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Post by beccabear67 on Mar 22, 2019 12:49:06 GMT -5
I signed on again with #123, mainly because the cover art was great every issue from then for awhile. As a reader I found Cloud and the relationship with Iceman interesting over time, and though I mostly always hated arrogant Moondragon as I guess we were meant to, she was usually pretty interesting. If you can interest me in a character I really don't like I'm impressed and from here I remembered DeMatteis' name. The X characters are not particularly well handled though, they are not badly handled at all but they failed to interest me while Gargoyle and Val did somewhat, and Cloud and Moondragon were pretty unique in the Marvel comics world of the time. Iceman's reaction to Cloud is interesting but not so much from anything i8nherent to him, could've been any single male character, he just happened to get the job in the subplot by default it felt like.
Again, the covers are the main thing, some really outstanding ones well colored! Maybe Carl Potts had a hand in that? And yet, they tend to not reflect the story inside often and are more pin-up type that could've gone on any issue, that can be a bad thing, plus the new logo was a clunker in my opinion.
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Post by badwolf on Mar 22, 2019 13:16:44 GMT -5
There were a bunch of "pin-up" covers but yeah from here on in they are pretty much all excellent, with quite a few painted ones.
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 22, 2019 22:20:05 GMT -5
Not only is it pretty creepy that that Cloud character is supposed to be only 17 yrs old, but it isn't even a sexy visual, IMO: those little puffs of smoke covering her naughty bits look silly rather than mysterious or provocative or whatever it is they were going for. And of course I really dislike the whole redemption story for Moondragon, since it derives entirely from a shockingly bad - and IMO misogynistic - story by Shooter in which she tried to take over a planet with her mental powers. Abysmal. I had those Avengers issues, as Drax was a favorite (and I bought quite a bit of that Avengers era); but, it didn't seem that far fetched that Moondragon's arrogance might turn to conquest. A goddess needs worshippers. Now, I haven't read it in over 30 years, so I don't recall a lot of the finer details of the storyline. I do think Shooter had issues with women and it translated into some of his comics work (the Valiant women, for the most part, came off better than his Marvel ladies). The idea of a "hero" being tempted by power and corrupted hadn't been explored as much, in that era, which made it a fresh idea. I can see where JMD thought her redemption would make for interesting character interplay and drama and the back and forth with Val is pretty good, especially when Val twists the knife by continuing to call her "woman," rather than Moondragon. |
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Post by EdoBosnar on Mar 23, 2019 6:29:26 GMT -5
It's been years since I've read it, but I mainly agree with codystarbuck about the Moondragon story in Avengers: it didn't come out of nowhere, as she had always been presented as arrogant and dismissive of pretty much everyone she met (except Michael/Korvac - she really liked him), so it wasn't too much of a stretch that she would attempt to set herself up as ruler of the world or something similar.
It's kind of the same thing with the Hank-Pym-as-wife-slapper story - I really hated it, and wished it hadn't happened, but it wasn't like Shooter just made up a bunch of psychological issues for Hank from whole cloth. There were plenty of precedents in stories going back to the 1960s.
