MS MARVEL versus SUPER-SKRULL

All This and the QE2 (Marvel)
Where: Marvel Team-Up #62 When: October 1977
Why: Chris Claremont How: John Byrne

The Story So Far...
Having been imprisoned by Tigra and Red Wolf within an ancient artefact known as The Soul Catcher; Super-Skrull is once more unleashed upon the Earth when Spider-man inadvertently frees him during battle with Equinox.

The Human Torch and Spider-man stand valiantly against the Super-Skrull while the Fantastic Four and Avengers are unable to be raised, but they're no match for powers boosted by an uninterrupted signal broadcast from the Skrull Throneworld!

In victory, Super-Skrull seeks a Cavorite crystal to power a ship that will take him back to the Skrull Empire. As he attacks the family of vacationing antiques dealer Josiah Rubin -- Super-Skrull has no way of knowing the cruise ship also carries a witness to the earlier carnage: Carol Danvers, aka; Ms. Marvel!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Super-Skrull 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Super-Skrull 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Ms Marvel 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Super-Skrull 6 (Generator)
Agility: Super-Skrull 6 (Rubber)
Fighting: Super-Skrull 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Super-Skrull 6 (Mass Destruction)
Total: Super-Skrull 37 (Cosmic Power)

We've seen Ms. Marvel smack around heavyweight foes like a Dormammu enhanced Hood [New Avengers #54], and an Agamotto possessed Luke Cage [New Avengers #2], but each of those were team situations. She didn't have to throw the finishing blow -- which is her task for today's featured battle!

Super-Skrull is Kl'rt of the Skrull Empire, best known for receiving genetic alterations that grant him the combined might of the Fantastic Four! This one-man army can out-stretch & bend Mister Fantastic, disappear & move stealthier than Invisible Woman, fly higher & burn brighter than Human Torch, and even rival the strength and rocky durability of The Thing!

These powers typically come at the expense of his species' natural ability to shape-shift, but given he can fade completely from sight, it doesn't mean foes are any more likely to see him coming! He also possesses powers of hypnotic vision, with all abilities sometimes boosted by energy signals beamed from the Skrull homeworld.

In the pocket dimension of Fantastic Four (Vol.2) #6, Super-Skrull was able to add but a taste of the Power Cosmic, using it to almost defeat an all-star alliance of the Fantastic Four, Black Panther, and Doctor Doom!

Kl'rt's copied powers were to be the ultimate weapon of revenge against the Empire's Earthbound nemeses, but the Fantastic Four aren't the only familiar foes Super-Skrull's faced! He enlisted Skrull subterfuge & tactics to ambush Bruce Banner at his most vulnerable, in Incredible Hulk #374. He relied on his incredible strength and skills to go toe-to-toe with a mad Thor in Thor #465.

These examples demonstrate Super-Skrulls versatility and combat experience, but when it comes to true war, only the Kree can make a Skrull's blood boil!

Carol Danvers was an officer of the US Air Force when she gained Kree DNA, so combat tactics shouldn't be too big a problem. She's got cosmic muscle to trade blows with Super-Skrull, but won't want to drag this fight out. She's got to go shock & awe, or Super-Skrull's versatility could cause real problems!

The Tape: Super-Skrull Ranking: Ms Marvel (#54)

What Went Down...

Basking in imagined glories, Super-Skrull stalks through the halls of a British cruise ship, lost in visions of a hero's return home. A sudden flash draws his attention. When he turns the corner anticipating fresh combat -- the powerful fist of Ms Marvel greets his wrinkled green chin with confirmation!

The super-powered Skrull is only momentarily staggered before he sets his sights on his opponent. Even with his barings, the sight he sees stirs confusion. This woman claims to be human, yet she wears the uniform of his mortal nemesis - the "thrice-damned" Kree champion: Captain Marvel!

Inspired by deep-seeded hatred, the Super-Skrull fights first rather than wait for explanations -- returning fire with an elastically charged fist of rock!

The blow topples Ms Marvel as briefly as her own hit knocked back the Skrull. With plenty of negative experience to call upon from her brief Kree history, Marvel summons a mighty hatred for the shape-shifting warrior's race - and slams her fist into his vulnerable mid-section!

The impressive hit isn't enough to stop the Super-Skrull, who has all the malleability of Mister Fantastic! The tit for tat continues, causing Ms Marvel to regret her wild, emotional outburst before she's smashed through the ceiling!

Super-Skrull gloats that even the weakest Skrull warrior is superior to a Kree. Rather than rise to the taunt, Ms Marvel manages to put aside her blinding hatred and focus on the task at hand. She theorizes the Super-Skrull is most vulnerable when using the stretching skills of Reed Richards - and strikes!

A devastating right hand explodes against the elongated Skrull's face! Ms Marvel doesn't let up, keeping clear of Super-Skrull's "Thing hands" as she sinks another rising blow deep into his distorted torso!

The blows knock Super-Skrull's intended target loose from his belt. Recognizing a refined Cavourite crystal on sight -- Marvel goes to ground to retrieve it. Alas, the careless distraction provides Super-Skrull the opportunity he needs!

With a mighty strike the Super-Skrull sends Ms Marvel hurtling uncontrollably from the ship and into open air! The devastating kayo sends her on a trajectory toward the Statue of Liberty, unable to move let alone save herself!

The Hammer...

A momentary lapse in concentration has dire results! It gives Super-Skrull the opening he needs to end an otherwise competitive slugfest!

