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COVER TO COVER: DECK THE HALLS!Well, of all the days to be regifting!
It's Christmas Day and the Infinite Wars may be running behind schedule, but that doesn't mean we can't leave a few season's beatings beneath the tree!
Take a look back at some of the best Christmas entries of Infinite Wars past, present, and future! Like any great Holiday Special we've got a whole range of clips featuring old favourites featuring: Kitty Pryde, the Thing, Dr. Doom, Spider-man, Mephisto, the Joker, Harvey Dent, and Robin!
Uncanny X-Men #143 (March 1981)
"Demon" Claremont/Byrne
Kitty Pryde remains one of the best known Marvel heroes of Jewish faith, and for her, the holiday season can be a little awkward. Not because of religious beliefs, but because, as one of the uncanny X-Men, she gets all kinds of unwanted visitors dropping by!
Take this classic tale from the all-star creative team of Claremont and Byrne!
When the X-Men are away, the villains will play, and X-student Kitty Pryde is about get a harsh initiation as the Xavier Mansion becomes the battleground between an X-Man in waiting and a survivor of the sinister N'Garai species that nearly defeated a full team!
Fantastic Four #361 (February 1992)
"Miracle on Yancy Street!" Ryan/DeFalco
It's Christmas Eve, and a whole lot of stirring is going on down on Yancy Street! At the request of his old pal, Slugger Sokolowski, the Thing heads back to the old neighbourhood to investigate a spout of disappearances, and the potential connection to drugs that have gotten a hold of Slugger's son!
It's the unlikley two-in-one team-up as Thing joins forces with his mortal enemies - the Yancy Street Gang - to track down the troubled Sokolowski youth, and uncover the diabolical scheme. The only thing more shocking than Thing joining up with the YSG, is the villain who's behind it all, and the reason he's come to New York!
Marvel Holiday Special (1993) (1994)
"Hopes and Fears" Grant/Broderick
With One More Day upcoming, don't miss the holiday hodown as Spidey comes face to face with Mephisto: the man who will one day force him to choose between the life of his beloved Aunt May, and the joyous marriage of he and his wife, Mary-Jane Watson!
When the angellic Spirit of Christmas is shotdown from the Manhattan sky and winds up in the pits of Hell, Spidey ineviably follows, and enters into a struggle of biblical proportions!
It's a nightmare before Christmas as Spider-man wagers his soul for the fate of the season, and the joy of man!
Batman: The Long Halloween #3 (February 1997)
"Christmas" Loeb/Sale
A new serial killer has emerged in Gotham City, and the Joker doesn't like it one bit!
The clown prince of crime is spending his holidays investigating the interference of the calendar killer called Holiday, who strikes only once a month, on a day of significance.
With the criminal underworld beginning to feel the hurt, and the Gotham police department in flux, the freaks are free to play, and neither establishment is happy about it.
Batman's the least of his problems as Joker takes the fight to Harvey Dent, offering the District Attorney a stern example of what it takes to be a murdering madman in the city of Gotham.
Detective Comics #826 (February 2007)
"Slayride" Dini/Kramer
Socks, ties, and underwear. Christmas with the old folks is a bore, so who could blame Tim Drake for heading out for a little patrol duty as the boy wonder, Robin?
Things are going well until a fight with a biker gang goes awry, leading a wounded Robin into the clutches of his worst enemy: the Joker!
What would a Christmas with the Joker be without a few holiday homicides, hit-and-runs, and hilarity?!
Forced to watch as events unfold out of his control, Robin gets seasoned in the seasons as he locks wits with Batman's oldest foe, and does his best to stop the madness.
COVER TO COVER: TWENTY FIVE - '98-'02!2008 draws ever closer, and as we countdown the final days of 2007, so to do we countdown the years that have passed in reviews on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths! Join us as we continue our journey beyond the bumpy years of the nineties' "collectors boom" to emerge in the creative reawakening!
The Infinite Wars get into the thick of things as we get closer to today, which means not only more reviews to be found out of these, but also the opportunity to catch representation from across the board! Yes, that's right! DC (or is that, Batman?) finally get their cover-to-cover twenty-five dues! Now press the button my friend, and send me back into time!
Thor #1 (July 1998)
"In Search of the Gods" Jurgens/Romita Jr
For a year Earth's mightiest heroes were thought dead, but after the battle with Onslaught, time spent in a pocket universe, and a cosmic survivor bout with the Celestials -- the Avengers, Fantastic Four and Thor are back!
The Norse God of Thunder emerges after a near-death tussle with the sinister Dr. Doom, but his triumph proves hollow when he returns to an empty kingdom: Asgard abandoned and in ruins, devoid of even the foul Loki!
Thor returns to Earth to confront a new chapter in his destiny, and it begins with a confrontation with the Norse bringer of destruction: Avengers versus The Destroyer!
Street Fighter Alpha (1999)
"The Tournament Begins" Yamauchi/Yoshida
His master Gouken is dead - killed by Akuma - and on the eve of his murder, his star pupil Ryu is faced with the damning temptation of the same dark energies that empower Akuma and his murderous intent.
Ryu is far from alone in his internal struggle, joined not only by lifelong friend, Ken Masters; but also a cast of new friends including Sakura, Chun-Li, and a mysterious young Brazilian boy claiming to be his brother - Shun!
The street fighters head to the next big tournamnet, where Shun uncovers his own connection to the dark hadou energy when he faces the Russian wrestler- Zangief!
