Saturday Splash Page #36

 

"Most Dangerous Game," in West Coast Avengers (vol. 1) #2, by Roger Stern (writer), Bob Hall (penciler), Brett Breeding (inker), Julianna Ferriter (colorist), Diana Albers (letterer)

In 1984, in the aftermath of Secret Wars, the Avengers decided to franchise themselves, setting up a branch on the West Coast. Hawkeye finally got his chance to be in charge, with Mockingbird as the first member of the team. That, along with a fairly nifty new hacienda HQ, is about all the "Wackos" have got to start with. So Clint's got to do a recruitment drive, and then immediately deal with the return of Graviton.

When I was discussing Hawkeye's 1984 solo mini-series in Sunday Splash Page #229, I mentioned that especially in the first two issues, Gruenwald's art reminded me of Bob Hall's. Some of the, I imagine, Buscema influence to the style, but solid art that tells the story, sells the emotional beats, makes the action sequences look good. Those first two issues were inked by Brett Breeding and I look at the credits for this mini-series, and there's Bob Hall inked by Brett Breeding (although on the 4th issue, Hall is credited with breakdowns, while Breeding and Peter Ferardi handle finishes.) 

There's nothing particularly flashy to the art, but it works, and sells the little touches that make the characters feel fleshed out. When Wonder Man is packing up to move into the HQ, he just stuffs everything into one big box, which he seals up by pushing nails in with his finger. Because why would a guy that strong need a hammer? Mockingbird casually dusting Hawkeye's backside off after Iron Man knocked him flat in the training exercise.

This is one of my two favorite Avengers rosters, up there with the Kooky Quartet. I've mentioned  previously preferring small Avengers lime-ups, and at five characters, this is definitely on the small side. Especially for tangling with Graviton, who mentions more than once he fought an Avengers team with twice this many characters. 

Most of it is Stern picked a group that all have something to prove. After years of running his mouth about how he could do a better job than Captain America, Hawkeye gets his chance to put up or shut up, with a team that has a low amount of superhero experience (less than he knows), and basically none working with each other. Mockingbird's been a SHIELD agent, but she's relatively new to superheroics. Her team-up with Spider-Man in Marvel Team-Up nearly got her killed, and Crossfire's weird sonic weapon drove her nuts and almost got her beaten to death by Hawkeye. Her track record ain't great, is what I'm getting at.

Wonder Man died the first time he tried to do the hero thing, and that left a mark. Stern doesn't delve so much into the fact Simon had a tendency to freeze up when he came back from the dead, but there is the fact Wonder Man ditched crimefighting to become a stunt man. He's got to prove to himself he can hack it, and his inability to catch a low-level bank robber like The Blank (no, that's his name) eats at him. Tigra had been doing alright helping Jessica Drew in the P.I. business, but her Avengers stint went even worse than Wonder Man's, leaving her convinced she had no business trying to work at that level.

But hey, they've got Iron Man! One of the original Avengers. A true stalwart, who has been through everything one could face. Oh wait, it's Jim Rhodes inside the armor. Now, you and I know Rhodey is cooler than Tony Stark, but he doesn't have nearly the experience or engineering knowhow. And since he kept the helmet on during Secret Wars, the whole team figures he's the biggest rookie of them all. Until he sets them (more specifically, Hawkeye and his big fat mouth) straight, of course.

It was a solid story that set up inner conflicts for everyone, but also gave them each a chance to showcase what they brought to the table. I would have liked for this to stick as the roster, but that was not to be, as we'll see next week.

Saturday Splash Page #4

 

"Everybody Wants Magneto," in X-Men vs. Avengers #2, by Roger Stern (writer), Marc Silvestri (penciler), Josef Rubenstein (inker), Christie Scheele (colorist) Joe Rosen (letterer)

No, not Avengers vs. X-Men, the 2012ish tentpole event that gave us Wolverine killing polar bears in Antarctica. I'm not touching that crock of shit with a ten-foot pole. 

This 4-issue mini-series from 1987, running almost concurrently with Fantastic Four vs. X-Men (see Sunday Splash Page #190), which started two months prior. That story focused a little more on the desperate situation the X-Men were in after Mutant Massacre. Hiding out on Muir Island, searching for some way to save Shadowcat's life, especially once Reed Richards turned them down.

That mini-series did spend some time on the difficulty Magneto faced trying to move to the other side of the tracks after joining the X-Men. The FF met his plea for help with suspicion and anything that started to go wrong only reinforced their doubts. This mini-series leans more heavily into that side of things, as well as the fallout of Magneto's interrupted trial in Uncanny X-Men #200. 

Parts of his old Asteroid M base fall to Earth, and Magneto goes to make sure some important devices he left behind are either destroyed, or don't fall into other hands. The Soviet Super-Soldiers are on his trail, determined to bring him in for sinking that Soviet submarine, dead or alive. Preferably dead. The Avengers are not OK with this, for various reasons. Thor thinks it's dishonorable, She-Hulk and Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau) question the legality of it. Captain America just really thinks Magneto needs to stand trial for his crimes, and does not agree with the finding of a previous court that this is a different Magneto from in his early years because of that Defenders story where Magneto got de-aged then grew up again from a baby.

I'm not sure about Roger Stern having Captain America compare Magneto to Hitler, when he says the world must not be denied its chance to see Magneto stand trial the way they were with Hitler. That feels like a bad analogy to use, for a host of reasons.

In the middle of all this are the X-Men, unsure where their responsibilities lie. Magneto is being cagey about what he's after, and keeps taking off alone. He's actually trying to keep the X-Men from being dragged into his mess, but since they're already dragged in, Wolverine feels like Mags is playing them for patsies and ditching them once they aren't useful. Should they make Magneto stand trial? Can he get a fair trial? He's been an X-Man for about five minutes, how much leash do they give him? Do they keep trusting him until he explicitly goes bad, and would that be too late?

On top of all that, they're outgunned. If not by the Soviet Super-Soldiers, definitely by the Avengers. Especially when you consider this is an Avengers' roster with Monica Rambeau, when she's being written by Roger Stern. Stern really plays her up as this weapon neither of the other teams has any defense against. She can slip through Magneto's force fields, and catch up to Rogue or the Blackbird effortlessly. Short out Titanium Man's armor when he's possibly overpowering Thor (who is under Hela's curse of having brittle bones at this point.) Although Stern came up with a vague excuse for Longshot and Psylocke not to be around (they "stayed behind" while the rest of the team went to lounge at a lake somewhere). I suspect a telepath would have leveled the odds at least a little against Captain Marvel, and leveling odds is what Longshot does best.

But this way it plays into the feeling of the X-Men being off-balance and just scrambling to stay alive while under attack from enemies on all sides. There's too many threats, too few people they can trust, no mansion in Westchester or any other safe haven. They just don't have enough firepower to stand up to it. So they have to play hit-and-run, try to hide and sneak around.

The last issue is written by Tom DeFalco and Jim Shooter, and drawn by Keith Pollard and Rubenstein, with three inkers. I don't know if there was some editorial difference of opinion leading to Stern and/or Silvestri getting pulled, or it was just a deadline crunch. It sure feels like they decided to change the ending for some reason.

