QUICK FIX DOUBLE FEATURE: Harsh Vintage Justice
HAWKMAN versus MATTER MASTER
Black Reign: Part Two (DC)
Where: Hawkman #23 When: Early March 2004
Why: Geoff Johns How: Rags Morales

Quick Fix...
Lately we've been talking a bit about harsh justice, and it's application to the superhero world, and this entry gives us the opportunity to take a look at that theory in practise.

It's a particularly interesting topic, given all the different angles. Generally speaking, the sacred cows [like Wonder Woman] are protected from the moral ambiguity of lethal justice, yet, oft times it's these vintage characters that are more likely to be identified with harsh enforcement reflective of the war-torn times they were created in.

The debate rages on between the two schools of thought. For many the definition of a superhero is to be above the moral ambiguity average humans, soldiers, or heroes are regularly faced with. It means not being forced to pull the trigger to save innocent lives, instead using the fantastic to end danger.
We recently discussed a similar argument of whether or not Captain America ever used lethal force during his times in the frontline of the Second World War [Captain America #405].

The morally ambiguous hero got a bit of a tarnished reputation, passing through the eighties and nineties with the baggage of excess, and poor interpretation. The posterboy becomes characters like The Punisher, who more overtly straddle the line of what's right and wrong with a stonecold attitude toward life and death. For the most part these characters do good, eliminating the evils that evade justice by conventional law, but there is always that underlying negative of what we know in reality of the vigilante.

It's almost a funny sort of thing, that "vigilante" takes on such a distinctly different feel across the major spectrum of superhero comic books. Never would any of us truly look twice at a Batman, or Captain America, no matter how rebellious they may be to an administration of excessive order. Yet, in the real world, I struggle to think of many examples of positive vigilante activity.

Sure, there's those cases of a liquor store clerk fighting back, or even a community under siege taking action to patrol the streets, but those stories are either short lived, or mild mannered deterents for relatively simple problems.
What I associate with broad coverage of vigilantes is men and/or women who kick back at personal injustice, flagrantly ignoring what is universally just, and often running the risk of making a greivous error, or crossing an invisible line.

It's a line that seems to seperate the golden arches of true superheroes, and the guys who undermine what that means in a fictionalized society. Characters who in some ways reflect that real-world vigilante scenario, and face that kind of scrutiny, but ultimately have the roll of protagonist, and live decades beyond those characters that would briefly hound them.

What about the other characters, though? Wonder Woman inevitably finds herself reset to a mould more appropriate for a family, cartoon viewing audience; but what about those characters who can drift closer to the line, longer?

Hawkman represents just such an example. A character, who from his beginnings in the early 1940s, he has held memberships with both the Justice Society and Justice League, but has still grown into one of the many violent characters of today's comics landscape. Few stories highlighted Hawkman's violent nature than Black Reign, where he wages his forces against Black Adam in a battle that pits them against one another, but also shows the destructive similarities.

In his new home of St. Roch, the villain called Matter Master seeks a means of retribution against a foe who has defeated him time and again. Using his matter manipulating wand to take a gala of the wealthy hostage, he eagerly awaits the arrival of his alien-winged rival.

Hawkman bursts into the arena through large glass windows, only to have the shards of glass hurled at him as a weapon by the villainous Master. Tiny slithers of glass bury themselves in Hawkman's only partially armoured body, but do little to slow his wrath.

The Matter Master elaborately announces the abilities granted by his matter manipulating wand, delighting in the battle that will ensue. He is a steady contrast to the stoic Hawkman, whose demeanour is of one no longer willing to indulge the fancys of colourfully dressed criminals.

Possessing both fixed mace and battle axe, he hurls the latter in the direction of the Matter Master. The blade slices through the Master's arm with ease, burying itself in the wall adjacent.

Having successfully seperated the villain from his weapon, the silent Hawkman pulls his axe from the wall and coldly remarks, "Fight's over."

Harsh justice is something, I think, Hawkman wears very well, and Geoff Johns does well to reinvigorate the character with everything that makes him familiar, but with a confident new edge. This story steers Hawkman toward another character we're about to talk about, bouncing off one of the past lives established as part of the streamlining reveal that both Hawkman and Hawkgirl are caught in a perpetual cycle of resurrection.

I wouldn't be confident in saying where the line lies for Hawkman, but as a character so thoroughly connected to the various houses of the DC heirarchy, I think it's great to have this interpretation of justice among them. It might never be the prevailing argument, but in a medium often gagging on it's own tail, it's characters of diverse opinions on issues important to the fictionali world that will always be a saving grace.

The Fix:5.5 The Issue: 5
Winner: Hawkman

[Without a doubt one of the greatest crossovers of recent times, all crucial to the reinvention of not only the Justice Society of America, but more importantly, Hawkman. Hawkfans should definitely track down the trade of these issues, and maybe anyone else looking to get their feet wet, particularly post 52/World War III.]

---

BLACK ADAM versus KOBRA
Prince of Darkness Coda: Justice Eternity (DC)
Where: JSA #51 When: October 2003
Why: David Goyer & Geoff Johns How: Leonard Kirk

Quick Fix...
This quite naturally leads us to cross that invisible line that seperates the right from the wrong, and the justified from the murderers.

In Black Reign it was Hawkman that, in many ways, walked away the bad guy. Teth-Adam, having invaded his homeland of Khandaq, is revered as a hero by the Khandaqi people, while Hawkman is decryed by both the liberated, and the Justice Society themselves, who were led by the usurping Chairman into a joyless bloodbath.

Even so, it is Black Adam who has more traditionally walked the path of villain, recast in that role during a genocidal rampage coming out of the pages of 52.

We can make no bones about sponsoring Black Adam throughout 2007.
It's arguably this moral ambiguity that has propelled Black Adam to the status of the most enjoyable of rising stars to be pushed by DC all year. Dealing with a role as ruler of a nation, Adam has been the slate for reflecting the responsibility and potential carnage incurred by a superpower unchecked.

Like many great villains, Adam is essentially a well intending individual, marred by his regular association with death and bloodshed. The descent into madness began long before 52, starting in the pages of JSA where, having broken away from the group that agreed to take him in, Adam is leading a small group of soldier against those who have escaped justice as they see it.

One such example is the terrorist cult leader, Kobra.
Having launched attacks across the globe, Kobra was responsible for the death of the mother of one of Black Adam's pliant recruits, Atom Smasher.

Both left the Society over Kobra's subsequent trial and escape, disillusioned by the JSA's archaic notions of legality. With the aid of Brainwave, the group of super-militants track Kobra to his hidden lair in the Himalayas, where they exact the only suitable punishment for a mass murdering menace such as he: death.

With Brainwave confirming claims of a network of explosives beneath New York are false, Adam plunges his fist through Kobra's chest, ripping his heart out.
With that, justice is served, and the cult of Kobra is left to legend, or methods supernatural.

Much like Hawkman, Geoff Johns earns his stripes as a major comics writer perfecting his skills with the reinvigoration of classic properties. These events have been referenced many times [Hawkman #24] on the site, already described in this very entry for their role as the first action in the spiral that has led to today, where Black Adam is a mass murderer himself, and a broken man.

