Posted by Darren in Comics
VERSUS
Superman vs. Hawkman, seems like a no-brainer doesn’t it? Well, lets think about this, they can both fly, they are both aliens, and that’s pretty much where the similarities end.
This part of our saga opens with Hawkman gathering some ancient weapons and streaking for Greenland and we learn that a Parabolic Arc cuts down on the distance needed to travel. See? We’re learning stuff!!!
Hawkman gets to Greenland in time to see a red and blue blur and he puts a net over the speeding Superman and gives this Superman a quick mace to the side which reveals that this Superman is actually a robot.
Hawkman had correctly deduced that Superman could not retrieve his meteor himself due to the green kryptonite and that the Superman robots are familiar with fighting off laser fire and are not so adept at resisting ancient arms like maces and crossbow bolts. After getting rid of the second Superman robot a third one lands but this one is different…
This one was the real Superman and as Hawkman’s mace is useless, Hawkman winds up on the receiving end of a Super punch sending Hawkman into the upper atmosphere. Superman grabs his asteroid explaining to the reader that he More >
Posted by Darren in Comics
VERSUS
Well a few interesting things here right off the bat. (You did get the pun notice in the last post, right?)
Batman is apparently so bad ass that two new JLAers need to go find him. Not Superman or Wonder Woman, but Batman. What does this tell you? This tells you that we are not dealing with the campy Batman that I was first introduced to via Adam West, Burt Ward, and Yvonne Craig on the classic 1960s Batman TV Show.
Secondly, we have our first relationship depicted in comics. Sure everyone knows about Lois and Clark and most people know that Colonel Steve Trevor has a thing for Wonder Woman, but here we have two costumed individuals aware of each others identities that are explicitly boyfriend and girlfriend.
The final thing to point out here is that there are a great deal of similarities in Batman and Green Arrow.
Both are Millionnaires – Billionnaires depending on the story you read.
Both had sidekicks (more on that later).
Both use “gimmicks” with a motif. Batman has his Batmobile and Batplane. Green Arrow has his Arrowcar and Arrowplane.
Both are merely human with no extra special powers, it is their skills that keep them valid heroes in the hero game. While More >
Posted by Darren in Comics
VS.
It’s time for The Scarlet Speedster to find his asteroid on the Lombardi Plain of Italy, and uncharacteristically, Flash has forgotten where he left it. He stops briefly to ask a local where he is and the local responds that he does not speak English. Flash begins to run away and that is when the local ditches his disguise and reveals himself to be The Ductile Detective, the Elongated Man.
Ralph stretches out and manages to trip up The Flash, ramming Flash’s head into a rock. Ralph thinking the worst checks on his pal only to discover that it is he that has been duped. Flash hammers the ground at super speed creating an earthquake which causes a fissure and the Elongated Man falls to his doom..
or does he?
For all his rage at his friend’s betrayal, Ralph is still not faster than the fastest man alive. Elongated Man stretches after Flash only to find himself chasing “after images” left by Flash when he sped off faster than Flash could see. Flash explains this to Ralph as he comes up behind the rubber man and gives him the kidney punch to end the fight.
Ralph is splayed across the Italian plain and Flash gathers More >
Posted by Darren in Comics
VERSUS
The scene opens in former Rhodesia now Zimbabwe, General Matawbe picks up the phone and out pops our favorite Physics professor with size and mass changing abilities The Atom. First off, a personal note for diversity. Huzzah!!! We have discovered different nationalities and individuals of color! General Matawbe being fairly high up in the Zimbabwe air force has a good bit of authority and is exhibiting none of the “angry black man” characterization that most mainstream African American characters exhibit.
Secondly, this is how The Atom gets around, he shrinks into the good old rotary phone, or even new fangled touch tone phones and travels by riding the sound waves to his new location. Personally, I know that sounds really hokey, but it’s kind of cool as well. Very Matrix, eh? The Atom explains to the good General that he needs to borrow one of the Air Force jets.
The General is apparently familiar with The Atom and agrees but only to come along for the ride. As the General and The Atom make their way in the jet towards the coordinates, a strange green light surrounds the jet in a hand and flings the jet far away. Yes, that would be More >
Posted by Darren in Comics
VERSUS
The scene shifts to idyllic winds as Zatanna is gliding along via wind currents to alight onto Paradise Island where she is promptly greeted by Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons and Wonder Woman’s mother and other various Amazon warriors. Zatanna inquires if Wonder Woman has been there and Hippolyta confirms that Diana came to Paradise Island and made a bee line for the Temple of Athena.
