marvel comics

Back Issues [Independence Day]: The Avengers #4

Dr. K5 Comments

First appearing in 1941, Marvel Comics’ star-spangled super soldier, Captain Steve Rogers/Captain America, has become one of Marvel’s most recognisable and celebrated characters not just for his super patriotism but also for being a prominent member and leader of Marvel’s premier super team, the Avengers. Having successfully made the jump to live-action, Cap is now a widely celebrated, mainstream superhero and, given that today is Independence Day, this seems like the perfect excuse to pay tribute to the star-spangled man with a plan himself!

Story Title: “Captain America Joins…The Avengers!”
Published: 1 March 1964
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby

The Background:
In 1941, the Second World War was well under way; Nazi Germany overtook Denmark and Norway in April 1940 and the United States finally entered the fray in 1941 to oppose the combined “Axis powers” of Germany, Japan, and Italy. Due to the ever-escalating conflict, patriotism and national pride ran rampant in America, leading to Joe Simon and the legendary Jack Kirby debuting Captain America and his kid sidekick, James Buchanan Barnes/Bucky, who took the fight directly to the enemies of America and encouraged readers to support the war effort by any means necessary. However, after the War ended, superheroes saw a decline in popularity and Captain America’s solo title was cancelled in 1954, but the character got a second chance when he was recast as a “man out of time” in this issue of The Avengers. The Avengers came about as a direct response to rival DC Comics’ Justice League of America; Martin Goodman tasked Stan Lee with bringing together Tony Stark/Iron Man, Doctor Bruce Banner/The Hulk, Doctor Donald Blake/Thor Odinson, Doctor Hank Pym/Ant-Man, and Janet van Dyne/The Wasp as Marvel’s premier superhero team. With their ever-changing roster and prominence in some of Marvel’s biggest events and stories, the Avengers became a consistent and influential presence in Marvel Comics, even more so after the Star-Spangled Avenger joined their ranks in this historic issue.

The Review:
Marvel Comics always liked to hype up their stories and issues back during this time period; front covers would proclaim even the most bizarre-looking characters as being must-see events and issues generally always featured celebratory mentions of the creatives involved, and The Avengers #4 is no different. There are a couple of notable unique features in the full-page title splash for this story, though; first, a big explosive bubble of text directly attributes the return of Captain America to an “avalanche of fan mail” and a dialogue box at the bottom of the page makes sure to mention that “glorious” Stan Lee and “grand” Jack Kirby both collaborated on Captain America’s debut story, thereby lending further prestige to his return to the then-modern era of Marvel Comics. The story itself takes a little while to get started as the first page of panels is dedicated to recapping the Avengers’ battle against Prince Namor McKenzie/The Sub-Mariner and the Hulk in the previous issue; after the Hulk disappeared, Namor was forced to flee from the overwhelming odds and returned to the depths of the ocean. The sting of defeat is great for the proud Mutant but pales in comparison to the frustration he feels at being abandoned by his people after the inhabitants of Atlantis questioned his loyalty. Vowing to never stop searching for his lost people, Namor finds himself lost amidst the frozen wastes of the North Sea, where he comes across a tribe of Eskimos who worship a mysterious figure frozen in a block of ice. Interestingly, despite the Eskimos being isolated from the rest of the world, they instantly recognise “the dreaded Namor”, who wastes no time in mocking their idol and turning his anger upon them. In his rage, Namor decimates the frozen landscape, terrorises the simple folk, and hurls their frozen idol into the sea.

The Avengers are awestruck when they recover the perfectly-preserved body of the legendary Captain America!

Free from the frigid temperatures of the northern climate, the ice block slowly melts and, by the time the Avengers come across it in their little submarine (I assume they were tracking Namor, that seems to make sense as to why they’d randomly be out there), the ice has completely melted, freeing the unconscious body trapped within. Giant-Man brings the body aboard and the team are stunned to find that it’s none other than the slumbering body of the legendary Captain America, a star-spangled crusader of justice so prolific that even Norse God Thor is aware of his accolades. The team’s shock at this discovery turns to panic when Cap suddenly awakens and lashes out in a confused daze, desperate to keep his kid sidekick, Bucky, from harm. Thor, Iron Man, and Giant-Man leap in to restrain the raging legend, but his madness quickly passes. Within the space of five panels, he resigns himself to the memory that Bucky is dead and reclaims his identity, shield, and mantle of Captain America. Though impressed, the Avengers are so puzzled by Cap’s youth and vigour that they suspect some kind of trick. Thus, Cap invites them to test him, easily dodging Thor’s magical hammer, overpowering even the hulking Giant-Man, and is only kept from embarrassing the group further when Wasp stops him in his tracks by challenging his chivalry. Suitably convinced that Cap is the real deal, tensions calm long enough for Cap to tell the tragic story of how he came to be encased within a block of ice. Back during the Second World War, Cap and Bucky were posing as security guards at an Army base when a mysterious Nazi figure launched an explosive-filled drone in a bid to either kill the two or rob the United States of a powerful weapon. Although Cap failed to reach the plane in time, Bucky leapt onboard and was seemingly vaporised when the plane exploded; the heartbroken Cap was hurtled into the ocean depths off the coast of Newfoundland, where he became encased in ice and effectively held in suspended animation. When the Avengers reach New York City, they’re greeted by the press, hungry for the big scoop on their battle against Namor and the Hulk, but the team are suddenly and inexplicably turned into stone statues by a flash of light! Cap missed the event since he was still inside the craft and, when he emerges topside to find everyone gone, he assumes that the statues are in honour of the colourful heroes and ventures out to explore the strange new world he’s found himself in without a second thought.

Cap tracks down the one responsible for petrifying the Avengers, an alien whom he vows to assist.

Cap is impressed by how much has changed, from clothing and fashion to the establishment of the United Nations and the upgrades to everyday vehicles, and stuns the public, who instantly recognise him as the legendary hero of World War II. Directed to a hotel by a helpful police officer, Cap briefly marvels at the wonders of television before dozing off in a troubled exhaustion. Already questioning his place in the modern age, Cap is startled to wake up and find Bucky alive and well in his hotel room…only to realise that it’s perennial sidekick and Avengers mascot Rick Jones. Concerned by the Avengers’ disappearance, Rick confronts Cap; since Cap was the last person to see them, Rick basically accuses him of being involved and threatens to set the Hulk on him if he doesn’t help find the team. This threat means little to Cap since he doesn’t know who the Hulk is and he’s still struggling with the uncanny resemblance between Rick and Bucky, but he promises to help find the team despite Rick’s rude demeanour. After reviewing the photos taken of the team by the press, Cap spies a suspicious man holding a camera-like gun and Rick wastes no time in contacting his “teen brigade” to try and find him amongst the teeming masses. Laughably, the teens come up with nothing but dead ends and false leads, but Cap finds the guy seemingly at random just by scouring the city’s rooftops. Once he spots the man he’s looking for, Cap wastes no time in springing into action and confronting him and his armed goons. Even these lowly mobsters recognise Cap and they’re easily overwhelmed by his indomitable shield, uncanny agility, and Herculean strength; while the goons quickly surrender, their leader desperately tries to turn Cap to stone with his ray gun, only to miss and be unmasked as a bizarre extraterrestrial lifeform! Unfazed by this, Cap threatens the alien (who goes unnamed in this issue but is eventually revealed to be named Vuk), who gladly tells his story to avoid being handled by “primitive beings”. Vuk crash-landed on Earth centuries ago and, encountering nothing but fear and hostility, would turn men to stone with his ray gun in self-defence, which Cap realises directly led to the myth of the hydra-haired, stone-eyed Medusa. Vuk relates that the Sub-Mariner promised to help Vuk return to the stars if he turned his weapon against the Avengers and, recognising the Sub-Mariner’s name from the past, Cap vows to help Vuk in return for undoing the damage he’s inflicted upon the Avengers.

As impressed by the team as much as they are with him, Cap helps fight Namor and joins the Avengers.

Namor witnesses these events from his deserted imperial castle using his “undersea scanner” and vows to avenge himself upon his enemies, a promise that suddenly becomes more viable when he conveniently stumbles upon a loyal troop of his elite guard. True to his word, Cap leads the Avengers in finding and freeing Vuk’s ship from the ocean depths, an act that earns them Vuk’s eternal gratitude and Cap’s admiration for the group’s unparalleled teamwork. Their victory is short-lived, however, as Namor and his elite guard suddenly attack the group; Iron Man goes toe-to-toe with Namor but his armour struggles to withstand the sledgehammer-like blows of the Sub-Mariner. In desperation, Iron Man blasts Namor with a “full [intensity] magnetic ray”, but this only grants him a temporary reprieve; with his armoured foe’s “greatest weapon” exhausted, Namor redoubles his attack, smashing a rock over Iron Man’s head and manhandling him to the ground. Momentarily powerless as he waits for his transistors to recharge, Iron Man is saved from certain death by the timely intervention of the Wasp, who Namor easily shrugs off before answering his lieutenant’s plea for help in subduing the rampaging Thor. Thanks to his mighty hammer, Thor easily holds back Namor’s forces by himself and repels the energy bolts fired at him by their ray guns, forcing Namor to leap at the Thunder God to tackle him directly. After slipping free of the Atlantean’s net and saving himself from drowning, Giant-Man returns to the fray to assist Iron Man, hurling the Atlanteans off-panel with his massive strength before rushing to aid Thor in tussling with Namor, who’s become obsessed with wrestling Mjölnir from Thor’s grasp. Watching from the side lines, Cap can’t help but be impressed by the power and courage of the Avengers and in awe of Mjölnir, a weapon so powerful that only the Mighty Thor can lift it. Although the Avengers clearly have Namor beat, the proud prince refuses to surrender and lowers himself to threatening Rick’s life. This irks Cap so much that he finally leaps into action, tackling Namor’s elite guard and briefly being overpowered by the Sub-Mariner before the tiny isle on which they’re all fighting suddenly (and conveniently) breaks apart from an undersea explosion caused by Vuk’s ship. Confident that his enemies will drown beneath the resulting waves, Namor commands his forces to retreat, unaware that the heroes easily survived by clinging to the remains of the island. Impressed by Cap’s prowess in battle, the Avengers ask him to join their little team and he gratefully accepts, but Rick is left pondering the fate of his friend and partner, the Hulk, whose rage at being “replaced” by Captain America is as sure as the inevitability that the Avengers will butt heads with the Sub-Mariner again before long.

The Summary:
I quite enjoyed “Captain America Joins…The Avengers!” I sometimes struggle with Jack Kirby’s more bizarre artwork and designs but there was none of that here (save for the Avengers’ submarine and the brief depictions of Atlantean technology), which really helped these colourful characters to stand out all the more prominently. I especially liked Cap’s brief walk around New York City and him being impressed by the advances in technology and society since his day, and the panels that took place underwater, which evoked a murky, almost alien environment. Unfortunately, paralleling this was the pretty haphazard and confusing flashback to Bucky’s final mission, where it’s a bit difficult to make out where the characters are in relation to the plane, and the depiction of Vuk, who ends up looking more like Beaker than anything remotely impressive. I also really didn’t care for the reveal that an alien was behind the Avengers’ petrification; it was weird that Cap took it in stride and that the story didn’t treat it as a big deal, and it just came out of nowhere. I think it would’ve been far better to have it be an Atlantean in disguise, maybe switch the order of events to show Namor recruiting his elite guard before the Avengers reach New York, and then Cap could just threaten the Atlantean into helping him. It’s a minor thing to complain about but that’s kind of the problem; Vuk doesn’t even get a name and it just seems so random to just insert a Medusa-like alien into the story when the primary focus is the antagonism against Namor. Normally, I’d also complain about the depiction of women and youth during this time but, aside from being a bit too rude and confrontational, I didn’t have much of an issue with Rick Jones here and I was actually very impressed by the restraint show with the Wasp. She doesn’t fawn or coo over Cap upon seeing him and actually proves quite useful in the scuffle with him and Namor…but then all that goodwill gets thrown away on the very last page where it’s revealed that the Wasp disappeared from the battle to powder her nose!

Cap impresses with his abilities and characterisation, as does Namor’s unquenchable pride.

However, I enjoyed the angst of the Sub-Mariner as depicted here; Namor’s anger against he surface world has only exacerbated since his people abandoned him after questioning his loyalty due to his mixed heritage and he’s desperate not only to find his people, but to subjugate humanity to prove his superiority. There’s a tragedy to Namor that’s present even here; he lashes out at everyone and everything because he doesn’t want to be alone and craves power and adulation, but he’s tormented by being a child of both worlds and his status as a Mutant amongst even his bizarre people. Depicted as both an underhanded tactician and a formidable physical force, Namor’s threat is enough to require the attention of all the Avengers even without his elite guard and I liked how he easily overpowered Iron Man and matched even Thor’s God-like power (even if he was unable to lift Mjölnir). Of course, the true star of this story is Captain America; I really enjoyed how the issue went to great lengths to talk up Cap’s status as a legendary figure and that even randomers in the street recognised him as a hero from their youth. The Avengers are awestruck by his presence and seem delighted to not only have him amongst them, but also to test his abilities in battle, and Cap is equally impressed by the team, who he wishes could’ve been by his side during World War II. While it seems like Cap quickly regains his senses and returns to his confident and commanding persona, the story does touch upon the grief and anguish he feels at Bucky’s death and his feelings of belonging in the then-modern world. Though impressed by how far the world has come since his day, Cap briefly feels as though he doesn’t belong there, and it isn’t until he’s back in action, tracking down the Avengers’ mystery attacker and engaging with the Sub-Mariner, that he truly feels himself again. This was the perfect way to sell newcomers and sceptics on Cap’s return and make him relevant amongst his modern contemporaries and I really enjoyed how he meshed with the Avengers and their mutual respect for each other. Take out the Vuk stuff (or replace it with something better) and this would’ve gotten full marks from me, but it’s still a blast to read and one of the quintessential Avengers and Captain America stories.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

Have you ever read “Captain America Joins…The Avengers!”? If so, what did you think of it and did you enjoy seeing Captain America join the Avengers? Was this your first exposure to Captain America, and if not what was? Were you also disappointed by the inclusion of Vuk? What did you think to the depiction of Namor and Cap’s introduction to the then-modern world? Which of the Avengers is your favourite? How are you celebrating Independence Day today? Whatever your thoughts, drop a comment below or on my social media and be sure to check out my other Captain America content across the site!

Back Issues [HulkaMAYnia]: Future Imperfect

Dr. K2 Comments

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 thanks, in large part, to the Incredible Hulk television show (1977 to 1982) catapulting the Hulk into a mainstream, pop culture icon. The Hulk has been no slouch in the comics either, being a founding member of the Avengers and undergoing numerous changes that have made him one of their most versatile and enduring characters.

Published: 22 December 1992 / 26 January 1993
Writer: Peter David
Artists: George Pérez

The Background:
The Incredible Hulk (and his human alter ego, Doctor Robert Bruce Banner) was another creation of Marvel legends Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Inspired by the story of a hysterical mother showcasing superhuman strength to rescue her endangered child and classic movie monsters like Frankenstein’s Monster and Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde, the Hulk functioned as an allegory for the foils of war and was initially depicted as a stone-grey figure who emerged at night. Although his first series was cancelled after a year and a half in, the character returned to prominence following expansions of his lore and character and the popularity of the Incredible Hulk TV series. Nowadays, the Hulk is a staple of Marvel Comics, with an extensive gallery of villains who have tested him both physically and mentally, but one of his greatest tests came when writer Peter David and artist George Pérez had the Green Goliath encounter a possible future version of himself, the malevolent Maestro. Possessing the same insurmountable strength as the Hulk and bolstered by his calculating intellect, the Maestro is often regarded as one of the Hulk’s most dangerous and formidable villains. His debut story is so well regarded that the character has cropped up in additional tales to flesh out his backstory and regularly appears in the Hulk’s cartoon and videogame adaptations, so great is the threat of this devious alternative Hulk.

The Review:
Our story begins in a dystopian wasteland about one hundred years into the future; the overgrown, dishevelled ruins of New York City house the remnants of society in overcrowded, war-torn streets. Tensions are high and a “Big Brother” monitoring system is in place, courtesy of the mysterious Maestro, who dwells within an emerald palace high above the ruins. Amidst the bustling, anxious crowd, we’re introduced to Janis Jones and her cohorts in the rebellion against the Maestro, one that’s vastly outnumbered and against the odds. This is immediately demonstrated not just in their paranoia about their plans being overheard by the Maestro’s “Gravity Police” but the violent introduction of his cybernetic law enforcers, who immediately execute one of their number and demand their immediate surrender. Although Janis begs them to fall back and get to safety, her fellow insurgents choose to fight, leaving the elderly Pizfiz with a bloody stump for a leg and Janis and Skooter desperately trying to escape their pursuers. Luckily for them, a building collapses and covers their escape and, from the rubble, emerges none other than the Incredible Hulk. Now, this is the so-called “Professor Hulk”, a stable merging of Banner and the Hulk’s psyches who operated during the nineties. This Hulk wears clothes and is capable of intelligent speech, while also still exhibiting his trademark superhuman strength and dexterity, though not quite to the same degree as his usual savage self. This means he waxes lyrical while thrashing the Gravity Police but briefly struggles against their massive, mechanical “Dog O’ War”. However, he’s still the Hulk so naturally he rips the robot dog’s head off and sends the cops packing as a message to the Maestro.

100 years hence, the world is a dystopian hellhole ruled by a malicious Hulk.

