!

Now, I grant you, I can't think of a logo or sigil for Hemlock, but Jack has one of the most intricate costumes in superhero history, and Hemlock gets...a mostly featureless black outfit: it's either an interesting contrast, or super-lazy. Not sure which. Anyway, Hemlock left his address, in scenic Ithaca, to lure Jack in and get the secret of the "zero fluid" that had given him his powers. (The Corporation had tried to destroy the new energy source, to maintain their fossil-fuel monopoly, but maybe thought it might be nice to have later.) When Jack proves resistant to his poisons, the fight carries into Hemlock's greenhouse, to his regret, as his prize azaleas become a casualty! Hemlock catches Jack by surprise with a hidden "hand-blaster" and knocks him out, but when he tries to cut Jack out of his suit, he releases too much power, and is seemingly killed, or at least knocked out. Jack's a little put out that he didn't learn anything and that wasn't much of a win, but life goes on.

Somehow, I could see that coming up again in She-Hulk: Hemlock returning, blowing up Jen's apartment trying to kill Jack, to avenge his azaleas; Jen suddenly realizing they should see other people...Also this issue: the Dave Cockrum character sheet for Jack, to try and keep him on-model. The GCD points out, George Perez was maybe Jack's first artist, but Keith Giffen had designed him. Man, I'm going to miss him. 

I got this and the Jack of Hearts mini-series from the toy show; I think they were all stamped from Lone Star Comics in Wichita Falls, TX.

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People may be looking for this issue next year. Maybe.

Did I only just this year realize his name was supposed to be pronounced like 'morgue,' or did I know that already but keep forgetting? Anyway, from 1994, Cosmic Powers #5, "The Question is... Which is to Be Master, That's All" Written by Ron Marz, pencils by Tom Grindberg, inks by Don Hudson.

Since I pre-ordered the HasLabs Galactus, I guess I have a Marvel Legends Morg coming, but...I've always felt he was a pale copy of a better herald, Terrax. But if you give Terrax too much nuance--and he didn't have a lot--it can take him out of the role of "mindless cosmic murder thug," and you need a new one; hence Morg. This issue gets a little into his backstory and motivation: a warrior from a barbaric world, where he looked like Conan with male pattern baldness and bad skin, Morg believed in nothing except power. And seeing Galactus as the ultimate power, his loyalty was absolute; although Tyrant is attempting to convince him Galactus wasn't all that.

You may have also forgotten Tyrant, the big-bad from around Silver Surfer #82, which I don't have next to me but don't recall as being great. To build him up as a big deal, Galactus supposedly remembers having fought him centuries prior and acts like he could be a threat again, but I'm not buying it. I almost feel like Galactus could be playing with him, oh noes, not Tyrant, whatever shall I do; and maybe wanted to use him to keep other cosmic forces and his heralds occupied, like a play date or something.

Elsewhere, warrior woman Ganymede has been captured by Thanos and Terrax, but is more than willing to tell them whatever they want to know about her enemy Tyrant. Terrax is bristling at Thanos treating him like a lackey, but come on, man: know your role, and shut your mouth. Likewise, Tyrant gives Morg back the power cosmic, as well as a brain-clamping doodad, and sets him on Thanos. After a few pages of scuffle, Terrax gets into that fight, since he and Morg already hated each other from before. Instead of killing him, Terrax accidentally frees Morg from Tyrant's control; and although he had sworn to kill him, Morg has to get back to Galactus and splits, almost running into the just-arriving Legacy (Genis-Vell) and Jack of Hearts! Jack and Ganymede's relationship definitely moves into the "it's complicated" status, since he's dismayed she would work with Thanos just to get Tyrant. She, not unlike Thanos, was deeply pragmatic: whatever it took. Thanos reaches out to Jack and "the boy," since they were all needed to survive against Tyrant, but Tyrant promises "...you won't." Really feel like that whole sequence needed old-style soap opera dramatic music stings.

