How Bad Can Good Be?

With this week's topic being anti-heroes, I thought it'd be interesting to take a look at villains gone good rather than heroes gone bad. Their reasons vary, but it's obvious these super-villains have potential of being successful superheroes. These are the Anti-Villians.

For many superheroes in comic books, there comes a time when a larger threat exceeds the rivalry of hero and villain. These events cite the possibility of villains acting as heroes, to their own degree. An early example is the 1993 story arc, "Maximum Carnage". This story featured the first team-up of Spider-Man and his archenemy Venom in a battle against Carnage, the offspring of Venom who bonded to a serial killer. While Spidey wanted to stop Carnage to prevent murders, Venom wanted to kill Carnage to maintain his status as the stronger Symbiot. Then there is the case of Bane, one of Batman's villains who has not only worked with him, but in the recent tie-in story for the "Forever Evil" event Bane took on the mantle of Batman to keep Gotham City under control during an uprising of criminals. It should be noted that while he respects Batman, Bane has attempted to prove his superiority to the Dark Knight. Taking on the mantle of Batman was Bane's attempt at scaring the criminals of Gotham into accepting him as their leader. Speaking of "Forever Evil", this event led to Superman's archenemy Lex Luthor being seen as hero in the public eye and sealed his membership on The Justice League, fighting alongside his former foes. At the time of this post Lex Luthor is still a member of the JL and it isn't confirmed if he has some alternative motive, as of now he seems to want redemption. We'll have to wait and see.

Classic storytelling illustrates a simple concept for it's readers: Protagonist, Antagonist, Story. It's a very black and white way of storytelling, basic enough to keep a reader's attention. But when a story dives deeper into these characters and looks past their alignments, that's when the reader starts thinking. Could someone good simply give in to temptations if they are pushed? If given motivation could criminals use their talents to serve and protect rather than pilfer and pillage? The concept of good versus evil has become outdated in the world of fiction and stories are now defined by what writers offer us within the characters of the story. Thus making anti-heroes and anti-villains the modern perception of what memorable characters should be. Thank you for reading.

When You Just Can't Cut It

In honor of the Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer hitting the internet, this week's Z-Lister is a lesser known Avenger named Jacques Duquesne, otherwise known as The Swordsman.

As a young man, Jacques lived in a Southeast Asian nation called Sin-Cong. This nation was under French rulership until Jacques joined a rebellion and freed Sin-Cong dressed as The Swordsman. Years later, he went on to perform at a circus and train a runaway named Clint Barton (the boy who would grow up to be Hawkeye). Clint was trained in archery by another circus performer named Trick Shot, while Jacques taught the boy swordsmanship. Clint discovered that Jacques had been stealing money from the ringleader. When he interfered, Jacques almost killed Clint, but Trick Shot stepped in to defend him. Jacques escaped, but reappeared yet again years later claiming to have become a hero in an attempt to join The Avengers. Clint, now as Hawkeye, refuses to allow Swordsman membership on the grounds that Jacques would only take advantage of his Avengers status. When he finally did join the Avengers, it was revealed he was an undercover agent for a villain named The Mandarin, planted into the Avengers to kill them. This would change, however, after Jacques fell in love with an Avenger known as Mantis and turn to true heroism.

While Hawkeye's origin paints him as a good-for-nothing thief who became a hero, Swordsman's origin is completely opposite, making him a good foil to Hawkeye. The reason this character isn't often remembered is because he was only added to the Avengers to progress Hawkeye's character and add a potential threat to the team. Personally, I like the idea of this character and think for as little as he adds to the Avengers, he makes it's membership history just a bit more interesting. Also, "Swordsman"? Obviously Jacques wasn't creative.

Necessary Evil

Talking on the subject of anti-heroes, one would go amiss not mentioning the fact that most characters who are anti-heroes also happen to be demoniacally plagued characters. These anti-heroes use their connection to supernatural forces to wreak hell on those who have wronged them. These are angels born from Hell.

This gleeful fellow here is Spawn, along with other hellish anti-heroes like Etrigan the Demon, The Spectre and Ghost Rider, Spawn's powers and motives are driven from a past riddled with demons. He was once Al Simmons, a CIA agent betrayed by his partner and killed. Sent to Hell because of his violent work, Al sold his soul to a demon in exchange to see his wife again. He returned to the land of the living as a spawn of Hell and discovered his wife had moved on, married his best friend and raised a child. As Spawn he went on to fight both the demons of Hell and the angels of heaven, while also cleaning up street crime. Other anti-heroes have stories similar to Spawn's, trading their humanity and will for a chance to cheat death. What defines them as anti-heroes is that despite being cursed with supernatural powers, these men were never good men. Even before they were demons, they were intentional sinners. Rather than feel pity for anti-heroes like these, readers often envy them for not only having the tools necessary to live out violent fantasies, but to use them without regret.

No matter who you are, there has been a time in your life where you wish you could do something bad, to be the kind of monster that scares you. These men are forever bonded to their demons, a clear metaphor for the devils we keep locked behind our hearts. And like these anti-heroes, we control these devils and we can use them to influence our world. For better or for worse.

The Fine Line

In comic books there are two kinds of people: Heroes and villains. But, if you look closer you'll find a third group, those who take the law into their own hands and use their resources to either help the innocent or terminate the target. These people are known as Anti-Heroes, individuals who's alignments either change naturally or are forced to change.

