The sun sets. A bunker on hill...
We're about to witness the creation of a hero. Not just any hero. A future Justice Leaguer...
Oh Dr. Jace... I love how you're sure Prince Brion will get powers, but you just can't tell what they'll be. That's just the kind of science Prince Gregor wanted to pull the plug of! If I was Brion, I think I'd be a little worried that she's standing wayyyyy over there while she pulls the switch.
And then she starts babbling about old superstitions, and that's when ol' Brion realizes maybe this wasn't such a good idea... Is that a ball of dirt in the glass beaker? That's it, right? He'll be getting the powers of dirt.
Meanwhile, the civil war keeps dividing a country so small, only three guys are required to attack a bunker.
And ZAP! Brion gets dirtified and becomes... GEO-FORCE!!! And there was much rejoicing. And maybe somebody called him a Messiah. In Markovia that means a recognized religion probably popped up overnight. You don't need a lot of signatures in a place like that.Costuming question: It looks like the suit was part of the experiment, like those crosshairs on GF's belt were to know where to shoot him with the Dirtitizer, and maybe those big bracelets allowed dirt energy (Dust Particles) to pool near where the power needed to manifest. But if that's so... a mask? Well, I guess it was the same for Terra. Skip all origins, do not collect 200$, and go directly to Super Team.
We know how he got his powers. What we don't really need to know is a) his motivation for becoming a superhero (especially if he leaves Markovia), b) where he got the costume, and c) how he learned to use his powers. For (c), just look at this panel. It's that easy to figure out your unknown and extremely varied "geo-force" driven powers.
Just like he instinctively knew he had super-strength. Why KRASSH and not CRASSH? Geo-Force even hits with an accent.
Having been turned into an Atari 2600, Geo-Force then uses his Space Invaders powers to disarm the Baron's evil army (well, two guys at any rate).
Lava blasts? So is there actually molten rock coming out of his hands? Doesn't really look as impressive as it sounds, does it? I am, however, totally terrified by the way GF uses his crotch for crime fighting.But wait... weren't there THREE guys?
OH NO! TOTALLY OUTFLANKED! Although, you know, it looks like the guy missed, so Geo-Force is probably fine. Put down confetti, he's not done for yet.
And since by now all our heroes but one are in costume, let's get Metamorpho out of those clothes and into his rubber bathing suit. What? We haven't seen him since he pulled an Oprah Winfrey on page 11? No matter, just make him be at the bunker already. Pull a Mission Impossible if you have to. There we go. Now he can break up the Baron's illicit dating agency.
301. The StorytellerFORMULA: Attached + Who Watches the Watchers + 3 cups of oatmeal.WHY WE LIKE IT: O'Brien on Bashir on a road trip.WHY WE DON'T: Bajoran crowds shouting at special effects. And not very convincingly at that.REVIEW: DS9 hasn't done a lot of A-B-plots, or at least, they've been pretty well integrated. The Storyteller has two plots, but they have a common theme - on Bajor, the people and the land are one. The B-plot most exemplifies this, as Sisko must negotiate a land dispute. Though it probably wasn't the case on my first viewing, this is my favorite of the two stories. The all-too-young Varis Sul does the "angry Bajoran girl", of course, but also learns a little something about opportunity from Nog and Jake. It's this pair who are worth watching here. Sure, the pranks are a little silly (but the Odo oatmeal is a classic), but seeing these two barge into Varis' quarters and put their feet up as the "unofficial welcoming committee" shows a roguish charm that was absent from Wesley's appearances. Odo is basically used as hall monitor throughout, but it's a fun turn for him.The A-story has the same theme, with its village that uses an orb fragment to create and destroy its own demon every year. On one hand, it makes Bajor a magical, or at least mystical, place, driven by myth because the myth has basis in fact. On the other, the village is populated by total idiots! Every year, the Sirrah makes them believe the monstrous Dal'Rok attacks the village for 5 nights, and every night, he has to convince them that the village is strong and can overcome the Dal'Rok. And on the next night? They've completely forgotten the Dal'Rok fears the village's unity. The episode glosses over the fact the Sirrah is really using the people for personal gain (O'Brien is offered food, gifts, gems and young girls!). No wonder the apprentice is ready to kill for the position.It's a good thing that story is also about the budding Bashir/O'Brien relationship. The engineer still can't stand the young doctor, and there are some good scenes here. The entire runabout trip played on O'Brien's reaction to Bashir's blather is a riot, for example, and I love that they don't return from the trip fast friends. Deep Space 9 takes the long way round when it comes to relationships.LESSON: Bajorans are Doris Day fans. (Obligatory joke when discussing this episode.)REWATCHABILITY - Medium: Neither story is top drawer, but they have enough character moments to get a Medium here. Just don't expect great performances from the non-regulars.
