DOPPELGANGER versus MR FANTASTIC
The Enemy Within! (Marvel comics)
Where: Fantastic Four #366 When: July 1992
Why: Tom DeFalco & Paul Ryan How: Paul Ryan

The story so far...
Adam Warlock, a cosmic weapon who reached omnipotence, purged himself of emotions to create two gestalt entities. From all his good came The Goddess, and from his negative emotions, The Magus.

Seeking total domination over the Marvel Universe, the Magus uses his fantastic cosmic power to exist in a pocket reality, manipulating the pawns of his game from afar.

To the bewilderment of Thanos; a man whose motivations are similar bit distinctly different; the Magus wages war on the heroes through the creation of doppelgangers using items resembling the fabled cosmic cubes.
Crucial to his war on the heroes, the battle between dark shadows and crucial figures within the superhero community. Figures like Reed Richards!...

Previous Form:
Mr. Fantastic (#7): Has led the Fantastic Four in battle against Super-Skrull, Annihilus, Paibok and many others.
Doppelganger: Captain America swiftly defeated his Magus created doppelganger.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Mr. Fantastic 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Mr. Fantastic 6 (Genius)
Speed: Mr. Fantastic 2 (Average)
Stamina: Mr. Fantastic 3 (Strong Will)
Agility: Mr. Fantastic 6 (Rubber)
Fighting Ability: Mr. Fantastic 2 (Average)
Energy Powers: Mr. Fantastic 1 (None)


Like the Captain America battle [Captain America #408], we've just gone straight to Mr. Fantastic's tape. You can fairly imagine his doppelganger measures up with roughly the same attributes, with the exception that he's far more malicious, and presumably interesting in doing much more killing than Reed Richards. Then again, those of us who read Civil War, might not be so sure. [Boom boom!]

Mr. Fantastic is an interesting character. We've discussed long ago [Fantastic Four #3] the peculiarities of his rubbery powers, and how they potentially make him live up to the cliche of most powerful man in his universe.
Okay, sure. Guys like Galactus can transmogrify him, or just eat around him until there's nothing left, but in the realm of the traditional hero and villain, Richards has probably got to be about the most deadly sleeper.

Think of it this way: He can reshape his body in all kinds of passive and aggressive lethal positions. There's the bouncing ball of doom, the giant hammer fist, the human-blanket, the python fullbody wrap-around... Not only all that, but defensively the guy can hurl most of what's thrown at him straight back to sender! [Although, recent results suggest that while he shares a molecular similarity to rubber, he lacks the super properties as an insulator; Fantastic Four #358]).

So, what's holding him back? Well, characterization has varied.
Almost universally Reed Richards is restrained by the scientist within, who is almost always too busy giving long-winded directions to his fellows, or analysing the threat with an almost perverse curiosity.

Just think, though. In Civil War he managed to created a cyborg clone of Thor, complete with deadly lightning bolts that had no trouble whipping Hercules around like a muppet, and sliced through Black Goliath in record time.

Just what could that brain do if it were turned loose?
I don't mean Dr. Doom loose, either, which is the obvious answer to the question. No, the best Doom is never unlocked to that potential either. Too busy acting in national interest, or bitter resentment, and even then, without those I think Doom still has standards too high to resort to scientific butchery.

I guess, since this is battle with an evil duplicate, we're about to find out what happens. Can Reed Richards handle the opposition? Hard to say. Sometimes he's a well trained team-leader ready to stretchy-headbutt his way to victory. Other times, he's a bit of a blundering fool, just as likely to trip over his stretching ankles as he is to trip up the villains.

The Pick: Mr. Fantastic

What went down...
The Human Torch has left in a huff - again - leaving the FF in one of their cyclical periods of being short-staffed. Having recovered from the threat of the Inniverse, ruled by Occulus, Reed Richards is preparing security to protect his son, Franklin, from the forces that may seek retribution through his endangerment.

Richards won't complete the added measures of security if the evil Magus has anything to do with it. Just then, as though from nowhere, Mr. Fantastic is confronted by a sinister mirror image of himself, completely unaware of events occuring to the other heroes across New York City.

Stretching free of his doppelganger's wrapping arms, Richards gets his barings with a giant-sized fist that knocks the doppelganger back. Unfortunately the maneuver sends the evil shade toward a weapons rack, where the creature is able to utilize all of Richards' intimate knowledge as his own.

The alien construct turns the advanced weaponry on it's owner, but fortunately Richards' pliable elastic body is able to absorb the brunt of the shrapnel. He flings it back with velocity at his doppelganger, charging in for a supressing offensive-defensive.

With the evil shade playing to Richards' doubts, he faulters, feeling the extent of his own powers as the villainous apparition turns his body into a mass of violently prodding extensions. The move puts Richards on the ropes, giving the doppelganger the opportunity to literally use his head to gain the upper hand.

Richards, with his back against the wall, tries to convince his opponent that they are too evenly matched. Again the doppelganger advances with an assault on Richards' failings as a hero, revealing lethal intent where Richards would have excessive verbiage and proclamations.

Without hesitation the doppelganger clutches Richards by the throat and stretches his free arm into his mouth. Using the stretching ability to expand his arm inside of Richards' throat, the evil shade attempts to choke him to death.
The doppelganger revels in Richards' doom, claiming to be turning the same stubborn foolishness that defeats foes, and distances Mr. Fantastic from his family, right back against him with lethal results.

Fortunately the original Mr. Fantastic is able to keep a cool head, stretching himself into a human top that flings his other across the science lab.
It comes to a thunderous crash landing, but manages to continue to intercept emergency alarm checkpoints, a tactic Mr. Fantastic has noted the entire fight.

Richards again attempts an offensive, seeking means to access the emergency alarms. Unfortunately, the murderous clone continues it's assault, manifesting their differences in physical form, utilizing a spiked club transformation in favour of Mr. Fanatstic's traditional giant hammer.

Again the stretching doppelganger gains the advantage, out maneuvering his predecessor, only to turn the situation like a rubber, super-wrestler.
He traps the weaker Mr. Fantastic while he contorts his stretchy body into a giant bow. With deadly speed Mr. Fantastic is hurled into the air, but he manages to reshape his body into a spherical ball, bouncing around to return fire.

Arrogance finally gets the better of the doppelganger, who falls into Richards' trap of ignorance. Prepared to swat the ball away, the doppelganger instead faces a wall of humanity as Mr. Fantastic expands beyond him at the last second, forming a human blanket!

Contracting around his evil clone, Mr. Fantastic clenches his entire elastic body like a vice. Foolishly he does not completely envelope the entity, allowing it the miniscule space needed to stretch a hand free.

That hand once again goes for the workshop's rack of weapons, snatching a gun from the wall. Mr. Fantastic stretches his own hand to the wall, attempting to pin his shade's wrist to the wall, but he stretches out of it to fire the gun directly at Reed Richards! The weapon spews a massive blast of flame!

Though stunned into unconsciousness, Mr. Fantastic is not mortally wounded or burned by the presumably alien weaponry. Never the less, his defeat allows his sinister mirror image to carry out it's objective to replace the FF leader.
The evil creature turns it's hand to a slimey mass of tentacles which grow to envelope Mr. Fantastic's body, and though the Freedoms Plaza alarms finally alert Susan Storm to trouble, she arrives unawares to find who she believes is her husband, disarming the "malfunctioning" system.

