DEATHSTROKE versus ROBIN

Apokolips... Now (DC/Marvel)
Where: Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans #1 When: 1982 Why: Chris Claremont How: Walt Simonson

The Story So Far...
Nightmares plague the young heroes of the X-Men and Teen Titans. The memory of fallen comrade Phoenix haunts the mind and heart of those who loved her, while a universe away, her flaming visage inspires terror.

Across the gulf of space: Darkseid contemplates the means to penetrate and harness the supreme power of The Source Wall. His plan: to send his agents to collect the residual psychic energies left on Earth by the cosmic Phoenix entity.

Flanked by an army of Para-Demon soldiers, Deathstroke accepts Darkseid's mission to lead a quest to accrue cosmic energy. First he must acquire a specific scientific device from STAR Labs in Gotham City. A burglary that inevitably brings him into conflict with his nemesis - the Teen Titan: Robin!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Deathstroke 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Deathstroke 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Draw 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Draw 4 (Athlete)
Agility: Nightwing 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Deathstroke 7 (Living Weapon)
Energy: Draw 2 (Projectiles)
Total: Deathstroke 26 (Metahuman)

The Deathstroke file doesn't run as deep as it should, but it already paints a picture of a highly skilled hand-to-hand combatant! They don't call him "The Terminator" for nothing, and past battles have shown his 90% brain function gives him the speed, reflexes, and cognition to take down entire teams!

We've seen Deathstroke get the drop on Wolverine while single-handedly taking down the X-Men in Uncanny X-Men and The Teen Titans #1! He also famously fought the Justice League to a near standstill in Identity Crisis #3, tactically outmaneuvering and neutralizing threats from: Flash, Zatanna, Hawkman, Black Canary, Green Lantern, and Atom!

He may actually be more dangerous working alone, rather than in a team, but that's up for debate: He left the Injustice League to fend for themselves when an all-star JLA showed up in Justice League of America #15. Working as part of The Society, Deathstroke stuck around for the win, skewering Phantom Lady during a successful takedown of the Freedom Fighters [in Infinite Crisis #1].

There's no doubting the team-up credentials of his opponent! Robin cut his teeth as the original boy wonder, fighting by Batman's side in his formative years, before founding the sidekick alliance of the first Teen Titans!

In the later guise of Nightwing he helped Batman stop Two-Face in Batman #442, overcame a rampaging Amazo in Batman #637, and thwarted The Penguin, Girder & Double Down in a team-up with former Titan, The Flash, in Flash #210! He also flew solo to defeat Firefly [Nightwing #98] and outfought would-be Bat-impostor Jason Todd in Batman: Battle for the Cowl #3!

It's obvious Dick Grayson has a bright future ahead, but today's battle is looking back to his days as Robin! He may not be a rookie in his debuting year, but he's still a young hero taking on a seasoned veteran!

Deathstroke's training, experience, and biological enhancements mean he's every bit the match for Robin's mentor! The Boy Wonder will need to call upon his origins as a circus acrobat to take advantage of his superior agility, but even then he's going to have a very tough task taking on The Terminator!

The Tape: Deathstroke Ranking: Robin (#19)

What Went Down...
The sound of shattering glass interrupts the Gotham City night as Robin thwarts a break-in at STAR Labs! Moving beyond the broken pane, he investigates his toppled opponent -- but doesn't find the usual breed of Intergang agent!

For all the twisted sights he's seen - even The Boy Wonder is shocked by the grotesque visage of the unconscious robber! A stern voice from the shadows educates him on its proper name and purpose: a para-demon in the service of Deathstroke The Terminator!

The mercenary fires his high-powered weapon at the crouching boy wonder, but Robin effortlessly leaps clear of its deadly blast!

Deathstroke may've failed to get the drop on his target with his initial unannounced attack, but he's already planning one-step ahead, catching Robin upon landing with a devastating thrust kick to the face!

The precious blow ends the fight as quickly as it started, knocking Robin out cold! Lucky for him, Deathstroke is there to complete an objective, acquiring the equipment he needs before leaving unhindered with his parademon associates.

The Hammer...
Cold, clean, and efficient. This is peak Deathstroke, taking down the leader of the Teen Titans just a year or so into their arch-rivalry. A harsh lesson for Robin, who otherwise did quite well taking down a squad of parademons!

Unless I'm very much mistaken: this is the first time we've looked at characters from the same company going head-to-head during a DC/Marvel crossover! It isn't something that happens all that often. Usually the focus is on the novelty of unfamiliar combinations, even if it's as innocuous a battle as Scorpion vs Batman, or Terrax vs Green Lantern. Kind of novel for not being novel!

This is also the first blemish on Dick Grayson's record, ending his reign as the highest ranking character without a loss! That rare accolade will now pass to another member of the Titans: #27 Wally West! Given the turmoil the third Flash has been through in recent years - I wonder how long it will last!

It's fun to finally go back to an example of Dick Grayson as the Boy Wonder! It's really become second nature to think of the character as Nightwing, but it'll still be another ten years before he even equals his tenure as the original Robin!

The Nightwing costume and identity is closely linked with the Titans, debuting in Tales of the Teen Titans #44, as part of 1984's revered Judas Contract story. Not exactly recent history, but still fairly late in the grand scheme of comics, and the history of what is ultimately a Golden Age character from 1940.

A combination of back issues, cartoons, reruns of the 60s Batman TV show, and general zeitgeist meant Grayson's Robin was still a big part of my early experience. There's a slight pang of nostalgia that goes with that, but for the most part, it was very easy to accept Robin maturing into his own hero.

It's easy to dismiss that kind of acceptance as a symptom of reader's age, but I think there's more to consider. Robin's exact age as Batman's sidekick is usually hazy, but I prefer to think of it as being in the double-digits, at the very least. A teenage Dick Grayson lent the concept of "Robin" to an ideal balance of Grayson being the Robin who grew up, Jason Todd being the Robin who failed (or died), and Tim Drake being the Robin who was young in the moment.

The trio of Robins, though created somewhat in happenstance, facilitated three intriguing facets of the same basic concept, able to be explored in a coexistence that wouldn't age Bruce Wayne beyond reason. Important reference if we accept that there's little to be gained from DC Comics ever killing off their senior icons.

