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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Dec 16, 2020 19:53:29 GMT -5
Fantastic Four #292"The Man Who Dreamed the World"Cover Date: July, 1986 Writer: John Byrne Artist: John Byrne Feature Characters: The Fantastic Four (Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, The Human Torch, & She Hulk) Villain/s: Nazis (Adolph Hitler)---All Imaginary Special Guests: S.H.I.E.L.D. (Nick Fury), Joseph "Licorice" Calhoun (Last Appearance), & Annihilus (The Last in Flashback Form Only) Official Plot:Apparently trapped in the year 1936, the Human Torch, Invisible Woman, and She-Hulk are rushing to Berlin, Germany, in order to prevent Nick Fury from assassinating Hitler and altering history in a potentially catastrophic way. With Sue and Johnny using their powers in tandem to create a make-shift flying craft, the group recounts the events leading up to this moment. Along with them is jazz musician "Licorice" Calhoun, who is frightened out of his mind seeing super-humans in his own time period. As they rocket across the Atlantic, Sue hopes that they are not too late. Fury has quite the head start on the FF, as he is already inside Hitler's mansion searching for the leader of Nazi party. Finding Hitler among his staff, Fury tries to strafe them, but Hitler's men manage to push him out of harms way. Fury fights through the Nazi soldiers and gets face to face with the Fuhrer himself, preparing to assassinate him for the death of eight-million people including his old squad mate Junior Juniper and his lover Pamela Hawley. However before Fury can pull the trigger, more guards come in startling him and he takes full rounds to the chest. At that very moment, the Fantastic Four arrive outside Hitler's home. They enter the building and Sue reminds them how important that nobody can die, or else it could have a dire impact on history. As they search they stumble upon a massive Nazi battle robot being constructed. The Nazis working on it try to test it out on the three heroes, but the Fantastic Four make short work of it and continue their search for Fury. Elsewhere in the building, Hitler has had Fury stripped of his uniform and put through a brutal interrogation. However, as much as they try to beat him, Fury refuses to talk or reveal any of his secrets. When Hitler calls another beating, his men are knocked back by Sue's force-field. Sue then slams the door shut, trapping Hitler in the room with them. After she frees Fury, he tries to shoot Adolf, but she tells him that there is no way of knowing if killing Hitler in the past will have any positive affect on the future. At first Fury seems to break down and accept the facts, but as they walk away he hears Hitler cocking his own gun, Nick suddenly whirls around and shoots Hitler dead.... .... Suddenly, Fury and the other members of the Fantastic Four awaken inside the S.H.I.E.L.D. space satellite. Much to their surprise, Reed is also there, alive and well. Sue rushes to her husband who quickly explains how he survived: He explains that when he was battling Annihilus in the distortion area between the positive universe and the Negative Zone. Knowing contact with his space suit and Annihilus would cause a matter/anti-matter explosion, Reed ditched his suit at the last moment, leaving Annihilus to be destroyed in the explosion. Reed then inflated his body like a balloon in the hopes of the pressure keeping him alive long enough for S.H.I.E.L.D. to find and pick him up, a gamble that worked out after all. With the explanation of Reed's survival out of the way, Fury demands explanations for how they managed to be in 1936. Reed then shows them the comatose body of Joseph Calhoun, who Reed reveals is a mutant who was put into a coma after being beaten by Mr. Cleveland's men in 1936. Reed explains that Calhoun was beginning to come out of his coma and his mind created the "time warps" replaying the days leading up to his injury. When She-Hulk rescued him, he latched onto the group, pulling them deeper into his "time warp" until Fury "assassinated" Hitler, causing reality to snap back to normal, and that the entire group was living in someone else's dream. Brodie's View:We end the last 100% John Byrne issue with the Reed Richard-less Fantastic Four (or should I say Fantastic Three?) rocketing towards Germany in a Invisible craft created by Susan Richards (and powered by Johnny Storm's flame, which is a similar type craft they used to fly in FF #279), as they're attempting to stop Nick Fury from killing Hitler. The reason for this is the fear that they might damage the time stream by changing the course of history, but they do remark how strange things are at this point; for example, both Sue and Jennifer's powers seem much more amped up than they were in "reality." Accompanying them on this journey is the Jazz musician Jen rescued from being run down by mobsters in the last issue, Joseph Calhoun, whose inclusion in this mission also hints at a sense of unreality, as there's really little reason for the other FF members to bring him on this mission with them, but all that will be explained by the end of the story. Anyways, Fury ends up beating them there, and after sneaking in to one of Hitler's mansions, and finding the "Main Man" and his troops, goes balls to the wall trying to take Hitler out before he is overwhelmed by Nazi soldiers. It's shortly after this that the FF arrive at the mansion, and immediately find themselves in a battle with a giant Nazi robot obviously meant to be a secret weapon in the future WW II. Meanwhile, Sue turns invisible and seeks out Fury, who is being tortured by some of Hitler's more ruthless thugs. However, Sue frees Nick, and after taking down the previously mentioned thugs, has Hitler dead to rights, but Sue talks him out of killing the dictator. That is, until Hitler tries to sneak up on Fury and shoot him in the back. Boom! Bye, bye Adolph. But wait, the FF and Nick Fury suddenly awaken aboard SHIELD's space satellite, where they had apparently been sleeping since shortly after they returned to New York. In addition, it's revealed that Reed survived his battle with Annihilus, as the explosion that happened when Annihilus touched the FF leader sent him flying out of the rift before the explosion closed it. The events of the last two issues are then explained to have been caused by Joseph Calhoun, who in our time is an 80 some year old man in a coma, but one with a powerful mutant power. See, in reality, Calhoun had been run down by the mobsters Jen saved him from, which put him into a coma that had lasted the last 50 years. Recently, he had started to come out of his coma, which activated his mutant power to create these powerful dreamlike versions of reality, and after Jen saved the younger Calhoun from his actual fate, they were drawn fully into the dream with him, which is why their powers were insanely heightened. An interesting end to this four part story, which, I'll say on one hand kind of stretches plausibility at some points, particularly how Reed could have saved himself from dying in space after the explosion that saved him had knocked him unconscious, but then again, I think Byrne knew this would be his last full story, so, he wanted to leave things as much as he found it as he could at that point, and that means not killing the leader of the team before he left....lol. Anyways, over all this was a cool story, with the first half DEFINITELY worth checking out, as it has a F*** ton of action and crazy stuff happening. Well, this brings us to the next issue, which will be the last full Byrne issue we get to end off this run, and that will be the first part of one last Three Part story. GRADE: A-
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Ultimo Gallos
Grimlock
Dreams SUCK!Nightmares live FOREVER!
Posts: 14,455
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Post by Ultimo Gallos on Dec 17, 2020 1:54:16 GMT -5
And wow FF went downhill fast not long after Byrne left. Wasn't it right after #300 that the team became Thing,Torch,She Thing and Crystal maybe?
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Dec 17, 2020 18:48:12 GMT -5
And wow FF went downhill fast not long after Byrne left. Wasn't it right after #300 that the team became Thing,Torch,She Thing and Crystal maybe? Yeah, you're spot on about that. I wound up dropping the book shortly after all that happened, as the book went from MUST READ to SUCK at record speed.
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Ultimo Gallos
Grimlock
Dreams SUCK!Nightmares live FOREVER!
Posts: 14,455
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Post by Ultimo Gallos on Dec 17, 2020 18:52:09 GMT -5
And wow FF went downhill fast not long after Byrne left. Wasn't it right after #300 that the team became Thing,Torch,She Thing and Crystal maybe? Yeah, you're spot on about that. I wound up dropping the book shortly after all that happened, as the book went from MUST READ to SUCK at record speed. I had a sub,remember when Marvel would offer subs and send them in the brown paper sleeves. The sub lasted until not long after the "Secret Wars III" issue. That is what 319? But yea Bryne's run was great. Then whoever took over afterwards tanked that book fast.