The Hammer...
Gosh, gasp, wheeze? Not a hoax, not a dream, not an imaginary story! You witnessed it here folks, the evil doppelganger clone of Mr. Fantastic was successful in defeating the original!

Over last month we talked a lot about stories from the past, and the interesting levels of symmetry between then and now. A lot of those examples had to do with comparisons between classic ideas and the deliberately inspired brand that is - the Ultimate line. This of course is an example built on a contrived series made for reinvention, but here we have a much more interesting parallel apparent.

Though Iron Man took the chief position as masthead for the pro-registration side of the Civil War camps, he had a lot of help coming directly from Mr. Fantastic, who many regard as acting distinctly out of character. Was this just a cast of a slanted fan opinion, or could there be more sinister machinations at work, behind the scenes in the Marvel universe?

The irony here is that it was during the Infinity War that much the same scenario arose, where Mr. Fantastic and Iron Man were each defeated and replaced by their Magus-created doppelgangers to become chief agents against their fellows.
Fortunately the heightened senses of characters like Daredevil and Wolverine were able to detect the facsimiles, but with the recent New Avengers development [revealing Elektra to be a Skrull], one has to wonder just how far methods of detection have been undermined. Wolverine was again one of those present who was unable to detect the switch between Elektra and Skrull, a woman Wolverine knows well enough to spot.

I don't know if we can realistically expect any kind of connection. I honestly think it was just a case of shifting opinions in a contemporary atmopshere of fear and concern, but it's interesting that Mr. Fantastic and Iron Man were able to be such crucial catalysts for not one, but two wars designed against heroes.

Reading this, you might know a combination of events have put me a few days behind our regular viewing schedule. Would you believe a one-two of computer problems and a mysterious power outage? Musta been trouble down at the power plant again. Oh, that wacky Electro!

So, we're wrapping this one up a bit quicker than ordinary, but I should take time to remind you that this is, of course, part of a special month in our Marvel Ultimate Alliance Mondays, replicating the later levels of the game where you find yourself pitted against evil clones of your favourite heroes! That of course precedes the concluding battle against Dr. Doom, which will be next month!

Despite all the wacky schedule interference, I have managed to prepare a lengthy double feature for today [Wednesday] featuring a lot of slurred ravings written after stumbling out of bed with a fixation on the DC Trinity.

Readers interested in the fate of Lyja after her apparent death [Fantastic Four #358], might like to know that it's this issue that concludes with the graduation of a new B-story. Paibok, having encountered the Skrull-killing Devos, reveals a plot to undo their mutual enemies, the Fantastic Four, with the suspended body of the Human Torch's wife -- Lyja!

Suspended in a pod of liquid in much the same way the abducted Alicia Masters was found, Lyja becomes an unwitting pawn in a plot against the man she came to love. It's a fairly classic storytelling model that typifies much of DeFalco's work on Fantastic Four, continued before and after by adjacent writing teams.
It is, of course, suitably complimented by Paul Ryan's classic pencils which are Byrne-esque in their construction, and nicely iconic. He draws a good Thing (hint hint)!

Thanks for stopping by, and make sure you keep hitting us up!
We just dropped a Technorati credit point (expired link?), so get out there and start linking to us! Or else I'll have to send my robot Sentinels after you!

The Fight: 6 The Issue: 4.5

[Continuing the fun of the Infinity War, this issue manages to mysteriously find weight through the progression of stories for each FF character, while focusing mostly on the struggle of Mr. Fantastic. Important beats include Sharon Ventura's return while Thing visits the local gym, and Human Torch's speedy recovery from discovering his marriage was a sham.]

QUICK FIX DOUBLE FEATURE: Go For Broke!
VEGA versus DAN HIBIKI
The Tournament Begins (Group TAC/Capcom/Manga Entertainment)
Where: Street Fighter Alpha When: 1999
Why: Shigeyasu Yamauchi, Joe Romersa, Reiko Yoshida, & Kirk Thornton How: Kazuyuki Ishikawa

Quick Fix...
With the various goings on around the place, we've had an influx of new readers. Some of them have actually arrived here because of previous Street Fighter entries, but for those who haven't, let it ring out through the village: I'm as keen on superheroes as I am on beat 'em ups!

Okay, so maybe not all beat 'em ups, but I think I've got the basics covered. SF, Mortal Kombat, Tekken, Dead or Alive. Sure, I can stretch to some of the others, but this would undoubtedly be my core, with DOA bridging the familiarity gap between those I'm less aware of, like the SNK series, and those I love, like Street Fighter!

Some fans might ask, why Street Fighter?
It's failed to make the transition to "3D," it doesn't have FMVs, it often lacks in the story department, and the wheels really fell off during the process of Street Fighter III and the pseudo 3D Ex series.

I'd say, sure, a lot of that is true, but the undeniable appeal of that initial idea, and the memorable revamp it underwent going into Street Fighter II keeps me wanting more. It's the characters and the style that have made a loyal fan of me, and also represent such interesting ideas for comic, manga and animé.

As a brand, Street Fighter is now regarded as little more than a nostalgia product to be regurgitated in several vaguely different forms. The product has arguably been squandered over the years, hovering too long around tweaked revisions at the cost of casting an illusion of forward momentum. SFIII, the final true attempt to move forward, remains one of the most disappointing, redeemed only by it's final revision which made long overdue inclusions of classic characters.

Consistency of characterization and the purity of the design seemed lost on the final generation of Capcom contributors. Garrish pseudo-superheroes, monsters and robots replaced the classic formula of martial arts caricatures, complimented by broad, but distinctive, ethnic strokes.

This is a fact almost certainly recognised by those that would develop the property for the minority market still interested. Largely more popular in the US, the Street Fighter Alpha animé "OVA" project was produced, paying close homage to versions of the characters not yet capitalized upon in animated form.

While Alpha stays much closer to the popular starring characters like Ryu, Ken and Chun-Li, it expands it's cast from well known supporting characters [Sakura, Birdie, Akuma] to cameos with Alpha initiates like Adon, Rolento and Cody.

Narrowly missing out on entering an American Street Fighting tournament held in a partially demolished highrise, Ken Masters accompanies an enthusiastic Sakura to find Ryu. There they witness one of the tournament matches, a brutal encounter between the vainglorious Spaniard, Vega; and the similarly arrogant, but entirely unjustified - Dan Hibiki.

Vega makes good use of his acrobatic abilities, leaping into the air with Hibiki already on the back foot after suffering a slash from Vega's wrist-mounted claw.
The Spaniard twirls earthbound, slashing this time at the pink-garbed martial artist's face.

Vega finds his way behind Dan, wrenching back on his neck before pulling back with his full weight to position Hibiki on Vega's feet. With a springy strength, the masked matador launches his opponent, catching him in mid-air with a flipping stomp. Unrelenting, Vega looks to finish the fight with trademark brutality.

Letting out a shrill scream, Vega buries his claw in the floored Hibiki's chest, erupting a volcanic explosion of blood and gore. Though his mask hides his emotions, one can only imagine the ecstatic pleasure the sadistic Vega takes.

It would be diplomatic to express some kind of interest in the Dan character, but let's be honest, the world loves a bastard. Vega is one of the prime examples of the enticing and pure characterization of Street Fighter's elite.

