Dragon King: Custodial Engineer

After listening to the Mayday Mondays podcast, I've decided to make another post, this time about the huggable and loveable Dragon King, one of Spider-Girl's rogues gallery.

 History 

 

Spider-Girl #4

 

Carlton T. Hackmutter was just a lowly janitor 'Custodial Engineer' who'd been working for decades at Midtown High School . A bitter and curmudgeonly old man who's only passion in life seemed to be collecting and maintaining his large assortment of dragon memorabilia, at least some of which Carlton kept in the basement beneath the school. At some point Hackmutter acquired a Dragon Medallion originating from Ancient China. Carlton was sold this particular Medallion by a deal who said it possessed mystical properties, though Carlton didn't believe such stories. Unhappy and frustrated with his job, Mr Hackmutter would have quit years earlier, if not for his expensive hobby.

While cleaning up some broken glass, Carlton cuts his hand and rushes to the basement to find himself a bandage, angry at the students, the teachers and his place in the world. When some of his blood spills onto the Dragon Medallion he is transformed into the huge Dragon King and decides to use his new found power to terrorize the students and faculty of Midtown High. His rampage does not last very long due to Spider-Girl threatening his dragon collection causing the Dragon King to lunge at her, hitting the electrical main and knocking himself out. He is taken away by the authorities.

Spider-Girl #25

Apparently escaping prison, the Dragon King is recruited into Funny Face's team: The Savage Six.While Face claims the group all want revenge, Hackmutter makes it clear he is only in it for the money. Battling Spider-Girl again, the Dragon King is swiftly defeated when Spider-Girl drops a five-ton boxcar on top of him.

Spider-Girl #80

The last time we see the Dragon King, we find him hiding out in the old basement beneath Midtown High School. Seeking his missing Dragon Medallion to return him to his human form again, Hackmutter has taken to breaking into antique stores in search of it, briefly battling Spider-Girl on one such occasion.

 Unbeknownst to Carlton, a student who had befriended him named Kevin Hartman had possession of the medallion. Having grown tired of being trapped in his monstrous Dragon King body, Hackmutter disliked being called by his villainous name and lamented the loss of his former life. When Mayday (in her civilian identity) and Davida stumble upon Dragon King in the basement, she revealed Kevin had the medallion and was manipulating him for his own purposes. Taking the medallion back, Carlton was transformed back into his original human form before he and Kevin were escorted away by police.

Thoughts

I really like the character of Dragon King. I genuinely think he has a place in Spider-Girl's rogues gallery. Dragon King is visually interesting and intimidating with the strength to back it up. Carlton as a person is also appealing to me. I mean, the guy is a cranky, bitter and nasty old man when we first meet him. I love his random and pointless rampage through Midtown High simply because the kids annoy him and the teachers aren't much better. He's angry and hates his position in life but by the time we see him in Spider-Girl #80 he's grown weary and disheartened at the thought of being stuck in the form of the mythological Dragon King. See, he's even got a character arc!

 Plus the grumpy Mr Hackmutter loves his dragon collection, something any comic fan can relate to on some level. Speaking of his dragon memorabilia, why is it still down in the basement months later when he returns to the school to hide? Unless his collection was split up and sold, or confiscated and what we are seeing in the basement is what he's been taking from his antique shop heists? And how does that four-ton bundle of fun fly?!

I've had this idea in my head for years that a mastermind-type villain would blackmail/coerce/manipulate or otherwise force Carlton T Hackmutter into his Dragon King form once more, giving us an opportunity to see more of Carlton's bitterness and resentment and perhaps even sympathize with him as he seeks his retribution. Then, maybe the mastermind takes on the mantel of the Dragon King, giving us a new character to work with. It's just an idea, but I'd love to see it someday.

One final note, for anyone who cares about the silly MC2 dating non-controversy; In Spider-Girl #4 you can see a poster on the wall amongst Carlton's collection that clearly reads 'Dragonfest 2006'. Spider-Girl #4 was published in late 1998 with a January 1999 cover date. Even back then, Pat Olliffe (or possibly Al Williamson) were making in-jokes. I love it.