Naturally, the Hulk attracts a fair amount of attention as he walks the streets; the people view him with a mixture of fear and respect, which he finds strangely alluring. He’s soon accosted by Janis and taken to the literal underground, where the rebellion hides deep beneath the wreckage of the city streets. Janis gives her people a quick history lesson on the Hulk, going over his classic origin courtesy of “sliding”, a visual representation of actual eyewitnesses to the Hulk’s history. It seems Janis recruited him to help them out and the Hulk went along because his old friend, Rick Jones, vouched for her and out of curiosity regarding the Maestro’s true identity. Janis takes the Hulk to an aged and decrepit Rick, who sits in Professor Charles Xavier’s hoverchair amidst a trophy room of those who have fallen in the years since, hero and villain alike. Word of the Hulk’s appearance quickly reaches Thomas Raymond, minister to the Maestro, who interrupts his leader’s orgy to bring him news of this temporal impossibility, giving us our first look at the Maestro as an older, more grizzled version of the Hulk who sports a lion’s mane of grey hair and beard. Favouring a regal cape and an intimidating helmet, the Maestro callously interrogates Pizfiz. When Pizfiz tries to goad the Maestro into losing his temper and killing him, the dictator allows the influence of the Minister and his cooler temperament to keep him in check and forcibly extracts the information he requires. Pizfix got Doctor Victor Von Doom/Dr. Doom’s time machine up and running and sent himself and Janis to the past to recruit the young Rick and the Hulk in helping them out. When Pizfiz is left a broken, lifeless husk from the stress of the procedure, the Maestro splatters him for his insolence and prepares to lead a strike team to hunt down his younger counterpart.

The Hulk is overpowered by the far stronger, far more cunning Maestro and left his helpless captive.

The frail Rick reveals that, in the end, humanity was their own undoing; two massive nuclear wars ravaged the world, killing the world’s heroes and villains, not to mention countless innocents, with only their costumes and ashes left as a memorial in Rick’s collection. Not so for the Maestro, who only increased in power from the radioactive fallout, built a dystopian society for his own amusement, and was driven completely insane. Much like Darkseid, the destitute peons of the city cheer the Maestro’s name and try to win his favour, only to be brushed aside and kicked out of the way like flies. The Maestro also has no time or worry for any defences the resistance may have set up and simply burrows his way down to their hideout using sheer brute strength, caring little when his men are dissolved by acid and gas or sliced to ribbons by lasers. The Maestro simply walks through these traps to come face to face, and blow for blow, with his counterpart. Their fight quickly explodes to the streets above, where the Maestro tests the Hulk’s resolve by calling him ”Puny Banner” and threatens to tear an innocent girl to pieces if he doesn’t surrender. The Hulk calls his bluff, reasoning that the Maestro must truly fear him to resort to such a tactic, but is unable to keep himself from leaping to the woman’s aid, much to the Maestro’s delight and disgust. Though the two are somewhat evenly matched, the Maestro takes the upper hand throughout the fight; he also constantly goads the Hulk, reasoning that he (as in the Maestro) can out-think and out-match him at every turn through the gift of hindsight as well as his awesome power and devious intellect. The plan works; when the Hulk charges in, the Maestro easily dodges and counters him to prove his intellectual superiority. Although the Hulk briefly turns the tide by fighting dirty with a nut shot, a haymaker sends the Maestro into a nearby building crushing and threatening innocent lives. The Hulk’s desperate need to save those lives allows the Maestro to get the jump on him and subdue him by breaking his neck. While Janis and the other lament the damage done to the Hulk, the Green Goliath wakes in the Maestro’s throne room, strapped into a massive neck brace and attended to by one of the Maestro’s “favourites”, who identifies herself as “Betty” and, apparently, rapes or at least physically interferes with him against his will, much to the Maestro’s pleasure.

The Hulk feigns injuries and temptation to lure the Maestro into a false sense of security.

Powerless and paralysed, the Hulk is forced to endure the Maestro’s scathing rhetoric; the Maestro even offers the Hulk the opportunity to put himself out of his misery, confident that his existence is assured since he has no memory of these events. The two get into a metaphysical debate about time travel theory but, in the end, the Hulk can’t bring himself to end his life since the risk that the Maestro is telling the truth about branching timelines being true is too great and would simply result in the Maestro’s continued existence. Resigned to being held prisoner while his wounds heal, the Hulk is forced out to the wastelands, where the elderly Boz and other would-be farmers desperately try to cultivate the irradiated and war-torn soil. Due to the scarce resources in the city, and the physical imperfections of these outsiders, they’re dependent on the Maestro’s limited generosity. He allows them to live, even furnishes them with supplies and has been trying to introduce nutrients into the soil, and all he asks in return is to take their most beautiful and worthwhile women for his own sordid amusement. The Maestro tries to win the Hulk over to his way of thinking, dressing him in fine robes and expositing the benefits of the less spirited slave girls in his palace, but the Hulk remains unimpressed. The Maestro sees his indignation and rejects it; to him, humans are the true monsters, for they destroyed themselves before any supervillain could. He sees himself as benefitting from the strange fate placed upon him since he was fortunate to have avoided being at ground zero and therefore reaped the rewards of the nuclear fallout while the world died around him. He offers the Hulk the chance to stay and rule at his side, promising that the future that lies ahead of him is full of the same hatred ad betrayal he’s always known, and the Hulk feigns temptation, and the extent of his injuries, in order to lead Janis and her allies into the palace.

Overpowered by the Maestro, the Hulk’s only hope is to out-think his foe using the time machine.

Pointed in the right direction by the Minister, the Hulk attempts to confront the Maestro directly and is blasted full force by a cannon specially created by Forge to kill the Green Goliath. Congratulating himself for being one step ahead of his counterpart, and his enemies, once more, the Maestro sets his forces against the resistance and a big ol’ shootout ensues. Angered at his soldiers’ inability to wipe the resistance out, and the disappearance of the wounded Hulk, the Maestro callously snaps the Minister’s neck and storms off in search of his younger self as his palace becomes a chaotic warzone. The Maestro follows the Hulk’s blood trail, and the familiar sound of Rick’s harmonica, to the trophy room; there, he chastises himself for allowing sentiment to stay his hand and delivers a mighty blow to his old friend. Though the frail Rick attempts to shield himself with the iconic shield of Captain Steve Rogers/Captain America, the force of the punch sends him flying across the room, where he’s impaled on the Adamantium claws of James “Logan” Howlett/Wolverine’s skeleton, much to the Maestro’s sneering amusement. In anger, the Hulk launches a surprise attack and attempts to cut the Maestro in half with Cap’s shield. When the Maestro attempts to counterattack with Thor Odinson’s magic hammer, he’s incensed to find he still cannot enough to lift it and briefly takes a beating after being blinded by the ashes of his former lover, Doctor Betty Ross. Once again, though, the injured Hulk finds himself overpowered and pummelled by the insane dictator’s onslaught; however, in the end, the Hulk is able to outsmart his devious doppelganger by luring him into Dr. Doom’s time machine. The Hulk activates the device, sending the Maestro to the one place he can be destroyed, ground zero of the very Gamma explosion that birthed the Hulk in the first place! In the aftermath, Boz’s daughter is returned to him and the people begin to pick their lives up in the Maestro’s absence. In a poignant farewell to his old friend, the Hulk launches Rick’s ashes, attached to Cap’s shield, into the horizon for one last adventure.

The Summary:
If you’ve ever read any story dealing with a dystopian future, particularly in Marvel Comics, then much of Future Imperfect will be visually familiar to you. The depiction of a war-ravaged, overgrown city full of strangely dressed survivors, cobbled together technology, and an oppressive, survival-of-the-fittest mentality is nothing new but this story does put a bit of a unique spin on things by focusing on the Hulk. As is often the case with stories that take place far in the future, the people of Future Imperfect use a lot of weird terminology in place of modern slang, curses, and even simple words like “see” to give it that bizarre edge, but this isn’t a future where advanced technology is readily commonplace. Thanks to humanity waging two devastating wars, these people are lucky to even be alive, much less spared the ravages of radiation poisoning and mutation, and it’s only through the paper thin grace of the tyrannical Maestro that they’re even able to eek out the harsh living they’re forced to endure. What’s left of the world’s heroes and Marvel’s iconic characters is stored in Rick’s trophy room; tattered costumes, forgotten weapons, and the ashes and memories of heroes and villains alike adorn the walls and are a stark reminder that, for all their battles, the superhuman community was unable to save humanity from itself in the end. This, as much as anything else, is a crucial aspect of the Maestro’s rise to power; as he so eloquently exposits to the Hulk, the people who hated, feared, and fought him were undone by their own monstrous nature and the “monster” they rallied against became a saviour and survivor in the aftermath.

The tyrannical Maestro is the Hulk’s physical and mental superior throughout the story.

At least, that’s how he sees himself. A combination of radiation, power, and presumably survivor’s guilt have driven the future Hulk completely mad. Selfish and tyrannical, he cares only for his own self gratification and sees himself as a tough but fair ruler to his people, who he demands sing his praises but cares little if they’re trampled underfoot. This is perfectly juxtaposed by the Hulk; younger, leaner, far less jaded (no pun intended), the Hulk retains his moral compass and respect for life, setting him at ideological odds with the Maestro in a way that wouldn’t be as possible or versatile with his more savage counterpart. It also helps that Professor Hulk is clearly much weaker than usual, especially against the Maestro; the added radiation and one hundred years of living give the Maestro the edge in terms of sheer power, ferocity, and cunning that even Professor Hulk struggles against. Rather than thinking with his fists or relying on his usual strategies, the Hulk is forced to endure being the Maestro’s captive to wait for an opening to strike more effectively, which allows us a deeper glimpse into the workings of the Maestro’s world and the depths of his insanity. I think it’s telling that the Maestro is so loquacious in his demeanour; he truly sees himself as the hero of his world, as the apex predator, and as deserving of everything his built and amassed after being hounded all his life and left the sole survivor following the devastating nuclear attacks.

The Hulk’s clash against the Maestro shows how dangerous an intelligent, evil Hulk can be.

Thus, the Maestro and the Hulk clash with morals as much as their fists, and both are intriguing. It’s not often that you see the Hulk, even Professor Hulk, manhandled and brutalised as badly as he is here; he’s constantly being swatted away, overpowered, and injured, bleeding in the finale and left half-paralysed after having his neck broken! In the rare instances when the Hulk is able to fight back, he’s always on the back foot within a few panels and, in the end, is forced to outwit the Maestro rather than out-fight him since he’s clearly outmatched. The supporting characters were okay; they fulfilled their purpose as resistance fighters who recruited the Hulk out of desperation, but it does make you wonder why Janis wouldn’t just stay in the past when she travelled back rather than risk her life saving a world that’s already gone to hell. The story even lampshades the suggestion that they go back and get more reinforcements; like, yeah, they could have tried to recruit more heroes while back in the past, and honestly the whole story of how the Hulk even got there is barely touched upon. Ultimately, they’re a means to an end; Janis needs to exist so the story can happen, but she’s not as interesting to me as the elderly Rick and his roomful of Easter Eggs, which served as a great backdrop for the finale. Ultimately, I can see why the story and the Maestro are so fondly regarded; it definitely could’ve benefited from being longer, perhaps five twenty page issues, to help things breathe a bit. Yet, the visual of the Maestro, his wild hair and his gruff, conniving demeanour, is certainly striking. The idea of the Hulk becoming intelligent and cruel enough to rule over the last vestiges of humanity is a powerful one since his rage at being ostracised is fully justified and he represents a nigh-unstoppable foe, and those elements were conveyed very well even in these two, all-too-brief issues.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

Are you a fan of Future Imperfect? What did you think to the Maestro and his depiction as a tyrannical, malicious future version of the Hulk? Were you a fan of Professor Hulk, and would you have liked to see the more savage Hulk take his place in this story? Which of the Easter Eggs in Rick’s trophy room was your favourite? Which dystopian future of Marvel Comics is your favourite and do you have a favourite alternative version of the Hulk? How are you celebrating the Hulk’s debut this month? Whatever your thoughts on Future Imperfect, go ahead and share them below or leave a comment on my social media and be sure to check out my other Hulk content.

Mini Game Corner [X-Men Day]: X-Men (PlayStation 3)

Dr. K4 Comments

To commemorate, the culmination of their long-running and successful X-Men movies, 20th Century Fox declared May 13th as “X-Men Day”, a day to celebrate all things Mutant and X-Men and celebrate Marvel’s iconic collection of superpowered beings who fight to protect a world that hates and fears them.

Released: 14 December 2010
Originally Released: 31 January 1992
Developer: Backbone Entertainment
Original Developer: Konami
Also Available For: Arcade, Mobile, and Xbox 360

A Brief Background:
After Stan Lee and long-time collaborator Jack Kirby introduced the X-Men in 1963, Mutants have featured prominently not only in Marvel Comics but also in videogames. The first X-Men videogame was essentially a vertical shooter on the Nintendo Entertainment System, but the characters saw their greatest early success in arcade ventures and team-based brawlers. Indeed, in 1992, the arcade scene was still a popular staple of the industry and beat-‘em-ups were at the forefront of that; the biggest names in this genre were Capcom and Konami, who pumped out licensed and first-party titles and defined a generation. X-Men was one of Konami’s most celebrated efforts; based on the vastly different pilot episode of the incredibly popular X-Men animated series (1992 to 1997), X-Men’s widespread acclaim was matched only by its scarcity. The title never made it to home consoles and it would take about twenty years for it to finally be ported from the arcades. This digital-only version was praised for its nostalgia, though criticised for being far too easy, and was sadly delisted from digital store fronts in 2013 due to licensing issues and hasn’t been seen since.

The Plot:
Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto leads an all-out war against humanity with an army of Sentinels and his human-hating loyalists, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, even kidnapping his old friend and rival, Professor Charles Xavier/Professor X, and the X-Man Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat. It’s up to the X-Men to use their unique Mutant powers to topple Magneto’s forces, rescue their allies, and put an end to his mad schemes!

The Review:
X-Men is one of the quintessential arcade beat-‘em-ups from the heyday of the era, allowing up to six players to battle it out across eight stages beating the crap out of an unending series of robotic or animalistic enemies and vying to be top of the leaderboards. The controls are as simple as you could want from a game like this: you use Circle or Square to attack, landing a series of combos with each button press and attacks that are unique to each character, jump with X, and perform a jumping attack by pressing Circle or Square in mid-air. When enemies are on the ground, you can press Circle or Square to pound on them or press Square when close to most enemies to throw them across the screen or into other enemies for good crowd control. Unfortunately, there’s no dash attack here and few other attack options available beyond pressing Triangle to unleash your character’s Mutant power, which will drain a bit of your health or cost you a “Mutant Orb”. These attacks are unique to each character and will wipe out all enemies on screen, but have some limitations; James “Logan” Howlett/Wolverine and Scott Summers/Cyclops’s Mutant powers are great for clearing what’s right in front of you but you’ll want to pick Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler of Piotr “Peter” Rasputin/Colossus if you want to target enemies all around you. Unlike other beat-‘em-ups, there are no weapons to get, no crates or barrels to smash, and no interactive objects to aid you (there are no explosive barrels here, for example); hell, there aren’t even any health pickups to find. Supposedly, the Japanese version of the game does have them, and other pick-ups that are dropped by defeated enemies, and I didn’t see one when I did a quick check after my first playthrough.

Plough through endless robotic enemies using the X-Men’s uncanny Mutant powers!

Indeed, despite its much-deserved reputation as one of the greatest arcade games of all time, there’s not much that makes X-Men particularly innovative. Its appeal comes down to the enjoyable mindlessness of its action, the colourful visuals, and the atrociously entertaining voice acting. The goal here is little more than to travel from the left side of the screen to the right, ploughing through disposable enemies until you reach the boss of each level. You’ll need to watch out for hidden turrets, cliff drops and lava pits, and a bunch of palette-swapped Sentinels who throw rocks, detach their hands, or fire projectiles. They’re joined by bulkier robots armed with cannons who fire missiles, low fireballs, or high laser shots, lizard men who attack with their tails or breathe fire, and even anthropomorphic mud and plant monsters and robotic arms, though these enemies are constantly recycled and become quite samey quite quickly, even when they’re riding in on trucks or these weird gun-toting cyborgs on treadmills. The environments are a bit hit and miss, too; the opening city is suitably wrecked, there’s a thunderstorm raging in the background of the cave stage, you’ll see the Giant Sentinel, X-Jet, and the captured Professor X and Kitty in other stages, but few levels were as visually interesting as the wild jungles of Island M and lava-filled dangers found in “The Trap”. You’ll be transported up and down lifts, as is expected in a beat-‘em-up, but won’t really be battling a host of enemies in these sections; there is one part where you’re confronted by a missile-spewing wall, but you don’t actually have to destroy it, and the only character with anything close to an idle animation is Wolverine, who sheathes and unsheathes his claws when left standing (but don’t linger too long or the game will punish you with an explosive death!)

Magneto’s monstrous Mutant minions are itching to welcome you to die!

Yet, the character and enemy sprites are big, colourful, and evoke both the comic books and the pilot of the animated series. The story, paper-thin as it is, is related through large, partially animated cartoon-esque sprite art and in-game graphics, with Raven Darkhölme/Mystique’s deceptive tricks and the Brotherhood’s explosive, boastful entrances being as notable a highlight as Professor X’s many words of wisdom. Of course, one reason X-Men is so fondly remembered is the awful dialogue, lovingly recreated here so as not to rob us of such meme-worthy statement as “X-Men! Welcome to die!”, “Magneto is in another place”, and “You’re dead, X-Chicken!” In terms of bosses, X-Men doesn’t offer much in the way of challenge or strategy and you can generally get by with a simple technique of jumping in for an attack, landing a quick combo, and jumping out of harm’s way, maybe landing a special attack if you have a spare orb or enough health. This is established from the first encounter with St. John Allerdyce/Pyro and is largely true of all bosses: they’ll burst into the scene, taunt you (leaving themselves vulnerable to an early attack), and use their various powers to whittle down your health. While Pyro is quite nimble and spams screeching flame projectiles and roasts you with a flame burst, Fred Dukes/The Blob is much slower, plodding about and landing big punches or swings with his spiked mace, causing the screen to shake when you knock him down for a few seconds, and tanking your hits. A version of the Wendigo is also fought, with it pouncing at you and performing a head grab/throw combo shared by subsequent bosses, such as Nimrod, another large, clunky, slow boss who’d rather waste time taunting you than attacking in an interesting way. Cain Marko/The Juggernaut is similarly large and cumbersome but makes up for it with a screen-crossing charge and a huge cannon that fires a large blast across the screen. There are also a couple of mini bosses to contend with, such as the mental bolt-throwing Emma Frost/White Queen, a battle against three Egyptian statues, several Pyro clones, and additional encounters with all previous bosses when battling through Asteroid M. You’ll fight Magneto twice; the first time, it’s Mystique in disguise and he/she’s limited to punches and kicks but defeating her sees you battle the true Magneto. This is the toughest fight yet thanks to his impenetrable shield, but his attacks are still limited to slightly faster and very powerful punches and kicks. He also likes to mock you, though, so you can get in a good combo in those moments, and you’ll be immediately trust into another playthrough after the ending and credits roll when playing the American version of the game.