You can probably guess Ms. Marvel didn't come to any severe harm. This is an issue of Marvel Team-Up, after all! It was the webs of Spider-man that came to her aid, bringing about splashdown in the New York Bay.

A rough landing, but nothing the Kree powered heroine couldn't bounce back from for Round 2 later in the issue! A battle to be revisited in the future, no doubt.

Spidey actually mistook the hurtling figure for Captain Marvel. An easy mistake to make! This encounter would mark the momentous first meeting between Ms. Marvel and Spider-man: a rite of passage for most Marvel Comics heroes.

The pair would notably cross paths much later as members of the New Avengers, with one or two chance encounters in the intervening decades. In fact, it wasn't long before they met again in  the pages of Marvel Team-Up #77 (1979), facing the fanatical would-be Pope: Silver Dagger. By then, Ms. Marvel was wearing the famous black & yellow design she'd be associated with right up until the 2010s.

For the longest time it seemed important to distance Ms. Marvel from her derivative roots. That was one of the reasons I always appreciated the black suit, even if it wasn't the most inspired design. Coming back to Marvel Team-Up #62, I'm reminded how appealing the classic red & blue really is!

Neither "Marvel" was a favourite character growing up, but as I've gone back to discover the rip-roaring adventures of the seventies, I've come to enjoy Ms. Marvel's connection to the original Kree hero.

The fact Mar-Vell has been a rare case for a hero remaining dead for thirty years has made it all the more appealing that Carol Danvers take ownership of the Captain Marvel legacy, and advance it forward.

The current design in comics -- more blue than red -- is a nice adaptation, but it's hard to go past the original Mar-Vell inspired red & blue. Pants seem like a pretty sensible update. Shame to lose the scarf, though. Not sure why, but it just adds something a little extra to the visual. A nice signature, too.

Brie Larson will wear adapted versions of the most recent designs when Captain Marvel hits theatres next week. Considering she'll be taking on the lurking menace of Skrulls, you knew I had to make time for a Super-Skrull appearance!

I'm sure the FF-powered villain won't be showing up in Ms. Marvel's cinematic universe debut, but hey! Who woulda thought we'd be getting Skrulls at all after the Avengers settled for generic Chitauri?! Before the Fox deal cleared, no less!

As always, you can find more from the characters featured today by following links throughout this post, or the character tags below.

Dive deeper to discover more from the Marvel Universe and beyond by visiting the Secret Archive of past battles. You can also get more superhero smackdown in your life by following Secret Wars on Infinite Earths on Twitter and Facebook! Be sure to hit that like, share & retweet and stay tuned for more!

Winner: Super-Skrull
#132 (+253) Super-Skrull
#67 (-13) Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers)

STEEL SERPENT versus IRON FIST & SPIDER-MAN

Night of the Dragon (Marvel)
Where: Marvel Team-Up #63 When: November 1977
Why: Chris Claremont How: John Byrne

The Story So Far...
A mysterious malcontent has come to plague Iron Fist's existence -- attacking when he least expects it in a style reminiscent of his old teacher's!

The most recent ambush left Iron Fist with his lifeforce partially drained! The lethal technique is enough to push him to disappear into weeks of hard martial arts training -- readying himself for an opponent deadlier than any he's faced!

When a written challenge finally arrives on his luxurious doorstep - Danny Rand is forced to postpone a homestead photo-spread with Daily Bugle photographer Peter Parker. He takes a cab ride toward destiny, unaware that the unassuming camera man is in fact a former ally - the friendly neighborhood Spider-man!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Spider-man 5 (Super-Human)
Intelligence: Spider-man 5 (Professor)
Speed: Draw 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Steel Serpent 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Spider-man 5 (Cat-Like)
Fighting: Iron Fist 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Iron Fist 3 (Explosives)
Total: Spider-man 29 (Metahuman)

It was supposed to be the ultimate martial arts showdown! Instead -- our hero walks toward the challenge with an interloper following in his shadow...

Steel Serpent is Davos - son of Lei Kung the Thunderer of the hidden city of K'un-Lun. Davos was destined to challenge the great dragon Shou-Lao until he lost the right in fair combat to an adopted outsider: Wendell Rand-Kai.

Davos faced the dragon anyway in an attempt to steal the gift of its power, but was defeated, and exiled from the mystic realm in disgrace. Wendell Rand left K'un-Lun shortly thereafter as well, never partaking in the rites of Shou-Lao.

Rand instead returned to America to forge a new life as a wealthy entrepreneur and family man. He attempted to return decades later with his family in tow, but was murdered during the mountain expedition, leaving his orphaned son Danny to be taken in by K'un-Lun's new ruler, Lord Yu-Ti, much as Wendell was.

Danny studied martial arts under Lei Kung's tutelage, successfully completing the challenge of Shou-Lao to claim the power of the living weapon: Iron Fist!

We've seen Danny rely on martial arts mastery to overcome several powerful foes, including: Sabretooth [Iron Fist #14, Power Man & Iron Fist #66], Unus The Untouchable [Power Man & Iron Fist #90], Man Mountain Marko [Power Man & Iron Fist #93], and even his possessed pal Luke Cage [New Avengers #2]!

Steel Serpent may share some of their physical dominance, but it's his fighting skill that makes him twice the threat of any other opponent! When he returned to K'un-Lun for a tournament, he demonstrated his aptitude for out-fighting a nimble opponent: Tiger's Beautiful Daughter [Immortal Iron Fist #11]!