Vega is unashamedly comprised of utterly vivid portions of vanity, psychotic massochism, all mixed with the glamor of the Spanish matador. Though his connection to the martial arts is marginal at best (his style lazily described as Ninjitsu by American translators), he remains one of the most memorable characters to come from the first revamp, Street Fighter II.

The Alpha "movie" does manage to stay relatively faithful to the characters and concepts, even though it pinwheels on entirely original material to this particular story. Included for the first time, a data-obsessed scientist, his power absorbing android, and a much maligned fictional Brazilian brother to Ryu.

When laid out like that, it's perhaps evident just how remarkable it is that Alpha can be recalled in such positive regard. Again a testament to the power of using the characters well; Alpha peppers cameos throughout, staying closer to an independent story than the revered SFII animated feature, but utilises the cast much better than the unrelated sequel that follows: Generations.

Even so, with so much weight behind the cast of the series, it's a wonder there wasn't more effort made, particularly in the sequel, to include more characters into the story. It seems unfair to disregard the tale of Ryu/Akuma as what it is, but I think those broader, second-tier character appearances are really what remains the driving force behind any successful Street Fighter venture.

The Fix: 4.5 The Movie: 5.5
Winner: Vega

[Yes, I'm using the US names. In a perfect world we'd have a streamlined, one-answer option, but with CapcomUS now owners of the franchise, I'm pulling rank. If you're interested in Street Fighter, but are unfamiliar with the story, SFAlpha is a great place to get acquainted, particularly with core characters like Ryu and Ken.]

---

SAGAT versus DHALSIM
Yoga Mind Trick (UDON)
Where: Street Fighter II #2 When: December 2005
Why: Ken Siu-Chong How: Skottie Young

Quick Fix...
Street Fighter Alpha takes full advantage of one of the unique skills of the Japanese, maintaining a relatively simple story, but using style over substance to justify maintained interest in the product. It skillfully dwells on the minutia, without actually going into any depthy meaning or layers. It simply is what it is.

Fortunately, while many of the Street Fighter characters have struggled to develop more complex motivations in film or game; the good folks at UDON manage to maintain not only a beautiful and recognisable visual approach -- but also a script that compliments much of what we know of the characters, while still directing them in a unique, reasonably progressive story. Again, it isn't revolutionarily dense, but on the twenty-two page platform of a comic book, the luxuries afforded in animation quickly melt away.

For comics, Street Fighter perhaps represents one of the most inviting and exciting licenses available. Irrespective of it's in-built fanbase, the characters represent the ultimate in branding. Even the best of the second-tier is instantly recognisable thanks to brilliantly simple design. Each character brings not only a trademark visual, but a two-dimensional characterization that is an extention of their look, a trait that leaves plenty of room to elaborate in an on-going medium, without presenting a slate too blank to enjoy from the beginning.

These well defined characters really do lend themselves to an on-going medium, providing recognisable perspective from which they can clearly react to the on-going events of a story or situation. A true master would be able to develop and shape these characters into more depthy personas, but even the contemporary average need only stay faithful to succeed as the SF brand requires.

UDON does well to do a little bit of both, meandering it's way through familiar concepts (like Cammy White's brainwash ordeal under Bison), but also adds developing spice to stories and relationships, like Sagat's search for knowledge and power in the wake of his famous defeat at the hands of Ryu (circa the first, often forgotten side-scrolling Street Fighter game).

Either taking inspiration from the Street Fighter II V animated series, or arriving by the same logics; UDON takes Ryu on a journey to the mysterious yoga master, Dhalsim. Hoping to find inner peace and a control over the potential of the dark hadou energy, Ryu discovers Sagat, who has also been training to control his inner rages and become a better fighter.

In this back-up story taking place after Sagat's defeat of Ryu [Street Fighter II #2], we learn of Sagat's journey with Dhalsim, and the beginnings of his exploration of the mysterious yoga arts.

With the glow of a campfire to light them, Sagat confronts Dhalsim in the heart of a forest. There he challenges Dhalsim to prove the value of his yoga teachings, apparently unconvinced of their capability to aid his already impressive strengths.

Dhalsim gladly takes the challenge, using his defying contortions to evade Sagat's kicking attack. Instead of matching the violence, the stoic Dhalsim makes a fool of Sagat's brutish style, forcing blood to cascade from the Muay Thai fighter's nose with little more than the power of his energy.

Dhalsim follows it - extending his limbs to strike Sagat's proud jaw - before sending him through a tree with a devestating body blow.

The yoga master schools Sagat not in the physical art of fighting, but the clarity of mind. He decrys Sagat's motivations, and willing surrender to anger and hatred, "... the most distracting and dangerous of those emotions."

With quiet confidence, Dhalsim declares there is much he can teach Sagat, before punctuating his point with his signature attack, the yoga flame!

On his knees, Sagat opens his eye to discover he is unharmed. Dhalsim reveals the power of the mind, prompting Sagat to take a meditative position by the campfire. He is now Dhalsim's student.

Most casual fans will recognise Sagat as the scarred Muay Thai fighter of the series, and may even recall his position as final of the three sub-bosses in Street Fighter II. He supersedes Balrog (boxer) and Vega (see above) as Shadaloo bosses working for Bison, his motivations directly influenced by his apparent defeat (and scarring) at the hands of Ryu, who defeated him with the legendary sho-ryu ken attack that left his chest marked forevermore.

It's those origins that always leave me a little conflicted about a Sagat who is portrayed in a more positive style. In the TV anime series, SFII V, Sagat is portrayed as a fallen champion who was framed when he refused to take a dive for the criminal pawns of Shadaloo, the Ashura. In prison he encounters Ryu, undertaking a similar quest to develop his martial arts skills, and the two become friends as Ryu reignites his fighting spirit and good heart.

If I had to choose, I'd definitely take the UDON version.
Having missed a chunk of the first series, I'm not certain when I assume Sagat has not yet come into the service of Shadaloo. His motivations resemble Ryu's more closely, desiring only of fighting superiority, initially in the name of besting Ryu in a rematch, but after Dhalsim's training, in a more general sense.

Sagat, like Vega, is one of those secondary characters that really jazzes me.
Highlighted by his varying characterization, Sagat's story really doesn't begin until it breaks away from Ryu, and even then further depth is sketchy, additions like his service to Bison, and his arrogant student, Adon, being noteworthy.

Still, despite this general consistency of minimally developed characters, I just can't get enough of Street Fighter. Still months behind on purchases, it's perhaps the UDON translated manga and original releases I'm missing the most right now. Maybe to make up for it, we'll consider a little experiment...

The Street Fighter universe famously brought about a convergence between gamers and comic fans with the Capcom versus Marvel series, and it's many different entries. On a website dedicated to ranking superheroes based on their fights, can they possibly hold their own against an incursion of street fighters?

There are only three months left in season 2007, so maybe we'll play a little game with Saturdays. Let's see if A) I can keep it up, and B) if a Street Fighter character can usurp a top five ranking in 2007 before the year is through.
One would expect someone like a Ryu to take the spot, but without specifically contriving such a result, we'll leave it open. We may just get a surprise!

The Fix: 3.5 The Issue: 6
Winner: Dhalsim

[UDON continue to honour Capcom with their contributions to the Street Fighter franchise. Will they contribute to catapulting a Street Fighter into the Infinite Wars top five? Drop a comment and show your interest, and stay tuned to see if the impossible can happen! Get ready fighters. Go for broke!]

