Thursday, October 29, 2015

Questions That I REALLY Would Love To Have Answered

Let’s start by getting something out of the way; reading comic books forces you to turn your “Logic-Meter” off.  The fact that I have any questions goes against the whole point of comic books.  If I buy into the whole idea that a man can fly, can lift buildings, and is bullet-proof, I have no right to question anything else, right?  Wrong.

As geeks we have the right to choose whatever piece of fantasy we want and question it.  Call it a fringe benefit of geekdom.

“Out of this entire collection of logic defying pages and unrealistic fantasies I choose to pick just one fallacy, act as if it’s a fact, and question it.”

It’s my right as a nerd.

Come with me as I exercise my constitutionally guaranteed right to take an illogical situation and question it like it has a scientific basis in reality.

1.)  How do characters like Mr. Fantastic generate the money to finance things like the Baxter Building?



If I’ve missed the issues where Mr. Fantastic goes to work for the local Ice Cream Shoppe to earn a paycheck that allows him to finance expeditions to the negative zone, please tell me.

2.)  Do people like Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne have “selective IQ”?



If you need a detailed plan to defeat every member of the Justice League or the plans for creating and building “Anti-Transformer” armor, Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark can do it.  We’ve even seen the creation of Shark Repellant and a supremely intelligent AI systems like Jarvis from that same duo.  Yet, Tony can’t find a way to keep a lone piece of shrapnel from killing him and Bruce can’t figure out a way to keep the Joker locked up for more than 15 minutes at a time.  Odd.

3.)  In one storyline we see The Thing with two kids, both with the same rocky exterior as their old man.



How did he and his wife...I mean how big of an epidural did she...the kids appeared to be twins, how were they...I think you know where I’m going with this.  The whole act of consummation, and the 9 months following, were probably as difficult as me asking about it.

4.)  What really happened at the end of “The Killing Joke”?

Oh, right, like you know the answer.  (C’mon, just tell me, plllllleeeeeeaaaaaaaassssssseeeeeee!!!!)



5.)  Are there really any other superheroes necessary than Hulk and Zatanna?

Since everything she says backwards becomes a reality and it appears that nothing whatsoever can hurt Hulk, why doesn’t he just guard her as she casts spells?  Once she says, “syug dab eht fo dir teG” then, “kluH eht evlossiD”  There could just be a Zatanna series about how she is the ruler of a peaceful planet, then after 3 weeks it could be discontinued due to boredom, and that would be that.



6.)  What insurance companies would still be willing to insure Gotham, Metropolis, Star City, the Baxter Building, etc. after all this time?

What Civil War really should have been about was the insurance companies arguing about who would insure all of these places and what the deductibles would be.  Couldn’t you see them arguing about what wasn’t covered?  And, how overworked would the insurance adjusters be?



7.)    With few exceptions, such as Captain Marvel dying of cancer, why don’t we see more everyday issues plaguing the heroes and villains?

Why don’t we see Flash wearing a knee brace or having tendonitis?  How does Batman not have arthritis in his back by now?  Does a Green Lantern every need a ring resized?  Does Killer Croc ever get pruney skin because he’s in the water too long?  Why doesn't Namor ever get ‘swimmer’s ear’?  Shouldn’t Iron Man rust at some point?  Why doesn’t Spider-Man or Black Panther have problems breathing through their facemask?  

So, I get an overdose of gamma radiation, bitten by a radioactive spider, see my parents gunned down in front of me, or shot from an exploding planet and I don’t suffer the indignities of the human condition anymore?  Sign me up!



8.)  How many mutants are there and, for that matter, how many X-Men are there?

In the Marvel Universe it seems that, as a mutant, if you aren’t an X-Man or working for Magneto, you don’t exist.  I think if you eliminate everyone who is not an Avenger, a former Avenger, an X-Person, or in some way connected to X-People, there may only be 2 or 3 people left on earth.  I truly think that’s why Marvel was eventually forced to do AvX.  There was no-one else.



9.)  Is there really any logical explanation as to why Alan Scott (the old, old, old Green Lantern) had a ring that had no effect on wood?

I’ve read the explanation a couple of times and I am still baffled.  Is there a wood expert in the house?



Listen, I wasn’t hired for my good looks or my brains.  Frankly, I wasn’t hired at all, that’s why I run the place.

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Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Relationships, Past and Present, In The Marvel Universe

It may appear to be frightfully unoriginal of me to reproduce the work of others (hey, c’mon, I don’t do it that often) but if someone has done it perfectly why reinvent the wheel?  I just want to assure you that this is NOT my creation, but I am a big fan of it.