What makes a superhero an anti-hero? It's not too complicated, there are examples of what districts them from our usual cowls and capes. For one thing, anti-heroes kill their enemies. Sometimes out of justification, sometimes out of insanity, most often the latter. But, wait. Wonder Woman and Captain America kill their enemies, does that make them anti-heroes? Not exactly, the difference is the context of killing. If Cap is being shot at, he'll shoot back. However, a character like 

The Punisher will not only shoot back, but he'll torture any surviving enemies to get intel on the man who sent them. Another thing that separates anti-heroes from heroes is public appeal. Superman gets attention and applause from people because of his friendly personality and compassion. Public appeal on a darker character like Moon Knight is focused on his madness. Sometimes anti-heroes have no public appeal at all just because the public never sees them. A lot of anti-heroes are mysterious vigilantes talked about on the street as if they were folktales, not known in detail by the public.

Anti-Heroes are just as interesting as heroes or villains because of their duality. What makes them consider something to be good or bad? Why are their opinions and morals the way they are? Most of the time their way of thinking is driven by personal experience. In some cases these moments define them, and in others these moments leave them empty surrogates who either fight for what's right, what's fair or what they want. Regardless of what they're aiming for, you can be damned sure they won't miss.

Hungry Hungry Heroes

Boy, there sure are a lot of zombie related movies and video games out there, huh? If only there were some kind of comic book about zombies. Hmm. Sorry, if you thought today's post was about The Walking Dead, think again. I am a superhero guy, after all. So let's take a look at Marvel Zombies!

The first issue of Marvel Zombies was published in December of 2005. The story dealt with the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe experiencing a fast spreading infection which turned it's victims into zombies, undead monsters hellbent on devouring flesh. In concept it sounds simple, but throughout the story the infection of Marvel's heroes goes beyond flashy blood and gore. For example, after Peter Parker/Spider-Man is infected he tries to lock his girlfriend Mary Jane and Aunt May in a bathroom to keep himself from eating them. He is unable to fight his urges and ends up devouring both of them. Racked with guilt, Peter refuses to remove his mask out of shame for what he's become. Peter was the only zombie who felt remorse from eating people, something that would ultimately prove important towards the end of the story. After ten spin-off/sequels to the original series, the Marvel Zombies will be returning in an upcoming mini-series titled, "Age of Ultron vs Marvel Zombies" featuring our undead Avengers clashing with apocalyptic androids.

It's no surprise this series got as popular as it did, with zombies being the trendy form of horror, drama and most media. Almost every piece of modern fiction has had some reference to the idea of zombies. In fact, back in 1973 Marvel published a series called "Tales of the Zombie" being one of the earliest publications to use the word "zombie" as a name for the undead. Personally, I don't like zombies. The idea of worldly infection and survival stories don't deter me, it's just the overuse of the zombie genre. But, like all fads the zombie trend will eventually die off. Like the corpse of the victim, however, it's presence will forever linger. Happy Halloween...

See No Hero

Tying this Week's Z-Lister to our topic of scary comic creations, I introduce you readers to an obscure Batman villain who's obscure for a reason. He's known as The Ten-Eyed Man and his concept is absolutely ridiculous.

Formally a soldier for the U.S. army, Phillip Reardon was visually damaged by an explosion while guarding a warehouse. During the explosion, Batman attempted to rescue the man, but Phillip's damaged vision caused him to see Batman as a threat. In an attempt to fight Batman, Phillip got himself caught in another explosion in the warehouse. With his eyes beyond repair, Phillip was operated on by doctors and had his optic nerves reconnected to his fingertips, allowing him to see through his fingers. He held Batman accountable for his accident and took on the name Ten-Eyed Man to get his revenge.

Personal fact about me: I find eyes disgusting. Most people find them beautiful or symbolic, but I'm off-put by their fragility. The Ten-Eyed Man is usually defeated by damage to his fingers, whether it be through hot surfaces or prickly objects. This plays on the fear some people have-myself included-of having their eyes touched or hurt. A cut to the arm can heal over time, a cut to the hair is grooming, a cut to the eye is a horrific visual. And for The Ten-Eyed Man, that visual can be a reality by something as simple as a paper cut.

The Black Suit

Fitting this week's topic of scary comic book creations I'd like to tell you readers about a character within comics who has never ceased to creep me out. This character's name is Eddie Brock, but many would come to know him as Venom.

So what is it about Venom that makes him scary? Well, maybe it's his appearance. You see while Eddie is the man in the suit, the Venom suit itself is a living organism. It's an alien parasite that latches to living creatures to survive and because the Venom suit-or Symbiot, as it's called-first attached to Spider-Man it's powers, movements and appearance are inspired by Spidey. The Symbiot took a much more menacing look after it attached to Eddie Brock, who was so driven with hatred for Peter/Spidey that the Symbiot reflected his rage. His inky black complexion, terrifying teeth, and saliva-dripping tongue are all features that pierce through my eyes and disturb me. As mentioned before, the Symbiot attaches to it's host and survives by living off the host's body. However, should the Symbiot stay long enough, it's host will begin to solely live off the Symbiot. After being free of the suit for months on end, Eddie Brock developed cancer that was held dormant thanks to the Symbiot's protection of Eddie's body. Once he was held in a hospital, Eddie began craving the Symbiot and saw hallucinations of Venom sitting by his bedside, teasing him with promises of togetherness. The Symbiot not only makes it's host's body dependent, but it's mind as well as Eddie has frequently claimed he loves the Symbiot and considers he and the Symbiot one single creature.

The concept of the Venom Symbiot is reminiscent of a tape worm or a leech out of a pond, but worse yet it can leave it's host desiring it's presence, living off the host's own poisons. Hence the name Venom. Despite finding the character scary, Venom intrigues me. Much like fear itself, we as human beings find something in concepts like Venom that deep inside we relate to. That our own poisons could have a mind of their own and destroy us. Or use us.

Arkham Asylum, Welcome Home

With Halloween coming closer I thought I'd highlight some of the more scary comic book stories. Today we'll be talking about a story called "Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth". In this story, Batman must traverse the institute housing his greatest foes to regain control of the building.

