MC2 Multiplicity Madness

Let's talk about multiples of MC2 characters!

Cassie Lang

First up is Cassandra 'Cassie' Lang, daughter of Scott Lang, the second Ant-Man. In the regular Marvel Universe (Earth-616) Cassie's fathers death during 'Avengers Disassembled' led her to join the Young Avengers while still in her teens and take the name Stature using similar size-changing abilities to those of Giant-Man/Ant-Man and Wasp.

Another older version of Cassie (now going by Stinger) appears in Avengers: The Children's Crusade: Young Avengers one-shot. Noticeable her costume is taken from the MC2 version of the character.

 

Then, of course we have our dear Stinger from the MC2. A talented scientist in various fields, Cassie used the work of Dr Henry Pym (the original Ant-Man) to grant herself wings and size-changing powers.  She worked alongside her father, Scott Lang before joining the Avengers of her world.

Kevin Masterson

 Next we have Kevin Masterson, son of Eric Masterson- formerly a fill-in Thor and later the Avenger known as Thunderstrike. Kevin of the main Marvel Universe grows up angry following the death of his father, and as a young teenager eventually gains his fathers powers and becomes the second Thunderstrike.

Meanwhile, the Kevin Masterson of the MC2 received his fathers enchanted mace upon his 18th birthday, leading to the events that brought the Avengers of this generation together. Becoming  Thunderstrike despite his mixed feelings about his deceased father's 'hobby', Kevin proved himself worthy, now wielding thunder-blasts and super-strength.

 May 'Mayday' Parker

Lastly we have May 'Mayday' Parker, the daughter of Peter Parker- the Amazing Spider-Man. In the reality of Earth X (Earth-9997), May's mother Mary Jane died of cancer when she was young. At some point she bonded with the symbiote formerly joined to Eddie Brock and becomes an adventurer and police officer. This May goes by the name Venom and has all the abilities of the symbiote, and an excellent spider-sense. She recently showed up in Uncanny Avengers:

Venom of this world also encounters another Spider-Girl, from Earth-1122. She is recruited into a team known as the Heralds by the Machine Man. Apart from being a little less mature her origin appeared to be the same as our Mayday...until she announces she is the daughter of Peter's clone 'brother,' Ben Reilly. Her costume looks almost exactly the same as the MC2 Spider-Girl, though I like to think of her as having more Steve Ditko-esque eye-pieces and web pattern. Or I'm being pedantic.

We aren't done yet, oh no. There's the 20-something redheaded Spider-Girl of the year 2020. On Earth-8410, this May's father passed away sometime after she began as a costumed hero. Her powers also include 'venom blasts' similar to the original Spider-Woman, Jessica Drew. In fact, her costume strongly resembles Drew's as well.

Finally, we have the MC2's own Spectacular Spider-Girl. May 'Mayday' Parker is the 16 year old daughter of Spider-Man. Possessing all the usual abilities, her unique powers also include the ability to bio-magnetically attract and repel objects-something I believe none of the other May's have displayed. Mayday's costume currently includes an extended blue area under the arms as well as modified web-shooters which really helps to differentiate her from other versions.

Well ,there you have it folks! Can't you just imagine a crossover between these different versions of the same characters. Wouldn't that be completely mental?! Wouldn't that be fun?!

Until Spider-Girl meets Spider-Girl meets Venom meets Spider-Girl, I remain

frogoat

A Few Common Misconceptions about the MC2

Just a quick post today to clear up a few common misconceptions about the MC2. These are just a few that bug me that I see around the internet a lot:

'American Dream is the daughter of Captain America'

False. Shannon Carter is not related to Captain America aka Steve Rogers. Shannon's parents-unnamed to date-were from the Midwest. Her father was a 'small town cop' and her mother a 'second grade teacher'.  When Shannon was young, her parents died in a car accident which left her in a wheelchair. Shannon's 'Aunt Peggy' was Shannon's father's cousin. Peg gives the diaries of her sister, Sharon, inspiring her to become the hero we now know. (American Dream #1-#2)

'Mr and Mrs Spider-Man isn't part of the MC2 Canon'

False. I've covered this before. If you squint it all fits. The details change but the important events remain the same. Having only a few main architects for the whole of the MC2-verse means things are pretty consistent.

'Spider-Girl is the daughter of Ben Reilly, the clone of Spider-Man'

Clearly False, but I can guess where this one came from. Back when Jim Krueger was working on the massive Earth X, Universe X and Paradise X trilogy of series, he wanted to include alternate reality characters in his Paradise X: Heralds mini series. One such character appeared to be May Parker, only it wasn't our May 'Mayday' Parker. Oh, no! As a fun nod (and perhaps to stir the pot), Krueger revealed that this Spider-Girl was raised by none other than Ben Reilly. Also, I believe it's worth mentioning that in the X trilogy proper, Peter raises his and Mary Jane's daughter, also called May. This May Parker is bonded with the alien symbiote and uses the alias Venom. *phew* Wasn't that confusing.

