THE icon of vintage glamour has passed away.
http://www.bettiepage.com/obit/obit.html
Sunday, December 14, 2008
FANFIC: The Avengers in "The Legacy of Mar-Vell" Part Five
Quasar abruptly went silent.
After a couple minutes of total silence, She-Hulk spoke up. "There’s something you’re not telling us."
Quasar sighed, then opened up. "I’ve faced Garero before, in an alternate timeline, in a scenario similar to this one, and...long story short, the good guys lost. I survived to tell the tale, which in a way has been a fate worse than death." He paused. "Forgive the melodrama, but...I think you get the idea."
"If thou did survive to help us," said Thor, "then thy fate is justified. Tell us now what we must do."
"I can quantum-jump you guys and gal into the realm of the Kree gods," replied Quasar, "and we can try to stop Garero before he crosses over into this dimension. If we fail at that...well, anything goes."
"Tis a risk we shall have to take." said Thor. "Now that there art six Kree renegades with cosmic powers, to confront them directly would be suicidal."
"If I may?" interjected Black Knight.
"Aye?" replied Thor.
"We can’t neglect our own world." stated Black Knight. "We are, after all, EARTH’S mightiest heroes. I propose that I stay behind and put together a team of reserve Avengers."
"Dane, honey..." said a disapproving She-Hulk.
"Dane speaks the truth." interrupted Thor. "I approve of his plan, and we shall implement it."
She-Hulk frowned impotently before Black Knight put his hand on her shoulder. "You know that I’ll be all right, and you’ll be all right."
"No, I don’t know, but I do know you can’t fight City Hall." muttered She-Hulk resignedly.
"Let the preparations begin." said Thor. "This meeting is adjourned."
*********
The planet Hala, hub of the vast interstellar Kree empire. An eerie calm had settle over the planet’s surface, the calm before the storm.
The Kree’s scanners had detected the approach of Captain Atlas’ band of renegades. In anticipation of their attack, an armada of battleships hovered in the air, while a battalion of tanks and two squads of infantry awaited on the ground.
The Supreme Intelligence, cyber-organic overlord of the Kree empire, surveyed the surface of his throneworld, and he did not like what he saw.
In the streets, rioting was constant, with even the toughest Accusers failing to quell the civil unrest. Blood regularly splattered on walls already defaced by graffiti proclaiming the imminent rise of Garero – the renegades had plenty of grassroots support, and nothing made the Supremor angrier.
All the centuries of atheism-driven order which made the empire strong had been steadily crumbling in recent times. The traitor Mar-Vell, with his cosmic-powered altruism, had influenced a mass rebellion by example alone. Throughout the planet, cabals of ancient Kree cosmic mysticism were springing up faster than the Accusers could exterminate them. Those driven by a desire for abandoning militaristic traditions and communing peacefully with nature were mere annoyances to the Supremor – it was the likes of Captain Atlas and his savages which presented a true threat.
So it was that the Supremor, with Chief Accuser Ronan as field commander, stood determined to make an example of Atlas’s renegades, and restore the empire to the way it once was. The time was now. "Ronan," ordered the Supremor, "launch the attack."
"With pleasure, Supremor." replied Ronan, standing at the bridge of the armada’s flagship. "Target the hateful traitors’ ship and launch missiles!"
********
Aboard Atlas’s ship, the Captain and his elite guard calmly watched the approach of the missiles through their monitor.
Thanks to the Psyche-Magnetron, their appearances had changed considerably. Atlas was clad in a spikily imposing suit of armor; Loparr now had fur, claws, and razor-sharp teeth; the already massive Gurge had grown even larger, and developed a skin of stone; Zetazia had scales, webbed hands and feet, and venomous fangs; Verxa had fangs, too, these of the vampiric kind, with giant bat-like wings to match. Minerva remained clad in her parody of a Terran superhero outfit, looking over her handiwork with pride.
"Once those missiles would have been a threat. Now they are but toys." declared Atlas.
"Minerva, Verxa, follow me. Let us give them a show of force!"
The three villains exited the ship. Their cosmic powers allowed them to fly and to navigate the vacuum of space at no risk to their lives.
"Minerva, the missiles are all yours." said Atlas.
Minerva fired blasts of cosmic energy from her hands. The missiles were struck by the blasts, and exploded. The ship was unharmed, and, despite their proximity to the explosions, so were the deadly trio. They flew swiftly at the armada, with their course clearly set on the flagship.
"Fire cannons!" barked Ronan.
The trio easily dodged the cannon fire, and what few hits they took did nothing to hurt them.
"Shields up!" demanded Ronan.
At Captain Atlas’s command, Minerva and Verxa fired cosmic rays from their eyes, shattering the flagship’s shields.
Atlas used his newly acquired super-strength to tear a giant hole on the side of the flagship, through which he, Minerva, and Verxa could fly inside. In a moment, the automatic emergency seal covered the hole, but by then the three villains had entered.
A team of troopers cornered the villains and opened fire. Their shots bounced harmlessly off the villains. Verxa lunged at one of the trooper and sank her fangs into his neck. The trooper screamed and convulsed until he went limp. Then, suddenly, at Verxa’s psychic command, he got up, picked up his gun, and shot all the other troopers dead.
The villains made their way to the bridge, with Verxa’s new slave bringing up the rear. They turned a corner and found themselves facing Ronan, who blasted at them with his Universal Weapon. To Ronan’s shock, even the Universal Weapon had no effect on the renegades.
Captain Atlas grinned devilishly, then revealed his other new power: telekinesis. Ronan began floating above the ground against his own will. A moment later, he was screaming in pain as he felt his body tearing itself apart in four directions. After an explosion of blood, offal, bones, and limbs, Ronan was no more.
The renegades marched triumphant onto the flagship’s bridge. After having seen what the renegades were capable of through the ship’s monitors, the crew did not put up any resistance. Atlas gestured at the communications officer to patch him in to the other ships of the armada.
"This is Captain Atlas, your new commander!" he declared authoritatively. "Follow me or die! And just to show I am not making empty threats..."
A few seconds later, the flagship opened fire on a randomly selected ship in the armada, which was vaporized instantly.
"My first order," said Atlas, "is to return to Hala, and take over. If there is any resistance, obliterate the ground troops!"
*********
At Hydrobase, a quinjet containing Thor, She-Hulk, and Namor was ready to launch. Quasar stood outside, hovering in mid-air.
"Expect a bumpy ride," said Quasar, "and an unfriendly welcome."
"We should’ve used a different travel agency." quipped She-Hulk.
Quasar opened a quantum portal, and the quinjet blasted through.
********
The Black Knight was not prepared for what he saw emerging from the helicopter. Janet Van Dyne, sometimes known as the Wasp, looked pale, dishevelled, and frighteningly thin.
"Dane, darling!" she exclaimed, embracing him a little too tightly for comfort.
"Th-thanks for coming, Janet." stammered Dane. "The others are at the control room..."
"Not yet, not yet." said Janet, rushing to the nearest bathroom. "I need to freshen up first."
Dane entered the control center alone, joining the rest of his team of Avengers reserves: Ant-Man, Hellcat, and the Beast.
"Thank you all again for helping out the Avengers in this time of need." said Dane.
"It is purely a pleasure." replied Beast. "After all, I just got smart and furry again recently. It seemed utterly appropriate to revisit old haunts."
"It’s so rare I get to put on the old catsuit," said Hellcat, "and so much fun every time I do."
"My daughter was disappointed that we didn’t get to the mall." lamented Ant-Man.
"So," said Beast, standing on his left arm and shuffling a deck of playing cards with his right hand and left foot, "Anyone for a hand of poker?"
********
The quinjet arrived at what appeared to be a bizarre cross between a Garden of Eden and a post-industrial, post-apocalyptic wasteland, vegetation and metal alike twisted in a struggle for dominance.
The Avengers exited the quinjet, and joined Quasar in reconnoitering their new settings. Thor spotted what appeared at first to be a harmless flock of birds, but quickly revealed itself to be something far more sinister.
"Avengers," commanded Thor, "assemble!"
Winged cyborg centurions with faces of rotted flesh descended upon the Avengers like a plague.
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART SIX
After a couple minutes of total silence, She-Hulk spoke up. "There’s something you’re not telling us."
Quasar sighed, then opened up. "I’ve faced Garero before, in an alternate timeline, in a scenario similar to this one, and...long story short, the good guys lost. I survived to tell the tale, which in a way has been a fate worse than death." He paused. "Forgive the melodrama, but...I think you get the idea."
"If thou did survive to help us," said Thor, "then thy fate is justified. Tell us now what we must do."
"I can quantum-jump you guys and gal into the realm of the Kree gods," replied Quasar, "and we can try to stop Garero before he crosses over into this dimension. If we fail at that...well, anything goes."
"Tis a risk we shall have to take." said Thor. "Now that there art six Kree renegades with cosmic powers, to confront them directly would be suicidal."
"If I may?" interjected Black Knight.
"Aye?" replied Thor.
"We can’t neglect our own world." stated Black Knight. "We are, after all, EARTH’S mightiest heroes. I propose that I stay behind and put together a team of reserve Avengers."
"Dane, honey..." said a disapproving She-Hulk.
"Dane speaks the truth." interrupted Thor. "I approve of his plan, and we shall implement it."
She-Hulk frowned impotently before Black Knight put his hand on her shoulder. "You know that I’ll be all right, and you’ll be all right."
"No, I don’t know, but I do know you can’t fight City Hall." muttered She-Hulk resignedly.
"Let the preparations begin." said Thor. "This meeting is adjourned."
*********
The planet Hala, hub of the vast interstellar Kree empire. An eerie calm had settle over the planet’s surface, the calm before the storm.
The Kree’s scanners had detected the approach of Captain Atlas’ band of renegades. In anticipation of their attack, an armada of battleships hovered in the air, while a battalion of tanks and two squads of infantry awaited on the ground.
The Supreme Intelligence, cyber-organic overlord of the Kree empire, surveyed the surface of his throneworld, and he did not like what he saw.
In the streets, rioting was constant, with even the toughest Accusers failing to quell the civil unrest. Blood regularly splattered on walls already defaced by graffiti proclaiming the imminent rise of Garero – the renegades had plenty of grassroots support, and nothing made the Supremor angrier.