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Dec 17, 2020 19:24:29 GMT -5
Fantastic Four #293"Central City Does Not Answer!"Cover Date: Aug, 1986 Writer: John Byrne Artist: John Byrne Feature Characters: The Fantastic Four (Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, The Human Torch, & She Hulk) Villain/s: None Special Guests: Wyatt Wingfoot, "Alicia Masters"/Lyja the Skrull, Kristoff Vernard, & The West Coast Avengers (Tigra, Iron Man, & Wonder Man) Official Plot:She-Hulk radios the Fantastic Four at their new headquartes to inform her boyfriend Wyatt Wingfoot that Central City -- original home of the Fantastic Four -- is trapped in a massive black dome. She has come to investigate it with the West Coast Avengers, whom she was visiting at the time and has called in to get Reed's help trying to uncover the mystery of the dome that has ensnared the entire city. Wyatt tells Jen to stand by while he gets the rest of the team. In another part of their headquarters, Reed, Sue, Johnny and Alicia are monitoring Kristoff Vernard, who is confined to a padded room within their headquarters. Still believing that he is Doctor Doom, Kristoff rants and raves like a madman at the camera monitoring him. When Alicia asks if there is anything they can do to restore young Kristoff's mind, Reed tells them that he is trying every known psychological technique to try to restore the boy's sanity, but so far nothing has succeeded. Johnny points out that even though Kristoff is a child, he has the genius of Doctor Doom himself and is a threat, and wonders how long they can keep him confined. Their discussion is interrupted by Wyatt who comes to them with Jennifer's news about Central City. Soon they are off in the new long range Fantasti-Car. Along the way Sue expresses her continued dissatisfaction over the inattention they are giving Franklin and wonders what sort of life he will grow into because his parents are part of the Fantastic Four. Although Johnny tries to reassure his sister that Franklin will turn out all right, the group is still unease about the untapped potential of his growing mutant abilities. As the Fantastic Four put on full speed to get to Central City, Johnny tells Wyatt to strap in. Along the way, Johnny makes a comment about how his friend is in love with She-Hulk, an idea that Wyatt has not given much consideration until this moment. Meanwhile, outside the dome, Iron Man has constructed a device that will open a rift in the dome so that he can investigate what is going inside. Iron Man opens the portal and dives in, only to come back out moments later with his armor severely damage and exhausted. When Tigra approaches him to see what happened, they learn that while Iron Man was gone for only a few seconds, three weeks passed on the other side of the dome -- and worse -- whoever is inside is violent. When She-Hulk suggests they get Iron Man's helmet off so he can breath better, Tigera tells her to back off. Wonder Man explains that it is a precaution because as it stands to maintain Iron Man's secret identity. With that, Wonder Man flies off with Iron Man in his arms get him the assistance he needs. As She-Hulk and Tigra watch his departure, they suddenly notice that the barrier has now begun to grow. She-Hulk goes up to the barrier to get a closer look, but as it begins to envelop her, she is horrified to find that no matter how hard she tries she cannot pull herself out. Tigra tries to help, but She-Hulk doesn't want her to get trapped easier and kicks the cat-woman aside as the dome sucks her completely inside. When the rest of the Fantastic Four arrive, Tigra fills them in on what is going on. Reed comes to the conclusion that in order to take down the dome and save She-Hulk they must get inside. When they consider the amount of time that has passed in the 10 minutes that passed since She-Hulk entered the dome fifty years would have transpired on the other side. Sue is apprehensive about entering the dome because they could very well die of old age before they ever make it out. However after some discussion the entire team agrees to go into the dome. Fearing that it might have been the cause of the domes expansion, Reed foregoes using Iron Man's device instead suggesting that they all charge into the dome unaided. Before they enter, Wyatt steps in and tells them that he wants to go and learn if Jen is alive first hand. With all the decision made, the Reed tells Tigera to stay behind to keep the Avengers informed. As the Fantastic Four prepare to enter the dome, Tigera notices something different about it. She shouts in surprise, but the Fantastic Four and Wyatt do not hear them as they have already leaped into the dome and passed through to the other side. Surrounded in darkness, Johnny flames up his hand to give them some light. They are shocked to see that they are on the outskirts of Central City, but a massive technological city has been built over top of it. Realizing that the citizens would have had to build upwards because of the dome in the thousands of years that have passed in dome-time. Sue quickly uses her powers to construct a stair case, and Johnny melts through the ceiling, giving them access to the other side. There they find massive spires that appear to be made of polished glass. However there is no sign of any people, let alone She-Hulk. The group then begins to look around for signs of life, and are surprised when they find a replica statue of the Baxter Building. When they pass around the corner they are shocked to see a massive statue in tribute to the original Fantastic Four. Brodie's View:The official end to the John Byrne run on the FANTASTIC FOUR begins here with the last issue Byrne completed work on before he split to DC to revamp Superman. To explain all this even further (and keep in mind this is just Byrne's version of events as they happened), somewhere around the beginning of 1986, Byrne signed on with DC to revamp Superman for the new modern era of the comic universe they wanted to build after the landmark CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS Crossover. However, Byrne was still working on THE FANTASTIC FOUR and THE INCREDIBLE HULK for Marvel, and I think Byrne assumed that he would be able to do both. Jim Shooter disagreed, and he would make the last several months of Byrne's first run at Marvel a living Hell for him, finding problems with every story he wrote from the time he announced working for DC to his officially leaving for that company. Finally, enough was enough, and at some point after Byrne sent the finished art for this issue, he left Marvel (to show how sudden this leaving must have been, he didn't even get a chance to draw a cover for this issue). That being said, at least we get a solid issue for the first part of this story, as it seems Byrne knew he was on his way out 100% at that point, as he does one last little check in on the supporting cast he had built for the book over the last 20/30 issues, and touching on at least a few of the remaining subplots he had built up over the last year or so's worth of issues. One of the biggest examples of this is the showing of Kristoff Vernard (the young boy that was brainwashed into believing he was Doctor Doom), who has been kept prisoner in the basement of Avengers Mansion since blowing up the Baxter Building in FF #278/9. The next time we'll see Kristoff, he'll have somewhat broken the brainwashing job the Doombots did on him, and actually would become an ally for the team for a time. We also see Reed and Sue discussing (most likely influenced by seeing a corrupted child in the form of Kristoff) their son Franklin, who has started to manifest mutant powers that his parents thought had been made dormant. It seems to be setting up Reed and Sue leaving the team for a time, which actually does happen after the events of FF #300. Perhaps Byrne had been talking with Roger Stern, who would briefly take over the writing chores after Byrne left, about the direction he would take the book, or perhaps this was always the plan Byrne had in mind for the post #300 team. Anyways, the main story for this issue, and one that sets up the rest of this Three Part story, involves a strange dark dome which has appeared over Central City, which is the city Reed Richards had lived with until the doomed spaceflight that turned them into the Fantastic Four. She Hulk reports this at the very beginning of the issue, as, while searching for The Thing, who had been MIA since something caused him to start to mutate further in his own book, discovered this dome, and called the West Coast Avengers in to investigate. Of course, the nice thing about this is it allows Byrne to draw Iron Man, Wonder Man, and more specifically Tigra, who he's always done a great job with. Anyways, Iron Man, at one point, tries to fly into the dome, only to fly right out with his armor all messed up. It seems that time passes differently within the dome, so, what had only been seconds for Jen, Tigra, and Wonder Man, but had actually been weeks for Iron Man. Soon after Wonder Man flies Iron Man off to receive medical aid, Jen becomes stuck in the dome, and ends up being pulled in, leaving only Tigra behind to inform the rest of the FF as to what had happened when they arrive. Of course, this leads to Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Wyatt Wingfoot (who is concerned over what might have happened to his then love interest) entering the dome, and finding that Central City now looks very rebuilt and futuristic. In addition, there seems to be certain monuments to the Fantastic Four that have been set up in the middle of the city, and the issue ends with the team finding a giant statue dedicated to the original Fantastic Four. This officially ends the main John Byrne era on the book. We'll have two more issues left to cover, as I do want to finish the story Byrne started, but sadly, like Byrne's former cohort, Chris Claremont, he's going to have to watch someone else finish stories he had started from the outside. Luckily, though, we do get a solid writer to help pick up the baton Byrne left, and we will indeed finish this Three Part story before moving on. In the next issue, we find out how the team deal with a serious case of....HERO WORSHIP. GRADE: A-
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jan 16, 2021 0:48:42 GMT -5
