Heavy metal? At an airport for fighter jets? No, really?
Robotech II: The Sentinels–Cyberpirates #1
Eternity Comics (March, 1991)
“The Hardwired Coffin”
WRITER: Bill Spangler
PENCILER: Thomas Tenney
INKER: Fred Perry
COVER COLORIST: Paul Mounts
LETTERER: Michael DeLepine
Before you watch this kids may not want to see this due to some of the movies the host and friends are into. Some of you adults may not want to know these exist either, but a video store in present day? I had to show this off.
Here’s a link to the web site if you live in or are visiting the area. I’m in Connecticut so it’s a bit far for me. 🙂
If you haven’t followed my review of this storyline, here are links to reviews of DC’s Star Trek issue #43, issue #44, and issue #45 which came out today, collectively known as “The Return Of The Serpent”. The story is a sequel to the season two episode of the original series “The Apple“. For the record I haven’t seen the episode in a long time but thanks to that wiki link I’m up to speed on what I remember. In the episode the Enterprise comes to the planet Gamma Trianguli VI on a routine mission. Since it aired on TV you can guess it wasn’t as routine as they planned. On the planet they’re attacked by killer fauna and come upon a primitive society who worship Vaal, a computer that controls the planet. While attempting to not interfere events force them to do so. Or did it? The episode features one of the earliest discussions of the Prime Directive, a hands-off rule when it comes to pre-warp planets.
On the one side was Captain Kirk, who didn’t think people should be run by computers. On the other you have Mr. Spock, who figures they were happy and not being tortured or otherwise threatened by their computer god and just leave them be. In the end they end up destroying Vaal. Apparently this ending didn’t sit well with Mike Carlin, who wrote this three issue arc. Therefore he took the opportunity to undo the end of the episode by restoring Vaal and showing what the paradise world had become without they’re cybergod. I don’t have a problem with this. In fact I recommended all three issues as it is a real good story. As far as restoring Vaal, seeing the results of the heroes’ visits to planets can make for a good story. (Not always but we’ll worry about that when we get to those stories.) It’s also possible that other readers may agree with Carlin’s perspective. Star Trek has always been a morality play (not counting the Abrams movies) so the only time the franchise even today messed up was in the execution of those stories, and possibly even the points of view or portrayal of the characters. The comic gets the characters right, but I do want to question how Carlin sets about making his case and why though I see both Kirk and Spock’s point of view on the subject this particular three part story jumps through a few hoops to be right.
Yes, the ghost of Leonard Nimoy IS judging you!
Star Trek #45
DC Comics (December, 1987)
“The Return Of The Serpent” finale: “Devil Down Below!”
WRITER: Michael Carlin
PENCILER: Tom Sutton
INKER: Ricardo Villagran
COLORIST: Michele Wolfman
LETTERER: Helen Vesik
EDITOR: Robert Greenberger
Note that the term “Magic System” is not being used just to describe magic, since the video I’m bringing you compares the fantasy game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim from Bethesda with the science fiction game Death Stranding from Kojima Productions. Also note that I have not played either game, so I don’t know if Death Stranding uses magic or simply more sci-fi based “magic” powers. Neither are my kind of game really and while there are a few fantasy stories I honestly enjoy it’s not a genre I travel in very often. However, when it comes to world building this video goes into some very important details.
Skyrim takes place in yet another area of whatever planet or dimension the Elder Scrolls franchise exists in. Death Stranding is yet another post-apocalyptic scenario in which the titular event has caused all sorts of craziness. You wouldn’t think these two games are comparable but Henry Boseley of The Closer Look was playing the latter when he realize why the magic system of the former was so terrible, and it comes down to the lore of the two worlds and how Kojima tried to flesh out his world and build his magic system around it while Bethesda basically abused the “rule of cool”. Whether you do fantasy magic or sci-fi powers this is an important video to watch to see how you ruin your story, be it video game or a non-interactive genre, if you don’t pay attention to how your cool powers should affect the world around you for good or for ill. Note that he’s willing to swear more than BW’s usual levels.
This may be the worst armor design yet.
Iron Man volume 3 #57
Marvel Comics (September, 2002)
“Sympathy For The Devil” part 2
WRITER: Mike Grell
PENCILER: Michael Ryan
INKER: Sean Parsons
COLORIST: Arsia Rozegar
LETTERER: Chris Eliopoulos
ASSISTANT EDITORS: Marc Sumerak & Andy Schmidt
EDITOR: Tom Brevoort
The Clutter Reports (my other site) Atop The Fourth Wall Crisis On Earth Prime Lean Into Artcast Bully Says “Comics Oughta Be Fun” Siskoid’s Blog of Geekery
Cartoon Hero’s Lair SF Debris Four Million Years Later
