QUICK FIX DOUBLE FEATURE: By the Gods!
CAPTAIN MARVEL JR versus IRON GOBLINS
The Trials of Shazam! (DC)
Where: DCU: Brave New World #1 When: August 2006 Why: Judd Winick How: Howard Porter

Quick Fix...
If you're inclined to glean ahead for a preview of things to come, you'll see this is a double feature none too subtly influenced by one of our fantasy fights; specifically the Round 1 encounter between Captain Marvel Jr and Hercules.

It was while satisfying my own curiosities that I discovered just how unfortunately tilted our efforts are. To regular readers it's no secret that back issues provide a disctinctly Marvel-coloured look back, but it's when observing the cumulative character rankings [Super Stock] that you really appreciate the situation. Marvel characters outnumber their DC counterparts by a little over two-to-one - a pretty damning statistic for fair balance! Made only worse when you consider the registered appearances of members of the Legion!

Ergo; that long winded journey behind the scenes brings us to arrive at an opportunity to induct Captain Marvel Jr into the Infinite Wars proper.

I suppose there's a catch to attempting something like this with absolutely no affiliation with a character. Aside from knowing he wears a gaudy version of the Captain Marvel outfit which supposedly inspired Elvis Presley's wardrobe and moral fibre - I don't really have any reference for the character.

I think my general oblivion boils down a common distain for characters that derive themselves from more successful franchises, without any major differentiation. We've discussed this in the past, particularly for female spin-offs, with notable exceptions being characters like She-Hulk, who have strong identity, and a mythos that has built around them [all hail Slott! - Marionette Mike].

Of course, whilst talking about Trials of Shazam, it occurred to me that I'm inclined to make noted acceptions for a character if and when they inherit the mantle from which they were derived. I could make wild generalizations about the functionality of one version over another, but I think I'm just going to put it down to circumstances. Better ideas come to better writers in better situations.

I don't know if this particular scenario necessarily constitutes the salvation of Freddie "Captain Marvel Jr" Freeman, but as part of the DC $1 80 page sampler, Brave New World, it's well worth a look!

We join our junior hero already locked in mortal battle with a trio of long thought vanquished beasts called Iron Goblins. The specifics of how these blindfolded goblins differ from the garden variety, I do not know, but they're certainly big, bad, ugly, and capable of swatting Cap Jr around like a ragdoll!

A single punch sends Freddie hurtling across the extravagant Prague location where the battle is taking place, sending him into a wall that is no doubt very old, and very valuable. The Goblins quickly descend on him, but the Marvel is far from out of the fight. He leaps over one goblin, delivering a kick to another.

Freddie's turning momentum is suddenly interrupted by the magical lightning bolt that grants (and strips) him of his fantastic powers. Where the blue suited Captain Marvel Jr stood, now stands the casually attired, powerless Freddie!

The youngster desperately cries the name of the friend that grants him his powers, Captain Marvel, but for the first time he finds himself alone.
Unaware of events transpiring elsewhere which have seen the death of the Wizard Shazam; Freddie finds himself on the painful end of a deft blow from the Iron Goblins. He hurtles through windows, alone. and defeated, as the Goblins wander off into the world, no longer interested.

Now, I would have to admit, enjoyable as this short story was, it failed to entice me to the maxi-series it was advertising, which struck more specifics chords away from what I perceive as a dense, but frenetic superhero presentation.
Of this Brave New World preview; we might see more, returning to look at battles involving Mary Marvel, and the big red cheese himself.

On Trials of Shazam; it was browsing over reviews recently that I was forced to pause and reassess my opinion of the book. It was probably that that kept Cap Jr in my mind for the opening round of the DC/Marvel Fantasy Fights, because otherwise it's a series entirely below the broad radar, I think.
For me; particularly off the back of Jeff Smith's niche mini-series; Trials just lacked the glitzy appeal of something more familiar. As a general fan of the golden age, I can't help but feel it's a shame DC haven't been able to dedicate more time to depicting the character in a contemporary-classic fashion, reinventing the character with a similar flavour to books like JSA, or even something like Batman: Year One.

As much as Porter's pseudo-painted CG work was a draw, (while it lasted), for many readers, I couldn't help but feel it highlighted the divide between what I'd love to have seen of Shazam in the 00's, and what was finally being served up.
That said, I think it's incredibly admirable to see the Marvel family more closely associated with versions of the gods from which they derive their powers, and the broad magic corner of the DCU, which probably benefits from the association as much as the Marvels are fleshed out beyond the hokey rogues pre-existing.

I don't know if I'm sold on Trials, despite it's gladiatorial suitability for the Infinite Wars, I am very open minded to the future of the Marvel family, and the prospect of Junior graduating to fully fledged Captain Marvel. I think that's an exciting oppotunity not only for that character, but for the franchise of the "Shazam" characters. Fun!

The Fix: 3.5 The Story: 4.5
Winner: The Iron Goblins

DCU: Brave New World might not be the New Frontier, but as a bargain priced promotional sampler it represents a trend I'd love to see more of! While most titles featured within are finite, or inevitably to be suspended, I don't think DC should be discouraged.
If you enjoyed the art in this portion of the Quick Fix; be sure to check out the first volume of Trials of Shazam, available at Amazon and featuring all the art from Howard Porter before he was forced from the project due to injury.

---

HERCULES versus THE TERMINI
Terminus Factor Part III: ... Can Terminus be far Behind? (Marvel)
Where: The Mighty Thor Annual #15 When: February 1990 Why: Roy Thomas How: Herb Trimpe

Quick Fix...
So, like I said, I've had a couple of vaguely obscure Beta Ray Bill stories on the to-do list for a very long time. One of those, a story from the '93 Thor Annual, seemed like a great follow-up to the monster/myth antics at work in Trials of Shazam, but on a whim I grabbed the 1990 Annual just to have a flick through for interesting back-ups.

Lo and behold, rounding out the fantasy fight that inspired this Double Feature, Thor Annual #15 presents a portion of the Terminus Factor starring Thor's Greek demi-god foil, Hercules!

I suppose it's good synergy that I've never been much of a Hercules fan.
I at least have a familiarity with Hercules that I don't with Captain Marvel Jr, but that familiarity only furthers my contempt for the character.

These days he tends to be a parody of himself, and honestly you could be forgiven for thinking that was always the case. His oafish buffoonery was once played straight, but the character seems to be at his best when he's dim-wittedly pledging himself to a charging action shot, or throwing down as the obligatory second-tier muscle in a group. It would be as an Avenger that I am most familiar with Hercules, otherwise relatively disinterested.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and while I might not be ready to consider myself a Hercules fan, I am at least interested in some of the more recent outings by the character. Hercules was among the obscure collective minority that was sympathetic to Hulk's cause during the events of World War Hulk, something you might have thought more characters could've been involved in, but alas, such is the course of restructuring major events.