In such a scenario, Nightwing as a young adult hero is a permanent fixture, rather than a catalyst for a continuum of evolving characters. A perspective on the core concept of the kid sidekick, now served by a contemporary Tim Drake.

Of course, the great Grant Morrison made a dangerously convincing case for Dick Grayson in his ultimate role as Batman! It seems like it shouldn't work, given the obvious affection and iconic immortality that exists for Bruce Wayne, but in Batman and Robin, Morrison made the short-term novelty of the stand-in Batman seem wholly palatable! Grayson retained a sense of identity, putting a surprising fresh spin on Batman that could've continued beyond Bruce's return!

It should be said, in the nineties, it seemed as if the advancement of legacy identities would be a unique point of difference for DC Comics. I often wonder what the landscape would've been like had they committed to a contemporary line-up of Wally West as Flash, Kyle Rayner as Green Lantern, Roy Harper as Green Arrow, and eventually Dick Grayson as Batman, among others. They all had their controversies, but were also becoming entrenched as successors.

As strong as some of those characters were, I can't help but return to the wisdom of retaining original icons. It just doesn't make sense to burn the starpower of the icons everybody knows. The immortality of Bruce Wayne, Barry Allen, Hal Jordan, and so on is arguably one of the unique perks of the medium. Still, it would be very interesting to see a series explore the future DC once promised. An Earth-2 or Ultimates style book about a world where Superman died, Batman was crippled, Hal Jordan went nuts, Barry Allen saved the universe, and the new generation are the heroes of the day.

The inverse is true in live-action television and animation! Fans of the screen have been watching Dick Grayson's animated adventures as Robin since 2003's Teen Titans, which gave way to Teen Titans GO! and the unrelated Young Justice. Now the Teen Titans brand is venturing into live-action with Titans - now streaming on the new DC Universe service!

Be sure to explore links throughout this post, and find more by diving into the Secret Archive for battles from DC Comics and beyond! It's almost time for The Best Featured Fights of 2018! Make sure you hit up your favourites to get them into the Top 20 and check out Facebook and Twitter to like & share daily fights!

Winner: Deathstroke
#65 (+41) Deathstroke
#19 (--) Nightwing (Dick Grayson)

X-MEN versus DEATHSTROKE

Apokolips... Now (DC/Marvel)
Where: Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans #1 When: 1982 Why: Chris Claremont How: Walt Simonson

The Story So Far...
Nightmares plague the young heroes of the X-Men and Teen Titans. The memory of fallen comrade Phoenix haunts the mind and heart of those who loved her, while a universe away, her flaming visage inspires terror.

Across the gulf of space, Darkseid contemplates the means to penetrate and harness the supreme power of The Source Wall. His plan: to send his agents to collect the residual psychic energies left on Earth by the cosmic Phoenix entity.

Flanked by an army of Para-Demon soldiers, Deathstroke accepts the mission to lead them in a quest to accrue cosmic energy. A task that could only inevitably draw the attention of the Uncanny X-Men!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Colossus 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Deathstroke 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Nightcrawler 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Wolverine 6 (Generator)
Agility: Nightcrawler 5 (Cat-Like)
Fighting: Deathstroke 7 (Living Weapon)
Energy: Cyclops 5 (Lasers)


X-Men are: Cyclops, Storm, Colossus, Sprite, Nightcrawler & Wolverine.

The glaring issue here is an apparent mismatch in numbers, but we can pretty quickly address that. Deathstroke is working in the employ of Darkseid, which has given him access to an army of Para-Demon shock troops. Not that he necessarily needs them!

Deathstroke The terminator is Slade Wilson: A career soldier who was subjected to secret military experiments designed to create the ultimate super-soldier.

The result granted Wilson access to 90% of his brain capacity, unlocking significant cognitive abilities including; increased reaction time, reflexes, tactical brilliance, learning enhancement, memory retention, and more. These skills are best demonstrated by his supreme fighting ability. Deathstroke is versed in multiple hand-to-hand combat techniques, martial arts disciplines, and weapons training, including his weapon of choice: the sword.

We saw just how dangerous a combatant Deathstroke can be  in Identity Crisis #3, where he single-handedly fought the Justice League to a standstill! In that instance, speed and tactics were his deadliest weapons, as he systematically neutralized each hero. He anticipated and thwarted Flash, silenced Zatanna, clipped Hawkman's wings, bagged Black Canary, and so on.

There's an obvious comparison to made there for the challenge of the X-Men - a group who won't even have the benefit of familiarity with Deathstroke's tactics!

He possesses an increased healing ability, allowing him to recover from near fatal injuries much quicker than an ordinary human being. That's not only an obvious comparison to Wolverine, but a confidence builder against the mutant's adamantium laced claws. Can Deathstroke's sword withstand their legendary cutting power? It may not need to, having the advantage of reach over claws!

Nightcrawler could be an interesting fencing partner for Deathstroke, given his famed fondness for sword fights. He may be outclassed by the superior soldier, who would certainly be more ruthless, and able to anticipate his moves. Even if he were to incorporate his mutant gift of teleportation.

Organic steel skin and super-human strength mean Colossus has muscle and durability on his side, but Deathstroke's arsenal, speed, agility, and Parademon back-up are mitigating factors. Parademons are also Deathstroke's best option for neutralizing Storm's control of weather phenomena, and/or busying Cyclops.

At this point in X-Men history, Kitty Pryde was an inexperienced young teen, but her powers of intangibility arguably make her the biggest X-factor of this fight! The Terminator's 90% brain function may come up with a strategy to turn her abilities against her, or at least neutralize their offensive potential, but he can only do that if he identifies them before they make the difference!

We've seen one X-Man be the game changer many times over the years, tipping the scales in battles with: Nimrod [Uncanny X-Men #194], Magneto [X-Men #25], Xorn [New X-Men #150] and The Lizard [X-Men: First Class #2]!

We also saw Kitty Pryde play a major role in X-Men Annual #6, when this era's X-Men came close to getting the better of Count Dracula! The divided team only managed a draw in the '82 annual. Let's see how they did here...

The Tape: Wolverine Ranking: Wolverine (#5)

What Went Down...
On a very particular butte in New Mexico: Deathstroke commands an army of Parademons in the erection of a massive "Psi-Phon" tower. They're collecting the residual psychic energy left by The Phoenix - but they're about to get more than they bargain ford!

