Toei Spider-Man in the MC2?!

So, a few things occurred and occurred to me in quick succession to make this post possible. First, I was re-reading Amazing Spider-Girl #1 which opens with these pages from Jimmy Yama and Wes Westin's own Spider-Girl comic:

Obviously, 'Jennifer Justice' Spider-Girl and her *clears throat* larger than life aspects were not-so-subtle references to other, more 'extreme' and 'edgy' comics of both the 90's and the 2000's. But, digging a little deeper, there's a far more obscure and maybe even subtle reference to found, the second thing: Planet Spidera!

At first I thought this could have simply been a goofy on the nose name for a planet, then I recalled the 1978 Toei produced Supaidāman, a Japanese television adaption of Spider-Man. In this adaption, motorcycle racer Takuya Yamashiro is given his spider-powers by Garia, the last survivor of Planet Spider. By now, alarm bells were going off, but I couldn't find the evidence I needed to back up my theory.

I had a vague recollection that artist extraordinaire Ron Frenz had shared some concept sketches for the Jennifer Justice comic-within-a-comic on the Spider-Girl Message Board. However, I could not find the relevant pages (even using the Internet Archive) so I resigned myself to never proving my hypothesis. I eventually asked Mr Frenz himself and he confirmed that I wasn't imagining these sketches. So, now more determined than ever, I went through an old external hard drive and found the sketches in question saved for posterity! If you are still wondering why these sketches are at all relevant to Supaidāman, let me share them with you below and we'll compare them to the shows characters: 

So, on the left is Professor Monster from the Supaidāman series, leader of the Iron Cross Army invasion fleet that destroyed Planet Spider 400 years ago. And on the right we have the character sketch for The Black Tarantula in the Jennifer Justice comic, who is the 'evil uncle exiled from Spidera' who has 'come to conquer Earth!' As you can see, there's more than a passing resemblance.

This is Amazoness, right hand woman to Professor Monster who also masquerades as Yoshida Saeko; Editor in Chief of the Weekly Woman magazine. There's also clear design elements borrowed for Sister Sinestra, Jennifer Justice's sister and sworn enemy who serves her uncle The Black Tarantula. I actually really like that the germ of an idea for Spider-Girl's 'sister' was already in play back when these concept sketches were being produced around the time of Amazing Spider-Girl #1.

Finally, Professor Monster's Iron Cross Army is filled out with his seemingly limitless supply of cyborg soldiers, the Ninder. Similarly The Black Tarantula's Elite Venom Corp. is filled with an unlimited supply of clone soldiers. 

I think the parallels are obvious at this point. I think it's a shame we never got to see more of Jimmy and Wes' comic, as I would love seen more of this goldmine for parody, references and nods. How about it, Ron?

Until I become the Emissary of Hell, I remain

frogoat

The Mansfield Family Tree

So, I got a taste for this family tree thing after my last post, which led to me throwing together another one. This time I thought it might be fun to take a look at Maurice Arthur 'Moose' Mansfield, one of the most developed and lovable characters in the MC2 with probably the most fleshed out families of all of May's friends.

After the Mystery of Jimmy's Sister, I think I may have unintentionally stumbled upon a few more curiosities. You see, Moose's family were first introduced at the end of the original Spider-Girl series in a subplot about Moose's dad being diagnosed with cancer. The whole situation is doubly hard on Moose as his mother is mentioned to have died after a battle with cancer while Moose was in Junior High (as mentioned in his bio from Spider-Girl #77). However in what I can only assume is a case of early installment weirdness, Spider-Girl #8 mentions Moose's parents, emphasis on the plural there. Here are the mentions:

Obviously, this could simply be a case of both Courtney and Sachi speaking in error, while Moose only ever mentions his father and neither parent is seen in the courthouse nor anywhere in the issue. Just a fun piece of trivia.

