X-Lapsed, Episode 4 - Powers of X #2 (2019)

X-Lapsed, Episode 4

Powers of X #2 (October, 2019)

“We Are Together, You and I”Writer - Jonathan Hickman
Art - R.B Silva & Adriano di Benedetto
Colors - Marte Gracia
Letters - VC’s Clayton Cowles
Design - Tom Sutton
Edits - Annalise Bissa, Jordan White, C.B. Cebulski
$4.99 USD
On Sale: August 14, 2019

Welcome back, X-Perts!

Today, we're going to learn a bit more about of various Powers of X... and your humble host might just have to eat a little bit of crow. More discussion of the "rules" of comic book storytelling, and worries that everything I ever knew about the X-Men (even the inconvenient stuff) might wind up getting wiped out of continuity!

It's a (mostly) stream of conscious one-man debate... you won't wanna miss it!

And, of course - Thanks to everyone who reached out over the course of these first few episodes (it means more than you know!), I hope you continue to join me for my long-overdue wild ride into X-Relevancy!

X-Lapsed, Episode 3 - House of X #2 (2019)

X-Lapsed, Episode 3


House of X #2 (October, 2019)
“The Uncanny Life of Moira X”
Writer - Jonathan Hickman
Art - Pepe Larraz
Colors - Marte Gracia
Letters - VC’s Clayton Cowles
Design - Tom Muller
Edits - Annalise Bissa, Jordan D. White, C.B. Cebulski
$4.99 USD
Release Date: August 7, 2019

Whatever happened to Moira X?

Join me as I get quite the education on the founder of the Muir Island Institute. This is certainly a case of the old Marvel standby "Everything you thought you knew... was wrong!", but it's one that (despite some reservation) I'm having trouble getting mad at.

In House of X #2, we'll work our way through (most of) the ten lives of Moira Kinross... and discuss whether or not this game we're playing has any rules. I'm trying not to get too attached to any of this, for fear that the rug might be yanked out from under me at any moment.

Thanks to everyone who reached out over the course of these first few episodes, I hope you continue to join me for my long-overdue wild ride into X-Relevancy!

NTS #4 - Feral Man

New Talent Showcase #4 (Feral Man)
"Who is the Feral Man?"
Writer - Steve Ringgenberg
Pencils - June Brigman
Inks - Rick Magyar
Letters - Duncan Andrews
Colors - Helen Vesik
Edits - Karen Berger

Who wantsta meet a Feral Man?  Anybody?  Anybody?

... yeah, me neither.  Let's do it anyway though!

--

We open in the far-flung year of 1997... boy oh boy, the future was such a long time ago!  Here we meet a former Agency Research Analyst who has volunteered to undergo a process that can "expand his consciousness".  Looks like he's starting to regret his decision, but by now, it's too late to go back.  He's already strapped to the table and being injected with all sortsa stuff.  Once the formula begins to flow, our man is haunted by some strange visions... his cat, his girlfriend, and some pervert with a mustache and a headband.  He wakes up... transformed!

He's transformed all right, he's now... the Feral Man!  His hair has grown out a bit, and he now sorta resembles Pa Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie.  The doctors look on, pleased as punch that they've "unlocked his primal essence", whatever that means.  We spend the next few months watching our hero go through training sessions and what-not.

One night, our man tries to read... and finds it to be too much of a challenge for his "frenzied" mind.  We shift to another day of training, and a contentious chat between our Feral Friend and a "coach" of sorts named Muldoon.  Things go sideways, and our hero lunges at the fella in something not unlike a Berzerker Rage.  Thankfully, he's able to check himself before he wrecked... uh, the other guy.

Our hero next decides it's time to check out of the facility... and so, he makes a break for it.  He narrowly manages to escape, and a few hours later he's made his way back home.  Once inside, he's frightened by his cat... and so, he slams it against the wall... killing it.  We wrap up with the Feral Man realizing just how much the company has messed with him... and decides to, I'm going to assume, whistle-blow... telling his tale to The Washington Post!

--

Well... they can't all be winners, can they?

This... ehh... was kind of a stinker.  Not only did our new hero look like he stunk, but the story pretty much did too.  Not much to it, unfortunately... so, it's hard to really analyze it.

