marvel comics

Back Issues: The Amazing Spider-Man #13

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

Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Steve Ditko

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

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

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

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

Writer: Stan Lee – Artist: Jack Kirby

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

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

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

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

Writer: Mark Gruenwald – Artist: Tom Morgan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

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

Back Issues [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

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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 [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 [Deadpool Day]: Cable & Deadpool #1-6

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February 1991 marked the debut of Wade W. Wilson, the wise-cracking, fourth-wall-breaking Merc With a Mouth, one of Marvel’s most popular anti-heroes. Sideshow even rechristened April 1st as “Deadpool Day” to give fans an excuse to celebrate all things Deadpool.

Story Title: “If Looks Could Kill” (Part 1 to 6)

Published: 19 May 2004 (cover-dated: July 2004)
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Artist: Mark Brooks

Published: 21 April 2004 (cover-dated: June 2004)
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Artist: Mark Brooks

Published: 19 May 2004 (cover-dated: July 2004)
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Artist: Patrick Zircher

Published: 16 June 2004 (cover-dated: August 2004)
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Artist: Patrick Zircher

Published: 21 July 2004 (cover-dated: September 2004)
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Artist: Patrick Zircher

Published: 18 August 2004 (cover-dated: October 2004)
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Artist: Patrick Zircher

Quick Facts:
As instructed by then-chief editor Jim Shooter, Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod create the New Mutants, Mutant youngsters tutored by time travelling Mutant Nathan Summers/Cable as (eventually) X-Force. This also saw the debut of Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld’s Deadpool, a composite of James “Logan” Howlett/Wolverine, Peter Parker/Spider-Man, and (most infamously) DC Comics’ Slade Wilson/Deathstroke the Terminator. Years after establishing himself, Deadpool famously partnered with his frenemy, Cable, in team-ups that would define them as one of Marvel’s most entertaining and chaotic duos.

The Review:
Our story begins with Wade lounging around his apartment, aimlessly flicking through channels until called about a job. Although Wade’s initially reluctant as his client, the One World Church, is based in France as he mistakenly believes the United States is at war with France, he soon dons some synthetic skin and jets over there with the promise of a big payday. He’s met by the less-than-inconspicuous robed representatives of the church, who accept Wade’s gruesome, scarified visage as they’ve been “cleansed” of their identities and rendered androgynous, blue-skinned monks by their order. Though Wade warns them about preaching to him, he meets with their Prime Minister, Anton Kruch, at their colony and, though dubious, learns that the order has purged themselves of all material goods and societal boundaries. Inside the church’s high-tech mansion, Deadpool learns that Sunic Pharmacopoeia created a synthetic virus that could destroy or greatly benefit mankind, and that his mission is to retrieve the “Façade Virus” from their German facility. The toxin was created by Hans Beimer, a scientist currently being mind scanned by Cable. After advising a Mutant bellboy to reach out to Professor Charles Xavier/Professor X, Cable asks Irene Merryweather at the Daily Bugle to fill him in on Sunic, whom he suspects are up to no good. However, he finds the facility in chaos as Deadpool is cutting, shooting, and blasting through the security. Disturbed to find his old nemesis ransacking the place, Cable takes Wade’s advice and “[blows his] mind” with his telekinetic powers but is concerned to find the Façade Virus has been stolen and Beimer has been exposed to it, rendering him a blubbering mess of tumours, and realising too late that the fear he detected in three of the staff was actually guilt from the thieves. These “Spammers” experience different side effects from the virus, with Gunther Herschein/Sour Kraut being violently sick, Asahiri Aoki/Go-Go finding her skin extremely malleable, and Tuatola T’Tuana Timōn/T-5 seemingly unaffected.

Cable and Deadpool clash when it comes to a potentially dangerous man-made virus.

