back issues

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

Dr. KLeave a comment

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

Dr. KLeave a comment

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.

Back Issues [X-Men Day]: The Uncanny X-Men #141-142

Dr. K1 Comment

To commemorate the culmination of their long-running and successful X-Men movies, 20th Century Fox declared May 13th “X-Men Day”.

Story Title: “Days of Future Past”
Published: 21 October 1980 (cover-dated: January 1981)
Writers: Chris Claremont and John Byrne
Artist: John Byrne

Story Title: “Mind Out of Time”
Published: 18 November 1980 (cover-dated: February 1981)

Quick Facts:
Revitalised by a 1975 revival courtesy of acclaimed writer and artist duo Chris Claremont and John Byrne, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s socially conscious X-Men dabbled with time travel in this purposely focused, much-lauded, seminal story that influenced both comics and X-Men media for years. Many videogames reference it, issue 141’s cover is repeatedly recreated, the story as notably adapted for the highly-praised animated series, and “Days of Future Past” inspired Bryan Singer’s critical and commercial hit 2014 movie of the same name.

The Review:
This classic two-part X-Men story, collectively known as “Days of Future Past”, is set in one of many possible Marvel futures (later designated Earth-811). In this dystopian future world, New York City has been devastated, leaving it a depressing shambles of debris and wreckage. Thanks to the internal monologue of the aged Katherine “Kitty” Pryde/Sprite, who’s scrambling through the ruins to rendezvous with James “Logan” Howlett/Wolverine, we learn that the cause of the destruction was the Sentinels, gigantic, mechanised weapons created to hunt and destroy Mutants. Already uneasy about being forced to venture into an unsafe part of the city, Kate is frustrated when she falls for a trap laid by the “Rogues”, punk-like human survivors with no love for “Muties” or Sentinels. Although she tries to talk her way out of it, Kate lashes out when the punks advance on her, unwilling to go down without a fight despite her Mutant power to become intangible being negated by an inhibitor collar. Luckily, the visibly aged Wolverine shows up to help, purposely avoiding popping his Adamantium claws to avoid alerting the Sentinels. Still, Logan easily handles such street trash and rescues Kate, revealing that the world is on the brink of nuclear destruction should the Sentinels advance out of North America. Logan hands Kate the last component to the “jammer”, a device she and her fellow enslaved and imprisoned Mutants secretly made to disrupt their inhibitor collars. Returning to her Mutant internment center, Kate quietly laments 2013 America, which is divided into three classes: “clean” humans, humans with the potential to sire Mutants and who are this forbidden to breed, and outcast Mutants who are either killed or kept in camps.

To prevent an apocalyptic future, Kate has her consciousness sent back into her younger body.

Kate is one of the latter, forced to work as slave labour for the Sentinels and carry the guilt of outliving her Mutant and super-powered friends. Kate’s interred alongside two surviving X-Men – her husband, Piotr “Peter” Rasputin/Colossus and Ororo Munroe/Storm – Franklin Richards, last survivor of the Fantastic Four, and his “lady”, telepath Rachel (later revealed to be the daughter of Scott “Slim” Summers/Cyclops and Jean Grey/Phoenix)), and unlikely ally Erik “Magnus” Lehnsherr/Magneto, ironically now confined to a wheelchair like his long dead friend and rival, Professor Charles Xavier/ Professor X. Alongside Wolverine, the six represent the Anti-Sentinel Resistance and plot to undo the death and destruction caused by the Sentinels, which resulted in the deaths of Kate and Peter’s children. Franklin completes the jammer and restores Rachel and Kate’s powers, allowing Rachel to mysteriously send Kate’s consciousness back through time. Logan then leads his fellow Mutants through the subways, where they’re quickly discovered by the Sentinels. When Franklin is vaporised, Rachel fights back with her telekinetic powers, holding off one of the machines to protect Kate’s unconscious form while Storm and Wolverine (with the aid of a “fastball special”) take out the second Sentinel. Colossus then brings down a nearby building to bury more Sentinels so the grieving survivors can reach the Baxter Building, the heart of the Sentinel’s operation. When the story shifts to the 1980s, Kitty walks in on X-Men testing their powers and combat prowess in the hazardous Danger Room and Professor X’s school, much to the shock of Colossus, Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler, Storm, Warren Worthington III/Angel, and Wolverine. After the X-Men to save her and Kitty showcases her amazing phasing powers, Sprite suddenly writhes in agony and collapses as her future self possesses her, leading them to rush her to the medical bay and be amazed when she rants about being from the future.

Tensions run high as the X-Men battle the Brotherhood to safeguard the future.

Kate quickly convinces them by revealing that the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants are due to assassinate Presidential candidate Robert Kelly, Professor X, and Mutant specialist Doctor Moira McTaggart. This escalates the fear and hatred or Mutants and sees the election of an anti-Mutant President, who orders the reactivation of the Sentinels and the summary execution and imprisonment of all Mutants and super-powered beings. Though sceptical, Storm agrees to fly them to Washington, D.C. so Professor X can mind scan Kate, unaware that Raven Darkholme/Mystique has already infiltrated the Pentagon using her shape-shifting powers. Mystique has also snuck in her Brotherhood comrades – Dominic Petros/Avalanche, Fred Dukes/The Blob, Irene Adler/Destiny, and St. John Allerdyce/Pyro – to assist in her plot, despite blind precog Destiny revealing the future is clouded and the Blob objecting to Mystique’s leadership. While Senator Kelly shares his concerns about Mutantkind with the United States senate, the Brotherhood strike, just as Kate predicted. Despite Kelly’s bigotry, the X-Men defend him and a fight ensues that sees Avalanche send the X-Men flying by erupting the ground and Storm forced to whisk Wolverine away with a whirlwind when the bloodthirsty X-Man goes to gut Pyro. In the fracas, Professor X and Moira are saved by a policewoman, who turns out to be Mystique in disguise, who subdues them with nerve gas. The fight between the X-Men and the Brotherhood spills into the streets, where the Army attack both teams and the X-Men struggle to protect innocents. After being roasted by Pyro, the enraged Wolverine argues with Storm when she asserts her authority, begrudgingly deferring to her wish that he sheaths his claws.