"Afraid? Batman's not afraid of anything. It's me. I'm afraid. I'm afraid The Joker may be right about me. Sometimes....I question the rationality of my actions. And I'm afraid when I walk through those asylum gates...when I walk into Arkham and the doors close behind me...it'll be just like coming home"

-Batman, A Serious House on Serious Earth.

The Arkham Asylum Mental Institution is taken over by the patients who inhabit it and the Gotham City Police Department is forced to call in the help of Batman. As it turns out, the inmates want Batman to enter the asylum, otherwise it's current warden Charles Cavendish will be tortured and killed. Batman explores the asylum, finding his costumed foes transformed by the institution walls. Two-Face/Harvey Dent used to make his decisions based on a coin toss, but after the therapists tried giving him more decisions than he could handle he lost the ability to make any decisions at all. Mad Hatter was a criminal obsessed with "Alice in Wonderland", so much so that his love for the title character turned him into a child molester. The Joker is characterized as a transvestite lunatic who believes Batman to be as crazy as Arkham's inmates. As the story goes on, Batman also questions his own sanity and feels regret for creating the monsters Arkham contains. The ending features a disturbing twist that shows how Arkham's influence has affected those within it.

If you're looking for an eerie turn-off-the-lamp story to give you the creeps, I'd recommend checking out this book. It's a realistic look into the twisted psychosis of both Batman and his many foes. Enjoy your dark night readers, and I'll see you in the next installment of this week's topic. 

The Barack of Steel

Capping off this week of Obama-influenced comics, I'd like to introduce you readers to an alternate version of comic book's most famous hero, Superman. Calvin Ellis was the last son of Krypton who grew up on Earth and learned of his alien origins whilst mastering his superpowers. Sound familiar? Well, think again! Because Calvin isn't only The Man of Steel, he's also President of the United States of America. Wow, what a twist!

Writer Grant Morrison's creation of this Superman was inspired by a joke Barack Obama gave on national television before he was elected president. Barack claimed he was from planet Krypton and sent to Earth by his father Jor-El. Obviously referencing Superman's origin and flexing his nerd muscles, Barack became the basis for this otherworldly Superman. Juggling the responsibilities of being President and a secret superhero, Calvin's story presents a mixture of political drama and science-fiction. The villain he fights in his story is an evil Superman from another world who calls himself Superdoom. Yes, I'm serious. Superdoom. Calvin, after his one issue, reappears in "Multiversity", a book about various alternate worlds colliding. If his resemblance to Obama isn't enough, his wife is a black woman resembling first lady Michelle Obama who also happens to be her world's version of Wonder Woman. Go figure.

Having the First Family translated as superheroes is flattering I'm sure, but this seems to be the limit of how far comic books go in idolizing political figures. In some sense, given Barack's media presence, it's also a case of celebrity idolization. While I am politically ambiguous, I'd be interested in seeing the opposite reaction to Barack Obama within comics. With iconic characters like Spider-Man and Superman, its understandable why most worldly events would be highlighted in their respective books, but the respect and admiration the president has received through these books is quite noticeable. So is Barack Obama really a superhero? No, he isn't. But, like a superhero, Barack represents the pride, freedom and legacy U.S. presidents carry similar to comic's most well-known superheroes.

I hope you enjoyed this week's topic and have found Obama's comic presence as interesting as I have. Thanks for reading!

Alternative or Affirmative?

Pressing on with our Obama-centrec topic I present you readers with a character named Miles Morales. Starting out as a regular fourteen year old high school student in New York City, Miles' life would change after a radioactive spider bite gave him the powers needed to become New York's Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. But wait, there was already a Spider-Man. Lets take a closer look at this character's introduction and how he relates to our counties' president.

The year is 2008, a few months before the election of Barack Obama. Realizing this new era to issue in monumental changes to our country, editor-in-chief Alex Alonso decided he'd take Marvel Comic's poster boy and reinvent him for this new age. Within the pages of Ultimate Spider-Man-which was a alternate retelling of the classic character-Peter Parker had died defending his family and friends from his arch nemesis, The Green Goblin. The entire Marvel universe was effected by Spidey/Peter's death, but unknown to everyone, a new web-slinger was born. Miles was visiting his uncle when a spider crawled out of his uncle's duffel bag and bit him. As it happens, Miles' uncle is a master thief who had stolen a new batch of spiders designed specially to create an army of Spider-Men. Miles had a rough start not only trying to prove himself as the new Spider-Man to heroes and citizens, but by becoming Spider-Man Miles had turned his father against his alter ego and caused the death of his mother. There were times when Miles teamed up with other heroes, times when Miles was confronted by them and a time when Miles gave up the suit entirely. But it was through the motivation of Peter's allies that Miles stuck by his title and continued to be the hero of his city.

When Peter died and was replaced by Miles many fans were outraged believing the entire situation to be a publicity stunt. Killing off Marvel's most popular superhero simply to put someone-of the same race as our newest president-into the suit. In his first couple of comics Miles faced controversy from characters as well, but among the real-world public it was simply political. In fact, Miles introduction as Spider-Man remains one of the few times Comic Books have been brought up in national news, along with the short-lived death of Captain America and the temporary female replacement for Thor. Odds are, the people who find this decision political haven't read Miles story and his start as Spider-Man. As his story is reminiscent of the relatable origin of Peter Parker. Regardless of outcry, Miles has become a strong character on his own and instead of tarnishing the Spider-Man legacy, he has only added another layer of respect to it.

The Angel of Love...and Horses?

Today's Weekly Z-Lister is a transgender, bisexual stand-up comedian who is made up from two different people and can transform into a flying alien centaur. Brace yourselves.