Fantastic Four #294"Hero Worship"Cover Date: Sept, 1986 Writer: John Byrne (Plot) Roger Stern (Script) Artist: Jerry Ordway Feature Characters: The Fantastic Four (Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, The Human Torch, & She Hulk) Villain/s: Harvey Jessup & The Exiles of Central City (Head, Clobber, Wing, & Fire Patrol)---1st Appearance of All----& ROXXON Special Guests: Wyatt Wingfoot & Princess Livia (1st Appearance of)/The West Coast Avengers (Tigra, Iron Man, & Wonder Man)(The WCA in Flashback Form Only) Official Plot:The Fantastic Four and their ally Wyatt Wingfoot have been exploring Central City searching for their missing teammate She-Hulk. The city has been caught in a time accelerating dome where in mere hours outside, thousands of years have gone on within. While exploring the group has just discovered a massive statue worshiping the original Fantastic Four. After recounting recent events prior to their entering the dome, they mull over the possibility that She-Hulk may have died in the hundred and fifty years that passed between their own entry into this place. With nobody in sight, Johnny becomes impatient and flames on to explore, although Reed cautions the Torch to be careful. As the group continues to search for their missing comrade, they are secretly observed by some of the beings that live in this city, who have taken note of Reed and Sue's Fantastic Four costumes. As Johnny continues his search in the sky he is suddenly attacked, snuffing out his flame and causing him to fall. As he plummets the Torch manages to use his powers to create the Fantastic Four's signal flare alerting the others to his plight. Before Reed and Sue can go to Johnny's aid, Wyatt is ambushed by a massive man shouting "Clobber-Time!" They are soon attacked by an army of similar men, garbed in outfits that have a helmet similar to the one the Thing once wore early in his career. They are also attacked by strange flying men with bo staffs and strange two-headed people who can project invisible force fields just like Sue. As the trio fend off their attackers, Johnny recovers from his fall. As he tries to get to the others he is attacked by a group of diminutive beings that can turn into fire balls. Flaming on, Johnny tries to fly away from his attackers, but the living fire-balls manage to strike Johnny, leaving flaming goo on him that begins to weight him down. In an attempt to get his attackers off of him, Johnny tries his nova flame, but accomplishes nothing but knocking himself out. Meanwhile, the others are not faring any better, Wyatt is knocked out by one of their flying attackers, while Reed is overpowered by the Clobberers, and Sue is about to fall when suddenly their attackers are stopped by a regal woman who is introduced as Princess Livia. Princess Livia orders them to stand down, and tells her minions that they have been attacking their gods. Conjuring up images of the Fantastic Four as they first appeared, their former attackers bow before the FF and Wyatt. Soon a parade is thrown in the honor of the group. As the quartet travel through the procession, they begin to consider their options on what to do next. Soon a celebration is thrown, and the people of this strange world ask the Fantastic Four to help heal their troubled world. When Reed asks what happened, Livia is confused that "Richards the All-Knowing" could not know what is going on. This is where Wyatt steps in and convinces her that Reed's question is merely a test of her faith. She explains that centuries ago a man named Jessup was developing a new type of nuclear reactor for the Roxxon corporation. When the Roxxon execs wanted to rush the design, Jessup refused for fear of a nuclear cataclysm and was promptly fired. Soon a nuclear pact with Russia was scrapped and Jessup began to fear that a nuclear Armageddon was coming. He suddenly found inspiration one day when watching the Fantastic Four on the news, and Reed Richards himself expressed an interest in studying field-effect phenomenon. Inspired, Jessup began developing a device that would protect Central City in a field-effect dome that would keep it safe in the event of nuclear war until the outside world was safe to inhabit again. This device was later known as the Salvation Generator. According to Livia, such a moment happened thousands of their years ago and Central City has been safe ever since. Jessup helped advance their society and they formed a religion based on the Fantastic Four. She finishes her tale by saying that their people would be set free the day the Four returned to their homeland. Reed takes his group aside and realizes the woman was talking about Harvey Jessup, a former colleague who had the expertise. Richards theorizes that Jessup must have attempted to make time move slower on the inside of the dome, but something went wrong and believes that the reason the dome is expanding outside is because it is about to come down, leaving them to wonder what they will do with all these exiles from the "future world" of Central City that will be unleashed upon their world. When Reed asks to see the Salvation Generator. Much to their surprise Livia agrees and also orders Jessup himself to be brought out. They soon are greeted by a decrepit old Harvey Jessup who has been kept alive by being kept in suspended animation of the ensuing centuries. Jessup demands to know what is going on, but when Reed tries to explain what is going on and offering his help, Harvey finds it hard to believe. He suddenly believes that they are impostors, like the green woman that he saw over a hundred years ago. Reed gets his team to stand down and tries to convince Harvey that he is the real Reed Richards. Jessup decides to use his Ultimate Adjudicator helmet to determine if they are lying or not. Sue doesn't fully trust him and Jessup proves right, not willing to give up his title as savior of the people of Central City, Harvey activates a weapon on his helmet that seemingly disintegrates the Fantastic Four and Wyatt. Brodie's View:The sad end of the John Byrne era on the FANTASTIC FOUR takes one more step towards its conclusion in this, the Second part of a Three part story that Byrne would fully begin (in the last issue), but leave Marvel before it could be concluded. I will say that Marvel does make a nice choice, bringing long time writer, Roger Stern, in to pinch hit and finish this story (as well as write the book until around the 300th issue, which I imagine would have been Byrne's departure issue, had things not reached a boiling point between he and EIC Jim Shooter earlier), as Stern had quite a bit of experience working off of stuff Byrne set up (as we've seen throughout this run) and vice versa. Anyways, we last left with She-Hulk getting pulled into a giant dark dome that had suddenly materialized over Central City (the small town where a young, Pre FF Reed Richards honed his scientific skills), and the rest of the team, along with Jen's then main squeeze, Wyatt Wingfoot, ventured into the dome after her. What they found what a futuristic city and a giant statue dedicated to the original Fantastic Four. This issue picks up with the foursome trying to figure out how this could have happened in such a short time (although, we got hints that time passes differently inside the dome in the last issue; look at what happened to poor Iron Man), but they don't get long to try and solve these mysteries, as they are soon attacked by four groups of mutates, who all seem ghoulishly inspired by the powers of the Fantastic Four. To make this worse, they all seem to share a blind religious devotion to the Four, blinded even to the point where they have to be persuaded into realizing that they are fighting the very group they supposedly worship. Finally, the Princess of this new land arrives, and explains to Reed and the others how exactly things had come to this. In short, a colleague of Reed's, Harvey Jessup, fearful of the certain nuclear annihilation that seemed VERY possible in the early 1960's, uses a minor statement Reed had made about wanting to study the possibility of creating a protective field to deflect said nuclear war as an inspiration to create his own, protecting the town he (and Reed once) called home, Central City. However, while this dome did indeed protect Central City, it also caused time to speed up drastically in relation to how it passed outside, hence, the futuristic city and mutates. Once all this is explained, Reed asks to speak to Jessup (who is revealed to still be alive, but REALLY old; old enough to have to be contained in a sort of cryo-sleep to keep him alive), and the creator of the dome is indeed summoned. However, once everything is explained to Jessup, he ends up turning some sort of ray on the heroes; seemingly (and knowingly) killing them in order to protect his secrets. ( ) As I said, a pretty solid story that Stern does a decent job of trying to continue as Byrne would have, and as for artist Jerry Ordway....he's not John Byrne, but he does a solid enough job with the art work here. Solid, but nothing special. However, the story does make up for it, and we do get a pretty interesting ending to both this story and the Byrne era (as some of the stuff he did throughout his run start to get undone pretty much as soon as this storyline is over, and we'll get hints of that in the next issue as well), and then....we move on to the next little run. GRADE: B+
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jan 17, 2021 0:51:03 GMT -5
Fantastic Four #295"Welcome to the Future!"Cover Date: Oct, 1986 Writer: John Byrne (Plot) Roger Stern (Script) Artist: Jerry Ordway Feature Characters: The Fantastic Four (Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, The Human Torch, & She Hulk) Villain/s: Harvey Jessup (Dies) & The Exiles of Central City (Head, Clobber, Wing, & Fire Patrol) Special Guests: Wyatt Wingfoot, Princess Livia, Tigra, & Murna Jessup Official Plot:After breaching the dome around Central City the Fantastic Four have discovered time has advanced by centuries within and have been taken prisoner by a society that worship the Fantastic Four as gods. The Great Coordinator Harvey Jessup has just deemed the Fantastic Four impostors and has seemingly disintegrated them with the ray on his helmet. Explaining the necessity of his actions to Princess Livia, Jessup orders his people to place him back in his suspended animation chamber as his aged from grows weary. However Jessup has not succeeded in destroying the Fantastic Four and their ally Wyatt Wingfoot, as they were saved at the last minute thanks to Sue's invisibility powers. As they regroup and determine what to do next, they are seen by a woman who has enhanced sight. She wanders up to them and tells them that she can help. Back at her home, the woman introduces herself as Murna. She tells them she knows that they are the real Fantastic Four and that Harvey Jessup had deceived his people. When she asks where the Thing is, Reed tells her that he is no longer with the team and they have no idea where he is. When she mentions having seen She-Hulk years ago, Wyatt demands answers. Murna calms Wyatt down and explains everything she knows: years ago She-Hulk appeared in their city and was attacked by orders of the Great Coordinator. Murna who used her mind reading abilities in the service of their ruler read her mind and explained who She-Hulk was. Believing this to be Hersey, the others swarmed her, but the Coordinator stopped them. Convincing the others that Murna was possessed, Jessup stripped her of her role as a priestess of their society and ordered the She-Hulk be placed in the suspended animation chambers below. As Reed begins to theorize how things got to the way they are, they all decide to split up: While Wyatt and Johnny accompany Murna to free She-Hulk, Reed and Sue plan on going to shut down the Salvation Machine and take down the dome around Central City. While Johnny and Wyatt fight their way below the the city, Reed and Sue ambush the Grand Controller in his suspended animation chamber. While they manage to remove his helmet, Harvey still manages to close his suspended animation pod interfacing him with the defense systems of Central City. Reed tries to get Jessup to understand the truth, that the dome has actually only existed for two days outside and there has not been a nuclear war, but these fall on deaf ears and Jessup ejects the couple into a room full of his warriors. While they are fighting, the control helmet is crushed in battle, ruining any chances they have to use it to reveal the truth to everyone. While down below, Johnny and Wyatt find the chamber where all the original citizens of Central City have been placed in suspended animation. There they find She-Hulk and free her from her confinement. Johnny and the others join Reed and Sue, and succeed in fighting off the army of minions set upon them. Fighting their way back into Harvey's suspended animation room. While the others keep the hordes at bay, Murna uses her powers to mind link Reed to Harvey, finally revealing the truth to him. Realizing the massive error he has made, Harvey calls an end to all hostilities. Sending his people away, Jessup removes himself from his suspended animation. Dying of old age, Harvey apologizes to Myrna -- his daughter -- for all the wrong he has done and tells Reed the location of the Salvation Machine before he dies. Reed uncovers the device and after examining it he comes up a solution