Kiss This!

I like music! Most music anyway, not big on country. Bad hang-ups on country. Being a music liker and a comic book guru I've noticed you don't see the genres cross all that much. Black Canary is in a band and Dazzler is a pop star superhero, but there has to be something more. A deeper connection. I found that connection. And it felt like a Kiss.

In 1971, two aspiring musicians named Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley left the band Wicked Lester in search for a new direction in the rock and roll industry. Gene and Paul found a drummer for their new band in an ad in Rolling Stone magazine and upon first glance of his talent, Peter Criss was brought in. After his first audition lead guitarist Ace Frehley also impressed Gene and Paul and earned his spot on the band. Funny enough he wore two unmatched shoes to his audition. Given Peter's past experience in a band called "Lips" the men decided on the new band name "Kiss". Kiss became legends of the music industry known for their catchy and outrageous music, but Kiss' most notable feature was their presentation. Costumes, face paint, the use of smoke, flashing lights, sparks, and even pillars of fire. They were the definition of rock and roll. But for as edgy as they were it was clear each member put their heart into the look of the band.
Each member of Kiss chose a mantle to take on when they performed, in comic book fashion they took names reflective of themselves: Paul Stanley became "The Starchild" as he was often referred to as a hopeless romantic and a starry-eyed lover. Gene Simmons was "The Demon" as he had a dark sense of humor and a cynical mindset. Ace Frehley chose "The Space Ace" because he loved science-fiction and technology. Peter Criss was known as "The Catman" as he believed he had nine lives after the experiences he had growing up in a tough neighborhood. The band's second drummer Eric Carr would be known as "The Fox" and their second guitarist Vinnie Vincent used the identity of "The Ankh Warrior".
Though my complete knowledge of Kiss' career is limited to online research and my attention span, I know for a fact their popularity earned them a place in all forms of pop culture, including comic books! Believe it or not, Kiss first appeared in comic book fashion in Marvel Comic's "Howard The Duck #12 & #13". Howard-the goddamn-Duck. In 1977 Kiss got their own Marvel comic special titled "A Marvel Comics Super Special #1: Kiss". As if the fan excitement wasn't enough someone in the band came up with idea of including their own blood in the ink for the comic. I AM DEAD SERIOUS. Kiss got a police escort to Marvel's Printing Plant and-in front of a live audience-each member of Kiss drew blood with the assistance of a certified nurse and their blood was mixed into the ink used to draw the Kiss comic book. At that point it didn't matter if that comic was good or not because the blood of Kiss was in the comic. Just like their music Kiss poured themselves into this book and immortalized their place among comic book history.
Other comic book publishers would continue to make non-bloody comic book series based off Kiss that would keep their notoriety up in the comic book medium. Revolutionary Comics did five books, Image Comics did a thirty-issue series plus six single stories, Dark Horse Comics did thirteen issues, Platinum Studios did a nine-issue series and four single issues. Kiss crossed over into Archie Comics for four issues. IDW Comics did an eight-issue series as well as a crossover with "Mars Attacks", a series called "Kiss Kids" and a four-issue series focusing on the individual members of the band.
Given the mythology, the pride, and the legacy of Kiss I'm not surprised publishers keeping making comics about them. I'm willing to bet that's how the individual members make their money these days. I guess the thing that surprises me is how Marvel never tried that idea again. Sure their blood may not be the cleanest anymore, but if the members of Kiss love comic books why hasn't Marvel made them a permanent part of their universe. Imagine how cool that would be! In every other universe Kiss is a band, but in the Marvel Universe they're a band AND a superhero team! If Marvel's not going to use The Fantastic Four anymore than here is a good replacement. Let Kiss be immortalized as a unique feature of Marvel. Let Kiss be the next big Marvel team! Let Kiss get a movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe! Each of their character's already has an origin. Gene is a demon, Paul is a destined prodigy, Ace is an alien, and Peter is a survivor of the streets. They can fight concerned parents! I do hope Kiss continues to have a presence in comic books and maybe can have on last hurrah alongside Marvel's greatest heroes!
Thanks for reading.
Party on, Wayne.

Quicker Than Silver

One of the more overlooked teams in Marvel Comics are The Young Avengers, a group of teenaged heroes with legacy mantles they hope to carry with pride. Of all characters in Marvel the last you'd assume to get a "kid version" of is Quicksilver, but believe it or not such a character exists! This week's Z-Lister is a hero by the name of Speed.

Introduced in "Young Avengers #10" in 2006 and created by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung, Thomas Shepard was a teenaged mutant living in Springfield, New Jersey. The Young Avengers actively search for Thomas after their teammate Hulkling is abducted and they try to find help in other teenagers with powers. The Young Avengers find Thomas locked up in a facility where Thomas claims he's been locked in and experimented on for months. Wiccan/Billy-a member of The Young Avengers-notes how Thomas looks just like him and resembles Quicksilver. After donning a costume and using the name "Speed", Thomas joins The Young Avengers.

It is later revealed Wiccan and Speed are twin brothers. Kind of. Back in the 1980's the Avengers Scarlet Witch and The Vision fell in love and got married, but because Vision's robotic organs were incapable of sexual reproduction Scarlet Witch used her powers of reality manipulation to "create" two children named Thomas and Billy. Scarlet Witch was forced by her teacher Agatha Harkness to "undo" the children and then forget the kids were ever created, but during "Avengers: Disassembled" Scarlet Witch remembered those events and sought vengeance on The Avengers. Later during "House of M" Scarlet Witch created a new reality where her kids were alive again, but after that world was undone and everything returned to normal she avoided The Avengers and sought the help of Doctor Doom. With his help, Scarlet Witch recreated her children and gave them lives separate from hers. As a result, Thomas and Billy grew up with different parents in different places and were never aware of their true origins until the event "Avengers: The Children's Crusade".

Despite helping fellow Young Avenger Kate Bishop/Hawkeye II steal her bow from the base of The Secret Avengers, Kate chooses to date teammate Patriot rather than Speed. Bummer. In one adventure The Young Avengers fight a team of teenaged heroes who use the Young Avenger's name and Speed notices these kids have the same prison uniform as the one he had before joining the team. This possible storyline was left forgotten. After The Young Avengers break up Speed/Thomas gets a job assembling tablet computers. And that's the last thing he did. You know, for one of two Speedsters in the Marvel Universe, this kid doesn't get much to do does he?

While he doesn't have as much history as his brother Wiccan or uncle Quicksilver, Speed is still pretty interesting to me. If Quicksilver ever gets a book like his sister I think it'd be beneficial to include Speed in there. Despite not being really important-other than being part of Scarlet Witch's bizarre history-Speed is still a member of one of the most notorious families in comic books. Magneto, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, The Vision, The Vision Family, Wiccan, Speed, Polaris, Wonder Man, the family gets around. Hopefully Marvel will feel the need to include this fast-acting superhero in more stories in the future.

Thanks for reading.

Squad Fo' Life

One of The Panel Biter's most popular posts was a comic book series idea called "Squadron Superior" featuring a team of Marvel characters who just don't get along. Seeing as how enough time has passed, I thought I'd expand on the idea and share my idea for a "Volume 2" of Squadron Superior!