Daredevil pushed Danny's skill with his own martial arts prowess, but nearly succumbed to the Iron Fist technique during a case of mistaken identity in Daredevil #87. In today's fight - it's Steel Serpent who has the element of surprise, leaving Iron Fist to assume he is in fact his mentor Lei Kung!

The wildcard then becomes Spider-man, who has pursued Iron Fist without the martial artist knowing it! Steel Serpent may have organized himself advantages in his campaign against Iron Fist, but Spider-man presumably evens them out!

We haven't seen Spidey face a truly skilled fighter yet, but he did fight Hand ninjas with Iron Fist some years later, in New Avengers #27. Of course, he's more of an instinctive fighter, and we saw how superior command of power hurt him in a confrontation with Mister Negative [Amazing Spider-man #621].

Iron Fist & Spider-man have to go into this one as team-up favourites, but now that we know the fighters involved, there's really only one thing left to do...

The Tape: Iron Fist & Spider-man Ranking: Spider-man (#2)

What Went Down...
Iron Fist stalks across the refuse scattered lawn of Inwood Park, determined to meet the mysterious challenge of his former master. He calls for The Thunderer, but is instead met with the grim visage of his master's son: Steel Serpent!

Davos implies his vengeance was bestowed upon Danny Rand the day he was born. Now his fate is to lose the iron fist power, undoing the slight of Wendell Rand and the August Personage of Jade - Lord Yü-Ti!

The two warriors bow before snapping into a fighting stance. The formality is quickly broken as Steel Serpent makes the first move - thrusting the ball of his foot into Iron Fist's exposed jaw!

Iron Fist lets his body ride the sledgehammer-like blow, but the devastating power behind the strike does not go unnoticed! He responds in kind, moving rapidly to chop Serpent's hand and headbutt his jaw with an "Atama" strike. The move is good, but not enough to rattle a fighter still so fresh!

Steel Serpent restores distance between he and his foe by blocking Iron Fist's second hand, and thrusting his chopped palm straight at the hero's face! The strike instills a sense of urgency in Iron Fist, whose body absorbs the recoil and channels it fluidly into through his legs and into a devastating back heel kick!

Iron Fist abandons banter to focus on pure martial arts, estimating his opponent to be one of the greatest fighters he's ever faced!

Steel Serpent drives his threatening home with a roundhouse kick buried deep into Iron Fist's mid-section with a slam! Iron Fist fires right back with a jumping roundhouse that explodes against Steel Serpent's head! An even match!

From the shadows of nearby trees - Spider-man arrives to observe the epic late night showdown! As a diving Iron Fist gets caught with a hard hooking punch, Spidey becomes desperate to help his one-time ally!

Just as Steel Serpent presses his advantage with belittling insult -- he senses Spider-man swinging from the trees! He catches the web-slinger's foot before it can connect -- and uses a vice-like grip to swing him like a baseball bat!

Spider-man is ill prepared for the twist of fate, contorting like a ragdoll as the arc of the swing brings him colliding with a similarly stunned Iron Fist!

The human hammer toss sends a limp Spider-man hurtling unforgivingly back towards the trees! The velocity wraps his twisting body around itself as smashes into the wooden trunk with absolutely no control!

The sickening scene inspires anger in a battered and bloody Iron Fist. He vows to return injuries in kind and end their duel, charging at his opponent with a fist of fury! Alas, the impulsive maneuver plays right into Steel Serpent's hands!

Davos dodges the strike and uses their close proximity to lock his arms under Iron Fist's in an inverted full nelson! His rage and hatred fuel the true attack -- an assault on Danny Rand's very life-force!

Spider-man is blinded by the light as Steel Serpent uses an ancient technique to drain the very chi from Iron Fist! Its glare lasts mere moments, but it is the third time Davos has used the attack -- and this time he means it!

Spider-man cries out in horror for his friend as Davos raises a fist to the heavens with the power of the immortal Iron Fist flowing through him!

The villain clutches a limp and powerless Iron Fist by the throat, preparing a killing blow to eliminate the threat once and for all. Fortunately for Danny Rand, he is a man with many friends, and fate would not end his life so cruelly!

Misty Knight arrives on the scene just in time to distract Steel Serpent with her speeding car. He is unimpressed with the armed investigator, but is soon persuaded by a demonstration of her unique hi-tech weaponry!

The intervention buys a reprieve for Danny Rand's life, but it cannot undo the undeniable conclusion: Steel Serpent has won!

The Hammer...

The assist from Misty Knight bought Iron Fist a life-saving reprieve, but Spider-man's unsolicited intervention had already doomed him to brutal defeat at the hands of Steel Serpent!

Regular readers may've noticed I've had a serious case of Spider-mania this year, but in the last couple of weeks, I've also found myself on a routine martial arts bender. I couldn't think of a better way to bridge the gap than today's featured fight!

The ultimate showdown between Steel Serpent and Iron Fist was developed like a WrestleMania main event that lost its venue. It was nurtured in sub-plot over several months of issues. When Danny Rand faced a debuting Sabretooth in Iron Fist #14, he was still reeling from an unexpected street fight with shadowy Steel Serpent! The series would only last one more issue before cancellation...

By late 1977, Chris Claremont and John Byrne were already appearing together as creative team on Marvel Team-Up. The sometimes hit or miss series was having a pretty good year under Claremont, largely due to a steady run of top grade villains, and guest heroes. You may remember Marvel Team-Up #58 from the archives, where Spidey and Ghost Rider took on The Trapster.