Post-World War Hulk, Hercules will inherit Incredible Hulk as his own title, with the specifics as yet unrevealed. Our blogging contemporary, ComicByComic, has more than once proposed the interesting prospect of Hercules adopting his own raging alter-ego as a condition of the series, although, that scenario has presumably befallen another character who will be the subject of the Red Hulk title; written by Jeph Loeb and deliciously drawn by Ed McGuinness; but I digress...

So, anyway, if you're a dedicated War Monger you'll know way back in August 06 we touched upon the emergence of the Terminus goo post-gestation from deep within a volcano [Captain America Annual #9].
By the third chapter the Terminus entity has worked it's way through the food chain to be rabid, metallic animals, but when they rampage their way to the Blackrock Nuclear Power Station, they transform into bulky humanoid Terminus creatures with infantile intelligence.

Fortunate for the authorities, Hercules is on the scene and more than willing to tackle the physical challenge of this small mob of six-or-so Termini!

The demi-god finds himself in a position of Samson qualities, but is more than ready to meet the shackled tear of the monsters with superhuman strength! He smashes the two Terminus creatures together, boasting his power as son of Zeus.

Other members of the Termini group descend on Hercules with gusto, regarding the situation with the same primal simplicity of their earlier counterparts.
Hercules bowls through the pack with the staggering power of the punch, but as he makes his charge into battle, the demi-god finds his boots betray him, slipping in the spilt radioactive goop that powered the Termini's evolution.

Violently imitating Hercules' curses, the Termini descend upon the opportunity, tearing and crushing the Avenger into submission. With Hercules unconscious, the Termini begin to squabble amongst themselves like angry children, leading to the shock fourth-stage transformation. Forming into a giant singular entity, the reborn Termini begins to take shape, as Hercules comes to to witness not only the shocking change, but the descent of the original creature - Terminus!

And if you're wondering, for record purposes we're going to regard "the Termini" hive entity as an extension of Terminus. This means, even though the creature can fight itself divided, it will be statistically measured as one Terminus.

With that little bit of house keeping out of the way, I'm going to wrap this one up! It's very late, I think I lost my focus a long time ago, and we've got to gear up for [today's] regular original Friday entry!

While you're sitting tight for that, be sure to check out all of the other fun stuff popping up around the Infinite Wars, including an exciting new poll! If you scroll back up toward the top of the page, you'll find the poll inset into the right-side menu, asking you to predict which company will win our Fantasy Fights!

The Fix: 3.5 The Issue: 4
Winner: The Termini

With Messiah Complex weaving it's way through the X-Titles right now, this kind of vintage crossover event is a topical subject of debate. In the Annual format, we can see how it's far less offensive to pick-up a book starring a supporting (or unrelated) character, but whether or not this has a place in contemporary comics, remains to be seen!

FANTASY FIGHTS: DC/MARVEL ROUND 6!
By popular demand, the Infinite Wars are about to go where they've never been before! After two years of comprehensive canonical fight fact coverage, we're delving into the fictional world of fantasy fights, because you demanded it!

In the spirit of the immensly popular '96 DC/Marvel crossover event, we're pitting fifteen of each company's most relevant characters to 2007 against one and other! Stay tuned as we take a look at the imagine struggles of the superhero stars that have propelled the Infinite Wars across two full years of fisticuffs!

NIGHTWING versus MOON KNIGHT
Strength: Moon Knight 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Nightwing 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Draw 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Moon Knight 5 (Marathon Man)
Agility: Nightwing 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting Ability: Nightwing 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy Powers: Draw 2 (Projectile Weapons)


The Hook...
Following the traditions of the 1996 crossover event, we seem to have two major conceits in our battles. One; the outer city desert battle where heavy-hitting super powers can go at it without hurting innocents [ala; Superman/Hulk], and two; the inner city close quarters showdown of characters comfortable in the shadow of apartment blocks and urban brick [ala; Batman/Captain America].

Under the pen of crime novelist, Charlie Huston; 2007 marked a long awaited return to prominence for Moon Knight. After the cancellation of Blade meant a narrow brush with small screen fame, the character remained relatively self-contained, brushing with the all-encompassing Civil War in relatively superficial ways. Despite the appearances of many familiar supporting characters, Moon Knight's adventures remained internalized, and brutal.

Coming out of the Infinite Crisis lucky to be alive; the editorially marked Nightwing found a direction not unlike Moon Knight's, taking the character back to his origins under penultimate writer, Marv Wolfman. Despite facing similar battles of life and death, Nightwing arguably fell the opposite end of the scale in '07, suffering the iconic struggles of being neither Batman, nor Robin.

In terms of locale, it's little surprise that these two characters would meet under already described city conditions. Moon Knight; famously patterned after the Batman; might arguably be well suited to facing the Dark Knight proper, but in our estimation, the far more compelling confrontation is the showdown with the heir apparent. Even if the Batmantle is currently under contention.

The Math: Nightwing Ranking: Nightwing (#41)

The Battle...
Atop the roofline of what could easily be Gotham or Manhattan, Nightwing spins around to find Moon Knight standing rimlit by the astral phenomenon from which he derives his name. A steady contrast to so many other characters, Moon Knight makes no attempt to conceal his position, silently making a statement in this rooftop stand-off.

Nightwing glares through an inhereted squint that would send a chill through most Gotham criminals, but Moon Knight is fearless. Putting an end to ceremony, the white garbed hero charges across the rooftops, closing distance fast and forcing Nightwing into a ready position.

No doubt the glow of the moon indicates a strong night for Marc Spector, who descends from a leap to reach his opponent. Nightwing proves the more graceful of the fighters, avoiding the undisciplined brawling of his contemporary to strike back with stinging shots from his baton.

Moon Knight's enhanced strength sees him fighting through Nightwing's more delicate precision attacks, able to snatch away the shaft of his opponent's weapon, only to break it across his knee.

MK lunges with a boot that misses, challenging Nightwing to take as good as he gives. With a brutal willingness to inflict severe injury, MK swings with a broken end of Nightwing's baton. The move prompts a defensive parting on Nightwing's part, which incurs a distanced attack with crescent shaped shuriken.

Nightwing does his best to slap the projectiles away with wrist-mounted asps, but takes one to the shoulder. The dramatic scene is fast complimented by a spontaneous down pour that washes blood down the Bat-protege's arm.

Showing the grit of a Gothamite, Nightwing would no doubt use the pain to meet Moon Knight once more at close quarters. Despite MK's best attempts to draw the foul, Nightwing's cool head and trained skill would see a steady maintenance in his fight. Under the cold shower, even the Konshu powered Moon Knight feels the bitter sting of a barrage of whipping asp slaps.

With his mask torn to shreds and the moon disappearing behind cloud cover, Moon Knight finds himself tiring as Nightwing leaps yet another wild attack, only to deliver a counter blow that seals the deal. On this night, the apprentice proves he is quite capable of matching the master.

The Hammer...
Y'know, one of the common criticisms of the original DC/Marvel was the length of the fights. Granted, two pages for "showdown(s) of the century" is steep by any standard, I can at least empathise with the difficulty of resigning to a conclusion in a finite amount of space.