In my last pitch for Squadron Superior, Marvel's schizophrenic Superman known as The Sentry kidnapped Moon Knight, Valkyrie, Quicksilver, Namor, Nova, and Super Skrull to help him defeat his own alter ego "The Void" which had separated from him and took over a portion of the universe. While The Sentry and The Squadron Superior successfully defeated The Void and freed the cosmos from it's control, The Void leeched off the negativity of Sentry's team. It is revealed that after The Void split from Sentry and began it's cosmic conquest it manipulated The Sentry's mind into believing he had to gather those six heroes specifically. Unknown to The Sentry, The Void wanted him to unite with those characters because it knew the team would be at constant odds with each other. The further the team succeeded in defeating The Void, the more fed up the team got with each other. By the end of that story The Void would use The Squad's negative emotions as a power source to open a portal to another dimension, one where The Void could amass more power. While the rest of The Squad saw this as the end of their journey The Sentry wasn't satisfied. But, out of guilt and respect, The Sentry gave his ship to the six heroes so they could return to Earth while he followed The Void to another world. One eerily unlike our own.
The Sentry follows The Void to Earth-323, a world where the alignments have reversed and the Earth is ruled by villains. On this Earth, The Void finds Robert Reynolds (The Sentry's civilian identity) who is a mild mannered reporter working for The Daily Bugle. This version of Robert never became The Sentry so The Void takes over his body, slowly destroying his social life in the process. When The Sentry finds out this world's Robert Reynolds had a family and an actual life he only becomes angrier at The Void-at himself really-for destroying this perfect life. With the emergence of The Sentry and The Void, President Nicholas Fury summons the aid of "The Masters".
The Masters are this world's version of The Avengers, but obviously evil. Steve Rogers became a Super-Soldier in the 1940's like usual, but in this world the professor who gave him the serum also brainwashed him into being a Nazi. As Adolf Hitler's General Germany, Rogers became the driving force behind The Nazi Party winning World War II. However, Rogers killed his superiors and ruled over Europe for decades until deciding to ally with the corrupt USA. Also, his shield would have a swastika on it. After one of his own weapons nearly killed him in Iraq, weapons manufacturer Tony Stark was bonded to a suit of armor by enemy scientists. The terrorist known as The Mandarin planned on using Tony as his personal inventor, but Tony killed him and gained the worship of The Mandarin's army. Tony decided the US didn't appreciate his genius like these men did, so he upgraded his armor and led this terrorist army as The Iron Mandarin. Hank Pym and his wife Janet Van Dyne were constantly being attacked by those who wanted access to Pym's shrinking technology. Pym and Dyne tried to remain small to avoid conflict, but the effects of the Pym Particles drove them insane and-through incidents Hank can't remember-Janet died and Hank built two robots to help dull the loss. One robot tried to convince Hank to turn himself in, but the other robot replicated the appearance of Janet and convinced Hank that the first robot wasn't loyal. Hank and the Janet robot upgraded their shrinking tech and took over a company called AIM, turning themselves into the mad scientists known as Yellowjacket and The Wasp. After Thor-The God of Thunder-saw how weak the people of Earth were and how disrespectful his father Odin was towards him, he decided to destroy Asgard's Rainbow Bridge and strand himself on Earth where he built a kingdom of his own. Though Thor is not worthy to pick up his hammer, he forced scientists to build him the closest replication they could. His hammer still sits under the foundation his kingdom was built on. As for The Hulk? The origin didn't change, but let's just say Bruce Banner died when The Hulk was born.
General Germany, The Iron Mandarin, The Hulk, Thor, Yellowjacket and The Wasp all control a portion of Earth under President Fury's commands and as ordered they unite to fight The Sentry. After Sentry is defeated and locked up in a miniature prison called Camp Hammond, The Masters go after The Void next. The Sentry can feel his powers disappearing, perhaps the effects of the camp or this dimension. Or maybe The Sentry needed The Void more than he thought. Luckily, the prison is broken into and The Sentry is freed by this world's heroes The Revengers. Once they get to The Revengers' base in Latvaria, the heroes reveal they became aware of The Void's appearance on their Earth and-in order to bring balance back to their Earth-they need to help The Sentry defeat The Void. What shocks The Sentry is that the heroes of this Earth are the minority and are always defeated, either killed or arrested they keep trying. Not for world peace, but just for the joy of tormenting villains.
Remember that good robot Hank created and then abandoned? Well, it became the hero known as Ultron and fought villains constantly until it evolved into one of the strongest beings on Earth. It also allied itself with Victor Von Doom, the poor son of a gypsy woman. Victor grew up in Latvaria during Rogers' rule over Europe and his mother died trying to fight Rogers with magic. Victor was later given The Eye of Aggamato from The Ancient One. The Eye is passed down from Sorcerer to Sorcerer to help it's wielder protect Earth from magical threats, but because The Ancient One was on his death bed he had no choice but to give the Eye to Doom. Using his magic powers and the technological lessons taught by Ultron, Victor-now as Lord Doom-created a sector of Latvaria where his people could be safe. Another ally came in the form of Sinthea Shmidt. Sinthea was the daughter of Hitler's ally Johann Schmidt and witnessed the death of her father at the hands of General Germany. From then on she spent her childhood training in weaponry and martial arts to eventually kill the General and avenge her father, but she knew it wasn't enough. Sinthea tried to replicate the Super Soldier Serum and the resulting effects started killing her. Out of pity, the General put her in suspended animation until decades later Lord Doom and Ultron rescued her and used a formula to even-out the effects of the serum. However, the side effects of the mixed chemicals burned Sinthea's skull. She took the name Red Skull, and became their super soldier. Though he was hesitant to work with a former member of the Nazi party, the mutant known as Magneto decided to join Doom's team. On this Earth Magneto was still a holocaust survivor, but the holocaust never stopped, it only changed directions. Under Rogers and Fury's orders the mutant population was either killed, experimented on or locked away in fear of their powers-even Magneto's children were hunted-and Magneto became a myth among the mutant community. The city of New York is ran by The Hand, a group of powerful men who vote on the direction of the city. Matt Murdock runs the justice system, Luke Cage runs homeland security, Danial Rand runs financial, Peter Parker runs science development and Norman Osborn ran city construction. However, the rest of The Hand learned Norman was developing new weapons behind their backs in order to protect citizens from The Hand's control. Peter Parker-with the use of his black alien suit-killed Norman's son as a warning. Norman murdered Peter's herum of women, he destroyed The Hand's lair, and finally he faked his death. Five years later, a masked vigilante called The New York Goblin appeared using the weapons Osborn created and he too was recruited by Doom. After seeing how these heroes were messing up Thor's precious Earth, Loki The God of Mischief tricked his father Odin into sending him to Earth. In his attempts at annoying Thor, Loki was recruited onto Doom's team. Together they vowed to seek revenge on those who have wronged them.
The Void eventually kills President Fury and takes a powerful gem Fury hid under his eye patch. Now possessing the power of the gem, The Void becomes the new ruler of Earth and he joins The Masters in an attempt to kill The Sentry and The Revengers. The story from then on would feature epic battles and meta parallels to your standard Marvel story. The Sentry would go through some character development, as would these inverses of Marvel villains. DC Comics has played with the mirror-reality idea before and since the Squad has always been a team themed after DC characters this kind of story seems acceptable. Maybe I'll go on about my ideas for Squadron Superior in the future, but for now I hope you enjoyed the second volume of my pitch and see all the possible story angles in something like this. Maybe The Sentry will stay on this Earth? Maybe the gem The Void has is an Infinity Gem? Maybe The Masters and Revengers will expand their rosters? Who knows? I guess me. But still! Squadron Superior continues to be one of my favorite comic book ideas!
Thanks for reading!

Just Keep Ronin, Ronin, Ronin

In Feudal Japan, The Bushido Shoshinshu (The Code of The Samurai) demanded that a samurai who loses his master-via death or abandonment-was to commit Seppuku (ritualistic suicide). If the samurai refused to honor the code he was deemed a Ronin. Met with great shame, the samurai without a master was labelled as "a man who drifts". None of this information has anything to do with Marvel Comic's Ronin who is more of a mantle than a character. So let us explore each character to don the name!