There was only one missed month between the cover dates for Iron Fist #15 and Marvel Team-Up #63. With the parties involved, it must've been relatively easy to consolidate the Iron Fist conclusion into MTU, but it does read a bit like Spidey is crowbarred in. Less like Byrne had already drawn the pages, and more like somebody was grappling with keeping as much of the envisioned conclusion as possible, even with the theme of the Spidey Team-Up book.

I wonder how much the web-slinger's well-meaning mishap was inspired by publishing circumstance. Iron Fist had seen some big name guests in its final few issues, but I find it hard to believe Spider-man was part of the original plan.

I've been thinking about martial arts genre fiction, particularly Street Fighter, in terms of opera. Superheroes by their very nature lend an operatic element, but it's a little bit more straight forward than the ponderous ensembles of SF.

Spidey invariably compromises the fated, one-on-one challenge. The location seems as likely to facilitate Spider-man and Misty Knight as it does give a 70s grit. Fortunately, there's still a clear intent to give the big fight its due.

Fist and Serpent are completely uninterrupted for three and a half explosive pages -- and it feels like more! Even when Spidey's arrival turns the tide in Davos' favour, the focus is all about the martial artists. I appreciate that!

There is, of course, a rematch in the following issue. You didn't really think they'd leave Iron Fist stripped of his powers, did you...? Well, maybe... The second season of Iron Fist hit Netflix today, and it's fair to say they've had a tough time making the most of their colourful comics inspirations!

Fortunately, classic Iron Fist comics are still available in a variety of collected editions!

When shopping you'll want to make sure Marvel Team-Up #63-64 are included! Some versions cut-off before then, or in the case of Masterworks, don't even get that far!

By using embedded Amazon links, you help support the site at no extra cost to you! Any purchase will do, but a couple of Iron Fist options are provided here for your convenience!

You can also find more Iron Fist and martial arts mayhem by diving into the Secret Archive! There you'll find every featured fight indexed by publisher, series, and issue number! For more targeted discover you should check out some of the links littered throughout this, and many other posts.

You can also get daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day by following Secret Wars on Infinite Earths on Twitter and Facebook! A like, share, and retweet is another ancient technique used by masters who support the site!

Winner: Steel Serpent
#101 (+131) Steel Serpent (Davos)
#2 (--) Spider-man
#18 (--) Iron Fist
#541 (new) Misty Knight

THE TRAPSTER versus SPIDER-MAN & GHOST RIDER
Panic On Pier One! (Marvel comics)
Where: Marvel Team-Up #58 When: June 1977
Why: Chris Claremont How: Sal Buscema & P. Marcos

The story so far...
Whilst heading home, Peter Parker and Mary-Jane Watson find themselves in for a treat when they discover a film crew rolling outside of Peter's Chelsea residence.

Amongst the film crew is Johnny Blaze, playing the role of Stunt-Master.Blaze, stunt cyclist extraordinaire, is of course the alter ego of the demon spawn dark hero known as Ghost Rider, the spirit of vengeance!

Filming begins, but a routine stunt goes wrong when Blaze's front tyre is ensnared by an unseen adhesive shot atop one of the cars he's bunnyhopping.
The force of his momentum tears the front tyre from the cycle, and Johnny Blaze makes the change from man, to Ghost Rider!

Webbing comes to the demon's aid at the last second, but when Spidey finds himself snared by thick paste, will the spirit of vengeance return the favour?

Previous Form:
The Trapster (#64): The Trapster has both a victory and defeat as member of the Frightful Four.
Spider-man (#2): Spider-man has victories of Scorpion, Kraven, Tombstone and others.
Ghost Rider: Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze) has not yet been featured.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Spider-man 5 (Super Strength)
Intelligence: Spider-man 5 (Professor)
Speed: Spider-man 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Ghost Rider 5 (Marathon)
Agility: Spider-man 5 (Cat-like)
Fighting Ability: Ghost Rider 3 (Street Wise)
Energy Powers: Ghost Rider 5 (Lasers)

When you break it down, this is a hilariously one-sided fight.
The Trapster doesn't even break a twenty overall, which makes him one of the few feature characters to fall into the Human Class. Which is bad news bears when you're up against not one, but TWO superhero studs.

Like various more street level characters, Trapster certainly has the ability to play above his stats. Granted he isn't a Tombstone, but the versatility provided by his super-durable adhesive paste is a fairly hefty tool.
Along with various offensive applications, it comes in pretty handy for your run of the mill incapacitation through bondage, and can even throw up defensives like a super sturdy quick-dry wall.

Of course, even with that said, if we take a look at the opposing keys to victory you have a smorgasboard of ways for Ghost Rider and/or Spidey to take him apart. Webbing, hellfire, super strength, nearby sea, flaming hellcycle... That isn't even breaking it down to measure how each talent can beat him.

Honestly, The Trapster is in deep water in this one, which is probably the reason he never gets any respect. Aim low, Pete. Aim low.

The Math: Spider-man & Ghost Rider
The Pick: Spider-man & Ghost Rider

What went down...
Having saved Ghost Rider from a messy crash, Spider-man finds himself entangled in the sticky paste of The Trapster!

Ghost Rider summons his hellcycle so that he might pursue the villain, while he recounts the tale of his arrival to Spider-man from atop his Anti-Grav Platform.

During a daring escape from custody, the Wizard freed his Frightful Four friends with the use of one of his many crafty contingencies, concealed within a dummy tooth.
As they left, The Trapster spied a newspaper that featured an article on the Johnny Blaze film, and decided to stretch his legs with some payback for a previous meeting.

