#Spider-Island: Deadly Foes

[scarletspider2the2ndpower]

“What I Did for Love,” Spider-Island: Deadly Foes (Vol. 1/2011), #1.

Writer: Fred Van Lente; Penciler and Inker: Minck Oosterveer; Colorist: David Curiel; Letterer: Stephen Wacker

#Marvel #Marvel comics #Marvel 616 #Spider-Island: Deadly Foes #Tarantula #Kaine #Kaine Parker #Jackal #Miles Warren #tbh this is a justified reaction in any scenario #I think anyone should be allowed to lunge for Warren’s throat On Sight #but particularly when resurrecting (Again) and corrupting Kaine after he’d made some sort of peace with his hero’s sacrifice

[yesthisismycurrenthyperfixation]

Ok, I kinda have a really out there prompt idea. It’s legit been in my head for so long. So it’s Spider-centric, I’ve read somewhere prompts where he is he gets yelled at or hurt and somehow ends up lost and caught up in a storm. He ends up in another tribe, most likely the Metka’yina and lives a new and better life.

Buuuuttt (here’s where my mind comes in) what if Spider is found by none other than the Ash Na’vi? Spider is found by them on an island or washed up on shore. Of course the Ash People immediately want to end the meek sky person’s life, I see them being pretty ruthless and deadly, but then the leader (Varang if I’m correct) sees an opportunity. Spider, so young and hurt, simply wants to be one of The People and have someone who truly cares for him. Varang, sees that, and so gives him that, at least somewhat.

Now a young Spider becomes trained by the dreaded clan of ruthless warriors, barely surviving the rigorous test but never giving up all for the hopes of finally being seen. And he really does keep up, fueled by his drive to belong and his tenacity. Combined with Varang’s brainwashing, Spider comes out as a deadly and formidable foe, one of the Ash People. Barely a shred of innocence and kindness remains, only the sense of duty and drive to fulfill the wishes of his stand-in mother (Varang).

So time goes on, and the Sully’s have established themselves in Awatlu. But instead of humans attacking, the since-dormant Ash People do. And it is in all the fighting where the Sully’s seem to notice a rather short Na’vi, wielding two short dual blades and donning a wrap around his entire face, but appearing to be coated in a layer of gray paint and dark stripes all over his body. What’s worse is all the scars and marks he has, like an experienced soldier. He falls in a large battle with the Metka’yina tribe, and it is when he is tied and captured when they realize who the masked warrior is. He doesn’t speak at all but they identify the ‘Na’vi’ the one who felled numerous warriors even at disadvantage, as their long lost friend and ‘brother’. But when they begin to try to connect to him again, they find so little remains of their best friend now. All the members of the family, even Neytiri and others try to bring back the sweet boy that once existed. But they find it shockingly difficult, for all that seems to remain is the warrior of the Ash People, Yo’ (“be perfect, flawless” according to the dictionary). But there possibly seems a shred of hope when the metaphorical mask begins to crack.

So sorry bout all this but I’ve had this idea for a while and wanted to share it 😅 Quote a few holes in the story but I like the idea of Spider becoming somewhat ‘different’ per say, and the Sully’s reconciling over the last when they see what happens to a supposed brother and son. A sort of ‘what have we done’ with a ‘what has he become’ kind of thing. But Spider angst to Spider love is all I crave.

Ash Spider AU

Oh my goodness, I want this story in my life so much!

I have so many ideas rattling around in my head for this story. It really could start similar to Storms of the Past, with Neytiri freaking out and throwing Spider out. But instead of the kids going after him and comforting him they are stopped, told Spider will be fine and to give him time.

Maybe Spider got lost, he was so upset he wasn't paying attention and before he knew it...

Night hits and Spider is still lost but now he is also surrounded by nocturnal predators, hungry ones. I'm picturing something similar to Jake and the Palulukan from the first Avatar. Not a Palulukan chasing Spider but a similar 'flee for your life' moment with a smaller predator. Difference is where Jake made the choice to jump Spider didn't see the cliff and ended up falling.

Norm and Max back at base finally realise Spider is missing and start looking for him. They call Jake where they find out Spider had left HOURS before. He should have been back to Hell's Gate before noon but never turned up.

The scientists and a few Na'vi start looking for the kid, only a few Na'vi because of who Spider was. Despite looking for days they never find him.

This idea also gives me a lot of ideas about the Ash Clan. Where they would live, their culture, how much the volcano is a part of their lives, etc... I've always pictured them in a coastal area, whether an island or not I'm not sure yet. Either way I've always pictured something similar to this...

There is always lava flowing into the ocean, always smoke and ash billowing from the volcano. Big erruptions are rare but the Ash People know what to do, how to handle them so it isn't a big deal.

Even with the threat of the volcano hanging over their heads the Ash People will not leave. Their island is bountiful, plants and other life flourish there thanks to the volcano and the nutrient rich soil.

I really want to write this story but won't start it until I finish one of my other WIPs. Two on going stories is enough at one time. If anyone has thoughts or ideas I would love to hear them. I want to brainstorm this idea and try to get an outline going so when it is time to write I can.

#avatar the way of water #spider socorro #miles spider socorro #Ash Spider AU #ash people

[mkcosplayorcovid-19prevention]

Asm collection... /Spider-Woman/ Spider-Gwen/ Miles Morales

Vol. 1: Coming Home (#30-35/471-476)

Vol. 2: Revelations (#36-39/477-480)

Vol. 3: Until the Stars Turn Cold (#40-45/481-486)

Vol. 4: The Life and Death of Spiders (#46-50/487-491)

Vol. 5: Unintended Consequences (#51-56/492-497)

Vol. 6: Happy Birthday (#57–58,500-502/498-502)

Vol. 7: The Book of Ezekiel (#503–508)

Vol. 8: Sins Past (#509–514)

Vol. 9: Skin Deep (#515–518)

Vol. 10: New Avengers (#519–524)

Spider-Man: The Other (#525–528; Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1–4; Marvel Knights Spider-Man #19–22)

Civil War: The Road to Civil War (#529–531; New Avengers: Illuminati (one-shot); Fantastic Four #536–537) ( read 📚)

Vol. 11: Civil War (#532–538) (read 📚)

Vol. 12: Back in Black (#539–543; Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #17–23, Annual #1)

Peter Parker, Spider-Man: Back In Black

Spider-Man: One More Day (#544–545; Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #24; The Sensational Spider-Man #41; Marvel Spotlight: Spider-Man – One More Day/Brand New Day)

Brand New Day Vol. 1 (#546–551; The Amazing Spider-Man: Swing Shift (Director's Cut); Venom Super-Special)

Brand New Day Vol. 2 (#552–558)

Brand New Day Vol. 3 (#559–563)

Kraven's First Hunt (#564–567; The Amazing Spider-Man: Extra! #1 (story #2)

New Ways to Die (#568–573; Marvel Spotlight: Spider-Man – Brand New Day)

Crime and Punisher (#574–577; The Amazing Spider-Man: Extra! #1 (story #1)

Death and Dating (#578–583, Annual #35/1)

Election Day (#584–588; The Amazing Spider-Man: Extra! #1 (story #3), 3 (story #1); The Amazing Spider-Man Presidents' Day Special)

24/7 (#589–594; The Amazing Spider-Man: Extra! #2)

American Son (#595–599; material from The Amazing Spider-Man: Extra! #3)

Died in Your Arms Tonight (#600–601, Annual #36; material from Amazing Spider-Man Family #7)

Red-Headed Stranger (#602–605)

Return of the Black Cat (#606–611; material from Web of Spider-Man (vol. 2) #1)

The Gauntlet Book 1: Electro and Sandman (#612–616; Dark Reign: The List – The Amazing Spider-Man; Web of Spider-Man (vol. 2) #2 (Electro story)

The Gauntlet Book 2: Rhino and Mysterio (#617–621; Web of Spider-Man (vol. 2) #3–4)

The Gauntlet Book 3: Vulture and Morbius (#622–625; Web of Spider-Man (vol. 2) #2, 5 (Vulture story)

The Gauntlet Book 4: Juggernaut (#229–230, 626–629)

The Gauntlet Book 5: Lizard (#629–633; Web of Spider-Man (vol. 2) #6)

Spider-Man: Grim Hunt (#634–637; The Amazing Spider-Man: Extra! #3; Spider-Man: Grim Hunt – The Kraven Saga; Web of Spider-Man (vol. 2) #7)

One Moment in Time (#638–641)

Origin of the Species (#642–647; Spider-Man Saga; Web of Spider-Man (vol. 2) #12)

Big Time (#648–651)

Matters of Life and Death (#652–657, 654.1)

Spider-Man: The Fantastic Spider-Man (#658–662)

Spider-Man: The Return Of Anti-Venom (#663–665; Free Comic Book Day 2011: Spider-Man)

Spider-Man: Spider-Island (#666–673; Venom (2011) #6–8, Spider-Island: Deadly Foes; Infested prologues from #659–660 and 662–665)

Spider-Island Companion hc

Spider-Man: Flying Blind (#674–677; Daredevil #8)

Spider-Man: Trouble on the Horizon (#678–681, 679.)

Spider-Man: Ends of the Earth (#682–687; Amazing Spider-Man: Ends of the Earth #1; Avenging Spider-Man #8)

Spider-Man: Lizard – No Turning Back (#688–691; Untold Tales of Spider-Man #9)

Spider-Man: Danger Zone (#692–697; Avenging Spider-Man #11)

Spider-Man: Dying Wish (#698–700)

Amazing Spider-Man: Family Business

Spider-Man: Life StorySpider-Man: Life Story

The Amazing Spider-Man Full Circle

Superior Spider-Man Hardcovers dan Slott

Vol. 1

Vol. 2

Vol. 3

Amazing Spider-Man vol. 1 hc Dan Slott

Amazing Spider-Man vol. 2 hc Dan Slott

Amazing Spider-Man Worldwide hc Dan slott...

Vol. 1

Vol. 2

Vol. 3

Amazing Spider-Man Venom INC.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: WORLDWIDE VOL. 7 sc

The Red Goblin HC

Spider-Man / Fantastic Four

Marvel Knights Spider-Man: Fight Night

Fear Itself: Spider-man

Civil War II Amazing Spider-Man

Spider-Men (read 📚)

X-men/Spider-man

Spider-men 2 (read 📚)

Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine

Secret Invasion: Amazing Spider-Man

Edge of Spider-Verse (2014)

Marvel 1602: Spider-man

Sensational Spider-Man Vol. 1: Feral

Spider-Verse hc

Spider-Verse Warzones!

The Amazing Spider-Man by Nick Spencer Omnibus vol. 1

SPIDER-GEDDON

SPIDER-GEDDON: EDGE OF SPIDER-GEDDON

Amazing Spider-Man Beyond Omnibus (reading 📚)

SPIDER-GWEN OMNIBUS

Spider-Woman: Origins

Spider-Woman: Agent of S. W. O. R. D

Spider-Woman: vol. 2 New Duds

Spider-Woman 1: Baby Talk

Spider-Woman: Shifting Gears Vol. 2: Civil War II

Spider-Woman: Shifting Gears Vol. 3: Scare Tactics

Ultimate Spider-man: Ultimate Six (Read 📚)

Spider-Man by Chip Zdarsky Omnibus

[comicsgallery-marvel]

Spider-Island: Deadly Foes (2011) #1

#Phil Urich #Spider-Island (2011)

[imperiuswrecked]

Spider Island: Deadly Foes

#the jackal #kaine parker #comicpanels #the jackal is so freaking creepy istg he unnerves me #im putting this here bc im stealing kaine's eyes and claws look design #just imagine it with long haired kaine tho #jackal is horror material that comes too close to being human evil and its probably why he wont ever get into adapted media #when you have like safer villains who just kill or blow up stuff #bc there is no way you can make jackal pg 13 without cutting out what makes him so damn skin crawling #imp reads kaine

[traincat]

you've mentioned once or twice your dream gwen stacy resurrection plot ala bucky barnes/jason todd and i really love the idea; do you have a plot you'd do if you ever got hired by marvel for it? also, would you ever consider writing a fic for it?