Although Senator Kelly is saved, the future remains uncertain for the X-Men…

Thanks to some physics-based teamwork, Colossus and Wolverine defeat Avalanche and the Blob. Although Storm douses Pyro’s flaming monster avatar and takes him off the board with a bout of rain, Nightcrawler hesitates to finish Mystique when she hints at knowledge of his past, allowing her to escape. Still, the X-Men are victorious, unlike their future counterparts. After infiltrating the Baxter Building and pondering what affect their time meddling will have, the future survivors encounter an “Omega series” Sentinel. Naturally, Logan insists on tackling the threat alone and is horrifically reduced to a smouldering metal skeleton by a single blast! When she fights back, Storm is fatally impaled by another Sentinel, driving Colossus into a berserker fury that also ends with his death. This leaves a distraught Rachel to cradle Kate’s body and hope that her friend can change the future, or at least create an alternative, less painful timeline. As the time switch has conveniently made Kitty invisible to Destiny’s prescient abilities, she easily prevents the precog from assassinating the defiant Senator Kelly, expelling Kate from her younger body and leaving the X-Men to wonder if they prevented the apocalypse and Mystique to swear revenge. Rather than give a definitive answer to this, the story ends with the President of the United States meeting with Senator Kelly and industrialist Sebastian Shaw. Despite Kelly owing his life to the X-Men, his concerns about Mutants have not softened and are only fostered by the scheming Shaw, who’s secretly part of the malicious Hellfire Club. The President appears to agree with their concerns but insists that any actions they take must remain top secret. He then introduces them to Henry Peter Gyrich, whom he tasks with head up “Project Wideawake” and begin construction of a new series of Sentinels…

Final Thoughts: 
While I appreciate “Days of Future Past” telling its story over two issues rather than dragging the plot out across a sprawling, multi-issue saga, I do think it would’ve benefitted from being at least four issues long just to further explore the past and future events. We’re dropped into this dystopian world that sees Mutants executed or imprisoned on sight and the few survivors making a desperate gamble to alter their fate, but don’t spend much time getting to know them in this environment. Like, how did Magneto end up in a wheelchair? How did the surviving X-Men set aside their past with him to form a resistance movement? How did Logan escape the Sentinels? What’s with Rachel and Franklin? These questions, and others, are left purposely vague as the story intentionally presents the worst, most intriguing future for the X-Men and then wastes no time in focusing on preventing that future. Ironically, I’ve read most of the follow-ups to “Days of Future Past” and found them lacklustre, so clearly keeping things vague was the best idea, it just would’ve been nice to explore just how dire things have become in America with a racist, warmongering, crazed bigot running the country. I like the idea that the Sentinels have usurped governmental and societal control, taking their anti-Mutant programming to the extreme to exterminate all super-powered individuals and ensure the extinction of the X-gene by limiting breeding. It ironically means that the machines built to ensure the survival of humanity have largely destroyed it, at least in America. The world now fears the Sentinels more than Mutants and is prepared to launch nuclear weapons against them, resulting in one of Marvel’s bleakest future worlds since basically all the superheroes (and supervillains) have already fallen and the Sentinels’ power is absolute.

Kitty takes centre stage in this harrowing time travel adventure.

I’ve never been a big fan of Kitty Pryde, but this is a great showcase of her. In the future, Kate is desperate to change her fate and the fate of her friends and children. Distraught at having seen all her loved ones murdered or enslaved, Kate gambles everything on a drastic plan to cobble together a jammer and have Rachel project her mind into her younger body. While this leaves Kate defenceless in the future, it sees her quickly convince her old friends of the looming threat and ultimately intervene to save Senator Kelly. Kate doesn’t get to do much between those points as much of the story focuses on the battle between the X-Men and the Brotherhood, but it’s fitting that she’s the one to stop Destiny (literally and figuratively). Kate’s overwhelmed to see her friends alive, and they are noticeably shocked by her adult demeanour when she’s in her younger body, especially as the X-Men largely regard Kitty as a child and someone they must nurture. Still, they’re quickly convinced and throw themselves against the Brotherhood to protect Kelly, Professor X, and Moira. This leads to some conflict between Wolverine and Storm as Storm seeks to assert her authority, overcoming her insecurities and demanding that Wolverine use non-lethal methods to avoid tarnishing their reputation. Ironically, the future Wolverine willingly sheathes his claws so as not to attract attention and Storm worries she’s becoming as ruthless as Logan since she’s ready to kill to protect her few remaining friends and to try and change the timeline. Indeed, the future X-Men are ready to die one way or another to change their fate since they will potentially be erased from existence if Kate succeeds. The story is vague about this, with Rachel suggesting their timeline may continue unaltered but will result in an alternative future for their past selves, and gives no resolution on what happened to the dystopian 2013 beyond Kate being expelled from Kitty’s body.

The ruthless Sentinels are portrayed as a significant threat here.

This is doubly interesting considering the story ends with the President ordering Kelly, Shaw, and Gyrich to work on “Project Wideawake”, meaning Sentinels will stalk Mutants regardless of Kate’s actions, but it can be assumed that the future will be at least partially different as the President isn’t a gibbering racist with a bad tan. Predating Cyberdyne System’s finest by a good four years, the Sentinels are ruthless mechanical terminators, towering robot giants who detect heartbeats, anticipate enemy movements, and vaporise with a single blast. The fact they do this to Franklin, one of Marvel’s most powerful cosmic beings, is one thing but seeing them reduce Wolverine to his Adamantium skeleton is quite another. Rachel telepathically feels the pain whenever her friends die, leaving her an enraged, distraught mess when her lover is killed and seeing her left cradling Kate when she feels Colossus die. Though this happens off-panel, it’s said to be horrifically fast and also showcases just how powerful the Sentinels are. The Sentinels are used sparingly, appearing as looming, authoritative slave drivers at the Mutant camp to begin with. Instead, we see the fallout from their rule, expertly presented by John Byrne. The Sentinels more than live up to their threat once they start blasting Mutants, but the story does a phenomenal job of showcasing their devastating power by focusing more on an air of ominous dread. We see New York reduced to rubble, society divided and living in fear, and the gravestones of Marvel’s famous heroes and villains, which emphasises that the Sentinels are a serious threat. The Brotherhood are no slouches either as their fight against the X-Men takes up most of “Mind Out of Time” and paints them as a significant threat, one willing to kill in the name of Mutant supremacy. All-in-all, “Days of Future Past” remains a quintessential X-Men story, one that’s both shocking and intriguing, that might’ve benefitted from being a few issues longer but still makes quite an impact even to this day.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

Do you consider “Days of Future Past” a classic X-Men story? Do you think the story should’ve been a few issues long or do you think it’s the perfect length? Were you horrified to see so many of our heroes killed in the future? Can you imagine a world where the President of the United States is a racist fanatic? Did you enjoy any of the sequels to this story? Which stories involving the Sentinels are your favourites and how are to celebrating X-Men Day today? Whatever your thoughts on the X-Men and the Sentinels, drop them in the comments and donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest more X-Men related content for the site.

Back Issues [May the Fifth]: Star Wars: Dark Empire

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Although May 4th is Star Wars Day, many also celebrate on May 5th as a play on the word “Sith”, extending Star Wars Day into three day celebration.