for everybody. Suddenly the dome disappears from outside but Central City is gone. Arriving on the scene is the military along with the Avenger known as Tigra. They pull up to the crater that used to be Central City just as the Fantastic Four are bursting out of the ground. Soon medical tents are put up to assist in freeing the citizens from their suspended animation. Later, Reed and Sue explain the situation to the commanding officer. Reed explains that he sent Central City and the advanced technology and people ten thousand years into the future where they will hopefully fit in. After agreeing to keep the truth a secret to avoid a panic, Reed morosely leaves the office. Later, Sue finds her husband sitting at the crater of what was once Central City and asks him what's wrong. Reed tells her he regrets keeping the fact that a mental block prevents Ben from becoming human until he lost the ability to do so, one of the contributing factors that led to him leaving the Fantastic Four. He explains that She-Hulk had news that something terrible had happened to Ben and he was hospitalized, but has recently disappeared. He tells Sue that they have to find Ben. Brodie's View:The official end of the John Byrne era happens here, as we end the last story he had been working on before leaving Marvel, and while Roger Stern does a good job ending this story, one can definitely tell that the move back to the classic status quo of the team is already underway. One of the major clues leading to this is something that actually happens in the first chapter of this story, the part that Byrne had a direct part in, and that is separating She-Hulk from the rest of the team. Although I doubt this was Byrne's intention for Jen, she's really kept apart from the team for a majority of this story, despite what the cover suggests, and she never ends up donning a Fantastic Four outfit during it. To add to all of this, Reed and the others seem to treat Jen being a part of the team as some temporary issue that will soon be resolved, as the character that ends up being the biggest character here due to his absence, and that's The Thing, who is referenced quite a bit during this particular story. Going back to the story, we begin this issue with the FF (and Wyatt Wingfoot) apparently dead at the hands of a VERY old Harvey Jessup and some sort of mentally powered ray he has. What we learn is that this is a trick, as Sue has used her powers to make it seems as if they had been erased. Eventually, however, they run across an old woman that can see them, despite Sue's invisibility powers, and this woman is revealed to be both psychic and someone who had actually been alive when Jessup had fired up the machine that created the strange dome that covers Central City (and sped up the flow of time within that dome). Eventually, this leads to the FF breaching Jessup's main laboratory, where an apparently protected (as he is sealed within his protective chamber) Harvey tries to assemble the mutate forces the team had fought to destroy them, but the old woman links Reed and Harvey together, mentally, and this causes Harvey to have a change of heart, as he finally knows Reed's assurance that nuclear war had never happened outside the dome to be true. Harvey dies, and the old woman, who is revealed to be Harvey's daughter, takes over the futuristic city. Reed helps the people of Central City by turning their dome into an actual time machine, and sends them 1000 years into the future, where he hopes their futuristic ways will put them right in line with how the rest of the world had evolved. The story pretty much ends with Reed brooding about what happened with Ben, as he had recently (in his own book) started to strangely mutate, causing him to break ties with the few heroes he had kept in contact with Post FF and flee to Monster Island. Of course, this is setting up the next issue, which would also mark the 25th Anniversary issue of the book, and would lead to The Thing returning to the team (and Jen heading back to the Avengers). As I stated in the last review (and this one), it wouldn't take long for Jim Shooter and Marvel to start undoing a nice deal of the things Byrne established in the FF series, especially a lot of things he did in the second half of his run. Petty shit, but Marvel was well within their rights to do it, but it was still pretty bad to see such a great series quickly revert back to the Stan and Jack total rehash it had kind of been before Byrne took over the book. Still, this was a decent way to end his run, but it would have been a lot more decent to end things at #300, which I'm assuming Byrne had planned to do before the shit hit the fan between he and Shooter. Anyways, that is the end of the John Byrne run on the FANTASTIC FOUR, and a great run it indeed was. I feel a mix of relief and sadness reaching the end of this run, as while I'm happy I got through it all, it's sad to leave behind this amazing book that had been built up over the previous 5 years, but as I stated before, it doesn't stay that good for long after this run ends. Speaking of runs, I will say that I'm going to do a few smaller ones before I move on to my next decently long run. This next run won't be the one I was originally going to do after ending the FF run, but I'm kind of more in a mood to talk about THAT run vs. the one I was originally planning to do, which will now come after this next run. I will say that the events in this run link pretty directly to what has been going on recently in the X-Books, and I have actually reviewed the run that this run sets up.....what run am I talking about? Tune in next time to find out. GRADE: B+
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jan 20, 2021 1:23:50 GMT -5
Marvel Super Heroes #387"A Crooked World"Cover Date: July, 1982 Writer: Alan Moore Artist: Alan Davis Feature Characters: Captain Britain Villain/s: "Mad" Jim Jaspers & The Fury (1st Appearance of the 2nd) Special Guests: Jackdaw (Death), Saturnyne, The Avant Guard, Dimples (Dies), Colonel Tusker (1st Appearance; In Flashback Only), Iron Tallon (1st Appearance; In Flashback Only, Dies), & Miracleman ("1st Appearance," In Flashback, Dies) Official Plot:Saturnyne's plan falls apart as Mad Jim Jaspers makes his move. And as if that weren't bad enough, the cybiote killer known as The Fury is unleashed, and Jackdaw meets his final fate at its hands... Brodie's View:Aw yeah. After having to spend the last Captain Britain run I did (which follows the one I'm doing now, story-wise) referring to stuff that happened during the Alan Moore run on the book, I now get to review....The Alan Moore Run on CAPTAIN BRITAIN. However, before I get into this, I have to explain some things. We're kind of walking in at the point where Alan Moore is joining the book as a writer, and his first order of business is to basically drastically end the story that had been going up to that point. This is due to the writer that had been on the book previously, David Thorpe, being suddenly pulled from the series he had really helped get going (as it had been decided to bring Captain Britain back in the early 80's, after his initial run in the late 1970's) due to his making political statements against the British government in his stories. Of course, this was all happening on an alternate Earth, where Captain Britain and his side kick, Jackdaw, had been helping the mysterious Saturnyne (and her Avant Guard) do what they could to try and help a world that was slowly going crazy. However, the shit hits the fan in this issue, as the real reason Earth 238 is going crazy is revealed to be that Earth's version of "Mad" Jim Jaspers, who up to that point had been depicted as being merely just one of many threats the Captain would battle/come in contact with on this Earth. He's much more dangerous than that, and we'll see this for sure in the next issue, but I will say that he begins his "Warp" in this issue, causing cities to literally warp and crumble, as reality twists and turns itself. The military, understandably, freaks out over this, and unleashes the killing machine they used to get rid of that Earth's superheroes (All of them, as we'll discover, or almost all of them), The Fury(!!!), who makes its first appearance here. Assuming that Captain Britain and Saturnyne are the ones responsible for what is happening, they sic the Fury on them, and we get to see in just a few pages just how deadly it can be. It instantly bitch slaps Cap, putting him out of the fight long enough to be able to hold its own against the power of Saturnyne and the Avant Guard. Realizing this, Saturnyne decides to split with the AG, leaving Brian, Jackdaw, and one of her own kiss asses, a man named Dimples (although, not for long, as he's instantly killed by The Fury), behind. There's little time to mourn poor Dimples, though, as Jackdaw is also instantly taken out (cut in half, actually ), leaving an already wounded Brian Braddock alone to face a killing machine that will NEVER stop. Brian tries to attack again, in anger over losing his friend and side kick, but the Fury snaps his arm and tosses him away. We end the issue (NOTE: these are pretty short stories for the most part, as there are usually reprints of other stories in these issues as well. For the rest of this run, I'll list the other stories included in this issue, but I'll say here that the other two stories in this issue are reprints of ones from MONSTERS UNLEASHED #11) with Brian seemingly getting saved from certain death by "Mad" Jim Jaspers, who offers him a lift from the helicopter he is dangling from. Of course, we'll see in the next issue that perhaps he would have been better off just letting the Fury kill him, but then again, it's important for US as readers, and we'll get a glimpse at exactly how dangerous Jaspers really is.....and then things we'll get even worse for our hero. Going back for a second, I can't imagine how shocking this issue was for people who had been reading the new CAPTAIN BRITAIN series of stories up to that point, as Alan Moore steps in and wipes that chalkboard clean over this issue and the next in probably one of the most brutal reboots of a series ever, as we get to see most of its supporting cast getting taken out over the course of three pages. Still, the shocks are just beginning, as we will see Brian Braddock's time on Earth 238 coming to an end in the most definitive way possible, and then this story REALLY begins. GRADE: A
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jan 21, 2021 1:32:25 GMT -5
