back issues

Back Issues [Sonic CDay]: The Return of Chaotix / Return to the Miracle Planet

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Developed alongside the blockbuster Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SEGA Technical Institute, 1992), Sonic the Hedgehog CD (Sonic Team, 1993) released on this day back in 1993 and introduced Metal Sonic (one of Sonic’s most popular and enduring rivals).

Story Title: “The Return of Chaotix” (Part 1 to 6)
Published: 9 December 1995 (cover-dated: 22 December 1995) to 17 of February 1996 (cover-dated: 1 March 1996)
Writer: Nigel Kitching
Artist: Richard Elson

Story Title: “Return to the Miracle Planet”
Published: 25 May 1996 (cover-dated: 7 June 1996)
Writer: Nigel Kitching
Artist: Roberto Corona

Quick Facts:
After Sonic the Hedgehog became a mainstream success, SEGA quickly capitalised with a slew of ancillary merchandise, like “Britain’s Official SEGA Comic”, Sonic the Comic (StC). StC quickly veered from the source material while still featuring loose adaptations of the videogames. When StC adapted Sonic CD, they reimagined Metal Sonic as “Metallix”, a robotic doppelgänger who reappeared alongside a “brotherhood” of the Badniks and tangled with the likes of Sonic, Knuckles, and the Chaotix in numerous time travel plots.

The Review:
Although Sonic has every reason to frequently return to Never Lake since the last time he was there, his childhood friend and fellow Freedom Fighter, Porker Lewis, was trapped on the tiny planetoid known as the Miracle Planet when it disappeared from Mobius as it does every month. Instead, Sonic seems surprised when the Miracle Planet reappears, anchored to Mobius by a giant chain, and wary when some “dude” comes down that same chain. It’s an odd start considering I would’ve expected Sonic to be eagerly waiting the Miracle Planet’s return since Porker’s was trapped there after helping defeat the Brotherhood of Metallix and their gigantic emperor, though that’s largely inconsequential compared to Porker’s odd demeanour when Sonic rushes to meet him. Nearby, the Chaotix Crew – leader Vector the Crocodile, muscle Mighty the Armadillo, stealthy Espio the Chameleon, and aggravating Charmy Bee – make a rough landing at Never Lake courtesy of the Omni-Viewer, a sentient computer monitor capable of travelling across dimensions. As soon as they recover, the Chaotix Crew are attacked by Doctor Ivo Robotnik’s Troopers, including a formidable tank-like variant from the Special Badnik Service (SBS). Although the tank shrugs off Mighty’s hefty haymaker, Espio trashes a Trooper with his patented spinning top attack. Mighty then reduces the tank to scrap metal and the remaining Troopers are trashed by Sonic, whom the Chaotix Crew highly regard after hearing tales of him from the Omni-Viewer. Vector reveals that they’ve travelled from the Special Zone under the belief that the Brotherhood of Metallix are up to no good on the Miracle Planet, a suspicion the Omni-Viewer soon proves to be true, despite Sonic’s claims, when he reveals the usually lush and fertile planetoid has been conquered by the Metallix!

Sonic and the Chaotix Crew are horrified when the Metallix alter the past to conquer the present!

Although Porker claims ignorance of this drastic transformation, Sonic eagerly leads the Chaotix Crew to investigate, dismissing Mighty’s hopes for a plan. However, Sonic’s stunned when Porker turns out to be a Metallix variant! The Porkertallix knocks Sonic from the chain with its piston-like arm (though he’s saved by Charmy Bee), headbutts Mighty when he tries to wrestle with it, and gets a kick in the head when Espio sneaks up behind it. Taking to the sky, the Porkertallix charges a “death ray” only to be damaged by Sonic’s Spin Attack. With only seconds to spare before the robot blows up, Mighty and Vector bust out their “Link-Rings” and knock the Porkertallix away so it can explode harmlessly in the sky. Though aggravated by Sonic’s ego, the Chaotix Crew venture onto the polluted, mechanised hellscape of the Miracle Planet and discover the real Porker tied up as bait. While saving his friend, Sonic is confronted by the Emperor Metallix, its army, and its corrupted version of the Omni-Viewer and is horrified to see that the Metallix have travelled into the past and turned Mobius into an equally mechanical hellhole! Realising they’re outnumbered and outgunned, Vector urges the Chaotix Crew to escape via the Omni-Viewer with a reluctant Sonic, who’s so mad he initially tries to take on the entire Metallix army by himself. Teleporting to “Planet Metallix”, the team arrives in a world overrun by machinery and Metallixes, one very unlikely to have any organic life. Once again, Vector must stop Sonic when he tries to take his anger out on an army of nearby Metallix, though they’re led straight into a dead end by the foolish Charmy Bee. Luckily, a mysterious, hooded individual urges them to follow them into the sewers, fooling the Metallix with a holographic projection and then blowing them to smithereens with a bomb. Though grateful, Sonic’s eager to know who’s saved them and discovers that Mobius’s few survivors have taken refuge in the sewers under the leadership of Doctor Ovi Kintobor, the kindly scientist who was transformed into Dr. Robotnik by a laboratory accident!

Sonic’s distraught when he’s forced to create his most hated enemy!

Although Sonic’s overwhelmed at the state of the survivors and at seeing his old friend again, Vector boots up the Omni-Viewer to track the “chronotron trails” left behind by the Metallix’s time travelling and they hop into the screen for a jaunt to the past, taking Dr. Kintobor’s “Anti-Metallix” device with them. This comes in handy when the heroes are jumped by a group of Metallix guarding the timeline as even the combined abilities of Sonic and the Chaotix Crew struggle against the hedgehog’s dangerous doubles. Instead, Sonic slaps the device onto a Metallix and sends it haywire, causing it to attack its “brothers” and allowing our heroes to jump back into the Omni-Viewer, but not before Sonic finds that one of the Metallix was holding a strangely familiar rotten egg. Naturally, this means that the chronotron trail ends in a place Sonic’s all-to familiar with: Dr. Kintobor’s underground lab, back when he was helping a distinctly brown and far less cool-looking Sonic master his super speed. Watching from a doorway, the group witnesses past Sonic breaking the sound barrier, destroying the kinetic gyratoscope used to measure his speed and turning him into his cool, blue self. After reliving this literal blast from the past, Sonic realises with dread how the Metallix changed the past. Sure enough, Dr. Kintobor’s fridge is empty, meaning the rotten egg he found was taken by the robots. Although the Chaotix Crew are baffled as to why this is so important or why Sonic’s so reluctant to put a rotten egg into a fridge, a quick jump to twenty-four hours later clues them in as they watch Dr. Kintobor retrieve the egg for a light snack. Wanting to be absolutely sure, Sonic yanks on a nearby cable and forces his kindly friend to trip into the Retro-Orbital Chaos Compressor (R.O.C.C.), thus causing the accident that birthed Dr. Robotnik! Although devastated at having created the world’s most ruthless dictator, Sonic takes some comfort in Porker’s belief that Dr. Robotnik is obviously important to the Metallix’s survival.

Though the Metallix come close to victory, a last-second save by Sonic finally ends their threat.

When the Omni-Viewer returns them to the present, they’re relieved to see the Mobius has been restored. However, since the Miracle Planet is still corrupted by his robotic doppelgängers, Sonic has the Omni-Viewer transport them to Citadel Robotnik, though Dr. Robotnik dismisses their story as hogwash. Porker rightly questions why the Metallix would want to erase Dr. Robotnik from history as this would surely destroy them, since he created them. However, it turns out they were the brainchild of Dr. Robotnik’s long-suffering assistant, Grimer (though it’s not clear why he would create them without Dr. Robotnik’s influence…) When Grimer reveals that Dr. Robotnik installed a self-destruct mechanism into the machines, Sonic is livid since the tyrant risked his life sending him after the Metallixes about ten issues ago in the hopes the two would destroy each other. Sonic’s only stopped from bashing Dr. Robotnik by the fact that they need that self-destruct device to win and the approach of a swarm of Metallix so vast that they block out the sky! The Emperor Metallix and its thousand-strong hoard crash into the citadel and wreak havoc, easily overwhelming the heroes and leaving Porker a distraught, cowering mess from all the violence and stress. Just as Dr. Robotnik retrieves the self-destruct device, he’s snagged by the Emperor Metallix, who begins to crush it ahead of doing the same to its former master’s neck! Luckily, Sonic swipes the self-destruct device, deactivating the Metallix army. Sonic’s somewhat perplexed by this anti-climactic end, though Vector’s just grateful for it to be over since they barely survived the onslaught. Although Sonic tries to lecture Dr. Robotnik on his heinous actions, he gives up and leaves, clearly still rattled by the adventure. Still, Dr. Robotnik is left ruminating on how close they all came to death, but Grimer gleefully lifts his spirits by unveiling his plans for a new, more stable Metallix…one based on Knuckles the Echidna!

A brief rematch with a Metallix isn’t all it seems in this largely forgettable epilogue.

Although this Metallix variant and the original machine did appear again in StC, “The Return of Chaotix” effectively ended the comic’s ongoing adaptation of Sonic CD and Knuckles’ Chaotix (SEGA, 1995) save for one final epilogue a couple of months later, which I may as well include here. “Return to the Miracle Planet” sees Sonic and fellow Freedom Fighters Amy Rose and Johnny Lightfoot…return to the Miracle Planet (shocker!) in its first reappearance since “The Return of Chaotix”. Despite toppling the Brotherhood of Metallix, the Miracle Planet still bares their visage and is still a mechanised hellscape thanks to the Alpha Device, now a gigantic mechanical tower rather than a simple staff. Guided by the Kintobor Computer (a sentient artificial intelligence that’s essentially a copy of Dr. Kintobor’s personality), Johnny Lightfoot scales the Alpha Device tower looking for a port to plug in a cable, with the hope being that the Kintobor Computer can reverse the damage caused by the Alpha Device. Frustrated by the “techno babble”, Sonic races off to investigate some nearby movement, scrambling through the mechanised landscape until spotting the source of the movement: a red-tinted Metallix! Amazed that one of his robotic doppelgänger’s survived, Sonic immediately attacks, surprised when the machine flees rather than fighting. Naturally, Sonic quickly catches up to it and knocks it down, ready to impale the robot with a piece of scrap metal. However, Amy’s horrified when the Metallix blasts Sonic with its chest ray, only for Sonic to be relatively unscathed since the machine had its weapon on the lowest setting. The Metallix then reveals that it was a bird-like Mobian in disguise all along, a captive of the Brotherhood who disguised himself as one of them after escaping his cell and has been searching for a way home ever since. After quickly snatching Amy’s misguided crossbow bolt from the air, Sonic taunts his friend’s aim and offers to take the Mobian home, confident that the Miracle Planet will be back to normal when it returns in a month.

Final Thoughts: 
Although I naturally have more bias towards Sonic the Comic since I grew up reading it, I generally find that their art and storytelling was overall much better than those in the Archie Comics in the United States. Sonic the Comic had more variety and personality, being fun but also quite dark right from the start, whereas Archie’s Sonic comics took a while to drop the inane slapstick. Neither of them have a great track record when it comes to adapting specific videogames, however, and these two stories continue that trend as, rather than using this opportunity to showcase new areas of the Miracle Planet, both limit the planetoid-based action to a single, indistinct, mechanical area. This would’ve been a great opportunity to bring the Bad Futures of Stardust Speedway or Metallic Madness to life but, instead, there’s little to distinguish the mechanised Miracle Planet from any of Dr. Robotnik’s other facilities. Similarly, “The Return of Chaotix” features the only adaptation of Knuckles’ Chaotix’s “Combine Ring” mechanic and, like in Archie’s Sonic comics, it’s simply used to swing a character into a robot and never used again. On the plus side, “The Return of Chaotix” boasts gorgeous artwork from the unmatched Richard Elson, who masterfully renders Sonic and the Chaotix Crew in ways Archie’s Art Mawhinney and Ken Penders can only dream of. The Metallix especially benefits from this, with the story giving a few subtle background variants (which recall Silver Sonic and the Mecha-Metallix) and an all-new Porkertallix that’s both fearsome and formidable. I liked how rattled Sonic was by this robot and how dangerous a single Metallix was to the combined force of Sonic and the Chaotix Crew. Since his emotions are so high in this story, Sonic almost blunders into an unwinnable situation more than once, forcing Vector to restrain him and pull him away from getting himself killed, which leads to some interesting interactions between Sonic and the team.

Sonic’s time travel journey tests his mettle as his worst nightmares come to life.

Naturally, Sonic’s used to getting his own way with the Freedom Fighters and bossing them around, but the Chaotix Crew are a well-honed team who analyse situations and attack as a cohesive unit. This means they clash with Sonic’s more impulsive attitude but, ultimately, he begrudgingly agrees that discretion is better when faced with such a formidable foe. “The Return of Chaotix” largely re-treads much of and undoes the “Brotherhood of Metallix” story (Kitching, et al, 1995), with the Metallix dominating the Miracle Planet and Mobius thanks to time travel shenanigans. The sight of the Miracle Planet transformed into a giant Metallix head is harrowing, to say the least, but outdone when they do the same to Mobius and essentially turn it into Apokalips! It might’ve been fun to stretch this story out over a few more issues and backup stories, maybe spend a few weeks living on Planet Metallix and having Sonic reconnect with Dr. Kintobor, thereby making his decision to restore the timeline even more difficult. Instead, the story shifts to revisiting “The Origin of Sonic” (ibid, 1993) in the style of Back to the Future Part II (Zemeckis, 1989), with Sonic witnessing his origin as a bystander and manipulating events to cause Dr. Robotnik’s creation. As far as I remember, the guilt and self-loathing he feels about this are limited to this story, which is a shame as it adds an interesting dramatic wrinkle and extra personal beef to Sonic’s war against Dr. Robotnik. The time travel stuff does get a bit wonky here, though, as I alluded to. I guess we have to assume that Grimer was always destined to be a bad guy and create Metallix, which seems unlikely given his attitude towards Dr. Robotnik. Still, it’s fun revisiting Sonic’s past and seeing him so angered at having to birth his greatest enemy, and knowing that Dr. Robotnik could’ve stopped the Metallix at any time. However, it is also kind of strange that the Metallix never removed their self-destruct device, especially as they became autonomous and improved upon their original design.

The Metallix have never looked stronger ore deadlier than in their final, epic appearance.

