The chapter of Atlantis Attacks with Atlantis Attacking.

The Atlantean invasion is in full swing in today's book, chapter eight of Atlantis Attacks, 1989's Avengers Annual #18, "Avengers Assembled" Written by Michael Higgins, pencils by Ron Wilson, inks by Mike Gustovich.

Ghaur and Llyra's giant re-creation of the Serpent Crown is complete (and starting to have an effect on any unfortunate enough to have worn it in the past) so it's time for the invasion to get going, led by Attuma, who may be starting to slowly realize he's not the top of the totem pole here. Although the Atlantean army has a few super-powered troops, like Orca and Tyrak; the Avengers have called in both teams and the reserves, fielding 22 members at the start and a few more by the end. The Atlanteans are forced back on multiple fronts, although in New York, the fleeing Atlantean soldiers are taken out by a gigantic undersea creature; and Warlord Krang catches a beating from a mysterious, armored figure. (Whose identity you could probably guess, if I had blogged these in any kind of order!)

Also this issue: Captain America recruits Quasar to the Avengers, and we see his initiation interrupted by Firelord; "Cap's Avengerability Analysis," which is as good a reason as any for Kevin Maquire, Lee Weeks, and Kieron Dwyer art; and another chapter of the "Saga of the Serpent Crown." This one ties into some old issues of Sub-Mariner, but I don't know if the Helmet of Power there was always intended to be a disguised Serpent Crown, or if that was a retcon.

This is the seventh chapter we've looked at, with one scheduled; I still have six more I have to find somewhere...
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More abstract than cheesecake this time!

When Mattel did their Legion of Super-Heroes set some years back, I had been wishing they would've added 80's Legionnaire Quislet as a pack-in. He could've worked not unlike Booster Gold's Skeets, but that wasn't to be. Still, we've got an issue with him today, but not the one I was thought it was at the time: from 1988, Legion of Super-Heroes #44, "Quislet's Story" Written by Paul Levitz, pencils by Greg LaRocque, inks by Mike DeCarlo.

Extra-dimensional explorer turned Legionnaire Quislet has disappeared, sucked into a bizarre hole in his quarters along with Wildfire. Although Brainiac 5 thinks Quislet's just popped off for a party (and might be a bit peeved he couldn't figure out the hole) the situation is more dire than that. Wildfire does a large portion of the narration in this one, since although he was an energy being, he wasn't a scientist, and had no idea what he was seeing in Teall, the energy world Quislet was from. Or more accurately, escaped from: instead of merely exploring, he stole the trans-dimensional ship he lived in, and escaped from the hivemind the rest of his people lived in. Now the Teallians wanted Quislet back, and maybe Wildfire as well. Resisting, Wildfire gets blown out the hole back into the regular universe.

Having learned from his teammates, Quislet bluffs it out, convincing the Teallians his ship was booby-trapped, and would explode without him or if he was forcibly reconnected to the hivemind. He had also learned, while building Wildfire's newer, more human-looking containment suit, how to defend his ship against energy attacks, and is able to escape. Back on earth, Quislet plays it off as nothing; maybe it even is for him. Also this issue: Dream Girl is unsure about Star Boy's potential replacement, Atmos, who seems like a creep (and has a weird, armpit-less torso) and the Luck Lords plot against Lightning Lad, setting up the next issue, the 30th anniversary of the Legion.

When I picked this up, I thought it was going to be an issue I'd already read, with the sad fate of Quislet: in Legion #58, during what would be the final battle with the Emerald Empress (pre-reboots) Quislet's ship was destroyed; leaving him no choice but to return to his dimension...and either death, or reprogramming. Quislet wouldn't return post-Zero Hour, but has come back since. I think Atmos came back before he did!
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This was a surprise: I thought I had read all of Garth Ennis's Punisher, except for maybe the Barracuda mini-series. But I'm not sure I recall this one: from 2005, Punisher: the Cell, written by Garth Ennis, pencils by Lewis LaRosa, inks by Scott Koblish.

Actually, there's something here that occasionally bugged me in books with the same situation, like Batman...or old Punisher comics. We've mentioned before I didn't think Ennis was strictly bound by continuity, but here Frank mentions confessing, then being thrown in Riker's "six months later," which seems like a long stretch of time to tie up the character. I want to say an old Question comic did the same thing; drives me nuts for some reason.

Anyway, this issue Frank's going to the big house, all part of his plan to get five mobsters at the top of the prison food chain. Two of the five have a secret, but Frank knows their legacy isn't what they would expect. This is the Punisher as an unstoppable force: everything that happens is planned; but he doesn't just kill the mobsters, he sets them up where one would suggest one might need to confess to save the others...and no way that was going to end well.