When his telepathic, city-wave search for the three proves futile, Cable calls Irene to learn their real names before running into Deadpool again. As Wade’s been contracted to steal the virus and hopefully help disfigured people like himself and Cable’s made it his mission to destroy it, the two seem destined for a conflict, only for Cable to blow Deadpool’s brains out again. By the time Cable reaches Sour Kraut, he’s literally melting from the virus after using it to masquerade as a movie star in a misguided attempt to cause anarchy. Despite his dismissive attitude towards Sour Kraut, Cable permits him a swift death and then confronts T-5 as he’s gunning down civilians and shouting about government hypocrisy. Chastising T-5’s hypocrisy, Cable easily brings him down and then evaporates Go-Go’s bazooka before extracting the virus from her as she did the others. The effort leaves Cable physically and mentally drained, allowing Deadpool to get the drop on him and bring the sample back to the church so its disciples can forgo the agony associated with their physical transformation. However, the church betrays him and harvests his unique accelerated healing factor to stabilise the virus, allowing them to quickly and efficiently transform everyone into their followers with a simple injection. Luckily, Cable’s ridiculously overpowered telekinetic abilities kept him from being killed and he takes some time to heal from the mental strain in Switzerland with a fully healed Professor X. Since Cable has purged his body of the “techno-organic virus” that held back his powers, Professor X worries that he’s overexerting himself, especially as he’s easily able to hold the returning virus at bay and push himself beyond his previous limits. Brushing these concerns aide, Cable asks for advice about how to best utilise his incredible powers while he still has control and Professor X warns him against employing them in a God-like manner to “fix” society’s ills.

Deadpool seemingly becomes transformed into the church’s loyal acolyte.

While infiltrating the church, Cable reluctantly apologies for the position the delirious and helpless Deadpool has found himself in and the two bury the hatchet through a psychic rapport, though Cable postpones rescuing him to scope out Kruch’s operation while functionally invisible. Kruch preaches of eliminating strife and bigotry by remaking everyone in their image and presents a fully transformed and brainwashed Deadpool to his congregation, who immediately exposes Cable, though Kruch insists that the church is no threat. Cable is amazed to see that Deadpool’s been cured of his mania and anger, though he’s sceptical about Kruch’s vision of world peace. Invited to witness the first test of the “Deliverance”, Cable and Deadpool witness Kruch’s plan to “infect” the world using electrical transmissions beamed into the eyes, afflicting Cable with the Façade Virus. When Cable decides to use it for himself, he unwittingly allows the virus to run rampant within him, sending his Mutant and technological abilities haywire and leaving him wide open for Deadpool’s sudden attack. After fending Wade off, Cable threatens Kruch was castration if he doesn’t tell him how to stop the virus. When Deadpool redoubles his attack, he ends up tossed into his dorm room, his healing factor struggling with the virus as he struggles with his sanity, slipping back into his costume to attack Cable. Stunned to learn that there is no cure for the Façade Virus, Cable’s easily overwhelmed by Deadpool since the infection is causing his techno-organic virus to spread like wildfire. Conveniently, Cable crash-lands into the church’s armoury, allowing him to blast his way into the facility, only for Deadpool to attack again, convinced that Cable’s become the very thing he claimed to fight against.

Tensions between Cable and Deadpool remain high after Cable takes Kruch’s plan for his own.

Upon seeing Cable transformed into a bizarre, tentacled grotesque as the combined Façade and the techno-organic virus partially melts and ruins his body and his cyborg parts, Deadpool briefly takes pity on him but refuses to use his blood to cure Cable. Although Deadpool believes that Kruch can eliminate xenophobia, which justifies taking away people’s opinions, he’s stopped in his tracks when his body also begins to melt from the Façade Virus. Though he keeps talking nonsense even as he melts into a pile of goop, Deadpool cannot drag himself to Cable’s paralysed form to cure them both. Luckily, Cable uses his telekinetic powers to draw Deadpool’s liquified remains to him, restoring him and literally puking up the restored Deadpool. Pissed at being deceived by Kruch, Deadpool insists on accompanying Cable to Sunic’s Singapore office, where Merryweather tells him the church has fled, though Cable leaves the visibly cured Wade to find his own way there. Although Cable arrives first, he’s intercepted by Doctor Edward Lansky/Lightmaster, who attacks with blades at blinding speed and ends up teleported into the Moon’s orbit. While Cable agrees with Kruch’s philosophy for world peace and anticipated that he planned to spread the Façade Virus through Lightmaster, he redirects Dr. Lansky’s counterattack into the Singapore Deliverance Device, spreading a modified version of the virus across the world and turning them pink instead of blue. Cable then flies over the world reassembling his old space station and worrying Merryweather so much that she asks him to visit her in person. Knowing he’d use his teleporter, and that the incident has genetically bonded Cable with Deadpool, Merryweather leads Cable into a confrontation with Wade, one Cable easily ends by repeatedly tearing Deadpool apart with teleporters. Cable then restores everyone to normal and proclaims himself a saviour, unwittingly restoring Deadpool’s gruesome visage. Deadpool then vows to abuse their biological link to keep tabs on Cable and ensure he doesn’t let his God complex go to his head, a sentiment shared by the X-Men.