Batman: Dark Victory #3 (February 2000)
"Toys" Loeb/Sale
With the Holiday killings still fresh in the memory of Gotham city gangsters, freaks, cops, and heroes; the Dark Knight Detective finds himself confronted with a brand new slew of serial killings committed in conjunction with the calendar -- and this time the killer is a Hangman!
The cast of the Long Halloween reunite as the Falcone empire becomes embroiled in a new battle with Batman, Catwoman, and the police, as the lines between mobster and freak begin to blur.
In the early goings Batman is launching a preemptive assault, seeking answers wherever they may lie, beginning with the gangled silence of Jonathan Crane: Scarecrow!
Dark Knight Strikes Again #1 (November 2001)
"Book One" Frank Miller
When the Dark Knight returned he challenged an establishment that had shunned it's greatest heroes, and took the fight direct to their boyscout puppet: Superman!
After faking his death in the battle, Batman will Strike Again, but not before he frees a few more of his fellows from their oppresive bondage, and razes his army of Sons of the Bat -- former street punks who've joined his cause.
Superman brings the fight to Batman in a rematch that sees Batman not only well prepared, but with plenty of people lining up to take a shot at the superhero who turned his earth-moving back on the Justice League!
Batman #608 (December 2002)
"Hush: The Ransom" Loeb/Lee
A grossly mutated Killer Croc has joined a pack of mercenaries in an effort to kidnap one of Gotham's rich heirs to a fortune. Concerned for the child's predicament, the Dark Knight is swift in delivering his justice, but soon learns this is but the beginning!
Killer Croc's a man motivated, and Batman will have to pull out all his tricks to take on the hulking crocodilian in a rooftop battle. Meanwhile, Catwoman is ready to capitalize on the distraction and pick-up the winnings for herself!
Is she acting alone, or is their a heirarchy of alternates pulling the strings, leading to a brand new rogue in Batman's growing cast of enemies? Hush begins here!
SADLER'S CYBORG versus RYUDr. Sadler's Ultimate Weapon (Group TAC/Capcom)
Where: Street Fighter Alpha When: 1999
Why: Shigeyasu Yamauchi, Joe Romersa, Reiko Yoshida, & Kirk Thornton How: Kane Kosugi, Hidenari Ugaki, Reiko Kiuchi, Kazuya Ichijô
The story so far...
Having been approached by a young Brazilian boy claiming to be his long-lost younger brother; Ryu embarks on a journey of self-discovery with his oldest friend; Ken Masters; and new allies, including Interpol agent, Chun-Li.
Struggling to contain the tempting dark hadou energies that represent the evil side of his ki-harnessing martial art, Ryu opts to observe from the sidelines at the street fighting tournament that has lured Ken Masters from his home in the US, back to Japan.
It's whilst fighting the hulking Russian wrestler - Zangief - that Shun suffers over whelming odds and begins to tap into the powers of the dark hadou, forcing Ryu to step into the combative arena and face his own dark energy. Though he is able to resist whilst defeating Zangief, a new opponent presents himself instantly, pulling Ryu once more into his internal battle.
Tale of the tape...
Strength: Cyborg 5 (Super Strength)
Intelligence: Ryu 2 (Average)
Speed: Draw 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Cyborg 6 (Generator)
Agility: Draw 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting Ability: Draw 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy Powers: Ryu 3 (Explosives)
- The exact nature of the cyber-organic creature created and utilized by Dr. Sadler is unknown, but it's chief purpose is to antagonize the custom attacks of skilled ki fighters in an effort to absorb and gauge them.
To fullfil this role the cyborg was designed to be on the highest level of both resistance and physical strength. It's fighting arsenal includes focused energy beams, as well as simulated fireball attacks. Despite it's incredible size, the cyborg is deceptively fast and agile, which may suggest limited ki control.
Though controlled by Dr. Sadler, the cyborg exhibits limited degrees of independence in it's ability to strategize in combat. It appears capable of speach and emotion, although, this is typically replaced by an unemotive silent smile.
- 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.
The Math: Sadler's Android Ranking: Ryu (#15)
What went down...
The metaphoric shadow of Akuma looms over him as Ryu probes the battered young boy who claims to be his younger brother. Before he is even able to digest the prospect that Akuma may have fathered them both, a new enemy descends through the dust, to resume the battle that Zangief lost. [Street Fighter Alpha]
The monstrous silver-haired fighter blocks Ryu's knee, but takes an airborne roundhouse kick to the side of the head. The move fails to phase him, allowing the giant to unleash a barrage of heavy swinging punches.
Ryu is nimble enough to dart around each fist and again launches a conversive response with his feet. Another roundhouse, followed by a leaping kick that finishes with a flip over the giant, again highlights his eerie strength.
Ryu gathers his energies for a devestating straight punch to the gut.
Though the punch fails to move the beast, it reveals his secret nature. A green scanning lense pops from the socket of his squinted eyes, recasting the Cyborg's dumb grin and hollow eyes as incidental, rather than any sign of true power.
The Cyborg launches his own offensive, firing off a crackling electric beam of green energy, which Ryu easily side-steps, leaving it to strike another piece of the already crumbling building they fight in.
Interpol agent, Chun-Li, having been but an unwitting spectator through the tournament and destruction, leaps onto the arena platform to join the fray.
She charges at the mechanical beast with her own energy attack, in the form of a kikou ken fireball. Alas, the Cyborg not only defends against the attack, but deflects it straight back to the source!
With Chun-Li skidding to a messy halt, the Cyborg allows itself to be distracted from Ryu, looming over the fallen fighter to deliver a devestating kick that sends her flying across the battlefield into a piece of crumbling wall.
