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Great Back Issues: Daily Bugle #1–3

2013-05-16T21:00:00.000+08:00

I was rifling through my back-issue bins, most of which house stuff from the 90s when I was really collecting, and I ran across the 1996 miniseries Daily Bugle, by Paul Grist and Karl Kerschl. As the title suggests, this three-issue series focuses on the crew of the Daily Bugle, Marvel New York's most prominent newspaper. This would have already been unusual for 1996, as it was a series focusing on supporting characters, but the real catch is that it's in black and white.

Paul Grist, then known for his independent crime comic Kane, tackled the staff of the Bugle in an ensemble fashion, giving the principal characters — Betty Brant, J. Jonah Jameson, Robbie Robertson, Angela Yin, Ben Urich, Charlie Snow, and Ken Ellis (I wonder where those last three are now? I stopped reading Spider-Man comics for about a decade) — all something different to do. Grist is accompanied by the shadow-heavy work of Karl Kerschl, and his work here may be a revelation to those more used to his lighter stuff, like the Flash feature in Wednesday Comics.

Kerschl uses a wide range of emotions and body language to get the story across, and it's the mood he sets and that aforementioned body language and expressions that really make this one worth tracking down, since I don't think the actual plot of the story is anything to write home about. Betty Brant goes to cover the opening of a new restaurant called The Food Factory, only to find out that it's mired in a lot of dirty business. Charlie Snow is dealing with a drinking problem, Ben Urich is being Ben Urich and trying to dig up the dirt on some mobsters, and Jameson is trying to keep Spider-Man off the front page by undertaking an investigation on his own regarding a series of burning buildings. The final issue, in which Betty Brant is kidnapped, brings most of the stories to a head.

There's no Spider-Man in these issues, save for an appearance as a front-page headline, and Peter Parker is only there sparingly, so for all intents and purposes, this is very much a street-level, "no superpowers" comic, much like, I suppose Gotham Central, which focused on the Gotham City Police Department over at the Different Company. This doesn't really give the series much in the sense of genuine suspense (since at least four of the main characters would have been untouchable anyway in terms of any permanent changes), but Grist makes up for it by taking us into the issues, both moral and legal, that the Bugle journalists have to deal with. In the first issue, Ben and Angela find out that a congressman with otherwise good intentions is having an affair with a porn starlet, and when they run the story, Angela wonders what they've really accomplished, since the bad guys are still on the loose and one of the politicians against them now has his dirty laundry out there. Jameson tries to explain the Bugle's position to the congressman, essentially espousing truth as freeing him at the end of it — that way, he can't be blackmailed.

Check out how quickly Kerschl changes Jameson's expression there.
He goes from the buffoonish curmudgeon you're used to as a Spidey
supporting character to a superserious main character.

In the second issue, Jameson tries to keep Spider-Man off the front page by investigating a series of burning buildings. When he finds out that the landlord has been negligent in terms of safety and security, he pays him a visit and sets fire to an architects' model of a new building (to replace one of the burned-down ones) in his office. This leads to Robbie telling Jonah that he's unable to run the article, even though it's really good.

Great character work, moral ambiguity, and appropriate art to match. Daily Bugle reads like the start of something more, something that would last, something that would define any or all of these characters. It didn't happen. This is what we got, which is why, if you see these things in the back issue bins, don't hesitate to buy them.

Pop Medicine: Idle Comparisons

2013-05-15T09:00:00.000+08:00

Pop Medicine is a "visiting" column by Travis Hedge Coke for the Comics Cube! Click here for the archive!

Idle Comparisons

Pop Medicine

Travis Hedge Coke

Sacred cows. Cherished idols. Things everyone knows. Sometimes things are simply understood, the prevalence of the understanding making analysis or quantifying unnecessary and questioning feel either pointless or offensively pointless. Comics, as any field, has more than a few, and I thought I’d go around and test the brakes, trace the wiring, and kick the tires on a few, because why not? What, but our illusions, do we have to lose?

1. Karen Page vs Roy Harper

Karen Page debuted in comics as Matt “Daredevil” Murdock’s secretary. She gained notoriety when, feeling abandoned and ashamed, she became addicted to heroin, had some unwise sexual relationships (including pornography) and sold out her old friends to facilitate her junk habit. She then spent the next decade, after 1985’s release of a single storyline of addiction and misjudgment, building herself back up, kicking her habit for good, choosing better sexual partners, including a long, healthy relationship with Matt Murdock, working as a feminist activist and radio show host until she is murdered. She is called a “whore” at least once a week online, usually under the misguided belief that Frank Miller referred to her as such during his time on Daredevil.