Final Thoughts: 
I was expecting a lot more from Cable and Deadpool’s first team-up. On the plus side, the art is pretty much flawless. While I prefer Cable as a man-mountain and it was jarring to see him so trim, lacking in ostentatious accessories, and relying on his awesome psychic powers, the art had a very kinetic and colourful style to it. The few fight and action scenes we get are frantic and detailed and I particularly enjoyed how expressive Mark Brooks and Patrick Zircher make Deadpool, despite his disappointing lack of time in his costume. This is Deadpool at his most self-referential and wacky, with him constantly chattering nonsense and making timely pop culture references to Dennis the Menace and Brigitte Nielsen. I liked that Deadpool is haunted by his ghastly appearance, which leaves him a cross between “Ryan Renolds [sic] and a shar-pei”, and that this seems to inform his defence of the One World Church. Sadly, this isn’t as developed as I’d like. Indeed, when Deadpool hears Kruch’s pitch, he’s sceptical and only in it for the money, then he’s suddenly fighting Cable to the death over the Façade Virus even before he’s pumped full of it and seemingly indoctrinated into the order. It seems Deadpool is only half-heartedly on Kruch’s side, with him finally achieving inner peace thanks to his restored visage (even if he is blue) and believing there’s a small chance the church can end conflict and bigotry. However, this isn’t as explicit as I would’ve liked. It seems Deadpool’s been brainwashed, then he seemingly denies that. Then, he makes amends with Cable a couple of times and then turns on him, suddenly convinced Cable wants to conquer the world by perverting the Façade Virus, which kind of comes out of nowhere, and Wade turns against Kruch when he suffers the horrendous side effects of the virus.

While the art is great, the plot and characterisations are distractingly haphazard.

This is much more of a Cable story, one centred on his conflicting morality regarding his incredible powers, which are stronger than ever. Having witnessed apocalyptic futures and a lifetime of conflict and suffering, Cable is obsessed with saving the world and is tempted to use his almost God-like powers for the greater good even if it means putting himself on a pedestal. Indeed, Cable is ridiculously powerful here, forgoing any weapons but his telekinetic abilities and easily rendering himself invisible or having psychic conversations from half a world away. Cable sees a logic in Kruch’s twisted vision for the world, which would make “all as one” as a homogenised, placid species. Although Cable believes Kruch is taking away people’s opinions, it’s not clear to me how Cable’s plan for the Façade Virus is any different beyond making people pink instead of blue. He spreads the virus and worries friends and foes alike by reconstructing his space station, but seemingly does nothing despite claiming to have full control of the virus. He then restores everyone and is apparently heralded as a hero, though I’m not sure how or why, inspiring Deadpool, the X-Men, and others to believe he’s gone “too far”. I can just about understand Deadpool’s behaviour being all over the place as he’s nuts, but I don’t get why Cable’s characterisation is so radically different panel to panel and issue to issue. I can only assume it was part of an ongoing story arc, but it made this first six-part story unnecessarily difficult to read. The dialogue bounces around so much I had trouble keeping track of what was going on or why the two were fighting and I was left disappointed that this wasn’t a more action-packed, unhinged team-up between the titular Mutants.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

Did you enjoy the first story arc of Cable and Deadpool’s team-up comic? Were you also disappointed that it wasn’t a more action-packed story? Can you explain why Deadpool was so devoted to the One World Church and what the hell was going on with Cable? What are some of your favourite moments between Cable and Deadpool and how are you celebrating Deadpool Day today? Let me know what you thought down in the comments and donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest other, better Cable and/or Deadpool content for the site.