While I'd like to think I put a lot of focus here on what's important between two characters like this -- an exciting hand-to-hand fight -- I would have to acknowledge I've probably fallen into the same trap that's dogged Nightwing for the past decade, or so.

All too often the character seems to struggle with his affiliation with Batman in ways that would seem more fitting to a character like Moon Knight. For some strange reason writers (or more to the point, fans) have gotten their head around Moon Knight as an individual entity far more easily than Dick Grayson, the original Robin.

I think it's fair to acknowledge there's always going to be a bit of an awkward comparison as Nightwing is neither quite as hardened as Batman, but lacks the hopeful optimism of a Tim Drake. Heck, he isn't even the badboy that Jason Todd (and Damien) have turned out to be, but then, there's no reason that has to be the avenue taken, either.

Ultimately I think the solution to Nightwing's problem is really the simple necessity of distance. It's a solution the move to Blüdhaven probably should have provided, although I like to think Gotham is big enough to sustain several characters without necessarily demanding they maintain constant ties.

With Batman connecting so often to larger problems in the DCU (be they superheroic, extra-terrestrial, or simply international), it seems there's more than enough room for Nightwing to find his own path as a constant presence in urban Gotham. One might argue that position opens up further with Batman assuming a leadership role with the Outsiders, and lord knows he's got a gallery of villains large enough to share, and more than willing to take a pop at Nightwing.

I don't know what that path would involve, but really I think that's part of the key to victory. Too often characters seem to be shoe-horned into events or contrived storyarcs designed to leave an indellible print. At times like these, I don't think you can under estimate the value of just letting the character be.
Put him in the established conceit of an urban hero, and let the character grow, instead of ham pressing him against Batman, or spinning constant attempts to invent the character in six, or eight issues.

Got something to say about Nightwing? Want to talk more about Moon Knight? Disagree with the depiction of events in the fantasy fight? Just plain disgruntled that Marvel are down two wins again? Make yourself heard by dropping a comment! Few sections of the Infinite Wars are so specifically connected to you - the War Mongers - as the hypothetical hysteria of the Fantasy Fights!
WINNER: NIGHTWING

4 versus 2

IN STORES: December 12, 2007
You can probably find complete shipping list updates on most major comics sites. Consider this an opportunity to either do all your info-shopping in the one place, or get a speculative perspective on what might be worth checking out. These are untested reads. Secret Wars on Infinite Earths can offer no guarantee or endorsement of quality. These are simply titles that may be of potential interest. Some items may ship late.

The list...
OCT070146 BLACK ADAM THE DARK AGE #5 (OF 6) $2.99
OCT070141 BOOSTER GOLD #5 $2.99
OCT070014 BPRD KILLING GROUND #5 (OF 5) $2.99
OCT070120 COUNTDOWN ARENA #2 (OF 4) $3.99
OCT070128 COUNTDOWN SEARCH FOR RAY PALMER RED SON #1 $2.99
OCT070167 COUNTDOWN SPECIAL THE ATOM 80 PAGE GIANT #1 (OF 2) $4.99
OCT070115 COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS 20 $2.99
SEP072192 FANTASTIC FOUR #552 $2.99
OCT070135 GREEN ARROW BLACK CANARY #3 $2.99
SEP070160 GREEN LANTERN #25 (NOTE PRICE) $4.99
OCT070172 GREEN LANTERN CORPS #19 $2.99
OCT072105 IRON MAN POWER PACK #2 (OF 4) $2.99
OCT072115 MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #4 $3.99
OCT072117 NEW AVENGERS #37 $2.99
OCT071982 NYC MECH TP VOL 02 BETA LOVE $14.99
OCT072122 PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #14 $2.99
OCT070132 SALVATION RUN #2 (OF 7) $2.99
OCT072081 SPIDER-MAN FAMILY #6 $4.99
OCT070145 SUICIDE SQUAD RAISE THE FLAG #4 (OF 8) $2.99
SEP070162 TALES OF THE SINESTRO CORPS ION #1 $2.99

OCT072108 MARVEL ADVENTURES HULK #6 $2.99
Call me a bonified meat-head, but for all the intriguing reads presenting themselves this month, it's the kid's line that captures my imagination. I'm nowhere near as burnt out on the plight of mainstream crossover comics as others, but the prospect of Hulk fighting Sub-Mariner without strings attached is too much to resist!

- Marvel Comics Presents remains the revival I most regret not reading, right now.
- Punisher War Journal narrowly misses out on the pick of the week as it promises to bring together Kraven Jr, the Punisher, and Rhino in what promises to be a welcome return to of interest in the title after the last storyarc.
- Countdown has all the sounds of a branding that's taking off, but lately it seems like all anyone wants to do for DC is talk about doom and gloom. Here's hoping the close of the online acclaimed Sinestro Corp War won't be the turn for the worse many DC critics suggest it is.
- Black Adam seems to have lost a lot of the momentum that had seen him endear to so many readers of 52. Here's hoping there's light at the end 2007, as The Dark Ages wraps up.

BONUS CONTENT:
Remember when we were talking about Doc Samson? [Nova #3]
Seems like a wonderful act of serendipity that Sub-Mariner would feature in one of the more interesting prospects of the week. Behold, a sign of things to come? Make your feelings known!

FANTASY FIGHTS: DC/MARVEL ROUND 5!
By popular demand, the Infinite Wars are about to go where they've never been before! After two years of comprehensive canonical fight fact coverage, we're delving into the fictional world of fantasy fights, because you demanded it!

In the spirit of the immensly popular '96 DC/Marvel crossover event, we're pitting fifteen of each company's most relevant characters to 2007 against one and other! Stay tuned as we take a look at the imagine struggles of the superhero stars that have propelled the Infinite Wars across two full years of fisticuffs!

GREEN ARROW versus HAWKEYE
Strength: Draw 2 (Average)
Intelligence: Draw 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Draw 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Draw 4 (Athlete)
Agility: Draw 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting Ability: Draw 4 (Trained Fighter)
Energy Powers: Draw 4 (Arsenal)


The Hook...
If you didn't see this one coming, you just lost yourself some serious rep points, my friend. You'd be hard pressed to find any fan who wouldn't offer up GA/Hawkeye when challenged to concoct a DC/Marvel scenario such as this.

Some might puzzle how this oh-so obvious meeting of archery themed heroes could've been omitted from the original crossover mini-series. Truth be told, they probably fell by the same zeitgeist that would have kept them out of our own efforts, had we made a tradition of this by doing it last December.

Needing no elaborate introduction, the two archers have come to share much in common over the last few years. Hawkeye made a pseudo-sacrifice during Avengers Disassembled, going down in a blaze of glory vaguely reminiscent of Green Arrow's own demise, where the emerald archer sacrificed himself to prevent an explosion that could have destroyed Metropolis.