'The MC2 is set in the future. Where's the flying cars?!'

Erm....kinda True but also kinda False. I'm terrible at explaining this stuff, so I'm going to quote the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol. 7: 'Though the MC-2 features a sliding timescale similar to Earth-616, it is not set in the future, but rather in the present, in this world, the Heroic Age occurred nearly fifteen years in the past.' Basically, just like the regular Marvel Universe, the MC2 is happening...Right now. The MU since  Fantastic Four #1 way back in '61 has advanced about 13 years for the characters inhabiting the world. The same sort of logic applies to the MC2, but with the MU stuff happening around fifteen years before the first MC2 comic, What If #105. So it's the future of the Marvel Universe, but it's set in the present day. Sorry folks, no flying cars here.

'Marvel hated Spider-Girl and tried to cancel it several times.'

False to the first thing, True to the second. Marvel never hated the series or the character. Many big names around the Marvel offices stated they liked the series and what it represented. However, it is true that Marvel attempted to cancel the series quite a bit. Why? Was it a big conspiracy or a secret plot involving Skrulls? No, just low sales. Marvel Comics is a business and at the end of the day businesses need to make money. It's a testament to fans and the company alike that the series lasted as long as it did.


Well, that's it for now. If anyone would like to submit a misconception or ask a question, please send it in. I'd love to talk more about this world I love so much.

Until Ben Reilly is revealed to be a Life Model Decoy, I remain

frogoat

 

Why do I love the MC2?

It's been another long while and -rather than try to complete the blog I'm currently researching (read: reading comics!)- I figured I take the easy way out and just talk about this imprint that I love so much.

So, why do I love the MC2?

Because Wolverine and Elektra had a kid

Who's have thought those two would knock boots, huh? But I've always wondered why she has those nifty purple psychic claws if Elektra is her mum.Seems more like something Psylocke's kid would inher--oh my gosh!!

Because American Dream kicks butt

Not only in the two Avengers titles, the three Spider-Girl titles, and various other MC2 books, but also in the frankly awesome Roger Stern penned Captain America Corps. Check it out:

Because J2 ran away

Imagine you're in his massive shoes: You're new at the hero game, facing the legendary Defenders- including the Incredible Hulk -and your fellow Avenger Mainframe has just been torn in half. I'd run. Don't tell me you wouldn't at least consider it.Yes, he returned to the fight after he came to his senses, but in that moment J2 was a very real person.

Because Darkdevil beat the Devil 

Okay, I know it's only one of the many Marvel Universe 'Devil' types, but when I read it I was 'blown away' with that encounter in the sewers. Get it?! 'Blown away.' No?

Because the World Still Needs Heroes

It's a phrase I've known Tom Defalco to use on many occasions, and one I wholeheartedly agree with. Why do we need the next generation? Because the world will always need heroes.

Because J2 is oblivious

It seems J2 will never notice the many lovely ladies pining after him. You bonehead!

Because Big Julie is the Bomb

He's a Mob Boss Gorilla. It doesn't get any better than that.

Because it's a Spider-Girl World

Nuff Said.


I'm going to have to do more of these someday.

Until I stop loving this 'verse, I remain

frogoat

 

 

 

Spyral

My last blog about MC2 and reality-jumping got me to thinking about one particular cause of  some of those trips across time and space: the time-traveling, dimension-hopping, grey haired fellow known as Spyral.

There's not much known about him, so let's go over what is known about Spyral:

• Spyral first appears in Spider-Girl #3 were he emerges from a portal in the Fantastic Five Building's museum area, attempting to steal a power cell originating from the Negative Zone. Hoping to harness the power cell to 'generate a warp spiral powerful enough to return home'
• Spyral claims to originate from another reality, one where the Fantastic Five are the Fantastic Four and the resident Spider-Person is male....hmmm sounds familiar.
• The Fantastic Five have encountered Spyral prior to these events. Thing even refers to him in jest as 'Charlie', something Spider-Girl will also do later on.
• Spyral uses 'warp fields' and generally attacks with spiral blasts that cause concussive damage or send things spinning and spiraling....well, I suppose that makes sense. Utilizing these powers (and boosted by outside sources and artifacts) Spyral can open portals to other dimensions and even across time.
• Spyral escapes prison in Spider-Girl #10 and again attempts to get home, harnessing another unknown power source. Spider-Girl arrives to late to stop Spyral and the two are accidentally sent back in time (possibly across alternate-realities?) 
• In Spider-Girl #11 he claims to have first met the Human Torch and Spider-Man (who are still teens when we see them here) in their future, when they are 'older, wiser and far more experienced'. Spyral blames the unplanned trip through time on Spider-Girl's weight, and receives a swift kick to the face for his troubles.

