This is:

A. Two guys that laugh at but secretly envy Rom.

B. The reason Robocop can't work in comics and Deathlok can't work in movies, respectively.

C. About two hours of not blogging. Hooray for productivity!

D. Highend for their time, but I'm pretty sure the iPod Nano has more memory, and in Deathlok's case, more killpower.

The day after Thanksgiving I picked up Robocop on DVD to replace my VHS copy. While it was under four bucks at Wal-mart, I was a little disappointed this version didn't have any deleted scenes, such as the extended version of the ED-209 gunning down an executive during a demonstration. Admittedly, I have little right to expect more than the bare-bones film for $4, but since the extras were already out there they would have been nice to have.

In case it's not obvious, Robocop is one of my favorite movies ever, and definitely my favorite Christ allegory. Seriously. The scene where Murphy's gunned down by the gang led by Foreman's dad is the crucifixion. Watch it again, and for God's sake pay attention this time. (I did in fact write a crappy paper on this in college, but director Paul Verhoeven actually did have that in mind.)

Of course, sharp-eyed comics fans will have noticed a robber pick up an issue of Rom before attempting to knock over a convenience store, but Robocop has more in common with Deathlok there: both are from rather unpleasant cautionary-tale futures, both have unpleasantly invasive computers, and most importantly, both weren't volunteers, Rom was. Of course, in his last issue Rom regains his humanity, something Robocop and Deathlok probably never will. They aren't in that kind of story.

Anyway. The camera was a birthday-Christmas present from my folks, and is full of pictures of my wife and those kids, but I won't be putting those up here. I do intend to do more toy related nonsense, and will hopefully get better word balloons going in the future. Any tips, let me know. Read more!

Although I'm not a big fan, I would absolutely buy this Sub-Mariner's comics.

Namor isn't a character that I traditionally follow, at least not since the first dozen issues or so of John Byrne's version. Partially it's because I first saw him as a Fantastic Four villain, and to me he's always going to be that rich prettyboy trying to steal Sue Richards. It's also because Namor's undersea kingdom of Atlantis is just as boring and not thought out as Aquaman's, except for a marginally better rogues' gallery. (Tiger Shark and Attuma beat out Black Manta and Ocean Master, but I can't think of a C-list bad guy for Namor equivalent to the Fisherman...)

That said, I do enjoy his guest spots and appearances, since the Sub-Mariner's usually a jerk, and it's entertaining to see him interact/fight with other characters. Then I re-read this story, and it was a Sub-Mariner that probably would have sold better than Marvel's Tsunami try: "The Shark People" From Young Men #25, reprinted in Giant-sized Defenders #2: with Subby's creator Bill Everett on story and art. This is both from and set in the fifties, which means I'm not really sure if or how this would fit into Marvel continuity: it would be after he fought in WWII with the Invaders, but before he lost his memory and ended up on skid row. But Namor looks older in a lot of his Invaders-era appearances, although that might just be his triangular-shaped head, so we'll let that go.

The story opens with a young woman cutting in line for the Staten Island ferry, cutting all the way to the front and jumping in. A cop dives after her, but all he finds is her clothes. Later the harbor is dragged, but no body is recovered, nor is any clue found on the clothes. Namor and his 'friend' Betty Dean read the story in the papers.


Fun fact: Namor's always liked the blondes. "The notorious Sub-Mariner" here seems like a rich foreign prince who's lived abroad for so long that he's at home now. Namor and Betty's relationship is kind of open to interpretation, though: she was a policewoman who stood up to him and tried to bring him in; and he respected her courage. Yes, lots of guys will hang out for years, scrap invasion plans, and join the Allied powers because they respect a woman's courage...it seems more like Namor was smitten, and pursued her; but without getting creepy like (I've heard) the Ultimate version.

Namor decides to investigate the disappearance, and finds a body after searching for one panel: a bum, chewed up like a shark had attacked, but on the dock, dry as a bone. Next is possibly the weirdest thing to see: Namor calls and works with the cops. I think under the Comics Code back then heroes had to co-operate with 'the authorities,' but today Namor would strike out on his own, find the body, end up under suspicion of murder, and have to fight the cops for at least an issue and a half. Namor checks the water, but as he expects, finds nothing: the water's too cold for sharks.

Further south, however, the water is warm enough, and a small boat is capsized with no survivors. The shark attack isn't graphic, but the screams are chilling. (Of course, they're chilling to someone who grew up hundreds of miles from the ocean yet was still afraid of sharks after Jaws came out. I was six! And sharks are scary!) Namor meets with a friend in the Coast Guard, investigating the remains on the beach, with a ton of onlookers and gawkers. You might think they would want to study mangled corpses in, I dunno, a morgue or something; rather than have them laid out like chum at the fish market, but what do I know. Namor doesn't know why the boat would overturn, although I'm not sure why someone who swims underwater all the time would necessarily know what is and isn't seaworthy.


In answer to Namor's boating question, a smirking, weird-necked onlooker explains, ala the MST3K version of Attack of the Giant Leeches, that maybe the sharks were so hungry they swamped the boat themselves, to get at the yummy "rich, human flesh!" within. Namor calls B.S. and "you talk like a lunatic--who are you, anyway?" but he's already disappeared.

Apparently so perplexed by the whole affair that he's still in the same spot eight hours later, Namor figures "This whole deal is screwy! There's something unnatural about these shark attacks!" Well, duh. Luckily, he sees the weird guy from earlier, stripping down and going into the ocean. Namor thinks he must be looking for something in the surf, and goes in after to help; a surprising attitude from one of Marvel's foremost jerkwads. Once in, he finds no sign of the man, but is attacked by a shark, which Namor kills by ripping it's jaws back.


The next morning, the body of the strange man is found washed ashore, "His face is split open--his jaws ripped apart completely! What caused it!" Gee officer, maybe the guy standing next to you, that can breathe underwater and has super-strength, could be a suspect? Namor is starting to piece things together, but wisely doesn't mention killing a shark in such a manner the night before. "Right now this case before you looks like homicide---someone killed that man---but before I'm through---well---go ahead and report it as suspected murder!" That too doesn't sound like anything you would want to tell a cop, but the officer at the scene seems completely befuddled, Barney Fife of the beach. Get all those sightseers in close for a look, too!

Later that evening, Namor may or may not have left the beach in three days, which is just like a kegger I remember. Well, by 'remember' I mean, 'was told about when I regained consciousness,' or possibly 'pieced together from the police reports.' Anyway, Namor is plotting a trap when he sees a girl wading out of the surf, where there were no swimmers before. Surprised, the girl asks Namor what he wants; and Namor says he's got a theory about the sharks and how to exterminate them; which should be easy because Greenpeace was years away and doesn't give a whale's ass for non-cute, meat-eating creatures. The girl is horrified, but Namor presses on: the sharks are monsters, may be part human, and the girl may be one of them. Caught, she attacks, but is quickly subdued. Namor threatens to keep her on shore "till you shrivel up like a dried herring!" and the girl spills.