Roy Harper debuted in comics as Oliver “Green Arrow” Queen’s sidekick, Speedy. He gained notoriety when, feeling abandoned and ashamed, he became addicted to heroin, had some unwise sexual relationships (including impregnating a mass-murderer who detonated a nuclear warhead on a country) and sold out her old friends to facilitate his junk habit. Since before 1986, real-time, he has been sleeping with anything that said yes, regardless of how sensible it was at the time, maintained a relationship (including parental) with the mass-murdering mother of his daughter, failing to hold down any job other than superheroing with any functionality, and eventually falling back into addiction and doing sick things with dead cats, until the universe was fundamentally altered.

Harper’s neither slut-shamed nor criticized for his lack of judgment nearly as often or as harshly as Karen Page, despite the fact she’s been dead for over a decade and he’s been continuously fucking up that whole time.

2. Luke Cage vs Captain America

Luke Cage called himself a “Hero for Hire,” but never really ducked out on saving lives for free when in a situation and waived his fee in a surprising number of his (early) adventures. Cage is unwittingly part of the Weapon Plus program. A black man, born poor in New York City, he was unjustly arrested and imprisoned, volunteering to be experimented on in exchange for early parole, gaining unbreakable skin, enhanced strength, speed, agility, and using these abilities in his daily life as a superhero and protector of people in need.

Born poor in New York City, white dude, Captain America doesn’t wait to get paid to be a superhero. He gained super powers, also unknowingly through the Weapon Plus program, via experimentation when he volunteers to undergo experiments in exchange for entrance into the US Army. Cap has consistently received payment from the US Government, the UN, SHIELD, or via an Avengers stipend that at times included an unlimited credit card recognized the world over. He has frequently owned entire buildings equipped with advanced technology and paid support staff with his personal bankroll, which must, by virtue of his expenses, be impressive, while living in rent free apartments provided by whomever is funding the Avengers at the moment.

Cage is mostly remembered for wanting to get paid for taking on rescue missions, bodyguard duty, or other services like any normal human being would. The money and property at Captain America’s disposal is rarely considered by fans.

3. Alan Moore Using Other People’s Stuff vs Other People Using Moore’s

Alan Moore has been quite critical of some film adaptations of his work, and some comics follow-ups and prequels, even flat out asking that Before Watchmen not happen. But, Alan Moore freely uses pre-existing characters. He’s used public domain characters, he has skirted copyright and trademark by using touchstone references or masking elements, given a shoutout to the Oz collage appropriation comic, written real people in fictional scenarios, and never denied that, for example, John Constantine was a characterization and name stuck onto drawings of Sting that were fait accompli.

I don’t think Moore has ever denied the rights to a movie adaptation if the other talent responsible for that comic wanted it to happen, and he’s actually signed over his earnings from those adaptations to the other talent. In terms of Watchmen, Moore has said he’d like to see people just steal the characters and do something good with them, he only did not want DC/Warner Bros to do anything with them.

4. Comics vs Movies

Comics come into a recognizable (American) form in the 1890s. The medium’s slow maturation is often attributed to its being a relatively young form of expression. It is not uncommon for comics appearing in different formats, released, serialized, or collected in different fashions, as being “not comics,” or “not actually comics,” with the monthly release of twenty pages in one particular genre/subgenre (superheroes) being most commonly considered truly comics by a significant portion of the total comics audience. The country or language in which a comic is first produced may, for many, determined whether or not it is a comic.

Movies come into a recognizable form in the late 1890s. The medium tended to be judged by the standards of other mediums for the first sixty to seventy years of its existence, but has since been critically and socially recognized on its own terms, while other mediums may now be judged in terms of movie/television/video criteria. In the 1950s, the distinction between theatrical-release and television-first audiovisual works was significant, but the distinction has become increasingly blurred with the rise of home media players in the late 70s and through the 80s. I have never heard anyone claim a French movie or Japanese television program is not actually a movie or television program.

5. Abstraction vs Accuracy

I think you learn realism first, so that you might intelligently discard accuracy as you like. One of my colleagues at Shandong University thinks you learn basic forms and gradations, and then progress to greater realism. When an abstracter artist takes time to produce finished work, they are often criticized because how long can it take to draw less lines, with less adherence to a real thing? The proliferation of little lines and details is often conflated with drawing more realistically or seriously. Some of our most cherished realist or naturalist artists seem to lack the capacity to subtract or exaggerate the way Jon Muth can. One of the more common admissions you’ll hear from long time comics artists, is that they used to use lots of little lines or block in areas to cover up otherwise weak art. The textures of clothes, and the way they hang on a body in motion is frequently something comics pencilers end up faking. The more accurate the figurework and traditionalist costuming is in a superhero comic, the more bloated and static it all appears. I’ve seen naturalist painters accused of lazy staginess, and seen it suggested that deliberate cartooning is, similarly, lazy. I believe in Carla Speed McNiel’s lines more than surfaces by Alex Ross. This isn’t a real versus because this – so much – is not a spectrum, the elements are so interlinked, intermixed, and codependent.