Sunday Splash Page #161

 

"Failed Their Stealth Check," in Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment, by Roger Stern (writer), Mike Mignola (pencil artist), Mark Badger (inker/color artist), Jim Novak (letterer)

The premise of the story is that Strange passes a test of several mystics engineered by the Vishanti, but Doom is the only other person standing at the end, and by the bizarre rules of the test, he's owed one favor from Strange. To Strange's surprise, Doom requests his help rescuing his mother's soul from Mephisto. That proves as difficult you'd expect stealing a soul away from the Devil to be.

I know we're in Master of the Mystic Arts March (and April), but this is one of my favorite Dr. Doom stories. Doom is arrogant, but not oblivious to Strange being vastly better at magic than him, and more than willing to learn from him. Strange expects Doom to demand help enslaving the world, while Mephisto offers to give him the world, and Doom rejects them both, stating basically that he can take the world whenever he chooses. He doesn't need help.

He keeps his word, but exactly to the letter of it. During the mystic challenge, when one of the others argues Doom has no business there, as reliant as he is on technology, Doom states he will remove his gauntlets and deactivate all his offensive weaponry. That does not, however, prevent him from using his armor's sensors to analyze and help him mimic the other mystics' gestures and spells as they're using them. Doom is willing to do whatever it takes to free his mother, and able to use that to play others' expectations of him. He's determined to succeed, but not so blind as to trust Mephisto to keep a bargain.

He's not a good man, but he still has a certain level of honor he plays by. Mignola's Doom is a big, boxy thing, with the cape giving the appearance of broad shoulders and the oversized joints of the armor working together to give him a looming, imposing presence. It makes the moments where he's slumped over in exhaustion or despair, like a toy that's run out of power, more effective. Every so often, the art moves in close enough to offer the glimpse of the eyes and the scars around them that remind the reader there is a person in there.

Strange is definitely the confident (but not over-confident) veteran Sorcerer Supreme Stern wrote during his stint on the ongoing series. Mephisto's demons attempt to beat him by attacking his inner self, insisting he's only the selfish jerk he was as a surgeon, and it doesn't work. He consistently recognizes when a frontal attack isn't the right approach, and finds a way around. Whether it's unraveling the Vishanti's challenge, or figuring out how to beat Mephisto. Strange has been through too much to be suckered into thinking raw power and flinging spells around is always the answer.

Badger's inks and shadows aren't nearly what we'd see from Mignola's art once he started Hellboy (although I'd say the difference between his art here and what he did for the Rocket Raccoon mini-series just a few years earlier is pretty stark), and his inking makes things a bit fussier than that later blocky, solid, almost minimalist style Mignola adopted. But there are effective moments in there. The mystics who fail the Vishanti's tests become less distinct green outlines of what they were. Mephisto is depicted as this looming, shadowed form. His eyes are yellow voids, and his face is usually hidden so no expression can be seen. Especially when he's making someone an offer. It's only when he thinks he's won, or the tables have been turned on him, that the shadows fall away and whatever he's really feeling becomes readily visible.

Sunday Splash Page #159

 

"Great, Now You've Summoned Him," in Doctor Strange (vol. 2) #59, by Roger Stern (writer), Dan Green (penciler), Terry Austin (inker), Bob Sharen (colorist), Jim Novak (letterer)

After Englehart left the book with issue 18, there are about five issues by Marv Wolfman, plus another three by Jim Starlin, before Roger Stern takes over. In the second volume of Doctor Strange, nobody wrote more issues than Roger Stern. His first stint ran from issues 27 to 37, with mostly Tom Sutton as artist. Although just going by the credits, Ralph Macchio was taking over more of the writing by the last few (Stern gets "scenario" credit, Macchio gets "script".) I don't actually own any of those issues.

After Stern departs, Chris Claremont and Gene Colan take over for about 8 issues. I had no idea Claremont ever wrote Doctor Strange, but given Claremont's love of astral plane stuff, and Strange's fairly active love life, maybe I shouldn't be surprised. My impression is that after Claremont, Frank Miller was supposed to take over, to the extent Marvel even had ads in their comics hyping that, but it never happened. Instead, Stern came back with issue 47, and stayed until issue 75 (minus a couple of fill-ins here and there). Early on, he has the Marshall Rogers/Terry Austin art team, and this stretch includes Clea and Strange breaking up, and that issue where Stephen's astral form is running around ancient Egypt in the margins of that Lee/Kirby Fantastic Four issue where they're prisoners of Rama-Tut.

I own two stories from this run. One is Strange's rematch with Dracula. A Dracula who's enlisted the support of a bunch of Darkhold worshipers to increase his powers dramatically. Even with Strange getting an assist from Hannibal King, Blade, and Frank Drake (a trio Marvel would eventually put in a series called Nightstalkers in the '90s), Strange can't meet the King of Vampires head on, and has to use misdirection and a circular approach to defeat. Dan Green and Terry Austin are the penciler/inker team for most of that story, although Steve Leialoha draws the conclusion. Green's Strange is a bit older looking than Colan's was, his eyes are narrowed a lot, face a bit thinner. Which matches that he's wiser as well. He doesn't just charge in to confront Dracula directly. He knows the risks, and takes steps to put himself at an advantage.

The other story arc follows soon after, as Stern and Paul Smith send Stephen into the Dark Dimension. After they broke up, Clea returns to her home to lead a rebellion against Umar, who is currently running the show and presenting herself as a kinder, more compassionate ruler than her brother Dormammu was. Strange has purposefully been keeping his distance from Clea, not wanting to risk pointing Umar at her. Umar becomes convinced Strange is involved anyway and attack him, so he figures he might as well get involved.

Smith's version of Doctor Strange spends a lot more time practicing magic shirtless than Green's version. And Stern seems to play a bit with the idea that Stephen is largely oblivious to the fact women find him attractive. He and the Black Knight end up on a cruise ship (which is ultimately attacked by Umar), and Dane is amused (and a little jealous) of how many women are eye-humping the ol' Sorcerer Supreme.

The first issue of Stern's run I owned was actually the last, where he and Sal Buscema have Stephen find a young woman trapped within some strange form that's missing half her soul. The issue is more interesting to me because it starts with Stephen venturing into Hell to try and save the Richards' from Mephisto. 

It's a weird little sequence because Mephisto is stronger than ever due to the Dire Wraiths' efforts in Rom: Spaceknight to turn Earth into a new Wraithworld, so when Forge's Neo-Neutralizer shuts that down, Mephisto finds himself on "E" all of a sudden. And also because Mephisto was after Franklin Richards for his immense psionic powers, and when Reed figures this out and tells Strange to free Franklin, the kid fries Mephisto with zero effort. Stephen doesn't react outwardly, but inside he's basically like, "Ho-leeeee shit." Like I said, kind of an odd introduction to Dr. Strange.

Sunday Splash Page #102

"The New Figurehead is Awful Mouthy", in Captain America #252, by Roger Stern (writer), John Byrne (penciler), Josef Rubinstein (inker), Bob Sharen (colorist), John Costanza (letterer)

The Roger Stern/John Byrne Captain America run seems pretty well-regarded, although it's extremely brief at only 9 issues. And the last of those is an updated retelling of Captain America's origin.