All the centuries of atheism-driven order which made the empire strong had been steadily crumbling in recent times. The traitor Mar-Vell, with his cosmic-powered altruism, had influenced a mass rebellion by example alone. Throughout the planet, cabals of ancient Kree cosmic mysticism were springing up faster than the Accusers could exterminate them. Those driven by a desire for abandoning militaristic traditions and communing peacefully with nature were mere annoyances to the Supremor – it was the likes of Captain Atlas and his savages which presented a true threat.
So it was that the Supremor, with Chief Accuser Ronan as field commander, stood determined to make an example of Atlas’s renegades, and restore the empire to the way it once was. The time was now. "Ronan," ordered the Supremor, "launch the attack."
"With pleasure, Supremor." replied Ronan, standing at the bridge of the armada’s flagship. "Target the hateful traitors’ ship and launch missiles!"
********
Aboard Atlas’s ship, the Captain and his elite guard calmly watched the approach of the missiles through their monitor.
Thanks to the Psyche-Magnetron, their appearances had changed considerably. Atlas was clad in a spikily imposing suit of armor; Loparr now had fur, claws, and razor-sharp teeth; the already massive Gurge had grown even larger, and developed a skin of stone; Zetazia had scales, webbed hands and feet, and venomous fangs; Verxa had fangs, too, these of the vampiric kind, with giant bat-like wings to match. Minerva remained clad in her parody of a Terran superhero outfit, looking over her handiwork with pride.
"Once those missiles would have been a threat. Now they are but toys." declared Atlas.
"Minerva, Verxa, follow me. Let us give them a show of force!"
The three villains exited the ship. Their cosmic powers allowed them to fly and to navigate the vacuum of space at no risk to their lives.
"Minerva, the missiles are all yours." said Atlas.
Minerva fired blasts of cosmic energy from her hands. The missiles were struck by the blasts, and exploded. The ship was unharmed, and, despite their proximity to the explosions, so were the deadly trio. They flew swiftly at the armada, with their course clearly set on the flagship.
"Fire cannons!" barked Ronan.
The trio easily dodged the cannon fire, and what few hits they took did nothing to hurt them.
"Shields up!" demanded Ronan.
At Captain Atlas’s command, Minerva and Verxa fired cosmic rays from their eyes, shattering the flagship’s shields.
Atlas used his newly acquired super-strength to tear a giant hole on the side of the flagship, through which he, Minerva, and Verxa could fly inside. In a moment, the automatic emergency seal covered the hole, but by then the three villains had entered.
A team of troopers cornered the villains and opened fire. Their shots bounced harmlessly off the villains. Verxa lunged at one of the trooper and sank her fangs into his neck. The trooper screamed and convulsed until he went limp. Then, suddenly, at Verxa’s psychic command, he got up, picked up his gun, and shot all the other troopers dead.
The villains made their way to the bridge, with Verxa’s new slave bringing up the rear. They turned a corner and found themselves facing Ronan, who blasted at them with his Universal Weapon. To Ronan’s shock, even the Universal Weapon had no effect on the renegades.
Captain Atlas grinned devilishly, then revealed his other new power: telekinesis. Ronan began floating above the ground against his own will. A moment later, he was screaming in pain as he felt his body tearing itself apart in four directions. After an explosion of blood, offal, bones, and limbs, Ronan was no more.
The renegades marched triumphant onto the flagship’s bridge. After having seen what the renegades were capable of through the ship’s monitors, the crew did not put up any resistance. Atlas gestured at the communications officer to patch him in to the other ships of the armada.
"This is Captain Atlas, your new commander!" he declared authoritatively. "Follow me or die! And just to show I am not making empty threats..."
A few seconds later, the flagship opened fire on a randomly selected ship in the armada, which was vaporized instantly.
"My first order," said Atlas, "is to return to Hala, and take over. If there is any resistance, obliterate the ground troops!"
*********
At Hydrobase, a quinjet containing Thor, She-Hulk, and Namor was ready to launch. Quasar stood outside, hovering in mid-air.
"Expect a bumpy ride," said Quasar, "and an unfriendly welcome."
"We should’ve used a different travel agency." quipped She-Hulk.
Quasar opened a quantum portal, and the quinjet blasted through.
********
The Black Knight was not prepared for what he saw emerging from the helicopter. Janet Van Dyne, sometimes known as the Wasp, looked pale, dishevelled, and frighteningly thin.
"Dane, darling!" she exclaimed, embracing him a little too tightly for comfort.
"Th-thanks for coming, Janet." stammered Dane. "The others are at the control room..."
"Not yet, not yet." said Janet, rushing to the nearest bathroom. "I need to freshen up first."
Dane entered the control center alone, joining the rest of his team of Avengers reserves: Ant-Man, Hellcat, and the Beast.
"Thank you all again for helping out the Avengers in this time of need." said Dane.
"It is purely a pleasure." replied Beast. "After all, I just got smart and furry again recently. It seemed utterly appropriate to revisit old haunts."
"It’s so rare I get to put on the old catsuit," said Hellcat, "and so much fun every time I do."
"My daughter was disappointed that we didn’t get to the mall." lamented Ant-Man.
"So," said Beast, standing on his left arm and shuffling a deck of playing cards with his right hand and left foot, "Anyone for a hand of poker?"
********
The quinjet arrived at what appeared to be a bizarre cross between a Garden of Eden and a post-industrial, post-apocalyptic wasteland, vegetation and metal alike twisted in a struggle for dominance.
The Avengers exited the quinjet, and joined Quasar in reconnoitering their new settings. Thor spotted what appeared at first to be a harmless flock of birds, but quickly revealed itself to be something far more sinister.
"Avengers," commanded Thor, "assemble!"
Winged cyborg centurions with faces of rotted flesh descended upon the Avengers like a plague.
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART SIX
Sunday, December 7, 2008
R.I.P. Forrest J. Ackerman
We have lost the man who did more than just about anybody to make genre entertainment, and sci-fi in particular, reach out across the world.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forrest_Ackerman
This is the end of an era. All we can do is build on the foundation he provided.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forrest_Ackerman
This is the end of an era. All we can do is build on the foundation he provided.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
FANFIC: The Avengers in "The Legacy of Mar-Vell Part Four"
Suddenly, Minerva’s laughter caught in her throat when her Seventh Sense alerted her to the approach of another cosmic presence.
A giant portal, powered by pure quantum energy, appeared in the sky, and through it, a man made his dramatic entrance. This man was slim of body and flaxen of hair, costumed in red, blue, and silver, with blue eyes which shone with both a childlike earnestness and a steely sense of purpose.
Minerva didn’t hesitate to fire her deadly cosmic beams at the intruder, who quickly constructed a shield of quantum energy off which the cosmic beams bounced off harmlessly. Minerva’s surprise gave the intruder a chance to fire quantum beams from his fingertips, which stunned Minerva and sent her into a tailspin.
The intruder descended until he was hovering in front of the Avengers vs. Kree fray below, in which the Avengers were floundering without a leader. "AVENGERS," he yelled, "DUCK!"
The Avengers did just that, as the intruder instantly created a quantum construct in the form of a giant boxing glove attached to a spring. It may have looked whimsical, but its force was not in doubt when it knocked down most of the Kree. The intruder then surrounded himself with a quantum suit of armor and jumped into the pile of Kree warriors. The Avengers were inspired to rally, and soon the tide was once again turning to the Avengers’ side.
A humiliated and exhausted Minerva picked herself up off the ground. Clearly, she realized, even her cosmic powers came in a limited capacity and needed to build up again. She made eye contact with the beleaguered Captain Atlas, and saw that they both knew what must be done. Even the proud Kree had to sometimes retreat from battle. But Minerva silently swore there would be a reckoning – between the Kree and the Avengers, and between her and the intruder.
Using every last bit of her remaining strength, Minerva projected an impenetrable force field around the Kree and their ship, allowing them to board, lift off, and escape into hyperspace.
Shortly, Thor appeared, looking much the worse for wear, and saying nothing, the blow to his pride written on his face.
The intruder floated down to the ground and faced the Avengers.
"Our thanks, stranger." said Namor, "And who might you be?"
"You can call me Quasar." he replied in a voice that was softer and higher than may have been expected. "My cosmic awareness alerted me to the incident which transpired here..." With those words, he turned his gaze to the smoldering remains of the cosmic entity and the prostrate body of Captain Marvel, which the Black Knight was already in the process of examining.
"I recognize you from the computer files." said She-Hulk, "You worked with Captain America and the Thing and others, then you disappeared. Your costume’s different and your hair’s a lot longer, but I still recognize you. Where have you been?"
"You’d never believe it." Quasar responded flatly.
The Black Knight looked up and announced, "She’s alive. But we have to get her back to Hydrobase immediately."
"If you give me the coordinates," said Quasar, "I can quantum-jump your quinjet and have you there in a split second."
"Thou art truly noble." said Thor. "The sooner we return to Hydrobase, not only will the good Captain’s survival be assured, but we shall make plans to take the battle to the accursed Kree."
"And maybe," interjected She-Hulk, "Quasar’s cosmic awareness thing might be able to help us figure out just what the hell is going on."
Mere minutes later, the Quinjets and Thor flew through Quasar’s quantum portal.
*********
"I am NOT some fragile butterfly that will disintegrate if exposed to air!" yelled Marrina.
"You know very well that is not the issue!" barked Namor. " Until you learn to control your other side..."
"And how," Marrina interrupted, "am I supposed to learn to control my monstrous side if I am isolated all day, every day?? Do you truly believe that me sitting around alternating between worrying about you and being bored is going to help me???"
"I know what is best for you!" replied Namor, grasping for straws.
"You do not!! You are no better than my previous captor, the Master! You...arrrrrr..."
Marrina’s teeth began to sharpen, and her claws to elongate. She seemed as though she would lunge at her husband when, abruptly, she began to flail hysterically while screaming, "NO! NO!"
A split second later, she was back to normal, with tears streaming down her large eyes. "I am sorry, my love. So sorry..."
They embraced tightly, and held each other for what seemed like an eternity, until the moment was disrupted by Hydrobase’s public address system.
"All Avengers report to the control center."
"We shall discuss this further in the near future." whispered Namor. The couple then ran to join their teammates.
********
"Captain’s Marvel’s vital signs are stable," said the Black Knight, "but there’s nothing that indicates the possibility of her regaining consciousness anytime soon."
His grim words hung in the air like a foul odor. The Avengers and their guest, Quasar, stared blankly at each other."
The Black Knight broke the silence. "Before we proceed any further, we’ll need a deputy leader. Since Thor is our senior member with centuries more field experience than any of us, I nominate him. Any objections?"