“Return to the Miracle Planet” isn’t much of a coda to this story. It might’ve been better if we’d seen Sonic return alone to find the Miracle Planet restored, allowing him to explore somewhere like Tidal Tempest of Quartz Quadrant, or if the Metallix he encountered was the real deal, allowing for a recreation of their iconic Stardust Speedway race. Instead, it largely serves to tie up the loose end of returning the Miracle Planet to normal and leaves me wondering why the Metallix kidnapped and experimented on Mobians when they just wanted to exterminate all life in the most efficient (if convoluted) way possible (i.e. time travel). Still, “The Return of Chaotix” was an enjoyable end to this sprawling Metallix saga. I was disappointed that the Emperor Metallix didn’t do much, but it was shocking seeing it threaten to crush Dr. Robotnik’s neck and seeing how close its Brotherhood came to ultimate victory. I also liked how dangerous the Metallix were, with them easily holding their own against the Chaotix Crew, who were unexpectedly outmatched by the faster, deadlier machines. I love the idea of the Metallix being stationed across the timelines and manipulating the timestream to cheat their way to victory, so much so that I do think it would’ve been fun to marinate on this idea for a few weeks. “The Return of Chaotix” also led to a pivotal status quo change as Porker suffered a nervous breakdown and left the team, something Sonic initially struggled to deal with, and led to the creation of the Knuckles Metallix (though this wouldn’t be anywhere near as prevalent as its Sonic variants). While it is disappointing that StC never gave us a true Sonic CD adaptation or made the most of the source material and “Return to the Miracle Planet” is a largely forgettable coda, I really enjoyed the time travel plot in “The Return of Chaotix” and how it changes the perception of Sonic’s relationship with Dr. Robotnik.

“The Return of Chaotix” Rating:

“Return to the Miracle Planet” Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Great Stuff

Could Be Better

Do you think “The Return of Chaotix” was a fitting end to StC’s loose adaptation of Sonic CD? How do you think StC’s Chaotix Crew compare to their Archie Comics counterparts? Did you enjoy the twist that Sonic created Dr. Robotnik? Were you also disappointed that we didn’t spend more time on Planet Metallix or see more areas from the game? Did you think “Return to the Miracle Planet” was a worthwhile story to tell? How are you celebrating Sonic CD’s anniversary today? Whatever your thoughts on Sonic CD, or StC in general, feel free to leave a comment below, support me on Ko-Fi, and check out my other Sonic content.

Back Issues: The Amazing Spider-Man #13

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Story Title: “The Menace of… Mysterio!”
Published: 10 March 1964 (cover-dated: June 1964)

Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Steve Ditko

Quick Facts:
Though he technically first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #2, disgruntled special effects wizard Quentin Beck/Mysterio made his first traditional appearance in this story before cementing himself as one of Spidey’s most dangerous foes when he joined the Sinister Six. Surprisingly formidable and ruthless despite his outrageous design, Mysterio often appears as a boss or enemy in Spidey’s cartoons and videogames and Jake Gyllenhaal received much praise for this portrayal of the character in Spider-Man: Far From Home (Watts, 2019).

The Review:
Our story begins with a shocking sight: Spider-Man robbing a bank and fleeing the scene before a gaggle of stunned onlookers, easily clambering up a neighbouring wall, tangling up some guards, swinging from the skyscrapers, and then drifting to safety on a makeshift web parachute with his haul. Naturally, the tabloids have a field day with this and the notoriously fickle and easily misled New Yorkers immediately condemn the wall-crawler. Bad-tempered publisher J. Jonah Jameson orders all his anti-Spider-Man editorials to be reprinted and Peter’s friends and colleagues are left stunned, though noted Spidey fan Eugene “Flash” Thompson remains hopeful that the whole thing is a misunderstanding. Even Peter is shellshocked by the report, believing so completely that nobody could copy his powers and costume that he briefly worries that he’s developed a malicious split personality. Peter’s so rattled by anxiety that he breaks some crockery in his absent-mindedness and worries his doting Aunt May, who inadvertently adds to Peter’s woes by reminding him of their dire financial situation. Afraid to sleep lest he commit another crime in his sleep, Peter eventually drifts off, only to awaken to find his worst fears have come true. Terrified of what he might do next, Spider-Man swings over to a psychiatrist, only to chicken out at the last second over fears that he may give away his secret identity. Peter’s troubles weigh so heavily on him that he snaps at Betty Brant when she shows concern and even gives Jameson some lip with the editor refuses to supplement his income with a small loan, forcing Peter to don his costume to get some extra cash for his pictures of Spider-Man, only to be immediately set upon by the public and chased away.

Peter’s fears about an imposter are doubled when Mysterio matches and rivals his powers!

While Peter wrestles with his issues, a mysterious, cloaked figure appears in Jameson’s office and offers to end Spider-Man’s threat. Though mocked for his corny get-up and bizarre fishbowl helmet, “Mysterio” states that he hides his identity to protect his family and promises to make good on his threat. Before disappearing in a puff of smoke, Mysterio instructs Jameson to print a message luring the web-slinger to the Brooklyn Bridge, which Spidey immediately answers since he’s at his wit’s end. Realising it’s a trap, Spidey dives, swings, and pounces at his peculiar new foe, only for Mysterio to deftly somersault behind him, eerily dodge his blows by sticking to the bridge, and nimbly hop to safety. Spidey’s doubly shocked when Mysterio stops his webs with a gesture and dissolves them in mid-air before engulfing himself in a smokescreen. Though confident that his uncanny spider-sense gives him the edge, Spidey’s shocked when his senses are somehow dulled by the smoke, leaving him helpless as the unseen Mysterio repeatedly pummels him. Spider-Man’s thus forced to take a literal dive off the bridge before he’s beaten to death, leaving Mysterio victorious and forcing the bruised teen to swim to safety. Mysterio’s victory is celebrated across the grateful city, and he agrees to offer Jameson the exclusive on his true identity once Spider-Man is finished (alongside a payoff, of course). While meeting Mysterio and promising to capture his final victory on film, Peter slips a spider-themed tracking device onto the strange magician’s cape and quickly rushes out to track down his new foe, surprising Mysterio outside a television studio building. Once again, Mysterio surrounds himself with his choking smoke and puts a beating on Spider-Man but halts his attack to brag about how he managed to fool everyone into thinking Spider-Man had gone crooked.

Spidey uses his head to defeat Mysterio and clear his name.

Mysterio reveals that he was once a movie stunt man with a talent for special and practical effects. One day, he decided to imitate Spider-Man and artificially recreated his powers, using special suction cups to cling to walls and a nylon cord fired from a gun to recreate Spidey’s webs, all to frame Spidey for crimes. He then invented Mysterio to take down the “evil” Spider-Man and be hailed as a hero, using a two-way helmet, acidic spray, smoke ejectors, and magnetic spring plates in his boots to appear superhuman. Mysterio also reveals that he uses a sonar device to see through his fog and jam Spider-Man’s senses but gets so caught up in his boasting that he misses that Spidey was recording him. Angered, Mysterio resorts to his smoke once again, but this time Spidey stays outside the fog and swings into it, eventually sending Mysterio flying onto a sci-fi movie set. Spider-Man presses his attack, distracting Mysterio with a web net so he can leap in for another punch and force Mysterio to spring to the overhead props. Panicked and raving, Mysterio relies on his training as a stunt man to take Spidey’s punches and fling the wall-crawler off-balance, only for Spidey-Man to easily recover and use his fantastic agility to tackle Mysterio. When Mysterio uses his smoke again, the aggravated web-slinger smashes the sonar device on his chest and finally knocks out the devious stunt man. Retrieving his automatic camera, and his unconscious foe, Spider-Man drops Mysterio off at the police station alongside his taped confession. Jameson is livid when he finds out the truth but quickly tries to recoup his losses with Peter’s photos of the fight between Spider-Man and Mysterio. Jameson’s mood immediately sours again, though, when Spidey drops by to berate him for jumping to conclusions and humiliate him, before heading back into the city, where the public have forgiven him…for now.

Final Thoughts: 
This one was pretty fun, despite the fact that I typically don’t like stories where the hero is impersonated by another. I give this one a pass because, as goofy as Mysterio is, I quite like his aesthetic and his backstory. This story really highlights just how fickle and easily led the Marvel public are as they immediately peg Spider-Man as a thief and condemn his actions, despite all the good he’s done. To be fair, the evidence is pretty damning and it’s important to remember that this story was published when Spider-Man was truly unique and few could emulate his powers. Plus, newspapers and circumstantial evidence had worked against Spider-Man for a time, so I don’t begrudge the public for turning on the web-spinner after witnesses saw him fleeing with the loot. However, I do question Peter immediately thinking he’s gone crackers and is out committing crimes in his sleep, all because he doesn’t remember doing what he’s accused of. Again, it kinda makes sense as he can’t imagine anyone having his powers, but he descends into anxiety-ridden paranoia pretty quickly rather than trying to investigate what really happened. Paradoxically, however, I quite like this story beat. Peter’s a kid who has the weight of the world on his shoulders and is constantly worrying about his aunt, his studies, money, his relationships, and whatever villains are causing trouble. He takes everything to heart and puts himself under a lot of pressure, so it makes senses that he’d be worried he’d snapped or gone bananas from stress. Once Mysterio shows up, though, this plot thread is dropped and Peter gets his shit together to track Mysterio down, only to constantly underestimate his foe and be forced to think with his head rather than his fists.

The drama and Mysterio’s origin are a bit undercooked but the visuals and fights are a lot of fun.

Although we never learn Mysterio’s true name, he’s instantly memorable in his bizarre green armour, flowing purple cape, and ridiculous fishbowl helmet. His whole getup and the way he presents himself screams “supervillain” but he sells himself as a powerful hero, easily duping the bigoted Jameson with promises of Spider-Man’s defeat and being heralded a hero after besting the wall-crawler. I really liked that Mysterio was depicted as such a threat, from disappearing into smoke, nimbly avoiding Spider-Man’s famous agility, and even dulling his spider-sense to beat him half to death with relative ease. Though he boasts no true superpowers, Mysterio’s stunt training means he can take a punch and knows how to fall to lessen the damage he takes, and his gadgets make him more than a match for Spider-Man. Unfortunately, Mysterio’s motivation is quite weak. It seems he just decided to frame Spider-Man and pose as a hero to take him down on a whim and for the personal glory and the cash, which is quite bland when you think about it. Mysterio isn’t looking to get revenge against the movie industry, hasn’t been slighted by Spider-Man in the past, and doesn’t appear to have been shunned or ridiculed by his peers. He’s just doing it for a lark, it seems, and to prove his superiority over others. Indeed, when Spider-Man starts fighting smarter rather than harder, disabling Mysterio’s tech and strategically working around his near-literal smoke and mirrors, Mysterio’s enraged at being outsmarted. This only aids the furious web-spinner as Mysterio makes mistakes in his panic and rage, leaving him a beaten and humiliated wreck when he’s delivered to the cops. There were a lot of fun visuals and unique aspects to this story, especially in Mysterio’s abilities and his fights with Spider-Man. The drama didn’t land with me much and Mysterio’s motivations were quite weak but, overall, this was a strong debut for perhaps Spider-Man’s most bizarre enemy that painted him as a scheming and capable threat right from the start.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Did you enjoy Mysterio’s debut story? Are you a fan of the villain and, if so, what are some of your favourite Mysterio moments and stories? Would you have also liked to see Peter’s anxiety about his “crimes” explored in more detail? What did you think to Mysterio’s motivations and the way he copied Spidey’s powers? Where does Mysterio rank in your tier list of Spidey villains? Share your opinions on Mysterio in the comments, support me on Ko-Fi, and go check out my other Spider-Man content.

Back Issues [Thor’s Day]: Journey into Mystery #99/104

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In August 1962, Marvel Comics debuted the God of Thunder, Thor Odinson, one of their most successful and versatile characters. As it’s the first Thursday (or “Thor’s Day”) of August, this is the perfect time to celebrate the God of Thunder!

Writer: Stan Lee – Artist: Jack Kirby

Story Title: “Tales of Asgard: Surtur the Fire Demon!”
Published: 1 October 1963 (cover-dated: December 1963)

Story Title: “Giants Walk the Earth!”
Published: 3 March 1964 (cover-dated: May 1964)

Quick Facts:
Inspired by Norse legends, Thor Odinson headlined Journey into Mystery after his debut and eventually adopted more aspects of his inspiration, such as Surtr, the great fire giant destined to be at the forefront of Ragnarök, the twilight of the Gods. As imagined by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Surtur fulfilled much the same role and was a prominent villain of Thor in the 1966s. Surtur also appeared in Marvel cartoons and videogames and was a significant destructive force in Thor: Ragnarok (Waititi, 2017).

The Review:
Surtur the Fire Demon first appeared in a backup story in Journey into Mystery #99, one of many “Tales of Asgard” that delved into the rich, colourful lore of Marvel’s iteration of the Norse Gods (which was somewhat comparable to actual mythology). This tale revolves around Odin Allfather, the prideful, all-powerful king of Asgard and Thor’s father, and his solo campaign into the land of the trolls, who’ve joined the mysterious Surtur in rebelling against Asgard. Despite the Troll King threatening that the venture will cost Odin his life, the Allfather unleashes his incredible “Odinforce” power to repel the ravenous troll army, destroying their will to fight and forcing them to meekly point him in Surtur’s direction. Thus, Odin ventures to the “sea of flame” where the mighty, demonic King of the Fire Demons emerges from the flaming pool. Despite Surtur’s gigantic size and demonic visage, Odin fearlessly stands his ground. When Surtur uses black magic to transform his fingers into monstrous serpents, Odin simply lifts his mighty sword and calls down the frozen remnants of a long-dead world to bombard Surtur with a meteor shower! Injured and humiliated, Surtur’s rage turns to spite when Odin demands his fealty, turning the Demon King’s ire towards Odin’s beloved “Midgard” (Earth), which is still awaiting the age of man. Surtur surprises Odin with his speed and reaches Earth before the Allfather can intercept him (despite Odin standing right there…), boring deep into the Earth’s crust and flinging a chunk of matter into the atmosphere that would become our Moon. Rushing to Earth via the Bifrost (a magical “rainbow bridge” connecting the realms), Odin channels “electro-magnetic particles” into his sword, causing the Earth to rotate and thus creating our day/night cycle. This rotating traps Surtur in the centre of our world, where he acts as the planet’s molten core, powerless to do more than try and appease Odin by spewing a beautiful, winged horse from a volcano and hope that he’ll one day be freed…

Loki manipulates Odin’s concerns about Thor to usurp the throne and release Odin’s hated adversaries!