Colourful visuals and fun bosses were offset by some repetitive backgrounds and enemies.

Yes, this version of X-Men allowed you to pick between the American and Japanese versions; the main difference between the two was that you get a free, non-health-sapping Mutant Orb after every boss in the American version, but you start each new life with one in the Japanese version, and there’s apparently more to pick up from defeated enemies in that version, too. X-Men also allowed for local and, at one time, online multiplayer, allowing up to six players to fight together like in the arcade days of old. You can head into the “Options” menu and turn smoothing on or off, set whether you want a wallpaper to fill in the gaps around the action, show or hide the in-game timer used for speed runs and such, change the screen size, and change where the player’s health and lives and score are displayed. Every time you clear a stage, it’s unlocked to select for next time, allowing you to pick up where you left off or freely jump to any level. While you strangely can’t change characters when you die (or, at least, I wasn’t able to; there was no way when the continue countdown appeared and the option was greyed out on the pause menu), you do get unlimited credits and you can test your skills on three difficulty stings: Normal, Hard, and Hardcore, with even more enemies swarming the screen on the harder settings. X-Men had twelve Trophies for players to earn, with Trophies popping when you used a Mutant power five times, earned at last 250 points in one game, completed it on Expert difficulty, and defeated Pyro without using your Mutant powers. Tougher challenges included beating Magneto with every playable character, finishing the game in 25 minutes or less, and being fooled by Mystique in a six-player game (which I achieved by mapping all six characters to one controller). Otherwise, that’s it; there are no skins, no new characters to unlock, and no additional game modes here; just the classic arcade machine in all its punchy, ridiculous, and colourful glory.

The Summary:
It’s such a shame that X-Men got delisted and hasn’t been made widely available for download since 2013; almost as much of a shame that it never came to home consoles back in the day and we were stuck with all those mediocre X-Men platformers. It’s a really fun game that ends just as things are about to become too repetitive and mindless, with a surprising amount of variety to each character despite the lack of pickups and power-ups. Each character plays a little differently (Nightcrawler is fast and has lots of elaborate attack animations while Colossus is much slower and bulkier, for example) and has some fairly good special attacks, though the lack of team-based moves and temporary power-ups is a bit of a shame. Similarly, the environments are quite bland and uninspired, especially compared to other beat-‘em-ups and even the colourful sprites on offer here. Considering the vast library of X-Men characters and enemies, there’s very little enemy variety (potentially because it’s more appropriate to have players smash up robots than people) and, while the bosses make up for this, there’s not much strategy to defeating them. I liked that there was a lot of voice samples used here, and in the engaging tunes, and the quality of the cutscenes was very much like a cartoon, which was very fitting considering the source material. Although X-Men doesn’t offer anything new to the genre and is, in many ways, inferior to other titles that don’t have the luxury of such a big licensing name being attached to them, it’s a short burst of entertaining fun that’s best enjoyed with a couple of friends. I’m really hoping Konami work out some kind of deal to make this accessible to new players sometime soon so I can revisit it again, maybe as a collection of titles or something, and add in some additional materials like concept art, the option for HD graphics, and maybe a couple of extra characters and game modes. If you missed out on playing this version of the game, which is nevertheless the definitive version, there’s always the Arcade1Up cabinet or…you know…emulation, the latter of which I’d highly recommend as this is a great game that should be more easily available to play despite its lack of core features.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

Were you lucky enough to play X-Men when it came to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360? Have you ever played it out in the wild? Which character was your favourite and were you surprised by Magneto’s polite welcome to die? Do you agree that the levels and features were a bit sparse, or do you think there was just enough here to compensate? Would you like to see X-Men more widely accessible for modern gamers? What’s the worst (or best) videogame tie-in you’ve ever played? Which X-Men videogame is your favourite and how are you celebrating X-Men Day today? Whatever you think about X-Men, and arcade games in general, feel free to share your thoughts below or leave a comment on my social media.

Game Corner [National Superhero Day]: Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 (Xbox 360)

Dr. K2 Comments

In 1995, Marvel Comics created “National Superhero Day” and, in the process, provided comics and superhero fans the world over with a great excuse to celebrate their favourite characters and publications.

Released: 15 September 2009
Developer: Vicarious Visions
Also Available For: Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Portable (PSP), Xbox One

The Background:
Few videogame publishers are as closely associated with Marvel Comics than Activision, who have been spearheading adaptations of some of Marvel’s most popular characters since 2000. Of course, these weren’t all smash hits but some of their titles are counted as being among the best outings for the likes of Peter Parker/Spider-Man and the X-Men. In 2004, Activision teamed with Raven Software and achieved big success with X-Men Legends, a team-based brawler that mixed role-playing elements and co-op gameplay, and its sequel, so the two expanded to incorporate the larger Marvel universe with Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (Raven Software, 2006), a sadly delisted title that was met with generally favourable reviews. For the sequel, Activision turned to Vicarious Visions, who developed the game engine for the first game, and tweaked the gameplay to focus on team-based “Fusion” attacks to encourage players to experiment with different character combinations. Rather than tell an original story like the first game, or deliver on the many optional endings for Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, the sequel drew inspiration from the controversial “Civil War” story arc (Millar, et al, 2006 to 2007) that saw Marvel’s heroes divided over a governmental registration act, though the game was met with positive reviews. The action-packed gameplay and branching storyline were particularly praised, though some decried the stripped down roleplaying mechanics; the game was also delisted in 2020 and it would take just under ten years for another developer to produce a third entry.

The Plot:
After a series of devastating attacks on the United States, the American government passes the Superhero Registration Act (SRA), forcing all super-powered individuals to act under official regulation, to reduce the chaos that results from their battles. The superhero community is left divided; Tony Stark/Iron Man and his followers champion the Act while Steve Rogers/Captain America and his oppose it, but the two warring factions soon find themselves battling a new enemy that threatens global peace. 

Gameplay:
Like its predecessor, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 is a team-based brawler with limited roleplaying mechanics, exploration options, and puzzle elements. Players can (eventually) assemble a team of four from a roster of around twenty-five characters, many of which return from the last game alongside some newcomers, though your options are limited by story-mandated restrictions and the decision you make partway through to side with the Pro-Registration side or the Anti-Registration side. Regardless of which character you pick, your basic combat and control mechanics remain the same: tapping A executes a light attack while B throws a heavy attack; you can hold B to charge up a stronger strike and mix these together to form basic combos, such as a pop-up attack to break an opponent’s guard. X lets you activate doors and consoles, grab anything from crates to cars to toss at enemies, pull shields off foes and even grab enemies to pummel or throw them to their doom. Y lets you jump; press an attack button in mid-air and you’ll crash to the ground with a slam and press Y again for a double jump or to web-sling, fly, or dart along on a glider or ice bridge depending on who you’re playing as. The Left Bumper allows you to block incoming attacks or dodge out of the way by wiggling the left stick at the same time; there are also times when you’ll need to hit LB to deflect incoming projectiles. The Right Bumper allows you to heal yourself or your allies or revive a fallen comrade as long as you have a Heal Token in stock; these are found scattered across each location, usually spawning in during boss encounters or after defeating enemies, and you can hold up to two at a time.

Characters boast new superpowers and can combine abilities in devastating Fusion attacks.

Although up to four players can play Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 simultaneously; you can also play alone with some competent A.I. companions and freely switch to another character using the directional pad when playing solo. You can press in the right stick for a handy arrow to point you to your next objective or bring up the game map from the pause menu. Each character as a life and stamina bar; the former is filled when you collect red Health Orbs or level-up and the latter fills automatically, and each character also comes equipped with their own Super Powers, which you activate by holding the Right Trigger and pressing A, B, X, or Y. Many of these are shared across characters, but with a unique flare to each; Spider-Man can web enemies towards him, for example, while Matt Murdock/Daredevil homes in with his grapple cane, but both can lash at foes with their whip-like weapons. Most characters tend to have a ranged attack (Johnny Storm/The Human Torch’s flaming projectiles, Iron Man’s Repulsor blasts, Ororo Munroe/Storm’s lightning strikes, etc) and a clearing attack (Doctor Bruce Banner/The Hulk’s ground pound, Doctor Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic’s tornado spin, and Remy LeBeau/Gambit’s kinetically-charged card barrage, etc), but some also have abilities that buff either their attacks or their team (Doctor Jean Grey/Phoenix can automatically revive characters or add fire damage to her attacks, Danny Rand/Iron Fist’s “Healing Hand” technique heals him, and Captain America can temporarily reduce the damage he takes, for example). Not only can these be improved by earning experience points (XP) and levelling-up and spending “Ability Points” (AP) in the character menu, but you can now combine powers for powerful “Fusion” abilities. As you dish out damage, you’ll build up the Fusion Meter and you can store up to two Fusion Stars at once and combine powers by holding the Left Trigger and pressing either A, B, X, or Y to team up with one of your allies. This produces various effects depending on the combination but, again, many of them are very similar and only made unique by the way the characters team up. For example, you can perform the iconic “Fastball Special” by combining James “Logan” Howlett/Wolverine, Daredevil, Iron Fist, and Mr. Fantastic with bruisers like the Hulk, Ben Grimm/The Thing, or Mac Gargan/Venom. Venom, Hulk, and the Thing can also do a dual stomping attack and you’ll be able to suck enemies in with tornados from the likes of Storm and Thor Odinson while adding elemental attacks to these twisters with the Human Torch and Phoenix.

Puzzles and objectives are simpler than ever and dialogue trees give the illusion of dramatic discord.

No matter the combination of characters, you’ll be prompted to tap A to increase the radius, target specific enemies, or hit successive foes to score extra points and unlock additional abilities and buffs for your characters. Tapping or holding X is also the most common way you’ll be solving the game’s puzzles; generally, you’re tasked with clearing out all nearby enemies and then activating a console or door with X, but sometimes you’ll need to push or pull amplifiers and giant batteries to power up (or down) generators or pass through barriers, rip off control panels, or destroy projectors. Other objectives include destroying anti-aircraft guns, defeating certain enemies, activating consoles in the correct order, and moving stone columns around to unlock doorways and paths, and some missions also contain optional objectives (such as destroying weapon stockpiles or teleporter pads) that net you additional rewards. Additionally, while you’re often told over your comms that you need to act quickly, only certain objectives actually carry a time limit (you’re given less than six minutes to defeat certain bosses, dispose of bombs, or escape collapsing facilities, for example) and you’re often given options to pick from in dialogue trees that will earn you buffs for being “aggressive”, “diplomatic”, or “defensive”. However, as near as I can tell, this doesn’t really alter the story or your character relationships like picking between Pro- and Anti-Reg, which will restrict the characters available to you and alter both the bosses and mission objectives you’re given (protecting or destroying a Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate (S.H.I.E.L.D.) convoy, for example, or raiding or defending a S.H.I.E.L.D. base). Other missions will see you joined by an additional fifth character (technically not a non-playable character as many, like Captain America and Nick Fury, are playable) who will provide support; however, you can’t select them during gameplay, and you’ll still be met with failure if all four of your team are knocked out.

Graphics and Sound:  
There’s been a decent graphical upgrade between Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and its sequel, namely in the sense that the game is far less dark than before and environments are a little more varied, though the same issues with things becoming repetitive and visually dull persist despite how many additional destructible elements have been added. The game starts in Latveria and sees you infiltrating both the castle town, with its many statues of dictator Doctor Victor Von Doom, and Dr. Doom’s main castle, a location that featured in the last game and is now far more linear and less confusing. This is true of all of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2’s locations; it’s very rare that’ll you’ll need to explore off the beaten track, mazes and repeating areas are pretty much non-existent, and everything is much more straightforward this time around, which is great in the sense that levels tended to drag on a bit and be frustrating in the first game but disappointing as you don’t have much to do in, say, Wakanda, except follow a straight path taking out enemies and gun placements and simply walking past the waterfalls, jungles, and tribal trappings in the background. Additionally, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 is way less fantastical; there are no trips to Atlantis, Asgard, or Hell here and, instead, you have to make do with such inspiring locations as…downtown, the rooftops of Hell’s Kitchen, train tracks, and high-tech facilities. Some, like Phineas Mason/The Tinkerer’s lab, T’Challa/The Black Panther’s throne room, and the Negative Zone prison are actually visually very interesting but, for the most part, this is a far more grounded affair, and the game loses a lot of its madcap appeal as a result since the focus is on the more grounded struggles of the Civil War.

While the characters and cutscenes look good, the game is noticeably less visually interesting than its predecessor.

This disappointment is also felt in the game’s soundtrack, which once again opts for very generic, military-esque tunes and rock-inspired beats that serve only to make the mindless gameplay all the more tedious. The voice acting and cutscenes are a lot better this time around; there’s still an obvious graphical difference between pre-rendered cutscenes and in-game graphics, but there’s more focus on character interactions and debating the merits of the SRA. Characters will continue to offer commentary during gameplay, with Wade W. Wilson/Deadpool regularly breaking the fourth wall and characters alerting you when they’re on low health, plus you sometimes get bonuses and additional dialogue if you have certain characters speak to each other. Character models seem better this time around, though; the animations used to bring their powers to life feel more unique and tailored to each hero, though it is disappointing (though, at the same time, understandable) that the same Fusion animations are recycled for certain team-ups. Once again, you’ll be operating out of various hub worlds, like Stark Tower and the White Star base, where you can chat to other characters and find collectibles, and performing certain deeds during gameplay will net you extra costumes (though, sadly, each character only has one this time around). Unfortunately, though, you won’t be treated to as many bizarre and wacky Easter Eggs or endings as before; you only really get one game-changing choice to make here, meaning there are only two endings to see, which is a shame as I really enjoyed all the different consequences of your actions in the first game and how it led to more replay value, whereas here you’re limited to picking Pro- or Anti-Reg.

Enemies and Bosses:
A slew of disposable goons will be set against you throughout Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, from Dr. Doom’s soldiers and robots to S.H.I.E.L.D. forces and the nanite-controlled minions of “The Fold”, a rogue A.I. that springs up in the game’s final act to reunite the warring superheroes. Regardless of who you’re fighting, you’ll come across the same recycled enemy tropes again and again: gun-toting soldiers, grunts with shields, ones who block your attack or inflict elemental statuses on you (such as burning, electrocution, and poisoning), and larger mechs. Helicopters will need to be taken out by tossing their grenades back at them, enemies will fire missiles and rockets at you; some have swords, some need to be stunned with your charged attack, some are shielded, and some toss explosive barrels your way. You’ll also have to watch for flame-spitting turrets, laser guns imbedded in walls, loose wires, and flaming hazards that’ll need a dose of coolant (or Bobby Drake/Iceman’s ice powers) to get past. It all gets very repetitive very quickly; the basic enemies aren’t much of a threat to you with your various powers and abilities but can quickly whittle your health down as they start mixing and matched and increasing in number, with more enemies onscreen than the last game and many of them being called in to boost or interrupt the many mini and main boss battles that you’ll have to contend with throughout the story. Like the last game, a who’s-who of Marvel’s most obscure and memorable villains are encountered throughout the game’s three acts, many of which crop up again, often in tandem with other villains.

The Tinkerer, Lucia von Bardas, and the damn Titanium Man represent a dramatic difficulty spike.

The first supervillain you’ll face is Max Dillon/Electro, who teleports around a church in a burst of electricity, performs an electrical blast attack, and can recharge his powers at the capacitors dotted throughout the area. After that, you’ll come up against Bentley Wittman/The Wizard and Steven Hudak/The Scorcher, with the former capable of erecting a shield and the latter roasting you with flame blasts, but your first real boss battle is against the Tinkerer. The Tinkerer stomps about in a large, spider-like tank mech that fires homing missiles, stamps the ground and sets it aflame, and sweeps that area with a laser blast. He’s also supported by an endless swarm of robotic minions, but you can use these to build up your Fusion Meter to target the Tinkerer’s legs and turn his mech into scrap metal. The Shocker/Herman Schultz’s stunning pulses must then be endured to rescue Carol Danvers/Ms. Marvel, then you’ll have your first of many encounters with the scythe-handed Eric Williams/Grim Reaper, one of the most recurring mini bosses who’s actually pretty tough thanks to his fast speed and quick, targeted slashes. Electro, the Scorcher, the Shocker, and the Wizard all reappear during the chaotic battle against cyborg Lucia von Bardas, which takes place on the deck of a ship. You’ll need to avoid her blasts and destroy the four cannons in each corner of the deck, which is easier said than done as Lucia defends three of them with flaming jets and you’ll have to contend with her supervillain bodyguards. Lucia also rains bombs from the sky, protects herself (and her minions) with energy shields, regularly hovers out of reach, and compounds the entire fight with a time limit. In the last part of the game’s first act, which takes part in Washington, D.C., you’ll have to do battle with Deadpool (who teleports about and riddles you with uzi bullets) and hit a bit of a brick wall when you go up against the mysterious Titanium Man. At first this isn’t so hard (he sends you flying, slows you with a pulse, and showers you with a laser spread) but things get much tougher in the second phase, where he turns invisible, is bolstered by minions and floating cannons, sends out loads of annoying vortexes, and there are no checkpoints during this battle, making it all the more frustrating.

While Bishop and Deathstrike can be aggravating, the Yellowjacket boss fight was actually pretty fun.