Here's an infographic from WebHostingBuzz outlining every kiss, relationship, and marriage that has ever occurred between Marvel superheroes.   SPOILER ALERT:  Wolverine has the most.  (I told you there was a spoiler alert.)

(and, is it me or have there been far too many characters who’ve been in a relationship with Vision and....hold on...someone actually actually dated Toad?  And when did She-Hulk marry Man-Wolf?  This whole thing is rather disturbing...)



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So, Who Owns The Rights To What Comic Characters At This Point?

With all of the nonsense going on with movie studios and publishing houses it can be horribly confusing which characters belong to who right now.  In an effort to clear this whole thing up I will lay out what was compiled by The Geek Twins as of February of 2015.  Although a couple of changes have taken place since then, this is still a pretty accurate depiction.  The pictograph was also created by The Geek Twins for your edification.

Without further ado, here is who has the rights to who:

Here's a more detailed breakdown of some of the specific characters, not all, owned by each studio via The Geek Twins:


20th Century Fox
Doctor Doom
Human Torch (Johnny Storm)
Invisible Woman
Mr. Fantastic
The Thing
Alicia Masters
Willie Lumpkin
Puppet Master
Silver Surver
Nova (Frankie Raye)
Galactus
Cable
Scarlet Witch
Quicksilver
Deadpool
Agent Zero
Angel
Angel Salvadore
Arclight
Azazel
Banshee
Beast
Bishop
Callisto
Colossus
Cyclops
Darwin
Deadpool
Deathstrike
Emma Frost
Erik Lehnsherr
Gambit
Harada
Havok
Iceman
Jason Stryker
Jean Grey
John Wraith
Jubilee
Juggernaut
Katherine Pryde
Kenuichio Harada
Kid Omega
Lady Deathstrike
Landry Jones Cassidy
Leech
Lord Shingen
Lucas Bishop
Magneto
Mariko Yashida
Moira MacTaggert
Multiple Man
Mystique
Nightcrawler
Norubo Mori
Phoenix
Professor X
Psylocke
Pyro
Quill
Riptide
Rogue
Sabretooth
Sebastian Shaw
Shingen Yashida
Silverfox
Storm
The Blob
Toad
Viper
Wolverine
Yashida
Yukio
Man-Thing
These are some of the Marvel characters Sony Pictures will now share with Marvel Studios:
Spider-Man
Doctor Octopus
Green Goblin
Harry Osborn
The Lizard
Sandman
Venom
Betty Brant
Dennis Carradine (Buglar)
J. Jonah Jameson
Ben Parker
May Parker
John Jameson
Joseph “Robbie” Robertson
Mary Jane Watson
Gwen Stacy
Mendel Stromm
Flash Thompson
Black Cat
Rhino
Elektro
Again, please keep in mind that this compilation is NOT my work.  I am merely sharing it as a solution to a question I get asked over and over again.  Many thanks to The Geek Twins for sorting this out.

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Friday, October 23, 2015

When Michael Tried to Buy Marvel

Some of you may not know this but Marvel was courted by numerous buyers in the past, the oddest of which was Michael Jackson.  Yes, THE Michael Jackson.  And when I say “oddest” I don’t mean he was odd as a person, I meant the reason he wanted to buy Marvel was odd.

As most of you know (and if you don’t I’m stunned) Michael Jackson was a phenom for most of his life.  He started performing in his early childhood and was considered “The King of Pop” until the day he passed.

As you also know, Michael was famous for making interesting purchases and attempting to make interesting purchases.  For instance, you know that he had his own amusement park at his home and that he purchased the copyrights to The Beatles’ music catalogue.  You are also probably aware of the rumors of him offering to buy the “Elephant Man’s” bones.  What you may not know is that Michael wanted to buy Marvel as well, but for reasons that go a little beyond the ordinary.  Here’s what happened:

Although Michael was known for his popularity in the 80’s, he was also hugely popular in the 90’s.  During that time Batman was reigning in the cinemas and Marvel was struggling to make ends meet.  Frankly, Marvel was doing just about everything wrong.  In order to try for a few wins Marvel was trying to get the Spider-Man and X-Men movie projects underway.

For the Spider-Man movie, Marvel was talking to James Cameron.  Who they weren’t talking to was Michael Jackson, who desperately wanted to be cast as Spider-Man.  Yes, THE Michael Jackson wanted to be Spider-Man.  Can you picture that?  If not, here’s some help:


(Author’s note:  these pictures are NOT my handiwork...thankfully.)