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 28, 2019 16:28:35 GMT -5
Defenders #126 Creative Team: JMD-writer, Alan Kupperberg-art, Janice Chiang-letters, Paul Becton-colors, Carl Potts-edits Synopsis: The New Defenders are at a SHIELD facility, looking over the captive Mutant Force and Mad Dog (Buzz Baxter), they ask about Cloud, Seraph and Harridan and Fury is clueless about the trio...  SHIELD was, again, infiltrated by outsiders (The Secret Empire) and phony agents must have taken the trio. Right. SHIELD has really lousy security, for a security agency. The gang flies off and Angel is macking on Moondragon, while Ice Man also has the hts for her...  Bobby is distracted and plows into a water tower, only to be rescued by Val. beast notes that they haven't yet come together as a team. The Secret Empire leaders have a meeting and report that plans continue and Number One orders that the Mutant Force be freed. Number 6 argues that he is not a number, but a free man! At SHIELD HQ, alarms go off an Nick Fury investigates, finding unconscious (we hope) agents and something else. At the brownstone, the team had dinner, though a de-iced Bobby looks like he is sitting at the table, in his BVDs....  Hank discusses drawing up a charter, establishing an HQ and electing a leader. Val nominates herself, while Hank puts his blue fur forward. Val has an interesting reaction...  Arguments fly, while Angel and Iceman have identical thoughts about Moondragon. Hmmmmmmmmmm. Val gets threatening when Angel questions her and Isaac tries to calm everyone down. Angel leaves in a huff. While he flies around to clear his head, a car flies past. he goes to investigate. The team are out looking for him, having calmed down. they hear sirens and follow and all find some guy in a yellow leotard. It doesn't look like he is practicing yoga or dancing ballet...  He is Leviathan, formerly SHIELD scientist Edward Cobert. He is acting rather like the Hulk. defenders attack individually and fail and Isaac gets them to work as a team and take him down.  When SHIELD turn up, Fury is informed that while Leviathan was rampaging, Mutant Force got away. Sounds like the SHIELD Inspector General has his work cut out for him. Lot of incompetence there. Thoughts: Well, the team isn't quite geling and both Warren and Bobby are mooning over........er, um, Moondragon. Meanwhile, Val seems to be uncharacteristically combative with Hank. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm. Just how much is that headband inhibiting Moondragon? Maybe she can't directly control; but, who says that doesn't mean she can't nudge a mind towards a conclusion? The main battle is really just to get the team to work together, as it has now other consequences, except as a distraction. The Secret Empire dudes are seen in robes, calling each other by number. Sounds familiar...  It looks like the Secret Empire will be around for a bit. Now, this is 1983, at the heart of the reagan years. The draconian days of the Nixon Administration were behind us; or so it seemed. There were stories coming out of Latin America, as we saw death squads in El Salvador and the Contras in Nicaragua. The full scope would come out in the latter part of the 80s, with Iran-Contra; but, there were some media corners already asking questions about secret wars, not to mention rumors of the Reagan campaign cutting a deal with Iran to hold off on the hostage release, until after the election. The election hinged greatly on Carter looking impotent, in the face of the Iran Hostage Crisis and the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan. So, depending on your political outlook, there hadn't been too many changes form the days of Nixon, for which the Secret Empire was created as a stand-in. It could just as easily be the case that JMD was just interested in a secret conspiratorial group, acting in a broader sense, rather than acting as a metaphor for current events. Alan Kupperberg isn't a star artist, nor much of a favorite; but, he does provide a nice change of pace, after a long stretch by Don Perlin. It's a bit more cartoony and brings to mind Joe Staton, particularly his Charlton and early DC work (by this stage, Staton had grown more sophisticated in his line work, though I thought that it robbed some of the energy that his earlier stuff had). It is dynamic and expressive, which lends itself well to the character squabbles and the combat. Some of the scenes at SHIELD look a little too much like satire; but, then again, maybe that was intended, as JMD had and would later engage in a bit of satire and outright comedy. Moondragon is open to interpretation, as the two X-men may just find her physically attractive (though Bobby is in deep denial, if you accept the current state of affairs), though the identical thoughts suggests another reason. Also, Moondragon's thoughts about Val and Val's behavior suggests some manipulation going on.
