#Fantastic Four 102

[eliah]

#fantastic four #102 #crystal #the thing #marvel comics

[brevoorthistoryofcomics]

BHOC: MARVEL'S GREATEST COMICS #82

This next issue of MARVEL’S GREATEST COMICS, #82, presented a bit of a problem for me. MGC reprinted earlier issues of FANTASTIC FOUR from the past, and consequently was very much a must buy title for me at the time. But by the point when this issue hit the stands, I already owned a copy of the issue it reprinted, FANTASTIC FOUR #102. So I wouldn’t be getting a whole lot of entertainment for my…

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#Fantastic Four #Jack Kirby #Joe Sinnott #Marvel #Marvel&039;s Greatest Comics #Stan Lee

[canmom]

Animation Night 165: New Gods

嘿朋友动画的晚上正在上映电影！

One day I'll make a new friend who speaks Chinese and I can ask to come up with a different intro for donghua-related posts ;p

Long time Animation Night viewers might remember Animation Night 102 a little over a year ago, in which we watched a film called 新神榜：哪吒重生 (New Gods: Nezha Reborn) - not to be confused with other recent Nezha-related films like Ne Zha.

And it was pretty sick. Essentially you've got a CGI film set in a kind of FF7-like dieselpunk world in which various mythological figures now run crime syndicates or ride cool motorbikes. The film followed someone who turns out to be the reincarnation of Nezha - where Nezha's old enemy, the East Sea Dragon King, is also reincarnated as a kind of mafia kingpin who doesn't know to leave well enough alone, and picks a fight, hoping to stop the new Nezha fully incarnating.

As CG films go, there's not a lot to compare it to - except perhaps Lupin III: The First, which also has the kind of smooth, slightly stylised figures and fancy effects. It was a bunch of fun, lots of twists and turns, guys who look like Sun Wukong but aren't (...maybe?), betrayals, and of course plenty of slickly choreographed fantastical martial arts.

Well, sure enough, Nezha was the first in a series! The second film in the series, New Gods: Yang Jian came out last year...

This one focuses on another character from the Investiture of the Gods, Erlang Shen (二郎神), who's got a bunch of other names, notably Yang Jian (楊戩), which is the name he takes in Investiture of the Gods. I definitely needed to read up on this guy, so here's a primer: Erlang Shen's a god, nephew to the Jade Emperor, and a rather righteous one, associated with traits like purity, decency, and slaying monsters. Physically, his major trait is the truth-seeing third eye in the middle of his forehead; he also likes to carry a three-pointed spear, and his signature technique is '72 eartly transformations', i.e. turning into pretty much anything.

In Investiture, he shows up as a discple of the immortal Yuding Zhenren (玉鼎真人) during Chapter 40, in which Jiang Ziya battles the four 'Diablo Brothers' Mo Lihong, Mo Liqing, Mo Lihai and Mo Lishou, essentially a bunch of evil wizards who are causing havoc. Now, bear with me here. Mo Lishou has a powerful flying mink (or maybe an elephant). Yang Jian deliberately lets himself get eaten, and then when Lishou sends the mink out to attack, he transforms inside its stomach, popping it from the inside as it's about to fight Jiang Ziya.

Then, Yang Jian transforms himself into the mink, and uses this disguise to get close to the brothers and steal a magic umbrella from Mo Lihong, giving Jiang Ziya the chance to win the battle. Pure TTRPG player strategems here honestly. Love it.

He also shows up in Journey to the West, in which he's sent to try and deal with the Sun Wukong problem. They have a classic transformation battle, which Yang Jian eventually wins by seeing through Sun Wukong's clever disguise as a temple, and teaming up with Laozi (yeah¸ the Tao Te Ching guy) to capture him.

All in all, Yang Jian is not a god to be trifled with.

However, the main story about Erlang Shen/Yang Jian is none of these, but a folktale called The Magic Lotus Lantern, in which he plays the role of antagonist.

The Magic Lotus Lantern tells of the goddess Huayue Sanniang, who falls in love with a mortal scholar called Lui Yanchang. Her older brother Erlang Shen, here a god, does not approve, to the point that he's willing to fight her about it. However, Huayue Sanniang wins the fight using her magic lotus lantern, and marries Liu Yanchang. Together they have a child called Chen Xiang. With me so far?

Unfortunately, Erlang Shen isn't about to take this whole thing lying down. After seven years, he tracks them down by the light of that same lantern, and briefly abducts Chen Xiang, before stealing the lantern and sealing Sanniang under a mountain (Mount Hua).

Nine years later, Chen Xiang - now 16 - learns what happened to his mum. He goes on a journey running into a number of mythological figures, including Sun Wukong, who teaches him martial arts. Indeed, Sun Wukong is like you know what kid you're pretty strong, I'll make you a big old axe to get your mum out of that mountain. At the end of it all, Chen Xiang goes and battles his uncle, and loses... but at the last minute he gets a special lotus lantern powerup, which gives him the chance to win the battle and free his mum from the mountain.

Incidentally, if you will permit a tangent (that is at least animation relevant lmao) - this story was adapted to animation in 1999 as 宝莲灯 (Lotus Lantern), and in fact that's quite a notable film in itself. To briefly tell the story again, from the 50s onwards, the vast majority of animation in China happened under the roof of Shanghai Animation Film Studio. However, during the Cultural Revolution, most of the major animators at SAFS such as Te Wei were cast as reactionaries sent to the countryside to do hard labour, practicing drawing only in secret. Chinese animation entered a period where the only permitted form was propaganda films in a narrowly defined realist style.

Following the end of the Cultural Revolution, many of these animators returned to the studio, making celebrated films like 哪吒闹海 Nezha Conquers the Dragon King (1979) as well as all sorts of short films celebrating an end to their ordeal and railing against artistic censorship. However, the studio's output - and Chinese animation in general - declined in the ensuing decades, with Chinese studios mostly doing outsourcing work and younger audiences turning to anime and western animation. So far so familiar.

In 1992, the studio started to reorganise itself along Western lines, collaborating with a company called Prrfect Animation from San Francisco. [This information comes from an article in Animation World Network, which is incredibly light on details. I can't find any other mention of Prrfect Animation outside of its connection with SAFS.] The studio would soon become part of the new Shanghai Film Group Corporation.

And in the middle of that period comes this movie - a kind of turning point for donghua. You can a restoration on Youtube, albeit unsubbed. Visually it's definitely got traces of the Cultural Revolution-era style, narratively it hews fairly close to the Mouse's formula complete with songs; indeed, allegedly this movie beat them at their own game in 1999.

Anyway, we're not watching this movie tonight - vibeswise it would be a weird combo, and it's going to take a little work to find suitable subs and mux them in, but put a pin in this, we might just come back to it.

So what about this film? In this world, Yang Jian is now living a quiet life as a bounty hunter. Here's the official English-language plot summary, which is very brief:

Twelve years after imprisoning his sister underneath a mountain, Erlang Shen, a god known for his all-seeing third eye, now works as a bounty hunter. A woman hires him and his crew to prevent his nephew, Chenxiang, from obtaining a magical lotus lantern that holds great power.

Beyond that? I can tell you that at some point he wears a fedora. Look, it's in that gif right there. Yeah, I'm flying a little blind on this one ^^'

As things turned out, I didn't end up seeing this at Annecy, since it clashed with Rintarō's new short film... but fortunately, it is now available in the usual places. So the plan tonight is pretty simple: we will be watching both New Gods films, first a reprise of Nezha and then the new Yang Jian.

Also! We're actually on time! I'm gonna go live a lot earlier than we've managed lately, namely 8pm UK time, which is about 3 hours from this post (if you're in the States, that will be midday Pacific time, 3pm Eastern time). The place is, as ever, twitch.tv/canmom. Hope to see you there~

#animation night #new gods #donghua #Youtube

[mrcompass]

Flame Byxis and Flash Sagittario.

It was about time I started talking about Flame Byxis. These two beys have more in common than just the 230WD combo, since Duo Uranus also used this combo. Interestingly, Kenta was present when Flame Byxis first appeared and later got a similar bey. In terms of parts, they have the same bottom but also have arrows in their design. Byxis, is mimicking the needles of a compass that give direction. Sagittario is an archer and so shouts arrow. Their face-bolts don't display a fantastic beast, featuring arrows/needles alongside large eyes instead. Furthermore, the Flash Fusion Wheel is the evolution of the Flame Fusion Wheel. Note that in the anime Byxis is the fourth bey to possess the Flame Fusion Wheel, but it is the first whose advantages are explained by a character from the series.

"In addition Byxis's fusion wheel also has four weights placed in it that produce a strong centrifugal force giving it a limitless supply of strength and stamina." (Dr Ziggurat in episode 87)

The two beys appeared at the end of the season and were the second bey of their respective owners (Zeo and Kenta). They were also used to defeat the leader of the evil organization that Gingka and his friends were fighting. Ziggurat was defeated by Zeo's Byxis and fell down the stairs, while Kenta defeated Pluto who then stumbled down the stairs in shock at his defeat. Pluto and Ziggurat can both be associated with the devil (as the leaders of Hades Inc./cult, the way they manipulate people…). Byxis and Flash Sagittario are both very tall, in a way that links them to heaven. So it makes sense that they would cast away devils.