As Michael knew this was NOT going to happen without him having some clout at Marvel, he decided to try to buy it.  After all, Marvel was facing bankruptcy at the time anyway, so why wouldn’t they consider him a potential suitor?  

As a quick aside, Michael’s rationale may not have been on target here.  You see, the owner of the company doesn’t get to make casting decisions, the Director and the studio get to do that.  Licensing the property to the studio does not a Casting Director make.  Perhaps he would buy Marvel and make himself the Director?  Who knows.

But I digress.

Michael decided to pursue the purchase and started to build a relationship with Stan Lee Media.



If you’re not familiar with Stan Lee Media’s origin, here’s a review.  Stan Lee Media was born out of an effort between Stan Lee and a business partner to buy Marvel outright.  This came from the fact that a new CEO has screwed Stan out of everything he negotiated with Marvel over the years.  This included a life-time salary in exchange for Lee not pursuing legal claims of ownership of the characters he created.  This is why Stan Lee Media (who Stan Lee no longer has any affiliation with) seems to think they can make legal claims to Stan’s characters.  They argue that Stan’s contract with Marvel was terminated, along with the stipulation that he couldn’t sew them for ownership.  I won’t go into any further detail because I either don’t know it or it’s too much extra content for this article (you decide).

Again, I digress.

Michael went to Stan hoping that Stan could throw his weight around and secure him, and his production company Kingdom Entertainment, the rights to produce a Spider-Man movie.  In fact, Michael secured a promise from Lee that if Michael purchased Marvel, Lee would help him run it.  In a further effort to get the ball rolling, Jackson hired a financial firm to help with the negotiations.

The problem was that Toy Biz CEO Ike Perlmutter (Toy Biz being the company that owned Marvel at the time) and Lee were not on the best of terms.  So, the fact that Lee was going to help run the company for potential owner Jackson, did not sit well with Ike.  To try to kibosh the deal Ike did what any vindictive owner would do, he raised the price to $1 billion (WAY more than Marvel was worth at the time).

Jackson decided to walk away.  The rest is history...Toy Biz sold to Disney for $4 billion (about 30% more than what the company was valued at at the time of the sale).

To add to the whole weird scenario it should be noted that Spider-Man wasn’t the only character for which Michael had lobbied.  He also wanted to play Professor X in the X-Men movie (eventually played by Patrick Stewart).  


(Author’s other note...this picture isn’t my handiwork either...thankfully.)

He also wanted to be “Agent M” in Men in Black 2.  As a consolation prize, Michael got a cameo  as himself in the MIB2.  Not quite what he had hoped for, but at least it was something.

10 Facts About the Internet Guaranteed to Astound You

With comic books now available online, advertising comic books being online, and the ability to find out ANYTHING about comic books online, it’s time we took a look at the history and facts about being online.

Here are 10 Facts About the Internet Guaranteed to Astound You (well....they astounded me)



1.)  There are 47 BILLION websites including the first one that was created 24 years ago (can you tell me the site?).  There’s no telling how many are filled with adult content but one would think there is at least a billion.

2.)  There are 3.2 BILLION Internet users worldwide accounting for almost 44% of the global population.  Almost half of the Internet users are based in Asia.  The other half are sitting in a Starbucks or a Panera Bread at this very moment.

3.)  There are 950 MILLION households worldwide with a television, but twice as many people access the internet with a handheld device.  In fact, I just realized that my handheld device is also a telephone!  That is so cool!

4.)  YouTube visitors view 6 BILLION hours of video each month and over 300 minutes of video are uploaded every second.  80% of those visitors are from outside the U.S.  No wonder world opinion about the U.S. is so questionable.

5.)  There are 1.49 BILLION people on Facebook who use the social media site an average of 21 minutes every day.  Those same people also share 1.3 MILLION pieces of content every minute.  Whether the content is interesting or not is another story completely.

6.)  Facebook accounts for the highest percentage of total time spent on mobile apps at 18 percent.  When you add Facebook Messenger and Instagram the total reaches 22.4 percent.  The second highest percentage spent on mobile apps is on Pandora, which account for 10.5 percent.  Say bye-bye to Pandora if Facebook develops a music streaming service.

7.)  Between 5 and 10 MILLION iOS apps are downloaded every day and more than 100 BILLION total apps had been downloaded as of June 2015.  I am positive that if you subtract out the apps I’ve downloaded both numbers would be dramatically lower.