I just think it’s kind of peak sexism in comics that Jason Todd and Bucky Barnes both got these really specific type of “returning from the dead as an assassin” resurrection plots and we can’t get the same thing with Gwen Stacy. All our Gwen returns have been very firmly rooted in “this isn’t THAT Gwen Stacy” usually with some sort of side thrown in about how if 616 Gwen had been different, she wouldn’t have died, and I’d like to really move away from that in my ideal Gwen Is Back (And She’s Angry) story -- I think the idea has to be that it could actually happen to anyone, and that it wasn’t Gwen’s fault, and that any rage she would have coming back would be justified. I don’t want her to be painted as in the wrong at all -- even though I think it would be pretty crucial that her actions would put a wedge between her and Peter. (If he’s alive for this. I go back and forth.) It has the potential to be so good! And like look, I’m generally pretty anti-guns in comics, because I just sort of think it’s unnecessary glorification a lot of the times, but Spider-Man comics do keep giving the Clone Gwens guns:

(Maximum Clonage Omega)

(Spider-Island: Deadly Foes)

(Superior Spider-Man Team Up #2)

So I think it’s just sort of asking for the original with a gun and motorcycle, hunting down the men who wronged her. I’m thinking specifically of Norman Osborn and the Jackal, but I wouldn’t mind seeing her broaden her range, either. It’s something that I would really prefer to see a woman with a really good grasp of Spider-Man canon (and a deep affection for 616 Gwen) handle, because I think it would have to be treated with a lot care and respect, but I think it could be really good in the right hands. I don’t know if I would want to do it as a fanfic because I have been envisioning it as a comic in my head -- I have some very specific ideas for scenes of Gwen in a graveyard, another of Mary Jane racing up the stairs to try and stop Gwen before she kills, and of Gwen kissing Mary Jane’s cheek and leaving a bright red mark there. But I’m also not saying never.

#gwen stacy #marvel comics #*replies #traincat talks comics #Anonymous

[cerothenull]

The ATOM Create a Kaiju Contest 3D

Name: Naeranti

Aliases: The Skyweaver, Zeppelin Queen, Mother of Webs, UFO Bane

Date Discovered: 1944

Place of Origin: New Zealand

Notable Stomping Grounds: Typhon Island, Stratosphere

Height: 90ft

Width: 160ft

Biology: This arachnid kaiju shares many similarities with both the mundane Spiny Orb Weaver Spiders and the Ogre-faced or Net-Casting Spiders. Her similar bodyplan and typically peaceful nature have caused many kaijuologists to speculate and theorize that Naeranti is a “relative” of the friendly Kaiju known as Bobo.

Much like Bobo, Naeranti is capable of producing vast amounts of silken webbing, but rather than spinning a web or creating a nest, Naeranti takes a more unique approach. With web strands that were stronger than steel cable and deceptively light the Skyweaver weaves herself a vast structure of interwoven threads that allows the spider kaiju to drift effortlessly upon the air currents and thermals of the atmosphere.

Beyond constructing her massive gliding structures, which can grow to several times her own size, she is known to create a variety of net, bolos, or even harpoon-like constructs that with her eyesight, she can aim and fire with frightening accuracy.

Her carapace sports large spines that arc out away from her body that, while intimidating, are actually used as supports to anchor Naeranti’s elaborate web constructions. Also present in her chitin is the presence of special super-reflective cells that give her a dazzling mirror ball appearance, the cells capable of deflecting or reflecting energy if Naeranti focuses.

One of her more striking features is her immense pair of central eyes. Kaijuologists theorize that the powerful eyes are capable of clearly perceiving events on the group while high in the stratosphere with more fantastical claims saying the spider is capable of reading a newspaper from near orbit. In fact Naeranti has been observed just as frequently observing the goings-on of the ground dwelling humans and kaiju as she did seeming to stare up at the night sky studying the stars. Some researchers believe that because of her powerful vision that Naeranti was quite possibly the first Earthling to spy the approach of the Beyonder invaders.

Super strength

An enhanced healing factor

Immunity to radiation

Super webbing and manipulation

Neurotoxic venom

Telescopic vision

Reflective chitin

Yamaneon powered flight

Personality: Naeranti is a reclusive kaiju most of the time. Seemingly content just to drift along the air currents high in the atmosphere Naeranti will tolerate and even socialize with flying Kaiju that find themselves peacefully flying with her but she will respond with seeming annoyance and spite if any attempt to disrupt her flight. A lesson that kaiju like the ill-tempered Ahuul had to learn several times of becoming webbed up before he learned better.

Rarely will she deign to land but when she does it has usually been to visit with kaiju she’s befriended upon the ground, her “cousin” Bobo and the massive Scutlgor among the number.

One of the more mellow kaiju she is not above a playful spar or even an aerial dogfight if her opponents intents are good-natured. Against aggressors or dangerous she is more likely to end the conflict as quickly as possibly by using her webbing to immobilize them long enough to inject them with her venom. Despite this, she is far from a frail spider and has shown to be deceptively strong in the more intense fights she’s been observed in.

History: It is not certain when the first true sighting of Naeranti but the first official sighting was recorded in New Zealand where she was recorded taking flight upon a massive, balloon-like web construct that lifted the arachnid into the air.

At first the sight of the massive spider was met with alarm and fear, especially after an encounter with the Air Force that caused the destruction of several aircraft, with reports claiming that all pilots had been killed in action. These reports were redacted several days later when the pilots were found alive and unharmed, if hungry, tangled in a mass of knotted webbing that Naeranti had dropped on a soccer field in southern China.

Deemed a potential flight hazard but non-aggressive Kaiju, Naeranti was continuously observed for some time before she suddenly disappeared. Her disappearance was nearly overlooked as shortly after the Beyonder Invasion was launched in full swing.

It was partway through the Invasion that reports of Beyonder starships crash landing tangled up in large amounts of webbing. Not long after Naeranti was spotted fighting with flying Beyonder kaiju, the spider often gaining the upperhand long enough to web up her foe and leaving them to drop to Earth, occasionally into the awaiting talons and fangs of allied terrestrial Kaiju.

Despite suffering numerous injuries Naeranti continued to fight throughout the Invasion, destroying and disabling many of the Invaders starships, her reflective carapace providing a significant defense against their energy weaponry. This earning her title as a formidable foe for any flying aliens that attempted to darken her skies.

It was during the height of the Invasion when Naeranti was observed utilizing a skill very few kaiju seem to realize or even attempt. The spiders web constructs mostly shredded from the battle and streaming from her spines like warbanners, Naeranti flew around the battlefield with a deadly grace she rarely demonstrated before.

In the relative calm of the invasions aftermath Naeranti recuperated on Typhon Island for a time but eventually returned to her usual routine of peacefully drifting among the atmopshere, her eyes now trained on the stars more often.

#the atom create a kaiju contest 3d #kaiju #spider #here's another heroic arthropod kaiju #I'm becoming predictable lol

[dappercritter]

ATOM Vol.1: Tyrantis Walks Among Us! An Honest Review

I have long waited for the chance to read William Cope’s (AKA @tyrantisterror​) giant monster mash passion project, and as of last Christmas I finally had my chance. The first volume of The Atomic Time of Monsters (AKA A.T.O.M.), Tyrantis Walks Among Us! is every bit the big fun love letter to classic giant monster movies from across both sides of the Pacific that the author has touted on his blog many times. However, although there is a lot of love that evidently went into this story, and plenty of fun to be read, I would not say it’s the best kaiju story I have ever seen, in print or otherwise. Of course, to expect perfection from anything is unfair, but it’s not perfection I’m looking for: it’s consistency. Consistency, particularly of ideas and presentation, has been one of the kaiju (the ever popular Japanese name for “strange/giant monster”) genre’s biggest problems since it first began—be it keeping worldbuilding consistent with themes, or keeping the quality of one shot of the giant juxtaposed monsters consistent with another. Sadly, readers will find that Tyrantis Walks Among Us, for all it’s charms and bravado, suffers from similar inconsistencies.

 The premise of the first entry in the A.T.O.M. series follows many well-worn tropes from the standard giant-size creature: set in an offshoot of postwar 50’s world, a mysterious earthquake linked to nuclear testing has revealed a subterranean lost world filled with mysterious radioactive crystals and (what else) giant monsters to the world. As the menagerie of prehistoric creatures make their way across the surface, gobbling up and/or stomping on the unlucky extras in their path, the government scrambles to gain control of the unprecedented situation, sending in scientists, men in black, and the military. The heroes of the story are the sole scientist smart enough to understand the gravity of the situation, their intrepid band of friends, and the good giant monsters who befriend the humans while fighting off the bad monsters to protect their world. Opposing them are crooked government men who refuse to listen to reason and more menacing monsters driven by hunger or simple malevolence. What follows is a mash-up of almost everything giant monster movies prior are made of: giant monster fights, quirky humans bouncing off each other while trying to stop corrupt governments from worsening the situation, discovering strange lost worlds and encountering the creatures that inhabit them, and even encounters with alien and robot monsters.

 What makes the seemingly formulaic Tyrantis Walks Among Us! stand out is it’s personality. The first volume of ATOM is an affectionate homage, but it’s also a something of a send-up and evolution of the giant monster movie. Not only is every giant monster trope treated with a mix of earnest excitement and tongue-in-cheek wit, embracing both the inherent impressiveness and absurdity of the subgenre in the same breadth (including more than a few references to a selection of giant monster films past, some more subtle than others), with a heaping helping of satirical edge in it’s depiction on atomic era America. Elevating this satirical edge is the colourful human cast, whose personalities, talents, and backstories make them some of the most memorable civilians you’ll ever see in a kaiju series while also giving the story its political punch. Dr. Mina Lerna, the human protagonist and paleontologist turned local giant monster expert, who grapples with sexism and ignorance in her quest to make her voice heard—a voice which is telling everyone to stop trying to kill every monster they see and listen to reason—and come out of her shell; Henry Robertson, an African-American reporter for the United Nations News Organization (a cheeky homage to the oft-maligned American cut of the original King Kong vs. Godzilla) who, with Dr. Lerna’s help fights back against the racial bias trying to keep him quiet to offer current and true coverage of the protagonist’s quest to unlock the mysterious of the kaiju; as well as Gwen Valentine, a spunky homage to activist actresses such as Marylin Monroe in her prime, who after being rescued from certain death in a monster-inhabited cavern, offers some much-needed close friendship, good publicity, and funds to Dr. Lerna and their cause. The more villainous humans opposing them also present some amusement and self-awarness, such as the mysterious vindictive government agent J.C. Clark who prioritizes secret government agendas over transparency and honesty, or “Doctor Brick Rockwell,” a machismo meathead straight out of a camp American monster movie who barely passes for a scientist hired as a talking head to perpetuate willful ignorance—as well as sexism—for the government amidst the monster situation.

Of course, this IS a giant monster story and the kaiju side of the cast deserves special mention as well. Despite being deriving from the all-too familiar archetypes you could expect from giant monsters (i.e. dinosaurs, insects, spiders, and reptiles on a giant scale), the monsters A.T.O.M. stand out from the crowd thanks to their colourful characteristics. The majority of which are “Retrosaurs”: alternate history based dinosaurs that evolved from Loricata, a group of ancient reptiles that included the first crocodylians, as opposed to birds and more or less resemble the terrible lizards as they were depicted in older illustrations such as those created by Charles R. Knight. Chief among them is the star monster, Tyrantis, a standard giant green fire-breathing dinosaur but with an out-and-out heroic complex and a goofy side, showing compassion for his fellow monster and human companions, as well as having a tendency to greet new friends and foes by boisterously charging into battle. Joining him are Tyrantra, a even more impressive red-hued female of Tyrantis’s genus, the tyrannopyrodon (i.e. the fire-breath-enabled Retrosaur equivalent to tyrannosaurs); Gorgolisk, a gigantic frilled serpentine creature who serves as the steadfast guardian of the Earth and the mysterious inhabitants of its hollow earth; and Bobo, a big pink and blue quasi-arachnid with a soft heart and a surprisingly playful disposition. The monsters opposing them are no slouches either, such as Ahuul, a ravenous pterosaur-like Retrosaur who takes sadistic delight in swooping down on smaller prey; Myrmidants, a swarm of gigantic fire ants who fight for their colony with equal parts duty and ferocity; and The Terror, a blue-tinted rival Retro  Tyrant who—without giving anything away—only becomes more of a monster as the story continues. Special mention also goes to a giant scorpion, a giant mothman-themed invader, a deadly duo of a giant wasp and mantis, and an entire island of Retrosaurs of almost every species.