Matt Murdock (Created 1964, Donned Never)

If you haven't heard of Daredevil or seen his Netflix show, do yourself a favor and check it out. Basically, Matt Murdock is a blind lawyer with strong Catholic values and enhanced senses and he fights crime in Hell's Kitchen dressed as The Devil. Caught up? When Brian Michael Bendis wrote "The New Avengers" in 2005, he originally intended for Daredevil to be on the new team, but under a new identity. Daredevil was in the first arc of the book, but refused to join due to his chaotic life. It was planned for Matt Murdock to continue being Daredevil in Hell's Kitchen despite-at that time-his secret identity being public and he'd use the disguise Ronin to help The New Avengers. The image above was the rough draft of the Ronin costume. It was kept a mystery for a while, but Bendis let the plan slip during an interview with USA Today. Bendis canned the Daredevil/Ronin idea and also thought the idea wouldn't have made sense because at the end of his run on Daredevil he had Matt Murdock get thrown into jail, making his involvement with the New Avengers impossible. Plus the fans of the book instantly predicted Daredevil was Ronin. The idea was scrapped and another character got the Ronin identity instead.

Maya Lopez (Created 1999, Donned 2005)

When she was a child Maya's father was the criminal business partner of The Kingpin and was murdered by the aforementioned big bald bastard, this left The Kingpin to raise Maya as his own. When she became an adult she returned to New York at the request of Kingpin to interfere in the life of Matt Murdock, who he knew to be Daredevil. However, while Kingpin ordered her get information on Murdock and to kill Daredevil he did not tell Maya that they were one-in-the-same. Maya fell in love with Matt and when she-under the alias Echo-had Daredevil at her mercy she found out Daredevil was Matt and sought revenge against The Kingpin. After he was thrown in prison, Kingpin admitted to Maya that he still loved her like a daughter. After some soul searching and adventures in Japan with Wolverine, Maya helped The New Avengers in Japan. This was decided by Daredevil and Captain America as Matt knew Maya could be useful in Japan given her experiences, but he also knew giving away her name could gather the attention of her Japanese enemies. Thus, Ronin was used as a cover. Additional note about Maya is that she is deaf. That definitely fills in some questions.

Clint Barton (Created 1964, Donned 2008)

Clint Barton was the circus performer turned criminal turned superhero Hawkeye for the majority of his career, but after his death in "Avengers Disassembled" and revival in "House of M" he was hesitant to take up the Hawkeye mantle again. At the request of The New Avengers Clint became Hawkeye to help rescue Maya Lopez in Japan. He and Maya had a romantic fling and Maya saw he was a broken man. Maya gave Clint the Ronin costume to give him a fresh start and Clint accepted the role. Though Captain America taught Clint combat skills in the past, becoming Ronin allowed Clint to expand his fighting capabilities. When Clint learned a girl named Kate Bishop had taken the Hawkeye mantle-since the general public assumed he was still dead-he gave her his blessing to carry on the name. Clint remained Ronin during the "Dark Reign" era of Marvel and was one of the last determined heroes fighting crime. After that era ended he returned to The Avengers as Hawkeye yet again.

Alexei Shostakov (Created 1967, Donned 2010)

During The Cold War, The Soviet Union decided they needed an equivalent to Captain America. They chose Alexei Shostakov who-along with his wife-was a decorated operative of the KGB as well as being a test pilot. For their service Alex and his wife were given The Infinity Formula, a serum that stops physical aging. While Alex was primarily a pilot his wife Natasha Romanoff became a spy for the Soviets under the name Black Widow. The Soviets faked Alex's death and kept it hidden from Natasha while Alex became The Red Guardian. Black Widow left the KGB after her husbands death and began her road to redemption, eventually joining The Avengers. Red Guardian fought The Avengers in China where Black Widow learned the truth. He seemingly died during a volcano eruption, but had actually used the mantle of Ronin to rise to power in Bulgaria and plot to kill Black Widow. He was foiled by Daredevil and The Avengers.

Eric Brooks (Created 1973, Donned 2014)

Eric Brooks is Marvel Comic's vampire expert, but you know him better as Blade. The moment of Eric's birth was also the moment his mother was murdered by a vampire. The vampire's enzymes passed on to Eric and he was born with vampire abilities. When he grew into an adult, Eric decided to use his vampire abilities to rid the world of those monsters and took the name Blade. For decades he remained in the back of Marvel Comics, protecting people from the creatures that lurk in the darkness. When the villain Thanos sent his minions to destroy Earth while The Avengers were in space, Luke Cage rounded up a group of heroes still in New York to fight Thanos' minions. While Blade was in town he was also undercover, using his falsified death to trick his enemies. But he had to help somehow, first by donning a Spider-Man party costume labelled "The Splendiferous Spider-Hero" and later taking the Ronin identity to continue working with Luke's Mighty Avengers.

The Ronin identity has no current carrier, but I find it interesting how so many different characters have taken the name. From assassins to avengers, from Soviets to vampires, its a very adaptable mantle. Though I am still disappointed the Ronin mantle is just the name and the costume, it has never been used for an accurate purpose. That is to say a character has never become Ronin after losing a mentor, I guess Maya is the closest as her father died years ago and her relationship with The Kingpin was faltered. I'm looking forward to the next person to be Ronin, with luck it might be a new character instead of a pre-established character and hopefully their origin will relate to what a Ronin really is. And hey, if MCU Hawkeye does die like everyone keeps saying he will maybe Marvel Cinematic could pull a Ronin out of their pocket!
Thanks for reading!

Smooth as Steel

Ever since The New 52 DC Comics has been ignoring one of the most memorable features of their universe: Legacy. Batman, The Teen Titans, The Flash, so many other characters lost a lot of respect when DC Editorial chose to ignore their previous histories and alter the families of so many heroes. One such family altered was The Superman Family. Luckily, DC Comics new "Rebirth" event seems to be bringing "family" back to The DC Universe. This week's Z-Lister is a member of the Superman Family, her name is Natasha Irons.

Created by Louise Simonson and Chris Batista in "Steel Vol. 2 #1" in 1994, Natasha Irons is the niece of John Henry Irons (the C-List superhero known as Steel). Early on Nat was shown to be an intelligent young girl and was one of the few members of the Irons Family to support John. When writer Christopher Priest wrote for the book in "Steel #34" Nat's established personality was dropped and her established history was ignored, she was written as the stereotypical teenager and was given a boyfriend to further the normalcy of her character. Her father Clay became a villain named Crash and fought John/Steel a few times, however Nat was soon poisoned by another villain and to save her life  Clay turned himself in to the police and gave her a blood transfusion.

Steel is later captured by the villain Darkseid and Nat dons a temporary suit of armor, teams up with the Superman Family and saves her uncle. Due to the experience John takes a break from being Steel and passes the mantle on to his niece with a new Steel armor as a gift. As Steel, Nat would team up with Traci 13 and Supergirl/Cir-El to save Superman from a "ghost ninja". Nat even uses her hammer's electric discharge to restart Superman's heart. How symbolic.

When John returns to being Steel he sees the superhero community has become more narcissistic and forbids Natasha from joining The Teen Titans because she has been neglecting to help clean up destruction caused in Metropolis by superheroes. Reminds me of when parents tell their kids they can't go play outside until they clean their rooms. Oh, who am I kidding! Kids don't go out and play anymore. Anyway John takes Nat's armor away and she gets so mad at him she joins Lex Luthor's "Everyman Project" which Luthor creates to equip citizens with superpowers. Nat gains super strength, flight and solar projection and takes the name Starlight. When Steel goes to one of Luthor's parties demanding his niece back, Nat joins several other Everymen in beating the tar out of Steel. After Luthor deactivates the powers of every Everyman outside of the team he's created-which causes superpowered people to fall out of the sky-Nat sees the error of her ways and reunites with uncle. She begins acting as a double agent against Luthor, but she is beaten by the then-superpowered Luthor and held captive. Steel and The Teen Titans rescue Natasha and Lex Luthor is arrested. Though her powers are taken away, Nat rejoins her uncle's company Steelworks.

The residual effects of Luthor's Everyman Project leave the power of vaporization (the ability to turn into gas) in Natasha and she decides to join the team Infinity Inc as Vaporlock. Though her new adventures would see her fighting conspiracies and even Doomsday, Natasha would still be considered an upstanding hero.