Spiral Capricorn fell with Ziggurat into the ground confirming his total defeat. However, Fusion Hades has been sent to the ceiling (figuratively heaven, where he doesn't belong), which in turn will allow a fragment of its Fusion Wheel to free Nemesis.

Bonus.

Ziggurat in episode 87: "When facing a short attack type that loses stamina quickly like l-drago byxis is an absolutely invincible Bey."

Ziggurat in episode 102: Proceeds to attack Zeo with his short attack type bey.

#metal fight beyblade #mfb #beyblade #zeo abyss #kenta yumiya #dr ziggurat #pluto beyblade

[lurkinglurkerwholurks]

I posted 484 times in 2022

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Blogs I reblogged the most:

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I tagged 465 of my posts in 2022

Only 4% of my posts had no tags

#bruce wayne - 102 posts

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Longest Tag: 130 characters

#but yet again the nonnies forget that being anon means you are naught but a car passing by on the freeway yelling faceless demands

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

I staunchly do not read canon, my one exception being Wayne Family Adventures, but I do need to give two book recommendations.

First,

Anatomy of a Metahuman is a dossier written by Bruce Wayne with the intent of exploring, documenting, and understanding the anatomy and abilities of metahumans, both allies and foes. It’s fantastic, because it makes a genuine stab and trying to explain, say, how Superman can fly and what that might mean about his physiology.

The voice of Bruce is fantastic, because in the writing he is clearly wary of how clearly dangerous even his friends are, but his view doesn’t stop with paranoid humbuggery. Bruce as written has such deep respect for his metahuman friends. “Their abilities make no sense with the known laws of physics but here are four possible ways to explain, and regardless of the answer they could slaughter us all if they wanted, but also wow, my good friend is such a genuinely compassionate and responsible person, humanity is lucky to have them.”

Whereas the villain chapters are more like “Here are ten different ways this person is scary beyond all reason and can cause untold death and if we’re very very very prepared we might get lucky enough to fight to a draw but also all of these potential methods are nonlethal I repeat we are not killing the universe-destroying demigod.” (And in the Bane chapter, Bruce bounces between “He’s way too smart and strong and terrifying but also let me detail for you the ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS THIS PERSON HAS HAD TO LIVE THROUGH IT IS AN INJUSTICE.”)

Really, 10/10 experience.

And second,

See the full post

543 notes - Posted May 15, 2022

#4

brucedad being bruce for your fics? just the ultimate dad fic. any genre just. the father.

Literally all of them. :D If Bruce is present, unless he is an actual, physical child, he is Dad. Just, the daddliest dad. He can't help it.

If you'd like some specific examples of daddliness, um um um...

Bruce adopts his kids!

Bruce literally gets so stressed that one of his kids is hurt that he passes out a little

This Man Is Tired

Itty bitty baby dad Bruce finds out child-rearing is terrifying

Accidental Child Acquisition

Bruce overlooks Literal Murder Attempts while on a quest for hugs

He uses Full Names like a pro

Honest to goodness every sickfic I've ever written, just *gestures emotionally*

He even dads his coworkers!

Someone give this man a baby stat

the DADDLIEST of dads, I had to leave so so so many off this list, literally just read it all

660 notes - Posted April 24, 2022

#3

oh nygma nygma what have they done to you

796 notes - Posted January 9, 2022

#2

I am going to shake Matt Reeves like a vending machine until Robin falls out

1,470 notes - Posted April 26, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I will give so much money to the first Hollywood Batman director who has the guts to give me:

- onscreen Robin

- a Harvey Dent who shows up at least one full movie before Two-Face

- a secretly soft and tender Bruce who hopes so much it hurts to watch

- Alfred with a shotgun

- not so much as a single Joker mention

1,778 notes - Posted March 6, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

[f1]

Fernando Alonso adamant he can win a race in 2023 season as he targets key Grands Prix

Fernando Alonso believes he can win a race this season following Aston Martin’s impressive displays in 2023. The Spaniard, who currently sits third in the drivers’ championship standings, has also pinpointed some key Grands Prix where that victory could happen – with the upcoming race in Monaco one of those singled out. It has been just over 10 years since two-time world champion Alonso last won a Grand Prix – the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix while racing for Ferrari – but thanks to Aston Martin’s form this season another race win has become a real possibility. Alonso’s first year with the team has brought him four third-place finishes from five races and that has helped Aston Martin to second in the constructors’ championship on 102 points – 122 points behind leaders Red Bull. READ MORE: Stroll reveals what it's been like to work with two-time champ Alonso so far The 41-year-old has been one of the stories of the season so far and many are predicting a race win at some point. Alonso is also backing himself strongly to bring Aston Martin a Grand Prix victory in 2023 and has pinpointed the races where that could be most likely, with his eyes locked onto the potential at Monaco. When asked by Sky Sports F1 presenter Martin Brundle if he could win a race or two in 2023, Alonso replied: “I think so, yes.” He continued: “Hopefully soon. I don't know. We seem to have a car that is maybe not the fastest on the straights. We need to improve that, but we are very good on the corners. "So, I would say that the slowest speeds of the championship, let's say Monaco, Budapest, Singapore. These kind of circuits, I think we put our main hopes at the moment." With Aston Martin’s impressive rise, following their seventh-placed finish in the constructors’ championship last year, Alonso will be feeling good about his decision to join the team from Alpine. WATCH: Go behind the scenes at the F1 titles studio shoot with Verstappen, Bottas and the rest of the grid But, for a man who has seen and done it all in Formula 1, he still concedes there were doubts over whether he had made the right call. “Of course,” the Spaniard admitted when asked by Brundle about those doubts surrounding the move. “I think, back in August, every team is optimistic for the following year. Alpine thought the car would be good and I spoke with Lawrence [Stroll] when Seb [Vettel] retired. He said we had a fantastic team and the car will be very different to what Sebastian and Lance [Stroll] are driving right now. I said, ‘Okay, everyone is thinking the same, but let’s see.’ “It’s a coin in the air – you never know the result and you don’t have a crystal ball. But I am happy with the outcome for sure.” via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

#F1 #Fernando Alonso adamant he can win a race in 2023 season as he targets key Grands Prix #Formula 1

[violetfaust]

I posted 3,601 times in 2022

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#5

For my own sanity

I'm trying to put together a list of the various versions of Goncharov (1973) screened throughout the last fifty years.

The four-and-a-half-hour film festival cut that even Scorsese felt was a rough draft

The US theatrical release in 1973

The 1973 European theatrical release with its extra half hour of footage

The 1973 Latin American dub with its extra half hour of different footage

The so-called Secret Reels that producer Domenico Procacci the Elder (not to be confused with the unrelated Italian filmmaker Domenic Procacci the Younger, who has only been active since the late 80s) used to screen at his fantastic, legendary drug-fueled parties in the 70s--these seem to be (at least one of) the source(s) of the deleted Goronchov/Andrey sex scene

The 1980 director's cut

The 1980s Soviet bootleg (which became so popular that it led to the 1993 re-envisioning)

Matteo's own controversial "Writer's Cut" (particularly complicated because apparently he never stopped editing and re-editing to fully achieve his personal vision--every time he screened the movie after 1975, privately or publicly, it had at least some minor differences and often incredibly large ones, with entire character arcs added or lost). At least one of these, my own personal favorite with the deleted second epilogue, was copied and got into general circulation on college campuses and whatnot

Also probably based on one of Matteo's cuts, the "Underground" cuts that were the basis of the Queer improv parties dating back at least to 1982

The first VHS release

The rare Betamax release with the extra Patchka scene

The post-Soviet edit 1993 "modernization" re-envisioning Gonchorov/Katya's backstory that was most Millennials' introduction to the movie

The butchered 90s broadcast TV airings (both of which cut vital plot points--such as Ice Pick Joe's lobotomy backstory--and were likely the reason an entire generation lost interest in the film)

The 1998 25th-anniversary director's cut (the one that The New Yorker famously panned with "It seems that Scorsese has forgotten his own movie")

The 40th-anniversary DVD release with six hours of additional footage

The recent gorgeously digitized Blu-ray release that included the nine-hour supercut and "Making Of" documentary (and probably inspired the Gonchorov renaissance)

The eagerly awaited upcoming 50th-anniversary Criterion edition that's rumored to incorporate the "Lost Reels" that Matteo, Scorsese, Al Pacino, and second assistant editor Mariana Lyudmila Manuali had kept private, as well as the distinct four hours of Patchka footage that the cinematographer filmed whenever he got bored.