Beyond that, there's a three issue fight with Machinesmith (which is when I think it's established he transferred his mind into a robotic body) that Stern also uses to retcon some reveal 20 issues earlier about Steve Rogers' early life. The issue where Cap debates whether to run for President. This two-parter where Batroc gets Cap called in to stop a crazy scheme of Mr. Hyde's, which highlights Batroc as having some sense of honor and respect for Captain America. Then a three-parter where he and the current Union Jack tangle with the vampire Baron Blood.

Having only bought these comics in the last few years, I'm not sure what's new exactly. Maybe this more morally grey Batroc? This is when future love interest Bernie Rosenthal is introduced as one of Steve's new neighbors. Steve gets a job at an ad agency utilizing his art skills, that might be new. By the time I started reading comics, he was drawing Captain America comics for Marvel Comics. Maybe a little too cute, there.

For the most part, they're just solid adventure stories for Captain America. Byrne's art is still in the style of his I like the most. Really sells Cap as the upright, square-jawed defender of good. Stern writes Cap as someone who hasn't exactly caught up to the times in popular culture (Bernie remarks his record collection is more like her father's), but still has a wry sense of humor when he needs it. He clearly enjoys getting the last laugh on Batroc at the end of this story.

Sunday Splash Page #55

"The Hand That Stole The Galaxy!", in Avengers Infinity #4, by Roger Stern (writer), Sean Chen (penciler), Scott Hanna (inker), Steve Oliff (colorist), Richard Starkings and Troy Peteri (letterers)

I picked this four-issue mini-series up out of a dollar bin early last year. It revolves around a threat that gets mentioned at some point in Avengers Forever, the Infinites, and involves a real makeshift roster of Avengers.

They're drawn in because Quasar finds a planet devastated by a bunch of self-replicating robots and calls for help from whoever he can get. Thor, Monica Rambeau (going as Photon at the moment), Moondragon, all happen to be available on Earth, and then Tigra and Starfox are jaunting around the cosmos. Why the hell anyone would willingly hang around Starfox with his creepy powers I don't know.

The team struggles to get on the same page, even as their problem escalates rapidly. Thor seems more headstrong than normal, possibly because he feels guilty about another Rigellian world being destroyed so soon after Thanos had done so. Moondragon doesn't work well with others, especially Thor, who has ample reason to distrust her. Photon's trying to take a leadership role, but getting Thor to listen would be a problem even if she was fully confident she should take command.

It's one of those stories that involves calling on a Cosmic Abstract to help, and then convincing the threat that mortals are special and shouldn't be treated like scraps to be discarded whenever. My mileage tends to vary with stories like that, but for the threat as presented here, there isn't another option.

Sean Chen's faces tend to be very similar, but he's a solid comic book artist. He handles the action sequences in the earlier issues well, and he's pretty good at drawing angry faces. Which is good considering so many of the characters are angry at each other throughout the story. He's good at giving the sense of the immense scale of the Infinites compared to everything else, really makes the challenge seem daunting.

It's an inessential mini-series, but entertaining.

Sunday Splash Page #46

"Really Know How to Show a Lady a Good Time, Dane", in Avengers #264, by Roger Stern (writer), John Buscema (breakdowns), Tom Palmer (finished art), Christie Scheele (colorist), Jim Novak (letterer)

The first issue of Avengers I owned. At the time, it seemed like some random one-off issue about a woman swiping one of Hank Pym's old Yellowjacket costumes, only to eventually run afoul of a fairly irate Wasp. About a year later, Roger Stern and John Buscema would do their "Under Siege" story, and this new Yellowjacket would be part of Baron Zemo's massive Masters of Evil that tore the Avengers Mansion down, put Hercules in a coma, and left Jarvis badly beaten.

A few years after that, that same Yellowjacket would hitch a ride with the Guardians of the Galaxy back to the 30th Century and join the team.

So this issue was part of the build-up towards the "Under Siege" story, but I had no clue of that at the time. It feels like a breather issue, checking in on the status of the team in a quiet moment. What's on their mind, what's troubling them? Dane Whitman (the Black Knight) is starting to get interested in the Wasp. He convinced to let him play "Doctor". No seriously, he was helping her test her powers. Apparently she can maintain the wings at almost her actual size, give or take a foot. Reed, Sue, and Franklin Richards are living at Avengers Mansion (which I remember confusing the heck out of me). Namor is on the Avengers, too, so you know he's trying to flirt with Sue, while wondering whether being an Avenger is enough for him. Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau) helps her father rescue one of his firefighters from a burning building.

And that's fine. I didn't know most of these characters from anything at the time, so it was a good way to learn a little about them. Like Dane having spent years stuck in the Crusades (which may have been retconned to something else at some point). Stern is good at juggling subplots, making sure everyone gets some time, let the character show their worth, why they are on the Avengers, or to show us something about them, so we actually care about them.

Buscema and Palmer's art has a very slick feel to it, with a lot of expression. Dane has this hilarious stunned look when Jan, at insect-size, bends a 2-inch diameter steel pipe back on itself. Jan's nonchalant response that she doesn't show off the enhanced strength much because stinging people seemed more efficient and less messy than ripping off their arms is funny, too. But it works for the quiet stuff, Namor standing in front of window, stuff like that. And when there's fighting, well, the Buscemas always know how to someone throwing a punch.

It's strange though, I don't feel like this issue had as much of an impact on my impressions of the Avengers as a lot of other Marvel comics I got at the same time. Other than Captain America, and maybe the Wasp, I don't tend to think of the characters on this roster as core Avengers. I'm more likely to apply that to people who were on the West Coast Avengers in the first issue of that I owned.

Alternate Favorite Marvel Character #5 - Dr. Strange

Character: Doctor Strange (Stephen Strange)

Creator: Steve Ditko and Stan Lee, mostly Ditko, I think.

First appearance: Strange Tales #110

First encounter: Dr. Strange (vol. 2) #75. Roger Stern's last issue, but it was the first part of the final storyarc of this volume, the remainder of which was written by Peter Gillis.

Definitive writer: Roger Stern is the writer for probably half the Dr. Strange solo stories I own, so I'm going to say him. I haven't mentioned this since the first of these, years ago, but this is" definitive" based on what I've read. Whose work, writer or artist, do I picture when I think of the character? I'm adding that disclaimer because I'm worried about the passionate Doc Strange fandom descending upon my head like angry seagulls after a hamburger.

Definitive artist: Steve Leialola when it comes to the astral form, basically because of that fight with Dracula. For his physical form, I'm fond of Marcos Martin. I picture Strange as a thin guy, which Martin does, and he makes the Cloak of Levitation this huge, billowing, fluttering thing. If I'd reread my Into the Dark Dimension trade more recently, Paul Smith would probably be in the running. But it's hard to go wrong with Marcos Martin.