Inside the temple we see Wonder Woman lifting a large slab while underneath it lies the Appellaxian meteor. Before Wonder Woman can put her hands on the meteor, Zatanna has cast a spell “off panel” to cause the meteor to fall further down into the Earth. Diana immediately questions her mother as to who this stranger is and Hippolyta confirms who she is that she is a friend, but Diana does not know her and she is not even sure she knows her own mother. Diana lifts the slab and throws it at both of the women.
As Zatanna shields herself and Hippolyta against Wonder Woman’s attack, Diana has unearthed the meteor and is making haste for her Invisible Jet. Zatanna tries one more time to stop the Amazon from escaping, casting a spell to draw water from the More >
Posted by Darren in Comics
VERSUS
This chapter starts out with a new character that we have not seen before, the Phantom Stranger, who breaks the “fourth wall” of the comic book and addresses the reader directly. The Phantom Stranger looks fairly well dressed for his name, fedora hat concealing his eyes In shadows, a long flowing blue cape, a black suit with a gold medallion. He sets the mood of the Indian Ocean and seems to already know that a battle is about to occur.
Aquaman begins his search for his asteroid only to be stopped in mid leap by the winds of the Red Tornado. Reddy tries to get the Sea King to listen to reason but Aquaman under the thrall of the Appellaxians assumes he is an unknown opponent and tackles Reddy sending him under the sea to a watery grave.
The Red Tornado recalls his loved ones and manages to get himself back in action and drives towards the surface. Aquaman retrieves the meteor and is going to be taking it back to the JLA Headquarters outside of Metropolis. Aquaman has no idea why he is doing what he is doing he just knows that he must do it. At this point the Phantom Stranger appears to More >
Posted by Darren in Comics
VERSUS
We open our story as Firestorm is enjoying a JLA tradition called Monitor Duty. A period where the JLA assigns a hero to “man the headquarters” to keep an eye and ear out for any trouble. It is interminably boring duty and Firestorm being the team rookie is not taking it all that seriously.
Just then the Martian Manhunter bursts through the hull of the JLA’s satellite headquarters demanding to know why the JLA headquarters has been abandoned and where the other JLAers are and who the heck is Firestorm anyway? Before Firestorm gets a chance to answer any of those questions he is prompted by Professor Stein to seal the hull in the satellite before all their oxygen escapes. Manhunter continues his questioning and then ignores Firestorm as too dim witted to chat with (he was talking with himself after all) and as Firestorm pursues him Manhunter uses an ancient Martian trick and goes all invisible.
While Firestorm is dumbstruck by the Manhunter’s disappearance, Prof. Stein points out to Ronnie that the Martian Manhunter seemed to try to avoid Firestorm’s flaming hair, correctly deducing that the Martian Manhunter has a weakness to fire. Sure enough as Firestorm heats the air in the satellite, J’onn’s powers begin to give More >
Posted by Darren in Comics
Secret Origin is one of those phrases that makes fanboys titter with glee. You get to discover the beginning of things. How did this character get those powers? that costume? that hair? Origin stories are constantly revisited, revised, and revamped. So, I take the approach that any Secret Origin story is never going to tell us everything we need to know and there is plenty of room for a comics creator to come in later and change things.
In the case of the Justice League of America, the origin of the team is rather simple and if you have seen any 1950-1960s sci-fi the plot will sound oddly familiar.
Seven asteroids crash on Earth. Inside each asteroid is a monster, an alien overlord just waiting to take over the Earth. The creature bursts from its meteor shell and begins to turn the surrounding inhabitants into duplicates of itself to act as soldiers in it’s quest to destroy the other asteroid overlords that are using Earth as a battleground.
Meteors land in Denver, the Indian Ocean, Paradise Island, the African Savannah, the Lombardy Plain in Italy, the Everglades, and Antarctica.
The Martian Manhunter met and defeated the Rock God in Denver. Aquaman handled the Glass Golem in the Indian Ocean. Wonder Woman More >