Surtur next appeared, and first battled Thor, almost six months later in a story precipitated by Thor’s mischievous half-brother, the trickster God Loki Laufeyson. Hidden somewhere in Asgard, Loki berates his allies, Amora the Enchantress and Skurge the Executioner, for failing to defeat Thor in Journey into Mystery #103, enraged at the suggestion that anyone, especially the boorish Thor, could be “wiser [or] craftier” than him. As Odin is apparently unaware of Loki’s schemes, the Allfather summons his adopted son to a mountaintop to discuss his concerns about Thor, who has continually defied his will and chosen to follow his heart and be with nurse Jane Foster rather than heed his father’s commands. As Odin doesn’t want to cause his son heartache by interjecting in his love life but cannot allow Thor to defy him, he asks “clever Loki” for advice and, seizing the opportunity, Loki suggests that Odin travel to Earth to “assert [his] authority in person!” Excited by the proposition, a grateful Odin agrees and plays right into Loki’s hands as Odin decrees that the God of Mischief shall rule Asgard in the king’s absence. Gleeful to finally have the throne he’s long coveted, Loki immediately works to possess it for all eternity, employing the additional powers granted to him by Odin to release Skagg the Storm Giant and Surtur the Fire Demon from their imprisonments! On Earth, Odin assumes the guise of an unassuming gentleman, easily thwarting would-be muggers when they accost him, while Thor (as insecure cripple Doctor Donald “Don” Blake”) watches over Jane as she recovers from her ordeal with the Enchantress and the Executioner. After sending the exhausted nurse home to rest, Dr. Blake ponders Loki’s next move and decides to strike his cane to the ground and transform into the mighty Thor to search New York City for signs of his cunning adversary, taking to the skies with a hefty swing of his enchanted hammer, Mjölnir.

Odin and his sons easily defeat the vengeful giants, though he despairs of Thor’s devotion to Jane.

Thor’s amazed when he’s approached by Balder Odinson the Brave, who was sent to Earth by all-seeing Heimdall to warn of Loki’s plot, and quickly returns to Dr. Blake’s practice, correctly assuming that Odin would visit him there. After learning of Skagg and Surtur’s release, Odin uses his awesome powers to transport the entire human race to another dimension where, trapped in a zen-like state, they’re safe from the conflict. Odin then joins Thor and Balder in confronting Skagg, who emerges from the sea and advances towards the city, his gigantic club ready to destroy. Despite Skagg’s boasts, his weapon is easily reduced to splinters by Balder’s sword, though the giant quickly adapts and whips up a whirlwind to knock Balder from his winged horse. Though Thor rushes to his brother’s aid, Surtur sends Thor crashing to the waters by blasting searing firebolts from his flaming sword. When Odin interjects, causing Skagg to sink into the seabed, the Titan begs Surtur to aid him and, begrudgingly, the Fire Demon agrees in the hopes that the monstrous giant can back up his boasts. Surtur again turns his wrath towards the Earth, becoming a raging fireball that threatens to cause global catastrophe by melting the ice caps. When Skagg has a torrential storm ransack the city, the God of Thunder takes this as a personal challenge and braves the storm to strike Skagg with a lightning bolt from Mjölnir, staggering the giant long enough for Odin to erect a protective shield over the city and draining Skagg’s energy with his enchanted sword (despite Loki’s best efforts to replenish the Titan from afar). The effort drains Odin, so Thor takes his sword and uses it to redirect Surtur’s attack at the last second, flinging him into space and chaining him to a tiny asteroid in another galaxy. Though proud of his son’s victory, Odin is disappointed that Thor still refuses to return to Asgard and concerned that Thor’s heart has been “weakened by love”. However, Odin begrudgingly returns to his throne and punishes Loki’s treachery by forcing him to serve the trolls for an indeterminate amount of time.

Final Thoughts: 
These stories were an inauspicious debut for the mighty Fire Demon, to say the least. “Tales of Asgard: Surtur the Fire Demon!” is simply a five-page introduction to the devilish entity; it tells us nothing of his motivation, his abilities, or his personality. All we know is that Surtur has randomly decided to rebel against Asgard and whips up the trolls to join him, a poor choice considering Odin’s power is the “only force in the universe that can shatter [their] unbreakable grip”. Thus, Surtur’s campaign was seemingly doomed before it even began, but certainly moot once Odin personally came to root his rebellion. As large and intimidating as Surtur is, Odin shows no fear and immediately humbles him with a meteor strike. Even Surtur’s incredible speed and the power he shows by birthing the Moon are nothing compared to Odin, who easily traps the Fire Demon within the Earth. On the plus side, “Tales of Asgard: Surtur the Fire Demon!” does reveal that the Norse deities birthed our Moon and the planet’s rotation. I’m not sure if this is reflected in Norse mythology, but it was an interesting wrinkle to show how intertwined Earth’s history is with Asgard, especially as Odin cares for the still-developing Earth as deeply as Thor would come to. Indeed, Odin is apparently thrilled by Loki’s suggestion that he visit Earth and even teleports the human race to safety before battling Skagg and Surtur. Ironically, Odin’s largely dismissive of humans on a personal level. He despairs of Thor’s love for Jane Foster, easily dispatched his would-be muggers, and thinks nothing of hypnotising Dr. Blake’s secretary into allowing him access to his son’s office. Although Odin throws himself into the fight against Skagg and Surtur, seemingly delighted to be on the battlefield once more and fighting alongside his sons, he’s left aggrieved and despondent by Thor’s choice to remain on Earth with Jane, worrying that Thor’s feelings for the mortal will spell doom for him in the long term.

Not the greatest first showing for Surtur, who’s a generic demon easily defeated by Odin’s magic.

Like many Thor stories around this time, Loki is behind the plot of “Giants Walk the Earth!” The scheming, mischievous God perfectly manipulates Odin’s feelings to acquire Asgard’s throne and immediately frees two of the Allfather’s most hated enemies, even feeding Skagg additional power from Asgard. Interestingly, despite having fought Thor and caused trouble before, Loki freely lives within Asgard and Odin even seeks his advice, which shows just how deep Loki’s machinations go as Thor is well aware of his half-brother’s untrustworthy nature. Skagg and Surtur make for an incredibly formidable duo…on paper, at least. As a storm giant, Skagg causes whirlwinds and destructive typhoons by focusing his power through his massive club, even when it’s shattered, his powers somewhat akin to Thor’s ability to conjure thunderstorms with Mjölnir. This immediately gives Thor the advantage against Skagg and he easily powers through the storm to stun the vengeful giant, who’s quickly and easily drained of his energy by Odin (who, I might add, also would’ve quickly subdued Skagg had Surtur not rescued him from sinking). Surtur is a prideful and spiteful demon in this second story, hesitating to rescue or work alongside Skagg as he wants the glory of destroying the Asgardians all for himself and immediately endangering the Earth with worldwide destruction as recompense for Odin’s actions. Surtur briefly proves his power by blasting Mjölnir with a firebolt and knocking Thor from the sky, but we don’t see him fight with his full power as he’s more concerned with melting the ice caps. Once again, Surtur’s greatest weakness is Odin’s all-powerful sword, which Thor can conveniently also wield and easily uses to send Surtur hurtling into another galaxy and magnetically bind him to an asteroid. Thus, “Giants Walk the Earth!” is more a tale of Loki’s scheming and Odin’s adventures with his sons than a showcase of how dangerous and terrifying Surtur can be. I still have no idea what his motivations are beyond revenge, what the extent of his power is, and didn’t get to see him in battle, making for a disappointingly throwaway first appearance for Thor’s demonic adversary.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

What did you think to Surtur’s first appearances in Journey into Mystery? Were you also disappointed that we didn’t learn or see much of him? Did you enjoy seeing Odin team up with Thor and Balder? What are some of your favourite Surtur moments from the comics and beyond? Do you have a favourite character, story, or era in Thor’s publication history? How are you celebrating Thor’s debut this month? Share your thoughts on Surtur and Thor in the comments, check out my other Thor content across the site, and donate to my Ko-Fi to see more!

Back Issues [Spider-Man Day]: The Amazing Spider-Man #2

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Easily Marvel Comics’ most recognisable superhero, unsuspecting teenager Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider in August 1962. To coincide with his day of celebration, I’m dedicating some time to everyone’s favourite web-head!

Story Titles: “Duel to the Death with the Vulture!”
“The Uncanny Threat of the Terrible Tinkerer!”

Published: 12 February 1963 (cover-dated: May 1963)
Writer: Stan Lee – Artist: Steve Ditko

Quick Facts:
Disregarding the 1963 villain of the same name, Adrian Toomes/The Vulture joined Spider-Man’s colourful rogues’ gallery in this issue. Redesigned by Steve Ditko, the Vulture’s been a persistent threat despite being one of Spidey’s less intimidating foes. Phineas Mason/The Tinkerer also debuted in this issue as an aged super genius who was later suspected to be an alien! Both characters appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming (Watts, 2017), with Michael Keaton making as lasting impression as a far more intimidating and sympathetic incarnation of the Vulture.

The Review:
When “Duel to the Death with the Vulture!” begins, the titular avian crook has been terrorising New York City for days, swooping on unsuspecting yuppies and swiping their valuables, amazing onlookers as he appears to be a gigantic bird rather than a man. Cantankerous editor J. Jonah Jameson hears about the Vulture and sees dollar signs, demanding the next issue of Now Magazine be devoted to the bizarre thief and be accompanied be a decent picture. Hearing of this, Peter first hits upon the idea of taking pictures of supervillains (and his wall-crawling alter ego) to earn some extra cash and is delighted when his doting Aunt May gifts him his Uncle Ben’s old miniature camera. Spider-Man doesn’t have to wait long to get his first chance at snapping pictures of the Vulture as Toomes hears of a consignment of diamonds being moved across town, meaning he soon flies past the young adventurer. Deciding to toy with the public and the police, the Vulture delivers cryptic messages to the media and the cops to have them puzzle out how his wings work and how he plans to pull off the heist and even reacts in a microsecond when Spidey positions himself for a shot. Taken by surprise, Spidey’s easily knocked out with a single kick and dumped into a water tower, where the panicked youth leaps to safety when his web shooters inconveniently run dry. Learning from this, Peter cobbles together an all-purpose belt to carry extra web cartridges and house his camera while his pictures develop, which impress Jonah and sees him promise to pay Peter for photos of Spider-Man (though Peter refuses credi for his shots).

Though initially bested by the Vulture, Spidey sciences his way past the devious old coot.

While everyone gathers to watch the diamonds be moved, and wonders how the Vulture plans to steal them, Peter quietly switches to Spider-Man while the Vulture acts on his threats by attacking not from above…but below! Toomes pops from a manhole, steals the diamonds, and escapes to the skies via the subway, with Spider-Man in hot pursuit. Despite his superhuman speed and uncanny spider-sense, the Vulture easily loops around Spidey and knocks him from a rooftop, only to have his ankle snapped by the wall-crawler’s web. Spidey then activates a miniature “anti-magnetic inverter” device he whipped up after noticing how quiet the Vulture’s flight was and surmising that he flies via magnetic power. This disrupts the Vulture’s wings and causing them to plummet from the sky, allowing Spidey to swing to safety and Toomes to slowly crash to a nearby rooftop for the cops to pick up. Spider-Man snaps some pictures and again amazes the cigar-chomping Jameson, making both characters happy as Jameson gets his exclusive and Peter gets a wad of cash to help pay the bills and treat his Aunt May. As for the Vulture? Well, he’s left to stew in a prison cell, swearing to develop a better means of flight to get revenge on Spider-Man. “The Uncanny Threat of the Terrible Tinkerer!” sees Peter in his element, the science laboratory at Midtown High, much to the amusement of his disinterested and mean-spirited classmates, Elizabeth “Liz” Allen and Eugene “Flash” Thompson. Flash mocks Peter when he’s offered the chance to work with the famed Professor Cobbwell over the weekend, gladly heading to the Tinkerer Repair Shop to pick up some extra equipment for the famous electronics expert. Although unnerved by the miserly old Tinkerer and the strange feeling that something’s not right there, Peter chalks it up to paranoia, completely unaware that the aged Tinkerer is working with a bizarre, bug-like alien in his basement! Unbeknownst to Dr. Cobbwell, the alien makes some “special” modifications to his radio for the low cost of a dime, amazing Peter so much that he’s still thinking about it while working in Dr. Cobbwell’s lab.

Spider-Man’s amazed to find the Tinkerer aiding with an alien invasion!

Realising that the professor’s radio is emitting the same odd electrical impulses he sensed at the Tinkerer’s, Peter investigates swings back to investigate. Inside, he follows his spider-sense to the basement and discovers that the seemingly innocent old man working alongside aliens, using similar radio transmitters to gauge the strengths and weaknesses of the planet before launching a full-scale attack! When he’s discovered, Spider-Man amazes the aliens with his amazing wall-crawling, agility, and super strength, easily throwing off multiple attackers, though he’s downed by a shot from the Tinkerer’s laser blaster. Trapped inside an unbreakable “restisto-glass” enclosure, Spider-Man faces a quick (and possibly painful) death by poisonous gas. Thanks to his ridiculously diverse web-shooters, Spider-Man fires a super-thin strand of webbing through a tiny air hole in the enclosure, snagging the control panel and setting himself free. A single punch from Spider-Man sends the aliens crashing against said console, causing it to overload and burst into flames and making them scatter without the Tinkerer. Spider-Man tackles the traitorous old man and tries to haul him from the burning building, only for the aged conspirator to squirm free from the web-slinger’s grasp and forcing Spider-Man to flee before he’s choked or burned to death. When spotted fleeing the burning building, Spider-Man’s naturally blamed for the blaze, though the entire experience is enough for the aliens to remotely destroy their surveillance equipment and flee the Earth, vowing never to return. Peter returns to Dr. Cobbwell’s lab, satisfied that the radio is harmless, and listens attentively as the excited professor shares that he spotted a spaceship flying into the atmosphere, before convincing himself that he imagined the whole thing. While he struggles with what he saw, Peter ponders the lifelike mask he pulled from the Tinkerer’s face, equally baffled by the entire adventure (and rightfully so!)

Final Thoughts: 
I’ve never been a big fan of the Vulture, and his first appearance did little to change that opinion. Unlike some of Spider-Man’s other colourful villains, who at least get a little backstory in their debut stories if not a half-assed origin, we never even learn the Vulture’s identity, much less how he invented his bird-themed suit or magnetically powered wings. Ironically, the Vulture flies around with his face completely exposed yet nobody recognises him (though, to be fair, he’s said to be moving very swiftly and no one’s gotten a clear shot at him). Still, there’s very little going for the Vulture beyond his ability to fly as deftly as his namesake. The Vulture is just a colourful, outlandish crook who steals from the rich for his own benefit. We don’t know what he’s doing with the money except hording it and learn only that the Vulture feels so empowered by his flight suit that he decides to taunt the cops like he’s Edward Nygma/The Riddler! The Vulture does this simply for the thrill and to outsmart everyone around him, delighting in outmanoeuvring Spider-Man and even besting the web-slinger with ludicrous ease! Of course, the Vulture’s arrogance proves his undoing as science whiz Peter correctly guesses that Toomes is using magnetic power to fly and easily disrupts his wings, making the Vulture’s first appearance wholly unsatisfying as even his crazy gimmick isn’t all that impressive.

