DRAGON MAN versus DEATHLOK
Dead Man Walking (Marvel comics)
Where: Beyond! #3 When: November 2006
Why: Dwayne McDuffie How: Scott Kolins

The story so far...
The cosmic entity called The Beyonder has been abducting heroes from the Marvel universe with a simple decree: "Slay your enemies and all you desire shall be yours! Nothing you dream of is impossible for me to accomplish!"

The ragtag grouping of Spider-man, Venom, Gravity, Firebird, Henry Pym, Wasp, Medusa, Kraven and the hood are torn apart when, interpreting the Beyonder literally, Venom appears to slay his mortal enemy - Spider-man.

The other heroes quickly turn on Venom, and although he manages to escape their clutches, his decisions ultimately lead to the crash landing of their spaceship on Battleworld. Here, the group sans Venom encounter "Michael", who is actually Deathlok, the survivor of a previous group. Unfortunately for them, however, he wasn't the only person whose attentions were razed...

Previous Form:
Wasp (#25): Involved in several successful group endeavours.
Medusa (#194): Defeated by her former teammates, the Frightful Four.
Dragon Man, Deathlok, Gravity, Firebird: Have no yet been featured on the site.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Dragon Man 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Deathlok 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Wasp 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Dragon Man 5 (Marathon Man)
Agility: Wasp 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting Ability: Deathlok 4 (Trained Fighter)
Energy Powers: Firebird 6 (Mass Destruction)


Well, well, well... This certainly has to be one of the more interesting groups we've dealt with here on Secret Earths. As you may have noted from the above rankings indicators, despite the impressive array of C-listers, all we're concerned with is; Wasp, Medusa, Gravity, Firebird and Deathlok. The other characters might turn up in future installments, I do not know for sure.

Dragon Man's a fun villain! I've maybe gone a little generous on the strength side of things, but consider him on the low end of a six. Not that it makes much difference, considering all concerned, bar Deathlok, are completely without any major strength based skills or enhancements.

Needless to say, this isn't going to be a fist fight. The Beyond! team needs to look to their unique capabilities if they're going to stand a chance against the Dragon Man, who really isn't that commanding a threat in general, but just generally deals with much stronger foes.

Deathlok has the weaponry and tactical advice of his cybernetic computer going for him, although given the obscure nature of the characters he's paired with, data is going to be limited. Any tactical advantage gained is going to be limited to what he can do, and a gun and cybernetic strength isn't going to do it.

Medusa brings snaring tactile hair strands to the table; Firebird can fight fire with the fire breathing Dragon Man, almost certainly surpassing his capabilities; and Gravity is bringing all kinds of wacky powers to the table.

All in all, a group of level headed heroes with these abilities should be able to function as a unit well enough to overcome the relatively childlike Dragon Man. Certainly the inexperience of Gravity and Firebird is well countered by the season of senior heroes like Deathlok, Wasp and Queen Medusa.

The Math: Deathlok and team(Total) Dragon Man (Average)
The Pick: Deathlok and team

What went down...
With several of the heroes already knocked out, Deathlok wastes no time going to battle with the roaring Dragon Man. His cybernetic intelligence rates chance of survival for Deathlok at less than 4%, but he fights on anyway.

Wasp calls an eyeshot, as Gravity impresses his influence on the situation. He uses his powers to shackle the seething Dragon Man, while Medusa capitalizes, using her strong hair to hoist a boulder onto the Dragon Man's foot.

The pain of the attack inadvertantly sees the Dragon Man bucking in agony, sending Gravity into the unsuspecting Medusa. Their collision knocks them both down.

Wasp, unable to get in for a close shot with her stinger blast, calls for back-up from Deathlok, who appears to be standing around in the middle of the battlefield. Little does Janet Van Dyne realise, Deathlok is unlocking the protocols in his cybernetic enhancements, rapidly increasing his options and chances of victory.

With safety protocols disabled and the maximum strength boost activated, Deathlok not only all-but assures his own survival, but increases the statstical chances of victory for the group. Although it hampers his chances, Deathlok ensures his no-kill parameters remain in effect. "Which isn't to say we can't punch his lights out."

Deathlok heads into the fray with a cybernetically enhanced uppercut that knocks the Dragon Man into next week! Reeling from the blow, Dragon Man is vulnerable for Wasp to come in to fire off one of her blasts at point blank range into his eye.