 However, as previously stated, for all it’s charming characters and progressive political statements, the first volume of A.T.O.M., like its forebearers, sadly falls prey to the issue of inconsistencies. Everything from the writing itself to the logic of this world suffers from occasional dips in quality to outright plot holes. The first and most noticeable is the abundance of grammatical errors, and while the majority of the novel is tightly written in very sense of the word, I couldn’t help but notice that every few pages there was incorrect punctuation or a misspelled word, which gave a somewhat rushed impression. Another oddity is the sexuality of Dr. Lerna who develops an affectionate attraction to Ms. Valentine, despite the author confirming in a post on the author’s blog made several years before the novels completion, claiming Lerna was aro-ace (found here)—this is more of a metatextual nitpick and if the author made her an asexual lesbian, it’s still quite a progressive choice in that it offers that minority some representation shows ace folk can still pursue romantic relationships—however, it still can’t help but think think it would have been just as valuable to give aro-ace people some representation as well, rather than seemingly backpedalling on a prior statement on a character’s sexuality. Another distraction is how the story seems to be at odds with itself over anthropomorphizing the monsters, where in some scenes they are written with fairly animalistic traits in mind, wherein others they treated as if they were almost cartoon characters. (e.g. Tyrantis breaks into caveman speak in a postscript picture to advertise some more other novels—relatively harmless but jarring nonetheless.) But the most bothersome inconsistencies by far are concerned with the science of the novel. Specifically, despite possessing a narrative that pushes for embracing science and learning, throughout the novel there are numerous instances where outdated biological and paleontological theories are treated as scientific truths, such as when Bobo’s inability to swim is chalked up to the old misconception that spiders breath through their skin and would drown when but in water. But the most damning example would have to be the Retrosaurs, who despite originating from a completely different evolutionary line, largely resemble past media depictions of dinosaurs more than anything else, inaccuracies at all. It could have been fascinating to explore how familiar species such as ornithopods and sauropods would appear if they were derived from ancient archosaurs (i.e. the grand group from which crocodilians originate). This discrepancies between artistic license and science makes it hard to tell just how much of the author’s intent for the origins of these alternative dinosaurs was driven more by a desire to replicate the aesthetic of prior depictions of prehistoric creatures and movie monsters than a wholly original exploration in speculative biology.

 As critical as may be, I do not want to completely discount the author’s efforts. I enjoyed the first entry in the adventures of the mighty Tyrantis and the impeccable Dr. Lerna from start to finish. As a wholly affectionate parody of the great giant monster subgenre, it’s almost everything I could have wanted it to be! What’s more, I would like to see the ATOM series reach its full potential. However, due the author’s attitudes towards modern science and tendency towards error, I don’t know if this series will ever reach that potential. Tyrantis Walks Among Us! is good as a creative comical take on the classic kaiju story with a progressive sociopolitical punch, but as a scientifically conscious evolution of the genre that birthed it, it falls as flat as the tail of a Retrosaur, and it seems it will stay that way—sticking close to the ground and only occasionally swinging upwards.

#so sorry about the wait everyone #I had a bunch of other stuff to deal with as I read through the book #and then some more while I tried to finish the review for it #but here it is #it's done #tyrantisterror #tyrantis #tyrantis walks among us #atomic time of monsters #atom #kaiju #giant monsters #monsters #retrosaurs #novels #book review #books #ramblings of the critter #critter reviews #the dapper critter

[thecomicsnexus]

Final Crisis

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #12 MARCH 1986 BY MARV WOLFMAN, GEORGE PEREZ, JERRY ORDWAY, TOM ZIUKO AND TOM MCCRAW (RE-COLORED VERSION)

SYNOPSIS (FROM DC DATABASE)

In Brainiac's starship, Dolphin, Captain Comet, Rip Hunter, Animal Man, the Atomic Knight, and Adam Strange convince the reviving robot that his memory was tampered with to make him forget the Crisis. Admitting that his power is inadequate to battle the Anti-Monitor, he sets course for the world of a more powerful being. On Earth, the Anti-Monitor's visage is seen in the skies all over the globe. He repeats that the Earth is now in the anti-matter universe. His past victories over positive universes are meaningless, he says, because of the super-heroes' efforts to stop him. When he lists Supergirl and the Flash as casualties, Kid Flash demands to know what has happened.

The Supermen scan the globe and watch the populace panicking. Harbinger appears, and teleports them to a chosen destination, then gathers Dr. Light from Japan, leaving Sunburst to defend the island. When Dr. Light states that she caused Supergirl's death, Harbinger replies that the battle had already killed Supergirl, and that the Anti-Monitor's final attack merely gave her a swift death. In the skies, the darkness splits into a million shadow demons, which begin an all-out attack on humanity, and the super-heroes mass to resist them. The Global Guardians team with other heroes to free their native lands from the threat, but the demons' numbers seem endless. The Phantom Stranger summons Dr. Mist to help revive the Spectre who lies comatose. Below, Harbinger has gathered a large group of heroes, along with Pariah and Alex, to lead a final assault on their nemesis. Alex creates a bridge between universes, and they depart near Apokolips.

Brainiac's ship goes into stationary orbit, and he and his guests teleport to the planet, where Darkseid appears and introduces himself.

Back on Earth, the majority of the heroes are still battling the demons. The Dove is slain by a shadow-being as his brother watches in horror.

In Dr. Fate's Salem tower, the magically powered heroes have gathered to pool their shamanistic might. The Earth-2 Green Lantern and Dr. Occult form the nexus of their energy.

On Qward, in the anti-matter universe, Harbinger and the heroes have arrived in the Anti-Monitor's old headquarters. Kid Flash insists on joining them because of his mentor's demise. Suddenly, an image of the Flash appears to him—the last one Barry cast before his death. Wally follows the afterimage to where an insane Psycho-Pirate clutches at an empty uniform. Kid Flash knocks him out, and realizes that Barry Allen is truly dead when Lady Quark finds his ring. Pariah informs them that a great concentration of evil lies before them. They follow to find a towering Anti-Monitor, ready for the final slaughter.

In Atlantis, Aquaman leads his underwater legions against the shadows. Lori Lemaris saves a trapped Mera with a force beam. A demon closes in on her and kills her. In Chicago, Green Arrow of Earth-2 is killed by a shadow. In Philadelphia, Cyborg, the Son of Vulcan, the Vigilante, and the New Wildcat continue rescue operations.

In New Orleans, Shade the Changing Man witnesses the death of Prince Ra-Man. In Skartaris, Travis Morgan leads his forces against the black menaces. In Gotham City, both Clayface II and the Bug-Eyed Bandit perish at the hands of the demons. In Salem, the tide finally turns. The supernatural crusaders send their combined force in a net of energy to gather the demons from the Earth's surface, and bind them helpless in space. Over the Earth, lives have been lost, including those of Kole, Huntress, and Robin, but other lives have been saved. For a moment, the survivors can take stock.

On Qward, the Supermen of Earth 1 and 2, Captain Atom, Lady Quark, Firehawk, Wonder Woman, and other tarot's strike at the Anti-Monitor, but he ignores their blows, feeding on the energy of a nearby star, As Dr Light absorbs the energy of one of the binary suns they are between, the Anti-Monitor feels his power draining away. Alex begins to drain the anti-matter energy away from their enemy. Negative Woman uses her negative-self to bind the Anti-Monitor and inhibit him: then Harbinger leads all the energy-producing heroes against him, Dr. Light blasts him with the energy of a sun, and he falls into the ruins of his fortress. Alex creates a dimensional hole, large enough to enclose the Earth and return it to its proper universe. The heroes follow. The ball of bound demons hover and then fall on the fallen enemy. Thus, the Anti-Monitor absorbs his slaves energies and rises again, while the heroes start to give battle. Wonder Woman is caught in a withering flash of power, and is borne away to an unknown destination. Superman of Earth-1 and Lady Quark vow deadly revenge, but Kal-L knocks them out, and tells Superboy to take them back. Since he has no world and no wife to return to, the elder Superman has the least to lose. Then he confronts the monstrous Anti-Monitor, and batters him. Superboy sends Superman and Lady Quark back through Alex's shrinking body, and turns to aid him. Superman continues his one-man war against the Anti-Monitor, striking telling blows, while the villain, his power waning, absorbs more energy from the anti-cosmos, and blasts him and Superboy. Darkseid, watching the conflict on a viewscreen, proclaims his planet to be endangered if the Anti-Monitor survives, sends a power burst at him through Alex's eyes. The enemy, devastated, is hurled into the core of one of the binary suns. Superman, Superboy, and Alex are stunned to see the spectre of their enemy rising from the sun. Superman smashes into his foe's fiery body, scattering him: the remains fall back into the sun and the star begins to implode.

They bravely await the end and Superman wishes that Lois could have lived to see their triumph. At that, Alex produces Lois from a void-pocket in his body where she had been sent to wait. She tells her husband that she had been to a tranquil world. Alex cannot return them to Earth but he can take them all to this beautiful world. Superman, Lois, and Superboy opt for that choice. The foursome vanish seconds before the exploding sun would have reached them.

Back on Earth, Lyla is explaining facets of the Crisis to Pariah and Lady Quark. Wonder Woman was returned to the clay which Aphrodite and Athena had given life, then spread across Paradise Island.

Time then continued to reverse itself, as the Amazons were returned to their original homeland before they fled Man's World. Zeus brought the homeless Wonder Woman of Earth-2 and her husband Steve Trevor to Olympus, where they could live peacefully. The bodies of Robin of Earth-2, the Huntress, and Kole were never found. All those who died were mourned. In Keystone City, Jay Garrick determined that Kid Flash's illness was in remission, his body chemistry being changed by a blast from the Anti-Monitor. He could again move at super-speed, though only to a maximum of Mach-1. Wally donned Barry Allen's uniform, and announced, "From this day forth — the Flash lives again!"

The Great Disaster will not exist in the Earth's future, but a lost child will be found in Command D. adopted by General Horatio Tomorrow of the Planeteers, and named Thomas. Jonah Jex will be torn from his era to fight in the future, while the Guardians of the Universe must face the first division in their ranks. Thus, Lyla concludes her tale, and Lady Quark and Pariah ask her to help them explore their new homeworld. They leave with her, honoring the memory of their benefactor, the Monitor. And, in Arkham Asylum, the staff discuss a new patient who seems beyond help, straitjacketed in a rubber-lined room. Roger Hayden, formerly Psycho-Pirate, gibbers about Earths beyond numbers, the Anti-Monitor, and the memories, which only he had been allowed to keep.

NOTORIOUS DEATHS IN THIS ISSUE

Anti-Monitor

Dove

Green Arrow (Earth-2)

Huntress

Kole

Robin (Dick Grayson, Earth-2)

Sunburst

Bug-Eyed Bandit

Clayface II (Matt Hagen)

Lori Lemaris

Ten Eyed Man

REVIEW

The ending of Crisis is the only part of it that remains canon after it (as it happened on new earth). Although many things about it will not remain (no one will remember the multiverse, not even the ones that survived it). Same will apply to deaths like Huntress, who will be completely replaced post-crisis.

So, was it worth it? Absolutely. Wolfman’s idea of rebooting the universe every 10 years would have been a great idea, but sales will not always allow for it (this is the reason DC was never able to do a complete reboot, you don’t fix what isn’t broken, namely Batman, Legion of Super-Heroes and the Green Lantern Corps).

As for its legacy, this event is the father of all events. Cross-overs and team-ups have been plenty, not only at DC, since the Golden Age. And while there have been similar events in 1982 and 1984 over at Marvel, they barely had any impact (Spider-symbiote being the one thing to remember). Crisis was a whole different thing. But sadly, it happened at DC, that means that not all the opportunities will be taken seriously.

Crisis offered the chance of a blank slate, but instead, the relaunch was sloppy and as a result, the universe required a soft reboot less than 10 years later. Crisis tie-ins are a good demonstration of how slow DC was to react to what they were doing. They do not match the chapter of the month.