Another curiosity is the whereabouts of Moose's younger sister, Madeline who is first referenced in Spider-Girl #77. At the conclusion of the previously mentioned storyline regarding Moose's father, Moose ends up moving in with his Uncle Billy and Aunt Katy. Throughout the story, several mentions are made of Moose's younger brothers, and they are even seen in Spider-Girl #99 but no one seems to remember Madeline.

Until I find another thread to pull at, I remain

frogoat

Doctor Who Series 9 Re-Watch Snippets Part 2

Here we go again, this time with not only the second half of Series 9 but the 2015 Christmas Special and, since 2016 only had the one story, the 2016 Christmas Special too. Enjoy. Or don't. Either way is fine. Anyway, here it is:

The fairy tale style opening recap of 'The Zygon Invasion' is probably needed to catch up casual viewers but it's also quite nice and succinct. The two Osgoods make a welcome return to give some lovely exposition before we fast forward to events following Missy's murder of Osgood. Somehow, very effective at eliciting a emotional response. 'Doctor Disco' attempts to make contact with Clara and the two 'big blobs' in charge of the Zygon's settled on Earth...which makes for another great scene with Capaldi playing opposite children. It's also kinda funny until it takes a dark turn. Side note: I love Osgood's choice of attire. There are some really creepy scenes throughout this episode. I like when Doctor Who does creepy and scary well. 20 million Zygons is a lot of people to duplicate. With all the talk of a younger generation or brood of radicals, it makes me wonder how long they've been resettled on Earth? 'I snogged a Zygon once. Old habits'. Obviously the subtext of this story runs deep with the references to xenophobia, being sold and radicalization. This new iteration of UNIT under Kate Stewart is both more militaristic and more female-dominated. Make of that what you will, I personally like the shift. 'Doctor Funkenstein' aka The President of the World aka The Doctor seems to be intentionally playing more silly in response to the severity of the situation. While the trips all over the world do help make the threat seem more global, I can't help but feel this story could have gotten by without these segments to pad things out. Don't get me wrong, the scenes are fine but come the second part, they all seem to have been fairly unnecessary to the overall plot. At least, the scenes could have been all centered around the UK, for example. Once again, there is a secret beneath London. Still, 30 million. It's good to have a classic-feeling UNIT story every now and then. I appreciated the line about UNIT bolstering their ranks from the army, but that in this case that would be unworkable. It felt like a reasonable explanation and also covers why there are so few troops at any given time. Very reminiscent of the classic UNIT-era. Underground tunnels linking continents seems like something that would take a very long time to construct. I have to wonder why people become a pile of sparky-hair when killed. Clara is clearly a Zygon from her first scene onward and the show wants you to know that, it would seem, because of the way the moment with the creepy parents is never followed up on or referred to by Clara again. The narrative wants us to be suspicious, not to trick us. But through the episode, it is easy to almost forget until you remember all the odd moments. The colour palette in this story is perfect with it's reds and greens filling the screen with paranoia and fear. One of the radical Zygons boasts that the invasion has already happened over the past year so that implies a brief time-span for the movement, if not the immigration of the Zygons throughout Earth. Is the President's plane the new Valiant? It does seem to get destroyed a lot. Nice cliffhanger.

I don't actually have a huge amount to say about 'The Zygon Inversion'. Much like 'Listen' it's a personal favourite and nearly perfect episode. Just for Capaldi's anti-war speech alone, you have to watch it.

Jenna Coleman is brilliant playing Clara's Zygon duplicate, Bonnie. Especially when Clara is interrogated. Especially when Bonnie insists she won't give her people a choice about living in peace among the humans.

Capaldi's defining moment as the Doctor has to be this speech. It gives me goosebumps. Bravo.

Then the Doctor goes ahead and reduces me to tears with his passion and pain. He forgives. The most powerful speech in the shows 50-plus year history. Words don't do this performance justice. It has to be seen.