Unfortunately this serves only to enrage the beast further. Thought his eye is clearly effected, he breathes a massive jet of flame in retaliation, but the Wasp manages to get clear before she can be hit by the blinded beast.

Deathlok takes the brunt of Dragon Man's firey breath, suffering heavily under it's extreme temperature. His body begins to degenerate, as do his cybernetic enhancements, but just when all seems lost, Firebird enters the battle!

The flaming heroin absorbs the impact of the flames, coming between the simple creature and the advanced cyborg, Deathlok. She lets out a Phoenix style burst of flame in the shape of a bird, which sufficiently startles the Dragon creature.

Firebird orders the creature away, and follows her demands with an impressive blast of flame that sends the Dragon Man hurtling across the jungle terrain in which they fight. The attack proves to exert too much energy, but Gravity is there to use his powers to break Firebird's fall.

Deathlok's cybernetics are able to regenerate and self-repair the bulk of the damage done, allowing him to pursue their opponent for one last encounter.
Finding Dragon Man on his stomach deeper into the jungle, Deathlok snatches him by the tail and whips him into more larger rocks and boulders, ensuring the knocked down monster stays down.

The team regroups to address the remaining threats that await them on Battleworld. Mission accomplished.

The hammer...
Chalk up a victory to Deathlok, Firebird, and the rest of the team! In the interest of clarifying the statistical value, I'm going to consider that a solid team effort from everyone concerned.

Speaking of teams; Deathlok goes on to inform his fellows that he was on Battleworld as the remainder of a team that had been summoned long ago. That team consisting of; Darkhawk, Terror Inc, Sleepwalker, Dracula, Photon, Coldblood and Wonder Man. Not a bad little ensemble, even if I do say so myself. Reminiscent of Robert Kirkmans "legion of losers", who were so unfortunate they stole the name of The Spot's team!

Beyond!, like Kirkman's efforts in the later issues of Marvel Team-Up, highlights a resurgance in appreciation for the lower tier characters who largely suffered from post-nineties backlash. While it might not have been the biggest story to befall Marvel Comics, I like to think Beyond! went lengths to just reaffirm the potential value of these characters. Certainly with McDuffie moving back into the Marvel Universe big leagues writing a title like Fantastic Four, which directly references this mini, it's showing promising signs.

I also particularly like seeing an interest with grooming characters for bigger things. A conceit more characteristically seen at DC, where characters seem to be more readily embraced, both new and old. Characters like Gravity can really benefit from these kinds of things, whilst reviving classics like Deathlok.

It isn't all sunny for Marvel's B-listers, though. To the surprise of noone, Blade has been cancelled with the twelfth and final issue. They at least have the grace to wrap up their storylines, but really, anyone who thought this was a good way to capitalize on Blade's unexpected popularity in the films, was an idiot.

While not brilliant stories, what at least earns stories like Beyond! point of recognition is the very simple approach to the characters. Very little effort is made to do anything with them, but deliver an expected charaterization moving through events. Blade failed instantly to successfully capture the formula that was so brilliantly mastered particularly in the Stephen Norrington introductory film. The one that broke Blade onto the map.

Sometimes you really have to wonder about the thought processes behind these decisions. Not that I would volunteer myself as the supreme-intelligence. Even if it is simple brilliance to team the Sub-Mariner and Blade in a storyline that would blow your minds. Yes, I'm going back to the Sub-Mariner B-list packed pitch.

I'll salvage myself by abruptly changing the subject to the overall concept of Beyond!. The idea of a cosmic entity providing the McGuffin by spontaneously collecting up various selected characters, only to plonk them on a planet called Battleworld, is likewise simple brilliance.

It's highly unlikely that it will ever produce a Watchmen, but it is almost certainly guaranteed to be a ridiculously fun and action packed romp each and every time. You have to wonder if Marvel shouldn't focus their attentions on establishing Beyond! as a trademark, in a world where Secret War has perhaps shifted the perception and awareness of the classic Secret Wars branding.
It probably wouldn't hurt to shake-off the stink of Secret Wars II, too. At least Beyond! references the Beyonder, without conjuring images of the white leisure suit and gheri curl.

Gee, I wonder who would be qualified to write a comic about a random collective of superheroes fighting on an alien planet? Hey, I'm just saying, I'm here for the grooming Marvel. Look at the credentials, baby. Two years!
It's 1:15am, so I'm going to go to sleep now. The catch-up continues!

The Fight: 4.5 The Issue: 5
NEXT WEEK: King Midas said there'd be days like this... GREY GARGOYLE!