Favorite moment or story: Dr. Strange's first showdown with Dracula, he overcame being turned into a vampire himself, and thought he'd destroyed Drac (he was hoodwinked). In the rematch Drac had used the followers of the Darkhold to increase his power and eliminate most of his weaknesses, like silver, or stakes to the heart. Strange could use the Darkhold to destroy Dracula, and all other vampires, but he'd need time. And the quartet of Wong, Blade, Hannibal King and Frank Drake bought him barely a minute.

But Strange uses himself as bait, and sucks Dracula into the astral plane, where the Doc can call on powers the King of the Vampires can barely understand. He keeps him occupied there while the others regain consciousness and initiate the ritual. By the time Dracula realizes something's wrong, it's too late. He's trapped, weakening, and Dr. Strange, in the words of Ernie Hudson in Ghostbusters, he has the tools, he has the talent, to destroy Dracula.

Dr. Strange is clever, confident, and competent. He and the others got the Darkhold away from Dracula's followers, because it had that spell. Dracula knows it has that spell, and knows Strange has the chops to use it. So he has to eliminate the threat. Strange knows Dracula will have to walk into the lion's den, and he'll focus entirely on the Sorcerer Supreme, dismissing the potential threat of the others, leaving them free to close the trap, while Strange puts the battle on a ground he's expert on, but which Dracula has no experience with. For all his power, the shapeshifting, the mesmerism, Dracula is still primarily a physical being. Doc can play on levels largely divorced from that.

Even though the Darkhold can destroy those who use it, Strange has the experience, and the awareness of the risks, the patience and the confidence, to do the necessary prepwork, and resist that danger. He even uses his medical skills to save Hannibal King, who was a vampire that had never fed on anyone. It's an impressive win on all levels, even if it was a closer call than Dracula ever realized.

What I like about him: I was a latecomer to Dr. Strange. I had a few of his comics when I was a kid, but nothing that knocked my socks off. My first extended exposure was the Kurt Busiek/Erik Larsen Defenders series. Where Doc was being influenced by a death curse and steadily becoming more and more of an ass, until he and the rest of the Big Four took over the world. The overall concept of the team was intriguing enough for me to pick up some of the Essential Defenders volumes, and Strange comes off a bit better there.

He can still be overbearing at times, a bit of a know-it-all. If he asks Namor for help via astral communication, and Namor tells him to pound sand, the Doc may fly out to ask more directly, or just mystically summon Namor to where he's deemed needed.

But even though Stephen is the nominal leader of the team (when he's around), he avoids falling into the stuffy, irritating authority figure role (unlike Cyclops, for example). Part of that is the informal nature of the Defenders. The Defenders don't do training sessions, they rarely sit around conference tables or play baseball. People drift in and out as they please, mostly. Strange or one of the others may call someone back in, but there's no sense he tries to impose a formal roster or bylaws.

The series also makes it clear that even if Strange can be a little heavy-handed, he's dealing with some volatile personalities. Namor's an arrogant hothead, the Hulk is a bomb with a hair trigger. Hellcat is kind of flighty, Nighthawk has all sorts of insecurities, Valkyrie doesn't know who the hell she is. Hawkeye gets involved for a while, which always makes things interesting, plus Hank Pym and his issues, or Daimon Hellstrom. These people keep showing up on his doorstep. For help, to help, for lack of anywhere better to go.

I'd move the entire house into another dimension. Strange, for the most part, accommodates them, tries to help if he can. When Nighthawk is struggling with his grasp of reality, after time spent as a disembodied brain in a bowl, Doc is the one who tries to help him regain his grip on things. He offers Val a place she can live while she tries to figure out what she's doing. If Bruce Banner shows up exhausted and confused on his door? Sure, bring him in, get him some rest and some clothes.

Doctor Strange was, as a surgeon, a jerk. Cocky, egotistical, totally self-interested. He was brilliant and in demand, and he knew it, so he leveraged it for all he was worth. Then he spent time on the bottom, a derelict roaming wharves until he heard about the Ancient One. He knows what it's like to feel like nothing, and to know other people look at you and see that, or don't see you at all. He knows how much it helped that the Ancient One saw someone to help, and did, in his own way. Stephen seems to pay that forward now. There's still the ego, but it's more in his belief of how much he can do, rather than how much he'd charge to do it.

I appreciate that he can be as skilled as he is, have as much responsibility as he does, and not lose the ability for compassion. When he's required to do a favor for Dr. Doom, because Doom was the only other entrant to survive a mystical test, Strange understandably has misgivings. What if Doom wants help taking over the world? Fortunately, Doom just wants help rescuing his mother's soul from Mephisto. More challenging, less ethically questionable.

And Strange goes all in. He teaches Doom all manner of spellcraft, even knowing Doom may turn it against the world, or Reed Richards some day, because Doom will need it to succeed in this quest. Hell, in the past, Doom had teamed up with Dormammu to attack Strange. It's a risk, but Strange is a man of his word. If he says he'll help Dr. Doom, then he's going to do it properly (because even if this a career he never envisioned having, he takes it seriously). Surviving Mephisto is going to be hard enough as it is, trying to half-ass it would be suicide. Once it's over, Strange even tries to help Doom, who he knows must be injured. Doom brushes this off obviously, because he's Dr. Doom, but Strange could have just left. "I helped, you're welcome, I'll see myself out."

Related to this, something that comes up a lot in Dr. Strange stories is the immediate problem versus future problems. Stephen can help save one person, or stop one threat, but it may have consequences down the line. Helping Doom, at the cost of increasing Doom's mystic skill and giving him another potential weapon. Or being forced to choose between using the last drop of a panacea to save Wong, or take it to his Sanctum and create enough to cure all illness everywhere, while Wong dies. Or resorting to destroying almost all of his ancient tools to stop a ruthless, would-be Sorcerer Supreme. That last one saved himself, Wong, and Topaz (whose soul they'd been seeking), but cost Strange many of the tools that helped him do his job. In the long run, I don't know that it was the right call. Strange is resourceful, maybe he can skate by without them the next time Umar or Shuma-Gorath come calling. Or maybe he's doomed everyone by focusing on saving a few people.

Still, Strange tends to choose to deal with the person or persons in danger right now, and leave worrying about the future to the future. Part of that is probably related to his medical training; there's a sick or injured person in front of him who needs help, he can't spend too much time thinking about if another person is going to need him in 15 minutes. Some of it is his self-confidence, that he can handle most problems. And it's being aware that he has to handle those problems, ready or not. He's Sorcerer Supreme, Master of the Mystic Arts, possessor of an eyeball for a medallion and a bitchin' cloak. If Baron Mordo is working with Dormammu to conquer this dimension, it's Strange's job to stop it. Whether he's able to or not, he has to at least try, because there's no one else. It's not a job title held jointly. He knows all of that, and just like he knows that problems can arise at any time. He'll take what precautions he can, but at some point, you can't do any more of that, and there's no sense just waiting around for problems to emerge.