Back Issues [Stark Sunday]: Tales of Suspense #46

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Anthony “Tony” Stark/Iron Man first lived, walked, and conquered in March 1963 and has gone through numerous armours and shot to mainstream superstardom thanks to Robert Downey Jr.  

Story Title: “Iron Man Faces the Crimson Dynamo!”
Published: 9 July 1963 (cover-dated: October 1963)

Writers: Stan Lee and Robert Bernstein
Artist: Don Heck

Quick Facts:
Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Don Heck’s questionable hero has fought many colourful villains over the years, such as many iterations of his Soviet counterpart, the Crimson Dynamo. First appearing as Doctor Anton Vanko and mirroring escalating tensions between America and Russia, versions of this villain have long-dogged Iron Man and directly influenced his live-action counterpart, Ivan Vanko/Whiplash (Mickey Rourke).

The Review:
Our story is set mid-way through the infamous “Cold War”, a period of animosity between the United States and Soviet Russia. Nikita Khrushchev (“the “Mr. Big” of the Iron Curtain”), visits Professor Anton Vanko (the titular “Crimson Dynamo”), a man even Khrushchev hates and fears. However, since Vanko is the “world’s greatest expert on electricity”, Khrushchev begrudgingly tolerates Vanko’s lofty arrogance. Amusingly, the animosity and resentment between the two is mutual, though Khrushchev begrudgingly sets his hostilities aside to see Vanko’s latest breakthrough. Although Khrushchev is initially sceptical when Vanko dons an elaborate, spiked, armoured suit said to give his control of electricity, the First Secretary is amazed when the Crimson Dynamo obliterates a robotic duplicate of Iron Man. Khrushchev’s nerves are further shot and his doubts fully settled when the Crimson Dynamo commands a tank to stop mere inches from the First Secretary’s face and then reduces it to wreckage. Though impressed by the demonstration, Khrushchev is left rattled and secretly vows to dispose of Vanko once he’s outlived his usefulness as he presents a threat to Khrushchev’s position. Before that, Khrushchev appeals to Vanko’s vanity and orders him to head to America and scupper Tony Stark’s operations at Stark Industries, and destroy his “bodyguard”, Iron Man, to weaken America’s military and eliminate one of their greatest scientific minds and heroes. The story jumps ahead two weeks and halfway across the world to the testing site of Stark’s latest missile, where Stark’s chauffeur, Harold “Happy” Hogan, and his secretary, Virginia “Pepper” Potts, are busying arguing as Pepper decides to question Happy’s courage and be unnecessarily mean to him. Still, inspired by their concerns over the missile’s safety, Stark heads to his office to slap on a special “collapsible extensible armour” to oversee the missile launch as the gold-plated Avenger.

The Crimson Dynamo systematically attacks Stark’s facilities, sabotaging his reputation.

And good thing, too, as the Crimson Dynamo just happens to be waiting in the nearby forest. As soon as the missile launches, the Crimson Dynamo messes with its circuits, causing the missile to suddenly plummet to the ground, endangering the crew onboard (making it more of a rocket than a missile…) and those below. Luckily, ol’ shellhead intercepts the missile and slows its descent, allowing it to land clumsily, but far less dangerously. The effort leaves Iron Man dazed and provides the Crimson Dynamo with a perfect demonstration of his abilities. While Stark puzzles over what could’ve fried the missile’s circuits, the Crimson Dynamo spends days targeting Stark’s plants, destroying his rockets, electrical equipment, weapons, and facilities (all with no loss of life, conveniently), all from a distance and anonymously. Stark’s so dumbfounded by the massive, nationwide assault that he suspects every enemy nation is targeting him. As if the risk of losing his military contracts isn’t bad enough, the fat cats in Washington, D.C. also decide to investigate Stark, fearing he may be sabotaging his plants to weaken the American military (because paranoia was rife during the Cold War!) Though Happy and Pepper vow to stick by Stark, he’s desperate for his unseen adversary to expose himself. Similarly, Vanko is frustrated that Iron Man didn’t show up during his rampage so he dons his armour once more and openly attacks Stark’s research centre, correctly conveniently surmising that ol’ shellhead must be there. After urging Happy and Pepper to flee, Stark slips on his armour and finally comes meets his armoured foe, immediately recognising that the Crimson Dynamo wields similar electric powers to him.