WOLVERINE versus CAPTAIN AMERICA
Dances With Werewolves (Marvel comics)
Where: Captain America #405 When: Late August 1992 Why: Mark Gruenwald How: Rik Levins

The story so far...
Having escaped the feral clutches of lycanthropy before, Captain America finds himself once again strapped to the table of the evil Dr. Nightshade. Intent on turning him permanently, she injects her formula, incurring immediate results.

The feral Captain America proves strong enough of will to resist the influence of Dredmund; Nightshade's partner in crime, and self-proclaimed lord of Werewolves.

Confused and disorientated, the turned Captain America sprints into the surrounding Massachusetts wilderness, his super-soldier body origins giving him an edge against the opposing werewolves. Unlucky for him, werewolves aren't the only feral creatures in the wilderness: Enter the Wolverine!

Previous Form:
Wolverine (#4): Killed Cap in an alternate reality, having already hacked off a few limbs.
Captain America (#5): Aided SHIELD and the X-Men in putting Wolverine down.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Draw 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Draw 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Captain America 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Wolverine 6 (Generator)
Agility: Captain America 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting Ability: Draw 6 (Warrior)
Energy Powers: Captain America 2 (Projectile)


So, you remember in that last entry [Captain America #408] I mentioned Captain America was battle fatigued? Yeah, well now you have at least some clue why.
After being turned into a werewolf by Nightshade, Cap snaps free of his shackles and bounds off into the village, where Dredmund turns a bunch of innocent bystanders, and sends them off in pursuit of the Captain. Not that any of that particularly matters, just needlesly elaborating.

These guys have a history together that continues to develop as pieces of Wolverine's missing past continue to surface in stories like the current arc in Wolverine: Origins, featuring WWII encounters between the characters.

On our watch, the first time these two met in opposition was back in our very first entry! [Wolverine #25] saw a Hydra controlled Wolverine finally put down by the intervention of Captain America, but not before he took the X-Men to task, and murdered gay-icon, Northstar. Ouchie!

Wolvie got the chance to even the score up in a What If [Wolverine was never deprogrammed?] spinning out of the same story. In this world, Wolverine was able to evade the finishing blow and hack himself a tasty, side of patriot.
In this world he's able to take the wheelchair bound Captain out. Not sure if that really means anything, but it fills the tape, and gives you somewhere else to go.
If you don't mind breaking a bit of kayfabe, it's fair to see how Captain America has the almost impossible advantage: Harmlessness.

In times of International war, who knows? But in his adjustment to contemporary life, Captain America made the decision never to take a life unless entirely necessary. That makes him a much more child-friendly victor when fighting a man whose chief offense is metallic, eviscerating claws that extend from his wrist.

On the page, it could just about go either way.
Each character is supremely skilled in military maneuvers, and both are capable hand-to-hand combatants. Wolverine, more inclined to feral rages and brazen arrogances, is more likely to put himself in a losing position, comfortable in the fact that his healing factor will keep him in the hunt for a later opportunity.

Both men are one-man army corps (*cough*), but Cap probably comes to mind more immediately when you think piles of Hydra goons. That said, despite all this evidence, he has one of the highest loss percentages in the Infinite Wars, currently sitting at an anchoring 37.5% (versus Wolverine's 23.8%).

The Math: Captain America (Meta Class)
The Pick: Captain America

What went down...
With his strength and agility enhanced even further, Captain America swiftly evades the oncoming attack of Dredmund's wolven followers. He sprints further away from their growls, coming across a "man with long claws," who is lost in an entirely different haze of animal ferociousness.

Instincts and muscle-memory give Cap-Wolf mind to call upon the defensive aid of his shield as Wolverine slashes wildly with his adamantium laced claws. They rake across the vibranium alloy of the shield, literring the ground with sparks.

Cap-Wolf grapples with the raging Wolverine, wrapping his own clawed fingers around the mutant's wrists to defend against his wild slashing. Through the red fog of his feral transformation, the Captain tries to communicate with the berzerker Wolverine, trying to find audible understanding.

Though Wolverine pauses for a moment to exchange snarls, it proves a costly opening for the lycan-Captain. Wolverine connects with his adamantium claws, opening up Cap-Wolf's shoulder with a deep gash.

The pain of the wound only stirs Captain America's animal urges further, sending him into a reactionary rage that he cannot control. With reflexes enhanced by both lycanthropy and super-soldier serum, he lashes out with a clawed slash!

Blood sprays, and Wolverine is momentarily blinded by the slashes across his eyes. Before his healing factor can stitch them up, Cap-Wolf hoists the spandex-clad mutant above his head, and with the villager werewolves closing in, hurls him in an unsolicited variation of the fast-ball special!

Cap will almost certainly be hearing from the X-Men lawyers, but as far as the battle goes, he is free to gallop deeper into the woods, victorious!

The hammer...
Bringing it up two-to-one in his favour over the clawed X-Man, your winner, by a snout -- Captain America!

If you're a regular reader of the Infinite Wars, you'll already know that Captain America is eventually freed from his curse of science, and goes on to kill a weird, spacey clone, and takes the Falcon out to dinner. Okay, that last part I made up, but y'know, the rest is true... If you missed it, you can find it here.

Much like the afforementioned previous issue of Captain America, this one contains a handful of additional fights. With our new format, no doubt you'll be seeing some of the quick fixes in the near future, along with some other battle featuring more obscure characters, like Dr. Druid. Until then...

This is usually the part where the feature would somehow flow into some point of discussion. Maybe some sort of recap of recent comics history, a perspetive of reflection upon something contemporary, or maybe even a rant about making the Sub-Mariner kingpin of crime. Unfortunately, the relevance of Man and Wolf is questionable beyond the geek-chic of a werewolf Captain America.

Why go there? Heck, what kind of a website would we be if our statistics weren't coming from every avenue, regardless of long term impact or relevance?
We got here through Marvel Ultimate Alliance Mondays, and we stayed here because, well, I just felt like it. Maybe it was because President Bush is currently all over the place with the APEC summit, or maybe it was just the chance to see another hero-v-hero battle with Captain America AND Wolverine involved.

Actually, to be fair, this clash does bring us to one of the long debated facts of comics history.

If you've been following along at home, you'll no doubt be aware of the Alex Ross headed project set to bring a time travelling Invaders trio [Captain America, Namor, Toro] to the post-Civil War present.

The team, fresh from the Second World War, represent a younger, more battle-ready generation of heroes from the past. Among the many noteable comparisons we can expect, will be more aggressive and pro-active heroes than we may otherwise be used to, even in a time when heroes hunt and imprison each other.

If you're one of the many new schoolers hitting us up, you may not have ever stopped to consider the violence perpetrated by the heroes of the 1940s. A popular, if non-specific reference, is often then teen icon, Bucky, who as sidekick of the super-soldier Captain America, was to regularly have appeared toting an automatic weapon, gleefully mowing down hordes of Germans, or Japanese.

There's a contention between factions that argue exactly what it means to be a "superhero," and exactly how that translates to the wholesome, star-spangled heroes of the Second World War.

Idealists tend to prefer to consider the mark of the hero's worth by his ability to fight the good fight, without ever needing to take a life, however, that particular slant has a way of reinventing history, rather than honoring it.