No doubt motivated by both the woman's plight, and the safety of both he and his newfound little "brother", Ryu again waves his pledge to avoid combat, charging the attack that moments ago nearly swallowed him in darkness.
Despite Ryu's impressive powers, his hadou-ken joins Chun-Li's attack in failing to break the Cyborg's defensive capabilities, deflected harmlessly into the dirt.
The smiling Cyborg charges another electrical strike to respond in-kind, but this time the results differe grealty. Presumably fearing for his brother's readiness after the deflected attack, the young Shun leaps to his feet to absorb the impact of the attack.
Blood spatters from the boy's mouth as an ominous chuckle is prompted from the Cyborg's grinning visage. Shun tries to tell Ryu, "Big-- brother-- I'm not...", but before he can finish, slips into unconsciousness.
The injury to the young boy effects Ryu's heroic heart greater than any of the Cyborg's punches or energy blasts. With the boy cradled in his arms, Ryu is swallowed by the abyss of his dark desires.
Wind swirls and a pink hue takes the fight space as the dark hadou begins to grip Ryu's soul. The energies burn the Cyborg's jacket from his cyber-organic body, prompting an unlikely moment of discourse, "I'll give you a taste of that, too."
Charging his hadou, Ryu slowly stalks his way toward his inhuman opponent, who continues to boast his claims of victory. The Cyborg fires off four fireball attacks that are all easily dodged by the slow moving Ryu, who continues to charge his dark hadou powers into his fists.
Ryu edges his way directly infront of the mechanical beast, burning with an intense energy. Despite his non-offensive stance, the Cyborg appears unable to launch any preemptive attack as it's swallowed up by the dark hadou.
Ryu's powers blast through the Cyborg's core, enveloping it in the blue glow of the hadou-ken. Only a dark shadow from within the blast indicates the Cyborg's gradual decay from machine, to melted slag.
The blast destroys the remaining upper levels 
of the abandoned urban tower, leaving it exposed to a helicopter that soon descends. While an exhausted Ryu is incapacitated totally by the horror of his actions, a concerned Chun-Li is seperated from the wound young Brazilian boy by the Copter's gunfire.
Despite the best efforts of Chun-Li's partner, Wallace; the victory is made hollow by Shun's abduction by an escaping Dr. Sadler. Thus, the remaining heroic powers are left to contemplate their next strategy, freed of the Cyborg menace - for now.
The hammer...
With a welcome assist from Chun-Li (and Shun), (and the dark hadou), Ryu! Those keenly following the track exploits of our Street Fighter Sundays, which approach the opportunity for one of the SF characters to enter our top five rankings, will note that this puts Ryu right on course.
It's amazing, with one more Sunday left in 2007, to reflect not just on the staggering number of Street Fighter entries we've no had, but all the entries still available to us. Though I'll probably take a break to recover from fatigue; the lead-up to Street Fighter IV, and the much talked-about feature film that now boasts Kristin Kreuk in the lead role of Chun-Li, pose a lot of incentive to return to the Street Fighter universe.
Still untouched is the entirety of manga series, including; Street Fighter Alpha, Hang in there Sakura [Sakura Ganbaru], Street Fighter III: Final Ryu, and Versus SNK: Chaos. Also lacking representation is much of UDON's first volume; Malibu's ill-fated licensing product, complete with Sagat's infamous scalping of Ken; the US cartoon series; and last, but not least, the legendary SFII animated movie.
Y'know, coupled with remaining entries from SFA, SFIIV, and SFII, you can almost imagine an entirely seperate blog! That might sound like a subtle hint for 2008, but trust me, it's just the post-Christmas ponderings of someone who should really be catching up on sleep at 2am in the morning [as opposed to polishing off late blog entries -- this now being the 29th, for those just joining us].
With so much to draw upon, it's become a little disheartening, when reading new materials regarding SFIV, to see so much attention toward gameplay. Granted, it's always going to be a major part of the Street Fighter series, but for the most part, very little seems destined to change in the basic mechanics of the SF series. Even in it's darkest hours, Street Fighter has remained, to the unfamiliar picking up a joypad, unmistakable.
It's probably naive, after examining even contents from contemporary outlets like Ken Siu-Chong's work for UDON, to expect a more thorough examination of characters and their motivations and plot. It's this area, despite visually and conceptually brilliant characters, that has probably eluded Street Fighter from it's very beginnings, but in that respect, I thought it might have been the first to change.
Street Fighter IV goes up against genre mainstays like longstanding Midway rival, Mortal Kombat; and more recent contenders like Namco's, Tekken. Both share much in common with their founding father, but surpassed their predecessor in an era of 3D graphics, and character development that saw each telling their stories in unique ways.
Tekken, much like SF, struggles to expand it's story beyond it's chief protagonists, but compensates with a layer of self-relevant characterization that is very thin, but particularly enjoyable in high quality CG FMV.
Vivid characters remain key to Tekken's intrigue, and to further solidify it's qualities as inheretor to Street Fighter's throne; characterized fighting styles make even palette swapped character a unique experience to enjoy.
On the other side of the fence, Mortal Kombat has made shakey attempts to improve upon their fighter's individuality. Though not entirely freed of their past, the MK team developed motion capture based fighting techniques for their in-game dial ins. Intially styles exhibited great diversity in Deadly Alliance, but soon became more uniform exchanges in high kicks, high punches, and so on; stripping individuality from the fighter's moves to recall earlier MK outings.