I had to go out of my way to try to avoid any scans with swears; but rest assured, they're in there. Although this is a relatively modern comic, it feels like a throwback to 70's vigilante movies, to an age of comics that maybe never really existed. It predates Disney buying Marvel as well, so it also feels like an age that's never going to come around again. It's also available in trade as Punisher MAX: From First to Last, with the Tyger (young Frank Castle sees terrible crap, art by John Severin!) and the staggeringly recommended Punisher: the End with Richard Corben art. Now have I read all of Ennis's Punisher? Maybe. But I wouldn't mind being surprised again.
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80-Page Thursday: Young Justice 80-Page Giant #1!

We haven't had an 80-page Thursday all year? Really? Last one was back in December, and wasn't very good. And neither is this one! From 1999, Young Justice 80-Page Giant #1, featuring stories by Peter David, Beau Smith, Chuck Dixon, and more; and art by Tommy Lee Edwards, Keron Grant, Sergio Cariello, and more.

I had thought Peter David's Young Justice had an 80-pager before, but that was a Secret Origins issue; and actually pretty good. That one had some insights to the characters; this one is almost entirely nonsense. A magic force, from the days of Arion, and responsible for the World Without Adults; had been hiding out inside Red Tornado. This had caused the android to behave uncharacteristically distant, leading the YJ team to hold an intervention, with the Tornado's former wife and adopted daughter. The magic manifests, and most of the rest of the issue is tangential dream sequences, like a western, a noir detective story, or silent 'vampir' movie.

The magic manifests itself in the end, intent on wiping out humanity, since it was both drawn to and repulsed by humanity's imagination. Red Tornado begs it to turn him into a human, so he can die with his family; and that triggers the magic's own imagination. Instead of destroying the world, it turns itself into a baby, and that's that. Red Tornado's turned back into an android, too.

Not great; but we have one more 80-pager for later. Spoiler alert: not great, but that one has a moment or two.
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"Bank."

I figured the casino paid Deadpool in something like Bitcoin, which, while handy; would also be easily stealable. If only he had somewhere safe to put it...
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I was a week or so ahead of schedule, then Twitch ran 38 episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Not gonna lie, that killed productivity a bit. I really should set up a second monitor, but my ancient computer probably couldn't handle that. Omigod, the Mr. B Natural short is on now, and yeah, I'm going to get much done after that. New strip Wednesday, have a good Fourth!
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More house ads than I expected, really.

I don't usually post Saturdays, but yesterday's book, Action Comics #365 from 1968, had more than a couple DC house ads that I wanted to throw on here. So, here we go!


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A lucky break: at one of the closed Hastings locations, a store called "EntertainMart" opened up; with a layout and merchandise pretty similar to the old Hastings. I don't know if it's part of a chain or its own thing, but it'll be somewhere to check out for cheap books. I went through some back issue bins for as long as the Wife would wait, and got today's book on the cheap: from 1968, Action Comics #365, "Superman's Funeral!" Written by Leo Dorfman, pencils by Ross Andru, inks by Mike Esposito.

This was about the fourth chapter in this storyline, although spaced out in 12-page installments a month, since the rest of the issue is a Supergirl story. Lex Luthor infected Supes with a strain of Kryptonian leprosy, and Superman's body is being launched into "Flammbron, the hottest sun in the universe." While he's still alive! Partly because there's no cure for his condition, and partly to keep him from infecting the rest of the universe. Still, Superman's "space-bier" rocket coffin is taking the scenic route to Flammbron, passing planets like Knorr, Lexor, and Bizarro World. The Avians of Knorr mark the occasion with an hour blindfolded, to symbolize their darkest hour. (They're still wandering around gamely, though; so it seems like a party game. Maybe to cheer them up.) Although Lex's girl Ardora stands by her man, the rest of Lexor turns on Luthor...and science, which doesn't seem like a great idea. And the Bizarros celebrate by throwing red and white Kryptonite at Superman, because dying is fun!

Most of this story is flashback, as Superman's recalls his life. Supergirl brings his three big loves, Lois Lane, Lana Lang, and Lori Lemaris; out to see him off; and the issue ends with Supes about to plunge into a sun a thousand times times hotter than a normal one! The next issue blurb points out there is a clue here how Superman would get out of this, if you know your pre-Crisis continuity. Oddly, checking it on the GCD, this has never been reprinted in the U.S. I would've thought five 12-page chapters would make a good chunk of a digest or special or something.
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Somehow, this ended without Picard getting his back broke.