I personally fall somewhere in between. I'm without a doubt a traditionalist, but at the same time, I can't help but be interested by the prospects of moral diversity in heroes. I like the idea that perhaps we can have it both ways, and that it's perhaps even greater to measure Captain America as a hero who survived bloody war times, and made the choice to take advantage of what is essentially a second-life, and do something truly extraordinary with it.

Speculation surrounding the Invaders/Avengers time-spanning crossover mini has been too distracted by teaser images to worry about the degree of violence that may accompany these battling Invaders. The earliest promotional shot used the central image of Captain America as a teaser for his apparent "return."

This, of course, has since been revealed to be a tagential return for the character, but the inevitable question remains: When, and how, will Captain America return to the Marvel universe?

Fans seem resigned to the fact that of all the heroes to stay dead, Captain America is among the least likely. This time around probably doesn't seem like the occasion to do it. Still, despite his death, Cap remains as hot a property as ever, with promise of a film sometime after the 2008 Iron Man feature sitting gingerly on the horizon. Can it be long before the mass media has a chance to spoil his return, in the same way they spoiled his death? Time will tell.

Bahlactus may tell, too, for he sees all, sucka!
It's Friday Night, which means, barring confusion and lack of concession for my time difference (living in the future, as I do), he may well be seeing us!
Bahlactus remains a cosmic force- neither hero nor villain- dedicated to the consumption of all things fight!

Gaze upon him and tremble... Before a two week hiatus!
If you're looking for a fight fix during the break, be sure to stop by!

Wrapping up with the plugs, you can also catch more sketching goodness from Pedro Cruz, who has returned from his travels abroad. I got to get giddy like a schoolgirl over being an author on a blog that wasn't mine for a week while posting for him while he was away, and you know what else has me giddy like a preteen? The Kirby Martin Inquest #1, which is on sale at Nite Lite Theatre.

If you haven't, you should do the right thing, and go get yourself a copy.
It's only $2.99 through the ever-snail paced ComixPress. They may be slow, but really, aren't they just making it all the more exciting? Wheeee!

The Fight: 3.5 The Issue: 3
[The #408 review highlighted presumed editorial interference impeding on the story. As "Billycomics" so rightly pointed out, it really wasn't the most stellar story to begin with. A fun nineties comics, not at all worthy of the flame breathing hatred of some, but likewise not about to win any awards.]

QUICK FIX DOUBLE FEATURE: Millarky in the US
HAWKEYE versus AXIS OF EVIL
The Axis Of Evil (Marvel)
Where: Ultimates 2 #10 When: March 2006
Why: Mark Millar How: Bryan Hitch

Quick Fix...
Credit where credit's due, sure, but if you're an avid follower of the Infinite Wars, you'll probably have sussed by now that I'm really more of a character, story and leg man. Sure, creative teams are a part of the equation, but for me, a comic doesn't live or die by a writer, artist, or sychophantic obsession.

Well, okay, that last part isn't true. Maybe you get an extra look in if you've got some solid Sub-Mariner or Super-Skrull action going on -- but even then, I'm not about to sell the house to fund my comics obsessions. (Venting!)

Still, given the nature of the medium and it's intent on milking anyone or anything for all they're worth, certain creators are recurring factors in mainstream superhero comics. Then you break it down to the common denomonator of our big action smackdown format, and you refine those commonalities down to this man -- Mark "Yarrrrrrrrr!" Millar.

These two fixes do not contain individual "name" characters doing combat, and yet, they have been among the most recommended entries for the Infinite Wars.
When you consider our current most popular battles are things like Thor/Captain Marvel, Hulk/Superman, and Batman/Superman, that's no mean feat!

So, what is it about Mark Millar that makes him so enduring?
Well, it might be something he's managed to do that even his British predecessors haven't, and that's truly indulge and revel in superheroes as a summer blockbuster opportunity to go all-out action and fun!

His brief, usually year-long runs on titles, provide those books with an exciting injection of energy, often complimented and well earned by the pencillers involved. Men like Bryan Hitch, Steve McNiven, Terry Dodson, John Romita Jr; they've all been featured in the Infinite Wars delivering solid, widescreen performances in each of their unique styles.

Here, Hitch delivers a Millar script that continues the hardcore military adventures of the Ultimates. Divided and set upon by evil variations, the Ultimates are taken apart from the inside-out by their allied Communist rivals.

Already taken hostage, the embattled Hawkeye finds himself strapped to a chair in a tiny interrogation room, where one of the victims of his tour in Croatia eagerly awaits the opportunity to extract a little payback for the brutal scarring he sustained at Clint Barton's hand. The soldier of the Axis of Evil taunts the helpless Ultimate with requisites that involve keeping him alive, and with one functioning eye -- a scenario that leaves plenty of latitude for their torturous desires.

Dragomir, the interrogating soldier, grabs at his throat with a gurgle, signifying a turn of fortunes in the tiny interrogation room. Though disarmed, restrained and injured, the mercenaries soon realise they have still underestimated the supremely trained marksman that is Clint "Hawkeye" Barton.

Awkwardly ripping the fingernails from his own hands, Hawkeye systematically takes apart the cell put together to hold him. He forces the weakest of the men to free him from his shackles, before learning of the certainty of Dragomir's involvement in the murder of his family. With that, Hawkeye snaps his neck.

Alerted to the development, more heavily armed soldiers are ordered to the tiny containment cell, where Hawkeye has already claimed no less than five scalps.

The soldiers charge in to take the US Ultimate soldier's back, finding him squatting unarmed beside one of the deceased's weapons.

Despite a considerable position of leverage held against him, Hawkeye coldly refers to the scared soldiers as idiots, somehow avoiding their fire in the contained space to mow them down with much the same ease exibited previously against their comrades.

The Ultimates remains one of the most enduring of the Ultimate titles, holding on to a vision that set it apart and justified this unique take on the characters featured. Hawkeye; seen here unleashing his far more broad skills as a marksman; finishes up with ten soldiers to his belt in a fashion one would never imagine the purple-garbed, wise cracking, Secret Avenger would use.

It's easy to see why this brief exchange between a costumeless character and ten relatively faceless drones was so revered. Allowed to push the boundaries beyond the norm, Millar writes an action scene that serves the story well.
His books are now almost universally late, and his layouts often quite liberal with the use of space, but it's always that singular fact that the story is served first that separates him from his much maligned 1990's Image-cut peers.

Presented with lavish splashes of inks and colours, these artists take full advantage of a story that doesn't necessarily contain nuanced layers, but benefits greatly from the attention to detail.

The Fix: 5 The Issue: 5.5
Winner: Hawkeye

[I read recently a quote from John Byrne, decrying those who would remove the gaudy, colourful costumes of superheroes. I can see where he's coming from, but the Ultimates is a prime example of how both sides of the coin can work. Not a particularly dense read, but as is often the case, Millar delivers exactly on what he promises!]

CAPTAIN AMERICA versus SHIELD
Civil War Part One of Seven (Marvel)
Where: Civil War #1 When: July 2006
Why: Mark Millar How: Steve McNiven

Quick Fix...
Gee, am I sensing a theme here?
So, in the last double feature [Longshots] we were kinda clutching with the whole 'both involve gunshots' tie, but I think we might have some fun with themes in the next few. Things broader than just a writer.

