“Spring-loaded missiles? The budget’s that bad?”
Robotech: Return To Macross #21
Academy Comics, Ltd (May, 1995)
“The Omega Protocol”
WRITER: Bill Spangler
ARTIST: Wes Abbott
LETTERING: Alphabet Soup
I’m really not interested in the all-US movie version of Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. Had it been a completely original Ranger team, whether in the regular show universe or not (and considering both RPM and Dino Charge appear to be alternate universes based on their connections to Samurai and Super Ninja Steel respectively a Power Ranger multiverse already exists), I might actually have been interested. Instead Saban seems to have done their own not-stalgia for some reason. Well, Hasbro wants more set in the Ranger Movieverse and has decided to push ahead with Saban’s intended sequel. I don’t know how far along Saban’s was in production, so I don’t know if Hasbro is going to pull a Force Awakens and ignore their plans or not.
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No, this isn’t a patriotism discussion or “could a character like Captain America be created nowadays” kind of commentary. I mean could we in the real world actually create a supersoldier? I was going to do Captain America: The Winter Soldier for Finally Watched but then I came upon NerdSync’s latest video as he talks to an expert about whether or not it is possible to create a Captain America type super soldier. It’s both fascinating…and a little bit terrifying to be honest. But you really should see for yourself.
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Bumblebee began his first shift at Freddy Fazbear’s.
Transformers: Movie Prequel #1
IDW Publishing (February, 2007)
STORY: Chris Ryall
WRITERS: Simon Furman & Chris Ryall
ARTIST: Don Figueroa
COLORIST: Josh Burcham
LETTERER: Robbie Robbins
EDITOR: Dan Taylor
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Variety is reporting that HGTV won a bidding war against singer Lance Bass for the home used for exterior establishing shots of the Brady family’s home from The Brady Bunch and dramatic spinoff The Bradys. They plan to restore it, but will it actually look like the Brady Bunch house inside? If you compare a show to the house picked for the establishing shot they don’t always match up and anything shot with the cast was done on a set, not inside the home itself. That was saved for low-budget YouTube shows.
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The art of the sidekick is dead or dying. Merriam-Webster defines the sidekick as “a person closely associated with another as a subordinate or partner“. Often mistaken for just being comic relief the sidekick is learning from the hero or is there to provide back-up for the hero. In the world of superheroes, sidekicks are…or were…receiving training from the hero but not yet good enough to go completely on their own. From Robin the Boy Wonder to Kid Flash to Bucky Barnes, the sidekicks can graduate to take over a mantle or become their own hero, but they start out aiding their mentors.
Nowadays that doesn’t happen. The Robin of today is already highly trained by assassins and an equal to Batman despite his young age. If he’s learning anything, Damien has to respect others, including and especially his teammates. But as Tim Drake noted, Robin also served another purpose. He keeps Batman from going too far over the edge, from falling into the proverbial abyss. Meanwhile, Batman chose the first Robin before the memory of his parents’ murder ruined Dick Grayson the way it did Bruce Wayne. We all know how Batman trained Dick Grayson to become the first Robin, but do you know the story of his final exam?
Batman Chronicles: The Gauntlet isn’t some huge, Earth-shatteringly epic story. It’s a one-shot story in a short graphic novel. It’s the story of Robin’s “final exam”, the last step in proving he’s ready to become Batman’s partner. It’s one of my favorite Robin stories. So why does it stand out for me?
“Shadow puppets? Really, Bruce?”
Batman Chronicles: The Gauntlet
DC Comics (1997)
WRITERS/ARTIST: Bruce Canwell & Lee Weeks
COLORS/SEPARATIONS: Matt Hollingsworth
LETTERER: Albert DeGuzman
EDITOR: Darren J. Vincenzo
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The Doctor prepares for his first Pokémon battle.
Doctor Who #1
Marvel Comics Group (October, 1984)
COVER ART: Dave Gibbons (artist) & George Roussos (colorist)
REPRINT COLORIST: Andy Yanchus
UK EDITOR: Dez Skinn
“Doctor Who And The Star Beast”
(originally presented in Doctor Who Weekly #s 19-21)
WRITERS: Pat Mills & John Wagner
ARTIST: Dave Gibbons
“The Return Of The Daleks”
(originally presented in Doctor Who Weekly #s 1-4)
WRITER: Steve Moore
ARTISTS: Paul Neary & David Lloyd