8.)  In 2015 we will send and receive 205.6 BILLION emails, 60% of which will be spam (all of which land in my mailbox).

9.)  It is estimated that 1 TRILLION photos will be taken in 2015.  In 2000 there were only a measly 86 BILLION taken.  I’d love to see a study on how many of those are selfies.

10.)  The web as we know it--Facebook, Amazon, Wikipedia, etc.---represents only 1 percent of the total discoverable web.  The remainder is what is referred to as the “deep web”, an area not discoverable by standard search engines.  It is also the final resting place for all of the socks that I have lost and, occasionally, my car keys.

Think about it for a minutes, it took the telephone 75 years to reach 50 million users.  It only took the internet 4 years.  It only took Angry Birds 35 days.

So, the next time you are cursing your tablet or smartphone for taking more than 5 seconds to download a song remember that it is a staggering accomplishment that you can do it at all.


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Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Supermovie Release Schedule Through 2020 and Beyond

Here are the movies that are coming out through 2020 and Beyond.  Keep in mind that all of these are subject to change:




February 12, 2016               Deadpool                                                        (FOX)

March 25, 2016                   Batman vs. Superman:  Dawn of Justice     (WARNER BROS.)

May 6, 2016                        Captain America:  Civil War                         (MARVEL)

June 3, 2016                        Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:  Half Shell  (PARAMOUNT)

May 27, 2016                      X-Men:  Apocalypse                                      (FOX)

August 5, 2016                    Suicide Squad                                               (WARNER BROS.)

October 7, 2016                   Gambit                                                          (FOX)

November 4, 2016               Dr. Strange                                                   (MARVEL)

January 13, 2017                  Untitled Power Rangers Movie                   (LIONSGATE)

February 10, 2017               Lego Batman                                                (WARNER BROS.)

March 3, 2017                     Wolverine 3                                                   (FOX)

May 5, 2017                        Guardians of the Galaxy 2                           (MARVEL)

June 9, 2017                        Fantastic Four 2                                           (FOX)

June 23, 2017                      Wonder Woman                                             (WARNER BROS.)

July 28, 2017                       Untitled Spider-Man Movie                          (SONY)

November 3, 2017               Thor:  Ragnarok                                           (MARVEL)

November 17, 2017             Justice League                                              (WARNER BROS.)

Unknown Date, 2017          Bloodshot                                                       (SONY)

February 16, 2018               Black Panther                                               (MARVEL)

March 23, 2018                   The Flash                                                     (WARNER BROS.)

May 4, 2018                        Avengers:  Infinity War 1                              (MARVEL)

July 6, 2018                        Ant-Man & The Wasp                                    (MARVEL)

July 13, 2018                      Unknown X-Men Movie                                 (FOX)

July 20, 2018                      Untitled Spider-Man Animated Movie          (SONY)

July 27, 2018                      Aquaman                                                       (WARNER BROS.)

March 8, 2019                    Captain Marvel                                              (MARVEL)

April 5, 2019                      Shazam                                                           (WARNER BROS.)

May 3, 2019                       Avengers:  Infinity Wars 2                              (MARVEL)

June 14, 2019                     Justice League 2                                             (WARNER BROS.)

July 12, 2019                      Incredibles 2                                                   (DISNEY)

July 12, 2019                      Inhumans                                                        (MARVEL)

April 3, 2020                      Cyborg                                                             (WARNER BROS.)

May 1, 2020                       Untitled Marvel Movie                                    (MARVEL)

June 19, 2020                     Green Lantern                                                 (WARNER BROS.)

July 10, 2020                      Untitled Marvel Movie                                    (MARVEL)

Year Unknown                   X-Force                                                            (FOX)

Year Unknown                   The New Mutants                                             (FOX)

Year Unknown                   Sinister Six                                                       (SONY)

Year Unknown                   Sandman                                                          (WARNER BROS.)

Year Unknown                   Untitled Superman Movie                               (WARNER BROS.)

Year Unknown                   Justice League Dark                                        (WARNER BROS.)

Year Unknown                   Untitled Batman Movie                                    (WARNER BROS.)

Year Unknown                   Harbinger                                                          (SONY)


For those of you who like numbers, here are the totals:

43                  The total number of movies scheduled for release

             15                  Being done by WARNER BROS.
             12                  Being done by MARVEL
             8                    Being done by FOX
             5                    Being done by SONY
             1                    Being done by DISNEY
             1                    Being done by PARAMOUNT
             1                    Being done by LIONSGATE

4                    The number of movies being released in July of 2018
2                    The number of movies being released on July 12, 2019
8                    The number of movies with no official release date

I hope this helps you schedule your movie-going in advance!  Maybe I’ll see you there!