And that's it, we never encounter Spyral again in any of the MC2 series, apart from a dream sequence here and there. So, let's review: Spyral claims to be from another world, one with a Spider-Man and a Fantastic Four, travels dimensions and his only goal is to return home. I wonder if Tom Defalco created him with the regular 616 Marvel Universe in mind as his point of origin? I guess we'll never know for sure, unless he appears in a 616 Marvel title sometime in the future. Wouldn't that be cool?!

Spyral was my first MC2 villain, and so I've become quite attached to the old guy. Personally, I'd have loved to have seen more of him, especially considering he's supposed to be a regular F5 baddie.  But looking at his motivation, and the fact that both times he showed up he was little more than a plot device. Case in point: Spider-Girl met the F5 thanks to Spyral's arrival, and Spider-Girl meets her parents in the past thanks to Spyral, who doesn't even appear in the issue after doing so, only reemerging just in time to return Mayday home in the next issue!

What with Spyral and that portal to other worlds in the Avengers basement, it's a wonder we haven't had more crossovers with the 616 Marvel Universe! It practically writes it's self.

Until Spyral is revealed as Nathanial Richards -Reeds father- I remain

frogoat

MC2 Across the Multiverse

With the various problems with the Marvel Space-Time Continuum at the moment, including Spider-Man 2099 showing up in the good ol' Marvel 616 universe, I started thinking about MC2 characters crossing over into other planes of reality...and so, because I can't sleep without making you all suffer, I present what I believe is a complete list of all the occasions MC2 characters have 'jumped the tracks':

• Spider-Girl is briefly banished to a strange dimension with Franklin Richards aka Psi-Lord by the dimension hopper/time-travel known as Spyral. I don't have a name for this place. (Spider-Girl #3)

 

• Cain Marko aka the Juggernaut is stranded along the Crossroads of Infinity while on a mission with the X-Men. (J2 #7) This appears to be the same place originally seen in Fantastic Four (vol. 1) #51, but I believe it's different from the Crossroads the Hulk is sent to in Incredible Hulk #300.

• Spider-Girl #10-11 depicts May going on a time-traveling journey to the past, specifically during the events of Amazing Spider-Man #25,thanks again due to Spyral. It's not clear if this caused any changes to the timeline, though the Human Torch seems to vaguely recognize Spider-Girl in Spider-Girl #3, so who knows?

• The Avengers travel to Earth-9907 in search of answers regarding the original Avengers team (A-Next #10-11). Thunderstrike stays behind to be with a version of his father, and Crimson Curse is apparently killed. It's first mentioned in A-Next #7 and from there we learn more about the original teams mission, which ended in tragedy.

• J2 -with the aid of Sorcerer Supreme Doc Magus- travels via the Crossroads of Infinity to a pocket dimension on a different plane of reality to rescue his father. They are later aided by the original Defenders, Doctor Strange, Namor and the Hulk. (J2 #12)

• At some point, American Dream, Freebooter, Kristoff Vernard and the Coal Tiger are pulled from time by the Destiny Force into the Destiny War as it unfolds at the Citadel At The End Of Time. The Destiny Force first appeared in Avengers (vol 1) #97, the Citadel At The End Of Time first appeared in Thor #245. (Avengers Forever #11-12)

• Spider-Girl and American Dream make a journey to Earth-9907 to enlist the aid of Thunderstrike, his father, and the aged Captain America of the MC2 (still fighting on this world) against Seth. (Spider-Girl #57-58)

• Thanks to the machinations of Loki, he and Hulk end up exiled to Limbo for eternity. (Last Hero Standing #5) This seems to be the temporal Limbo linked to Immortus, first seen in Avengers (vol 1) #2. 

• The minds of both Reed Richards and Victor Von Doom are sent to the Crossroads of Infinity and lost across the entirety of time and space thanks to Doom's 'Infinity Device.' (Fantastic Five (vol 2) #5)

• Mayhem travels back in time from a dystopian future via an old Time Platform (nicknamed 'The Mulligan') to change MC2 history. (Spider-Girl: The End one-shot) Doom's Time Platform was first seen in Fantastic Four (vol 1) #5.

• American Dream is snatched out of time by the Elder of the Universe known as Tath Ki (aka the Contemplator)  to help prevent a corruption of the Marvel 616 present by Superia.  (Captain America Corps #1-5

 I've not list the various trips to the Negative Zone; I'm saving that for another day. The MC2 Universe brushes shoulders with many aspects of the Marvel Multiverse, and it's only a matter of time before we see another crossover. If you'd like to suggest any additions or corrections, please let me know.