I hope we see the Dragon King again someday

Until the Dragon King hides out in the circus, juggling small puppies and singing 'Kids in America' I remain,

frogoat


Another MC2 Villain Blog:

Spyral

Let's Play Catch Up

This is going to be real quick, real short and real fun for me to do, because I wont be sat here for hours sorting out the finer details. Why? Because I just want to cover some stuff I've mentioned before along with  recent things I've been doing and also stuff you've probably already heard about. Let's jump in head first, shall we?

Television

Spider-Girl will not be appearing in the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon. Wait! Wait! That's not entirely accurate. May 'Mayday' Parker, the Spectacular, Amazing and Stunning Spider-Girl, daughter of the one true Spider-Man will not be appearing in this animated series during the third season, which is being marketed as Web-Warriors. Okay, yes it's called 'Web-Warriors' and not Web of Warriors or whatever the heck it was that I misinterpreted from that tiny pixelated logo from that tiny pixelated image that was slipped onto twitter. I screwed up. Anyway, back on point though, yeah. Mayday is a no-go, folks. Instead, the Spider-Girl appearing in the show will be Petra Parker, a gender-swapped analog of Peter Parker. This is a case of Spider-Man with boobs. Who'd of thought? I'm tempted to reference the Ultimate Universe comics version of the Clone Saga in which one of the teen Peter Parker clones is a female copy of him.

 Yeah. I'm really disappointed in this missed opportunity to represent Spider-Girl in other media. Alas. On the plus side, if things all go horribly wrong, Mayday's good name isn't besmirched for years to come.On a more positive note, I would like to congratulate Donald Glover (from the awesome comedy series Community) for being cast as the voice of the Miles Morales incarnation of Spider-Man. It's wonderful to see a fan ascend to playing their heroes. Next time though, cast him in a live-action film. He'd kick all sorts of butt.

In other, unrelated news I've begun watching Star Trek. Yes, I've finally crossed the threshold  I unconsciously avoided for years. It began sometime last year when a good friend selected what he identified as 'the good movies' to watch with me. It has since escalated. I've reached the forth disc of season one of The Original Series. It's better than I ever thought. It reminds me of classic Doctor Who in some respects, but with more shirt ripping and swagger. I'm gonna enjoy watching the rest of the series and who knows, maybe all the others?

Oh, and hey! Doctor Who is back on television. I'm very happy.

Film

So, Guardians of the Galaxy was a great fun film. My faith in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is completely reaffirmed. Captain America: The Winter Soldier was a really wonderful film, Amazing Spider-Man 2 was...it's hard for me to give it a fair judgement. In some regards it was a great Spider-Man film with great characters and awesome quip-age, something I've really enjoyed about the reboot. On the flip side, it was a terribly paced film with multiple plot lines all slapped together to make a movie without a clear focus and a lot of narrative dead ends. Also, nobody cares about Richard and Mary Parker! I both like and dislike it. Garfield and Stone are brilliant (as is Sally Field) but I want a better plot. I love Spider-Man and I really want a great Spidey film. Better still, one with this cast because Andrew Gafield is a really watchable and entertaining Spider-Man.

Comics

I'm going to be cutting back on some titles in the coming months and years. Not because I'm not enjoying the stuff I'm reading (I've already dropped those titles) but because I'm going to attempt to transition further into trade-waiting and trade paperback purchases rather than picking up individual issues which should save some money. For me, this is going to be difficult change. Wish me luck.

Spider-Verse has begun, and so far, so good. Granted I've only read Superior Spider-Man #32 but I really enjoyed seeing SpOck (Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man's body, dontcha know?) being stranded in 2099 -if only for a short time- and voyaging across worlds. I love time travel and dimension hopping stories, so this opening 'Edge of Spider-Verse' tie-in was right up my alley. The one thing I'm really worried about is the willy-nilly death of so many alternate reality Spidey's. Are we going to see the wonton deaths of...oh, I dunno--fan-favorite characters like Spider-Girl or her family?! I'm hopeful but also very nervous. Dan Slott does enjoy teasing the imminent deaths of characters...he's so gleeful about! I'm concerned here, people.