Writer: Tom Veitch – Artist: Cam Kennedy

Story Title: “The Destiny of a Jedi”
Published: 12 December 1991

Story Title: “Devastator of Worlds”
Published: 18 February 1992

Story Title: “The Battle for Calamari”
Published: 21 April 1992

Story Title: “Confrontation on the Smugglers’ Moon”
Published: 23 June 1992

Story Title: “Emperor Reborn”
Published: 18 August 1992

Story Title: “The Fate of a Galaxy”
Published: 20 October 1992

Quick Facts:
Following his Original Trilogy, George Lucas licensed Star Wars to continue in novels (later dubbed “Legends”) and comics initially published by Marvel Comics before being picked up by Dark Horse Comics. Although Lucas apparently shot down Tom Veitch’s pitch of having someone else don Darth Vader’s armour and approved Emperor Sheev Palpatine to return in a clone body, later reports stated approval came from Lucasfilm contact Lucy Autrey Wilson. The well–regarded metaseries sold over 100,00 copies and helped sustain Star Wars in the 1990s, was followed by two sequels, and was even referenced in some Star Wars videogames.

The Review:
According to the very fitting opening scroll that opens the story, Dark Empire takes place “long years” after Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (Marquand, 1983) where, after defeating the Galactic Empire, the Rebel Alliance reformed into the New Republic. However, without the legendary Jedi Knights, the New Republic struggled to police the galaxy. Civil war erupted as Imperial remnants retook key worlds, leading Jedi Master Luke Skywalker and former smuggler turned General Lando Calrissian crashing their captured Star Destroyer somewhere near the Imperial City. General Han Solo and his wife, Princess Leia Organa-Solo, Chewbacca, and C-3PO/Threepio take the Millennium Falcon to look for them, finding only debris and the mutinous Imperials battling the Emperor’s loyalists. Han bypasses the conflict, hoping both sides will destroy each other, and heads for the crash site, Leia using Luke’s Force teachings to clear the way to Lando, R2-D2/Artoo, and the other survivors, only to learn that Luke went to investigate nearby remnants of the Dark Side. However, Luke shows up a few panels later to turn the tide when the group is attacked by scavengers and weapons droids, defeating both as easily as he tears apart an Imperial Walker with the Force. As Luke senses that “someone…or something” is using the Dark Side somewhere in the galaxy, he insists that Han and Leia flee so he can investigate further. While they wish to stay close, he orders them to flee when an energy storm emerges from a hyperspace wormhole and sweeps the planet. They reluctantly comply to protect the next generation of Jedi, though Artoo stays with his master as he approaches and is consumed by the raging storm, apparently a manifestation of the Dark Side generated as a reaction to Luke’s presence.

The revived Emperor tempts Luke to the Dark Side and unleashes his latest doomsday weapons.

The Falcon returns to the Rebel fleet stationed around the fifth moon of Da Soocha, where Fleet Admiral Gial Ackbar shares his concerns of the Imperials who have vanished into the “uninhabited regions of the galactic core” with Mon Mothma. Upon learning of Luke’s fate, Mon Mothma calls an emergency meeting to discuss the “World Devastators” emerging from the galactic core and threatening New Republic allies. A fleet of these Dark Side-engineered destroyers ravage Admiral Ackbar’s home world, Mon Calamari, sucking up everything in their path and converting it into fuel and energy and posing a threat far greater than the Death Star due to their sheer number and awesome power. After Admiral Ackbar orders immediate retaliation, Han and Leia share a rare quiet moment where they discuss Luke, who’s been taken to Byss, a Dark Side-infested world deep in the galactic core, via an Imperial Dungeon Ship. Imprisoned within an energy cage, Luke and Artoo are taken to a grand citadel by ominous, cloaked figures and only somewhat amazed to meet Emperor Palpatine. Emperor Palpatine reveals that he maintained his stranglehold over the galaxy and avoided death, even as his body withered and decayed, thanks to cloning, painfully transferring his consciousness into a new body and offers Luke the chance to join him. Emperor Palpatine mocks the New Republic’s attempts to usurp his Empire and proposes Luke command the World Devastators. Emperor Palpatine is impressed by Luke’s resolve but points out that killing him “in anger” would only cause him to return in a new body and offers to train him in the Dark Side to give Luke the power and knowledge to truly defeat him. Thus, though conflicted, Luke submits to the Emperor like his father did decades ago. Although Han’s elated to find that other worlds have joined their efforts against the World Devastators, he’s as troubled as Leia when his wife shares that Luke has turned to the Dark Side, having sensed the change through the Force, but resolves to help his friend however possible.

The looming crisis sees Han call in some old favours to get to the dark world of Byss.

Commander Wedge Antilles and Lando lead the assault against the Mon Calamari World Devastators using a captured Star Destroyer, the Emancipator, surprising the orbiting Imperial fleet. However, the World Devastators are heavily advanced, armed, armoured, and shielded, and spew Twin Ion Engine Drone (TIE/D) fighters to overwhelm the Rebels. To make matters worse, a World Devastator turns its main vacuum weapon against the Emancipator, tearing it apart and forcing Lando and the others to abandon ship. Across the galaxy, Leia is suddenly confronted by a vision of Luke, garbed in Darth Vader’s shadow, who warns her not to look for him or interfere with his actions. Though he claims to have willingly followed in his father’s footsteps to destroy the Dark Side, Leia’s unconvinced, especially when Emperor Palpatine speaks through Luke’s visage and the strain causes her to collapse. As Han preps the new recruits and introduces the new E-Wing, Mon Mothma alerts him to Leia’s condition and he visits her in the infirmary. Though sceptical, Han agrees to accompany Leia to the galactic core to rescue Luke before he’s lost to the Dark Side, taking Threepio and the Falcon to Nal Hutta to get help from the devious Hutts. Although there’s a hefty bounty for Han and Leia after their run-ins with Jabba the Hutt, Han’s contact, Mako Spince, welcomes them in, only for the Falcon to be damaged by bounty hunters looking to cash in on the bounty. Han is sheltered by another of his unscrupulous contacts, Shug Ninx, who reveals that the Empire has been moving a lot of military hardware lately. Still, Han’s old flame, Salla Zend, offers them the Starlight Intruder, a deep core freighter that’ll suit their purposes, in exchange for cash. As the Starlight Intruder still needs some work, Han takes Leia to his old homestead to get a few parts, unnerved by how awful the neighbourhood has become and being gifted an ancient lightsaber by remorseful, wizened, and destitute former Jedi Vima-Da-Boda.

Han and Leia are horrified to see how far Luke’s fallen under Palpatine’s sway.