Until Spider-Girl punches a hole in the Space-Time Continuum, I remain

frogoat

Baby May and Continuity Fun

 The exact point where the MC2 Universe (also called 982) branches off from the mainstream Marvel Universe (also referred to as 616 in the handbooks) is not entirely clear, though obviously the two worlds share a history up to at least '97 real-world time, apart from small details, such as later retcons. For example, Peter's Aunt May real does pass away as depicted in Amazing Spider-Man #400 (a classic), whereas in the 616 this is later retconned (badly, I might add) as being a genetically modified actress hired by Norman Osborn.

In fact, let's start there, shall we? Well, sort of. During the now-infamous Clone Saga, it is revealed Mary Jane is pregnant. After the end of this Saga, editorial having pinned the whole debacle on a newly-returned-from-apparent-death Norman Osborn, the original Green Goblin. Around the same time, MJ gives birth to an apparently stillborn baby May, with heavy implications that something else is really happening. Later, Osborn becomes wildly out of character and holds a mystical 'Gathering of Five' ritual and it's revealed 'May' is alive...only it's Aunt May. Oi Vey! Peter beats Osborn (who's gone even more crazy) and hangs up his webs just in time for a relaunch of the Spidey-titles.

Meanwhile, over in What if #105 we are introduced to Spider-Girl and the MC2, which gives us a very different (and I'd argue better) series of events. May's debut issue also gives us a few interesting points of back-story. Firstly, it depicts Peter and MJ at the hospital, happily holding the newborn May. Secondly, Peter continued as Spider-Man following May's birth. Thirdly, Peter's narrations specifically states that 'May was only two years old when I had my final confrontation with Norman Osborn, the original Green Goblin.' Norman died, and Peter lost any desire to continue as Spider-Man.

The next time we hear of this last confrontation in Spider-Girl #7, Mary Jane provides us with more details. Mary Jane was contacted by Johnny Storm aka the Human Torch. Mr Fantastic worked alongside surgeons to save him, but in the end Peter lost his right leg. Reed offers to make a bionic leg for Peter to continue web-swinging, but Peter realizes his real responsibility is to his wife and baby.

Soon after, Kaine is introduced into the Spider-Girl series, dropping hints and making cryptic references to Rumpelstiltskin. We are told that the Parker's owe a debt to Kaine for saving May's life as a baby, though it's not until Spider-Girl #48-#50 we get more details. Here, we learn Alison Mongrain was hired by Osborn to steal away with baby May, hiding in a yacht  until Osborn's Scriers took the infant. Kaine interferes and eventually tracks down and rescues the baby girl, returning her to Mary Jane before searching for Osborn.

It's notable that in the flashbacks here, Mary Jane now originally believed her baby had died at birth just as depicted in the 616 version of events. Peter intends to stop Kaine killing Osborn. The next flashback shows Spidey interrupting the 'Gathering of Five' ritual (rather than arriving long after in 616) and battling Osborn, his leg becoming webbed to Osborn's hand. As Peter tells Osborn about Kaine, the Goblin detonates a bomb, killing himself and claiming Peter's leg.

Amazing Spider-Girl introduces the idea that May could be a clone with the arrival of a second May on the scene. Amazing Spider-Girl #25 even provides more of Kaine's rescue of the infant May in his assault on the Scrier's stronghold. At the conclusion of the tale we learn that Osborn staged the proceedings, working with another baby (either the clone or the original) in his lab in the Swiss Alps, planning for an end game in two years time. Too bad he died before that came to pass.

Lastly, we have the Mr and Mrs Spider-Man tales, which depict Peter and Mary Jane with an infant May, with Peter still donning his webs occasionally and definitely not getting around with a walking stick or a limp. The last of these four tales implies Pete get's his better-paying  lab job with the police not long after.

From all of this, we have a pretty clear picture of the events but we also have a few issues to address. Obviously, the very first depiction from What if?! #105 which seems to show May born healthy in hospital must now be considered either incorrect, or possibly depicting a later time, perhaps a check up right after the reunion of parents and baby? Or it's a case of early installment weirdness, just as in pilot episodes of tv shows. Either way, it's not a big deal.

Secondly, Peter mentioned May being age two at the time of the final confrontation with the Goblin. Up until Mr and Mrs Spider-Man these stood out like a sore thumb, as it didn't seem to line up with anything else. But here's a theory: After Norman had May spirited away, Ms Mongrain spent several months with the baby girl, even mentioning growing attached to her, before the mean ol' Scriers swiped her back. Kaine learns of Osborn's plan and sets out to retrieve the infant May. Amazing Spider-Girl #25 gives the time of this rescue as 'a little over sixteen years ago.' At this point in the series, May has already celebrated her 16th birthday (Spider-Girl #67) and 'May's Special Day,' the anniversary of her return from kidnapping (Amazing Spider-Girl #15) which is quite some time after her birthday.