Despite some impressive or fantastical gimmicks, neither elderly villain makes a great first impression.

Still, the Vulture’s story is almost ground-breaking compared to the Tinkerer’s weird-ass debut! I can’t be sure but I’m almost certain this is the first time Spider-Man has ever encountered or dealt with aliens and it’s as jarring as you might think! I have no idea who or what these aliens are, where they come from, or what their capabilities are beyond being advanced enough to mess about with radios to gather intel ahead of their invasion. It’s heavily implied that the Tinkerer is one of their kind in disguise, though this is largely left ambiguous. Still, he’s certainly in league with them, providing them more radios to set up as surveillance devices. The alien plot is so out of left field it’s almost comical and the way the story just casually breezes past it is laughable, with both Peter and Dr. Cobbwell wondering if they imagined the whole thing. This is certainly a case where these pages would’ve been better served extending the Vulture’s tale. The Tinkerer could’ve easily been looped into the story, working alongside Toomes as an armourer and engineer who designed and maintained his flight suit. This would’ve been far more enjoyable than randomly sticking aliens in there and asking us to accept it and would’ve better positioned as a lackey rather than some alien mastermind. I did like seeing Peter first getting the idea to take pictures for J. Jonah Jameson to profit from his alter ego, and him fashioning his utility belt and using science to defeat the Vulture, but these stories were pretty dire, even for such low-tier Spider-Man villains.  

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Did you enjoy the debut of the Vulture and the Tinkerer? Are you a fan of either villain and, if so, what are some of your favourite moments and stories of theirs? Do you think the aliens were an odd choice for Spider-Man or did you like how crazy they were? Were you surprised to see the Vulture get the drop on Spidey so easily? How are you celebrating the web-slinger today? Drop your thoughts on the Vulture and the Tinkerer in the comments, support me on Ko-Fi, and go check out my other Spider-Man content.

Back Issues [Independence Day]: Captain America Vol. 1 #332-334

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Debuting in 1941, Captain Steve Rogers/Captain America, became one of Marvel Comics’ most recognisable and celebrated known for his super patriotism. As today is Independence Day, this is the perfect excuse to pay tribute to the star-spangled Avenger.

Writer: Mark Gruenwald – Artist: Tom Morgan

Story Title: “The Choice”
Published: 5 May 1987 (cover-dated: August 1987)

Story Title: “The Replacement”
Published: 2 June 1987 (cover-dated: September 1987)

Story Title: “Basic Training”
Published: 30 June 1987 (cover-dated: October 1987)

Quick Facts:
Despite being a patriotic symbol for the United States during the Second World War and an influential member of the Avengers, Steve Rogers has walked away from the role a few times, with John Walker/Super-Patriot first assuming the mantle in these three issues. Mark Gruenwald created Walker to be the opposite of Rogers, and Captain America: a young, reckless, patriotic anti-villain. While Walker ultimately failed in the role, he had a storied career as the U.S. Agent and became a breakout character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The Review:
Things kick off with William Musico/Warhead parachuting to the Washington Monument to unfurl a pro-war message and threatening to detonate a miniature nuclear device if America doesn’t declare war on someone (“The Arabs, the Libyans–maybe even the Russkies!”) by midnight. Despite his rations blowing away, Warhead fires on the curious crowd and the cops and even tosses a grenade at a police helicopter, boasting his nuke is from Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.) and disgusted by how spineless the United States has become. Meanwhile, Captain America visits the Pentagon, enduring their stringent security checks to meet with General Wexler to discuss a run-in he (as in Cap) had with Lieutenant Michael Lynch, G.I. Max, and the shady “Division N”. Cap voices a formal protest about the United States military sanctioning Lieutenant Lynch’s efforts to create his super soldiers with Curtiss Jackson/The Power Broker. Though General Wexler denies this, he promises to investigate and notes that Cap’s a bit sensitive about super soldiers before a couple of Federal agents escort Cap to a clandestine meeting with various governmental and military heads. Under the direct order of the President of the United States, this “Commission” investigates super-powered individuals and slapped together the dubious Freedom Force (a team of superhuman ex-cons) to act in the Avengers’ stead, raising Cap’s suspicions further. As Cap volunteered to be part of “Project: Rebirth” in 1941, which was funded by the government, and was its sole success, and as Cap was charged to act in the interests of the President and all his gear is proved by the United States government, the Commission believes that Cap works for them as per his contract.

Cap reluctantly gives up his mantle and duties when the government makes outrageous demands.

Although Cap maintains that he has been fulfilling his duties as an Avenger and through his work with the Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage and Law-Enforcement Division (S.H.I.E.L.D.), the Commission takes umbrage to this and states those are not the same as serving his country. Seeking to rectify this, the Commission demands that Cap only do as they direct, threatening to make him return the taxpayers’ $1 million he recently obtained (and spent establishing his “computer hotline”) and to replace him if he refuses. Stunned by all this, Cap asks for time to consider the proposal mandate, which the Commission grants despite finding the idea of him having to think at all preposterous. Returning home, Cap calls a few friends (most of whom are out) and is basically told that it’s a bit unfair, a bit suspect, and that he’ll make the right decision. While Cap doesn’t believe he’d be asked to do anything “Unamerican”, he believes he’d have to quit the Avengers and the hotline, worries he might be assigned to the Freedom Force and would have to turn to Anthony “Tony” Stark/Iron Man for a loan, and recalls the displeasure he felt when he previously abandoned his mantle and Roscoe Simons became Captain America. While Cap wrestles with his choices, John Walker/Super-Patriot is encouraged to tackle Warhead for some free publicity, shrugging off his bullets thanks to his Kevlar uniform and tossing the fanatic to an explosive end. Cap reads about this on his way back to the Commission where, after weighing the pros and cons and realising he’s letting people down either way, he regretfully handles over his shield and uniform. Refusing to compromise his ideals and feeling his must represent the American people and the “American Dream”, he gives Captain America back to the government, leaving the Commission outraged.

Outspoken Cap critic John Walker is picked to take up the star-spangled mantle.

Although General Lewis Haywerth is angered that they cannot court-martial Steve since he’s technically not part of the military, Henry Gyrich suggests imposing sanctions to prevent him from using the name or similar equipment and even advocates for restricting the Avengers’ actions if they don’t kick Steve out. Valerie Cooper steers the discussion towards Steve’s replacement, eager to get a new Captain America out there to avoid a public relations catastrophe. General Haywerth states that their two top candidates, Hank Simpson/Nuke and the unnamed G.I. Max, are off the table due to becoming a psychopathic super soldier and being killed, respectively. Jack Monroe/Nomad and Sam Wilson/The Falcon are ruled out for being Steve’s friends (and because “the country [isn’t] ready for a black Captain America”), and they doubt Nick Fury would give up his duties as head of S.H.I.E.L.D. for the gig. It’s Cooper who suggests Super-Patriot, largely based on his recent headline heroics, which have made him the talk of the town. A simple, self-made man at the peak of human physicality, Walker basks in the spotlight and sees himself as the future – a “strong, decisive national hero” – as opposed to a “fuddy-duddy” like Cap. Walker meets Cooper and, though he briefly hesitates, he unmasks and gives her some of his background. Born and raised in Custer’s Grove, Georgia, Walker was inspired to join the military after his brother died in Vietnam. After failing as a soldier, Walker signed on for the Power Broker’s treatment and gained incredible physical strength. Walker planned to become a pro wrestler to pay the Power Broker’s fee before Ethan Thurm encouraged him to don a star-spangled outfit as the Super-Patriot. Since he’s been outspoken about Cap’s outdated values, Walker’s amazed at the irony of Cooper offering him the shield and, while he’s reluctant to leave behind the Super-Patriot, he jumps at the chance to be the symbol America needs.

Though joined by Lemar, Walker struggles to match the skill of his predecessor.

Ethan’s equally gobsmacked but encourages Walker to make a list of demands to ensure they’re both well compensated, though Walker’s doubtful the government will acquiesce. Eager to learn why Cap quit, Walker leaves a message through the hotline to meet at Abraham Lincoln’s memorial, only for Cap to no-show and Walker’s buddies – Hector Lennox/Left-Winger, Jerome Johnson/Right-Winger, and Lemar Hoskins/Battlestar, the Bold Urban Commandos/BUCKies – playfully jump him and he promises to do right by them. Two days later, Walker hands Thurm’s demands to the Commission and dons the iconic outfit with a sense of unease. Cooper then has the Freedom Force – Dominikos Petrakis/Avalanche, Frederick Dukes/The Blob, and St. John Allerdyce/Pyro – test the new Cap. Showcasing incredible superhuman speed and dexterity, Walker dances around the Mutants’ powers, losing his shield taking out Pyro and flooring Avalanche with a dropkick before being manhandled by the bulbous Blob. Luckily, Cooper stops the exercise before Walker’s killed and orders John to review footage of his predecessor to better hone his abilities. Although the Commission order Walker to drop Thurm and only approve Lemar as his Bucky, Walker readily agrees to take the job, though struggles to understand how Steve had such skill with the shield and laments that the only person who could teach him is his predecessor. Still, Cooper’s convinced that Walker’s the right man and enlists hardened drill sergeant Don Simmons to organise additional training. Although Walker just about manages to throw the shield properly, he’s tagged by rubber bullets and Sergeant Simmons chastises his lack of finesse and bullish approach, much to Walker’s frustration. To make matters worse, Walker and Lemar face hazing from the Freedom Force, who antagonise them like high schoolers, though Walker brushes off their abuse and encourages Bucky to keep his cool. However, Walker’s annoyed to learn that Thurm surreptitiously got Cooper’s number from him and has been badgering her with calls, much to her frustration.

Walker’s rightfully ashamed of how poorly he handles things compared to the old Cap.

Cap and Bucky are next tested to a game of “capture the flag” against some trainee Guardsman (armour-clad soldiers working for the U.S. military), ending up outclassed due to their inexperience. Frustrated by their performance, Walker visits Thurm, only to be enraged when his slighted former manager threatens to expose his secret identity (and news of Steve’s walk out) unless Walker pays him $1 million. Refusing Lemar’s suggestion that they beat Thurm up so he can’t talk and unwilling to tell Cooper of the threat or ask for help, Walker resolves to emulate his predecessor and solve the problem himself. Sergeant Simmons then presents Cap with the perfect sparring partner: Anthony Masters/Taskmaster, a Grim Reaper-like mercenary with “photographic reflexes” that make him essentially a near-perfect replica of the original Cap. Grateful to the villain for improving his skills, despite his earlier reservations, Walker laments seeing Taskmaster in shackles but comes up with a plan to take care of Thurm. Walker and Lemar borrow Guardsman armours and snag Thurm from a nearby bar. Naturally, Lennox and Johnson leap to their friend’s defence and Lemar’s careful not to hurt his buddies too badly as Walker threatens Thurm outside the bar. Although the armour augments their already incredible strength, Walker and Lemar struggle to work them, leading Johnson to best Lemar. While trying to save his friend, Walker accidentally blasts Johnson, critically wounding him; Walker and Lemar are then forced to flee before the cops show up. Walker chastises his foolishness and for being a poor replacement for Steve. However, when Cooper questions him about the missing armour, Walker resists the urge to lie and comes clean, despite knowing it could cost him his new gig (spoilers: it doesn’t).

Final Thoughts: 
These issues represent a significant turning point in Cap’s career. Sure, Steve may have quit before, but I’d wager this is one of the most notable times when he was forced to. Steve’s right to question why the Commission are suddenly coming after him for not fulfilling his duties as Captain America in a way they approve of, with the only explanation being that previous administration hadn’t bothered to do so. For Steve, the matter is simple: he works to safeguard lives as a solo masked hero or by working with the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. and figures this protects America’s values. However, due to a bunch of political nonsense and red tape, he turns out to be wrong and the Commission demand that he starts following their specific instructions or be stripped of his uniform. They also threaten to recoup the taxpayers’ money paid to him, threatening his efforts serve the community, and strongarm the Avengers into giving him the boot. However, despite all these threats and the iron-clad nature of his governmental contract, Steve is far too righteous and noble to compromise his integrity and gives up Captain America, refusing to be another governmental stooge and disappearing after walking out. Steve Rogers casts a long, dark shadow, however, one that haunts John Walker throughout the story. Walker pours over hours of footage of his predecessor every chance he gets, lamenting that he lacks the same physical skill and superhuman finesse of the old Cap and pushing himself to live up to (and surpass) his legacy. Walker’s immediately presented as a flawed individual, one more interested in the glory and the spotlight than heroics. Thurm must practically beg him to get involved with the Warhead situation and, even then, Walker almost walks away a couple of times and just tosses the bomber to his death.

Despite his dedication, Walker cannot hope to live up to Steve’s daunting legacy.

Having criticised Cap in the past, Walker jumps at the chance to prove he’s the symbol that 1987 America needs, only to immediately be shown to be lacking compared to his predecessor. Although Walker’s driven and determined (obsessed, even) to out-do his predecessor, his approach is very different and sees him constantly underperform in training scenarios, despite the praise often heaped his way. Lemar is Walker’s only confidante and even he can see that Walker’s pushing himself too far, reasoning that they’re doing their best and must be doing something right as they’re being kept around. Walker has the strength and speed for the role but lacks experience and compensates with a more bullish approach. Even when Walker slows down and considers what his predecessor would do, he misses the mark widely, deciding to steal Guardsman armours to rough up Thurm rather than come clean to Cooper. Walker then fails to get accustomed to the armour, nearly kills Johnson, and ends up being honest with Cooper anyway, despite being tempted to lie. This was a surprising decision considering how badly he screwed over Thurm and the BUCKies, leaving them in the lurch (except for Lemar) to be suited up as the “new and improved” Captain America. Thus, Walker’s bad decisions come back to haunt him and force him to take drastically, decidedly un-Captain America actions, which no doubt exacerbates his doubts and the pressure he’s placing on himself in the role. Ultimately, I quite liked the juxtaposition between Walker and Steve, even if Steve doesn’t feature in Walker’s story beyond leaving behind some big shoes to fill. Walker is very much depicted as an imperfect individual, one with a lot of rough edges, but who’s determined to do his best, even if he has a massive chip on his shoulder that’ll ultimately be his undoing.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Did you enjoy John Walker’s first outing as Captain America? Do you think Steve was right to walk away from the role or should he have obeyed the Commission’s demands? Are you a fan of Walker’s or do you find him a pompous and grating character? Who would you have preferred to see succeed Steve? Can you name some of your favourite John Walker moments? How are you celebrating Independence Day today? Whatever your thoughts, drop a comment below and donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest other Captain America stories for me to cover.