Another interesting example is Wally West, who was restored in the end, with a slower speed, and became the Flash. However, it would take more than a year for Wally to take on his own book. This coincided with Justice League International and the end of Legends. Wonder Woman suffered the same delay as well. There were no plans to what would happen afterwards, because DC wasn’t fully aware of what they just did. They were too busy closing down titles, and the reaction to restart everything was delayed, sometimes by more than 5 years. Fortunately, the man of steel would end the year with one of his most emblematic runs.

As for the story itself, the science makes little sense, but I am willing to forgive those flaws. The essence of the event was to revisit the DCU history, to streamline everything and to showcase every single character they had. It was supposed to launch in 1983, but it had to wait until the 50th anniversary (while a long research had to be done to figure out the full DCU history). This story accomplishes that. The tie-ins... not so much. But Crisis as a story works very well. Without tie-ins.

There is a lot of love poured into it as well, and you can tell. Those final sequences with Alex Luthor, Kal-L, Lois and Superboy-Prime are beautiful and sad at the same time (again, DC would shoot themselves in the foot by desecrating that ending in 2005, but that’s a story for another time).

You cannot imagine another penciler for this story either. George Perez is the god of team-ups. Since then, he had some replacements, most notoriously, Phil Jimenez, but in 1985, it was pretty much him. And the art is so beautiful, and so meaningful, Crisis on Infinite Earths became on of the greatest achievements in comic-book history.

Jerry Ordway had to step in after Giordano and DeCarlo, for reasons I do not know. He was the perfect choice for this event. His style adds some clarity to Perez style, where Tanghal wouldn’t have dared to modify too much. As a result, you get an interesting hybrid. Ordway’s realistic faces, with Perez crazy layouts and detailed backgrounds.

The art in general is something to admire over and over. That scene where the shadow demons break apart and darkness becomes sky... that’s Michael Bay High Octane shit. You are basically watching a disaster movie.

Some of the deaths in this story mean nothing. Losing Green Arrow from Earth-2 or Helena Wayne will not have an impact. But they can seriously affect some readers.

One thing I didn’t mention before, was that New Genesis was actually part of the Crisis, as Darkseid only cloaked Apokolips, but apart from Crisis #10, I haven’t seen anything happening over there in other books.

Now, which version should you buy? All of them.

I grew up reading the spanish adaptation, which was pretty much the original with translated text. Then I bought 1998′s slipcase, which was already re-colored. I really think this one was the best as the wrap-around cover has the full Alex Ross painting. 2015′s deluxe edition includes the History of the DCU, with a new cover by George Perez. Perhaps this one adds more value. There is also a very expensive edition coming at the end of the year that includes all the tie-ins, but as you may have read, not all tie-ins are good or worthy of reading with this saga.

Then I actually recommend the digital version, as this book is so beautiful, you don’t even want to touch it.

I give this story a score of 10

#alex ross #george perez #dc comics #comics #review #1986 #modern age #crisis on infinite earths #harbinger #anti-monitor #the monitor #superman #superboy-prime #the flash #kid flash #wally west

[weirdsciencecomics]

Here are the February 2020 Marvel Comics Solicitations for all x-Men related comics!

  WOLVERINE #1

BENJAMIN PERCY • ADAM KUBERT & VIKTOR Bogdanovic (A)

Cover by ADAM KUBERT

VARIANT COVER BY ALEX ROSS

VIRGIN VARIANT COVER BY ALEX ROSS

HIDDEN GEM VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

HIDDEN GEM SKETCH VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

VARIANT COVER BY ADAM KUBERT AND GREG HILDEBRANDT

PARTY VARIANT COVER BY RAHZZAH

PREMIERE VARIANT COVER BY ADAM KUBERT

VARIANT COVER BY R.B. SILVA

VARIANT COVER BY SKOTTIE YOUNG

VARIANT COVER BY JEEHYUNG LEE

DIE CUT VARIANT COVER BY CHIP KIDD – USE CODE SEP198963

ADAMANTIUM VARIANT COVER ALSO AVAILABLE*

*Not actually made of adamantium

THE BEST IS BACK!

Wolverine been through a lot. He’s been a loner. He’s been a killer. He’s been a hero. He’s been an Avenger. He’s been to hell and back. Now, as the nation of Krakoa brings together all Mutantkind, he can finally be… happy? With his family all together and safe, Wolverine has everything he ever wanted… and everything to lose. Writer Benjamin Percy (X-FORCE, WOLVERINE: THE LONG NIGHT) and legendary artist Adam Kubert (X-MEN, AVENGERS) bring the best there is to his new home! PLUS: The return of OMEGA RED!

72 PGS./Parental Advisory …$7.99

  MARVEL TALES: WOLVERINE #1

Written by CHRIS CLAREMONT, JIM LEE, JOHN BYRNE & FABIAN NICIEZA

Penciled by DAVE COCKRUM, JIM LEE & ANDY KUBERT

Cover by INHYUK LEE • VIRGIN VARIANT Cover by INHYUK LEE

He’s the best there is at what he does… and Wolverine is here to prove it as we celebrate the 80th anniversary of the House of Ideas with the era-spanning MARVEL TALES! This anthology series shines a spotlight on fan-favorite characters, features timeless stories and highlights some of our most impressive talent from the past eight decades. First, with the X-Men captured by the Brood, Logan slashes his way through the alien hordes — but can his healing factor beat back their deadly infection? Relive this classic tale from UNCANNY X-MEN (1981) #162! Then, in X-MEN (1991) #4, Wolverine’s past as an espionage agent returns to haunt him — but now all of the X-Men are in the deadly Omega Red’s crosshairs! And when Magneto threatens the entire planet, a climactic battle will change everything for Logan in the seismic X-MEN (1991) #25!

80 PGS./ONE SHOT/Rated T …$7.99

WOLVERINE: CLAREMONT & MILLER #1 FACSIMILE EDITION

CHRIS CLAREMONT

FRANK MILLER (A/C)

He’s Wolverine. He’s the best there is at what he does. And what he does best isn’t very nice. Revisit the classic, character-defining story that burned that phrase on the collective consciousness of comic book readers! A pair of industry legends — Chris Claremont and Frank Miller — show how the breakout star of the X-Men could also be a solo series icon! Claremont and Miller take Logan away from his teammates — all the way to Japan, where Mariko, the woman he loves, has married another out of duty! As Wolverine hunts for answers, he is drawn into brutal combat with Mariko’s father — and enters a shadowy world of samurai and ninja which he never truly leaves! It’s one of the all-time great Marvel comic books, boldly re-presented in its original form, ads and all! Reprinting WOLVERINE (1982) #1.

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

WOLVERINE: CLAREMONT & BUSCEMA #1 FACSIMILE EDITION

CHRIS CLAREMONT

JOHN BUSCEMA (A/C)

The debut issue of Wolverine’s first-ever, long-running ongoing series! Chris Claremont teams with comic book giant John Buscema to send Logan on a sword quest — fighting pirates in Indonesia! From there the action heads to Madripoor, where a cult seeks the black blade known as the Muramasa Sword. Whether wearing his stripped-down black suit and no mask, or donning his signature “Patch” disguise, this is a Wolverine unlike anything ever seen before — slicing and dicing armies of pirates and cultists! It’s one of the all-time great Marvel comic books, boldly re-presented in its original form, ads and all! Reprinting WOLVERINE (1988) #1.

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

X-MEN/FANTASTIC FOUR #1 (OF 4)

CHIP ZDARSKY • TERRY DODSON (A/C)

Variant cover by Mark Brooks

VARIANT COVER BY TBA

VARIANT COVER BY CHRIS ELIOPOULOS

FLOWER VARIANT COVER BY MEGHAN HETRICK

HIDDEN GEM VARIANT COVER BY TBA

THE SEEDS WERE PLANTED IN HOUSE OF X….

THE LINE IN THE SAND!

ISSUE #1 – KRAKOA. Every mutant on Earth lives there … except for one. But now it’s time for FRANKLIN RICHARDS to come home.

It’s the X-MEN VS. the FANTASTIC FOUR and nothing will ever be the same.

40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

X-MEN/FANTASTIC FOUR #2 (OF 4)

CHIP ZDARSKY • TERRY DODSON (A/C)

VARIANT COVER BY MARK BROOKS

FLOWER VARIANT COVER BY MEGHAN HETRICK

VARIANT COVER BY CHRIS ELIOPOULOS

The world has been re-shaped by the X-MEN. But you can’t reshape a world without encountering its true master … DOOM..

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

GIANT SIZE X-MEN: JEAN GREY AND EMMA FROST #1

JONATHAN HICKMAN • RUSSELL DAUTERMAN (A/C)

VARIANT COVER BY MIKE HUDDLESTON

Variant Cover by Iban Coello

BLANK Variant COVER ALSO AVAILABLE

Hickman & Dauterman take on Grey & Frost!

The first of five essential X-tales specially designed to showcase some of Marvel’s best artists! First up, Russell Dauterman, superstar artist of THOR and WAR OF THE REALMS! When Storm is in danger, it’s going to take two of the most powerful telepaths on Earth working together to make things right. Jean Grey and Emma Frost, together again for the good of Krakoa!

40 PGS./ONE SHOT/Rated T+ …$4.99

EXCALIBUR #7

TINI HOWARD • WILTON SANTOS (A)

Cover by MAHMUD ASRAR

Gwen Stacy Variant COVER by BEN OLIVER

THE HUNTSMEN AND THE WARWOLVES!

Excalibur faces an old foe – this time as the hunters rather than the game.

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

X-MEN #7

JONATHAN HICKMAN • Leinil Francis Yu (A/C)

GWEN STACY VARIANT COVER BY MIKE DEL MUNDO

MUTANTS ARE FOREVER!

The Resurrection Protocols have changed everything for Mutantkind. NO MORE can humans’ hate and fear take their lives from them. But… what ELSE has it changed?

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

MARAUDERS #7 & #8

GERRY DUGGAN • STEFANO CASELLI (A) • CoverS by RUSSELL DAUTERMAN

THE TREASURE OF ISLAND M!

As Verendi’s plans against Krakoa grow, the Marauders find themselves missing something vital… something that brings Storm and the White Queen to blows. Artist Stefano Caselli (AVENGERS, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN) joins the crew of the craziest X-series of them all!

32 PGS. (EACH)/Rated T+ …$3.99 (EACH)

X-FORCE #7 & #8

BENJAMIN PERCY • JOSHUA CASSARA (A)

CoverS by DUSTIN WEAVER

MISS FORTUNE STRIKES!

Domino’s luck seems to be changing… Can she find the source of her misfortune before it costs lives all over the world? And has Colossus healed enough to help her… or even himself?

32 PGS. (EACH)/Parental Advisory …$3.99 (EACH)

NEW MUTANTS #7 & #8 

ISSUE #7 – JONATHAN HICKMAN • ROD REIS (A/C)

ISSUE #8 – ED BRISSON • MARCO FAILLA (A) • Cover by ROD REIS

Deep in Shi’Ar space, the NEW MUTANTS have found themselves dead in the middle of an intergalactic power struggle. They’re probably equipped to handle that, right? And back on Earth, the young mutants of Krakoa look forward to the future…whatever it may hold.

32 PGS. (EACH)/Rated T+ …$3.99 (EACH)

DEADPOOL #4

KELLY THOMPSON • CHRIS BACHALO (A/C)

Variant Cover by PHILIP TAN

GWEN STACY VARIANT COVER BY MIKE HAWTHORNE

DEADPOOL VS KRAVEN!

King Deadpool enters single combat to save his entire kingdom! If Deadpool became king of the monsters when he killed the previous king, will Kraven become king when he kills Deadpool?

32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

    X-Men February 2020 Marvel Comics Solicits Here are the February 2020 Marvel Comics Solicitations for all x-Men related comics! WOLVERINE #1 BENJAMIN PERCY • ADAM KUBERT & VIKTOR Bogdanovic (A)

#deadpool #Fallen Angels #Marauders #marvel #marvel comics #Marvel Previews #New Mutants #Preview #Previews #professor x #wolverine #X-Factor #x-force #x-force 1 #x-men #x-men 2 #X-Men/Fantastic Four

[scarletspider2the2ndpower]

“What I Did for Love,” Spider-Island: Deadly Foes (Vol. 1/2011), #1.