Wolverine manages to sneak up on an unsuspecting Deathstroke to ask if he's got a light. The Terminator answers with a swing of his sword, but Wolverine is prepared! He ducks the weapon and returns fire with the adamantium reinforced backside of his fist! Deathstroke is sent flying!

While Wolverine deals with their leader; Cyclops blasts the Parademons who're guarding the towering machine. The X-Man orders its destruction - a simple feat for the super-human strength of Colossus!

The steel-skinned Russian upends the gigantic machine, toppling several Para-demons in the process. Storm helps in the task, sweeping more Apokolips soldiers away with an uncanny gale-force wind!

Sprite does her part, emerging from the rocky desert in front of a gun-toting Parademon. The distraction allows Nightcrawler to teleport in for a surprise attack that disables the villain!

Across the battlefield, Deathstroke studies the X-Men in action - aware of their reputation. His keen reflexes allowed him to avoid a knock-out from Wolverine's earlier blow. He takes advantage of being the loose man, targeting airborne Storm with a rifle that fires a fear ray! The sudden onset of severe claustrophobia sends Storm hurtling earthbound!

The Parademons rally, catching Sprite, Nightcrawler and Wolverine with a noxious Toxi-Cloud Grenade! Relying upon superior numbers and technology, one of the soldiers takes out Cyclops with an energy disperser bolt gun!

Colossus is the last X-Man standing and sets his sights on Deathstroke. The mercenary braces for the charging mutant and goes low - turning his metallic momentum against him! Close to the edge of the butte - Colossus is sent tumbling over the side toward the desert below!

With victory in hand, Deathstroke and the Parademons take their opponents prisoner and open a boom tube for Darkseid's throne room in The Wall.

The Hammer...
We couldn't end 2016 without one final return to a battle between DC and Marvel Comics! After all, this was a year that marked the 40th anniversary of the character crossover that started them all: 1976's Superman versus The Amazing Spider-man!

It took five years for the two publishers to arrange a sequel issue, once again pitting their mascots Superman and Spider-man against corroborating villains. Doctor Doom and Parasite were the offending bad guys, but this time Wonder Woman and Hulk were along for the ride, too.

Hulk would return later in '81 to headline another crossover special - head-to-head with Batman in a mismatch of television and comics icons. The original three oversized issues offered a fair spread of characters from both unvierses, but no single special had the scope of the inter-company crossover published in 1982: Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans!

The ambition of Chris Claremont and Walt Simonson's teen team crossover went far beyond the cosmic trappings of its own set-up. The threat posed by Darkseid is arguably the biggest of any of these stories, but it was its function as a sequel to The Dark Phoenix Saga that makes it more than any ordinary one-shot.

The New Mexico setting in today's featured battle recalls a specific tender moment shared between Cyclops and Jean Grey in Uncanny X-Men #132. Though only a couple of years removed, that's still a pretty deep cut for an inter-company crossover -- and it isn't the only one! The entire premise plays upon Darkseid's minions revisiting those key locations touched by Phoenix's power.

The X-Men and Teen Titans were obviously twin hot properties in 1982, but I think the choice of using significant canon probably helped make this the popular crossover it was. Superman/Spider-man had spectacle, Batman/Hulk a curiosity factor, but this one had both -- and a story that seemed to elevate its importance, even for me - a confessed teen hero hater from school age.

Of course, no inter-company crossover is complete without an interesting title fight. Learning from reactions to the '76 Versus title; DC and Marvel made the wise choice to replace their combative preposition with a more applicable conjunction: and.

The cover gives no reasonable expectation that the X-Men and Titans will fight -- but that doesn't mean they didn't have a perfect bout up their sleeve! Just a couple of years old, and a couple more away from the heights of The Judas Contract; Deathstroke The Terminator was already a pretty perfect opponent for morally conflicted mutant hardass - Wolverine!

If you followed the feature fight, you know Wolverine effectively got the drop on Deathstroke, but failed to finish the job. Does that sound like the best there is at what he does? Hey, it goes both ways. The Terminator -- as he was known almost four years before the movie -- may have toppled the X-Men, but there's a more physical rematch before issue's end. A battle we'll no doubt look closer at in the future.

It's a small wonder we didn't see a third decider when it came time for DC and Marvel to pit their characters against one another in a long awaited, all fighting crossover spectacular: DC versus Marvel/Marvel versus DC! It probably couldn't have been more controversial than the battle we got: Lobo versus Wolverine.

It speaks to the mystique of Deathstroke for the longest time, whose solo series was coming to an end in 96. It seems he didn't penetrate the DC Universe in any lasting, meaningful way until the mid-2000s. Even after sixty issues of mercenary escapades, he always seemed anchored to the Teen Titans. A factor that's fast fading, with the mainstream preparing for test footage to turn into a full fledged feature film appearance in DC's The Batman.

As we put 2016 behind us, Hollywood is telling tales of ascent and descent for these two comic book icons. With Logan, Hugh Jackman expects to retire his iconic performance as Wolverine after seventeen years on screen. On the flip side, Joe Manganiello has begun training to bring a new icon to screen. Will he inherit the mantle of big screen bad ass that Wolverine vacates?

We end the year celebrating the past whilst looking towards an uncertain future!

I hope we'll be together for more Secret Wars on Infinite Earths in 2017. If we aren't, you can relive all the featured fights from 2016, including our celebration of the 20th Anniversary of DC versus Marvel, back in April! To find even more classic battles and inter-company crossovers scroll down the Issue Index!

Winner: Deathstroke
#94 (+208) Deathstroke
#5 (--) Wolverine
#42 (--) Storm
#66 (-1) Cyclops
#91 (-21) Sprite (Kitty Pryde)
#357 (-13) Colossus
#508 (-134) Nightcrawler

BETA RAY BILL versus THOR

Doom! (Marvel Comics)
Where: Thor #337 When: November 1983

Why: Walt Simonson How: Walt Simonson

The Story So Far...
When an experimental warp probe captures images of an unidentified, star destroying ship -- Director of SHIELD: Nick Fury has no choice but to call in the heavy artillery! With the probe destroyed by the alien craft, SHIELD has no way of knowing what will happen when it completes a light speed course headed straight for Earth!