And, of course, the crowdsourced Internet project to recover the "definitive" Gonchorov, incorporating most of the known footage as well as new home-filmed snippets from the private collections of minor players like Lynda Carter (in her first screen role as Dancer #2) and Henry Winkler (the busboy)--currently running twelve hours

Am I missing anything?

(Note: This list intentionally excludes the probably apocryphal student project that reframed the entire film from Valery's point of view--even if it actually exists and uses original footage, it can only be considered an homage to the full film and not an actual variant.)

292 notes - Posted November 24, 2022

#4

Well, this may be controversial but

I don't care if Chris Rock knew that Jada Pinkett Smith was struggling with alopecia. I don't care if he didn't know his joke was ableist.

Maybe we shouldn't be making fun of how people look even if they don't have a medical reason? Maybe it's bad if you're in a seventh-grade cafeteria, or in a comedy club with a hundred people, or kind of especially in the middle of a huge glamorous production airing live to millions (or even hundreds of millions) of people.

Maybe it's not funny ever to single someone out and try to humiliate them for how they look.

Maybe you deserve a slap for that.

433 notes - Posted March 28, 2022

#3

In the last two weeks alone, Trump's Supreme Court has:

Overturned Roe v. Wade.

Severely limited Miranda protections by ruling that citizens can't sue the cops who don't read them their Constitutional rights.

Expanded gun rights less than two months after schoolchildren were slaughtered and weeks after a racist shooting in a community supermarket, by striking down sensible New York gun control laws.

And now eviscerated the power of the EPA to do its job and try to protect against climate change by ruling it can't regulate emissions from power plants.

These "justices" are not only legislating from the bench and making decisions that are stripping human rights and WILL CAUSE DEATHS in opposition to decades of precedent (50 years for Roe, 60 for Miranda, 110 for the NY gun laws):

Many of them are unfit to serve.

Clarence Thomas's wife is an insurrectionist and election denier who is refusing to cooperate with the January 6 committee. Thomas has also not recused himself from decisions regarding the January 6 committee. He is married to a literal traitor to this country and has blatant conflict of interest. He MUST resign or be impeached and removed.

Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the bench was rammed through the Senate despite credible accusations that he is a rapist (as well as possibly guilty of financial misconduct or crimes). Investigators refused to consider evidence. This investigation must be reopened, and if more evidence is presented (as I suspect it will be), he should be impeached, removed, and prosecuted.

Neil Gorsuch perjured himself in his Senate confirmation hearings about Roe. He said he recognized and respected it as the law of the land, yet last week he cosigned Alito's reactionary brief that claimed not only that Roe was not law, but that it never had been. Thus Gorsuch should be impeached, removed, and if possible prosecuted for lying under oath.

While I don't know of evidence that Amy Coney Barrett is legally unfit to serve (despite being a far-right-wing reactionary), her appointment was illegitimate under the Republicans' own arbitrary rules: they refused to even consider Obama's candidate for the Court after Scalia's death because it was "in an election year" although that was MARCH, then forced through Barrett's a WEEK before the election (and less than a month after RBG's death). Senate Republicans need to acknowledge that either her appointment or Gorsuch's was illegitimate (and McConnell should be censured for it).

455 notes - Posted June 30, 2022

#2

It’s the day after an election, it’s still not clear who won, and Misha Collins is trending at number 1 on Tumblr.

What year is it again?

917 notes - Posted November 9, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

16,005 notes - Posted November 6, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #i've been trying to up my percentage of original posts with a bunch of shitposts #since i've found from checking previous years that i have been slacking #by a lot #my very first semi-viral post and we have no confirmation on it yet #please forgive the most used tag #nothing to see here #op

[duskkodesh]

Dusk Reviews 3: Teaming Up

Welcome back, today it’s time for Morb’s third appearance: Marvel Team up# 3 featuring the Human Torch. After the movies it’s hard to remember that the Fantastic Four were once A-listers *Snickers*. 

Good cover though! This issue had no bloody digital credits page in my scan so I had to delve into the Marvel wiki. Our Penciler this time is Ross Andru, writing by Gerry Conway. The Cover art is credited as  Art by: Gil Kane, Vince Colletta and John Costanza. Maybe one guy per character? That certainly looks like a Gil Kane Morb there, and our friend Roy Thomas is now Editor in chief! The issue opens on an argument between two brothers Jacob and Jefferson, the latter of which has fallen in with ‘the bad crowd’ and the former is attending college. They fight and scuffle, Jacob wisely says F this I’m out and leaves but Jefferson spies something in the river. A cold white hand *DRAMATIC MUSIC* Look this kid ain’t all bad I mean he dives right in to save a stranger.

And for that... he gets attacked. I mean Morb is damn hungry. I would be too after that long a swim

So on we go to Spidey who’s having some trouble with the spider powers. He thinks it might be a flu but after a bad fall we cut to the Fantastic Four complex? Compound? Summer home? God I don’t follow these characters. ANYWAYS The Thing is checking some shows out  while Johnny Blaze leaves to avoid becoming a huge rocky couch potato. Suddenly there’s a visitor at the door, a distrait woman. Thing calls in the squad to hear her story. The lady is Martine! Sad because her fiance’ has dipped on her and no one knows where he is.

Also he’s... you know, eating people. She says he’d been writing to a professor in Queens so Blaze hears and thinks he’ll head off the group by checking out that lead.  See, Blaze already knows about Morb because Spidey blabbed about the whole affair to him. Superhero gossips.  Unbeknownst to Blaze Morb is nearby and has a new companion. Seems the young man survived his bite... kinda.

God that dialogue. Ummm, trying not to make a joke about how the two of them have kept from being ‘lonely’ cooped up in an apartment together *COUGH*. So, back to Peter who thinks maybe his Prof will know something about what’s happening to him. We have three losers converging on the same guy who just wants to teach class, good lord. Leave him alone he has papers to grade. So BLAZE AND SPIDER-MAN JUST FLY IN IN THE MIDDLE OF CLASS. Like no TACT. This poor freaking Prof. So they all have some tea and chat while Morb makes it to campus but has his normal munchies. Time to snack on a homeless guy because in the 70′s that was most of his food groups. The heroes hear the man scream. Oops. Spidey finds Morb and just... for a guy who should be relieved that Morb is alive and NOT DROWNED SPIDEY ABSOLUTELY BEATS THE PISS OUT OF HIM. 

This is when we learn Spidey is definitely afraid of vampires. So Morb hits the heroes with a trash can since there’s no access to any folding chairs. There’s a pretty weak fight here with some hilarious poses and Jacob Bolt hears the noise and thinks Spidey is the aggressor. I mean... kid is right. Jefferson and some others are also there and start turning everyone against the heroes. They beat the shit out of TWO SUPERHEROES. Repeat, a bunch of college guys absolutely trash two heroes! 

Morb needs another snack, gets Jacob but his Jefferson Bolt is like ‘How about no’ and Morb clocks him out. The kids start to realize they did bad, Spidey gets up and Morb, being Morb, decides now is a good time to run. They examine Jefferson who is dead... from a single punch. Okay?

I’m not buying it... but also THEY WERE HOLED UP TOGETHER IN AN APARTMENT FOR A MONTH!? A MONTH!!! Blaze spouts some... crap instead of being like “Sorry for your loss” and we get a to be continued ending. 8/10 for some decent art, lots of characters, action. We get Martine again which is cool, but it’s just not quite up to ASM 101-102 quality. Still a good read!

#Morbius #Michael Morbius #Morbius The Living Vampire #Johnny Blaze #The Human Torch #Marvel Comics #Spider-Man #One punch kills a vampire #Morb must be a damn good boxer #Dusk reviews

[paperanddice]

Clad in fantastical armor and wielding weapons that perform magic without the restrictions of magic, these creatures are born from dreams of an uncertain future, fears of what new things may develop without the clear boundaries of magic and good sense. These knights claim to come from different futures, each one's appearance slightly distinct from each other, but their abilities are so similar that it is unlikely they are true time travellers, and are all merely instead different manifestations of the same shared dream. These warriors will have different specific goals, always with the reasoning that if they succeed some horrible future will be prevented. This may be destroying a specific person or object, protecting a person or place, or ensuring an event occurs "as it was supposed to." These goals are sometimes impossible, leading to a knight causing immense destruction as it tries to force events that cannot happen and destroys anyone who seeks to convince it otherwise.

The equipment used by these knights are nonfunctional, just lumps of metal with no mechanical or magical features that would give them the abilities they use, but some artificers believe the fundamental ideas behind them may be possible and are trying to replicate the results. Others believe that these items are inherently dangerous, great power offered without the training and experience necessary to understand how to use it and weapons such as these should never be allowed to exist. Their armor boosts their strength significantly and augments their senses, the helmet lighting up invisible creatures and looking right through illusions as though they didn't exist. It can also layer an energy shield over the knight, blunting the effect of most types of energy and physical attacks, and the rod it caries can be charged with lightning to shock and stun opponents in melee, or fire beams of energy from the tip. Lightning seems to interact with the equipment, causing bursts of sparks and potentially shorting it right out.