When they reach Han’s old home, they’re stunned to find Mako has betrayed them to Boba Fett (having proven “indigestible” to the Sarlaac) and Denga, forcing them to flee through the crowded spaceport. As clumsy as ever, one of Boba Fett’s wrist rockets knocks a passing Hutt crime boss from on his floater and to his death, allowing Han and Leia to flee in the Starlight Intruder. Unaware that Boba Fett and Dengar are in hot pursuit in Slave II, Han and the others head to Byss. During the trip, Leia inspects Vima’s lightsaber and receives a horrifying vision of Luke commanding the Imperial forces on Mon Calamari. Despite receiving backup from the E-Wings, the Republic fleet suffers massive losses before the world smasher suddenly shuts down when improper signals are sent from Byss, causing the massive ship to self-destruct and making Lando question the strategy of their commander. Upon arriving at Byss, Salla’s codes allow the Starlight Interceptor to beach the planetary shield, though Slave II is blasted when it tries to sneak in behind them. Concerned for Luke’s welfare on such a dark and foreboding world, Leia convinces Han to let her pilot the Falcon to his location, an ominous, gleaming black tower in the heart of the city, easily using the Force to fool the guards and sensors. Upon docking, Leia and the others are instantly apprehended to be taken to “Lord Skywalker”, though Salla and Ninx blast to safety, as planned. Astonished to learn that Emperor Palpatine is alive and that Luke’s erased Artoo’s main programming Leia, Han, and Threepio, meet Luke in the clone laboratories, where Han admonishes Luke’s fall from grace and Luke reveals his artificial hand has been replaced by an energy blaster! When Emperor Palpatine arrives, Leia immediately lashes out with her lightsaber, much to his glee, though he easily disintegrates it and punishes her with his lightning.

Though Luke shakes off the Dark Side, a restored Palpatine plots to possess Leia’s unborn child.

When Han flies into a rage, Luke easily subdues him, insisting he’s doing what’s best for the galaxy and leaving Han vowing to kill him for what he’s done. Although Han sends a distress all to Salla and Ninx, they (and the Falcon) are apprehended by an Imperial Hunter-Killer droid. Meanwhile, Emperor Palpatine reveals he knows Luke’s been surreptitiously sabotaging him and shows Leia an ancient Jedi holocron that contains a warning from Boda-Baas regarding the Dark Side. Emperor Palpatine then plays the “helpless old man” card to prey upon Leia’s compassion before revealing his plans to transfer his essence into the child growing within her, driving her into a rage. She tips over Emperor Palpatine’s bed, swipes the holocron, and heads to Luke, who dismisses a commander’s concerns about sabotage and reveals that he’s fully aware of what he’s doing and has loaded Artoo with the Emperor’s battle plans and master codes. Though reluctant, Leia defends Luke when they reconvene with Han as the data is invaluable to stopping the World Devastators, and they all escape aboard the Hunter-Killer (which Ninx successfully hacked) and in the Falcon. However, once they’re safely away, Luke reveals that he’s been a Force projection the entire time and has remained on Byss to confront Emperor Palpatine. Having learned the Emperor’s secrets and freed himself from his control, Luke goes to prevent Palpatine’s latest mind transference, vehemently rejecting the Emperor’s suggestion that he become Palpatine’s willing host and frantically destroying all the gestating clones when the Emperor dies in a burst of Dark Side energy. Despite Luke’s efforts, Emperor Palpatine is reborn in a younger clone body who quickly grabs a nearby lightsaber, mocks and disarms Luke, and demands that he accompany him to retrieve the holocron…and Leia’s unborn child!

Thanks to the Skywalker’s bond, the Emperor’s malicious plot is foiled.

Chewbacca accesses the data Luke stored in Artoo to disable the World Devastators on Mon Calamari, which Artoo turns against each other to end their threat. The victory sees Han begrudgingly apologise to Leia for doubting Luke (and her), though it’s just the beginning of their counterattack against the Empire. Reviewing the holocron, Leia learns of a prophecy of two siblings who “walk the sky”; while the brother would fall to the Dark Side, the sister’s unborn child could save him. Just then, Emperor Palpatine’s gargantuan flagship delivers an ultimatum: hand over Leia and he’ll discuss a truce. When Han refuses to let Leia go, she’s forced to manipulate him with the Force to hand herself over, intent on rescuing Luke, who’s been brainwashed back to the Dark Side. When Leia (and her unborn child) refuses the Emperor’s demands, he sets a reluctant Luke against her. As they clash lightsabers, Leia pleads with Luke to see into her child’s future with the Force, revealing that he will train the boy to be a great Jedi, and Luke begs her to help him break free from the Dark Side. Having learned why and how his father was so seduced by the Dark Side’s power, Luke rejects the darkness, enraging the Emperor, who curses their bloodline, mocks Darth Vader’s impotence, and strikes Luke with lightning. Drawing strength from his bond with Leia, Luke battles the Emperor, literally disarming him and preparing to arrest him. Defiant to the end, Emperor Palpatine wills another cataclysmic storm to tear through the Republic fleet, though Luke and Leia combine their powers to turn this raging force against the Emperor’s flagship, escaping as it and the Emperor are consumed. Having learned a valuable lesson and avoided the same fate as his father, Luke resolves to restore the Jedi Order alongside his family.

Final Thoughts: 
I can’t remember if I’ve read Dark Empire before. I feel like I have, or at least read about it, and I know elements of it (specifically the World Devastator attack on Mon Calamari) from Star Ways: Rogue Squadron (Factor 5/LucasArts, 1998). Regardless, I knew the basic plot and specifically chose to revisit it based on my dislike for how poorly Emperor Palpatine’s (Ian McDiarmid) resurrection was handled in Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (Abrams, 2019). Elements of Dark Empire are echoed in The Rise of Skywalker, by accident or design, such as the Empire having a hidden, devastating fleet and the Emperor returning (…“somehow”…) through “Dark science! Cloning! Secrets only the Sith knew!” but it was horribly executed. Here, it’s the focal point of the story, with it explicitly said that the Emperor has repeatedly cheated death by transferring his power and consciousness into fresh clone bodies, which rapidly deteriorate due to the Dark Side. Also, but the revived Emperor is the linchpin for a fascinating story arc for Luke Skywalker, one denied his film counterpart, as he willingly follows the Dark Path to learn its secrets and understand why his father turned to the Dark Side. This sees Luke adopt a darker, imposing demeanour that echoes Darth Vader’s, commanding the World Devastators from afar and seemingly turning against his allies. Sadly, this aspect is somewhat confused. It’s said that Luke is sabotaging the world crushers, but they still inflict cataclysmic death and damage, and Luke also says that Leia’s influence helped him shake off the Emperor’s power, suggesting he wasn’t in full control of himself. Paradoxically, he had the wherewithal to download the kill codes for the machines and to use Palpatine’s teachings against him yet also fell under the Emperor’s sway in the finale.

Luke’s questionable and nonsensical turn to the Dark Side sadly fails to live up to its full potential.

