The Fantasticar of the MC2

 

Bear with me as I try to get back into the habit of writing again after what has been an unintended hiatus. Today I thought it would be fun to look at the famous first family’s physics-defying flyer, the Fantasticar. So, let us talk about The Fantasticar in the MC2.

 

For consistency, I will follow the designations used in the FF: Fifty Fantastic Years handbook to refer to the various Fantasticars. The first Fantasticar (‘Fantasticar I’), sometimes styled ‘Fantasti-Car’ and colloquially referred to as the ‘flying bathtub,’ debuted in the pages of Fantastic Four #3. Hallmarks of future Fantasticars including Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) and the capability to separate into four separate compartments independently pilotable also debuted here.

 

The second Fantasticar or ‘Fantasticar II’ first appeared in Fantastic Four #12 where the fan reaction to the origin ‘flying bathtub’ design was directly referenced. This design would not only become the longest running but also the template for future iterations of the Fantasticar in years to come.

 

Breaking the numbering system already, the ‘Long-Range Fantasticar’ appeared in Fantastic Four #293 and was larger, more enclosed, and capable of trans-sonic speed which allowed for longer flights.

 

The last Main Marvel Universe model Fantasticar which is relevant to the MC2 does not originate in the Main Marvel Universe. In the pocket universe known as ‘Heroes Reborn’ created by Franklin Richards to save his family and the various other heroes who sacrificed themselves during the Onslaught event, the ‘reborn’ Reed Richards modified a hyper-sonic transport loaned from the ‘reborn’ Tony Stark. This Fantasticar was capable of hyper-sonic sub-orbital flight and could travel trans-globally in a matter of hours.

 

Now, the MC2’s Fantastic Five have their own Fantasticar which is first glimpsed in Spider-Girl #3. Visually similar to the Fantasticar II albeit with an appropriate five compartments capable of independent piloting. We see one section on its own in Spider-Girl #10 piloted by Franklin Richards.

 

In the pages of Fantastic Five (vol. 1) #3, we see a more modern version of what appears to be a single compartment from the Fantasticar, again piloted by Franklin Richards. We see the more classic design a few more times, with at least some compartments seen in Spider-Girl #25 and Spider-Girl #34, though one seems to double as the Big Brain 2.0’s omni-pod used for transportation in some appearance. which depending on the artist resembles a section of either the classic or modern Fantasticar.

 

Finally, we see a variety of Fantastic Five-branded vehicles in the second Fantastic Five series, including what appears to be the aforementioned earlier Fantasticar II.

 

That is all I have for today but rest assured, I think I have found yet another niche topic to explore in the future.

 

Until I stop seeing Star Trek starships in random comic panels, I remain

 

frogoat

       

Iron Man's Armory in the MC2: Model 3

 

I’m going back to the workshop for another entry in the occasional series of posts detailing the various armours of Tony Stark, focusing on those that appear in the MC2. Today’s entry is Iron Man’s Armory in the MC2: Model 3.

 

 For consistency, I’ll be using the designations for the various Iron Man armours provided by to the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe team’s most recent version of the All-New Iron Manual, updated and corrected as part of the Iron Manual trade paperback.

 

There is some debate as to when exactly Iron Man’s Model 3 armour debuted, with some tweaks to the Model 2 helmet seeing a rivet design and a smoother face plate starting in Tales of Suspense #54.

 

In the pages of Tales of Suspense #56, Iron Man first gains his hip-mounted pods which would soon become standard. Finally, in Tales of Suspense #66 the rivets disappeared from the face plate. Whichever issue you’d prefer to attribute this armour incarnation to, the Iron Manual TPB states Tales of Suspense #56 was the first appearance of the Model 3. Perhaps we can assume some of these modifications weren’t enough to constitute a whole new ‘model’ to Tony, being instead, for example, ‘Model 2 Mark II’ etc as some have proposed.

 

In the MC2, we get a very brief glimpse of the Model 3 during a flashback in the pages of Fantastic Five (vol. 1) #1 to the wedding of Reed Richards and Susan Storm from Fantastic Four Annual #3.

 

It’s possible we also see a photograph of the Model 3 armour in the pages of American Dream #2 but it’s difficult to tell from just a headshot. This nebulous identification of Iron Man Armor Models will be a continuing issue as we’ll see next time, too.

Anyway, that’s all for today folks! The next instalment in this series will prove more substantial.