Mental projection, shark-to-man transformation, aliens consuming human flesh: all pretty hot stuff considering the Comic Code was probably brand new and in full effect here. I also like Namor's blase "Do you shark-people hope to conquer the earth, like everyone else from outer space seems to?"

With the sharkmen's meeting location, Namor organizes fishing boats to net up the whole lot of them. The screaming sharkmen are given the choice: "Either project your mentalities back to the planet you came from, or be hauled up on dry land to die under the hot sun!!!" Namor doesn't play.

The "space-sharks" protest they can't go back, so later that evening we find "a mile-long beach covered with the corpses of thousands and thousands of great white sharks--all very, very dead!!!" Namor explains that even normal sharks are cowards, and in a letter to Betty Dean, isn't sure if they projected their minds back into space, or died; but doesn't much care either. In the same fashion that the X-Files would beat to death years later, there is no proof one way or the other that the sharkmen were aliens, but the killings stop and the case is otherwise closed.

For me, this is about the perfect Namor story: he's confident without being a tool, there's a weird undersea menace that isn't him, there's a surprising amount of violence. The violence is mostly off-panel or not shown, but that just makes your imagination take the ball and run with it. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but Namor's interactions with Betty Dean also add a lot of character that's previously been missing. The only thing missing from this story was Namor's little ankle wings, but this story still beats the "Imperious Rex!" out of his Tsunami series. Read more!

Yeah, and no epiphanies for bloggers, either! Back to work!

From Adventures of Superman Annual #8, "Superman Forever" Written by Tom Peyer, pencils by Derec Aucoin and Mike Collins, inks by Jason Martin, Karl Story, and Barb Kaalberg.

Out of office today, and having blogger trouble. Admittedly, that may be on my end. It's also my little sister's birthday, and I need to call her...tomorrow, probably a look at a hero that's been around for over fifty years, yet his last solo comic sank like a stone. Hope to see you then! Read more!

"I'll be surprised if I don't kill myself tonight." So someone in this story says.

Daredevil #343, "Recross" Written by Warren Ellis, breakdowns by Keith Pollard and Arvell M. Jones, finishes by Tom Palmer.

"Recross" is a bit of an odd duck: Ellis swaps out his usual style of narration for Matt Murdock's, but it's a Matt Murdock that's faking his way through his Jack Batlin identity, and a head injury inducing cross examination. So it's a lawyer/superhero, playing phony con man, while providing his own legal commentary. It's also unusual in that it's a one-shot (to the best of my knowledge, I don't think Ellis ever wrote Daredevil again) that seems designed to break the then-current status quo of the book: while it would be at least another year before Matt Murdock would be a lawyer again, this was the first step towards ditching the oh-so-street con man angle and the very 90's armor costume. (Do a little digging, and it seems everyone had armor in the 90's, at least once, even if only for an issue. Even characters that really, really shouldn't, like Hawkeye, Spider-Man, Catwoman, Captain America...)

The story opens with a fat cop in a rage, nightsticking the tar out of some slob. 'Kay. Meanwhile, Matt is getting sick and tired of his fake 'Jack Batlin' identity--the name was originally his homage to his dad, Battlin' Jack Murdock. I think some later stories have changed his boxing (or wrestling, in some stories) monicker to Daredevil to gloss this one over. But, how a former lawyer with a strong moral center and sense of justice thought he would be able to live the rest of his life as a flippant street hustler is beyond me. (Or more accurately, how the creative team had thought that, although the switch was probably always intended as temporary.) Moreover, Matt's starting to think his new armor is just as fake of a Daredevil, and we hear the start of the argument against in Matt's head.

Interestingly, and I wonder how much of this is intentional, Matt's living like a slobby con-man, a lot less neatly and orderly than you would expect from a blind man. But then, his 'Jack' ID isn't supposed to be blind, just a lowlife. Irritated that there's no other clean clothes, Matt puts on his suit--not the armor, but the suit he wore as a lawyer, to go do laundry. He bags out on wearing the armor, going against a proud comic tradition of suits disguising any number of costume bumps or outright deformities. (If you don't believe it, get a good, thick long-sleeved shirt, and a bulletproof vest, and maybe stick a mask in your back pocket; and then put a full suit and tie on over that. If you don't dehydrate and pass out before quitting time, great, but with all that on you probably look like Jared from the Subway ads, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone.)



Page five brings us Matt's first blackout, as he's run afoul of the fat cop. Concussed, he doesn't know where he is or what's happened, but thankfully hasn't been beaten amnesiac. Yet. Even half unconscious, Matt is still able to take down the cop, and notices the cop's condition: "Read the low moisture on his dry eyes, wide open for too long." That's an interesting use of Daredevil's powers, although I would've thought he'd have to touch the eyes to read that. Yuck.

As the cop faceplants into a nap in a dark alley, Matt writes it off as self-defense, takes the cop's nightstick, and continues on to the laundromat. Hey, attempted homicide or not, those clothes weren't gonna clean themselves, now were they? It's also not the first time a bloody nightstick has posed a problem for Matt either, is it? (The Kingpin would try to frame Matt with one used to kill a man in Born Again.)

Page eight, and blackout number two: Matt and his laundry are in a poolhall, where five thugs from cental casting have a young boy bent over a pool table (?!) and are about to kill Matt. Having lost the nightstick, Matt improvises in a very British, and Ellis, fashion: striping, a pool ball in a sock. Ellis makes the effort to explain how Matt would know this trick ("When I was a lawyer, I did a study of British borstals--homes for violent young offenders."), so we're rewarded with a dapper looking Matt beating the living hell out of the thugs; while his inner lawyer explains and begins recross. How much would it suck to have a third-person lawyer voice rattling around the back of your head all day? Especially if all your legal knowledge was from Law and Order reruns. Nothing but 'Objection!' and 'Redirect, your honor,' all day long.

After the beatings, Matt tells the boy victim to call the police, and the boy tells him those were the police. And Matt blacks out, for the third time. He's starting to worry about that, but blacks out again shortly after recovering his laundry and the nightstick. Next, he's leaping from the rooftops in the rain, still in the suit, with the nightstick sticking out of his belt in a very uncomfortable looking fashion, chasing down a burglar. Matt says the burglar is a murderer, and that "there's a cop on the ground with a piton in his head," but it isn't shown. Also, Matt's a fine one to talk, since if he's been attacked by half a dozen mad cops this issue; the burglar may have a case for self-defense.