 Taking into account the idea that Osborn's ritual was delayed in this version of events and that Peter had at least one encounter with Araña (Spider-Man Family one-shot) before hanging up his webs, we can assume that Peter continued as Spider-Man for a while between May's return and his final confrontation with Osborn. In theory, you could stretch this to cover the mention of May being two years of age but honestly, I think Tom Defalco introduced the Mr and Mrs Spider-Man tales either to fill this apparent continuity gap or (more likely) to have fun telling married Spidey adventures, and what better place than his own universe?

This particular blog entry started out as a little worm of an idea in the base of my sub-conscious and it's been feeding on my idea's ever since. Mostly, this was just a thought experiment for me to see if the story ideas would hold together, but I hope it's been informative. Have I missed anything?

Until Tom Defalco retcons Swiney-Girl into the MC2, I remain 

frogoat

Spider-Girl: 15th Anniversary

Thanks to the Spider-Girl Message Board I recently realized, 'Hey, it's Spider-Girl's fifteenth anniversary! I should probably make a post about it!' So here I am, making a post about it. I'm a little ashamed and shocked that it's nearly escaped my notice, but honestly, I've had a lot going on. It happens.

I thought it would be nice just to mention (read: promote) some of the things fans have been doing to mark this anniversary. Firstly, Read aka boosterread7 aka Huskie Pride aka an honestly swell fellow put up a video to reminisce about his fansite, which I recall visiting numerous times over the years. It's still sorely missed.

Not long after this, haydenclaireheroes of Comic Uno and DarkAvengerINC fame has gone on a quite frankly inspiring quest to review each individual Spider-Girl comic. You can see the tribute video here: 15 Years of Spider-girl and the first review video here: Mayday's Journey: Spider-girl #1 and the second here. Oh, and a Top 10 Topic right here.

Something that's definitely worth a mention was the gosh-awful 'event-series' Age of Ultron. I'll be the first to admit, I didn't read most of it. But tucked away in the 10th and final issue- which involves the time-space continuum breaking/cracking- we get a one panel appearance from our gal pal Mayday in Spider-Girl gear along with Iron Man 2020 and a whole heck of a lot of other alternate-reality and future timeline characters (hey, 2099! Isn't Spider-Man 2099 showing up again soon?! Funny that.)

Yes, I did buy #10 just for a one-panel cameo appearance. Get off my lawn

Until we get a Spider-Girl film trilogy, I remain

frogoat

May's Weight

It's something I've touched upon a couple of times before, and it's something I have a great deal of personal interest in; depictions of women in the media, particularly younger females. It's often given a lot more coverage than other topics, it's places a great deal of undue pressures on young girls during a frankly difficult and tumultuous time in life and the media nearly always misrepresents it or flat out gets it wrong.

The reason I've decided today to cover this again is a recent re-read of the classic Spider-Girl #27, specifically the letter page in the back of the issue. A reader wrote in to comment on Marvel's website biography for Spider-Girl. At the time (based on the cover date: December 2000) May's bio listed her height as 5'5'' and weighing 112 pounds. The reader goes on to state that she herself is 5'4 and 120 pounds, and asserts that she is in no way overweight, asks that Marvel take more care in this regard as she would not like her daughter to gain a unrealistic view of a healthy weight. I applaud this considerate reader.

Let's look at some printed sources to see what Marvel's done in this regard since, shall we? Cool.

Remember that silly Battlebook I was telling you about last time? It's a source. In fact, as far as I can tell it's the earliest printed source I can find for May's statistics: Height: Approx. 5'5'' Weight: Approx. 110 lbs. Now, this was November 1998.

Skip forward too the most recent iterations of Official Handbooks to the Marvel Universe, we have the following stats:

The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol. 11 (first published in 2009) gives us an updated height and weight. Considering Mayday at this point is now around a year older- she was 15 when she first donned the webs, and turned 16 in Spider-Girl #67-makes some sense. Now, Spider-Girl is 5'7'' and weighs 119 lbs. This was still problematic to me.

 The height made sense to me, both from how May's height had been depicted through the art and with my previous note about the character's 'ageing up' in the interim. However, the weight seemed too low to me. So, a while back, I contacted the authors of the Handbooks and asked them what thought processes go into generating these particular statistics. Mr Stuart Vandal was kind enough to give his thoughts, which I have re-posted here:

In the case of characters who appeared in older Handbooks, there seemed to be a definite tendency for women to be underweight - though that might well have to do with what was considered to be a healthy weight back in the 1980s perhaps being lower than what we consider to be a healthy weight today.
For characters who got entries for the first time in more recent volumes, we try to be as accurate as we can. If a character's personal stats are given in an actual story, we use those, no matter how unusual they might appear to be (we reason that there might be an in-story reason for someone to weigh virtually nothing or to be massively heavier than they appear, though we do check with writers in the more unlikely cases, to avoid perpetuating errors).
On heights, we have to accept that artists can be very inconsistent, but, allowing for that, we look for (a) approximate matches to others whose heights are already established, and (b) good shots of the character standing up straight next to someone of established height who is also standing straight, and all on level ground. Once a reasonable height is established, I personally check height-weight charts to find what is considered an appropriate weight for that height - you should find most newer female characters have what might be considered more reasonable weights for their height and build.
For oversized or unusual characters, we do take figuring out reasonable weights seriously. You would not believe the discussions we've had on the matter, and most of the time we can rely on our resident engineering wizard, Mike Fichera, to provide useful experiments and calculations. He's worked out the weights of dismembered individuals' separate body parts, a skeleton and bee combination (Swarm), living planets, and many more. Mike also set up got a converter program to allow us to figure out giants or shrunken individuals - just plug in the weight for someone of a given regular height, then adjust the height up or down and watch the weight change accordingly, in proportion to the new height. For animals, we can rely on head writer Jeff Christiansen, whose mild-mannered alter ego is a vet. 

So....thoughts, anyone? I'm definitely not done with this topic.

Until I wrestle an elephant in a wok and stop caring about this sort of thing, I remain

frogoat

Collector-Mania

So, I've been away from the keyboard for a long while now, and it comes with great joy that return to this haunt of mine and slip back into the habit.  But let's take baby steps first, start easy, shall we?

I've mentioned a few times my quest to collect all things Spider-Girl and MC2. Guess what I found online? German Spider-Girl comics! Oh, yes. You heard me right! They are reprints of early Spider-Girl issues, including #10 and #11, the time travel two-parter. I love that story! And now I can enjoy it in TWO languages...if I could read German, that is. Oops.

My simply wonderful partner-in-life bought me the much-sought-after First Appearance Spider-Girl figure, completing the MC2 set of ladies. If you're curious, the others in the set are American Dream, Stinger and Wild Thing. Having the full set is wonderful, even if the...um...... proportions are a little impractical. I may cover these figures later.

Sorry, only have a stock image at the moment.

While I'm on figures I finally (FINALLY!!!) found a Famous Cover Series Spider-Girl figure for a somewhat reasonable price.Mint in the box to boot! It's interesting the amount of items that came out within the first year or so of the MC2's imprint's run. Speaking of which...

During my occasionally *cough*frequent*cough* eBay crawls, I've come across this particular item: Battlebooks: Spider-Girl. What is it? Um...I've almost entirely no idea. An examination of this 'comic' reveals page after page of static images of our hero Spider-Girl reacting to various 'actions' as dictated by a matrix of number codes indicated by a card included inside the comic. Confused? Me too. Also, you need a friend with another, different book. Nuts to that, I say.

Until I get ever last stinkin' one of these collectables, I remain

frogoat

Marvel NOW!

Ever since Marvel announced there intention to shake things up across the board, changing creative teams, relaunching major titles and generally giving everything a spit-shine, I've been keenly waiting for things to slip in quality. Not because I wanted the initiative to fail, far from it; it's just that these kind of things never go as well as planned for very long. That said, so far I've been entirely wrong. I couldn't be happier.

Of the titles I'm currently reading, I understand Hawkeye is the critical darling of the comics-press. To be sure, it's an excellent book, with it's continuity-lite, single-issue-for-the-most-part story telling and unique look and tone. Not to mention the dialog is fantastic, to say nothing of the plots themselves. But to be fair, Young Avengers can boast all of the above with aplomb, such a feast for the senses it is. And what is it lately with writers inserting playlists into comics?! It's wicked-cool and I want more of it. Please and thank you.

Avengers Assemble is making it's own way in the world of Avengers titles (and there are quite a lot, aren't there?) with a heapin' helpin' of humor and snark. Writer Kelly Sue DeConnick kills it every month, while still finding the right balance of pathos. Which brings me to Captain Marvel: brilliant art every month, nothing quite like it on the shelves today, and finally (finally!) Carol Danvers is given the respect she deserves. That's not to disregard all that's come before, I very much enjoyed the previous Ms Marvel series, but it was missing something this title isn't.

Speaking of Avengers, Rick Remender and John Cassaday's Uncanny Avengers is hard hitting goodness every month while Captain America by Remender and John Romita Jr (my first comic-artist-crush, people!) is mad, mad, mad excitement and gravitas. I've never seen such bonkers fun on a Cap title, it's a welcome change from all the espionage and spy-fare stuff of the past decade.

Superior Spider-Man is ludicrously well endowed when it comes to the art department, and I love Dan Slott. Not every issue has been a winner, but with the kind of tale being spun, I can forgive it. Plus *SPOILERS* sweeties: Miguel O'Hara, Spider-Man 2099 is making an appearance soon. I'm still holding out for a Spider-Girl appearance, naturally.

Just to touch on a few more titles before I wrap this up; Journey into Mystery has gone from strength to strength,Fantastic Four is...well, fantastic: back to it's roots of adventurers in unexplored places and times, A+X is simple Marvel Two-in-One meets Marvel Team-Up concept title that really works.