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15 Facts You May Not Know About Comics

There’s nothing like learning things you don’t know about comics in general.  It seems like the odd facts are endless.

Here’s 15 facts you may not know:

-Joe Dimaggio, the famous baseball player, loved comic books but was too embarrassed to buy them. He thought it would ruin his image.  So, he would send teammates down to the local newsstand or drug store to pick up comics for him.


-Elvis Presley also loved reading comic books.  It’s rumored that the black hair and curl he let hang down on his forehead were inspired by his favorite character, Captain Marvel, Jr.




-Michael Jackson wanted to play Spider-Man in a movie so badly that he tried to buy Marvel Comics in the 1990’s.


-In Archie Comics, Jughead has a real name, Forsythe Pendleton Jones II.  His sister is named Forsythia “Jellybean” Jones.


-The Joker once served as the Iranian Ambassador for the United Nations.


-Superman once had his mind controlled by a villain named Sleez, who tricked him into recording a sex tape.




-In the 1970’s Captain America witnessed Richard Nixon committing suicide after the Watergate scandal.


-As part of his secret identity, Clark Kent compresses his spine while in disguise so he’ll appear shorter than Superman.


-When the original comic code was created it prohibited judges and law enforcement agents from being portrayed negatively.



-Batman actually had 8 different Batcaves.  One was located directly under Arkham Asylum.


-There are over 20 different types of Kryptonite, including pink.


-In the 1940’s there was a hero who fought the Nazi’s called Red Bee.  He used trained bees.  His favorite bee was named Michael and lived in Red Bee’s belt buckle.




-Iron Man used to use roller skates that were built into his armor.




-In an alternate reality Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive sheep and became the hero Sheep-Boy.




-The actor Nicolas Cage (real name Nicolas Coppola) took the last name “Cage” from the Marvel character Luke Cage.


Look for more odd facts in upcoming blogs from The Comic Whisperer!

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Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Wearing a Superhero Costume Can Ruin Your Life

The whole concept of banning certain costumes at school has been gaining momentum for many years.  I have seen it go from just banning certain specific costumes to banning costumes completely. I even know one school that refuses to acknowledge Halloween (to the point of not having a single Halloween decoration).  I admit, I have a tough time understanding some of the rationale.

Fair Disclosure:  I have two grown kids who went through grade school at the beginning of these “bans”, so please dismiss the “you don’t have kids so you wouldn’t understand” thoughts you may be having.


Supporters of the ban on certain costumes say that costumes must not be interpreted by other students as offensive, promoting a religion, scary to a small child, sexualized, discriminating, or associated with gangs.  Costumes with a weapon are also not allowed.  In fact, according to an article in Mental Floss magazine, (http://mentalfloss.com/article/69774/8-halloween-costumes-have-been-banned-schools) there are 8 costumes/costume types that are banned in many schools this Halloween.

1.)  Jesus Christ
2.)  Superheroes
3.)  Geishas, Squaws and Cowboys
4.)  Sombreros
5.)  Trench Coats
6.)  Cross-Dressing
7.)  Sexy Nurse
8.)  Anything with a weapon

As this is a mostly comic book blog let’s just focus on #2, Superheroes.

According to the article an unidentified school sent out a letter, ahead of the holiday, to all parents.  It stated that superhero costumes that included, but were not limited to - Wolverine, Batman, Superman, the Power Rangers, and any of the Fantastic Four - were not allowed.  It went on to say that witches, ghosts, or any costume that would be too scary to a small child, were also not allowed.  The letters apparently used a comic style font for further effect.  Frankly, some of the reasons for these bans should be scary to a small child.

I couldn’t find that particular letter, but I did find this one online.  I could not authenticate it, however.



So why ban superheroes?

Some take it back to 1954 when Frederic Wertham published his book “Seduction of the Innocent” which said comic books were the cause of juvenile delinquency in America.

Some say it’s because the act of playing “superheroes” can lead to acts of violence, such as biting, punching, kicking, etc.

This poster, found online, was authenticated by the author of the article in which it was found.  Note the spelling and grammar errors in this poster authored by two school “Directors”.



Some say it’s because not all kids can afford superhero costumes and it’s not fair to those who can’t.

Some say it’s because certain heroes promote violence.

