"Ambulance."

Black Widow may have finally come out by the time I post this, but most of the figures had gone on clearance before I picked them up. I'm kind of hoping Taskmaster isn't super-cool in the movie, since I didn't get him yet...We did something similar way back with Nakia and Okoye, since we got the figures before the movie, but worked them into a storyline anyway. I like doing that because it reminds me of old Star Wars, prior to Empire, where writers would take things in different directions maybe not knowing where a character or the plot was going to go.

On the other hand, I bought the WWE Slambulance and the armored Daredevil, at the same time, almost a year ago; and they're just showing up now! Let's see if the reason for all of them makes sense, soon.

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I say this, in the hopes they prove me wrong later, but I'm thinking Disney is not super-interested in doing much with Marvel's horror stable. Maybe our boy here will turn up on the Moon Knight show, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it, and I can't see them doing something in the garish nightmare style of today's book! From 1975, Werewolf by Night #35, "Evil in Every Stone, No Longer Hiding" Written by Doug Moench, art by Don Perlin; cover by Jim Starlin and Bernie Wrightson!

The horrors of the mad Marcosa house continue, as the metaphorical struggle between Jack Russell and his werewolf alter-ego becomes physical this issue; which Jack doesn't seem to find as unusual as that it's not even a full moon, what's up with that? Jack is willing to sacrifice himself, if that's what it takes to save his friends Elaine and Topaz; but Topaz manages to use her failing powers to return the 'werewolf' to the spirit of the original man cursed with lycanthropy. He tries to warn Jack to flee Marcosa, and that the gargoyle was the key, before he is destroyed by the evil wizard.

Next, Jack has to save his sister Lissa, from being hung by her father--or a vision of him. She's understandably a bit hysterical after that, but Jack, Elaine, and Topaz have to press on to find the gargoyle. The stone grotesquery nearly falls on them, but shatters to reveal a skull, its forehead with a massive hole. They then recap the horrible tale of Belaric Marcosa, one-legged sadist and psychic vampire. Forty-seven people had died in that house, but Jack and his friends were trying to unlock its secrets to save their friend Buck Cowan, injured earlier by the Werewolf. Still, Elaine and Topaz disappear as Jack is again somehow transformed into the Werewolf, who is assaulted by gropey hands and herded into traps: in a bedroom, he arrives too late to stop the mad Elaine from killing Topaz. After a brief and inexplicable attack by the gargoyle, the Werewolf reverts to Jack, who is confronted by Topaz's body, than Buck's, the latter hung by Marcosa!

This reads a bit like a giallo horror film, striking if somewhat disjointed; but with a werewolf to boot. I just ordered the second Essential Werewolf by Night to read the conclusion, but I reckon I'll always pick up one of these on the cheap. 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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It's not the best reveal, but at least they didn't tack a fake-out on top of it.

There's a Mark Evanier/Sergio Aragonés spoof from a couple years after this issue, that features "I'm quitting the Fantastic Four!" about a dozen times. It's funny 'cause it's true! From 1994, Fantastic Four #392, "The Final Gantlet!" Plot and script by Tom DeFalco, plot and pencils by Paul Ryan, inks by Danny Bulanadi.

Three of the Four are dead here, along with the rest of the planet, in a reality where Reed tried to retrieve the Ultimate Nullifier--instead of Johnny, as in our universe. The Watcher Uatu had subbed in our more experienced Ben, Sue, and Johnny in an attempt to save that world, which failed, and they died. Except the Watcher saves them, to return to their world, although Johnny notices he also seems to imply he knows exactly when they were supposed to die. Uatu does him a favor and doesn't tell him.

Their own Reed was still missing, presumed dead, but Four Freedoms Plaza is crowded; with the Sub-Mariner, Ant-Man, Johnny's Skrull 'wife' Lyja, Franklin Richards aged up to Psi-Lord; and later the Black Panther and what would later be the Fantastic Force. Lyja's false pregnancy, that had tried to kill them all in a previous issue, had been dealt with; and she suggests she and Johnny could think about a real family of their own. He is not especially receptive to the idea, feeling Lyja had played him for a chump while pretending to be Alicia. Stung by that, and possibly tired of the danger, the Torch quits with the traditional fly-off-in-a-huff. Charitably, Sue felt that Lyja had proved herself, and deserved to be there, but she felt she didn't belong there without Johnny. Down to her and Ben (and like eight other people...) Sue thinks the team is at a crossroads, if not the end. Cue super-villain attack!