It was announced that Tom Defalco will be returning to write his co-creation Spider-Girl in a 10-page story for the Spider-Verse Team-Up mini series. While his story hasn't been solicited yet, I do wonder if he's going to be teamed up with Ron Frenz or Pat Olliffe on art duties. I'd be kind of offended if either hadn't been approached, as they contributed so much towards developing Mayday throughout her various series. The mini series is only 3-issues so I expect the Spider-Girl story in either December or January. Which, looking at things from a publishing perspective, inclines me to think Mayday herself will be alive through the Spider-Verse event until at least December. Yes, I'm calculating in my head based on nothing more than solicitations, the survivability of my favorite character in all of comics.


Until  Marvel utterly guts me by killing a character who forever changed and influenced my entire life, I remain

frogoat

It Figures: Spider-Girl Action Figures

Hasbro has recently announced there 2015 Marvel Infinite Legends Spider-Man wave and it includes a certain web-stunner. Check it out:

 Yeah, I think I'll be ordering this particular figure. It looks pretty decent, well articulated and the coloring isn't bad either (I'd have preferred a brighter color pallet, personally) but the one major draw back for me is the webshooters. Those are not accurate. At all. But, nevertheless, I'm happy with the figure and look forward to putting down my hard-earned cash for this toy.

 Now is as good a time as any to take a look at the previous few Spider-Girl figures released over the years. Shall we jump in? Lets!

 

This one is from 1999,  a part of the Toy Biz Marvel Famous Covers series.Based on what I can gather from the box-art and online, this was initially made exclusively available through Previews magazine. You are looking at my own figure in the images above, which was one of the hardest to find items I've ever had the misfortune to seek on eBay. It's a nice package, but I wonder what the figure would be like out of the box....

These four figures pictured above were (again) made available exclusively through Previews as part of the Marvel Comics 2 1st Appearances set in 1999. Above we have: (from left to right) American Dream, Spider-Girl, Stinger and Wild Thing. The other three in the set were relatively easy (if not inexpensive) to track down, but Spider-Girl herself was a challenge to even find, let alone ship to Australia. It took the might and ingenuity of my loving and tolerant partner to find and organize the purchase and (by way of two separate countries postal services re-routing the item) shipping of the Spider-Girl figure you see before you. Thanks, honey! One comment about this line of toys; Those breasts are huge! My goodness me! The articulation isn't great, but salvageable with the leg joints being particularly irritating when trying to get the figures to stand and pose. Regardless, having a complete set entirely composed of some of the MC2's female heroes impresses me and I always enjoy seeing them sitting on my shelf.

That's it! There hasn't been a legitimate Spider-Girl action figure released since 1999, so this upcoming release by Hasbro has me enthused to say the least. If you are interested, take a look around the web and see some of the great MC2 custom figures people have made. Very cool stuff out there.

Until we get a new set of super poseable MC2 figures including J2, Darkdevil and the Ladyhawk twins with a Build-a-Figure Dragon King, I remain

frogoat  

 

The Missing Untold Tale of Spider-Man aka Spider-Girl Meets Spider-Man

Or 'Untold Tales of Spider-Man #26'

Someday the truth about Untold Tales of Spider-Man will be known to all. For you see, it didn't really end with issue 25. No, you see, the clever artist and the crafty writer Pat Olliffe and Tom Defalco carried on the Untold Tales tradition with Spider-Girl #10-11. Dig this, friends: Untold Tales of Spider-Man covers previously unseen adventures of Spider-Man during his early career, specifically placed between Amazing Spider-Man #6 and Amazing Spider-Man #24. It was primarily scripted, plotted and pencilled by Kurt Busiek and Pat Olliffe, with help from Roger Stern, Tom Defalco and Ron Frenz.Here's where it get's interesting. Spider-Girl #10 and #11 chronicle our gal Mayday being sent to the past, during (and just prior to) the events of Amazing Spider-Man #25. In the tradition of Untold Tales, I'm going to explain how these two tales fit together.