6. Fan Work vs Work for Hire

Fan art, fanfic, fan work is unpaid labor generating art of some kind relating to characters or scenarios that the maker has no legal right to make works of. These are almost always technically illegal, under American law, but generally permitted due to the unpaid nature and often defended as simultaneously promoting the fandom/product being aped or represented.

Work for hire, in terms of comics, is paid labor generating art of some kind relating to characters or scenarios for a publisher who has a legal right to release works of. There is no such thing as “professional fanfic.” Criticizing Garth Ennis for writing Superman or Captain America if he’s not a massive superhero fan is missing that he’s not hired to be a fan, he was hired to write stories and did.

7. Comics are American! Vs Comics Aren’t American!

American comics, as a recognizable form, begins with the 1890s’ Hogan’s Alley, featuring Mickey Dugan, the Yellow Kid. European comics, as an identifiable, definite form, can be traced back to the early Nineteenth Century and Topffer, whose more advanced techniques are virtually unseen elsewhere in the medium for ages. Japan has a history of telling stories in sequential images featuring dialogue, narrative, motion lines, symbols for emotions or radiance, that extends back as far as the Seventeenth Century. Much is made of the influence that Carl Barks had on the God of Manga, Osamu Tezuka, who revolutionized Twentieth Century Japanese comics (and, by influence, over generations, perhaps comics worldwide), often misattributing Barks’ credit as “Walt Disney,” the owner of the company for which Barks ultimately was working. Little attention, outside Japan, is paid to Tezuka’s Japanese influences, or to his response against much of the American comics and animation markets and industries.

We still cannot decisively narrow down what comics is, what qualifies, what does not, except by eyeballing and “I know it when I see it” methods.

Back Issue Ben: Iron Man vs. The Hulk

2013-05-13T21:00:00.000+08:00

Back Issue Ben is a column written by Ben Smith for the Comics Cube! See his archives here.

The Invincible Iron Man vs the Incredible Hulk

A Battle for the Ages

by Ben Smith

This week, we're taking a break from my neverending look at the Marvel Cosmic universe, to bring you some of that sweet Iron Man deliciousness you love so much.

If you’ve been coming around here for a while, you know I love to find old comics that may not necessarily show up on any “greatest ever” lists, but are hidden gems nonetheless. I picked up the following comics on the promise of an epic battle between the Hulk and Iron Man, and what I discovered was, and I don’t want to overhype it, one of the greatest comic books that you will ever read in your entire lifetime. If you don’t have this comic, get it. If you can’t get it, I have no faith you will be able to live a well-adjusted and satisfying life from this moment on.

Let the insanity begin!

Iron Man #131: Hulk is Where the Heart Is!
Plot/Writer: David Michelinie; Pencil Art: Jerry Bingham; Plot/Finished Art: Bob Layton; Editor: Roger Stern

Our epic tale begins mundanely enough, with Tony Stark being driven home from the airport by his girlfriend Bethany Cabe. However, a traffic jam impedes their progress. Stark takes the moment to thank Bethany for helping him to not be a sloppy drunk anymore, before he notices several people running in the opposite direction.

(Speaking of the alcoholism, I see several people disappointed that the movies never addressed this aspect in full. And I have to say, seeing a super-hero movie tackling the gripping tale of substance abuse, isn’t exactly what I would call a rip-roaring good time.)

Stark investigates to find the Incredible Hulk, eating fruit from an overturned delivery truck. The police have surrounded the area, but Hulk doesn’t seem too concerned, saying “Bah! Hulk is hungry, only wants to eat fruit. But if stupid policemen bother Hulk…Hulk will east stupid policemen!”

Classic! It only gets better from here my friends.

Stark’s heart sinks, knowing he clearly has to get involved, and knowing he’s going to get pounded. (Quite a difference from today’s supremely confident armored Avenger.) He tries to make an excuse to get away to call the Avengers so that he can put on his armor, but Bethany one-ups him by saying she’ll go, because “You’re a well known public figure…your presence here could help ease panic.”

(I don’t know how many times I’ve been in tense situations,
and hoped that my favorite public figure was
there to help diffuse that anxiety.)