Iron Man easily bests the Crimson Dynamo and turns him away from the Commies with a simple ruse!

This allows Iron Man to erect an invisible force field to negate the Crimson Dynamo’s electrical bolts and also propels him into the air to avoid being fried when the Crimson Dynamo electrifies the ground. Iron Man then emits static to interfere with the Crimson Dynamo’s electric signals and challenges him to counter his abilities, frustrating Vanko and driving him to boast of his mission to destroy Stark’s operations, allowing Iron Man to take a recording of the confession for later. Aware of the universal truth that “all Commies are chronically suspicious of each other”, Iron Man lures the Crimson Dynamo into the woods, uprooting and chopping down giant oak trees to cage his armoured foe since, for all Vanko’s vaulted genius, he never built a pair of rocket boots or a rocket pack into his armour! Iron Man then grabs the Crimson Dynamo and flies him to the coast, threatening to dunk him in the water and kill them both from the resultant electric shock. The Crimson Dynamo immediately begs for his life and is convinced to surrender, much to Iron Man’s pleasure. Once safely on the pier, Iron Man offers the Crimson Dynamo a pair of special earplugs to eavesdrop on Khrushchev’s orders to execute Vanko once he’s defeated the armoured Avenger. Although this is another ruse by Iron Man, the Crimson Dynamo buys the deception and is incensed to learn that his Communist masters planned to kill him; he even doubles down and thanks Iron Man for opening his eyes! Incredibly, Iron Man offers Vanko the chance to put his genius to work for a country that appreciates him and the Crimson Dynamo accepts, revealing that the Commies are holding a fortune in gold for sabotage purposes and being given a job at Stark Industries for his intel! Naturally, Khrushchev is left incensed by this betrayal and vows to make Iron Man pay for stealing away his top scientist.

Final Thoughts: 
Well, this was shit. Okay, maybe that’s a little harsh, but this was such a nothing, throwaway story that really could’ve been so much more. The Crimson Dynamo should’ve been positioned as Stark’s equal and Communist opposite, a brilliant inventor and industrialist who’s deeply committed to his country and willing to do anything to defend it, even if it means launching pre-emptive attacks against the United States. Imagine a Tony Stark without a moral compass, a man who puts his genius and technology to work to destroy, rather than defend. That could’ve been a really unique twist, especially if the story had been spread out over two issues. Instead, we get this mess of a story that’s full of weird moments. Like, why is there a crew onboard the missile? What sense does that make? Wouldn’t they die once it hits its target? They’re literally there to add some stakes when the Crimson Dynamo sabotages the missile, but just changing the dialogue to say it’s a “rocket” would’ve made all the difference. Then, the Crimson Dynamo attacks a whole bunch of Stark’s facilities and Iron Man isn’t there for any of them? Stark seemingly makes no effort to try and track down their saboteur, instead assuming it’s multiple assailants all acting in conjunction and spending his days worrying about losing his lucrative military contracts. He’s left blindly hoping for his foe to make a mistake, which isn’t a great strategy, and lucks out when Vanko gets annoyed by Iron Man’s absences. I also didn’t like seeing the American government suspect Stark of being a traitor. This cropped up a lot back then and I get it’s emblematic of the Cold War, but it was stupid to think Stark would cost himself millions of dollars and willingly destroy his reputation, and it made Iron Man’s belief that all Communists are distrustful of each other that much weaker. If the Reds had been betrayed as backstabbing, immoral assholes and the Yanks as united, honourable people, it would’ve made the parallels and differences between Iron Man and the Crimson Dynamo that much more impactful. As is, it just reads like we’re all as bad as each other. Which is true, but still…

Sadly, the Crimson Dynamo fails to be all that he could be and the story is weaker because of it.