Although I do agree that children should not be committing acts of violence on one another, I think we need to reexamine how we handle the situation.  Here’s why:

Let’s say, for example, that I tell my son that he cannot dress as Superman for Halloween at his school’s party.  If he asks why I tell him that I don’t want him hitting or punching other kids when they play superhero (I have no clue what the real reason is).  He tells me that he wouldn’t do that but I ask him not to just the same.  Later that night he asks if he’s allowed to wear his Superman costume trick-or-treating.  I tell him it’s OK.  He asks why I’m no longer afraid he will hit other kids while playing superhero.  He wonders why I let him read the comic books, why I let him get the costume, and why we watch the cartoon together.  He asks me why he can play make-believe at home but not in school.  He asks if I ever dressed up as a kid.

Do I tell him the truth?

Do I tell him that I dressed up as Superman at his age and no one at school was emotionally or physically scarred?  Do I show him pictures of me dressed as Quasimodo at his age, with a horribly disfigured mask, and tell him I only ever heard “Cool!” or “Can I try it on?” from classmates?  Should I share my childhood stories where we spent countless hours playing “Green Lantern” or “Spider-Man” at recess with no long lasting effects?

Of course I feel that certain behaviors shouldn’t be allowed in schools.  The problem, however, is a behavioral problem (kicking, bullying, etc.) not a costume problem.  I hope it won’t be much longer before we realize that behavior and grades aren’t improving because kids are no longer allowed to dress up as Reed Richards.  There is a whole generation of people who dressed as superheroes and are full functioning contributors to society.  There are also gatherings of adults who dress as superheroes who are also fully functioning contributors to society...we call them ComicCons.

For those of you who were pinched by a classmate dressed as Flash or Captain America and, due to specifically to that, grew up to be a bitter, angry and hateful adult....please disregard this blog.

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Monday, October 19, 2015

R.I.P. Captain America, We’ll Miss You

I just finished reading “Captain America:  Sam Wilson” #1.  What an absolute shame.  When did Captain America become a political pundit?

If you haven’t read this particular issue you can do one of two things:  either you can buy it and read it for yourself OR you can read one of a hundred different websites that are voicing their opinion on it.  They say any press is good press, but many in my circles are not happy about this new press...and neither am I.

Before we talk about the “new” Captain America let’s do a quick review of Captain America and what he formerly stood for.  He was an advocate for the U.S. and it’s war against the bad guys from WWII.   He was of the same opinion as most people...Hitler was bad.  That was pretty much the extent of Caps international views.  Domestically, Captain America stood for truth, honesty, the American way and pursuing the American Dream.  He was inspiring, a strong leader, and a role model for me growing up.  He was Marvel’s boy scout.

Apparently, not anymore.



Marvel is now voicing it’s political opinions through the “new” Captain America...and it’s not just me who thinks so.

If you haven’t read it here’s the scoop in a nutshell.  Captain America comes down hard on a white supremacist group called Sons of the Serpent.  At the time of their beating they were in the process of apprehending a group of illegal aliens crossing the desert from Mexico to Arizona.


If you want to see a comprehensive report on what happened, along with political commentary, see this video from the MacIver Institute..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THg1kmxZk6M 

It seems that Disney/Marvel has started taking political sides.  Specifically, sides against specific candidates and specific views.  It wasn’t enough to just apprehend a group of ne’er-do-wells who were wrongly enforcing the law.  Marvel decided to make a political statement.  One they can’t take back.

Will the next issue have Captain America beating up workers at Planned Parenthood?  Perhaps Marvel can use Captain America to voice their views on Capital Punishment.  Maybe, in the not so distant future, they can release a Secret Wars spinoff called Political Wars!

What were they thinking?  They weren’t.

In an attempt to reach a “younger audience” Marvel has made some dramatic changes:

-They changed male characters to female and introduced them as “new characters”.
-They changed the race of some characters and introduced them as “new characters”.
-They put out a whole slew of new #1 issues for these “new characters”.
-Now, they have decided to take sides on the political front while openly mocking the other side.

So, it wasn’t just that race and gender weren’t important enough to develop actual “new characters”.  Now it looks like these “new” characters will also have political opinions.  It appears that the shortcut to Marvel increasing revenue was to reduce its creativity and succumb to political polls.

The saddest part?  They used a person with no superhuman abilities and a political opinion to replace someone who lost their superhuman abilities and represented the country’s opinion.

R.I.P. Captain America.  We’ll miss you.