Things would’ve been far more coherent if we’d learned that Luke was troubled about his father from the start, that he’d been pondering the Dark Side and wanted to learn of its allure to better understand and fight it. Or, if Luke had fully turned to the Dark Side, losing himself to the Emperor’s influence and only escaping his grasp due to Leia’s intervention in the finale, thus meaning he would be devastated by the destruction he caused and determined to regain the trust of his allies. Some of this is here, with Han being especially suspicious and mad at Luke, launching himself at him, vowing to kill him, and constantly questioning his loyalties despite Leia’s unwavering faith in her brother. It’s kind of amazing how quickly Han turns on Luke, but completely understandable given how devastating the world crushers are and everything Han experienced at Darth Vader’s hands. Leia acts very holier-than-thou about it all, considering herself a learned Jedi and trusting that Luke either has a plan, however flawed, or can be saved. Luckily, there’s a convenient prophecy that spells out how the crisis will be averted, with Luke and Leia realising that they (and the Jedi) are stronger united and overcoming the Dark Side through sheer willpower. This is somewhat ironic considering it’s widely accepted that the Jedi’s vast numbers led to corruption and complacency, but also a lovely way to reinforce the bond between the Skywalkers. Leia never gives up on Luke, just as he never gave up on his father, and he constantly warns her not to pursue him to keep her and her baby safe. It’s not immediately clear what Luke intended to do without Leia or what insight he gained from the Emperor’s teachings. We never see him do anything with the Dark Side and it’s pure-hearted Jedi power that saves the day, so his turn was simply to get the kill codes, it seems. Something I’d wager Artoo could’ve just downloaded with a bit of hacking rather than risking Luke’s soul.

Some questionable art and lacklustre executions drag this otherwise intriguing story down.

Still, as half-assed as some of that is, I do like the concept. Emperor Palpatine is the ultimate manipulator, preying upon Luke and Leia’s compassion and insecurities, while berating how weak Darth Vader was. I’m not sure why he was so obsessed with the holocron as it only contained the Skywalker prophecy, but I liked his sinister plot to possess Leia’s baby and seeing him reborn as in a young, strong body. Sadly, the art is dreadful. Ships look pretty good (the World Devastators look especially…devastating…) and the likenesses are largely on point, but there’s a strange, washed-out colour scheme that makes things seem blurry and amateurish. At times, I had trouble telling Luke and the young Palpatine apart, the youthful Emperor appeared to have lizard skin thanks to some odd lighting, and everything just feels very rushed and basic at times. It was weird seeing Boba Fett shoe-horned in, with the explanation of his survival being handwaved away and him being as ineffectual as ever. In fact, the entire side plot to Nal Hutta could’ve been excised completely to just have Han and the others use a stolen Imperial craft. That could’ve placed more focus on Luke’s turn, or possibly shortened the story by an issue or two, or allowed for some bigger battle sequences between the new-fangled E-Wings (whose capabilities I’m still unclear of) and the World Devastators. Indeed, as terrifying as the World Devastators are, their destruction is disappointingly limited to one world and kept offscreen to focus on the main plot, which somewhat reduced the stakes. Still, this was a decent enough story with some interesting elements, and I’d still rather read it than watch The Rise of Skywalker, but there’s no denying that it fails to live up to its full potential – and the potential of Dark Jedi Luke Skywalker – in many ways.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Did you enjoy Star Wars: Dark Empire? Were you excited by the concept of Luke turning to the Dark Side? Did you like that the Emperor survived through cloning? What did you think of the World Devastators and the Imperial civil war? Do you agree that Luke’s plan was flawed and sloppily executed? Which Star Wars comic was your favourite and how are you celebrating Star Wars Day today? Whatever your thoughts and memories of Dark Empire, leave a comment below and donate to my Ko-Fi if you’d like me to cover the other Dark Empire comics in the future.

Back Issues [Dare-DAY-vil]: Daredevil #227-231

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Co-created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett (alongside the legendary Jack Kirby), blind lawyer Matt Murdock debuted in April 1964.

Writer: Frank Miller – Artist: David Mazzucchelli

Story Title: “Apocalypse”
Published: 22 October 1985 (cover-dated: February 1986)

Story Title: “Purgatory”
Published: 26 November 1985 (cover-dated: March 1986)

Story Title: “Pariah”
Published: 24 December 1985 (cover-dated: April 1986)

Story Title: “Born Again”
Published: 28 January 1986 (cover-dated: May 1986)

Story Title: “Saved”
Published: 25 February 1986 (cover-dated: June 1986)

Quick Facts:
Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett’s most challenging hero yet, Daredevil became a popular and enduring character thanks to writer/artist Frank Miller, who spearheaded many of Daredevil’s most memorable stories. Miller was behind perhaps the greatest Daredevil story of its time (or ever), colloquially referred to as “Born Again”, a story so definitive that it inspired Daredevil’s celebrated return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2025.

The Review:
This seminal storyline was kicked off by Karen Page, former secretary for Murdock and Franklin “Foggy” Nelson’s law firm and Murdock’s ex-girlfriend, who left to pursue an acting career and ended up a heroin addict. She becomes so desperate for cash and a shot of heroin that she trades the only thing of value she has left, Daredevil’s true identity, to the unscrupulous Raldo. He sells it higher up the chain to Tonio, who eventually brings it to Wilson Fisk/The Kingpin, who immediately orders the death of everyone who’s touched the document and heads to New York City to verify its contents. Unaware of this, Murdock awakes from a troubled sleep, nursing the bruises of his recent battles, to find only bills and a breakup cassette from his girlfriend, Glorianna “Glori” O’Breen, rather than job offers. To make matters worse, Murdock gets a disturbing phone call from his accountant and is then accused of perjury by decorated cop Lieutenant Nick Manolis. As snow blankets the city, Foggy comforts Glori after a break-in and reporter Ben Urich tries to offer Matt some council, only to get a cynical brushoff. Murdock uses Daredevil as an escape from all this drama, sprinting and leaping into the bitter winter night and gives Manolis a scare, learning that the cop lied to protect his son and then returns home to find his utilities have been cut off. The Kingpin watches with relish as Murdock’s life falls apart over the next few weeks. He exhausts himself trying to build a defense with Foggy, physically deteriorating from the stress and becoming increasingly violent as Daredevil, and becoming a shell of his former self as he loses his licence to practice law and is faced with poverty and public shame.

The Kingpin makes Murdock’s life a living hell and targets those closest to him.