Let's see here: the Tholians, from "the Tholian Web," the Borg removed from the Collective seen in "Descent," Riker's dad from "the Icarius Factor," and Bane from Batman: Knightfall...hey, wait a minute! From 1995, Star Trek: the Next Generation #75, "War and Madness, part five: Cry Havoc" Written by Michael Jan Friedman, pencils by Gordon Purcell, inks by Terry Pallot.

This was the conclusion to a five-parter, with a rogue band of Borg, missing their old Collective, commandeer a Klingon ship after its crew dies of radiation poisoning. With the ship and their technology, the Borg go after the Tholians, since the Klingons' records indicated they also had a hivemind, biological instead of technological. The Tholians actually didn't anymore, not in centuries, but the Borg keep attacking Tholian outposts and kidnapping them for experiments. Meanwhile, the Tholians think the Klingons are moving into their territory, and are on the verge of war. Picard and the Enterprise are sent to iron the whole mess out, made somewhat more difficult since they're all a bit high strung anyway.

For good measure, "Enab," the leader of the rogue Borg, is based on Bane, the Batman villain! No particular reason, just because.
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"Wakeup."

We're emphasizing the old in Old Man Logan, but I'm not positive how different his timeline was from the regular 616 Marvel U. (Even though some writers are trying to retire that designation.) Is a snitch a snitch across timelines? I wouldn't think so, but maybe.

We last saw Kitty about two-and-a-half years ago; so this plotline has gone entirely too long. Ah, well. And that was the old, Toy Biz Kitty, and we've updated to the recent X-Men Legends figure. Come to think of it, the Star-Lord and Deadpool figures from that strip have both been updated since then, too.
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It's been over two years since the last issue of Fantastic Four, which I have and totally should get around to for "The End" week. And even though I got that Walgreens exclusive Invisible Woman figure last month, it feels like I'll have the rest of the team before a new FF comic hits the racks. (I wrote this before the reveal of...whatever Marvel's Legacy thing is; which I think has a new Two-In-One? A step in the right direction, but not the same.) So luckily, I picked up about a year's worth of their last run the other day; let's check out 2014's Fantastic Four #11, "East of Eden, part three" Written by James Robinson, pencils by Leonard Kirk, inks by Karl Kesel.

As was often the case for the FF...and most Marvel characters, honestly...the writer has to spend a lot of time tearing them down, to make their later victory more dramatic. That's great, but wading through the ten issues prior it felt like Robinson was really hammering on them! An attack on New York by monsters from the "Heroes Reborn" universe is blamed on the team, even though Johnny sacrificed his powers to stop it. The court ruled against the FF, taking the Baxter Building and Sue and Reed's Future Foundation kids away; Val was already staying with Dr. Doom! During the Original Sin crossover, Ben finds out how Johnny accidentally wrecked one of Reed's attempts to cure him of being the Thing; and that Reed didn't tell him. Worse, Ben is then framed for the murder of the Puppet Master, and thrown in super-villain jail! Meanwhile, Johnny's becoming a wastrel, Sue might be reverting to Malice as she fights for her kids, and Reed's working for a science guru that you know is going to end up being a villain. (Close! That latter part is probably the most thankless job in comics: create a new villain for the Fantastic Four. Remember Hyperstorm or Crucible or the Marquis of Death?)

This particular issue opens with the aftermath of a fight with the Wizard's latest Frightful Four--this time, the girls from Salem's Seven--versus Mr. Fantastic and his magical lifeline Dr. Strange the Scarlet Witch. Reed is feeling like he can't do anything right; but Wanda tells him she's been there, and it gets better. Longtime FF associates (and occasional couple) Wyatt Wingfoot and She-Hulk meet up, and agree to investigate who was coming after the team; maybe see if they could get Johnny into rehab while they're at it. (He wasn't quite that far gone, but close.) And the prison shower scene doesn't quite go into Oz territory for Ben, but he nearly catches a beating, saved only by the subtle intervention of the Sandman, who doesn't want to be seen helping him. She's on the cover but not inside: the top dog in the prison food chain, was none other than former FF member and Ben's ex, Sharon "She-Thing" Ventura!

As Wyatt calls Johnny, his cab driver catches an arrow in the head, and Wyatt is nearly killed by...the "Heroes Reborn" Hawkeye? Luckily, She-Hulk had asked Spider-Man to keep an eye on Wyatt, but they're both confused by this turn of events. Robinson had actually written "Heroes Reborn" before: he did the 13th issues for those, the Wildstorm/Marvel crossover World War III, which I loved to death. This FF issue isn't bad, but it only moves the plot forward incrementally: much more seems to happen in the recap, than anywhere else.
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Fine, Kurt, don't tell me.