The truck owner decides he wants to take care of the Hulk himself (because his fruit isn’t insured, which is just irresponsible) with his pepper spray, which Hulk takes care of with one “flobb” of his arm.

Meanwhile, Stark has found the greatest place ever in the history of comic books to change into his armor, a van with “Love Machine” stenciled on the side.

The police have wisely decided to start shooting Hulk with their guns, which always ends well for people. The police S.W.A.T. helicopter arrives, which Hulk promptly throws a milk truck at.

When I first read the pilot exclaim “what the…milk?!” in my mind,
I read it as “what the milk!” which is now going to be my
favorite exclamation in my daily life going forward.

The helicopter abandons mission, since, in the pilot’s words “our windshields are all scummed up with cow juice!” Iron Man finally arrives on the scene, and just as quickly leaves.

Ethel tries to convince her husband Fred that they should leave, but Fred only has six payments left on their camper, and he’s not leaving it for nothing. Their son Ricky thinks the Hulk is neat. The police pull out a bazooka, firing it at the Hulk. He dodges, so of course it destroys the spot where the camper is, and the Hulk has to jump in and save them from exploding and dying.

Ricky wants to thank the Hulk, so he runs up to him and (this is where it achieves legendary status), asks the Hulk if he wants to play with his Micronauts toys. (Even better, he makes the Hulk be Baron Karza.)

Not only does the Hulk not eat him, he actually sits down and plays with him, calming him down enough to turn back into Bruce Banner. The police move in to arrest him, but Iron Man intervenes. Bruce actually pleads with Iron Man to kill him and end the horror once and for all.

Iron Man picks him up and takes him back to the penthouse of Stark International.

When I saw Iron Man tenderly laying Bruce down on the bed,
and read him say “Maybe it’s time I stopped fighting the Hulk…”
my mind wanted to finish that sentence with
“and started loving him.”)

The next day, Stark and Banner immediately get to work on curing him of the Hulk forever, echoing the bond that would later be depicted so well in the Avengers movie. They would spend the next few pages developing (with some help from Scott Lang) an implant that will regulate and control Banner’s pulse response. Naturally, the best way to test its effectiveness is to strap him to a chair and piss him off.

Fortunately, the implant seems to work, and they believe the Hulk is cured.

The police are happy to get this news, as they immediately move in to arrest Banner for his crimes against humanity. A trigger-happy rookie thinks the best opening gambit is to throw a grenade into the mix, with Iron Man diverting his aim at the last minute. It still lands near Banner though, and as the issue closes, a shadowy figure rises up amongst the smoke.

When the smoke clears, a particularly ripped Banner says “Hulk will smash!”

My brain thoughts: I don’t know if I properly expressed the amount of joy I received from reading the first half of this issue, but I gave it my best effort. It could be the Grande-sized amount of caffeine I’ve ingested, but nearly every line filled me with such excitement I just had to get it down in writing. This is a moment I will remember forever. (Probably not, but that’s why I write things down.)

Iron Man #132: The Man Who Would be Hulk
Plot/Writer: David Michelinie; Pencil Art: Jerry Bingham; Plot/Finished Art: Bob Layton; Editor: Roger Stern

The interesting promise of mass Banner carnage suggested at the end of last issue, is immediately changed as we find Banner strapped into a restraining machine, still screaming Hulk-like nonsense, as Stark and Scott Lang look on.

Dr. Maxwell calls in from Gamma Base with his expert opinion, that they only treated one side of the problem, and not both. (What sense that makes, I don’t know.) Stark’s brilliant plan to fix it involves…headphones with soothing music. (I wonder what they used. Some John Tesh? Sounds of the ocean?) This being ‘80s comic books, it works perfectly, with Banner returning to his normal mental state (which is somber).

Stark tells Banner they’re going to get right to work on fixing him, but that maybe he should hang out for a bit in the metal gauntlets. As Stark and his colleagues discuss how Banner’s heartbeat is rising above the levels that the regulator can control, and that his skin is slowly thickening, a disturbance comes from the room where Banner is being held.

Security bursts in to see Banner pleading, and turning a shade of green. (Maybe keeping the guy prone to anxiety attacks locked up in restraints wasn’t the best plan…) Stark and friends are now second-guessing the decision to implant a regulator powered with nuclear energy, into a man powered by gamma energy (what with his body absorbing all that new energy and all, and keeping him from ever calming down).

The alarm sounds, and Tony disappears so that he can spring into action as Iron Man. Hulk is putting the beat down on the guards, proclaiming that “and men won’t bother Hulk either..when Hulk throws them into ocean!” At which point one of the helpless men says “I-I can’t swim!” (Ha ha! Sorry buddy, that’s probably the least of your worries at the moment.)