Black Lightning is out for the count. Where does that leave Batman?
"A perfectly feasible plan, fouled by some Outsider." You know Bats, I have a feeling you're gonna be thinking that a lot.
Ok, quick headcount. Within tiny Markovia's borders, we have: Batman and Black Lightning working in tandem to get Lucius Fox out, native Geo-Force about to be born, Metamorpho looking for a cure to his condition, Japanese Katana satisfying her sword's bloodlust, and now Halo just lying there inside a bombed-out building. This is definitely not a comic for people who think there are too many superheroes in the Marvel Universe's New York City.
Now I can't tell what color halo she has on, but my guess is the Slippery Halo the way she got out of that skirt. We don't know Halo's origin yet (truth be told, I'm not even sure to this day), but her American accent makes her even more out of place in Markovia.
HERO SHOT!They should really make a statue.
That's funny Batman, cuz if I really want to hurt a girl, I do it with talking. I guess that's why I'm a jerk, and you're the Goddamn Batman.
Ah, see? Bringing up a girl's obvious eating disorder is a surefire way of hurting her through talking. Halo's answer is pretty extreme even for an anorexic though...MIGHT THERE BE MORE TO HER THAN MEETS THE EYE??!?
When it comes to dying in Siskoid's Crisis, the Superman Family is more than unusually vulnerable. Maybe because they're such crybabies.
Supergirl deflects a bullet this week, but Draaga bites it.Shouldn't have worn that shirt, man. Shouldn't have worn that shirt.
300. Battle LinesFORMULA: The Vengeance Factor + The Omega Glory + a dash of Past PrologueWHY WE LIKE IT: The impish Opaka.WHY WE DON'T: Kira's way over the top crying.REVIEW: Well, on the one hand, I'm really glad to see Opaka again. On the other, what is she doing in this plot about convicts who can't die? At least this episode focuses on Kira, who's been relegated to docking procedures since, like, forever.Opaka obviously chats with the Prophets, and it's interesting to see her engineer her own destiny based on what she's gleaned from her orb experiences. Unfortunately, she still doesn't deem it important to talk to Sisko about his being the Emissary. It'll come - I have to be patient - it just won't come from her, despite her cryptic statement about their paths crossing again (we must now conclude that they have already met, via the timelessness of the Celestial Temple). I like Opaka and will miss her. She's grounded yet mysterious, a strong presence on screen whenever she is there.Her destiny as a mediator in a centuries-long blood feud makes sense theoretically, but seems far removed from the Bajor question. It's like she's being plugged in some TNG plot (a feeling you get a lot when watching the first season). Kind of fun to see Jonathan Banks as the leader of the Ennis (given the level of violence, you're free to draw comparisons between their name and a certain Garth of Preacher and Punisher fame). The two-sides-at-war stuff is more than a little predictable, but it's reasonably played out.For Kira, it means taking a closer look at her faith, which is a lot more solid than expected. She's very good at military matters here, and that's how we've perceived her to date. But how she sees the Kai as a beacon of light, and her reaction to losing Opaka, is indicative of stronger religious ideals than Ro Laren's. While this gives us the more vulnerable side of Kira, Nana Visitor frankly goes over the top when she turns out the water works. It's a performance that detracts from the more important truth about her guilt over what she had to do in the Resistance.The rescue party stuff gives O'Brien the chance to shine one again, not only as a miracle worker, but as a good vulgarizer of technobabble. He has a way of not making it boring.LESSON: Save the Kai, save the world.REWATCHABILITY - Medium: With Opaka gone, the way has been paved for political instability on Bajor, and it's gonna be great when they use it. Her farewell appearance could have been more meaningful.Look Ma! 300 days of blogging! It's an Almostniversary!
After Marvel Age and before the Previews insert, there was Marvel Vision - Marvel's trade magazine. Flashier than Marvel Age, some might call it gaudy, but it had actual behind the scenes content and my store gave it out for free. My favorite feature and the reason I kept them (though I don't have them all), was Timeslip.
Timeslip was a two-page experiment in which today's hottest artists reimagined Marvel characters as if Stan Lee had just created them and handed out the assignment. In #4 (my first), Guy Davis got an assignment (click to enlarge):
And here's the completed work:
I, for one, like it a lot. I don't know how steampunk Iron Man could have interacted with the rest of the Marvel Universe, but it's a great retro look. Davis would certainly manage to make Iron Man both funny to look at, and slightly creepy.
The real question is: Is this rendition better than the Iron Man of the time? (April 96) Let's look, shall we?
Anyone remember teenage Iron Man, brought in from an alternate timeline to help fight the real Tony Stark who had just gone traitor? This Marvel Vision also advertised a big change for this character thanks to the repatriation of Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld... Heroes Reborn!