The others answered with their silence.
"Our first order of business," declared Thor, "is, to paraphrase something She-Hulk said earlier, find out exactly what Kree treachery we are up against. Quasar, if thou would use thy cosmic awareness now..."
Quasar pressed his fingertips to his temple and went into a trance. Within a couple minutes, he began to speak.
"I see Captain Marvel’s predecessor, Mar-Vell of the Kree, in his prime, nobly siding with the humans he was originally meant to infiltrate, becoming protector of the universe, bashing Thanos the annihilator, then...rejecting a Kree woman, Dr. Minerva; she vows revenge and, with the Supreme Intelligence’s approval, begins a project to genetically engineer a living weapon that can out-power Mar-Vell.
"The Kree steal a portion of the power cosmic and fuse it with a test tube baby, who is then artificially aged to adulthood. Minerva attempts to break its free will through all sorts of horrible torture devices, but it resists, and the project goes way over schedule and over budget. Then word gets out that Mar-Vell has been diagnosed with the universal disease that we call cancer, and the Supreme Intelligence pull the plug on the project; the living weapon is turned into pure energy and cast out into the Darkforce Dimension. Minerva’s reputation is ruined, and she exiles herself to the Kree outland.
"Meanwhile, on Earth, a machine that can extract inter-dimensional energy is accidentally activated while Monica Rambeau is standing in front of it. She and the living weapon merge, but the living weapon has been so deeply traumatized by Minerva’s abuse that it takes months to begin to assert its presence within Monica, who has become the new Captain Marvel.
"Minerva has joined a Kree outlaw militia led by Captain Atlas. As much as Mar-Vell was hated by his people, his gaining cosmic powers awakened interest in reviving ancient Kree mysticisms which the Supreme Intelligence has tried to erase from existence. These renegades worship Garero, the Kree god of war, and want to invoke him into inhabiting this plane of existence.
"The first step of their plan was to come to Earth and reclaim and repair the Psyche-Magnetron, a Kree machine that gives people super-powers. The Avengers and me try to stop them, but Minerva, who has been empowered by the Psyche-Magnetron, separates Captain Marvel from the living weapon and destroys the living weapon, and the Kree get away.
"Now I see..."
And here Quasar’s voice began to hesitate and then tremble.
"...I see...Captain Atlas and four other renegades gaining super-powers from the Psyche-Magnetron. Now they plan to invade the Kree throneworld...overthrow the Supreme Intelligence...invoke Garero...and...and...conquer the universe!"
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART FIVE
A giant portal, powered by pure quantum energy, appeared in the sky, and through it, a man made his dramatic entrance. This man was slim of body and flaxen of hair, costumed in red, blue, and silver, with blue eyes which shone with both a childlike earnestness and a steely sense of purpose.
Minerva didn’t hesitate to fire her deadly cosmic beams at the intruder, who quickly constructed a shield of quantum energy off which the cosmic beams bounced off harmlessly. Minerva’s surprise gave the intruder a chance to fire quantum beams from his fingertips, which stunned Minerva and sent her into a tailspin.
The intruder descended until he was hovering in front of the Avengers vs. Kree fray below, in which the Avengers were floundering without a leader. "AVENGERS," he yelled, "DUCK!"
The Avengers did just that, as the intruder instantly created a quantum construct in the form of a giant boxing glove attached to a spring. It may have looked whimsical, but its force was not in doubt when it knocked down most of the Kree. The intruder then surrounded himself with a quantum suit of armor and jumped into the pile of Kree warriors. The Avengers were inspired to rally, and soon the tide was once again turning to the Avengers’ side.
A humiliated and exhausted Minerva picked herself up off the ground. Clearly, she realized, even her cosmic powers came in a limited capacity and needed to build up again. She made eye contact with the beleaguered Captain Atlas, and saw that they both knew what must be done. Even the proud Kree had to sometimes retreat from battle. But Minerva silently swore there would be a reckoning – between the Kree and the Avengers, and between her and the intruder.
Using every last bit of her remaining strength, Minerva projected an impenetrable force field around the Kree and their ship, allowing them to board, lift off, and escape into hyperspace.
Shortly, Thor appeared, looking much the worse for wear, and saying nothing, the blow to his pride written on his face.
The intruder floated down to the ground and faced the Avengers.
"Our thanks, stranger." said Namor, "And who might you be?"
"You can call me Quasar." he replied in a voice that was softer and higher than may have been expected. "My cosmic awareness alerted me to the incident which transpired here..." With those words, he turned his gaze to the smoldering remains of the cosmic entity and the prostrate body of Captain Marvel, which the Black Knight was already in the process of examining.
"I recognize you from the computer files." said She-Hulk, "You worked with Captain America and the Thing and others, then you disappeared. Your costume’s different and your hair’s a lot longer, but I still recognize you. Where have you been?"
"You’d never believe it." Quasar responded flatly.
The Black Knight looked up and announced, "She’s alive. But we have to get her back to Hydrobase immediately."
"If you give me the coordinates," said Quasar, "I can quantum-jump your quinjet and have you there in a split second."
"Thou art truly noble." said Thor. "The sooner we return to Hydrobase, not only will the good Captain’s survival be assured, but we shall make plans to take the battle to the accursed Kree."
"And maybe," interjected She-Hulk, "Quasar’s cosmic awareness thing might be able to help us figure out just what the hell is going on."
Mere minutes later, the Quinjets and Thor flew through Quasar’s quantum portal.
*********
"I am NOT some fragile butterfly that will disintegrate if exposed to air!" yelled Marrina.
"You know very well that is not the issue!" barked Namor. " Until you learn to control your other side..."
"And how," Marrina interrupted, "am I supposed to learn to control my monstrous side if I am isolated all day, every day?? Do you truly believe that me sitting around alternating between worrying about you and being bored is going to help me???"
"I know what is best for you!" replied Namor, grasping for straws.
"You do not!! You are no better than my previous captor, the Master! You...arrrrrr..."
Marrina’s teeth began to sharpen, and her claws to elongate. She seemed as though she would lunge at her husband when, abruptly, she began to flail hysterically while screaming, "NO! NO!"
A split second later, she was back to normal, with tears streaming down her large eyes. "I am sorry, my love. So sorry..."
They embraced tightly, and held each other for what seemed like an eternity, until the moment was disrupted by Hydrobase’s public address system.
"All Avengers report to the control center."
"We shall discuss this further in the near future." whispered Namor. The couple then ran to join their teammates.
********
"Captain’s Marvel’s vital signs are stable," said the Black Knight, "but there’s nothing that indicates the possibility of her regaining consciousness anytime soon."
His grim words hung in the air like a foul odor. The Avengers and their guest, Quasar, stared blankly at each other."
The Black Knight broke the silence. "Before we proceed any further, we’ll need a deputy leader. Since Thor is our senior member with centuries more field experience than any of us, I nominate him. Any objections?"
The others answered with their silence.
"Our first order of business," declared Thor, "is, to paraphrase something She-Hulk said earlier, find out exactly what Kree treachery we are up against. Quasar, if thou would use thy cosmic awareness now..."
Quasar pressed his fingertips to his temple and went into a trance. Within a couple minutes, he began to speak.
"I see Captain Marvel’s predecessor, Mar-Vell of the Kree, in his prime, nobly siding with the humans he was originally meant to infiltrate, becoming protector of the universe, bashing Thanos the annihilator, then...rejecting a Kree woman, Dr. Minerva; she vows revenge and, with the Supreme Intelligence’s approval, begins a project to genetically engineer a living weapon that can out-power Mar-Vell.
"The Kree steal a portion of the power cosmic and fuse it with a test tube baby, who is then artificially aged to adulthood. Minerva attempts to break its free will through all sorts of horrible torture devices, but it resists, and the project goes way over schedule and over budget. Then word gets out that Mar-Vell has been diagnosed with the universal disease that we call cancer, and the Supreme Intelligence pull the plug on the project; the living weapon is turned into pure energy and cast out into the Darkforce Dimension. Minerva’s reputation is ruined, and she exiles herself to the Kree outland.
"Meanwhile, on Earth, a machine that can extract inter-dimensional energy is accidentally activated while Monica Rambeau is standing in front of it. She and the living weapon merge, but the living weapon has been so deeply traumatized by Minerva’s abuse that it takes months to begin to assert its presence within Monica, who has become the new Captain Marvel.
"Minerva has joined a Kree outlaw militia led by Captain Atlas. As much as Mar-Vell was hated by his people, his gaining cosmic powers awakened interest in reviving ancient Kree mysticisms which the Supreme Intelligence has tried to erase from existence. These renegades worship Garero, the Kree god of war, and want to invoke him into inhabiting this plane of existence.
"The first step of their plan was to come to Earth and reclaim and repair the Psyche-Magnetron, a Kree machine that gives people super-powers. The Avengers and me try to stop them, but Minerva, who has been empowered by the Psyche-Magnetron, separates Captain Marvel from the living weapon and destroys the living weapon, and the Kree get away.
"Now I see..."
And here Quasar’s voice began to hesitate and then tremble.
"...I see...Captain Atlas and four other renegades gaining super-powers from the Psyche-Magnetron. Now they plan to invade the Kree throneworld...overthrow the Supreme Intelligence...invoke Garero...and...and...conquer the universe!"
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART FIVE
Friday, November 28, 2008
Comic Book of the Week: Guardians of the Galaxy #7
Until now, I had been less enthusiastic about this book than a lot of other people on the web. Starting from an iffy first issue, the series improved quickly, but I kept waiting for an issue to explode colorfully across the corners of my mind, the way great space opera should.
Well, this is that issue!
And with it, GotG has finally metamorphosed from a good comic to an OUTSTANDING one!
With the team members having (temporarily?) gone their separate ways, Rocket Raccoon leads a pickup team (Mantis, Major Victory, Groot, and Bug) into battle against escalating threats from the Badoon Empire, the same empire that, as Starhawk explains to Cosmo, will conquer the galaxy in the distant future. Meanwhile, we get vignettes of the other team members’ activities, climaxing with Star Lord ending up in the Negative Zone domain of Blastaar.
The way each big development tops the one before it, and the way all these visual and conceptual treats are compressed into a single issue, is the type of thing rarely seen from Marvel comics since the Silver Age. Kudos to Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning, who are now officially my favorite current Marvel writers.