Iron Man confronts the Hulk, but Hulk isn’t too happy about being trapped inside Banner for so long.

Iron Man decides to get the Hulk away from all the people, leading him to Stark International’s shipping facility on the water. (Why would he lead him to his own dock to probably get all smashed? That’s civic duty, right there.)

Iron Man waits under the water, until the Hulk is right above him, and then destroys the dock with a repulsor blast. Hulk hits the water, and Iron Man wraps a chain around his neck, hoping to get him to pass out. Hulk easily escapes from this, and hops away.

Iron Man searches for a way to beat him, knowing that if he can’t, everything that happens will be his fault. He finds the Hulk tearing apart what looks like the St. Louis arch at a Stark airfield.

Man, Stark International is everywhere, and Hulk keeps finding those places.

Iron Man flies through the arch, destroying it and sending Hulk falling to the ground.

Iron Man follows that up immediately with a truck fastball, which Hulk bats away with Stark’s favorite Learjet.

“Oh no, not the Learjet! That’s my favorite!” Priorities, Stark.

With the Hulk dazed from the massive explosion, Iron Man finally grows a pair and diverts all of the energy of his suit into one devastating punch.

The gambit works, with the Hulk knocked out cold. Unfortunately, a motionless and silent Iron Man stiffly falls forward onto the ground. He has won, “but…at what cost?”

My brain thoughts: Not as many classic lines this time around, but still a pretty epic bout between two of Marvel’s biggest characters. I hope that poor security guard learns how to swim.

My final brain thoughts: Cannibalism, milky exclamations, Micronauts toys, camper payments, tender Hulk lovin’, the priority of swimming, the St. Louis arch, and broken learjets.

Well, there you have it. I think we can all agree that the first eleven pages of this story may be the greatest eleven pages in comic book history (suck that, Alan Moore!). Even after that, you get a pretty classic bout between Iron Man and the Hulk, so what more can you ask for? Seriously, what more do you readers want?! So demanding!

Next week, Guarding the Galaxy!

Easter Eggs: JLA/Avengers homage... JLA/Avengers

2013-05-09T09:00:00.000+08:00

Welcome to another installment of Easter Eggs in Comics! Click here for the archive!

In the third issue of the 2003 crossover, JLA/Avengers, by Kurt Busiek and George Perez, history is rewritten multiple times, each time restructuring things so that the Justice League and the Avengers had always known each other. One of the adventures they supposedly had was a "Quest for the Chronal Egg," involving Kang and the Lord of Time.

That was actually the plotline for the planned 1983 JLA/Avengers crossover that didn't push through. That was supposed to be written by Gerry Conway and drawn by... George Perez! The only colored art for that crossover is below, so that panel above was actually Perez homaging himself!

I think this was a promo piece, but I don't think this was
the intended cover. Can someone confirm?

Got an Easter Egg for the Cube? Send it to comicscube@gmail.com!

Cosmo Cube: Batman and Wonder Woman

2013-05-07T21:00:00.000+08:00

Cosmo Cube is a column written by Kimberly Smith that focuses on superhero costumes! Click here for the archive!

Batman and Wonder Woman

Kimberly Smith

Welcome back to The Cosmo Cube. In this week’s riveting review, I’ll give you a rundown of Batman and Wonder Woman.

There have been soooooooooooooooooooo many Batman and Wonder woman costumes, so I’m going to review the first eight I find. And here we go…

Batman

First up, the guy that way overcompensated for being afraid of bats by dressing like one and constantly putting himself in harm’s way. Therapy would have been cheaper and less painful.

My “Holy Hell, What’s That” for Batman is...shiny. I never really saw Batman as the “shiny” type. And speaking of overcompensating... that, um, bat-cup? I can’t say for sure, but I bet it’s misleading. And what’s up with the silver tummy pad? The only thing that could make this costume worse is nipples. (Yikes!)

And up next we have nipples...and lots of fake muscles. And I’m not talking about the overly defined stomach muscles. Look at those legs. Also the cape looks like a black trash bag. (Bad)

Next up is “I hope I don’t ever have to look left or right.” Overall this costume is OK but he’s screwed if someone comes at him from the side. The bat symbol could really use some color or something too. It’s all so very...black. (Muah)

Coming in at number 5 is the original Batman series suit. The drawn on eyebrows, the lack of any kind of muscular definition, the spandex... but at least he can move his head left and right. (Classic!)