After the events of House of M were rectified; Hawkeye find himself once again among the living, and ready to fight crime. When he finally rejoined the superhero community in the wake of the superhero Civil War, he joined up with the rebellious Secret Avengers, and assuming Maya Lopez' sword swinging ninja alter-ego, he would recall training with the Swordsman to become - Ronin.

Good thing, too, because it brings the synergy of character full circle.
During the One Year Later Oliver Queen returned to the island that gave birth to the tradition of the Green Arrow, and there, he retrained himself and his allies, assimilating a new talent for swordplay into his swashbuckling arsenal.

The Math: Draw Ranking: Green Arrow (#20)

The Battle...
Stalking across the rooftops of the urban sprawl; Green Arrow turns the tables of convention on his pseudo-ninja opponent. Observing the dark visage of Ronin lurking in the shadows, Green Arrow sizes his inter-dimensional opponent up.

Ronin leaps into the air as a hail of arrows fly down at him from the buildings above. The blanket of razor tipped arrows bury themselves into the ground and walls surrounding him, all serving as warning to the "masterless samurai."
With an air of whimsical enjoyment, Green Arrow follows behind his ammunitions, using his bow as a weapon to knock the Ronin down.

GA draws a flash arrow and slams it against the ground to ignite it's flare, but Hawkeye sees the all too familiar strategy coming, able to shield his eyes from the blinding flash. Even so, the move buys GA time enough to draw dummy arrows, which he fires with non-lethal victory in mind.

Ronin slices the arrows out of the air and challenges Green Arrow to draw his own blade, which he wears with quiver on his back. Though still somewhat alien a resort, Green Arrow is happy to meet his foe on their newest common ground.

GA charges to bring his blade to Ronin's. The two heroes engage in elaborate swordry, before Ronin manages to acrobatically leap over GA, plucking an arrow from his still mounted quiver. Lacking the characteristic strategy of precision archery, Hawkeye stabs his opponent in the leg with his own arrow, reminding of the severity of the situation under which they fight.

Dropping to one knee, Green Arrow lashes out like a wounded animal, catching the closing Ronin with a stiff uppercut. Having brought Ronin to his own level, GA clubs him in the back of the head with the butt of his sword.

When Ronin next looks up, he is staring down the all-too-serious point blank side of a boxing gloved arrow. GA makes no bones about letting the arrow go to knock his counterpart out. "Like this!"

The Hammer...
Well, then. Maybe next time Hawkeye decides to pull an identity switcheroo, he'll consider keeping his trademark weapons! It was this omission that made deciding the conclusion some what easier than if the pair had met on equal terms. In some ways I tend to lean toward the Hawkeye side of things, even though he isn't traditionally seen as active as Green Arrow.

In "the hook" I alluded to the fact that, had we done this last year, we probably wouldn't be talking about Hawkeye at all, given his untimely death. It will be interesting to see if the character resolves his identity, and what we have to say next year should this come up again. That's right, folks! A total cop-out, deferring further debate to next year!

If you'd like to register your opinion, or take issue with these results, please feel encouraged to do so! Few sections of the site are as specifically geared toward you, the War Mongers, as the Fantasy Fights!
WINNER: Green Arrow

3 versus 2

COVER TO COVER: TWENTY FIVE - '88-'92!
Now, some people will tell you that it's about here you want to start thinking about hitting the eject button, but you know what? Those people are nazi bastards who wouldn't know fun times if they read that opinion a message board, and regurgitated it at a later date! (Hypothetical burrrnnnn!)

For those who came in late: Mondays in December are all about taking a look back in the lead-up to the end of the year! The past twenty-five years are encapsulated by picks obscure and obvious, directing you to one from each annual. If you want to see more from that era, you can [as always] find the date's tag at the bottom fo that post, and find yourself a whole world of nostalgia!
Now press the button, my friend! And send me back through time!

Silver Surfer #13 (July 1988)
"Masques!" Englehart/Staton
The Kree Supreme Intelligence has been replaced in a devilish plot hatched by their bitter enemies: the Skrull!
In an attempt to kill two birds with one stone, the phony leader directs his greatest champion - Ronan the Accuser - to seek out and accuse their cosmic enemy, Silver Surfer!

Determined to serve, Ronan does exactly that, finding the Surfer faring the spacewaves with a fellow exiled herald to Galactus - Nova! Though she attempts to aid the Surfer in his battle; Kree science nullifies her ability to interfere.

Get a history lesson as two of the powers that opposed the Annihilation Wave come to blows in a cosmic showdown of epic proportions!

Amazing Spider-man #327 (December 1989)
"Cunning Attractions!" Michelinie/Larsen
Not a hoax! Not a dream! Not an imaginary story!

The villains have pooled their efforts to swap intelligence and test new attacks against their most bitter of foes. These acts of vengeance lead Magneto into an unlikely showdown with Spider-man, whom he believes may in fact be a mutant, like those in his Brotherhood!

It should be a cakewalk for the master of magnetism, but whoops. Spidey's found himself in possession of the cosmic power of Captain Universe, which means Magneto may just have bitten off more than he can chew! An omni-powered, spider-bitten, wall-crawling, Spider-man!

Captain America Annual #9 (1990)
"The Terminus Factor: You Are What You Eat" Thomas/Thomas/Valentino
Long before the Civil War; Captain America and Iron Man came to bitter blows as a result of a far more insidious influence. From beneath the Earth's crust, Terminus had begun germinating, and infected waters and all who drank from them -- including Tony Stark - Iron Man!

Captain America is forced to go up against one of his oldest friends in an effort to cure him of his blood lusting trance! It's the ultimate showdown of man and machine, and as the battle spirals out of control, the Captain is forced to fight for his life in a literal cliff hanger!
The pre-fight for the eventual main event that was Civil War!

Fantastic Four #358 (November 1991)
"Whatever happened to Alicia?!" DeFalco/Ryan
Skrulls have infiltrated the Avengers and quite possibly the Marvel Universe, but guess what? They've done it plenty of times before!

Watch in horror as the Fantastic Four learn the terrible secret that threatens to tear them apart: Alicia Masters is a Skrull! Whoa, cool your jets there, true believer!
What I meant to say is, Alicia has been replaced by a Skrull, which means she never married the Human Torch, and is being held in stasis on a Skrull warship!

Marvel's first family are fighting for their own as they clash with Paibok and an entire army of Skrulls, for the fate of Alicia!

Fantastic Four #361 (February 1992)
"Miracle on Yancy Street!" Ryan/DeFalco
'Tis the season to be jolly, but for the youth and vagrants of Yancy Street, that's easier said than done! The despondent of this small community are disappearing, and when Thing's brought in to investigate, all roads lead to the most unlikely of parties: Dr. Doom!

In a wacky team-up with the latest generation of the Yancy Street Gang; the Thing has to go solo against Dr. Doom and an army of Doombots to save his best friend's son! And the strangest twist of all will come when Doom reveals his reasons for returning to America, and the secret behind the kidnappings!

Will Thing even want to thwart Doom's plans?

COMIK-POLITIK: What's all the Ruckas?