The newest MK games have prospered mostly in their creativity, finally wrenching the colour coded palette swaps of games past, to tailor logic and individuality into it's cast of characters. Though stubborn fans have ensured the lingering presence of the ninja masked swaps, for the most part even characters like Sub-Zero and Scorpion have enjoyed divergence and originality in their new looks.
Likewise, as the appearances of characters has developed, the story surrounding them has gone deeper than ever before. The realm spanning battles of it's martial arts characters saw the development of one of the most involving storylines in video game history, full of character-based agenda, and universal influences of circumstance and convenience.
So; while Street Fighter IV is almost assured of it's place in history as a solid entry into the beat 'em up genre, what of the story? Popular belief currently suggests a return to Street Fighter II, with nothing specific to suggest any kind of elaborative qualities to the story. Then again, there really isn't much of any tangible information to go on right now, without picking apart translated quotes.
Some phrases suggest the incorporation of returning faces from subsequent installments of the series, with one quote said to be indicative of an effort to balance up the sexes. This could mean any number of things, such as; the inclusion of iconic fan-favourite, Sakura; in an SFII revamp, the inclusion of Bison's army of dolls, represented by Juni and Juli; baseless fleshing out with relevant cult characters like R. Mika; or maybe an insurgence of newbies.
Though inclined to be critical, I suppose it's only fair to reserve some hope, with plenty of information yet to come before the game's release in 2008.
Likewise, though not typical of what one would expect, you have to imagine that Kristin Kreuk's involvement with the feature film represents not only a step forward for her career, but a step forward for the movie's status.
While neither Chinese, nor particularly known for her exploits as an action star [I'm not sure a few spin kicks against Michael Rosenbaum counts, fanboy...], I tend to think there's at least a glimmer of hope for a solid story.
Again, I'm unfamiliar with any specific details, although the film is said to be part of a Capcom initiative to revive the series with film, television, and games.
Even with the bad taste of Generations lingering, I say, it's just great to see some effort going into it. And as reluctant as I am to play that card, anything's better than April "Ming-Na" O'Neal.
The Fight: 6 The Film: 5.5
You'd never know it reading through, but one of the delightful things about these reviews is that our accounts focus on the linear events pertinent to each fight. This means while you get a very good taste of the film/comic in question, there's plenty for you to discover upon further investigation, and fewer examples could be truer than Street Fighter Alpha.
Purchasing the film from Amazon not only gives you an opportunity to fill in the many conceptual/story gaps (ie; the unmentioned presence of Ken Masters and Sakura), but also presents the high quality art in it's fullest form, beyond the select few caps used to lure you in.
FANTASY FIGHTS: DC/MARVEL ROUND 11!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!
BLACK ADAM versus HULK
Strength: Draw 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Draw 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Black Adam 5 (Super Speed)
Stamina: Draw 6 (Generator)
Agility: Black Adam 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting Ability: Black Adam 7 (Born Fighter)
Energy Powers: Black Adam 3 (Explosives)
The Hook...
In 2007 there were two characters who were very, very angry.
They say you won't like them when they're angry, but even so, they were responsible for two major selling events dubbed World Wars in their respective universes.
One was World War III, which saw a grief stricken Black Adam devolve to a maniacal killing machine: the opening shots saw the deaths of millions [52 #45].
Unable to strip him of his powers literally; the new keeper of the Shazam totem, Captain Marvel, was instead able to switch the magic word out from under his black sheep counterpart, rendering him powerless upon his final change.
World War Hulk promised far more catastrophic results, but ultimately simmered to a battle with few casualties, making an ironic footnote for a grief strick Hulk's return to his home planet. Much like Adam, Hulk too was ultimately undermined by his human alter-ego, reverting after a lengthy battle, and the reveal of a betrayal far closer than his human conspirators.
By now Adam has found his new word ("sorry"), but on the otherside, Bruce Banner has been taken into SHIELD custody, leaving us to await the emergence of an all-new, all-different red Hulk who is, as far as we know, someone entirely different. Because of this, we're going to break convention and represent the Banner Hulk in WWH condition.
The Math: Black Adam Ranking: Hulk (#6)
The Battle...
This is probably the hardest battle to draw the lines on.
There's undoubtedly a degree in the details to be found, and in this case, I would consider that the "lightning ambush" is off the cards, which probably makes a difference to the outcome. I mean, I don't think a magic bolt of lightning is going to seal the deal for Black Adam, but it's a pretty big weapon!
I prefer Black Adam as a blunt trauma character, who wouldn't really be as inclined to use the trump card strategy the way the Marvel family seems to.
There's also recent events that saw him foiled by resorting to just such a strategy, so I'd like to think now, more than ever, he'd be least likely to resort to it.
So what would he be doing? Those unfamilar with the character would've learnt well from 52 that, when angered, Black Adam isn't one to be messed with. After the death of his adopted family he slaughtered around three million - a nation - to get to his enemy. That statistic is frightening in it's own right, let alone when you compare it to Hulk's "World War", which began with an evacuation of a city.
I don't think World War Hulk's follies as a plot concept should really impede on the simple truths here: Hulk is one tough customer, and the madder he gets, within the reason, the stronger he gets. Getting pounded by Black Adam? Bound to make him mad!
There's a simple answer that, much like Hulk/Superman, hands the win to the jade giant out of respect for the branding.
We're supposed to be a bit more technical than that, but honestly, there's a lot to be said for the power of a name, and as much as I like Black Adam, there is that frustrating X-factor in the Hulk's power supply.