Marvel Super Heroes #388"Graveyard Shift"Cover Date: Aug, 1982 Writer: Alan Moore Artist: Alan Davis Feature Characters: Captain Britain Villain/s: "Mad" Jim Jaspers & The Fury Special Guests: Captain U.K.(Linda McQuillan---1st Appearance of), (Superheroes of Earth 238): Miracleman, Kid Miracle Man, Android Andy, The Arachnid, Bash Street Bunty, The Crusader, Gaath, Iron Tallon, The Puppetman---1st Appearance of all but Miracleman & Iron Tallon----All Die in Flashback), Colonel Tusker (Dies)/(In Flashback Form/Illusion only) Jackdaw, Algernon, Dimples, Sidney Crumb, & Autumn Official Plot:Captain Britain discovers the horrendous depths of Jim Jaspers' insanity, and appears to meet his end at the hands of the Fury. Brodie's View:REPRINT STORIES ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS ISSUE (But Not Reviewed): AVENGERS #193 DOCTOR STRANGE (Vol 2) #49 Pretty cool, huh? That AVENGERS story alone would be worth the pick up, but I will say that Alan Moore drops another bomb during the second issue of his CAPTAIN BRITAIN run. Actually, he drops a few of them, and drops them quickly, as he only had 8 pages to tell his story. When last we left poor battered and bruised (and with a broken arm, caused by The Fury, a nigh unstoppable, as we'll see, killing machine that has a specialty for killing superhumans) Brian Braddock, he had just accepted the invitation of "Mad" Jim Jaspers, who offered him safe haven from his battle with the Fury in his helicopter. However, as Brian tries to get settled, Jaspers unsettles him more by telling him the plain fact that he is the one that is causing things to warp and go nuts. See, "Mad" Jim Jaspers is a mutant with the ability to warp reality on an insane level, made even worse by the fact that Jaspers is, himself, totally batshit crazy. Before all that, we see that Jaspers was a politician, who used his influence to register and then outlaw all the superhumans in the United States. Of course, we X-MEN fans (and it will be crazy to see how all of this, which I don't think was originally meant to be an X-MEN spin off book and continuity became....kind of an X-MEN spin off with continuity, established here and in the Jamie Delano/Alan Davis era that follows, that just played a MAJOR part in the recent "X of SWORDS" crossover....and of course Claremont hitting that well multiple times) know where all of this leads, and sure enough, rather than create an army of Sentinels, this Earth's Jaspers instead basically helps to design The Fury. Of course, this will become VERY important later, but neither we or Brian get too much of a chance to digest all of this, as Jaspers has been warping both the inside (and outside) of his ship and himself as he tells his story, constantly changing things. He then confirms his insanity (and Evil) by basically recreating the corpses of all the people Brian has known (or have appeared in the series so far) that have died, including the most recent additions to the list of the dead: Dimples, and more importantly, as he had kind of been the Bucky to Cap's Cap, Jackdaw. This, of course, causes Brian to freak and throw himself out of Jaspers' ship. Unable to fly, he crash lands (on his wounded arm) in a cemetery, where he sees the graves of all the other former superheroes (I want to get back to two of them in a second) killed by the Fury, including an open one for a Captain U.K. Brian is so shocked by all of this (and let's face it, mentally broken from what all had happened to him over the course of the last two stories) that he doesn't notice that the Fury has followed him there, and after a moment's consideration, the cybiote straight kills the last superhero on Earth 238, and the star of this book....Captain Britain. ( ) Of course, needless to say, he'll be back, but I want to instead mention the one other thing we see in this issue. In the moment that Brian Braddock dies on Earth 238, on Earth 616, Linda McQuillan awakens with a start, as she's just somehow felt someone dying on her grave. Obviously, she will go on to play a much bigger part in this story, but for now she's merely the start of some MAJOR world building by Moore (which we'll see play out over the course of this run, and then expanded on more by Delano, Claremont, Davis....). This is pretty much the end of this book's time on Earth 238 (as by the time we see it issues later, it pretty much will have been reduced to just nonsense by Jaspers), so, I will say that it was pretty crazy to see Miracleman and Kid Miracleman in the flashbacks in these stories. Granted, I know now that they are considered Marvel characters, as Marvel bought the rights from Neil Gaiman a few years back, but I don't think that was the case in 1982, so, it was insane seeing them show up long enough to get obliterated by the Fury. That all being said, let's get back to poor Brian Braddock, who is now quite dead, thanks to the Fury. Of course, death, as comic fans know by now, is a pretty temporary condition for superhumans, and our beloved Captain is no exception. In the next issue, we get a fantastic story depicting just how Brian Braddock is brought back from the dead....it's definitely worth coming back for. GRADE: A
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jan 24, 2021 23:37:29 GMT -5
The Daredevils #1"A Rag, a Bone, a Hank of Hair..."Cover Date: Jan, 1983 Writer: Alan Moore Artist: Alan Davis Feature Characters: Captain Britain Villain/s: (In Flashback Form Only) The Fury, Reaver, The Red Skull, Slaymaster, Nykonn, Lord Hawk, Hurricane, Black Baron, "Mad" Jim Jaspers, & The Crazy Gang (Queen of Hearts, Coco, The Executioner, Jack of Hearts, & Tweedledope) Special Guests: (In "Present") Merlyn & Roma---1st Named as Characters/(In Flashback Form Only) Jackdaw, The Black Knight, Saturnyne, & The Avant Guard (Dimples) Official Plot:Merlyn and Roma begin to resurrect Captain Britain. It is revealed that Merlyn has been manipulating Captain Britain's life for a long time, and he failed one of his 'final' tasks. However, Captain Britain is alive and unaware of this; just grateful for his life. Brodie's View:REPRINT STORIES ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS ISSUE (But Not Reviewed): DAREDEVIL #159 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN # 52 As you can see, we've jumped comic titles, as it was decided to relaunch Captain Britain stories in a new series, rather than a long running reprint series. Of course, THE DAREDEVILS was also a reprint comic, which, obviously, would focus more on solo male heroes (with the "Headliner" character, at least for the time being, being obvious), but at least it was a new series, so, I guess MARVEL UK figured it might catch more new readers. We also get a short story entitled "2nd Story," but I really didn't get much info on that story, other than it involves a group of Deviant Skrulls. Then again, we're not here to talk about Deviant Skrulls, are we? We're here to talk about Captain Britain, who we last saw being incinerated by The Fury; incinerated to the point that all that is left is the title of this story. As often will happen throughout the life of Brian Braddock, this is where Merlyn and/or his daughter, Roma, steps in. See, it's revealed that Brian's whole experience on Earth 238 was done to test the Captain on his ability to deal with "Mad" Jim Jaspers and his reality warping abilities, as there is one on Earth 616 that hasn't yet stepped into the full usage of his powers, and Merlyn wanted Brian to be somewhat ready for him. Obviously, the fact that Merlyn was willing to send Brian and Jackdaw to this world, knowing the final fate of both characters, was pretty damn shitty of him, and we find out throughout the course of this story, as Brian Braddock/Captain Britain is being recreated, Merlyn is kind of a shitty person. At the very least I would say that he's reached that point in immortality (or at the very least a Verrrrrrrry long life) where he sees regular people (and lesser superhumans) as nothing more than pawns in an eternal game. We see this as Merlyn does kind of a running commentary on the memories (while he repairs his mind) of Brian Braddock, which allows us to get a pretty complete origin/backstory for Captain Britain up to that point. He also points out where he interfered at points in Brian's life, even before he became Captain Britain, as he knew Brian was destined to be the CB of Earth 616, and he wanted to ensure that happened. We then see his gaining his powers, his initial experiences against villains both foreign and domestic (although, I notice we don't see his two part appearance in MARVEL TEAM UP, but I guess that's due to the weird relationship between MARVEL UK and the US based MARVEL, as far as what characters MARVEL UK could or couldn't use in their stories. This would change as we entered the 90's, but for now, the universes are kind of kept apart....there are exceptions, though, and I will definitely mention those when they pop up), his short stint fighting more supernatural based threats (which Merlyn explains was to strengthen Brian's mind against the extra ordinary), and finally his time on Earth 238. Finally, both Roma (who has been re-building Brian's body while Merlyn repaired his mind) and Merlyn finish with their work, and Merlyn officially brings Brian Braddock back to life. He reawakens back on Earth 616, and at the location where he initially got his powers, Darkmoor, unaware of his death, but remembering every thing up to it. We see him heading back to his life on his home Earth, happy to be alive. He doesn't know how right he is (or maybe not, as the Captain is going to experience some crazy SHIT over the course of this run....and beyond). This was a pretty fantastic issue that did a perfect job giving the origin story of its main hero, while hinting at infinite possibilities through the framing device of this retelling. It's pretty obvious even Alan Davis (who I haven't mentioned yet, but he does a great job as always) has stepped up his artistic game in the break between August 1982 and now, as his work has moved closer to that level of greatness it would reach by the end of his main run on CAPTAIN BRITAIN. Anyways, in the next issue, we'll see Brian try to return to his normal life, and we'll see the reactions (and actions) of both allies and VERY deadly enemies. GRADE: A+
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jan 26, 2021 1:07:58 GMT -5
The Daredevils #2"An Englishman's Home..."Cover Date: Feb, 1983 Writer: Alan Moore Artist: Alan Davis Feature Characters: Captain Britain Villain/s: Mastermind & The Fury Special Guests: In Present: Merlyn, Roma, Captain UK (Linda McQuillan), & Emma Collins/In Flashback Form Only: James Braddock Sr., Lady Elizabeth Braddock, Valerie Campbell, & Captain America Official Plot:Brian Braddock returns to his ancestral home, where the Mastermind computer is waiting for him with some deadly surprises. Brodie's View:REPRINT STORIES ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS ISSUE (But Not Reviewed): DAREDEVIL #160 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN # 52 We also get a Red Skull story as the second story, but like the 2nd story in the last issue, no other information other than the details I just gave you. Anyways, this issue, after a brief prologue split three ways, covering Linda McQuillan having a panic attack, The Fury trying to figure out why it senses that Brian Braddock still exists somewhere, when he killed him a couple of issues back, and Merlyn and Roma debating whether or not Brian had been driven insane by being killed and brought back, we see the actual Brian Braddock returning to his family home. It's a home that he figured would be in ruins after being destroyed during a story that involved both Captain Britain and Captain America (hence, seeing him briefly in a flashback), but he is shocked to see that Braddock Manor is standing as if said destruction had never happened. The shocks keep coming for Brian, as he ends encountering a maid (Emma Collins) he thought was dead, and then the corpses of his dead parents, who speak to their son as if they were still alive; with the father getting shitty with his son for letting them die, while his mother rushes to defend him. We also see what Brian was doing when his parents died (losing his virginity), which is turned to make it seem as if Brian had let his parents die on purpose. Needless to say, it causes the slim control Brian had kept on his sanity to start to slip, and he states that he wishes to be dead again, which shows that Merlyn didn't wipe the memory of THAT event as clean as he had stated in the last issue. Eventually, we see that these illusions that Brian has been seeing have been created by the super computer made sentient, Mastermind, who has been trying to convince the real master of the house to kill himself, so, Mastermind can go on reveling in the illusion he has created for Braddock Manor. However, once Brian realizes that Mastermind has been manipulating him, he gets pissed, and turns the part of Mastermind off that can directly affect things. He then makes his way underground, where the main core (which has been becoming organic and merging/growing) of Mastermind hides, and after blowing off the constant begging of the supercomputer to not shut it off, Brian shuts it off, and then reprograms the computer to not be AI (although, as we'll see in later runs, Mastermind still continues on later). We then end the story with Brian sitting and enjoying a drink, happy for the first time in this run....and then the phone rings. ( ) Of course, this is going to lead to more complications for our poor Captain, but I will say that this was an interesting issue that, once again, kind of revealed some very personal information about our hero and the guilt he feels over the loss of his parents. The scene with the skeletons of Brian's parents giving him guilt and grief kind of reminded me of a similar scene in his SWAMP THING run, where Alec Holland's skeleton/corpse gave the title character crap over not being human enough. I'll have to look up which came first later. Anyways, yes, another really good issue, and in the next we will see some faces from Brian's past make their reappearance in his life (and this book); some will be a good thing....some not so good. GRADE: A-