"Continued frustrations in dealing with people who really
ought to know how to do their jobs properly..."
52 cornerstone, Greg Rucka, declines DC-exclusive contract renewel.
DC pitch 'Hot Lessons of Lesbian Bible' enticement project.
Rucka acknowledges open-ended relationship with company. Weighing up options.
Freelance status opens Rucka to talks with Broadsword Comics about future Tarot projects.
Checkmate so totally beyond screwed.
[LiveJournal (Rucka): Writing-Related Tom-Foolery]

RYU versus KEN
The Deadly Phantom Faceoff: The Battle Spirit Hidden Between Body and Soul
(Group TAC/Capcom/Manga)
Where: Street Fighter II V Ep. 12 When: July 1995
Why: Gisaburō Sugii How: Kōji Tsujitani/Skip Stellrecht & Banjō Ginga/Peter Spellos

The story so far...
On a journey to hone their fighting capabilities, old friends and martial arts brothers, Ken and Ryu, embark on a journey across the globe to encounter different techniques and practises of the fighting arts.

These world warriors encounter and study men from China, Hong Kong, and the United States, but it's the advice of the fallen emperor of Muay Thai; Sagat; that leads the pair to jump aboard Ken's private jet to seek a secluded village in India. There, they hope to learn the teachings of the mysterious yoga master, Dhalsim; master of hadou.

Their arrival proves expected as Dhalsim denies the prophecized beasts the teachings he bestowed upon Sagat. Determined to prove themselves as more than mindless brutes, Ken and Ryu remain in the village despite Dhalsim's distance, and endear themselves to the villagers and children.

When bandits arrive at the village seeking the fabled treasure of the forbidden Cave of Ancients, Ken and Ryu rush to their rescue. It is here they face their greatest test as Dhalsim emplores them to not endanger the lives of the villagers unnecessarily. At the order of the surviving bandits, Ken and Ryu enter the tample that claimed the lives of other tomb raiders, walking in with Dhalsim's warning that the monster hidden within is merely a reflection.

Previous Form:
Ryu (#15): High rating victories over Balrog, Sagat, Zangief, & Vega.
Ken (#31): Victories over Sodom & Sagat; with ties against Fei-Long and Ryu.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Ryu 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Ken 3 (Straight A)
Speed: Draw 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Draw 4 (Athlete)
Agility: Draw 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting Ability: Draw 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy Powers: Draw 3 (Explosives)


- Ryu is a Japanese fighter who was orphaned and raised by the master of the mysterious unnamed ansatsuken fighting style, Gouken. A life of training would develop Ryu into one of the greatest fighters in the world, utilizing Gouken's fighting techniques and mastery over the hadou ki energies.

Ryu is an incredibly well rounded fighter capable of harnessing his ki for trademark attacks such as; the Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku hurricane kick, Hadou-ken fireballs, the Sho-ryu ken dragon uppercut, along with an array of variations of each.

- Ken Masters is a practitioner of the same unnamed ansatsuken martial arts technique mastered by Gouken, Akuma and Ryu.

The style is heavily identified with the mastery over ones ki energy, allowing them to summon powers by methods of hadou. Ken has mastered the hadou-ken fireball and sho-ryu ken rising dragon punch, with a particular flair for the latter.

Ken is a well respected United States tournament champion, having won many tournaments and gained many accolades in his native America. It is this encompassing success that drives him to seek new challenges across the world.

Additonal: Essentially identical in their earliest fighting appearances; Ken and Ryu have been the subject of fan-debate for decades. In previous encounters on the Infinite Wars, they have only ever tied against one and other, representing the continued struggle for superiority that traditionally is said to favour Ryu's power and dedication, despite Ken's highly regarded skill.

History: Draw (0-0-2)
The Math: Ken Masters The Pick: Draw

What went down...
Reluctantly Ken and Ryu enter the Cave of Ancients under the order of the ruthless armed bandit, who already witnessed the effects of the temple's "monster" when it claimed the lives of his two fellows.

With Dhalsim's warnings ringing in their ears, they wander into the darkness where they find themselves engulfed in smoke. Without warning the two are seemingly yanked from their physical bodies, experiencing an astral projection that sees their spirits careening out of control toward a cliff face.

When they awaken, each fighter believes himself to be alone. That is, until a beam of light ushers the entrance of the legendary guardian monster, who protects the treasures contained within the Cave.

The monster appears to both as a hulking, ancient clay warrior who towers over them phsycially and asthetically. Even so, Ken and Ryu both confront the demon with wanton regard for their own safety, concerned only for the fate of the villagers, and the lure of combat.

Ryu verbally assaults the monster with accusations of murder, before taking a ready stance that provokes the monster to break it's silence. The clay warrior sends a thundering echo through the ill-defined space as it charges toward it's prey, letting loose the roar of a warrior.

Elsewhere; Ken suffers the jab of his own monstrous opponent, who puts a halt to his charge with a stiff jab. Ken charges once more at the monster, leaping into the air with a flying kick, ultimately dodged by the surprisingly spry giant.

Ken follows with a barrage of secondary attacks that connect, while Ryu finds himself on the painful end of a combination of blows from the clay warrior.

The monster winds up, connecting with a harsh, direct punch to Ryu's face!
Wiping the blood from his mouth, Ryu refuses to back down, despite noting the guardian's speed and strength, surprising for his size. Likewise; Ken makes his own pledge with the commitment of his fist, which strikes at his foe.

While the pair of wandering fighters face their respective demons, Dhalsim grows despondent. Sensing their progress from outside the cave, he telepathically sends an echo of his cryptic warning, "Beasts, do not forget! The cave is only a mirror which reflects your own hearts!"

Too concerned with fighting, the pair of martial artists fail to ponder on the master's words, instead resorting again to the exchange of blows, over ideas.
To Dhalsim's dismay, the pair launch into another all-out attack.

The guardian(s) continue to show considerable fighting prowess, evading the competent strikes of both fighters, only to deliver it's own with devestating precision! Each fighter suffers a succesion of punches and kicks, culiminating in two seperate uppercuts that rock both Ken and Ryu, respectively.

Ryu unleashes a violent spray of retaliatory punches, finishing with a roundhouse kick that puts the guardian on the back foot, but fails to topple it. The monster comes back strong with a spinning combination of back handed fists that finishes with a diving kick that sends the Japanese fighter airborne!

Exhausted, Ryu pauses on his knee for a moment, digesting the severity of his situation. Strategizing leads only to thoughts of the monster's incredible power, and his skilled fighting style which almost resembles that of his best friend, Ken. Recalling his absent friend, Ryu summons a second-wind to attack once more, demanding to know what the monster did with Ken!

Meanwhile, Ken finds his front blocked, only to be sent through the air with a stiff punch that takes the wind out of him. On the floor, Ken nurses ribs that are broken, and has his own moment of thought, recognising determination in the guardian that mirrors that of his friend, Ryu.