Although he gives lip service to the idea of the law bringing in our burglar-slash-murderer, but since the law is maintained by flawed humans, it too must be flawed. The law should be fair and strong, but sometimes it can't be trusted not to act crazy or save a young blind boy's dad from being shot after a boxing match. Which means the burglar's fair game. Matt breaks the burglar's thumb, presumably then leaving him for the cops, although we don't see that: he very well could've broken his thumb while he was clinging to the side of the building, and if he fell, then the fall killed him, not Matt.

Taking a gargoyle-waterspout shower, Matt tells himself his head is starting to clear, and that soon "this incredibly irritating 'counselor Jiminy Cricket' voice will clear off too." (This is probably what passes for medical care for Daredevil right then: Night Nurse is not going to take your conman psuedo-ID fake hmo!) The voice still has some life in it, though, and some fair questions for Matt: "Why are you defrauding yourself?...What kind of 'Daredevil' are you in your armor?...Whose law, or even justice, are you serving when you play the con man?"

Unfortunately, while the voice grills Matt, down at street level (which appears to be forty stories down in this panel, with really narrow streets) three prostitutes are shot in a drive-by.



Matt leaps into action, still being grilled by the voice, and without any cables, grappling hooks, or anything else to slow his fall, which now looks like about five stories. He bounces off the roof of a parked car (putting a pretty huge dent in it, and cracking the windshield but good! Property damage in the Mighty Marvel Manner!) as he chases down the shooter, who was singing hymns during the shooting. Luckily, I'm pretty sure Daredevil's sales weren't great at this point, which probably saved Marvel some religious-right flak, and thankfully Ellis steers well clear of Daredevil's usual Catholic hang-ups.

Meanwhile, the voice has the line that kills Daredevil's armor for me: "...a bulletproof costume that makes you look like a fetishist riot cop." Well, the armor only ever looked good when Scott McDaniel drew it, anyway: a common problem with Marvel's costume upgrades to armor was that while it often looked great when the initial artist (who usually designed it), it would look like hell drawn by anyone else. (See also: Thor's armor, ala Walt Simonson.)

The voice finally starts to fade, ending the recross; as Matt punches down the shooter, screaming "It's my life! And I'll do what I like!" Wow, it's like Teenage Daredevil! Next, he screams "I hate you!" and slams the door of his room...I hate to say it, but that might have made more sense. For some reason, I had it in my head that the shooter was a judge or a priest/clergy figure, but it's not stated. Daredevil may sneak in one last blackout then, as on the next page, Matt watches the sun rise from the rooftops. The really big sunrise. Again, I've never been to NYC, so I wouldn't know, but it looks like the sunrise on Mercury. OK, I've never been there either. Shut up.

So, Ellis set up the return of Daredevil's classic costume, drawing a line under over two years (!) of somewhat out-of-character armored shenanigans. You could reasonably argue that this story plants the seeds for getting rid of the Jack Batlin cover. That's all well and good, but why were the cops insane? Absolutely no explanation is given, or even hinted at, in this issue. And I didn't get the next issue, so I'm not sure it was ever explained, other than maybe '(Some) Cops suck!' This was indeed Ellis' only Daredevil issue: was it intended as a fill-in? A try-out? A starting block? A stopgap measure? I'm a big fan of Mr. Ellis, but I have no idea. I like to imagine the younger Warren wrote it on a cocktail napkin, between blackouts.

I did remember that there was an action figure of the armored Daredevil, but I think it was more or less a repainted regular DD. Plus, it came with a monstrous grapling-hook launcher that in scale with the toy, would've required two hands and a tripod to fire. That was also pretty early in the Toy Biz Marvel line, and those figures look primitive compared to recent versions. The armor was 'toyetic' enough that a decent version could be made, but I think Tombstone, Infinity Doppleganger Daredevil, and the Surgeon General are ahead of him there... Read more!

Cold...so cold...


Did Spider start wearing a shirt because he was old, sick, and getting cold; or because Darick was finally sick of drawing all those tattoos? Either way, this is just a page from one of my favorite series ever, and I would've bought it for another ten years if they wanted to do it.

David Byrne of the Talking Heads once said, "People will remember you better if you always wear the same clothes." Y'know, it may have been another of the Talking Heads that said it, but it works better if you associate it with Byrne's oversized suit. Like Spider Jerusalem, or 90% of comic book characters. Though, presumably most of them have multiples of the same outfit, and don't wear their suit until it hardens into a sweaty, crusty shell like Spider. Yeah, maybe I'll try the multiple route.

And, if there was a god in heaven, Patrick Stewart would be getting a sack full of cash every month for Transmetropolitan: the Animated Series. Or a movie adaptation of Red, an Ellis three-issue series that would be perfect for him. Maybe we'll take a shot at it, later, but this weekend we'll have a longer look at some of Ellis' older work.

From Transmetropolitan #48, "Running Out" Written by Warren Ellis, penciled by Darick Robertson, inks by Rodney Ramos. Read more!

You could tell Conan about pants. Go ahead. I'll be over here.


I grew up in northern Montana, where it's windy, cold, and generally depressing maybe nine months out of the year. (Maybe not, but close.) Although I don't like winter, or do any winter sports; usually it didn't bother me. In fact, most of the time, I wear shorts. Yeah, I'm that guy.

Now I don't live in Montana anymore, but it's currently 20 degrees here, and I'm wearing about three layers of clothing. And gloves. Not sharp leather gloves, like a businessman or Hannibal Smith or Batman would wear; but ugly green ones that look like a little kid's. My son said they smell like my feet, which is a plus.

I feel old. I used to be able to run the streets of my hometown in December in aquasocks, sprinting through the snow to get to Safeway during lunch to buy twinkies and Savage Sword of Conan. I used to be able to wear a hockey jersey and shorts any given winter day, whether I was staying in, going out, or drunk in a ditch. In fact, I was bitching about it earlier, and my wife pointed out that when she met me, I did wear exactly that. Now I have to wear a fleece thing all day, make the dog lie on my feet during dinner, and sleep in my socks. Death is coming.

Today's panels are from Conan the Barbarian #16, reprinted in Conan Saga #6, "The Frost Giant's Daughter" Based on the Robert E. Howard story, written by Roy Thomas, art by Barry (Windsor) Smith. Did any people in history, ever, roam the snowy hinterlands in just loincloths, with maybe a fur over their shoulders if it was nippy? Or is that just Conan? Read more!

When considering prospective lackeys, Doom has no need for the 'uggos.'


Although most would probably single out hubris as Dr. Doom's fatal flaw, that's only part of it. Doom can't accept that anyone could be his better, true; but he doesn't see anyone as an equal either. There's Doom, and then there's his lackeys. Even those that don't yet know their fate as lackeys will learn under his firm guidance...and I really don't like that sentence. Ah, moving on.