So, why are Fury and his boys making a covert nab of a mild mannered physician who walks Central Park with a cane? Because Colonel Fury is one of the few men on Earth who knows Dr. Donald Blake is really The Mighty Thor - god of thunder! When he taps his cane, he becomes the only hero capable of travelling into deep space to confront the hostile space ship!

Little does Thor realize, his connection to the plight of the occupants inside goes far deeper than SHIELD's convenience -- and what he finds inside will be unlike anything he's ever encountered before!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Draw 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Draw 3 (Street Wise)
Speed: Draw 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Draw 6 (Generator)
Agility: Draw 2 (Average)
Fighting: Draw 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Draw 5 (Lasers)

It's been nothing but close battles for the 10th Anniversary of The Comic Book Fight Club, but we're yet to have a match-up as literally even as this! Inherently strong, and gifted with the weapons of Norse gods - both of today's competitors owe much of their renowned might to a mutual source. Differing more greatly are their origins, and the favour they receive from Odin. Factors that will weigh heavily into today's legendary superfight spotlight!

We've seen Beta Ray Bill in action just once before on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths, standing toe-to-toe with cosmic super heavyweight: The Silver Surfer [Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter #2]! That's a resounding endorsement of Bill's power, but there's a big difference between that 2009 story, and his first appearance in today's 1983 issue: He doesn't yet have the Uru forged hammer Stormbreaker!

Bill's no slouch when unarmed. He's a Korbonite redesigned by his people to be their ultimate warrior! Through bio-engineering and technological enhancement he possesses phenomenal super strength, enhanced endurance, stamina, and reflexes. He's also a supremely skilled hand-to-hand fighter. A living weapon strong enough to stand up to the demon hordes of Surtur - their primary threat!

The original hammer-meister of Marvel Comics is, of course, Thor! A Norse god by birthright, he's wielded his enchanted hammer Mjolnir in recorded victories against: Super-Skrull [Thor #465], Dr. Doom [Heroes Reborn: The Return #4], Red Hulk [Hulk #6], and two titans of DC Comics: Captain Marvel [Marvel versus DC #2] and Superman [JLA/Avengers #1]!

As résumés go, it's one of the finest, showcasing an ability to beat some of the most powerful characters in two universes - but it isn't perfect! Thor and the Avengers were overwhelmed by the raw power of the unstoppable Destroyer armor in Thor (Vol. 2) #1, and they succumbed to surprise tactics from Ghost Rider in 1981's Avengers #214!

Ghost Rider wasn't worthy enough to wield the enchanted hammer Mjolnir, but he was able to use its natural return trajectory against its master! Sometimes the Odinson takes his weapon for granted, and it's around this time he will revert to frail mortal Dr. Donald Blake when separated from his hammer for more than sixty seconds. Given that Thor can summon the hammer at will, it's no mean feat to play keep away - but it's an important weakness for the few strong, or cunning enough, to take advantage of it!

The Tape: Draw Ranking: Thor (#28)

What Went Down...
Using Mjolnir to traverse time and space, Thor reaches his destination in deep space - coming face-to-hull with the warship Skuttlebutt! Even as it outpaces the thunderer the mighty machine scans his energies -- detecting a similarity with that of the true enemy that sent the warship on its mission: the deadly demons of Surtur!

Skuttlebutt fires on an unprepared Thor, who returns his own assault with a toss of his enchanted hammer! It breaches the hull, allowing Earth's defender to do his job and learn more about the threat. Inside, he recognizes a ship very much alive, and a "coldsleep defense" procedure just as living!

A giant hand explodes from a mysterious crystal and clutches Thor's inquisitive skull! The creature hurls him across the room and reveals itself - the engineered living Korbonite weapon that is: Beta Ray Bill!

As Bill threatens what he believes to be another demon agent of Surtur, he knows not the cape on which he truly tugs! Thor lets him know, swinging Mjolnir with a mighty upward strike that sends Bill flying and echoes his objection!

Bill recovers quickly, lunging at Thor with murderous intent! Mjolnir spills from Thor's grasp as the alien grapples with his wrists. The living ship Skuttlebutt has given Bill the language to engrave Thor's epitaph. Thor turns the ship against Bill, ripping at its metal walls to toss them at his foe!

The improvised metal work causes vital damage to Skuttlebutt, but fails to slow Beta Ray Bill. He rushes Thor again. The force of his right hand colliding with Thor's skull sends the thunder god's helmet airborne! It's a blow unrivalled by any of Thor's greatest foes! Were the fate of Earth not hanging in the balance, he would relish the combat. Instead, the dishevelled god fires back with a left cross and a challenge to yield. "Only in death!"

His opponent shows no signs of quitting, but Thor has vowed to protect the Earth. He knows he must strike a winning blow, but in the heat of battle, he hasn't retrieved the magic mallet Mjolnir!

The damage caused to Skuttlebutt had expedited the need for the ship to land, sending it on an accelerated course toward Earth! The proximity restores the effect of the enchantment that causes Thor to revert to Dr. Donald Blake when separated form his hammer!

He has no time to act! Bill descends upon his opponent, believing the new form to be an ill conceived tactic! A devastating blow knocks the helpless mortal out cold!

Bill doesn't question the fortune of the strange sequence of events. Instead, he seeks Mjolnir as a means of enhancing his power in the fight against Surtur. Finding only Dr. Blake's walking stick, Bill strikes it in anger -- activating the magic that transforms him into a thunder god!

The Hammer...

"Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor." As we can clearly see - Beta Ray Bill is worthy! He's also the winner in yet another classic comic book confrontation for our 10th Anniversary!

There were a lot of prospective contenders for the Secret Wars on Infinite Earths anniversary month. I've always favoured a mixed bag approach, but I felt it was time to touch on some of the big battles we'd overlooked. This one kinda provides both -- a well known modern classic, but still a little leftfield.

It's debatable whether this is the best fight between the pair. They have another more evenly matched, more meaningful showdown a couple of issues later. This is the first appearance of Beta Ray Bill, though, and that put it over with me. I enjoy the issue just fine, but I love Beta Ray Bill. A milestone we had to have!