Originally a jockey named Andrew Jones, Andrew was trampled by horses during a race and was "rebuilt" by an organization called The Stable. After being given his powers by The Stable, Andrew escapes the organization and begins operating as a superhero named Comet. On one of his first missions he is tasked with rescuing a woman from an avalanche. He fails to save her and dies along with her. However, thanks to his vague powers Andrew merges with the woman and she becomes the new Comet. The woman's name is Andrea Martinez, a bisexual stand-up comic who happened to be friends with Supergirl (circa 1997).  Being titled "The Angel of Love" Comet has the ability to make people love him. Or her, I really can't decide. Other powers include flight, super speed, control over ice and the spectacular ability to transform into a human male, a human female, a flying centaur and a horse. Just a horse.

Obviously Comet is much more of a gimmick than a character. The idea of an angelic centaur doesn't set me off, but emphasizing this character being bisexual, gender swapping and fooling people into loving him (Her? It? Horse?) really makes me feel this character was created for the wrong reasons. A character who is bisexual or transgender is perfectly fine as long as their sexual preference isn't the main focus of the character. Oddly enough, this character wasn't completely original, it was inspired by Comet the Super-Horse. The first Comet was a shapeshifting centaur from Ancient Greece, how familiar. It just goes to show you that a character's real impressions aren't given through name or appearance. It's only until we truly learn the character's origin do we form a stable opinion. Stable, get it? Horse jokes.

Captain America 3: The Cinematic Civil War

I know we don't usually talk movie news on this blog, but a recent announcement has gotten me so excited I felt I needed to share it with you loyal readers through the weekly mini topic. Marvel Studios has announced that Robert Downey Jr (Tony Stark/Iron Man) has been cast in Captain America 3. Further more, Cap 3 will be loosely based off Marvel Comic's Civil War storyline. Civil War was a story about the heroes of the Marvel Universe fighting over the passing of a document called the Superhuman Registration Act. This document, should it pass, will force superheroes with secret identities to reveal there identities and register themselves to the government's control. Now, we already know the Marvel Cinematic Universe is expanding with every movie and TV show. Based on the impact movies like The Avengers and Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier had on the movie universe, its safe to assume this movie will also set the ground work for future films. So lets go over what we know and what I think.

While this movie will be based on Civil War, it can be easily assumed it won't be directly off the pages. Civil War was a Marvel Universe event and I'd be disappointed if Cap 3 wasn't really about Cap. Having Civil War as a backdrop to Cap's conflict with the government and with Tony is what I'd be happy to see. I guess some explanations are needed for the sides these heroes take. Cap doesn't support the SRA because it takes away the freedom and security that heroes have. As he puts it, when the government controls the good guys, the government gets to decide who the bad guys are. Confusing given that Cap is a soldier pretty much wearing the American flag, but he has a strong belief that freedom shouldn't kept from those who deserve it. More confusing is why Tony Stark would be on the government's side. We saw in Iron Man 2 that Tony has had arguments with government officials. However, back then it was about the use of the Iron Man armor. In the Civil War comic, Tony sides with the SRA out of his own principles, but given what might happen in the movies we might see a different reasoning. It has been confirmed for Avengers: Age of Ultron that the title villain-a sentient robot who wants to kill all humans-will be created by Tony Stark. My theory is after the destruction that Ultron causes, Tony feels responsible for the death toll and decides to take a stronger stance on the nation's security. If you remember, the whole reason Tony became a hero was to make up for the damage he's done to the country and having Ultron repeat this lesson and force Tony to take more drastic methods would make sense. It also helps the movie show that Tony isn't a villain, he's simply a hero with different ideals that clash with Cap's ideals. Along with setting up future movie material, I also think Civil War will change other characters as well, mainly Bucky Barnes (played by Sebastian Stan). When we last saw him in Winter Soldier, he was a former villain rediscovering his past. In the Civil War comic, Captain America is assassinated by Crossbones, a villain we've seen in Cap 2 and will be returning in Cap 3. After Steve Roger dies, Bucky takes up the mantle of Captain America and by then end of Cap 3 I could see the same thing happen. Steve's death may also change Tony's ideals, as well as end the world's feud over the SRA.

Civil War was a story that drew a gray line and made readers think. There was never any wrong answer to the SRA idea because it's such a realistic idea to be introduced. Cap 2 made viewers question the government's right to observe its country, Cap 3 just might make us question if the government should control the people within its country. Having two larger-than-life superheroes represent America's divided opinions makes Cap 3 another example of Comic Books not always being about good guys fighting bad guys. Because much like the real world it isn't always about good and bad. Sometimes its just about people. I look forward to see where Captain America 3 goes.

The Presidential Pages

Like him or hate him, there's no denying President Barack Obama has made his mark in American history by being the first African-American president of the United States. That's why for this week's big topic we'll be taking a look at how The Big O has influenced Comic Books. And before you ask: Yes, he has influenced Comic Books.

In Amazing Spider-Man #583 (published 2009) a backup story told the tale of how Spider-Man met President Barack Obama.

As Peter Parker was taking photos of Obama during the presidential inauguration, another Obama appeared on scene claiming to be the real Obama. To solve this, Peter suits up as Spider-Man to ask both Obamas (plural?) various questions only the real Obama could answer. After the real Obama trounced the fake in recalling his college nickname it was revealed the fake Obama was actually Chameleon, Spider-Man's disguise-wearing enemy. The Secret Service arrested Chameleon, Spidey and Obama share a fist-bump and the President is sworn in with no issues.
The reason this comic was actually written is because believe it or not Barack Obama is a Spider-Man fan! When he was younger he collected Spider-Man comics and grew to love the notable phrase, "With great power comes great responsibility". Learning this, editor & chief Joe Quesada decided to have a special Spider-Man story made to celebrate Obama's election. It just goes to show that fans of comic books aren't limited to being your regular citizens, because one fan made it to not only be the President of the free world, but he got to see himself in the same comics he grew up with. Coincidently, this isn't the only impact Obama had on Spider-Man, as we'll explore tomorrow for the second chapter of this week's major topic. Until then, loyal readers!