So, I don't know or remember all of Lancer's story: she's the surprised looking woman above with Doom. I'm pretty sure she's a Chris Claremont creation: uber-competent female, with mutant powers, burdening sense of honor, crazy-long fingernails...sounds kinda familiar, doesn't it? Completely loyal to the missing Doom, she spends this series holding Doom's Baxter Building against invaders including a fake Doom, a corps of Iron Men, and the Atlantean army. The last was led by Byraah, so it's not that impressive. Did Attuma call in sick?

But, even though Lancer is strong, fiercely devoted, and resourceful; Doom is simply incapable of seeing her as anything other than a tool. A resource to be used, and if necessary, used up. This is why Doom will always fail: Reed is (or was) able to have equals, teammates, who will fight beside him and never surrender, and in turn Reed would never quit on them. (Insert Civil War snark here.) Even though Lancer would fight for Doom just as hard as Sue or Ben or Johnny would fight for Reed; it's a lot harder to picture a situation where Doom would do the same for her. And Lancer's like the one good henchman Doom's had in, well, about ever.

I do recall Lancer also making an appearance in an X-Men/Dr. Doom novel; where Doom has again altered reality to make himself Emperor of earth, then found the victory hollow, and lost it again as the status quo resets. I'll be honest here: it is a plot I like, even if I know I've seen it five times off the top of my head. (Counting here, and Doom's Counter Earth; similar stories have been Emperor Doom, the Heroes Reborn/Wildstorm Universe mashup, and the first Secret Wars. Probably more if you think about it!)



Yeah, that's a lie: Doom is all about having the upper hand, and taking that moment to explain to the lackeys how frickin' brilliant he is; and we all know where that leads...

From Doom #3, "Fight Back to Baxter" Written by Chuck Dixon, art by Leonardo Manco. You may remember Manco's gritty, textured art from Hellstrom, Druid, and I believe the Werewolf by Night revival from a few years back. He also did the sequel to this series, but I like this one better. Need to look up what he's up to know... Read more!

"...staring out at us with his yellow eyes. He had yellow eyes, so help me God, yellow eyes!


When I saw this panel, I had to break out A Christmas Story a little earlier than I usually watch it. Unless Doom is delivering his closer to an oncoming car, I really don't know why his eyes would glow like that. Still, since Doom is cooler in this than he had been for some time, we'll let that go. From Doom #1, "Doom without Armor" Written by Chuck Dixon, art by Leonardo Manco.

The issue opens with Doom waking up naked--no mask, no armor, no green cloak and riding hood--in Africa. But not his Africa, the Africa of the Heroes Reborn stories, created by Franklin Richards and orbiting the opposite side of the sun from earth. It's sometimes referred to as Planet Doom, or Counter-Earth; but the later may just be confusing Franklin's duplicate earth with the one the High Evolutionary created, from 70's Warlock and Hulk stories.

Leaving that aside, Dixon wastes no time letting you know Doom is hardcore, as buck-naked and unarmed, he kills a lion in three pages. (Five panels!) So begins Doom's journey back to his Baxter Building, from which he can return to the real Earth, and finish kicking the stuffing out of the Fantastic Four. At least that's how it reads: with Doom as the protagonist, and most of the people he mows down being if not more evil, a less classy evil; you start to think Doom is on his way to finally beating the FF. All he needs is to maintain control of the narration...

The lionskin mask has to be more comfy than his usual metal job. One thing I've wondered: is Doom's mask like Iron Man's, full of sensors and displays and oxygen and so on? Or is it just a metal faceplate, like the old Kirby version? Dixon is taking the 'Doom is a scarred, ugly bastard' approach; and while I usually prefer the 'Doom is barely scarred...on the outside' tack, it's a valid look. At this point, Doom has been reborn, transplanted into a new body, or rebooted so many times; there's no telling.

I also like that Doom kills six slaver/post-apocalypse biker types, without his armor, spells, Doombots, etc. Tony Stark would have had a lot harder time of it, and I can't see him getting past the lion without having to build a trap or a deadfall or catapult to kill it. But, more on von Doom tomorrow, as we look at the Grover Dill to his Scott Farkus. Read more!

Thank you, Dave.


As reported on Newsarama and other sources, Dave Cockrum, longtime artist for Uncanny X-Men and Legion of Super-Heroes, passed away from complications from diabetes the morning of November 26. He was 63.

Although he created other X-characters, Cockrum was the creator of Nightcrawler, my favorite comic character. For the record, I still totally prefer his version, a happy-go-lucky swashbuckler with a penchant for old adventure movies and fun. Uncanny X-Men #149 was probably the first or second X-Men comic I ever read, and that was one of his too.

It's funny, but over Thanksgiving I was reading some old Legion: Grell issues, not Cockrum's. But I was thinking about when I was really little, my family would go into northern Montana to have Thanksgiving with my mom's cousins and family. (Forgive me for not saying exactly where!) And every year, I would read my older cousins' comics like mad: old Superman and Superboy and the Legion issues, comics that charitably were in 'good' condition, but would be the way I would want to read comics for the rest of my life: unbagged, colorful, exciting, and new.

So, I spent a good chunk of my morning (after seeing the news via the Fortress of Fortitude) wondering if I had been reading Cockrum's comics before I even knew it. Thank you, Dave.

From Bizarre Adventures #27, "Show me the Way to Go Home" Plot by Mary Jo Duffy and Bob Layton, script by Mary Jo Duffy, art by Dave Cockrum and Ricardo Villamonte. Read more!

I can recognize like three styles of car from the last 20 years, but I have my Batmobile preference down pat.


I do like the current trend to draw the Batcave with about a dozen Batmobiles in storage, even if Batman probably wouldn't have a 1940's roadster in the current continuity, or even the 60's TV version. It's just cool, and that's all. And, I suppose it would probably make sense for Batman to have specialized Batmobiles: Dark Knight Returns crowd control tank, 1970's Neal Adam's low-key street crime lab, or my personal favorite, Norm Breyfogle's highend racer.

I was looking for Detective Comics #601, which wasn't the start of the Alan Grant/Norm Breyfogle run, but was their return after the three issue "Blind Justice" storyline. The Batmobile gets challenged to a street race on the first page, and the storyline ends with the Demon giving Batman a peck on the cheek. Yeah, it totally makes sense when you read it, so pick it up.

This all came up since the other day my older son put his allowance towards a Cars Lightning McQueen, while I picked up the Corgi 1990's Batmobile, which totally nails Breyfogle's art, down to the curved spoiler fins. And then we had a forty minute conversation about how the Batmobile would totally smoke Lightning McQueen. My point may have got a little muddled when he didn't know the Mach V, but he's got time to learn. Yeah, some people want to make sure their kids are raised Catholic or Orthodox or whatever; I'm just making sure mine know their nerd roots.