I've seen relatively recently a Hawkman referring casually to killing a villain, and in much the same way, I would express some disappointment for how frivilously the characters have been allowed to cross that invisible line. For Hawkman, it is obviously a scenario rarely fulfilled, but for Black Adam, it has again been a fullblown devolution into villainy.

Putting a character to blows with the Justice League is almost always going to cast them as villain, but when the motives involve genocide, it's hard to argue.
Perhaps it's the inevitability of so-called "harsh justice" that these characters slip into ill-defined rampages, or off-the-cuff murders, but I've got to wonder.

Just like iconic superheroes define themselves in fiction as characters capable of handing out justice without the cost of human life, so too can't we suggest that super warriors can live by the sword, without impaling their sanity upon it?

In a world where law enforcement still hands down sentences of death, and where wars are waged over just causts, is it so inevitable that those that battle these evils become them? Or is there a school of thought to say controlled lethality is a requirement of an efficient system of justice? Does their come a time when a cheek must demand a cheek in turn, or is simply invite corruption as another symptom of decadence and war?

Can anyone begrudge a police officer that draws a weapon in confirmed self-defense, or is the threat of an error of judgment too great and too common?

Maybe someone like Hawkman, or even Wonder Woman, will be the character to eventually answer the question: Can a hero kill responsibly?

The Fix: 5 The Issue: 4.5
Winner: Black Adam & Atom Smash (w/ Brainwave)

[This issue marks the end of David Goyer's tenure on the relaunched JSA title. In the main feature, the story features a big ol' magical throwdown between Mordru and Dr. Fate, which will inevitably turn up in a future entry of the Infinite Wars.]

DOPPELGANGER versus THING
By Reed... Betrayed! (Marvel comics)
Where: Fantastic Four #367 When: August 1992
Why: Tom DeFalco How: Paul Ryan

The story so far...
The Magus, with the aid of mysterious cosmic power, has created an army of sinister mirror images of the greatest heroes of the Marvel Universe in a bid for total domination!

Forced to face their inner shadows, the great heroes fight themselves for their own existance. For Thing, his doppelganger comes at a time already overcast with inner turmoil. Ex-girlfriend and teammate, Sharon Ventura, returns as he comes to terms with the reveal that his greatest love, Alicia Masters, did not marry the Human Torch. Instead, it was another dark diversion, the undercover Skrull Lyja, who married the Torch, which leaves Thing unsure of his feelings for his former flame.

The Puppet Master is sure of his feelings, desiring the happiness of his daughter, but will his love stop him taking advantage of the Thing's predicament, or will he use his fantastic telekinetic controlling clay to save the Fantastic Fourman?...

Previous Form:
Thing (#16): Clobbered his way through the Frightful Four, Sinister Six, Super Adaptoid, Super-Skrull & Paibok, the Power Skrull.
Doppelgangers: The Magus' doppelgangers have been menacing the heroes with mixed results.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Thing 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Thing 3 (Straight A)
Speed: Thing 2 (Average)
Stamina: Thing 5 (Marathon Man)
Agility: Thing 2 (Average)
Fighting Ability: Thing 3 (Street Wise)
Energy Powers: Thing 1 (None)


Well, here we are for another Monday, and another evil doppelganger feature as commanded by this month's special Marvel Ultimate Alliance posts. If you're new here and you want to know what I'm talking about, scroll down to the archives and check out posts made on Mondays, because we're still a full month away from a recap on all of these damned posts!

Anyway -- keeping things moving forward, we've got ourselves a spotlight on the Thing, who is arguably one of the most underrated characters on the site. Okay, over the past few months we've caught up a lot of stock on the Fantastic Four, but for the most part, you really expect the Thing to be up on a fight site.

When you look at the stats as we rate them, you might even argue that he's been underrated on the Haseloff scale, too. I would invite any of you to make your case for shifting Thing's stats, because it's something I've grappled with, particularly something like his fighting ability.

For Thing, I've really gone with the literal for our stats, which is supposedly the laws by which the catalyst information is governered. The scientific credibility is only as good as the accuracy of the information as it is input into the system.
The scientists of Secret Wars on Infinite Earths cannot be held responsible for erroneous data. Keep them honest.

Who will win this fight? Well, the tape's on the sidelines for this one, because it's just been more trouble than it's worth rating the doppelgangers. Essentially they share the statistical value of their original, with the exception of far greater malice.

I think Thing is typified by his heart, so a lousy bum like this shouldn't be any trouble. I guess it just depends on the time of day, really. If it's a quarter-to-twelve, I'm not sure, but if it's clobberin time, well, there you go...

The Pick: Thing (Champion Class?)

What went down...
So, having been ambushed by Sharon Ventura, Thing is surprised to notice a creepy little bald man staring at him through the window. No, it's not Brian Michael Bendis, it's the supposedly reformed FF villain -- Puppet Master!

Having rescued Alicia Masters from the clutches of the Skrulls [Fantastic Four #358], Thing was surprised to discover she had been abducted long before she supposedly married his teammate, the Human Torch, thus, she still loves Ben Grimm as whole heartedly as the day they each disappeared.

Puppet Master lambasts his one-time nemesis, demanding he recognise the feelings of his blind step-daughter. Just then, while the two argue in an alley, a horrible thing appears from nowhere! Though the Puppet Master tries to warn ol' blue eyes, he thinks it's a trick, suffering a sucker punch from his clone!

Thing is thrown into the alley by the punch, a dumpster providing a Neutonian means of halting.

Shaken but never stirred, the Thing picks the dumpster up, ramming it into the spikey, charging doppelganger sent by the Magus. The powerful demon bursts through the metal, following his intent to meet Grimm fist-to-fist.

The ever lovin' original gets in a few good licks, but he pushes his doppelganger back toward a fire escape. The evil shade does well to attack Ben Grimm's mental insecurities, while also assaulting the physical, ripping the iron fire escape to fashion it into a crude restraint!

His arms bound by his side, Thing can do nothing but take the thundering punch delivered by his spikey-self, thrown across the street toward an empty construction site!

The lumbering clone marches his way through the broken barricades as the true Thing gets to his feat, flexing his mighty rocky muscles to burst free of the twisted metal that holds him. Clear of innocent bystanders, he prepares a more severe assault on the monster that continues to taunt him with verbage and visage.

Claiming to be his physical superior, the doppelganger charges at Grimm like a medieval horseman, girder in hand. The blow slams Grimm against the steel architecture, but the shade's attempts to crush him are in vain!

The Thing bends the girder back, and follows it's momentum to charge at his doppelganger with a devestating right that sends it airborne!

Alas, it isn't enough to put the monster out of commission, placing him instead in arms reach of a mechanical earthmover! He hoists the massive machine above his head and brings it raining down atop the FF's muscle with such force, it breaks through the Earth down into the subway!

The Puppet Master and other innocent bystanders watch-on in horror as the machine and monsters come to land on the tracks! Thing does a little taunting of his own, prompting another head-on collission between the two superpowers.

Confined to a tight space, these two raging bulls are content to boil it all down to a one-on-one confrontation of fisticuffs. The monster reveals his plans, promising to defeat Ben Grimm and assume his identity, all part of the Magus' secret strategy of domination over the cosmos.

Watching on, the Puppet Master produces a clay maquette of the Thing, pondering his longtime desire to see him crushed.