Paul Pelletier is the perfect artist for this sort of thing, and he more than rises to the occasion, with some of the best single-page and double-page splashes to ever grace a superhero comic. The double-page splash of the Steve Gerber-era Guardians, in particular, should give goosebumps to any serious GotG fan.
The only thing I didn’t like was the hint that Drax’s daughter Moondragon is alive, because I have always despised Moondragon and was very happy to find out she had snuffed it in Annihilation: Conquest, which I haven’t read.
Ah, well, this is still the kind of comic book issue that renews one’s faith in superhero comics.
Well, this is that issue!
And with it, GotG has finally metamorphosed from a good comic to an OUTSTANDING one!
With the team members having (temporarily?) gone their separate ways, Rocket Raccoon leads a pickup team (Mantis, Major Victory, Groot, and Bug) into battle against escalating threats from the Badoon Empire, the same empire that, as Starhawk explains to Cosmo, will conquer the galaxy in the distant future. Meanwhile, we get vignettes of the other team members’ activities, climaxing with Star Lord ending up in the Negative Zone domain of Blastaar.
The way each big development tops the one before it, and the way all these visual and conceptual treats are compressed into a single issue, is the type of thing rarely seen from Marvel comics since the Silver Age. Kudos to Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning, who are now officially my favorite current Marvel writers.
Paul Pelletier is the perfect artist for this sort of thing, and he more than rises to the occasion, with some of the best single-page and double-page splashes to ever grace a superhero comic. The double-page splash of the Steve Gerber-era Guardians, in particular, should give goosebumps to any serious GotG fan.
The only thing I didn’t like was the hint that Drax’s daughter Moondragon is alive, because I have always despised Moondragon and was very happy to find out she had snuffed it in Annihilation: Conquest, which I haven’t read.
Ah, well, this is still the kind of comic book issue that renews one’s faith in superhero comics.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
The Killers and Voltron Vehicle Force
As before, nothing to do with each other, just what's on my mind.
The Killers' new song, "Human", has some of the sparkling synthesizer sounds of their great first album; unfortunately, it also has the vocal and lyrical pomposity of their terrible second album. In the end, band and fans alike lose.
And there's only five weeks left until the release of the Voltron Collection 6 DVD, containing the earliest Vehicle Force episodes; I always liked the Vehicle Force episodes a lot better than the Lion episodes.
The Killers' new song, "Human", has some of the sparkling synthesizer sounds of their great first album; unfortunately, it also has the vocal and lyrical pomposity of their terrible second album. In the end, band and fans alike lose.
And there's only five weeks left until the release of the Voltron Collection 6 DVD, containing the earliest Vehicle Force episodes; I always liked the Vehicle Force episodes a lot better than the Lion episodes.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
R.I.P. John Daly
An enormously influential figure in the entertainment world has died at age 71. Details below:
http://www.ibtimes.com/prnews/20081031/film-and-music-entertainment.htm
The Terminator may not have won any Oscars like some of Daly's other productions, but I think that, with its darkness and ambitious themes, it changed the face of live-action sci-fi entertainment in a much more positive way than, say, Star Wars. That's why it means so much more to me than anything else on Daly's long list of credits.
http://www.ibtimes.com/prnews/20081031/film-and-music-entertainment.htm
The Terminator may not have won any Oscars like some of Daly's other productions, but I think that, with its darkness and ambitious themes, it changed the face of live-action sci-fi entertainment in a much more positive way than, say, Star Wars. That's why it means so much more to me than anything else on Daly's long list of credits.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Cinema: Mother of Tears
Dario Argento's latest movie is his best since 1987's Opera. Unfortunately, that's not saying much because Argento's post-Opera pre-MoT movies range from bland to outright awful. But whatever else MoT is, it's not bland. The apocalyptic conclusion to the Three Mothers trilogy begun with 1976's Suspiria (now indisputably the best movie Argento will ever make) and followed by 1979's Inferno, MoT has more crazy conviction than Argento's shown in a long time. What it lacks is atmosphere and style, two things which used to be Argento's trademarks and which helped compensate for Argento's recurring flaws, namely his inability to direct actors or to come up with a coherent plot. What passes for a story here concerns Argento's usual plucky female protagonist (played by his daughter Asia Argento), trying to stop a coven of witches led by the Mother of Tears (played by the underwhelming Moran Atias) from bringing about the end of the world; in this she's guided by several characters including the ghost of her mother (played by Daria Nicolodi, Asia's real-life mother.) The movie reportedly had the biggest budget of Argento's career, but none of it shows on the screen. Hopes for Argento, who turned 68 this year, of renewing his fans' faith with a late-career comeback are dimmer than ever. And yet I'll still be watching his next offering, despite having the unpromisingly reductive title Giallo (that's the Italian name for a literary and cinematic subgenre of murder mysteries which many of Argento's movies fall under, so calling the film Giallo is like calling a comedy Comedy.)
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Comic Book of the Week: Thor: The Truth Of History
I'm an Alan Davis completist, so there was never any question I was going to buy this. I enjoyed it. It seems to me that it's Davis's tribute to the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby Tales of Asgard back-up serials in the Silver Age issues of Thor, where Thor and the Warriors Three had adventures in various realms. This time it's ancient Egypt. Davis's art is always a feast for the eyes, even in cases like this one where the coloring is not very good. And Davis writes a great Thor. There's a fine line between a fierce but noble warrior and an outright oaf, and Davis stays on the right side of the line. A simple story, but a good story well told.
Monday, October 20, 2008
FANFIC: The Avengers in "The Legacy of Mar-Vell" Part Three
A considerable distance from where Thor and Minerva had fought, another battle was about to take place. The Kree ship, apparently overwhelmed by the Avengers’ three-pronged attack, was coming in for a landing.
Captain Marvel opened all channels on her communicator. “Avengers, assemble at the ship’s hatch – and be prepared for anything!”
The Black Knight and the She-Hulk exited their land-bound quinjet while Namor landed his quinjet and exited it. The four Avengers stood before the ship, ready for a fight.
And a fight was what they got, but not quite the way they expected. Rather than the rigid militaristic formations the Kree were known for, these Kree – Captain Atlas, Zetazia, Loparr, Verxa, Gurge, and a squad of storm-troopers – came charging out savagely, wielding not only guns but also swords, clubs, maces, axes, and spears. As they mercilessly rushed the Avengers, they lustily chanted one word: “Garero.”
The Avengers didn’t waste time pondering any of this. Captain Marvel turned into a lightning bolt and knocked several storm-troopers off their feet, while the Black Knight engaged Captain Atlas in a swordfight, She-Hulk fought against the double team of the massive, plodding Gurge and the fast, feral Loparr, and Namor dodged both Verxa’s twin blades.
Teamwork quickly turned the tide in the Avengers’ favor. She-Hulk lifted Gurge and threw him at Verxa, while Namor tackled Loparr. The Black Knight disarmed Captain Atlas, who was in turn stunned by Captain Marvel’s shock blasts. Zetazia tried to fire a disruptor gun at Captain Marvel, but the Black Knight’s ebony blade intercepted the disruptor ray, sending it back where it came from and shattering the gun.
Before Captain Marvel could rally the Avengers for the coup de grace, her cosmic awareness went wild, intermingling with the cosmic entity’s rage.
“MINERVA*$$#$$$^%^^APPROACHING*##$%^OPRESSOR*MUST*DIE”
Captain Marvel lost control over her own body as she felt herself take flight under the entity’s will. They made a kamikaze charge at the approaching Minerva.
Thanks to her own newly acquired cosmic awareness, Minerva immediately realized what was going on. “The cosmic bastard is within her,” she sneered, “I should have known!”
As soon as Captain Marvel was close enough, Minerva let loose with a powerful right hook that sent Captain Marvel free-falling. The cosmic entity’s rage reached critical mass. Captain Marvel could do nothing to prevent the entity from making another foolhardy attack on Minerva, blasting the villainess with radioactive beams. Minerva was knocked by the beams into the face of a cliff.
Now it was Minerva’s turn to lash out. “Enough games! This ends now!” Hellishly red cosmic beams burst forth from her eyes, hitting Captain Marvel point blank.
There followed a bizarre sight punctuated by unearthly screams. Captain Marvel’s molecules discorporated and then reformed into two separate bodies: Captain Marvel’s and a skinny, hairless, sexless, milky-white-skinned alien. Seemingly drained of her superpowers, Captain Marvel fell to the ground and didn’t move.
Minerva used both hands to grab the alien’s torso. With a sickening sound of flesh rending and bones breaking, she tore the alien in two. The alien’s dying cries echoed through the canyons as its remains burned in cosmic fire as they fell to the ground.
As the battle between the Avengers and the Kree raged on, Minerva hovered above the fray, laughing and laughing.
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART IV
Captain Marvel opened all channels on her communicator. “Avengers, assemble at the ship’s hatch – and be prepared for anything!”
The Black Knight and the She-Hulk exited their land-bound quinjet while Namor landed his quinjet and exited it. The four Avengers stood before the ship, ready for a fight.
And a fight was what they got, but not quite the way they expected. Rather than the rigid militaristic formations the Kree were known for, these Kree – Captain Atlas, Zetazia, Loparr, Verxa, Gurge, and a squad of storm-troopers – came charging out savagely, wielding not only guns but also swords, clubs, maces, axes, and spears. As they mercilessly rushed the Avengers, they lustily chanted one word: “Garero.”
The Avengers didn’t waste time pondering any of this. Captain Marvel turned into a lightning bolt and knocked several storm-troopers off their feet, while the Black Knight engaged Captain Atlas in a swordfight, She-Hulk fought against the double team of the massive, plodding Gurge and the fast, feral Loparr, and Namor dodged both Verxa’s twin blades.
Teamwork quickly turned the tide in the Avengers’ favor. She-Hulk lifted Gurge and threw him at Verxa, while Namor tackled Loparr. The Black Knight disarmed Captain Atlas, who was in turn stunned by Captain Marvel’s shock blasts. Zetazia tried to fire a disruptor gun at Captain Marvel, but the Black Knight’s ebony blade intercepted the disruptor ray, sending it back where it came from and shattering the gun.
Before Captain Marvel could rally the Avengers for the coup de grace, her cosmic awareness went wild, intermingling with the cosmic entity’s rage.
“MINERVA*$$#$$$^%^^APPROACHING*##$%^OPRESSOR*MUST*DIE”
Captain Marvel lost control over her own body as she felt herself take flight under the entity’s will. They made a kamikaze charge at the approaching Minerva.