(Don't worry: my wife's totally 'street' or whatever; so the kids will be cool nerds. Cooler than me, anyway...)

From Batman #463, "Spirit of the Beast, part two" Written by Alan Grant, pencils by Norm Breyfogle, inks by Steve Mitchell. Read more!

Let's see: pre-Crisis, post mind-wipes, after Year One, after GL/GA...continuity is hard.


Even putting aside the neat Jim Aparo art, what most sets these panels outside of current DCU continuity?

1. Green Arrow knowing Batman's secret identity, and hanging out with him; without Batman calling him a poser, wannabe, leftist, or mindraper.

2. Bruce Wayne smiling, which has been disallowed by rule since 1985.

3. Ollie eating what appears to be a Twinkie in the second panel. (Maybe that's how they're getting along, Twinkies can do that.)

4. Ollie asking Batman for a favor, without calling him a 'fatcat oppressor of the working class,' or sucking up like a fanboy.

5. Neither has punched the other yet! In fact, they make it the whole issue without fighting like catty little girls! (Gasp!)

One of the smaller retroactive continuity revisions that I don't like is the open acknowledgement that at least when he started, Green Arrow wanted to be Batman really, really badly. Partially, this explains why GA had an Arrowcar, Arrowplane (groan...), and Arrowcave; and kid sidekick Speedy. I don't know who started this, and it can vary depending on the writer from 'hero worship' to "imitation as flattery' to 'full-on man-crush,' but I would avoid pointing out how Green Arrow was a second-rate Batman, unless you really want him to be second-rate.

I admit that this is a tip of the hat to GA's true, knockoff creation; but I wouldn't keep bringing it up. Green Arrow didn't become interesting until he lost his money, grew a goatee, and became a rabblerouser anyway.

In addition, Bruce's comment in the first panel reminded me of watching part of Batman and Robin on TV last week. I remember being so excited to see it in the theatres, and then the sinking feeling I got when Batman shows up at a charity function...ugh.

From Brave and the Bold #160, "Shackles of the Mind!" Written by Cary Burkett, art by Jim Aparo. Read more!

Cap shouts that out no matter who's there: X-Men, Fantastic Four, Lightning Rods, Big Hero Six...


Out of office today, I'm afraid, so please enjoy this nice panel from Avengers/Power Pack Assemble! #4 "Conquered!" Written by Marc Sumerak, art by GuriHiru. I wonder if 'GuriHiru' is a single person, or a studio like Udon (of Street Fighter and Deadpool/Agent X). Regardless, I've liked what I've seen of these Power Pack books, and that's from someone who never, ever read it before. And he manages to sneak Nightcrawler into a fight scene, always a plus.

I mentioned before having seen the Target collections of Power Pack and the Marvel Adventures line, books that traditionally are barely a blip on direct market sales. Here's hoping they've found their audience outside of the usual comic shop, and I encourage you to pick one up with your Christmas shopping. At the very worst, you'll have picked up a harmless little comic you can pass on to a deserving kid somewhere, right?

That said, if the MODOK issue of Marvel Adventures Avengers doesn't sell through the roof, my faith in the blogosphere, man, and God may be utterly shattered... Read more!

Have comics ruined my appreciation of fine art?

Why is it, that instead of this:


I think of this:


Especially when I do this:


Oh, the inanity. Anyway, I just wanted to get that one out there, since I'm thankful for a life I really, really didn't see coming; with a good family, a non-crushing job, and my biggest complaint is usually 'that comic sucked.' And I'm posting today since tomorrow I could very well be asleep, or crying off a Cowboys loss.

Incidentally, I'm going to my wife's parents' for Thanksgiving; and last year I watched the game by myself while the rest of the extended family watched the Tom Cruise War of the Worlds. Savages.

Memo to self: Replace that tiny Crisis #7 thumbnail, as soon as you find your copy of that issue, or comics.org is working again. Read more!

Wow, maybe Reed Richards is a super-genius.


Between Civil War and Planet Hulk, Reed seems to be getting dumber and dumber lately: launching the Hulk into space when it's virtually certain he'll come back even more pissed off, building a loose cannon Clone Thor when it's virtually certain Thor will return super pissed off, pissing off Sue when it's a stone lock she'll go running to Namor; not good decisions.

At least, to our eyes. Comic fans are doubtless smarter than the general public (as even the worst of terrible comics today is better than Little Man or Unaccompanied Minors) but how many of us are certified, Wile E. Coyote style super geniuses? Any decision Reed makes that seems utterly retarded to our eyes, is part of a longer game than we can see. And obviously not the result of a writer struggling to put words in the mouth of a character many times smarter than themselves.

Case in point: in the panel above, after Ben is shocked down by the Mole Man, Reed gives the signal to the Invisible Girl for the next attack. All part of a carefully coordinated battle plan, made up on the fly by Mr. Fantastic; and made all the more impressive since the entire Fantastic Four was blinded by the Mole Man's ray, so how in the living hell could Sue see Reed's signal? Because he's that good, damnit. I'll never doubt you again, Reed. Maybe.



For good measure, here's Sue Storm Richards administering a beating to the Mole Man. Pretty sure she and Johnny both make Moley cry this issue, while Ben has to give Reed artificial respiration, which doesn't seem like a fair trade.

From Fantastic Four #89, "The Madness of the Mole Man!" Stan Lee words, Jack Kirby pictures, Joe Sinnott embellishment. Reprinted in Marvel's Greatest Comics #71. Some of this issue was seen in flashback in FF#126, but Johnny seems a lot less like a dick in the original. It's weird to think of Roy Thomas cranking up the dysfunction level of the FF, but there you are. Read more!

Another unpopular opinion: On O.J. Simpson


By now, if you care about such things, you've heard the news about O.J. Simpson's hypothetical tell-all, "If I Did It" being cancelled. While I had no intention of reading it, or reading about it; I am a little disappointed to hear tell of a book being cancelled, or in effect, censored, before it even comes out. (Ideally, I would've liked for it to be released, and then die a slow, lingering, and unread death on the shelves.)

On the other hand, anything Bill O'Reilly and Geraldo Rivera are against, makes me think there might be something to it...

My wife was glad the book and program weren't coming out, as she felt it was inappropriate, and in poor taste. Which it probably is, but that's not my issue. Public opinion is almost unanimous in assuming O.J. did kill Nicole and Ron, and I agree. However, I don't feel so strongly about it that I think double jeopardy should be revoked, like some people seem to lately...

But let's suppose, just for a second, that O.J. didn't do it: he was a moderately successful actor, athlete, public figure; dragged through the mud to such a degree that even his own family will never look at him the same way again. Deals dry up, friends stop calling, the cash flow dries up to a trickle; yet O.J. is accustomed to a certain lifestyle, a lifestyle he couldn't change if he wanted to and still feels he deserves.