Yeah, I kinda think they all survived the next issue, since I know I remember Morg and Tyrant would make it to Silver Surfer #109, in which they and Galactus are all seemingly destroyed by the Ultimate Nullifier. Sure, and if a goat had wheels he'd be a bobsled...or something, I don't know, I'm tired. Galactus just shows up again later and I'm 90% he let everyone think he was dead to get them out of his face for five minutes; but nullification didn't appear to do Morg or Tyrant any good. Morg's corpse--ah, see what they did there--appeared in Annihilation, but Tyrant hasn't been seen since. Read more!

Expanding your mind is one thing, but this is probably a bit much.

Probably the most famous example or theory about the circulation of air molecules, if not the only one anybody's heard of; is that every breath you take, you are probably breathing one molecule that was in Julius Caesar's dying breath. I have to wonder if in the Marvel universe, the Eternals aren't always aware they're breathing in Kronos. From 1991, Quasar #19, "Refugees" Written by Mark Gruenwald, pencils by Greg Capullo, inks by Keith Williams. 

This was the opener for probably the book's greatest epic, the seven-part "Cosmos in Collision," and opens in prolog with the Eternal Kronos. Who, while investigating the "life force" of his people, was blown apart, but didn't die. For five thousand years, his mind and consciousness had been expanding: in volume, he was larger than Saturn, but in density far, far less so. Oddly, today he meets another not unlike him, another virtually immaterial being, who says he has no name, anymore: he explains, "beings jealous of my power forced me to hyper-enlarge," which is technically true. So, what to do with this new existance? Kronos says he used to keep busy with "parochial concerns," as a god to the Eternals of Titan, but as he expanded he seemed to lose focus on them, which meant he wasn't super-paying attention when Thanos rose up. Kronos may have made a bit of an attempt to stop Thanos, but the Mad Titan had returned yet again, and...enh. His new thing, was trying to see Infinity, one of the abstract entities of the universe, which intrigues the newcomer, who immediately leaves, intent on partnering up with one...

Back on earth, Quasar is hanging out with the ex-Squadron Supreme, who were still trapped on our earth, at Project: Pegasus; awaiting a house call from Doctor Strange. Strange warns Quasar he had felt "a presence...something evil," which Quasar worries could be the big threat he had been watching for; but the Squadron interrupts, anxious to return to their earth. Unfortunately, his spell doesn't work, only sending them halfway--literally! Quasar has to pull them back together on this side, as something is blocking their return from the Squadron's earth. Namely, that dimension's new Sorceror Supreme, Dr. Lightner; and Strange had to respect his "proprietorship," that was out of his jurisdiction. Moonglow, the Squadron's magic-user, thinks her son would eventually be able to get them home, but not yet.

Meanwhile, in space, Jack of Hearts is towing a chain of small ships towards earth, refugees and escapees from the Stranger's laboratory planet in Quasar #16. They're a few pages away from arriving, though: Quasar makes an appearance at his security company, where he finds the mysterious Ms. Steckley returned, after being missing for two weeks. He doesn't know she peeked behind the bookcase where his cosmic mentor Eon stays, though, or that she was still in psychic contact with him. Still, she had been neglecting her own well-being, and needed time to recover: back at her place, she undresses for a bath, removing everything including her hair! This would be a big clue to who she really was.

Later, Wendell Vaughn has a date with his secretary Kayla, when of course his bands detect Jack's arrival. Forced to bail, he does the unusual-for-the-time option of being honest, and tells Kayla his secret identity right there, then takes off, leaving her a bit stunned. Finding Jack, Quasar tries to ask what's up, and the often-cranky Jack tells him to piss off, then takes a shot at him. Knocked backwards since he used both hands to shoot at Quasar, Jack breaks a porthole on one of the ships, and the Gargoyle nearly gets sucked into vacuum before Quasar saves him. (Sorry, Gargoyle fans, I think that's it for his appearance in this storyline!) While Jack rants, Quasar realizes what happened to him on the Stranger's planet, but is unwilling to let who knows who loose on earth; including the unstable Jack. He had a pretty standard playbook by then, though, and starts by using his quantum-bands to drain Jack's energy--which he needed to live!