From a standing-start I think Black Adam probably measures up the stronger of the two, but as a fight wages on, Hulk's motivations are inherently stronger than Adam's, even on the level of their gladiatorial mentalities. Black Adam isn't exactly the kind of customer who gives up, but he's not as easily invested in a battle as Hulk, whose classic motiff is to just prove he's the strongest one there is!
As a script this is inevitably a checkerboard of textless panels featuring snapshots of blow, after blow, after blow. Under other circumstances it might even prove to be a draw of mutual exhaustian, but this time around, I'm going to give it to Hulk who, despite the conclusion of World War Hulk, is supposed to be coming at things with a strategic perspective, and a mourner's rage.
The Hammer...
Y'know, even now I'm stuck thinking about Black Adam, the Shazam magic, and the lightning ambush; but I'm going to do my best to press on.
As has been the case with all battles, readers should feel encouraged to express their opinions and/or disagreements, because frankly, I might even agree!
For the Infinite Wars, it's been a real shame to not feature more of the two events that inspired this entry. 52: World War III and World War Hulk marked an uncharacteristic opportunity to build events around singular combat concepts, which has traditionally been hampered by sins past. I don't know how successful these stories were, particularly the lengthy and awkward WWH, but they served their purpose.
It's with particular chagrin we continue to omit WWIII from our catalogue, particularly considering it's significance in the saga of Black Adam.
The character's simmering rise has been documented in previous entries [Hawkman #24] and as much as it began years prior to even 2006's 52, it was in 2007 that the character really exploded with the events that preceded WWIII.
It's our hope that in the New Year we can finally bring to you that final chapter of the character's exploits, and perhaps even look at catching up on those other events that have eluded us. The Infinite Wars readership continues to grow, reaching thousands of visitors daily, and if you think you're an online retailer looking to promote your service, sponsoring the unique weekly activities of the Infinite Wars might just be a great place to do it!
And with that little promo done, we should probably wrap this up and get on with the show! Combat waits for no one -- not even Santa Claus! (And if you want to make the nice list, remember to vote in the poll! Just a few days remain!)
WINNER: Hulk
6 versus 5
TERRAX versus GREEN LANTERNUnholy Alliances (DC/Marvel)
Where: Green Lantern/Silver Surfer When: December 1995 Why: Ron Marz How: Darryl Banks
The story so far...
The day begins as simple as it can for any cartoonist-slash-intergalactic lawman. Using his alien ring, Kyle Rayner stencils designs, when he is rocked without warning from his drawing table by an explosion! Thus, the Green Lantern charges his ring before flying to investigate!
As Kyle Rayner discovers the granite alien Terrax, he could not possibly conceive the interdimensional ballet occuring across space. In another world, a chrome warrior suffers a similar fate, happening upon a destructive warrior that appears to be more machine than super-man.
The truth can wait! As protector of truth, justice, and the space ways, Green Lantern must summon all his powers to defeat the cosmically charged Terrax.
Still inexperienced, Rayner may be facing the biggest challenge of his short career, but little does he know, the grand plot designs an ally in the wings!
Tale of the tape...
Strength: Terrax 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Green Lantern 3 (Straight A)
Speed: Terrax 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Terrax 6 (Generator)
Agility: Green Lantern 2 (Average)
Fighting Ability: Terrax 6 (Warrior)
Energy Powers: Draw 7 (Solar Power)
- On the planetoid Birj, Tyros was the tyrannical ruler of the city Lanlak. It was his legendary callousness that brought him to the attentions of the space faring devourer, Galactus.
Believing the betrayals of his former heralds to be weaknesses brought about by their underlying compassion, Galactus seeks an alternative to mercilessly scour the universe for sentient planets upon which he can feed.
Granted a portion of the legendary power cosmic, Tyros was reborn as Terrax the tamer!
Along with the standard benefits of cosmic power; super strength, durability, ability to survive travel through space, energy blasts; Terrax' inherent abilities to manipulate most forms of rock and earth, were further enhanced.
Terrax was also granted a cosmic axe, which contributed greatly to his already impressive fighting skills.
Ultimately Terrax' selfish ambitions would see him turn on his master as many before, leading him to become a feared warrior in his own right.
- Having succumed to the effects of the Parallax entity; Earth's most famous Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, would lead a grief stricken rampage against his fellows in a bid to gain power enough to resurrect his obliterated city.
At the cost of the few survivors, the Guardians of the Galaxy would pool their energies to create one final, immensly powerful ring, which would be sent out into the universe with the last surviving Guardian from Oa; Ganthet.
The ring would come to be the inhereted by Kyle Rayner.
The young graphic artist's imagination would make him an ideal recipient, his creative mind opening up a realm of possibilities to the ring's powers of solid manifestation. These iconic Green Lantern powers would come to Rayner with the added responsibility of being the last of the Corpsman - a footnote that would continue to be a part of his education right until the return of the Corps.
The Math: Terrax Ranking: Green Lantern (#255)
What went down...
Knocked from his desk by a powerful explosion, Rayner charges his ring before leaping into action as the crab-masked Green Lantern! He soon discovers the blast to be for his benefit, designed to lure him into the open of his Greenwich Village stomping grounds, and into the sights of Terrax the tamer!
Despite being a completely alien quantity to his interdimensional foe; Terrax declares war on the Green Lantern, as the described "only obstacle" in his quest to conquer the parallel universe.
Taking exception to the notion of having the universe conquered on his watch, the inexperienced Green Lantern summons his ring's energies into an energy blast, but is struck by a rising stream of earth before he can discharge it!