But what does he have left? Well, if all of America thinks he did it, why not tell them how? Even if he didn't? O.J. could shout out his innocence on TV, radio, and street corners for the rest of his life; and not get any less guilty in the eyes of the general public. If he's 'guilty,' and has to carry the stigma, why shouldn't he get the rewards of that guilt? O.J. probably wouldn't even need a ghost-writer: all the forensic evidence is right there for the taking. Probably just have to cut and paste the prosecution case into a manuscript, and wait for the checks to come in. It's hard to be hated, reviled, and feared; but a couple more million in the bank take the edge off that pretty quickly.

Hypothetically, of course. After all, the book may never show. Although, rumor has it some of it will be leaked soon. Also, I believe someone in the Goldman family is convinced O.J. has been paid for it already. Yeah, I burned the last of my caring about this about half a paragraph ago. Comic stuff tomorrow.

Today's picture was on the back cover of Detective Comics #497, and I had to look for a whole half-hour to find an O.J. Simpson ad, which is more a testament to the mess I leave lying around than to my sorting skills. Read more!

I'm pretty sure Kroda was always about the 'sword-handling,' as it were.
Sometimes, you run across something that seems like it would fall under another blog's jurisdiction, like Chris Sims or Blockade Boy. And then you decide to do it anyway. From Thor #266, "...So Falls the Realm Eternal!" Written by Len Wein, art by Walt Simonson and Tony DeZuniga. Yeah, everyone forgets Simonson had a short stint on Thor before he took over and remade the book; but then his art on this one doesn't look like his usual work either. At first glance, I was thinking John Buscema.

And the design work doesn't look like Simonson's either, as in, it kind of reeks. Kroda, pictured above, was one of three plotters allied with Loki. He had one eye and an eyepatch with an overhead strap that makes his head look like...well, to be polite, I'll say it looked like Herr Starr in Preacher. And while keeping your sword there does send a message, it also has to make walking, sitting, and going to the bathroom problematic. At least he had to the restraint to not go with a long sword. Or a broad sword. Or a two-handed sword. You get my point.



For good measure, here's Hogun the Grim administering a merciful, smashing blow to the face of the fleeing Snaykar, who should totally ask for a refund on that helmet. Read more!

Wine cellars aren't safe from the Mole Man? What next, parking garages?

From Fantastic Four #128, "Death in a Dark and Lonely Place!" Written and edited by Roy Thomas, art by John Buscema, inks by Joe Sinnott. Other things, besides wine cellars, that the Mole Man has complete access to from his underground kingdom:
1. Subway tokens
2. Pirated cable
3. My comics, since that's the only explanation I can think of for not being able to find that issue of Quasar I was looking for. You made a powerful enemy today, Moley...

This is the conclusion to the Thing's quest to get a cure for blindness from the Mole Man, with a little sidetrip into Moley's upcoming wedding to the above Kala. Kala double-crosses Moley and frees ex-ruler and current man-pretty slave Tyrannus, who promptly double-crosses Kala. All of which makes it extra-anti-climactic when Ben shakes down Moley for the blindness cure he totally doesn't have.

The Fantastic Four manage to escape without the Mole Man's usual parting shot at them, because he's down about being betrayed by his bride-to-be. Or losing his favorite man-slave. Whichever. Read more!

Sick day.


Um, actually I'm not that sick. Not even sick enough to not blog. I just wanted to be the first one to use that one for this, from Moon Knight #6, "The Bottom, Chapter 6" Written by Charlie Huston, pencilled by David Finch, inked by Danny Miki and Crimelab Studios. Y'know, I was thinking this was Moon Knight volume 4; but let's see: the original series, the Fist of Khonshu, the late 80's/early 90's version, this one...and then there's two limited series and at least one one-shot (with Shang-Chi!). So, volume 7?

I'm looking forward to putting all six chapters together and reading "The Bottom" straight through, although I just read and reread #6 because a couple parts were a little unclear, like the above vomiting. Also, Huston's Taskmaster isn't the same guy that was in Gail Simone's Deadpool/Agent X: that Taskmaster was hardcore, if a bit of a douchebag. Of course, Simone's Taskmaster was different than Christopher Priest's, which was different than Joe Kelly's...so you can't fault Huston for that: Taskmaster's that bad guy with the copycat reflexes, and anything else you need him to do to fit in the plot, whether it's self-esteem issues or a Spice Girls habit or a complete lack of identity.

That last one, which I recall from a Chichester issue of Daredevil back in the day, could explain all of that in continuity: Taskmaster could change personalities almost as quickly as he changes fighting styles...

Back to Huston's Moon Knight, the position on Khonshu--whether he is an actual deity or Spector's delusion--is made pretty clear. Maybe. In the original Doug Moench issues, it seems like Khonshu is no more or less real than anyone else's god, but Spector believes, and his faith gives him power. For someone who's just shy of being a godless heathen, that's an unusual concept, and would be difficult if not impossible to pull off if Spector had been Christian, or even Jewish. I'm not sure where they established he was Jewish, but that's in there somewhere; so one of the few Jewish characters in the Marvel U. gave up his faith to become a mercenary, then worship a statue he found in a desert. Huh.

For other writers, and I'm thinking of Steve Englehart on Moon Knight's tenure on West Coast Avengers, Khonshu was a very real deity, although not one that I recall as making on-panel appearances like Thor or Hercules. Of course, these stories also said Hawkeye travelled back in time and designed the crappy weapons Moon Knight used in the "Fist of Khonshu" issues, so I could take or leave that.

So, is Khonshu real or not? It absolutely depends on who's writing this month. I personally lean towards the not camp, but Spector believes, and for believers, that's what's important. And now the pills I took are starting to take effect, so I'm off to see if I have a vision or something... Read more!

Civil War was right: The Fantastic Four are a bunch of jerks!

Here's a puzzle for you: why is it that today a character's origin might be rehashed and revisited over and over again, when the small pool of today's comic readers already know all that? You can tell the Fantastic Four's origin any number of ways from a myriad of different angles, like the Ultimate version, the Marvel Adventures all-ages version, the recent Joe Casey/Chris Weston First Family mini-series, and the movie continuity. Aside from maybe the movie version, did any of these bring in new readers? Or are they just telling the same old story, perhaps adding a new coat of paint or stripping dated references.