Writer: Fred Van Lente; Penciler and Inker: Minck Oosterveer; Colorist: David Curiel; Letterer: Stephen Wacker

#Marvel #Marvel comics #Marvel 616 #Spider-Island: Deadly Foes #Tarantula #Kaine #Kaine Parker #Jackal #Miles Warren #I feel like Kaine and Deadpool should meet up at some point and discuss the horrors of bodies that are constantly #and simultaneously degenerating and regenerating and all the chronic pain that entails #then again even if Kaine doesn’t have the same moral objections to Deadpool that Peter does #I don’t know if Kaine would find Wade any less irritating (RIP) #in other news in addition to Warren’s many other crimes (and I hope I’ve made it apparent that I loathe the Jackal with a rare intensity) #The Jackal doesn’t know the definition of “bolshevik” since Kraven’s family is the bougiest to come out of imperial Russia #please leave Kaine alone and instead go read a dictionary

[robkirbycomics]

I did Twitter’s #31HorrorFilm31Days challenge again this year - at the outset I thought it would be really hard to accomplish this time around, but it wasn’t - I finished with days to spare. Of course now I won’t be able to watch another horror movie for another month at least. This year I went heavily 80′s, rewatching several favorite old chestnuts and finally catching up with never-seen-before perennials like Return of the Living Dead. I also saw some good newer stuff like Creep 2 & the new Halloween. Gotta mix it up at least a little, right? Anyway, read my full list with their accompanying twitter comments below, and happy Halloween! 

1. CREEP 2 ('17) Female filmmaker doesn't *flinch* when guy she’s filming tells her he's a serial killer, thinks he’ll make for fab material. Good luck with that. 

2. HELLO MARY LOU: PROM NIGHT II (’87) Who was that who said "Hell hath no fury like that of a 50′s prom queen scorned by being burned alive who reappears in the 80′s as a vengeful spirit supported by lots of FX"? Whoever said that, they are vindicated.

3. MR JONES ('13) Film-making couple has neighbor who is either (A) a famous reclusive artist ("like Banksy!") or (B) a guardian between us & a nightmare realm. I'm gonna go with (B)

4. THE BIRDS (’63) Our fine feathered friends become our fine feathered foes in this classic Hitchcock thriller. 

5. HOLIDAYS (’15) Featuring 8 short tales, each on a different holiday. It's hit or miss but u may well enjoy imagining Mitch McConnell as the male character in K. Smith's gruesome anti-misogyny revenge fantasy - I sure did. 

6. GOD TOLD ME TO (’76) Randos begin killing randomly, claiming "God told me to!" But what's reeeeally going on? Cop w/ personal issues is on the case. Solid, wacko B flick features tons of late 70s NYC goodness

7. THE BEYOND (’81) Woman inherits hotel in New Orleans which turns out 2B one of the 7 Gates to Hell! The hotel offers lovely amenities such as murderous walking corpses & eyeball eating spiders

8. THE BLACK CAT ('81) Title cat goes full-out serial killer in small English village, also manages to get bricked up behind a wall b/c you know, that's the classic black cat behavior 

9. PROM NIGHT (’80) Jamie Lee Curtis & group of teens are stalked by vengeful masked killer. Everything comes to a head (literally) at the disco prom. Sample music lyrics: “Prom night/Everything is alright!”

10. HALLOWEEN (’78) The boogeyman comes to Haddonfield with a big knife and a nasty attitude, but Final Girl extraordinaire Jamie Lee Curtis is having none of it

11. THE FOG (’80) Title fog + ghosts + vengeance + death = total entertainment. With this we conclude the Jamie Lee Curtis trilogy portion of this year's #31HorrorFilms31Days

12. DEADLY BLESSING (’81) Wes Craven’s overstuffed tale of sinister goings-on in a Hittite community includes interesting moving parts, incl a young Sharon Stone & a bonkers ending. Sample Hittite dialogue: "“You are a stench in the nostrils of God!”

13. DEADLY FRIEND (’86) Cute brainiac plants an AI chip in his murdered girlfriend's brain and she proceeds to go on murderous rampage because in good times & bad times that's what Deadly Friends are for  

14. RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD (’85) A genuinely funny horror comedy w/ pitch perfect performances by a stellar cast of B-movie pros + a killer soundtrack. A fan fave for good reasons, glad I finally saw it!

15. THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD (’71) As the poster advertises you get Vampires! Voodoo! Vixens! Victims! But no dripping blood, TBH

16. SUSPIRIA (’77) Dario Argento’s baroque classic stars Jessica Harper, a coven of e-vil witches, and fabulously over-the-top sets, cinematography & score. 

17. NIGHT OF THE SEAGULLS (’75) Nice Dr. & wife move to crusty seaside town of rude, fearful villagers + band of murderous dead blind knights, and learn what niceness gets you in this world

18. THE WITCH (’15) Puritan family runs afoul of witches in ye olden tymes: death, madness, & corruption of the innocent ensue, in pretty much that order. 

19. MALATESTA’S CARNIVAL OF BLOOD (’73) Uncommonly weird, original little grindhouse item recommended to that certain type of fan who responds 2 made-on-the-fly auteurist nonsense. And yes: that *is* Tattoo from Fantasy Island! 

20. THE PREMONITION (’76) whackjob lady has her eyes on nice lady's cute lil adopted daughter & plans to take her but the nice lady has THE PREMONITION and things escalate from there

21. SWEET, SWEET LONELY GIRL (’16) Titular sweet  n lonely 70′s girl goes 2 stay with ailing recluse aunt, meets a hot mysterious other girl and things proceed from weird 2 weirder. 

22. WE GO ON (’16) Young man terrified of life offers big $$$ to anyone who can prove existence of an afterlife, comes 2 regret what he learns. Fine cast + scary, thoughtful story: this gets the Sincere Rob Recommendation (tm) 

23. TERROR TRAIN (’80) Crazed madman vs obnoxious fraternity members aboard New Yr’s Eve party train. With the exception of Jamie Lee Curtis, who ably performs final girl duties, you'll root for the killer

24. RE-ANIMATOR (’85) Jeffrey Combs is fabulous as a wacky med student who discovers a way 2 re-animate dead tissue in this funny, gory (somewhat Bro-y) '80's cult classic

25. STAGE FRIGHT (’87) Enjoyable Italian fromage features an escaped psychopath in an owl mask vs. a locked theater full of actors rehearsing a play. Co-starring: a stormy night, unintentional laughs

26. THE NESTING (’81) Agoraphobic writer from the city rents a spooky old house in the country which A. was once a brothel & B. was the scene of a massacre, leading to C. Complications.

27. THE NINTH GATE (’99) Filthy rich dude hires Johnny Depp to acquire rare satanic book. Predictably, satanic things then begin to happen

28. HALLOWEEN (’18) Michael Myers returns after 40 yrs 2 reprise his gr8st hits from the original & its sequel, H20, & even the R. Zombie sequel (the PTSD stuff). Still - SURPRISE! - none of it compares to the original '78 classic.  

29. FRIEND REQUEST ('16) Facebook-inspired horror. I'm srsly unfriending it unliking it & wish I could unwatch it 

30. FIEND (’80) Supernatural entity possesses a dead man and proceeds 2 Fiendishly strangle neighbors b/c that's what Fiends do. Amateurish but endearingly sincere production was apparently made for $39.99 + some coupons

31. ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE (’06) Unappealing teens go 2 ranch  4 fun & sex & 2 be killed off one by one as usual, but wait there’s a twist! But wait again you’ve figured it out already.

#Horror Movies #31horrorfilms31days #Twitter #fulci #suspiria #dario argento #wes craven #jamie lee curtis #john carpenter #halloween #giallo #1980s movies #1980s horror

[dndplus]

Getting Started: Combat

Ah yes, combat, because what is a game about sword and sorcery without a reason to use the swords and sorcery?  For this post, we’re going to delve into the most basic details of designing an encounter that fits your campaign and power level.

For now, we’re going to start with those staple first encounters that seem to go well.  Now, some people will be wondering what to do if they’re starting things at a higher level (like at level 3, 5, or 7), and to this I have to say: this post isn’t for you.  If you are a new DM, ask your players to come down to level 1 with you.  Seeing your players grow through their levels will teach you so much about how to design encounters, and will also allow you to take things slow.

If you’re here, you’ve probably already put together a setting/setup for your campaign.  If you haven’t, go ahead and pop over to this post and come back when you’re ready.  (Hint: If you haven’t done that part yet, you’re not ready.  Step 1 will make this very clear).  Attached to this guide will be “quick start” notes that outline very simple ways to use the lessons you’ve learned along the way.

Step 1: Understand your locale.

So, you’ve got a setting, you’ve got interesting places to put your players, and you probably have an idea of where they’ll all be starting.  Odds are, this place isn’t going to be terribly dangerous, and if you’re new and wanted to go for dangerous, I’d suggest rethinking something so flashy.  You’re far beyond a “Getting Started” post if you’re really ready for that anyways.

The two best ways to start a campaign (in my opinion) are in a town, or in a prison.  A town works well enough, so long as you can orchestrate a way for all of your players come together.  A prison is much less complicated, as you typically give/discuss a reason for your players to be in that sort of setting.  A more detailed post on how to form adventures will come later, but for now, it’s more important you know how to challenge your players appropriately.

We’re going to use these possible starts as a way to analyze the way a locale affects things...

     Step 1a: Prison

Now, in the event of a “prison” start, you have guards to worry about.  These could be bandits they were captured by while walking the road, cultists of to some evil deity that wish not to be discovered, or if your campaign isn’t afraid to go full criminal, just plain guardsmen.  

The theme here is what’s important, and knowing bandits, cultists, or guards gives you more precise options down the line.  They’re all also perfectly viable, as bandits, cultists, and guards have the 1/8th challenge rating (Referred to as CR from here on out).  This makes them very easy to dispatch, but most importantly, they come with natural points of progression for harder enemies.  At level 1, a fantastic first encounter is matching a 1/8th CR enemy against your players 1-1, which is to say, if you have 4 players, you have them fight 4 bandits/cultists/guards.  

     Prison Quick Start, Part 1: 

The details of how you get to this point are up to you, at least until I get around to posting an adventure-building guide, but if you’re desperate and need a suggestion now, I recommend giving your players some time in their ‘cell’ to introduce themselves, before pointing out an obvious method of escape as whomever is watching them leaves the room to go to the bathroom.  

The room in question should contain their means of imprisonment, a place for the person watching them to sit, and for simplicity’s sake an obvious chest with their equipment.  Once the players have let themselves out and fetched their things, have the guard who stepped out earlier return, and then call for help.  Have however many bandits/cultists/guards you need storm the the chamber to create that 1-1 fight, and enjoy the show as your players test their abilities for the first time.

     Step 1b: Town

The ‘town’ start.  There is no simpler way to begin a campaign than this, as small towns tend to have no shortage of small problems.  The best part about the town start is, bar none, the variety of things you can throw at your players.  

Here’s a short list  of possible first jobs to get the brain going:  

Rat Infested Cellar (the ultimate classic)

Disturbance at the graveyard (skeletons + zombies are some of the absolute best early enemies)

Highwaymen terrorizing the roads (goblins, bandits, and whatever else makes sport of robbing poor townsfolk)

Something Unfriendly Taking up residence in a nearby cave (Giant Wolf Spiders!  Giant Beasts!  Madmen!  A fledgling necromancer!  Anything is fair game when a cave is involved!)

Aggressive Bullywugs in a Nearby Swamp (frog people, anyone?)

Less short would be a list of starts to some greater narratives to throw at a player.  This takes quite a bit more preparation, and understanding how to build encounters to match your players power level, which comes in Step 2.

    Town Quick Start, Part 1:

This couldn’t be simpler.  Have your players meet in the tavern, preferably one with a simple name and easily remembered name (The Full Flagon, The Drunken Fool, something maybe including the owner’s name, etc).  Let them introduce themselves to one another, and nudge them with the fact that fresh characters start with very little money if they don’t seem to know what to do.