After this, you’ll be forced to pick a side and this alters the characters you pick and fight against; I went with Anti-Registration (because, frankly, the was the right choice all along) so I’ll primarily talk about those bosses. First up is a scuffle with Natalia Romanova/The Black Widow, who keeps you at bay with her pistols, cartwheel kicks, and grenades, and your first battle with Colonel James Rhodes/War Machine, who’s basically a mirror of Iron Man and attacks with a rocket-powered punch and missiles, though both are pretty easy fights here, especially compared to the one against Lucas Bishop. Your energy attacks will actually heal the grenade-toting Bishop, so try to focus on physical attacks, but you’ll deal the greatest damage against him if you attack and destroy the terminals he plugs himself into. This actually gets pretty tricky as you have to hit three power terminals to cause feedback, then hit four nodes on other terminals to stop him regaining health, and finally hit all six nodes when he draws energy from the middle of the terminals, all while avoiding his rushes and shockwave attacks. In comparison, Melissa Gold/Songbird is a bit of a joke since all you have to worry about are her pink sonic waves, but the difficulty ramps up again when you butt heads with Yuriko Oyama/Lady Deathstrike, who attacks with her Adamantium claws like a whirling dervish. Though the Thing saves your ass, you’ll have to contend with S.H.I.E.L.D.’s soldiers and robots in the second phase; Deathstrike will repair these mechs, so it pays to quickly take them out, but that’s not easy thanks to her speed and aggression. Thankfully, this is followed by a fun and visually interesting fight against Doctor Henry “Hank” Pym/Yellowjacket, who pounds and slaps at you in his gigantic form; you need to attack his massive fists to build up your Fusion Meter and stun him, only then can you unleash a Fusion attack to deal big damage to him, though you’ll have to watch for his double-fist slam and the minions who swarm the rooftops. When in the unstable chemical plant, you’ll have a quick run-ins with Bullseye (who I had no issues with despite his triple-shot projectile), Simon Williams/Wonder Man (who’s also not too hard despite teleporting about the place and sporting powerful melee attacks), and even an unexpected alliance between Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk and Mark Raxton/Molten Man that sees you avoiding the former’s jumping slams and the latter’s flame bursts.

You’ll face different bosses depending on which side you choose, which also impacts the game’s difficulty.

You’ll also contend with a more formidable version of War Machine and have a brief fight with Iron Man (who’s basically the same as War Machine but with fancier laser attacks) before he tags in Mr. Fantastic (who’s actually a bit of a pain thanks to his stretchy limbs bursting up from the floor and his tornado spin). Iron Man and Mr. Fantastic prove quite the double team when you battle them together; even with Captain America on hand to help and with victory coming by defeating Iron Man alone, this can be a tough fight as Mr. Fantastic sometimes glitches and perpetually spins in place and Iron Man flies around the arena sending energy projectiles your way. Finally, you’ll need to help Nick Fury dispose of some bombs while fending off a joint attack from Doctor Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin and Venom; the former flies around dropping grenades or tosses pumpkin bombs in your face while the latter attacks with their tendrils and even webs up the bomb disposal vent and commandeers the Goblin’s glider! On the Pro-Reg side, you’ll have to quell Eli Bradley/Patriot after your betrayal, fend off Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman rather than Black Widow and Hercules instead of Wonder Man, as well as tangle with Nathanial Summers/Cable, who proves highly resistant to damage, constantly teleports about the place, and forces you to rely on your standard attacks and super powers since there are no minions to help build up your Fusion Meter. Ritchie Gilmore/Prodigy, Angelica Jones/Firestar, Tandy Bowen/Dagger, Piotr Rasputin/Colossus, and Jamie Madrox/Multiple Man also crop up, with the latter being quite the obstacle if you don’t have the right teammates, while Tom Foster/Goliath takes Yellowjacket’s place. Instead of fighting War Machine, Mr. Fantastic, and Iron Man, you’ll take on Iron Fist, Luke Cage/Power Man, and Captain America, with this latter fight complicated by plumes of fire and the Cage and Cap being able to pull off Fusion attacks!

After battling numerous foes, you’ll need all your powers to defeat the nanite-infused Nick Fury.

Before you enter the Negative Zone prison,  Commander Maria Hill hands over a key card without issue and Robbie Baldwin/Penance is subdued and recruited after a brief fight. Terrance Sorenson/Equinox proved much tougher thanks to the nearby turrets and his health-draining elemental attacks, and you’ll battle the nanite-infected Grim Reaper, Bullseye, and Molten Man to rescue Luke Cage and Firestar. To escape the prison with the nanite samples, you’ll take on the combined might of David Cannon/Whirlwind, Karla Sofen/Moonstone, and Rachel Leighton/Diamondback; though Captain America and Iron Man help out, this can be a frustrating fight as Whirlwind is constantly spinning about and minions are always spawning in but focusing on one mini boss can help mitigate the danger. While in Wakanda, you’ll fight off Alexander Summers/Havok (whose concussive powers are bolstered by nearby vibrational pillars), the combined threat of Hulk-clone Rick Jones/A-Bomb and Vance Astrovik/Justice (who shields his nanite ally), and once again deal with the duo of Green Goblin and Venom, this time in the Black Panther’s throne room and with a wider, more versatile space for them to avoid your attacks (though having a flame-orientated character or buffs will help against Venom). Wonder Man and Spider-Woman guard the entrance to the Fold’s Iceland base, with both proving tougher than before, while She-Hulk, Firestar, Colossus, and Whirlwind await inside guarding amplifiers. You’ll also battle the Tinkerer again here; this time, he’s almost constantly shielded by the Fold’s enhanced elites, who you’ll need to destroy in order to deal damage to the mad inventor, though the sheer influx of enemies can make this a gruelling prospect. Finally, after battling on a rising elevator and reaching the top of the Fold’s amplifier tower, you’ll fight the nanite-infected Nick Fury. Using a coloured holographic projection, Fury emulates the powers of other characters and bosses to constantly keep you on your toes; he strikes with lightning, sends out energy pulses, rapidly moves and teleports all over the place, creates duplicates, absorbs and projects energy, blasts out a stream of light, and causes the ground to erupt in flames. Although a frustrating and long-winded bout, this was actually easier than some other bosses; switch characters to whoever’s closest, unleash your rapidly-filling Fusion Meter, and remember to deflect his projectiles when prompted and you should emerge victorious without having to expend a single revive, which is more than I can say for the damn Titanium Man!

Power-Ups and Bonuses:
As mentioned, combat yields XP that levels you and your team up; all characters level-up regardless of whether you use them or not, but levelling-up alone isn’t enough to power-up your team. You need to spend AP boosting their four superpowers and all four will only be unlocked by levelling-up; thankfully, AP is easily earned by beating enemies, rapidly tapping A during Fusion attacks, and smashing crates and other onscreen destructibles. Each character also has “Passive” abilities that can be upgraded in the character menu; many of these are locked to a specific side, so you’ll never have full access to all abilities in a single playthrough, and they provide buffs such as raising your chances of landing a critical hit, allowing more frequent use of your powers, regenerating health, reducing damage, and increasing the stamina you gain. Defeating mini bosses and bosses also rewards you with medals that provide additional “Boosts”; you can manually or automatically equip up to three of these at a time to increase your health, teamwork, resistance to or ability to inflict elemental attacks, and other similar bonuses. It also pays to utilise your comic book knowledge; if you make a team comprised entirely of X-Men or the Fantastic Four, for example, you’ll get an additional boost to aid you. Finally, extra rewards are on offer for performing three “Heroic Deeds” per character; these range from defeating fifty enemies, performing specific Fusion attacks, or using certain superpowers and will unlock a new costume or ability for each character, as well as being a fun aside.

Additional Features:
There are fifty Achievements to snag in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, with sixteen being tied to the story mode alone, though you’ll need to do two playthroughs and experience both the Pro- and Anti-Reg missions to earn them all. You’ll also earn Achievements for completing missions in co-op mode, clearing the game on “Legendary” difficulty, performing ten Fusions with a friend, earning high scores from Fusions, unlocking costumes, collecting boosts, and finding the various dossiers and audio logs scattered throughout the game. You’ll unlock additional characters not just through the story mode, but also by collecting Asgardian Ruins, pieces of the M’kraan Crystal, and Gamma Regulators; some characters’ alternate costumes also act as skins, such as General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross/Red Hulk and Eddie Brock/Venom. You’ll also find simulator discs scattered about that once again let you take on special simulator missions from the game’s hub worlds, can put your Marvel knowledge to the test in various trivia games for more XP, and will be given the option of starting a new game, with all your unlocks and stats, but at the cost of your existing save file. There is no option to replay previous missions as far as I can tell so you’ll need to start over if you missed anything. I’d also advise making use of the manual save function as often as possible, especially before you pick a side so you don’t have to start right from the beginning to see the other side of the story. If you were lucky enough to own this game before it got delisted, you can also expand the roster with some downloadable characters, like Cletus Kasady/Carnage and Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto, though this feature is obviously unavailable these days; additionally, other versions of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 include console-specific characters, like Eric Brooks/Blade.

The Summary:
I was always hesitant about getting into Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, simply because of my hatred for the diabolical Civil War storyline. Even with that bias to one side, I wasn’t impressed that the sequel stripped back the story and scope of the franchise so much; the first game arguably tried to do a bit too much and touch base with a bunch of different locations and characters in the Marvel universe, but at least it embraced the bonkers spirit of the source material and wasn’t as blinkered as the sequel. I really missed the unpredictability at the first game; here, the only replay value is in picking a different side, especially as all characters are available to you in the finale, so all you’re really left with is the new-fangled Fusion mechanic. Sadly, this isn’t as good as the game makes it out to be; once you’ve seen a handful of them, you’ve basically seen them all and they weren’t as impressive as I had hoped. I also wasn’t a big fan of some of the character choices and the lack of extra skins, though overall I think I preferred the gameplay and combat; it’s still mindless and tedious and gets old really quickly, but at least the different superpowers felt a little more dynamic this time. While I have no complaints about the game’s linearity since it made it faster to play, it is a shame that exploration has been cut way back this time around and that many of the level-up and customisation mechanics have been stripped down. Once again, the game’s biggest issue is cramming so much into it; it’s great for a Marvel fan but it does impact the enjoyment and memorability of the mini bosses since a lot of them are just the same thing over and over with the same tactics used to overcome them. Overall, I feel Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 is no better or worse than the first game: I miss the different gameplay mechanics and visual variety of the first game, but the sequel feels a bit more refined and focused; I don’t like how grounded and restricted it is, but the graphics and ability options are a step up. I think the best thing to do (if you can afford it) is have both and play them back to back for a complete experience but if I honestly had to pick which one was better, I’d go with the first one since I’m much more inclined to play it and see what wacky endings I can earn rather than seeing the SRA repealed or lessened by the end of this game.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Have you ever played Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2? If so, how do you think it compares to the first game? Which side did you pick and who made it into your team? What did you think to the new Fusion mechanic and the changes to the roster? Were you disappointed that the boss battles were still mostly tedious exercises and that the scope was scaled so far back? Did you ever complete all the Heroic Deeds and simulator missions? How are you celebrating National Superhero Day today? Whatever your thoughts, leave a comment below or on my social media, and be sure to check out my other superhero and comic book content across the site!

Back Issues [Dare-DAY-vil]: Daredevil #170-172

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Blind lawyer Matt Murdock first made his debut in Daredevil #1 in April of 1964 and was co-created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with input from the legendary Jack Kirby. While perhaps not as mainstream as characters like Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Daredevil has become one of Marvel Comics’ greatest creations and has featured in a number of ancillary media and merchandise, included a questionably-received big-screen adaptation in 2003 and a critically-successful Netflix series. Still, he’s one of my favourite Marvel characters so today is a great excuse to pay homage to the “Devil of Hell’s Kitchen”.

Writer: Frank Miller – Artists: Frank Miller and Klaus Janson

Story Title: “The Kingpin Must Die!”
Published: 3 February 1981 (cover-dated May 1981)

Story Title: “In the Kingpin’s Clutches”
Published: 3 March 1981 (cover-dated June 1981)

Story Title: “Gangwar!”
Published: 24 March 1981 (cover-dated July 1981)

The Background:
In the 1960s golden age for Marvel Comics, Stan Lee teamed with legendary names like Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby to create some of their most iconic superheroes. On 1 April 1964, Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett presented their most challenging hero yet in Matt Murdock/Daredevil, who would go on to become one of Marvel’s most popular and enduring characters thanks, in a big way, to the efforts of writer/artist Frank Miller. In 1970, the then up-and-coming Miller joined the book with issue 159 and soon took over writing and illustrating, spearheading some of Daredevil’s most influential stories. It was under Miller’s watch that Wilson Fisk, the mammoth Kingpin of Crime, became one of Daredevil’s most hated enemies; created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Romita Sr. and first debuting in the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man, the Kingpin was patterned after actor Robert Middleton and known as much for his conniving ways as his intimidating bulk. A complex character whose ruthlessness was matched only by his love for his wife, the Kingpin has become one of Marvel’s most iconic villains but is especially noted for his intense rivalry with street-level vigilantes like Daredevil, Spider-Man, and Frank Castle/The Punisher. The Kingpin has appeared prominently outside the comics, too, generally as a boss in various Marvel videogames, a notable antagonist in various animated ventures, and in live-action, delivered with charm, menace, and significant screen presence by the likes of the late Michael Clarke Duncan and Vincent D’Onofrio.

The Review:
This three-issue arc begins with Daredevil sprinting through New York City, attracting the awe of the locals, to question noted streetwise bum Turk Barrett at Josie’s seedy bar. Although Turk makes a desperate escape attempt, Daredevil brings his getaway to a violent end and learns from him that the city’s top crime bosses have put out a hefty $5 million contract on the Kingpin, the mysterious and powerful mogul who once ran the underworld like a business but has since retired to Japan. There, Fisk is sequestered in a huge mansion with his own private guard and regularly showcases his physical abilities by besting the finest martial arts experts with precision and power, explodes with rage whenever anyone mentions his former life, and desperately keeps his questionable past and tendencies from his beloved wife, Vanessa. Since Fisk is due to sell out his former colleagues in return for clearing his name and $7 million, Vanessa heads to New York to enlist the legal aid of Matt Murdock and his partner and best friend, Franklin “Foggy” Nelson, offering them $200,000 to represent Fisk in court. Before Matt can agree, their office is attacked; in the confusion, Matt investigates as Daredevil and confronts the man responsible, Bruno, a seemingly semi-cybernetic former hitman with a firearm in place of his left hand. Daredevil easily bests Bruno but is stunned when his accidentally severs Daredevil’s grapple line and fatally plummets to the street below. Realising that mob are hiring any assassin they can to do their dirty work, Daredevil prepares to intercept his old foe, Lester/Bullseye, before he can be recruited but is delayed by cantankerous police lieutenant Nick Manolis, who reveals that Vanessa was kidnapped during the action. Released on a technicality (a brain tumour created just enough reasonable doubt about his previous murderous actions), Bullseye is furnished with a swanky new costume and demands $10 million to kill the Kingpin, but gleefully jumps at the chance to battle his hornheaded rival when Daredevil shows up to confront him.

As if Bullseye wasn’t bad enough, Daredevil must deal with the Kingpin’s return to town.

Having previously saved Bullseye’s life, Daredevil feels a responsibility to keep him from wasting it with his violent ways, but Bullseye simply attacks with throwing stars, his confidence and aim better than ever now he’s no longer sick. Despite landing a glancing blow with a pistol, Bullseye’s unable to land a kill shot thanks to Daredevil’s superhuman reflexes; however, Bullseye is so embittered towards his foe and so determined to best and kill him that he sends ol’ hornhead flying out of a window! Although Daredevil saves himself with his grapple hook, Bullseye severs the line, sending Daredevil plummeting to the ground; thankfully, he uses a passing flagpole and crumbling gargoyle to slow his descent just enough to land safely (if painfully) into a passing garbage truck. Rumours of the Kingpin’s return spread through the criminal underworld, leading the mob to kidnap and torture Louie the String for information. Before he succumbs to his injuries, Louie leads them to an explosive trap on Staten Island, where the Kingpin laments returning to his former violent ways but vows to turn New York City into an all-out warzone if it means seeing his enemies suffer and die and return his love to him. To that end, the Kingpin and his underling, Lynch, systematically target the mob’s goons and demand Vanessa’s safe return, with Fisk even stating he’s willing to negotiate to end further bloodshed. Although Bullseye is secretly unimpressed by the bickering mobsters, the city’s crime lords believe they have the upper hand as long as they have Vanessa and order Bullseye to send word that they’ll trade her for all the dirt Fisk has on them, further raising his ire at being reduced to a mere errand boy. Recovering from his fall and unable to find any leads, Daredevil assumes the guise of “Shades” and starts asking questions about Vanessa at Josie’s bar, causing him to get jumped by the local goons. However, after easily fending them all off, he impresses Turk and block-headed grunt Grotto enough to earn an audience with the big man himself and is led into a dingy sewer.

While the Kingpin proves a formidable threat in combat, he’s devastated by his wife’s death.

Matt is silently in awe of the Kingpin’s aura, finding that he more than lives up to his reputation as an intimidating presence; gathering himself, Matt claims to be a hitman from Ohio and offers his services, further impressing by jamming a goon’s gun with a pen without looking. Immediately afterwards, another of the Kingpin’s underlings arrives and, before dying from poisoning, delivers the mob’s demands for the exchange. Although Lynch is excited to see Fisk return to power and straighten out the disorganised underworld, Fisk has no interest in returning to his former life; he simply wants Vanessa back, leading Lynch to question if he’s lost his edge. However, Fisk demonstrates his vindictive cruelty when he finds “Shades” has broken into his vault; ready to kill him, the Kingpin is stunned when Daredevil attacks from the darkness. Although Daredevil makes jokes about Fisk’s weight, his swagger is shaken when he realises that the Kingpin is solid muscle; Daredevil’s speed and agility give him the edge in the fight, but every blow to the Kingpin’s rock-hard body wracks ol’ hornhead with agony and he soon tires himself out trying to damage the mammoth mogul. Thus, the Kingpin knocks Daredevil unconscious with a single blow and orders Turk and Grotto to tie him up and drop him into the city’s drainage system. Fisk then heads out to make the exchange, fully aware that the mob have set up a trap and turning the tables on them by incapacitating everyone in the vicinity – including Bullseye – with a high frequency sonic burst. However, as Fisk rushes to rescue his beloved wife, he’s stunned when someone triggers a mortar, causing the construction site to collapse. Though he survives being buried under all the girders and debris, Fisk is heartbroken when he can’t find Vanessa’s body and is suitably motivated to avenge her death by reassuming his former position and targeting his opposition without mercy. Thanks to his radar sense and sheer force of will, Daredevil avoids drowning and heads back to Josie’s bar to interrogate Turk again to catch up with the plot. Meanwhile, Fisk sets himself up in a subterranean stronghold and sends his few men out to disrupt the mob’s deliveries, turning the disparate crime lords against each other through a series of calculated attacks and stealing their cash and armaments. When Turk informs him of Daredevil’s survival, Fisk orders Lynch to move the files and set up an ambush, only for the goons to be attacked by Daredevil and lose the files; however, he’s humiliated to find he was duped by a briefcase full of newspapers!