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jan 27, 2021 1:03:48 GMT -5
The Daredevils #3"...Thicker Than Water"Cover Date: March, 1983 Writer: Alan Moore Artist: Alan Davis Feature Characters: Captain Britain Villain/s: Slaymaster & The Vixen (The 2nd Behind the Scenes) Special Guests: Betsy Braddock, Alison Double, Tom Lennox (1st Appearances of the Last Two), & STRIKE (Doctor Destiny, Vicki, and Unnamed Telepaths---1st Appearance of all; All Die) Official Plot:Betsy Braddock returns, seeking her brother's help-but it may already be too late, when she's being pursued by the Slaymaster! Brodie's View:REPRINT STORIES ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS ISSUE (But Not Reviewed): DAREDEVIL #161 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN # 53 There's also a "2nd Story" that features The Hulk and Doctor Strange, but as always, we get no other information about this story, other than the featured characters featured within it. However, I just mention these other stories to show that the Captain Britain story was not the only one featured in these issues, so, I've done my part. Heading into the actual story though, in this one we get the return of Brian Braddock's sister, Betsy, who will go on to become the X-Man known as Psylocke. Speaking of that evolution, this is the first appearance of her with purple hair, which would become one of the character's main calling cards, even when she switched bodies with an Asian assassin. She is also a telepath, which leads into the main conflict of this story, as soon after brother and sister reunites, Betsy explains that she and the rest of the group of psychics she belong to are in serious danger, and she needs Brian's help. We see the reason why at the very beginning of the story, as we see one of the psychics, who is posing as a stage magician called Doctor Destiny. Unlike the DC version of a character with this name, however, this Doctor Destiny doesn't make it past one page, as a large, bald man dressed in black shoots the Doctor in the head. It's this large, bald man that is going after the other Psychics in Betsy's group, which was a part of STRIKE (The Special Tactical Reserve for International Key Emergencies) until STRIKE was taken over by a crime lord that goes by the name of The Vixen. Once this happened, the Vixen felt there was no longer any need for a special psychic division in STRIKE, hence, the assassin that has been sent to take all of them out. Brian doesn't believe his sister's story at first, but after she experiences a massive psychic backlash due to death of another psychic (and a close friend at that), the Captain suits up, and they try to trail this killer before he can strike again. However, when they do find the killer, he shocks Brian by unmasking to reveal himself as one of the Captain's long time enemies....Slaymaster! Another very solid issue that takes us away from reality warping strangeness (although, we will get back there ) for a few issues, as Brian faces enemies more within his level to do something about for once. This, of course, is going to lead to a major showdown between Brian and Slaymaster, which while won't be as brutal as their FINAL confrontation, which will happen in the Jamie Delano/Alan Davis run that follows this one, but this one will definitely set up the confrontations to follow. I will also say that we get a cameo tease of a mainstream Marvel character, setting up a confrontation that won't happen until....years later. That's okay, the Captain/Slaymaster fight will be more than worth it, and it's our brief pause of somewhat normality before things start to get crazy again. GRADE: A-
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jan 28, 2021 1:06:25 GMT -5
The Daredevils #4"Killing Ground"Cover Date: April, 1983 Writer: Alan Moore Artist: Alan Davis Feature Characters: Captain Britain Villain/s: Slaymaster, The Vixen (Voice Only), Arcade, & Miss. Locke Special Guests: Betsy Braddock, Alison Double, Tom Lennox, & Inspector Dai Thomas Official Plot:Captain Britain battles Slaymaster in the centre of London. Brodie's View:REPRINT STORIES ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS ISSUE (But Not Reviewed): DAREDEVIL #163 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN # 53 And a Mystery Story involving: The Thing, Ant-Man, Iron Man, & Thor But it's Captain Britain vs. Slaymaster that is the focus of this issue, and we do get a pretty nice (yet brief) fight between the two. It seems that in the past Slaymaster had pretty much been the Batroc the Leaper to Captain Britain's....uh, Captain America, but has now been amped up both skill and technology wise. This allows him to hurt Brian with his attacks in ways he hadn't before, even to the point of being able to breach Brian's suit's built in force field, and re-damage the arm he hurt in Earth 238. Heck, he actually gets the Captain on the ropes a few times, which causes Brian's sister, Betsy (who's a psychic) to interfere in the fight by blinding Slaymaster with a shit ton of comic books (the fight is taking place outside of a comic book store, which allows Alan Moore to get in a few nice little jokes). This allows Brian to regain the advantage, and once he does, he basically beats Slaymaster into unconsciousness, ending the fight...for now. As we'll see later, the two do cross paths a couple more times in the Delano/Davis run, with their last fight being their LAST fight, so, this issue functioned pretty well as a setup for the later confrontations. We also see a bit of the relationship between Betsy and her lover, precog, Tom Lennox, which will become more important, at least where it concerns Betsy, as this run continues on. As for Captain Britain, the very end of the issue does set up a confrontation for the future, but not one that Alan Moore would get to (nor would Jamie Delano), as we find out that Slaymaster had been amped up by none other than everyone's favorite amusement park owning psycho assassin, Arcade. We see a phone conversation between he and the mysterious Vixen, where he apologizes for the failure of Slaymaster, but promises to take a personal investment in taking down Captain Britain. As I stated earlier, this doesn't happen until years later in the early issues of EXCALIBUR, so, I guess Arcade didn't have THAT much of a personal investment. Anyways, we're heading back into craziness next issue, and will pretty much stay in that land for the rest of this run, so, I suppose the Arcades and Slaymasters were kind of just little nods to the superhero side of Brian Braddock before dropping him back into Hell. Speaking of that next issue, we see Captain Britain being hunted and attacked by an inter dimensional group of mercenaries known as.....The Special Executive. GRADE: A-
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jan 31, 2021 22:33:31 GMT -5
The Daredevils #5"Executive Action"Cover Date: May, 1983 Writer: Alan Moore Artist: Alan Davis Feature Characters: Captain Britain Villain/s: None Special Guests: Betsy Braddock, Alison Double, Tom Lennox, Emma Collins, & the Special Executive (Wardog, Cobweb, Zeitgeist, Fascination, Ringtoss, Numbers, Legion, Sextant, & Havanner---1st Appearance of All but the First Three; Other than the First Four, the Others are in Shadows Only) Official Plot:The Special Executive attempt to kidnap Captain Britain. Brodie's View:REPRINT STORIES ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS ISSUE (But Not Reviewed): DAREDEVIL #164 DR. WHO MONTHLY #47 And a Mystery Story involving: Mr. Fantastic This one is a lot of fun, even though it's leading to even more craziness for our hero, the extremely put upon Brian Braddock, AKA Captain Britain, as he is indeed taken down (after trying to be convinced) by the group of interdimensional mercenaries known as The Special Executive. It's kind of interesting that rather than re-printing old SPIDER-MAN stories from the 1960's, this issue begins reprints of Marvel's DOCTOR WHO series, or at least parts of it, as it appears that the Special Executive, or at least their three top members: Wardog (the Leader; sort of a charming werewolf looking guy with a robotic arm), Cobweb (the Psychic), and Zeitgeist (Can make himself intangible to the point of not really existing), made their first appearances in that series. Also interesting to note is that some of the members of this group, when revealed, look very similar to, or are the same characters that populate another group of interdimensional mercenaries that Captain Britain (and through him, later EXCALIBUR) would deal with in the Delano run (and beyond), The Technet. Of course, later on we'll find out that the Technet are basically the earlier, less evolved version of what would become the Special Executive. Anyways, if this issue is any kind of indication of the difference in the Technet vs. the Special Executive, it would probably be that Wardog is a MUCH better and more effective leader than Gatecrasher was at any point in her run as leader of the group. Yeah, there is a bit of a comedic side to a few of these characters, but they're pretty far from the goof offs (entertaining though they may be) the Technet would be over their entire run. We'll definitely know this to be true by the end of their involvement in this story. Back to this actual story, though, we get the first part of our narration via the orders of Wardog, who with the use of two of his more powerful members to see through the illusion of Braddock Manor being in ruins, and allows the group to enter the Braddock home. From there, Wardog sends Zeitgeist to discover the exact location of every person in the house (as we find that Betsy Braddock, Tom Lennox, and Allison Double have been staying with Brian since the events of Last Issue), and take out the ones that would be a threat (Betsy and Tom, as Allison Double and Brian's maid, Emma Collins, who sleeps through this entire ordeal) before they confront the Captain himself. Once they do, they basically bust in on him sleeping (and nekked, which they use to their advantage), but Brian is able to quickly get himself together and launch a counter attack. Before things get too heated, however, Wardog is able to calm things down by stating that someone hired them to come get him in good faith, as that someone needs his help desperately. Brian agrees to cooperate, until he hears the name of the person that hired them, Saturyine, who, of course, abandoned Brian, Jackdaw, and others to be slaughtered by The Fury back at the beginning of this run. This sends the Captain into a rage again, and Wardog is forced to use the smiling Fascination to basically scramble Brian's brain, knocking him out. This story ends with Wardog charting a course for Otherworld, where the Captain will indeed be reunited with Saturyine, and we will see quite a bit of world building by Moore and Davis....and also what happened to Earth 238....and The Fury. GRADE: A