I really must impress on intrepid new readers the significance of this issue's event. Noble characters lifting Thor's hammer has become a bit of a modern cliché, but Beta Ray Bill was the first, and most shocking! Well, okay... Wonder Woman was pretty shocking [Marvel versus DC #3], but lets stay on point...

It's kind of a no brainer. The hammer isn't sworn to Thor - the powers are on offer to anyone worthy of them! An Arthurian twist given an extra jolt by the mad genius of Walt Simonson, who didn't take the obvious route of another golden haired, gleaming, virtuous white knight. Instead he created a bizarre, horse-faced alien -- an unlikely figure, intended to appear villainous on sight.

The twist gives Beta Ray Bill a slight edge over many other derivative heroes, and would-be replacements. No matter how extensive the similarities - he'll never be Thor. He won't grow up to be Thor. He isn't a weak ass doppelganger trying to grow into Thor. This guy will always be Beta Ray Bill. A weird echo, a curious odd-man out in most situations: one of Marvel's best original expansions to their pseudo Norse mythology!

I tend to think he's exactly what Marvel movies need. The first two Thor films managed to be tepid and uninteresting, devoid of memorable villains. Building a third movie around Beta Ray Bill's arrival wouldn't just inject much needed personality into an A or B conflict - it'd provide the perfect organic bridge between the terran Avengers and the cosmic Guardians of the Galaxy. It's a short leap from Surtur's demons to Thanos and his movie minions. Bill could be a great addition to The Guardians sequel, before it all comes crashing down to Earth in Infinity War. I dare to dream.

Dreams inspired by Walt Simonson, whose Kirby infused energy I sometimes took for granted as a kid - but have tremendous admiration for, today! The kind of frenetic comics that go balls to the wall to tell the story. Pencils so crazed they don't always have time for posed hero shots, and are fighting the inks that try to hold them down! Good comics!

I'll be working through the holidays to make sure there's more good comics cheer next week! The Friday Night Fights of Secret Wars on Infinite Earths land on Christmas Day! Naughty or nice, there'll be a super showdown to deck the halls with seasons beatings!

Winner: Beta Ray Bill
Stats: Skuttlebutt - 1 assist.

JUSTICE PEACE versus FANTASTIC FOUR
The Cross-Time Express! (Marvel)
Where: Fantastic Four #354 When: July 1991
Why: Walter Simonson How: Walter Simonson

The Story So Far...
Few men have experienced the ebb and flow of time as much as Reed Richards and Victor Von Doom. Their many strange adventures have taken them through time and space, but even as their latest confrontation results in a battle between minutes, their actions are observed and recorded by those policing the timestream.

For their many indescretions, Doom and Richards garner the attentions of the Time Variance Authority: An intergalactic organization dedicated to monitoring and policing the multi-verse and it's many refractions as a result of time travel and manipulation. Though immensly powerful, the bureaucratic organization is anything but thorough, further emphasising the severity of Richards' actions.

The TVA send Justice Peace, a mercenary member of the TVA Police Department with full powers to detain and destroy time criminals. Though Doom escapes his clutches, Justice Peace is able to detain the Fantastic Four to be tried by Mr. Mobius, a member of the TVA bureaucracy intent on eliminating the FF's reality. The race is on to escape the TVA's clutches and protect existence, but with Justice Peace on their tail, can even the world's greatest heroes succeed?...

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Thing 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Mr. Fantastic 6 (Genius)
Speed: Human Torch 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Thing 5 (Marathon)
Agility: Mr. Fantastic 6 (Rubber)
Fighting Ability: Invisible Woman 4 (Trained)
Energy Power: Human Torch 7 (Cosmic)


- Justice Peace is a member of the Time Variance Authority Police Department. The law enforcement branch for the bureaucratic TVA grants Justice Peace powers to hunt and destroy those that would commit infractions against timelaw.
Justice Peace carries with him an extensive arsenal housed largely in a single projectile weapon. The weapon is capable of adapting it's ammunition to a range of practical uses, the most prominent being lethal energy blasts.

- The Fantastic Four are: Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and Thing.

The original Fantastic Four were exposed to cosmic rays when Reed Richards led the team in a race to beat the Russians to space. Without sufficient preperation time, the shuttle lacked the shielding needed to filter the cosmic radiation, resulting in unique transformations in each member.

The team's adventures take them through time and space, where they regularly do combat with entities and individuals capable of cosmic manipulation. Their amassed allies and enemies exist throughout different galaxies and dimensions.

The team's line-up is typified by Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and Thing, but has been expanded to include the likes of; Crystal, Sub-Mariner, She-Hulk, Medusa, Black Panther, and Storm; among others.

The Math: Fantastic Four Ranking: Mr. Fantastic (#8)

What Went Down...
Mobius M. Mobius, a bureaucrat with the TVA, focuses his attention on seeing the arrest of Thing (and Human Torch) after an outburst that reduced the TVA Halls of Chronometry to rubble. Autonomous agent of the TVAPD, Justice Peace, leaves the pursuit to clone soldiers, recognising the greater threat of an unaccounted for Reed Richards, and his wife Susan Storm; better known as Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman, respectively.

JP's suspicions prove valid when, in the destroyed Hall, he is able to discover an invisible forcefield obscuring Sue and Reed Richards as the latter hacks into the hi-tech TVA computer network in an effort to build a makeshift virus!

Justice Peace gives it both barrels, prompting Invisible Woman to refocus her energies into defense, rather than concealment. Mr. Fantastic begs his wife for precious seconds as he races to produce a solution while she suffers the physical strain of maintaining her field under such intense pressure.

Results come in the nick of time as Richards' virus distrupts the linear flow of time within the TVA establishment, resulting in bubbling pockets of reality! The bubbles prove distraction enough to allow the Fantastic twosome to make an escape for the exit: The Cross-Time Central Railroad!

The Torch and Thing converge with the rest of the team, having escaped their own perils with the aid of the viral time bubbles. Richards is able to barter for the group a driver willing to take he and his team back to their appropriate timeline and reality.

Just as escape seems all but assured, Justice Peace arrives at the station with a small army of clone soldiers! The TVAPD soldiers make pursuit as the train bursts from the station into the cold vaccum of space.

The Human Torch steps up to scorch the team's pursuers, but not wanting to harm them, Invisible Woman instead uses a barrage of invisible forcefields to stem their flow. The attack successfully knocks back the clone soldiers, but Justice Peace proves a more compelling adversary.