As the doppelganger continues to hurl his psychological jabs, he reflects the Thing's own deep feelings for Alicia Masters.
The promise to bring pain to Alicia, and all the Thing cares for, is the final decider for Philip Masters; the Puppet Master!

Resculpting his maquette, he refashions the Thing as he is on this day, to what he once was. Having recreated the spikey doppelganger to the finest of details, he makes his empassioned declaration to defeat the evil shade.

Tossing his psychokinetic clay sculpt onto the tracks, it begins to sizzle and low as it hits the electrified rail of the subway train. Almost immediately Thing appears to gain the upperhand in the fight, summoning his own inner strengths in the name of the blind sculptress the two men share in common.

Mirroring the fate of the doll, the evil clone falls to the tracks, bursting into a flash of energy before disappearing in a smouldering mass of smoke, much to the shock of Puppet Master and Thing alike.

The hammer...
With the unlikely assist from the Puppet Master, it's a clean victory to Aunt Petuna's favourite blue-eyed nephew, the Thing!

Gah, I wish these scanned up better, because there are some great panels there, that certainly do not look like water-damaged wallpaper.
I don't know how widely recognised Paul Ryan is as an artists, and I've run afoul very little praise for Tom DeFalco, but if you ask me, this was a very fun period for the Fantastic Four.

I'm a by the numbers kinda guy. I like to think our format makes us a fun, unique, and easy to reference website, but this is one of those rare occasions when I wish we were one of those one-panel witicisms weblogs.

This issue really represents the culmination of the evil doppelgangers, concluding with a mass assembly of heroes at Four Freedom's Plaza, then home fo the FF.
Reed Richards and Iron Man ironically stand at the front of the assembly, eventually revealed by the likes of Wolverine and Daredevil, (as well as Invisible Woman via some special detecting technology), to be fakes.

In a scene that hilariously mirrors what eventuated in Civil War, Mr. Fantastic and Iron Man are attacked, before the entire assemblage devolves into a massive brawl, hero-versus-hero. By issue's end Invisible Woman is able to show up to talk some sense into everyone, but not before the evil Mr. Fantastic clone reveals a gamma bomb hidden in the podium -- that he detonates!

We of course learn that the green explosion the issue ends with was actually contained by the unconfident Invisible Woman, and all is well for the Marvel Universe and it's multitude of assembled superheroes.

It's a scenario like this that is actually posed quite relevantly to the upcoming Secret Invasion story, built on the developing knowledge that there are Skrulls who have infiltrated the Marvel Universe, and are thus far undetected.

In a world of psychics, super-senses, and magic, it's tough to really sell this kind of scenario, and it's going to be up to Brian "Pluck-a-Duck*" Bendis and those involved to come up with a satisfactory answer. With the aftershock of House of M still ringing in Marvel fans ears, I think that layer of scrutiny and attention to detail is going to be especially harsh. Particularly off the back of comments from the writer, who laments the inspiration for the story comes from an apparently narrow reference of Skrull stories, where he wondered (as a child) why the Skrulls wouldn't disguise themselves as a loved one and stab you in your sleep.

The fact that this story, building from the Illuminati issue where the Illuminati confronts the Skrulls around the time of the Kree-Skrull war, places it over a written period of two decades of stories, you have to wonder whether or not Bendis will fall victim to his own questions. That's a long time to wait to stab someone in their sleep!

The Fight: 6 The Issue: 6

[As a checkpoint for recent Marvel history, this is definitely one of the most exciting reads. Crammed in here are B-storys revolving around character relationships, Wolverine infiltrating the FF HQ, and a big ass Thing brawl! Find me a current crossover tie-in that's bringing ALL THAT!]

* Not an actual nickname for Bendis.

GUILE versus BIRDIE
Stage 01 (UDON/Image)
Where: Street Fighter #1 When: September 2003
Why: Ken Siu-Chong How: Alvin Lee

The story so far...
His name is Bison, and he is the megalomaniacal leader of the world's most vile criminal organization -- Shadaloo.
Involved in every facet of criminality, Shadaloo funds Bison's desires for world conquest, and his interests in fostering the martial arts and his psycho power.

It was during an investigation into Shadaloo that Bison uncovered and brutally murdered Charlie, partner of Interpol agent, Guile. Ever since, Guile has had the burning desire to personally put an end to the Shadaloo empire, and the evil M. Bison.

Patiently working his way through the various branches of Shadaloo, Guile and agents like him pick apart the pieces of the puzzle, working their way closer to the source. Wannabe street toughs, like the English street fighter, Birdie, represent the lower rungs, all useful for tracking back to Bison.

Previous Form:
Guile, Birdie: Each making their Infintie Wars debuts.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Birdie 4 (Steroid Popper)
Intelligence: Guile 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Guile 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Guile 5 (Marathon Man)
Agility: Guile 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting Ability: Guile 4 (Trained Fighter)
Energy Powers: Guile 3 (Explosives)


Hmmm, well, that was a particularly clunky introduction.
Yes, it's the weekend again, which means it's time for some Street Fighter action, and we're heading straight back to the very first (or second, depending on your opinion of #0) issue of UDON's Capcom licensing agreement.

We've got a couple of new inductees into the Street Fighting ranks of the Infinite Wars. Guile was acknowledged, but uninvolved in a previous battle between Ryu and Balrog [Street Fighter II #1], emerging mysteriously to save Ryu from sniper fire after he defeated the Shadaloo boxer.

When I think back to the days of Street Fighter II in the arcades, and even beyond, I can't help but remember the popularity of Guile. In certain circles he has been regarded as the main character, superceding even the poster boys from the series, Ken and Ryu. His story of vengeance for the death of a law enforcement partner, classic in design, certainly makes him one of the most specifically involved fighters in the Street Fighter tournaments.

Birdie's a popular cat, and actually a fighter who predates Guile, having made his first appearance in the original Street Fighter game. He was able to find a new lease on life as part of the Street Fighter Alpha (or Zero) reinvigoration of the property, featuring as one of many new and reinvented characters.

Birdie, interestingly enough, has gone on to bigger and better things, having a starring role in the second-half of the Street Fighter Alpha "movie," and also a feature spot in the recent translated manga, also available through UDON.

Okay, before this turns into The Hammer, let's roll on to the tape, because the sooner we get this part over, the sooner we can get to solid street fighting!

It's a pretty straight forward scenario of two fighters.
Guile is a powerful customer, but Birdie represents the epitomy of the street fighter of impressive size and strength. He's the kind of fighter who plays to overpower, and will do it by any means necessary, even resorting to less than honorable tactics that include a massive chain -- yeah, not just for bling!

Guile's been around the block plenty of times. He's a mature and strong fighter. Much like the character in the games - who could propose a devestating combination of sonic booms that lure the opponent into avoid their way into a flash kick - Guile is well prepared to out-think and strategise his way through characters.

Birdie's at the bottom rung of the Shadaloo outfit because he isn't the smartest tool in the box. He'll give any fighter a run for his money, but at the end of the tournament, Guile's going to be standing far ahead of the British brawler.

The Math: Guile (Meta Class)
The Pick: Guile

What went down...
Having apparently taken out rival gangs in the area, Birdie and his crew strut into a restaurant to demand protection money. The owner, tired of handing his profits over to thugs, refuses, and suffers the consequences!