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 28, 2019 17:10:59 GMT -5
Defenders #127 Ooh, giant hand holding lifeless hero; how original! Creative Team: JMD-script, Sal Buscema-breakdowns, Alan Kupperberg-finishes, Janice Chiang-letters, Paul Becton-colors, Ann Nocenti-edits This was Assistant Editor Month, which featured two page cartoon segments in most comics, with humorous gags, while the editors are at the SDCC. The one here is from Nocenti, with cartoons by Marie Severin (RIP).  Meh....it's okay; but, hardly memorable. Marie's visual gags carry the thing a lot more than Nocenti's jokes. By the way, this is Nocenti, circa this time period (well, probably a couple of years later, based on the clothing)  Synopsis: Cloud is being chased by really big robots, that look rather like the SHIELD Mandroids.  However, they seem a little heavy-handed, for SHIELD. Meanwhile, Bobby Drake tells his folks he is giving up being an accountant to go back to superheroing. They take it well...  We then learn that the Secret Empire #1 is Prof. Power, who has his history recapped (put his mind in his son'd mindless body and encases it in armor, fighting Spidey and associates in MTU).  He works out a bit against some robots, then we cut to Moondragon doing katas, which are observed by Val and Isaac. They compliment her and she gets bitchy.  Val recaps Moondragon's punishment to Isaac, while MD meditates and mentally comes into contact with Cloud, who then physically manifests. The commotion brings back Val and Isaac, and we then see the unconscious girl emerge. Moondragon becomes rather protective of her...  On the way home, the former X-Men spot the giant robots, headed towards their brownstone and rush off.  At said brownstone, Cloud tells of escaping the Secret Empire and how they used her and lied to her; but, doesn't elaborate. Moondragon shows tenderness and caring, which Isaac interprets as a softening and Val finds somewhat unsettling. Before she can pursue the thought, trouble bursts in...  SMASH! CRASH! BOOM! They take down the robot; but, Cloud says he's one of 5 and the other 4 show up. Faster than you can say Sentinels, the team gets smooshed and Cloud is carried off, setting up the next few issues. Thoughts: Well, Defenders is becoming more and more like X-Men (deliberately, no doubt) and Val is noticing funky things going on with Moondragon, while the guys continue to moon over her, with identical thoughts. MD uses her powers; but, the inhibitor band causes her pain. She seems oddly protective of Cloud, compared to the contempt she shows the others. Lots f conflict, lots of puzzles, lots of near-naked adolescent girls (and a bald chick in a bathing suit, with a plunging neckline). My main thoughts are, do everything like what is selling best and throw in a lot of conflict and mental manipulation. Prof Power is recapped from his intro in MTU 117-118 (involving Prof X and Mentallo and the Fixer, in 118 and 124, when the Beast was involved. This is the period when the X-Men were the top magazine and they were suddenly turning up in everything, including tuff like ROM. It was a sign of things to come, with Wolverine, Punisher and Ghost Rider thrown into every 90s Marvel comic, or Batman slumming with every DC hero. It will lead to more X titles, more guest appearances, more, more more. That rarely ends well. All things in moderation
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Post by Reptisaurus! on Apr 1, 2019 18:52:45 GMT -5
Defenders #49 Is it just me or does that cover look like a weird dance routine? Creative Team: DAK-writer & colorist, Giffen and Mike Royer-art, Irv Watanabe, with Royer assisting -letters; Archie Goodwin-edits, investigations. Synopsis: Moon Knight is having a swinging time on the town... He's headed to the Sanctum, to try and find the Defenders, to help rescue Jack Norriss. Meanwhile, Kyle Richmond is locked up in some Kirby-wannabe contraption. Scorpio is goaded into recounting his life and we learn that the first appearance of Scorpio, in Nick Fury #1, was indeed a different guy. When he died in an explosion, Jake Fury found the Zodiac Key and became the second Scorpio and tried to kill Nick, with the switch of an LMD. Jake barely escaped alive and laid low. he heard how Nick used the Scorpio identity to infiltrate the Zodiac criminal gang and then, later, lost the key to Aries. When Aries craft was destroyed over NYC, the key fell from the sky and beaned a wino, who pawned it and went to a bar for booze, where Jake just happened to be buying beer. He bought the key and studied the stars for the right time to create his new Zodiac, which is now and he throws a big ol' switch. Just read this, in the big fat Moon Knight collection of all his first stories. It talked about beer so much that I honestly could not concentrate on anything else. I gave it an audible "OH COME ON!" in the middle of this issue. (I think that Scorpio was talking about sharing a beer with a dead member of the Zodiac Gang.) Did someone lose a bet and have to use the word "beer" at least 18 times in a script? Isn't that a little strange for a kid's comic? It's weird the last few pages of Defenders 50 were really good. I went from annoyed to totally emotionally invested in the space of a page. Aaaand then the story was over. C'est La Vie. |
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Post by dbutler69 on Apr 2, 2019 9:31:52 GMT -5
Moderation, what's that?