The moment one of them brings up needing work, have the bartender tip them off to whatever job you’ve decided to throw their way.  Then, all you need is a person willing to pay to get it done (a guard captain who can’t spare any men, a group of local farmers living near the danger, the mayor, a local wizard who needs something procured; whatever works).  And then your players are on their way!  There’s not a lot you can safely ‘expect’ your players to do, but going to kill something they’ll get paid for is definitely one of them.

When your players get there, have them fight their first encounter.  Below is a simple list of how to keep it easy enough for a first fight based on Challenge Rating (referred to as CR from now on):

CR 1/8 - 1 for each player

CR 1/4 - 1 for each player, minus 1

CR 1/2 - This is trickier.  1 for 2 players.  1 + a CR 1/8 enemy for 3 players.  1 + a CR 1/4 for 4 players.  1 + 2 CR 1/8 enemies for 5 players, adding an additional CR 1/8 enemy for each player after that.

     Step 1 Conclusion:

At this point you’ve probably noticed that everything talked about here has something in common: it explains how a locale influences the foes your players will face.

What I haven’t talked about yet is how it all comes together - the influence of your setting.  Certain places are going to have different problems, problems you’ve probably already thought about when making your setting.  A kingdom at war with a necromancer is going to deal with more undead, a unsafe chain of islands is going to feature pirates, sahuagin, kuo-toa, and sea creatures more prominently, and a more pious kingdom might deal with demon-worshipping cultists carrying out the bidding of their dark masters.

This might not seem important, but I can assure you that it is.  Fitting enemies to their locale sets a mood; spiders live in caves, rats live in cellars, and goblins ambush traveling merchants outside of town.  If you have the spiders ambush people like highwaymen, you need to realize you’ve just created a very interest scenario that the players will demand an explanation for, and if you’ve got one, more power to you, but that’s really just another way the locale is important in how you set up your combat scenarios.

Step 2: Balance and Kobold Fight Club.

That’s right, i said Kobold Fight Club.  

http://kobold.club/fight/#/encounter-builder

THAT kobold fight club, every 5e Dungeon Master’s best friend.  This extraordinarily useful tool helps you “budget” out encounters for your party.  There’s more to it than that, though, and it’s what Step 2 is all about.  Unfortunately for other editions, this is a 5e blog, and that’s what I’ll be focusing on.  I’d love to get into the nuances of what came before, but as this is a blog for beginners, and 5e is the most beginner-friendly edition to ever exist, I’m going to keep it 5e for now.

So, how does it work?  Simple - you input the number of players you have, and their levels, and you look at what the adventure (and its locale) calls for in terms of potential enemies.  As an example, we’re going to use 4 level 1 characters to explore possible encounters.

Now, one of the very first things I did was recommend certain encounters to you in Step 1.  Here’s how they ration out by KFC’s calculations (assuming 4 players).

4 CR 1/8 Enemies - Medium Difficulty (200xp)

3 CR 1/4 Enemies - Hard Difficulty (300xp)

1 CR 1/2 Enemy +1 CR 1/4 Enemy - Medium Difficulty (225xp)

As you can see, they’re all in the 200-300 xp range, and are between hard and medium difficulty.  Believe it or not, “hard” is not very hard in this situation, as your players will be at full HP and have all of their spells/abilities ready to go.

In fact, don’t think of Easy, Medium, Hard, and Deadly as difficulties at all!  What you should do is think of them ‘resource sinks’.  Combat takes a toll, and your players will have to use spells to either keep their hitpoints high, or knock their enemies down fast.  Regardless, 4 CR 1/8 Enemies become far, far more menacing.

Quick Note: DMs managing new players should mention “Short Rests” after their first combat.  These short rests take only an hour, and let them roll their Hit Die (HD) to regain HP naturally.  They have one of these HD for every level acquired, so level 1 characters can only do it once, and adventures should be built with that in mind.

Now, KFC also includes what’s known as a ‘daily budget’.  Daily budgets are great, but at level 1, it’s a little misleading.  Not every party can handle 1200xp worth of fighting in one day right off the bat, after all!  That’s why it’s important to take things slow, and throw them into combat with what they can handle.  

We’re gonna get back in the ‘Prison’ and ‘Town’ starts now, and use what know about KFC and building encounters to build a ‘Deadly’ final encounter for the players!

     Prison Quick Start, Part 2:

So, your players have met, introduced themselves, broken out, and now have a pile of corpses around them.  Great!  But why, if your players could do that, were they captured in the first place?  Well clearly, there must be more bandits/cultists/guards around, and possibly even a leader among them!

Using KFC, your Monster Manual, and perhaps (THIS) extremely useful link, find a suitable ‘boss’ for your bumbling prison guards.  If you went bandits/cultists/guards, here’s a suggestion to make it even easier:

Guards - Knight (CR 3!?)

Cultists - Cult Fanatic (CR 2)

Bandits - Bandit Captain (CR 2)

Wait a minute, one of these things isn’t like the other.  A Knight has a CR of 3, making it worth 700xp!  Clearly it needs to be toned down, so tone it down we will!  How does one ‘tone down’ a creature, though?  Simply put, we look at its competition.

Knight - 52 Average Hit Points, Armor Class 18, +5 to hit, x2 Attacks, 20 Total Average Damage, Leadership

Cult Fanatic - 33 Average Hit Points, Armor Class 13, +4 to hit, x2 Attacks, 8 Total Average Damage, !SPELLS!

Bandit Captain - 65 Average Hit Points, Armor Class 15, +5 to hit, x3 Attacks, 17 Total Average Damage, Parry

Hmm...  Well, the Cult Fanatic is a spellcaster, making it very difficult to compare to the knight.  It’s best if we disregard that.  Looking further, the Knight is significantly more difficult to kill with it’s whopping 18 Armor Class than the Bandit Captain’s much more manageable 15.  In addition to this, the Knight’s leadership ability makes everyone around him much more dangerous.

In this instance, I would rename the knight to ‘Guard Captain’, and cut the Leadership ability altogether.  Next, I’d downgrade the armor class to 16.  This makes him a higher damage, slightly less durable variant of the Bandit Captain.  In addition to this, you can also just use the Bandit Captain’s stat block for a Guard Captain altogether, as nothing about his toolkit is completely unbelievable for a guard.

Next, we have to put it altogether in a proper, final showdown.  With a CR 2 creature commanding a 450 xp bounty, we have to be mindful of how it’s already in the ‘Deadly’ category of encounters.  What’s important to understand, though, is that quantity often beats quality, and a single enemy worth 450xp is much easier to beat than several enemies totaling 450xp.  Also, this is the finale!  A fight is allowed to get a little dicey in these situations.

I recommend going one of two routes - Adding a single CR 1/8 minion to support the big bad boss, (Giving us an adjusted bounty of 712xp!  Yikes!), or having a couple CR 1/8 minions fight the players alone, and then have the boss ambush the players just after they’ve dispatched the first wave of weaker guards.  Doing these two fights one after another, but separately, gives a 100xp fight followed by a 450xp fight with no time to rest, for a total of 600xp and plenty of breathing room for the players.  Either way, there’s a decent possibility that one player is knocked unconscious by this combat, and that’s really all you want to threaten so early on in the campaign.

     Town Quick Start, Part 2

Alright, everyone knows each other, they’ve found their job, and they just dealt with a group of skeletons/highwaymen/rats/spiders.  Why were they there, though?  What force (factoring in the setting and locale) made all of this happen?  Here’s a few examples below, based on the first scenario:

The rats in the cellar were chased up from below.

The local priest has turned to a darker master, and now defiles the graveyard they’re meant to tend.

The highwaymen you fought have a camp nearby, as show by a map found on one of their corpses.

The cave you’re in goes much deeper, and you’ve not yet cleared it of all dangers...

The Bullywug’s camp can be seen just up ahead!  It looks like there’s more of them...

Yeah, some of those were a little too self-explanatory and merely lent to a ‘what’s next?’, but it’s not always so complicated.  Using KFC, the Monster Manual, and THIS extremely useful link, let’s find appropriate enemies for a finale!

An ankheg burrows through the ground beneath the town, and is responsible for the rats! (CR 2)

The local priest is evil, and lucky for you, a standard priest fits the bill (CR 2)

Bandit Captains are CR 2, Goblin Bosses are CR 1 (with stronger minions to compensate).  All good stuff.

Those Giant Wolf Spiders are shacking up with a proper Giant Spider (CR 1), or perhaps you found wolves, and a Dire Wolf (CR 1) leads the pack!

Oh dear... those Bullywugs have tamed a man-eating Giant Toad! (CR 1)

These can all be worked with, and for a big final showdown, we want an adjusted XP of 600-750.  That puts us well into Deadly territory, and lets us explore with just what ‘adjusted’ XP is.  Basically, many smaller enemies totaling 100xp are much more dangerous than one enemy worth 100xp, so when fighting a group, the xp is adjusted upwards to compensate.  KFC does this automatically, so let’s look at how adjusted XP rates influence the final round of combat:

An Ankheg is pretty nasty all on its own, but have a fifth Giant Rat emerge alongside it and things just might get crazy (Adjusted XP 712)

The priest was corrupted, and the cultist (CR 1/8) who brought the words of a new, dark master to him is present.  Together, they make for a much more daunting fight (Adjusted XP 712)

The Bandit Captain and one of his bandits are more than enough for 4 level 1 characters (Adjusted XP 712).  Goblins, however, can be much meaner.  2 Goblins and a boss give us an Adjusted XP of 600, and a 3rd goblin brings us to 700.  Let’s not forget how dicey things can get when you add more enemies though and keep it at 2 goblins and their boss until we know more about the party’s capabilities.

Giant Wolf Spiders and Giant Spiders match the Goblin and Goblin Boss dynamic.  2 Giant Wolf Spiders and 1 Giant Spider give us a 600 Adjusted XP, which just barely gets us to the mark.

Like the goblins and the spiders, Bullywugs and their Giant Toad follow the 1/4 and 1 CR statline.  2 Bullywugs, 1 Giant Toad, 600 Adjusted XP, and probably 1 player scarred for life after they’re swallowed whole by the toad.  Perfect.

     Step 2 Conclusion:

Now, at this point, you’ve got what you need to start a campaign, but what about going forward?  Well, it’s different for every party.  What’s important is that you know how to build fights and adjust the values to suit your party’s needs.  Here are some extra notes to think about before we finish up:

Are enemies I’m using especially good against the party?  Dragons are famous for flying up and out of reach, turning that DPS machine barbarian into a rage-less, terrible archer.  On the other end, that cleric with tons of Wisdom that LOVES Hold Person might be a little too good against certain humanoids...

What advantages do I or the players have?  A group of archers shooting at the players from a point they can’t reach makes the players fight back with their own ranged attacks, which they might be lacking.  Underbudget encounters like this until you understand more about how they drain the party’s resources.

Am I giving the party too much time to rest and prepare?  Any fight seems easy if the party has ample time to rest up, so make plans to take that away from them!  Ambushing the players while they’re resting can be a great way of reminding them that Short Rests aren’t always free, and can up the difficulty when you find the content too easy to be engaging.

One Big Enemy.  These can be fun, especially as a finale, but can come off as too easy if the players have a knack for killing things quick.  Consider giving a single, larger enemy ‘Legendary Actions’.  These can happen at the end of any players’ turn, and a creature usually has 2-3 of them.  The Big Enemy gets those 2-3 actions refreshed at the end of one of its turns, and can use 1 to make a single attack, move, or even use 2-3 at a time to activate a signature ability on the fly!  More about this in a later post...

#d&d #d&d 5e #D&D&EE #dungeons and dragons #dungeon master #combat #creating an encounter #difficulty #dm #gm #dm tutorial #dungeon master tutorial #dungeon master guide #tutorial #kobold fight club

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Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

Marvel’s latest, Shang-Chi & the Legend of the Ten Rings, has dozens of MCU Easter eggs hidden throughout; here they are broken down. Created as the “Master of Kung Fu,” Shang-Chi is a somewhat unusual character in the Marvel Universe in that he traditionally doesn’t possess any superpowers at all. Rather, he’s simply a martial artist so skilled he can go toe-to-toe with gods and monsters. The MCU’s Shang-Chi is very different from the comics, where he’s not connected to the Mandarin at all, but rather to another crime lord, Fu Manchu, who Marvel don’t have the rights to – and probably wouldn’t use if they could, because he’s a problematic racist trope.

