He's bulging with what could be muscles!

Do you really want to pick a fight with a construction worker in the Marvel universe's New York City? I mean, the whole city is probably being rebuilt from some super-hero fight or another all year, 24-7. Guy's probably built like a...and I can't think of a way to finish that sentence without swearing. Well, let's just get into my coverless copy here of Avengers #114, "Night of the Swordsman" Written by Steve Englehart, pencils by Bob Brown, inks by Mike Esposito.

The Scarlet Witch is not in a great mood here; as anti-mutant panic was up, and her brother Quicksilver had basically bagged out, having just married Crystal and gone to live with the Inhumans. Wanda also wasn't sure where her relationship with the Vision was going: although he had recently recovered from injuries (damage?) she takes offense Cap and Iron Man pointing out he was an android, different from them. Storming out of Avengers Mansion, she is accosted by a construction worker, and lets him have it; namely, a hex blast. That doesn't seem to do much, or at least enough; but she gets an assist from Mantis, who leaves his ass unconscious on the street.

Back at the mansion, Cap is a hard case, pointing out Mantis is a security risk. And he's less thrilled to see her bringing the Swordsman! After having betrayed the Avengers multiple times, Swordy had fallen on hard times and hard drinking; before Mantis took an interest in him and turned him around. Cap is unconvinced, but Wanda wants to give him a chance; which I think is less that she believed in him than was sick of Cap and the other guys making all the calls. The other Avengers seemingly agree, offering Swordsman probationary status. Mantis would hang out, but wasn't particularly interested in membership; at least yet.

The Swordsman fights alongside Thor for a few days--fighting no one of any real importance. It might've been nice if that had been seen in Thor's book, but no go. He seems on the verge of going bad while sparring with the Vision and Black Panther, but stays true. Later, when the team sees a news report of Hawkeye (fighting Zzzax with the Hulk!) Swordsman doesn't lavish praise on his former pupil, calling him a grandstander: true, but Cap wonders if maybe Swordy just didn't want Hawkeye around. Cap writes that off as paranoia, although he'd feel differently if he saw Mantis and Swordman summon...the Lion God! Which had attacked the team just two issues prior, although I don't think I'd ever seen him. He had something against the Panther, and promises Mantis and Swordsman "the warm glow of my gratitude!" Could've at least offered a gift card, particularly since Mantis takes down Thor with a surprise neck-strike!

The Avengers are felled quickly, and the Lion God plans on burning the Panther at the stake; before the Swordsman and Mantis hypnotize him with "psychedelic blade-work" and Mantis's dancing! Um...hmm. The Lion God is captured in an adamantium cylinder, for Thor to get rid of him later; as Swordy and Mantis explain she had sensed the Lion God's "malignant force" and knew they couldn't beat him, so set this trap; having no time to warn the suspicious Avengers beforehand. All's swell that ends swell; although Cap still wonders if this was a blind, setting them up for a later betrayal...

I think this was Mantis's second appearance? Like the Lion God, she first appeared in Avengers #112. Englehart really, really liked her. I'm kind of surprised she had an issue off. Oh, and today's title? From Futurama, of course!

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If I was better organized, I'd have mentioned this earlier.

I didn't make it to the comic shop Wednesday, but I did have a couple books to read, starting with Ron Randall's Trekker: The Darkstar Zephyr. This just came in this week, and it's his second Kickstartered book; I've really enjoyed them. I also read Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett's Section: Zero, and they were finishing their second Kickstarter campaign last night!

For that matter, I need to pick a pledge for this year's Rifftrax Live! You still have time to get in on that one, and chipping in even a buck gets you ten shorts!

And, as of this morning, there's time to get an action figure or two from Army Alphas. I haven't bit yet, since I got burned on the Prince of Crystal some years back. Look, reckon everyone gets burned on Kickstarter at least once; I'm pretty sure all of these are good!
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Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has its problems, but one (of several...) that got me was that Gotham City and Metropolis were so close together. In terms of geography, that is: Metropolis is all sunshine and glass while Gotham all crime and gloom, but they were basically across the street from each other. Yet they were still treated like separate jurisdictions...but why? They were right there! I always figured they were at least a couple states apart; but today's book provides evidence to support BvS! From 1982, World's Finest #275, "Summer Nights, Winter Days!" Written by Paul Kupperberg, pencils by Rich Buckler, inks by Frank McLaughlin.