The knight is a somewhat complicated monster to run, requiring keeping track of power charges and their benefits (and the penalties when they run out). In most battles you should be able to assume that the knight has enough charges to boost its defenses and attacks every round without trouble, but longer fights may see it run out of energy and become far weaker and more vulnerable.

Outside of the hypothetical dream setting I'm proposing for the Dreamblade monsters, the knight could be a genuine time traveller, or a visitor from another world where magic was never developed and advanced technology filled its role. Unless you really want to break open the game by giving players a suit of power armor (stats reverse engineered from the effects the knight loses when the power runs out), the equipment should have a failsafe to destroy itself when its wearer dies. Not explosive, but a meltdown that renders the items completely unusable.

Originally from the Dreamblade Base Set. This post came out a week ago on my Patreon. If you want to get access to all my monster conversions early, as well as access to my premade adventures and other material I'm working on, consider backing me there!

5th Edition

Knight of Tomorrow Medium aberration, unaligned Armor Class 20 (power armor) Hit Points 102 (12d8 + 48) Speed 30 ft. Str 23 (+6) Dex 12 (+1) Con 18 (+4) Int 16 (+3) Wis 12 (+1) Cha 10 (+0) Saving Throws Str +9, Dex +4, Con +7, Int +6 Skills Athletics +12, History +6, Perception +7 Damage Immunities poison Condition Immunities poisoned Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 17 Languages any four, plus an unknown language from a potential future Challenge 8 (3900 XP) Power Armor. At the start of each of the knight's turns, it can expend 1 charge from its Power Source to gain resistance to acid, bludgeoning, cold, fire, piercing, slashing, and thunder damage until the start of its next turn. If the knight's Power Source runs out of charges, the armor powers down and it loses these benefits. Additionally, when the knights' Power Source runs out of charges, the knight's stats change in the following ways: its AC becomes 18 (power armor), its Strength becomes 16 (+3), its attack bonus with its Shock Baton becomes +6 and the damage becomes 7 (1d8+3), its Strength saving throw becomes +6, its Athletics bonus becomes +6, its Perception bonus becomes +4, it loses its immunity to poison damage and the poisoned condition, it loses its truesight, and its passive Perception becomes 13. Power Baton. As a bonus action, the knight can spend one charge from its Power Source to activate its Shock Baton. While activated, the baton deals an extra 14 (4d6) lightning damage on a hit, and if the target is a creature the target must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be stunned for one round. The knight must expend one charge from its Power Source at the start of each of its turns while the baton is activated. The baton remains activated until the knight's Power Source runs out of charges, or the knight deactivates it as a bonus action. Power Source. The knight has a battery powering its equipment with 10 charges. The knight must spend these charges to use its equipment. These charges are regained after the knight finishes a short or long rest. Whenever the knight takes lightning damage, it must make an Intelligence saving throw with a DC equal to 10 or half the damage taken, which ever is higher. On a failure, the knight loses 2 (1d4) charges from its battery. Actions Multiattack. The knight makes two Shock Baton attacks. Shock Baton. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (1d8+6) bludgeoning damage. Energy Beam. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 31 (8d6+3) radiant damage. The knight must expend 1 charge from its Power Source to use this attack.

13th Age

Knight of Tomorrow  Double-strength 5th level troop [aberration]  Initiative: +8 Vulnerability: Lightning Baton Strike +9 vs. AC (2 attacks) - 10 damage, plus 10 lightning damage if the baton is activated Natural 14+: The target is also dazed (save ends) if the baton is activated. Natural 18+: The target is instead stunned (save ends) if the baton is activated. R: Energy Beam +10 vs. PD (one nearby or far away enemy) - 40 fire damage Limited Use: The knight must expend 1 Power Charge to use this attack. Power Charges: The knight starts the battle with 10 Power Charges. As long as it has at least 1 Power Charge, it gains a +5 bonus to saves, a +2 bonus to AC and PD and to attacks with baton strike, and it is immune to invisibility and ignores illusions. The knight can expend 1 action at the start of its turn to gain resist damage 12+ against acid, cold, fire, thunder, and weapon damage until the start of its next turn. As a quick action, it can expend 1 charge to activate its baton until the knight runs out of Power Charges or until it deactivates the baton as a quick action. While the baton is activated, the knight must expend a Power Charge at the start of each of its turns. Whenever the knight takes lightning damage, it must make a save; on a failure, it loses Power Charges equal to half the escalation die (round up). The knight has a -5 penalty on saves if the damage came from a critical hit. AC 20 PD 17 MD 17 HP 124

#D&D #dnd #dungeons and dragons #5th edition #13th age #homebrew #my homebrew #monster #aberration #dnd cr 8 #13th age level 5 #long post #dreamblade

[marvelman901]

Wizard (Bentley Wittman) . Founder of the Frightful Four and long-time foe of the Fantastic Four... . What's your opinion on the Wizard? . 1st - 4th slide is from the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe v3 5 (1991) by Keith Pollard and Josef Rubinstein. 5th slide is from Fantastic Four vol 1 81 (1968) by Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott. 6th slide is from Strange Tales vol 1 102 (1962) by Jack Kirby, Dick Ayers, Stan Goldberg and Artie Simek. 7th slide is from Fantastic Four Unlimited vol 1 5 (1994) by Herb Trimpe. . What do you think about the way I write about the slides? I'm trying something new to see if people can read it easier. Comment! . #wizard #fantasticfour #90s #60s #frightfulfour #supervillain #jackkirby #dickayers #humantorch #strangetales #herbtrimpe #joesinnott https://www.instagram.com/p/Cguyx2qsCjI/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#wizard #fantasticfour #90s #60s #frightfulfour #supervillain #jackkirby #dickayers #humantorch #strangetales #herbtrimpe #joesinnott

[lyndaday]