The Dark Raider appears, demanding the Reed Richards of that world, and recognizing Sue and Ben from their attempt to save the aforementioned alternate reality. He has a ton of tricky weapons, and holds his own against the lot, then unmasks himself when Uatu appears: it's the Reed from that doomed reality, of course. But his theory was, countless earths had been endangered or destroyed by the curiosity of various Reed Richards, so he had been travelling to alternate realities, killing Reeds. He had an Ultimate Nullifier, so there were in a pickle. Working with his mom, Psi-Lord projects the Malice persona that had been trapped in his head, into the Dark Raider's, giving them the chance to grab the Nullifier. Trapped in a force field, bad Reed is impressed, but it's just a minor setback, and Uatu agrees: someone as resourceful as Reed would of course escape eventually. While Sue and Franklin take the high road, Uatu had been afraid of that, and takes matters into his own hands, killing the Dark Raider!

Uatu was afraid the Raider would have eventually won, and says his goodbyes: he will return that Nullifier to where it belonged, then exile himself somewhere with nothing to watch. Uatu doesn't say if their Reed was still alive, but Sue takes it upon herself to find him, saying her own goodbyes and declining help from Ben or T'Challa before leaving on the time sled. (Namor doesn't appear the last few pages here, either to encourage or discourage her.) Only Ben remains, but he resolves to continue, even if it's as the Fantastic One. Which sounds like a pretty good ploy to get Johnny back on board, he'd never stand still for that. Read more!

They've got the right idea, but possibly a too-Eurocentric execution. So to speak.

I had to look up to make sure it wasn't an urban legend, but about .5% of the men currently alive in the world have DNA from Genghis Khan. Maybe the muties should have gone after him...From 1988, Strontium Dog #18, "The Ragnarok Job, part 4 of 5" Written by Alan Grant, art by Carlos Ezquerra. Cover by Jackson Guice. 

Max Bubba and his mutie gang have escaped from the future, to the year 793 AD, but they aren't just hiding out there. Bubba is going to wreck the timeline but good, by killing a village-full of Vikings. Although they can't understand him, he still explains to them (to note the "historic moment") that by the 22nd century, their DNA had spread to just about everybody. Killing them would prevent their descendants from ever being born, and history would crumple like a house of cards. Bubba mentions a couple times, he has nothing against the Vikings, but the "norms" in the future have it coming for their persecution of mutants. Of course, he also thinks the muties would then inherit the earth, but I kind of feel like the mutants probably also had a lot of that DNA, before it was mutated? Bubba's plan would change the future so much as to be unrecognizable and unpredictable, but, well, omelets and eggs, I guess.

Time distortions were already appearing, like the volcano Bubba planned to march the Vikings into, and a Vietnam war-era helicopter and soldiers that arrive in time to help Strontium Dog Johnny Alpha and his crew get to the fight in the nick of time. (Grant has a dark throwaway line there, when the commanding officer agrees to help Johnny but worries "what if the target turns out to be innocent civilians?" A soldier immediately pipes in, "when's that ever stopped us, cap?") The distortions were also felt in 2170, with buildings collapsing and people disappearing: had Johnny Alpha failed the future?

Bubba's "Black Viking" locals are no match for the U.S. army, who in turn are largely shot up by the muties. During the firefight, Bubba tries to persuade Johnny into joining up: it's not like he owed the norms anything, really. Johnny may almost be tempted, but had no desire to be "murdering trash" like Bubba. But Bubba has the drop on him as the chapter ends...!

It took a little searching, but these were originally from 2000 AD #460 and thereabouts. This was also a storyline within a longer storyline, with the origin of Johnny's partner, Wulf; who gets sent to the future there. And the shoulder on my old Strontium Dog action figure broke; I'd love to see new 2000 AD figures again someday. I'd prefer mass-market to super-fancy, but could be talked into it! 

Also this issue: another segment of "Bad City Blue," a sci-fi action number with what appeared to be a space habitat with "class A" elites and just about everyone else is "slumscum," with operatives like Blue enforcing the peace. But the class A's may have disappeared...This was the first chapter of this one I remember reading, and it seems pretty meat-and-potatoes, but not bad.