'Sleep No More' is a bit of an experimental episode, with it's 'found footage' motif. I can't decide if I like it or not. It's not a bad story, really. It's just up against some great competition this series. For starters, the monsters of the piece are genuinely original and appropriately creepy. Re-watching it again, I find the point of view style of filming to be well managed for the most part, with only a few moments being unclear. The villain of the episode actually appears to succeed, with the Doctor narrowly escaping in the TARDIS being the closest thing to a victory this time around. Yet another example of the Twelfth Doctor apparently breaking the fourth wall by looking straight at us, the viewer, throughout the episode. The clues about the lack of camera's are actually present throughout the episode, too. A nice touch. That ending was pretty unsettling, wasn't it?

'Face the Raven' is the big one, folks. All that subtle and not-so-subtle foreshadowing comes to a head with this episode. Rigsy returns with a strange tattoo that draws the Doctor and Clara into a mystery. But that's not the real point of the story, no. It's not about the trap street either. The TARDIS gets a good showing this week, flying above London and generally being useful. When Clara dangles dangerously out the doors, she should be worries but she's become so unfazed by all this, it's like she believes she's got plot armour. But she doesn't. I realize the point of this series arc is all about her and the Doctor becoming very much alike and the severe danger that puts her in, what with her not having the ability to regenerate to save herself and all that. Me returns as the Mayor of the trap street. She's still borderline but works as force for good protecting her street. Obviously the 'Quantum Shade' or Raven had to be a massively powerful being to ensure we don't have the Doctor's usual sneaky cheating to get out of the situation. It can grow tiresome having the Doctor be the most god-like person in the room, so it's a good change. Maybe one day, they'll bring back the Eternals. Clara's 'Doctor 101' line and thinking herself clever because she believes she can cheat the death sentence is all too obvious. She's a marked woman and she has been for far longer than this episode. The big reveal that Rigsy was set up comes as no great surprise. The countdown of this episode does ratchet up the tension a bit but it's not until the climax that it holds much dramatic weight. I like the basics of this story but there is something off about the execution and pacing of the episode. Mayor Me being afraid and believing she is doing the right thing really had me going for a second because I had initially guessed the shadowy big bad behind the whole series arc and this threw a wrench into my plans. But no, should have never doubted it. So....what was the actual point of the Confession Dial from the beginning of the series being carted around all this time? I know it's a plot point but what was the Doctor doing with it all this time? He didn't still think he was going to die, did he? The gnawing sense of dread surrounding Clara when she realizes she's signed her own death warrant. The Doctor is furious and threatening to rain down hell on Me. It's all so good. His anger and Clara's plea that the Doctor not act out. She accepts her death. The final words between the Doctor and Clara are actually really stirring stuff. Telling him not to be furious or sad or alone, but to be a Doctor. A final hug and then it's time to face the raven. I found it very emotional because I frankly grew to love Clara as a companion. The Doctor telling Me that Clara was saving her, not him was really scary. And off the Doctor goes to parts unknown, caught in the trap. The post credits scene with Rigsy beautifully memorializing Clara by painting the TARDIS was a nice tribute.

'Heaven Sent' is my favourite Capaldi episode to date. It's almost a one man show and that's probably what I like most about it. Capaldi can hold the camera and command a scene like nobody's business. It's compulsive viewing. Gripping. The veiled figure is perfectly creepy. The Doctor continues to talk to Clara. The wound is still fresh for him. The monologue is brilliant. The chalkboard. He's lecturing, tutoring, teaching. It's what Capaldi's Doctor does so well. He considers the moving and changing castle a torture chamber and the veil an interrogator because he has secrets he will never give up. Given what this place is later revealed to be, that says a lot. The lingering shots of the castle and the puzzle of this place really sink in to your subconscious. The mystery was intriguing. I love how the Doctor slowly works out the mechanics of the place. The terrible realization that he has eternity to dwell on Clara's death is a gut punch. This whole episode is the Doctor's grief. When it's revealed he's been at this for millenia over and over again, you realize he's reliving the fresh tragedy of Clara's death over and over. That's rough. The montage is really very stirring. It moves me. Tje Doctor pounding away at the wall with his bare hands until he gets through shows astonishing persistence. The long way round indeed. Is he now billions of years old? When he says the Hybrid is 'me' I thought he was being clever and referring to Ashildr. The Doctor is one hell of a bird.