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Feb 4, 2021 0:54:29 GMT -5
The Daredevils #6"Judgement Day"Cover Date: June, 1983 Writer: Alan Moore Artist: Alan Davis Feature Characters: Captain Britain Villain/s: The Fury & Mandragon Special Guests: The Special Executive (Wardog, Cobweb, Zeitgeist, Fascination, Ringtoss, Numbers, Legion, Sextant, & Oxo (1st Appearance of the Last)), The Captain Britain Corps (Captain England & Captain Albion---1st Appearances of the Entire Captain Britain Corps concept & characters), Saturnyne, Lord Chancellor, & Supreme Omniversal Tribune Official Plot:Captain Britain battles the Special Executive. Brodie's View:REPRINT STORIES ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS ISSUE (But Not Reviewed): DAREDEVIL #165 DR. WHO MONTHLY #51 And a Mystery Story involving: Daredevil & Spider-Man We actually get the reprint of the first appearance of Wardog (in the DOCTOR WHO story), as his Special Executive fight with their Guest/Captive, Captain Britain, before he finally just gives up and plays along with Wardog and his strange group of superhuman mercenaries. They end up journeying to Otherworld, where it's former ruler, Saturnyne, is now a prisoner, and is on trial for her perceived role in the ruining of Earth 238 (which has devolved into basically what one would imagine Hell would be like, if Hell were to suddenly go totally nuts, with The Fury being the only being left not caught up in the end result of Jaspers' Warp). Of course, Brian Braddock knows the truth; that the mutant "Mad" Jim Jaspers is the one responsible for the destruction of Earth 238, which is why Saturnyne hired Wardog and his Special Executive to bring him to Otherworld to testify on her behalf. We also see a bit of something developing between Brian and Saturnyne during the scene where he actually does meet with her, and tells her that although he should feel happy about her downfall, (after her dipping out on the Captain, Jackdaw, and others during the first part of this run, leaving them to the "mercy" of The Fury) he doesn't, which Saturnyne is taken aback by. This will lead to a long term (even going to this very day) infatuation between the two (at least on Saturnyne's side of things), which, unfortunately for Saturnyne will be used against her in the course of her "trial." See, the judge for this trial is a man named Mandragon, who was the person in charge under Saturnyne, and as we'll find, is someone that VERY much wants her spot. This is displayed as the trial begins, when he decides to just destroy Earth 238, not even allowing Saturnyne's defense the chance to investigate the charges against her. However, as we'll see, one being was very ready for the destruction of Earth 238, as it had been readying itself for interdimensional travel anyways. It's The Fury, and it's coming for Brian Braddock, as it very much hates the fact that one of the people it killed....came back. Needless to say, this is going to lead to the craziness that is going to unfold from here on out, but first, we have to get through the trial of Saturnyne, which will end up leaving us most of our supporting cast for the rest of this storyline. Speaking of that, one major concept that is introduced here by Alans Moore and Davis; just something interesting here, but it will go on to mean a WHOLE lot more down the road, The Captain Britain Corps, as we see the Captain Britains from Earth 522 and 523 accompanying Brian during his visit with Saturnyne. Of course, the joke is that we've had a former Captain Britain from an alternate Earth in our supporting cast for a while now, and we'll be seeing her again VERY soon. For now, though, let's move on to the next issue, where we'll find out whether or not Saturnyne is found guilty for the destruction of Earth 238. GRADE: A
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Feb 6, 2021 22:03:14 GMT -5
The Daredevils #7"Rough Justice"Cover Date: July, 1983 Writer: Alan Moore Artist: Alan Davis Feature Characters: Captain Britain Villain/s: The Fury & Lord Mandragon Special Guests: The Special Executive (Wardog, Cobweb, Zeitgeist, Fascination, & Legion), The Captain Britain Corps (Captain U.K. (Linda McQuillan), Captain England, Captain Commonwealth & Captain Albion), Saturnyne, Lord Chancellor, Dimensional Development Court, Neil, Bob (the First Appearances of the Last Two; Neil Dies), James Jaspers (of Earth 616---First Appearance)/(In Flashback Only) The Avant Guard (Jackdaw & Dimples) & The Last Heroes of Earth-238 (Android Andy, Arachnid, Bash Street Bunty, Captain Roy Risk, Colonel Tusker, Gaath, Kid Miracleman, Miracleman, Puppetman, Rick, & Tom Rosetta---All Die) Official Plot:The final fate of the Crooked World, and the return of Captain UK. Brodie's View:REPRINT STORIES ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS ISSUE (But Not Reviewed): A Text Story involving Night Raven & an Unknown Reprint of a DOCTOR WHO story Actually, we also get a DAREDEVIL story in here, but I didn't get any information of which DD story was included, so, I'm not going to spend too much time talking about it. Anyways, this is really a story of two halves, as only half of this story concerns the ongoing trial of Saturnyne, which breaks down in chaos after Brian becomes convinced that the trial is really a farce. Of course, this is due to the Prosecutor and the Judge being the same person; Lord Mandragon, who has his eyes on keeping Saturnyne's spot as the ruler of Otherworld....permanently. After destroying Earth 238 at the end of the last issue, Mandragon quickly shoots down any testimony that Brian could have provided to clear Saturnyne of the crime of ruining Earth-238, and finds her guilty of the crime. This sets Brian off, and he and the Captain Britains that had been assigned to guard him get into a big scuffle, with the trial pretty much degenerating into chaos. Wardog and the Special Executive try to stay neutral until Brian gets truly piled on by the various Captains, and then they aid Brian in the fighting. We get a funny duo of two sportscasters (one human; one alien) who are calling the trial until one of the commentators are crushed by a giant robotic leg during the fight at the end. Of course, it's probably good that Alan Moore and Alan Davis are getting the comedy bits out of their system right now, as there's very little to come over the course of the rest of this run that will be worth laughing at. Even the other half of this story, which deals with Linda McQuillan, who we'll come to learn was the Captain Britain of Earth 238, depicts the BRUTAL deaths of every other superhero on that alternate Earth at the hands of The Fury in the form of a nightmare, but this nightmare is a flashback, as it depicts an event that very much happened. We see both homages to Marvel characters (The Arachnid and others) and actual superheroes (Miracleman & Kid Miracleman) being fried and blown away during their last stand against the seemingly unstoppable Fury. Finally, it comes down to Linda and her husband, Rick (or Young Miracleman), who sends her away to Earth 616 to keep her safe. Of course, she witnesses him seemingly being killed by The Fury before she teleports away, which is yet another reason she suffers from PTSD, and will pretty much for the remains of this run. We see her storming out of her apartment at the end of the story, with her tossing down a newspaper showing that the Jim Jaspers from the Earth 616 reality is starting to rise in power. Needless to say, all of these plots will soon merge together, and we'll see this merge start to happen in the next issue, as Braddock Manor becomes a LOT more crowded. GRADE: A
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Feb 8, 2021 1:08:03 GMT -5
The Daredevils #8"Arrivals"Cover Date: Aug, 1983 Writer: Alan Moore Artist: Alan Davis Feature Characters: Captain Britain Villain/s: The Fury & Lord Mandragon Special Guests: The Special Executive (Wardog, Cobweb, Zeitgeist, Fascination, Legion, Ringtoss, Numbers, Oxo, Havanner, Sextant, & Lady Burning Fish---1st Appearance of the Last)), The Captain Britain Corps (Captain U.K. (Linda McQuillan) & Captain England), Saturnyne, Betsy Braddock, Tom Lennox, Sidney Crumb, Mrs. McGeary, & James Jaspers (Photo Only) Official Plot:Captain Britain and the Special Executive battle to save Saturnyne from the Captain Britain Corps. Brodie's View:REPRINT STORIES ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS ISSUE (But Not Reviewed): DAREDEVIL #167 & a Daredevil Spoof Story Before I move into the main story, I will mention that Alan Moore writes the Daredevil spoof story as well as the "main" Captain Britain one. Anyways, we wrap up the "trial" of Saturnyne, which had broken down in chaos near the end of the last story. Of course, when I say "wrap up," what I really mean is that after a little bit of fighting at the beginning of the story, the rest of the story, at least their parts of it, involves their escape from Otherworld. Their escape is successful, but as we see from the reaction of Lord Mandragon (who most certainly seems power mad here, as if he hadn't before), we kind of wonder if their escape hadn't been allowed more than it seemed at the beginning part of this story. After all, short of Saturnyne being dead, having her be on the run as a fugitive to the law, which is led by the very man that took her spot is probably a situation too delicious for Mandragon to pass up. Of course, we'll see by the end of this run that Mandragon probably should have put more of an effort into wiping Saturnyne out once and for all, but we'll get to that before we're done here, as it kind of goes in the rear view mirror for now, as far as the main thrust of this particular story goes. The biggest immediate end result of the fall out of Saturnyne's trial is the fact that Saturnyne and the Special Executives end up joining the psychics that have been hiding out in Braddock Manor for the last few issues. Of course, this is going to lead to some strife, and does from the time they arrive, as Tom Lennox, Betsy Braddock's precog boyfriend, isn't too happy with the addition of all of these new houseguests. The addition of one more, Linda McQuillan, who finally enters the main story by seeking out Brian's help with the dark future that she knows is coming, just adds to all this. This will also bring two faces that we saw quite a bit at the beginning of this run back to the forefront; one is the 616 reality's version of "Mad" Jim Jaspers, who seems to be on the very same path, as far as calling for superhero registration, as his counterpart was on Earth 238 before things really started to become warped. We'll definitely start to see things pick up with him in the upcoming issues. The second face, if you can call it a face, is that of The Fury, who has arrived into the Earth 616 reality all messed up from its interdimensional travel. However, as we see, thanks to the absorption of the raw materials around it, as well as taking the blood and organic material from the victims we see it take out throughout the story (a homeless woman and a stray cat), it's fixing itself moment by moment, and it won't be very long until it is a major threat again. In the next issue, we start to see all these threats come together, and the end result those threats will bring might end up being too much for Captain Britain and all of his "Amazing Friends" to handle. GRADE: A
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Feb 19, 2021 1:16:28 GMT -5