While Trapster blows his own trumpet, Spidey makes his move, shooting a web line to the front of Trapster's floating platform.
With a safe anchor he puts his weight into applying pressure on the long strand of hardened paste, and manages to break it!

Though his arms remain bound, Spidey uses his web-line to swing up onto the platform, and delivers a devestating kick to the face of the villain formerly known as Paste-Pot Pete.

Staring down the barrel of the paste gun, Spidey tries to swat it away with his pinned arms. He proves unsuccessful, and the Trapster shows some developing enginuity, using a magnesium flare in his belt to blind the web-slinger.

Blinded, Spider-man is left a sitting target to even the Trapster, not known for his bruising.

The punch sends Spider-man hurtling off the Anti-Grav platform, toward the streets below, but fortunately the Ghost Rider was still entow.

Imitating a move he picked up from the Human Torch, Ghost Rider drives his cycle in a tight circle, creating a vortex of hot air that slows Spider-man's descent, and allows him the chance to catch the falling hero!

The Trapster comes around for a second shot, but Ghost Rider blasts a vengeful burst of hellfire toward the villain. It damages the platform heavily, but not enough to prevent Trapster steering toward refuge aboard a docked Navy carrier.

Spidey breaks free of his shackles, and leaps into action with the Ghost Rider.
GR is first onboard the boat, jumping from an elevated highway atop his hellcycle.

[Paste-Pot] Pete is waiting with his paste gun ready, building himself a hardened wall directly in the path of the netherworldly rider!
Any ordinary biker may be thrashed, but the Ghost Rider is able to leap from his flaming hellcycle as explodes in a burst of flame, before summoning it once more so that he may land directly on it!

Trapster so perturbed by being outmatched, doesn't even notice that he flees right into the waiting fist of the amazing Spider-man! The victory, however, is brief, as finely tuned spider-senses warn Spidey of an incoming attack from one of the sailors aboard the ship.

Ghost Rider once more comes to the web-slinger's aid as the seamen open fire.

Meanwhile, The Trapster seeks to commandeer a jet as means of distraction to facilitate his escape. He starts the F-14 rolling toward the West Side Highway, and only Spider-man's fantastic leaping prevents certain disaster.
Using his webbing and some quick thinking, he pulls the plane harmlessly into a nose dive off the bow of the carrier.

Ghost Rider corners the fleeing Trapster aboard the ship, and prepares to deliver unbridled vengeance, but Spider-man is forced to intervene at the last second!

With his prey pinned against barrels of fuel, Ghost Rider could be endangering the entire crew with his flaming retribution. Or so Spidey believes!

The Ghost Rider, unrelenting, blasts jets of hellfire at the villain with little regard for the surroundings. Trapster collapses to the ground, gripped in a figurative hell in his mind.

Ghost Rider callously reminds Spider-man that his hellfire has more poperties than merely the physical. Spider-man is unable to subscribe to his vicious means of penance, thus the two part ways, with Ghost Rider bitterly reminding his ally that he is what he is. A demon spawn spirit of vengeance.

The hammer...
Despite their uneasy resolution, Ghost Rider and Spider-man emerge victorious! What a team!

A rare milestone on the site comes with this entry!
This is officially the one hundredth post on the website, which is a pretty big deal by anyone's book! Traffic's slowed down a little, but we've come a long way from the first post, so a big shoutout goes to all of you coming back regularly! Cheers!

Now, as far as reasoning for this post, I'm going to admit this was purely a grab at scoring some hits off the feature film. I haven't seen it, but I know it's got a lot of new readers interested in the character, and hopefully this can add to the experience of discovering the character on the page!

I personally don't think the character really came into his own until the Ghost Rider mantle was passed to Dan Ketch, as opposed to Johnny Blaze, who's the GR featured here and in the movie.

At this point in the character's history he sort of feels like a weird superhero, with a very non-chalant reference to an infernal backstory, and off-the-cuff throws to Satan. By the eighties and nineties I think we start to see the character falling into a more unique niche, and finding weight on the nature of his character, as opposed to just being a superhero guest star.

You'll notice the threat of hellfire is fairly regular here. It's not until the nineties that he develops trademark moves like the penance stare, and diversifies into the chains and flame attacks.

You probably see some of that in the movie, but being a PG-13 film, it really doesn't root the character in the same scene I like to think of him as appearing in. This is a character that inhabits the seedier side of the Marvel universe, mingling with similar characters like Morbius and Dr. Strange and Blade.

Of course, during that period of the Dan Ketch Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze still gets a look in, albeit as a man. Although, as you may have discovered if you've begun investigating the character in the comics, Johnny Blaze has again taken up the curse of the Ghost Rider. And I'm not about to pretend I'm above movie tie-ins [hello!], but it will be very interesting to see the Dan Ketch character breached within the pages of those books.

Of course, the vehicle for this Ghost Rider feature was the original secondary Spider-man title; Marvel Team-Up. I don't have a great collection of Ghost Rider books, but this is one that's been on the pile for a while, so it seemed like an opportune moment to throw it up there.

As has been discussed in the Punch-Ups, 2007 is really fixing to be a Spider-man month here on the site, I think. That's probably a trend that will continue, and hopefully you can forgive me! I'm trying to reserve Friday for some versatility, but there's just so much still to come!

Keep the hits coming folks!
If you've played the Ultimate Alliance video game, you'll know Monday is all about Bullseye, and it's one we've been waiting to see since the beginning of the site! Stick around for it! Cheers!