It’s red, it’s yellow, it’s purple... it’s awesome! How can anyone not love this suit? It looks like Batman got attacked by Skittles. Mmmmmm evil, evil Skittles. (Love it)

Number 3 is pretty cool. Perfect for live action and he can move his head. However, I still say the Bat symbol needs to stand out more on the chest. (Good)

My number 2 Batman suit is one I grew up with. When I watched Batman as a child this is the suit I saw. It’s not as realistic as the current ones but that’s why I like it. Batman is a comic book character. He’s supposed to be a little unrealistic. (Great)

Last but not least for Batman…. The old blue and grey. It doesn’t work so well for live action but it’s perfect for comics and cartoons. (Batman does not eat nachos!)

Wonder Woman

Up next is Wonder Woman. She’s had quite a lot of costume changes over the years and most of them were not so good…

My “Holy Hell, What’s That” for Wonder Woman is of course the 90s jacket/shorts look. Spandex shorts, a bra, a belt and that jacket that so many superheroes had to suffer in the 90s. They even messed up her hair. (Yikes)

Up next is “What the hell is that?” That’s not even a costume. This was before my time so I don’t know if this was a onetime thing or if it lasted awhile but I’m hoping it died quickly. (Yikes)

And yet another “holy hell” one. The costume for the TV series that luckily for us all didn’t make it past the pilot. Not only is it very shiny but blue boots? …No. (Bad)

Now this is more like it. Classic Wonder Woman. I’m glad they changed the skirt later on but the classic is still pretty good. (Good)

Coming in at number 4—yes, I know, this costume got a lot of negativity, and I can understand that—however, I kinda like it. Except the jacket. The jacket is horrible and needs to go. But the rest of it is OK. I wish they had stuck with this shirt. (Good)

Now the next 3 are kinda the same. It’s a more familiar costume. This is the costume I immediately think of when I think “Wonder Woman.”

Number 3. I’m putting this one in at number 3 because I’m not crazy about the belt. (Great)

Number 2. I like this belt better. (Great)

And…number 1. While I still like the belt on number 2 better, the 3 stars on these bottoms wins it for me. (Great)

Back Issue Ben: Guarding the Galaxy, Part 13: Conquest!

2013-05-06T21:00:00.000+08:00

Back Issue Ben is a column written by Ben Smith for the Comics Cube! See his archives here.

GUARDING THE GALAXY: EXPLORING THE MARVEL COSMIC UNIVERSE

Part Thirteen: Conquest!

by Ben Smith

Previously, Ultron was revealed to be the mastermind behind the Phalanx invasion. Moondragon and Gabe have already fallen in the conflict. Adam Warlock and Phyla Quasar were last seen inside the headquarters of the High Evolutionary before it was destroyed in an explosion. Ronan, the Super-Skrull, and Wraith have traveled to the Ravenous-controlled territories of the Kree empire to obtain the contents of a secret room. Starlord was taken captive by Ultron in the midst of planting explosives to destroy the Phalanx Babel Spire.

Everyone good? Okay, let’s spank this monkey.

Annihilation: Conquest #4. Writers: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning; Pencils: Tom Raney; Inker: Scott Hanna; Editor: Bill Rosemann

Ultron tortures Starlord for information on the resistance, and the location of Adam Warlock. When conventional torture methods fail to work, he uses his encephalo-ray.

Mantis uses her mental powers to try and shield Starlord from the pain as much as possible.

Blastaar meets with a Select Spaceknight, and they confirm they have removed all of the explosive charges set by Starlord and his team. Mantis mentally contacts Rocket Raccoon, and urges him to come up with another plan.

In deep space, Adam Warlock transports the High Evolutionary and an in-shock Phyla inside a sphere of energy. High Evolutionary suggests they head for Hala, to his backup lab, where he can activate the Kree warrior program to fight against the Phalanx.

Adam tries to console the devastated Phyla. She blames herself for losing control earlier, which drained what power remained in her Quantum Bands. Adam inspects her bands, and says that they remind him of a gem he used to wear (soul gem). Just when Phyla comments that he seems to be gaining more control over his new powers, Adam has another spasm, caused by his close proximity to the Babel Spire and its screaming souls, and they all go tumbling into the atmosphere.

At the Kree-Lar ceded territories, Ronan reveals the contents of the secret room. Fifteen thousand Kree Sentries, untainted by the Phalanx.

Praxagora will interface with the Sentries, and operate them off of her own system, while Wraith will cover them all with Exolon symbiotes to block the transmode virus. Ronan plans to use the Sentries to annihilate Hala, freeing his people by killing them all.