And Stephen uses that time to maintain connections with friends, and try to have a relationship now and then. He may not see his friends often - I feel as though every story I've seen where Stephen meets and old friend, someone remarks it's been years since they've seen each other - but those people still have warm feelings towards him. They trust him enough to ask for help, or to chat pleasantly if they just happen to interact. Which is impressive, since I wouldn't think Stephen was that much fun to be around in his Jerk Surgeon days. (Although I wonder if, after leaving the Ancient One, Stephen didn't spend some time trying to make amends to people he'd hurt, or whose friendship he felt he'd abused). It's good to see him maintain connections, not just so he remembers what he's trying to defend as Sorcerer Supreme in something other than the abstract. He doesn't let the job consume him, he tries to maintain a foot in the world. It also shows that, even with all his new experiences, that person he was before is still a part of him, for good and bad.

Beyond all that, Strange's stories offer up the chance to see some truly bizarre places. He's a character that lets writers get as weird as they want to, gives artist a chance to draw anything. Bizarre creatures, realms of abstract shapes and lights, ancient cities with towering spires, Hell itself. Whatever can be conceived. Which is nice, it allows for a lot of flexibility. Steve Ditko can think of and illustrate it one way, Gene Colan another, Marcos Martin or Mike Mignola another still, and it all can still feel like adventures that fit Dr. Strange.

All those experiences give Strange a somewhat more grounded outlook. He doesn't typically freak out, or fly off the handle at bad news or a surprising turn of event. He's been through too much. He doesn't dismiss the problems, but he maintains perspective. The entire planet has been destroyed and recreated, and he's the only one who knows it. He's fought gods, demons, saved the life of the manifestation of the universe itself. He spent we don't know how long fighting in a war on behalf of the Vishanti in some dimension who knows where. Really, if there's a character in the Marvel Universe that shouldn't have been overwhelmed being exposed to Adam Warlock's soul, as Strange was in Infinity Gauntlet, it's Strange himself. But Jim Starlin was writing it, so you know how that goes. Everyone jobs to Adam Warlock and/or Thanos. I digress.

He's been turned into a vampire, been split into three different Stephen Stranges. Screwed up badly, several times (with increasing frequency in the last 15 years), and managed to bounce back from most of them. It's a little surprising how utterly he's lost confidence in himself over the recent years. I suppose you could explain it because many of his mistakes were made of arrogance or making a hasty decision. Trick the Hulk into space, no possibility it backfires. Try to control Zom to defeat the Hulk when it backfires. Let the Empirikrul wipe out a lot of the magic on Earth. If he had thought himself ready for those threats, or the consequences of his actions, he appears to have been wrong. Stephen thought he was past those kinds of mistakes, that he'd learned better. Maybe he feels like he's back at Square One. And being back at Square One, he's repeating old mistakes. When he had his accident, when the nerves in his hands were damaged, so he could never operate again, he fell apart. He couldn't accept that he wasn't going to be the wonder he once was. That he couldn't succeed in precisely the way he wanted. Maybe that's happening again.

I don't know if I buy that explanation, though. Strange has seen a lot, not just how small one human can be in the cosmic sense, but also how that one person can still affect the lives of many others simply by not refusing to give up. That's what he told Spider-Man once, that saving a life was a gift, that Spidey had received a lot of those gifts, and and to quit would erase all that (there was time travel involved). You'd think the doctor would take his own advice. But it's a possible explanation, and someone struggling to move past their mistakes, opting to dwell and wallow in them is a familiar state to me. But he bounces back eventually, hopefully a little wiser for it, and that's encouraging.

A bit about the costume. I love the Cloak of Levitation, obviously. More so when it's drawn as a huge thing, rather than something shorter. It isn't quite like Batman's cape, where it turns him into an enormous, shadowy thing. It's bright, attention grabbing, and it twists and flutters around Strange, like he's creating some sort of wind that only it can ride on (not a fart joke). I can buy the Cloak changing size depending on Stephen's mood or desired effect, or the Cloak's own thoughts on the matter.

I like the orange gloves, especially with the odd black spots on them. The first time I noticed those was in an Acts of Vengeance tie-in (when the Enchantress was gunning for Strange), and I thought it was actually blood. I was reading a back-up story of Stephen relating the history of the Darkhold and vampires, which is probably why. Heck, maybe the spots are blood, the gloves consecrated with drops of some eldritch deity's blood, or where something a past Sorcerer Supreme killed, but it left it's mark. Either way, it's a nice touch (which not all artists and colorists bother with).

Most of the artists use to draw Strange wearing leggins, or maybe tights, and then his shirt (or is it a tunic), with the belt over the outside of said shirt/tunic. Which just looks sloppy. Even I don't wear the shirt over the top of pants, and then put a belt over the whole thing. Stephen Strange should not be worse dressed than me. I preferred Marcos Martin's approach (although he doesn't draw the spots on the gloves), where Strange's wears regular old slacks, with a belt, and then the nice shirt goes over all that. Kind of business casual. Has the clothes of his office, but can move around and kick a guy in the stomach if he needs to. Decent, practical shoes for walking in. Can't always count on floating or teleporting.

There's a lot of other little touches writers have added over the years, things I just enjoy being part of the character. Brian K. Vaughn had it that Wong taught Stephen martial arts (and it has been a fairly consistent trait of Stephen's that he can surprise foes by taking a more physical approach with them, going all the way back to Steve Dtiko's work), and that Strange can be a bit absent-minded about where he puts things or where he's going. For the latter, I'd suspect Strange enjoys wandering some, both in our world and other planes, because it's interesting and there's so much to see. He has the opportunity few others would, and the awareness of the dangers necessary to take precautions, so why not. Paul Jenkins added that Stephen watches poker on ESPN, and is terrible at poker, because he thinks watching on ESPN is a good way to learn. Mark Waid kind of ran with that, in that he had a demon state Strange is a legendarily terrible bluffer (also that's he an obnoxious baseball fan).

It seems odd Strange would be so bad at bluffing, considering how often he confronts beings far more powerful than himself. I could see it being that many of the things he faces don't have, well, faces. So they don't know how to read a person's expression, they look elsewhere. So Dr. Strange learned to mask his thoughts and soul, so his true intentions can't be discerned that way. Against a demon, one used to messing with humans and understanding them, he's a bit more exposed. Or he has to be open because deceiving others could lead to deceiving himself, and that's dangerous for one using magic. Makes them blind to the dangers within. Take your pick. Didn't seem to be a problem the Ancient One had, but he's had more time to practice.

In summation, cool powers, some cool costume elements, the potential for the story to be anywhere and let artists stretch themselves however they'd like. Doctor Strange is mostly presently as an experienced, confident character, capable, but still with room to grow. He's not flustered easily, and he's had enough time to come to grips with his flaws and mistakes to where new mistakes don't stop trip him up as easily as they used to. Maybe liking Doctor Strange more is because I'm getting older, and I want to think I'm getting my shit together as it happens.