Turning metaphor into reality, Rayner visualizes Terrax' cosmic strength and earth-moving abilities and returns them in 
kind, fashioning his ring's power into a literal bulldozer. The make-believe machine ploughs through the rubble caused by Terrax' attacks, but is swiftly cut down by the cosmic axe he grinds.
Rayner ejects to safety, inventing advanced weaponry to fire green bolts.
Alas, they go to waste, easily absorbed by Terrax' cosmic axe, as he drifts through the air atop a psionically manipulated chunk of earth.
Unable to stem Terrax' charge, Rayner is again reduced to defensive, narrowly escaping decapitation as the cosmic axe continues to press it's advantage as the superior weapon.
Rayner spits wit, mocking his foe's intent to inflict injury. It's quickly the Green Lantern who is made the fool, suffering a chunk of rock to the back of the head, highlighting Terrax' experience as a well rounded warrior.
As Terrax closes in for the kill, Rayner manages to slip in a final gag, a reference to Superman. At that moment a massive beam of energy blazes down from the sky to knock Terrax off his feet -- not the heat vision ray of Superman, but rather the unlikely energy projection of Thanos!
Recognising his attacker as the man who 
actually sent him to the DC universe; Terrax launches a renewed attack, this time at the mad Titan!
Thanos, riding on board a giant throne, catches the cosmic axe inches before it strikes his head.
In a display of power that is not lost on the Green Lantern, Thanos channels his own energies back through Terrax' axe, sending feedback that flash fries the former herald of Galactus!
With Terrax unconscious, Thanos reaches for dials on his throne, to send the cosmically powered warrior back to the universe he belongs in.
From here, the mystery behind Thanos' appearance is revealed. Courting the interests of Kyle Rayner, Thanos dismisses Terrax' claims of familiarity as the rantings of a deluded madman with aspirations of impossible universal conquest.
Proving his intergalactic intelligence to be well researched; Thanos makes an attempt to recruit Rayner and his GL power ring in an effort to maintain the balance of reality. He plays to facts vaguely true, declaring a rift created by a DC character, who has crossed over in an effort to pursue his own agendas -- the fallen Green Lantern -- Hal Jordan!
The hammer...
Two years into the Infinite Wars and somehow we're still servicing the introduction of characters onto the site. Unbelievable!
Under represented entrants include today's winner, Thanos; the assisting Kyle Rayner; and Infinite Wars first-timer, and the narrowly defeated -- Terrax!
It's the holiday season and we're running late again, so, as is often the case in these situations, I'm going to say I'm going to try to wrap this up reasonably quickly, but will probably take more paragraphs than is necessary.
Riffing on the opening sentiments, it's just amazing that two years of Infinite Wars still affords us so many opportunities to have 'firsts.'
Whilst swathing about in the Christmas festivities, it dawned on me that the last two Decembers [2005, 2006] we didn't do the X-Mas thing. Sure, there were a lot of reasons why, but if you're like me and are curious what filled that void, the closest posts were: Dark Knight Returns #4; Spider-man Unlimited #1; and Superman/Batman #21. Not terribly festiv!
Projecting ahead, on the best-case assumption, we'll have a whole bunch of materials for you to read on Christmas Day, and if you haven't already, you should use the 'older posts' tab at the bottom of the front page to check out the mass of materials that have been all over the Infinite Wars lately.
One of those materials has been the Fantasy Fights, which have provided a point of inspiration in the absence of alternatives. It was during Round 9, earlier in the week, that the continued lack of representation for the character did nothing to reflect his status spinning out of Countdown, the Search for Ray Palmer specials, and of course, Sinestro Corp Wars, which featured a spotlightingthat saw Rayner's role to Jordan reversed, as he became compromised as the Parallax host.
Financial constraints have kept the Infinite Wars from making direct reflections of the comics atmos, so consider this, all you Rayner fans, a faint gesture to represent the character's ascendance in 2007. For the critics, the obligatory Lantern-gets-hit-in-head shot.
It's not quite 'unmngha', but I think it does the job.
My outsider perspective of the character's Countdown role in the second half of '07 would be comparable to what 52 did for Black Adam, making him our site-sponsored MVP.
This crossover issue has been requested in the past, and as a special entry I've held off until this point, but there's an added layer of personal significance that makes this one of my favourites.
As far as these things go, it's got a lot going for it!
It precedes the ever popular DC vs Marvel mini-series to introduce iconic elements of that story, while also setting the scene for a Silver Surfer rematch which recalled their meeting, and presented them with familiarity.
It also packs an interesting array of characters. Sinestro Corps fellow, Hank Henshaw, is present as Terrax' misplaced counterpart in the Marvel universe; while the Parallax-Hal Jordan plays the Thanos to Silver Surfer's hero spot.
As a story there isn't a lot to it. We've come to refer a great deal to cause-and-effect comics, and contrivances aside, this is very much a case of that in it's simplest form. The cosmic scope lends a believability to the extension of desires that sees the villainous quotient of Parallax and Thanos attempting to exploit foreign powers for their own maniacal gains. Fights ensue.
For me, it was one of the first times I really felt convinced by digital colouring. While it lacks the grit of contemporary colouring styles, Digital Chameleon's work compliments the standard superhero pencils of Darryl Banks, presenting confident colours, and a hand tailored attention that sets it apart from lesser digital efforts characterized by lazy gradiant effects.
It's interesting to see experimentation in the Silver Surfer, using coloured lines in place of traditional blacks for details in his face and reflections. It's highly questionable whether or not the effect is successful in capturing the chrome of the character, but it's a design I wasn't familiar with prior, and quite enjoyed.