Teen Titans Go....Back to Being Good (Part Two)

What determines a good comic-based television show? In my opinion, the best comic-based shows balance the action packed stories and light hearted scenes that most shows pick a side on. Teen Titans hits that balance and provides stories that fans of all ages can enjoy watching. The show also offers characters most people don't know as well as Superman, Batman and other A-List DC heroes. But an element of the show I believe to be its strongest is its independence from the rest of the DC universe. This week's recommended piece of Rants & Recommendations is DC's 2003 show, Teen Titans.

Unlike previous DC cartoons, Teen Titans did not connect with the DC Animated Universe which was a shared universe within various cartoons based on DC properties. To further separate it, the developers  of the show went with art heavily influenced by Japanese Animation. This style of animated made the show feel fluid, vibrant and expressive. There would often be moments when the characters break the fourth wall by using more comedic animation to express their feelings. The animation also lends itself to the creative fight scenes of the show and its thanks to this animation that the character's diverse means of combat are shown at their peak. But the real driving point are the characters themselves. Robin is a determined leader who can sometimes overwhelm himself with responsibility. Cyborg is the most realistic, having both strength and smarts while retaining his high school attitude, but having hidden sadness over his half-dead body. Raven is very distant and carries a pessimistic tone, but also presents deep care for her teammates. Beast Boy is immature and comedic, but is not a stranger to anger or youthful confusion. Starfire is bubbly and compassionate, although her past contains tragedy among her whole species. Despite being both emotionally and thematically different from each other, the Teen Titans prove that a singular goal can unite any group of people and turn them into friends. Outside the team were villains who not only drove the team further, but created personal battles for them as well. Some villains include Brother Blood, a manipulator who tried controlling gifted youths into taking over the world. Brother Blood would hold a rivalry with Cyborg because Cyborg's technological brain made him the only person immune to Blood's control. For Raven, her personal villain was the demon Trigon. As it happens, Trigon is Raven's father and she was put on Earth as a means for his evil plans. But the strongest presence comes in Deathstroke. Called Slade in this show, he was an assassin who wanted an apprentice. He saw Robin as a promising student, but his endeavors also made him a personal rival to both Raven and Beast Boy as well. These characters and stories create a relatable battle for viewers to get behind and as the show went on it included more Titans and larger threats to be defeated, while personal shortcomings also became their challenges.
If you're looking for a superhero cartoon accessible to yourself or to a younger person, Teen Titans is defiantly my suggestion. The show offers colorful interactions and deeper understandings for larger than life heroes. With Teen Titans standing without any mentors or reminisce of the rest of the DC universe, it is an easier show to pick up on and reinforces the idea of teens becoming adults and moving out of the shadows of adult superheroes.
I hope you enjoyed the first official week of The Panel Biter and I thank you for reading my posts. I'll see you readers at the start of this week with more insight into the world of Comic Books!

Teen Titans Go....Back to Being Good (Part One)

If it hasn't become clear as of yet, I-your host Raffi-am very young. While my time reading the core of most comic series is limited, I was fortunate enough to be alive during the rise of comic-based television shows. One of my favorite shows was a cartoon based on The Teen Titans, a group of teenage superheroes trying to establish their own identities and save the Earth. It was through this show I gained an appreciation for lesser known heroes and further my favoritism for Robin. However, after five seasons of impressive content, Teen Titans hit a bottom that fans loath to recall. Today on Rants & Recommendation we will take a look at both 2003's Teen Titans and its lack-luster successor 2013's Teen Titans Go.

Ten years after its predecessor premiered, Teen Titans Go decided to take a more comedic view at DC's most popular youth oriented super-team. This show retains the same characters and voice actors as the original cartoon but lacks everything else that made the original great. Teen Titans Go features more sitcom plots and excels at using modern media to fuel its comedy. Unlike the original cartoon, this show lacks the character progressions, over-arcing plots and general tone featured in its predecessor. Further more, I felt this show used liberties the original set out not to use. For example, in Teen Titans the origin of Robin is kept mostly under wraps. No mentioning of Batman was allowed and frankly it wasn't needed. In Teen Titans Go season one, however, there is an episode where Robin is asked to watch over the Batcave. Batman appears, Commissioner Gordon is seen, Batgirl's uniform is worn by Starfire and all of Batman's gadgets are on display. Rather than watch five dimwitted downgrades sully the Batman lore, I would've much more enjoyed an episode where Robin confronts Batman and they burry any resentment between each other, ending with Batman being proud of Robin and his team. Sadly though this show not only wastes story potential the original wasn't allowed to use, but it also takes the diverse team members and turns them into stereotypes of what they used to be. Take a look at the character of Raven, she was bleak, monotone and devoid of expression. The reason being her demonic powers are directly linked to her emotions. If her temper becomes challenged (as it is with most teenagers) her powers could tear reality apart. In Teen Titans Go her stoic personality is far more deadpan and sarcastic and seems to mock her original conception. What's worse is that when she is alone she watches a cartoon about cheerful ponies and expresses child-like giddiness, being a very obvious joke on her usual mopey disposition. Cyborg and Beast Boy are annoying meme-machines, Starfire is a scatter-brained dope and Robin-and this hurts the most-is displayed as a bossy, stubborn, oblivious gloat. These characters are not the heroes seen in the original shown, rather tweaked playthings developed for attention and not admiration.