After another explosive exchange of blows, Ken and Ryu each seek a finishing blow with the last of their energies. Alas, both fighter is struck down simultaneously by their guardian opponent with comparable force, leaving them both down for the count, and severely injured.

The pause gives both fighters opportunity to further consider their positions.
As they both lie injured and exhausted, they notice the same unlikely reactions in their seemingly inexhaustible monster opponent.

Though unable to stand and blinded in his left eye by the monster's powerful kicks, Ryu begins to see clearer than before. Likewise, Ken begins to ponder the words of Dhalsim, and the predicament his astral trip has placed him in.
Considering the keys to victory, Ken notices the monster adopt a meditative position similar to that which he and Ryu had imitated from Dhalsim when they sought to prove patience to the Yoga monk.

It is this finally beat that breaks the illusion, and reveals to Ken and Ryu both, the identity of their monster: Each other!

With the test over, the two injured fighters struggle to travel to their goal. Nursing broken ribs, blinded eyes, and severe exhaustian; the two badly beaten fighters retrieved the statuette they were to sent to find, and gingerly stumble their way back to the villagers whose lives are threatened.

The hammer...
Y'know, one of the things I find really fun about a site like this is the accumulation of data. Drawing upon that sports league connection, we get a scenario like this, where two characters have met in combat three times, and each has resulted in a draw!

Some might call that a little tedious, but not only does it provide a wonderful comparison between two characters, but also makes the next confrontation all the more dramatic! Because, really, what we do here isn't much different, in many ways, to what you find in any professional fighting sport card around the world. Which is but one of the many charms to our little experiment here.

Much like the Sagat/Ryu encounter [Street Fighter II V Ep. 9]; this entry comes with an append-fix. After emerging from the Cave with their trophee; Ken and Ryu are met with a double cross by the raider who doesn't want to be identified by two city-slickers.

Having proven themselves worthy by surviving the test of the guardian; Ken and Ryu finally get a chance to witness the pacifist monk in action. Having stemmed the flow of ki in the bandit's last living cohort, Dhalsim goes about quietly disabling the armed men.

When the head bandit turns his guns away from the exhausted fighters to the meddlesome Dhalsim, he finds the Yoga monk holding his ammunition magazine with an eerie smirk. This precedes another pressure-point attack that paralyzes the bandit by restricting the flow of life energy through his body.

Much like the defeat of Nuchitt, we're going to tack this on as a bonus victory for Dhalsim. This may be a little generous, but heck, I have a real soft spot for the Yoga flamer, and it seems fitting, given that he has been announced along with screenshots of Ken and Ryu, for Street Fighter IV.

Despite noting the long standing unliklihood of a sequel, the Infinite Wars featured [apparently logical] speculation that a fourth instalment might finally arrive [The New Challengers!] came good. In October Capcom confirmed Street Fighter IV, accompanied by a brilliantly visual trailer for the game.

It was this week that the eager fanbase was finally privy to screenshots, answering many questions about visual direction, and the nature of the new generation's gameplay.

If anyone ever tries to tell you gamers are any different from [comics] fanboys, you can pretty comprehensively laugh in their face. The same kind of negatives exist in both realms, and they were out in full force with the release of images [like the above], which depict the new direction for the series.
Of course, as much as I'd love to act smug and superior, I'm not without my own minor qualms about recent developments.

First, I just have to say; the only thing more disturbing than Street Fighter fans desperately barking about keeping the games in the pixel arena of 2D fighters -- is the fact that a good many of them whole heartedly mean it!

Comics fans know all too well the perils of fanbases obsessively reluctant to progress. It's an attitude that can potentially render a company's attempts to move forward impotent, and given the odds that were put against SFIV ever happening, that's a concerning prospect. More so, considering that SFIV has revealed itself to be something many-a-fan, myself included, dreaded: another retread of the now classic (and devestatingly recycled) Street Fighter II.

Placing it in this era presumably gives makers not only a familiar place to start with, but also a cast of characters already well exposed to much of the purchasing portion of the public. If one was to read between the lines, SFIV's tagline, A New Beginning, mind indicate that this will at least mark the definitive account of SFII, paving the way for regular sequels that pay more attention to progession of story, and satisfaction of experience. [Yes, that's setting myself up for disappointment, but I can dream!]

Still, for a negative, getting the opportunity to play as characters like the confirmed Dhalsim and Chun-Li, is anything but a punishment. Sure, it raises a lot of mathematical questions, but it gives us a chance to reexperience these characters in the ever-popular domain of cell-shaded polygons, which in this instance, carry a more detailed render than many cartoony predecessors.
It's a textured look that seems to be becoming something of a hallmark of next gen games, but really, it's both unlikely, and far too soon to consider this the status quo. For Street Fighter IV, it's the happy medium between progress, and the classic depiction of characters.

Not wanting to delve into the mire of more negatives, I close with a few notes. I would agree with some fans that there's work to be done in better identifying the characters, particularly in facial structure. That said, for all the iffy artwork, it was kind of interesting to see a pseudo-realistic depiction of Ryu that actually made me think Japanese! This pastiche of grimey realism and manga sensibility is just further indicative of it's SFII origins, which a good many newbies probably won't recognise.

The Fight: 4.5 The Episode: 6

And just in case the SFIV made you forget what brought us all here, maybe you want to do some last minute Christmas shopping on Amazon! You'll again note the many episodes between each feature from SFIIV, making it an ideal series to explore further, if you've enjoyed these reviews!

FANTASY FIGHTS: DC/MARVEL ROUND 4!
By popular demand, the Infinite Wars are about to go where they've never been before! After two years of comprehensive canonical fight fact coverage, we're delving into the fictional world of fantasy fights, because you demanded it!

In the spirit of the immensly popular '96 DC/Marvel crossover event, we're pitting fifteen of each company's most relevant characters to 2007 against one and other! Stay tuned as we take a look at the imagine struggles of the superhero stars that have propelled the Infinite Wars across two full years of fisticuffs!

BOOSTER GOLD versus CAPTAIN MARVEL
Strength: Mar-Vell 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Mar-Vell 3 (Straight A)
Speed: Mar-Vell 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Mar-Vell 6 (Generator)
Agility: Mar-Vell 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting Ability: Draw 3 (Street Wise)
Energy Powers: Draw 5 (Lasers)


The Hook...
Aquaman/Sub-Mariner was the obligatory combo of fish-men; Tigra/Catwoman played wittingly to the cat-lovers; Captain Marvel Jr/Hercules maybe made you stop to think a little bit about what's going on. If you instantly identified today's thematic hook, then consider yourself amongst the super-groovy elite of Infinite Wars readers!

DC's wave of Infinite Crisis/52 related storylines reinvigorated many-a character, and the JLI allumnist from the future was right up there among them. Under the pen of mastermind, Geoff Johns; Booster Gold is now enjoying his time in the sun, spilling across time in a brand new solo series.