Bullseye and Daredevil’s violent fight ends with the Kingpin manipulating himself back into power.

Bullseye takes advantage of the mob’s panic to demand a further $5 million to help them out, then hits up a bunch of small-time scumbags to learn the Kingpin’s location only to fall for another of the Kingpin’s traps. The Kingpin then confronts Bullseye and his mob employers, swaying Bullseye to his side and intimidating the mobsters into outing themselves to the cops. Afterwards, Fisk turns the full brunt of his rage on Lynch since it was he that set off the mortar and killed Vanessa to push him into returning as the Kingpin, so Fisk mercilessly breaks Lynch’s limbs and beats him to death as recompense. Fisk then gathers the city’s crime bosses to announce his takeover, only for them to be spooked when the skyscraper’s lights suddenly go out. Realising Daredevil is to blame, Fisk sends Bullseye to deal with him and the two fight once more, with Daredevil driven to make the assassin pay for all the lives he’s taken after Daredevil fought the urge to leave him to die before an incoming train. Relieving Bullseye of his weapons and discarding his billy club, Daredevil lunges for his foe, intent on making him feel the full force of his guilt and anger, but Bullseye fends off his furious assault by making use of his own weapon and smashing the vigilante in the face with a brick. Their brutal melee sees them land blow after blow, crash through a brick wall, and ends with them both choking the life out of each other, Bullseye determined to prove he’s better than his enemy and Daredevil seemingly willing to die alongside his foe. In the end, Bullseye passes out from the pressure, but Daredevil’s victory is short lived as the Kingpin and his goons arrive, armed and surrounding him. However, rather than gunning him down, Fisk gives Daredevil the files he has on the city’s crime lords and requests that he deliver them to the district attorney to have them arrested and allow Fisk to solidify his stranglehold over the criminal underworld once more. Although Daredevil considers making a desperate escape, the Kingpin advises against it; he even allows the Man Without Fear to take Bullseye as “a courtesy” and gives Daredevil no choice but to accept the offer as it will buy the city a brief period of peace while Kingpin works to reorganise and strengthen the fractured mob. Thus, Daredevil is forced to accept the offer and leaves, taking little solace in having brought Bullseye down and the story ends with a return to the city’s dank sewers, where a dishevelled and seemingly amnesiac Vanessa waders in search of money and food.

The Summary:
Daredevil’s first encounter with the Kingpin is quite the thrilling and intricate tale; while it starts off innocently enough, with Daredevil trying to get to the bottom of a disturbing anxiety in the criminal underworld, it quickly escalates as the Kingpin is forced to resume his violent former ways. While I’m not a big fan of Frank Miller’s sketchy artwork, he did some great work when working on Daredevil; most panels and characters are seeped in an inky darkness, giving a dark, moody edge to the story that contrasts with both Daredevil’s bright outfit and generally flippant demeanour and with his other, more colourful peers. The story focuses on a grittier, more violent subsection of the Marvel universe, one where mobsters are gunned down, blown up, and poisoned on the regular and gang warfare is constantly at risk of breaking out due to the fractured state of the criminal underworld. I enjoyed seeing the crime bosses struggle to keep their shit together; it took seemingly everything they had just to be in one room long enough to hire their assassins and I liked how they squabbled like children and were depicted with an arrogant sense of entitlement that slowly deteriorated into abject denial as the Kingpin’s power grew. It was fun seeing Bullseye grow disgusted by their bickering and disorganised ways and watching them crack as they lost their money, power, and men to the Kingpin. While it didn’t lead to all-out gang war, there were some striking instances of violence on the streets and around the city that showed not just how sadistic Bullseye is but how ruthless the Kingpin can be when he’s out for blood.

Evenly matched and equally hatful of each other, Bullseye and Daredevil have an intense rivalry.

Daredevil is caught right in the middle of this; there’s little time for Matt Murdock or his private life here, with just a few panels hinting that Foggy is going through some personal troubles and showcasing Matt’s latest relationship. His focus is solely on confronting and stopping the Kingpin, and on settling the score with Bullseye. I liked the sense of guilt Daredevil carries here; previously, he had the opportunity to leave Bullseye to die but chose to save him, a decision he openly regrets since Bullseye refused to change his ways and just kept on killing, meaning Daredevil feels directly responsible for those deaths. His confrontations with Bullseye start with him trying to reason with the assassin and turn to a murderous rage as Bullseye kills and tortures his way throughout the arc, switching his allegiances to whoever has the most money and power and desiring only to prove himself superior to his hornheaded foe. Bullseye’s abilities are showcased greatly here; he never misses except when fighting Daredevil, fuelling his pride and anger, and he’s highly adaptable, able to make use of throwing stars, knives, guns, and even Daredevil’s billy club with an almost superhuman deftness. Though a sadist, Bullseye is highly intelligent; he knows when to shut up and listen, when to switch sides, and is very aware of Daredevil’s tricks and abilities, meaning he does a great job of holding his own against his hated enemy. Daredevil’s abilities are constantly demonstrated both in visual form and through the narration boxes; he swings, moves, and fights with a superhuman swiftness, appearing as a constantly-moving blur at times, and has a force of will beyond most normal men as he pushes himself to escape from drowning, easily fights off numerous larger and armed foes without breaking a sweat, and makes good use of his billy club and enhanced senses to save himself and track down his prey. At the same time, he’s not depicted as infallible; he runs into a few dead ends, forcing him to assume a new disguise, interrogate Turk, and even talk to hookers for leads, and he takes his fair share of punishment not just when fighting Bullseye but also when battling the Kingpin.

The Kingpin is a callous, passionate, and highly intelligent antagonist whose wrath knows no limits.

This is a great arc for introducing readers to the threat that the Kingpin poses. A calculating, vindictive, and extremely savvy businessman, Wilson Fisk is as devious as they come, regularly setting up traps and always thinking one step ahead of his enemies. Yet, despite his reputation as the Kingpin of Crime, Fisk is absolutely besotted by Vanessa, to the point where he swears off crime, moves across the globe, and forsakes his former life, even being willing to name and shame his former associates to clear his name and start a new life as a loving husband. He’s drawn back into the fray entirely against his will thanks to the machinations of his aid, Lynch, and, though he regularly laments having to welch on his promise to Vanessa, Fisk returns to his former ways with a looming menace and cold-hearted cruelty that’s matched only by his ferocious power and quick temper. Having only heard of the Kingpin as an urban legend, Daredevil is completely caught off-guard when he finds the Fisk’s bulbous form is pure, rock-hard muscle; the Kingpin is practically impervious to pain and injury, easily shrugging off bullet wounds and Daredevil’s best shots and breaking limbs and pummelling his enemies to death with ease. This arc does a masterful job of stablishing how intelligent and intimidating the Kingpin can be, forcing Daredevil to assist his eventual return to power to end with a tainted and grey-hued victory for the Man Without Fear, and I’d say these are essential issues to read for anyone who’s a fan of Daredevil, the Kingpin, and their complex and violent relationship.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

Have you ever read this three-issue arc? If so, did you like the way it depicted Daredevil’s first encounter with the Kingpin? What did you think to the Kingpin, his begrudging return to power, and the way his motivations were showcased? Did you enjoy the brutal fights between Daredevil and Bullseye? What did you think to the depiction of the mob and Daredevil’s helplessness against the Kingpin? What are some of your favourite Kingpin stories and how are you celebrating the Man Without Fear this month? I’d love to know your thoughts so feel free to share them in the comments below or on my social media, and be sure to check out my other Daredevil content.

Back Issues [Deadpool Day]: Deadpool and Death Annual ’98

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In February 1991, readers of The New Mutants were introduced to Wade W. Wilson, AKA the wise-cracking, fourth-wall-breaking Merc With a Mouth himself, Deadpool. Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza’s sword-swinging immortal went on to become one of Marvel’s most popular anti-heroes thanks to his metatextual humour, violent nature, and massively successful live-action films. It’s perhaps no surprise that Sideshow rechristened April 1st as “Deadpool Day” to give fans of the chimichanga-chomping mercenary an excuse to celebrate all things Deadpool.

Story Title: “A Kiss, A Curse, A Cure”
Published: 13 May 1998 (cover-dated July 1998)
Writer: Joe Kelly
Artist: Steve Harris

The Background:
By the 1980s, the X-Men were established as a successful cornerstone of Marvel Comics; they were so popular that then-chief editor Jim Shooter ordered a number of X-Men spin-off books, one of which was Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod’s The New Mutants. These Mutant youngsters were eventually tutored by the time travelling Mutant Nathan Summers/Cable and rechristened as X-Force, and famously went up against Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld’s Deadpool in The New Mutants #98 (ibid, 1991). Heavily inspired by James Howlett/Logan/Wolverine and Peter Parker/Spider-Man (and with numerous similarities to DC Comics’ Slade Wilson/Deathstroke the Terminator), the self-styled “Merc With a Mouth” was initially introduced as an antagonist for the Mutant team. However, Deadpool proved popular and soon made guest appearances in other Marvel Comics before receiving his own four-issue miniseries, a precursor to his ongoing solo title and his own influx of popularity once he began breaking the fourth wall. One of the character’s other defining traits is his relationship with Lady (or Mistress) Death, a cosmic, reaper-like entity whom Wade is desperately in love with. Created by Mike Friedrich and Jim Starlin, Death is most prominently known for also being the object of Thanos’s affections; his motivation for gathering the Infinity Gems and eradicating half the life in the universe was to win her love. Thanos and Deadpool clashed over their love for death more than once; in fact, it was the Mad Titan who cursed Deadpool with immortality when Lady Death chose Wade over him.

The Review:
This bumper annual opens with the super chatty Deadpool unexpectedly teleporting right into the path of a closed fist; the punch sends him careening over a cliff edge where, despite this best efforts, he plummets to the ground with a sickening impact. Just moments before, Deadpool had been working to make amends for his past deeds in San Francisco, and now he finds himself literally dead of a broken neck thanks to his mysterious assailant. Deadpool’s spirit initially balks at the idea of the fall killing him, or the sudden attack being real, but is forced to confront the truth when Lady Death greets him with a passionate kiss. Despite Deadpool asking to skip the flashbacks and cosy up to Death, she silently insists on forcing him to relive his traumatic origins and the story regularly shifts between the present and the past, where mercenary for hire Wade Wilson is given a tour of the Weapon X facility, a special weapons development branch of Department K, the superhuman arm of the Canadian government. At this point, Wade is a strapping young man with a head full of blonde hair and the potential to be a valuable asset to his government, but also riddled with terminal cancer. Since Weapon X has already made a veritable Captain Canada out of James Hudson/Vindicator, the general is confident that even trash like Wade can be moulded into a superhero with their program. Wade readily agrees, awestruck by the Vindicator and with little to lose from his prognosis. However, he fails to pass the grade and, with his conditioning worsening, he’s locked up in a hospice where his fellow outcasts have such a low life expectancy that they regularly take bets on how long they will survive from their horrific and invasive experiments.

After being killed, Deadpool relives his traumatic origins and first encounter with Lady Death.

This “deadpool” carries high stakes and is championed by the semi-cybernetic Worm Cunningham; however, when Worm tries to pull that shit on Wade, the heavily scarred and slowly dying mercenary pulls a gun on him and demands to be left alone before turning the gun on himself. Before he can pull the trigger, though, the gun (and Wade’s wrist) is crushed by the sadistic, super strong Francis Fanny/A-Man, who mocks Wade and the knocks him out to deliver him to the resident doctor, Emrys Killebrew, for further experimentation. Dr. Killebrew and the A-Man are amused by Wade’s torture, especially when he begs for death, and both delight in subjecting him to unspeakable torment to make the most of his raw materials. The experience is so traumatic for Wade that his mind breaks and he grows cynical, scorns his misfortunes, and finds his body further ravaged by cancerous tumours. His mind becomes so warped that he perceives Lady Death, who lingers in his cell, intrigued by his unique imagination, and is stunned to find that he can see her. After invasively confirming that he’s not suffering from some kind of aneurysm, Death postulates that Wade is a unique being who longs to die but is being artificially kept alive against his will. Frankly, she finds the entire thing quite the turn on, as does he since Death assumes an alluring form given the amount of times he’s begged for it; thus, she promises they can be together if he finds a way to die but, despite his best efforts, he’s thwarted at every turn. He’s constantly stopped from killing himself and subjected to nightmarish experiments that bring him to the brink of death and cause him agony, yet he remains alive thanks to Dr. Killebrew’s machinations. He’s become so unkillable that his odds in the Deadpool have risen to three thousand to one, and such a risk to himself that he’s confined to a high-tech wheelchair. However, he remains determined to reunite with Death and to get the A-Man out of his way; Worm, however, doesn’t fancy his odds since the A-Man boasts enhanced strength, instincts, speed, and durability.

Wade’s defiance causes the A-Man to kill his friend just for the chance to murder the mouthy mercenary.

Worm lets slip that the A-Man hates his real name and is psychotically triggered by the merest mention of it, which is all Wade needs to rile up the brutal guard. Wade’s taunting works, sending Francis into a violent frenzy and condemning him to endure electroshock therapy. The experience is so intense and extreme that it briefly allows Wade to speak with Death once more. While he’s not truly dead, he crosses over long enough to share a dance with her, and Wade’s mockery of the A-Man not only improves his standing in the Deadpool but also offers a glimmer of hope to the other inmates. There’s a defiant fire there that wasn’t there before, but Wade angrily denies that he’s a hero; he sees the world as cruel and unfair and hope as a waste of energy, much to Worm’s disappointment. Even Death wonders if he was a little hard on the semi-cyborg but Wade insists that the only thing he cares about is being with her; others can play the role of hero, after all. Still, Wade’s attitude and the rising insubordination sees the A-Man voice his grievances to Dr. Killebrew; despite the A-Man protesting that he’s less effective if the patients don’t fear him, Dr. Killebrew is unwilling to simply dispose of Wade since his body contains information vital to his research. To get around this, and teach Wade some respect, the A-Man threatens to subject Worm to violent torture unless Wade falls in line. While Wade is torn between saving his friend and standing up to the A-Man, he ultimately chooses the latter, berating the A-Man with a tirade of insults after Worm begs him to stay defiant. This results in Worm being viciously lobotomised, giving Wade no choice to end his suffering and consequently forcing Dr. Killebrew to order Wade’s execution for killing one of his test subjects.

Wade’s desire for revenge sees him live on as Deadpool and drives him to confront his tormentor.

As the A-Man gleefully takes the controls of Dr. Killebrew’s elaborate murder machine, Wade vows to make them pay for what they’ve done to him, the other patients, and to Worm even as the A-Man rips his heart from his chest. Death comes to him, eager to consummate their love and begging him to let go and be with him; however, while he wishes to finally be with her, his stubborn nature and desperate need for vengeance kick-start his Mutant healing factor and force his body to repair the damage. The experience further damages his psyche but also shuts Death off from him as he drives himself forward to get revenge on his tormentors. Wade relieves some guards of their weapons and goes on a killing spree, much to the A-Man’s surprise and anger. The A-Man crushes Wade’s spine (his entire abdomen, in fact) in a rage and is left stunned when Wade painfully and sickeningly heals from the damage right before his eyes. Wade then christens himself “Deadpool” and unloads two assault rifles into his abuser but, even as he lies dying on the floor amidst the chaos of a full-blown riot, the A-Man can’t help but mock Deadpool’s heavily scarred visage, which somehow remains despite his advanced healing factor. With the A-Man dead, Deadpool calls to Death to take him but she doesn’t answer, leaving him distraught and heartbroken, which in the present he assumes is her way of causing him pain for choosing revenge over her. A silent point from Death reveals that Deadpool’s killer was none other than the A-Man, now calling himself “Ajax”, resurrected and sent to hunt down all the escapees from the hospice, The ghosts of his victims implore Deadpool to finish the job so they can move on to the afterlife and, with one last regretful kiss to Death, Deadpool spontaneously returns to life and heads out to make Ajax pay once and for all.

The Summary:
This was quite the surreal story. I believe this was the first real extended dive into Deadpool’s origins, and I recognise a lot of the elements from his first live-action movie, so that was kind of cool. While we don’t learn much about Wade’s life before Weapon X, and nothing about his time with the program since he dropped out of “hero school”, he has a reputation as being a mercenary and has a bit of sympathy to him because of his terminal disease. The main thrust of the story is to showcase just how horrific and traumatic Wade’s time at the hospice was. Wade’s unique speech patterns and manic thought boxes can be traced back to his time there, where the experiments and abuse fractured his mind and drove him to the point where he exists in this kind of limbo between life and death. That alone is alluring to Lady Death, but Wade’s crazed perspective on life also draws her attention, as does her desire to tease him with her affections. Naturally, since he longs for death, Wade finds her impossibly alluring and is desperate to be with her but he’s forever denied that thanks to a throwaway line from Dr. Killebrew about transplanting a healing factor into his ravaged body. When he finally is on the brink of death, Wade’s normally cold-hearted resolve has been replaced by a burning desire for revenge, spurning Death and close that door to him seemingly forever.

The story goes to great pains to examine the tragedy and torture that made Deadpool the man he is.