The Daredevils #9"Waiting for the End of the World"Cover Date: Sept, 1983 Writer: Alan Moore Artist: Alan Davis Feature Characters: Captain Britain Villain/s: The Fury, James Jaspers (Earth 616), The Vixen (1st Full Appearance), & Beetle Creatures Special Guests: The Special Executive (Wardog, Cobweb, Zeitgeist, Fascination, Legion, Ringtoss, Numbers, Oxo, Havanner, Sextant, & Lady Burning Fish)), The Captain Britain Corps (Captain U.K. (Linda McQuillan)), Saturnyne, Betsy Braddock, Tom Lennox, Roma, Merlyn, Sebastian Shaw, Henry Gyrich, & Spider Man/Captain America (From Earth 238) Official Plot:As the Special Executive and Saturnyne settle into Braddock Manor much very against Captain Britain's will, the Captain finds himself having to deal with another unwelcome visitor-Linda McQuillan, AKA Captain UK, who has a dire warning to deliver. Brodie's View:REPRINT STORIES ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS ISSUE (But Not Reviewed): DAREDEVIL #168 & a Night Raven text story Shit really starts hitting the fan here, as we see things progressing in many ways towards the world we saw at the beginning of this run; that of Earth 238. We know this thanks to both the last human survivor of Earth 238, Linda McQuillan (Who was the "Captain Britain" of that world, Captain U.K,. until the rest of the heroes were killed by The Fury), and what we, as readers, have learned from our (through Captain Britain, and in this issue, other characters, who we'll get to in a second) encounters with the "Mad" Jim Jaspers of Earth 238, and with this issue, the James Jaspers of Earth 616. We begin the issue with Brian, Betsy, Tom Lennox, Saturnyne, and the Special Executive watching James Jaspers' Anti-Superhuman propaganda speech, which, we learn from Linda is word for word the same speech the Jim Jaspers of her world gave before he started taking out all the superheroes. BTW, I do notice that the Alans (Moore and Davis) seem to have gotten the OK to show/mention actual Marvel characters and storylines at this point, as the then recent storyline pardoning of the Hulk is mentioned in his speech. We also see the actual James Jaspers interacting with Sebastian Shaw and Henry Gyrich at a dinner party after his speech, who both, obviously, are very on board with his agenda. I guess the fact that there is a Sebastian Shaw (who at this point was funding the sentinel program) and a Sentinel program already in place on Earth 616, as it pretty much makes the need for a robotic superhuman killer like The Fury kind of moot. Of course, as we've seen in the "Days of Future Past" timeline, this leads to pretty much the same place that the Fury left Earth 238 in Pre Jaspers Warp....pretty much superhuman/mutant free. At that party, we also see the first example that this James Jaspers can alter reality as well, as he changes the type of wine he is drinking. We also learn from his thoughts that he is pretty much one step away from being as barking mad as Earth 238's was when we saw him at the beginning of this run. When then see him (Off Camera) calling crime lord (who also runs STRIKE), The Vixen, who we see for the first time in person. This all seems like it's going to be the set up for the next year's worth of stories, and in a way we do get that, but as I said in this issue, things start hitting the fan WAY before one would expect. Take for example, the main story of this issue, which actually concerns Linda trying to warn Brian and the others of the upcoming horror. Brian, who really should know better, tries to reassures her that things are different on this world, which causes Linda to run out into the night. She runs smack into The Fury, who I'm sure was quite thrilled, in the search to find one escaped target, ending up getting a 2 for 1 deal. Needless to say, this is a fight that is going to a major one, and is going to draw the Captain and all of his houseguests into the fray. As we've seen, though, the Fury has killed a world of superheroes, so, this is going to be far from a one sided battle, and we'll see it unfold over the next few issues, which will lead us into the BIG STORY, and I think we all know what that is. GRADE: A
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Feb 21, 2021 0:40:10 GMT -5
The Daredevils #10"The Sound and the Fury"Cover Date: Oct, 1983 Writer: Alan Moore Artist: Alan Davis Feature Characters: Captain Britain Villain/s: The Fury & James Jaspers (The Second in Flash Forward Only) Special Guests: The Special Executive (Wardog, Cobweb, Zeitgeist, Fascination, Legion (Future Self Dies), Ringtoss, Numbers, Oxo, Havanner, Sextant, & Lady Burning Fish)), The Captain Britain Corps (Captain U.K. (Linda McQuillan)), Saturnyne, Betsy Braddock, Tom Lennox, Roma, & Merlyn Official Plot:The Fury attacks Braddock Manor, and not all of the Special Executive survive. Brodie's View:REPRINT STORIES ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS ISSUE (But Not Reviewed): DAREDEVIL #169, a Night Raven text story, and "The Origin of the Crusader" (a One Shot reprint of an older story by Alan Davis and Paul Neary "Mad" James Jaspers goes into the rear view (though, as we see in this issue, not so far that we don't get a little bit of him in Cobweb's flash forward into the future) for a couple of issues, as the main threat once again becomes the nigh unstoppable killing machine known as The Fury. When we last left things, we saw the cybiote happen across the "Captain Britain" of the world of its origin (Earth 238), Captain U.K, Linda McQuillan, while trying to track down and kill the Captain Britain of Earth 616. As Linda is near paralyzed with fear, the Fury seems to be about to make short work of her when Brian suddenly rushes in and attacks it, not realizing what it is that he's attacking. Once he does, he momentarily is also struck dumb by fear, as he indeed does remember the Fury (and on some level, as Moore suggests, the Fury killing him). Luckily, this is when Wardog and some of the other Special Executive (the others we'll get to in a second) runs in to try to aid the two fallen Captains. Of course, as we've seen in recent issues, the Fury has little problem taking out superhumans, and instantly lets the leader of the SE (Wardog) how serious this fight is by instantly slicing off his robotic arm, taking out his main attack. Legion then splits into his future selves (as his power is kind of like Multiple Man, but he pulls versions of himself from the time stream as doubles) and starts fighting with the Fury, but the cybiote flat out kills one of Legion's future selves, which will eventually kill Legion himself. Meanwhile, back in Braddock Manor, we see that Cobweb, who is a precog, started to go into a seizure at the beginning of this story, and we see a certain points that she is seeing all of the fight, as well as seeing what lies beyond, into the future. And the future she sees is what will happen if Captain Britain is unable to stop this reality's James/Jim Jaspers from destroying this universe the way the "Mad" Jim Jaspers of Earth 238 did his universe, as while the warping of that universe was able to be contained, this warping could spread to every reality, eventually warping and destroying everything that it is. As this is happening, Zeitgeist is arguing with first Wardog, and then other members of the SE, who urge him to help Wardog and the others. Zeitgeist holds his ground, however, as he considers himself a true mercenary, who doesn't offer his abilities for free. Of course, Cobweb's warnings will change that, but it will also lead to the end of the group's involvement in this storyline. Going beyond all that, I do also want to mention Merlyn and his daughter Roma, who have been watching over all of this, as it is part of their ever ongoing chess game between the forces of Dark and Light. At times, both must step in to protect their Chess Pieces, as we see Merlyn actually burn his hands a bit protecting Linda McQuillan from the Fury early on in this story, and we'll see that the results of this overall game can affect the two "Immortal" characters even more than that by the end of this run. In the next issue, we see the end of our battle between our heroes and The Fury, and then....things get REALLY bad. GRADE: A
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Feb 22, 2021 23:03:29 GMT -5
The Daredevils #11"But They Never Really Die"Cover Date: Nov, 1983 Writer: Alan Moore Artist: Alan Davis Feature Characters: Captain Britain Villain/s: The Fury Special Guests: The Special Executive (Wardog, Cobweb, Zeitgeist, Fascination, Legion (Dies), Ringtoss, Numbers, Oxo (Dies), Havanner, Sextant, & Lady Burning Fish)), The Captain Britain Corps (Captain U.K. (Linda McQuillan)), Saturnyne, Betsy Braddock, Tom Lennox, & Mrs. McGeary (The Last Mentioned Only) Official Plot:The Fury is temporarily defeated, but the Special Executive have paid a terrible price. Brodie's View:REPRINT STORIES ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS ISSUE (But Not Reviewed): DAREDEVIL #170 The Special Executive do indeed pay a terrible price in this issue, and we see the end of their involvement with this storyline as the battle with The Fury ends up coming to a temporary stale mate. This is after the Cybiote ends up taking out another of their group without even braking a sweat (the insectlike OxO), which causes the normally cheerful Fascination to suddenly become viscous and attack it with her Vertigo-like powers of making everything go wonky. Of course, being that the Fury learns very quickly, it quickly diverts its consciousness to its backup unit on its spinal cord, and knocks Fascination away. It seems that the history of the Fury piling through a group of superhumans is going to continue until Zeitgeist finally decides to break his word of not interfering in the conflict (until he gets paid, that is) and attacks the Fury with his own power, which makes him completely undetectable to the cyobite, as Zeitgeist can make himself essentially not exist at all (think Kitty Pryde stuck in her intangible form). This allows the rest of the gang and opening, and they all hit the Fury with their best attacks, which causes the ground underneath it to give way, plunging it deep underground. Zeitgeist then verbally blasts Wardog for what his need to play hero has cost the group, and Wardog, at a loss for words, agrees, and apologizing to Captain Britain and the others, take the rest of the Special Executive and split while they have the chance. This actually provides a nice break, story wise, as we set up for the BIG STORYLINE with "Mad" James Jaspers. However, there are a few things to mention before we move on. First off, The Fury will indeed return one more time before the end of this storyline. After all, if it could potentially jump realities in order to track down an "escaped" target; what is burying it going to do, other than to slow it down? Going back to the Special Executive, this is also pretty much the last appearance, as far as stories going forward, of Wardog and the Special Executive. In the next run, we will see earlier versions of some of those characters hooked up with a third rate bounty hunter known as Gatecrasher, and calling themselves The Technet. Actually, the Technet had a wayyy longer life span, as far as ongoing characters go, than their "Final Stage" of the Special Executive. However, thanks to Alan Davis, we do get the moment where Wardog shows up to recruit the remains of the Technet (after Gatecrasher splits on them) into a then early version of the Special Executive. This happens during Davis' later run on EXCALIBUR, as he did the great thing of trying to tie up as many plot points set up by the various writers working with him over the years on Captain Britain; from Moore to Claremont. Anyways, this is also the last issue of THE DAREDEVILS comic series, as with the next issue, Brian and his supporting cast find their adventures showing up in another comic magazine. This will jump us forward a few weeks ( ) from the end of this issue, as things have gotten MUCH worse for Britain, and as I stated earlier, things start moving faster and faster towards the big climax to this run. Oh, and we get the introduction of a character that will become VERY important to Brian Braddock in the future. GRADE: A
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