Spidey grabs his Spider-Signal

Peter agrees to help Liz study

Flash threatens Pete, May meets Peter

 Now, if you've read Amazing Spider-Man #24, you'll know that Spidey uses his Spider-Signal beam to distract Flash Thompson and in dialog clearly states he collected it. Remember that bit, readers. When Spider-Girl arrives in the past (thanks to time-traveling villain Spyral) she meets her dear ol' dad as a teen at Midtown High in a scene which seems to be lifted from Amazing Spider-Man #25, with Flash threatening Pete after hearing he's been seen with Liz Allan. It even features similar dialog from the original story! True enough, Peter had been asked to  Liz's house to help with studying in ASM #24, and he's shown leaving Liz's house at the very beginning of ASM #25.However Spider-Girl #10 is set a day before the events involving Jonah's Robot depicted in ASM #25, as Mayday clearly spends the night at Midtown High after encounter her father as both Peter and Spidey.  Hang on, where does Spider-Girl #10 fit into this mess then, smarty pants? 

Hold up, didn't you already pick that up? WHAA!?!

Liz asks Peter to help her study again.

 Here's what I propose: Peter has been helping Liz study for the past couple of weeks following the events of ASM #24, meaning the scene on page one of ASM #25 is a different study night. This helps with explaining where May's arrival fits into the sequence of events, but doesn't help with explaining that pesky Spider-Signal retrieval scene right after it. Or does it? Flash refers to the events of ASM #24 as taking place 'a few weeks ago.' It's odd for the Spider-Signal  to have been left on the roof 'yesterday' as Peter already collected it. So clearly Peter left his Spider-Signal on a rooftop at some  point after ASM #24. That fits nicely, don't you think?

...And Spider-Girl #10

Just for comparison, here's ASM #25...

In Spider-Girl #10 we see the events of Amazing Spider-Man #25 unfolding from both Peter's and Mayday's perspective, including a fun scene with Mayday meeting her namesake, Aunt May. While this is taking place, Peter is at the Bugle seeing a man named Smythe's 'Spider-Slayer' robot for the first time. Again, the dialog is almost directly lifted from the original, as are many of the panels. Mayday decides to head out as Spider-Girl only to be spotted by Smythe's Robot, leading to a brief clash in Spider-Girl #11. I imagine this scene takes place between the panels in ASM #25. We don't see the 'Spider-Slayer' Robot's entire journey to Midtown High, so the encounter with Spider-Girl at the end of SG #10 and the beginning of SG #11 fits nicely before the Robot locks onto Peter's trail.

While Spider-Man is taking on the 'Spider-Slayer' Robot, May finds herself in combat with the Human Torch and is forced to flee, before heading back to Aunt May's house. Of Course, at this very moment Liz Allan and Betty Brant have arrived seeking Peter, only to encounter Mary Jane. Yet again this encounter from Spider-Girl #11 can fit nicely between the panels of Amazing Spider-Man #25. My only comment about this scene would be that now that Mayday has arrived, Mary Jane Watson perhaps stays longer talking to Aunt May. I bring this suggestion up as Peter has on his costume later in SG #11.

Between panels 3 and 5 here SG v Robot

...before it heads to Midtown.

Betty and Liz meet Mary Jane...

...and then Mayday arrives. Oh my!

Having sacrificed his costume to fool Jonah, Peter luckily has an extra one back home. Unluckily for him, Aunt May finds the spare costume at the end of the issue, stating she was tidying Peter's room after Mary Jane had left. Let's try to work this one out, shall we? Peter could- in theory -have ducked home to grab his spare costume before encountering Spider-Girl again, then stowing it hastily behind the bookcase where Aunt May would very soon later discover it before 'officially' returning home as Peter. It's the best workaround I can see, anyway.

While Pete fools JJJ, MJ leaves...

...with Mayday...

...who spends 20 mins looking for her dad...

...Pete grabs his spare suit, sends May home...

...hides his suit then returns home as Peter.

As I mentioned, Spidey encounters Spider-Girl and the two do battle. Soon they are joined by the Human Torch and the fight continues until May finally tracks down the villainous Spyral. Spidey interrupts the Human Torch so that Spider-Girl can return home and is left confused by being called 'Dad.' Presumably Peter heads home after this, just as he does in Amazing Spider-Man #25. There you have it, the secret but not-official Untold Tales of Spider-Man #26. What do you think?

Until they reprint the Untold Tales of Spider-Man Omnibus with this missing gem, I remain

frogoat

Holiday Update

Obviously, I've been on holiday recently and haven't done much with the blog, or with anything for that matter. But hey, the good news is with leisure time comes reading time and for me that equates to loads of comics and trades. So, I figure I'll type about that this time around. Allons-y!