The Crimson Dynamo certainly look the part. He’s got pretty cool, spiked armour like an iron maiden and all these fancy, somewhat vague “electrical powers”. He can blow up robots with a button, tear tanks apart with electrical bolts, screw up circuitry from afar, and destroys many of Stark’s facilities without being seen. His armour is pretty cool, being all red where Iron Man is all gold and having ridges and spikes all over him while Iron Man is sleek and smooth. Vanko is said to be this renowned expert in electricity and he certainly bothers Khrushchev, who’s intimidated by Vanko’s ambition, arrogance, and power. However, while the Crimson Dynamo deals a heavy blow against Stark, he’s undone by his arrogance as he gives up his one advantage so he can satisfy his desire to destroy Iron Man and is immediately humiliated once the fight starts! Seriously, Iron Man barely breaks a sweat with this guy as he deflects his one attack, messes up his systems, and easily cages him with trees because Vanko can’t fly! What the hell kind of flaw is that? How do you base so much of your armour and weaponry on Iron Man but omit the fucking rocket boots!? Then, Vanko is easily tricked into surrendering, and betraying his country, and revealing Commie secrets, all because he was made to believe that Khrushchev wanted him dead! I assume that Vanko is later revealed to be working as a double agent or something; that’s the only explanation for the abrupt ending, which barely acknowledges the crimes Vanko committed! I was expecting so much more from this story, a true mirror match and clash of politic and moral ideologies from these similar, but radically different scientists and investors. Instead, it’s another bog-standard, “villain-of-the-week” story designed to show how awful the Soviets are compared to the righteous and capable Americans.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

Were you also disappointed by the Crimson Dynamo’s first appearance? Did you also think that Vanko failed to live up to his full potential as a dark counterpart to Stark? Were you also amazed at how ineffectual the Crimson Dynamo was against Iron Man? What are some of your favourite Iron Man vs. Crimson Dynamo stories? Which of Iron Man’s armours is your favourite and how are you celebrating Iron Man this month? Share your thoughts in the comments, like this review, and donate to my Ko-Fi to support the site.

Back Issues [Wolvie Wednesday]: The Uncanny X-Men #212-213

Dr. KLeave a comment

Since his first full debut in November 1974 and joining the X-Men in 1975, James “Logan” Howlett/Wolverine has become one of Marvel Comics’ most recognisable and enduring superheroes.

Story Title: “The Last Run”
Published: 9 September 1986 (cover-dated: December 1986)
Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: Rick Leonardi

Story Title: “Psylocke”
Published: 7 October 1986 (cover-dated: January 1987)
Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: Alan Davis

The Background:
Back 1974, Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Roy Thomas tasked writer Len Wein with creating the first-ever Canadian superhero, resulting in the short, feisty “Wolverine”. John Romita Sr sketched the original concept art for the character (including his now-iconic retractable claws) and Herb Trimbe put the finishing touches to Wolverine’s design. Although Wolverine’s past and true identity was initially kept a mystery, readers got a glimpse into his background through his ongoing and violent rivalry with fellow Mutant, Victor Creed/Sabretooth. Created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, Sabretooth initially debuted as an enemy of Danny Rand/Iron Fist in 1977 before transitioning to a minor X-Men foe during the “Mutant Massacre” event (Claremont, et al, 1986). Originally intended to be Wolverine’s father and sometimes hinted to be his brother, the exact nature of their history is shrouded in mystery, with the only recurring element being their intense hatred of each other. Sabretooth famously makes a point of causing Wolverine anguish every year on his birthday and cemented himself as Logan’s archenemy by targeting his loved ones and being his toughest, most persistent foe. Accordingly, Sabretooth often accompanies Wolverine in other media and is naturally regarded as his worst enemy.