So....'Hell Bent'....It's a bit of a let down as series finales go. Oh, it's not terrible but the parts don't quite come together to form a satisfying conclusion. Gallifrey. The Barn. The Doctor standing quietly in defiance, drawing a line in the sand. All good stuff but it's too soon for Gallifrey to return and off screen of all things. I suppose because the loss of Clara is still fresh for him, but he really does go too far. A bloodless coup doesn't excuse the murder of a fellow Time Lord nor potentially fracturing the universe. I know the point is he's gone too far but it feels wrong and his comeuppance isn't enough to clean the taste from the mouth. So the Doctor used his supposed knowledge of the Hybrid as leverage to get Clara back. When Capaldi flips and becomes angry because his desperate plan is failing....that is the rage of a Time Lord who can't accept when something is at it's end. The whole Hybrid arc is poorly resolved, if it is even resolved. I personally feel Clara was better off dying by her own actions. That said the final goodbyes and the Doctor's sadness at not remember her is very affecting. The whole bit about Clara being frozen right before her death is a frustratingly open ended resolution that robs her death of any drama or weight. Sure, she has to die but she can spend eternity running before she has to face her fate.

'The Husbands of River Song' is a lighthearted Christmas romp until the end where it becomes the final piece of a 7 year puzzle. Then it's sweet and sad and heartbreaking. Just when you thought the sad times would be remedied with your standard Christmas cheer....I like this one. It's not very substantial as plots go but it's a fun rollercoaster ride of emotions.

Not going to lie, as a comic book super hero fan, I loved 'The Return of Doctor Mysterio'. A truly delightful caper with all the trappings of a super hero story and a Doctor Who Christmas Special all rolled into one package under the tree. The Christopher Reeves Superman references are the most obvious but there are several more scattered throughout the episode. Is it especially mentally taxing? No, but it is mentally stimulating. Nardole has a few well timed comedy moments that work well. But I am uncertain how his character will be handled in the coming series. He'll need a more robust and rounded characterisation to work as a full time companion. The brief scene between him and the Doctor is a nice start. Did I mention I love all the super hero tropes this story utilizes? The final scenes with the Doctor's speech about endings was lovely. The Doctor's been through a journey the past few years and it shows. Bring on the new series.

Until I find a better way to scratch my itch for talking at length about Doctor Who, I remain 

frogoat

Stinger in Marvel Avengers Academy

It's only just come to my attention that Cassie Lang, also known as Stinger has been added as a playable character in Marvel Avengers Academy. Developed by mobile game studio TinyCo, Marvel Avengers Academy depicts classic Marvel characters as college students in an academy of the players design wherein the 'Avengers' combat super-villains and master their  super powers. Or so I read. I've never played the game before.

Stinger was introduced to the game during the 'Young Avengers Mini-Event' on the 17th of February along with Hulkling and Wiccan. In-game dialog between Cassie and the Scott Lang version of Ant-Man featured in this game confirm that Cassie is in fact his alternate reality daughter. From what I have been able to discover, Stinger may have been only available for a limited time only.

The classic Stinger costume from the MC2 appears as Cassies third costume, unlocked at Rank 5. It's worth noting she also sports a purple version of her 616-counterpart's Stature identity. Beyond that, I can't really gather much more information. I've been unable to find anywhere that identifies a voice actor for Cassie/Stinger, sadly. I'll keep digging to see if I can turn up anything, but for now, that's all I have to share.

Until I start to see a decline in appearances of MC2 characters in other mediums, I remain

frogoat

The Greatest Responsibility

Recently, I just haven't been feeling comics. I still follow the rituals and pick up my monthly collection from my not-so-local comic shop, but it seems lately I don't feel a burning desire to go and pick up and read the latest issue of some of my former favorite titles. Honestly, I've been feeling less and less like comics are for me nowadays and more like comics are changing into something I'm not completely sure I want to dedicate so much of my time, money and passion into collecting and digesting.