Not that there's anything wrong with "just" a writer.
Hey, I happen to think writers are pretty important. Gee whiz, have I mentioned? I have a comic book currently onsale, and you can pick it up online right now from Nite Lite Theatre by following info on the main page to ComixPress, super online distributors extraordinaire! (If a little bit slow. Patience is a virtue!)

So, we already used up a lot of the discussive material about Monsieur Millar and what makes him such a big ape in the world of crime-fighting comics writers.
Without dredging up unnecessary medical references, I'm directed the only logical course of action: Discussing Civil War.

Yes, you might be sick of it, but consider for a moment - the options!
We can talk more about the storyline that was (and could have been) Civil War, or I can make more obscure puns based on detective primates. The choice is yours!... [Pause]... You want chimp references, don't you?...

If you somehow missed out on the media frenzy surrounding Peter Parker's canonical reveal to the world press that he is, and since age fifteen has almost always been, Spider-man: congratulations! The real world coverage of that event [featured in the second issue of the Civil War mini-series] garnered as much press as the fictional story within the Marvel universe. That deserves a crikey!

If you pick up a Marvel comic today, you'll see the repercussions of the Civil War event, that not only tore the Marvel heroes apart, but also led up to such major tangents as, the death of Captain America [Captain America #25] and the formation of the Secret Avengers, whose operations remain seperate to the SHIELD sponsored team run by pro-registrant, Tony Stark aka Iron Man.

Ultimately tensions between registered and unregistered characters have settled down. Seasoned street-level veterans like Daredevil and Moon Knight have been granted amnesty from pursuit in a time where the majority of opposing heroes have already been registered, or incarcerated. For the most part, this is a world post-sensation, where the disaster that sparked the event - an explosive accident at a school - is a forgotten catalyst for world change.

Though described as something of a bullpen story, with notable contributions from then-DC exclusive writer, Jeph Loeb; Civil War is another example of Millar blurring the lines between militant, politically charged psuedo-realism, and openly indulgent, four-colour superhero action.

The fear-driven reactionism of the superhero registration movement, and the harsh measures afforded by the political atmosphere, all closely commentate on developments in our own security-obssessed world. Even so, essentially these reference points facilitate one of the biggest superhero smackdown clashes of recent years, following in the vein of classic superhero rifts presented in stories like; Secret Wars, Infinity War, and Infinity Crusade.

During this event of broad strokes, Captain America becomes the almost zealous representation of the free-rights movement. He staunchly supports those heroes that would wish to protect their identities for reasons of their own, beginning his crusade when first approached by Maria Hill aboard the SHIELD helicarrier.

Asked by the recently appointed commander to turn on his fellows, the Captain stands his ground, driven to distain by the implication of fighting those who have done so much good for their country.

Showing brazen opposition to the impending movement for registration, Captain America finds the SHIELD soldiers present willing to enforce their rule preemptively. With their guns drawn, Captain America is forced to make a decision then and there. Like he has so many times against assembled groups of AIM or Hydra agents, he explodes like a one-man army -- against his men.

Using both armoured-soldier and adamantium alloy to deflected the tranquilizers fired by the SHIELD agents, the Captain makes his stand for the rights of his fellows. With devestating precision he strikes, using shield, fist, and expert training to shatter protective helmets of would-be oppressors.

With the writing on the wall, Captain America has no choice but to make a break for the helicarrier external windows, charging shield-first through the glass.
Hill orders the immediate capture of the super-patriot as he defends against gunfire in mid-air, making an uncontrolled descent from the SHIELD aircraft.

A maneuvering bomber provides convenient salvation for the American icon.
Taking advantage of the lack of progression on the registration movement, he plays on the uncertainties of the pilot, ordering safe passage to the ground.
Once there, he will go into hiding, beginning the rebellion against the registration act that will tear the superhero community apart.

Before I segue neatly into our conclusion I must mention the stealth bomber surfing scene (following the above panel), which closely resembles what eventually turned up in the recent Die Hard 4.0, where John McClane [Bruce Willis] beautifully recreates the scene under his own conditions.

It isn't always the most popular opinion, but off the strength of performances like Unbreakable [a movie Mr. Millar just happens to tote as a favourite!], I find it hard to go past Willis for a big screen Captain America!

Sure, you've got your whippersnapper punks who want to see a pretty boy twenty-something, or a Brad Pitt in the role, and yeah, there's that argument.
I get that Cap is supposed to have been borne into the army at a tender age, and I get that the super-soldier serum has prevented him from aging, but damn it! It's characterization like this in Civil War that just highlights the grizzled and senior quality the character holds. Something only an actor of the calibre and familiar standing of Willis can pull-off.

I also, going back to his role in Unbreakable, like to think of the possibilities presented by the 'man lost in time' angle. Something that affords the character a very basic sense of humanity, that I believe Willis could convey beautifully.
Picture Willis -- in conservative slacks and shirt -- staring solemnly into the window of a store that, forty years ago, was his favourite place to buy novels.

A man who looks everywhere and sees not the sea adverts for iPods and Playstations, but rather the ghosts of what used to be there, and all the people and places he fought for. Things he knew he probably would have had to have given up even if he hadn't found himself frozen and thawed into a modern age.

So, that's about it for the double-feature.
You might have gathered that it's 'the new toy' and there'll be a handful of doubles coming up over the next month. I'm already chomping at the bit for the opportunity to weasel in some more diverse entries, and ranking statistics.

No doubt this isn't the last we'll see of Civil War, but for now, adieu!

The Fix: 5 The Issue: 5.5
Winner: Captain America

[Lasting repercussions have made Civil War one of the most memorable event comics to come from Marvel this decade. Though it resulted in a hefty hangover, particularly in light of a weak ending, it remains a positive mark on the Marvel map. Well worth further investigation now that it's finished, if you missed out!]

DOPPELGANGER versus CAPTAIN AMERICA
Dark Dawn (Marvel comics)
Where: Captain America #408 When: October 1992
Why: Mark Gruenwald How: Rik Levins

The story so far...
The deadly Nightshade teams with Dredmund, lord of the werewolves, in a sinister scheme to turn the people ofMassachusetts into werewolves -- including the super-soldier himself, Captain America!

Fortunately for him the combined might of he, Man-Wolf John Jameson, Wolfsbane, Wolverine and others sees the day saved, but before Cap can be cured of his lycanthropy there's another shocking surprise in store!

Unbenknownst to he, a secret war is being waged by the evil spirit of Adam Warlock, Magus! Creating sinister doppelgangers of Earth's greatest heroes, Magus sends his shadows out to do battle with their counterparts.
Suffering fatigue of battle and Nightshade's cure, can Cap defeat his dastardly doppelganger, or is it curtains for America's greatest warrior?

Previous Form:
Captain America (#6): Victories over Wolverine, Baron Zemo, Punisher & Mr. Hyde.
Doppelganger: The Magus-born Spidey doppelganger endured beyond Infinity War to defeat Spider-man.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Captain America 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Captain America 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Captain America 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Captain America 5 (Marathon Man)
Agility: Captain America 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting Ability: Captain America 6 (Warrior)
Energy Powers: Captain America 2 (Projectile)


Okay, I'm really tired, and evil-clone month isn't nearly as exciting as it sounds.
Actually, for those who look back on the nineties with contemporary chagrin, that probably isn't news. It was nice enough for the time, if a little awkward, but lordy, I'm tired, running a little lazy on point, and this just isn't a hook.