The Review:
Wolverine’s first clash against Sabretooth came when Creed was running with the Marauders, ruthless Mutant assassins working for Doctor Nathaniel Essex/Mister Sinister. As part of his plot to wipe out or otherwise experiment on Mutants, Mr. Sinister sent the Marauders to massacre the Morlocks, outcast sewer-dwelling Mutants beneath New York City. While reviewing the slaughter, Wolverine is telepathically contacted by newcomer Betsy Braddock/Psylocke, who passes along a request from the grieving Ororo Munroe/Storm for Logan to apprehend a Marauder to learn more about their plot. The effort of contacting Wolverine drains Psylocke, but her suffering is little compared to Storm’s as she ran with the Morlocks for a time and finds herself surrounded by dead or grievously injured allies. Storm’s so traumatised that she flees from Charles Xavier/Professor X’s school in anguish, desperate to return to nature and outrun her guilt. Concerned about Storm and his girlfriend, Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat (who’s been left in a permanently out of phase), Piotr “Peter” Rasputin/Colossus tries to ask Psylocke for help, only to suddenly collapse from his own injuries. Luckily, Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto is allied with the X-Men at this time and he uses his amazing powers to try and help Colossus, only to leave him conscious but paralysed. Meanwhile, Anna Marie/Rogue asks Storm’s Morlock friend, Callisto, to find the weather witch, with the one-eyed Morlock opting to treat Storm to some tough love and literally beat some sense into her.

With the X-Men reeling from the Marauders’ attack, Wolverine renews an old rivalry.

Down in the sewers, Wolverine shrugs off Psylocke’s sudden silence and struggles to pick up the Marauders’ scent only to be jumped by Sabretooth, a hulking, animalistic sadist who has the Morlock Healer in his grasp. Confirming that he’s part of the Marauders and happy to assist Mr. Sinister’s scheme to take out the Morlocks and the X-Men, Sabretooth goads Wolverine into a fight (not that he needs much encouragement) by mocking him and backs up his arrogant claims by proving Logan’s physical better, wrestling with Wolverine and deftly avoiding his patented Adamantium claws. Rather than fighting harder, Wolverine opts to fight smarter, collapsing the already weakening tunnel on his foe, bringing their brief scuffle to an anti-climactic end as Wolverine’s more focused on getting Healer to safety than wasting time fighting Sabretooth. Just as he reconvenes with Rogue, the tunnel is immolated by a mysterious plasma wave that potentially threatened the New Mutants, a young Mutant team Wolverine sensed had gone against orders and ventured into. Despite Wolverine’s best efforts, the blasts apparently obliterate the Morlocks and Storm suspects that her unstable powers may have been the cause. Unwilling to give into despair, Magneto suggests he ally with the Hellfire Club to bolster their numbers, a suggestion Storm naturally balks at considering how dangerous the group has been in the past. As Doctor Moira McTaggart works tirelessly to save the lives threatened by the Marauders, Psylocke struggles with her sense of belonging with the X-Men, eager to prove her worth and lamenting their losses. In an effort to help, Psylocke suggests (well, “insists”) that she bolster her powers with Cerebro to search for the New Mutants and the Marauders, though Storm orders her not to take the risk as they need her to monitor for threats against the school.

Psylocke gambles on Wolverine’s durability to outlast Sabretooth’s assault.

Disheartened, Psylocke suddenly detects an intruder and receives agonising psychic feedback when she tries to probe them. As Rogue wanders the grounds, pondering her past, she’s suddenly attacked by Sabretooth, who easily overpowers her before trashing Cerebro and injuring Psylocke’s arm with his razor-sharp claws. Shrugging off her psycho-blast, Sabretooth pursues her with a sadistic, murderous rage, easily crushing a dumbbell and driving Psylocke to the roof. Though injured and outmatched, Psylocke grabs Storm’s knife after plummeting into her attic apartment, much to Sabretooth’s glee as he seemingly gets off on her feisty attempts to fight back. Just as Sabretooth gets his claws on Psylocke, he’s interrupted by Wolverine and Storm, who attacks Creed with her staff to save Psylocke. Sabretooth draws first blood in his rematch with Wolverine, somersaulting over him and clawing his back, even sampling Logan’s blood before they charge each other. Wolverine buries his claws into Sabretooth’s thigh, causing him to hurl Logan through the skylight in a rage. Sabretooth quickly follows and is tackled to the pool below. Though Magneto wishes to restrain Sabretooth to probe his mind, Psylocke argues that Creed’s psychic defences are too strong and that their best chance is to invade his mind while he’s busy fighting, trusting that Wolverine can take the punishment. Thus, as the two trade blows and cut each other to ribbons, Psylocke discovers that they have fought before and finally extracts knowledge of Creed’s mysterious master. Angered that he’s been so obviously duped, Sabretooth dives off a nearby cliff and into the sea, disappearing from Psylocke’s probes, much to Wolverine’s anger. In the aftermath, Psylocke is formally welcomed to the team and Storm prepares to move their wounded to Dr. McTaggart’s research facility on Muir Island to protect them from further Marauder attacks.