One of the more obscure members of The Superman Family, Natasha and her uncle John show a more human, more common approach to being a superhero. Sometimes it's not always fighting bad guys, sometimes it's fighting the people you love because, well, families argue. Families have different ideals. But at the end of the day-despite the mistakes made-family sticks together. Family forgives. Natasha made some bad choices, and maybe John did too, but I still love the genuine relationship between these two. In a world where a man in a red cape can move planets it's refreshing to see a more realistic side of the superhero lifestyle without it being too dark. This is realism with charm, with heart. These characters-at their brightest-are an example of why I love comic books. Because they are just as much about characters as they are about adventures and action. If The Superman Family will truly regrow in DC's current comic universe, I hope to see Steel and Natasha return to glory as well.

Thanks for reading.

6 Crazy Knights

For decades the character of Batman has evolved and changed, from actor to actor and artist to artist we have seen many shades of this iconic character. With such a legendary character there are bound to be other characters who take on the role. Today we'll be exploring each character to officially become The Batman.

Bruce Wayne (1939)

Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, Bruce Wayne is the character we all know. His persona of a rich socialite is just as act put on by a broken man. After witnessing the death of his parents as a child, Bruce spent two decades of his life studying combat, science and detection. When he returned to his corrupted city of Gotham, he embraced the symbol of a bat to strike fear into the hearts of criminals. Since you know Bruce Wayne already, let's hop ahead to someone you might not know about. Another Bruce Wayne.

Tiano/Bruce Wayne's Back-Up Personality (1958/2008)

Created by France Herron and Dick Sprang (easy now, it was the 50's), this Batman was originally a scientist named Tiano from Planet X (or Zur-En-Arrh). Batman had traveled to Planet X and assisted this alien Batman in defeating giant robots. It was implied that adventure was just a dream, but in 2008 the concept of The Batman of Zur-En-Arrh was revived by Grant Morrison to be a back-up personality for Bruce Wayne. Basically, Bruce took a bunch of hallucinogens and dreamed up goofy 50's-style adventures (Morrison's attempt at setting Batman's Silver Age into continuity) hoping to understand insanity. Knowing he might go crazy some day, Bruce Wayne psychologically created another personality-built from his hallucinations-to take control of his body if he-Bruce Wayne-ever needed to psychology repair himself. And thus, The Batman of Zur-En-Arrh was recreated to be a crazy, gibberish speaking, bat swinging lunatic. I really like this one.

Jean-Paul Valley (1992/1993)

Created by Denny O'Neil and Joe Quesada, Jean-Paul Valley was a brainwashed victim of a cult and made to believe he was Azrael The Angel of Death. After Batman saved Valley, he began training him and the two men began sharing the mantle of Batman, essentially taking shifts. It made Bruce's life easier and it helped Valley make up for his crimes as Azrael. However after a battle with Bane, Batman's back was shattered and he needed time to recover. Bruce gave Valley full position as Batman and Valley took the job too far. He lacked the skills Bruce had and replaced them with technologically advanced armor, lethal weapons, and tools only an executioner would use. Valley kicked Robin out of the Batcave, killed numerous petty criminals, and made Gotham into his playground of violence. Bruce returned fully recovered and used his skills to disarm and defeat Valley, leaving him to find his path back to redemption and become a heroic version of Azrael.

Terry McGinnis (1999)

After the success of "Batman: The Animated Series" Paul Dini and Bruce Timm were asked by their network to create a "younger, hipper Batman". Instead of de-aging their already successful take on the character, they created a future version of the Batman lore and set it in their pre-established universe. Dini and Timm created Terry McGinnis as a teenager in Gotham twenty years in the future where Bruce Wayne is a rich old hermit and the Batman is but a legend. Terry discovers the murder of his father and steals a Bat-Suit from the Batcave he stumbled into. Though Old Bruce is opposed at first, he agrees to train Terry and help guide him to find his father's killer. This Batman dealt with traditional issues teenagers deal with: family, school, work, relationships and responsibility. Along with crazy future villains. Terry and his cartoon "Batman Beyond" were so beloved they have been accepted by the DC fan community and officially tied into the main DC Universe.

Dick Grayson (1940/2009)

Bob Kane and Bill Finger created this character too, but I'm sure some of you already knew that. After the supposed death of his adopted father in the event "Final Crisis", Richard Grayson accepted his heritage and became Batman. After years as Robin and Nightwing, training with The Teen Titans and The Justice League, Grayson was ready for the task. Though his acrobatic skills were harmed by the Batsuit's long cape. As Batman, Grayson carried on Bruce's legacy and even had his own Robin in Bruce's illegitimate son Damian Wayne. This created an interesting contrast of Batman being a uplifting one and Robin being the brutal one, but this partnership helped Damian develop as a character and was the driving force between their brotherly bond. Though many Robins came after Grayson, he was the first and most deserving of the Batman mantle. When Bruce returned from the dead he was so proud of his adopted son he allowed Grayson to remain the Batman of Gotham while he-Bruce-started an international foundation of vigilantes called Batman Incorporated. Since then, Grayson has returned to the role of Nightwing and even had a brief period of being a secret agent.

Jim Gordon (1939/2015)

Another Kane and Finger creation, Jim Gordon has traditionally been the Commissioner of The Gotham City Police Department and an ally to The Batman Family. However, after Batman supposedly died (Bruce got amnesia) Jim Gordon was selected by The Powers Corporation to be the new, city-sponsored Batman. Jim received a 10-foot battle armor with offensive weaponry and also a skin-tight Batsuit (kind of like Zero Suit Samus) and a batarang-firing gun. One of the more drastic versions of Batman, Jim performed like a soldier at war and never truly liked the idea of being Batman, simply because he respected him so much. But regardless, he and his robot suit put in time and effort to earn Gotham's approval. He worked alongside Batman allies and even Justice League members. By the look of things, Jim will be returning to his supportive role very soon. This change in character will stick with Jim forever and redefine what it means to be "The Batman". It's not about what you do or what you have, it's about carrying a symbol that means more than fear or justice. It's about legacy.
Thanks for reading!

Now Listen Up!

Hello, loyal readers! Today isn't especially special, but recently me and my podcast friends got back together after a two week hiatus. Now we're back and now is a great time to hop aboard the podcast train! Let me give you all a brief reminder!

The Comic Buffet

The Comic Buffet is a weekly podcast show where myself and a few friends sit down and talk about a comic book story. I've been reading comics for a long time and my friends have a common knowledge about comic books, so the fun of the show is hearing how they react to the story. They may laugh, they may whine, they may make sex jokes and interrupt me. They will always make sex jokes and interrupt me. Each episode is around an hour and I try to show some variety with DC Comics and Marvel Comics stories in rotation. We're about thirty-seven episodes in so come listen and have some laughs! Maybe you'll learn a little something. Maybe.

The Weekly Flip

The Weekly Flip is a weekly (duh) news podcast I do with my buddy The Astonishing Seth (gasp). We talk comic book news, comic book movie news, comic book TV news, and everything in between. It's a real laid-back kind of show and it gets pretty funny. Each episode is roughly half an hour and we're fourteen episodes in. So if you want to get the latest news on the comic book industry come sit down with us!

Raffi Reviews

One of the newer podcast series, Raffi Reviews is-unsurprisingly-a show where I review a comic book movie or series. I've only done three episodes (Batman v. Superman, Daredevil Season 2, and Captain America: Civil War) and each episode has been around an hour long. On this podcast I give my honest opinions about whatever it is I'm reviewing. Unlike other series, this one is A LOT more organized with continuous cuts that focus on individual parts of the movie/series. I can't promise everything will be reviewed, but given the responses I'm happy to continue making this series!

Movie Biter

The Movie Biter is a commentary series where me and my friends commentate over a film or TV show. Sometimes it's a Justice League cartoon, sometimes it's a Marvel movie, but most often it's a made-for-TV movie that was originally supposed to be a show! Generation X, Doctor Strange, and Justice League of America all had failed pilot episodes we talk over. For us it's a trash heap, but for you it's a pretty fun trash heap! So if you want some phantom voices to watch a movie with or just need time to kill, come listen to us talk over movies!