Today's weather calls for unseasonable heat in Metropolis, and a full-blown blizzard in Gotham; even though they're "not a dozen miles apart." Putting aside "since when?" the guys already have their hands full, with Batman dealing with looters, and Superman with a warehouse fire. Like every single other day, then...teaming up to work the case, Bats starts working through the usual suspects for weather control, while Supes checks for a missing NASA satellite. Neither lead really goes anywhere yet still points to the culprit: Mr. Freeze, in an abandoned but posh Russian satellite. (Perhaps Freeze refitted it, with his one henchman.) Freeze had been siphoning heat from Gotham and dumping it on Metropolis, presumably because it had to go somewhere; and his big plan was to turn Gotham into his "own perpetual winter wonderland!" and secede from the U.S. with it. Well ahead of his time there, even though his old costume here looks weird now. His revamp in "Heart of Ice" was still ten years away.

Also this issue: "Archer in a Cage" Written by Mike W. Barr, pencils by Trevor Von Eeden, inks by Larry Mahlstedt. Huh, we blogged the next issue in 2012, around when Arrow was first announced, replacing the proposed movie, which would've featured Green Arrow in a "super max" prison. The final season for Arrow was recently announced, and they just finished a lengthy Ollie-in-prison storyline! I don't know that they necessarily were inspired by this run, though. With Ollie still in prison for refusing to name a source, Dinah has to do the legwork this month, saving a bank-robber's illegal immigrant family from a shakedown by a mob wannabe.

Next was "Soul Shriek!" (Written by Gerry Conway, art by Dan Spiegle.) Onboard a cruise ship, Zatanna fights a restaurant critic who has mysteriously picked up a magic scream power. No fishnets in this one, though.

Then, Hawkman in "Matter, Matter Everywhere!" (Written by Bob Rozakis, pencils by Alex Saviuk, inks by Rodin Rodriguez.) After Shayera had left him (she could do better!) Hawkman is a complaining wreck, but still trying to clear her name in the theft of some artifacts from the museum they both worked in. Flash makes a brief appearance to tell him, hey, at least your wife's still alive. (That page has the smallest panel for the longest awkward silence ever.) Hawkman finds one of the stolen artifacts had in fact been replaced, with a duplicate made of pure aluminum; which would be even more difficult to make than stealing the original!

It's the work of recurring Hawk-villain Matter Master, who has a wand not unlike Weather Wizard, and a complete wizard outfit to boot! (Which of course is completely obscured by a hat and trenchcoat, even with his wizard hat under that!) MM's plan was to change the artifacts into "fakes," wait for them to be discovered, then steal them from police lockup and change them back. But his capture doesn't clear Shayera, as he claims to have had an accomplice...

Lastly, "The Snatching of Billy Batson!" (Written by E. Nelson Bridwell, pencils by Don Newton, inks by Dan Adkins.) A mobster kidnaps Billy Batson, in order to extort Captain Marvel into killing a gangland rival. You see the flaw in his plan, there. It's up to Captain Marvel Jr. to save him, with the help of a close-enough lookalike: their friend Magnificus Sivana! Who is rocking the same look as Peter Hinwood in Rocky Horror Picture Show. Wonder if that was intentional...

And a Hembeck strip on the Daily Planet page!
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"Sporting."

One of the very first Avengers comics I ever read was Marvel Super Action #32, a reprint of Avengers #71. It featured Kang, the Black Knight, the Grandmaster, the Invaders, and in a recap of the previous issue, the Squadron Sinister. That's a pretty good start! It was Grandmaster vs. Kang, and Kang had picked the unwilling Avengers as his champions. The Knight had interfered in a Goliath/Whizzer (Speed Demon) fight, and drew a disqualification. I thought the Avengers had won the other three against the Squadron; and Yellowjacket, Black Panther, and the Vision would beat the Invaders; yet Grandmaster still doesn't give the full prize to Kang.





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Well, he's equal opportunity, I guess.

I don't think Jonah Hex sews up his uniform, but he would've had to after this issue. And I know his new look was a few issues (and hundreds of years!) away...From 1985, Jonah Hex #90, "Starlight, Star Bright...First Star I See Tonight!" Written by Michael Fleisher, art and colors by Gray Morrow.

This was building up to the last issue of this series, which we saw maybe five years back; and it's described as a "pre-Crisis crossover." The Monitor doesn't appear, but a light nearly zaps Hex; who shrugs it off. He's still on the trail of his "friend" Emmy, who shot him two issues prior, but not making a lot of headway, as he gets caught in an avalanche, then soaked in a storm, then attacked by a mountain lion. All of which Hex treats as more annoying than anything.