First things first, my monthly pile of shame. Yes, that cantankerous stare and those accusing glances coming from my shameful pile of unread comics each month has finally been dealt with. Amazing Spider-Man is coming along nicely since the relaunch, though it's noticeably slower paced than it used to be. Ms Marvel is consistently excellent, too. Uncanny Avengers kicks ass but I'm having trouble recalling everything that's relevant from the past 20-odd issues. Unfortunately, I've decided to drop both Wolverine and Fantastic Four. The titles aren't bad, they just aren't my flavor of comics and I've never been a huge fan of either, so when it's time to cut a title or two, these are first to go. I'm probably going to be cutting more severely in the not-too-distant future as well. That'll be harder. Moving along!

I'm delighted to announce, proclaim and gesticulate to all who'll let me that I finally completed both The Complete Ben Reilly Epic Book 4 and the Untold Tales of Spider-Man Omnibus. Both books have been on my other pile of shame-that being trades, collections and omnibuses- for quite some time. Both books were worth picking up purely for their merits, but seeing as the writing was so good, the stories so engaging, the art so gosh-darn beautiful and the pages so glossy, they were a must-read. On a side note, I've managed to turn a friend into a Ben Reilly fan practically overnight with The Complete Clone Saga Epic Book 1. Then straight away Book 2, followed in quick succession by Book 3. I'll have to tell Zach 'Spideydude' Joiner about this! Now that I've finished with all of that, I've just gotta get started on my Spider-Man by Roger Stern Omnibus.

Speaking of stuff I've yet to read, I've visited some of the local big city comic shops and snagged some great swag, which I keep in a comic short box, not a bag. Well, that was almost a complete rhyme. Anyway, so far I've picked up Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #127-129, Web of Spider-Man #52, #54 and #55 (but sadly not #53) and Amazing Spider-Man #574. As for collected works, I've acquired Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Ghosts of the Past and Marvel Masterworks: Amazing Spider-Man Vol 4 and Vol 5. The Fourth Masterworks volume is something of an accomplishment for me as I've not found it anywhere online for under $50 dollars and that was a used copy! Pretty happy with that one. I also grabbed the Spider-Men trade paperback on a whim.

All in all, I'm very satisfied with my holiday reading and frivolous purchases, in no small part thanks to my wonderful partner, for not only putting up with my hobby but for also encouraging it. She even picked up some comics of her own which was awesome to see. We must be picking up each others bad habits.

Until I stop loving the comics medium and convert to a newspaper enthusiast, I remain

frogoat






  

I Just Wanna Talk

I've not been giving much over to this blog lately. Life. That's my excuse, anyway. This post is gonna be a bunch of smaller topics that have been kicking around in my skull the past few days. Here goes nothing.

Thank you Emma Stone

I know! I know! Amazing Spider-Man 2 wasn't the best movie - or even the best Spider-Man movie - but you can't deny the sheer brilliance, wit and charm of Emma Stone's turn as Gwen Stacy. Gwen Stacy, the girl famous for dying. Really, that seems to be all she's known for, and looking back at her character in the original Lee/Ditko/Romita days, there isn't much to build a character from. In the early days as a character, she's very hell-hath-no-fury and soon after Romita shows up on pencils, Gwen becomes a bit of a crier and to be honest...an emotional wreck. Seriously love Bertone's work, by the way. He does great articles. Anyway, now we have a more well rounded character to refer to with Gwen Stacy. I know! I know! She's not the canon, Marvel 616, original 1960's character. I don't care. She's a better Gwen Stacy. For once, it's not just about how she died, though obviously there is that too. But now, we've got something more fleshed out and real. And that's fantastic! So thanks again, Emma Stone. Now I care about Gwen Stacy.