Titans Tuesday

One of our favorite comic book cartoons here at The Panel Biter is "Teen Titans". We love it so much we commentate over a few episodes every week. Like Movie Biter, this is a series you can watch with the show or without the show, either way we try to be funny and thoughtful. Plus I have loads of Teen Titans trivia. We just got through Season Three of Teen Titans, so come join us as we tackle Season Four!

So please give one of these series a chance and if you like what we do share it around and tell your friends. We put in a lot of effort and try really hard to be entertaining. We have fun so you can have fun! So come join the podcast sensation and fill your ears with comic book magic over at...

 http://panelbiter.podbean.com/

Thanks for reading AND listening!

Not-So-Sinister After All

With the film rights to Spider-Man being in the hands of Marvel Studios, it's in their best interest to push more Spider-Man books! And boy, have they ever! Spider-Man, Amazing Spider-Man, Spidey, Venom: Space Knight, Carnage, Spider-Gwen, Spider-Woman, Silk, they have more Spider-Man books then spiders in my basement. And it's really webby in my basement. But one element of the Spider-Man lore seems missing and I'm here to pitch their return. Say goodbye to The Sinister Six and read my comic book pitch for "The Spectacular Six"!

Since 1964, The Sinister Six have been one of the stand-out parts of Spider-Man history. They've switched rosters and were even forcibly led by Spider-Man once! Granted that was when Doc Ock was using Spidey's body, but ya know. Comics. With such a long history, it's surprising the team isn't being utilized currently, especially when Spider-Man is one of the few characters who's villains hate him enough to team-up. But not all villains are evil, and that's where my idea comes in. I propose a heroic version of this team, one that banks on redemption.
Set in New York (duh) sometimes hero/usual villain Sandman posts an add for "The Spectacular Six! Come apply now". Seeing this in the paper, Peter Parker (The Amazing Spider-Man) asks fellow superhero Cindy Moon/Silk to go to this meeting and make sure Sandman isn't up to anything illegal. Silk finds several others at this meeting; Doctor Curt Connors (The Lizard), Herman Schultz (The Shocker), Michael Morbius (Morbius The Living Vampire), and Silver Sablinova (Silver Sable). Flint Marko (Sandman) announces to the guests that he wants to start a team of heroes to make up for what he's done. Each of them joins The Spectacular Six for their own reasons. Silk joins to keep an eye on these villains, but also because she starts like having friends who share the superhero lifestyle. The Shocker was formally the big mob boss of New York until Black Cat took his mantle and he fell into obscurity, he was so fed-up with the antics of criminals he decided-in his old age-to use his talents for justice. Curt Connors joins because he is trying to tame his Lizard form and thinks being a hero could help. Morbius joins to reestablish his scientific partnership with Connors. Silver Sable joins simply to bring respect back to the Sable Family name, but secretly stays because her dead husband-The Rhino-was a friend of Sandman and being around him eases the pain of The Rhino's death. Together, The Spectacular Six become small-town celebrities and inspire petty criminals to turn over a new leaf. Over time, Silk learns Sandman honestly wants to do good. His entire life he's been led on by other people, manipulated and never given what he truly wants. His daughter is under Child Protective Services and he doesn't want that to change. "I'm going to be a hero until she turns 18. And if or when she decides to meet me, well, I'm going to make sure the man she meets is a man she can be proud of". Sandman says, "After all, it's Spidey's always yammering about. With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility. My responsibility's just a little different".
The first story arc "Scratch The Sinister" would have the team go up against Electro and Hydro-Man, two of the first people Sandman tried to recruit. Since Electro and Hydro-Man's powers work in synch, Sandman tries to teach the team better ways of working together, but to no success. It's only after Connor's starts controlling his rage that he's able to properly come up with a working plan.
The second arc "The Coils of The Steel Spider" would force The Six into working with Crime Boss Black Cat to find and capture Oliver Osnick, a former vigilante known as Steel Spider who's been murdering Black Cat's goons. Steel Spider had been forgotten in prison after he was arrested for breaking The Superhuman Registration Act a few years back. When he got out everyone he cared about forgot about him or moved on. In his spite, he stole and he murdered and replaced his torn-off arm with a coil-arm and became a more savage Steel Spider. Though he seems redeemable, Osnick is defeated by The Six and agrees to seek help. Black Cat holds her end of the bargain and gives a piece of her territory to Silver Sable, who in turn transforms that area of crime into one of community.
The third arc (and the last I'll mention) would be "Hands of The Grave-Digger". A supernatural villain revives The Rhino and uses him as a minion to rob people of their souls. While Silver Sable must bury her feelings for Rhino and lead the remaining team, Sandman locks himself up with Morbius. Turns out the rise of a supernatural villain has spiked Morbius's lust for blood, though he doesn't need it to live he simply has a craving for it. Since Sandman's body is sand he's the only person who can be around Morbius and help him kick his desire for blood. By the end of the arc Rhino is given a proper burial, Morbius recovers from his desires, and Spider-Man legitimately believes Sandman is on the right path. Little do any of them know another Sinister Six is coming, and one of them will be their latest member. Suspense!
The pull of the book would be seeing the character's play off of each other. You have a underachieving villain (Shocker), a hero with a lot to prove (Silk), a man who fights his inner demon (Lizard), a vampire trying to ignite his humanity (Morbius), a mob-boss with no motive to return to crime (Silver Sable), and an ex-con who's doing everything he can to be a good person (Sandman). Their development and interactions would bring out the true cores of these characters and what potential they have. I like Sandman, I like The Sinister Six, and I really like redemption stories. With a team like this, Marvel could put both old and new characters to good use while keeping the personality Spider-Man books are known to have. Maybe J. Jonah Jameson could be their advertizing agent! Hope you like this idea as much as I do!
Thanks for reading!

Rock Em' Sock Em' Mohawks

Man, I can't wait until Melvin Potter becomes a villain in "Daredevil" season three. See, he's supposed to be a villain called The Gladiator in the comics. Hey he's obscure, why don't we talk about him? Okay so-wait. Who's this guy? Oh. The other Gladiator. Well, he's a Z Lister too!