I do find this concept a little convoluted, similar to the idea that Wolverine has to literally fight off death every time he suffers a mortal injury. I think it clouds things a little and it’s simpler to just say he has a super-superhuman healing factor, but it only muddies the water if you think about it too much. While the concept of Death as a cosmic entity is proven to be real in Marvel Comics, it’s just as likely that Wade’s fracted mind is imagining her as this alluring skeleton woman and that he’s too stubborn, too powerful, and too stupid to die, despite wanting to deep down. Still, the story does a great job of humanising Deadpool and peeling back the layers behind his demented bravado; his experiences left him hating the world, cursing fate and the Gods alike, and wanting nothing more than to die, but the kindness of others and the brutality of his captors shifted him towards a different path. Dr. Killebrew and the A-Man are understandably one-dimensional characters; one’s a cackling mad scientist with no regard for his patients’ welfare and the other’s a superhuman sadist who delights in throwing his weight around and the suffering of others. I liked how Wade riled the A-Man up with insults and repeatedly calling him Francis, and that Wade became this revolutionary figure amongst the populace as a result, so the conflict was more about physical embodiments of oppression and freedom rather than an actual fist fight, which is fitting considering this extends to the physical and metaphysical aspect of Death. Ultimately, this was a decent and surprisingly tragic story designed to explain how awful Deadpool’s life has been and why he is the way he is. In that respect it worked well, and the art was serviceable enough most of the time, so it’s a good choice for anyone who’s just getting into Deadpool and wants to learn a bit more about his background and character.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Have you ever read Deadpool and Death Annual ’98? If so, what did you think about Deadpool’s trip down memory lane? Do you like the idea of him falling for Lady Death or do you find that aspect a bit convoluted? What did you think to the agonising torture Deadpool had to suffer and the characterisation of Dr. Killeshaw and the A-Man? Do you enjoy Deadpool’s manic sense of humour or do you find it a bit grating? What are some of your favourite Deadpool stories and moments and how are you celebrating Deadpool Day today? Whatever your thoughts on Deadpool, feel free to share them below or drop a comment on my social media.

Back Issues [Stark Sunday]: Iron Man #128

Dr. K2 Comments

Anthony “Tony” Stark/Iron Man first lived, walked, and conquered in Tales of Suspense #39, published in March 1963 and brought to life by Marvel mastermind Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Don Heck. Since then, ol’ shellhead has gone through numerous different armours, had many amazing adventures, featured in numerous videogames and cartoons, and shot into mainstream superstardom thanks to an iconic, career-defining portrayal by Robert Downey Jr.  

Story Title: “Demon in a Bottle”
Published: November 1979
Writers: David Michelinie and Bob Layton
Artist: John Romita, Jr.

The Background:
Long before Robert Downey Jr. uttered the unforgettable words “I am Iron Man”, Stan Lee sought to take a character his readers would hate (a rich, military industrialist), mix in some inspiration from Howard Hughes alongside some vulnerability and personal tragedy, and make him someone they could root for. When mounting deadlines kept Lee from writing Iron Man’s debut, he turned to younger brother Larry Lieber, while artist Don Heck and the legendary Jack Kirby handled the artwork. Although Iron Man is very much a mainstream superhero these days, that wasn’t always the case, which is surprising given his prominence in cartoons and Marvel Comics. Alongside a colourful collection of villains, Iron Man has served on Marvel’s premier super team, the Avengers, swapped places with his teenaged younger self, fought against and imprisoned his fellow heroes, and even battled a sentient version of his armour! But one of Stark’s most harrowing battles came in his addiction to alcoholism; as plotted by writers David Michelinie and Bob Layton, Stark was wracked with guilt after an armour malfunction caused him to accidentally kill a foreign ambassador. Following this, Stark’s drinking increased and this is only exacerbated by the ensuing investigation and the machinations of Justin Hammer, who was behind his armour’s troubles, and caused Stark to drunkenly lash out at friend and foe alike. Considering how important and influential the “Demon in a Bottle” arc was for Iron Man’s characterisation (it’s frequently cited as one of the top Iron Man stories), it’s ironic that Layton would later state that it was never the writers’ intention to raft anything more than a new personal drama for Stark to conquer and that they had no idea how pivotal it would be to the character for years to come.

The Review:
The issue begins with Stark wallowing in his office. Although he was publicly exonerated and cleared of all charges, public opinion of the Armoured Avenger (who was still believed to be Stark’s bodyguard at the time) has been shaken, as has confidence in Stark International. Already haunted by the memory of the life he took, Stark indulged in a wild night of drinking that saw him spur his love interest, Bethany Cabe, and insult his faithful butler, Edwin Jarvis, so badly that the courteous footman resigned from his employ. Sat alone, surrounded by glasses and bottles of half-finished whiskey and headlines branding his alter ego a murderer, Stark can’t help but ruminate on the status of his armoured persona. Usually, Iron Man was the perfect scapegoat for Stark’s more illicit actions but he’s forced to accept the fact that he, not Iron Man, killed a man, is causing his company to go down the drain, and scared off his loyal manservant. Terrified of losing everything he’s spent a lifetime building up, and still necking back the whiskey, Stark decides that the only solution is to give up being Tony Stark completely and devote himself to Iron Man full-time. Thus, he gulps back another shot of liquid courage and takes to the skies, drunkenly crashing through the window of his office and heading out for some action.

When his drinking starts to impact his heroics, Stark desperately asks for help to overcome it.

It’s not long before he finds it, either. A train has conveniently derailed nearby; while there are no casualties, a tanker full of chlorine gas needs getting back on track, something Iron Man decides to handle personally. However, in his inebriated state, he neglects to account for the weight ratio and the tanker plummets to the ground, spewing toxic gas into the air and causing the Armoured Avenger to be labelled a nuisance by the on-site cops. Ashamed, Iron Man flies away, angry at himself for being so careless and admonishing himself for not having designed any new armours in weeks thanks to his responsibilities to Stark International. In despair, he returns to his office to pour a fresh drink and is startled to find Bethany waiting to confront him about his addiction. Bethany can see the signs as clear as day thanks to her previous experiences with her now-ex-husband, Alexander Van Tilberg, once a charming and successful diplomat who became withdrawn and angry after becoming addicted to pills. This addiction not only caused a rift between them but also cost Alexander his life, so she’s perfectly positioned to warn Stark about the self-destructive nature of his drinking. She hits him with just the right mixture of tough love and sympathy, pleading with him to admit he has a problem and to open up to her and the few friends he has left before it’s too late. Incredibly, her words get through to him and he drops his glass to the floor and timidly asks, practically begs, for her to help him.

Despite the temptation, Stark goes cold turkey, makes amends, and is resolved to win back his company.

What follows is a harrowing montage in which Stark goes cold turkey; rather than attend meetings or seek professional help, Stark is minded by the incredibly patient Bethany, who endures his mood swings and despair over the course of several painful days. In time, Stark rediscovers his love for designing, and Bethany’s support helps him to realise that he has a lot of bridges to mend. His first port of call is the Avenger’s mansion, where Jarvis has set up home since leaving. Stark’s initial relief, and elevation, to have made amends with his faithful butler soon hits rocky shores when Jarvis reveals that he was forced to sell his shares in Stark International to pay for his mother’s medical bills; it turns out that he was scammed by a loan shark and now Stark is in danger of losing control of his company to the Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage and Law-Enforcement Division (S.H.I.E.L.D.) Although extremely tempted to turn to the bottle, Stark pushes through with all the resolve and willpower he can muster to don his armour once more and confront Mr. Benchley, the lender to whom Jarvis sold his stock. When cash fails to convince the Mr. Benchley, Iron Man trashes his office and threatens to expose his shady business ethics to the authorities, only to learn that the loan shark has already sold the stock to S.H.I.E.L.D. Returning despondent to his office, Tony moves to pour himself a fresh glass and, despite the immense urge to drown his sorrows in alcohol, Bethany’s appeal and the support of his friends ultimately wins through. The issue ends with Stark having turned his back on the booze and determined to win back control of his company with a newfound resolve, supported by Bethany and Jarvis and on the road to recovery.

The Summary:
The first thing that strikes me about this issue is the artwork; I didn’t read a lot of Iron Man as a kid as he didn’t tend to show up very often over here in the UK but what I did read was from the 1970s so I’m a bit biased towards John Romita Jr.’s rendition of Iron Man. While I prefer some of his other armours, particularly the “Silver Centurion” look or those that are more angular, Romita Jr. does a great job of updating Jack Kirby’s original design and making it seem like armour and not just flimsy fabric. Tony Stark also sports one of his best looks here outside of his later mullet, with a mop of dark hair, a sexy little moustache, and some outrageous bellbottoms, but it’s his facial expressions that win the day. Obviously, this is an extremely harrowing time for Stark; he’s at his lowest point, lost in depression, guilt, and self-doubt, and struggling to keep it all together and you really see this in the gamut of emotions etched into his features. He’s despondent, lost to a drunken joy, depressed, enraged, and literally bathed in sweat as he struggles, hands trembling, to resist taking another shot or reaching for that bottle. The text boxes do an equally masterful job of conveying, with trademark Marvel eloquence, the turmoil with Stark but a lot of these panels could’ve been left without any text and still been just as powerful, if not more so.

The story wonderfully showd the destructive effects of alcohol on Stark’s life.

Taken in a bubble, Stark’s battle with alcoholism seems to be very cut and dry; it’s important to remember that he was regularly swigging down the booze over a number of prior issues and, while this issue ends with him determined to turn his life around, it is by no means the end of his struggle and is instead the first step towards recovery. Still, I would have liked to see a little more of drunken Iron Man; the previous issues did a great job of showing drunk Tony lashing out at those closest to him and how his drinking has affected his social life, but seeing Iron Man stumble through heroics while tanked up is a startling visual. The issue plays it safe, with Iron Man’s mishap escalating an issue but one that is more inconveniently dangerous than life-threatening. Those who want to se ol’ shellhead go toe-to-toe in a fist fight while puking in his suit will be disappointed as this issue is very much an internal battle for Stark. Shaken by Bethany’s heart-breaking loss and moved by her persistent (if blunt) attempts to help him, Stark resolves to quit drinking altogether. As I touched upon, these days this would probably be rendered in a more realistic way but it’s certainly dramatic to see Stark suffering through withdrawal and sheepishly making amends with Jarvis. It’s a powerful issue, one that remains as prominent today as it did decades ago; it helps show a different vulnerability to Stark and portray him as a flawed hero, and man, as well as tackling the destructive nature of alcoholism in a way that isn’t as ham-fisted or cringe-worthy as some stories that touch upon similar issues. While it’s probably not the greatest Iron Man story ever told, it’s certainly significant and emotionally relevant to the character so it’s well worth checking out if only to experience one of the quintessential turning points in Iron Man’s long history.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

Have you ever read “Demon in a Bottle”? What did you think to Stark’s descent into alcoholism and the way the disease was portrayed here? Would you have liked to see more of Iron Man under the influence or do you think focusing on his social life was a better idea? Do you think Stark’s alcoholism has become a bit of a cliché at this point or do you enjoy how it makes him a flawed character? Have you ever struggled with addiction? What are some of your favourite Iron Man characters or stories? Where does Iron Man rank in your hierarchy of comic book characters? Are you doing anything to commemorate Iron Man’s debut appearance and, if so, what is it? Either way, I’d love to hear your thoughts on Iron Man so leave a comment below or on my social media.

Movie Night: Madame Web

Dr. K3 Comments

Released: 14 February 2024
Director: S. J. Clarkson
Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing
Budget: $80 million
Stars: Dakota Johnson, Tahar Rahim, Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O’Connor, Isabela Merced, and Adam Scott

The Plot:
After a near-death experience,.paramedic Cassandra “Cassie” Webb (Johnson) begins seeing glimpses of the future revolving around Ezekiel Sims (Rahim), a superpowered businessman determined to kill three teenagers before they can kill him in the future as Spider-Women, compelling Cassie to begrudgingly discover the truth of her past and protect the girls.

The Background:
After Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy (2000 to 2007) proved a phenomenal success, Marc Webb’s reboot films proved sadly mediocre and led to an unprecedented agreement between Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios that allowed the iconic wall-crawler to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and Sony to release tangentially-connected spin-offs featuring Spidey’s villains and side characters. Encouraged by the financial (if not critical) reception of their Venom (Various, 2018 to present) movies (and seemingly undeterred after the car-crash reception of Morbius (Espinosa, 2022)), Sony not only signed off on a solo project for Sergei Kravinoff/Kraven the Hunter, but also the enigmatic clairvoyant Cassandra Webb/Madame Web. Created by Dennis O’Neil and John Romita Jr., Madame Web first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #210 and significantly influenced Spider-Man’s battles against multiversal forces, but is perhaps best known for her inclusion in the Spider-Man animated series (1994 to 1998), where she was voiced by Joan Lee (wife of the legendary Stan Lee). Writing began on a Madame Web feature while Morbius was still in production and saw numerous rewrites, even after director S. J. Clarkson signed on and retooled it into Sony’s first female-centric Marvel film. Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura expressed difficulties in adapting Madame Web’s clairvoyance to the screen and emphasising secrecy surrounding the project given her relative obscurity, a fact explicitly addressed by the inclusion of other, more recognisable Spider-Women. The cast appear to have been mislead as to the status of the film in the wider MCU; this may explain the bizarre marketing campaign that saw star Dakota Johnson seemingly openly criticise the film, though she wasn’t the only one. After numerous delays, Madame Web released to scathing reviews; the film made just shy of $100 million at the box office and critics attacked the poor dialogue and script, lacklustre special effects and pacing, and the blatant false advertising regarding three of the lead characters.

The Review:
So, if I had a whole bunch of negativity towards making standalone, Spider-Man-less films about the likes of Eddie Brock/Venom and Doctor Michael Morbius, you can be damn sure that I was baffled to the point of insanity by the decision to make a solo Madame Web movie. Not only is she an extremely obscure Spider-Man character, but her depiction is generally as a wizened, blind mentor who manipulates Spider-Man like a chess piece as part of Marvel’s on-again/off-again insistence on convoluting Spidey’s origins and mythos with semi-paranormal cosmic ideas of Spider Totems and “Webs of Fate”. It’s ironic, really, as the concept could have worked a little better if Madame Web had been depicted as a Professor Charles Xavier/Professor X-type figure, mentoring and recruiting Spider-Women to oppose the Inheritors, despite my dislike for them, because at least then the focus would be on the spider-powered women and not this thoroughly unlikeable paramedic who, despite choosing a carer where she’s sworn to protect lives and being depicted as a workaholic who rushes to do that very thing, is reluctant to help the three girls targeted by Ezekiel Sims. Much of Cassie’s reluctance stems from her lingering feelings of abandonment, confusion about her true self and past, and what’s framed as an unconventional upbringing since her mother, Constance (Kerry Bishé), died during childbirth and Cassie was raised in the foster system, left with only mementos of her mother, Constance’s research into the near-mythical spiders of the Peruvian jungles, and the mistaken, childish belief that Constance cared more about her arachnids than raising her daughter. Consequently, Cassie has a bit of an abrasive edge to her; while she tirelessly works to save lives alongside her friend and partner, Ben Parker (Scott), she’s uncomfortable with receiving gratitude for this, has no idea how to act around children, and would much rather spend time in her apartment with a local stray cat than socialise with her colleagues or even Ben’s pregnant sister-in-law, Mary Parker (Emma Roberts). Her anxiety and social awkwardness is only exacerbated after she nearly drowns and is sporadically bombarded by visions of the past and near future, all framed by a mysterious web-like pattern, though she initially dismisses these visions and it takes her a ridiculously long amount of time to realise that they’re not only true, but that the fates she is witnessing can be changed.

Three girls destined for greatness must rely on Cassie’s sporadic clairvoyance to survive.

Central to her visions are four individuals – a violent killer clad in a somewhat-familiar spider-themed costume and possessing superhuman strength and spider-like abilities, and three twenty-somethings teenagers that Cassie sees horribly murdered by this assassin time and again. As fate would have it, their destinies are all intertwined and lead Cassie to encounter the three girls individually to establish some surface-level characteristics for the three that are partially developed as the film chugs along. Julia Cornwall (Sweeney) is the quiet, shy girl who’s struggling with her parents’ divorce, Anya Corazon (Merced) is both book smart (she literally wears a t-shirt proclaiming her love of “math”) and dealing with fending for herself after her father’s deportation, and skater Mattie Franklin (O’Connor) is the streetwise rude girl with a chip on her shoulder since she comes from money. The three couldn’t be more different but quickly form a genuinely enjoyable sisterhood after they’re saved by Cassie; while initially distrusting of her, they eventually come to believe in her janky clairvoyance after she saves them from Ezekiel multiple times. However, Cassie is seemingly impulsively compelled to do this, and it takes her a while to realise the responsibility she has towards the girls; she routinely abandons them, chastises them, and even jets off to Peru to investigate her origins and undergo a spiritual journey that finally teaches her that she has an obligation to protect the three with her abilities. The three girls do their best with the materials, appearing fun and likeable and adding some pathos to their characters through their shared feelings of abandonment, but the script is rarely in their favour. The same is true for Cassie, who constantly narrates her life like an idiot and acts very irrationally for a paramedic, though eventually she settles into the role of a reluctant surrogate mother and protector to the girls.

Ezekiel targets the girls to save his own life, but is a pretty weak and one-note villain.

The girls are targeted by Ezekiel since he’s been plagued by visions of his death at their hands at some point in his future. Previously working alongside Constance, Ezekiel betrayed and killed her to get his hands on a mysterious spider that granted him his amazing powers, but also cursed him with the knowledge of his impending death. In the interim, he built a vast, indistinct corporate empire and has become obsessed with finding and killing the three Spider-Women who’ve haunted his nightmares, aided by his “girl in the chair”, Amaria (Zosia Mamet), who hacks into the police database and CCTV cameras all over the city to track the girls down. It’s not made clear why the Spider-Women would hunt down and kill Ezekiel in the future, or what he’s done that makes him such a diabolic villain except one confirmed kill, but boy does he like to mumble and grumble about how badly he wants them dead and his desire to ensure he lives on! As if having all the wealth and technology he needs at his disposal isn’t enough, Ezekiel also possesses spider-like powers; he can walk and climb on walls, leap vast distances, possesses superhuman strength and reflexes, and can poison his victims with a touch, eventually causing cardiac arrest. He also seems to display some degree of clairvoyance and psychic power to rival that of Cassie, communicating to her on the astral plane at one point, and dresses in an admittedly cool looking outfit when out on the prowl. How he changes in and out of this isn’t made clear either, however, as he’s often seen wearing the form-fitting suit in one scene and then fully in his business attire in the next with no explanation, and he’s routinely humiliated by Cassie since she can anticipate his actions ahead of time. While Cassie doesn’t demonstrate the same superhuman powers, the three girls do in the frantically-edited visions of the future, though it’s unclear how, when, or why they gained superhuman powers. Ezekiel does, however, share his powers with the mysterious Las Arañas, a secret Peruvian tribe who dress in makeshift jungle attire that’s very similar to Spider-Man’s and try to save Constance when she’s wounded, delivering Cassie and then later making her realise that her mother ventured into the jungle to save her, not because she didn’t care about her. Frankly, I find this whole aspect to be borderline insulting; I hate the idea of a tribe of Spider-People and of a spider species that can grant these powers as it diminishes Spider-Man’s uniqueness, though the depiction of the spider-powered people clambering and leaping about the place is pretty good and surprisingly horrific, especially when Ezekiel is tossing bodies around in Cassie’s visions.