Quasar lets up, not wanting to hurt him, and gets in a bubble with him, intent on getting him medical help. Furious, Jack lashes out, a blast that ricochets around the bubble until it knocks Quasar out. Great, now kill him, suggests a new player: Sergei, better known as the Presence; accompanied by his girl, the second Red Guardian. (I swear she used to be a character in old Defenders comics, but even prior to this had been reduced to little but arm candy, and completely ineffectual or uninterested in stopping the Presence from consistently and repeatedly being a dick.) If Jack won't kill Quasar, the Presence will, then "nothing can stop us from making our presence known to Eon!" First off, using your own alias in a threat like that? I'm not sure if I should be impressed, but there you go. And is the Presence the big-bad Quasar had been waiting for? What's his beef with Eon? Well, there's still a couple issues of this one I haven't blogged, which I'd bet we get to before I get that friggin' Quasar figure... EDIT: Smurfberry crunch, it finally happened: I already blogged this issue, like six years ago! Ugh. We'll be more careful for reruns going forward.

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Faux-Stranger Danger! Space girlfriend relationship trouble! And Definitely-Legally-Distinct-From-Lobo!

Oh, god, I don't have a good feeling about this one: from 1995, Cosmic Powers Unlimited #3, featuring "God Help the Mister -- That Comes Between Me and My Sister" Written by Michael Gallagher and Gregory Wright, art by Sandu Florea, and John Buscema and Geof Isherwood; and "Cutting a Deal!" Written by Lovern Kindzierski, pencils by Daerick Gross, inks by Jim Royal and Chad Hunt. That first title was so bad I think my eyes didn't let me see it at first...

The bones for this one were laid around 1993, when Jack of Hearts visited the Silver Surfer, and got a much-less-distinctive/far-easier-to-draw costume then shacked up with space warrior nun-type Ganymede. Ganymede had thought she was the last of the Spinsterhood, an order of warriors dedicated to destroying the cosmic menace Tyrant; but she and Jack are surprised by the sudden arrival of another, Persephone. She feels like Gany has been slacking off, and should have no time for love; and has a new ally against Tyrant: the Stranger Jakar! Creepy Stranger lookalike/rival. With a cast of Tyrant's hand made from the imprint in his victims, Jakar wants to break into his vault and steal some doo-dads. Without any permission, he uses Jack as a distraction, leaving him to fight Tyrant's Autobots (hey!) while the Spinsters get the thingus. At which point, Jakar ditches them! Then Ganymede ditches Jack, since she can't leave her mission against Tyrant, and a furious Jack takes off to kick Tyrant's ass himself.

And we should take an intermission between the first and second parts, so you can go find Silver Surfer #109. No rush. Tyrant and Morg were seemingly slain there (or at least sucked into a hole or something) so now Jack thinks he could maybe have another shot with Ganymede. The Surfer is more concerned about that sketchy Jakar, and they go take away the "globe of knowledge" he had taken, which the Surfer destroys, even though Jack thinks he could've used it to find his girl. As is often the case, the Surfer is somewhat emotionless, while Jack storms off in a huff. Jack wouldn't appear the next two issues of this series, and this might've been the last appearance of Ganymede to date. Maybe Jack never found her again. Weird that she doesn't seem to have appeared in the background in a Guardians of the Galaxy book or anything.

Also this issue: Lunatik and his mouthy sidekick Skreet shop for a new ride. Instead of a smancy space hog-cycle like Lobo, he's taken with a "pan-galactic dog sled": we saw the 'dogs' with Quicksilver, years back! Lunatik is pleased with himself for beating a good price out of the sales manager, but Skreet points out he only bought the sled, she won the 'dogs' playing cards. Which the dogs were also playing. Did they lose themselves? Ah, I'm giving this too much thought. Read more!

I hadn't read this one before, so it was a neat surprise: from 1978, Iron Man #112, "Moon Wars!" Written by Bill Mantlo, pencils by Keith Pollard, inks by Alfredo Alcala.

This feels more like a Thor plot than one for Iron Man, as it wraps up a storyline with the Rigellian Colonizers versus the Knights of Wundagore, hence Shellhead on one of those neat atomic steeds. Tony does have to work a bit harder than Thor would, though; since he can't fly from the moon to earth as easily, even while chasing the Punisher! Not Frank, the original Punisher, the robot thug Galactus used in Fantastic Four #49. How the Rigellians got it; well, you'd probably have to find the earlier chapters.