By the way, Bobby's parents are old. His mom must have been about 45 when she had him!
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 2, 2019 10:36:20 GMT -5
Moderation, what's that? By the way, Bobby's parents are old. His mom must have been about 45 when she had him! I get the feeling they were trying to up his age a bit; but, yeah, the visuals do sho them as seniors, not middle age. |
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Post by berkley on Apr 3, 2019 19:30:43 GMT -5
Not only is it pretty creepy that that Cloud character is supposed to be only 17 yrs old, but it isn't even a sexy visual, IMO: those little puffs of smoke covering her naughty bits look silly rather than mysterious or provocative or whatever it is they were going for. And of course I really dislike the whole redemption story for Moondragon, since it derives entirely from a shockingly bad - and IMO misogynistic - story by Shooter in which she tried to take over a planet with her mental powers. Abysmal. I had those Avengers issues, as Drax was a favorite (and I bought quite a bit of that Avengers era); but, it didn't seem that far fetched that Moondragon's arrogance might turn to conquest. A goddess needs worshippers. Now, I haven't read it in over 30 years, so I don't recall a lot of the finer details of the storyline. I do think Shooter had issues with women and it translated into some of his comics work (the Valiant women, for the most part, came off better than his Marvel ladies). The idea of a "hero" being tempted by power and corrupted hadn't been explored as much, in that era, which made it a fresh idea. I can see where JMD thought her redemption would make for interesting character interplay and drama and the back and forth with Val is pretty good, especially when Val twists the knife by continuing to call her "woman," rather than Moondragon. Yeah, this is another one where I've never been able to persuade any one else to my POV. I'm still convinced I'm right, though. Not to belabour the point, because it's almost impossible to go into everything wiithout coming across as a crazy, obsessive fan, but I think you have to compare Moondragon to other "arrogant" characters - e.g. the Sub-Mariner, Dr. Doom - and note the differences. Also not the differences between how Englehart - the only writer to really get it right, IMO - and later writers handled the character. Also, gods such as Thor don't usually go around looking for worshippers in the MU, so that was a deliberate choice by the writer more than an inevitable result of following the character logic.
But anyway, in the end, every reader has to decide for themselves. I just think that in this, as in so many cases, most readers look at what's written as a fait accompli and then try to make the logic fit retropsectively.
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 3, 2019 21:14:53 GMT -5
I had those Avengers issues, as Drax was a favorite (and I bought quite a bit of that Avengers era); but, it didn't seem that far fetched that Moondragon's arrogance might turn to conquest. A goddess needs worshippers. Now, I haven't read it in over 30 years, so I don't recall a lot of the finer details of the storyline. I do think Shooter had issues with women and it translated into some of his comics work (the Valiant women, for the most part, came off better than his Marvel ladies). The idea of a "hero" being tempted by power and corrupted hadn't been explored as much, in that era, which made it a fresh idea. I can see where JMD thought her redemption would make for interesting character interplay and drama and the back and forth with Val is pretty good, especially when Val twists the knife by continuing to call her "woman," rather than Moondragon. Yeah, this is another one where I've never been able to persuade any one else to my POV. I'm still convinced I'm right, though. Not to belabour the point, because it's almost impossible to go into everything wiithout coming across as a crazy, obsessive fan, but I think you have to compare Moondragon to other "arrogant" characters - e.g. the Sub-Mariner, Dr. Doom - and note the differences. Also not the differences between how Englehart - the only writer to really get it right, IMO - and later writers handled the character. Also, gods such as Thor don't usually go around looking for worshippers in the MU, so that was a deliberate choice by the writer more than an inevitable result of following the character logic.