Created by Chris Claremont and David Cockrum in 1977's "Uncanny X-Men #107", Gladiator is a character designed after DC Comic's Superman. Clearly not in appearance. Chris and David wanted to create a team of cosmic characters for The X-Men to clash with and ultimately decided to replicate another team of teenaged heroes, The Legion of Superheroes. The LoS was a team of young heroes in DC Comics who protected the universe generations after the existence of The Justice League. One of LoS reoccurring members of Clark Kent who was taken from his time period and fought alongside the LoS. It was his adventures as Superboy in the future with this team that led to his expertise as Superman in the present day. Yay time travel! Chris and David created The Imperial Guard to be a homage to The Legion of Superheroes, even Gladiator's name "Kallark" is a combination of Superman's two names "Kal-El" and "Clark Kent". Further more, early drawings of the character had his face resemble how Superman's face was drawn in the 70's and his symbol is a reference to Superman's symbol, just upside down.
Kallark comes from the Strontian race which was under the rule of the Shi'ar Empire. While Kallark was a loyal soldier he was told of a Strontian rebellion being formed against the Shi'ar. The Shi'ar feared resistance from the Strontian race most of all because of their unique power set. Kallark and many other Strontians were ordered by the Shi'ar to kill the Strontian elders and stop the rebellion. The only survivor of this battle was Kallark.
Explanation!? The Strontian race have the powers of super strength, super speed, enhanced durability, X-Ray vision, heat vision, flight, vacuum breath, frost breath, fast healing, enhanced senses, psychic defenses, and teleportation. However, all these powers are only accessible through confidence. Essentially the entire race lives off the "The Little Engine That Could" morality. If Kallark thinks he can shatter a planet, he can shatter a planet. If Kallark believes he's fast enough to rewind time, he is fast enough to rewind time. The only reason Kallark survived the battle against the Strontian rebellion is because he had more devotion to the cause and more confidence in himself.
As a reward for his victory, The Shi'ar made Kallark The Gladiator the leader of the Imperial Guard, a group of warriors who act as enforcers of the Shi'ar Empire. It was because of his place on The Guard that Gladiator was involved with many confrontations with Earth heroes. For example, when Jean Grey became possessed by The Phoenix Force she used her powers to destroy an entire planet. The Shi'ar sent Gladiator and The Imperial Guard to arrest The Phoenix, but even they weren't strong enough against both The Phoenix and The X-Men. However, The X-Men and Gladiator did work together later to defeat some Shi'ar traitors. Once while chasing down some shape-shifting aliens called The Skrulls, Gladiator mistakenly beat up The Fantastic Four. With the help of Spider-Man and Captain America, Kallark was able to arrest the actual Skrulls. There was also a time when most of Earth's heroes vanished while fighting the villain Onslaught and The Shi'ar sent Gladiator and The Imperial Guard to protect Earth for the time being.
While the relationship between The X-Men and the Shi'ar seemed friendly-even to the point when Kallark sent his son Kubark and his son's bodyguard Warbird to The X-Men's school-the characters came to clash again after a teenage version of Jean Grey was brought from the past to the present. Kubark and Warbird told Gladiator of Jean Grey's return and The Shi'ar Empire kidnapped Jean and put her on trial for the crimes her future self committed. And yes, that is pretty stupid. It took the X-Men, The Guardians of The Galaxy, and The Starjammers to battle The Shi'ar Empire and The Imperial Guard, with Jean using her advanced powers to defeat Gladiator.
It's funny how many times Marvel ended up creating interesting Superman copies. Between Hyperion and The Sentry and Gladiator I think Marvel may have better Superman ideas than DC right now. If not DC, than definitely Zach Snyder. I really like Gladiator and, yet again, I wish there was more lore to him. He's always a character who happens to be around, but this is a character who's entire strength comes from his ego. It's like the opposite of the Hulk! I want to see this guy fight battles he may doubt himself on. At the very least his son Kubark/Kid Gladiator could be fun to follow. Because he was created as an X-Men character don't expect to see him in a movie or comic event anytime soon, but at least now you know a Superman with a weakness that makes sense!
Thanks for reading!

From Page Turners To Head Turners

This was a hard Top 5 to make. Seriously. For every bad comic book movie casting there's, like, five good castings. And after seeing Jessie Eisenberg's Lex Luthor I decided the best way to wash away that distasteful performance was to reminisce over some of the industries' best heroes and villains. Remember, this is my personal list narrowing down my favorite casting choices. Now then, on with The Panel Biter's Top 5 Casting Successes!

5. Anne Hathaway as Catwoman

Appearing in 2012's "The Dark Knight Rises", Anne Hathaway's version of Selina Kyle is one of the only bearable parts of the film. Rather than be the stereotypical seductive thief, Hathaway provides a mysterious and clever spin on the character. She's still seductive and she's still a thief, but she's clearly got a talent for what she's doing. She pulls criminal deals, she fools people with actress-quality bluffs, and Hathaway's physical performance is respectable. When I saw her and Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne play off of each other I didn't buy the instant love thing, but I could believe the two characters had a beyond-physical attraction to each other. I felt this Catwoman-more than others-was able to be independent and bad on her own, but clearly deserved a better life more than the one she lived.

4. Ben Affleck as Batman

One of the only good performances from 2016's "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice", Ben Affleck disproved a lot of fears from fans when he took on the Batman role. It helps that Affleck is a fan of Batman lore and so clearly worked hard to nail the performance. Affleck's Batman is the most accurate to the comics, and his Bruce Wayne has a "I'm rich and old and dumb and I don't care if you hate me" kind of tone. His fight scenes are on point, his smart-guy scenes are on point, and more than anything Affleck's Batman is so obviously the most broken Batman on film. Not just because of what we see in the film, but because Affleck's performance alone tells you how much Bruce Wayne is holding inside himself. In a horrible disgrace of a movie, Affleck's Batman is a shining star. Sadly he's a murderer.

3. Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool

Another casting of an actor who's a legit fan of the comics, Ryan Reynolds reprises the role of Deadpool for 2016's "Deadpool". Ignore "X-Men Origins: Wolverine". Reynold's Deadpool is as funny as the comic version, breaking the fourth wall, making crude jokes and just being an overall enjoyable character to watch. But what really impressed me was Reynold's non-comedic performances. He does romance so well, he does serious so well, he does tragic so freaking well! Reynold's comedic lines become all the more laughable when put them in perspective with how beautiful he makes Wade Wilson's sob story. Reynold's Deadpool goes through such a roller coaster of tragedy and victory, I feel as bad for him as I feel happy to watch him shoot people. It's thanks to Reynold's commitment to the character and his inner workings that I enjoyed that movie as much as I did.

2. Vincent D'Onofrio as The Kingpin

You had to have known this guy would be here. And yeah, he's the only non-film casting. Like I said, it's my list! Taking the role of Wilson Fisk in 2015's "Daredevil" Netflix series, D'Onofrio takes the trophy for best villain in the MCU. Shut up about Loki and take a look at this guy. D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk is-in the best way I can describe it-unnerving. He's a ticking time bomb of potential destruction, and you know he's aware of his strength and rage. But he keeps himself so orderly, so professional that when he gets angry he's terrifying. D'Onofrio's Kingpin can destroy your life with one phone call or with one swing of his tree trunk-like arm. He's like a toddler in the body of a gorilla and it's fascinating to watch him play up this civilized persona. His range is far across from itself and yet you don't see it as a "many shades" kind of thing, you just see a man on a leash that he tied himself. His backstory may be unattached to D'Onofrio, but when you know Fisk's origin you believe that the man you see was once a victim. He plays a villain with heroic intentions. Vincent D'Onofrio deserves all the praise he gets for turning a blubbering mob boss into one of TV's greatest antagonists.

1. Chris Evans as Captain America

This is an unexpected choice for a number one. Of all the heroes in the MCU-and in comic book movies as a whole-what makes Chris Evans' Steve Rogers the best? One word: Translation. In the comics, Captain America is the pinnacle of righteousness, he's a moral anchor who doesn't do anything wrong. Steve Rogers is the kind of guy who hires a lawyer for himself and for his court opponent just to keep things fair. He's the kind of guy who won't sacrifice the freewill of others for a sense of security. You're looking at a guy who was frozen in the 50's, wakes up in 2011, and doesn't say "A black man is president!? Men can marry each other!? Women get abortions and coffee costs three bucks!? What in the Hoover happened". With such high standards, you'd think it'd be difficult to translate that kind of person on screen without him coming off condescending. But good ol' Chris Evans nailed it! Since 2011's "Captain America: The First Avenger" Chris has made a country believe in the perfect superhero. Instead of being everybody's wise father-figure, Chris plays Cap more like the best friend who turns your life around. Cap isn't going to judge you for your shortcomings, he's going to remain loyal and do his best to help make you a better person. Nobody in their right mind would hang out with Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark, but Evans' Cap? He hangs out with him AND calls him out on his crap! I adore Evans' Cap because he makes the concept of an always right character seem possible! He's strong on the inside and out and yet he's so humble and inspiring. It is not easy to make a likable character 100% likable, but Evens' Cap does it, he's the only person who does it. Which is why-unlike Superman-I'm gonna cry when he dies at end of a movie.

Thanks for reading!

Let's Go LEGO

Ladies and gentlemen, we live in a time of comic book pride. An era where being a fan of Batman isn't met with teasing, but with agreement. An era where Norse Gods of Thunder and leather-clad archers inspire us to be better people. An era where even a walking advertisement for the U.S. army can be inspirational and powerful all at once. But with success comes parody and plenty of people have made fun of these heroes. But when entertainment teases itself, that is when the impact of superheroes becomes all the more welcoming. Lego is making comic book movies better.