Title Issue No. Comments Continuity Placement Notes

Captain America 164

Marvel Premiere 15

Marvel Premiere 16

Marvel Premiere 17

Marvel Premiere 18

Marvel Premiere 19

The Incredible Hulk 180

The Incredible Hulk 181

The Incredible Hulk 182

Marvel Premiere 20

Marvel Premiere 21

Marvel Premiere 22

Giant Size X-Men 1

X-Men 94

X-Men 95

Captain America 189

Captain America 190

Marvel Premiere 23

Marvel Premiere 24

Marvel Premiere 25

Iron Fist 1

Iron Fist 2

Iron Fist 3

Iron Fist 4

Iron Fist 5

Iron Fist 6

Iron Fist 7

The Amazing Spider-Man 161

The Amazing Spider-Man 162

Iron Fist 8

Iron Fist 9

Iron Fist 10

X-Men 96

X-Men 97

X-Men 98

X-Men 99

X-Men 100

X-Men 101

X-Men 102

X-Men 103

Iron Fist 11

Iron Fist 12

X-Men 104

X-Men 105

X-Men 106

X-Men 107

X-Men 108

X-Men 109

Iron Fist 13

Iron Fist 14

Marvel Team-Up Annual 1 w/ the X-Men

Iron Fist 15

Marvel Team-Up 63 w/ Iron Fist

Marvel Team-Up 64 w/ the Daughters of the Dragon

Marvel Team-Up 65 w/ Captain Britain

Marvel Team-Up 66 w/ Captain Britain

Power Man 47

Power Man 48

Power Man 49

X-Men 110

Power Man and Iron Fist 50

Power Man and Iron Fist 51

Power Man and Iron Fist 52

Power Man and Iron Fist 53

Ms. Marvel 15

Ms. Marvel 16

Marvel Team-Up 69 w/ Havok

Marvel Team-Up 70 w/ Thor

X-Men 111

X-Men 112

X-Men 113

X-Men 114

X-Men 115

X-Men 116

X-Men 117

Ms. Marvel 17

Ms. Marvel 18

Power Man and Iron Fist 54

Power Man and Iron Fist 55

X-Men 118

X-Men 119

X-Men 120

X-Men 121

Incredible Hulk Annual 7

Power Man and Iron Fist 56

Power Man and Iron Fist 57

X-Men 122

X-Men 123

X-Men 124

Marvel Team-Up 89 w/ Nightcrawler

X-Men Annual 3

X-Men 125

X-Men 126

X-Men 127

X-Men 128

Power Man and Iron Fist 58

Power Man and Iron Fist 59

Power Man and Iron Fist 60

Power Man and Iron Fist 61

Power Man and Iron Fist 62

X-Men 129

X-Men 130

X-Men 131

X-Men 132

X-Men 133

X-Men 134

X-Men 135

X-Men 136

X-Men 137

X-Men 138

X-Men Annual 4

Marvel Two-in-One 68 w/ Angel

Marvel Team-Up 100 w/ the Fantastic Four

Power Man and Iron Fist 63

Power Man and Iron Fist 64

X-Men 139

X-Men 140

Power Man and Iron Fist 65

Power Man and Iron Fist 66

X-Men 141

X-Men 142

Power Man and Iron Fist 67

Power Man and Iron Fist 68

X-Men 143

X-Men 144

X-Men 145

X-Men 146

X-Men 147

Spider-Woman 37

Spider-Woman 38

X-Men 148

Avengers Annual 10

X-Men 149

X-Men 150

X-Men Annual 5

Power Man and Iron Fist 70

Power Man and Iron Fist 71

Power Man and Iron Fist 72

Power Man and Iron Fist 74

Power Man and Iron Fist 75

Power Man and Iron Fist 76

X-Men 151

X-Men 152

X-Men 153

X-Men 154

X-Men 155

X-Men 156

X-Men 157

X-Men 158

Power Man and Iron Fist 78

X-Men 159

X-Men 160

Power Man and Iron Fist 79

X-Men 161

X-Men 162

X-Men 163

X-Men 164

X-Men 165

Marvel Graphic Novel: The New Mutants

Dazzler 22

Dazzler 23

Dazzler 24

New Mutants 1

New Mutants 2

X-Men 166

New Mutants 3

X-Men 167

Vision and the Scarlet Witch 4

X-Men Annual 6

Dazzler 25

X-Men 168

New Mutants 4

Dazzler 26

Dazzler 27

Dazzler 28

X-Men 169

X-Men 170

X-Men 171

Wolverine 1

Wolverine 2

Wolverine 3

Wolverine 4

Defenders 122

Defenders 123

Defenders 124

Defenders 125

New Mutants 5

New Mutants 6

New Mutants 7

New Mutants 8

New Mutants 9

New Mutants 10

New Mutants 11

New Mutants 12

X-Men 172

X-Men 173

X-Men 174

X-Men 175

Defenders 126

X-Men Annual 7

Defenders 127

Defenders 128

Defenders 129

Defenders 130

X-Men 176

Marvel Team-Up Annual 6 w/ Cloak & Dagger and the New Mutants

X-Men 177

X-Men 178

X-Men 179

New Mutants 13

Magik 1

Magik 2

Magik 3

Magik 4

New Mutants 14

X-Men 180

New Mutants 15

New Mutants 16

X-Men 181

X-Men 182

New Mutants 17

X-Men 183

New Mutants 18

New Mutants 19

New Mutants 20

X-Men 184

Defenders 131

Defenders 132

Defenders 133

New Mutants 21

Defenders 134

Defenders 135

Defenders 136

Defenders 137

Defenders 138

Defenders 139

Kitty Pryde and Wolverine 1

Kitty Pryde and Wolverine 2

X-Men 185

X-Men 186

X-Men 187

X-Men 188

Kitty Pryde and Wolverine 3

Kitty Pryde and Wolverine 4

Kitty Pryde and Wolverine 5

Kitty Pryde and Wolverine 6

New Mutants Annual 1

New Mutants 22

X-Men 189

X-Men 190

X-Men 191

New Mutants 23

New Mutants 24

New Mutants 25

Beauty and the Beast 1

Beauty and the Beast 2

Beauty and the Beast 3

Beauty and the Beast 4

Iceman 1

Iceman 2

Iceman 3

Iceman 4

Defenders 140

Defenders 141

Defenders 142

X-Men 192

X-Men Annual 8 (takes place before Xavier is attacked at the end of #192)

X-Men/Alpha Flight 1 (takes place before Xavier is attacked at the end of #192)

X-Men/Alpha Flight 2 (takes place before Xavier is attacked at the end of #192)

X-Men 193

X-Men 194

New Mutants 26

New Mutants 27

New Mutants 28

Nightcrawler 1

Nightcrawler 2

Nightcrawler 3

Nightcrawler 4

New Mutants 29

Power Pack 11

Power Pack 12

X-Men 195

Secret Wars II 1

New Mutants 30

New Mutants 31

X-Men 196

Longshot 1

X-Men 197

X-Men 198

New Mutants 32

New Mutants 33

New Mutants 34

X-Men 199

New Mutants Special Edition 1

X-Men Annual 9

X-Men 200

New Mutants 35

X-Men 201

Defenders 143

Defenders 144

Defenders 145

Defenders 146

Defenders 147

Defenders 148

Defenders 149

Defenders 150

Avengers 263

Fantastic Four 286

Defenders 151

Defenders 152

X-Factor 1

Longshot 2

Longshot 3

Longshot 4

Longshot 5

Longshot 6

New Mutants 36

X-Men 202

Power Pack 20

New Mutants 37

X-Men 203

X-Men 204

X-Men 205

New Mutants 38

New Mutants 39

New Mutants 40

New Mutants 41

X-Factor 2

X-Factor 3

X-Men 206

X-Factor 4

New Mutants 42

New Mutants 43

X-Factor Annual 1

New Mutants 44

New Mutants Annual 2

X-Factor 5

X-Factor 6

X-Factor 7

X-Men 207

X-Men 208

X-Men 209

X-Factor 8

X-Men 210

X-Factor 9

X-Men Annual 10

New Mutants 45

X-Men 211

X-Factor 10

New Mutants 46

Thor 373

Power Pack 27

Thor 374

X-Men 212

X-Factor 11

Daredevil 238

X-Men 213

New Mutants 47

New Mutants 48

New Mutants 49

New Mutants 50

X-Men 214

X-Factor 12

X-Men 215

X-Men 216

X-Men 217

X-Men 218

New Mutants 51

Mephisto vs. Fantastic Four

Mephisto vs. X-Factor

Mephisto vs. X-Men

X-Factor 13

X-Factor 14

X-Factor 15

Thor 377

Thor 378

X-Factor 16

New Mutants Annual 3

New Mutants 52

Fallen Angels 1

Fallen Angels 2

Thor 379

Fallen Angels 3

X-Factor 17

Thor 380

Mephisto vs. Avengers

Fallen Angels 4

X-Factor 18

X-Factor Annual 2 (takes place after pg. 6 of #18, before the jump to “the next morning” on pg. 7)

X-Factor 19

X-Factor 20

Fallen Angels 5

Fallen Angels 6

Fallen Angels 7

Fallen Angels 8

X-Men 219

Fantastic Four vs. X-Men 1

Fantastic Four vs. X-Men 2

Fantastic Four vs. X-Men 3

Fantastic Four vs. X-Men 4

X-Men Annual 11

New Mutants 53

New Mutants 54

X-Men 220

X-Men 221

X-Men 222

X-Men 223

New Mutants 55

New Mutants 56

New Mutants 57

X-Men 224

X-Factor 21

X-Factor 22

X-Factor 23

X-Factor 24

X-Factor 25

Power Pack 35

New Mutants 58

X-Men 225

X-Men 226

X-Men 227

New Mutants 59

New Mutants 60

New Mutants 61

X-Factor 26

X-Factor 27

X-Men 228

Excalibur: The Sword is Drawn 1

New Mutants 62

New Mutants 64

New Mutants 65

New Mutants 66

X-Men 229

X-Men 230

X-Factor 28

X-Factor 29

X-Men 231

Marvel Comics Presents 1 *(Wolverine story only)

Marvel Comics Presents 2

Marvel Comics Presents 3

Marvel Comics Presents 4

Marvel Comics Presents 5

Marvel Comics Presents 6

Marvel Comics Presents 7

Marvel Comics Presents 8

Marvel Comics Presents 9

Marvel Comics Presents 10

Wolverine 1

Wolverine 2

Wolverine 3

X-Factor Annual 3

X-Men 232

X-Men 233

X-Men 234

Power Pack 39

Power Pack 40

New Mutants Annual 4

Excalibur 1

Excalibur 2

X-Men Annual 12

Excalibur 3

X-Factor 30

X-Factor 31

X-Factor 32

X-Factor 33

X-Terminators 1

X-Factor 34

X-Terminators 2

X-Men 235

X-Men 236

X-Men 237

X-Men 238

New Mutants 67

New Mutants 68

New Mutants 69

New Mutants 70

X-Men 239

X-Factor 35

Excalibur 4

Excalibur 5

X-Terminators 3

New Mutants 71

X-Factor 36

X-Men 240

X-Men 241

X-Terminators 4

New Mutants 72

New Mutants 73

Excalibur 6

Excalibur 7

X-Factor 37

X-Men 242

X-Factor 38

X-Men 243

X-Factor 39

New Mutants 74

Excalibur 8

New Mutants 75

[brevoorthistoryofcomics]

BHOC: FANTASTIC FOUR #102

BHOC: FANTASTIC FOUR #102

I’ve spoken before about how the very first comic shop I ever encountered, the Heroes World outlet in Levittown, New York, was situated in the same shopping complex where my father worked for Chase Manhattan Bank. What this meant practically is that I could occasionally prevail upon him to stop by the store on his way home from work and pick me up a comic or two. I would give him these ling,…

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#Carmine Infantino #Conan #DC #Fantastic Four #Jack Kirby #Joe Sinnott #John Romita #Marvel #Stan Lee

[americanthrift7]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Marvel Metal Fleer Trading Cards 102, 79,49,54,83, 129,29, 76, Eight Cards EC.