JP returns fire, buying him the time to attach himself to the Cross-Time Express. The Human Torch proves impossible to pacify when he leaps out of the train, launching himself onto the train with a spray of warning shots from his flaming fist. Justice Peace indulges the compromise of the Torch's attack, using his hi-tech gun to fire back a smothering foam that douses the youngster's flame!

Thing leaps to his teammate's aid, scoring an impressive blow on an unsuspecting Justice Peace! The punch, however, fails to sufficiently flaw the TVA lawman, who again retaliates with the use of his oh-so versatile gun, which easily sabotages the coach roof beneath the burly Thing's footing, in substitute for any futile assault on the rocky hero's own hide.

With Thing momentarily demolished it looks like all hope is loss for the FF, until Justice Peace again finds himself airborne as a result of a surprise assault...

Like a stellar apparition, Susan Richards appears from nothingness to form atop the raging express. She tosses Justice Peace around like a ragdoll, disarming him with a barrage of spherical invisible forcefields.

The lawman's assessment of the woman proves correct as she dangles his helpless form over the edge of the train, where the gulf of nothingness threatens to destroy him forever. Mr. Fantastic lets loose warnings of mercy, for the protective older sister of the Human Torch is blissfully unaware that the express is now under threat of a wave created by Reed Richards' virus!

With Justice Peace captive, the Fantastic Four learn that Mr. Fantastic's ploy to overwrite their reality with a new one devoid of reference to their presence means TVA jurisdiction must adjust accordingly. No loner intent on hunting the Fantastic Four, the lawman opts to return to his own timeline, just as the team manage to outrun the threat of the wave by extreme combustion courtesy of the Human Torch. With that, the FF return similarly to their own time - victorious!

The Hammer...
Well, after defeating and capturing Justice Peace, and clearing their names with a little quantum editing, I think it's pretty safe to say this is another victory for the Fantastic Four!
[NOTE: Thing and Human Torch only get the assist for their contributions, although, we might revisit their solo adventures in a future timeline. Train conductor Casey also gets the assist.]

You might also describe it as a minor victory for the Infinite Wars after a busy weak of other distractions and complacency! After all those team entries, it might have been a fool's errand to get involved with a timetravel caper... Still, I chose this entry because it lept out at me as not only an interesting review, but a great opportunity to talk a little bit about recent developments for the fantastic foursome in Secret Invasion.

Unless you're so deep under cover you don't even know you're a Skrull -- you'll no doubt have heard that among the many characters revealed to be impostors, the most prominent was probably Invisible Woman!

The pages of Secret Invasion #1 saw the phony Susan Richards reveal herself in a staggering plot that involved the cosmic implosion of the Baxter Building headquarters of the Fantastic Four! The multi-pronged assault also came with the reveal of Hank Pym as a Skrull, who in turn turned a weapon on Mr. Fantastic that reduced the bitter enemy of the Skrull to a formless tangle of rubbery-humanity!

It's impossible to deny that the implications of this series are going to be incredibly fun to watch, but there are still a lot of questions looming over the event. Implications of duty are a big part of a book like this, and while many readers deserve credit for predicting an invasion off the back of multiple Skrull-related events over the past few years, the exact history remains murky.

Exactly how and when characters were replaced is going to be a major point of intrigue for this paranoia fuelled series. Though not always the most reliable source in the woods, writer Brian Bendis has promised clarification for issues such as these, as well as much more, in future issues of the series. Not to be a cynic, but I think it's safe to assume some answers are likely to be found in the inevitable slew of tie-ins, including the three-issue, Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four!

Bendis is notorious for being lazy with his history and external references, so it will be interesting to see how he manages a series so intrinsically dependent on the baggage of details. The when and where are sure to become a hot talking point amongst the fanbase, even moreso now that we know the identities of more impostor heroes, including largely inconspicuous contributors like Jarvis!
A looming concern will be the relationship between Secret Invasion and recent series such as Civil War, which went to dramatic lengths to shake up the fabric of the Marvel Universe with seemingly lasting results. Malformed series; like One More Day; have already seen the systematic dismantling of repercussons for Spider-man that were widely critiqued by fans who were subdued by promise of dedication to moves such as the reveal of Peter Parker's identity.

Something that really attracted me to the opportunity to talk about the FF here was the involvement of Reed and Sue Richards during Civil War.
At the time, series-writer Mark Millar came under heavy criticism for mischaracterizing, among others, Reed Richards, who became a staunch supporter of the pro-registration side of the event. Personally I didn't have quabbles quite to the same extent, and with much of what's done being done, I tend to think the greater concern would be widespread opportunity for cop-outs and sloppy revisionist retcons.

To Marvel's credit, they've put their best foot forward in promising integrity where the actions of the Civil War heroes are concerned. Spokespeople for the company have given strong indications that characters like Iron Man are fairly safe, despite their radical involvement in the universe-changing events. Bendis describes the Civil War more as a matter of convenience for the invading Skrull, rather than a symptom of their sinister designs. That said, the two events are sure to have a lot of overlap as we learn more about the secret past of recent history.

Bendis also describes the series as something foreshadowed in much of his early writing on New Avengers, as well as other avenues, perhaps even the already mentioned slew of titles featuring Skrull-related events, such as; Young Avengers, Runaways, Annihilation, Marvel Team-Up, and other.

Keen observers have already noted that a somewhat suspicious Jarvis returned to service after a 'holiday' in the pages of New Avengers, a series that also featured a slew of cagey and vague influences that harken back to long forgotten conspiracy plotlines from Ultimate Spider-man. Of course, on that side of things, Bendis also looks to finally make good with events in Ultimate Origin, but I digress.

Having just been bitten by a radioactive retcon [Brand New Day], concerns of continuity are fresh in mind. I don't really think there's any cause for concern just yet, but I'm very weary of the prospect of revisions that drift back several decades, if for no other reason than the necessity to retag previous entries!

But seriously, I want to take a little bit of comfort in recent history.
I agree with, and expect Marvel to live up to, the theory that it would be weak to try to completely recast the defining storytelling of Civil War. That said, I think there are plenty of very welcome gaps that help contain Secret Invasion to that recent history.