But anyway, in the end, every reader has to decide for themselves. I just think that in this, as in so many cases, most readers look at what's written as a fait accompli and then try to make the logic fit retropsectively.
Well, I can see the point that it is misogyny that a female self-styled goddess attempts to conquer, while the arrogant male "heroes" don't go that route nor are the anti-heroes ever made quite as evil, by the same writers. I haven't read all of Englehart's run on Avengers, particularly with Moondragon (or Mantis); so, I can't really speak much to how he wrote her, vs others. Starlin, to me, seemed to treat her in a positive manner, though it never seemed like she contributed much to Thanos' downfall, by the time the battle came. Then again, I always thought Starlin was great on the build up but kind of fell flat on the climax, in his epics. Of course, he kind of kept redrafting the story when he would bring Thanos back. Anyway, my personal experience with Moondragon just didn't have me question the idea of her as a conqueror, at the time I read that story. The few things I had read made her seem cold, snotty and more likely to take than earn, as I never saw her earn any status due to her abilities. I thought there was potential in the character and thought she had a unique look, green bathing suit notwhithstanding (though I was fine with it, as an adolescent, heterosexual male). Now, had I read more Englehart stories with the character, I might have viewed it a bit differently. Ultimately, my only interest in those Avengers issues was Drax; I was rather confused about why Moondragon was trying to conquer planets. It seemed like I had missed several stories that explained why she had suddenly turned heel. |
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Post by berkley on Apr 3, 2019 23:48:41 GMT -5
Yeah, this is another one where I've never been able to persuade any one else to my POV. I'm still convinced I'm right, though. Not to belabour the point, because it's almost impossible to go into everything wiithout coming across as a crazy, obsessive fan, but I think you have to compare Moondragon to other "arrogant" characters - e.g. the Sub-Mariner, Dr. Doom - and note the differences. Also not the differences between how Englehart - the only writer to really get it right, IMO - and later writers handled the character. Also, gods such as Thor don't usually go around looking for worshippers in the MU, so that was a deliberate choice by the writer more than an inevitable result of following the character logic.
But anyway, in the end, every reader has to decide for themselves. I just think that in this, as in so many cases, most readers look at what's written as a fait accompli and then try to make the logic fit retropsectively.
Well, I can see the point that it is misogyny that a female self-styled goddess attempts to conquer, while the arrogant male "heroes" don't go that route nor are the anti-heroes ever made quite as evil, by the same writers. I haven't read all of Englehart's run on Avengers, particularly with Moondragon (or Mantis); so, I can't really speak much to how he wrote her, vs others. Starlin, to me, seemed to treat her in a positive manner, though it never seemed like she contributed much to Thanos' downfall, by the time the battle came. Then again, I always thought Starlin was great on the build up but kind of fell flat on the climax, in his epics. Of course, he kind of kept redrafting the story when he would bring Thanos back. Anyway, my personal experience with Moondragon just didn't have me question the idea of her as a conqueror, at the time I read that story. The few things I had read made her seem cold, snotty and more likely to take than earn, as I never saw her earn any status due to her abilities. I thought there was potential in the character and thought she had a unique look, green bathing suit notwhithstanding (though I was fine with it, as an adolescent, heterosexual male). Now, had I read more Englehart stories with the character, I might have viewed it a bit differently. Ultimately, my only interest in those Avengers issues was Drax; I was rather confused about why Moondragon was trying to conquer planets. It seemed like I had missed several stories that explained why she had suddenly turned heel. Yes, I was coming from the Englehart version, and thus already had a certain image of the character in place - arrogant? perhaps, if you wanted to take the most negative view; cold and proud, even haughty? Yes, but more as an understandably "alien" persona rather than as a potentially villainous, near-demented megalomania. But you'll decide for yourself when you read the Englehart Avengers.
The change set in, IIRC, when she appeared in the Warlock story in Marvel-Two-In-One: still not quite a villain, but the writer boosted the arrogance factor up several notches to near comedy levels - and then knocked the character off the pedestal of senseless pride he'd constructed himself, having the Thing put her over his knee and administer a spanking, something I doubt any male character, no matter how "arrogant", would ever have been subjected to. And from what I've seen online, the fans ate it up.