Not unlike that last issue, Emmy's subplot gets over five pages, as she parts company with the gang she'd been riding with: one of whom, Brett, would be after her the rest of the series. This issue's villain, Silver Ames, would get ten pages; a good eight before she got to Hex. After taking up the gun to avenge her father, the embittered Ames was on a quest to prove herself the fabled fastest gun in the country. While she had apparently won some gunfights, she had gunned others down for not taking her seriously, like this sheriff that she shoots in the back. When she calls out Hex, he's not overly impressed, and offers her a few tips before outdrawing her, easily. Hex walks off without giving it a second thought, like that happened to him all the time. Yeah, probably.

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You don't have a lot of high ground in that argument, Bruce.

I had another one of those moments there, where I wasn't sure I had even read any comics last week. Um, no, read a ton, but they were all new ones; not the stuff we usually blog about here. Still, since we mentioned Warlord last week, why not check out a guest-spot from him? From 2018, Trinity #18, "No Home for You Here, part 2" Written by James Robinson, art by Patrick Zircher. I have the Guillem March cover, and I don't love it: it looks like Batman is trying to fit into the tyrannosaurus's mouth, and Travis completely overshot it and has leapt out at the reader. There is a Bill Sienkiewicz cover, though, that looks great!

This was a Superman/Wonder Woman/Batman team-up book, and, um, that's about all I know about it. It opens with the heroes being interviewed separately post-mission, setting the stage for an adventure in Skartaris! Just to make it interesting, Diana was currently blind, Superman's powers were out due to the magic of Skartaris (Power Girl's still did, for whatever that's worth!) and Batman is being Batman, as in stubborn, sullen, and charging ahead like he was the one with all the powers. Using Jennifer Morgan's magic, Travis is able to contact the trio; then shortly afterwards Jennifer herself contacts them, saying her father was dead: time worked differently there, as evidenced when they find a mysterious pile of dead soldiers from the surface world that seemingly aged to death.

Even a bit out of sorts, the heroes are still able to fight their way across the land and through Deimos's monsters, finally reaching Shamballah, under serious siege. Jennifer is glad to see them, but dismayed to realize they've all aged horribly! Even Diana, which doesn't happen very often. I think Deimos, and to a lesser extent Skartaris and Travis, would play into the rest of the series, but #20 started "The Search for Steve Trevor," and I think my eyes glazed over again just typing that. Well, maybe I'll find the last three issues cheap later. Wouldn't mind those Sienkiewicz covers, though...


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I don't intend to blog all of these either, but we'll see...

The other day I wrote another Warlord post and scheduled it for 2029 or something, which admittedly seems optimistic as hell; but I keep setting them up to run a couple a year. I didn't blog the back-up features though, possibly because we could be in the Barren Earth by 2029, the way things are going...Better do this now, then: from 1984, Warlord #79, "Slave Market" and Warlord #80, "Pursuit" Written by Gary Cohn, art by Ron Randall.

We're up to episode 14 and 15 here: the serial would continue until episode 23 in Warlord #88. I was going to say it was more than half over when I started reading regularly with #83; except that's not quite right: there's a memorable bit of body terror in #73 that we might have to come back to sometime. Jinal and her companions Skinner and Renna have been captured by slavers; where they meet Yisrah, a chatty "travelling shaman." Skinner notices Yisrah may be more than he seems, as he lets slip a clue about the Old Ones' floating city, D'roz. At a slave auction, the four are rescued by their Harahashan (lizard-man) ally Barasha, and when the slavers pursue them (like the title) they ride into a massacre.

In the wrecked slavers' tank, Jinal tells Yisrah she plans for him to find D'roz for her, as the shaman finds her weapons. Maybe not as bumbling as he seems, though. With this post we've blogged six of the twenty-three chapters; but I keep meaning to come back to the mini-series, too.
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Damnit, Silver Age, I told you to quit it!

I suppose some DC fans and creators would love to have the silliness of the Silver Age buried and forgotten, and I may even have thought that at one point. But now, I see it as a necessary element, like a vital ingredient in a complicated recipe. And then I see something like this and my opinion may swing back the other way. From 1975, Superman Family #172, featuring "The Cheat the Whole World Cheered!" Written by Cary Bates, art by Kurt Schaffenberger; "Love Me, Love My Beast!" Reprinted from Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #85, written by Bill Finger, pencils by Curt Swan, inks by George Klein; and "The Kiss of Death!" Reprinted from Action Comics #364, story by Otto Binder, art by Kurt Schaffenberger.