Ryu, dining with Ken, steps up to stop Birdie, grabbing his fist as he pulls back for another swing at the helpless owner. Before Ryu has the opportunity to take the fight, an authorative voices calls from the entrance, ordering all to freeze.

Ken calls his friend off, leaving Guile to arrest the Shadaloo thugs, but Birdie has no intentions to accept arrest. The mighty Brit leaps into action, throwing his massive weight into a chain attack, but Guile dodges it with ease.

He slides around the clumsy attack with ease, and throws a hard backhanded fist at the thugster. Though less than elegant, Birdie is competent enough to lift his impressive fist, blocking the impact of the blow, with chains and all.

He leaps into the air again, looking to use his impressive height and strength advantage to crash down on Guile with an axe handle smash.

Guile proves agile enough to leap out of the path of the move that reduces the furniture to pulp.

Guile stops to casually pull a comb through his hair, taunting the burly brawler whose attempts continue to be unsuccessful. He laughs at the prospect of Bison even knowing a wannabe's name, sending Birdie into a further rage.

Birdie rises in a dishevled state and leaps into the air, throwing himself at the cool and composed Guile. Guile can't help but smile, a steady contrast to Birdie, roaring like a ferocious animal.

The tactic proves to be all part of Guile's cunning plan, luring the undisciplined fighter into the range of his devestating sommersault kick. The blow snaps Birdie's jaw back and sprays blood in the air.

Birdie comes to lands on his head and neck, out for the count. Guile brings his foot to rest on the defeated Birdie, relishing the victory to the delight of onlookers, and store owner alike.

Unfortunately the defeat does little to intimidate the other Shadaloo thugs. One of the gangsters elbows his way out of custody, and makes a break for the kitchen! Guile orders pursuit, but the thug is too quick -- or so he thinks!

He makes for the back door, only to walk into a blur of yellow and blue -- a flurry of super-fast kicks! On his back, the Shadaloo runt can only stare up at the refined fighting machine that is - Chun-Li!

The hammer...
Guile wins! Perfect!

Actually, I cheated a little bit, and we'll condense a quick fix into this one by also counting Chun-Li for the assist. I didn't plan to, but heck, I'm feeling generous, and I want to give the Street Fighter's a well deserved shot at making top five before the end of the year.

If you missed us last week, you won't know that the challenge has been issued to the Street Fighter alumnists to use the weekends to earn a top five spot before the end of the year. Considering not only that there's only three months left to do that, and that they're up against eight months of competition, that's a big, and exciting ask!

As much fun as it would be to run through the UDON comics from start to finish, there are a lot of gaps in my collection. Aside from a couple of quick fixes held within the pages of this issue, it might be a while before we see any of the Image published Street Fighter action. Still, that doesn't mean there isn't plenty of Street Fighting to come, from both comic and film.

Y'know, say what you will about any of UDON's faults, you couldn't come up with a better group to tackle the Street Fighter license in American comics. Already tied to a kinetic, manga-inspired style, the artists of UDON slide fluidly into reproducing the Capcom style of games like Alpha, adding that extra layer of familiarity that makes the difference between a good adaptation, and a great piece of licensing.

Over the course of production from the first series, to the self-published Street Fighter II, you can see a really exciting process of evolution and learning in the UDON production team. In these early issues, there's a sense of experimentation in the pages, featuring a lot of familiar frames, and digital effects.

While I think this approach is probably a little heavy-handed, I'm actually really glad that they did it. I wouldn't want to read it in every issue, but it's just a nice quality to have seen tried. It's all too rare to see experimenting and evolution in the process of a comic in such a finite space of time.

Pictured above, you see Guile's famous match-winning taunt of the hair comb.
It's scenes like, and moves utilized by the fighters taken directly from the games, that probably made this such an easily acceptable read. As I said, I think it's maybe a little heavy-handed to literally recreate frames of animation from the gaming sprites, but without it I wonder if the series could've enjoyed the instant acceptance that can be so hard to garner from hardcore fans.

This first volume of Street Fighter represents a lot of fantastic things, and while UDON themselves acknowledge it got a little distracted at times, they did well to bring it all back to the tournament with Street Fighter II, and this remains a fantastic inclusion for any fan's collection.

That's probably about all for this week, but be back here next weekend as we continue to test the strength of the Street Fighting fraternity. We saw them go head-to-head with the Marvel heroes in the games, but this is the true test!

The Fight: 4.5 The Issue: 6
[Street Fighter has the unlikely honor of being the first issue published by Image Comics to be featured in the Infinite Wars. Granted, that's a true oddity on a site dedicated to superhero fisticuffs, but also a testament to the Street Fighter brand. We'll find our way to something else Image one of these days...]

AVENGERS versus GALACTUS
The End of the Matter: What If The Silver Surfer Had Not Betrayed Galactus? (Marvel comics)
Where: What if...? #70 When: February 1995
Why: Chuck Dixon How: Joe Barney & Don Hudson

The story so far...
So it was, when the devourer of worlds came to destroy the Earth, that the Fantastic Four stood against him. Toppling his gleeming herald, the Silver Surfer would come to land on the balcony of an inner city studio belonging to the blind sculptress, Alicia Masters.

Though blind, she would see something inside the Silver Surfer thought long dead, and with an awareness of all things great on the planet Earth, the Silver Surfer remembered what it was to be Norrin Radd, inhabitant of Zenn-La. Thus, he rebelled and proved to be the crucial factor in defeating the devourer of worlds, Galactus.

Alas, there are other worlds, where events such as this deviate in minor, but devestating ways. Just such a world saw the Silver Surfer remaining steadfast, forcing the Fantastic Four into retreat in the wake of Uatu's death, and the wounding of Reed Richards. With the FF absent, other heroes are forced to pick-up the slack, but can they possibly stand against the might of Galactus?...

Previous Form:
The Avengers [#3]: Victorious over She-Hulk, Atlantis & Sinister Twelve.
Galactus (#338): Suffered a poetic defeat, eaten by alternate universe zombies.
Silver Surfer (#22): Major victories over Green Lantern, Ronan & Super-Skrull.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Galactus 7 (Omnipotent)
Intelligence: Galactus 7 (Infinite Wisdom)
Speed: Silver Surfer 7 (Light Speed)
Stamina: Galactus 7 (Unstoppable)
Agility: Captain America 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting Ability: Thor 6 (Warrior)
Energy Powers: Galactus 7 (Solar Power)


Alright, convenient filler here is the note to be made that I actually wrote this post yesterday. Through a string of unfortunate circumstances I fumbled my way to a select all, which was instantly autosaved as three accidental key strokes.

We've got to flash back to the sixties for this one. This is a time when the Avengers formula was just beginning to form, long before Brian "Baby Carrot*" Bendis would break it apart and rebuild it in the New Avengers form.

This particular version of the team, led by Captain America, consists of; Quicksilver, Wasp, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, Giant-Man, Iron Man and Thor.
A classic line-up of Avengers to be sure, and over time one of the most seasoned groups of heroes on the block, but in their infancy in 1966 you really have to doubt their ability to cope with a threat the scale of Galactus!

The Fantastic Four coped with Galactus perhaps most importantly through the scientific awareness and preparation of Reed Richards. In that capacity, only Hank "Giant-Man" Pym comes close, with Iron Man's genius being more specifically regarding the realm of technology. Pym's science, though fairly specific, at least approaches an awareness of varying forces in the world.