Thanks to her own newly acquired cosmic awareness, Minerva immediately realized what was going on. “The cosmic bastard is within her,” she sneered, “I should have known!”
As soon as Captain Marvel was close enough, Minerva let loose with a powerful right hook that sent Captain Marvel free-falling. The cosmic entity’s rage reached critical mass. Captain Marvel could do nothing to prevent the entity from making another foolhardy attack on Minerva, blasting the villainess with radioactive beams. Minerva was knocked by the beams into the face of a cliff.
Now it was Minerva’s turn to lash out. “Enough games! This ends now!” Hellishly red cosmic beams burst forth from her eyes, hitting Captain Marvel point blank.
There followed a bizarre sight punctuated by unearthly screams. Captain Marvel’s molecules discorporated and then reformed into two separate bodies: Captain Marvel’s and a skinny, hairless, sexless, milky-white-skinned alien. Seemingly drained of her superpowers, Captain Marvel fell to the ground and didn’t move.
Minerva used both hands to grab the alien’s torso. With a sickening sound of flesh rending and bones breaking, she tore the alien in two. The alien’s dying cries echoed through the canyons as its remains burned in cosmic fire as they fell to the ground.
As the battle between the Avengers and the Kree raged on, Minerva hovered above the fray, laughing and laughing.
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART IV
FANFIC: The Avengers in "The Legacy of Mar-Vell" Part Two
The Kree ship loomed monolithically over the heroes approaching it, Captain Marvel flying in energy mode and Namor piloting a quinjet. Inside the ship, five fearsome Kree warriors stood on the bridge: Verxa, Gurge, Loparr, Zetazia, and their leader, Captain Atlas.
“Look,” Zetazia cackled, “here come the lambs to the slaughter.”
“A nice sentiment, Zetazia, but, remember, we are merely to provide a distraction while Minerva finishes re-activating the Psyche-Magnetron.” Captain Atlas calmly replied.
“Bah!” Loparr growled, “This is not the way of the true warrior! You are going soft, Captain.”
The Captain was unfazed. “Were I not so accustomed to your insubordinations, Loparr, I would waste my breath reprimanding you.”
“Patience, my friend,” said Gurge, rubbing his hands, “for when Minerva’s work is done, we shall all have power undreamed of.”
Captain Marvel’s voice crackled through the bridge’s speakers as she transmitted a message using her ability to generate radio waves. “This is Captain Marvel of the Avengers. You are trespassing on Earth. Pick up your companion on the surface and turn your ship around, or we shall be forced to detain you, by force if necessary.”
Captain Atlas was swift to respond. “Open fire!”
Captain Marvel saw the shots coming and changed to pure light mode so that they would pass through her. In the quinjet, Namor gracefully dodged the rapid fire. He then activated the quinjet’s offensive systems and launched rockets at the ship. Captain Marvel added to the counter-attack with high-intensity radiation beams.
********
On Earth, Thor crept stealthily through the rubble within the cave, following a dim light that most likely led to the lower level where Minerva was. An ominous hum began to ring through the cave – it could only mean that Minerva was activating her machine. Thor picked up the pace.
*********
“Lower shields and prepare for landfall,” commanded Captain Atlas, “we must make them believe they have damaged the ship.”
“And then,” whispered Verxa, “let the bloodletting begin.”
Down below, in a quinjet in land mode, the Black Knight and She-Hulk observed the trajectory of the descending ship. The Black Knight revved up the engines and began following the ship. Spotting a clear shot far from where Captain Marvel or Namor’s quinjet would be in the way, the Black Knight blasted at the ship with the quinjet’s cannon.
********
As Thor advanced further down the slope, the dim light gradually intensified until it would have blinded a mere mortal. Eventually, he was close enough to see Minerva being bathed in rays from the machine. As Thor watched, Minerva grew taller and more muscular, and her drab uniform transformed into a costume reminiscent of that originally worn by Ms. Marvel.
Thor was accustomed to sights such as this, and continued to watch impassively as Minerva used a small device to shrink the machine and place it in a pouch on her belt.
Then, suddenly, Minerva turned around. It appeared that, even from his hiding place, she could sense Thor’s presence thanks to her newly gained super-powers. Thor clutched his mighty hammer, Mjolnir, and prepared for the inevitable clash.
But Thor never expected what happened next. Without moving, Minerva fired cosmic beams from her eyes, hitting Thor squarely in the chest with unimaginable force and sending him flying back up the slope, through the roof of the cave’s upper level, and in a clean arc that ended at the foot of a mountain.
“Od’s Blood!” muttered Thor as pain he had never known coursed through his massive body. Struggling to get up, he saw Minerva burst out of the collapsed cave, completely unharmed, and fly higher until she hovered above him.
She now spoke. “You, godling, are merely sport to me. I seek she who carries on the legacy of the traitor Mar-Vell. Lead me to her, or I shall obliterate you!”
Thor bit down hard and rose to his feet. “Presumptuous Kree demoness, usurper of cosmic powers unworthy of thee, I SAY THEE NAY!” He then let Mjolnir fly straight at Minerva.
To the thunder god’s astonishment, the hammer bounced off Minerva and returned to Thor’s hand. He immediately raised Mjolnir to the sky. “Where blunt force hath failed, let the forces of nature strike down the evil pretender!” And with that, a ferocious bolt of lightning ripped through the sky and headed for Minerva. Before Thor realized what was happening, she absorbed the lightning and transformed it into cosmic energy – cosmic energy which she then fired through her eyes at Thor.
The god of thunder was pushed into the face of the mountain. There followed a tremendous avalanche, leaving Thor buried under tons of rock. Minerva waited to see if Thor would emerge. After a minute, she was satisfied. She turned and began flying toward the site where her Kree comrades had led the rest of the Avengers.
“This is only the beginning!” Minerva declared, laughing wickedly.
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART III
“Look,” Zetazia cackled, “here come the lambs to the slaughter.”
“A nice sentiment, Zetazia, but, remember, we are merely to provide a distraction while Minerva finishes re-activating the Psyche-Magnetron.” Captain Atlas calmly replied.
“Bah!” Loparr growled, “This is not the way of the true warrior! You are going soft, Captain.”
The Captain was unfazed. “Were I not so accustomed to your insubordinations, Loparr, I would waste my breath reprimanding you.”
“Patience, my friend,” said Gurge, rubbing his hands, “for when Minerva’s work is done, we shall all have power undreamed of.”
Captain Marvel’s voice crackled through the bridge’s speakers as she transmitted a message using her ability to generate radio waves. “This is Captain Marvel of the Avengers. You are trespassing on Earth. Pick up your companion on the surface and turn your ship around, or we shall be forced to detain you, by force if necessary.”
Captain Atlas was swift to respond. “Open fire!”
Captain Marvel saw the shots coming and changed to pure light mode so that they would pass through her. In the quinjet, Namor gracefully dodged the rapid fire. He then activated the quinjet’s offensive systems and launched rockets at the ship. Captain Marvel added to the counter-attack with high-intensity radiation beams.
********
On Earth, Thor crept stealthily through the rubble within the cave, following a dim light that most likely led to the lower level where Minerva was. An ominous hum began to ring through the cave – it could only mean that Minerva was activating her machine. Thor picked up the pace.
*********
“Lower shields and prepare for landfall,” commanded Captain Atlas, “we must make them believe they have damaged the ship.”
“And then,” whispered Verxa, “let the bloodletting begin.”
Down below, in a quinjet in land mode, the Black Knight and She-Hulk observed the trajectory of the descending ship. The Black Knight revved up the engines and began following the ship. Spotting a clear shot far from where Captain Marvel or Namor’s quinjet would be in the way, the Black Knight blasted at the ship with the quinjet’s cannon.
********
As Thor advanced further down the slope, the dim light gradually intensified until it would have blinded a mere mortal. Eventually, he was close enough to see Minerva being bathed in rays from the machine. As Thor watched, Minerva grew taller and more muscular, and her drab uniform transformed into a costume reminiscent of that originally worn by Ms. Marvel.
Thor was accustomed to sights such as this, and continued to watch impassively as Minerva used a small device to shrink the machine and place it in a pouch on her belt.
Then, suddenly, Minerva turned around. It appeared that, even from his hiding place, she could sense Thor’s presence thanks to her newly gained super-powers. Thor clutched his mighty hammer, Mjolnir, and prepared for the inevitable clash.
But Thor never expected what happened next. Without moving, Minerva fired cosmic beams from her eyes, hitting Thor squarely in the chest with unimaginable force and sending him flying back up the slope, through the roof of the cave’s upper level, and in a clean arc that ended at the foot of a mountain.
“Od’s Blood!” muttered Thor as pain he had never known coursed through his massive body. Struggling to get up, he saw Minerva burst out of the collapsed cave, completely unharmed, and fly higher until she hovered above him.
She now spoke. “You, godling, are merely sport to me. I seek she who carries on the legacy of the traitor Mar-Vell. Lead me to her, or I shall obliterate you!”
Thor bit down hard and rose to his feet. “Presumptuous Kree demoness, usurper of cosmic powers unworthy of thee, I SAY THEE NAY!” He then let Mjolnir fly straight at Minerva.
To the thunder god’s astonishment, the hammer bounced off Minerva and returned to Thor’s hand. He immediately raised Mjolnir to the sky. “Where blunt force hath failed, let the forces of nature strike down the evil pretender!” And with that, a ferocious bolt of lightning ripped through the sky and headed for Minerva. Before Thor realized what was happening, she absorbed the lightning and transformed it into cosmic energy – cosmic energy which she then fired through her eyes at Thor.
The god of thunder was pushed into the face of the mountain. There followed a tremendous avalanche, leaving Thor buried under tons of rock. Minerva waited to see if Thor would emerge. After a minute, she was satisfied. She turned and began flying toward the site where her Kree comrades had led the rest of the Avengers.
“This is only the beginning!” Minerva declared, laughing wickedly.
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART III
FANFIC: The Avengers in "The Legacy of Mar-Vell" Part One
This is the second in a series of alternate-timeline Avengers fanfics. The timeline diverges after Roger Stern & John Buscema's "Assault on Olympus" arc. To read my first Avengers fanfic, "The Omega Sequence", visit http://www.avengersforever.org/fanfiction/
Thor swept across a bright blue late-summer sky in all his godly glory. His recent victory over the Asgardian death-goddess Hela had resulted in a healthy new body minus the scarred face and brittle bones the old one had acquired. So it was that Thor had disposed of the beard and the armor, neither of which served a purpose anymore. The thunder god’s return to a familiar appearance was greeted with cheers from people on rooftops and at windowsills. Thor might have reveled in the well-wishing, except that he had far more somber things on his mind.