Guardians of the Galaxy

The second phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been somewhat strong. I wouldn't go as far as to say it's been as strong as I'd hoped, but after Captain America: The Winter Soldier, my confidence in the Studio to turn out quality, assured films his restored. But aside from all the sequels this time around, there's just one new property to test the cinema-goers tastes: Guardians of the Galaxy. This- to me- is the big one. If this film pulls it off and does not only well at the box office, but well in the critical arena then I will be a wholesale convert.This is an unknown property. I'm a big Marvel Comics fan and yet I know next to nothing about this iteration of the Guardians. Think about that. Marvel Studios is being pretty brave trying to make this film in the first place. Outside of a niche fan base, who has heard of these characters? Nobody. That's ballsy. Those trailers look amazing. I sincerely hope this film does exceptionally well and more unknown or risky properties get a chance to shine.

Well, I'd love to continue this post, but my darling partner is instructing me to get out more, so until I return, I remain

frogoat

Mayday Monday's

I just wanted to give a quick shout-out to the amazing people over at Spidey-Dude.com who just recently started a new podcast. It's off to a great start and I look forward to hearing more and more from everyone involved! Here's the show: Mayday Monday's

The community that's grown up around Spider-Girl has long impressed me. It's even more impressive to think that even without a current title, Mayday is still out there inspiring people to be creative and share there love of the character. Look around the internet: there's tumblrs and YouTube video's and now a podcast. It's wonderful and awe-inspiring to see. Thanks for keeping the flame alive everyone.

Until I find some tissues, I remain

frogoat

Why Spider-Verse and Web of Warriors is a Good Thing

Update: Clearly I was incorrect about the title of the show, it's been confirmed as 'Web-Warriors'. Apologies!

If you hadn't heard yet, May 'Mayday' Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Girl may just be crossing over into the medium of television soon. This, coupled with Spider-Girl's appearance in the upcoming Spider-Verse comic event can only be a good thing. Why?

Spider-Girl (and the rest of the MC2 line) may have been around since 1998, but the concept hasn't branched out beyond the comics themselves. A crossover with the Main Marvel Universe is a really good way to increase interest, and encourage discussion of the character. Think about it, Miguel O'Hara (aka Spider-Man 2099) has been making strides recently following appearances in Superior Spider-Man, and is now set to appear in a newly relaunched title of his very own. Exposure is important in the comic business if you want a concept to survive.

As for the Web of Warriors story in the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon? If it's what it seems to be, we are looking at a multimedia coverage of a very, very niche character and concept. That alone warrants enthusiasm. I realize it's early days still to be cheering from the rooftops but hey, Spider-Girl on tv. Let me say that again: SPIDER-GIRL ON TELEVISION! Am I utterly terrified they might butcher her character and completely ruin any chance of a reappearance for years to come? Of course I am, I'd be silly not to worry. But what if this goes out on television and a whole new generation of children fall in love with young May Parker? Isn't that worth the risk?

I say let's make with the Hoo-Ha!

Until I stop loving the little comic that could, I remain

frogoat

Quick Facts: MC2 Edition No. 4

This factoid will be the fast and furious fourth in the series of facts.

Did you know that the MC2 was the originator of both the Revengers (A-Next #12) and Savage Six (Spider-Girl #25) teams. A Revengers team led by Wonder Man would later be used in the regular Marvel Universe in  New Avengers Annual vol.2 #1. The Savage Six name would also be used in the MU by the Crime Master's team of villains starting with Venom vol. 2 #17.

The MC2 Revengers.

Until Tom Defalco gets the recognition he deserves, I remain

frogoat

Quick Facts: MC2 Edition No. 1
Quick Facts: MC2 Edition No. 2
Quick Facts: MC2 Edition No. 3

Spider-Verse

Spider-Verse: Every Single Spider-Person Ever! Never mind all the rest, Spider-Girl's back, people! That alone is making me super excited. If you want to know all about it, go read about it else where. I plan on gushing and streaming my thoughts into your head.

This speaks for itself, really.

It's written by Dan Slott. Oliver Coipel is on art. I've seen a few preview pages with Morlun attacking Spider-Man 1602. Spider-Girl will be in it. Peter Porker will be in it. Free Comic Book Day will give us a taster of the story. I don't know what else to tell you, just go read it for yourself, it's all over the comics news sites!

I'm conflicted that Tom Defalco hasn't been asked to participate. On the one hand I enjoy Dan Slott's writing and I have high hopes for this big event. On the other hand, Mr Defalco not being involved makes me sad. I know, I know; the comic's biz is like that, but still. *sigh*. Hey, hopefully this leads to another series, or at the very least further appearances and adventures with Mayday!