In 1891, a carpenter in Denmark named Ole Kirk Christiansen crafted small wooden building-blocks and named them Legos after the Danish phrase "Leg godt" which means "Play well". But hey, I don't need to tell you about Legos, everyone knows about Legos! Play-sets, theme parks, video games, movies, pretty sure they use Legos in engineering classes, they're everywhere! They are also very small and colorful so keep them away from your children's mouths. Just saying. PSA from your Friendly Neighborhood Panel Biter. Legos are such an impacting brand they've found they're way into film, television, and of course, comic books! It all started with "Lego Batman" in 2008, which took a comedic twist on The Dark Knight Detective. While Lego had made toys based off Batman and video games based off fictional characters before, this was the first Lego game to be based off a pre-established character AND to have an original story. Since then, we've gotten five more Lego games based off comic books (seven if you count the "Lego Movie" game and "Lego Dimensions" which both feature comic book characters), and we'll even be getting a Lego Batman movie in 2017!

Isn't it incredible that Batman has become such a cultural icon and that Legos are so universally loved that the film industry has fully embraced a Lego Batman solo movie? Not a new Batman franchise, not an instant sequel to the Lego Movie, but a film based off a character who was based off a toy which was based off a comic book character!? Which, in turn, was a character inspired by three other fictional characters! That's how deep the rabbit hole goes. But how much deeper can it go? Could this Lego Batman movie spawn a series of Lego Batman movies? A Lego cinematic universe based off DC Comics? Be better than what we're actually getting if you ask me. Who's to say Marvel/Disney don't steal the show and say "Lego Avengers" coming to a theater near you!? Imagine a world where the superhero movies people oh-so-easily get tired of are followed by satire imitations made with Legos! This sounds crazy, but right now Lego is the only thing keeping DC Comics and Marvel Comics from collaborating. Just one call, one deal between Warner Bros and Disney and Lego could have a DC/Marvel Lego game out by tomorrow. The first interaction between these titans of publication in decades and it's done with children's toys and playful imitations of iconic characters.

That's really the best part. I can't stand when people try to be funny with the "I'm Batman" throat-cancer voice or how people say "Hawkeye's the worst Avenger! What if he runs out of arrows". But if Lego does it? If Lego makes fun of comic book characters? It's funny. It's smart. It makes me like the characters more because A. I'm reminded of how silly they can be and B. It's done in good fun and not to make fun of the characters or the people who enjoy them. Lego properties provide a sense of humor anybody can share. Not everyone will laugh at a Hulk genital joke, but Batman tossing Batarangs at a button over and over just to look cool? That is funny! Iron Man being a stupid drunk isn't funny because you know he's only like that for a short period, but Iron Man waving to people when he isn't flying around is funny because you know Tony Stark likes being watched by people! There is actual thought and care put into every Lego game and movie.

Whether it be Star Wars, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones or whoever else gets the Lego treatment, Lego is a business that knows what it's doing and is doing it for wholesome reasons. That's more than you can say for Warner Bros or DC Entertainment who push Batman and how "dark, brooding and edgy" he is because it makes money. Lego makes money by saying "Yeah, Batman can be serious, but don't you want to see him be funny". I can only hope Lego's films and video games get even better, use even more comic book jokes and lore and introduce people to a plethora of comic book characters. I want to see Lego take the comic book film genre and make a fun parallel to it, that way you can enjoy a playful rendition of your favorite comic book character while waiting for more cinematic comic book films to come out. It's like knowing Christmas is far away, but having a Birthday coming up. So I say "Good Job" Lego entertainment, and keep steering the path for successful comic book parody!

Thanks for reading!

All Eyes On Isis

Before her name was slandered by radical terrorist organizations, Isis was The Egyptian Goddess of Heath, Marriage and Wisdom. And she was a superhero. This week's Z-Lister has an interesting history, so let me introduce you loyal readers to DC Comic's Isis!

Before Isis ever hit the comic book pages she was originally the main character of the television show "The Secret of Isis" in 1975. The company Filmation and producers Norm Prescott, Lou Scheimer, Dick Rosenbloom and Arthur H. Nadel, along with developer Marc Richards, created "The Secret of Isis" for the CBS Network's Saturday morning lineup. Along with the show "Shazam!" starring Fawcett Comics/DC Comics superhero Captain Marvel/Shazam, Isis' show made up what was called "The Shazam/Isis Hour". As portrayed by Joanna Cameron, Isis was a teacher named Andrea Thomas who acquired a magic amulet while on a trip to Egypt. This amulet could grant the user "powers of the animals and the elements" when the user spoke the name of "The Mighty Isis". When Andrea returned to the United States she began a duel life as a science teacher and as the superhero Isis. Stories usually revolved around Isis saving unwise teenagers and her oblivious love interest Rick Mason. Isis would occasionally wink at the viewer (a 4th wall break) and even team up with Shazam. Her powers were vast: Super strength, super speed, telekinesis, intangibility, control over aspects of nature, telepathy, and-at her maximum-time control. While the character appeared in animated form in "Tarzan & The Super 7" and "The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam" her voice was not by Joanna. However, it was thanks to Isis and her show that the mid-seventies revolution of female superheroes on television kept it's stride with other shows like "Wonder Woman" and "The Bionic Woman".
In 1976 Isis appeared in "Shazam! #25" from DC Comics, this was her first appearance in the comics. In 2002 her character was established as one of the Goddesses worshiped by Wonder Woman and The Amazons, but in 2006 she was given a full re-imagining. Recreated as Adrianna Tomaz, she was a slave given to Black Adam as a gift from the criminal group Intergang.
Quick reminder! Black Adam is the main antagonist of Captain Marvel/Shazam. Back in the ancient Egypt era a powerful Wizard gave a slave named Teth Adam the power of the Egyptian Gods, but Teth went from freeing his people to enslaving his country of Kahndaq. As punishment, The Wizard sealed Tech-renamed Black Adam-away on Pluto for centuries. When Black Adam returned to Earth he found that The Wizard was dead and his power was passed on to a new champion known as Captain Marvel/Shazam/Billy Batson/The Big Red Cheese. That's how it started, but eventually Shazam understood that all Black Adam really cared about was protecting his country and the two formed an alliance.
Upon killing the men who brought Adrianna, Black Adam talked to her and she informed him on better ways Kahndaq could be lead. Black Adam fell in love with Adrianna and benefited from her wisdom. As a gift to her Black Adam grabbed The Amulet of Isis from his families' burial, this amulet held the power of the now-dead champion Queen Pharaoh Hatshepsut of the 18th Dynasty. With Shazam's help the power of the amulet was transferred to Adrianna, this gave her similar abilities to her previous incarnation with additional healing powers and weather control connected to her mood. Over the course of their relationship, Black Adam and Isis freed slaves, turned Kahndaq into a diplomatic country, and finally got married with the company of The Shazam Family. Though trouble would befall them and the universe would undo their acts, the greatest days of Black Adam and Isis will forever be remembered in these adventures.
Isis is pretty damn awesome. Obviously she started out as being a bit simplistic and overpowered, but 1970's superhero shows were more about the charm and lessons than about lore and realism. What's great is that instead of just forgetting this character, DC Comics went the extra mile to remold her into an interesting character. They could have easily made her a tag-a-long or background character or just redo the show premise, but instead they made her a powerful female influence on an already beloved DC Comics character. Isis was remade as a deep protagonist and made Black Adam an even more entertaining character. It's so often that female characters are used as "pretty, innocent objects" to change a villain into a hero, but with Isis she's actually a fully realized character and not a simple plot device. It's great to see that both the classic and modern versions of this character don't disrespect their target audience. I can only pray to Ra they don't feel the need to go too far from the source when they eventually bring her back again. Which they will. I mean, there's going to be a Shazam movie which means there is going to be Black Adam and he'll be played by Dwayne Johnson and everyone will be like "Oh, The Rock is so cool as that Black Andy guy or whatever he should have a movie" and they'll need a love interest and blah, blah, blah. Sigh. Anyone else pumped for "Black Panther"?
Thanks for reading!