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Friday, October 16, 2015

This Review is Rated ‘R’ - A Review of Skottie Young’s “I Hate Fairyland"

I saw the title “I Hate Fairyland” on the Image Comics website (www.imagecomics.com) and immediately went to my local comic shop and asked them to order it.  What was odd was when I went to pick up the “regular” copy and the variant.  The variant was turned backward in the bag and the words “I Hate Fairyland #1 Swearing Var Cvr” were written in Sharpie on the bag.  When I pulled it out and looked at the cover I knew I was going to like this series.

It turned out I got a triple bonus.

First, I always order any variants that come with a comic on my “pull” list.  So, I got the “cursing” variant with my purchase (more on this variant in a minute).  Second, the content reminded me of “Fractured Fairy Tales” that I used to watch as a kid (yes, I’m old, Google it if you don’t know what it is).  Third, in the back of the comic, Skottie was kind enough to write a little ditty about his background and how he got into comics and wound up at Image.  The funny thing is that I had a VERY similar background but without the talent, my own characters and comic rights, and...well...OK, maybe it wasn’t that similar.

On with the review! (a final warning, this is Rated ‘R’, proceed with caution)

The review can be summed up in two words, “Holy Shit”.  The characters, plot line, writing and variant covers are just flat out awesome.  Seriously, flat out awesome.  To be more pleased I would have had to have read it while having sex.

“I Hate Fairyland” has two main characters, Gertrude and Larry, along with a great cast of supporting characters.


The premise is that Gertrude is a happy go-lucky kid who always dreamed of unicorns, rainbows, fairies and the like who one day gets sucked into Fairyland.  In pure shock of what happened Gert asks how she can get home.  She is told by Queen Cloudia that it is simple, all she needs to do is find a key to unlock her way home.  In order to help her find the key she is given two things to help her:  a bug-like thing named Larrington Wentworth III to be her guide and a map to all the known lands.  There was one eensy-weensy little problem.  The map showed dozens of lands and she had no idea which land the key was in or where, in the select land, the key would reside.

The comic then leaps 27 years into the future to find Gert with the same youth of body but a very...well....let’s just say ‘angry’ state of mind...and no key.

Let’s just say that the moon was a little snarky and didn’t last too long in the story.

And the stars didn’t last very long either.

Since Image Comics and Skottie would prefer that you buy the book instead of reading it for free in this blog, let’s skip ahead a bit.

Gert and Larry run into all kinds of trouble including the Slug Lord (who has ‘Slug Life’ written on his Jabba-The-Hut-like body), the Shroom Patrol (mushroom-like policemen who are edible) and Bruud the Brutal.

In all honesty it’s difficult to determine which is better; the writing, the artwork, or the boundaries they crossed.  For example, here is the “Swearing” variant I spoke of earlier (I couldn’t find it online so I had to take a picture of mine.  Told you this review was Rated ‘R’!)



I can hear what you’re saying in your head right now, “OK, so what makes this smutty comic different than any other smutty comic?”  

Since you asked, let me address your question.  I can even do it in one sentence:

It’s a little girl with green hair who transforms from a normal green haired girl into a haggard mentally 30-something green haired girl who physically looks the same, throws the finger, is bad-ass violent and fears no one, and a bug who has gone from a well-intentioned helper to a sarcastic, cigar smoking, antagonist who rags her at every turn, to say nothing of the fact that you have cursing, ultra graphic violence, a strong set of characters, writing that made me belly laugh several times, and has an autobiography written by Skottie Young himself....all with the help of Jean-Francois Beaulieu.

See I told you I could do it in one sentence.

The improvements that could be made to this comic are nonexistent.  I can’t think of a single reason to besmirch this literary marvel.  I don’t say this about many comics but I am actually anxious to get #2 and I sincerely hope that Skottie doesn’t let up on the “Swearing” variants.  I will take them all.

The Comic Whisperer’s Ratings:

Concept and Characters:         2 middle fingers way up

Recommendations:                     Buy this comic (even if it’s only the clean version)!
                                                    Although I can’t see this comic increasing in value much
                                                    beyond it’s cover price, collecting this comic is sure to
                                                    make any collector proficient in sarcasm and profanity.

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Thursday, October 15, 2015

Image Comics Puts Out Another Quality Title - AXCEND #1 - A Review

As I said in my last blog there are so few new things coming out from the “Big Two” that it’s getting harder to justify reading, or collecting, any but first and special editions.  The good news is that new things are being released by them under a different name or by other publishers.  That brings me to Image Comics and their newest release, AXCEND.