I fear I've used all my exclamation points. Oh well, my faith is restored. 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

Seeing Things

I don't know if you've seen it, but the recent computer animated Disney feature film Frozen was excellent. I loved the themes in the story, the character relations and the score is brilliant. But why am I talking about this movie, apart from the fact my life partner obtained the soundtrack and played it on a loop?

Elsa from Frozen

Bitter Frost from Amazing Spider-Girl

No reason. My brain is weird. Both have a tragic back story, both change after a dramatic event and both obviously have 'ice powers'. The difference is one is redeemed by love, the other is damaged by those who should have loved her. Just something to think about.


Until I start singing 'Do you want to build a Snowman' fluently at the top of my--never mind!

frogoat

Wouldn't it be Neat?

Have you ever been going about your everyday business only to have a random idea about your favorite piece of fiction come floating into the forefront of your mind? I know I have. Wouldn't it be neat if this or that happened? Maybe you've got a nifty explanation for a continuity snafu or a great hero/villain story or a new quest for your intrepid hero to venture forth upon? Here's a few I've had rattling around recently.

Wouldn't it be neat if Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos did a Spider-Girl story?

I'd love to see Ramos' take on this particular web-swinger, having enjoyed his recent stuff on Superior Spider-man and Amazing Spider-man before that. His style currently is, I believe, the best it's ever been. Slott's love of continuity and using obscure characters could really bring out something sensational.

Wouldn't it be neat if the Romita's drew the MC2?

I know, technically John Romita Jr has drawn MC2 characters before, but that was for one background image on a splash page in an Avengers story. I'm talking full-blown cover-to-cover work from the both, Senior and Junior. They draw some of the best Spidey stuff in my opinion and I'd love to see JRJR's J2 get some panel time.

Do ya seem 'em?

Wouldn't it be neat if La Fantome became a bigger threat?

Think about it: As the descendent of the Spider-Slayer creators and with her established schtick of being a Mysterio type spooky villain, Stacy Smythe could become a huge threat amongst Spider-Girl's rogues. Just sayin', it could be done.

Wouldn't it be neat if we found out what happened to the X-Men?

Of all the superhero teams in the MC2, the fate of the original mutant team is the biggest mystery. We know at some point they saved the world, gaining a little acceptance in the process, but most appearances of the X-People imply they are more withdrawn from society currently. So, what happened? Who's still alive? Why is Jubilee the leader of the next generation of mutants? I'd love a mini series for the X-People.

Wouldn't it be neat if Doc Magus was the son of Doctor Strange and Clea?

This ones pretty self explanatory. We don't know a great deal about him or how he became the current Sorcerer Supreme, or why Stephen Strange is no longer worthy of that title. Strange and Clea have a long history together. There's lots of story potential there, parental issues and all.

Quick Facts: MC2 Edition No. 3

The third in the series of fun MC2 facts.

Spider-Girl's third series, Spectacular Spider-Girl was first released on Marvel's Digital Comics Unlimited before being published in Amazing Spider-Man Family and Web of Spider-Man with the final parts of this series published under the name in the Spectacular Spider-Girl mini series and concluding in the Spider-Girl: The End one-shot.

Until Marvel's numbering system becomes less convoluted, I remain

frogoat

Quick Facts: MC2 Edition No. 1
Quick Facts: MC2 Edition No. 2

Quick Facts: MC2 Edition No. 2

Back for another quick-smart fact? Let's do it then!

Did you know the cat burglar known as Claw who seemingly only appeared in Spider-Girl #73 (2004) also makes a fairly obscure appearance in Amazing Spider-Man Magazine (2007) in the prose story 'The Dance'.

Until Claw realizes he's not all that and a bag of chips, I remain

frogoat

Quick Facts: MC2 Edition No. 1
Quick Facts: MC2 Edition No. 3

Quick Facts: MC2 Edition No.1

Recently, I thought 'Gosh, I've been rather sporadic with putting anything out lately. I should just make a few quick post every now and then to assure my millions of readers I've still got a pulse.' But what to do that doesn't require huge chunks of my time? Thus, Quick Facts was born.