The Summary:
“Psylocke” is one of the first X-Men stories I ever read as it was included in a Marvel Comics annual I owned back in the day. Consequently, I have some fondness for this era in the X-Men’s history and this art style, which depicts one of the quintessential incarnations of the team. Wolverine, for example, dons his brown and tan suit, Storm has her wild punk-rock look, Rogue sports short hair, and Magneto wears a more heroic outfit to reflect his position as the X-Men’s headmaster. While the art is often simplistic at times, appearing washed out and lacking detail (specifically the faces), this is more noticeable in group panels and doesn’t apply to Wolverine’s brutal fights with Sabretooth. These issues also take place in the middle (or early days) of the “Mutant Massacre” story arc, so there’s a much bigger narrative of the X-Men and their allies being targeted by Mr. Sinister and the Marauders. Therefore, your enjoyment may hinge on your familiarity with the Morlocks as their slaughter takes centre stage. Storm, especially, is distraught by the deaths of her colleagues and questions her leadership skills, while Psylocke is equally filled with doubt about her place on the team and usefulness beyond simply monitoring for threats. Ultimately, Psylocke proves herself by betting on Wolverine’s tenacity and durability, believing he can take whatever Sabretooth dishes out and thus provide them crucial information regarding the Marauders. Similarly, Callisto’s unique brand of tough love and the pressing nature of their situation forces Storm to snap out of her despair and help save Psylocke, and their injured teammates.

Wolverine’s history with Sabretooth takes a backseat to the wider narrative.

I really like this era for Wolverine, where he was a bit of a gruff loner but still loyal to his team. Wolverine’s happy to tackle the dirty jobs alone since he’s “the best there is at what he does” and his animalistic side relishes the chance to get his claws dirty extracting a measure of revenge on the Marauders. While stunned to find Sabretooth running with the group, Wolverine doesn’t hesitate to fight Creed despite being physically outmatched. Sabretooth is presented as a sadistic psychopath who relishes torturing and slaughtering his prey. He happily targets the defenceless or fights dirty and is presented as a dark mirror to Wolverine, being a killer whereas Wolverine is “a man–who sometimes kills”. Interestingly, while Sabretooth embraces his animalistic side in a way that Wolverine constantly fights against, he’s not some mindless killer and is, instead, loquacious enough to goad his victims and taunt Wolverine relentlessly. Although their dialogue and Psylocke’s probing hints at their past, very little time is spent exploring how Wolverine and Sabretooth know each other. Instead, they simply clash as old rivals, eager to see who is the better between them. Unfortunately, their fights aren’t that impressive. The first was an interesting character study for Wolverine as he chooses the higher path rather than giving into his rage. The second fight is better and longer and is great for showing how tough Wolverine is, but it takes a backseat to Psylocke’s psychic probing. It might’ve been nice to spend a bit more time with the two, to have a few more breadcrumbs dropped regarding their past, and to let them go at it a bit more, but this is still a decent first round bout between the fierce rivals and a notable moment in Wolverine’s long history.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

What are your thoughts on Wolverine’s first battle with Sabretooth? Were you a fan of the “Mutant Massacre” story arc? What did you think to the hints towards Wolverine’s history with Sabretooth? Were you a fan of Psylocke and this incarnation of the X-Men? Were you a fan of Claremont’s work with the team, and Wolverine? How are you celebrating Wolverine’s debut this month? Whatever you think about these issue, or Wolverine in general, leave a comment below and donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest more Wolverine stories for me to cover.