The Nitty-Gritty:
There’s a shared feeling of abandonment between the four female leads; all of them feel like outsiders to some degree, isolated from others and even their families since they either don’t have a parental figure, or their parents don’t seem to care about them. While their individual personalities initially clash because of their different backgrounds and current social standing, they quickly bond once they realise how much they have in common, with the three girls, especially, forming a makeshift sisterhood due to their current circumstances. Although Julia is Cassie’s most vocal supporter, they initially believe she’s either crazy or just another adult they can’t rely on and decide to go against Cassie’s warnings and fend for themselves, an action that very nearly sees them all killed by Ezekiel before Cassie intervenes. She chastises them, angry at their irresponsible and reckless actions, but struggles to give them the answers they want and to properly care for them since he’s apparently so maladjusted that she can barely stand to be around her handful of friends, much less look after three scared teenagers. Thus, she turns to Ben to shelter the girls while she tries to find answers in Peru; this turns out to be a good decision since Ben is a much more emotionally stable individual. He deeply cares for his sister and is extremely excited about being an uncle, but is also devoted to his friend and partner, to the point where he resuscitates Cassie after she drowns, begs her to socialise with his family and their colleagues, and agrees to look after the girls even though he has no idea what kind of danger they’re in. As good as Adam Scott was in the role (I particularly liked the banter he shared with Cassie, which hinted at a former attraction, and his struggles to keep up with the girls), the only reason he’s here is for fan service: yes, he’s playing the future Uncle Ben and, through him, we even see the birth of his nephew (who ridiculously goes without a name) and get hints towards his future, despite Madame Web taking place in its own separate continuity from previous Spider-Man movies. There’s also something really weird about Julia, Anya, and Mattie all being older than Peter and the frustration of the three running around in normal street clothes instead of the awesome Spider-Women suits we barely get a glimpse of in their future.

In the absence of the Spider-Women, we’re left relying on Cassie’s visions and Ezekiel’s threat.

Yes, Madame Web is another great example of Sony lying to us; the trailers and posters showcased Julia, Anya, and Mattie as fully-empowered Spider-Women but this isn’t the case at all. I guessed that we wouldn’t see them suit up until the very end, but the truth is far worse; they only wear their costumes in fleeting visions, with no explanation of how they get their powers, and the film has the gall to setup a potential sequel that actually addresses these issues, but to me it’s a dropped ball that completely derails the movie. The bulk of Madame Web is focused on Cassie’s struggles to reconcile her past and understand her newfound powers; there are numerous scenes of her witnessing snapshots of the future, meaning we get a lot of time loops and confused looks from Cassie that border on the maniacal as she tries to understand what’s happening. Primarily, though, these visions are used as fake outs; almost every time, the scene will show Ezekiel coming in, wrecking fools, and killing his targets in an almost effortless manner, only to suddenly snap back to Cassie and show her taking action to avoid this fate. It’s all very reminiscent of the Final Destination films (Various, 2000 to present), which is fitting but kind of lowers a lot of the stakes since you can just assume every violent scene or action sequence is just a vision. When Ezekiel does get a chance to fight, he’s effectively peerless; none of the protagonists have the strength or ability to go toe-to-toe with him, meaning Cassie drives a lot of cars into him and catches him off-guard with her clairvoyant powers, leaving him perplexed and looking stupid. When the Las Arañas appear, it’s all shot with an unsettling, nightmarish shaky-cam filter that makes their appearances and abilities not only difficult to pin down, but also appear needlessly cartoonish.  There are some decent effects at times, such as when Cassie takes her spiritual journey and interacts with the Web of Fate and the lingering memory of her mother, and things are surprisingly grounded for a Sony Spider-Man-adjacent movie, with Ezekiel being unable to swing from webs and more reliant on his physical abilities. This, in conjunction with his intimidating costume, does paint him as a formidable figure; he’s almost like a slasher villain at times, draining the life from his victims, breaking their limbs, and pouncing like an animal, but this persona is awkwardly juxtaposed with his pandering civilian identity, where he may as well twirl an old-timey moustache as he spouts generic villain dialogue with little charisma or conviction.

Cassie accepts her fate to defeat Ezekiel and mentor the future Spider-Women.

So, all these recent revelations help Cassie make sense of her mother’s notebooks; while she previously resented Constance’s apparent fixation on her spider research, she realises that her destiny has been intertwined with Ezekiel’s since before her birth and takes herself to Peru to find answers. There, a Las Arañas, Santiago (José María Yazpik), helps her to realise that her mother was trying to cure her of some disease and that she has a greater destiny, one that will bestow her with “great power” once she accepts the “responsibility” that comes from her abilities. Before, she saved and sheltered the girls simply because it was the right thing to do; she had little interest in watching over them or bonding with them, or of their greater destinies as Spider-Women, but her spiritual journey motivates her to actively shield them from Ezekiel’s wrath, and gives her greater control over her future sight. After rescuing them and allowing Ben and Mary to get to safety, Cassie takes the girls to a fireworks warehouse and they finally set aside their differences to set a trap for Ezekiel, planting flares all over the place to cause a series of explosions. This actually causes quite a few issues for the protagonists, however, as the explosions destroy the helicopter Cassie called in to rescue them and eventually sees Julia, Anya, and Mattie separated and facing fatal falls. Luckily, Cassie masters her powers enough to…somehow…spiritually duplicate herself long enough to help the three to safety, incurring Ezekiel’s anger. Despite him being haunted by very specific visions of his death at the hands of the three Spider-Women, Cassie changes his fate and claims that she was always the one who was destined to end him (which doesn’t seem true, but okay) and lures him onto unstable ground, eventually causing him to plummet to his death and be crushed by debris. Cassie also takes a plunge but, luckily, she taught the girls CPR earlier and they’re able to revive her, though she’s not only inexplicably left paralysed with no explanation but also winds up blinded by a stray firework. Still, she’s not bothered by this; in fact, the film ends with her happier than ever since she can now, presumably, use the full extent of her psychic powers and clairvoyance to see and understand the future and is prepared not just to take on the three as their foster mother, but to mentor them into the Spider-Women they are destined to become…effectively ending the film where it really should’ve started! Like, why not have Cassie already be infirm but fully empowered and training, say, Julia, showing their origins through flashbacks and exposition, and have Julia be the point woman in recruiting Mattie and Anya when Ezekiel, an Inheritor assassin, targets them? It could’ve been Sony’s answer to the X-Men, in a way, and even take place in the same universe as their other pointless spin-offs, and might’ve been more enjoyable because then we would’ve gotten to see the gorgeous Sydney Sweeney in their slick, form-fitting Spider-Woman costume for a lot more of the runtime!

The Summary:
I went into Madame Web expecting it to be bad based on the trailer, the disaster that was Morbius, and my dislike for the concept in general. I tried to have an open mind, however; the cast, for example, intrigued me, as did the costume design, and to be fair there is the ghost of a semi-decent idea here, it just would’ve worked better as a side plot in a Spider-Man film or reworked to have Julia Carpenter/Spider-Woman at the forefront, with Cassie as a mentor figure. Any goodwill the film might’ve gotten from its Spider-Woman costumes is flushed down the toilet since we barely get a good look at these and the girls don’t even become Spider-Women in the movie; Ezekiel’s costume and action scenes somewhat make up for this, but he’s such an ineffectual and confusing villain that it’s hard to care when he’s onscreen. The relationship between the protagonists was somewhat enjoyable; I liked how the girls bonded, their shared feelings of abandonment, and them coming together as a surrogate family, but it’s executed so poorly and, although the girls do try, they’re all hampered by a really awful script. Dakota Johnson suffers from this the most, I think; she was some weird, awkward silences and quirks and is forced to spit out some really awful dialogue and nonsensical exposition. Add to that the fact that Cassie is a weird and pretty unlikeable character, abandoning and yelling at the girls even though she’s supposed to be a paramedic and you have a main character who’s hard to relate to, a villain as flat as a piece of paper, and three boisterous young girls who are completely wasted in this travesty of a film. It’s more than a step back for the genre; Madame Web harkens back to a time when superhero movies were not only afraid to use codenames and costumes, but outright ashamed of them, delivering cookie cutter dramas that falter at the first hurdle. It’s a sad state of affairs and I have lost all hope for Sony’s future Spidey-adjacent movies, and my expectations were already at the bottom of the barrel to begin with!

My Rating:

Rating: 1 out of 5.

Terrible

Did you enjoy Madame Web? If so…what’s the matter with you? What did you think to the performances and the dynamic between the four protagonists? Were you disappointed that the girls didn’t actually become Spider-Women in the film? What did you think to Ezekiel, his characterisation, and the nonsense about the Las Arañas? Do you think a Madame Web movie could ever work, or would you rather see a Spider-Woman take the forefront? Which Spider-Woman is your favourite? I’d love to know your opinion of Madame Web, so leave a comment below and be sure to check out my other Spider-Man and Marvel content.

Back Issues: The Punisher #1-5

Dr. K1 Comment
Writer: Steven Grant – Artist: Mike Zeck

Story Title: “Circle of Blood”
Published: 8 October 1985 (cover-dated January 1986)

Story Title: “Back to the War”
Published: 5 November 1985 (cover-dated February 1986)

Story Title: “Slaughterday”
Published: 10 December 1985 (cover-dated March 1986)

Story Title: “Final Solution: Part 1”
Published: 7 January 1986 (cover-dated April 1986)

Story Title: “Final Solution: Part 2”
Published: 11 February 1986 (cover-dated May 1986)

The Background:
By February 1974, Marvel Comic’s iconic teenage superhero, Peter Parker/Spider-Man, had become a mainstay of the publication following his 1962 debut in Amazing Fantasy #15. After earning his own ongoing book, The Amazing Spider-Man, the following year, he amassed quite the gallery of villains, such as Doctor Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus, Flint Marko/The Sandman, and, of course, Norman Osborn/Green Goblin. In February 1974, Gerry Conway and Ross Andru introduced readers to the Jackal, a crazed scientist whose cloning technology eventually resulted in one of Spider-Man’s most infamous storylines, but who first employed the services of Vietnam veteran-turned-mercenary vigilante Frank Castle/The Punisher to target the web-slinger. Inspired by The Executioner (Pendleton, et al, 1969 to present), designed by Gerry Conway, and named by Marvel mastermind Stan Lee, the Punisher was such a hit that he graduated to this self-titled series. Naturally, given the Punisher’s propensity for killing his enemies, it was difficult for him to amass his own recurring antagonists but one of his most memorable foes is easily William “Billy” Russo/Jigsaw, a mutilated mobster created by Len Wein and Ross Andru who has returned time and again, defying death and fate, to torment the Punisher for nearly fifty years.

The Review:
As huge a fan of the Punisher I am I haven’t really read too much of his stuff. I like to pick up Marvel’s Platinum collections for their characters as they bring together a variety of iconic stories for their biggest names, and sadly the Punisher hasn’t yet received one of these so my experience with him is a little sporadic. Still, I love the simplicity and bleak grittiness of the hardened vigilante and find him to be an extremely compelling and layered character so I’m always glad to read his stories, especially his most influential ones. The Punisher’s first solo series begins with him locked up on Ryker’s Island, a gothic-style prison on a small isle adjacent to New York City. A conversation between warden Jerome Gerty and his aide, Tommy, gives the uninitiated a quick rundown on the Punisher’s backstory (you know the drill: Vietnam vet who turned to vigilantism after his family was killed in a mob attack) and reveals that he’s been locked up after a recent bout of drug-induced madness The warden appears to have big, potentially sinister, plans for the Punisher, whose reputation is so intimidating that all the inmates are scared stiff by his presence. All except for “The Mule”, Frank’s loud-mouthed, musclebound cellmate; unfortunately for the human ox, Frank isn’t impressed by his offer to protect him for a few favours and the Punisher quickly overpowers the Mule and forces him to do his bidding and feed him information. Considering his drug episode originated during a prior stay at Ryker’s, Frank puts the wind up Frisky Martin, one of the inmates who works in the prison cafeteria, and delights in the fear he’s causing amongst the populace. With Frisky suitably intimidated, Frank follows him to the source of the prison’s drug operation and is unsurprised to find Jigsaw peddling the wares from within the walls.

The Punisher infiltrates Ryker’s to get to the bottom of Jigsaw’s drug operation.

After making short work of Jigsaw’s goons, Frank walks into hostile territory, Block D, where the mutilated mobster living in luxury in his cell, only to find himself vastly outnumbered by the violent criminals awaiting there. Following a brutal beating, the Punisher is restrained and facing a broken glass bottle to the face as recompense for him destroying Jigsaw’s face, only for him to power his way out if it and crush Jigsaw’s hand, driving shards of glass into it. Although Jigsaw orders the guards to shoot Frank, the fracas is interrupted by Carlo Cervello, the prison’s resident mafia Don known as “The Brain” for always thinking one step ahead. Cervello reprimands Jigsaw and, to his surprise and outrage, welcomes Frank into his operation when the Punisher offers to join him in breaking out of Ryker’s. A few nights later, the plan begins and Cervello immediately double crosses the Punisher by sending his muscle, Gregario, to kill him using a homemade silencer. This cobbled together appliance is faulty, however, and the Punisher is able to outsmart “The Brain” using a simple mattress. As the escape turns into a full-blown riot, Frank lets the violence play out to whittle down the obstacles in his way before making a break for the control tower, wounding Gregario and scuppering the escape plan using the tower’s defensive measures. Cervello and Jigsaw make their way to the warden’s office where they take Gerty and Tommy hostage and demand the Punisher lays down his gun, only for it to literally backfire in Jigsaw’s face as he tried to shoot unsuitable bullets with it. When Cervello threatens to shoot Gerty, Frank calls his bluff with a cold-hearted stoicism that terrifies Cervello so much that he willingly returns to his cell.

With the Kingpin presumed dead, the Punisher incites a turf war that winds up the local mobsters.

Frank, however, tries to murder the mobster for the attempt on his life and then demands that Gerty escort him out of the prison. Although armed guards defuse the situation, Gerty vouches for the Punisher and reveals that he and Tommy work for a mysterious cartel known as “The Trust”, a well-oiled group who share Frank’s concerns regarding crime. Not only does Gerty offer to allow Frank to escape (though still a wanted man) and furnish him with his iconic skull outfit, he offers to bankroll his operation, asking only that the Punisher eradicate organised crime once he’s out. Despite his suspicions, Frank cannot say no to the opportunity to return to the war, unaware that would-be-doctor Tony Massera has been coerced by his mobster uncle, Charlie Siciliano, to take revenge on the Punisher for killing his father. Ignorant to this, the Punisher gets back to work with a bang, quite literally, by storming the office of the untouchable Kingpin of Crime himself, Wilson Fisk, only to find himself duped by a dummy and sent hurtling out of the seventy-storey building by an explosive trap. Although he slows his fall, the Punisher takes a bad landing and goes into shock, only to awaken in the lavish riverside home of the alluring Angela, who begs to assist the Punisher’s crusade, even offering her body, since organised crime left her family dead. In the aftermath, Frank ruminates on his age, the mistake that almost cost him his life, and his never-ending war; to help tip the odds in his favour, he calls Ben Urich of the Daily Bugle and reports that he assassinated the Kingpin in order to incite a mob war to fill the void, allowing him to easily take care of whoever’s left after the bloodshed. Accordingly, mobsters are offed all across the city and, desperate to avoid all-out war, Siciliano tries to broker peace amongst the disparate mobsters, completely unaware that the Punisher is listening to his every word from his kitted-out Battle Van.

Troubled by the collateral damage, the Punisher tries to stem the cycle of violence he started.

The heads of the city’s top crime families, and some of their lackeys, gather at Grand Central Station, of all places, that evening to hear Siciliano out, only to be set upon by Nolo Contendre, a hitman from Detroit. Although the Punisher is pleased by the ensuing anarchy, he wants to know who hired Contendre so he chases him down to the subway where a violent game of cat-and-mouse breaks out between the two. Frank takes a direct shot to the chest (though he’s saved by his heavy body armour) and is incensed when Contendre breaks the rules of his profession by opening fire upon civilians. Frank wounds Contendre with a knife, enraging him, and ends up decapitating the thug by kicking his head through a window, where it’s promptly taken off as the train pulls into Times Square Station. Seeing the fear in the eyes of the wounded passengers, Frank chastises his recklessness and vows to stop to the violence he has incited, only to be thrown off kilter when his van explodes before his eyes, which his Trust contact, Alaric, suggests is a sign that he needs to partner with the organisation on a more formal basis. Perhaps taking this to heart, the Punisher goes out of his way to protect mobster Tomas Santiago from an assassination attempt by rival gangster Simon Ejszaka all to set up another peace conference with Siciliano. In the interim, he opens up to Angela about the “circle of blood” that surrounds his life and she tries to convince him of the benefits of working with the Trust so he can have some support and back up, with the story revealing to the reader that the Trust not only blew up Frank’s van but also planted Angela to sway him to their cause. Ignorant to this, the Punisher spots Massera watching her building and confronts him, only for Massera to reveal he’s rooting for the Punisher since he can’t stand the violence surrounding his life, with the Punisher warning him to stay out of it or suffer the same fate as his father.

The Punisher is aghast to learn that Alaric has built an army of fake Punishers.