Back Issues [Sonic Month]: Doomsday / The Final Victory

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Sonic the Hedgehog was first introduced to gamers worldwide on June 23 1991 and, since then, has become not only SEGA’s most enduring and popular character but also a beloved videogame icon. Thus, in keeping with tradition, I’m dedicating some time to celebrate SEGA’s supersonic mascot.

Story Title: “Doomsday” (Part 1 to 3)
Published: 5 February 1997 (cover dated: 18 February 1997) to 5 March 1997 (18 March 1997)
Writer: Nigel Kitching
Artist: Richard Elson

Story Title: “The Final Victory” (Part 1 to 4)
Published: 18 March 1997 (cover-dated: 1 April 1997)
Writers: Nigel Kitching and Lew Stringer,
Artists: Richard Elson, Nigel Dobbyn, Roberto Corona, and Nigel Kitching

Quick Facts:
Thanks to an aggressive marketing campaign, Sonic briefly usurped Super Mario and his mainstream popularity saw him expand into comics. Sonic the Comic (StC) was published fortnightly in the United Kingdom, based its lore from the now defunct Mobius storyline, and boldly portrayed Sonic as an egotistical narcissist. Though eventually cancelled and survived by an online continuation, these four issues spelled the end of both an ongoing story arc and Doctor Ivo Robotnik’s dictatorship over planet Mobius.

The Review:
“Doomsday” and “The Final Victory” marked not just the historic 100th issue of StC, but also the culmination of a months-long story arc that saw pig-headed freedom fighter Sonic the Hedgehog trapped in the Special Zone. This happened after he went on a rampage as Super Sonic, his demonic, Chaos-powered alter ego. Using a Star Post, Sonic’s allies – namely Miles “Tails” Prower and Amy Rose – separated Sonic and Super Sonic into separate beings. Sonic then ventured into the Special Zone (a chaotic alternate dimension guarded by the Chaotix Crew) to keep his destructive alter ego from hurting anyone, eventually being stranded when Super Sonic was time locked within the Omni-Viewer, a benevolent, sentient television screen that was Sonic’s only way home. This meant Tails, Amy, and the other Freedom Fighters faced an uphill battle against Doctor Ivo Robotnik, who had conquered Mobius some years prior, without their point man and Sonic embarked on many strange adventures in the Special Zone trying to find a way home. This brought him into conflict with devious crime boss Lord Sidewinder and his gang, who seek to harness Super Sonic’s power for their own nefarious ends in part one of “Doomsday”. This story also sees Sonic and the Chaotix Crew (fresh off being framed as criminals) stopping Doctor Plague from unleashing a deadly virus upon New Tek City. Even when Dr. Plague launches a bunch of vials into the air, Sonic quickly retrieves them with a flourish. His gloating is interrupted by a desperate call from Porker Lewis, his neurotic childhood friend, and the sudden appearance of two suns in the sky. Super strong Mighty the Armadillo states such an occurrence is said to herald the end of the world, an event more likely than ever as the damaged and panicked Omni-Viewer soon appears.

Sonic is torn between battling his demonic double in the Special Zone or helping his friends on Mobius.

The Omni-Viewer reveals that he was unable to trap Super Sonic within his interdimensional vortex since the demon was far too powerful. Instead, he slowed time to a crawl, meaning it should’ve taken years for Super Sonic to escape. Instead, he somehow retained his consciousness and slowly built his power, turning the Black Asteroid he was imprisoned in into an electron bomb, hence the “second sun”. Although Sonic demands that the Omni-Viewer transport him back to Mobius to help Porker, team leader Vector the Crocodile begs him to stay to combat Super Sonic. It’s all moot anyway, though, as the Omni-Viewer is too weak to help and Lord Sidewinder’s mage, Lightmare, suddenly appears. Naturally, Sonic and the Chaotix Crew attack Lightmare before she can explain, forcing her to trap them in living nightmares using her Pandora’s box. After being surprised by Espio the Chameleon’s invisibility, Lightmare reveals she’s Lord Sidewinder’s daughter and begs them to stop to her father’s plot before it kills him and their gang. While Sonic and the others go to stop Lord Sidewinder, who loads himself and his gang into a rocket to head to the Black Asteroid, Vector stays behind to help the Omni-Viewer think up a plan to deal with Super Sonic. Vector restores the Omni-Viewer at the Equinox laboratory, where a scientist also reveals that an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) will be generated when the Black Asteroid explodes, causing chaos as every computerised system will immediately fail. Apparently driven mad by his ambition, Lord Sidewinder scoffs at any danger posed by the Black Asteroid, causing the oafish Bio-Hazard and Mister Fry to question his sanity and logic. This, as much as the pressing threat, allows Sonic and Mighty to easily rough up Lord Sidewinder’s goons, though Sonic remains conflicted between his duty to protect Mobius and the imminent destruction of the Black Asteroid.

An EMP knocks out Dr. Robotnik’s machines, finally ending his rule over Mobius.

However, upon learning of the EMP, Sonic has a genius brainwave and demands that the Omni-Viewer transport the Black Asteroid into the skies above Mobius, where it promptly explodes. As Dr. Robotnik’s entire army and operation consists of or is run by machines, this effectively disables all his Badniks and systems, releasing all the woodland critters from their mechanical prisons, shutting down the biological computer Dr. Robontik hooked the Emerald Hill residents up to on the Floating Island, and disabling Vermin the Cybernik, thus saving Sonic’s allies and allowing Knuckles the Echidna to rescue the Emerald Hill folk. Naturally, the demonic Super Sonic immediately goes on a warpath, desperate to destroy Metropolis City and attacking Sonic right as he reunites with Tails, Amy, and Johnny Lightfoot. Initially toying with his prey, Super Sonic unleashes a barrage of energy beams, cackling maniacally and overwhelming his more benevolent doppelgänger. However, right as Super Sonic is poised to deliver the killing blow, his energy suddenly drains and he’s forced to flee, with the Omni-Viewer revealing that the explosion somehow changed Super Sonic’s biology. With no time to ponder this or celebrate, Sonic has the Omni-Viewer transport him to the Floating Island, where a confused and troubled Dr. Robotnik orders his ally, turncoat, semi-cybernetic echidna Doctor Zachary, to destroy Knuckles. Although Dr. Zachary can’t use the ancient Guardian robots due to the EMP, he’s somehow still able to use his cybernetic weapons, though he’s quickly blasted by Sonic right as Knuckles was playing possum and summarily trapped in a gorge courtesy of the super strong echidna. Despite the two realising they’ve been so distracted with their rivalry and battling Dr. Zachary that they’ve forgotten about Dr. Robotnik, they’re amazed to find Porker has apprehended the tyrant.

Sonic stops Dr. Robotnik’s attempts to get back online and finally liberates the planet from his rule.

While a confused, powerless, and amnesiac Super Sonic wanders Metropolis City and is taken in by a kindly resident, Sonic wastes no time in parading the fallen despot through the city, gleefully proclaiming the end of his rule to the cheering masses and delivering him to the city courthouse so he can be locked up and eventually tried for his crimes. Though humiliated, Dr. Robotnik remains defiant, even more so when his long-abused assistant, Grimer, suddenly shows up riding an antique, steam-powered robot and promptly rescues his master. Although Sonic easily smashes the machine, the confusion allows Grimer to get Dr. Robotnik to safety. As they know every inch of the city, the two promptly vanish, frustrating Sonic so much that he chastises Tails for distracting himself with Vermin. Prompted by Johnny, Sonic realises that Dr. Robotnik and Grimer must’ve fled back to their ominous citadel using the city’s sewer system and promptly gives chase, crashing in right as Dr. Robotnik is ordering Grimer to start up the clunky emergency generator. Desperate to keep Dr. Robotnik from getting his machines back online, Sonic knocks Grimer aside and speeds around the generator, which overloads the power core and causes the ostentatious citadel to dramatically explode. With the immediate threat ended and the symbol of Dr. Robotnik’s rule in flames, Sonic finally celebrates their victory alongside his friends and the liberated inhabitants of Metropolis City. However, Dr. Robotnik and Grimer escaped the explosion using the sewers and retreat to the outskirts of the city. Although Grimer wallows in despair, Dr. Robotnik is practically frothing at the mouth at the indignity and vows to take a terrible revenge upon his enemies for ousting him from power.

Final Thoughts: 
As an avid collector of Sonic the Comic back in the day, I was beyond hyped for these four issues and StC’s big 100th issue release. The months leading up to “Doomsday” had seen all the Sonic-related back-up stories deal with his exile to the Special Zone and Dr. Robotnik’s plot to use the Emerald Hill folk to power his giant supercomputer, meaning “The Final Victory” was the culmination of not just years of the dictator’s stranglehold over Mobius but months of semi-connected storytelling. It’s therefore fitting that “The Final Victory” takes up the entirety of issue 100 and showcases many of StC’s artists, though Richard Elson remains the gold standard and I do wish he’d illustrated the entire story as it’s very jarring to go from his beautiful, epic artwork to the comparatively basic and cartoonish illustrations of Nigel Kitching. Although you could argue that using an EMP was a contrived and convenient way to defeat Dr. Robotnik in one fell swoop, it was also the best and most efficient way. For years, Sonic and his friends settled for scoring minor victories, liberating the odd Zone or taking out garrisons, battleships, or Dr. Robotnik’s commanders, but were unable to strike a decisive blow against the tyrant. As Dr. Robotnik is all about machines and robots, an EMP is the perfect way to knock out his army and end his rule, ushering in a new age of StC as Sonic struggles to define his role in a world without war and conflict and Dr. Robotnik schemes to return to power. This story also saw the Emerald Hill folk return home after being given sanctuary on the Floating Island, Super Sonic have a few side adventures as a distinct character, and marked the beginning of Amy’s journey into an independent character.

A cathartic end and start of a new era that would’ve been made even better by Richard Elson.

The timeline of events are a bit strange, however. Super Sonic apparently frees himself, or the Omni-Viewer decides to abandon him to get help for the impending explosion, and is seemingly unable or unwilling to stop charging his power for his dramatic escape. Given how powerful Super Sonic is, it’s strange that he wouldn’t just burst free of the Black Asteroid as soon as possible. This threat is also subdued very quickly, which is a shame as it might’ve been fun to somehow involve him in Dr. Robotnik’s scheme to restart his systems (perhaps he could’ve taken Super Sonic’s unconscious body and used it as a battery?) Knuckles also gets a bit side-lined, though it’s clear his focus is on helping the Emerald Hill folk since Dr. Zachary’s been taken care of and Dr. Robotnik’s in custody. I liked that Sonic never broke character here: he still gives Tails shit, mocks Knuckles, and acts like a jackass even though he’s won the day. I also liked how conflicted he was between helping the Special Zone and getting back to Mobius. StC-Sonic might be an insufferable prick most of the time, but he’s dedication to defeating Dr. Robotnik and saving lives is never in question, even if he does alienate those closest to him. I also enjoyed seeing Dr. Robotnik humiliated and aggravated by Sonic’s taunting and the cheers of the Mobians, and that he still had a few tricks up his sleeve despite his machines being knocked out. I’m not sure why Dr. Zachary’s weapons were unaffected by the EMP, but the steam powered robot was a nice touch, so much so that I kind of wish Dr. Robotnik had hopped in a steam-powered mech for one more brutal fight with Sonic. Still, this as a satisfying conclusion to years and months of storylines. It was great to finally have Sonic back home and to see Dr. Robotnik so utterly defeated so quickly, and to finally give the good guys a decisive victory after years of simply chipping away at Dr. Robotnik’s rule.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Were you impressed by Sonic’s final victory over Dr. Robotnik? Were you a little confused about how Super Sonic escaped from the Omni-Viewer? Would you have liked to see Super Sonic play a greater role as a villain in the end? Do you agree that Richard Elson should’ve illustrated the entire final story? What are some of your favourite StC stories and how are you celebrating Sonic the Hedgehog this year? Whatever your thoughts on Sonic the Comic, or Sonic in general, drop a comment below and donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest other Sonic comic stories for me to review.

Back Issues [Sonic Month]: Sonic the Hedgehog: Genesis

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Sonic the Hedgehog was first introduced to gamers worldwide on June 23 1991 and, since then, has become not only SEGA’s most enduring and popular character but also a beloved videogame icon. Thus, in keeping with tradition, I’m dedicating some time to celebrate SEGA’s supersonic mascot.

Writer: Ian Flynn – Artists: Patrick “Spaz” Spaziante and Tracy Yardley

Story Title: “Part One: In the Beginning…”
Published: 29 June 2011 (cover-dated: August 2011)

Story Title: “Part Two: Fate and Friends”
Published: 3 August 2011 (cover-dated: September 2011)

Story Title: “Part Three: Divide and Conquer”
Published: 31 August 2011 (cover-dated: October 2011)

Story Title: “Part Four: Reset”
Published: 5 October 2011 (cover-dated: November 2011)

Quick Facts:
SEGA quickly capitalised on Sonic’s mainstream popularity by commissioning two concurrent cartoons for their famous mascot. Sonic the Hedgehog (1993 to 1994), or “SatAM”, was the clear favourite compared to ita slapstick counterpart, though Archie Comics awkwardly mashed both together for a four-part miniseries. Unfortunately, the longest-running videogame comic book hit a road block when a former writer filed a ridiculous lawsuit that eventually saw the license acquired by IDW. Before then, Archie Comics scrambled to retool their continuity to bring it closer to the source material for Sonic’s 20th anniversary.