So, anyway, as you can see, I've cheaped out on mugshots and rather than poll the doppelganger's strengths I've just served you up the ratings as we see them for Captain America. If you want a reference point to debate the accuracy of these rarely discussed ratings, you can check yourself into school and hunt down the patented scientifically proven Haseloff tape system.

As for the business, well, yeah... Captain America, who has spent the best part of a few months turned into a werewolf, wraps things up by demanding a cure. Werewolf Cap... fighting an evil clone with a jagged (John Walker-esque) shield and a fangy grin... I just... I'm at a loss for words, ten-to-midnight.

Good triumphs over evil. No one sees an evil Captain America on a cover and expects for even a second that he's going to win. Especially not when it's an Infinity War tie-in. It's a little bit ridiculous, a little bit fun.

The Pick: Captain America

What went down...
With the lycanthrop cure administered and effective on John Jameson, Cap lies on Nighshade's table and prepares to receive it himself. Unlucky for him, a mysterious evil doppelganger appears out of thin air!

The evil Captain swats Jameson, sending him sprawling into Nightshade.

The move bumps her hand holding the syringe that contains the cure formula, prodding it by accident into the true Captain America. Despite the unexpected prick, Cap is able to sweep Nightshade off her feet, narrowly avoiding the spike prongs of the dark clone's shield.

Suffering the effects of not only the battle of the wolves, but also now the reversing effects of the serum, Cap goes on the defensive. He's able to defend against the airborne spike-edged shielf of his dark mirror image, but weakened, cannot avoid deflecting it into the path of his allies!

Moonhunter pulls back the recently cured John Jameson, just narrowly avoiding a decapatating meeting between human flesh and mystery metal!

Attending the badly wounded Dredmund, Dr. Druid watches on as the evil Magus clone throttles the weakened Cap-Wolf as he begins to revert into his human form.

Though unable to intervene, the occult Dr. Druid is able to inform Captain America's curiosity, revealing that the evil doppelganger exibits no living energies or human traits -- a mere manifestation of evil!

The news is liberating to the Captain who, as a werewolf, has grappled with the darkness of the animalistic brutality that the transformation incurred. Ever unwilling in this sophisticated age to take a life, the Captain more freely launches his assault against the lifeless mirror image.

With the last of his energy, Captain America launches his legs into the air with the strength of a super-soldier! The move vaults the dark clone into the air, where he finds the blade of his own spike-edged shield that had buried itself in the adjacent wall after being deflected.

The spikes buried into the base of it's skull, the evil Captain America fades away like a ghostly apparition -- as though it were never even there!
"Mondo Spookioso," indeed, Moonhunter!

The hammer...
Proving you can accept no substitutes -- Captain America!

This is, of course, part of the on-going Monday series of posts featuring the villains from the Marvel Ultimate Alliance videogame, still available and expanding across multiple platforms.

Gamers will recall the latter stages of the game where they encounter dark versions of the playable characters in a world reenvisioned by a near omnipotent Dr. Doom. Though not traditional villains, it gives us a chance to take a look at some of the obscure, less important battles featuring heroes from the games, tackling evil versions of other heroes.

With recent entries, [Legends #1], we've been talking a bit about crossovers and their origins, with events like the featured Legends, and the similarities between more recent events like Infinite Crisis. We didn't really bridge out of that into the positives and negatives of crossover events, but I think it's safe to say this particular issue of Captain America is a great example of how an obtuse editorial mandate can really interrupt in a negative way.

No disrespect to Gruenwald, who I was surprised to find hasn't been featured in the Infinite Wars until now, but yeesh. Not many books come to mind where an event has so awkwardly been crammed into a story, and if you scroll back up to the tape and examine the featured panel, you might be able to appreciate that.

I mean, that is literally the extent of the introduction.
The issue opens with a fairly clunky, but no doubt appropriate conclusion to a storyarc that has run over a few issues of Cap, and then absolutely out of nowhere this trailing conclusion is assaulted, conceptually and fictionally, by the presence of this borish, wacky off-shoot from a story that's presumably happening in a galaxy far, far away from Massachussets.

I'm actually going to give Infinity War tie-ins a bit of credit.
As you'll see over the course of this month - because we're not done with them - they're actually a nice enough, one-off bit of fun, and this issue's third-page "suddenly" doesn't do the high concept of evil doppelgangers justice. It just really paints a glaringly obvious picture of how this kind of intrusive editorial storytelling can go horribly wrong.

It reads like Captain America had reached a crossroads. There's an on-going effort to connect this cosmic event to the powers that are going to be involved.
Captain America is one of those key moving parts, in what will eventually unfold into a weird, paranoia driven precursor to the Civil War scenarios, so you want to enlighten readers to that connection. You want to give them a taste of what's to come, but it seems to be done at the expense of a solid ending to a previous story, which perhaps already had it's own shakey merits to begin with.

I'm not going to presume that anything was forced on Gruenwald, but it's a familiar enough name to think this isn't wholely representative of the quality of work that Mark G is capable of. To his credit, he manages to put a slightly better slant on his product with two back-up stories, one in particular that features Crossbones that is tittilating in it's villainous simplicity.

It's a quirky back-up we'll probably see in a quick fix sometime in the future, that features just a scene and vibe almost reminiscent of a seventies martial arts exploitation movie, or something. It's almost a little bit Van Damme-classic.

It's interesting to note that the Nightshade character, who is arrested and taken away by The Jury, has most recently resurfaced as a member of MODOK's 11 in the recent Super Villain Team-Up revamp. You're not getting a lot of backstory out of this entry, but I like to think we can always be a referencial touchstone for you to seek out, and familiarize yourself with all things superhero.

I can't say a lot more about this issue specifically.
It probably represents one of the periods where Captain America was most lacking direction. Cap-Wolf represents substantially less a fond memory than would-be action figure changes like Cosmic-Spidey or Frog-Thor. I think we should be thankful that the character was able to really find purpose and stature worthy of the sixty-years of service, before his untimely assassination in a story that was debatably a spin-off from Civil War. [Captain America #25]

I think even those tired of the Civil War conflict would have to agree, it represents a creatively fruitful and superior model for the crossover story. A method that unfolds organically to reshape the conceptual foundation for the world in which the characters operate, rather than forcing obscure reference onto a story.

The Fight: 3 The Issue: 3.5

[Not at all a great representation of the Infinity War storyline, or the character. From a housekeeping perspective, we've filled in a missing year in our reference tags for the nineties. Yay! Now I need to get some damned sleep...]
NOTE: No stats for Moonhunter, Jameson or Nightshade, who are essentially bystanders. An assist for Dr. Druid on the basis of crucial intelligence.

QUICK FIX DOUBLE FEATURE: Longshots
DARK CLAW versus RA'S-A-POCALYPSE
Face To Face (Amalgam)
Where: Dark Claw Adventures #1 When: June 1997
Why: Ty Templeton How: Ty Templeton & Rick Burchett

Quick Fix...
I mentioned in the Punch-Up that there was a Ra's Al Ghul related entry I was originally interested in, and I also mentioned a little Two-In-One action coming. Hopefully you've been able to surmise that this entry answers both of those references.

I found myself flicking through this particular issue because, tangentially stemming from all the Al Ghul talk, I started thinking about Ra's-A-Pocalypse; the composite character that borrows elements from Marvel's Apocalypse character, and marries them with the DC character [hence Amalgam].