So which is best? Davis' stove pipe Iron Man, or Lee's organ pipe Iron Man? You make the call!
Here's a mystery for Blockade Boy to elucidate...
Our man Black Lightning has to fight his way out of an army tent full of fascists. Does he:a) Get out of his street clothes and into his costume?b) Dislocate his leg to disarm a soldier?c) Both simultaneously?
If you answered (c), you win the next panel (never said the prize would be any good). Now here's my Blockade Boy-strength quandary: When and how did Lightning get his boots on? Aparo tries to distract me with explosive fists (and toes) of fury, nearly drawing away from the nonsense Barr asked him to draw, but I have EYES OF THE EAGLE!*
Sure, Lightning. You didn't take this guy's life, but what about his unborn children you just eunuched out of him?
Meanwhile, outside, guards take off in every direction EXCEPT the back of the tent where the assassin struck. Not much of an insurrection going on in Markovia. I'm just saying.
A girly voice breaks the tension: It's Umberto Ramos who just heard what they did to Bart Allen. Stud... Karnz... Ramos... Let's just say Markovia is ethnically diverse.
There's yet another superhero in Markovia, and it's a sword-yielding Japanese anti-hero. Pretty random, Mike Barr. I guess Ramos learned his lesson about not calling the day after a date.
More Markovian army shenanigans: Soldier boy has a rifle, girl has a sword. Indiana Jones would shoot her. Soldier boy tries to run her through with a bayonet. The only reason we should be worried about Markovia is if the "right" side is even stupider. Insert Geo-Force joke here.
Oh NOW you're trying to shoot her. Stormtrooper Syndrome sets in.
"Damn it, Sarge, the name is STUD!!!"BANG!"Like I was saying, lucky for SOMEone."
Meanwhile, back in the tent, Black Lightning is trying to complete the level. Jim Aparo makes us forget Lightning has lost his powers by using the costume's sleeve to make the punch zzzzzapppp by... But wait! Lightning! Your back is to the tent flap! Not only is that terrible feng shui, you could get hit from behi--
You could already tell Black Lightning was rusty by that costume changing scene. Why change at all given that:1) No one in Markovia is likely to know who you are or be intimidated.2) If trying to hide your identity, you had your mask off most of the time.3) You're not using your powers, so you could just be Lucius Fox's relative punching it up.4) It's pretty conspicuous in what is supposed to be a covert mission.5) Oh yeah, and it makes you WASTE A LOT OF TIME!But will that soldier now take advantage? More tomorrow!*No idea why I'm suddenly channeling Bravestar. You'll just have to excuse me.
We're about to witness the creation of a hero. Not just any hero. A future Justice Leaguer...
Oh Dr. Jace... I love how you're sure Prince Brion will get powers, but you just can't tell what they'll be. That's just the kind of science Prince Gregor wanted to pull the plug of! If I was Brion, I think I'd be a little worried that she's standing wayyyyy over there while she pulls the switch.
And then she starts babbling about old superstitions, and that's when ol' Brion realizes maybe this wasn't such a good idea... Is that a ball of dirt in the glass beaker? That's it, right? He'll be getting the powers of dirt.
Meanwhile, the civil war keeps dividing a country so small, only three guys are required to attack a bunker.
And ZAP! Brion gets dirtified and becomes... GEO-FORCE!!! And there was much rejoicing. And maybe somebody called him a Messiah. In Markovia that means a recognized religion probably popped up overnight. You don't need a lot of signatures in a place like that.
We know how he got his powers. What we don't really need to know is a) his motivation for becoming a superhero (especially if he leaves Markovia), b) where he got the costume, and c) how he learned to use his powers. For (c), just look at this panel. It's that easy to figure out your unknown and extremely varied "geo-force" driven powers.
Just like he instinctively knew he had super-strength. Why KRASSH and not CRASSH? Geo-Force even hits with an accent.
Having been turned into an Atari 2600, Geo-Force then uses his Space Invaders powers to disarm the Baron's evil army (well, two guys at any rate).
Lava blasts? So is there actually molten rock coming out of his hands? Doesn't really look as impressive as it sounds, does it? I am, however, totally terrified by the way GF uses his crotch for crime fighting.
OH NO! TOTALLY OUTFLANKED! Although, you know, it looks like the guy missed, so Geo-Force is probably fine. Put down confetti, he's not done for yet.
And since by now all our heroes but one are in costume, let's get Metamorpho out of those clothes and into his rubber bathing suit. What? We haven't seen him since he pulled an Oprah Winfrey on page 11? No matter, just make him be at the bunker already. Pull a Mission Impossible if you have to. There we go. Now he can break up the Baron's illicit dating agency.