Coming out of the pages of Marvel's Civil War; seventies superheroing icon, Captain Mar-Vell, made his shock return to the Marvel Universe as a time-displaced warden for SHIELD's Negative Zone prison.
The Kree hero, who famously died of cancer, is plucked from a time before his illness took by Reed Richards and Tony Stark, and after fleeing his post, Mar-Vell seeks anonymity and seclusion amongst humanity, until perils force him into the light in the pages of a new solo series written by Brian Reed.

So, you see? It's a battle of the time-displaced!

The Math: Mar-Vell (Super Class) Ranking: Mar-Vell (#225)

The Battle...
Travelling back through time to investigate a disturbance, Booster Gold finds himself rocked by cosmic powers, torn out of the warp, to crash land in our present. The time travelling hero stumbles through the dust, which clears to reveal the glowing visage of our world's Captain Marvel!

Mar-Vell's cosmic awareness registers that Gold is an unfamiliar quantity in the universe, but before he can interrogate the strange visitor, Gold leaps at him with a devestating sucker-punch!

Operating on the assumption that Mar-Vell was responsible for yanking him into the timestream, Gold wastes no time attempting to blindsight the cosmically powered Kree. The physical onslaught provokes response in kind.

Mar-Vell delivers a defensive uppercut that sends the attacking Booster Gold into the air! He follows swiftly, leaving a trail of twinkling golden light that maps the path of his torpedo-like attack, ending at a collision point with Gold.

Dazed but still airborne, Booster retaliates on instinct with a full powered energy blast that sends Mar-Vell hurtling earthbound. His landing leaves a massive crater in the dirt, and this time Booster tracks his opponent through the dust with the use of his futuristic goggles. Alas, whilst being strategically sound, it only means he sees what hit him -- the devestating power of the cosmic nega-bands -- power even Booster Gold can't stand up to.

The Hammer...
To lift the curtain a little further back: I write each of these entries, like most others, without much in the way of editorial process. Regular readers are going to already know this because of the many grammatical and spelling errors that find their way into these streams of hand-eye co-ordi-nsciousness.
While I've paired thirty characters together in advance; by writing them as they come, the below tally is preserved. So levelling out at two-all, coincidental fun!

I would have to admit that neither character is really my favourite, and being that I'm a little bit behind, I might've played it a tad generic. If you're a diehard Mar-Vell or Booster Gold fan, confirm or deny the results of this confrontation that crosses time and space! Take me to school!

In the mean time -- ooohhhh! It's all evens!
With the only stern mandate being that there can be no draws, this next one will put either DC (blue) or Marvel (red) in the lead! Much like the original crossover series, I've ordered the showdowns much like any fight card worth it's salt, leaving the major battles to the end of the year. That said, there are plenty of significant characters from 2007 to come, and this next one is a must-have!
WINNER: Captain Marvel

2 versus 2

QUICK FIX DOUBLE FEATURE: Silent Knight!
BATMAN versus SCARECROW
Toys (DC)
Where: Batman: Dark Victory #3 When: February 2000 Why: Jeph Loeb How: Tim Sale

Quick Fix...
Dark Victory was the welcomed gritty sequel to the mid-nineties thriller maxi-series, Batman: The Long Halloween. Long Halloween was an instant classic, bringing together the oft overlooked mystery writing techniques that compliment the Dark Knight Detective; combining them with the world of Gotham City in an unofficial sequel to Miller's Year One.

Dark Victory is an equally revered piece of Batman fiction, but why should the Infinite Wars happen upon these issues now? As is often the case, there's a simple, if veiled explanation!

On the one hand, the Loeb/Sale maxi-series' have both been incredibly influencial to the Christopher Nolan directed feature film(s); with Nolan, [co-writer; David] Goyer, and cast members regularly quoting both stories as invaluable references. Empire magazine, (along with various websites), have featured the first official promotional shots of The Dark Knight's Heath Ledger in full Joker regalia, making now as good a time as any to delve into DK countdown mode!

That, and also, we're featuring an single issue spotlight on reviews from the past twenty-five years in weekly Cover to Cover features. If you're inclined to scour the back issues based on printed year, then you'll already realise that 2000 was a slow year for me. So, just to make sure there aren't any gaps, I'm ramming a couple of 2000 reviews in for four week's time. Haw!

Of course, just to lift the curtain to spoil the magic, in the time it took to start this post, to reach this point, we've also seen the release of a fantastic Dark Knight poster [alluding to the Joker with a dripping red bat isnignia] -- and I've also bumped this entry back several days, making room for another.

So, while a shred of the original intention remains, we should get this show on the road to make way for other entries of immediate interest.

A killer is following in the footsteps of the Holiday killer who terrorized the Gotham crime families with a murder for every month. Now the game is Hangman, and the new killer is eliminating corrupt cops, following a similar seasonal modus operandi as the supposed original Holiday.

The Batman, unclear as to who is responsible, interrogates all available sources, arriving at Boss Zucco, who failed to fullfil his usual routine of receipt collecting from one of the fine establishments owned by the Maroni family. The Cheetah Room gentleman's club was manned by Arnold John Flass - former marine and disgraced police Detective - with all the motive in the world to go after Commissioner Jim Gordon, and Harvey "Two-Face" Dent, for bringing him down under affiliation with criminal activity. Too bad he's not the guy.

Zucco gives up the Scarecrow as the catalyst for variation in his operations: and a potential suspect, or witness, for the Hangman murders. Batman tracks Scarecrow to the abandoned Gotham Toy Factory, where Scarecrow is hatching a plan to release his fear toxin through children's dolls.

Scarecrow proves less than cooperative, attacking Batman with a cloud of his sickly green gas that masks his gangling escape from the Dark Knight's clutches. The weight of a pulley proves vital, swinging like a pendulum through the muck to strike the Batman in the head.

Far more physical a foe than the gawky Jonathan Crane; Batman finds his way outside to the snow, where he lands atop the Scarecrow's getaway truck.

Reciting lines from nursery rhymes to the very end; the Scarecrow opts to plunge his vehicle into the icey depths of a Gotham River. He cuts loose from the noose that binds him to the man crouching atop his caboose; leaving him on the pier to suffer the effects of terror and fear.

See what I did there? Yeah, well, before we spiral down into the abyss of my apparent fixation with alliteration and/or rhyming, let us steer this train back to the rails of a valued entry. Actually, it's probably worth noting that we very nearly discussed this earlier as part of our Halloween spillover!

While the Scarecrow has roughly fifty years of history, it's his depiction in this series (and Long Halloween) that comes right to mind when I think of the character. It's almost contradictory to go from talking so much about pseudo-realism [New Avengers #35], to talking about preferring this fairly outlandish visual take on the Scarecrow character, but that's a surface observation.

These are really points coming at the same rules from different ends of the spectrum, and therefore opposite references. For me, it's the fusion of fiction with inspiration taken from reality that makes these sorts of urban characters so wonderful and enduring.

Scarecrow is famously one of the characters they struggled to totally come to terms with in the much beloved animated series. In my opinion, while the final visual of a bulky man who may or may not be something supernatural is quite neat, it actually gets too far away from the heart of the character.