I can tell ya some superficial bits I didn't like... such as the Nietzsche quote that opened it.  I mean, if you're a writer, and your first instinct is to begin your story with a Nietzsche quote... maybe just close the laptop for the day.  It's never quite as clever as you think it's going to be, and ultimately just makes it look like you're trying too hard.

I thought his dream of pi (not to be confused with dreams of pie, which I have regularly... Salish cherry especially), was another bit of preciousness.  Sort of a shorthand for "hey, ain't this smart writing?"  No, no it's not.  Fifth-graders know what pi is... this isn't deep stuff here.

Other than that... I wasn't keen on our Feral Friend killing his cat.  Don't like seeing animals get hurt, even two-dimensional ones that I haven't even met yet... though, I suppose that does drive home the point that he's a changed man post-treatment.  Gotta wonder though, if this cat can survive months without being fed... it oughta be able to shrug off being chucked into a wall.

Overall... this was... ehh.  It was fine.  Can't get too mad at it, though I will say, I'm not all that excited for our next chapter.

Tomorrow: We come full circle... but, it ain't yet the compilation post!

X-Lapsed, Episode 2 - Powers of X #1 (2019)

X-Lapsed, Episode 2

Powers of X #1 (September, 2019)
“The Last Dream of Professor X”
Writer - Jonathan Hickman
Art - R.B. Silva
Colors - Marte Gracia
Letters - VC’s Clayton Cowles
Design - Tom Muller
Edits by Annalise Bissa, Jordan D. White, & C.B. Cebulski
$5.99 USD
Release Date: July 31, 2019

Welcome back to X-Lapsed... so far we've survived the experience!

Today we begin our look at the other of the "Two Series that are One", Powers of X. Now, if I'm being honest, this was the half of the HoX/PoX event that initially caused me to tap out back in mid-to-late 2019. This here issue is dealing with the far-flung future... and, if you know anything about my tastes... you'll know that's about as far out of my wheelhouse as the X-Men can go!

Thanks to anyone who's following along... I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

NTS #4 - Bobcat

New Talent Showcase #4 (Bobcat)
"Bobcat"
Writer - Mike Tiefenbacher
Pencils - Stan Woch
Inks - Karl Kesel
Letters - Andy Kubert
Colors - Shelley Eiber
Edits - Karen Berger

Now, when I see a title like Bobcat... and the opening panel prominently features a woman, I'm immediately going to assume that she will be revealed as the titular character.  Is that sexist?  I hope that's not sexist.

--

We open with little Davey Tresh having his mother put some Neosporin on his scrapes.  Ya see, this kid has been dealing with a serial bully named Billy Myers.  It seems like every day, Dave gets his butt whupped.  Telling his folks only makes it worse... because Dave's dad calls Billy's dad... and, lemme tell ya, that ain't never a good idea.  All'at will getcha is more whuppins.  Davey is a fan of "big cats"... he's not quite a Tiger King or anything, but he's certainly a fan.  He play-acts beating Bully-Billy up with his cat models... breaking one in the process.  That night, Dave's sister reveals that our boy Davey might've been cruisin' for a bruisin' this fine day... as she overheard him singing "I wish I was a Billy Myer's wiener".  Ouch!

That night, Davey hits the hay... and has a wonderful dream that he is a big cat... hunting down a Billy Myers-faced rat!

The next day at school, Dave learns that the Myers family leaves Billy home alone at night... and, somehow, this gives him an idea.  He still falls for the "Spell 'I met'." (I am E.T.) gimmick... which, when I was growing up was "Spell 'I cup'."... maybe it was regional?  Anyhoo, that evening, David puts his plan in motion... he uses his "Christmas Ink" to dye his little sweatsuit black... then practices acting like a big cat in the bathroom (with the water running to cover up his growls and grunts).

Davey heads downstairs to dinner... and gets the third degree from Mom.  She asks what he was doing in the bathroom all that time with the water running... which, I feel is a line purposely setting me up to say something perverted... but, I won't.  Anyhoo, Dave pretends to start sleepwalking at around 7:30 and heads up to bed.  Upstairs, he "suits up"... and prepares to give Billy Myers Wiener the scare of his life!