Grateful to Foggy for his help, the destitute and despondent Murdock wanders home just as his apartment building is destroyed, leaving even his costume a smouldering ruin. Forced into a dingy, cramped hotel room, the distressed Murdock considers killing the Kingpin for all the pain he’s caused him but resolves simply to beat Fisk to within an inch of his life instead. The Kingpin, meanwhile, continues to savour the pain he’s caused his foe, who hounded him relentlessly, and in the knowledge that Murdock is at his lowest point. Disorientated and exhausted, Murdock fantasises about leaving the Kingpin a bloody mess, babbles nonsense to Glori, and threatens Foggy and rambles to a dial tone thinking it’s his friend. The Kingpin is amused to learn that Murdock throttled the hotel manager, paranoid that he’s one of the Kingpin’s men, and attacked punks and even a cop while in his civilian identity on his way to Fisk’s opulent tower. The Kingpin welcomes Murdock’s challenge, easily shrugging off a few hits with a baton and flooring Murdock with devastating haymakers. Restraining himself from tearing Murdock apart, the Kingpin settles for staging an accident, leaving the battered Murdock to drown in a cab off the East River. However, the Kingpin is enraged when the cab is discovered some weeks later and there’s no sign of Murdock’s corpse as he dragged himself out and ended up sleeping on the streets, haunted by memories of his origin and his losses. While Foggy and Glori grow closer over Christmas, Manolis reluctantly confesses to Urich after his son dies, leaving them brutally maimed by the Kingpin’s burly henchwoman. Over in Mexico, a Karen steals and sells herself to Paulo Scorcese for a fix and get back to New York after barely escaping the Kingpin’s assassins, desperate to be reunite with Murdock and wracked by guilt, eventually taken in by Foggy despite the danger.

Murdock overcomes great physical and mental trauma to rescue Karen and return to action.

After stumbling into traffic in a stupor, Murdock takes a knife to the gut when trying to stop lowlife Turk Barrett from stealing a Santa Claus suit, only to find his childhood home torn down. While taking shelter in his father’s old gym, Murdock blacks out from blood loss, though miraculously survives after he’s rescued by nuns (one of whom is implied to be his mother). While Murdock recovers and struggles through pneumonia, Urich is left traumatised and meekly drops all interest in the Kingpin. However, Urich finds his resolve after overhearing Manolis being strangled to death, goes to the cops, and prints an exposé on the Kingpin. Luckily for Urich, a recovering Murdock saves him, his wife, and a cop from the Kingpin’s henchwoman. Murdock also learns that Melvin Potter has been contracted coerced into fashioning a replica Daredevil costume for a psychopath Fisk wants to send after Karen and Foggy, and Murdock encourages him to take the job to discover this plot. With Scorcese outside gunning down cops, Karen cold-clocks Foggy and flees, intending to take the heat off him, while Murdock confronts his crazed imposter. Though the imposter is violent and determined, Murdock subdues him by targeting his pressure points, allowing Matt to save Karen from a gunshot…and from taking one last hit of heroin. The two emotionally embrace, finally reunited and, in the aftermath, Urich pens another story wrapping everything up. The doctor who the Kingpin ordered to release the crazed imposter was dismissed, the cops Scorcese killed are mourned and their killer arrested, and Urich is left determined to track down Murdock and find out what happened to him as he’s been missing, presumed dead, for some time.

Final Thoughts: 
“Born Again” is undoubtably one of Daredevil’s most iconic stories, and some of Frank Miller’s best work with the character. It’s a very different story; very mature and gritty and full of brooding and interpersonal drama. Drugs and addiction are at the forefront as a desperate Karen sells her ex-lover’s identity for a fix and is then so consumed by guilt that she prostitutes herself to Scorcese to reunite with Murdock, convinced he’s the only man who can save her. Along the way, she continually shoots up and fantasises about kicking the habit to be with Matt again, though she only goes cold turkey when she’s taken in by Foggy, and this just leaves her a paranoid wreck. Karen’s story somewhat echoes Murdock’s as he’s driven to exhaustion, paranoia, and violence by the Kingpin’s machinations. With his life literally falling apart, Murdock tries to escape from reality through Daredevil, lashing out at lowlife scum and taking his anger out on anyone who gets in his way and only exacerbating his self-destruction. Murdock becomes disorientated and confused, randomly blacking out and babbling to his friends (or pretending to), all while hyper-fixated on avenging himself on the Kingpin. Naturally, this means Murdock is no match for Fisk, who’s more than just a bulbous criminal mastermind. He’s pure iron and muscle and easily takes Murdock’s best shots before beating him unconsciousness without a word, making for a short, brutal confrontation between the two that’s sadly not followed up on in this story.

Murdock gets put through hell thanks to the Kingpin’s malicious machinations.

Instead, the remainder of the time is spent following Murdock’s struggles. The Kingpin makes Murdock’s life hell almost to the point of parody, freezing his accounts, framing him, blowing up his home, and targeting his loved ones, all while Glori and Foggy fall for each other. Publicly shamed and disbarred, Murdock’s forced to live on the streets and only suffers further torment when his impulsive nature leaves him hit by a car and mortally stabbed. It’s only near-literal divine intervention that keeps him alive and, even then, Murdock must fight through his physical rehabilitation. When he does, he’s confronted by a Daredevil imposter, though the significance of this is sadly downplayed. I was hoping that the thematic allegory of Murdock facing his literal devil and obsession would have more relevance, but the fight’s over extremely quickly and is merely an inconvenience for Murdock, who’s more focused on saving Karen. This is disappointing as it might’ve been good to see Murdock become so lost in his Daredevil persona that it worsens his woes, meaning he’d have to mentally overcome his trauma and then physically best the monster he’d become to reclaim himself. Still, I liked the side stories, such as Urich fighting in Murdock’s corner behind the scenes and having to overcome his own issues to do what’s right. It’s a nice parallel to Murdock’s tumultuous journey and these little victories extremely aggravate the Kingpin, who turns to the violent and the insane to do his bidding. It’s a shame there isn’t a rematch between Daredevil and the Kingpin here, and that some of Miller’s wonky dialogue and let’s say “colourful” writing is peppered throughout the otherwise harrowing drama, but there’s no denying how important “Born Again” was and still is. It’s a fascinating showcase of Daredevil’s near-superhuman willpower and shows that he continues to fight, even when emotionally and physically wrecked, placing him as an inspirational underdog who does what’s right regardless of the personal cost.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Do you consider “Born Again” an all-time classic Daredevil story? Do you think the hardship Murdock suffered was a tad over the top? Were you disturbed by Karen’s struggles with heroin? Did you enjoy seeing Murdock having to overcome the odds staked against him by Fisk? What are some of your favourite Daredevil stories and how are you celebrating the Man Without Fear this month? Let me know what you think of “Born Again” in the comments below and donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest more Daredevil content for the site.

Back Issues [Crossover Crisis]: Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!

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Cover-dated April 1985, the first issue of Crisis of Infinite Earths (Wolfman, et al) precipitated the destruction of the “Multiverse” and what better way to celebrate than with a “Crossover Crisis” of my own?