Marvel has toyed with introducing Shang-Chi to the big screen for over 20 years. He was one of the 10 properties Marvel originally planned to build the MCU upon, although he was dropped when the studio reacquired the film rights to Iron Man and headed in a very different direction. Still, for all that’s the case, there’s a sense in which Shang-Chi answers mysteries that have been there in the MCU from the beginning; it reveals the truth about the Ten Rings, a terrorist organization from the Iron Man films, and even features the real Mandarin after the fake version in Iron Man 3.

Related: Shang-Chi 2 News & Updates: Everything We Know

Like all MCU films, Shang-Chi is packed with Easter eggs and cameos. Some of them are easy to spot, others are a lot more subtle – here’s every Marvel Easter egg and notable pop culture reference in the movie.

Let’s start with one of the more amusing, tongue-in-cheek nods – in one scene Katy remembers her first meeting with Shang-Chi, when he expressed a vocal objection to being considered a Korean. This is a nod to Kim’s Convenience, where Simu Liu played a Korean character named Jung. Liu has suggested this was something of a challenge; as he observed on Twitter back in 2016, “everyone is Korean except for me, and I’m trying very hard to fit in.“

Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame were the two most spectacular events in the MCU; in the first film, the Mad Titan Thanos snapped his fingers and erased half the lives in the universe, and in the second, the Avengers brought everyone back. The five-year period between these two events has been dubbed “the Blip” in the MCU, and the Marvel Disney+ TV series have been exploring the chaos of the aftermath, with WandaVision focusing on the personal cost and The Falcon & the Winter Soldier on the geopolitical issues arising from the Blip. The Blip is referenced twice in Shang-Chi, once when Katy points out they live in a world where half the people on Earth can disappear. It’s referenced again more subtly on a poster outside her home. “Post-Blip anxiety? You are not alone,” the poster declares, suggesting there’s understandably still a lot of trauma in the world.

The Ten Rings have been an established part of the MCU from the beginning, as the terrorist cell that captured Tony Stark in Iron Man was one of them. They were fleshed out as the trilogy continued, appearing numerous times in tie-ins such as the Iron Man 3 Prelude comic book that revealed War Machine was dealing with a particularly nasty terrorist plot on the other side of the world when the Chitauri invaded New York in The Avengers in 2012, explaining why he didn’t help out. They were subverted in Iron Man 3, but Shang-Chi serves as something of a course-correction on that, playing them straight and liberally using the logo.

Related: Shang-Chi Cast & Character Guide: All New & Returning MCU Actors

The Ten Rings catch up with Shang-Chi on the bus, and their initial confrontation is observed by a familiar face. Played by Zach Cherry in Shang-Chi‘s cameo, the vlogger Klev first appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming, when he asked Spider-Man to perform stunts as he filmed them, and he returns in Shang-Chi when a fight breaks out on his bus. “Yo, whaddup y’all, it’s your boy Klev, coming at you live on the bus,” he declares, before stating his intention to rate Shang-Chi’s martial arts as he apparently practiced when he was younger. It’s really something of a shame Klev doesn’t appear more, because he gets some great comedic lines in this welcome cameo.

In the comics, Razor Fist is a low-level thug who typically works for more prominent villains – including the likes of the Mandarin and the Hood. He’s gone head-to-head with a wide range of superheroes, such as Shang-Chi, Wolverine, and Deadpool, but – although he was initially treated as a dangerous threat – he’s increasingly been seen as light comic relief compared to more deadly foes. Shang-Chi‘s version is a little different, with only one of his hands replaced by a razor-stump, which is frankly a lot more practical; the comic book character has often been mocked with questions about just how he gets dressed when both his hands are blades. Amusingly, it’s soon clear the character still likes to call himself “Razor Fist,” with that name sprayed on his car.

Shang-Chi is heavily inspired by Jackie Chan and Chinese wuxia films, and it wears its love of these martial movies on its sleeve – literally. The opening bus fight between Shang-Chi and members of the Ten Rings features a tremendous moment in which the hero uses his jacket as a weapon, a move that will be familiar to any Jackie Chan fans. All in all, Shang-Chi boasts some of the best fight choreography in the entire MCU to date, appropriate for the character who – in the comics – is called the Master of Kung Fu.

Shang-Chi’s origin story has completely changed from the comics, but certain elements of it still link to his first appearance in Special Marvel Edition #15. There, he was brought up by the crime lord Fu Manchu as an assassin but believing his father to be a humanitarian who only killed evil people. He did indeed complete his first mission for his father – before being told the truth about Fu Manchu being evil, and going rogue. The similarities end there, though, because Shang-Chi’s first mission in the MCU was a lot more personal.

Related: Shang-Chi Ending Explained: 6 Biggest Questions, Answered

Shang-Chi seeks out his sister Xialing at the Golden Daggers Club in Macau, unaware it is a superhuman fight club or that Xialing owns it. In the comics, the Golden Daggers were a criminal organization led by Shang-Chi’s sister (named Leiko in the comics), who established them as a rival empire to her father’s. Shang-Chi originally thought they were working for Fu Manchu, but gradually learned he was caught between two rival criminal gangs.

Keep a close eye on the Golden Daggers fight club, because it includes a number of cool Easter eggs. One particularly interesting fight is between an Extremis-powered soldier from Iron Man 3 and a Black Widow, giving a sense of the superhuman scraps that take place there. The Black Widow is a character named Helen, played by stunt performer (and World Wushu Champion) Jade Xu, and it seems she has found her way to Macau after being freed from the Red Room’s control in Black Widow. The Extremis soldier is particularly curious, as they were all supposedly killed, so it’s possible someone has begun experimenting with Extremis again.

Of course, the star attraction of the Golden Daggers is the Abomination, a classic Hulk villain who’s changed substantially since The Incredible Hulk. Tim Roth’s Emil Blonsky was exposed to Gamma radiation in The Incredible Hulk, transforming him into a monster who rampaged through Harlem, but according to the Marvel One-Shot The Consultant he was viewed as a hero by the military, with the World Security Council even wanting him to get involved with the Avengers Initiative. SHIELD knew better, and manipulated events so as to ensure the Abomination was dropped from their potential Avengers roster, and (with the exception of one episode of Agents of SHIELD), he hasn’t been seen or referenced since – until now. The Abomination now sports a much more comic-book-accurate appearance, clearly having mutated significantly over the last decade. It’s difficult to say for certain, but when he is teleported away he appears to be going to the Raft, a prison for superhumans introduced in Captain America: Civil War. Blonsky will return in the She-Hulk Disney+ TV series.

The Abomination’s opponent in the Golden Daggers is Wong, one of the more prominent members of the Masters of the Mystic Arts. It’s unclear why Wong is at a fight club, but he appears to be a regular and has a friendly relationship with the Abomination. Wong is playing a major role in Phase 4, likely because he’s operating from Kamar-Taj, meaning he’s responsible for overseeing mystical events across the entire world – while Doctor Strange appears to have become the guardian of the Sanctum Sanctorum in New York, thus being geographically limited. Wong returns in a delightful cameo in Shang-Chi‘s mid-credits scene.

Related: Shang-Chi End-Credits Scenes Set Up 6 MCU Movies & Shows

It’s easy to miss, but the Madripoor flag is painted on the walls in Xialing’s fight club. In the comics, Madripoor is basically the Mos Eisley Cantina of the Marvel Universe, a notoriously corrupt and crime-ridden island nation. It made its MCU debut in The Falcon & the Winter Soldier when the titular heroes traveled to Madripoor and learned Sokovia Accord fugitive Sharon Carter had made her home there. Interestingly, Marvel set up a promotional Welcome to Madripoor website that did initially feature Ten Rings Easter eggs; they were swiftly removed.

In the comics, Li Ching-Lin was an MI6 agent who secretly worked for Shang-Chi’s father, Fu Manchu. A skilled and brutal warrior, he was anointed Death-Dealer by Fu Manchu and became one of his most prominent henchmen, clashing with Shang-Chi on countless occasions. The MCU has completely reinvented Death-Dealer, who is apparently a key member of the Ten Rings, responsible for training them. He was a harsh mentor to Shang-Chi but did not train his sister Xialing, as she was a girl and women were not allowed to be members of the Ten Rings.

A captured Shang-Chi and his friends are taken to Wenwu’s fortress in China’s mountainous Hunan province. This is based on Fu Manchu’s home in Special Marvel Edition #15, which was indeed situated in Hunan, and it has returned in recent Shang-Chi comics. Recent Marvel comics have rewritten Shang-Chi’s history, naming this as the House of the Deadly Hand, but these retcons were carried out while the film was in production so are unlikely to be important at this stage.

Shang-Chi introduces viewers to Wenwu, the true leader of the Ten Rings, whose identity was appropriated by actor Trevor Slattery in Iron Man 3 when he dreamed up the character of the Mandarin. Slattery’s Mandarin was a composite of a hundred legends, but Wenwu is the real deal, a complex figure who has been tortured by grief over the loss of his wife years ago. The film spends a surprising amount of time explaining the Mandarin twist, with Wenwu even discussing it at length, mocking the citizens of the United States for being so terrified of “the Mandarin” – amused so many people were afraid of him.

Related: Shang-Chi Confirms The MCU Timeline Is Completely Broken Post-Endgame

According to Wenwu, he has been known by many names over the millennia; the Warrior King, Master Khan, and the Most Dangerous Man on Earth. The second of these titles is the most important, because in the comics “Master Khan” is indeed an alias of the Mandarin. In the comics, it denoted a connection between the Mandarin and Genghis Khan, but in the MCU the timeline may instead hint Genghis Khan was himself Wenwu.

Down-on-his-luck actor Trevor Slattery returns from Iron Man 3, once again played by Ben Kingsley. As seen in the Marvel One-Shot All Hail the King, Slattery was broken out of prison by the Ten Rings, with Wenwu intending to kill him for the audacity of appropriating his identity in this way. Slattery apparently forestalled the execution by launching into a terrified performance of Macbeth, and was thus spared death, instead becoming Wenwu’s jester. Trevor plays a surprisingly important role in Shang-Chi, helping the heroes get to the mystical realm of Ta Lo before Wenwu, and he even survives the battle with the Dweller-In-Darkness in hilarious fashion.

Ta Lo exists in the comics, where it is a small pocket dimension numbered among the so-called “God Realms.” This is a seriously deep cut into Marvel lore, with Ta Lo only appearing in a single issue – Thor #301 – and actually explored more in Marvel handbooks than in the comics themselves. According to these handbooks, there are five interdimensional nexuses that lead to Ta Lo, each found at the foot of a sacred mountain. It is home to the Xian, a race akin to the Asgardians who have inspired China’s Taoist gods; Shang-Chi wisely ditches this idea, aware it would be culturally insensitive.

As noted by Mateo, Wenwu claims the gate to Ta Lo opens only on Qingming Jie, allowing viewers to precisely date Shang-Chi in the MCU timeline. Because this happens after Avengers: Endgame, Shang-Chi must be in 2024, and this Chinese festival day will happen on April 4 that year. The events probably take place from approx. March 29 through to April 5, which means the timeline for MCU content post-Endgame currently looks something like this:

Loki

Marvel’s What If…?

WandaVision

Shang-Chi & the Legend of the Ten Rings

The Falcon & the Winter Soldier

Spider-Man: Far From Home

Shang-Chi features a wealth of mythical Chinese creatures, including:

The unicorn-like qílín, the horned creature with the body of a deer and the tail of an ox, which lives in places of peace and serenity and only appears in the real world to presage the emergence of a great, benevolent ruler. Ta Lo is presumably supposed to be the origin of the qílín.

There’s also a glimpse of the fènghuáng, an immortal bird sometimes incorrectly called the Chinese Phoenix, another auspicious creature. Interestingly, both the qílín and the fènghuáng are symbols of balance, incorporating both the male and female elements; balance is very much the theme of Shang-Chi, so the presence of these two mythological animals is very appropriate indeed. Both the qílín and the fènghuáng are associated with Ta Lo in the comics.