In the Jimmy Olsen story, Shara, a pretty redhead from space, arrives with a horribly ugly pet, Gnor. Jimmy gets picked to be her guide, and despite the usual shenanigans they hit it off, even if Jimmy can't get rid of Gnor long enough to make his move. Lucy Lane shows up to tell Shara to step off of her turf, and finds her dying of earth germs. Or so Lucy tells Jimmy...seriously, it's suspicious as hell, I thought Lucy helped Shara have a little "accident." Later, Lucy takes a depressed Jimmy, still walking Gnor, to visit Professor Potter, whose latest invention turns them old. Gnor then passes his "leash" to Professor Potter, who unmasks to reveal he was really Superman: Gnor was a parasite that sucked the life out of his "owners," and for good measure Shara had been an android, that still fell in love with Jimmy. When she was "dying," Shara told her story to Lucy, who got Superman to help; and he had faked their aging so Gnor would look for a new host. Gnor then explodes from absorbing too much super-energy. Recapping this has felt like a fever dream, and I didn't even mention Gnor making the wiener horse...

Also this issue: the television event of the season, the long-awaited wedding of Lois Lane...to Lex Luthor! Presumably, so she could keep her monogramed towels. When mysterious satellites threaten earth and Superman and the JLA are unavailable, Lex Luthor asks for a presidential pardon so he could be free to save the world. Lois comes along, and ends up doing most of the work when Lex is knocked unconscious, but also begins to see Lex in a new light. Thankfully, Lois doesn't appear to be doing this to make Superman jealous; although Green Lantern has to make an appearance to keep Superman from throwing Lex back into jail. Supes is kicking himself for not paying more attention to Lois, as Lex appears ready to become a super-hero, and Lois writes Supes a letter before the wedding.

That night, someone gets caught trying to break into Lex's house: Lois, trying to recover the bugs and cameras she planted, since she didn't buy Lex's story for a minute. She's right, of course, but Lex is a step ahead of her: if Lois won't go through the wedding willingly, she can be hypnotized instead. Then, during the ceremony, Lex plans on using an "invisible beam" to compel Superman to blurt out his secret identity on live TV. Which works! Superman admits to being...Arnold Nadakowski? Well, yeah, his agent made him change it: it's talk-show host Johnny Nevada! He and Superman had switched places for just such an occurrence, since Supes had disguised as him in Action Comics #442! Lois karate-chops Lex to wrap this up, and she and Supes get into it in front of 80 million viewers. (Lex's truth-ray seems like a pretty useful invention; possibly even more so than the "time-dispenser" he used earlier; so of course he never uses either again as far as I know.)

Finally, in a Supergirl story, a killer has already killed two brides with "The Kiss of Death!" and Linda Danvers could be next! She takes the place of the third potential victim and pretends to die, but then finds the killer is really an executioner, tracking three escaped murderers from his alien water-world. Linda had stashed the third criminal in the Fortress of Solitude, but she's killed while trying to escape when she falls in a big vat of liquid helium Superman apparently just has lying around. The Fortress is apparently not OSHA compliant.

I think I had seen some scans from this on Twitter recently, and until I looked it up I kinda thought these might've been reprinted more than once. Those DC reprint packages should be obligated to include one of these every issue, just to keep them from getting too full of themselves.
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"Mobile."

That web-shooter is from the old Toy Biz Scarlet Spider, and I was going to steal a page from his book and fill the mobile with his impact webbing...except I was terrified of using web fluid or silly-string and staining Sat or Cat! They would be a bother to replace; not least of all because I'm too attached to them. But there is an alternate version of Black Cat hitting the shelves about now. Not sure about it...
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Mostly what I purchase around here are six-inch scale, what I would consider mid-range collectible figures, like Marvel Legends or DC Multiverse. There are higher end figures, like the Mezco One: 12 that are still in scale; but there are also some lower end, kid-oriented toys that are fudgably pretty close. Hasbro and Marvel did lines for Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War that have less articulation and are slightly smaller, but also perhaps half the price of a Legends figure. And Mattel and DC have Batman: Missions, like this Bane figure!

I feel like Bane skipped leg day: the chest is grotesquely muscular, as are the arms even though they are broken up by the joints. (Also, I hate it when I write several posts at once and use the same phrase twice, but here we go!) The hands seem big, which makes me wonder how the Venom steroid would work: it's like all the meat parts of him get bigger, but the bones wouldn't, and the skin would stretch like a big balloon full of ham. Gross. Bane also has the traditional Venom feed tube. It's pretty long, though. Bane gets one accessory: a chain-mace thing. It's not great.