[theharpermovieblog]

🎥THE COMPLETE 2023 MOVIE LIST🎥

(Without the Halloween and Christmas lists)

#HARPERSMOVIECOLLECTION

FILMS OF 2023

1. Banshees of Inisherin (2023)

2. The Visitor (1979)

3 The Hunt for Red October (1990)

4. The Four Seasons (1981)

5. The Burbs (1989)

6. The Blob (1958)

7. The Blob (1988)

8. Raging Bull (1980)

9. River's Edge (1986)

10. A Shot In The Dark (1964)

11. Violent Night (2022)

12. Pearl (2022)

13. It Happened One Night (1934)

14. Secretary (2002)

15. Dracula (1992)

16. Hard Target (1993)

17. Skinamarink (2022)

18. Head Of The Family (1996)

19. Rubber's Lover (1996)

20. Dr. No (1962)

21. Goldeneye (1995)

22. On The Silver Globe (1988)

23. Top Knot Detective (2016)

24. Fantastic Voyage (1966)

25. Crimes Of The Future (2022)

26. Get Carter (1971)

27. Dog Soldiers (2022)

28. Demon City Shinjuku (1988)

29. Death Line AKA: Raw Meat (1972)

30. Indian Jones and the Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull (2008)

31. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

32. Invaders From Mars (1953)

33. The Velvet Vampire (1971)

34. Cobra (1986)

35. Assault On Precinct 13 (1976)

36. Batman Returns (1992)

37. My Dinner With Andre (1981)

38. Beyond The Darkness (1979)

39. VIY (1967)

40. Communion (1989)

41. The Cable Guy (1996)

42. In The Mouth Of Madness (1994)

43. From Beyond (1986)

44. Wings Of Desire (1987)

45. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension (1984)

46. The Living Dead At Manchester Morgue (1974)

47. The Man Who Would Be King (1975)

48. Casablanca (1942)

49. Swamp Thing (1982)

50. The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent (2022)

51. Cronos (1993)

52. Spiral (2021)

53. Boss Level (2020)

54. Kids In The Hall: Brain Candy (1996)

55. The Menu (2022)

56. Altered States (1980)

57. The Terror (1963)

58. The Sword And The Sorcerer (1982)

59. The Verdict (1982)

60. Nothing But Trouble (1991)

61. John Wick Chapter 4 (2023)

62. Maniac Cop (1988)

63. Maniac Cop 2 (1990)

64. The Thing From Another World (1951)

65. AntiChrist (2009)

66. Dungeons And Dragons Honor Among Thieves (2023)

67. Revenge Of The Ninja (1983)

68. The Raven (1963)

69. Lost Highway (1997)

70. The Devil's Rain (1975)

71. Critters (1986)

72. Jackie Brown (1997)

73. The Night Of The Werewolf (1981)

74. The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)

75. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

76. Cocaine Bear (2023)

77. After Hours (1985)

78. Batman Forever (1995)

79. The Big Lebowski (1998)

80. Things (1989)

81. Onibaba (1964)

82. Commando (1985)

83. Jacob's Ladder (1990)

84. Saint Maud (2019)

85. Fright Night (1985)

86. Fright Night Part 2 (1988)

87. Joe Versus The Volcano (1990)

88. Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)

89. The Hobbit (1977)

90. The Lair Of The White Worm (1988)

91. Tango And Cash (1989)

92. Desperado (1995)

93. Puss And Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

94. The People Under The Stairs (1991)

95. Tales From The Crypt: Demon Knight (1995)

96. Robin Redbreast (1970)

97. The Missouri Breaks (1976)

98. Pumpkinhead (1988)

99. God Told Me To (1976)

100. The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari (1920)

101. The Hateful Eight (2015)

102. Nowhere (1997)

103. Tommy (1975)

104. Last Shift (2014)

105. Multiple Maniacs (1970)

106. Bronson (2008)

107. Child Of God (2013)

108. Subspecies (1991)

109. Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm (1993)

110. The Hound Of The Baskervilles (1959)

111. Blood Simple (1984)

112. Bloodstone: Subspecies 2 (1993)

113. Beneath The Planet of the Apes (1970)

114. The Fly 2 (1989)

115. Berberian Sound Studio (2012)

116. Antiviral (2012)

117. Evil Dead Rise (2023)

118. Sundown: The Vampire In Retreat (1989)

119. Terrifier 2 (2022)

120. Shivers (1975)

121. The McPherson Tape (1989)

122. Moonage Daydream (2022)

123. The Saddest Music In The World (2003)

124. Masters Of Horror: Cigarette Burns (2005)

125. Lurking Fear (1994)

126. The Passion Of The Christ (2004)

127. Rambo: Last Blood (2019)

128. Fantastic Planet (1973)

129. Old Henry (2021)

130. Halloween Ends (2022)

131. The Shakiest Gun In The West (1968)

132. M3GAN (2022)

133. Smile (2022)

134. DUNE (2021)

135. High Noon (1952)

136. Hot Fuzz (2007)

137. Infinity Pool (2023)

138. Tales From The Gimli Hospital (1988)

139. Bullit (1968)

140. Jesus Shows You The Way To The Highway (2019)

141. Subspecies V: Blood Rise (2023)

142. Dario Argento's Dracula (2012)

143. Barbie (2023)

144. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)

145. The Dead Zone (1983)

146. The Neon Demon (2016)

147. Krull (1983)

148. Stephen King's Graveyard Shift (1990)

149. Elliot (2017)

150. Dogville (2002)

151. Eastern Promises (2007)

152. Sorcerer (1977)

153. Dagon (2001)

154. Zatoichi (1989)

155. Equinox (1970)

156. Clash Of The Titans (1981)

157. Calvaire/The Ordeal (2004)

158. Waxwork 2: Lost In Time (1992)

159. Matinee (1993)

160. Blood For Dracula (1974)

161. Murder By Decree (1979)

162. Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)

163. A Night To Remember (1958)

164. The Night Stalker (1972)

165. The Night Strangler (1973)

166. Don't Torture A Duckling (1972)

167. Fargo (1996)

168. Bloodsport (1988)

169. Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves (1991)

170. The Terminator (1984)

171. 4D Man (1959)

172. Magic (1978)

173. Trilogy Of Terror (1975)

174. Paprika (2006)

175. The Changeling (1980)

176. The Devil's Chair (2007)

177. The Omega Man (1971)

178. A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)

179. The Time Machine (1960)

180. Three Thousand Years Of Longing (2022)

181. Red Riding: 1974 (2009)

182. Red Riding: 1980 (2009)

183. Red Riding: 1983 (2009)

184. The Devil's (1971)

185. Once Upon A Time In The West (1968)

186. Lonesome Dove (1989)

187. The Never Ending Story (1984)

188. The Seventh Curse (1986)

189. Dreamland (2019)

190. Money Plane (2020)

191. Dune (1984)

192. Halloween 2 (1981)

193. Fool's Paradise (2023)

194. The Straight Story (1999)

195. A Serious Man (2009)

196. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

197. Misery (1990)

198. Forbidden Planet (1956)

199. Time Bandits (1981)

200. Escape From New York (1981)

201. Escape From L.A. (1996)

202. HEAD (1968)

203. Leptirica (1973)

204. Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny (2023)

205. The War Of The Worlds (1953)

206. Godzilla: Minus One (2023)

207. Horror Express (1972)

208. TÁR (2022)

209. Runaway (1984)

210. Shock Treatment (1981)

211. Apocalypse Now: Redux (1979)-(2001)

212. Barry Lyndon (1975)

#HarpersMovieCollection2023 #HarpersMovieCollection #HarpersFilmAddiction

[toto0000000]

Worst unlucky pitcher nine innings no hits no runs

Worst unlucky pitcher nine innings no hits no runs

He was not a winning pitcher despite a fantastic nine-inning no-hitter. In the next appearance, he pitched one run completely, but became a losing pitcher.

Yanagi YooA (29), a pitcher for the Chunichi Dragons in the Japanese professional baseball league, is suffering from all-time bad luck.

Yanagi pitched as a starting pitcher in an away game against Yakult at Meiji Jingu Stadium in Tokyo on the 20th and pitched well with five hits, eight strikeouts and one run in eight innings. Except for one home run, it was almost a perfect pitch.

However, Chunichi failed to score a single point, losing 0-1 and losing completely. Yakult starter Sisnid won the shutout with four hits, five strikeouts and no runs in nine innings.

Yanagi struck out two in the first inning and finished with three outs. In the second inning, he threw a high-fast ball in the first strike to lead or Santana and allowed a solo home run slightly over the right fence. It was the only run on the day.