Credits! Dr. Strange introduces Dracula to a whole new world, and Dracula doesn't like it a bit in Doctor Strange (vol. 2) #62, by Roger Stern (writer), Steve Leialoha (artist), Bob Sharen (colorist), Jim Novak (letterer). Stephen Strange can't hide anything from anyone in Doctor Strange (vol. 2) #58, by Stern (writer), Dan Green (penciler), Terry Austin (inker), Sharen (colorist), and Novak (letterer). Reality won't let the doc maintain a fantasy in Doctor Strange: The Oath #1, by Brian K. Vaughn (writer), Marcos Martin (penciler), Alvaro Lopez (inker), Javier Rodriguez (color artist), and Willie Schubert (letterer). Inhabiting the body of a green, alien minotaur is the least stressful part of Doc's day in Doctor Strange (vol. 2) #81, by Peter B. Gillis (writer), Chris Warner (penciler), Randy Emberlin (inker), Sharen (colorist), and Many Hands (letterers). Way to kill the party vibe, Stephen, in Spectacular Spider-Man (vol. 2) #21, by Paul Jenkins (writer), Talent Caldwell (penciler), Robert Campanella (inker), Studio F (color art), Chris Eliopoulos (letterer). It would almost be worth going to Hell for a front row seat to that fight in Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment, by Stern (writer), Mike Mignola (penciler), Mark Badger (inker/colorist), and Jim Novak (letterer). Doc brings the pain train, whoo-whoo in Doctor Strange: The Oath #5, by Vaughn (writer), Martin (penciler), Lopez (inker), Rodriguez (colorist), and Schubert (letterer).

Sunday Splash Page #12

"A typical Tuesday for Spider-Man" in Amazing Spider-Man #231, by Roger Stern (writer), John Romita Jr. (penciler), Jim Mooney (inker), Bob Sharen (colorist), Joe Rosen (letterer)

The Roger Stern/John Romita Jr. run on Amazing Spider-Man is a little before my time, so I've doubled back around to it after the fact. I generally like Stern's writing, and Romita Jr. is drawing in a style more similar to Romita Sr. still at this stage, which is fine. 

(How much I like Romita Jr.'s later work seems to depend heavily on the inker, colorist, and just the project in general. Some books it works better to my eye than others.) 

I own bits of this run. This two-parter against Mr. Hyde, and the two issues before that, the iconic fight with the Juggernaut. Two issues when Stern brought back the Black Cat (although it seems like they mostly left that relationship to be handled in Spectacular Spider-Man). One issue where the Mad Thinker takes an interest in Spider-Man. Stern's last few, when the Hobgoblin tries a major extortion scheme and neutralizes Webs' spider-sense. Stern didn't get a chance to finish revealing the mystery of who the Hobgoblin was before he was off the book, though. 

Stern and Romita Jr. work the Spider-Man formula pretty well, mixing and matching the romance/job/school troubles with the superhero fisticuffs. I'm a fan of stories where Spidey has to punch out of his weight class, and they added a couple of solid entries to the list, the Juggernaut story being the more well-known. Romita Jr. knows how to draw a fight scene cleanly and with impact, and show off Spider-Man's combination of speed and agility.

That Cat Can Cross My Path Anytime

I picked up some trades online recently, one of which was Spider-Man vs the Black Cat. It says Volume 1, but as far as I know, this was the only volume. I figured I like the Black Cat, but I'd never read a lot of her early appearances.

It collects three different two part stories, Amazing Spider-Man 194-195, 204-205, and 226-227. Marv Wolfman wrote the first three issues, Roger Stern the last two, and David Micheline wrote issue 205, which is kind of interesting given how it ends.

Throughout issues 204 and 205, Felicia has been stealing various priceless works of art, all of them with some sort of love theme. A gold statue of entwined lovers, an Eros Ruby, stuff like that. She keeps getting away from Spidey, but the last time he managed to plant a tracer and he tracks her to her apartment. He thinks she's gathered all these as some tribute to her deceased father, but it appears as though she's actually taken them to show her affection for Spidey himself. She thinks he loves her, 'just like daddy'.

I have to say, that little revelation flabbergasted me. I knew Felicia looked up to her father, trained to become a great thief, just like him, but this was a bit different. Saying her affection for her dad twisted into something similar for Spider-Man, like a surrogate Electra complex. The fact the story switched writers midstream makes me wonder if that's what Wolfman intended or Micheline made the decision himself.

At any rate, as creepy as I found that, Roger Stern thankfully came along and said that was just a trick Felicia played on Spidey. She figured that would convince them to send her to a psychiatric hospital, which would be a hell of a lot easier to escape from than a real prison. Heck, maybe the writers intended that all along. I've read a few issues from Micheline's Amazing Spider-Man run Felicia was in, and he never brought up the conflation of Spidey with her father. Or it could simply be he saw nobody else that wrote her liked that idea and decided it was better off dropped.

That it was a trick would fit. One thing that comes up a lot in the trade is Felicia pulling the wool over Spidey's eyes. Whether it's her bad luck "tricks" (she didn't have bad luck powers at this point, it was all about prepping things to go wrong), the flirting, playing possum, pretending she'll go straight, she consistently tricks him. I think it's a combination of her studying him for a long time, and also being a decent judge of character. She can tell he's a real do-gooder, that he doesn't like fighting women, and that he is interested in her. And she uses all of it to her advantage. So playing on his sympathy as part of a longterm strategy to avoid jail doesn't sound too farfetched.

It's remarkable how many subplots are going on simultaneously with the Black Cat stuff in these issues. I read enough older comics it shouldn't be a surprise, but then you read the current stuff and it's quite the difference. In the first two stories, Aunt May's in a nursing home being menaced by some thug, Peter's caught in some love triangle with Betty and Ned Leeds, and he's kind of being a tool towards Flash and Harry Osborn (not that Flash doesn't have plenty of that coming for the high school years). Plus, we get to see Felicia recruit her own gang for a job, which is a somewhat different way of doing things for her. Though now that I think of it Jen van Meter gave her a crew in that outstanding Black Cat mini-series a couple years ago. The second two-parter has Jonah wandering the town an amnesiac, plus Peter almost starts a relationship with a one of his students. Fortunately she revealed herself as a thief before Pete could get in trouble for unethical behavior.

Keith Pollard does most of the art for the first 4 issues, with Pablo Marcos handling finishes on one issue. I'm not a huge fan of the Pollard work. Most of it is OK, but then there are some times when Spidey looks very strange. Misshapen head, the body parts looking like they aren't actually connected. Just very awkward. The Romita Jr. and Jim Mooney work on the last two issues is a lot stronger. I think this is early enough that Romita Jr.'s style is still strongly his father's, which is fine. I like Romita Jr.'s current style at least some of the time, but there's nothing wrong with drawing like John Romita Sr. I don't know whether it's Mooney's inks of Bob Sharen's colors, but they do some really strong work with the shadows on Spidey. I especially like it when they put him shadows and show the weblines on his costume by making them red, instead of the usual black. They flip the colors, basically. I don't know why I like that look so much, but it always catches my eye.

They'll Get To Genosha As Soon As Ultron Goes Away, Alright?

I was reading Chad Nevett's discussion of an earlier conflict between the Avengers and the X-Men. It's the '80s mini-series where the Avengers and Soviet Super-Soldiers are trying to bring in Magneto for his various crimes, and the X-Men end up protecting him. Nevett points out the X-Men take a protect mutants stance, regardless of the circumstances, since Magneto did actually do all the stuff he's accused of (like, you know, try to take over the world and sink Soviet subs).