At the Babel Spire, Mantis continues to try and protect Starlord’s mind, until Ultron “sees” her and sends his Select to her location.

With Mantis out of the way, Ultron continues his torture.

Two miles above Hala, Adam recovers in time to save Phyla, leaving High Evolutionary to save himself. While he tries to locate the High Evolutionary, Phyla comments that his new powers seem to resemble magic.

They are attacked by Phalanx sentries, and Phyla breaks her sword while destroying them. She starts to get down on herself, until Adam (clearly getting over his initial confusion and anger) gives her a stern pep talk.

They find the High Evolutionary, but are a little bit too late, as he has already made a deal with the Phalanx.

Cue your best Darth Vader from Empire Strikes Back impression.
“We would be honored... if you would join us.”

The High Evolutionary apologizes before blasting Adam Warlock into unconsciousness.

My brain thoughts: Things are finally starting to ramp up now. Whining Adam Warlock was starting to get old, but he’s taking on more of an organic leadership role in this chapter, consoling and criticizing when appropriate. That’s much better than the usual “let’s just follow Adam Warlock” character development he’s gotten in the past, like in Infinity Gauntlet. One of the good things about this event, and the previous event, is that the teams introduced in each introductory mini-series actually stick together and serve a purpose throughout the event itself. Phyla and Adam work together on their portion of the story, while Ronan and the others are off doing their own thing. Starlord gets the full “Han Solo” torture treatment, in sticking with my Empire Strikes Back analogies. Mantis continues to impress.

Annihilation: Conquest #5. Writers: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning; Pencils: Tom Raney; Inker: Scott Hanna; Editor: Bill Rosemann

The High Evolutionary watches key moments from Ultron’s lifespan on a monitor, including his first moments of sentience, and his most recent fight against the Avengers (which took place in Mighty Avengers, where he took the form of Janet Van Dyne).

High Evolutionary questions how Ultron and the Phalanx joined forces. One month earlier, the Phalanx accidentally summoned Ultron using one of their Babel receptors. Instead of the Phalanx taking him over, Ultron took over the Phalanx, by sheer force of will.

Present day, Phyla screams at the High Evolutionary for betraying them, and murdering Adam. He replies that he didn’t murder Adam, just subdued him to prepare him for the process. They turn around to see Ultron hooked up to some kind of dual containment units.

Back at the Babel Spire, Bug and Mantis try to fight their way in to free Starlord. Rocket arrives to help, and tells them that he and Groot have come up with another plan, but they need to free Starlord quickly before it’s finished.

At Kree-Lar, Ronan launches his Phalanx proof Kree Sentries, annihilating the Phalanx on that planet before heading toward Hala.

Another flashback, this time of Ultron capturing Korath, and making him his first Select. He also learns about the High Evolutionary’s mission to create a new genetically perfect race of the Kree, as well as intercepting the Spaceknights contact with the Kree about upgrading their security network.

Bug, Rocket, and Mantis infiltrate Starlord’s interrogation room and make quick work of the Phalanx guarding him.

They free him, and try to get out before Rocket’s plan reaches its climax. Groot, aided by Mantis’ biopathy powers, has been growing at an exponential rate, covering the inside of the Babel Spire. They plan to ignite him and use his burning body to bring down the Babel Spire.

With time running out, Mantis uses her pyrokinetic powers to ignite Groot, and the rest of them jump for it from one of the upper levels, to their seeming doom.

Inside, the High Evolutionary’s work reaches fruition, as the Ultron-controlled body of Adam Warlock emerges from the second containment unit.

Ultron had come to appreciate the fusion of techno-organic design in his last encounter with the Avengers. Adam Warlock, the “perfect human,” represented the ideal form to host his consciousness. Now, with Ultron having been successfully transferred into the body of Adam Warlock, he moves on to the next phase of his plan, transferring the Phalanx into the bodies of the perfect Kree soldiers the High Evolutionary has created.

My brain thoughts: Groot is always dying to save the day. Ronan launches a “nuclear strike” against his own people. Why is it that there is always a character trying to wipe out everything and everyone to end a situation, and they’re always unwilling to listen to reason?

Annihilation: Conquest #6. Writers: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning; Pencilers: Tom Raney and Wellinton Alves; Inker: Scott Hanna; Editor: Bill Rosemann

Outside the energy barrier blocking Kree space, a fleet of ships from all over the galaxy, carrying a wide array of different species, tries over and over again to pierce the barrier, or make contact inside. Nova arrives, with Gamora, Drax, Warlock, and Tyro in tow.