The Review:
This back-to-basics celebration of Sonic’s history arguably echoes the videogames closer than Archie’s previous efforts, which were always an odd amalgamation of the cartoons, videogames, and convoluted original lore. Accordingly, the event is kick-started by the startling revelation that Doctor Ivo Robotnik (initially a semi-cybernetic dictator but now a flesh-and-blood “Overlander” referred to as and physically resembling Doctor Eggman) has rebuilt his horrifying space station, the Death Egg. This leads to a temporary truce between the Knothole Freedom Fighters and bizarre mage Ixis Naugus and a desperate assault against the heavily fortified space station, which saw Sonic and fearless leader Princess Sally infiltrate the Death Egg. Unfortunately, Sonic gets distracted fighting a bigger, fiercer version of Silver Sonic and is both unable to save Sally from being gunned down or stop Dr. Eggman activating the “Genesis Wave”, a Chaos Emerald-powered, reality altering shockwave that creates a new timeline. Thus, Sonic finds himself racing through Green Hill Zone with no memory of his friends or previous complicated dramas and simply investigating recent disappearances. Accordingly, Sonic is surprised to find Green Hill Zone populated by Motobugs, bug-themed Badniks powered by the missing woodland critters. Sonic commandeers a nearby Newtron and orders it to take him to its leader, meeting not Dr. Eggman but his nephew, Snively, who’s fiercely loyal to his uncle’s dream of conquering the planet with machinery and technology. Snively attacks in the Egg Wrecker, succeeding only in damaging the natural environment with his giant wrecking ball as Sonic is too fast to hit. A couple of hits to Snively’s craft sends the little weasel packing and Sonic rescues a bunch of animals from the capsule Snively was defending, three of whom are well known to Archie’s readers but are just meeting Sonic for the first time.

Though Dr. Eggman resets reality, Sonic’s fated to fall in with his old friends and oppose his schemes.

Sally Acorn, Boomer Walrus, and Antoine Depardieu reveal they’ve been actively investigating both the mysterious earthquakes ravaging the land and Dr. Eggman, and have even pinpointed a direct route to his stronghold, convincing Sonic to join their efforts. Their first stop is the ruins of the Marble Zone, where Sonic is surprised when the name “Caterkiller” mysteriously comes to mind upon seeing the Badnik. Although Boomer trashes it, Antoine is so terrified that he disturbs a flock of Batbrains, leading Sonic to scoff when Sally praises Antoine for alerting them to an ambush. Boomer reprograms a smashed Buzz Bomber and Sally convinces a passing Flicky to power it, giving them some additional firepower as they traverse the hazardous ruins, which are wracked by an earthquake. Thanks to Sonic’s speed and the friendly Buzz Bomber, the group avoids falling into boiling hot magma, only to be confronted by Dr. Eggman (in his classic attire, no less). Eager to test his speed against this new foe, Sonic races off, deftly dodging fireballs from the Egg Scorcher and giving Sally the strangest sense of déjà vu. Distracted by breaking his turncoat Badnik, Dr. Eggman gets wrecked by Sonic and flees to prepare his master plan, though even he is unsure of what that is due to memory lapses. Victorious, Sonic leads the group into the flooded, cavernous Labyrinth Zone, where Sonic’s concerns about Sally’s relationship with Antoine are quickly superseded by his fear of water. Encouraged by Sally, Sonic dives in and even blasts them clear of an Orbinaut swarm, though an earthquake seemingly spells doom for Antoine. As they emerge in the Starlight Zone, Sonic’s amazed at how nonplussed his new friends are about Antoine’s death but agrees that something’s definitely not right as they keep sharing the same thoughts and feeling the same things. Determined to avenge Antoine, they quickly push past the Zone’s Badniks and hazards to reach the Scrap Brain Zone, though Sonic thinks “Robotropolis” sounds far better.

Although they all suffer from amnesia, the characters are naturally drawn into conflict with each other.

Zapped by electricity, Sonic is almost too slow to save Boomer from also plummeting to his death and the three stumble into another confrontation with Dr. Eggman, who states his hatred of that nickname and traps Sonic in a forcefield. Dr. Eggman then tries to fry and crush Sonic with the piston-like Egg Crusher, only to be surprised when Antoine comes flushing down his pipe and frantically swats Dr. Eggman, giving Sonic the opening to trash his machine. Sonic then busts Dr. Eggman’s craft and sends him packing, sure to return. Sonic then introduces his new friends to his little buddy, Miles “Tails” Prower, who immediately hits it off with the equally scientific and mechanically minded Boomer. Although Sally’s sceptical about Tails due to his age, Sonic vouches for him and the three set off to tackle Dr. Eggman’s Westside Island facilities, unaware that Dr. Eggman has already launched his Death Egg. Although neither Dr. Eggman or Snively remember firing the Genesis Wave, they console themselves with the knowledge that the seven Chaos Emeralds will soon recharge the Death Egg to robotize Mobius in one shot. While Snively thinks his uncle should focus more on the interdimensional disturbances ravaging Mobius, Dr. Eggman is obsessed with destroying his newfound foe, whose unpredictability represents a significant risk. Disgusted by the pollution pumped out by the maze-like Chemical Plant Zone, Sonic and Tails still find time to have fun racing around and through the pipes, though the threat of drowning in toxic mega muck sees them air lift their friends to safety. After flirting with Sally, Sonic’s hit by a distorted memory of her death while debating their next move and opts to split from the group with Tails to tackle the source of the problem while they shut down the facility.

Super Sonic’s climatic showdown with Dr. Eggman sees him resetting reality…for better or worse.

Sonic and Tails take the Tornado biplane to Metropolis Zone, where Sonic immediately regrets his decision when he sees how heavily guarded the mechanical hellhole is. Sally expresses similar regrets over not trying harder to convince Sonic to stick around as they’re attacked in the hazardous Oil Ocean Zone, where a near-death experience suddenly triggers brief memories of the old world, where her and Sonic were an item, before the trio successfully shut down the facility. After besting Dr. Eggman’s traps, Sonic faces the rotund madman in his Egg Bouncer craft. Sonic also experiences déjà vu when Dr. Eggman calls him “rodent”, though he easily bounces past the villain and hitches a ride on the Tornado, bypassing the Wing Fortress Zone to leap to Dr. Eggman’s shuttle and reach the Death Egg. There, Sonic sees the devastating extent of the earthquakes and learns they’re caused by reality trying to force itself back together. When Dr. Eggman boasts that his roboticizer will cement the dimensional shift and ensure his victory, Sonic’s again bombarded by vague memories of their past conflicts and rushes to stop him, only to be attacked by the gigantic Death Egg Robot. As Sonic desperately dodges the mech’s detachable, spiked arms and stomps, Dr. Eggman reveals that he’s remembered enough to know that he reshaped reality to try and keep Sonic from interfering with his plans and lets slip that the Chaos Emeralds power the battle station. This allows Sonic to power-up into Super Sonic, much to Dr. Eggman’s disbelief, and he easily overpowers the mech. After overhearing from Snively that their battle is making the situation worse for Mobius, Sonic desperately initiates Chaos Control, another reality-altering shockwave that restores the world and everyone’s memories. However, while this allows Sonic to rescue Sally and bring down the Death Egg, it does result in Sally being roboticized.

Final Thoughts: 
Despite part three this arc featuring a beautiful recreation of the North American box art of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (SEGA, 1994), no elements from this videogame or its add-on are featured here and Knuckles the Echidna is entirely absent. Instead, “Genesis” is more of a homage to and recreation of the first two games and does what I’ve longed hoped for from Archie Comics, which is to stick closer to the action-packed adventure of the source material rather than short-changing recognisable locations and elements. “Genesis” also impresses by featuring gorgeous artwork from Spaz and Tracy Yardley, Archie’s best artists by a country mile, whose work shines in this much more focused, back-to-basics story. While I admit sticking closely to the plot of the videogames isn’t sustainable for hundreds of issues, there’s something to be said about the simplicity of avoiding all the interpersonal drama, slapstick, and dark and gritty atmosphere for a fun, action-packed story. “Genesis” still includes humorous moments, mainly involving Antoine or Sonic and Tails having fun, and has reasonably high stakes as Dr. Eggman is polluting the world, enslaving its inhabitants, and threatens to cement his rule once more with the Death Egg. There’s also the greater concern of the earthquakes rocking Mobius, which split apart the Marble Zone and almost kill Antoine. These are the direct result of Dr. Eggman’s Genesis Wave, which alters reality to create an all-new world much closer to the videogames but one that’s unstable and desperately trying to return to normal. This also alters everyone’s memories and even returns Rotor to his original name, causing even Dr. Eggman to have no idea what he did to the world, just that he must fire the Death Egg again to be victorious.

The soft reboot gives us a chance to refamiliarise ourselves with these characters and their relationships.

I really enjoyed seeing Sonic bashing Badniks, rescuing critters, and racing through recognisable Zones from the first two games. In many ways, “Genesis” reminds me of the Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic (Unknown, 1991) in how it quickly blasts through the hazards, Badniks, and bosses of the first game, uniquely replacing Dr. Eggman with Snively for the Egg Wrecker encounter and having Sally and the others accompany Sonic to Marble Zone and Labyrinth Zone, where various pitfalls await. Boomer’s side plot where he reprograms a Buzz Bomber was a fun way to show his mechanical prowess, though it didn’t really lead to much beyond this and showing that Sally can speak “Flicky”. Antoine doesn’t get much to do either and is reduced back to being a snivelling little coward and French stereotype, but I did like him having a much closer relationship with Sally, to the point where Sonic’s jealous of their connection and she must clarify that they’re just “close friends”. More of a nuisance than anything, Antoine is the butt of Sonic’s pranks and ridicule but his apparent death hits Sonic so hard that he’s baffled that his newfound friends aren’t more upset. This was an odd moment. I think the implication was supposed to be that Sally and Boomer sensed the death wasn’t real or permanent, implying that Antoine would come back if the world returned to normal, or perhaps it was a metacommentary on how characters never (or rarely) die. Either way, it was a strange moment rendered completely moot as Antoine shows up alive anyway. It was fun seeing the characters be confused by their déjà vu and remembering events from past issues, though it might’ve been nice to see these solidified across the story to more explicitly change their interactions. Sure, Boomer and Tails immediately click and Sonic and Sally naturally flirt and Dr. Eggman is immediately incensed by Sonic, but they’re all largely acting on blind instinct rather than piecing their true personalities together across the four issues.

The back-to-basics approach does wonders for the action and is a fitting homage to the videogames.

Still, the artwork is impeccable here and it was fun seeing this alternative first meeting between Sonic and the Freedom Fighters. I liked that Sonic just goes where he pleases and rescues the critters because it’s the right thing to do, but was convinced to team with Sally and the others since they’ve already made headway in tracking Dr. Eggman and because he feels he knows them. The relationship between Sonic and Tails was also super adorable, with Tails being closer to how he appears in the videogames while still being a capable pilot and avid mechanic. I loved seeing Dr. Eggman in his classic outfit and the classic Egg-O-Matics being put to use, and watching Sonic and the others deal with familiar hazards like spikes, pits, and crumbling platforms in locations lifted directly from the games to fit this world rather than being magically created, temporary Zones that make little narrative sense. I really enjoyed seeing how the Zones fitted together in a coherent way and that they group split up to tackle Oil Ocean Zone and Metropolis Zone separately, with each lamenting the decision since it feels right for them to be together. It’s a shame that Wing Fortress Zone got shafted but it was a neat touch bookending the arc with battles against Silver Sonic and finally seeing Sonic battle the Death Egg Robot (which I don’t think had appeared in Archie’s comics). I also liked the twist that the battle between Super Sonic and the Death Egg Robot was exacerbating the threat to Mobius and that Sonic took a gamble on Chaos Control to set things right, though it might’ve been nice to spread this arc out over a few more issues just to help usher in the new era. Overall, though, “Genesis” was a perfect soft reset to attract new readers and a fun way to reset Archie’s convoluted lore into a narrative that is closer to the videogames, recontextualising characters and elements to make them accessible while also being a fitting homage to the Blue Blur’s storied career.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

Did you enjoy the “Genesis” arc? Were you happy to see a more back-to-basics approach for a change or did you enjoy all the drama of Archie’s comics? Do you think Archie should’ve gone all-in and just rebooted the comics here? Which of Archie’s original characters was your favourite and what did you think to their award-winning run? How are you celebrating Sonic the Hedgehog this year? Share your memories of Archie’s Sonic comics below and donate to my Ko-Fi and suggest more Archie Sonic stories for me to review.

Back Issues: Aliens vs. Predator: Duel

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Story Titles: “Duel: Book One” and “Duel: Book One”
Published: March 1995 to April 1995

Writer: Randy Stradley
Artist: Javier Saltares

Quick Facts:
As Dark Horse Comics achieved mainstream success with licensed adaptations of horror and science-fiction films, it made sense to pit the Alien (Various, 1977 to present) and Predator (Various, 1987 to present) franchises against each other. The initial mini series spawned numerous follow-ups and eventually debuted the Xenomorph/Alien “Predalien” hybrid in this two-part story.

The Review:
“Duel” is a follow-up to the five-issue “Aliens vs. Predator” story arc that followed the first three-issue clash between the two species and set the foundation for the sub-franchise that followed. Like in that story, “Duel” is set on the planet Ryushi, a desolate wasteland where Xenomorphs roam freely amongst the remains of Prosperity Wells and other outposts. The story begins thirty-odd hours after a squad of United States Marine Corps (USMC) respond to a distress beacon, only to be caught between the Aliens and Predators, who slaughter anyone who either crosses their path or interferes with the sanctity of the “hunt”. There’s some uncertainty when the only human inhabitant of the planet, Colony Administrator Machiko Noguchi, doesn’t respond to their communication attempts and the planet, formally controlled by the Chigusa Corporation, is a known dead zone (though the USMC aren’t privy to the slaughter that occurred there). Led by Captain Glass, the Marines explore the abandoned settlement and conclude that Noguchi is a “write-off”. It’s revealed that Weyland-Yutani were forced to share information about the Aliens for their own protection, meaning the Marines are far more knowledgeable than their Aliens (Cameron, 1986) counterparts and they’re understandably stunned when the alien craft they stumble upon is nothing like the Engineer’s crescent ship they expected. Unaware they’re being watched and sweltering in the intense heat, they instinctively open fire upon a monstrous Briar Wolf, a native of Ryushi, when it attacks.

While investigating Ryushi, a group of Marines are attacked by Aliens, Predator, and a monstrous hybrid!