The beautiful húlijīng, a mythical nine-tailed fox that has absorbed the natural energy of the world over many years.

There are also shíshī, the Chinese guardian lions, sometimes called foo dogs, who assist the residents of Ta Lo in their battle against the Ten Rings.

The longma is a legendary winged horse with dragon scales, another creature whose presence is symbolic of the rise of a sage ruler.

The most prominent creature in Shang-Chi is Trevor Slattery’s Maurice, a dìjiāng – often seen to represent cosmic confusion. It makes sense a dijiang would associate itself with Trevor.

Related: Every Marvel Cinematic Universe Movie, Ranked Worst To Best (Including Shang-Chi)

Dragons do exist in Marvel Comics, the most famous being the alien Makluan dragon creature Fin Fang Foom; however, the Great Protector seen in Shang-Chi is nothing like a Makluan. Rather, the creature is based on Chinese mythology, where dragons – or lóng – serve as protectors rather than destroyers, and the dragon has become a symbol of status and power. Shang-Chi is likely set in the year 2024, which seems amusingly appropriate, given that is the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese Zodiac.

The Dweller-in-Darkness is lifted from the comics, although he’s been adapted quite significantly. In the comics, he is one of the universe’s Fear Lords, beings who gain sustenance from the fear of creatures on other planes, and he considers the more famous comic book Fear Lord, Nightmare, to be his cousin. Dweller-in-Darkness was a terrible threat to the Earth millennia ago, in the days of ancient Atlantis, and derived great pleasure from the conflict between the Eternals and the Deviants that led to the sinking of that continent. He grew too powerful, however, and caught the attention of the Atlantean sorceress Zhered-Na, who cast the Dweller-In-Darkness into an eternal slumber from which he only awoke in the modern era – only to find himself contested now by Doctor Strange. The MCU’s Dweller-in-Darkness has been changed a lot, and is now some sort of demon, blended with the Chinese myths of the Wangliang, a malevolent spirit in Chinese folklore. The Soul Eaters serving the Dweller-in-Darkness in Shang-Chi do exist in the comics, but they too have been heavily modified. In the comics, a Soul-Eater attaches itself to a victim and preys upon them for a lengthy period of time, consuming their soul little by little. The process of soul extraction is vastly accelerated in Shang-Chi.

Shang-Chi‘s post-credits scene reveals the superhero holo-conferences conducted by Black Widow during the Blip (as seen in Avengers: Endgame) are still ongoing. This is the first time there’s been a hint Earth’s protectors are still organized in Phase 4, and it’s likely Wong only called in the people he wanted involved in discussions about Shang-Chi’s Ten Rings; Captain Marvel, with her knowledge of alien worlds and civilizations, and the scientific mind of Bruce Banner. Neither has ever seen anything like this before, with Banner confirming they’re not Vibranium.

Something has clearly happened to Bruce Banner between Avengers: Endgame and the events of Shang-Chi; the last time he was seen, the Banner and Hulk personas had combined into “Professor Hulk,” and he was stuck in that form permanently, but now he’s back as a human being. This will probably either be explained by the upcoming She-Hulk Disney+ TV series, or else it will be setup for it, explaining why Banner’s blood is used in a transfusion for his cousin Jennifer Walters. His right arm is still in a sling, meaning the injury he sustained when he used the Infinity Gauntlet hasn’t been healed. It seems Marvel are honoring the Russo brothers’ wishes for the Hulk to have a permanent injury; “It’s permanent damage,” Joe Russo explained in one interview. “The same way it was permanent damage with Thanos. It’s irreversible damage.“

Related: Every Upcoming Marvel Movie Release Date (2021 To 2023)

Wong references Kamar-Taj during the holo-conference, revealing the Masters of the Mystic Arts were able to detect whatever “signal” was emitted from the Ten Rings at the moment control of them passed over to Shang-Chi. This is pretty impressive, given Ta Lo was described as being in an entirely different universe, meaning the energy surge generated by them must have traveled through the entire Multiverse.

The MCU has always loved to incorporate classic music into its films, and the Eagles’ “Hotel California” crops up throughout Shang-Chi. The theme of the song works perfectly for the movie, as Shang-Chi has attempted to “check out” of the family drama, but he can never leave. The mid-credits scene of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings puts a more positive spin on this, though, because now Shang-Chi has checked in to the world of superheroes, and his life will never be the same again.

More: Where Was Doctor Strange During Shang-Chi?

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[danielcarrapa]

Games I definitely need to play (with E3 trailers/demos):

Assassin's Creed: Odyssey

ETA: October 5, 2018

Video: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey – E3 2018 World Premiere Trailer; Assassin’s Creed Odyssey – PS4 Gameplay Preview

Description: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey will feature dialogue options, weapons and combat ability customization, naval ship battles, and a world rich with myths and legends! Embark on your journey from humble beginnings to living legend as Alexios or Kassandra. Customize your gear, upgrade your abilities, and personalize your ship on your path to becoming a Spartan hero…

Control

ETA: 2019

Video: Control – E3 2018 Announce Trailer

Description: You are Jesse Faden, a young woman with a troubled past. You become the new Director of the Bureau of Control – Our frontline in researching and fighting against supernatural enemies like the Hiss threatening our very existence. You’ll uncover the secret activities of the Bureau agents and explore the strange and shifting halls of the Bureau’s headquarters, The Oldest House. Unlock new abilities with Objects of Power and upgrade your Service Weapon to take on bigger and more powerful enemies. Venture into lost sectors in the challenging Expeditions mode. Solve puzzles and complete quests to discover the secret of Jesse’s past and the true purpose of the Bureau of Control. Above all, you must defeat the relentless Hiss.

Cyberpunk 2077

ETA: TBA

Video: Cyberpunk 2077 – Official E3 2018 Trailer

Description: Cyberpunk 2077 is a narrative-driven, open world RPG set in the most vibrant and dangerous metropolis of the future — Night City. You play as V, a hired gun on the rise, who just got their first serious contract. In a world of cyberenhanced street warriors, tech-savvy netrunners and corporate life-hackers, today is your first step to becoming an urban legend.

Death Stranding

ETA: TBA

Video: Death Stranding – E3 2018 4K Trailer

Description: From legendary game creator Hideo Kojima comes an all new, genre defining experience for the PlayStation®4. Besieged by death's tide at every turn, Sam Bridges must brave a world utterly transformed by the Death Stranding. Carrying the stranded remnants of the future in his hands, Sam embarks on a journey to reunite the shattered world one step at a time. What is the mystery of the Death Stranding? What will Sam discover on the road ahead? A genre defining gameplay experience holds these answers and more.

Ghost of Tsushima

ETA: TBA

Video: Ghost of Tsushima - E3 2018 Gameplay Debut

Description: In 1274, the fearsome Mongol Empire invades the Japanese island of Tsushima and slaughters its legendary samurai defenders. Jin Sakai is one of the last survivors of a noble samurai clan. To combat his overwhelming foes, he must pioneer deadly new fighting techniques--the way of The Ghost--and wage an unconventional war for the people of Japan.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider

ETA: September 14, 2018

Video: Shadow of the Tomb Raider – Louder than Words; Shadow of the Tomb Raider: One with the Jungle Gameplay Reveal; Shadow of the Tomb Raider Gameplay Demo

Description: The first gameplay trailer for Shadow of the Tomb Raider showcases the high-octane action, inner conflict, and challenges that will lead to Lara Croft’s defining moment. As she races to save the world from a Maya apocalypse, Lara must master a deadly jungle, overcome terrifying tombs, and persevere through her darkest hour before being forged into the Tomb Raider she is destined to be.

Spider-Man

ETA: September 7, 2018

Video: Marvel’s Spider-Man – E3 2018 Showcase Demo Video

Description: Marvel’s Spider-Man features your favorite web-slinger in a story unlike any before it. Now a seasoned Super Hero, Peter Parker has been busy keeping crime off the streets as Spider-Man. Just as he’s ready to focus on life as Peter, a new villain threatens New York City. Faced with overwhelming odds and higher stakes, Spider-Man must rise up and be greater.

The Last of Us Part II

ETA: TBA

Video: The Last of Us Part II – E3 2018 Gameplay Reveal Trailer

Description: The Last of Us Part II is an upcoming action-adventure survival horror video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for PlayStation 4. The sequel to The Last of Us (2013), it was announced at the PlayStation Experience event in December 2016.

I’m also very curious about Beyond Good & Evil 2, although that’s probably several years down the line, and both Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI, which will likely be next-gen titles. One final word to Red Dead Redemption 2, which was absent from this year’s E3, although that’s an absolutely essential title, coming out October 26, 2018.

#e3 #e3 2018 #playstation 4 #assassin's creed #cyberpunk 2077 #death stranding #ghost of tsushima #shadow of the tomb raider #spider-man #the last of us part ii

[graphicpolicy]

Arcana Studio welcomes you to a month filled with heroes – some covered in leather and vinyl, while others are by feathers! Edgar Delgado returns to the world of his successful UltraDuck series with Los Valiants, while Gene Simmons is punching in with another installment of Dominatrix, as well as the first collected edition of Zipper vs Dominatrix: Hellbent in Heels AND the first Arcana edition of Zipper volume one.

Los Valiants Vol. 0

LOS VALIANTS Vol 0 (NOV171229) brings us back to the world of UltraDuck. This time around, we have a collection of seven short stories, all written by Edgar Delgado (UltraDuck, Superior Spider-Man, Darth Vader), and featuring UltraDuck and his fellow heroes from Canis Hill. They are Los Valiants! If you missed UltraDuck the first time around, this is a great jumping on point, and expect more from this great series. WRITER: Edgar Delgado ARTISTS: Various COVER ARTIST: Edgar Delgado

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Dominatrix: Hellbent in Heels Vol. 2 #2

Let’s start our foray into the mind of Gene “The Demon” Simmons by checking out Dominatrix Issue 2! Of Dominatrix: Hellbent in Heels, people are definitely talking!

In Dominatrix: Hellbent in Heels Issue 2, Dom is trapped on an island with the rich and powerful, each with their own reasons for buying illegal and “exotic” weapons. What can go wrong? Assassinations, narcissistic escorts, brawls, gunfights, and living weapons for starters! As trouble escalates, we learn the mysterious origin of some powerful new friends. But, can Dom save them before they hit the auction block and are unleashed on an unsuspecting world? Be prepared; you won’t see the end coming! WRITER: Erik Hendrix (The Steam Engines of Oz, Deadly Harvest, Evil Tree) ARTIST: Kewber Baal COVER ARTIST: Kewber Baal

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Zipper vs Dominatrix: The Slave Trade

In its first release since appearing in Anthology format, we have the COLLECTED Zipper vs Dominatrix: The Slave Trade, also written by Erik Hendrix, with art by Yannis Roumboulias and Casey Maloney, with an amazing cover by Jim Balent.

Zipper and Dominatrix, two creations straight out of the mind of Gene Simmons, get wrapped in a world of sex slaves and conspiracy. Can the alien and the T&A agent work together long enough to save innocent lives? WRITER: Erik Hendrix (The Steam Engines of Oz, Deadly Harvest, Evil Tree) ARTIST: Yannis Roumboulias (Deadly Harvest, The Steam Engines of Oz), Casey Maloney (Zipper) COVER ARTIST: Jim Balent (Catwoman, Tarotm Razor)

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Zipper Vol. 1

Also available for Pre-Order this month is the first volume of Zipper, available for the first time through Arcana Studio. Written by Tom Waltz (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) with art by Casey Maloney, this is a must read for any who find themselves enjoying the current adventures of Gene Simmons’ Zipper.

On Etheria, deep in the Nether Ether, where free will is considered a crime punishable by death, Denizen Xeng Ral escapes to Earth, seeking autonomy. What he finds are dangers he never thought possible. Joined by the unlikeliest of allies and pursued by dangerous and deadly foes from this world and his own, Xeng Ral battles across hard urban landscapes struggling for what he desires most – freedom. WRITER: Tom Waltz ARTIST: Casey Maloney

Arcana Studio's Releases in January 2018 #comics Arcana Studio welcomes you to a month filled with heroes – some covered in leather and vinyl, while others are by feathers!

#arcana studio #comic books #Comics