MONTHLY PUNCH-UP #12 (December, 2006)
VENOM versus SPIDER-MAN
The Great Beyond (Marvel)
Where: Beyond! #1 When: September 2006
Why: Dwayne McDuffie How: Scott Kolins

Quick Fix...
Technically this is our anniversary, but for the time being it's quick business as usual. Stay tuned, folks.

I've had this one sitting around for a while now, and honestly I only came across it at the time because I was browsing through Marvel's sales lists. Since it's release I've only come across one source talking about it, and that was The Invincible Super-Blog. A nice read to be sure, but not exactly an endorsement in Wizard Magazine. [Wizard may have featured this series. I do not know because I haven't really researched these claims.]

For those who haven't been writing about the series, and are blissfully unaware as to it's story -- it's quite simple. That wacky cosmic deity, The Beyonder, is at it again, gathering together a motley crew of superheroes to duke it out in an obscure combat challenge. This is the series we probably wish Secret Wars II was, but alas, I will not dwell on the past...

Spider-man, front-and-centre on the cover, is obviously the lynchpin of the promotional angle on this series. He's the kind of character who's pretty generously spread around, and could probably be justified, while the other characters largely read like a who's who of available characters.

These are by no means characters I'm terribly interested in, but the concept is enough to warrant a look, and yes, the inclusion of guys like Spider-man and Venom do lend to getting these other guys exposure.
The line-up of second stringers includes; Firebird, Hank Pym, Gravity, Medusa, Wasp, The Hood, Kraven the Hunter Jr #2, and the villain formerly known as Scorpion, Mac Gargan.

Pleasantries completed, things kick-off with a bellowing voice from the void that declares, "I AM FROM BEYOND! Slay your enemies and all you desire shall be yours! Nothing you dream of is impossible for me to accomplish!!"

The Hood goes a little crazy, but Kraven Jr II quickly puts an end to his gun-toting rampage, and debate begins as to what the heroes should do.
Of course, having a guy like Mac Gargan around is bad enough when he's the Scorpion, but as Venom there's got to be a second underlying whisper of insanity, and that's where business picks up.

Though the intentions behind the act are unclear, McDuffie does well to kick things off in a very typical fashion. Venom extends his symbiotic costume out with destructive intent, and Spidey swiftly hops over it.

Spidey webs up Gargan's eyes as he goes on a muscle bound rampage.

The quips fly as Spider-man dances around his foe, and smashes the floor with his face.
He procedes to web Gargan up, but to the shock of all, Gargan uses the symbiote to manifest a Scorpion style tail, and impales the unwitting spider with it.
[Lest we forget, the symbiote does not trigger Spidey's preternatural Spider-Senses! - Mike]

The other heroes can only gaze on horrified as Spider-man's limp body peels from the tip of the symbiote tail with a shluk, and tumbles down toward the ground.

Using her animated firey red hair, Medusa cradles Spider-man before he can hit the ground, and draws nearer.
The fatally wounded Parker mistakes his savior for his wife, Mary Jane, and whispers his final words to her.

Venom, believing he had completed the challenge required by the Beyonder demands what he deserves. Medusa rises from the corpse with a tear in her eye, and promises to deliver exactly that.

Of course, Spider-man is still running around and having problems, so you can rest assured his death is reversed, but you do have to wonder whether or not it was worth it.

Presumably Spider-man was there as an entry point, and this gives an opportunity to have the other character shine, but there's still something terribly cheap and nasty about this. Still, apparently one of the repercussions of the series is to be dealt with in McDuffie's upcoming Fantastic Four run.

Not to end on a sour note, but as far as the art goes, Scott Kolins is not winning me over. I was appalled by one of his New Invaders covers in particular, and ever since it's just felt like it's downhill.
Underneath it all there's probably some fine pencils, but the colour palettes following him around aren't helping, and the inking process is entirely unflattering. If this is digital, as it appears, then I continue to equate this with the dark side of what CP Smith has done.

The Fix: 4 The Issue: 4
Winner: Venom (Mac Gargan)
Amendment (02/02/07): The Spider-man in this battle is in actual fact The Space Phantom.

As I mentioned, this officially marks a full year of Secret Wars on Infinite Earths.
For the sake of a clean break I'll leave some of the nostalgia for January's Punch-Up, but I should take this opportunity to thank each and every reader out there.
Hit counting technology allows me to know you are out there, and particularly with all the delays in entries, I appreciate the views.