If I could envision my ultimate interpretation of the Scarecrow it would be very specifically referenced in this contemporary tales. It would be the eerie but stylized appearance of Tim Sale's character; with shades of Loeb's distanced insanity, and Geoff Johns' deranged motivation and desensitization [as seen in Batman: Gotham Knights #49].

Scarecrow is already confirmed for an appearance in the upcoming Batman Begins sequel, and while sources close to the film downplay the cameo as being comparable to Willem Dafoe's returning role in Spider-man 3, one still can't help but imagine how a reference point like Dark Victory might come to play. Will the fractured remains of Jonathan Crane, last seen screaming into the night in Begins, be a silent observer of crimes in the new chapter, or could the Scarecrow and his toxins even be tied to the emergence of a new version of the Joker?

Mmm, me thinks that might just be discussion for another time... Now!

The Fix: 3 The Issue: 6.5
Winner: Draw

It seems a great many comics reader missed out on the experience of the Long Halloween, only to catch up by immediately diving into the 2000 sequel. If you haven't had the opportunity to read either of these modern masterpieces, I strongly recommend them as great Christmas gifts. That said, I would suggest you stay tuned for links to the original, if you're only going to seek out one, because it's there that the intrigue begins, that is inadvertently spoiled if reading Dark Victory first. Note efforts to avoid giving any clues to the final identity of either Holiday, or The Hangman!

---

THE JOKER versus HARVEY DENT
Christmas (DC)
Where: Batman: The Long Halloween #3 When: February 1997 Why: Jeph Loeb How: Tim Sale

So, this is the kind of thing that happens when you bounce your entries around. I did scan and upload the next issue of Dark Victory, which is a Solomon Grundy story I've been trying to shoe-horn onto the site since it's very inception!
However, with measured enthusiasm I must declare that I am but a humble servant of a higher power, and that is creative logics. It was just too tempting an offer to do an all Christmas Bat-entry, given the date, and all.

So, here we are, doing it in reverse order!
I stress again for the uninitiated or for anyone who skims over the names and dates at the beginning of entries -- Batman: The Long Halloween is the story to which Batman: Dark Victory is a sequel!

So, here we are, three years before the last entry.
This is a very different time. Movie goers will have recognised the Dark Victory mention of ex-Detective Flass. The man you know as an overweight vision of corruption actually began life in the pages of Frank Miller's Batman: Year One, as a tall and deadly peroxide blonde with special forces combat training. The visions you're having of Bridgette Nielsen are actually reasonably accurate, substituting silicon implants for Miller's standard olive trenchcoat.

Batman: The Long Halloween, like various stories that have followed, serves as a sort of unofficial sequel to Year One. While it provides inspiration for the big screen Batman Begins, it's worth noting that Year One serves more as a vignette of concepts, than a vivid depiction of the early rise of the Dark Knight Detective.
It's this fact that leads Loeb and Sale to quite successfully begin a tradition of telling tales early in hero's careers, elaborating on the Gotham criminal underworld, the corruption that facilitates the existance of a Batman, and the rise of the community of "freaks" and their costumed gimmickery.

While the period of transition (from conventional crook, to freaks) is more specifically explored in Dark Victory, the underpinnings are certainly quite well conceived in Long Halloween. In fact, one of the most vivid analogies of this transition of crime in Gotham is the transformation of Harvey Dent into Two-Face, which was apparently a wise tip from Miller himself, who recognised Two-Face as one of the under utilized gems of the Bat rogues gallery.

Actually, the story does well to further enhance Two-Face's motivations and character, differentiating him from the cooky insanity of his predecessors by drawing on his driven life as a District Attorney. It is no doubt this characterization that will steer Aaron Eckhart's depiction of the character in The Dark Knight; and it's here, in the Long Halloween, that we get a glimpse of the speculated relationship between Two-Face and Joker.

The popular bet is that it will be the clown prince of crime who scars Harvey Dent in this new big screen canon; but in the Long Halloween that is an honor reserved for a vastly different character (who is also rumored to appear) -- I won't spoil it for those of you making eagerly making Christmas purchases.

Having had his home previously destroyed by gang violence; Harvey Dent surprises his chair-bound wife, Gilda, with a bow wrapped cottage on Christmas Eve. Having carried his excited bride across the threshold, the DA encourages his wife to explore the upstairs, having observed unsolicited footprints in his home.

Lurking around the Christmas tree stirs a grinning Joker.

Dent charges the Joker, exploding in a furious delivery of fists that smack the jester's twisted grin left and right of his face. Though the blows might have shaken an average man, the Joker will forever be remembered as anything but average.

Investigating the Holiday murders in his own bizarre way, Joker swiftly puts chief-suspect Harvey Dent down with a swift kick to the crotch.
The uncermonious maneuver sufficiently floors the Distict Attorney, and gives the Joker the opportunity to examine him beneath his magnifying glass.

The Joker notes that Harvey is not Batman; as suspected by some citizens of Gotham; but remains uncertain of his potential as the killer called Holiday. Discontent with the presence of another themed maniac, Joker leaves Dent with a stern warning that should he indeed turn out to be the killer, he will return with intentions far less "forgiving" than this visit.

Joker disappears into the night, leaving Dent to be discovered beside the toppled Christmas tree in a quivering heap. A humiliation the District Attorney will not soon forget.

Boy! Wasn't that a cheery Christmas tale?
Alright, so it might not leave you warm and fuzzy before the jolly fatman slides down the chimney, but it's none the less a piece of a fantastic puzzle! A puzzle in both the story itself, and as a piece of The Dark Knight to come.

As both a fan of play-along mysteries, and Batman and his cast of supporting characters, I fall in that massive category of fans who regard these tales with reverence and awe. Say what you will about Loeb's lesser outings, but undeniable is the stoic execution of this gritty, urban mystery.

Often on the Infinite Wars we've discussed the typical divide of what a fanboy regards as their penultimate Batman. If such a thing is seen in print, for me, it may just be in the pages of The Long Halloween and Dark Victory.
Tim Sale's visuals deserve all the credit in the world for enhancing what is a relatively well constructed story. It is mind boggling that Sale, colour blind, can be so deft at laying down the perfect greys, blues and greens.
I think ultimately the visuals and written execution deserves more kudos than the mystery itself, which I find gets a little muddy, and maybe hides behind the safety net of being coy, just a little too much.

This is historic Batman, and if not for it's connected relevance, it would be a must-have perhaps only surpassed by The Dark Knight Returns; another Frank Miller inspiration for the big screen (re; The Dark Knight).

The Fix: 3 The Issue: 6.5
Winner: Joker

If you can't wait six months for The Dark Knight, or have a loved one who loves Batman and doesn't already own this, then it's the ultimate Christmas gift! If they're really special, you can't go past the oversized Absolute Edition with hardcover, slip case, and tonnes of extras. For everyone else, the complete collected trade isn't a bad way to go, at all! Actually, I kinda think the matte paper stock has a special charm!