 
Did you know Bluestreak's full name was unknown until the release of All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #1 in 2006. Bluestreak's real name is given as Blue Kelso.

Until Bluestreak slows down, I remain

frogoat

Quick Facts: MC2 Edition No. 2
Quick Facts: MC2 Edition No. 3

Those Magnificent Cybermen In Their Flying Machines

I've been thinking a great deal recently about my all-time favorite Doctor Who 'monster,' the Cybermen. Specifically how gosh darn creepy it is to have a shuffling, creeping or stomping metal person smelling of antiseptic and rotting flesh decrying the benefits of simply not having emotions and not feeling pain, and even worse wanting you to be exactly like them! Cybermen are simply underwhelming in most of their stories because this basic concept often gets forgotten. Yeah, so I've been thinking about those creepy, emotionless, blank faces enough to conjure them into my nightmares.

Now that I've gotten my love of them out of the way (for now) I'd like to talk about the various continuity errors in--....no, wait. That's probably terribly boring. Let's talk about Space Ships, kids! Cyber-Ships (sometimes 'Cyberships', there's no real consistency) are the Space-faring vessels those lovely silver chaps, the Cybermen use to wizz about from place to place. Like the Dalek's various saucers and shuttles and battle-cruisers and what-not from the Classic Series, the Cybermen's ships never had a set design or aesthetic.

To be fair, the series ran for 26 years and 700-odd episodes, spanning seven Doctor's and many, many design teams. But, hey! The Cybermen never seemed to stop 'upgrading' their design, so why should their ships be any different. I've scoured the internet for pictures of the various Cyber-Ships. Shall we take a look?

The Tenth Planet Cyber-Ship

 The first appearance of the Cybermen gives us this nifty little rinky-dink Cyber-Ship. I really like this design. I'd like to think they all magnetize together in a stack, too, so you probably should ignore me.

 

The Moonbase Cyber-Ship

Oh, this one screams 50's science fiction movie 'flying saucer.' It's far to similar in design to the Daleks oft-used saucers, so....that would be awkward in a space-battle.

The Wheel in Space Cyber-Ship

This one's from the slow-paced and dull 'The Wheel in Space'. My thoughts?...NEXT!

The Invasion Cyber-Ship

These are all from 'The Invasion'. This basic design shows up again in the new series, but we'll get to that. It's a fun design with the center of the ship holding that light thingy and the two lager circular sections. It's a purposeful design, functional and appropriate looking.

Revenge of the Cybermen Cyber-Ship

The Cybermen disappear from the series for a long stretch and when they reappear, it's...different. This ship looks functional and basic, but I don't really think it's distinct enough. Also, it kinda looks like a--NEXT!

Silver Nemesis Cyber-Warships

Cyber-Shuttle

Silver Nemesis was not a great example of Cybermen superiority, but hey! The space ships look good! The shuttle is a nice idea that we never see again, too. Let's move on to the new series.

The Next Doctor CyberKing

This is not a Cyber-Ship. Capisce? Moving on.

The Pandorica Opens Cyber-Ship

Hey, doesn't that look like the ship from The Invasion? Yeah, it does! Oh, that's so cool! Wonder if it shows up again....

Don't make him repeat the question.

A Good Man Goes To War Cyber-Ship

Holy crap, is Rory a badass! *cough* I mean.. yeah, that's another appearance from the Invasion ships.

Closing Time crashed Cyber-Ship

This one is difficult to identify on account of it being lodged rather deeply into the Earth. I'd wager a guess it's at least modeled on the previous two. Any one else know for sure? Here's some concept art I dug up, if that helps:

Time of the Doctor Cyber-Ship. Can you see it?

Okay, I'm calling it: The Invasion style Cyber-Ship has become standard in the new series, at least for now. This is similar to the way the Dalek Saucers from the 60's are synonymous today, becoming simply the Dalek ships. The Invasion style spaceships are now the Cyber-Ships.

I love the looseness of the Doctor Who continuity, it's more fun when you can make up your own theories or explanations for the various differences between stories.

Until the Cybermen realize farm-raising humans to convert is an easier solution than attempting to force upgrades on an unwilling population, I remain 

frogoat