Characters like Wasp, Hawkeye, Quicksilver and even Captain America are really out of the depth with cosmic threats. They represent some very strong urban combatants, and certainly in battle with many other villains they'd be among the first you'd choose to represent, but Galactus represents an entirely different level.

In fact, it's perhaps only Thor who truly poses a challenge for the cosmic-borne menace of the world devourer and his shining herald. Iron Man might be able to hold Silver Surfer up, but even the might of a Norse God is probably better directed at Silver Surfer than the looming threat of Galactus.

I guess all of this amounts to a longer way of saying, not bloody likely.

The Math: Avengers (Total) Galactus/Silver Surfer (Average)
The Pick: Galactus/Silver Surfer

What went down...
With the Fantastic Four out of the picture, the Avengers respond in their absence, charging in to meet the space menace that may very well have killed the FF for opposing his clearly hostile motives.

The airborne Iron Man is the first to lodge a specific challenge, firing repulsor rays at the giant manifested visage of the would-be planet devourer.

On the ground, the Wasp takes leave of Captain America to seek more obscue methods of defeating their opponent in his technology sphere. Sadly, the bug-sized Avengers finds Galactus well prepared for such an incursion. His defense technology includes a laser, which does fine to knock her out cold.

Outside, Hawkeye fires off an explosive arrow that bursts against Galactus' mighty chest. Tired of the interference of what would amount to little more than insects, Galactus extends his powerful hand and exterminates the unprepared Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye and Quicksilver.

Only Captain America survives the spray of cosmic energy, able to raise his indestructable shield at the very last moment to defend against the assault.

Lurking somewhere behind the action, Hank Pym grows to giant proportions to take Galactus on in a battle of his own size. Sadly, the scientist's physical efforts are in vein, completely ineffective against the cosmic power of a being far beyond physical squabbles.

Galactus flashes with energy, radiating power enough to send Giant-Man hurtling across the rooftops of the Manhattan skyscrapers.

Meanwhile, having struggled against the board faring herald, Iron Man finally suffers the brunt of the power cosmic. Though rattled, the Surfer leaves Iron Man roasted, smouldering from inside his suit.

Captain America uses his shield to maintain his balance, clearly suffering from the power of the blast that killed his fellow Avengers.

Though aware he and his team have been defeated, he declares his defiance to Galactus, unwilling to ever quit -- even in the face of death!
He throws his mighty shield, bouncing it off the gigantic jaw of the world devourer, who turns and silently gazes down at the super-soldier, ending his long career with a merciless blast of cosmic power from his eyes. The Captain dies in flames.

Late to the battle, Thor swings mjolnir above his head, swearing to turn the vengeance of the Odinson against the murderous aliens. The Silver Surfer swoops in to meet his challenge, suffering a direct blow from a hurled mjolnir, for his troubles.

Thor swoops in to retrieve his legendary hammer, clasing head-on with the silvery being that rides atop the board. With the sky and city aflame all around them, the sky reigns down lightning as he and the Silver Surfer grapple.

Thor's lightning proves a fair challenge, but the Silver Surfer's unfiltered cosmic power is more than a match for even a god. Facing his demise like a warrior, Thor's final thoughts are to expel his own energies in taking the Silver Surfer to the afterlife with him, but alas, the Surfer is too strong.

"No... I cannot die... So long as the stars burn I cannot die..."
The Avengers, however, can...

The hammer...
In true What If fashion it's a bloodbath!
The decisive victory going to Galactus and the Silver Surfer.

The Avengers may die in this world, but the battle with Galactus is not yet finished. Like a lot of these sorts of stories [Marvel Zombies], there's an issue of scope here, and that's highlighted by the fact that there's a multitude of heroes who don't appear.
While Cyclops' visor appears on the cover, the X-Men of the day make no appearance, nor do any of the other heroes established in the Marvel universe by 1966.

Granted, it was a far more barren landscape of heroes, and certainly the likes of Spider-man or Daredevil weren't going to have any affect on the situation, but maybe it would've at least been nice to see them. Dare I mention Namor, even?

It's definitely a fun one, and we'll probably revisit this issue at a later date for some of the other tussles featured within. There's a fairly attractive appearance clocked in by Dr. Doom, where we'll get another chance to take a look at one of the many battles in the long rivalry between Doom and the Surfer.

It was around about this time in the second volume of the What If series' life that you can start to see the wheels falling off. The stories start to fatigue around about this time, and it's only a year or so before the stories completely remove themselves from the tried and true formula of changing one crucial element of a historical event in Marvel comics.

Instead, more abstract stories unfold, which frees them up from the shackles of things like the scope we mentioned. Less disturbing than that error of judgment, is the opinion of even prominent writers who believe there isn't enough material to do more than fifth week specials with the concept.

I've probably mentioned before how much of a bee in my bonnet the comments of then- recently appointed EIC, Joe Quesada, were regarding the cancellation of the Mutant X title, deeming alternate reality books to be summarily irrelevent.

This probably brings it all back to my surly stance on recognising the rich history of comics "continuity," but does it not seem a little absurd to consider a book like What If, which represents infinite accounts of events a finite or irrelevent concept? Am I the only person who sees the distinct divide between the potential to be mined from alternate reality stories, and the poor decisions that led to the demise of quality in the What If title?

Well, bitching aside, at least we have the back issues, and joyous websites like ours. Celebrating What If stories seems to be a widspread, if irregular phenomena amongst the blogosphere. They can take the Uatu out of the comic, but they can't take the What If out of the fans... Or something like that...

As mentioned back in the tape, I did actually type this entry up already, so it's a bit of a hassle to have to go back and do it all again. I might leave it at that and move on. I should throw out another thanks to When Fangirls Attack, who featured yet another of our entries right up near the top in their list.
Always greatly appreciated, and a lot of fun!

Speaking of lists, it's Friday (or rather, was) and we'd usually tip our hat to Bahlactus, but he's out of action for a couple of weeks. He was presumably shunted into a parallel universe. The Secret Earth? Still here. Representin'!

The Fight: 3.5 The Issue: 4
[A very fun comic, that might've benefitted expanding the basic concept to examine more of the working parts of the Marvel universe. Not one of the greatest What If stories, but certainly a highlight in the declining years.]

* Not an actual nickname for Bendis.

QUICK FIX DOUBLE FEATURE: Out of the Bag
HAMMER versus CAPTAIN COLD
The One You Love Conclusion (DC)
Where: Catwoman #49 When: January 2006
Why: Will Pfeifer How: Pete Woods

Quick Fix...
So, we dared to touch upon the nasty subject of Amazons Attack [Wander Woman], a series that has done absolutely nothing for the otherwise rising star of writer, Will Pfeifer.

In light of that, I thought it was probably worth zooming in to check out some of Pfeifer's much better work, namely picking up the slack on Catwoman after fan favourite writers Darwyn Cooke and Ed Brubaker left the title reinvigorated. Tag neglecters might also like to backtrack to the only other entry from Pfeifer's catalogue, the first issue of Captain Atom: Armageddon, reviewed earlier in the year.