Published: September 1994

Writer/Artist: Dan Jurgens

Quick Facts:
After DC established an infinite number of parallel worlds in Showcase #4 (1956), writers like Mark Wolfman became frustrated with this concept and spent two years planning Crisis on Infinite Earths, one of the greatest comic book crossovers. However, while the likes of Clark Kent/Kal-El/Superman and Wally West/The Flash benefitted from this reboot, others like Carter Hall/Hawkman did not so writer/artist Dan Jurgens sought to correct this about ten years later with Zero Hour: Crisis in Time! Accompanied by numerous tie-in issues and occurring during the “Dark Age” of the industry, the story is largely regarded as a confusing, poorly executed mess that created more problems than it solved.

The Review:
As if numbering this miniseries in reverse order (so the story starts in issue #4 and concludes in issue #0) wasn’t unique enough, each page and/or panel takes place at different times, both literally and relatively, making this a confusing time-based tale. The story begins at the literal end of time, when destructive, unstoppable entropy has engulfed the cosmos. Here, an unseen force executes the mysterious Time Trapper while berating the cloaked figure and others like him for flaunting their omnipotence and yet allowing injustice to prosper. This powerful, unseen figure then harnesses entropy’s destructive power and vows to end the universe’s suffering. His actions (unseen at this point but probably related in one of the event’s many tie-in comics) are detected by Metron, the scientific advisor to almighty Darkseid, who’s so concerned by the unravelling universe that he defies his master and seeks out allies to halt annihilation. Our first indication that something is very wrong with time occurs in Gotham City, where the Joker’s latest killing spree is unexpectedly ended by Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, apparently back in her prime and perplexing even Bruce Wayne/Batman since she was dramatically paralysed by a gunshot some time ago. The enigmatic Linear Men, who monitor and safeguard time from a pocket dimension, then observe entire timelines being erased, dispatching Matthew Ryder/Waverider and Rip Hunter to investigate. In the 64th century, Wally West/The Flash notices the surreal light engulfing the world and learns from Waverider that entropy is ceaselessly making its way back through time, wiping out everything in its path. Though Waverider’s powerless to stop it, Citizen Abra/Abra Kadabra and the Linear Men suggest that the Flash create a super-speed vortex. However, Waverider realises all-too late that the effort is futile and is unable to keep the Flash from running to his untimely doom just like his mentor in the previous Crisis, resulting in the death of the 64th century and Waverider vowing to honour Wally’s sacrifice.

Waverider desperately gathers the forces of justice to stand against Extant and this time rifts.

Their next stop is 57000 A.D, where a youthful Harold “Hal” Jordan/Green Lantern (plucked from before he became the malicious Parallax) is currently battling entropy. Green Lantern’s efforts only feed the destructive force, however, causing it to obliterate Hal and Rip. Before he dies, Rip tells Waverider to research the previous Crisis. Disregarding an anomaly in the timestream, Waverider returns to Vanishing Point and is horrified to learn of the last Crisis and frantically heads to Earth for help, arriving to find Hawkman fluctuating between his various incarnations, Alan Scott/Green Lantern randomly de-aged, and reminding Jay Garrick/The Flash of Barry Allen’s fate while simultaneously informing him of Wally’s leaving Jay heartbroken at having lost the men he considered sons. When Waverider transports the Justice Society of America (JSA) to Vanishing Point, they’re mysteriously separated and attacked by the malevolent Extant. Metron recruits Batman and Superman, who call an emergency meeting of all costumed heroes (though Metron fails to enlist Jim Corrigan/The Spectre’s help as he’s unconcerned by natural disasters). Already rattled from experiencing his own time anomalies, Superman stops to assist the debuting Bartholomew “Bart” Allen II/Impulse (displaced from the 30th century) and recruits him. Earth’s heroes discuss the time anomalies, which see heroes pop in and out of existence, the various Hawk-beings merged into a single, God-like entity, and timelines to merge as the Crisis worsens. Waverider brings the group up to date (inspiring Guy Gardner/Warrior to attempt to change Hal’s fate) but quickly teleports to Vanishing Point when he senses the JSA are in trouble. When he arrives, Extant has killed Al Pratt/The Atom and Kent Nelson/Doctor Fate and rapidly aged Doctor Charles McNider/Doctor Mid-Nite and Rex Tyler/Hourman (to the point that he dies). Although the grief-stricken Alan’s ring is depleted, Waverider gets his comrades to safety and confronts Extant, horrified to find his future self behind the mask and not Hank Hall/Monarch as he suspected!

Parallax is revealed to be the mastermind behind the Crisis and wishing to reset time in his image.

Extant reveals that he’s the amalgamation of Waverider, Monarch, and others, having assimilated incredible powers, amassed an army, and spread entropy to birth a new world. Extant teleports Waverider and the others away since it’s too soon for them to fight, though the shattered, aged JSA quit from superheroics due to their losses, officially making Kyle Rayner the only Green Lantern. Inspired by their sacrifices, Superman and the others transport to the 30th century with Metron. As they struggle to halt the entropy, Kara Zor-L/Power Girl suddenly goes into a mystical labour, and Warrior suddenly sprouts weapons by mere thought, they’re attacked by Extant’s brainwashed Team Titans before the man himself attacks…as his future self watches on! Waverider desperately teleports the others away right before Extant plunges his hand into his body and absorbs his incredible time-based energy, assuming Waverider’s guise and completing his time loop as an unseen other retrieves Alan’s discarded power ring. Returned to the 30th century, Metron has Superman and Princess Diana Prince/Wonder Woman hurl his “Mobius Chair” into the entropy rift and Captain Nathanial Adam/Captain Atom pour his full power into it, creating a Boom Tube that successfully dispels the rift. Unfortunately, entropy continues to ravage the timelines, shredding John Henry Irons/Steel and leaving Warrior distraught. Still, angered at his plans being disrupted and his armies defeated, Extant’s past and present-selves merge to ponder the rampant entropy rifts, only to be blind-sided by a greater power for attempting to usurp his plans for reality with the rifts, which erase Impulse and Michael Carter/Booster Gold. Luckily, Jay convinces guilt-trips he Spectre into joining the fray right before he also dies and the few survivors flee to Vanishing Point to restore Waverider. Although he arrives too late to save the Batman from being torn apart by a random rift, Waverider leads the assault against Extant (which leaves Doctor Ray Palmer/The Atom de-aged to a teenager!), only for Parallax to finally assert himself as the man behind the destruction of time!

Although Parallax’s mad ambitions are stopped and reality is reset more naturally, the cost is high.