Until I can positively identify every nut, bolt and transistor to determine which Model armour Iron Man is wearing in any given comic panel, I remain

 

frogoat

Spider-Symmetry: Tombstone

 

Certain recent leaked images from the set of Sony and Marvel Studios upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film production Spider-Man: Brand New Day -purported to be real- featuring the original wallcrawler Spider-Man (as portrayed by Tom Holland) and notorious crime boss and hardman Tombstone (Marvin Jones III) in a very familiar scene.

 

And by familiar, I mean a direct homage to beloved and sorely missed comic book legend Sal Buscema’s work as seen on the cover of Spectacular Spider-Man #142, which depicts Lonnie Lincoln aka Tombstone dangling Spider-Man by one hand over the edge of a towering construction site.

 

Fittingly, long-time collaborator Ron Frenz pays homage to this iconic image in the pages of the digital-first Spectacular Spider-Girl (vol. 1) #2 which saw physical release in Amazing Spider-Man Family #6, featuring Tombstone dangling Spider-Girl aka May ‘Mayday’ Parker by one leg-in-hand over the edge of a towering construction site.

 

I love the craft and the respect paid to Mr. Buscema, who contributed directly to the Spider-Girl homage, having performed inking duties over Ron Frenz’s pencils. If the leaked image proves authentic, it will be bittersweet and for me melancholic joy to see a piece of Sal’s extensive iconography make it to the big screen.

 

Until I run out of praise for Mr Silvio ‘Sal’ Buscema (which will NEVER happen), I remain

 

frogoat

Is Devil Dinosaur in the MC2?

 

Here’s a fun idea I’ve been chewing over for a while now: What characters could exist in the MC2, but where never seen, referenced or perhaps simply weren’t introduced into Marvel Comics until afterwards? I’ve previously produced a post pondering this proposal when I looked at one of the members of the Guardians of the Galaxy to see if Groot could potentially exist in the MC2. For today, I wanted to take a bite out of another character I’m fond of, to see if Devil Dinosaur could exist in the MC2?

First, we must consider some rules, ironic though it may seem for a thought experiment such as this. Usually the MC2’s point of divergence, ‘cut off point’ or ‘branching point,’ is comics published after 1998, when the MC2 imprint began publication. There have been exceptions to this, with some characters who were created after this point appearing in the MC2, such as Anya Corazón aka Araña. With regards to Devil Dinosaur, we have a very different issue to consider.

 

Created by the king of comics himself, Jack Kirby, Devil first appeared in Devil Dinosaur #1 from 1978. Devil is a mutant tyrannosaurus-like theropod dinosaur of the species known as ‘Devil-Beasts’ (Fallen Angels #4). While Mr Kirby’s intent was for Devil and his ‘Small-Folk’ hominid companion Moon Boy to hail from the distant past of the Main Marvel Universe or Earth-616, it’s now firmly established that they originate from an alternate Earth known as ‘Dinosaur World’, which is officially and in-universe designated as Earth-78411 (The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (vol. 1) #3, The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #7, The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update ’89 #2, The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition #8,Marvel Monsters: From the Files of Ulysses Bloodstone (and the Monster Hunters) and so on). With all that information as support, it’s safe to say Devil Dinosaur is not native to the 616 Universe. So, does that rule him out of the MC2 Universe also?

 

Fortunately, Devil has traversed the multiverse on multiple occasions, in addition to interacting with visitors to his world from the 616 including Godzilla via Doctor Doom’s Time Platform (Godzilla #21-#22). Devil and Moon Boy have also encountered various others including a Skrull (Devil Dinosaur Spring Fling #1),Lockheed (and nearly Shadowcat) of Excalibur (Marvel Comics Present #174), Ghost Rider and Howard the Duck (Ghost Rider (vol. 3) #81-#83), Wolverine, Namor the Sub-Mariner and Ka-Zar (Wolverine: Global Jeopardy #1) and the Fallen Angels group which included members of the New Mutants team (Fallen Angels #4-#8).

 

One significant story came in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man Annual ’98 (aka ‘Annual #31’) written by none other than Spider-Girl co-creator Tom Defalco. This story saw the duo of Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur stranded once again on Earth-616 and this time under the hypnotic influence of the Ringmaster of Crime. After Spider-Man liberated the pair, he suggested their relocation to the Savage Land where they were settled soon after.

 

Not only is this story written by MC2 alumni Tom Defalco, but it was also published in 1998 making it a likely inclusion into our hypothetical pre-MC2-publication cut off point. So, could Devil Dinosaur reside in the MC2? Yes, it is possible Devil and Moon Boy remain secluded in the remote Savage Land of Antarctica. Considering no published MC2 stories have visited the Savage Land, I’d like to think Devil and his friend are still out there…

 

Until we get Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Season 3, I remain

 

frogoat