As the Marines explore, they find an unconscious Yautja warrior. After making preparations to transport the bizarre creature back to their ship, the Marines find a chained-up Xenomorph Queen. Though they arrogantly believe she’s dead, Lieutenant Sali is splattered by the bitch’s extendable mouth when she suddenly revives and attacks, leading the Marines to blast her to corrosive chunks. As the Marines carry the Predator outside, they’re suddenly ambushed by Alien drones, who leap from the sands and quickly surround them. When a group of semi-cloaked Yautja appear to join the fray, Captain Glass orders his men to stand down, identifying the creatures as “survivors” from the wreckage, though he later notes that this was a mistake, despite the Predators seemingly helping them by dicing the Xenomorphs with axe-like spears. While the aliens renew their rivalry, the Marines race to their All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV), where they’re confronted by one-armed Predator veteran “Light-Stepper”, who appeared in previous Dark Horse publications. Though apprehensive, the Marines attempt to make contact, only for Private Cogeletti to get speared through the chest! Naturally, the Marines open fire and, though Light-Stepper easily evades them, one of his cohorts isn’t so lucky and the Marines learn that, despite the Predator’s technology, they are as vulnerable as any other creature. The Marines quickly prepare to evacuate, with Captain Glass insisting they keep their survivor alive so the species can be further studied, a decision that also backfires when the Yautja violently spasms and births a particularly gruesome Chestburster! Although the Marines try to blast the scurrying little hybrid, it’s too quick and Sergeant Lesser is picked off by a Predator’s plasma cannon during the fracas. Spooked and sure that the Yautja have them surrounded, the Marines lay down crossfire against their invisible foes, though their hopes are quickly raised when they see their pilot, Murphy, flying in to pick them up in a “Cheyenne” class Utility Dropship.

With his squad dead, Captain Glass is forced to help Light-Stepper defeat the Predalien.

However, just as they’re scrambling to reach the rendezvous point, the Marines are stunned when Light-Stepper hefts a massive shoulder cannon and blows the dropship to smithereens! With no choice but to flee and try to think of an alternative escape plan, the Marines frantically race off in the ATV, shredding another Yautja with the vehicle’s blaster cannons and desperately trying to keep from being overwhelmed by their need for revenge. Spotting the remains of Prosperity Wells, Captain Glass heads to the ruins and has the Marines set up defenses to fend off their assailants. As night falls and his men take turns resting, Captain Glass remains vigilant, determined to make the creatures pay for murdering his troops, though they’re caught completely off-guard when the fully grown Predalien sneaks in and massacres two of his men! Bigger, more aggressive and uglier than either species, easily capable of crushing heads with one malformed claw, Captain Glass theorises that the Predators are pursuing them for allowing such an abomination to be born. After the Predalien gives them the slip and another plasma cannon shot offs one of his squad, Captain Glass detonates the mines they placed around the perimeter and kills two Predators, eventually leaving himself and Light-Stepper the only survivors. Thus, an unlikely alliance is forged when the Predalien reappears, with Captain Glass distracting the abomination long enough for his one-armed ally to cut the creature’s throat and stab it to death. With both warriors exhausted, neither has the strength or will to fight, with Captain Glass hypothesising that they’ve developed a mutual respect. Thus, the two simply sit and wait and are left to wonder which of their allies will arrive first, and what will happen when they do.

Final Thoughts:
“Aliens vs. Predator: Duel” was a decent enough continuation of the dual narrative first thought up by Dark Horse Comics in 1990, and certainly influenced both franchises, but I was left a bit disappointed by the overall presentation. While some lauded the artwork, I found things were overly simplistic, with the environment barely standing out and the Marines being largely interchangeable. I had a hard time telling who was who or even caring about them since none of them receive any characterisation beyond being “Oorah!” meatheads except for Captain Glass, a man so bland and forgettable that he pales in comparison to even the most one-dimensional Marines from Cameron’s sci-fi classic. Ryushi has never made for a compelling location, being mostly a barren wasteland, and it’s even more difficult to connect with it now that the few bastions of civilisation have been abandoned or destroyed. Thus, I’m glad “Duel” was only a two-part tale as it could jump into the action a lot faster, but it does feel oddly paced despite its short length. There is barely any conventional Alien action here and, when the Xenomorphs do appear, they’re slaughtered like “bugs” and don’t even factor into the finale. Captain Glass theorises that the Predalien is some kind of affront to the Yautja, but we never see how the Aliens react to it. Would they obey it as a superior creature or turn against it? Either scenario would’ve added to the gore, action, and intrigue but, instead, the Aliens disappear from the narrative, despite the presence of a prisoner Queen indicating that Ryushi should probably be overrun by them. Returning to the artwork, Javier Saltares seems to be going for a stylised, minimalist approach but it comes across as amateurish to me. Aliens, Predators, and Marines alike lack detail, most of the gore is obscured in shadows, and it’s difficult to make out what’s happening in some panels.

A disappointing debut for the Predalien that doesn’t live up to its full potential.

Captain Glass is defined as the quintessential Marine. A tough, no-nonsense leader who’s simply following orders but is very protective of his troops, meaning he takes it very personally when they’re killed and actively organises them to dig in and fight back against their aggressive alien enemies. He admittedly makes numerous mistakes throughout, ultimately hedging his bets on aiding Light-Stepper simply to try and survive. Light-Stepper (who should be familiar to long-time Dark Horse Comics readers) is depicted as a wily and hostile Yautja, one far more experienced, durable, and capable than his peers despite only having one arm. He seems to have a personal, perhaps even religious obsession with slaughtering the Marines after they take the infected body of one of his kin, leading to him systematically picking off Captain Glass’s troops to recover the body and contain the situation. That being, of course, the Predalien, which is honestly the only saving grace of this story and, even then, it’s so poorly brought to life that, at first, I mistook it for a regular Xenomorph! The Predalien is a bastardised hybrid of the two species, sporting the iconic Yautja dreadlocks and greater bulk, and showcases augmented strength and speed, but is otherwise indistinguishable from a drone. The battle between it and Light-Stepper is short and violent and the creature is killed with relative ease, with Captain Glass barely contributing. This is a shame as it would’ve been cool to see a long, violent battle between the three, with man and Yautja setting aside their differences against a common enemy to showcase what makes the Predalien truly unique. Instead, it’s a few indistinct panels and then that’s it, with Light-Stepper not even injured by the abomination’s acidic blood. So, yeah, “Duel” may be important to the Aliens vs. Predator canon, but it left a lot to be desired in terms of its visuals, narrative, and action. I would’ve preferred to see the Predalien already fully grown, perhaps having slaughtered a hive and battling a Queen for dominance, and to see the Predators actively hunting it, with the Marines caught in the crossfire. Instead, I was left with a bit of a mess that didn’t quite live up to its potential.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Have you ever read “Aliens vs. Predator: Duel”? If so, what did you think to it and how it continued this spin-off canon? Were you also disappointed by the artwork and the narrative or were you impressed by the fidelity to the source material? What did you think the this batch of Marines, specifically Captain Glass, and their lack of characterisation? Were you impressed by the Predalien or do you agree that it should’ve had a bigger role in the story? Which of the Aliens vs. Predator stories or adaptations was your favourite and how are you celebrating the Predator franchise this month? Whatever your thoughts on Aliens vs. Predator, drop a comment down below, send me some love on Ko-Fi, and go check out my other Predator (and Aliens) content.

Back Issues [RoboCop Day]: RoboCop Versus The Terminator

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To celebrate the release of RoboCop (Padilha, 2014) on home media, June 3rd was declared “RoboCop Day” in the city of Detroit, providing the perfect excuse to celebrate RoboCop each year.

Published: 1 May 1992 to 1 August 1992

Writer: Frank Miller

Artist: Walter Simonson

Quick Facts:
Having achieved mainstream success with licensed adaptations of horror and science-fiction films, Dark Horse Comics sought to replicate their success with mashing together the Alien (Various, 1977 to present) and Predator (Various, 1987 to present) franchises. Having already published spin-offs of the Terminator films (Cameron, 1984; 1991), Dark Horse started a run of RoboCop (Verhoeven, 1987) comics with this four-issue crossover, which led to a popular videogame, Frank Miller’s complicated relationship with the cyborg, and a somewhat divisive second encounter almost twenty years later.

The Review:
In true Terminator fashion, RoboCop Versus The Terminator begins in the nuclear wastelands of the war-torn 2029, where malicious rogue artificial intelligence Skynet sweeps across the remains of human civilisation, enslaving or vaporising any human resistance. With Skynet on the verge of absolute victory, Florence “Flo” Langer infiltrates Skynet’s “regional mind” looking to gain insight into Skynet’s creation and verifying resistance leader John Connor’s theory that a human mind merged with software (specifically cyborg police officer Alex Murphy/RoboCop) birthed Skynet in the past. Blaming RoboCop, Flo fights her way to the Time Displacement Equipment and takes a jaunt to the past to kill Murphy and change the future. Dumped in a busy Detroit street, the naked Flo immediately attracts attention and acquires a pistol, hoping to murder Murphy before he becomes RoboCop, only to find she’s too late for that. Though overwhelmed by the lively, flourishing world, Flo cobbles together a rudimentary plasma rifle, only to find it malfunctions when she’s accosted by an Enforcement Droid-209 (ED-209) for “[violating] street cleaning city ordinance 66B”. Luckily, the ED-209 is as dumb as ever and is easily tricked into tripping over itself, allowing her to get her weapon working to turn it into scrap metal. Thanks to the “frivolous” magazines of the time, Flo heads to the police station where RoboCop is based and easily reaches RoboCop’s lab, where Doctor Marie Lazarus worries that Murphy has been driving himself to exhaustion with his duties and that self-imposed isolation may be making him suicidal. Flo knocks Dr. Lazarus out and steals the tracking device they use to keep tabs on RoboCop, who’s out knocking off kidnappers and would-be bombers with a dispassionate efficiency.

RoboCop’s horrified to learn he unwittingly creates the machines that will destroy humanity!

While brooding over his lost humanity and family, RoboCop is caught completely off-guard when Flo attacks and she coldly blasts him to pieces with her plasma rifle. This sends shockwaves through time that slowly erase the hellish future Skynet fought so hard to create. With only moments to spare, Skynet sends three Terminators back to stop Flo from destroying their “creator”. Quickly acquiring clothes and weapons from the well-armed Detroit locals, the Terminators gun Flo down Though she’s disgusted by RoboCop’s assistance, the critically injured Flo is brought to a hospital, and he queries her about her clearly non-human attackers and her massive cannon. Although his scans reveal Flo’s telling the truth, RoboCop has Lazarus hook him into the Pentagon so he can investigate through cyberspace, verifying (to his horror) the threat Skynet (and, by association, he) poses to mankind. Although RoboCop tries to get the ED-209s on side to even the odds against the Terminators, the dumb things attack each other when ordered to “scan for cybernetic activity”. Luckily, one’s left to reduce the attacking Terminators to their exoskeletons and the Terminators, puzzled by their “creator” defending the humans they so deeply despise, seek only to subdue rather than destroy RoboCop. While the damaged and defective ED-209s destroy one Terminator and RoboCop grapples with another, the third enters the hospital and guns down everyone in its hunt for Flo. Luckily, Lazarus saves Flo and re-arms her, allowing her to blast it to smithereens and take some comfort in the familiarity of combat. Although badly damaged and missing his left arm, RoboCop eventually pummels the remaining Terminator to pieces after a brutal fist fight. However, as RoboCop still lives, the future sees the Terminators spread out into the universe to free other worlds of the “infection” of organic life.

Ready to die to save the world, RoboCop is forced to usher in the machine apocalypse.

Accordingly, RoboCop offers no resistance when Flo prepares to execute him, despite Lazarus’s protests, even encouraging her to step closer so her unreliable weapon doesn’t miss. However, Flo refuses, now seeing RoboCop as a noble soul and remembering her vow to never take a human life. However, haunted by visions of the future and driven by his Prime Directives, RoboCop resolves to mince himself at a nearby scrapyard. Accordingly, evidence of the Future War disappears from the past and the future again begins to be erased, forcing Skynet to again scramble two Terminators and send them back to preserve its existence. This time, they send back a child and a dog infiltration unit, who approach RoboCop directly as he’s contemplating suicide by his gravestone. The “boy” accuses “the flesh” of tricking RoboCop into thinking he’s human and is aghast when RoboCop opens fire. The “dog” attacks with writhing tentacles, easily overpowering the damaged RoboCop and severing his head, dragging him back to the police station and hooking him up to the mainframe. Flo frees herself from a jail cell and rushes to the commotion to witness the Terminator break Dr. Lazarus’s neck and Murphy’s screaming head begging her to kill him. This time, Flo doesn’t hesitate, but the Terminator catches the bullet, shrugs off her gunfire, and brutalises her to the helpless RoboCop’s horror. The Terminator then forcibly connects RoboCop to the mainframe and kick-starts Skynet’s evolution, leaving the disembodied and helpless RoboCop to watch as Skynet unleashes nuclear Armageddon and an army of relentless machines to wipe out humanity. Though horrified, RoboCop duplicates his humanity and wanders through cyberspace as a computer virus, evading Skynet for decades before finally using Skynet’s robotics technology against them to construct a fully armed and war-ready replica body for himself in 2029.

RoboCop saves the future by destroying Skynet at both ends of the timeline.

Thus, the story comes full circle, with Skynet on the brink of absolute victory. This time, RoboCop saves Flo as she’s infiltrating the regional mind, easily blasting the Hunter-Killers with his rockets and heavy-duty ordinance. Stunned by the sight of a machine helping her kind, Flo confronts him as the others recuperate at a makeshift encampment. Seeing that the dogs aren’t afraid of him and that he has a human face and name, Flo chooses to trust Murphy, who warns that Terminators will arrive soon. RoboCop’s actions cause subtle changes to the future, but he remains as an anomaly, helping the Resistance prepare for Skynet’s counterattack. However, when Skynet surprises them with a nuke, RoboCop jets off to intercept, detaching his legs to redirect the missile towards Skynet’s regional mind! Heavily damaged by re-entry, RoboCop has Flo take him to the Terminator factory for repairs, where she marvels at his ability to control the “junk”, unaware that RoboCop feels his humanity slipping away the more he emulates his enemy. Still, inspired by Flo, Murphy constructs an army of RoboCop clones to battle Skynet’s forces in a spectacular display of metal-on-metal action. While they fight alongside Flo and the Resistance, RoboCop heads to Skynet’s now-vulnerable central complex where, in desperation, Skynet offers to make him a “God” and bring his deepest fantasies to life. However, when Flo is killed, RoboCop vehemently turns down the offer and destroys the Skynet system core (a gigantic duplicate of his head!) and all its machines. Although Flo dies hopeful for a better future, RoboCop literally makes it happen by encasing himself in living tissue and travelling back in time to destroy the orbiting defence system that would become Skynet. In doing so, this cold, mechanical version of RoboCop is erased and Flo wakes up in a utopian future, barely remembering a bad dream of the world that once was, and the present-day RoboCop decides to heed Dr. Lazarus’s advice and get some rest. As before, Skynet scrambles to preserve its victory by sending a Terminator back through time. However, amusingly, they miscalculate the time jump in their panic and the machine is simply crushed by a Tyrannosaurus rex.