And, well... he does just that!  Turns out Bill Myers actually is kind of a wiener... though, if I were in fourth grade and suddenly saw a glowing-eyed anthropomorphic cat beast howling in a tree in my side yard, I'd very likely have to change my drawers.  Hell, if I saw I regular critter howling in my tree I'd start sweating!  Anyhoo, it looks as though our Davey might have a little of the Catholic guilt in him, because he immediately decides to come clean... reveal to Billy that there's no cat-beast outside... it's just him giving him a fright.

Billy comes around pretty quick... and suggests that maybe they become friends.  He's got an attic they can have all sorts of adventures in... which, ya know, sounds like how an after-school special might start.  Whatever the case, the kids decide to put their differences aside... and Davey is christened as: Bobcat.  He heads home... hootin' and howlin'... and annoying some neighborhood dogs.

--

So yeah... this was not at all what I was expecting!  I had this pegged as some throwaway street-level deal with a lady (Davey's mom) in a catsuit.  I couldn't be happier that my hot-take was completely and totally wrong!

I had a lot of fun with this... it was a sorta silly coming of age bit, but I feel it did a lot of things right.  Having been a kid, not unlike Davey, I had my share of bullying done at me.  I remember having to plan alternate routes home to avoid certain blocks or houses.  I can definitely relate to what this character was going through.  Feelings of powerlessness, anger... and maybe being just enough of a smart-ass to sorta-kinda deserve a butt-kicking or two.

I really dug this... though, I must say... I'm not sure I'm really looking forward to where this is headed (if, in fact, it is headed anywhere).  This opening chapter just tapped into so many memories for me... simpler times, but when little things meant the world, ya know?  Feels like Davey's entire world revolves around trying not to get beat up at school... which, sure, really sucks... but, at the same time, in the greater scheme of things, isn't much more than a hiccup in a lifetime.

We met artist Stan Woch in an earlier NTS... but, Mike Tiefenbacher is a newbie.  There isn't all that much I'm able to dig up about ol' Mike... heck, his DC Wiki page doesn't even list him as a writer on this story!  What I have found is that Mike wrote a handful of backup strips for DC Comics Presents... and also provided some pencils for the Funny Stuff Stocking Stuffer.  Of note, he was at one time the Executive Editor for the Comics Reader fanzine, of which I've actually happened across a copy or two in my travels.  Love coming across the ol' zines.  It makes me nostalgic for a time that I didn't even live through!

Overall, this was a fun little feature, and I'd love to see more like this.

Tomorrow: The Feral Man

X-Lapsed, Episode 1 - House of X #1 (2019)

X-Lapsed, Episode One

House of X #1 (September, 2019)
“The House that Xavier Built”Written by Jonathan Hickman
Art by Pepe Larraz
Colors by Marte Gracia
Letters by VC’s Clayton Cowles
Design by Tom Muller
Edits by Annalise Bissa, Jordan D. White, and C.B. Cebulski
$5.99 USD
Release Date: July 24, 2019

You ever have one'a those reading projects you just can't seem to get around to? Yeah, me too! Today, I'm going to try and change that... with this new series that I'm calling X-Lapsed (and yeah, I totally know that sounds a lot like Ex-Lax!).

Despite having been a rabid reader of the X-Men for nearly three decades, I now find myself in the very bizarre position of a "new reader". These characters might be familiar... but, I'm anything but comfortable with them! Hopefully this reading exercise will help me get back into the X-Groove.

I hope you'll decide to join me on this little journey, as I fumble and stumble my way through HoX/PoX en route to the Dawn of X line-up! If you have anything about the Dawn of X X-Men you wanna discuss, I'd love to chat... and hopefully learn a thing or two!

NTS #4 - Ekko

New Talent Showcase #4 (Ekko)
"Ekko, Part One"
Writer - Rich Margopoulos
Pencils - Steve Lightle
Inks - Gary Martin
Letters - Duncan Andrews
Colors - Jeanine Casey
Edits - Karen Berger

Holy smokes... could it be?  A new installment of New Talent Showdays?!  On this site?!  What's the world come to???

Well, we're gonna try beboppin' back and forth between New Talent Showcase and Marvel Comics Presents for awhile.  NTS was never a big draw when I last ran it... but, whattayagonnado?  It's not like the MCP coverage is lighting the charts on fire either (outside of the Master of Kung Fu feature, for... whatever reason).  Anyhoo, variety is the spice of life... and at the very least, this might help stave off burn-out!