As a quick background Image Comics currently stands as the 3rd largest publisher of comics.  The thing that makes Image Comics special is one of their founding principles (not sure if it still is in effect, but it was in the beginning) that artists were allowed to retain the rights to the characters they developed.  The reason this is so smart?  The artists have more skin in the game.  If you don’t retain the rights you are an artist for someone else (no offense meant to any artist reading this).  This means if the character explodes or is relegated to the back shelf the artist continues to draw what they are asked.  If they retain the rights to their work they are tied to the success.  The character is their “child” and what happens to it has a major impact on them.

But I digress.

Let’s talk about AXCEND #1 from Image Comics by Shane Davis, Michelle Delecki, and Morry Hollowell.



I was fortunate enough to find two covers.  One with what appears to be the focal point of the story, Eric, and the other with a character he “plays with” in the story (I’ll explain later) whose name is Ruin (he’s on the left).  There is a third character, which may be on a cover I didn’t see, called Rayne.  Then there is the character which appears to be the one who runs the virtual world in which they travel, Dog (again, I’ll explain later).  You got it right...Eric...Rayne....Ruin....and Dog.



So, the premise is one that is somewhat of a takeoff from ‘Tron’.  Eric, still hurting from the loss of his brother Erin (which isn’t explained in any detail in the comic, I assume we’ll know more as things play out), sits down to play the video game AXCEND (i’m not shouting this, the title is all caps).  The twist here is that when the TV screen comes on so Eric can play you see Dog and he tells Eric he is one of only three chosen to beta test the online world of AXCEND.  That’s when things get out of hand.

Eric is then sucked into the video game where he comes face to face with Dog, Rayne and Ruin.  He also finds himself sporting a new outfit (seen in the images above).  Without ruining the comic for you, let’s just say that Dog puts all three of them through the paces with Eric being the “newbie”.

The thing that I like about this storyline is the way Eric gets his powers in the game...they’re downloaded.  Then, as in most fighting games, he will get more abilities and “level up” as he wins the little games that Dog puts all three of them through.  Eric starts with the ability to make portals and he feels that his “beta has a core, but it’s small, it...I want to grow.  I think I wanna...upgrade”.  On some level it makes me wonder if a character I play with online is some kid in another part of the country.  The interesting thing is that he knows what needs to happen to grow.   As you will read in the comic, however, he gets hazed pretty badly by Rayne and Ruin.  To the reader’s delight they show no remorse and target him mercilessly.  This shows Eric as human...he doesn’t just get powers and 15 minutes later he’s saving the planet.  He makes mistakes and tries hard to learn from them.

What you should know is that in Eric’s real life he is a teenager in high school with problems of his own.  As a matter of fact, right before he goes home, and is sucked into AXCEND, he has a confrontation with the school bully.  Well, it was a little more than a confrontation, the bully knocked him on his ass.  To add insult to injury, the bully tells Eric how he knew his dead brother, Erin, since 5th grade and the difference between the two of them was that “Erin knew how to hit back”.  So, Eric doesn’t exactly have a dream life outside of AXCEND.

The premise of this comic leaves the storyline open to hundreds of different directions.  The reader will probably see Eric gain new powers/stronger powers as he “levels up”.  My guess is that what happens in the game will condition him for real life and vice versa.  I have a couple of guesses as to what’s going to happen next in his real, and virtual, life but I won’t say them for two reasons;  I don’t want to spoil it for you if I’m right and I hate admitting when I’m wrong.

The flip side of the coin is that it would have been nice to see more of Eric’s escape into other video games as a coping mechanism and build his character a little.  I found Dog immediately coming on the screen and telling Eric he was “chosen” was a little sudden.  It made me go back and read the previous pages again to see if I missed something.  The comic could have left out some of the beatings that Eric took and substituted more of his background.  As it’s Eric’s “origin” it should have built up a little more.  Frankly, if that’s the only issue (pun intended) then this comic may be a keeper.

Before finishing, let me add that a new title from Image is no real surprise.  This company has put out fantastic titles such as Invincible, Savage Dragon, and the big one The Walking Dead.  They are also releasing one that I look forward to, I Hate Fairyland.  I plan to review that once it’s released.  For more information on their titles go to www.imagecomics.com.  You won’t be sorry that you did.




The Comic Whisperer’s Ratings:

Concept and Characters:          Appraised at a 7.5 out of 10
Recommendation:                     Buy this issue, continue if it tickles your fancy.
                                                    I don’t see this issue going up much in value, 
                                                    collect at your discretion.


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