Hopefully there'll be plenty more droll, uninspired summarizing and alliterations coming in this new year [of which we are already twelve days into].

Next year there'll be a few changes, notably a fresh start to the rankings.
A year of the top five has provided us with some fun and interesting results, but to keep it fresh, the top five will restart for 2007. Next month we will crown the top five characters for 2006, so this is a big month for some guys!

With that in mind we might do something a little a different.
Instead of talking about the top five characters, it might be nice to take a look at the top five creative contributors. As you'll no doubt notice, at the top of the page in the right column is a cumulative top ten list of writers and artists.
This is updated after every entry, and due to the sheer number of creators involved, will not be reset for 2007.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths began with a simple mandate, and that was to enjoy and explore comics and superhero characters in a fun, welcoming atmosphere. I've enjoyed sharing links with readers much less familiar with the medium than I, and I hope you guys can do the same.
Comics are fun, educational and entertaining. There's no shame in indulging in a little light hearted debate or discussion about them. Even when it's about who would win a fight, and even if you're one of those bozos who thinks the Hulk should beat Superman. Hah! Shyeah, what-evarrr!

Cheers!

The Monthly Top Five Creators...
#1 Ron Marz (Writer) (Freelance)
Ron Marz has held the top spot fairly conclusively since we featured DC versus Marvel on it's tenth anniversary.

Being brutally honest, he's not one of my favourite writers, but to his credit he's firmly entrenched himself in the cosmic character culture.
His work with characters like Silver Surfer and Green Lantern has to be considered pretty solid, and including Super-Skrull in battle against Thor is always a good thing.

I don't expect to be seeing much of Ron Marz in 2007, but the Silver Surfer/Green Lantern crossover issue has been sitting on my 'to-do-list' since the site started, so he's not completely out of the picture.

#2 Judd Winick (Writer) (DC Comics)
In many ways you could consider Winick the true number one, which in many ways is surprising. I would not generally rate Winick as one of my favourite writers, but his efforts on Batman have really earned him his spot here.

His partnership with Doug Mahnke, along with a strong take on Gotham and it's characters really attracted me to his work in 2005.

Green Arrow remains a solid book, although post-Hester/Parks, it isn't the visual powerhouse it once was. Enjoyable, but I would not consider this to be top-tier written work from Winick. Editorial demands may have contributed to that.

History shows DC is willing to support Winick as an A-list writer, and while he may not occupy the role completely, he has a good base to work from as one of the many writers involved in the epic storytelling of 52 and the events of the DC Universe.

#3 Claudio Castellini (Penciller) (Freelance)
Before the DC vs Marvel series I had very little to do with the Italian born penciller, and honestly, I've had nothing to do with him since.

While his linework is clearly competent, DC/Marvel was far from inspired or impressive. I don't know if this is indicative of his work on a whole, or just the result of popular influences of the time imposing on his own style and efforts.

I'm completely unaware of his current working situation, and would imagine 2007 will fascilitate the devouring of Claudio Castellini as other creative voices are heard in the same quantity, here on the site.

#4 Doug Mahnke (Penciller) (DC Comics)
As Winick's partner in crime on Batman, Mahnke collaborated with an impressive unit of inkers and colourists to complete the image of Gotham City, alive and populated by criminals.

Smooth, competent and well placed lines made this particular run on Batman a real joy to read. This unfortunately contrasted against fill-in artists, who brought a less subdued approach to the characters.

I haven't had the pleasure of observing Mahnke in many other books, but I would imagine he is a talent that will be keenly observed by Secret Earths.

#5 Frank Miller (Writer/Penciller) (Freelance)
For the past couple of decades a select few individuals have risen through the comic booking ranks to cast looming shadows over the industry. Certainly Miller's unique, but influenced voice has made him a stalwart to many-a comic fans top five lists.

As writer/artist on the critcally acclaimed The Dark Knight Returns, Miller told many great stories, and most importantly to this website, some great fights.

Dual credits on Superman/Batman play a part in this positioning, but few fans could argue that it isn't deserved. Even if later works have been controversially received, such as the allegedly cancelled All-Star Batman and Robin.

As he moves closer to the Hollywood side of things, following up on his co-directorial debut on Sin City, Frank Miller will no doubt remain in the consciousness of fans everywhere. Removal from on-going comics, however, leaves his relevence in 2007 a fifty-fifty crapshoot as far as Secret Earths is concerned.