During and after the event, Reed and Sue Richards confronted marital issues as a result of their eventual split over the Superhero Registration Act. It's here that we see perhaps the most obvious opportunity for the Invisible Woman to have been replaced, during a period where Black Panther and Storm become involved in the team, and adventures for all six members included division, space, and yes, even the presence of super-powered Skrulls!

Plenty of opportunities no doubt arose for a switch, and a moment of separation perhaps even on Reed and Sue's interplanetary second honeymoon could be the perfect transition free from contradiction or confuddlement. Because, yes. With continuity, mystery, and Bendis, one has come to expect disappointment and disaster. The fact that this is a universe event only encourages further reticence...

So, how does Secret Invasion relate to Fantastic Four #354?
Well, I guess if worse comes to worse, someone can eventually get around to another TVA time virus... And if you want more on the 1990 time travelling antics of Reed Richards and Dr. Doom, you don't want to miss Bully's brilliant recap of Fantastic Four #351, and for completions sake, you might like to check out our brief look at relating events from Fantastic Four #350. Mmm, fun!

The Fight: 3.5 The Issue: 4.5

It's worth mentioning that Justice Peace bares a none-too-subtle resemblance to popular law enforcement zealot, Judge Dread! To the best of my knowledge these issues haven't yet been collected, but you'll find work just as good in the Infinite Wars Amazonian Gift Shoppe! By using purchase links provided you help fund future entries in the Infinite Wars, and saved a buck on purchases you were probably already going to make. Online retaliers; got a way for Infinite Wars readers to order their weekly books through you? Get in touch about sponsorship!

THING versus DR DOOM
The More Things Change...! (Marvel comics)
Where: Fantastic Four #350 When: March 1991
Why: Walter Simonson How: Walter Simonson

The story so far...
Wearing a powersuit of Reed Richards' design, Ben Grimm attempts to maintain his position on the Fantastic Four while easing the psychological burden felt by Sharon Ventura; ex-girlfriend and former Ms. Marvel, who would suffer the same fate as Grimm to become a She-Thing!

Feeling the same social anxiety and personal discontent that Grimm himself experienced through his earliest days, the despondent Ms. Marvel is ripe for seduction at the hands of the nefarious Dr. Victor Von Doom -- recently returned Latverian monarch, and arch-nemesis of the original quartet that make up the Fantastic Four!

Travelling to Castle Doomstadt, Ms. Marvel willingly submits herself to Doom's experiments that promise to reverse the effects of her radioactive exposure, and restore her to her former humanity. Meanwhile, the reverse is true for the original Thing, who sacrifices his acquisition of humanity, and soon learns of Sharon Ventura's predicament in the clutches of Doom: cured, or killed?...

Previous Form:
Thing (#9): A top ten worthy string of team successes against; the Frightful Four, Sinister Twelve, Iconoclast, Paibok, and Ahab.
Dr. Doom (#57): A previous victory over the Thing and Yancy Street Gang.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Thing 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Dr. Doom 6 (Genius)
Speed: Draw 2 (Average)
Stamina: Dr. Doom 6 (Generator)
Agility: Draw 2 (Average)
Fighting Ability: Thing 3 (Street Wise)
Energy Powers: Dr. Doom 5 (Lasers)


- Ace test-pilot Ben Grimm joined a trio of friends on a space race to beat the Russians into outerspace. The wreckless launch would change he and his colleagues forevermore as insufficient shielding would leave the quartet vulnerable to strange, unknown cosmic rays! Rays that would transform them into the Fantastic Four!

- As the Thing, Grimm has a rocky exterior that is both super-durable, and maneuvered by exponentially increased muscle capacity. Along with super-strength, Thing can also survive in harsh environments relatively unscathed.

- Victor Von Doom was the college rival of Reed Richards, noted as a genius in his own right, despite a legendary arrogance. It was this stubborn insistance that would lead Doom to conduct rushed experiments that merged the sciences with the occult, and ultimately would result in an explosion that would scar him.

- Travelling across the Himalayan mountains of Tibet, Doom would don a metal suit of armor crafted by monks, and adopt this visage as his own as the newly christened, Dr. Doom! His armor would be upgraded to include cutting edge technologies of his own invention, and supply him with the power necessary to overthrow his native Latveria, and become the world-threatening menace faced by the Fantastic Four!

The Math: Dr. Doom The Pick: Dr. Doom

What went down...
The Fantastic Four heed the warning of a messenger Doombot, and make the trek to the tiny European nation of Latveria. At Castle Doomstadt the FF quickly do away with a small army of Doombots, before each member endures a familiar series of tailored obstacles, each designed to push their unique abilities to the very limits.

Doom, with plans of revenge, does not anticipate the renewed strength of a once again transformed Thing. Grimm easily belts away falling chunks of concrete, before pounding through the stone walls of the castle to stumble upon the sleeping, and apparently cured body of Sharon Ventura!

As the burly Thing attempts to free Ms. Marvel from her bonds, a massive burst of energy explodes to knock him to the ground -- the assault of Dr. Doom!
The Thing charges at the team's old enemy, who notes the change in Grimm, once again knocking him back with a charge of an alleged 500,000 volts!

Blurring the lines of thirty years of storyline, the good Doctor swears revenge for one of his earliest defeats at the hands of the Fantastic Four, waged within the Baxter Building headquarters they once inhabited.
With a blast from his pistol-shaped anti-matter extrapolator, Doom manages to put the fear of God in Ben Grimm. Recognising the threat of this strange weapon, the muscle-bound Thing hurls a piece of rubble from the broken wall, strategically striking the weapon in Doom's hand.

With his calcified hide atingle, Thing marches at Doom with a menacing intent.
Though unintimidated, the brilliant Doom calls upon one of the many other weapons contained within the walking arsenal that is his armor.

A high powered laser beam proves Doom's weapon of choice, but it's effects err on the side of the bizarre, rather than offensive! Right before Doom's eyes, the Thing begins to metamorphasize into an even rockier, far more gruesome incarnation of his Thing-self!

Marching through Doom's futile attack, the Thing clutches the Latverian monarch's gauntlets and slams him against one of the cold Doomstadt walls.
Lording his increased strength over the FF's oldest enemy, Thing press against Doom's resisting efforts, clamping down with his monstrous mits.