But back to Catwoman. For those not terribly interested in the character or the title, it's probably hard to appreciate the situation Pfeifer was put in. The pressure almost certainly didn't come from the company, as this was among several maneuvers that really positioned Pfeifer as one of the up-and-comers at DC, but for fans and an industry, this was potentially a recipe for disaster!

The title had languished in a decade of reality-defying purple bodysuits, and equally unfathomable boobs, the result of Frank Miller's Year One contribution decaying as it passed through filter, to filter. Such a prominent character was undeniably calling out for a revamp. Fortunately for all concerned, it was masters Darwyn Cooke and Ed Brubaker who ultimately answered in a series of short back-ups in the pages of Detective Comics.

The duo were able to steer Catwoman back to the light with a sexy and smart approach to the characterization, that was achieved through Cooke's fun, chic pencils, and an overall intelligent script. Likewise, fleshing the supporting cast out to include golden age Detective Comics character, Slam Bradley, was a stroke of genius, and the finishing touch to sustaining Catwoman as a property.

Cooke left the book, but Brubaker continued to enjoy success with the visually similar collaborations that followed, most prominently stories with Cameron Stewart. Fill-in writers and artists would follow, while the book ebbed and flowed after suffering War Games crossovers, marking the end of Brubaker's run (#37).
With Brubaker presumably fatigued, and Marvel-bound, the time had finally come to find a replacement on the sleeper-hit of the decade.

Enter: Will Pfeifer and Pete Woods.
Stand-ins filled the void, but it was with issue #45 that the next chapter in the renewed Catwoman's saga began. Pete Woods' visuals departed totally from the cartoony approach initiated by Cooke. Pfeifer represented a slightly less radical shift in the writing, but still delivered what could be described as a less cute, stylized approach to the character, opening her up more to the urban sprawl of Gotham's moving parts, and the super-elements of the Infinite Crisis Society.

It wasn't all about Catwoman, though, and Pfeifer did well to borrow and continue elements established by the previous creative teams.
In issue forty-nine, occasional Catwoman co-hort, Captain Cold, is perturbed to learn of Catwoman's apparent demise at the hands of Angle Man.

The Society quartet of Hammer, Angle Man, Hugo Strange and Cold see to the body's dismemberment, scattering it across Gotham City so as to reduce trace evidence. They are of course, completely unaware of Catwoman's gambit involving the calling in of a favour from a shape-shifter.

Content with a less brutal way of crime, Captain Cold opts out of maintaining his association with the villains, considering Catwoman's murder "unnecessary."
Displeased with Cold's dated consideration of the criminal fraternity, Strange sets his Russian super-solder on him.

Though far out of his weight-class, the seasoned Cold proves more than enough brain for the brawny Hammer. Reaching quickly for his ice-blasting gun, the Captain fires off a massive blast that encases Hammer from the waist-down, in solid ice.

Cold presses his seniority, taunting the super-powered Russian with the information that he chose to use the gun only on medium -- not enough to be lethal. The show of strength not only immobilizes the deadly Hammer, but punctuates a point that he is not a man to be meddled with.

With this first storyarc, the relatively untested Pfeifer quickly established himself as a man more than suitable for the job. Though broadly different from the more isolated adventures of the first twenty-five critically acclaimed issues, Pfeifer continued Catwoman's legacy appropriately, meeting the editorial requirements of a DC Universe becoming increasingly interconnected.

Woods maintained a visual style that complimented everything established previously, like the revamped Catsuit, while paying a respect to reality that also served characters like the villainous duo, Hammer and Sickle.
It would be the two Russian characters, who first appeared in Outsiders in 1986, that would continue to plague Catwoman in later issues, establishing the book as a conscious, on-going story in the same vein as projects such as Judd Winick's run on Batman, oft discussed here on the Secret Earth.

The Fix: 4.5 The Issue: 5.5
Winner: Captain Cold

[The existence of supporting characters, regular and cameo, continues to prove to be crucial to the on-going success of Catwoman as a series. Pfeifer does well here, highlighting his ability to handle just such a task. Not as isolated or stylistic as previous portions of the run, but still a very honorable continuation.]

---

TRIPLE THREAT versus CATWOMAN
Paperweight Part 1 (DC)
Where: Catwoman #63 When: March 2007
Why: Will Pfeifer How: David López

Quick Fix...
So, as you may have gathered, Will Pfeifer has remained on the book, continuing his run to now and beyond. Next week issue #71 hits stands, so if you're reading now and are getting jazzed up for Catwoman, rest assured that a familiar product is readily available. We are celebrating the better side of Pfeifer, but I'd also recommend the Brubaker/Cooke/Stewart trades, if you're in the market.

So, Pete Woods departs after the first chunk, paving the way for David López to step in. Like Stewart to Cooke, or Allred, the shfit between Woods and López is minimal, making for a smooth reading experience as Pfeifer continues his story across the issues.

It's probably worth noting the fantastic covers the series has enjoyed post the minimalist approach of the earlier issues. Adam Hughes' efforts on covers have ranged everywhere from action packed stills, insinuative story previews, and super-sexy pin-ups that just scream Catwoman.

Among my favourites would have to be the recent red-background simple cover to #70; the panda-eyes of #51; and the sheer menace of #45, complete with Deathstroke, the character who was believed to have killed Catwoman by the end of her previous series, disguised as on-again-off-again love interest, Batman!

Of particular note on these covers, Catwoman's voluptuous figure, that represents the sexy, sassy confidence of the character, but also manages to portray her as something resembling a real woman. Absent are, dare I quote myself, 'the defiant hips of a fifteen year old,' regularly showcased on inhumanly busty characters suched as everyone's favourite, Powergirl.

One Year Later, life is beginning to crunch on Selina Kyle, who has taken a most unlikely path over the missing year. Now a mother; Kyle's young protégé has represented the mantle of Catwoman while the original take time to recover.
Unfortunately, things get hairy for this young Catwoman as she becomes wanted for a murder commited by her predecessor, and gets caught-up in the pressure of increasing unrest in the unified criminal underworld.
Back in action, Kyle tackles these problems head-on.

Hoping to protect herself and her ward, Catwoman reaches out to The Calculator, the brilliant hacker crucial in facilitating the unification of villainous efforts. She opts for his services in erasing police data, rather than enlist the aid of former Batgirl, Oracle, in an effort to avoid revealing her part in a murder to Batman.

The Calculator, apparently displeased over Catwoman's wavering allegiance, offers her up to a trio of young criminals hoping to put their new genetic enhancements to the test in the name of bigger fish. He diabolically pits the Triple Threat against an unsuspecting Catwoman, as a test of initiation.

The trio catch Catwoman unawares as she swings toward the Calculator's digs on the assumption he will help her with her problem.

The team-leader snatches Catwoman up and uses his powers of flight to take her airborne with the presumed intent of dropping her from a great height - but things go south, quickly.

Resorting to a less than graceful out, Catwoman throws her leg up, striking the unprotected crotch sufficiently enough to send them earth-bound. She offers some friendly costume advice, recommending padding.

Landing in the snowy ground with the agility of a cat; Selina is again taken by surprise by the super-strong member of the trio. He wraps her up in a sleeper hold, proposing they test her reflexes to see if they're as quick as her wit, holding her for his fellow who sparks with electrical energy.