Frank pays a visit to Ejszaka and threatens him into going to Siciliano’s peace meeting and for information regarding Marcus Coriander; he then goes to visit Santiago, only for it to be revealed that Siciliano has been murdered by a fake Punisher! Although Frank puts down the faker, Santiago is killed and all the recent mob murders are revealed to have been perpetrated by Coriander and his gaggle of Punisher look-a-likes. Frank drops in on Coriander, who reveals that he formed this “Punishment Squad” to follow the Punisher’s example and disrupt the city’s criminal underworld before the Kingpin could return to power. After taking care of the fake Punishers (off-panel for maximum imagination), Frank is stunned when Coriander also opens fire on innocent civilians to cover his escape, gunning down a little girl in an experience that breaks the formally small-time crook. When the Punisher confronts him, Coriander exhibits signs of mental trauma but reveals that it was Aleric who was behind everything, right before Angela murders him and shoots the Punisher. He recovers pretty quickly, and without explanation, however (primarily because people refuse to shoot him in the head!) and returns to Ryker’s Island to talk with Gerty about the Trust, an organisation whose goals he can relate to but whose methods fly in the face of his strict moral code. There, he finds Tommy dead courtesy of another doppelgänger, whom he puts down a few blocks (and panels) later when he tracks down Gerty, threatening the warden with death unless he spills the beans on Alaric and the Trust. It turns out that Alaric has brainwashed criminals into his own personal death squad and the fear of Alaric’s reprisals, or being locked in his own prison, leads Gerty to shoot himself in the head before the Punisher’s grim-faced façade. The cops arrive at that exact moment; since the Punisher refuses to fight the police out of respect, he allows himself to be arrested, only for the Punishment Squad to arrive and try and kill them.

The Punisher callously makes short work of Jigsaw and Alaric and returns to his never-ending war.

One cop goes down but the Punisher convinces the other to uncuff him so he can kill his look-a-likes and coerce Siciliano into taking him to Alaric’s compound outside the city, where he forces his subjects to endure electroshock treatments and a special gas to condition them into thinking they’re the Punisher. Frank creates a distraction and makes his way into the compound, only to find that Jigsaw has also been brainwashed to be one of Alaric’s goons. A haymaker to the jaw is enough to undo Jigsaw’s conditioning and Frank easily hitches a ride to Alaric’s main building via a passing helicopter. Alaric begs his lover, Angela, to get to safety so he can hold off the Punisher without worrying about her and tries one last time to convince the Punisher to join his cause. When Frank stubbornly refuses, he falls into one of Alaric’s electroshock rooms and is subjected to the same brainwashing process so he can lead the Punishment Squad; thankfully, he’s able to withstand the pain of the electroshock floors, plug up his mouth, and make an explosive escape as he had all his equipment on him. His body wracked with pain and nursing several injuries, the Punisher is easy prey for Jigsaw, who delights in brutalising and taunting him, but spends too long gloating and Frank stabs him and beats him into submission. However, Frank inexplicably allows Jigsaw to live, but his actions scare off the Punishment Squad and clear the way for him to reach Alaric. Still, Alaric does a pretty good job of defending himself, surprising the Punisher and frantically beating him with the butt of his rifle, only to be sent into a desperate frenzy by the blood and violence. A stalemate of sorts occurs until Frank wounds Alaric and fends off his attack dog; again, rather than killing his enemy, the Punisher threatens him with death unless he blows the whistle on the Trust, which in itself will mean a death sentence for him when the mob come looking for revenge. Satisfied that Alaric will be punished one way or another, the Punisher leaves with his dog, only to be confronted by Siciliano; the Punisher’s able to talk him down, however, with a soliloquy about the cycle of violence and his part in it. As he leaves the compound, Angela tries to run him down and he callously leaves her to her fate after wrecking her car, heading off into the night to continue his never-ending war.

The Summary:
The first thing that strikes me about these five issues is the art work; fittingly, the Punisher’s solo series uses a far less exaggerated and comic book aesthetic (for the most part), depicting a much darker and grittier side to Marvel Comics that works perfectly with the Punisher’s more no-nonsense and violent attitude. Sure, Mike Zeck makes the Punisher a bit of a man mountain at times and Jigsaw’s face is a bubbling mess of scarred flesh but, for the most part, things are quite realistically done here. The Punisher suffers injuries, dislocating his shoulder, going into shock, and even fearing paralysis on a couple of occasions, which again speaks to his vulnerability as a character as opposed to his more virtuous and superhuman peers. He’s also far more introspective and stoic; his dialogue boxes are both “real time” narration and reflections from his war journal, which reinforces that he sees his mission as a war against all crime, and he’s not one for spouting quips or cliché puns at his victims. In fact, almost every word out of his mouth is a threat or some bleak meditation on the cycle of violence that is his life, and it goes a long way to added depth to his character and laying the foundation of what the Punisher is all about.

The Punisher is tormented by the cycle of death and violence that his life has become.

Indeed, there are many times when the Punisher laments the “circle of blood” that has surrounded his life. With nothing to lose, he’s fully committed to this cycle and he knows full well that it will end in his death and will even carry on after he died, meaning that his life’s mission is ultimately meaningless, and yet he is compelled, almost addicted, to killing criminals and saving as many lives as he can. His grim façade cracks only when there’s mention of his lost family or when he sees innocents being harmed; he’s enraged when Contendre and Alaric fire on civilians, suffering flashbacks to his family’s murder, and distraught by his part in the collateral damage, seeing himself as no different from those he’s sworn to punish. Since he’s just one man, the Punisher sets up a mob war to have the city’s mobsters to wipe each other out and make his job easier; a good plan that almost immediately goes sour. We see very little of this mob war beyond a few key gangsters being assassinated and a lot of dialogue talking about how things have escalated out of control with very little visual representation of this. Literally a few pages after he gets the ball rolling, the Punisher is beating himself up over the collateral damage as though he didn’t think anyone would get hurt in the crossfire, which is a bit ridiculous. I would’ve liked to see the gang war take place over an entire issue, with Frank coming to this realisation at the end or part-way through the next issue and then trying to stop what he started but, as presented, it’s quite rushed and nonsensical as he has to shut down his plan almost right away. Still, this was quite an intense story. I liked how each issue introduced a kind of rival for the Punisher, be it Contendre or one of the other head mobsters, and that his actions had consequences; Siciliano has a vendetta against him for killing his gangster father and, most prominently, Alaric brainwashed criminals into forming the Punishment Squad and perverted the Punisher’s skull logo specifically because he was inspired by Frank’s crusade.

Despite some weak villains, the story delves into the Punisher’s motivations and psychology.

Naturally, the Punisher guns down almost everyone who crosses his path without mercy or hesitation, meaning any kind of prolonged conflict between him and the likes of Contendre or his many look-a-likes is supplanted by a relatively quick kill from the Punisher. When his rivals put up more of a fight, the art really shines; it’s great seeing the Punisher walk into situations with no regard for his own safety and fight, beat, or gun down multiple armed assailants at once and I really enjoyed how many in the criminal underground fear him for his uncompromising mercilessness. Jigsaw is an exception to this rule; his hatred of the Punisher is so strong that it allows him to break free of Alaric’s brainwashing but his presence in the story is more of an extended cameo. It’s not entirely clear why the Punisher doesn’t kill him, either; he’s perfectly happy to kill everyone else but spares Jigsaw out of some half-assed sense of kinship given his own mental imbalance. This leaves Alaric as the story’s primary antagonist and he’s not really capable of matching Jigsaw’s visual or thematic appeal; I think the story might’ve benefitted from Jigsaw being behind the Punishment Squad and his motives being to further tarnish the Punisher’s reputation as Alaric is more of a pen pusher than a fighter. He’s reduced to a quivering wreck when he accidentally kills a little girl and before the Punisher’s fury and is only able to fight back because Frank is a bit weakened, making for a lacklustre villain. Overall, though, it’s an enjoyable Punisher story that explores his motivations and offers some introspection into his mission. There’s a sense of duty, obligation, and self-loathing to the Punisher, whose callous and grim demeanour make him stand out from other Marvel heroes and villains. He’s so committed to his cause that he’ll try and kill the Kingpin the first chance he gets and that disregard for his own wellbeing is wonderfully conveyed here. It’s not perfect but, for fledgling or casual Punisher fans, this miniseries is the perfect place to start reading.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Have you ever read the Punisher’s first solo series? What did you think to the deeper insight into Punisher’s character and motivation? Would you have liked to see more focus on the mob war? What did you think to the villains of the miniseries; would you have liked to see more from Jigsaw or Contendre? What are some of your favourite Punisher stories and villains? How are you celebrating the Punisher’s debut this year? Whatever you think about the Punisher, share your opinions down below.

Back Issues: The Amazing Spider-Man #210

Dr. K2 Comments

Story Title: “The Prophecy of Madame Web!”
Published: 12 August 1980 (cover-dated November 1980)
Writer: Dennis O’Neil
Artist: John Romita Jr.

The Background:
After a blockbuster success with the Fantastic Four, Marvel editor and head writer Stan Lee spearheaded one of Marvel’s best selling publications with teenage superhero Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Spidey’s popularity soon saw him headlining other comics, such as Marvel Team-Up, amassing one of the industry’s most colourful and memorable rogues galleries, and his supporting cast ballooning as Parker aged and his life became more complicated. In November 1980, The Amazing Spider-Man readers were introduced to blind, crippled psychic Cassandra Webb/Madame Web, an enigmatic figure who both tasked Spider-Man with opposing certain villains and used her clairvoyance to direct his destiny. Madame Web played a significant role once Spider-Man was threatened by outside and multiversal forces, ultimately dying at the hands of a vengeful Vladimir Kravinoff/Grim Hunter, with her last act being to pass her powers to Julia Carpenter/Spider-Man. Madame Web’s most significant portrayal, however, was in the Spider-Man animated series (1994 to 1998), where she was voiced by Stan Lee’s wife, Joan, and acted as a mysterious mentor to Spider-Man (Christopher Daniel Barnes), often frustrating him with her manipulative ways. Years later, Sony Pictures inexplicably decided the best way to capitalise on their limited library of Spider-Man characters was to produce a Madame Web live-action movie, teaming this obscure side character with a handful of Spider-Women in an attempt to subvert audience expectations.

The Review:
We begin in the basement storage room of the New York Globe, a rival newspaper to the Daily Bugle, where Robert Dockery, circulation manager for the newspaper, directs a gang of masked hoodlums whom he’s hired in a bid to seize complete control of the publication. This plot point is then put on hold as the story joins Peter Parker, who’s strolling through Chinatown alongside Debra “Debbie” Whitman, an obscure love interest of Peter’s even for me whom he met while studying at Empire State University. Peter’s surprised to learn that the normally level-headed and pragmatic Debra has booked an appointment with a fortune teller, the titular Madame Web, though Debra insists that she’s simply exploring the fascinating subject of psychic phenomena rather than being scammed by a faux clairvoyant. Although Peter enjoys teasing her over this, he’s unable to join her to see Madame Web in action as, wouldn’t you know it, he’s late for a meeting at the New York Globe. Rather than web-sling over there, Peter takes the more traditional route but is forced to switch to Spider-Man when he’s denied access to the editorial department due to a managerial mandate. This is all part of Dockery’s plot, of course. He’s taking a meeting with his senior staff and introducing them to Katrinka Janice “K.J.” Clayton, publisher of the New York Globe, a provocative woman who, until now, has been a silent partner of the newspaper. Just as she announces Dockery’s ascension to power, those masked hoodlums burst in, accost the staff members, and take Clayton hostage.  

When a publishing mogul is seemingly kidnapped, Spidey turns to a mysterious psychic for help.

Luckily, Spider-Man was climbing up the outside of the building, so he bursts in to break up the party, easily dodging their machine gun fire with his superhuman speed and reflexes and fighting off the armed thugs even when they dog-pile him. They do, however, delay him long enough for Clayton to be kidnapped and, thanks to Dockery “clumsily” getting in his way, Spidey is a step too slow to pursue them and is unable to catch up due to a lack of windows. With no other options, Spidey decides to indulge Debra’s fantasy and pay Madame Web a visit to see if the elderly medium can help him track Clayton down. Spidey web-slings over the Madame Web’s apartment and is stunned to find she’s an elderly blind lady who’s hooked up to an elaborate web-based life support machine, created by her late husband, that sustains her so she can aid others with her gifts. She describes herself as a “soothsayer, a psychic, a witch” and claims to be capable not just of “second-sight” but fostering the psychic powers of others. Impressed by her presentation and boastful claims, Spider-Man asks for her insight into Clayton and, though she stresses that her abilities aren’t 100% guaranteed due to the nature of the paranormal, she immediately picks up that Clayton is the victim of a malicious deceit, perpetrated by Web’s own student, Belinda Bell, to be held hostage for financial gain. At Spidey’s urging, Madame Web intuits that Belinda and Clayton will perish in a horrific train crash if he doesn’t find Bell, who is his only hope of tracking down Clayton. The next scene shows that the deceit runs even deeper as Belinda was paid to impersonate Clayton and, for her assistance, she finds herself tied up in a toy store (of all places) and at the mercy of Dockery’s ruthless mercenaries. 

Thanks to Madame Web, Spidey saves Clayton, though her true nature remains a mystery.

Across town at the New York Gloe, Dockery confronts the real Clayton (actually a much older woman) and openly threatens her, mocking the vanity that so easily allowed him to have her impersonated to hand control of the newspaper over to him. Confident in his victory, Dockery calls his thugs and orders Belinda’s execution, but Spider-Man arrives to save her, having deduced that Madame Web’s vision of crashing trains actually meant the toy store that Dockery owns which…is a bit of a leap but sure, okay. Once again, Spider-Man easily dispatches of the goons, burying them beneath shelving units and stock, and freeing Belinda. Angered by the betrayal and grateful for the rescue, Belinda warns Spider-Man of Dockery’s intentions towards Clayton so he races over to the New York Globe, arriving just in time to find her office engulfed in flames thanks to Dockery dousing gasoline everywhere and starting a raging inferno. Spider-Man brings Clayton to safety, setting her down outside the building just as Dockery makes a run for it, only to find his car up-ended by the web-slinger. Defeated, Dockery folds like paper and Peter later reads that he’s run similar scams before, although Dockery’s imprisonment means that Peter is now out of work (I’m not sure exactly why, surely the New York Globe is still publishing and employing staff, but then I’m unfamiliar with this period in Peter’s life so maybe his job was somehow linked to Dockery?) Before he can descend into complete despair, Peter suddenly gets a phone call from Madame Web, who learned of his dual identity through her powers; she both promises to keep his secret and reassures him that his financial woes will soon be resolved. While this sounds positive on paper, the final panel of the issue reveals that his cantankerous former boss, J. Jonah Jameson, is literally chomping at the bit to re-employ the troubled young hero! 

The Summary:
“The Prophecy of Madame Web!” was an inauspicious debut for the mysterious psychic; Madame Web herself was more of a secondary (or even tertiary) character to the main plot, which was surprisingly low-key for a Spider-Man story, involving no colourful supervillains and being a simple story of a greedy man going to extreme lengths for more power. In other Spider-Man stories, Dockery would’ve employed the services of a low-tier Spider-Man villain, someone like MacDonald “Mac” Gargan/The Scorpion, Herman Schultz/The Shocker, or even Dmitri Smerdyakov/The Chameleon either to take Belinda’s role of impersonating K.J. Clayton or masquerading as Dockery himself. Indeed, I do wonder if maybe the story would’ve been more enjoyable with a supervillain in place of Dockery’s nameless, faceless goons, who offer no physical challenge to Spider-Man and don’t even respond to his witty remarks and cheap quips. Without a colourful villain, the fights aren’t as interesting and the stakes are quite low in terms of Spidey’s safety; there’s no question he can out-punch these mercenaries, so the drama revolves around ensuring Belinda and Clayton are safe instead. This would be fine but, again, there isn’t much emphasis on them being in danger; Belinda is tied up and taunted as the mercs wait for the order to kill her, rather than just being shot right away, and Dockery goes to the effort of setting Clayton’s office on fire to stage her death as an accident rather than just shoving her out a window or gunning her down. I don’t mind a more grounded, low-stakes Spidey story – in many ways, it’s a change of pace – but the narrative here is littered with contrivances and conveniences that make it decidedly run-of-the-mill compared to other Spidey tales. 

Madame Web’s look and powers impress, but the plot is middling and forgettable.

Madame Web makes for a visually interesting character; decked out in a slick black/red dress with a spider motif, blindfolded, and hooked up to a web-like life support system, she’s got a memorable design, for sure. Although Peter dismissed her as a fraud (which is a bit odd considering Peter has chummed with the X-Men before, a team known for their psychics), she proves to be completely legitimate, though her clairvoyance is paradoxically accurate and unreliable, meaning she can only vaguely point Spidey in the right direction and stress fatal consequences should he fail. Thankfully, Spider-Man uses his head (off panel, of course) and, rather than searching every trainyard in the city, realises that Dockery owns a toy shop, which turns out to be the right location. Truthfully, though, I didn’t really like this; it felt rushed and forced and again lowered the stakes as it meant we wouldn’t be seeing Belinda or Clayton threatened by oncoming trains. The twist of Madame Web learning Spidey’s secret identity was interesting as very few characters were in on this back then and taints her mysterious aura with a potential menace as her intentions might not be as benevolent as they seem, but she’s ultimately a non-factor in this story. I have no issues believing that Spider-Man could’ve figured out where Belinda was without Madame Web’s help, making her largely superfluous. I almost wonder if it might’ve been better to have Madame Web be the linchpin of the story; perhaps she’s a true medium who’s targeted by gangsters or hosts a psychic television show and is kidnapped by a villain for a ransom, or just something a little more engaging that Spider-Man giving up pursuing the hoodlums and randomly deciding to ask for her help.  

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

Have you read “The Prophecy of Madame Web!”? If so, what did you think to it? Were you impressed by her debut, or did it fall as flat for you as it did for me? Did you like that it was a more grounded story, or would you have preferred to see Spidey tangle with a supervillain? What are some of your favourite Madame Web stories or moments? Are you excited to see her live-action debut? Whatever your thoughts on Madame Web, drop a comment below or on my social media and be sure to check out my other Spider-Man content across the site.