With the barrier already weakened from the efforts of Starlord and his team, Warlock and Tyro are able to pierce the barrier and let everyone through. With the Babel Spire in flames, Starlord and his team continue falling to their deaths. Mantis calls out to Groot for help one last time, and with his dying effort, he sends out a stream of branches to catch their fall. (Rocket still has a twig of Groot, that they can use to hopefully regrow him later.)

Starlord is happy they were able to cripple the spire, but laments the cost of losing Groot and Gabe. Mantis comments about how she had forseen the events, but didn’t say anything because she knew Starlord would not have gone forward with the plan if he had known it would cost the lives of three friends. Initially not catching the three friends part, Starlord catches it in time to ask Mantis who the third friend is. With a look of sorrow on her face, Mantis says “this is the part where Ultron teleports in and hits me.”

Ultron teleports in, deals a devastating blow to Mantis, and takes out Rocket and Bug with ease.

Starlord prepares to face Ultron, but Nova comes flying in, ramming into Ultron.

Warlock, Drax, and Gamora follow right behind, and the battle begins.

The High Evolutionary takes that opportunity to escape, and Phyla is woken up by a vision of Moondragon.

The vision tells her that with the barrier down, the power is returning to her Quantum Bands. Also, Adam Warlock had used her bands to house his soul when Ultron ousted him from his body.

On the edge of Hala space, Ronan and his armada of Sentries continue on their path toward Hala. Down on the surface, the battle continues. Warlock interfaces with the Adam Ultron, sharing his non-aggressive strain of the transmode virus with him. Ultron’s consciousness flees from the body to escape Warlock’s touch.

Phyla arrives to restore Adam Warlock’s soul to its rightful place.

With Adam restored, they all rejoin the battle.

Up above, Ra-Venn views the battle in progress on the video monitor, and pleads with Ronan to call off the strike. He refuses.

The Sentries are diverting off course anyway. Ultron has taken control of Praxagora, and in turn, taken control of the Sentries.

Having taken control of the armada, Ultron leaves Praxagora, but not before overloading her internal fusion core, causing her to explode. The Super-Skrull saves himself, Ra-Venn, Wraith, and Ronan with a force field, but Praxagora does not survive.

The Sentries swarm down upon the surface of Hala, fusing into a giant Ultron.

Adam Warlock and Phyla engage the giant Ultron.

Adam prepares to channel the lost souls pouring out of the damaged spire into Phyla, reforging her sword. Ronan and his crew arrive, and Wraith uses his Exolons to trap Ultron inside of his current form. Phyla lets loose with a massive blow, devastating Ultron and causing him to explode. This time, they feel, they have destroyed him for good. (They didn’t.)

With Ultron gone, the remaining Phalanx cease functioning. Over the next several days, the Kree people try to recover in the aftermath. Warlock, Tyro, and Wraith work to purge all remaining traces of the Phalanx. Bug watches over Mantis on life support, while Rocket works to regrow Groot.

Adam Warlock visits Phyla to inform her that Starlord has a venture he would like to propose to all of them. She joins Adam on their way to meet with Starlord, after delivering one last note to her beloved Moondragon.

My brain thoughts: I seemed to recall Praxagora doing more throughout all of these stories, but she gets offed pretty easily. Wraith didn’t turn out to be that important either. I wonder if him housing the soul of the Supreme Intelligence was ever followed up on anywhere.

My final brain thoughts: Perfect humans, burning tree people, the Empire Strikes Back, ill-advised “nuclear” strikes, and useless Praxagora.

This was it, the pulse-pounding conclusion to the massive follow-up event to Annihilation. The overall coordination seemed a little less tight this go-around. Wraith ended up being fairly unimportant in the grand scheme of things, much like Super-Skrull was last time around. The other characters introduced, primarily in the Starlord series, were the highlight of this second event. Groot and Rocket Raccoon are worth the price of admission alone. Nova’s tie-in issues ended up being fairly important to the ending, as well as keeping him away from the majority of the main story and giving other characters a chance to shine. I know some probably complained about how he swooped in at the end with those other characters, making those tie-ins issues essential for the overall storyline, but I know I didn’t read them the first time out, and I still make it through okay. I can see both arguments, I guess. I felt like the bad guys needed a central figure leading the way, and Ultron served that role capably. There was almost too much emphasis on Ultron once he’s introduced, with the rest of the Phalanx becoming little more than cannon-fodder.

Annihilation: Conquest marked the second major milestone in the rejuvenation of the Marvel Cosmic universe. Nova would return to starring in his own solo series. While the rest of them, well, wouldn’t it be great if there was an ongoing series with all of these great characters in it?...

Next time, the all-new, all-different Guardians of the Galaxy.