Super Stock...
1. Batman (-) (DC)
2. Spider-man (-) (M)
5. Hulk (+1) (M)
6. Daredevil (-1) (M)
7. Superman (-) (DC)
8. Captain America (-) (M)
9. Venom Symbiote (+8) (M)
12. Zatanna (-1) (DC)
17. Sub-Mariner (+40) (M)
21. Silver Surfer (-1) (M)
28. Rogue (+9) (M)
32. Venom (Mac Gargan) (new) (M)
40. Sagat (-2) (Capcom)
47. Rayden (new) (Midway)
48. Tombstone (new) (M)
52. She-Hulk (-4) (M)
61. Professor X (new) (M)
77. Colossus (+4) (M)
101. Scarlet Witch (new) (M)
102. Gambit (new) (M)
105. Wonder Woman (-3) (DC)
112. Jean Grey (new) (M)
177. Scorpion (new) (Midway)
178. Angel (new) (M)
179. Iceman (new) (M)
180. Mastermind (new) (M)
181. Toad (new) (M)
182. Quicksilver (-81) (M)
186. Magneto (-72) (M)

The Hammer...
That about wraps up December's punching intro!
We've got a fifth week as we come to the end of 2006, so bare with me as I grapple with the trials of technology. Scanning may pose some difficulties, but we will prevail.

A lot of Marvel lately! Mostly a symptom of my whims, and dipping into the well of a mostly Marvel collection. I can only apologise for that in hindsight guys, sorry! Be sure to scout back and check out the many fine contributions made to the site by DC Comics!

As the Super Stock shows, there's still a lot that could happen in the top five as we wind down this month. There are a lot of guys still in contention, so if you were ever to stay tuned, this is the month to do it!

To try to make up for my blatant bias, I'd like to leave you with some of the very best DC issues featured on Secret Earths in 05/06. Hopefully they can make up for just a portion of the Marvel zombie pain being inflicted upon DC-loyal fans. Cheers!

- Dark Knight Returns #4
In a grim and gritty future, Batman does battle with the government controlled Superman in one last nasty showdown. It's dirty, it's grim, and it's the Batman's last F-You... Or is it?

- Batman #637
Batman and Nightwing team up to deactivate a stripped down Amazo android that has been purchased by Black Mask. Things get nasty and rough, as the android with the powers of the Justice League takes on two of DC's most prominent heroes without powers.

- Blue Beetle #1
There's a new Blue Beetle in town, and his magical armor has something in common with much of the DC Universe -- It doesn't like Guy Gardner!
More psychotic than every, Guy Gardner does what we always knew he would -- battle with a pubescant!

- Seven Soldiers: Zatanna #4
In the wake of the revelation that Zatanna wiped the minds of villains and heroes alike, she takes leave of the League to find herself. What she finds instead is a whole mess of trouble, and the moustached Zor is right at the forefront of it!

- Green Arrow #45
Green Arrow comes face to face in a confrontation with the newest and most dominant criminal element in his city - The Brick. It's man against monster as Ollie attempts to fight a guy whose rocky hide can take all of his tricks!

- Identity Crisis #3
Dr. Light has remembered all the thoughts the League stole, and he's none too happy. Not the most threatening scenario, but when Deathstroke enters the game bought and paid for, the League are in for some serious trouble!

- Batman #647
The villains are uniting, and with Batman and Red Hood on his case, Black Mask is happy to accept entry in exchange for assistance. Enter Captain Nazi, Hyena and Count Vertigo.
Batman must team up with his former protege in a bitter fight against foes more powerful than they have ever faced!

- Batman #648
Black Mask has had enough, and it's time for a final showdown between criminal mastermind and vigilante thug.
While Jason Todd steps up to the plate, Batman races to the scene, but can he get there in time to save Red Hood from himself -- or is there another twist waiting in the wings?

- Hawkman #31
Relocation to St. Roch has not come without it's trials for Hawkman, and as if the people and police of the city weren't suspicious and resentful of the hero before -- a spate of deaths that link straight to the hero will make sure they are!
Hawkman does battle with an all new foe!

- Batman #442
It's Tim Drake's first day on the job as Robin, and with Batman and Nightwing trapped beneath an exploded building, it's going to be a doozy.
Add Two-Face menacing in the wings and convinced a late night radio programme is feeding him commands, and you've got yourself a great big dose of uh-oh!

November Hit Count: 2777* (+386)

* Hit count was recorded December 1. Hits for November posts may be reflected in the December/January counts.