With Doom on the verge of being crushed, it is the intervention of a now conscious Sharon Ventura that rescues the villain from crippling injury!

With the aid of the thermo-lance, Doom has sufficient time to recharge his own armor's weaponry and unleash an additional surge of voltage. The blast fries the further mutated Thing with energy sufficient to kill him!

Doom declares his lethal victory as a stoic Mr. Fantastic enters, having achieved the unlikely task of escaping Doom's clausterphobic entrapments.

Doom offers Richards the lives of his wife and brother-in-law in exchange for a duel through time that will allow the villain opportunity to display his brutal brilliance to one of the few minds capable of appreciating it. Richards accepts, no doubt aware of the possibility to undo the tragedy that had transpired.

The hammer...
Well, an appropriate if unceremonious end to our month of DOOM with a win to the Doc, and a rushed late entry. If you felt something was notoriously familiar about the tape, which I generally try to reinvent for repeat contestants, it's because it was taken from the previous encounter between these two [Fantastic Four #361].

To expand upon our use as a friendly fanbase resource, I might try to tailor more universal descriptions for the tape that can be reused, because yes. After what I would dare to call a pretty stellar run of on-going posting, I've hit a roadblock. I've hit a pain barrier. I've hit a soul sapping obstacle of magnitudes not seen since Daredevil: Ninja.

Not sapping enough that we can't finish on a high note, however!
First thing's first, if you're dying to know how things conclude, then you should head on over to check out Bully's treat-of-a post featuring the hijinks of Fantastic Four #351! Be forewarned, anyone with a pacemaker or occupation that required 20/20 vision might not want to proceed. Serious risk of heart failure, schizoid embolism, or going cross-eyed lies ahead!

As we conclude our chronicles of DOOM, I can't help but draw a drastically different discussion topic from FF #350. Bully ponders the time-space repercussions of events from #351, while another of our blogging contemporaries, Dave Campbell, falls just left of my point while he notes the off-page retcons of reality.

Simonson makes a bold statement by suggesting previous encounters with Doom were with robotic drones. He does so presumably in an effort to push an agenda of characterization that returns Doom to his more specific -- less zany -- villainous roots. Less intentional is the perpetuation of a new rivalry byproxy.

We see today a very careful and intelligent approach to storytelling, but pushing out of the eighties a decided shift was made gearing the process toward pencillers. This meant visual details gained greater importance over conceptual and character driven dynamics, better typified by the work of later industry superstars than perhaps Simonson, who clearly has a high-concept story here.

It's perhaps true of Marvel's earliest origins with the use of the 'Stan Lee method of writing' that involved glorified notations that were spun-out into full twenty-two page issues, later lettered with dialogue by Lee. It's this importance given to the artist from the company's neo-origins that perhaps make it predestined to steer the fate of the entire medium, which already has a predisposition to the visual.

New "artists" like Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane, and the other Image founders become increasingly involved in the evolution of a product, proposing new values on the finished project. This invariably pushes the classic characters in new ways, forging relationships built on the subconcious visual values of characters.

Top 25 Nemesis':
#1 Black Adam (Captain Marvel)
#2 Dr. Doom (Mr. Fantastic)
#3 Bullseye (Daredevil)
#4 Deathstroke (Teen Titans)
#5 Sinestro (Green Lantern)
#6 Bizarro (Superman)
#7 Destroyer (Thor)
#8 Noob Saibot (Scorpion)
#9 Akuma (Ryu)
#10 Crimson Dynamo (Iron Man)
#11 Zoom (Flash)
#12 Cheetah (Wonder Woman)
#13 Ultron (The Avengers)
#14 Despero (JLA)
#15 Captain Cold (Flash)
#16 Venom (Spider-man)
#17 Wingless Wizard (Mr. Fantastic)
#18 Baron Zemo (Captain America)
#19 Sagat (Ryu)
#20 Darkseid (Earth)
#21 Abomination (Hulk)
#22 Thanos (Life)
#23 Dr. Octopus (Spider-man)
#24 Vulture (Spider-man)
#25 Green Goblin (Spider-man)Dr. Doom, in my assessment, should classically be considered arch-nemesis of Reed Richards, but the popularity and visual quality of a character like Thing directs a new rivalry. A far purer example of this subconscious agenda is Magneto's evolution to become considered a bitter rival of Wolverine, as much as he opposes his original foe, Professor Xavier.

We see that particular shift eventuate a few years after this issue in 1993, with the visual spectacular of X-Men #25: the issue that strips Wolverine of his adamantium. It's with this example that we best illustrate the value of the visual at it's height, presenting a four-colour extravaganza of high-action splash pages, and the battle between a fan-favourite character with far more dynamic visuals than the typically restrictive, or ill-defined, Professor Xavier.

Again, it's not necessarily at it's strongest with Simonson's work, which immediately follows up with an issue-long confrontation between Richards and Doom, the classic archetypal foes. Even so, it is food for thought for the underlying subconscious that inevitably shaped a decade of comics, still very close to the essential basics of big battles, and long-running feuds.

These feuds ultimately take more bitter and varied approaches (such as Kingpin/Daredevil) as the written aspect regains it's importance in the recession of comics culture. We begin rebuilding the conceptual, and restore the importance of motivation and characterization in conflicts between characters.

Alas, we still have a ways to go to solidifying the guarantee of these rivalries.
The loss of the historical Doom/Richards rivalry is easily one of the most specific flaws in the feature film adaptation of the Fantastic Four. Stripping their rivalry to something far more immediate, along with much of the bitter history that makes Doom one of the most influential villains in comics, saw a very flat and unmotivated movie unfold.

Further extending the weakness of the Doom character is the tangiential litmus test of associated rivalries. Scenes featuring Thing and Invisible Woman stress the relationship of the nemesis far better than Richards' feeble, failing interactions. Of course, that dominoes into a whole range of issues, which also sees the empowering of Susan Storm and Jessica Alba's importance at the cost of reducing "Mr. Fantastic" to the proverbial damsel in distress. A talk for another time!

The Fight: 3.5 The Issue: 5

[This issue has not yet been collected, but you can check out a bunch of Simonson's lead-up work with the Fantastic Four while you wait, in the first volume of Visionaries! Cha-Ching!]