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"Convince."

Of course, being a doctor, Morbius knows better than to move around somebody with serious injuries like that. (I don't know if it's MST3K that usually shouts out "Be sure to wiggle his spine around" when that's done in movies, but I certainly do.) But for this, gotta get that dramatic Pieta pose going!

Also, my yellow fill failed this time for Venompool, coming out too pixelated to use. 

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I should just keep an eye out for the rest of this series, since I remember one issue I read when it came out, but haven't seen it since. It wasn't this one, either, but since it's here...from 1987, Strange Tales #8, featuring "The Black Tear Drop" Written by Terry Austin, pencils by Brett Blevins, inks by Bob Wiacek; and "If You Meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him!" Written by Peter B. Gillis, pencils by Terry Shoemaker, inks by Randy Emberlin. Cover by Kevin Nowlan.

We saw the next issue some time back, and I may have been harsh on Cloak as a dumb kid; but this is pretty traditional. We've seen the Hulk and the Thing do this multiple times: cured, but their low self-esteem drives them back to their "disease." In this case, Tyrone is having nightmares about the dark hunger that was inside of Cloak: their powers had recently changed, and Dagger was able to use her light to keep him as plain Tyrone 24 hours a day. But his stutter had returned, he was struggling in class, and felt like a failure compared to Dagger, where he had been her equal as Cloak. This leads him to Mr. Jip's shop, who gives him "the obsidian cube...(which) shall grant your heart's blackest desire." He takes it, returning to Cloak, and Dagger does not understand, nor want to, and she quits.

The Strange story is a bit of a wordy one, as Stephen has found a journal of the Ancient One, his master, which is not filled with glowing praise for him. In fact, it read as if he felt Strange followed him too closely, instead of "(fighting) his own way along the paths of magic." I'm not positive that journal wasn't a plant to damage Strange's confidence, but he also stops reading there! Maybe he proved the Ancient One wrong later. Kaluu also arrives, having been freed when the Book of the Vishanti was destroyed. Kaluu presents his own spin on events, arguing that while he may have committed a bit of evil here and there, didn't the Ancient One let a number of atrocities happen, that he could have stopped? Stephen may claim to not be a black magician; but Kaluu asks, is any action really "pure"? I don't think Strange is snowed by him, but still needs something to stop the world from dying, and is forced to team up.

The title of that one is probably from the works of psychotherapist Sheldon Kopp, which probably doesn't mean what you would think. Probably. If you meet the Buddha and think you can take him, well, who am I to stop you? Read more!

That had to be tough to draw all issue.

Getting in touch with your feminine side is rarely so literal, as in today's book: from 1993, the Warlock Chronicles #5, "Perspective" Written by Jim Starlin, pencils by Kris Renkewitz, inks by Keith Williams.

Within the psyche of Adam Warlock's "good," feminine side, the Goddess, our hero has come to try and figure out her endgame. He was not expecting to appear literally split in half, though: his self-image was usually constant. Warlock meets the Wise Woman, an aspect of the Goddess, which would make her a splinter of a splinter of his own mind? She explains herself as the Goddess having used many aspects over the centuries, which also troubles Adam: in Marvel time, he was just barely older than Franklin Richards! But no time for that, since the Goddess may be near winning.

Adam has to take the traditional journey of enlightenment, seeing through the Goddess's eyes her childhood, stamped on by the masculine and evil Magus; than danger and salvation, again at the hands of the Magus. Then, why not experience the worst aspects of motherhood: pain, then abandonment. Can Adam choose a different, better path? By the time it's offered, it's too late to choose, welcome to "the inevitable darkness."

Finally, Adam gets to see the Goddess's ultimate goal, which is revenge on the universe and everything in it. The Wise Woman has a final piece of advice, "accept her."

I'm not sure if Adam was an "old soul," as it were; or if he had been repeating time loops or some such. Warlock's tombstone, prior to his resurrection in Infinity Gauntlet, had the dates 1967 to 1977, but with Marvel's sliding timeline I don't think he was even ten; which makes stifling the Goddess for centuries a mean feat... Read more!