An X-Cellent Developement

Marvel Comics is slowly pushing The X-Men under the covers due to 20th Century Fox holding The X-Men's film rights hostage. But just because the business is ignoring The X-Men, doesn't mean there aren't some awesome writers and awesome characters who are keeping the boat afloat. Today on Current Issues we talk about the current "Uncanny X-Men".

Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artist: Greg Land 
The X-Men were created in 1963 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, initially they were conceived as Marvel Comic's next big superhero team after the success of The Fantastic Four. When developing The X-Men, Stan had trouble figuring out how these characters would have powers. Because comic book writers were just comic book writers in the 60's, guys like Stan would use forms of science the general public didn't know about to justify superpowers. For example: a radioactive spider bite would kill the spider of radiation poisoning before biting some kid, but in the world of comic books radiation transfers the abilities of the spider to said kid. Anyway, Stan was running out of waves (gamma waves, cosmic waves, so on) so he went with the simple idea of the characters being mutants, born with a genetic trait that gives them powers. An early concept to justify superpowers actually became the crutch of the franchise as Stan and Jack quickly developed the fictional concept of mutants into an allegory for race and sexuality. As a mutant, you would be seen as a subset of the human population and a potential danger to those around you. Because of the actions of one mutant, you too could be persecuted simply because you share the same species with someone dangerous. Much like common racism, the struggle for mutants has remained a factor since the 1960's. Add to that the integration of mutants into human society (like when Beast joined The Avengers) and diseases spread by mutants (the Legacy Virus) and you further build the example The X-Men create.
In modern Marvel The X-Men have hit a downward slope. First their leader Cyclops became infused by the same power that killed his wife and used said power to kill his mentor Professor X, then you have the next division of mutant-kind between Cyclops and Wolverine both having groups of X-Men, next came the death of Wolverine, and finally we get to the current problem of M-Pox. M-Pox is a new disease that slowly kills mutants and only mutants, it's caused by exposure to Terrigen Mists. Mind you, The Terrigen Mists are the same fumes that reactive alien genes within some humans and create Inhumans like Ms Marvel and Black Bolt. Funny, isn't it? The same thing building the Inhuman population is the very thing killing off the mutant population. It's almost like Marvel is trading in one black horse for a dark gray horse. With M-Pox in the air, The X-Men have taken it upon themselves to rescue as many mutants as they can and bring them to Limbo-yes, Limbo-where they can be safe. Or, you know, be away from the Marvel Universe. However, one team of mutants is taking a much more progressive stance on the matter. Instead of rescuing mutants, this team of X-Men is releasing the mutants into the world and giving them a choice: hide or fight. This team of X-Men is led by the mutant who started the scare and remained one of the X-Men's greatest foes, Magneto.
We'll start with what everyone wants to hear about when it comes to team books, the team itself. Magneto leads this team of X-Men and hasn't changed from his usual depiction. He still leads like a villain keeping information to himself for the good of the team, but also out of his habit of commanding rather than leading. Before this book Cullen Bunn wrote a Magneto solo series that was quiet successful and continued the aspect of Magneto being more of a sympathetic anti-hero. An element used in his solo series was that Magneto's age was catching up to him and his powers became a weight on his shoulders. Bunn brings this element back for this book and to greater effect, but because Magneto has a full team now there is a balance to his immense power and potential weakness. The team's secondary leader is Psylocke, one of my personal favorite X-Men. I mean, she's a psychic ninja with a British accent in the body of a Japanese woman. Also when she uses her powers to create awesome psychic swords she gets this little pink butterfly design on her face which is neat. I really like the forward position Psylocke takes in this book, she's kind of a mirror to Magneto in that regard. Plus it is only fitting for an X-Men team to have at least one telepath. Psylocke has an additional weapon in her arsenal, that being Warren Worthington. Former Angel, then Archangel, then Angel again, and now Archangel. Just in time for the new X-Men movie, huh? For whatever reason, after the 2015 "Secret Wars" Warren has become Archangel again and has regressed into a brain-dead weapon. Because Psylocke and Archangel have had a romantic relationship in the past, Psylocke has begun using her powers to command Archangel like a drone. When he isn't following attack orders, he's just floating there ominously. It's obvious he will be used for some Apocalypse plot soon, but I quiet like this relationship between him and Psylocke. It's a tragic romance at that. And we can all admit Angel is a lot cooler when his wings are like 6-foot cleavers. Sabretooth is on the team as a Wolverine-stand-in. All comparisons aside this is probably the coolest Sabretooth has ever been, after Wolverine died Sabretooth decided to turn over a new leaf and honor his old rival's memory by becoming a good guy. He may not have metal bones, but Sabretooth has all the senses and enhancements Wolverine had, plus a healing factor. Because Sabretooth has this new-found honor system he has become instantly more interesting to me. I've always liked the rivalry between Wolverine and Sabretooth before it was ever given explanation, so the fact that a villain would have enough respect for a hero to pick up their mantle after they died is a really likable trait. Finally there is Monet, the least interesting mutant on the team. Monet's selling points are that she's racially mixed, raised muslim, has a paragon power-set, and is kind of a spoiled brat. Based on the way she acted I assumed she was a character created quiet recently, but to my surprise she's been around since the 90's. Monet has super strength, flight and a healing factor, kind of basic when you line it up against the other members. She has a telepathic ability too, but it's kind of downplayed in this book. Monet is simplified to her base personality of being spoiled and flirtatious and stubborn and unlikable, even though she has had twenty years of development that seems lost in this character. Though she's a weaker aspect of the book I see potential for her to become a much more welcomed addition to the team.
Cullen Bunn's first story arc has this team of X-Men rescue a group of mutants who paid a company to put them under cryo-stasis (basically Futurama them) so that they would be safe from the M-Pox. This ended up pitting The Uncanny X-Men against a group called The Dark Riders, both mutants and Inhumans who believe in a "survival of the fittest" mentality. The Dark Riders target all mutants capable of healing others, since healing powers are cheating the natural progression of evolution. Their version, not mine. As The Uncanny X-Men and Dark Riders hunt down mutant healers, there's also a secondary plot involving the shape-shifting mutant Mystique and French thief mutant Fantomex investigating the aforementioned company that was Futurama-ing mutants. That's a verb now. Bunn's idea for an opening story is spot-on, involving the ideals of two groups, the desperation of a community, and the building blocks to this team. Bunn is a veteran writer and this just adds to his impressive track record. Greg Land's artwork is A-Class good too, the proportions and expressions of the characters help set the serious, yet adventurous, tone of the book. Each character moves the way they should, and the locations look just as good as the characters. He even manages to make some dumb characters like The Dark Riders look cool and unique. The coloration is amazing with bright and distinct color choices separating this book from other serious titles. I really like it when characters have matching uniforms, but each have personalized designs. Magneto's costume matches the team's theme, but retains his traditional design. Psylocke's is an updated version of her classic leotard, only now it matches the team and has more cover to it. And she looks good with a ponytail. I should stop talking about Psylocke. Sabretooth has stripes on his. You know. Like a sabretooth tiger.
I'm not necessarily looking forward to the next arc which seems to cross over with other X-Men books, but it also seems to be more focused on Archangel's situation so that will be interesting. After "Amazing X-Men", "Nightcrawler", and "Spider-Man & X-Men" hit the rocks I hadn't found an X-Men book that filled the gap. But this title just felt right, there was enough action and seriousness, but there was also a witty team dynamic and the artwork and colors matched the book's "We're in some deep trouble, but this is fun" feel. I look forward to what else Bunn brings to this excellent X-Men title.
Thanks for reading!
Kind of sad how my favorite X-Chick is getting played by my least favorite G4-chick.