The resulting character is, though hardly elaborated on, a delicious little conceptual of a Darwinism-extremist. In this case there are trace elements of themes specifically explored in episodes of the Batman animated series, which provides half of the inspiration for this issue's adventure format.

In a lot of ways this is perfect fodder for the quick fix.
Though not always the focus, the underlying statistical analysis of the fighting effectiveness of characters remains an intriguing and unique spine for our little website.

From that perspective, why should a character be penalised for gaining a swift victory? Thus, we open ourselves up to the prospect of quick fixes throughout the month, rather than containing the multitude of mini-massacres to the first of the month.

Here, in a brief flashback sequence, the lethal Lady Talia recalls two years previous, when last she saw her father.
In the desert, Ra's-A-Pocalypse does battle with Dark Claw, intending to return to civilization with a deadly virus that will weed the fit from the weak.

Poisoned by an unseen scorpion, Dark Claw finds himself seemingly defeated by Ra's, who believes the desert has, much as it did during his harsh childhood, fostered his ultimate ascention. He leaves Dark Claw and his daughter behind, taking off in a private plan with his guard Ubuwong.

With his healing factor enabling a speedy recovery from the battle, Dark Claw finds himself in a most difficult position. Left with crates of super weapons, he feels forced to shoot Ra's-A-Pocalypse's plane down, unable to allow him the opportunity to destroy humanity.

Regrettably, he gains the final victory, but in the moment of impact he destroys one enemy to give birth to another. The legacy of Ra's lives on through his daughter. She burns bunch of her body searching desperately through the flaming wreckage of the shotdown plane, never able to find the remains of her wiley father. Thus, she replaces her broken body with cybernetic adamantium enhancements, and begins a fruitless quest for revenge.

There's something very naff about taking two of the most over-exposed characters in comics, and smooshing them together to make another. A character who shares the contrivances of his predecessors to positively stink of 'hey, this is COOL! Love it!' Even so, it's almost impossible to resist the lure of the Bat-Wolverine, and honestly, with an issue this good, it's even easy to defend.

The DC vs Marvel event continues to be one of the most viewed entries on the site here, and with an inter-company formula that is intriguing to so many, this book actually manages to live up to it in a way even the versus mini didn't.

Reading like one of the best episodes of the Batman animated series, this is the kind of series that I'd like to read on a regular basis. It quite effectively takes so much of what makes Wolverine and Batman so great, drawing on influences broad enough to include a Carrie Kelly inspired Jubilee that's probably better than either/or.

So solid a read is Dark Claw Adventures #1, that there's still at least another quick fix and a full feature contained within, so on that note, I might just wrap it up here and leave the elaborating to another time.

The Fix: 4.5 The Issue: 6
Winner: Dark Claw

[An immensly fun read, but by no means one for the history books.
Packs a hefty punch; telling an infinitely approachable story about a character that barely even exists, fleshes the concept out, and even throws in a handful of action scenes for good measure!]


DEADSHOT versus FLASH
"Once Upon A Time...!" (DC)
Where: Legends #1 When: November 1986
Why: John Ostrander & Len Wein How: John Byrne

Quick Fix...
So, all this talk about Ryan Reynolds as the Flash kinda did rub off afterall, and since I had the issue handy, I figured it would be as good a time as any to take a look at one of the many other battles contained within.

Something the Quick Fix Double Feature is going to be especially good for is going back to check out material from features already lodged in the Infinite Wars.

The first issue of Legends features not just Captain Marvel [as seen in the September Punch-Up], but also a range of other characters, many being groomed for roles in new series. In a lot of ways Legends is very much the prototype for the Infinite Crisis/52/Countdown marketting model.
On it's own merits it's a solid, if abbreviated, account of events in the new look DC Universe. On closer inspection it expands from it's six-issue core to unfold into a twenty-two issue story that branches off into the Bat and Superman titles, but also does well to launch books and post-Crisis characters like Wonder Woman, the Giffen/DeMatteis Justice League, and the Suicide Squad.

Having adopted the mantle of Flash in honor of his deceased uncle during the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths; Wally West zooms into action in the pages of Legends, ready for action as a growing hero of his own.

Streaking his way to Wall Street, the Flash shows up in Manhattan to foil some sort of heist being perpetrated by Gotham local, Deadshot!
The crackshot mercenary warns the scarlet speedster from interfering, firing a spray of bullets at the closing hero with his wrist-mounted gun.

Though limited a fraction more than his mentor, Wally West proves to be a force to be reckoned with! Using his super speed to slap Deadshot's bullets away with a steel pipe, the speedster is soon upon the scope-eyed villain.

Moving faster than Deadshot can react, the Flash throws his fist like a speeding missile!
With his super metabolism churning through his energy, the Flash lands a well timed fist, putting Deadshot out for the count before he himself could succumb to the effects of a glycemic meltdown.

The Flash soon finds himself assaulted with a barrage of questions from the surrounding rambunctious New Yorkers that were witness to his victory. Feeling the effects of a blast from the Anti-Monitor that cured him of a life threatening disease at the cost of his stamina and top-speed, West opts to do what he does best and run, rather than confront the unscrupulous questions of the public.

Still able to move at the speed of sound, the Flash drops Deadshot off with the police (where he is destined for much bigger things), before dropping by Titans Tower for a chat with his junior fellows.

We missed out on a lot of the discussion surrounding the Flash most recently, particularly regarding the fate suffered by Bart Allen, then current Flash.
Having disappeared into the Speed Force during the events of Infinite Crisis, Wally West left a void similar to Barry Allen, that was fulfilled in much the same way by the ascension of another Kid-Flash, formerly Impulse.

In a lot of ways the sudden halt of the Flash familial line seems to speak volumes about the current state of superhero comics. The illusion of forward momentum that made the medium such an attractive one thirty years ago, seems to be peeling away as we become voluntarily stagnant in the interest of preserving icons like Batman and Superman.

With those checkpoints established, it seems the world in which they operate is secure enough to sponsor the return of characters like Hal Jordan, who had progressed considerably right through to the nineties. Likewise, characters like Wally West, who has been operating as the Flash for two decades now, seem to be all but guaranteed their place far into the future.

Not that we should be calling for blood just yet. After all, Barry Allen was the Flash for a full thirty years before he bit the big one saving the universe! We probably owe Wally West at least another ten before we start chain-smoking through today's heroes.

Characters like the Flash and Green Lantern bring up a lot of talk about who "my" character is. They personify the rare tradition of legacy in superheroes, exibiting multiple generations of characters that mirror generations of readers.

As a youngster with little or not concept of the industry, I spent a lot of my time reading back issues, so regardless of my placement in time I was most familiar with the Barry Allen Flash. Even so, I think time has been good to the Wally West character, and he's more than earned the position of my Flash.

I don't know if I'd have been ready for the passing of the torch on a permanent basis, but I do know that it's disappointing that the prospect of that forward moment, or even the spark of a unique young character like Impulse, had to be stomped out.

The Fix: 4 The Issue: 6
Winner: Flash

[A simpler time, or the beginning of the end? Legends is a fantastically fun read, if a little ominous to those who would grow tired of the crossover some twenty years later. I got this (and the subsequent two issues) in three-comic bargain bags well over a decade ago, so frankly, I don't care!]