Determined to re-write reality to undo all the injustices they’ve suffered, Parallax wills entropy to engulf all that ever has or will be in the hopes of starting fresh, reshaping reality from a pocket dimension of pure, white space as the handful of shocked survivors watch. Although Guy and the others think he’s mad, Parallax vows to ensure all of them, even the time displaced Batgirl and Extant, get the world they desire, utilising leftover chronal energy and cosmic power from the first Crisis to effectively make himself a God. Having saved a handful of others and spirited them away to Vanishing Point, Waverider proposes piggybacking off Parallax’s efforts and restarting the universe in a more natural way, rather than allowing Parallax to decide who exists and who doesn’t, bringing them into conflict with Batgirl and those who want their worlds back. Lamenting having to fight his old allies and amazed that they would oppose his promise of paradise, Parallax easily fends off Superman and even the wrathful Spectre. While Oliver Queen/Green Arrow tries in vain to reach his friend and laments how far he’s fallen, Waverider has Superman and a few others channel their awesome powers through him, which he then redirects to confused outcast Grant Emerson/Damage, with the remorseful Batgirl sacrificing herself to protect the boy from Parallax’s fury. Heartbroken by how far his friend’s fallen, Green Arrow does the only thing he can and fire an arrow at the weakened Parallax, seemingly killing Hal and leaving the stage clear for the super-charged Damage to spark a new big bang. Thanks to Waverider’s intervention, Superman and the others watch as a new timeline forms, restoring many lost during the Crisis but leaving others, like Batgirl, lost to memory. Although Power Girl rejoices at having birthed new life in this new world, Green Arrow is left devastated and the survivors are both rattled and haunted by the experience, which caused numerous changes to their history (such as Warrior losing his armour and Batman no longer knowing who killed his parents, and the “Modern Age” of superheroes having only started “10 Years Ago” with the debut of Superman).

Final Thoughts: 
As I really started getting into comics during the 1990s, Zero Hour: Crisis in Time! was possibly the first Crisis event I ever read (or, at least, the one I read the most). I’ve only ever read the main five issues and a few of the tie-in and aftermath issues, which mainly dealt with our heroes encountering other versions of themselves or bizarre time anomalies. However, I would probably advise that you seek out the complete event as the main story can be confusing without context. For example, Superman says he encountered his Kryptonian parents and different versions of Batman, Warrior’s left devastated by some unexplained loss, and it’s clear that key events are missing from the main story. This may be the first DC event where the tie-in issues were semi-required to fully grasp what’s going on, which does impact the story as it’s so crammed with characters and events that it’s difficult to keep track of what’s happening and a chore to read at times. Every panel is stuffed with heroes and word bubbles, with many just standing around aimlessly, justifiably confused, or summarily executed by the entropy rifts. This means Raymond “Ray” Terrill/The Ray is left spouting “Cool!” and hovering in the background before randomly helping to kick-start the new big bang, and powerhouses like Matrix/Supergirl are as powerless to stop the destruction as the likes of Richard “Dick” Grayson/Nightwing, who joins Batman in a futile attempt to save lives. However, I did like that the heroes were determined to save as many as they could, and to intervene when the timelines merged, even though it was blindingly obvious they couldn’t stop the entropy, and how devastated they were when they inevitably failed. The stakes are definitely high and the heroes are constantly fleeing, reeling from their losses, or trying new ways to halt the destruction, keeping tensions high as they constantly fail.

This confusing mess of a Crisis is bogged down by copious exposition and cluttered action.

However, the pacing is all over the place. One minute, things are going a mile a minute; the next, things grind to a halt, and the cluttered panels are filled with endless dialogue as Waverider describes what’s going on. This really comes to a head in issue #0, where Waverider plucks the survivors from a microsecond of time and they witness the rebirth of the universe, all while Waverider waffles on about how they have one shot to re-join the timestream and it must be at the exact moment. He then explains, in great and confusing detail, why the likes of Batgirl (and, it’s assumed, Kyle) are dead but Batman and the billions of others are alive. Conveniently, this is because those latter examples died before the timeline reset; but anyone killed afterwards is really, truly dead. This does tie into Green Arrow’s grief and anger as he’s devastated at being forced to kill his best friend, despite having no choice as Hal was clearly mad with power and had appointed himself judge and jury over all lives and timelines. Green Arrow gets into a physical and ethical debate with Batgirl regarding this as Batgirl simply wants to live, just as the other anomalies want their worlds and lives back, and they briefly defend Parallax since he promises to give them everything they want. Though impressed by Batgirl’s spirit, Green Arrow echoes Warrior’s sentiments and believes Parallax isn’t qualified to make these decisions since it defies the natural order, but Oliver is distraught at being forced to take such extreme actions and this informed his characterisation for a while in the aftermath. Sadly, this comes far too late in the main story to be as impactful as it could be. I’m sure it’s fleshed out more in a tie-in comic but it’s noticeably lacking here, just like Warrior’s desire to undo Hal’s corruption and restore the Green Lantern Corps, which ends up being just one of many sidebars that aren’t resolved in the main story.

Extant and Waverider don’t make for compelling characters, making the story more dull than exciting.

As Zero Hour features time travel shenanigans, it makes sense for it to be confusing story and that the likes of Metron and Waverider must rattle off a lot of exposition. It gets frustrating as every issue reiterates a lot of this information, and if you’re not a big fan of Waverider, like me. I liked the twist that Extant was a gestalt entity comprised of different time-based powers and people, reducing him to an energy-based being with no real identity who sowed destruction for this own ends. I quite like Extant and feel he got short-changed here as he was rendered completely impotent once Parallax emerged from the shadows. Consequently, I think Zero Hour would’ve been far better and more coherent if Parallax had been the antagonist from the start, going around time destroying and absorbing power from the likes of Extant, the Time Trapper, and Waverider, just to give the story more focus and really emphasise how shocking it is when the JSA are de-aged and killed and characters are erased. This would’ve been a natural evolution of his original turn when he destroyed the Guardians of the Universe and would’ve made for more drama as his former allies lamented his madness and struggled with fighting him, rather than Extant constantly unmasking to be different people, and could’ve even seen Hal’s past self confronted by his future, corrupted counterpart. While the art is okay, Zero Hour suffers from having far too many characters crammed into every panel, making it difficult to keep track of who’s still around or not. I liked the depiction of entropy erasing characters and timelines, especially as a metaphor for DC literally streamlining their time, but the execution was lacking as it left Hawkman a combined entity rather than simply resetting him and I always come out of this story wondering what the purpose was beyond being a cluttered celebrating of DC’s colourful characters. Sadly, it falls very short and everything that happened in it was rewritten eventually, with even Parallax being redeemed, making the entire story forgettable and pointless.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

Were you also disappointed by Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!? Were you able to follow all the time-based nonsense and exposition? Are you a fan of Waverider and Extant or did you also find them dull characters? Which of the deaths was most impactful or senseless to you? Were you a fan of Hal’s turn as Parallax and do you agree he should’ve been the sole villain here? Did you like the changes made to DC following Zero Hour? Which Crisis event was your favourite and what are some of your favourite cosmic events? Tell me what you thought about Zero Hour: Crisis in Time! in the comments and donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest other Crisis events for me to cover.