Later writers, including the character's creator, Starlin, carried on from there rather than reverting to the Englehart version, and finally Shooter escalated the whole thing to villainous levels and the state of demented megalomania referred to above. Since de Matteis's "redemption" arc is based on all this stuff, you can see how it wouldn't sit well with someone like me.
Anyhow, sorry to derail the thread, just wanted to get the idea out there that this was a character that could have been taken in a very different direction, had the creators involved made different choices along the way. And that the direction they did choose was not necessarily built-in to the character concept, or a logical outcome of how it had been portrayed in the Avengers, at least in Englehart's run.
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 4, 2019 13:16:51 GMT -5
Defenders #128 Ooh; now this is a step up from that run of Al Milgrom covers, around #100! Apparently, the Defenders' pet cat plays pretty rough! Creative Team: JMD-writer, Alan Kupperberg-pencils, Mike Mignola-inks, Janice Chiang-letters, Christie Scheele-colors, Carl Potts-edits Gee, remember when Mignola was "just" an inker? My, how things changed! Synopsis: As we saw in last issue, Rogue was on the run from the Hellfire Club and their sentinels and came to the X-Men, looking for help. Wait; that can't be right. Oh, yeah, Cloud was on the run from the Secret Empire and their giant robots and came to the New Defenders for help; except, the X-Men win their fights and the Defenders got their keester's clocked and Cloud was taken and their brownstone wrecked. They have relocated to Angel's Aerie, where they are moving in and moping, while Beast surveys the destruction of his Star Trek tapes. After a near accident and moondragon dressing everyone down (and she has a pretty good point about their selfishness), Isaac gets her to relay what she picked up from Cloud's mind.  Team could use some relationship counseling. We then cut to Cloud, who is cowering from Prof. Power, while wearing short-shorts and some kind of harness that really frames her teenage breasts. So, no creepy objectification of minors going on here! We learn that Cloud was taken from her isolated family by the secret Empire, which resulted in her parents' deaths and her subsequent brainwashing. She breaks free of the harness and unleashes her powers but, gets whammied in response. Val turns up, looking all divine (in the literal sense of the word) and Moondragon reveals she knows where the SE HQ is, after making Hank act like a monkey and getting a headband jolt in response. So, off the X-Men go....er, Defenders, to rescue Cloud. Flying in another borrowed Quinjet (how many of those things do the Avengers have?), they call SHIELD for back-up, then run smack into a forcefield and the Blackbird....Quinjet is destroyed and the flying dudes have to get the other X-Men....defenders to the ground. They regroup, atack the forcefield and then moondragon goes all Phoenix and busts through with mental power. Next thing you now, out comes bunches of Roman soldiers...  except these are full sized! Well, before you can say "Quo Vadis?," the battle commences.  They fight the good fight.... but something is sapping their strength. They run into Leviathan (still in yellow yoga leotards) and end up on the receiving end of Prof. Power's monologue, as he threatens to attack the New Mutants, 'cause we need more mutants in this story. Thoughts: The team is really sulking at the start and it gets ridiculously melodramatic, until Val turns up, looking all shiny and upbeat, which is a change for the Gerber days, to say the least. Everything else is right out of the Claremont playbook, with temper tantrums, calls to other people that are cut off, aircraft destroyed in mid-air, battles with evil mutants and grunts, a verbose megalomaniac and a threat to lead to the next issue. Not much else to really note, except Warren and Bobby still behave as if they are under mental persuasion from Moondragon, who actually does take control of Hank, before getting slapped down. Bobby, before they leave, is de-iced, in his trunks and boots and still looks like he is lounging in his BVDs. It's just not a good look. Moondragon acts like Queen bitch; but, she has a lot of very valid points, amid all the snark.
