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

A Post Before the Year Ends

I had intended this to be proper, thought-provoking and stirring blog about....something. It was probably going to be the recent Doctor Who Christmas Special: Time of the Doctor, or more specifically Handles- the best companion we didn't see enough of-am I right?! Right?

Let me just say, I've quite honestly had the image of a Cyberman's head attached to the TARDIS Console burned into my brain since I first discovered (and fell in love with) the Cybermen. It didn't help that back in 2010 this particular image was making the rounds on the web:

 

Oh, River Song, your so kind to give that poor unfortunate Cyber-Head a lift! It would seem to be a deleted scene....get it? DELETED?! No? Just me then. Anyway, the idea of a decapitated Cyber-Head (I'm calling them that now, okay?) isn't new. Check out this classic scene from The Five Doctors:

How come the Raston Warrior Robot hasn't made a return?! That thing is awesome!

Oh, and Matt Smith's era is now at an end, which is sad, I'd hoped he stick around just a bit longer. I enjoyed his and Clara's dynamic. But never mind that! Doesn't Peter Capaldi look set to rock your socks clean off?!

Until the Cybermen adopt Gloria Gaynor's 1978 hit song as there mantra, I remain

frogoat

 

Merry MC2 Christmas Everyone!

Have a Happy Holiday and a Great New Year!

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