Spotting an Avengers quinjet hovering above the parking lot of a cemetery – conspicuous, yes, but far better than taking away parking space from civilians – Thor fixated on his fellow Avengers (She-Hulk, Black Knight, Sub-Mariner, and team chairwoman Captain Marvel) walking towards a freshly dug grave, and he made a quiet landing beside them. Brief looks and nods were exchanged between Thor and his teammates, but no greetings were spoken.
The Avengers had done their best to provide a good funeral service for their fallen teammate, Dr. Druid. But sometimes even the best comes up short. All calls to Anthony Druid’s relatives had gone unanswered; several priests had turned down the service, due to Druid’s occult practices; and other than the Avengers, the only people now standing at Druid’s grave were a handful of collegiate misfits who knew Druid only as an author of books on the supernatural.
Once the priest had finished his duties, countless minutes passed while none of the Avengers spoke up. Druid had, after all, been aloof, supercilious, self-serving, and insubordinate to his fellow Avengers, so they could be forgiven for not finding a positive word to say.
Finally, Captain Marvel spoke up. “Druid was not a perfect person, but none of us are perfect. It’s a pity that he was taken from us so fast that we never got to see other, more pleasant sides of him. I hope that, wherever he is now, he’s found friendship and happiness. Rest in peace, Avenger.”
“Well said, Captain, well said indeed.” Thor replied.
She-Hulk, who had been particularly hurt by a cruel prank of Druid’s, was the first to turn around and head back to the quinjet. The Black Knight, who had recently started a relationship with She-Hulk, was next, and the others quickly and quietly followed suit.
Suddenly, the Black Knight shivered. His teammates had no way of knowing that, for a split second, he had been overwhelmed by a vision of Druid’s soul being imprisoned and tortured by the Fomor, a team of monstrous-looking Celtic mystics whom the Avengers had opposed some time ago. She-Hulk gently put her arm over one of the Black Knight’s shoulders, while she stroked his other shoulder with equal tenderness.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered.
He struggled to reply, but quickly gave up. “Nothing…it was nothing.”
She-Hulk held him tighter and said, “I think you’ve really been working too hard.”
That much was true. His constant upgrades to the Avengers’ technology, and the time-space machine in particular, had been turning into an obsession. For the moment, he decided to dismiss his vision as a waking nightmare, and tried to put it out of his mind by thinking of what he and She-Hulk might do together that night.
*********
Much later, Captain Marvel was sound asleep at her home, when suddenly, a sensation she had never experienced before left her wide awake, sitting bolt upright in her bed.
Every wall between her and the secrets of cosmos had been torn down. Red and purple waterfalls of crackling energy tumbled into worlds within worlds, while bits and pieces of the most esoteric knowledge blew every which way like raindrops in a storm.
And the mysterious cosmic entity within her began to talk more clearly. “#^%&##%$&^ INVASION @#$#$#$%^ KREE INVADERS (*(&%%%$%$ MUST BE STOPPED!”
Captain Marvel closed her eyes and gritted her teeth and screamed mentally at the entity. “This is all too much for me at once!”
Instantaneously, the bizarre imagery cohered into a vision of a Kree starship orbiting the Earth from a distance where it could not be detected by conventional means, while on the surface of Earth, in a secret Kree base disguised on the outside as just another cave, a dark-haired female Kree labored over a strange-looking machine. When the image focused on the female Kree, the entity within Captain Marvel became agitated. &*&**& MINERVA &**&&* EVIL TORMENTOR *(&*(* MUST DIE!” The imagery became shaky before abruptly disappearing altogether, leaving only the sight of Captain Marvel’s bedroom with the lights out.
Without hesitation, Captain Marvel picked up the miniature communicator on her nightstand, activated it, and turned on all the channels. She then spoke loud and clear. “Avengers assemble!”
********
Once the coordinates were entered into the Avengers’ computer, one monitor showed the deceptively plain cave from the outside, while another showed the Kree starship being scanned and analyzed. The Avengers were lined up together in front of the monitors.
Captain Marvel, now in her super-hero costume, pointed at relevant areas while she outlined her battle plan. “We’ll have one quinjet in air fighter mode, with Namor and Marrina inside, and another quinjet in land fighter mode, with Dane and Jennifer inside, while I can use my speed to hit them both high and low. Thor, not me but Thor, will deal with the lone Kree inside the base, because the thing inside me has a vendetta against her, and that could lead to trouble.”
Namor piped up. “Captain, if I may, I believe that having Marrina in the field is not a wise idea.”
Marrina sulked and slouched, while Captain Marvel fixed Namor with a scowl. “And why not?”
Namor closed his eyes while he found the words. “Because it would lead to the same kind of trouble you mentioned a moment ago.”
Captain Marvel shook her head and sighed. “There’s no time for this. Sorry, Marrina, you’ll be sitting this one out.”
Marrina pouted, then turned around and walked out of the command center.
Captain Marvel shifted to energy mode and turned to face the other Avengers. “We don’t have a minute to lose. Let’s roll.”
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART II
Thor swept across a bright blue late-summer sky in all his godly glory. His recent victory over the Asgardian death-goddess Hela had resulted in a healthy new body minus the scarred face and brittle bones the old one had acquired. So it was that Thor had disposed of the beard and the armor, neither of which served a purpose anymore. The thunder god’s return to a familiar appearance was greeted with cheers from people on rooftops and at windowsills. Thor might have reveled in the well-wishing, except that he had far more somber things on his mind.
Spotting an Avengers quinjet hovering above the parking lot of a cemetery – conspicuous, yes, but far better than taking away parking space from civilians – Thor fixated on his fellow Avengers (She-Hulk, Black Knight, Sub-Mariner, and team chairwoman Captain Marvel) walking towards a freshly dug grave, and he made a quiet landing beside them. Brief looks and nods were exchanged between Thor and his teammates, but no greetings were spoken.
The Avengers had done their best to provide a good funeral service for their fallen teammate, Dr. Druid. But sometimes even the best comes up short. All calls to Anthony Druid’s relatives had gone unanswered; several priests had turned down the service, due to Druid’s occult practices; and other than the Avengers, the only people now standing at Druid’s grave were a handful of collegiate misfits who knew Druid only as an author of books on the supernatural.
Once the priest had finished his duties, countless minutes passed while none of the Avengers spoke up. Druid had, after all, been aloof, supercilious, self-serving, and insubordinate to his fellow Avengers, so they could be forgiven for not finding a positive word to say.
Finally, Captain Marvel spoke up. “Druid was not a perfect person, but none of us are perfect. It’s a pity that he was taken from us so fast that we never got to see other, more pleasant sides of him. I hope that, wherever he is now, he’s found friendship and happiness. Rest in peace, Avenger.”
“Well said, Captain, well said indeed.” Thor replied.
She-Hulk, who had been particularly hurt by a cruel prank of Druid’s, was the first to turn around and head back to the quinjet. The Black Knight, who had recently started a relationship with She-Hulk, was next, and the others quickly and quietly followed suit.
Suddenly, the Black Knight shivered. His teammates had no way of knowing that, for a split second, he had been overwhelmed by a vision of Druid’s soul being imprisoned and tortured by the Fomor, a team of monstrous-looking Celtic mystics whom the Avengers had opposed some time ago. She-Hulk gently put her arm over one of the Black Knight’s shoulders, while she stroked his other shoulder with equal tenderness.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered.
He struggled to reply, but quickly gave up. “Nothing…it was nothing.”
She-Hulk held him tighter and said, “I think you’ve really been working too hard.”
That much was true. His constant upgrades to the Avengers’ technology, and the time-space machine in particular, had been turning into an obsession. For the moment, he decided to dismiss his vision as a waking nightmare, and tried to put it out of his mind by thinking of what he and She-Hulk might do together that night.
*********
Much later, Captain Marvel was sound asleep at her home, when suddenly, a sensation she had never experienced before left her wide awake, sitting bolt upright in her bed.
Every wall between her and the secrets of cosmos had been torn down. Red and purple waterfalls of crackling energy tumbled into worlds within worlds, while bits and pieces of the most esoteric knowledge blew every which way like raindrops in a storm.
And the mysterious cosmic entity within her began to talk more clearly. “#^%&##%$&^ INVASION @#$#$#$%^ KREE INVADERS (*(&%%%$%$ MUST BE STOPPED!”
Captain Marvel closed her eyes and gritted her teeth and screamed mentally at the entity. “This is all too much for me at once!”
Instantaneously, the bizarre imagery cohered into a vision of a Kree starship orbiting the Earth from a distance where it could not be detected by conventional means, while on the surface of Earth, in a secret Kree base disguised on the outside as just another cave, a dark-haired female Kree labored over a strange-looking machine. When the image focused on the female Kree, the entity within Captain Marvel became agitated. &*&**& MINERVA &**&&* EVIL TORMENTOR *(&*(* MUST DIE!” The imagery became shaky before abruptly disappearing altogether, leaving only the sight of Captain Marvel’s bedroom with the lights out.
Without hesitation, Captain Marvel picked up the miniature communicator on her nightstand, activated it, and turned on all the channels. She then spoke loud and clear. “Avengers assemble!”
********
Once the coordinates were entered into the Avengers’ computer, one monitor showed the deceptively plain cave from the outside, while another showed the Kree starship being scanned and analyzed. The Avengers were lined up together in front of the monitors.
Captain Marvel, now in her super-hero costume, pointed at relevant areas while she outlined her battle plan. “We’ll have one quinjet in air fighter mode, with Namor and Marrina inside, and another quinjet in land fighter mode, with Dane and Jennifer inside, while I can use my speed to hit them both high and low. Thor, not me but Thor, will deal with the lone Kree inside the base, because the thing inside me has a vendetta against her, and that could lead to trouble.”
Namor piped up. “Captain, if I may, I believe that having Marrina in the field is not a wise idea.”
Marrina sulked and slouched, while Captain Marvel fixed Namor with a scowl. “And why not?”
Namor closed his eyes while he found the words. “Because it would lead to the same kind of trouble you mentioned a moment ago.”
Captain Marvel shook her head and sighed. “There’s no time for this. Sorry, Marrina, you’ll be sitting this one out.”