Yanagi finished the inning with a ground ball to second base with one out and a runner on first base in the third inning, and handled it with a fly ball to right field and a ground ball to third base in the fourth inning with one out. The fifth and sixth innings are consecutive triples. He got one hit in the seventh inning but blocked it without losing a point. Yanagi, who threw 102 pitches until the seventh inning, also took the mound in the eighth inning and finished the inning with consecutive strikeouts.

Chunichi made a tie for first and third bases with a leadoff hit in the top of the ninth inning and a right-handed hit after one out. However, the third baseman failed to attempt a tag-up due to Vissied's short fly ball out to right field. No. 4 hitter Hosokawa Seiya lost 0-1 with a fly ball out to center field

The Japanese media said, "There was no support for scoring even one point in 34 consecutive innings in Yanagi's five games in the second half," adding, "There are voices on SNS such as '9 innings of no-hitter, but it's a harsh story' and '(the batters) help Yanagi."

Yanagi started the game against Hiroshima Toyo Carp on the 13th and gave up only two walks and one walk in nine innings, striking out five and pitching no hits.

Yanagi threw 121 pitches and recorded a "nine-inning no-hitter," but Chunichi's batters also failed to draw a single point from three Hiroshima pitchers until the ninth inning. Yanagi stepped down without winning or losing by handing the ball over to the bullpen in the 10th inning of extra time.

Yanagi has a 2.78 ERA with 12 quality starts in 19 games this season, but only 3 wins and 9 losses. He has no luck in winning because he has not received exceptional support from the batters. He pitched well with one run in eight innings after a no-hitter in nine innings, but experienced a complete loss. He is ninth in ERA, second in most losses

[daydreamerdrew]

Comics read this past week:

Marvel Comics:

The Incredible Hulk (1968) #254-255 and Annual #9 and Marvel Team-Up (1972) #102

Within the main The Incredible Hulk book I went from September 1980 to October 1980. Both issues were written by Bill Mantlo and penciled and inked by Sal Buscema.

The Incredible Hulk #254 begins with a dramatic scene where the Hulk, alone in the desert, asks the stars in the night sky if they know what’s wrong with him, why he can’t have friends, and why he must always be alone. He determines that the reason the stars don’t answer him is because they are too far away to hear, so he tries to jump up to them. The narration says, “There are those who question the extent of the Hulk’s mental processes. Indeed, it is unclear just how far his understanding goes.” The narration goes on to explain, as the Hulk tries and falls and tries again to reach the stars, how the gamma bomb accident changed the Hulk, which ends with, “In short, he gained the power to do almost everything- except reach the distant stars!” Ultimately, the Hulk is just barely not able to break the Earth’s gravitational pull and floats for a bit, loses consciousness due to the lack of oxygen, and falls back to the Earth, burning like a comet. The narration also noted that while the Hulk’s feat would be impressive to anyone else, for the Hulk, “The stars are what is important- and he has failed to reach them!”

The issue ended up having the Hulk fight the U-Foes, a group who purposely recreated the Fantastic Four’s famous accident but without any shielding on their space ship at all so that they would be exposed to even more cosmic rays and therefore become even more powerful. In the end they all find that their powers have evolved beyond the point that they could control them, and so that their powers are killing them. Their leader, Vector, is suffocating as his deflecting power deflects even the air that he needs to breathe when he suddenly shoots up into the sky, having been deflected from the Earth. I’m assuming that he continued to suffocate up there and ultimately died, but the Hulk ends the issue saying, “Hulk did not even have to smash rocket-people! They smashed themselves! But their leader has done what Hulk could not do- He has reached… The stars!” I liked that the Hulk was so single-mindedly focused on reaching the stars that he missed that that man died up there.

The Incredible Hulk #255 was an issue premised around the Hulk fighting Thor. The beginning of the issue created an association between the Hulk and homeless people with a scene where the Hulk sneaked away from a group of police officers that were fighting to keep him out of New York, where he'd been trying to go because he was looking for a place to rest, and found a rare refuge with a homeless man. The Hulk is startled at first that the man wasn't afraid of him, but the man's demeanor is so calm and nonchalant about the Hulk that the Hulk quickly accumulates to him. He breaks down the door to a locked light house because "man wants to sleep inside and Hulk wants to sleep inside," and during the night the peacefully sleeping Hulk turns back into Bruce right next to the man.

Donald Blake was introduced into the issue through him working as a doctor at a freightyard treating the homeless men who turn up there while they're riding trains, who often "suffer dreadfully from malnutrition, exposure." He explains his decision as that, "When I took my Hippocratic Oath of Medicine I swore to help mankind in general and in specific. I consider it my duty to treat these men whether they can pay me or not." I liked how the story pushed so heavily the idea that homeless men deserve proper medical treatment and a comfortable place to stay after associating the Hulk with them. While it's sometimes framed that that Bruce is the human half of the Hulk, he's the one that's really sympathetic, I felt that that parallel brought in the suggestion that the Hulk also deserves care, particularly with how the perception of the Hulk as a monster was challenged by Thor realizing at the end that he had had too narrow of a view of the Hulk. Though it is a bit awkward has this is belief that homeless people deserve care is somewhat taken for granted, presented on its own without much acknowledgement that it is unique, misrepresenting the real situation.

There were a few things during Thor and Hulk's fight that stood out to me. When Thor first approaches the Hulk, he asks him what the reason for his rage is, and the Hulk responds, "Longhair is like all the rest! He wants to know why Hulk does what he does! But Hulk does not need to have reasons… Because Hulk has power!" The Hulk is typically misunderstood, but that people are always trying to figure him out isn't true. Most have their assumptions and stick with them. So it's interesting to me that the Hulk would have such an aversion to someone asking him to explain himself. The previous arc of his book had had the Hulk's therapist, Samson, who has tried to understand the Hulk, repeatedly mishandle situations with the Hulk because of his own unquestioned assumptions about him. It may be that that experience has made the Hulk give up on being understood, and question the intentions of people who try. Thor tells the Hulk that he had only previously tried to capture him, "For thine own good, Hulk- and for mankind's!" The Hulk's response is, "Bah! Hulk is the only one who knows what is good for Hulk!" Similarly, I think it makes sense that the Hulk wouldn't trust anyone else either to know what's best for him or to actually act on that, as that preceding arc of this book emphasized the Hulk feeling unappreciated by his friends, the people he cares about and wants to care about him, who would be the only people he might trust for that.

And Thor tells the Hulk that, regarding the inconclusive endings of their previous fights meaning that it hasn't been proven which is stronger, "I deemed the question of strength unimportant." The Hulk immediatly says," It is important to Hulk! Longhair has always hated Hulk! But Hulk has always hated Longhair, too! And what Hulk hates- Hulk smashes!" It is important to the Hulk both that he is the strongest and that he is known as the strongest. Oftentimes, when he is yelling at people about how strong he is, it is in the context of him telling that they should have known better than to attack him and should have just left him alone. Both how strong he is and his reputation serve to discourage people from hurting him, which is what he wants, but it can also make people feel that they have no choice but to fight him, which is a frequent problem in his life. But the Hulk can only recognize the former and doesn't consider trying to make himself seem weak as a defensive measure.

The Annual was published in June 1980 and was written by Doug Moench. Most of the issue was penciled by Steve Ditko with Al Milgrom penciling two pages, and most of the issue was inked by Al Milgrom with Walter Simonson assisting with a few panels.

The story was based around the Hulk running amok in New York City where he’s largely only causing serious damage when this group of rich guys messes with him for fun. At the beginning a reporter explains that the “attention and the stressful aspects of the city itself- the noise, glaring lights, and congestion- could combine to keep the Hulk in a perpetual state of hyper-tension.” The Hulk is stressed out, but that point the police are just monitoring the situation and keeping people away from him, so the Hulk only smashes the barricades meant to keep people away from to yell at them to get away from him and then jumps away. He’s still in the city, but he calms down a bit with this brief respite from the attention, and that’s when the rich guys first attack him. It’s later made explicit that he would have eventually calmed down enough to turn back into Bruce if it wasn’t for those guys continuously attacking him.

There is one detective who recognizes that the incidents where the Hulk causes serious damage are unique, and pushes for a full investigation despite the work it would cause, and advocates for not calling in the National Guard for assistance, thinking that that would only make the situation worse, and instead for just leaving the Hulk alone. He goes on TV saying that, “The Hulk does not seem to be violent unless and until provoked.” This story’s approach to that idea worked a lot better for me than the recent arc across issues #245-253 did because those issues used it as an argument about the character’s entire history, whereas this detective’s perspective was really confined to the events of this story. It’s believable to me that that would be the detective’s understanding of the Hulk based on what he’d seen in this story, but it wasn’t believable for me that all of the characters in that arc who expressed that would believe that, which created annoyance and dissonance for me. And, importantly, it’s not true. The Hulk has hurt people unjustly and unprovoked before, but he’s certainly been attacked unprovoked many times. The thing about comic book characters is that you’ll see them approached in a variety of ways across different writers and time periods, and it’s the complexity of that full picture that I find compelling. The arc’s message overstretched its reach while lacking nuance, which created annoyance and dissonance for me as a reader. And I also liked that in this issue the Hulk wasn’t written as not creating problems before those guys started messing with him, but that he was just more manageable before their interference.