I have more pressing matters to consider, for starters. Work, bills, study. Oh, and just today I became a father. Me. A dad. I never saw this coming in a million years, but my god he's beautiful and my word he's worth protecting, raising and loving wholeheartedly and without condition. I guess that's the point of existence, right? Striving forward, making way for the next generation and accepting the many changing and growing responsibilities of raising a family.

And it hit me.I get it, now. I mean, sure I thought I got it before, but now....now I really feel it. It's so clear.

Thought I may still have affection and nostalgia for comics and what they represent to me, I have a whole new little life right in front of me just waiting to be shaped and moulded into a kind, caring individual. That takes time, that takes money, but most of all it takes love and responsibility.

Oh, sure, I'll pick up the odd title here and there -especially if it's an MC2 thing by Tom, Ron and Sal- but moving forward my plan is to stop collecting comics and focus on making time for what matters most, 'It's high time I put away the toys of my youth and assumed my real responsibilities'.



Until he's old enough to read and I dig out the ol' boxes of comics, I remain

frogoat

What the Heck, Marvel?!

I realize I haven't put out a post covering my thoughts on the Spider-Girl story in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 3) #8. Due to family health issues, I may be some time getting back to regular posting. I did however feel a need to throw this recent Marvel teaser out for y'all to see:

I'm curious. Even though I know this is probably tied-into the Secret Wars event next year, I know it's probably another gimmick to get me to buy, I know it's probably not permanent, I know it's not what I really want it to be, I can still enjoy the moment right now.

Until I have time to properly cover things again, I remain,

frogoat

Building a Rogues Gallery

One of the biggest challenges of any superhero comic is building up the rogues gallery. If Spidey didn't have such an impressive array of villains to trounce every story, he wouldn't be nearly as interesting. Yes, the character of Peter Parker is fascinating,  but think: without the dynamics of his and Norman Osborn's relationship wouldn't he be a little less? Without the Green Goblin to torment Spider-Man, life just wouldn't be as flavorful. Doctor Otto Gunther Octavius', with all his plans and arms, and Electro with his electricity, Venom with his dark-Spidey-analog schtick. Cruel old Vulture, cold-blooded and cold-hearted Lizard, stinging Scorpion, Cunning Hobgoblin, tricky Mysterio. The list goes on and on. I may not be knowledgeable about DC Comics, but honestly, Batman's rogues gallery are notoriously notable. The Fantastic Four, The X-Men, so many long-running titles and characters have developed many varied and fascinating villains through the years.

But what are all these new heroes supposed to do? Sometimes, borrowing from other characters works wonders. Daredevil doesn't have many truly great bad guys, but Kingpin fits so well amongst DD's assorted rogues, it's like he was made for the part. Spider-Girl utilised a few of daddy dearest's villains in her adventures. Notable amongst them are the Hobgoblin and Carnage. In fact, I'd go so far as to say ol' Kingsley worked better against Mayday, the cunning older man against the youthful hero. A new twist on an old villain then, is that the answer?

A mix of new villains unique to the character has to be included, surely. Otherwise, isn't it just wholesale theft? Okay, so Spider-Girl has some nice villains too: Dragon King and Mr Nobody are personal favorites of mine. They have a nice visual and both pose a genuine threat when written appropriately. Any villain can become iconic. By tossing a loved one off a bridge, for example. But a good villain shouldn't have to resort to killing cast members. That's cheap. In the case of the Green Goblin, his and Peter's war was personal. The death of Gwen Stacy was a direct result of it, but I don't believe it's the crux of what makes Norman Osborn infinitely re-usable. Osborn himself is interesting: A ruthless businessman with a lot of personality before he ever put on a garish green mask.

I love this art by John Romita Jr

Maybe that's the answer then: A mix of the old and new, the borrowed and true-blue with a lot of character depth and a great visual thrown in for good measure. What do you think?