The Fight: 5 The Issue: 4

SUB-MARINER & SPIDER-MAN versus DR. DORCAS & TIGERSHARK
Mayhem is... The Men-Fish! (Marvel comics)
Where: Marvel Team-Up #14 When: October 1973
Why: Len Wein How: Gil Kane

The story so far...
When an innocent tourist is set upon by thugs in a New York City night, a friendly neighbourhood Spider-man is more than willing to intervene in the name of good. But Spidey and the crooks didn't count on one thing!

The stranger turns out to be none other than Namor the Sub-Mariner, and interested only in his own objective, it's Spidey who soon becomes the victim as Namor attempts to fight his way through the suspicious web-slinger.

With their differences resolved, Spider-man agrees to aid the noble Sub-Mariner in a quest for Tigershark - the vile villain responsible for murdering Namor McKenzie's frail, human father.
Events lead the two to track Dr. Dorcas who has teamed with Tigershark, and apparently prepared a trap to welcome to the two heroes...

Previous Form:
Sub-Mariner (#162): Namor has struggled to gain victory, going down to Wolverine and Aquaman.
Spider-man (#2): Successful team ups with Iron Man and the Avengers have led Spidey to second-top.
Tigershark & Dr. Dorcas: This is the first time these characters have been featured.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Sub-Mariner 5 (Super Strength)
Intelligence: Dr. Dorcas 5 (Professor)
Speed: Spider-man 4 (Olympic Sprinter)
Stamina: Sub-Mariner (Marathon Runner)
Agility: Spider-man 5 (Cat-like)
Fighting Ability: Sub-Mariner 6 (Warrior)
Energy Powers: Dr. Dorcas 2 (Projectile Weapons)

Well, it's pretty clear from the get-go: Spider-man and Sub-Mariner have a victory coming their way. This can be ascertained not just from the statistics listed above, but from the fact that one of the villains' names is Dorcas.
Dorcas; not to be confused with Dr. Dorkus or Dr. Dork-ass.

While Dorcas certainly weighs in on the obligatory intelligence meter, he does so with the burden of a deranged obsession - the hallmark of a reputable intelligent villain. In this particular case, his interests and foibles revolve around the sub-aquatic.
He does bring mutated Men-Fish to the table, which he calls The Aquanoids, and also the technology which managed to capture SM/SM before this fight.

Tigershark, though not well respected and lacking entries both on Wikipedia and Marvel's own wiki system, is actually a formidable opponent.
Tigershark is probably about as close as you come to an arch-nemesis for the Sub-Mariner, and even then, the two somehow managed to put their differences aside somewhere in the mid-nineties.

That said, Tigershark possesses strengths and abilities comparable to that of the Sub-Mariner himself. If anything, Tigershark may have the edge as an average joe, relatively devoid of pomposity and verbiage.
Of course, balancing the equation is Namor's capacity for rage and the inexplicable powers, like eel-style electric charges... I tend to prefer to ignore those.

However, Namor's strength is worth noting.
While I clock it at a strong five, Sub-Mariner can frequently extends himself to duel and even best the likes of the Hulk, Thing, and many other characters that would be considered invulnerable [6].

So, what about Spider-man? Well, we all know Spidey by now.
We can assume Sub-Mariner can handle Tigershark, and Dr. Dorcas really isn't too much a problem. The Aquanoids? They aren't even considered worthy enough to have individual names, so I think this one's a given.

Average: Sub-Mariner & Spider-man 27 (+7.5)
Overall: Sub-Mariner & Spider-man 54 (+15)
The Pick: Sub-Mariner & Spider-man

What went down...
Having utilized the... sea-cock to lash the unconscious Namor with rehydrating ocean spray -- the team are quickly back in business, Namor swatting through the glass that encased Spider-man like it were a child's bug jar.

Upon returning to their evil den, Dorcas and Tigershark proceed to crap their pants. Dr. Dorcas exclaims his disbelief in such an escape, to which Tigershark remarks, "Yeah -- you just keep tellin' yourself that, Dorcas. Me -- I'm getting outta here!"

Subby takes flight in pursuit of his mortal enemy, leaving Spider-man to deal with Dr. Dorcas. An apparent mismatch, until Dorcas springs forth his mighty Men-Fish, collectively called - THE AQUANOIDS.

While Spidey finds himself ensnared in an octopus-like tentacle, Namor catches up with the dirty rat who killed his father.
The two exchange insults before coming to blows, but when they finally hit, they go at it like a couple o' bulls.

The two titans of the sea fight their way into the back area of the underwater lair, but the edge so swiftly taken by the Sub-Mariner begins to lessen as he finds himself dehydrated under the extreme lights.
He realises this all too late as Tigershark unloads a devestating assault, kicking him through what appears to be an emtpy set of shelves!

Ever the tenacious warrior, Sub-Mariner fights on whilst pondering how Tigershark is able to keep his cool.
Through tussling, he realises trickery lies beneath the surface and tears away at the orange and purple costume of the Tigershark -- revealing a reserve of life-giving water!

With his plan foiled, Tigershark suffers one mighty punch from the Atlantean ruler that knocks him all the way into a load baring wall. As Namor watches on, the very structure they stand in begins to crumble upon his enemy's unconscious body.

Meanwhile, Spidey is making light work of the quartet of mutant Men-Fish, using various uppercuts and acrobatics to do away with them.

With the structure crumbling around them, Sub-Mariner hurries his ally into the tube which brought them to the depths via a decoy ship.
The two diver overboard, making a swim toward some nearby rocks. They have premium seats as the ship explodes, signifying the destruction of Dr. Dorcas' lair.