The Marvel Team-Up issue was published in November 1980 and was written by Mike Barr. Frank Springer did the breakdowns for the art and then Mike Esposito finished and inked it.

This story was actually a team-up between Doc Samson and Spider-Man. At the beginning of the issue, Samson is speaking at a panel on “Gamma Treatment for the Mentally Ill,” which Peter Parker is attending as a college student. The opposing speaker is revealed to be Dr. Delia Childress, who Samson had previously dated. Her argument is based on the existence of the Hulk, saying, “His mindless rages- His brute strength- are the product of gamma radiation! I say that we must not experiment further with gamma rays… But we must halt all gamma research… And whatever other monsters it may have created!” That last part is said with a pointed look towards Samson, who obviously is also affected by gamma rays. But Samson’s argument is based his own existence, he agrees that “gamma rays are a menace because they turned Bruce Banner into the Hulk” but he clarifies that that was “uncontrolled gamma radiation” and that how he was been transformed, as a super-strong man but still a man, proves that “controlled gamma rays” are safe. Samson hasn't previously advocated for using gamma radiation intentionally for medical treatment, though it makes sense because his experience has largely gone well. I am a bit confused, though, by why it's specifically mental illness he thinks gamma rays could help treat. I had thought that part of the reason Samson had such a positive experience was meant to be that as a psychologist he didn't have substantial mental issues, whereas it was said in the story where Samson had a therapy session with the Hulk that the Hulk had existed as a part of Bruce's mind before the accident, meaning that Bruce had had issues before that point and that allowed for what happened to him.

Peter in the audience is dismissive of Samson, thinking, “Big deal! So he’s strong- He’s nothing but a cocktail-party psychiatrist, using his powers to become famous!” While Peter's flippancy about this may be influenced by him also having powers, I liked this reaction to Samson because we haven't seen much of him outside of Hulk stories before, so we haven't seen much of the different ways he could be perceived by the general public.

After the panel more information on Samson and Delia’s previous relationship is revealed. Delia says, “If only you and my father had let me be myself… If only you’d stopped trying to force me into the mold of what you wanted me to be!” This is accompanied by a flashback panel of the three about to go snorkeling. The father is telling Dalia, “Now don’t forget to check your air tanks, and…” Delia cuts him off by saying, “Dad, can’t we do what I want to do- just once?” But Samson dismisses her, saying, “Wait till you try it, Delia! You’ll love it!” Eventually, one of Delia’s legs was permanently injured while she was doing an activity that her father pushed her to do. She tells Samson in the present that, “You’re still trying to control my life, Leonard- still telling me I’m wrong, and you’re right! But it won’t work- not this time!” The flaws suggested by this, that Samson would so pervasively steamroll his partner and integrate himself into and support a pre-existing negative dynamic between her and her father, that he was so unaware at the time to how Delia really felt about it, seems like they would be particularly bad for a therapist. And outside of that context, I’m curious as to how they might become relevant whenever it is that he and Betty Ross form a serious relationship with his dynamic with her father.

The villains of this issue are using a device to mess with Samson’s gamma strength. They can weaken him for their convenience or make him too strong to have self-control in order to publicly delegitimize him. At one point Samson declares, “They… They think they can use me… Make me a menace, like the Hulk! But it won’t work! I’m not a monster, I’m Doctor Leonard Samson… And Doc Samson is no one’s pawn!” The importance to Samson that he’s better than the Hulk and dismissing him as just a monster has already been an hinderance to him properly treating the Hulk. But previously this had only been presented in the context of Samson’s personal insecurities. This made me think about Samson’s public reputation, and the necessity for both his career and well-being that he’s thought of as being different than the Hulk because of the Hulk's poor standing with the law and how that might play into his treatment of the Hulk as well.

In the end it’s revealed that the person leading the group of villains who are after Samson is Delia. She’s working for A.I.M., both to publicly discourage gamma radiation research so that A.I.M. will be the only organization using it, and to learn how Samson got his stable powers from gamma radiation. But she’s motivated by personal reasons as well, telling Samson, “I’ll help you feel as weak and helpless as I’ve felt, all these years.” When the plan fails, Delia attempts to kill herself, but Samson saves her. He tells her, “I’m a doctor, Delia- I won’t let anyone die… Certainly not you… Not the woman I love!” And he tells Spider-Man, “Delia has been alone with her hatred- her deserved hatred- of me for too long. I crippled her… physically and mentally… But I’ll see her cured- if it takes the rest of my life!” It’s good that Samson is finally showing some acquiescence to Delia’s criticisms of his treatment of her, but I don’t actually think his assessment that he crippled her is right. I am curious to see if she’s a character that will actually have relevance later, if there will be actual stories where Samson tries to help her.

Fawcett Comics:

the Captain Marvel stories in Whiz Comics (1940) #70 and Captain Marvel Adventures (1941) #51-52

In this batch of seven Captain Marvel stories I read through his appearances in January 1946. These stories ranged from seven to nine pages long.

The story “The Son of Sivana” (written by Otto Binder; drawn by Pete Constanza) in Captain Marvel Adventures #52 was the first appearance of Thaddeus Sivana Jr. In the story Captain Marvel goes to see Freddy Freeman and gets Captain Marvel Jr. to help him, and at the end Captain Marvel has captured Sivana Sr. while Captain Marvel Jr. is still chasing Sivana Jr., that storyline to be continued in the next issue of Captain Marvel Jr. This is really reminiscent of how in Freddy’s origin story in Whiz Comics #25, the villain Captain Nazi killed Freddy’s grandpa and permanently disabled Freddy but didn’t receive his due punishment in that issue. Instead, that story ended with Captain Marvel sending Captain Marvel Jr. over to Master Comics to continue that fight, and along with that encouraged the readers to go buy that comic too.

When Captain Marvel first sees Sivana Jr. he says, “But I didn’t know you had a son, besides your daughter Beautia!” Sivana Sr.’s response doesn’t correct Captain Marvel on this. It makes sense that Georgia Sivana wouldn’t be brought up as she first appeared around this time in Mary Marvel #1, cover dated December 1945. But it’s an unfortunate situation for Magnificus Sivana- who first appeared in Whiz Comics #15, cover dated March 1941- as it seems that everyone, including his family, has forgotten about him. But he did appear again with the Sivana family when DC Comics revived Captain Marvel and associated characters in the early 70s.

Fiction House:

the Kinks Mason story in Fight Comics (1940) #1

This Kinks Mason story was published in November 1939. The story is credited to Steve Broder, who presumably only drew the story and didn’t write it but the writer isn’t known.

The Grand Comics Database gives the information that, “Steve Broder worked for the Iger Shop doing the Kinks Mason feature for Fiction House appearing from 1940 to 1941. Broder was primarily a commercial artist during his career and, with the exception of about 1938 to about 1941 time period where he worked in New York City, Steve worked in San Francisco from the 1920s until he retired in the 1970s. Steve Broder's work included doing World War II propaganda posters for the war effort through the Office of War Information (OWI).” He was born in 1904, so he would have been 35 when this first Kinks Mason story was published.

I really do like the art style of this story. It's the kind of Golden Age work I find really charming and comforting. And I had wanted to read this because I like underwater-based characters, but the writing of this story, which was 8 pages long, was some of the most simplistic I've seen yet. Things just sort of happen. Kinks Mason is testing a new diving helmet that'll transform the water around him into breathable oxygen for him, but is attacked by a shark during the dive which cuts his line to the ship, and a strong current pulls him down. Eventually, Kinks, while unconscious, is pulled into a large cavern and arrives into a world that's new to him. He wakes up in a graveyard of damaged ships, and while investigating is attacked by a sea monster. After he defeats the sea monster, he spots fighting on one of the other ships and intervenes, helping save the life of a woman, who in turn saves him. Then the men they're fighting are attacked by a new group that arose from the water. Kinks asks the woman, "Who are those beasts?" And the woman tells him, "They are the Goors Slavers." Kinks travels with the group to their underwater kingdom and, where he tells them, "Atlam isle is the key to Goor power. Destroy it!" Kinks participates in the attacks on the isle, and sneaks inside the base in order to free those already captured. The narration explains that, "One of the freed slaves leads Kinks to the munitions room… He sets a time fuse…" The next panel is Kinks yelling, "Run! Warn our people!" After the explosion, Kinks is asked to name a reward for his assistance. He says he wants to return to the upperworld, and he is shown on a map the channel he can use and a mass of gold, being told, "This heavy metal might be useful as weights." Kinks is able to leave, but says, "Goodbye- someday I'll return!" And then he makes it back home.

#comics read this past week #my posts