Likewise, my scans fail to capture the delightful dotted colouring of Terrax. It's a colouring style I've seen years prior in Marvel's work, but it's on the palette of this vibrant prestige format paper that the well contrasted palette of cosmic blacks, and bright colours, really show off those finer details. Like the Surfer, I'm not sure the dotted pattern achives any kind of granite effect for Terrax, but it's an intriguing visual that gives him a suitable otherworldy quality.
For me this comic represents not just a really fun time, but also a moment of personal triumph. It was at the peak of an Australian summer heatwave, without any kind of air conditioning, that I was gripped by an allergenic fever.
Upon arrival at a hotel the change was almost instant, and although still a little shakey, I decided to wander down to the hotel newsagency. It was quite a novelty, this tiny winding store, with it's location adjacent to the side-entrance valet drop-off. It was there that I first encountered and bought this comic, and despite fever yet to come, it remained a beacon of that positive change.
And there you have it, folks. DC and Marvel; Green Lantern and Silver Surfer; uniting their powers to do great good in this world!
Hopefully this little entry will satisfy many of you, particularly those who've been searching for this, and more Thanos, in the Infinite Wars. I know some of you are out there, and even though Rayner failed to pick up the win, there's still plenty of fodder in this special alone, so no doubt we'll be seeing more in the future. For the time being, happy holidays all, and stay tuned!
The Fight: 4.5 The Issue: 6.5
There'll be plenty more from this very special DC/Marvel crossover, but while you wait, remember to check out more from the Infinite Wars Fantasy Fights! Be sure to hit up the poll and vote for who you think will win overall, and feel encouraged to lodge your opinion in the comics section here, or anywhere else!
SPIDER-MAN versus MEPHISTOHopes and Fears (Marvel comics)
Where: Marvel Holiday Special (1993) When: 1994
Why: Steven Grant How: Pat Broderick
The story so far...
A night of lugging presents turns sour when Peter Parker takes leave of his beloved wife, Mary-Jane, and is forced to jettison their Christmas goods to take up the great responsibility of the amazing Spider-man!
A shooting star proves to be something far more extraordinary as an angel falls from the heavens, burning a hole through the New York streets, subway, and under crust!
After saving a subway car full of citizens, Spidey finds himself in a tumble that leads him to a destination most infernal -- no! Not Jersey! -- HELL!
With the holidays in full swing, Spider-man finds himself face-to-face with the devil Mephisto, who has plans to destroy the angellic spirit of Christmas once and for all. Spidey's making a wager for his soul in a battle for one more day -- of cheer!
Tale of the tape...
Strength: Mephisto 7 (Omnipotent)
Intelligence: Mephisto 7 (Infinite Wisdom)
Speed: Mephisto 5 (Super Speed)
Stamina: Mephisto 7 (Unstoppable)
Agility: Spider-man 5 (Cat-like)
Fighting Ability: Spider-man 3 (Street Wise)
Energy Powers: Mephisto 7 (Solar Power)
- Often confused for the devil; Mephistopheles, (better known to friend and foe as Mephisto), is in actual fact an entirely different infernal demon intent on corrupting and collecting souls. Even so, Mephisto is often seen to cultivate the misconception, using Satan, among other names, as an occasional alias when tormenting humans.
Coming into regular conflict with magic and cosmic entities such as the Silver Surfer, Thor, Dr. Doom, and Dr. Strange; Mephisto is begrudgingly regarded as an important part of the natural cosmic balance between good and evil.
As a demon of the highest level, Mephisto has powers to manipulate reality, summon deamonite spawn, steal souls, and generally cause of a lot of mystical mischief.
Despite these awesome powers, Mephisto often plays by an obscure ruleset, valuable in curbing the interferences of other powers, but often coming with deceits and manipulations.
- A bite from a radioactive spider should have killed highschool nerd, Peter Parker, but instead it would irradiate his own blood, granting him extraordinary powers.
Spider-man possesses the enhanced strength, speed, and agility of a spider. Adding to his arsenal, a precognitive spider-sense that warns him of pending danger, and self-made webshooters, which have since been replaced by a further mutation.
Unlike his previous mechanical build, Spidey's organic web-shooting ability has been shown to be nearly endless, likely reliant upon biological factors.
The Math: Mephisto Ranking: Spider-man (#1)
What went down...
Mistaking, at first, a flaming angel falling from heaven for a shooting star, Spidey leaps into action to save whatever portion of Manhattan is in the firing line.
He of course soon realises his error and after saving a subway full of passangers, falls through into the bottomless pit made by the angel's descent, falling into the infernal pits of Hell. Mmm, because it just isn't Christmas without a hero's journey into the inferno!
Spidey comes face to face with Mephisto, who is pleased to have the company of a witness, despite his incessant mockery. The quipping Spider-man soon takes a more dramatic tone when Mephisto reveals the angel to be the living embodiment of the spirit of Christmas, which he intends to crush in the jaws of a medieval torture device to which the Spirit is strapped by demons.
Some objection is noted from the Spider-man, leading to a wager. (Uh-oh!)
Never one to pass up a good soul, Mephisto offers Peter Parker the opportunity to rescue the Spirit of Christmas unopposed, with the catch being, if he fails, Mephisto not only obliterates holiday cheer, but also claims his soul.
Unable to turn his back on hope for all humanity, Spidey agrees, but suffers the first twist in Mephisto's ploy, forced to leap into action without warning!
Spider-man leaps into the maw of the trap just in time, wresting control from it's iron clamp with the use of the proportionate strength of a spider.