Gazing upon the glorious fireworks, Namor wonders if perhaps his father would have preferred a peaceful resolution. A question that may never have an answer.

The hammer...
Ha! Never have I had a greater pleasure than crowning Namor and Spidey victors over Dr. Dorcas, Tigershark and the Aquanoids!

This at least makes up for the loss to Wolverine, which I kinda feel may have been a harsh and possibly incorrect judgment.

Never the less, the updates continue with only twelve days left of 2006.
I can't imagine catching up before the end of the year, but I'm gonna give it a red hot go anyway, for you. The readers! Shucks.

To facilitate that I'm working on the fly with issues that grab my attention, and enthusiasm. A bit of a hiccup part way through this one, but still an all-time favourite issue of mine.
Not just a favourite, but a childhood favourite.

Sub-Mariner's one of those characters I consider 'mine,' and this is probably one of the issues that really helped define the character for me. I couldn't really say what it is about the issue, either.
Like Daredevil #132, this seventies book distinctly lacks the qualities of highbrow poetry. Yet, somehow, there's a resonance with this issue that really rings true to this day.

Perhaps it's the pathos of the Sub-Mariner character, who despite great power, seeks to avenge a death he can never change. The fact that this awful event brings him to the streets where he comes into conflict with Spider-man, and therein even admits the follies of previous occasions when he came to the land with war on his mind.
The issue really highlights the duelling qualities of Namor as the original Marvel loner, but also as the 'Kevin Bacon' of the Marvel universe, as he teams with Spider-man. A trait he and fellow pseudo-loner Spider-man have in common.

Plus, even away from the story, full credit to W. Howard and Glynis Wein who take care of inks and colours, respectively.
Gil Kane lays down masterful pencils, but what really sells the issue for me is the flat, vivid colouring and solid inks. Something you may have come to realise I'm a big fan of.
These two pieces of the puzzle really help drive a truly graphic story, willfully indulging in the cartoony qualities, without sacrificing respect for visual accuracy and tone.

The opening scenes where a trenchcoat/hat Namor is attacked by thugs in a back alley, while littered with purples, blues and yellows, still manages to have the urban grit just such a scene demands.
It's got it's weaknesses, but this is still a great comic, and I think those street scenes in particular have impressed an idea of Namor upon me that is perhaps not well recognised anymore.
Lest we forget he spent quite some time on the streets of New York as a vagrant.

That's about enough from me, though.
Hopefully you'll be hearing from me again very soon. Cheers, happy holidays!

The Fight: 3 The Issue: 4.5

IRON MAN & SPIDER-MAN versus BLACKLASH
Hometown Boy (Marvel comics)
Where: Marvel Team-Up #145 When: September, 1984
Why: Tony Isabella How: Greg LaRocque

The story so far...
"I love New York! So why am I going to Cleveland?!"
It's a fair question to open any comic with, but in this case Spidey has his own answer.

After embarassing photos of J. Jonah Jameson taken by Peter Parker were published by the paper, Petey boy took the wrap, getting assigned to cover the 26th Annual Convention of Electronics Engineers and Innovators Cleveland, Ohio.

Little does Parker know, another industrious young fellow is looking for a break amongst the industry leaders. A fellow named Mark Scarlotti -- aka, Blacklash!
Unfortunately for convention goers, Scarlotti isn't havin a great life, and when an offer comes in from the Maggia, he can't resist the temptation to return to a life of crime.

Previous form:
Amazing Spider-man #329: Charged with the cosmic power of Captain Universe, Spider-man dukes it out with the mystically charged Tri-Sentinel.
DC versus Marvel #4: In posession of the black symbiote, Eddie Brock made a brief appearance fighting Quicksilver and the Flash.
War Machine and Blacklash have not yet been featured on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: War Machine 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Spider-man 5 (Professor)
Speed: Spider-man 4 (Olympic Sprinter)
Stamina: War Machine 5 (Marathon Runner)
Agility: Spider-man 5 (Average)
Fighting Ability: War Machine 4 (Trained Fighter)
Energy Powers: War Machine 5 (Lasers)

Hmmm.. I don't want to say we have another clear cut situation on our hands, but even without the green ponytail, Blacklash doesn't exactly strike fear in the hearts of men.

As you might have estimated by way of the identifying mugshot above, the Iron Man we have on our hands here is not Tony Stark, but rather his best bud, Jim "Rhodey" Rhodes.
I guess, for that reason, you might knock him down a few notches for inexperience, and while it's genesis began with a plotline, there does seem to be a vulnerability about a Jim Rhodes Iron Man that knocks hist staminda a rank lower. Even if he has recovered from his jealousy headaches.

Still, Blacklash has been punked plenty of times by the original shellhead, and this circumstance has few reasons to be an exception. Despite various weapons upgrades over the years, Blacklash remains a B-lister, at best. The technological nature of his weapons generally ensure Iron Man a well prepared victory.

Toss the symbiote baring Spidey into the mix, and you have yourself a pretty comprehensive one-sider. Blacklash's best bet against a black costume Spidey would be using his technology to spark some kind fire, and weaken the symbiote, but otherwise, this is a bout won before it began.

What went down...
WHAM!
After Blacklash electrocutes a security guard, causes mass damage, and generally raises some hell - Iron Man makes a none too subtle entrance, laying a big left hook on the vicious villain!