Once again the Catwoman's feet do the majority of talking for her.
She uses the hold to swing both her feet up, knocking the electrically charged villain's hands up to narrowly avoid being blasted with raw electricity.

Tired of the amateur assault, Catwoman opts to pull out all the stops.
She snags the lightning-shooting threatster's hand in a scissor lock, again using the leverage afforded by the hold of the other villain, to lift her entire body into snapping the newbie's wrist.

With two of the three down, she makes a confident insinuation, prompting the final of the super-powered upstarts to run for his life.

In light of the message of our last feature [Wander Woman], it's perhaps some kind of irony that Catwoman represents the morally grey area. Unlike a Wonder Woman, Selina Kyle has enjoyed success in the modern age without any real characterization hiccups or restraints. Her status as neither hero nor villain has certainly contributed to this success, but I think overall she's managed to remain an interesting character through the mounting developments made over the years.

I think it's almost fair to say it took until 2001 for the character to finally be honed to perfection. Brubaker and Cooke refined the character down to it's strongest parts, which has benefitted many-a story since, including tangential tales like Jeph Loeb's Hush. A clearer definition of the character in contemporary continuity made for a thoroughly interesting and successful affair between long-time rivals, Catwoman and Batman.

I think it's fair to say Pfeifer's work on the character has waned slightly in more recent stories. Such may be the nature of the project as it becomes something of a Daredevil style book, to the DC Universe. I'd like to think even at it's lowest points, Pfeifer has earned his place among the "young" guns of comics writers.

Before we wrap this one up, I have to shoot-out a thank you to the ever-so relevant When Fangirls Attack, who have again included one of our features in their regular reference lists. Theirs is a support that is always greatly welcomed, and I hope those of you visiting the site for the first time might get something out of it, and continue to return for more of our fist-shaking antics.

Lots of stuff going on, but we'll be back for the usual Friday hits, with a little bit of a twist for the break while Bahlactus takes a couple of weeks off. Be here!

The Fix: 4.5 The Issue: 4
Winner: Catwoman

[Despite the questionable efforts of Amazons Attack, Pfeifer continues his run on Catwoman with relative success. Characters Hammer and Sickle continue to be of relevance as he builds on the reality of Gotham's East End through the tried-and-true method of continuing stories, and recurring themes and characters.]

QUICK FIX DOUBLE FEATURE: Wander Woman
MONGUL versus JUSTICE LEAGUE
Infinite Crisis (DC)
Where: Infinite Crisis #1 When: December 2005
Why: Geoff Johns How: Phil Jiminez

Quick Fix...
Okay, so the lazy schedule has helped me quickly correct, but if I'm to impress the various important establishments like the BBC, and various other publishers of print and media hitting up this humble blog, I've got to hit the hard issues before they go stale.

If the feminist blogging community has been anything to go by lately, I actually probably have until about 2025 to catch this one, so maybe I'm getting in early. Alas; I'll endeavour to kill the joke no more, and get straight to the topic at hand -- Amazons Attack!

Haven't they just?
Readers of the on-going saga will know I'm still cash-strapped and months behind on comics, so Amazons Attack isn't exactly something I'm familiar with, but as it so happens, it was something I didn't have any particular interest in anyway, even in those long forgotten months where it was placed before my spending dollar. It just wasn't a story that jumped out at me, regardless of pretty covers of a sword-wielding Batman, and my relative ignorance.

Never the less, the story has taken the internet by storm. Adding fuel to the fire was the daring act of writer Will Pfeiffer to throw to the open forum [on his blog], where he invited the wrath of disgruntled and satisfied readers alike.

There's also been a story floating around the blogosphere regarding the validity of the so-called "DC Trinity," in particular reference to Wonder Woman's claim to the position on the team. These two delicious morcels provide the perfect vehicle for us to make up for a gross lack of representation of the character, and do some chatting of our own with another of our fancy, fun-time double features!

The so-called Trinity converge on the wreckage of the Justice League satellite, destroyed recently with Martian Manhunter aboard. While there are no signs of J'onn J'onnz, another presence lurks in the shadows, listening in to the bitter descent amongst the highest ranks of the Justice League heirarchy.

Concerned about recent events involving Wonder Woman's brutal execution of the corrupted Maxwell Lord, Superman is soon distracted from the conversation by the otherwise inaudible sound of a heartbeat. His reaction proves too slow, suffering a slugging fist from the villains Mongul!

The monstrous alien swats Batman aside, but Wonder Woman is at the ready with sword in-hand. She slashes at the hulking beast, who gladly meets her blood letting with a blow that sends her shattering through the ruins of the satellite base. If it wasn't already destroyed, it soon would be!

Superman returns with a vengeance, heat-vision blaring, but again he finds himself swatted away by Mongul's fantastic strength. Looking for a different tactic, he hoists the ever-so human Batman off the ground by the neck.
Assessin Batman's suitability as donor for another skull for his throne, Mongul isn't prepared for a quick recovery by Superman.

Superman throws all of his Kryptonian strength into a blow that knocks Mongul's face around itself. He continues the ill tempered attack with a stressed combination of fists, unrestrained heat-vision, and fury!

With Mongul downed, Superman checks on the rattled Batman.
Wonder Woman proves less concerned with her fellows' well being, and more with the permanent solution to Mongul's terror. She dives with her sword in the axe-handle position, prepared to strike down the fallen villain once and for all.

Ever the boyscout, Superman intercepts the killer-blow, catching the sword before it can split Mongul's head like an overripe melon. Even Batman, whose dark justice more closely resembles Wonder Woman's warrior code, questions the warrior princesses' intentions.

While the trio debate their philosophies of justice, Mongul is able to barge through them, making an untimely escape, free to trouble them again in the future.

I've been hovering around the place making tongue-in-cheek references to a slightly cheesy harsh justice trinity of DC royals; Wonder Woman, Black Adam and Aquaman. As silly as it sounds, I'm actually hiding a deadly serious, if under developed, concept. A concept that would perhaps best fit in the Wonder Woman book itself, strangely enough.

It grabs on to some very recent reference points.
I love the implication of Darwyn Cooke's New Frontier work, that revels in Wonder Woman's supposed warrior origins in a retro-contemporary war-time situation. I love that, in the name of good, she gleefully takes part in the slaughter of men who have committed terrible evils. With such a vile situation, I even don't mind that there's a distinct feminist agenda there, that errs a little too narrow sighted for what I'd like of such a prominent superhero.

I also latch on to, of all things, the brief appearances in Brian Azzarello's Superman, which again played to Wonder Woman's strengths as a warrior, and cast her in a scenario closer to man-made suffering than giant snake-haired monsters, or simplified struggles of diplomacy.

I think about these characters; Black Adam and Aquaman.
Black Adam is a character we've talked about a lot this year, as one of the more high-profile anti-heroes at DC comics right now. I expressed concern about a potential return to over-simplified super villainy [Hawkman #24], and certainly this concept asks that you disregard that kind of tact in favour of holding on to his unwavering role as conquering dictator, first confirmed in Black Reign.

Neither he, nor Aquaman, have a book right now, with the latter having his title cancelled in an almost inevitable cyclical series of false-starts.
I look at the commonality of these characters as outsiders who have lived in societies far more advanced than our own, and yet, also somewhat ancient in their design. I consider the viability for these characters to break apart from the mold of the well established characters, to blaze a trail as not only characters depicting a diverse interpretation of justice, but also as a platform for interesting scenarios and world affairs.