In the comments, the issue is raised that the X-Men have no reason to trust the Avengers when it comes to mutant rights. The Avengers don't take stances against Weapon X or the Sentinel program. They did act against Genosha's systematic oppression of mutants*, nor did they show up to help when the country was largely wiped out. It could be construed the Avengers don't care much about mutants, except those on their team. Not necessarily a bad point, and the X-Men's point that the Phoenix has existed peacefully on Earth before has some merit.

Of course, so does the Avengers' point that the Phoenix was destroying every planet in its path on the way to Earth, inhabited or not, and oh yeah, it's done that before.

There's another aspect, and that's if you're going to play the continuity game, it isn't hard to highlight some occasions where the Avengers could question whether the X-Men care about the safety of the planet. Defending Magneto for one thing, but hell, look at the Busiek Avengers run. Ultron wipes out an entire country, then turns out to have an army of himself. I guess there were no mutants in Slorenia because the X-Men don't show up. Count Nefaria prepares to detonate an ionic bomb so he can control anyone in the world who gives him lip. Do the X-Men (who would presumably find themselves as much under his thumb as the rest) help stop him? Nope. When Kang took over the entire planet, did the X-Men help? No. Admittedly, I doubt Kang cares about mutants in any way other than if they serve or oppose him, but still, no help from the X-groups.

It can work both ways, and make both groups look bad. Or there's another option: Both sides are busy people.

I came to this conclusion reading Amazing Spider-Man #229-230. Spider-Man vs. the Juggernaut. Spidey realizes he's outclassed and tries to call reinforcements. The X-Men, Avengers, Fantastic Four (there's another thing, I don't see the X-Men showing up to fight Galactus), they're all out of town, busy with their own stuff. The editor even added a helpful footnote directing the reader to precisely which comics would describe those adventures.

That's become my stock answer for why such-and-such hero didn't show up to deal with a threat. They're busy with something in their own book This has been harder to maintain in the Bendis years, where Avengers spend an inordinate amount of time sitting around coffee tables talking. Prior to that, it wasn't hard to point out other heroes are occupied with their own difficulties.

It still doesn't mean both sides haven't behaved like idiots in the current mess, but I find it a useful answer to questions like "Why doesn't Batman call the Justice League to clean up Gotham?", or "How is Daredevil the only person around to fight the Hulk?" You've probably had it happen where you try to get a bunch of friends together for something. It can take awhile, because they all have their own lives, and things are happening all the time. Why wouldn't it be the same for heroes?

Look, I either go with this idea, or I accept the Avengers really don't give a damn about mutants and the X-Men are a complete pack of lunatics who don't care if the world's at risk as long as mutants aren't involved.

* I'm not clear on when that became common knowledge. The X-Men didn't even know until the Australia years, and they were pretending to be dead, so I'm guessing they didn't mention it to the Avengers. So when would they have found out. Post-X-Tinction Agenda? During the crossover in the early 90s, Bloodties, Bloodlines, something like that. And by the latter, I'm pretty sure things had changed and mutants had earned full rights.

Power And Responsibility Are Part Of His Story

I want to talk a bit about Amazing Spider-Man #627-629, with regards to power and responsibility. Spider-Man is, as you may have heard, all about using his power responsibly. Well, we could argue about whether throwing on spandex and leaving criminals webbed to light poles is the most responsible way for him to use his powers, but it's certainly more responsible than some of the alternatives. 

Alternatives represented by the other two players in the story, Juggernaut and Mr. William Nguyen. Though it isn't necessarily his concern, Spider-Man investigates who could trash the Juggernaut. When the guilty party shows up, Spidey throws himself into the mix to save the Juggernaut's life, but also tries to keep Captain Universe from weakening the Juggernaut's restraints. He recognized that this Captain Universe may be a loose cannon, but having the Juggernaut under wraps is a good thing, and it'd be better to keep it that way. During the ensuing battle with Captain Universe, Spider-Man works to keep innocents out of the line of fire. This results in a lot of hit-and-run tactics, trying to keep moving, especially if there are any bystanders nearby (the helicopter pilot, the folks in the gym), and seeking out a deserted spot*. 

Juggernaut has considerably more power than Spider-Man, but has most frequently used it for whatever selfish purpose he has at a given moment. Sometimes his motives are better, as he's tried to look after Black Tom at times when he's been in a bad way, and he's done some good, but mostly it seems he decides he wants something, and walks over or through whoever is in his path. Even when he joined the X-Men, I recall him talking about how part of the appeal was he got to be in a big fight and when it was over, he didn't have any cops or masked types trying to throw him in jail. He was able to come back to a big mansion, have a meal, catch some Zs, and not be hassled. His reasons may have changed over time, but eventually he decided it was more important to be unstoppable, regardless of the cost, than it was to be a good guy. 

But when gifted with even more power, he actually fulfilled the purpose set before him. There wasn't much penalty if he didn't, the Uni-Force would just find someone else, Spider-Man for example. While I imagine Nguyen's book told everyone the Juggernaut saved them from the earthquakes (though it may also have told them his tunneling out of that foundation caused them), Juggernaut wouldn't have known that at the time, so he wasn't doing it to earn accolades. His only gain seemed to be sticking it to Nguyen, showing him that for whatever insults he might hurl at the Juggernaut, Cain Marko still used the Uni-Force better than he did. 

William used the power for revenge for quite some time. He had to be distracted from his obsession with the Juggernaut by Spider-Man, and confronted with evidence of the problem he was supposed to be dealing with before he would hear the Uni-Force telling him what needs to be done. Even then, once he sensed the Juggernaut nearby, he dropped the important work of repairing fractures in plates, and went right back to revenge. By the time he figures out he's used the power poorly, it's gone, and he just has to learn from the experience. 

I'm not sure how the use of the Uni-Force by those two compares to Spider-Man's own experience. It was a long time before the Uni-Force communicated with Spider-Man in any way Spidey could understand, but that was apparently because an energy experiment at the university disrupted Peter's receiving the Uni-Force, so he gained the powers, but for a long time not the knowledge that comes along. So it wasn't a willful ignorance of what the deal was. When he did gain that knowledge, like the Juggernaut, he immediately set to trying to deal with the problem. In his case it was three prototype Sentinels merged into one by Loki, operating under his command to smash a nuclear plant and destroy New York City with radiation. 

A bit different from Juggy's situation, since Spider-Man was only the solution, as opposed to also being the cause. Spider-Man had the Uni-Force for longer than either of the other two, and he spent most of that time in two ways: Fighting villains he had little prior experience with**, or wondering if he should be doing more with the power. With the latter, I believe one of the thoughts that enters his mind was trying to end apartheid, or was it solve world hunger? Maybe both. He can't decide if that's a proper use of his power, or whether it would be going too far. I think it's framed as whether he has the responsibility to do such things with this new, greater power, but it really seems to be as much about if he has the right to do those kinds of things, and if so, how can he choose which actions he should be taking?