Also this issue: Jack of Hearts! The Soviet Super-Soldiers! And a Fred Hembeck letter! He had been enjoying Mantlo's stint on the title, but most fans are probably more familiar with the David Michelinie/Bob Layton era, which would start with #116.

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Saturday Hastings had a sale, all used books $2.99--not graphic novels this time around, but I've picked over their selection already! Along with a couple Star Wars novels, I got the newest two Stephen King books, Finders Keepers and Revival. I'm not sure when either came out, and may have only read Mr. Mercedes and 11/22/1963 earlier this year, too. King will probably have another two books out by the time I finish these, and I read like a chainsaw...

Somewhat more germane to this blog, though, I did pick up a solid ten bucks worth of quarter books...over forty, yeah. Admittedly, some are replacing books I may have lost, or at least didn't have handy, because for a quarter why not? And here's one I love, even though that's not my favorite costume of his: from 1991, Quasar #19, "Refugees" Written by Mark Gruenwald, pencils by Greg Capullo, inks by Keith Williams.

The story begins with a visit to the disembodied consciousness of the Eternal Kronos: some five thousand years ago, as he experimented to discover the secrets of the Eternals' life-force, he was blown apart, his molecules and mind expanding through the universe ever since. At this point, although possessed of vast cosmic power, he's also lost a bit of focus, as he explains to a visitor he meets; a being who seems to share Kronos's discorporeal existence. The visitor declines to give his name, saying only "beings jealous of my power forced me to hyper-enlarge myself," then letting Kronos go on. Kronos recounts his origin, and how he used to be a "benevolent god" to the Eternals on Titan, but has had a hard time caring anymore, even though he knows Thanos has returned and might be on his way to destroy the universe. Instead, Kronos spends most of his time trying to catch a glimpse of Infinity, one of the abstract entities of the Marvel Universe like Eternity. The nameless one realizes these abstracts might be able to back him, and resolves to make Thanos look like a piker: a bold statement, although he may want to work up some name recognition first.

Meanwhile, back on earth, Quasar is hanging out with the Squadron Supreme, who had been trapped in this dimension for some time. Doctor Strange makes a house call--oh, I'm sure he never gets tired of hearing that--to Project: Pegasus to try and help the Squadron get home. Strange is only able to get them halfway there, though, since he's getting pushback from their home dimension's Wizard Supreme. Now a jurisdictional issue, Strange is unable to help, and the disgruntled Squadron settle in. Elsewhere, Jack of Hearts gets probably his first splash page in years, as he tows several small ships to earth.

As Wendell Vaughn, Quasar visits his friends at his small security company, including bizarre new hire Miss Steckley, who disappeared for two weeks. Unknown to everyone, she saw behind Quasar's bookcase, where he keeps his cosmic mentor, Eon. Eon communicates telepathically with Ms. Steckley, who takes off her hair before taking a bath...! Quasar finally has a date with his secretary Kayla, who's really into him, but he keeps having to run off on emergencies. This time when one comes up, he just tells her, explaining his secret identity, and how he has to be on the lookout for an extraterrestrial threat to earth. "I'll take you flying, like in the Superman movie." Meeting Jack of Hearts at the edge of earth's atmosphere, Quasar asks him what's up with the ships, and a cranky Jack isn't the mood to talk about it. Against energy-based foes, Quasar usually used his quantum-bands to drain their power, but doing so nearly kills Jack and he lets up. Intending to get him to medical help, Quasar puts them both in a bubble, and Jack sucker-blasts him. Next, a helmeted figure Jack calls "Sergei" tells him to kill Quasar, so they can make their presence known to Eon...

If you had been reading Marvel Comics for some time, the nameless one, Ms. Steckley, and Sergei were all established characters; and you could have guessed them. I should've recognized the nameless one, since I actually had the issue where he had been discorporated! Ms. Steckley's reveal will leave you hitting your head "of course!" Sergei just isn't referred to by name here: he's the radiation-powered Russian villain the Presence, who is a total dick every time I see him even though he's usually accompanied by his girl. The second Red Guardian seems to have been attached to him just to mitigate his horribleness and is wasted there. By the way, we saw a little from Quasar #23 some time back: no spoilers, but things get much worse for Quasar before they get better!
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