As part of the "Trinity" Wonder Woman is either too sympathetic, like Superman, or too harsh, like Batman, albeit, a tad more lethal. As a character whose stage should be the world, I can't help but see untapped potential in a Wonder Woman who breaks away from the conceptually obscure hub of world activity - America - and extends herself, with a coalition of likeminded outsiders, to subscribe to a proactive course of their own warrior's justice. Not that the American hub wouldn't still be a regular touchstone, given the international interests of groups like Checkmate, and the Justice Society.

I don't know how Amazon Attacks affected Wonder Woman or her outlook on the world. I don't know if she was part of the presumed invasion of Amazons on the world-of-man, or if she were revolted by it, (in that Superman-style turn).
I don't know if it really matters. It seems like Wonder Woman is crying out for a strong and certain characterization and course of direction, requiring simplicity, but intelligence, and this might just be the time for it.

It remains to be seen what Gail Simone will do with the character, but I can't say I'm really holding out hope. Short of a one-shot war on refridgerators, I can't see Simone bringing a lot that interests me to this particular character. Will a phoenix rise from the ashes? We shall see...

The Fix: 6 The Issue: 5.5
Winner: Superman/Wonder Woman

[Something I didn't get to mention was just how refreshing it is to see Batman out of his depth. All too often we see him swiftly counter-acting the presence of Superman-level aliens, which is fun, but a little too consistent. A refreshing take on the situation, in a charged gathering of the "Trinity".]

---

WONDER WOMAN versus ETRIGAN
The Region Beyond Part II: Beyond Redemption (DC)
Where: The Demon #17 When: November 1991
Why: Alan Grant How: Val Semeiks

Quick Fix...
It was a while ago now I had a brief online discussion with a man deserving of more recognition on a blog dedicated to superhero fisticuffs, and macho bravado. I of course refer to the one and only, Beau Smith; a man of certain and sure opinion, who had a major creative hand in the life of Guy Gardner as the editorially mandated - Warrior.

During that discussion I peddled a different theory about Wonder Woman. With Greg Rucka's "new" take on the diplomat in shoulder pads and a skirt, I was interested in taking that urban slant and turning it on it's side a little.

From the serious, to the silly, we arrive at this book. Something of an abberation in my collection, it came into my possession by means inadvertant, and has since sat lonely, waiting for just such an occasion as this.

My theory, at least for Wonder Woman's life among humans, was of confidence and liberation. It proposed an almost She-Hulk style sexuality, partially opening the floodgates to all things fanboys have pondered whilst staring at an Alex Ross Wonder Woman's thighs. Because, we already know Wonder Woman finds men attractive, but having been raised on an island exclusively inhabited by Amazonian women, I think it's fair to assume she'd be open-minded.

Actually, I think what takes it from being a little uncomfortable, and brings it back to being an interesting character trait is that she'd be very as matter-of-fact about it. You would have to imagine that there's a familiar bisexuality amongst a race living with women, but apparently also aroused by the presence and mysteyr of man.

I like the idea that the fact has never been explicitly addressed because, for the extremely liberal Wonder Woman, it just isn't an issue. In the same way I don't march around the streets declaring my heterosexuality, for Wonder Woman it would be such a non-issue, she wouldn't consider it. Of course, taking that slightly alien perspective, I also don't think she'd blush educating someone on any of the invoved practises, or anatomical implications of such a lifestyle.

Of course, that's not to say I want to recast Wonder Woman as some sort of lady-about-town tramp. Huh, figures you'd assume that, sperm bank.
No, see, we know Wonder Woman isn't some sort of floosy for the same reasons we know she is attracted to men: It's on the page!

Case-in-point, having been smelted by an evil villain, and cast into the Netherworld by an impishly passing Klarion the Witchboy, Wonder Woman finds herself the subject of the unwanted affections of The Demon - Etrigan!

Confused, Wonder Woman is taken surprise by an evil Banshee creature as a welcome to what appears to be Hell. She puts the creature down hard with an unrelenting fist, but she underestimates the hellspawn creature. It springs back up, launching at the warrior woman while she is distracted talking to Etrigan, who dangles from the ceiling wrapped in chains. [Long story!...]

Sensing Wonder Woman is pure-of-heart the Demon's host is compelled to go to her aid, but the demonic body is uncooperative with the brain's commands.
Wonder Woman suffers at the hands of The Banshee as it rips and tears at her flesh exposing a flowing trickle of crimson blood that finally awakens the Demon's simmering interests in an explosion of excitement.

Freed the Demon swiftly pounds The Banshee into submission, and leaps at Wonder Woman.

Compelled by the sweet smell of Wonder Woman's blood, the Demon does not stop there. With an excess of enthusiasm he snatches the Amazonian off her feet and passionately throws her to the wall, his demonic tongue wagging at the streams of blood across her face.

Thoroughly offended by the Demon's unsolicited advances, Wonder Woman has no choice but to throw her Amazonian super-strength into a well placed knee. Though powerful, the blow fails to rattle the Demon's cage, instead only enticing him further by his joy for massochism. Overwhlemed, Jason Blood, the demon Etrigan's host, can merely commentate the creature's actions, awaiting the opportunity to wrest control from the savage beast.

Giggling gleefully the Demon renews his advances, ignoring Wonder Woman's warnings to descend on her with his tongue wagging between massive pointed teeth.

He pins her to the ground, and through a veil of his own twisted sense of romance, begins to wail on her.
It is only the exertion of Jason Blood's will that finally stays the Demon, managing to utter the enchantment that returns him to form of man.

Like I said, I'm not so sure this is the kind of blunt, forward approach to Wonder Woman's romantic life I have in mind, but as something of a curiosity, I just had to throw it into the mix. I think it's fair to say it fits the previously discussed harsh justice, as pictured right.

Harsh, but fair.
Lord knows my knees would wander if I were being molested by a blood-thirsty demon. I don't care how helpful he may have been.

Y'know, despite some mature overtones, this story actually highlights another potentially interesting avenue for the Wonder Woman character, and that would be the young readers line. Like a Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman has struggled to find a strong, consistent characterization, and might even be there that she could begin to build a new franchise opportunity with more light hearted antics.

It's maybe hard to say exactly what's best for the Wonder Woman character, but lord knows it has to begin with some chances. Few characters are as guarded as Wonder Woman, and yeah, some of the things we've discussed here are pushing the mould a little, but maybe that's what's needed. It was testing stories like the Dark Knight Returns that helped reinvigorate Batman, and maybe it's time Wonder Woman got the same leeway to produce the same results.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get some of the sleep I should've had when I wrote this thing. I'd like to think I didn't, but if it got incoherrent, you know why. I tend to maintain though, the uncompromising Wonder Woman is the one I'd like to see the most. A harsh figure of international justice.

The Fix: 3.5 The Issue: 4
Winner: Demon/Wonder Woman

[This wacky tale will have to wait for another day to get a better review. I'm going to count it as a double within a double, awarding a shared victory over The Banshee, and a tie between Demon and Wonder Woman themselves. A book that's got the adult shift of the eighties, it probably shouldn't have been in a bargain bag.]