Marrina pouted, then turned around and walked out of the command center.
Captain Marvel shifted to energy mode and turned to face the other Avengers. “We don’t have a minute to lose. Let’s roll.”
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART II
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Silverhawks Volume 1 DVD
An underrated 80s TV space opera cartoon finally becomes available for old fans and a new generation. Picture and sound quality are excellent, the better to appreciate the painterly color scheme worthy of classic Disney and the superlative score by Swiss composer Bernard Hoffer (who also did the equally excellent music for Silverhawks' sister show, Thundercats.) The one disappointment is the behind-the-scenes feature. It's only ten minutes long, and while Maggie Wheeler gives a fun interview (she considers Melodia to be "the first of my famous annoying characters"), the other surviving cast members, Peter Newman and Larry Kenney, are very much missed, especially considering how good their interviews were on the Thundercats DVD feature. Still a worthy addition to any animation fan's collection. No word yet on if or when there will be a Volume 2 collecting the remaining episodes.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Comic Book of the Week: Green Lantern #35
Geoff Johns wraps up his 7-part Secret Origin arc with an excellent issue. The scenes of Hal Jordan standing up to the Guardians are just the latest reminder of why Hal's fearless decisiveness is so refreshing after nearly two decades of wishy-washiness in pop culture. Hopefully that attitude is where the next decade will be heading. And let's not shortchange penciller Ivan Reis, who has arguably become the best artist at visualizing something as abstract as Hal's decisiveness. This is a great time to be a Green Lantern fan.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Fanfic: Marvel Woman in "Unlock the Doors" Part 1
NOTE: This story does not take place in Marvel Earth-616 continuity. Let's call this Marvel Earth-7619.
Okay, what's going on here?
All of a sudden I'm fourteen years old again, inside the Central City penthouse belonging to Mr. Simon Williams and Mrs. Wanda Maximoff-Williams (a.k.a. Wonder Man and the Scarlet Witch), baby-sitting their three-year-old daughter, sitting on a very tiny, very uncomfortable chair, playing tea party. I wasn't into tea parties when I was little, so I'm not into it, but I'm trying my best to please the little one, who is adorable and sweet and whose parents are obviously raising her right.
She holds up a plastic tray filled with little plastic cakes. "Another cake?" she asks.
"No, thank you," I reply, "I'm stuffed."
I take a pretend sip of my imaginary tea from a tiny empty cup, and smile. "You put on the best tea parties, Maggie."
"That's MAGDALENE!"
The icily regal voice behind me is unmistakably that of the just-returned Mrs. Maximoff-Williams. I'm shocked and embarassed. I turn around. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. M-m-Maxi-moff-Wil-liams. I promise I won't make that mistake again."
She responds promptly and crisply. "See that you don't."
Suddenly, the room empties of all other people and all furniture. The room starts spinning as I recall how mortified I was at my faux pas, and suddenly a voice that sounds like my own double-tracked with the voice of someone with an unplaceable accent begins talking to me, and my head feels like it's full of cement.
"That's why your application for probational membership in the Avenging All-Stars was turned down. You gauche little fool."
"No, no," I yell, "it was just a little thing."
"And then you decided you'd show them by starting and leading your own team with your friends, the Young Warriors...and all of them but you died during the alien invasion. You failed them. You're a FAILURE!"
Before I can respond, a pair of decomposing hands tears through the wall and zombies stumble in. I scream in horror, then scream louder when I recognize who they are: the other Young Warriors! Namorita, Speedball, Red Raven, Blizzard, and Firestar. All present, all dead, all coming for me.
"NO! PLEASE! DON'T HURT ME! IT WASN'T MY FAULT!"
I cower in a corner, curled up into a ball. Then they disappear. But no sooner is one threat gone than other appears. Suddenly basketballs, soccer balls, volleyballs, and softballs begin dropping out of nowhere until I can't dodge them anymore and I'm all but drowning in them. Then the balls sprout arms, legs, bloodshot eyes, and mouths with sharp teeth. Above my head, a pink cloud appears through which I see all things sugar and spice: dresses, unicorns, dolls, tea sets...
Then the voice returns.
"You never really learned to be a girl, did you? You were too busy trying to be the son that your parents wanted. You tried so hard to please them. But it didn't keep them from getting divorced, now did it? You've never succeeded at relationships, you don't have children -- you're a failure as a superheroine, a friend, a daughter, a woman. You're a WORTHLESS FAILURE!!"
Now I feel like I'm drowning in the ocean. There's no top, bottom, or sides to anything. Just water. Dirty, disgusting, polluted water. I'm drowning, I'm about to surrender my will to live...
When, suddenly, I find the strength inside me to go on and fight back. My words are defiant and proud. "I'm not a kid anymore. I'm not a failure. I'M MARVEL WOMAN!"
I break the bonds that have been holding me and rip off the needles and tubes that have been injecting chemicals into my brain. I open my eyes. I'm back in the real world.
I'm in a high-tech laboratory.
I see the people responsible for my ordeal: a raven-haired woman in her forties, and a girl of about twenty who looks like the woman, except with green hair.
I frown and grit my teeth as I issue my ultimatum. "You have three seconds to tell me what's going on here before I bring this whole place down on your heads."
TO BE CONTINUED
Okay, what's going on here?
All of a sudden I'm fourteen years old again, inside the Central City penthouse belonging to Mr. Simon Williams and Mrs. Wanda Maximoff-Williams (a.k.a. Wonder Man and the Scarlet Witch), baby-sitting their three-year-old daughter, sitting on a very tiny, very uncomfortable chair, playing tea party. I wasn't into tea parties when I was little, so I'm not into it, but I'm trying my best to please the little one, who is adorable and sweet and whose parents are obviously raising her right.
She holds up a plastic tray filled with little plastic cakes. "Another cake?" she asks.
"No, thank you," I reply, "I'm stuffed."
I take a pretend sip of my imaginary tea from a tiny empty cup, and smile. "You put on the best tea parties, Maggie."
"That's MAGDALENE!"
The icily regal voice behind me is unmistakably that of the just-returned Mrs. Maximoff-Williams. I'm shocked and embarassed. I turn around. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. M-m-Maxi-moff-Wil-liams. I promise I won't make that mistake again."
She responds promptly and crisply. "See that you don't."
Suddenly, the room empties of all other people and all furniture. The room starts spinning as I recall how mortified I was at my faux pas, and suddenly a voice that sounds like my own double-tracked with the voice of someone with an unplaceable accent begins talking to me, and my head feels like it's full of cement.
"That's why your application for probational membership in the Avenging All-Stars was turned down. You gauche little fool."
"No, no," I yell, "it was just a little thing."
"And then you decided you'd show them by starting and leading your own team with your friends, the Young Warriors...and all of them but you died during the alien invasion. You failed them. You're a FAILURE!"
Before I can respond, a pair of decomposing hands tears through the wall and zombies stumble in. I scream in horror, then scream louder when I recognize who they are: the other Young Warriors! Namorita, Speedball, Red Raven, Blizzard, and Firestar. All present, all dead, all coming for me.
"NO! PLEASE! DON'T HURT ME! IT WASN'T MY FAULT!"
I cower in a corner, curled up into a ball. Then they disappear. But no sooner is one threat gone than other appears. Suddenly basketballs, soccer balls, volleyballs, and softballs begin dropping out of nowhere until I can't dodge them anymore and I'm all but drowning in them. Then the balls sprout arms, legs, bloodshot eyes, and mouths with sharp teeth. Above my head, a pink cloud appears through which I see all things sugar and spice: dresses, unicorns, dolls, tea sets...
Then the voice returns.
"You never really learned to be a girl, did you? You were too busy trying to be the son that your parents wanted. You tried so hard to please them. But it didn't keep them from getting divorced, now did it? You've never succeeded at relationships, you don't have children -- you're a failure as a superheroine, a friend, a daughter, a woman. You're a WORTHLESS FAILURE!!"
Now I feel like I'm drowning in the ocean. There's no top, bottom, or sides to anything. Just water. Dirty, disgusting, polluted water. I'm drowning, I'm about to surrender my will to live...
When, suddenly, I find the strength inside me to go on and fight back. My words are defiant and proud. "I'm not a kid anymore. I'm not a failure. I'M MARVEL WOMAN!"
I break the bonds that have been holding me and rip off the needles and tubes that have been injecting chemicals into my brain. I open my eyes. I'm back in the real world.
I'm in a high-tech laboratory.
I see the people responsible for my ordeal: a raven-haired woman in her forties, and a girl of about twenty who looks like the woman, except with green hair.
I frown and grit my teeth as I issue my ultimatum. "You have three seconds to tell me what's going on here before I bring this whole place down on your heads."
TO BE CONTINUED
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Comic Books: Out With the Old, In With the New
I'm dropping several comics.
I'm dropping Captain America for reasons listed in my previous post.
I'm dropping X-Factor because this month's issue was the make-or-break issue for me. It doesn't look like it's going to return to the quality of the first 24 issues any time soon. In fact, I have a feeling Peter David will be leaving the book before long.
I'm dropping Eternals because it's been a tremendous disappointment, especially the art by Daniel Acuna, who is capable of so much better. There was promise at first that Sersi would be positively portrayed for the first time since she was an Avenger, but it didn't happen.
I'm dropping Captain Britain and MI 13 because, while it's well-done, I still can't get myself to care about anyone or anything in the book.
I'm dropping Ms. Marvel because the stories are dumb and because artist Adriana Melo can't seem to handle a monthly schedule.
On the other side of the coin, I'm cautiously going to start following Thunderbolts when Andy Diggle takes over the writing next month. The 2004 Adam Strange mini was brilliant, and The Losers was one of the few Vertigo books I've ever liked. If Thunderbolts gets good enough, I'll add it to my list.
Once they're on the schedule, I'll definitely be adding a couple books:
*The second Justice League book with Hal & Ollie and with James Robinson writing. I've wanted a Hal & Ollie League since forever (I wish Black Canary could be there too instead of in the flagship Justice League book) and my increasing appreciation of Robinson's Starman (it only took 15 years) makes me more excited about this book than ever.
*Power Girl's solo book, although Gray & Palmiotti have yet to live up to their reputation for me; it'll be great to have Amanda Conner on a monthly book, though.
I'm dropping Captain America for reasons listed in my previous post.
