Or – “Oh, Well… That Wasn’t What I Expected.”
After four relatively lackluster issues that clearly took place in an alternate timeline/pocket dimension/what-have-you, issue #5 sudden flipped the script on the Age Of Ultron, making what was a pretty standard post-apocalyptic bit of blah-blah-blah into something with potential. What does the future hold for our heroes? And, more importantly, what does the PAST have to say for itself? Your Major Spoilers review awaits!
Or – “It’s Always Darkest Before It Turns Pitch Black.”
After the (perhaps overly) shocking turn of events last issue, the Legion of Super-Heroes may be on their last legs. What more can befall our poor 31st Century heroes? Your Major Spoilers review awaits!
Or – “That Moment Where You Drop A Well-Written Title Due To Art.”
Captain Marvel is a book that I was quite excited about at its launch, only to find myself drifting away due to a growing dislike for the over-saturated, fully-painted art style, especially given how awesome the artists handling the covers were. Having heard that the interiors are handled by a different artist, I thought I might check in on Carol Danvers’ adventures, to see if I might want to start picking it up again… What’s the final tally? Your Major Spoilers review awaits!
Sometimes, you can’t wrap your brain around any more intellectual analysis or esoterica, and instead find yourself considering simpler questions. Who’s stronger? Could Cable defeat Qui-Gon Jinn? Would Godzilla overpower Jet Icarus? Is Captain Kirk a better brawler than Nick Fury? And who would win if Lana Kane battled Shego? (Answer: The reading public.) Thanks to recent viewings, I got to wondering what might happen if Ben Kenobi, Connor MacLeod and Zorro were locked in a room together with only the victor guaranteed a way out?
The MS-QOTD (pronounced, as always, “misquoted”) does not think that word means what you think it means, asking: Who is the most skilled swordsman in all the worlds of fiction?
Or – “Time For The Scarf…”
The First, Second and Third Doctors have all been somehow taken, isolated from their companions and their respective points in time. The Fourth Doctor and Leela take the stage this time ’round, but will anything new be revealed? Your Major Spoilers review awaits!
Yesterday’s MS-QOTD posited a posit regarding the breakdown of your perfect four-person (or four-creature, we don’t discriminate hyar’bouts) alliance of eeeevil. But now, as the work-week comes to a close and I’m filled with hope and promise for the upcoming weekend, I find myself worried about all the potential villainous super-groups that we’ve just unleashed. (Seriously, Velvet Revolver doesn’t need the competition.) In the spirit of bringing balance to the force, albeit without providing employment to Hayden Christiansen, permit me to beg your indulgence in helping me to provide appropriate counter-measures…
The MS-QOTD (pronounced, as always, “misquoted”) would like to remind you that super-powers alone do not a victory guarantee, so the team of Superman/Earth-2 Superman/The Sentry and Supreme would utterly suck for more reasons than one, asking: What four heroic types of all the fictional worlds would you recruit to combat yesterday’s perfect combination of eeeevil?
Some say evil is a state of being, others a state of mind. Whether you define a bad guy through his nefarious acts or just an English accent (looking at you, George Lucas), one thing is clear: The dark side is strong, and a good villain can be just as compelling as the heroes they vex, but if the Secret Society of Super-Villains proved anything (not that I’m entirely sure they did, mind you) it’s that many evildoers can succeed where a single might have failed. Grouping your bad guys can be dicey, though, as Loki proved during Marvel’s ‘Acts of Vengeance’ crossover. Though he pulled in the biggest names in the Marvel Universe, he missed the fact that Doom resented The Red Skull, The Kingpin would cheerfully throw any of this criminal comrades-in-arms under the bus, and also that he had put the living symbol of Third Reich aggression in the same room with a concentration camp survivor. (Even Daredevil saw that conflict coming.) Anyone planning a team-up has to remember that there is no honor among thieves, which started my mental gears a’grindin’…
The MS-QOTD (pronounced, as always, “misquoted”) likes to think of it as a nefarious version of ‘Emerson, Lake & Palmer’, only with added Starscream, asking: What four villains of all the fictional worlds would you recruit for the perfect combination of eeeevil?
Recently, I’ve found myself in possession of a bit of free time (a rarity in itself), allowing me to consume some new comics, catch up on some television, and, thanks to the power of storyline synchronicity, ruminate on the pitfalls of fictional romance. It seems that many of the couples that I end up rooting for always end up utterly doomed, usually because one or both of the characters are just plain nuts. Even the beloved pairings of my youth aren’t immune to this feeling, as recent ‘Zach On Film’ research reminded me that Claire and Bender’s iconic romance probably wouldn’t make it through the entirely of his extra detention sessions. Buffy’s interactions with Spike were doomed on BOTH sides of the equation, and even my beloved Victoria couldn’t make it work with the giant pretentious turbo-douche that is Ted Moseby (although he does get a little credit for growing up to be Bob Saget.)
The MS-QOTD (pronounced, as always, “misquoted”) remembers the time that Tony Stark’s armor flipped out and turned into basically an abusive boyfriend, asking: What otherwise attractive pop-culture character would make the worst romantic partner?
This weekend, the Widget and I spent a few idle minutes watching a portion of ‘Speed Racer,’ a 2008 SFX-fest that was at least ostensibly based on the cartoons of my youth. After a short time, she got bored, and I decided to check out the actual cartoons on the internet, which entertained us both for nearly twice as long. (The Mammoth Car is still terrifying.) To my utter horror, I also found out for the first time that the movie was the work of the Wachowskis, they of ‘Matrix’ fame, which put a final nail in the coffin of my respect for/trust of their work. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of good stuff in their movies, but it never ends up being worth it for me as a viewer. Their script for ‘V For Vendetta’, a story that I dearly loved, botched the ending in a way that COMPLETELY misunderstood the point of the source material, and the less said of magical sex-raves, the better.
The MS-QOTD (pronounced, as always, “misquoted”) accidentally took the fuchsia pill, and now I can spit in seven different colors, asking: What creators do you no longer trust, no matter how much interest you might have in the concept or source material?
Or – “Can They Make Me Forget About The Hellblazer?”
The first issue of John Constantine’s new ongoing did a lot to assuage the pain of losing Hellblazer after a quarter-decade. Will #2 keep up the streak? Your Major Spoilers review awaits!
Or – “Days Of Future Black-And-White…”
After the big alternative comix boom of the 1970s, even Marvel Comics fell into periods of experimental and unusual storytelling. Their black-and-white magazine line featured the likes of Conan, Dracula, and occasionally, more adult tales featuring their regular four-color cast of characters. By the early 80s, only a few of the b&w’s remained, but Marvel still used them to tell stories that might not have worked in the pages of their regular books, but were they worthy of their more expensive format? Your Major Spoilers (retro) review awaits!
Or – “Clearly NOT The World Outside Your Window!”
The Avengers were re-assembled in a bigger and better form, just in time to combat the menace of Ex Nihilo. Their first battle ended inconclusively, but a mysterious “Blackveil” made his way to Earth. Now, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes have discovered that “Blackveil” has another name: NIghtmask. And a second (insanely powerful) superhuman known as a Starbrand has made things even more complicated… It’s a brave new world, with an old New Universe, but will the Avengers survive? Your Major Spoilers review awaits!