Final Thoughts: 
I’ve had my issues with Frank Miller over the years, but this was one of his better efforts. Sure, some “Miller-isms” are still present, mainly in the blunt, repetitious dialogue, but it served the purpose of the story very well. I really liked seeing Skynet panic when it realises the timeline is changing, erasing its influence and replacing it with natural life, which it hates for their destructive tendencies and disorder. RoboCop Versus The Terminator suggests the future is one malleable timeline. So, changes in the past directly affect the future rather than producing alternative timelines as in the films. This means that destroying RoboCop in the past doesn’t immediately prevent the Future War; it just alters the timeline. This gives Skynet the chance to quickly send Terminators back to undo the damage, which perfectly captures the desperation the machines felt when the Resistance destroying their defence grid in the films. Indeed, Miller characterises Skynet and the machines as surprisingly emotional beings. They hate “the flesh” and have no qualms about hunting down and killing even children to purge the “cancer” of humanity. They even take to the stars upon achieving absolute victory, seeking to conquer other worlds and spread their doctrine further, and are amazed when RoboCop refuses to embrace their cold, clinical logic. The Terminators’ relationship with RoboCop is complex. They see him as their “creator” and seek to preserve him but will rip him to pieces and subdue him to ensure their survival and think nothing of turning their full force against him in 2029.

RoboCop’s determined to save mankind, even if it costs him his life and his humanity.

RoboCop is in a bad place in RoboCop Versus The Terminator. The trauma of his condition and the pain of being separated from his humanity and family ser him throw himself into his work, rendering him a cold, emotionless machine at the story’s start. Dr. Lazarus is even concerned that he’s suicidal and, indeed, RoboCop is more than willing to sacrifice his life to save humanity once he learns of his awful destiny. Determined to save the world, follow his Prime Directives, and end his suffering, RoboCop resolves to destroy himself once he verifies Skynet’s threat. Indeed, RoboCop practically jumps at the chance to die and begs Flo to kill him, especially when he’s forcibly hooked into Skynet. Rather than giving up, RoboCop creates a digital doppelgänger and endures the horrific machine takeover just so he can rebuild himself and turn the tide. Interestingly, RoboCop takes the time to rescue Flo and lead the fight against Skynet in the future before going back to erase them from existence. I assume this is to ensure that there’s no chance Skynet can mount another counterattack and to avenge all those killed, but it would’ve been far more efficient if RoboCop had simply built a body and travelled to the past to destroy Skynet then. However, that would’ve robbed us of some of the story’s best visuals. I particularly liked seeing RoboCop all decked out in missiles and Terminator technology, blasting through the sky and raining missiles and commanding an army of Robo clones on the battlefield! Similarly, I enjoyed the one-on-one fight between RoboCop and a Terminator in the past, which delivered a knock-down, brutal melee far beyond what the movies would’ve been capable of, I’m sure.

An exciting and intriguing marriage of both franchise that results in a fun and engaging story.

Unusually, RoboCop Versus The Terminator doesn’t feature John or Sarah Connor; John is only referred to by Flo. Flo is a decent enough main character, being hyper focused on destroying RoboCop and vehemently hating all machines due to her traumatic experiences in the Future War. Flo’s capable enough to build a plasma rifle, easily outwits the ED-209s, and holds her own against the Terminators. She destroys RoboCop without hesitation in one timeline and then ends up fighting to defend him in others, touched by his humanity and ultimately trusting him despite her repeatedly dying because of the cyborg cop. We get some fun Terminator variants here, including a little person, child, and dogs, showing that Skynet’s infiltration strategy was incredibly layered. Unfortunately, we don’t see RoboCop fighting with or alongside a reprogrammed T-800 (beyond his fist-fight with an endoskeleton) but I liked that there was a lot of action in the past and that RoboCop was forced to witness Skynet’s destructive plot in real time to fight against them in the future, giving us the best of both worlds and putting both characters in each other’s home turf. Miller even found an interesting way to merge the two franchises by having RoboCop be the spark that gives Skynet sentience, which makes perfect sense as he’s “part man, part machine”. I also enjoyed seeing elements of Miller’s RoboCop sequels weaved into the story, like Dr. Lazarus and a reference to Nikko Halloran, and seeing ED-209s as bumbling robot enforcers. Overall, RoboCop Versus The Terminator is a super fun story full of explosive action, time travel shenanigans, and thrilling interactions and battles between the titular cyborgs. It’s a shame we never got to see it in live-action (though I live in hope for an animated feature…) but we did pretty well between this, the videogame, and the action figures.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

Did you enjoy RoboCop Versus The Terminator? What did you think to RoboCop being in such a bad head space and him being painted as Skynet’s creator? Did you enjoy the time travel shenanigans and the fights between the two cyborgs? What did you think of Flo and RoboCop’s new look in the future? Would you have liked to see more clashes between the two and a movie of the premise? How are you celebrating RoboCop Day today? Drop your thoughts on RoboCop Versus The Terminator in the comments, and donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest other RoboCop content for the site.

Back Issues [HulkaMAYnia]: The Fantastic Four #12

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Since his explosive debut in May 1962, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s gamma-irradiated Jade Giant has been one of their most recognisable and successful characters.

Story Titles: “The Incredible Hulk”
“Part 2. Mission: Stop the Hulk”
“Part 2. Who is The Wrecker?”
“Part 4. The Hulk at Last!”

Published: 10 December 1962 (cover-dated: March 1963) 
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby

Quick Facts:
Inspired by a story of a hysterical mother summoning superhuman strength to rescue her child and classic screen monsters, Doctor Robert Bruce Banner’s monstrous alter ego quickly crossed paths with one of his most notable rivals, Benjamin “Ben” Grimm/The Thing, about six months after his debut. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the Thing echoed the Hulk’s position as a misunderstood, often feared creature and they have butted heads numerous times over the years.

The Review:
The story of the ever-lovin’, blue-eyed Thing’s first encounter with the Incredible Hulk begins outside the New York City symphony auditorium, of all places. Disguised by a long trenchcoat, fetching hat, and shades, the Thing exits the auditorium with his girlfriend, blind sculptor Alicia Masters, after sharing (begrudgingly, on Grimm’s part) a romantic evening at the orchestra. When a patron suddenly gets all excited and patriotic at spotting a passing company of infantrymen, the Thing is annoyed and insulted to have his disguise knocked off and be branded a monster. When the Thing accosts the blustering civilian, the soldiers spot him and assume he’s the super strong target they’ve been deployed to find and surround Ben, apparently not recognising him. Aggravated by the brazen attack, the Thing douses them with a nearby fire hydrant and easily snaps their “special flexible steel bands”. His patience at an all-time low, the Thing moves to up his attack and is pacified by gas shells, only for the commander to step halt the attack. Although he apologises, the commander riles Ben up further when he reveals the soldiers have been deployed to find the Hulk. Insulted to be mistaken for such a mindless beast, the Thing returns to the Fantastic Four’s headquarters at the Baxter Building and impatiently rips the elevator doors off and climbs thirty-five floors to the living quarters when he misplaces his key card. When the Thing shares the incident with the team, he’s angered to learn that General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross is popping over to discuss the Hulk’s threat with the Fantastic Four.

Although the Thing’s eager to fight the Hulk. Dr. Banner’s adamant that the real culprit is the “Wrecker”.

Sure enough, ol’ T-Bolt shows up, also apologises to the Thing, and reveals that the Hulk is suspected of sabotaging the military’s desert missile installations. During the presentation, Sue Storm/The Invisible Girl is so unnerved by the monstrous Hulk that she briefly loses control of her powers, much to the concern of the fascinated Doctor Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic. The Thing, however, is unimpressed by the brute and boasts that he could easily overpower the Hulk. Hot-headed Johnny Storm/The Human Torch mocks the Thing and gloats that he would stand a better chance against the Hulk, suggesting he could trap the beast in a maze of flames. Mr. Fantastic suggests a simpler approach: simply baiting the Hulk into a trap so Reed can envelop him with his malleable body. Oddly, Sue downplays her usefulness and, annoyingly, Ross reduces her to a simple cheerleader with a statement that even Reed backs up. Mr. Fantastic then shows off the team’s new Fantasi-Car and Ross joins them in flying over to meet Dr. Banner, his assistant (Doctor Karl Kort), and his “young helper” (perennial sidekick Rick Jones). While Dr. Kort is all for catching the Hulk, Dr. Banner insists that the damage doesn’t align with the Hulk’s most logical form of attack, earning him the ire of General Ross. After being insulted by Dr. Kort’s double take and annoyed by the Human Torch, the Thing decides to crash the meeting, angering both Reed and General Ross, who blows a gasket when the Thing proves his strength by tearing apart a stash of Ross’s bound telephone books. Cooler heads prevail and Dr. Banner offers to help Mr. Fantastic locate the true saboteur (dubbed “The Wrecker”), though he and Rick secretly lament that they can’t share the knowledge of Dr. Banner’s dual identity with the dysfunctional team. Dr. Banner and Rick’s wish to find the man behind the sabotage of an experimental nuclear deterrent instantly comes true when Rick glances at Dr. Kort’s wallet and finds he’s a card-carrying member of a “subversive communist-front organisation”, leading to the Commie bastard taking him hostage.

A brief scuffle between the Hulk and the Thing sees the Wrecker’s threat ended.

Rather than search for the Hulk, Mr. Fantastic fixes the base’s rocket sled for the Thing to take a jet-powered ride, only to be scuppered by bent tracks. Though rescued by Johnny and Reed, the incident convinces Ben that the Hulk is behind the sabotage. Thus, the team dismiss Dr. Banner’s protests to the contrary, so he slinks back to his laboratory to activate a special gamma-inducing machine and transform into the Hulk. Uncharacteristically retaining much of his intelligence and reason, the Hulk traverses the base using a network of underground tunnels, soon bumping into the Fantastic Four when they follow the Thing’s hunch that the Hulk is hiding underground. The Hulk eagerly clobbers the Thing, only to immediately regret it due to Ben’s stone hide and attempt to leave, dousing the Human Torch with sand and clawing his way to the surface in search of Rick. The team regroup in an abandoned town, so the Hulk upends a house and tries to crush them with it, only for the Thing to swat it aside. The Hulk easily overpowers Reed’s attempts to subdue him and again makes short work of Johnny, leading to a brief fist fight with the Thing. However, just as they’re getting into it, the Hulk is zapped by a “strange, atom-powered ray” from underground and knocked unconscious. Annoyed at being cheated out of his victory, the Thing burrows underground and destroys the Wrecker’s machine, realising that Dr. Banner was right all along. The Thing then busts down an iron door and discovers Dr. Kort armed with a ray gun, with Rick tied up as a hostage. Luckily, the Invisible Girl swats the device away and Dr. Kort is easily apprehended by the incensed Thing. In the confusion, the Hulk slips away to revert to Dr. Banner and thank Mr. Fantastic for all his help, watching from afar (as the Hulk) as the team are celebrated by the military and race off to their next adventure.

Final Thoughts: 
Obviously, this is very early in the Hulk’s Marvel career (the same year as his debut, no less!) so you have to cut it some slack and realise that a lot of his now-recognisable tropes were still being developed. For example, the Hulk isn’t a mindless, rampaging beast or even a child-like creature. In fact, he’s barely that angry at all and Dr. Banner can freely control his transformations using a special machine, retaining some control as the Hulk (though appearing noticeably more aggressive and confident when transformed). This story is also about a year after the Fantastic Four’s debut, so there are still some kinks being worked out there (the military doesn’t recognise the Thing, for example). This may also be one of the first, if not the first, crossovers between Marvel Comics characters as the Fantastic Four are specifically sought out by General Ross to combat the Hulk’s apparent sabotage. This issue is also set in the less-than-progressive sixties, meaning Sue is depicted as a fragile, useless woman only good for bolstering the men’s morale (though I did like that she played a pivotal role in apprehending the Wrecker). The story is a bit inconsistent at times, too. General Ross initially says that the “only way” to recognise the Hulk is by his superhuman strength, then immediately hands the Thing a photograph of the Hulk and treats the Fantastic Four to a slideshow of the Green Goliath, making me question why the hell those soldiers mistook the Thing for the Hulk! I can only assume they weren’t properly briefed, being mere infantrymen, and it seems the goal was to show that the Thing is as feared and judged by others as the Hulk. This also emphasises the Thing’s prideful nature and his incredible strength, both qualities continually highlighted throughout the issue to present him as being at least equal to the Hulk in these regards.

Sadly, the fight between the Hulk and the Thing is as disappointing as Sue’s characterisation.

This was actually one of the first Hulk and Fantastic Four stories I read as a kid (I think it was included in a generic Marvel annual I had), so I have some nostalgia for it. However, the much-anticipated clash between the Hulk and the Thing is disappointingly lacklustre. Despite the Thing’s boasting, the Hulk proves far more formidable than he thought and even the Hulk is surprised by how painful it is to strike Ben’s rocky hide. One punch is enough to have the Hulk rethink his strategy, though he easily bests the Human Torch and shrugs off Mr. Fantastic’s attempts to wrap him up. I enjoyed the irony of this, as Johnny and Reed were very confident of their chances against the Hulk, but it turns out the Thing stands the best chance of subduing the Green Goliath, only for the two to be depicted as equally matched and for the Wrecker’s atom ray bullshit to end the fight just as it’s about to get interesting. Considering the story is squarely on the Thing, it would’ve been far better to have him and the Hulk tear through that “ghost town” knocking the stuffing out of each other while Reed and the others deal with the Wrecker and his machine. There’s not much to Dr. Banner and Rick here; it’s just the same thing of them protesting the Hulk’s innocence and being judged for it. I did like that he and Reed seem to hit it off, but we don’t get to see them working together in any meaningful way. Hell, we get more of a rivalry between Rick and Johnny than a science bromance between Dr. Banner and Reed, which was a shame. The Wrecker was also a lame villain, but I liked that Dr. Kort was smart enough to frame the Hulk and how easy it was for him to do thanks to Thunderbolt’s prejudices. Ultimately, this is a decent and note-worthy story but probably best read in a collection of other, more dramatic and exciting confrontations between the Hulk and the Thing.

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

Did you enjoy the first encounter between the Hulk and the Thing? Were you also annoyed that the military mistook the Thing for the Hulk? Did you enjoy seeing the Thing’s pride and strength take the spotlight? Were you disappointed that their fights were barely worth mentioning? What are some of your favourite fights or moments between the Hulk and the Thing? How are you celebrating the Hulk today? Whatever you thoughts on the Hulk, share them below and donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest other Hulk content for the site.