I'm dropping X-Factor because this month's issue was the make-or-break issue for me. It doesn't look like it's going to return to the quality of the first 24 issues any time soon. In fact, I have a feeling Peter David will be leaving the book before long.
I'm dropping Eternals because it's been a tremendous disappointment, especially the art by Daniel Acuna, who is capable of so much better. There was promise at first that Sersi would be positively portrayed for the first time since she was an Avenger, but it didn't happen.
I'm dropping Captain Britain and MI 13 because, while it's well-done, I still can't get myself to care about anyone or anything in the book.
I'm dropping Ms. Marvel because the stories are dumb and because artist Adriana Melo can't seem to handle a monthly schedule.
On the other side of the coin, I'm cautiously going to start following Thunderbolts when Andy Diggle takes over the writing next month. The 2004 Adam Strange mini was brilliant, and The Losers was one of the few Vertigo books I've ever liked. If Thunderbolts gets good enough, I'll add it to my list.
Once they're on the schedule, I'll definitely be adding a couple books:
*The second Justice League book with Hal & Ollie and with James Robinson writing. I've wanted a Hal & Ollie League since forever (I wish Black Canary could be there too instead of in the flagship Justice League book) and my increasing appreciation of Robinson's Starman (it only took 15 years) makes me more excited about this book than ever.
*Power Girl's solo book, although Gray & Palmiotti have yet to live up to their reputation for me; it'll be great to have Amanda Conner on a monthly book, though.
Comic Book of the Week: Captain America #42
This issue of Captain America is, just like the previous 41 issues, a well-written, well-drawn, expertly crafted superhero comic, and it seamlessly ties up all the plot threads from the past three-and-a-half years.
So why am I dropping the book?
Blame Civil War and the subsequent death of the original Captain America, Steve Rogers.
Civil War, of course, turned the Marvel Universe into a fascist state and committed character assassinations on Tony Stark and Reed Richards. But the damage to Captain America, the character and the book, was more insidious. Civil War ended with the poorly motivated surrender-to-the-authorities of the anti-fascism Captain America. Immediately afterward, in Captain America #25, Captain America was publicly gunned down; the shooter was eventually revealed to be one of his closest allies (in more ways than one), Sharon Carter, who was being mind-controlled by a cabal of villains headed by Captain America's arch-nemesis, the Red Skull. Over the next year-and-a-half, James Barnes a.k.a. Cap's WWII sidekick, Bucky, and latterly the vicious Winter Soldier, became the new Captain America, complete with a gun! A harsher Cap for harsher times, we were told by Marvel's spin-doctors. I don't buy it -- I think Cap should be a shining symbol of the less-harsh options, ESPECIALLY in harsher times. Meanwhile, Sharon Carter was revealed to be pregnant with Steve Rogers' child, leading to further victimization by the villains and a miscarriage. Ugly stuff, no matter how well-crafted.
Now, understand, I had no problem with the basic concept of Steve Rogers being replaced. Back in the mid-90s, the late writer Mark Gruenwald wrapped up his long run on Captain America with an interminable story about Cap slowly dying. At the time, I was hoping that Cap might be replaced by Rachel Leighton, a.k.a. Diamondback, a reformed costumed villainess who, in an eerie parallel with Sharon Carter's future fate, became Cap's lover and was victimized by the forces of evil. I knew it was a long shot because the majority of the audience for superheroes is male; even today, with more fangirls and female creators than ever before, the audience is still mostly male. So, in the end, Cap survived, Mark Waid took over the writing and wrote out all of Gruenwald's supporting cast, and brought Sharon Carter back from the dead (she had first appeared in the 60s, before being killed off in the 70s.) Fast forward to 2004 and, after many, many, many false starts, Cap's book was relaunched with Ed Brubaker writing and the great Steve Epting (Avengers, Aquaman, Crux, El Cazador) drawing. I came in with issue #18 and caught up with the previous ones thorough trades. It was great stuff: Brubaker was doing Cap stories that were up there with those of Roger Stern, Steve Englehart, and his personal favorite, Jim Steranko. And Epting was Epting, one of the modern masters of sequential art. Little did I know that Civil War and its repercussions were just around the corner. While I don't consider myself a fan of Sharon Carter, I actually held out hope for a few issues that she, and not James Barnes, would become the next Captain America. But it wasn't to be. In one of the most anti-climactic passing-of-the-torches, Barnes inherited the Cap identity, and Carter was reduced to vengeful victim, with the implication that the "vengeful" part made it okay -- and it doesn't.
I kept buying the book mostly for Epting. But the recent announcement that, after #42, Epting would begin alternating story arcs with Luke Ross, provided me with a welcome excuse to drop the book.
Let's face it: in pop culture, sometimes good craftsmanship just isn't enough.
So why am I dropping the book?
Blame Civil War and the subsequent death of the original Captain America, Steve Rogers.
Civil War, of course, turned the Marvel Universe into a fascist state and committed character assassinations on Tony Stark and Reed Richards. But the damage to Captain America, the character and the book, was more insidious. Civil War ended with the poorly motivated surrender-to-the-authorities of the anti-fascism Captain America. Immediately afterward, in Captain America #25, Captain America was publicly gunned down; the shooter was eventually revealed to be one of his closest allies (in more ways than one), Sharon Carter, who was being mind-controlled by a cabal of villains headed by Captain America's arch-nemesis, the Red Skull. Over the next year-and-a-half, James Barnes a.k.a. Cap's WWII sidekick, Bucky, and latterly the vicious Winter Soldier, became the new Captain America, complete with a gun! A harsher Cap for harsher times, we were told by Marvel's spin-doctors. I don't buy it -- I think Cap should be a shining symbol of the less-harsh options, ESPECIALLY in harsher times. Meanwhile, Sharon Carter was revealed to be pregnant with Steve Rogers' child, leading to further victimization by the villains and a miscarriage. Ugly stuff, no matter how well-crafted.
Now, understand, I had no problem with the basic concept of Steve Rogers being replaced. Back in the mid-90s, the late writer Mark Gruenwald wrapped up his long run on Captain America with an interminable story about Cap slowly dying. At the time, I was hoping that Cap might be replaced by Rachel Leighton, a.k.a. Diamondback, a reformed costumed villainess who, in an eerie parallel with Sharon Carter's future fate, became Cap's lover and was victimized by the forces of evil. I knew it was a long shot because the majority of the audience for superheroes is male; even today, with more fangirls and female creators than ever before, the audience is still mostly male. So, in the end, Cap survived, Mark Waid took over the writing and wrote out all of Gruenwald's supporting cast, and brought Sharon Carter back from the dead (she had first appeared in the 60s, before being killed off in the 70s.) Fast forward to 2004 and, after many, many, many false starts, Cap's book was relaunched with Ed Brubaker writing and the great Steve Epting (Avengers, Aquaman, Crux, El Cazador) drawing. I came in with issue #18 and caught up with the previous ones thorough trades. It was great stuff: Brubaker was doing Cap stories that were up there with those of Roger Stern, Steve Englehart, and his personal favorite, Jim Steranko. And Epting was Epting, one of the modern masters of sequential art. Little did I know that Civil War and its repercussions were just around the corner. While I don't consider myself a fan of Sharon Carter, I actually held out hope for a few issues that she, and not James Barnes, would become the next Captain America. But it wasn't to be. In one of the most anti-climactic passing-of-the-torches, Barnes inherited the Cap identity, and Carter was reduced to vengeful victim, with the implication that the "vengeful" part made it okay -- and it doesn't.
I kept buying the book mostly for Epting. But the recent announcement that, after #42, Epting would begin alternating story arcs with Luke Ross, provided me with a welcome excuse to drop the book.
Let's face it: in pop culture, sometimes good craftsmanship just isn't enough.
R.I.P. Paul Newman
Another icon of the cinema has left us, after a long battle with cancer.
My favorite movie of his was The Sting. His character in it was so wonderfully wily.
Little known fact: comic book artist Gil Kane "cast" Newman as Green Lantern Hal Jordan, one of my favorite superheroes.
He will be remembered not only for his performances, but also for his charitable work and for proving that showbiz marriages can last.
My condolences to his widow, Joanne Woodward, another fine performer, and to the rest of his family and friends.
My favorite movie of his was The Sting. His character in it was so wonderfully wily.
Little known fact: comic book artist Gil Kane "cast" Newman as Green Lantern Hal Jordan, one of my favorite superheroes.
He will be remembered not only for his performances, but also for his charitable work and for proving that showbiz marriages can last.
My condolences to his widow, Joanne Woodward, another fine performer, and to the rest of his family and friends.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Fringe: New J.J. Abrams show
I missed the first two episodes, because I'm completely out of the loop for the new TV season. Thank goodness for Wikipedia (now where's my money, Wikipedia?) Saw the third episode last night. Not bad, but not great either. The show's about an eccentric research scientist (John Noble), his grown son (Joshua Jackson), and an FBI agent (Anna Torv) trying to blow open a conspiracy that appears to be funded by a mega-corporation. Noble is an excellent mixture of endearingly childlike and creepily sociopathic, but Torv is wooden and Jackson (looking five times as old as he did in his Dawson's Creek days) is incredibly annoying. But there's real potential here. The first thing they need to do is kill off Jackson's character as a sweeps stunt.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Delta Goodrem and Silverhawks
No connection, they're what's on my mind and I thought they'd look funny together in the same phrase.
Seriously, though, Delta Goodrem's "In This Life" is a great syrupy guilty pleasure of a pop song (and thankfully free of pseudo-punk and/or pseudo-hip-hop posturing). And the first set of Silverhawks DVDs is due in only three weeks.
Seriously, though, Delta Goodrem's "In This Life" is a great syrupy guilty pleasure of a pop song (and thankfully free of pseudo-punk and/or pseudo-hip-hop posturing). And the first set of Silverhawks DVDs is due in only three weeks.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Judge Anderson: Shamballa TPB
If you like comic books, you must buy this trade paperback. It collects the best of the Judge Anderson stories by the definitive Judge Anderson creative team of writer Alan Grant (L.E.G.I.O.N., Batman) and artist Arthur Ranson. By turns spectacular, thoughful, dark, and witty, this is a prime showcase for the talents of the always underrated Alan Grant. Judge Anderson started out as a fairly one-dimensional action heroine, but Grant made her three-dimensional, worthy of standing next to his great L.E.G.I.O.N. heroines Stealth, Strata, and Lyrissa & Lydea Mallor. Grant's Judge Anderson is intelligent sequential sci-fi at its finest.
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