Now, either Stark wasn't sharing his notes, or Rhodey didn't study, because as Blacklash notes, he seems blissfully unaware that the Blacklash costume absorbs blunt force. A feature he's presumably lost since upgrading to leather straps...

Blacklash reckons that if IM's forgotten about his defensive measures, he might be able to sneak by with a few classic offensives. Like lashing his whip around Iron Man's wrist, before disconnecting the handle and letting fly a concussive electric charge!

With Iron Man down, it's about now that Spidey takes the opportunity to use the distraction, and switch his symbiote from casual clothes to superhero spandex!

Spidey leaps in and attempts to web his foe up, but Blacklash is able to use his whip to propel the web back in Spidey's direction. Timing his successive attack well, he utilizes bolas to tie Spidey up with a heavy gravity field generated by the device.

Having used the time to recover, Iron Man jumps back into the frey, and blasts Blacklash with a uni-beam!
The blow is enough to stun the villain, but as Iron Man struggles with the gravity manipulating device attached to his ally and his phrasing [innuendo!], Blacklash looms to his feet.

Slipping out a necro-lash from it's encasement within his gauntlet, Blacklash strikes down across Iron Man's exposed back with full power coursing through the weapon.

Spidey, freed from his shackles, keeps Blacklash busy with some creative maneuvering, while Rhodey's pal Morley tunes into the IM FM via the suit's headset.
Morley directs shellhead's direction to the sparking of Blacklash's gloves, and speculates a potential malfunction.

IM redirects his uni-beam assault, granting the heroes the front footing.
With Blacklash reeling, Spider-man swoops in for finish licks. He tears the costume from Blacklash's chest, leaving him powerless, and exposing not only his flesh, but also his fragile state of mind.

"This isn't something we can handle, Iron Man. We better wait here until they come for him."

The hammer...
Alright, I kinda cheated with the pre-Civil War team-up theme, but never the less, it is Iron Man and Spider-man who emerge victorious.

This was an issue I'd had in mind for a while now, and I was glad to finally get it onto the site. It's got a few things going for it.
First of all, it's a fun comic from twenty years ago, and it's great fun to go back there, and deviate from the earlier direction of the site, which focused more on crisper releases.

The other great thing is that it's an issue with an interesting dichotomy. On the one hand it's pure Secret Earths with a very black and white fight scenario between heroes and villain, but at the same time, as we're informed quite early on, "... This is a story, an examination, if you will, of the super-hero's opposite number... the Super-Villain." From there, we stumble into a hamfisted attempt at some kind of analysis of the motivation and psychological frailty of a second stringer villain like Blacklash.

I haven't really seen much of Blacklash since the nineties, but I'm aware that he's developed a taste for bondage, acquired a female partner in crime, and updated his look to be a little less ridiculous, even if it is essentially a BDSM outfit. [New look reflected in the Tale of the Tape. - Mistress Mike]

I don't know how the psychological profiling has changed with his sub/dom relationship, but I suppose it probably relates well to this story.
While it's not poetry, Tony Isabella at least tries to unveil some of the pathos behind the character, and deliver a fairly relatable, base motivation for what is essentially a crazy villain.

What we're essentially presnted with is a depressive individual who continues a cycle of poor decision making, and denial of his problems. Rather than actually address his situation, he deflects responsibility, and seeks others to solve his problems for him.
It's a hard fall for Scarlotti when, in the story's conclusion, he has suffered another humiliating defeat at the hands of Iron Man, and has been abandoned by everyone around him. Even his parents, who supported him through many failings, deny his existence, as Blacklash is forced to face jailtime and personal solitude.

Personal tragedy and abandonment aren't new to super villains, but it's just interesting to see the way Mark Scarlotti sabotages himself during his effort to break through in what is legitimately a difficult situation. There's an empathy to be found for what was previously, as I interpret it, a pretty two-dimensional, unsympathetic, green ponytailed super villain.

Through this issue we see him for his insecurities, his frustrations, and his neurosis. We see the way his actions could even be the result of misguided reaction to a lifetime of disappointment, even though that could maybe be a crass justification for his efforts.
Never the less, in a scene where, after being rejected by his doting mother, Mark arrives in a bar, we can see just how responsible he is, despite his sympathetic situation.

In spite of his known failings, an old friend offers him a job as a security guard, and a homecooked meal at his house.
When some, for lack of a better term, bullys, harrass him out of the bar after pouring a drink on his head, all the good flies out the window. He obsesses over his inadquacy to deal with personal conflicts, and turns back to the costume, and lashing out.

At the end of the issue when he sits alone with a city appointed lawyer, he's a weak and sympathetic character again. A character who has hit rock bottom so hard, you might even wonder if he might find solace in a padded cell.

I'd like to assume, however, that his path ultimately led to the role of sub in his relationship with Whiplash. In this strong female character, he could potentially thrive, absolved of responsibility or the necessity to think, and yet, at the same time, could potentially feel secure enough to act out his frustrations in a controlled environment.

Where am I going with this? I think it's another one of those aimless summaries that little purpose beyond discussing what is an interesting moment in a character's history, and an interesting comic in the annals.

Incidentally this issue does include two other interesting points of history - James Rhodes as Iron Man, and Spider-man wearing the black symbiote.
With Iron Man and black costume Spidery hitting theatres in the future, I figure there's plenty of time to talk about those guys.

Now it's late, my computer's dying, and I'm tired.
Never the less, the race to get up-to-date continues today, October 16.

The Fight: 3 The Issue: 4

NEXT: Stay tuned! It's round one: Captain America versus Iron Man!