Alas, the idea behind this show is most infuriating for me. Rather than continue the masterful theme of the original show, Teen Titans Go was clearly developed to fit a child demographic. Childish jokes, bright colors and a lighter tone take away the best elements of the original show and create another example of ratings and merchandise dictating over solid story and rich characters. And that, readers, is this week's Rant entree. Now on the the fun stuff.

The Tin-Man is Drunk

Wrapping up this week's topic of real-life issues being tackled in comic books is a highlight on a story many comic fans consider to be the quintessential Iron Man story. In 1979, writer David Michelinie decided to write a story that focused on Tony Stark's growing addiction to alcohol. This story arc is titled "Demon in a Bottle".

Tony Stark has always been personified as a man who has everything. He's rich, charismatic, witty and always seems to have control of his belongings. But what comes with the mantle of a superhero comes the great downfalls they experience. In an attempt to ruin both Stark and his company, Justin Hammer-president of rival company Roxxon Oil Corporation-hacks into Stark's armor and causes it to malfunction. One of these malfunctions causes Stark to unwillingly kill an ambassador. This caused the public to despise Iron Man and Stark was asked to hand his armor over to the government. It should be noted that at this time Tony Stark and Iron Man were not known to be the same person, Stark claimed to the public that Iron Man was his bodyguard. After learning Hammer was responsible for the ambassador's death, Stark goes after Hammer, but mission is unsuccessful as Hammer escapes. Stark throughout this story is sinking further into alcohol, oblivious to his name being tarnished by a man he couldn't hope to catch. His alcoholism led to the unemployment of his loyal butler Jarvis (That's right, kids. Jarvis wasn't a computer). At the lowest point of Tony's addiction, his girlfriend Bethany Cabe came to him providing help. As it were, Beth was previously married to a diplomat who had a drug addiction that led to their divorce, prompting Beth's determination to help Stark. Even after the "Demon in a Bottle" storyline, Tony's addiction would be mentioned from time to time. One story included Tony's former business partner Obadiah Stane constructing a plan to ruin Stark. This involved setting Tony up with a distracting new love interest, preventing deals with Stark Industries and being protected by the American government the entire time. Stane buys out Stark Industries and Tony falls deeper into alcoholism than ever before. Tony gives the position of Iron Man to his close friend James Rhodes, while he becomes a homeless shell of a man. Obviously, this would be resolved and Stark would rise from his addiction and regain the legacy he had lost.

Tony Stark can often be seen as the man everyone wants to be. This makes it difficult to relate with him, seeing as most people aren't rich and famous, at the very least your common reader isn't. So using the growing issue of alcoholism to give Tony a stronger connection with readers who themselves had gone over the table or witnessed someone important suffer an addiction makes Tony a deeper character and creates an explanation for his actions. I believe stories like these are essential for removing the idea that comic books are for kids, because I'm sure their are many people in this country who have looked in the mirror and questioned their worth and their decisions at a breaking point similar to Iron Man. And just like Iron Man, those people can overcome that weakness and move forward.

Putting the Black Back in Black Vulcan

Hope you readers are ready for your Weekly Z-Lister because today's obscure superhero touches upon not only the history of comic books, but the history of the superhero genre. This week's Z-list superhero is Black Vulcan, second generation member of the Super-Friends!

(By the way, am I the only one who finds this guy's face hilarious?)

"But I thought these posts only looked at comic book characters, this guy is a cartoon", I'm sure you may be muttering to yourself. But fear not, loyal readers, while Black Vulcan isn't exactly from the comics, he does represent the early ideals of comics and has helped other heroes like him become more famous in their respective books. Now then, Black Vulcan was part of a group of racially diverse characters added to the Super-Friends cartoon back in 1977. Not only were these new members diverse enough to break the mostly male-white build up of the team, but were also original characters who had no previous comic book history. What makes Black Vulcan different though is that he was originally not supposed to be on the team. Originally, another character named Black Lightning (also created in 1977) was planned on being in the show. However, Black Lightning's comic creator Tony Isabella was having feuds with DC Comics. Because of these arguments, Hanna-Barbara created Black Vulcan as a replacement character. Like Black Lightning, Black Vulcan was an african-american superhero with power of electricity manipulation. He could shoot electrical bolts, create solid objects out of electricity, fly via energy propulsion and travel through time as a bolt of lightning. While his counterpart Black Lightning would go on to join Batman's Outsiders and The Justice League of America, Black Vulcan's appearances stopped around 1984. However, he and Black Lightning's legacies would live on in a Milestone Comics character named Static created by Dwayne McDuffie in 1993, Static being another african-american superhero who could control electricity.

As shown with last week's Z-Lister Thunderhawk, early comic media attempted to shove racial diversity within their material. After the show's cancellation the character would never appear in any main comic book medium again. Most likely because of the success of Black Lightning and Static, leaving the position for an african american superhero with flashy powers filled. What Black Vulcan does provide is an example of racial progression in comics. Back in 1977 there where only a few Black heroes within both DC and Marvel, now-a-days the handful amount is slowly spilling out of the palm of the comic world and we have early character drafts like Black Vulcan to thank for that. Thanks' Sparky!

The Broken Arrow

Within DC's world of heroes there exists a vigilante known as Green Arrow. Unlike other costumed crusaders of the 60's, Green Arrow was very politically outspoken. When he wasn't carrying his bow and quiver, Green Arrow was a millionaire named Oliver Queen. In order to distinct him from another certain rich superhero, writer Denny O'Neil decided Oliver should lose his fortune and become more proactive on the streets of his city. Green Arrow spoke for the hard working middle class who either didn't have what they needed or lost everything they had. Being a progressive hero came with difficulties however, the very first being a young man named Roy Harper.