Since this is a Marvel comic, it never gets past the hypothetically, but to be fair, Spider-Man was having a hell of a time adjusting to all this power. He was constantly trying to rein himself in, because it was so easy to slip and hit someone harder than he expected, or to react on instinct when he needed to stop and think things through. So maybe that was the answer to what he should do. If he couldn't utilize the power more safely, then he was better off not using it, as he might make things even worse. I don't know if that's what the Spider-writers*** of the day were going for. I'll have to reread those issues and get back to you.  

* I like that Juggernaut's fought Spider-Man enough to know Spidey would try and lure his opponent to a deserted location. 

** This happened during Acts of Vengeance, where the whole idea was the villains switched opponents, expecting this would give them the advantage of surprise. So Spider-Man fought, let's Titania, Goliath, and Dragon-Man in Web of Spider-Man, Trapster, the Brothers Grimm, and TESS-ONE in Spectacular, and Graviton, Magneto, Mr. Fixit, and finally the Tri-Sentinel in Amazing. 

*** Michelinie on Amazing, Gerry Conway on Spectacular and Web.

No One Messes With His Last Surviving Parental Figure

I noticed that Roger Stern mentioned what happened to Peter's parents in this week's Amazing Spider-Man. I don't know whether any of the other writers since Brand New Day started have mentioned it, and at first, I thought it was a bit odd. But I like it more as I think about it.

One, if we consider the fabled new reader, then that person might wonder why Peter was raised by his Aunt and Uncle, rather than his parents. I know, not terribly likely, but it's a nice consideration all the same. More importantly, it fits with the larger story. I had thought that Peter was a little too intense about finding the Blank, given the guy didn't shoot at May, or really even directly threaten her, and she seemed to weather the whole experience well.

But Aunt May is the last parent he has left. His parents, according to his internal monologue, flew overseas to serve their country when he was a few months old and they never made it back*. Uncle Ben, well, we know what happened to Uncle Ben, right**? He couldn't save his parents, 'cause he was just a baby. He could have saved his uncle, but lazy and self-centered. Now his aunt was in trouble, he has the power to save her, and he certainly wants to, but he wasn't there and he could have lost her too. A little scary, that even if he's using his power responsibly, he still might not be able to protect people he cares for.

Sure, it's a lesson he's learned before, many times, but that doesn't make it any less terrifying when it almost happens again.

* No, there was no mention of the fake parents scheme from the '90s. Then again, I think that was swept under the rug even before JMS started writing Amazing, since Mackie did a story about Peter trying to learn more about his parents. But you can never tell what might come back into play.

** In case you're unclear on what happened, he was shot by a burglar that Peter didn't stop when he could have. That's where the whole power, responsibility thing comes from.

That's Awfully Tempting

Up to this point, I haven't been buying Amazing Spider-Man in its Brand New Day incarnation. That's probably patently obvious to you, the audience, but I wanted to start with that, on the off chance you thought I was buying it and just never discussing it*. It's a combination of distaste over the dissolution of the marriage, though more with the method it was done, plus the sense that money could be spent on books that need the sales more, plus the reviews I was reading didn't suggest that the stories were so awesome that my world was somehow poorer for not reading them. They were solid books, reestablishing a supporting cast for Peter Parker, and pitting him against various villains with different motives and the like. Very old school, and I get that from Amazing Spider-Girl already, so there didn't seem to be a dire need.

Still, there have been times I've considered it. That Zeb Wells/Chris Bachalo story about the snowstorm and the Mayan Death God? That looked interesting, the bits I read sounded more like a Spidey I was accustomed to, and Bachalo's art was more to my liking than the other artists up to that point**, while not nearly as incomprehensible as his work on X-Men had sometimes appeared. The Slott/Marcos Martin Paperdoll story looked good, for Martin's art at the very least. And John Romita Jr. drawing Spider-Man fighting those twits, the Thunderbolts, holds a certain appeal. But thus far, I just haven't felt a burning desire to purchase any of them. At least, not a cover price.

Then the December solicits come along, and Amazing Spider-Man #580 is going to be written by Roger Stern, and if there's one thing I've figured out by going through back issue bins, it's that Roger Stern being listed as writer is a good thing. Plus, and I'm just going to quote the solicit here, 'When a bizarre criminal endangers his Aunt May, Peter Parker is determined to bring him to justice. But who is this strange, faceless, felon? How can Spider-Man stop a foe who can slip through his webbing? And hey, what's Pete's old pal Joe Robertson been up to? New York Times best selling author and veteran Spider-writer Roger Stern and artist Lee Weeks join forces to tell the story we could only call "Fill in the Blank"!'

Do you know what that means?! It's the return of this guy, I just know it!

Oh, I loved that guy. Actually, I loved that entire West Coast Avengers mini-series, but I really enjoyed that guy. He's has this ridiculous device that makes him look like a messed up TV screen, and he just uses it to rob banks. No world domination schemes or revenge plots. Just trying to get a little cash because, as Homer might remind us 'Money can be exchanged for goods and services.' Gotta appreciate the small-time bad guys, they're the bedrock of the superheroic society. Even better, he completely stymied Wonder Man's attempts to capture him, and if there's one thing we should support, it's villains who make Wonder Man look foolish. I don't know why that is, but it seems appropriate somehow.

Jeez, I'm gonna have to give this one some thought.

* But really, I struggle far too often for content to not at least consider discussing things if I bought them.

** I'm not certain what it is, but McNiven and Jimenez both just leave me cold. It's like it's technically sound art, but it lacks feeling. Maybe it's the coloring.

Time Makes Fools Of Us All

You know how sometimes when you see someone yawn, it makes you want to yawn as well? If today was any indication, I'm apparently susceptible to dog yawns as well. I was out walking this morning, and as I went by a house, I observed a dog in the backyard yawning. Once I finished chuckling at how its tongue kind of unrolled as it yawned, I found myself yawning. Seemed a bit odd.

Anyway, I don't have a particularly inspired post today, just something I read in Avengers #275 that made me chuckle. It's not really a fair thing to chuckle at, because it was accurate when Roger Stern wrote it, but it is funny how things change.

The Absorbing Man and Titania, having been thwarted in their attempts to catch a plane out of New York after helping trash Avengers Mansion, have informed Zemo of this difficulty. Zemo takes it all in stride, and asks them to go to a hospital where some of the Avengers have been sighted, in this case, Wasp and a comatose Hercules. Crusher and Titania show up and begin terrorizing the people at the hospital, and the Wasp decides that she and Scott Lang/Ant-Man (who showed up at the hospital to see if he could help) have to stop them.

Scott's response? 'We have as much chance of stopping those two as Spielberg had of winning an Oscar!' Yes, I'm easily amused, but it's interesting to see what a difference 20 years can make. To their credit though, our heroes did defeat the villains. Which, now that I think of it, doesn't reflect so well on Spider-Man (who's the reason why the baddies didn't make their flight). He couldn't stop them, but Ant-Man and the Wasp could? Then again, Spidey was outnumbered, and Absorbing Man had to heft a loaded passenger plane over his head to make Spidey give up and leave, so extenuating circumstances. Also, I think Roger Stern may have amped the Wasp up, powerwise, when he got the book. I'm just rambling now I think.