And finally, Avengers Arena. What can I even say about this book that hasn't already been said? I thought it was a gimmick title to grab sales, 'Which one of your favorite young characters will bite the dust this issue?!' Only it wasn't. Dennis Hopeless wants to hit you right in the gut with every agonizing decision these poor characters make, he wants you to love these characters, really love these characters before he ends their short, sad lives in the most horrible way possible. And with art by Kev Walker, you can't help but feel every blow, every last breath escaping another lost soul caught up in Arcades twisted Murder World. It's high-stakes drama, not cheap thrills and sales-spikes this team is after, oh no! They want you to wish this wasn't happening, because the characters wish this wasn't happening. That's the sign of a great title with a great hook and a great creative team.

Until Squirrel Girl gets her own feature film, I remain

frogoat


    

Iron Man 3 Movie Review

Last night I watched Marvel Studios latest film, Iron Man 3 with a group of friends and my partner. Let's skip straight to the bit everyone seems to want to know: No, the post-credits scene isn't integral to any future films, but it is funny....shwarma funny.

Shane Black directs this monster of a film, and the directorial differences between Jon Favreau (the director of the previous two films) and Shane are distinct yet similar in tone. Without spoiling to much in this review, the action scenes, along with some great character work by the cast make this a movie you won't want to look away from, even if you have a strong urge to pee. Which will suck for those with weak bladders, because this movie is great, but still clocks in at over two hours long.

Narrated by Robert Downey, Jr. in-character as Tony Stark, the film kicks off years before the first film, and ties a few events together, throwing a couple of new comic-concepts into the mix including AIM and the Extremis enhancile and giving us a nice set up for the rest of the film, as well as reminding us Tony can be a bit of dick.

I'll attempt to avoid most major plot points, but I can't review this film without mentioning in passing what a brilliant play on expectations this film delivers with the Mandarin. Ben Kingsley turns in a surprising performance, as do Guy Pearce, James Badge Dale and Rebecca Hall. As a matter of fact, the casting in this film is virtually flawless, and considering this film has an extended period featuring Tony interacting with a child actor (Ty Simpkins), that's impressive.

This film toys with some very dark stuff for a Marvel film, but manages to effectively dance along the edge, throwing in some well timed humor when things get too grim. Concerned with breaking Tony Stark down to his core, this third film really nails some home truths about who he is, with the occasional glimpse of something amiss behind his face and eccentricities. Apparently the events of The Avengers has taken it's toll.

All in all, highly recommended. This film wont change your life, but it's still darn good fun to watch and you'll be riveted to your seat. Until Stan stops making cameos, I remain

frogoat

Tales of Who's Past: Barbara

I wonder if anyone outside of classic series Doctor Who fans really cares about dusty old black-and-white companions. But Barbara was the first (along with Ian) the very first, and that makes her-to my mind at least-the archetype, the blueprint, the sounding board for all the companions since. And what a fine example of a companion she is.

In the beginning, before we had a codifier for what the series should be, we had a primordial soup of ideas and roles to fill. But the characters, the actors, grew and changed. Barbara is iconic. Barbara was strong and feisty before it was a thing. Barbara is the first person to ever put the Doctor in his place ( The Edge of Destruction, fact fans). That's right, Barbara, the humble history teacher of Coal Hill School, gave the First Doctor a stern talking to, arguably changing the Doctor's character forever, more so than any other companion has ever managed.

Barbara Wright didn't have it easy through the shows first two years. Surviving savage cavemen, the first person in the series ever to encounter a Dalek, meeting Marco Polo and Kublai Khan, questing for the Keys of Marinus (including being...erm...menaced by a mountain man), then arriving in an Aztec temple in Mexico....

Barbara's stand out performance comes in The Aztecs, where she takes center stage, being mistaken for Yetaxa, a god in human form. Attempting to change the course of history for the better (another first), only for things to turn out as written leaves Barbara shaken.

And on and on, Barbara stands out as not just a cypher, but as a well rounded character, with a shining performance from Jacqueline Hill, falling in love across time and space, lost and scared, but always so brave and so determined. Barbara isn't just one kind of companion, she represents all kinds of companions, she showed us what a companion could be and for that, I'll always be grateful.

Until all of history is changed ('Not one line'), I remain

frogoat

The End..For Now?!

I felt it with Avengers: The Initiative. I felt it with She-Hulk. I felt it with Captain Britain and MI:13. I felt it with Exiles. I felt it with Young Avengers. I felt it with S.W.O.R.D. I felt it when Runaways abruptly came to an end mid-story...how come no one has asked Mrs Immonen what she had planned there anyway? SPOILERS, SWEETIE! I felt it with Slingers. I felt it with Avengers Academy. And I most definitely felt it when Spider-Girl ended. Cancellation.

This was a great series. Check it out!