Roy was Oliver's adoptive son who he trained to be a crime fighter like himself. Using the name Speedy, Roy went on to fight alongside Green Arrow as well as many of DC's teenage heroes. However, there came a time where Roy's life was falling apart. Oliver had lost his fortune and neglected Roy, Roy's girlfriend left him and his team of young heroes had split up. In his desperation to numb the pain, Roy turned to what many teens had fell victim to: Drugs.

It was only after his close friend Hal Jordan/Green Lantern confronted Oliver, that readers would learn his trusted companion had been using heroin to keep himself together, but this revelation would only break him apart. Green Arrow would strike Roy and throw him onto the street, stripping away any bonds between the two of them. After Green Lantern and Ollie's girlfriend Black Canary helped Roy with his withdrawals, Roy would become a private investigator and speaker at many anti-drug programs. Years later, after joining various superhero groups, Roy and Ollie would make amends and Roy would take the moniker of Red Arrow on the Justice League of America.
With Green Arrow being a character versed in worldly issues, the topics of politics, race and laws often came into play for him. But in the matter of drugs it struck a very special cord as it was shown in these comics that while recovery is always a possibility for drug-addicted teens, not all parental figures can take the news easily. From any other heroes prospective, Roy would've been personally cared for and assisted in overcoming his addiction. Green Arrow shows that a cold and selfish approach is very real even in the context of a fictional story. But the point of today's blog isn't to dirty the character of Green Arrow, rather it's supposed to tell readers that while drugs are something to avoid, they are also something that makes permanent changes. People who have been addicted have lost people in the process. That's why if you or anyone you know has had a similar experience to Roy here, it's important to remember that the people who cast you out aren't the only people who build you back up. All it takes is a great loss to drive someone to better themselves. Roy was never a junkie, he was a victim. A victim who saved himself.

A Flash of Two Worlds

Tonight is the premier of The Flash television show on The CW, this being his first live-action show in almost twenty years. Because of this, today's topic is DC Comic's two main universes: Earth-Prime and Earth 2. I decided to go over this topic because its important to both The Flash's history and comic books in general. For those not well versed science fiction, there is a theory that there are multiple versions of Earth, each different from the last. Within comic books, multiple Earths open possibilities for different takes on popular heroes. In fact, the current version of The Flash isn't actually the original conception! The two versions of The Flash we'll be focusing on are Jay Garrick of the Golden Age and Barry Allen of the Silver Age. 

The Flash on the right is Jay Garrick, a college student of the 1940's who passed out after breathing in hard water vapors in a school lab. The vapors triggered a latent metagene and gave him the power to move at super speeds. He donned a red shirt and his signature cap (based on the Greek God, Mercury) and became a popular hero during the Golden Age of Comic books. In 1956-during the Silver Age of Comics-Barry Allen was introduced as a forensics scientist. Barry was struck by a lightning bolt while mixing chemicals. And in the world of comics, chemicals are never just chemicals. Barry discovered the accident gave him superpowers. These powers would give Barry access to a universal energy called The Speed Force, which would allow him to travel through time and space. As I mentioned, both versions of the Flash come from different Earths. In the issue of The Flash I placed above, Jay travels to Earth-Prime and meets Barry Allen. Apparently on Earth-Prime, Jay Garrick is a comic book character that Barry used to read about when he was a child. When Barry got his powers he based his superhero identity off of Jay Garrick, thus leading to second Flash. After Jay went back to his own world, Barry went to the writer of Jay's book and gave him a new story idea.

In DC comics, it is often shown that alternate Earths exist in comic books which are read by existing heroes like Barry Allen. As time went on more crossover adventures between both Earths would come about and eventually lead to the creation of one unified DC Comic universe. Looking at this idea from the outside it is easy to see why people are confused by comic books, but I believe having different versions of heroes give readers a better understanding of what the hero stands for. And frankly, this might be the simplest feature of The Flash's lore. The human brain can only tolerate so many time travel stories. Be sure to check out The Flash's new TV show, hopefully it won't be as confusing as the comics.

Spoiler! I'm Pregnant.

The Panel Biter train is starting up, loyal readers, and you have a first class seat. This week's topic is about real-life situations and conditions that have been replicated in comic books. Addictions, mistakes and misfortunes brought to the forefront in the comic book medium.

For this first segment we'll be talking about Stephanie Brown: The Fourth Robin, The Third Batgirl and The Only Spoiler!

First appearing in Detective Comics #647 in August 1992, Stephanie Brown started out as the daughter to a super-villain known as The Cluemaster. Knowing her mastermind father would only put herself and others into harms way, Stephanie donned a purple cowl and assisted Batman and Robin in spoiling her father's plans. As mentioned, Stephanie went on to be both Robin and Batgirl. But like all admirable comic book superheroes, there lies a dent within Stephanie's violet armor. At age sixteen, Stephanie became a mother.

As it turns out, Stephanie's ex-boyfriend had gotten her pregnant and fled Gotham City during an earthquake. With nobody to help her, Tim Drake-the third Robin-went undercover as Alvin Draper to help Stephanie through Lamaze Classes and is present for the birth of her child. With Robin's assistance  

Stephanie is able to put her daughter up for adoption, knowing it to be best for everyone.

Teenage pregnancy is a growing issue in the United States. In high school, I knew multiple girls who were either pregnant or had kids. With Gotham having influence from big cities, it isn't unrealistic for the city to have pregnant youths. If Stephanie's story shows us anything its that everyone is capable of making mistakes and anyone can have bad blood. Despite that, we as people can advance beyond our experiences and find more of a reason to set the right example and tell others, "Don't do what I did".

Panel Biter's New World Order

This mini-blog is just to give you readers an idea of how I plan on organizing things around here. Each week I'll be posting individual parts of a larger theme within comic books. Between these parts you will see a minor topic within one post, the Weekly Z-Lister and Rants & Recommendations.