If you ordered the big Hasbro Sentinel but don't have this Spidey, prepare to curse your lack of preparedness.

From 1996, Amazing Spider-Man #415, "Siege!" Written by Tom DeFalco, pencils by Mark Bagley, inks by Larry Mahlsted and Al Milgrom. 

We're smack in the middle of a long-running storyline and a big crossover, both of which had potential but I'm not sure are remembered fondly: the Spider-Clone Saga and Onslaught. Ben Reilley was the current Spider-Man, and allegedly the real Peter Parker. Peter had just lost his Aunt May, had nearly died himself, his spider-powers were intermittent and erratic, and Mary Jane was pregnant. I think we're up to six things that would be later reversed, and we're not done yet! Somebody in the government had the bright idea to deploy the Sentinels against Onslaught, and they were almost immediately taken over by him. The giant robots begin enforcing martial law, and demanding mutants and enhanced humans to surrender; and they see Peter as a threat immediately. Peter leaps out of there with MJ, but the Sentinel had called in back-up to give chase.

As another Sentinel attacks the Daily Bugle, Ben makes sure his new supporting cast is safe at the Daily Grind before suiting up. Peter tries to lead a Sentinel away from Mary Jane, noting the robot noting his unborn child could be powered, then his own powers crap out mid-fight. Still, as a lowly normo, he no longer registers as a threat to the Sentinel, who returns to its previous duties. At the Bugle, Jameson attempts to rally his staff, when word of a fight outside reaches him. That damn Spider--no, it's the heroic Green Goblin, taking on a Sentinel himself! (It would be Phil Urich's greatest, and final, victory...he wouldn't get any in his last issue.)

Peter and MJ get to the Bugle, with Peter trying to get a camera and get back out there. Meanwhile, Spidey scares down some looters, then fights a Sentinel, tearing apart its head! I think multiple robot corpses would be scattered across the city for the next few months; I know we saw one in Punisher #17, even if I didn't scan it. 

So much rolled back from this issue! Also, we know Onslaught was Xavier and Magneto's, what, dark sides put together? Would he have wanted the Sentinels to keep cataloguing mutants? Or immediately start taking potshots at Peter, without giving him a chance to surrender? I'm probably nitpicking there; I've read the main issues and a lot of the crossovers, but never in order.

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Can I get more Ghost Rider guest-spots? No, we have Ghost Rider at home!

Ghost Rider at home:

Oh, you know I love Vengeance! And random-ass issues of serial anthologies. From 1994, Marvel Comics Presents #153, opening with, "Dangerous Games, part 2 of 4: Urban Safari" Written by Chris Cooper, breakdowns by Reggie Jones, finishes by Fred Harper. The Big Game Posse nearly killed Vengeance's cop friend Rebecca, and later kidnap rookie hero Annex (from the pages of Spider-Man, for some reason) is captured by the Posse, who intend to use him as bait to hunt "Ghost Rider." (Vengeance was not widely known by name, in-story.) The Posse is interrupted by Sam Buchanan from Darkhold, who wants to use Annex's technology with the anti-supernatural "Linda" weapon from Nightstalkers! That's like three deep cuts in an eight-pager, making Vengeance look like a big star in comparison.

Next up, "Hung Jury, part 2 of 3," written by Chuck Dixon, art by J.J. Birch. Moon Knight and Marlene investigate the Pretorians, a gang trying to influence a trial by extorting the jury. Marlene does the detective work, which Marc acknowledges is most of the job, while busting heads. Not bad.

On the flip side of the comic, somebody finally got to use the title "Logan's Run." (Written by Nel Yomtov, pencils by Phil Hugh Felix, inks by Rey Garcia.) Wolvie is chasing after his kidnapped friends from early in his solo book, Tyger Tiger and Archie Corrigan. But this is post-Fatal Attractions, so is Logan up to it? A burly thug isn't giving him the leads, so Logan appears to be on the verge of popping his claws through that guy's face!

Finally, we get War Machine, in "The Dying Game, part 2 of 4, Taking Care of Business" Written by Len Kaminski and Scott Benson, pencils by John Czop, inks by Tim Dzon. This was leading up to his solo book, as he investigated high-tech guns hitting the street. With four eight-page chapters, I feel like this could've just been his first issue; but maybe needed the build-up. Read more!