Usually it's low sales, sometimes a creative team want's to finish the story, maybe the series get's demoted to a mini, or the publisher decides the concept either doesn't work or interferes with their company wide event.
Low sales can be caused by a number of things, the most obvious often sited reason-according to the internets being 'it sucks'. Other, more quantifiable reasons include problems with character, lack of a 'hook' to make it stand out in the crowd or a lack/overabundance/badly handled drama or action.

But, if the book is a critical darling and is well reviewed consistently, then why isn't it selling? This past decade is a good place to look: when a 'Big Event' title is released, with all it's myriad tie-in's and connected mini-series, chances are, people are going to by the Event stuff, because, hey! it's a big deal, apparently. It's got the hype, the marketing, the big characters and the already-proven writer and artist team. Your favorite soon-to-be-cancelled title or soon-to-be-forgotten character frankly don't stand a chance.

Six issues and cancelled. Seriously?!

The only good thing you can hope for when your little gem of a title bites the dust is a guest appearance in another title, perhaps a supporting role in one of those other team books....people like those Avengers, right?! Who knows, maybe one day we'll see a resurgence and we'll get a reboot, a relaunch, a fresh take. Question is, will it have the same magic or will it fail and leave you cold while simultaneously ending any chance of a revival for another long stretch, maybe forever....

Until I see a relaunch of all these and more, I remain

frogoat

MC2 Eras

You can kind of look at the entirety of the MC2 Universe's publication history in terms of  two major eras. I'll break it down by year for the most part. Shall we begin?

The First Wave

1998-1999: You've got the first year, with the original three titles; Spider-Girl, A-Next and  J2 with 12 issues released apiece, as well as Spider-Girl #0, a reprint of the original What if #105 tale.

A-Next #1

 1999-2000: The second year saw A-Next and J2 replaced by the short-lived Fantastic Five and Wild Thing, lasting for only 5 issues apiece (and a special Wild Thing #0 released through Wizard magazine) before cancellation. The Spider-Girl title was kept around as a sort of home-base title for the others to orbit around, an idea which was both fortunate and ironic considering the brief publishing history of the other titles.

Fantastic Five (volume 1) #1

2000-2001: The third 'year' for MC2 brought only two mini series, but hey, they were some darn good 3-issue-apiece mini series; The Buzz and Darkdevil.  Let's call these first three years the first wave of MC2 titles. After this, Spider-Girl would be the only comic carrying the MC2 banner for a very long time...
 

Darkdevil #1

The Second Wave

Fast forward to 2005: Nearly 8 years into the MC2 imprint's run we had one more show of faith from Marvel. It was called Last Hero Standing, it was a 5 issue mini series and it was a revolution. Not only did we get a new MC2 comic, we got all of the previous characters, we got old favorites returning and most importantly....we got the second wave of MC2 series.

Last Hero Standing #1

2006-2007: The original Spider-Girl series reached a momentous Marvel milestone with issue #100 and was, finally cancelled...for a whole month before being relaunched as The Amazing Spider-Girl. Add to this a sequel-of-sorts to Last Hero Standing with Last Planet Standing (Galactus is in this one!).

2007-2008: Amazing Spider-Girl would continue with a compliment of mini series: Avengers Next (giving the A-Next crew a second volume) and Fantastic Five (you guess it, another second volume) both featuring fun art by the criminally underrated Ron Lim working with Scott Koblish.

Avengers Next #1

2008-2009: More Amazing Spider-Girl and yet another mini series, this time focusing on a single character: American Dream. Amazing Spider-Girl ends with issue #30 only to escape cancellation again, instead seeing publication in Amazing Spider-Man Family. It's noteworthy that Spider-Girl becomes Marvel's first digital exclusive comic at this point too, as May's adventures (collectively dubbed 'Spectacular Spider-Girl' online) appear on Marvel's Digital Comics Unlimited service prior to being physically published in 'Family'.

American Dream: Beyond Courage TPB

2009-2010: Spider-Girl tales soon transferred to Web of Spider-Man, as well as continuing in the online service. By this point, I think a lot of fans became pretty apprehensive about the future of the character. Being published in your own title is one thing. Being a back up feature is a completely different thing.

2010-2011: Just when everything looked dire, Marvel announced a new ongoing series for everyone's favorite web-stunner: Spectacular Spider-Girl. There was much rejoicing. Then they changed their minds; now it was a 4-issue mini series. Then the unthinkable happened: Spider-Girl: The End was announced. Then within a month of this devastating news, a new Spider-Girl series was announced....only it wasn't our Spider-Girl. Araña. Sometimes Marvel doesn't think these things through....

All that's left to mention now is American Dream's featured role in the Captain America Corps mini series by the legendary Roger Stern and the very talented Philippe Briones. 

Hopefully one day the MC2 will see a renaissance and come back bigger and brighter than ever.

Until then, I'll keep the candle in the window

frogoat