We start with... Ekko.  Every time I see his name, I'm immediately reminded of that big dude from LOST, and I say "Meesta Aiko" to myself... sometimes out loud.  That's... about all I got.  So, let's finally meet the guy!

--

Our story opens with a fella being hunted down in an alley by a Grenadier and an archer known as Quarrel.  His name is Trevor Hawks, and it looks like he's gotten himself in too deep researching the so-called "Crimeking".  Quarrel puts a bolt through his heart, and they leave him for dead.  A weirdo named Screwball arrives in a... well, giant hamster ball... to transport the baddies back to base.

We shift scenes to New York's Hope General Hospital, where inside we meet a doctor who finds himself with the hotpants for the pretty new doc on the block.  He asks to join her for lunch in the cafeteria, and she seems cool with it.  While he chats her up, he puffs on his pipe... that's no euphemism folks... frankly, I'm not sure he's that flexible.  Anyhoo, he's interrupted by an intern with a bad mohawk named Klepto... who pops by to try and steal his gold Zippo lighter.  We're world-building here, folks!

The Docs then learn that they got a "bleeder" who just showed up.  It is, of course, Trevor Hawks.  Get this... that pipe-puffin' Doc is Simon Hawks, Trevor's little brother!  The hot-doc is named Gretchen, by the way.  Together, they look at the victim, and realize that: they can rebuild him... they have the technology.  Now, when I was reading this, I assumed that these two turned Trevor into Ekko...

... but, that's not the case at all!  Gretchen and Simon do manage to save Trevor's life... but, get this... it's Simon who turns out to be Ekko!  Our new hero suits up, and can sense the arrival of... Grenadier and Quarrel, who are here to finish the job they'd started in the alley.

We get a couple of pages of Ekko showing his stuff... which is basically that the suit gives him heightened senses... maybe super-strength.  I'm sure we'll learn more as we go through.  We wrap up, however, on the dire scene of Ekko being blasted out of a hospital window... some eight stories high!  Will he survive?  Well, we'll have to wait until next time to find out...

--

You remember back in the early 90's when they stopped making G.I. Joes look like... well, G.I. Joes?  Instead of looking like actual "army men", we'd get these neon-colored, crazy-helmeted, huge-booted, gaudy-ass goofballs?  That's... well, that's kind of what I think about when I see our new friend, Ekko.

I really assumed that this was going to wind up being a Six-Million Dollar Man riff, with poor clinging-to-life Trevor being suited up into the gimmick.  For all I know, it still might go that direction... if Simon actually doesn't survive the fall.  Eh, anything can happen, right?

I appreciated the little bit of "world-building" we get here.  Establishing a civilian cast and setting to surround our hero is something I always dig... even if some of our characters are a bit one-note.  I mean, a dude named Klepto... who has a proclivity to pocketing shiny things?  Oh well... can't win 'em all.

The baddies?  Well, more early-90's G.I. Joe fare.  I mean, these weirdos could easily be slotted into Cobra or the Dreadnoks, no?  Oh well.  I'll withhold judgment on 'em for now... and let 'em grow into their roles.

Since this is New Talent Showcase... let's meet us some new talent, shall we?  Our writer, Rich Margopoulos... well, we've already met him.  He was the man behind our earlier Forever Amber feature... remember?  The DC Brass of 1984 must've been pretty high on the guy, considering he's given the lead-off feature both times out so far!

Across the table, we've got Steve Lightle... who, I'm actually kind of surprised we've never discussed here at the site!  He would go on from here to have a pretty prolific career.  When I think of him, my mind immediately goes to the Kupperberg Doom Patrol, even though his run there was very short... like 5-6 issues, if I'm not mistaken.  I think a lot of folks will know him as the guy who penciled over Keith Giffen's layouts on the early Baxter-era Legion of Superheroes.  It's really neat seeing some of his early work here.

Overall... Ekko is a pretty neat, if low-stakes, little strip.  It feels a lot like the DC-Impact line.  Kind of boilerplate stuff... but, inoffensive enough to enjoy.

Tomorrow: Meet Bobcat!