This was one of the first X-Men comics I read as a kid; it would be years before I'd see the "flying carnival wagon" incident Nightcrawler refers to there! From 1981, Uncanny X-Men #149, "And the Dead Shall Bury the Living!" Written by Chris Claremont, art by Dave Cockrum and Joe Rubinstein. (Reprinted in X-Men Classic #53.)

The issue opens with the team--a surprisingly short roster of Storm, Colossus, Wolverine, and Nightcrawler--working on the Danger Room, while Professor X worries they would soon face Magneto, whom the current roster had never beat. (Aside from flashbacks and Days of Futures Past, Mags hadn't appeared in the book since 1978's X-Men #113! A surprisingly long absence.) Did I say four X-Men? Well, they also had Kitty Pryde, who shows up wearing a new Sprite costume and roller skates, and wrecks the Professor's computer by phasing through it: the Professor hammers home that she's still a trainee. So of course, Kitty sneaks along when the team flies to Antarctica to check out Magneto's old volcano base.

Said base had been flooded with lava the last time the X-Men were there, but has been cleared out some, by what's left of Garokk: he had fallen into a pit back in X-Men #116, and Storm had been unable to save him, so now he was an angry part-crystal, part-melted rock guy. After beating the team, he creates a smaller, bottomless pit to throw Storm into; but Kitty gets the X-Men back into the fight, and Garokk takes the dive down it. Meanwhile, in the Bermuda Triangle, Scott Summers and Lee Forester are guests of Magneto, who has risen a mysterious sunken city, and neutralized Cyclops' optic blasts! This might've been quite the cliffhanger, if I gave a crap about Cyclops. (I'm kidding; actually by this point, Cyke hadn't done any of the douchey things that soured me on the character.)

I'm positive I read X-Men #150 out of a certain spinner rack I mentioned before, but I don't think I had one for myself for some time! And my personal recollection was a bit fuzzy, I would've read both of those before 1982's X-Men Annual #6.
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So I found another copy for fifty cents, which made cracking and buying it easier than finding my copy somewhere: from 1989, Punisher Annual #2, featuring "Knight Fight" Written by Mike Baron, art by Bill Reinhold.

This would be the second of five straight Punisher Annuals that were involved in some crossover, starting with the Evolutionary War and going until 1992's the System Bytes: traditionally, Punisher would be scheduled fairly early in the crossover, before things got really nuts, to keep him grounded. And this Atlantis Attacks chapter starts both grounded and weird, as a passing Marc Spector sees a guy at a pet store eat a gerbil at the counter! Curious, Spector trails the guy back to a private drug rehab clinic; meanwhile, the Punisher is on the trail of a murderer, who turns out to have checked himself in with the same organization. Frank investigates the clinic's downtown office: Baron's Punisher was still able to pass in polite society; unlike say, Ennis's version, who usually looked like a monster. Staking out the office, Frank hears a tricked-out chopper, setting up the best panels in the whole crossover.

No Marvel misunderstanding brawl for these guys, they're professionals. I know some later writer would wreck this--Frank kills Marc's insane brother or something--but I love the idea of these two just being super-cool with each other.

The office has both armed guards and loose snakes, although the latter are too sluggish in the chill to be up to much; and the same actually applies to the creepy forked-tongued goons that jump the guys. Later, at Marc's mansion, we get a bit of recap, with oddly different lettering, tying the snake men back to Viper, and last year's "snake riot" from Captain America #344. (Such a great issue, I want to read that now!) Hitting the clinic, Moon Knight and Punisher realize while the riot had been considered a "mass hallucination," these goons really were turning into snakes! Then, Frank gets ambushed by Viper, who shoots him up full of...snake juice, I guess. Which doesn't turn him into a snake, yet, but he goes wild, shooting up the place. More so than usual, even. The Viper bugs out, and I'm not sure where she turns up next in the crossover; partly because I'm reading them in no particular order.

Moon Knight manages to if not hypnotize, at least confuse the Punisher, with his shiny crescent darts; and Frank goes into convulsions and passes out. Taking him back to the mansion, Marc takes care of him until he comes out of it, two days later, and that's that for this chapter, which is still probably one of my favorite single issues of the time. Also this issue: a surprisingly dark Microchip back-up, and not just because night-vision goggles play a big part in it. There were several of those over the years, but Micro has to go straight to murder-town on this one. Then some "Punisher's Fighting Techniques" with art by Jim Lee, and the fifth chapter of "The Saga of the Serpent Crown," featuring Conan vs. Thoth-Amon!

Let's see: Atlantis Attacks was 14 chapters, and so far we've looked at six now, with a seventh scheduled. Hoping I can dredge up the rest eventually!
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