Until Hypno Hustler gets his own series, I remain

frogoat

Comic Cover Homages

Being a comic fan for a long time has it's ups and it's downs; watching continuity being reset, reboot, re-tooled or retconned can be annoying and down right frustrating, for example. On the other hand, if you've stuck with the medium long enough, chances are you've seen a few iconic first appearances, a few classic moments, maybe even witnessed a great piece of comic history being made. By a certain point, you've seen enough to notice the homages.

 

 I haven't got a great deal to say about this topic right now, but I guess the visuals speak for themselves, anyway.

 

As you can see from the last couple alone, the MC2 is teeming with love and respect for the classics. Fitting, I think, considering the creators are clearly channeling the feel of the Silver Age, the Bronze Age and even the so-called Modern Age. Why, I hear you ask? It's simple: When something is good, it's good!

Until I quit loving comics in general and the MC2 in particular, I remain

frogoat

Global Re-Read: Spider-Girl #0-12

Over the past few months, I've introduced the Spider-Girl series to a friend of mine and we've been going through, issue by issue and reading (re-re-re-re-re-re-re-reading in my case) and talking about different elements. This has been a really enlightening experience.

So, first thoughts: She likes Mayday. Apparently May has that affect on people, who knew? Darkdevil is cool, a fast favorite amongst the heroes introduced in the series. She's very interested in the relationship dynamics, Moose thinking Courtney is our hero, Brad and Jimmy trying to date May, May and her parents. All entertaining stuff.

Oh, and Davida is clearly Ladyhawk...both of them(?!). The humor is appreciated, especially when Spyral accuses our webbed hero's weight for throwing them into the past...and her later 'retort', or, as mentioned before, Moose believing Courtney to be Spider-Girl.

Well, they do share the same hairstyle...

Interesting, to me at least, was my friend commenting about Brad becoming, rather quickly too much of a 'good guy,' being too nice, without much else to make him interesting. I'm looking forward to watching both the characters grow and her impressions on these changes. Should be fun.

Until I forget to update this blog, I remain

frogoat

The problem with recurring villains

I've been hanging around tv tropes lately and, aside from loosing several hours I'll never get back, I've learned a few things. Case in point: Villain Decay. It goes a little something like this; the hero defeats the villain once, twice, thrice...why take the baddie seriously after it becomes clear they no longer pose a threat?

Electro is a good example: He robs a bank, Spidey defeats him using 'shock-proof gloves' (rubber gloves...I'm not making this up), Electro teams with the Sinister Six, Spidey stops him again. Eventually, Electro becomes something of a one-trick pony, he get's a power boost or upgrade, suddenly he might be a credible threat again....and then Spidey takes him down once again. *sigh*

There are bunch of ways to avoid falling into this trap, as I see it, but here are a couple to consider: The villain wins. Not all the time, just occasionally. This works best with your major crime bosses and villains who normally sit back and pull strings, the behind-the-scenes players, like the Kingpin, even Doctor Doom. It lets the reader suspend their disbelief, instills faith and credibility in the villain, and  adds to the drama stakes if the hero has to lick their wounds and come back and try again, or escape the life-or-death predicament in front of them.


The second option means cleaning house, in some respects, because *gasp* the villain has had a change of heart and decides to reform. Yes, this can become just as much of a cliched and hackneyed plot as the constant re-matches OR can lead to all sorts of story telling opportunities. Ever hear of the Thunderbolts, Marvel's team of villains-posing-as-heroes-becoming-genuine-heroes? Yeah, that. Not to mention all the fertile character exploration reforming can mean. MC2's Normie Osborn only became such an enjoyable, fleshed out character after the classic Spider-Girl #27 in which both May, our hero, powerless and tied to a chair talks Normie out of his planned suicide-by-way-of-hero. Now, he's a supporting character, fully fleshed-out with a long storied history of rehabilitation, reform, atonement, romance and marriage. By choosing the reformation option, the series gained both a great supporting character in Normie, and a defining direction for the series star, Mayday, who often attempts to talk her villains out of the crooked life.