Monday-Part One of Week's Topic

Tuesday-One Shot Topic

Wednesday-Part Two of Week's Topic

Thursday-Weekly Z-Lister

Friday-Part Three of Week's Topic

Saturday-Rants & Recommendations

I hope this information gives you readers more to be excited for and I thank you for visiting and frequently checking in on my blog. You have the Panel Biter Seal of Approval!

Rings, Rants & Recommendations (Part 2)

Moving on from the Rant segment of this week's R&R I bring you readers a TV series that properly does the Green Lantern justice. And before I move on I'd like to address that these R&R pieces are purely opinion. If my thoughts on a movie, TV show or any other medium of comics disagrees with your own, you are entitled to your opinion. Now then, lets take a look at this week's Recommendation.

With studios believing the Green Lantern movie to rake in big bucks, they decided to milk the name for all it's worth. Thus bringing us to my Recommendation this week: Green Lantern The Animated Series.   Unlike the film's pandering to a movie viewing demographic, this series not only holds hands with the source material, but it down right sings with it. The series starts with no background and launches viewers into the world of Green Lantern. Joined by the GL's rookie trainer Kilowag and the artificial intelligence of a starship, Hal Jordan is tasked with taking on an enemy army called The Red Lantern Corps. Led by Atrocitus and wielding rage-powered rings of there own, The Red Lantern's goal is to kill the Guardians of the Universe for causing universal genocide long before the Guardians established the GLC. Obviously because this is a two season TV show and not a two hour film, this series can fit a lot more Green Lantern lore from the comics and make it accessible to new comic fans. I truly did enjoy this series and would suggest anyone who is interested in Green Lantern, comic books or just animation in general to give the pilot a watch. And with that I'll be signing out and will see you readers tomorrow. Thanks for sticking around!

Rings, Rants & Recommendations (Part 1)

Today I'll be starting a new weekly segment called "Rant & Recommendation". In these posts I'll be giving my opinion on both the best and worst the comic book media has to offer. Today we'll be exploring the on-screen adaptions of planet Earth's Emerald Knight, The Green Lantern.

On June 17th, 2011 a film adaptation of DC Comic's popular superhero Green Lantern hit the movie screen. With Superman and Batman owning DC's movie lineup, fans of this interstellar hero and his lore were excited to see his story realized. What fans received was a poorly written, awkwardly paced and CGI abused mockery of the Green Lantern mythos. In this movie, test pilot Hal Jordan (played by Ryan Reynolds) is selected by a dying alien to be his galaxies' Green Lantern. Hal meets the rest of the Green Lantern Corps, which consists of aliens from all across the universe equip with Power Rings. These Rings allow their owner to create solid objects out of pure light and are powered by the wielder's willpower. I won't spoil everything and I'm trying to be merciful, but like many other fans I did not enjoy this movie. Visually I believe Reynolds to be a good Hal Jordan, but getting past his characterization and the overused CGI makes every scene a stomachache to a GL fan. Luckily, one good thing spawned from the creation of this movie...

Thunderbird: X-ed Off

Good day, readers. It's with great excitement that I, your host Raffi, introduce a new weekly topic called The Weekly Z-Lister. Each week I'll give readers a run down on the most obscure comic book characters. Whether they simply never stuck to public eye or they were killed as soon as they were introduced. The latter referring to this week's Z-Lister, Thunderbird!

John Proudstar was a mutant who grew up on a reservation in Camp Verde, Arizona. As a teenager he discovered his mutant abilities, as a young man he was drafted into the Vietnam War and as a returning soldier he was invited to join The X-Men, a group of superpowered people much like himself. However, John was too confident and brash, often butting heads with their leader Cyclops. During his second mission with the X-Men he disobeyed a direct order and attempted to pummel a helicopter to pieces in mid-air. This resulted in the helicopter exploding and Thunderbird dying in the process. His brother Warpath would later join the X-Men to avenge his brother.
Thunderbird was introduced to the X-Men during a time when comic book creators wanted to show more diversity among characters. Along with this Native American mutant, German, African, Canadian, Russian, Japanese and Irish mutants were added to the team. Obviously presenting more flare and character, these mentioned mutants stuck around for years. However, there must always be a sacrifice in the vein of good story telling. Thunderbird wasn't killed off because of his race or lack luster powers (he was pretty much Wolverine with no claws). He was killed off to show readers that among a cast of outcasted characters there is always one person who can't emotionally amount to his gifts. Thunderbird served as a reminder to readers that not every superhero team is a family soup opera, sometimes they are stories of fallen soldiers and birds incapable of flying.

Tangled in Your Own Web

Whether you're young or old, man or woman, city kid or country folk, there is a part of your life that everyone shares: Stress. In the world of comic books nobody knows stress better than Peter Parker, The Amazing Spider-Man.

You ask your run-of-the-mill teenager what they're worried about, they might tell you school or work or relationships. Mr. Parker on the other hand not only must worry about an education, a steady job and his personal life, but he has to be concerned with taking care of his elderly Aunt May, paying for camera equipment, finding a woman who's okay with his superhero life and, well, his superhero life! Aside from the spandex, it's for all these realistic responsibilities that people naturally cling to Spider-Man and the character has been able to endure the years since his creation. When writer Stan Lee was coming up with Spider-Man, he wanted to create someone the reader could relate to, unlike most god-like superheroes. If the reader can't relate to scientifically designed web fluid or the occasional mind swapping, Peter has a lot of daily tasks and duties that people have. We may not all have been bitten by a radioactive spider, but we've all been teenagers with stressful lives. I know reading and watching Peter go through work related stress and peer interactions helped me get past my own, so I hope you can lift yourself out of stress and keep swinging just like Spidey can. Have a great day!