Fantastic Four#126 was not only a retelling of the FF's origin, with maybe a little barnacle scraping duty on the side, but it was also immortalized in a Power Record. (The link should be fixed, and a big thank you to Jason over there again. Check out his other stuff, and see what jumps out!) When I think of the Fantastic Four, these are the voices I hear. Well, OK, the guy from the 90's cartoon did a pretty mean Thing, and I hear Jessica Alba's voice a lot for no reason, but neither here nor there. As usual. Let's just go on: "The Way it Began!" Written and edited by Roy Thomas, art by John Buscema, inks by Joe Sinnott. The letters page notes this is Thomas' first issue as regular writer, after Stan Lee's last (regular) issue.

Perhaps because this is going to be a introspective clipshow of an issue, we start things off with a bang: Ben Grimm and longtime girlfriend Alicia Masters open a door in the Baxter Building, only to discover Doctor Doom standing over the murdered body of Sue Richards, the Invisible Woman. (Wait, she was the Invisible Girl back then. It's been 'Woman' for what, twenty years now, in Byrne's run? So I didn't notice at first.) Enraged, the Thing moves to attack Doom, only to jump right through him. As Ben picks himself out of the wreckage of a wall, Doom and Sue have both faded away.



Mr. Fantastic turns on the light, and explains he had been testing "the new, improved version of my thought-projector helmet" and that he had to concentrate on the most repulsive scene he could imagine. Why, I can't say. I would have thought repulsive scenes would leap to mind more readily and clearly than happy pastoral images, but then again the idea of projecting what's in my head onto a wall for public consumption is mildly terrifying. One stray thought about my Liz Phair fixation, and it definitely wouldn't be Comics Code Approved. This is another one of Reed's inventions that should be worth billions and revolutionize society, but I'm pretty sure most of Reed's money comes from 'kill fees' instead: The television, cable, and movie industries probably cough up even more for the helmet to never see the light of day. (Reed alludes to this in Mark Waid's run, when he gets the FF solvent again by inventing an acne cure, with which he more or less blackmails Revlon or Stridex or something.)

Nonetheless, Reed really needs to lock the lab door, or put up "Genius at Work" signs or something. He lights up his pipe, which is awesome: smoke 'em if you've got 'em, young scientists! Reed also seems to be mocking Ben a little; but then I guess Ben did demolish a wall there.

The Human Torch and Invisible Girl come charging in to see what the crash was, Johnny burning a hole and flying through another section of wall. Sue rips into Johnny for "stirring things up," then lets Reed have the other barrel when he defends Johnny; as they were supposed to be on their way to see Franklin right then. Perhaps forewarned by this scene, Ben takes this moment to tell Alicia that "maybe we should get to know each other a little better" before getting married. Wow. That's crushingly insensitive and ill-timed. The only worse thing I could think of is if Ben saw a slightly overweight woman and told Alicia he didn't think they should marry because she might get fat. In his defense, Sue is raging.



Since Ben made that little suggestion out in public with everyone, Johnny can't resist pitching him some crap, which quickly escalates into blows. Reed tries to separate them, and gets slugged by both. Sue then yells some more: "Are you trying to murder the finest man who ever lived?" Cherish that moment while you cough up your lungs, Reed, because I don't think you'll be hearing that again anytime soon.

Reed defends his teammates again, however, and suggests maybe they all need some time apart. He probably meant separate vacations for him and Sue as well, so he could finish that quantum spacedrive he'd been working on, while Sue would get to change Franklin's diapers and think about the Sub-Mariner. Reed and Sue head out to see Franklin.

Ben makes a crack to Alicia, then regrets using the word "see" to his blind girlfriend. Ben is weirdly sensitive about the damnedest things, I swear. Alicia doesn't mind that, but has too much class to be alternately insulted and condescended to, and excuses herself. Ben complains to Johnny that despite all his power, he can't restore Alicia's vision, and Johnny points out at least Ben has a girlfriend. Johnny's long-term girlfriend Crystal of the Inhumans was stuck back at the Great Refuge, as the Inhumans currently couldn't survive for extended periods in earth's pollution. Johnny flames on and storms out, looking for "someplace where I'm treated like a man--not just a kid with an all-over hotfoot!"


Left alone and feeling like a jerk, Ben decides to distract himself by playing with Reed's thought projector, which shouldn't fit but totally does: "Reed must be more swell-headed than I thought."

(From the record version: "Hey, whadaya know? It fits! Goodie.") Like Reed, he decides to test it on the most "revoltin' thing" he can think of: himself. He sees himself as the lumpy Thing he was in the FF's first issues, then the more common rock-like version, then as he used to look. Stricken by a "sudden urge to see the way it was", Ben starts our flashbacks with a meeting of the four as they plan to steal Reed's experimental 'Pocket Rocket.' Man, I'm glad they don't call it that anymore.

In this version, Reed plans to steal the rocket, which Ben refers to as "some harebrained scheme to beat the rest'a the world into space." Sue calls Ben a coward, and asks if he wants some foreign power to beat America to the moon. Ben responds with a crack about "cleaning up Harlem an' Watts," which is just as dated. This version is as Ben remembers it, at the time; but very much a period piece. The secret base, located "upstate," is described as "the base the Pentagon didn't even tell the boys at Cape Canaveral about!" Space flight as a national defense issue, which seems odd today but was probably very true back then.


"Mebbe if we'd had to wait fer Official Clearance, we might'a Sobered up, and the whole thing never would'a happened..."
Yes, Reed, Ben, and Sue were just hammered when they stole the rocket. And it's obvious Johnny lit one up from time to time.

So, the four are the first in space, which would make Ben's flashback circa March 1961 at the latest. Since that would make them too old, and getting into space isn't as novel anymore, this is usually retconned into testing Reed's experimental warp drive or something. My least favorite alteration was probably the Heroes Reborn version, which I haven't read in years, but I believe involved Galactus or the Silver Surfer irradiating the four somehow...

As the cosmic rays hit, Johnny starts to feel like he was burning up, and Ben feels so heavy he needs to lie down. Since I first heard that line on the record as a kid, I always pictured a little cot in the back of the rocket for that. Reed had installed an automatic pilot, which almost begs the question of why he had to drag Ben in on this, but honestly, it's not a great landing. The team lurches out of the crash, alive, but uncertain as to how the cosmic rays may have affected him. Sue has a terrible line here, since for the whole story she's relegated to either shrewing or complaining: "But Reed--after all your work, your dedication--we failed!" Don't rub his nose in it or anything, Sue. And what's this we business? One of the better changes in the Ultimate continuity is that Sue is just as much a scientific genius as Reed, albeit in different fields; as opposed to being the naggy team mom.

It's a sign of the times, but it struck me that after the rocket crash, the Four have time to talk about what just happened, and maybe get their story straight for the military; which is really not on the ball here. Back in the sixties crashing a rocket was a more private, leisurely affair: today there would be hazmat teams, the military, the press, conspiracy/alien fans, assorted gawkers...