Bane might not fit in with six-inch figures as well as the Riddler, but we might see what we can do with him. I almost think with a different pelvis and legs he could be upscaled a bit.
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Who do we know with green hair? That doesn't exactly narrow it down.

I've often referred to this blog as a hedge against senility, but I thought I had just read this issue recently, with the Hulk saving a damsel-in-distress that's more afraid of him. (I may have been thinking of this one with the Defenders.) This time, the damsel in question has green hair...and it still took me a moment to recognize her! From 1972, The Incredible Hulk #150, "Cry Hulk! Cry Havok!" Written by Archie Goodwin, pencils by Herb Trimpe, inks by John Severin. You know, come to think of it, I may have read the Marvel Super-Heroes #99 reprint lately, that would explain that!

The Hulk's usual, and ongoing, fight against the army, goes a little differently than usual. First up, Hulk is smart enough to pick up a soldier's dropped gas mask, to protect himself from the "funny smoke that makes Hulk sleep!" Next, while Thunderbolt Ross is at least trying to not use lethal force, he gets called off mission, as "all Hulkbuster activities are to be suspended--pending Congressional hearing!" There's a brief bit of back-and-forth between a tenured senator and a first-term representative--why would they even be talking to each other, that's not how the House and Senate work, right? The senator is an anti-Hulk hawk, while the rep argues a lot of money has been wasted trying to waste the Hulk: there is probably a ton of story material in that. Government contractors trying to build bigger and bigger weapons for the Hulkbusters and that green: money, in that case. States fighting over Hulk-related FEMA cash. Hulk related budget pork and padding: "Um, yeah, the Hulk totally destroyed that bridge. It didn't just fall down by itself..." I don't think they went deep on that, but they could.

Major Talbot had been driving Betty around to try to get to Bruce, and lamenting that she would never love him as much as Banner. Talbot considers tattling about Jarella, but to his credit keeps quiet. Meanwhile, the Hulk takes off after a girl that reminds him of his microscopic love; a girl with green hair, on the run from a gang of bikers! But she's not overly concerned: she's Lorna Dane, Polaris! And she's there to see Alex Summers, Havok! Alex had bagged out of the X-Men, after nearly killing Iceman while fighting over Lorna. Lorna explains Iceman wasn't really hurt, and Alex should come back; but he wants no part of that; which makes her think he doesn't want her, either. Then the Hulk shows up to defend Lorna, forcing Havok to suit up again.

Hulk is confused, and thus angry, when he realizes Lorna wasn't Jarella, and thinks he's been tricked. In the ensuing fight, Hulk picks up a massive chunk of cliff-face, with Lorna on top of it: Havok is forced to gut-check, and zap the Hulk with a long, focused beam between the eyes, knocking him out! (He also uses "a force beam to counteract the pull of gravity!" which I'm not sure he ever would again...) As Alex and Lorna head back to the X-Men, Talbot and Betty find Bruce, who, barely conscious...calls out for Jarella! Awkward.

I like Lorna and Alex, but I swear every third story with them they're quitting, or have to be talked out of quitting, or are coming back after quitting. Seriously, count it out yourself, the numbers don't lie...
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See, Diana doesn't skip leg day.

I know Wonder Woman is usually portrayed as pretty much Superman-strong these days, and could probably punch or punt a tank, but she used to have to try harder. A little harder. From 1979, Wonder Woman #258, "The Long Grey Line...of Death!" Written by Paul Kupperberg, plot by Paul Levitz, pencils by Jose Delbo, inks by Vince Coletta.

It's graduation day at West Point, marred somewhat by an assassination attempt on the commanding officer, then a tank attack by remote control. (If they had remote control tanks, why did they need West Point graduates?) In fact, there was apparently a lot of live fire exercises at their "mock battlefield," and Wonder Woman has to work overtime to keep them from killing the graduates, their families, and teachers. Then, she has to keep a fighter plane from strafing the Point or kamikazing a nearby nuclear plant.

The culprit was a major whose son had been a cadet accused of cheating. He had been innocent, but had been hounded into suicide; so his dad was out to kill the liars that drove him to it. Kind of sours WW on watching the graduation ceremony. Since I don't have the previous issue, I'm not even sure what she was doing there: she may have had to change back into Diana Prince and had to sit through the ceremony anyway. Somehow, that would've been even more of a down ending.
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