Spidey mocks the ancient design of the torture device, but Mephisto proves just as apt in dialogue, undermining Spidey with every strain and twitch of his superhuman muscles.
Despite his best efforts, Spidey fails, and the Spirit of Christmas is chrushed in a shower of feathers, and the crush of the spiked trap.
Mephisto summons Peter Parker's soul, leaving the visage of his alter-ego limp in the hellacious dirt. Spidey's soul howls in terror, prompting an unlikely act of restitution from Mephisto - the granting of Peter Parker's soul - key to his escape from the infernal landscape of Hell.
Mephisto, content with the destruction of hope and merriment, ascends to observe the misery he has inflicted upon humanity, only to get a nasty shock. All across the land New Yorkers are united in carol.
To Mephisto's chagrin, the angel Spirit appears alive and well and reveals that his powers draw from the humans' hope and joy, and not the reverse, as the demon had callously believed. Thus, despite his defeat, Spider-man is left to swing again, and enjoy the holidays with an unwitting wife, who very nearly lost her husband for Christmas. (Cue ominous music!)
The hammer...
Despite the happy ending, it's the uncharacteristic mercy of Mephisto that make such a conclusion possible. Within the confines of their opposition, it is he who is victorious!
Merry Christmas, indeed.
By now you can probably imagine the synergy behind this week's classic Friday entry, drawing upon events in belated issues of Amazing Spider-man. One More Day is the storyline already infamous for it's alleged intent to fullfil Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada's well publicized whims to dissolve the spider-marriage once and for all.
Quesada has famously grappled with the situation for most of his duration as EIC. Regularly has he voiced a desire to keep the character's good nature intact; (thus ruling out the once dangled prospect of divorce); but never the less remove the so-assumed baggage of a wife who has apparently sucked the life out of the character. It would be at this junction I would lodge the point that I'm not even inflecting greater emphasis here, but in fact accurately reflecting sentiments.
Like many longterm readers, I'm very comfortable with Mary-Jane's role as the Parker wife, and actually quite enjoy her presence. I would argue, if anything, there's a diversity of character to be explored on an on-going basis, drawing upon the same realistic beats that are supposedly to be reinstated by the removal of the character.
The reputation of a 'juvenile boys club' has been represented of Marvel's current guard of chummy acquaintances.
As figure head; Quesada's general distain for the marriage no doubt contributes greatly to this image. Dialogues regarding motivation for the shift - that include granting Parker the fantastic ability to browse for online porn - while ultimately overblown jokes, probably don't help much on the juvenile front.
Popular speculation currently predicts Quesada's apparent ultimate solution is the intervention of Mephisto, who proposes an obscure choice to Peter Parker: Leave his beloved Aunt May to die, or sacrifice his marriage in exchange for a second-chance.
In our own way we may present a bizarre sense of synergy, depicting just one instance where Mephisto may have come to enjoy the notion of inflicting pain on Peter Parker. No doubt there are far more ingrained examples to be found, but it should be noted, that that flimsy point is there to be made.
On the other hand, such intervention is absurd, and far from a brilliant solution to what has been a delicate problem. Of course, here and now, there's nothing yet set in stone. J Straczynski has publicly lodged a distaste for what he has been asked to write in OMD, but there's every chance this is little more than subterfuge to disguise what is yet to come, because there's an undeniable truth to come from all of this.
Love or hate Quesada and his methods, he has created a mythology outside the comics that can move as many units as any A-list creative team. The simple notion that this might finally be the straw that breaks the back is enough to have the internet aflame with Spidey chatter, and bated anticipation.
Never one to value a much desired career in writing superhero comics [comedy!] -- we lodge an opinion in the resounding negative.
If this is to be the end of the Spider-marriage, then there's every liklihood our promotion of the character as the biggest name of 2007, will be critically reversed by some form of a boycott in 2008.
However, the point remains, there's odds still predicting massive amounts of egg on the faces of rabid fans everywhere. We're on the fence enough to defend ourselves from such an outcome, with the life of a character who has already died, and should arguably remain that way, on the line.
Aunt May was resurrected in one of many strokes of absurdity that have coloured the Spider-man universe as a discombobulated mess. Restoring the situation would be a late, but acceptable gesture to restore that reality, and project the character into a logical stage of forward momentum. The apron strings have to be cut eventually, and with movie roles a large factor in today's comics, Aunt May's reduced role in Spidey 3 makes for a better argument than lead romantic interest, Mary-Jane, even with Kirsten Dunst's shakey commitment.
The will they/won't they of One More Day will make it an undeniable checkpoint for early 2008, but whether or not the character will prosper beyond, remains to be seen. Online voices have a way of distracting from actual outcomes, making sales figures arguably more intriguing than the prospects of the stories themselves, and in that respect, the Infinite Wars will be very interested!
On the other hand, having MJ throw herself on the coals for an apparently immortal Aunt would be an act of tedium far more offensive than May's resurrection, and quietly restored youth. So here's hoping, folks.
With no irony and in the face of solicitations describing a swinging and fancy-free Spidey, I'm going to make the prediction: Mary-Jane Parker remains.
On Aunt May I'm going to cop out and wait and see. ;-p
Happy Holidays!
The Fight: 1 The Story: 3.5
Bringing Spider-man into a battle between heaven and hell never seems like a good idea, contributing an extra layer of vitriol to an already volatile story in One More Day. Of course, a disposable twelve page Christmas tale suffers far greater than even the most offensive Spider-crossover. Go figure!