I'd love to here your thoughts on this, especially if you'd like to see the other options.

Until one-trick pony stops making me giggle, I remain

frogoat

Ron Frenz: The Man!

I just wanted to express my supreme admiration for the amazing, spectacular, one-of-a-kind artistic genius, Mr Ron Frenz. Not only does he speak semi-regularly with fans, he's kindly begun uploading unused concept sketches. Ron, you're awesome. Check him out here and see more sketches like the one below here at my favorite hang out on the web.

Nuff Said!

frogoat

Supanova approaches...

Australia's pop culture expo/convention/gathering of like-minded individuals is nearly upon us, and for once, I'll be apart of it. Yes, I'm heading to Brisbane Supanova 2012! I did have plans to blog about a global re-read of all things MC2, or an in-depth look at some favorite characters in the universe, maybe even talk about attracting young readers to comics, but instead, next week you're going to have deal with me tell you about my latest acquisitions. Sorry, there's just no way around it. I'll have to re-schedule that meeting with the Queen too, hopefully she won't be to busy later. Cosplayers, comics and celebrities, oh my!



Okay, I'll through my millions of adoring fans a bone with this MC2 fun fact: The electrically-powered super villain Electro first appears in Amazing Spider-man #9 (way back in '64, kids!) while, in the MC2, Killerwatt (a similarly-powered super-baddie) shows up in Spider-Girl #9. Don't you just love parallels?

Until I think of better exit line, I remain

frogoat

(feels good to type that again)

When I think MC2 I think...

What comes to mind when I think MC2? The obvious answer would be "Spider-Girl," but that's not what I mean. At the core of MC2's foundations I have a select group of creative types in mind. The pillars of this alternative world, if you will. So, who are they? Hold on, wait a minute and I'll tell you!

Tom Defalco

The most obvious choice. With every MC2 issue (barring a half dozen) under his writer's belt (I imagine all writers have special belts with pen attachments) it's impossible for me to picture a world without him. Tom's the best kind of professional; he believes in storytelling rather than 'event' books, he is more than willing to take input from the art team and he loves pizza. I tell ya, they don't make them any better.

Ron Frenz

Ron's the go-to guy. You need a story done well, delivered on time and with a great energy to it? Ron's your guy. He and Tom have (by my estimation) written/pencilled/plotted at least a third of the contents of my comic collection. It's not by chance. I started picking up back issues of Tom and Ron's Thor run without even knowing they were the creative team (I was young). Something about their general vibe has always made me crave the next issue. The sheer love and joy they pour into ever panel of every page is infectious in the best possible way.

Pat Olliffe

What do I say about Pat? He's the first artist I ever saw draw May 'Mayday' Parker. He's the guy who showed that there was a dignified and respectful way to draw women in skin-tight outfits swinging on weblines as thin as cotton thread. Pat defined Spider-Girl. Ron created her, but Pat defined her look and, to me, made her his own. Also, and this may be crazy, but I can't help but think MC2 Peter Parker bares a striking resemblance to Pat....

Sal Buscema and Al Williamson

I wouldn't be much of a fan if I didn't mention these two legends. With Ron and Pat, these two gentlemen are responsible for the lion's share of inking duties throughout the MC2. By contrast, I further appreciate these two; Al's thin rounded lines versus Sal's bold lines and thick shades, I love them both. I learned so much from their work.

Ron Lim and Todd Nauck

Ron Lim worked on J2, Wild Thing, Avengers Next and the Fantastic Five mini series. Todd Nauck pencilled the American Dream mini series. Why are they on this list? Because both their styles feel right for MC2. And because they rock, of course. Cartoon-y, superhero action and adventure in the mighty MC2 way? Yes, please.

Again, this list is just my personal favorites, so if I missed your favorite, feel free to give them a shout out in the comments. Hey, maybe I've missed someone. I may don another one of these, covering the other side of the books: The Editors!