Because there was no time to waste back then (tradewriting!) the cosmic rays start changing them right away: Sue turns invisible, and everyone freaks out a bit. Ben complains some more, and Reed finally gets fed up with it. Reed may have picked the wrong time to stand up for himself, though, as Ben starts changing into the Thing. Since Ben's using the helmet to watch this, that would explain why he looks like the 'normal' Thing (rocky, beetle-browed) here instead of the original lumpy, dinosaur-hide version, even though he pictured that earlier. Narrating, Ben admits: "It ain't pleasant rememberin' how I wuz then--Mr. Bad Temper of 1961--" then, in the flashback:


"Reed, darling, bull!"
Awkward. That must have been one longass ride (or walk) back home after that little outburst. It's often been painfully obvious Ben loves Sue, but that one was more overt than usual.

Johnny calls Reed and Ben monsters, then flames on and takes off, namechecking "that oldtime comic-book hero--the Human Torch!" A very Roy Thomas touch there, but Johnny must have been a hardcore fan, because most people bursting into flames wouldn't think, 'Hey, I saw this in a comic once,' they would think 'Ohnoesjebushelpme.' Except with more swears. In most retellings, it takes longer than two panels for the Torch to have any control of his powers, but even in the old Lee/Kirby issues, Johnny had enough control over his flame to shave Namor, and that was like the third issue.

Reed reasserts control over the group, although Ben steps on what would probably be a long and dry speech: super powers, help humanity, blah blah. Thomas does sneak in a line about telling the government what happened, which is quaintly trusting by today's standards. Most of you can probably see lots of possibilities for stories that would be fleshed out later: I believe First Family had a plot involving the aftermath of the crash and the government, for example.

Ben's mind then wanders to the first "do-badder" the Fantastic Four fought, the Mole Man. Even though Ben was just off-panel for this, he recalls Moley telling Reed and Johnny his origin, which means we're up to a flashback within a flashback. Nice!

Mole Man's motivation for leaving humanity behind, his 'Hell is other people' line, while not new, is uncut on the Power Record's version. Y'know, I would actually watch Ugly Betty if she did this. Moley narrates about washing ashore on Monster Isle (It's actually a peninsula...) and exploring a cavern, not five minutes later from the way it's laid out.

Even hampered by an inferiority complex and hung up about his looks (or lack of same...) the Mole Man was man enough to survive a fall of several hundred feet (as Ben pictures it), then conquer the Moloids and assorted monsters of his "legendary kingdom," while more or less blind and unarmed. Moley could have been a king, a regal presence of nobility, but he can't let go of the pain and cruelty the world gave him. So, he's a revenge-crazed loon. A guy with giant monsters, access to untold treasures both material and scientific, and an army of little yellow servants; should be able to get the respect he desires. Maybe the problem is you, Moley.

For some reason, probably faulty synapses, I keep thinking of Moley now as a disgruntled Pokemon trainer: "I choose you, Groot!"


As the Mole Man concludes his tale, we find Johnny again being insensitive: "What good's it (Moley's kingdom)do you--if you can't see it?" That's a pretty harsh assessment on the lives and achievements of blind people, Johnny. When Johnny says, "Come back with us--maybe we can help you," he doesn't mean "Reed can probably cure your blindness. And you ugliness. Possibly even your shortness." He means, "We can put you in a nice home for the blind. Or the ugly." And yet, he later married Alicia. Fake, Skrull Alicia. Whatever.

Not surprisingly for Ben's flashback, we linger for a moment on Moley then beating the hell out of Johnny with a stick: it demonstrates his powers, and it's fun! He then shows his tunnel map, and how his "mighty minions shall attack--destroy everything that lives above!" Ben decides he's heard enough, and it's time to make the donuts. Except he forgot about the army of monsters. Oh yeah.



You can see some more of the altered lettering there, but I still like that panel. I think it's a bit of a tip of the hat to the cover of Fantastic Four #1. Also, the Mole Man has awesome tiling.

Although they had thought that was the end of the Mole Man, he would return many times. Ben recalls the last time, which apparently involves real estate, and revisits that scene with his pilot light hat:



Sue manages to get Moley's glasses, leaving his over-sensitive eyes blinded; and somehow breaks his blindness ray thingee. The Torch...torches it, so it's never used against them again; and the Mole Man escapes again, blowing up the house in another failed attempt on the FF's lives. Ben wonders why he's been going over all this, then realizes if the Mole Man can cause blindness with a ray, then cure it, he might be able to help Alicia see again.



Ben resolves to get Moley to cure Alicia's blindness, or kick his ass trying; a point he underlines by punching Reed's countertop hard enough to shake the entire Baxter Building. Now that's an invention! I can't even slice cheese on mine...On his way out, Ben runs into the building's landlord, Collins. There's a slight jump there, as Ben was upstairs, then suddenly he's exiting the elevator on the ground floor, but still on the same thought. Collins starts to give Ben the hassle. Unwise.

On the record, it really sounds like Ben is this close to going ape all over Collin's face, and that the Mole Man had better watch his back. Maybe it's the residue of Civil War, but going over this issue I was surprised how angry, abusive, shrill, and insensitive the Fantastic Four was. Just like a real family! I didn't get the conclusion to this until almost thirty years later, so I guess we'll get to that one much, much later. (Spoiler: the Mole Man is no help to Alicia, or any blind people, anywhere. Surprise!) Read more!

Loading, loading everywhere.


Having a hard time getting pictures to load lately, so here's something you could try before I run all over this issue: get the MP3 of the Power Records adaptation of Fantastic Four #126 and check it out, either beforehand, or read along. I personally had this record for years before I got the comic, and I got the Power Records version first. It had some heavily, and sloppily, relettered balloons to fit the audio. Eventually, I found a quarter copy of the original, so we'll be looking at those...as soon as everything loads. Here's hoping.

Another good site for Power Records: Power Records Plaza. I've downloaded a ton there these last two weeks (I have dialup, which means some of the individual downloads have taken more than an hour to come through!), including some I didn't have as a wee little brat. I need to find my reprint of the Conan one, "The Crawler in the Mist," and I'm looking forward to listening to it. A big thanks to both sites, since while I still have most of my old Power Records (and some others), I haven't had a working turntable in twenty years or so. And oh yeah, I have barely a vague idea on how to transfer vinyl to MP3.

(Years ago, when I worked in music, I remember reading an article about just that: I recall it involves playing the record through a digital receiver into the computer and recording in 1:1...or something. The article went on, that the sound quality would be at least as bad as the actual record, maybe a little worse; but that there were computer tools to fix that. After that it kind of trails off, into 'why are you doing this?' territory; but a lot of things like these records are never, ever going to be reissued through normal distribution channels.)

My family, of course, figures I'm insane. Small price to pay. Read more!