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 4, 2019 13:49:04 GMT -5
Defenders #129 Well, I take that back about the covers. This is pretty generic stuff; not bad, not especially memorable. Creative Team: JMD-writer, Don Perlin & Kim Demulder-art, Janice Chiang-letters, Christie Scheele-colors, Carl Potts-edits. Perlin & Demulder are back, as the regular team. Synopsis: The mind controled New Defenders attack the New Mutants (now with more X-Factor!)...  or do they?  Nope, it's all a fake and Moondragon sensed it. The SE has been unable to program them to be their stooges and Prof Power isn't happy. He threatens one of his robed goons then walks off. Moondragon links the others to share a plan, while the Desaad Fan Club member turns up the juice to knock her out. PP holds a board meeting with the other members of SPECTRE....er, the Secret Empire  and they discuss various projects and consultancies, right out of the Thunderball scene. We then cut to SHIELD doing the job of the NTSB and the FAA, surveying the wreckage of the Quinjet. Somehow, a group os Russkies, SHIELD counterparts, turn up to say I Told You So. Nick Fury says to clam up and work together, when everyone starts measuring genital size. Seraph turns up at Cloud's cell and frees her. Turns out, she is a Soviet spy...  Meanwhile, Moondragon directs Gargoyle to feed life energy from everyone into his mystical bolts and direct them at her, where she adds her mental power and they break free of their ice cubes. Seraph and Cloud show up and they join forces against more big robots. Prof Power kills a subordinate and makes like Zoltar and escapes (Battle of the planets fans will understand that reference), while Buzz Baxter, aka Mad-Dog, prepares to launch a missile. The Defenders jump on to stop it and it takes off and it is Cap & Bucky time! Thoughts: So, fake New Mutants crossover (typical comic book con), a lot of stolen James Bond scenes, an X-Men team escape by combining powers, and team members riding on flying craft to destroy it (ie Thunderbird, in the New X-Men's first official mission, after their debut, against Count Nefaria and the Ani-Men). We also meet Russian SHIELD counterparts. Wait, isn't SHIELD supposed to be an international organization, not a US one? Yeah, Marvel was never all that consistent on that one (though we have a lot of scenes of them taking orders from US presidents). Wonder what their name is? Probably something about bears... Pretty cookie cutter stuff going on here, including Candy Southern arriving at the Aerie and whining to Dolly about all of the gatecrashers living there, now.
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 4, 2019 14:12:22 GMT -5
Defenders #130 'Nother nice one. Should have been released as a poster. Creative Team: Mike Zeck replaces Don Perlin, for this issue! Get out your big chins and wide eyes! Synopsis: Cap & Bucky....er, Val & Moondragon are hanging on the side of a very penile missile (and not a very aerodynamic one, at that) and Val smashes it's casing, with Dragonfang, to knock it off course. unfortunately, Buzz Baxter retakes guidance control, from the ground, until Cloud zaps him with a lightningbolt. The missile explodes and Val and Moondragon plummet...  They are rescued by the X-Men (well, technically true, as it is Hank, Warren and Bobby) and then the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants....Mutant orce, attacks.  The New Defenders clean their clocks and SHIELD finally turns up 9I miss the days of the yellow and orange jumpsuits for field agents and techs), along with the Russkies. Nick says the SE is scattered and won't be heard from, for a while (where have I heard that before?) and Angel gives a speech about the superpowers acting like frightened children which wasn't all that profound in 1984 and hasn't gained much since. Cloud calls out Seraph in her part in the attack on her folks, about to exact revenge, when Moondragon talks her down.  The gang returns home, to find Blofeld waiting for them....er, prof. Power, who has Dolly and Candy (boy that sounds childish) as hostages.  A fight ensues and Moondragon is the one who takes him down....  which makes everyone forget about the sensitivity she showed Cloud. We get an epilogue of Candy designing a new HQ (in a bikini) while the guys dream of Moondragon and Beast says they got government clearance (shouldn't that require revealing their identities and background checks?) Thoughts: JMD must have watched a lot of Bond films, as this ending had all of the hallmarks. Mike Zeck doesn't get all Zeck on things, though he adds some touches that Perlin doesn't. Mutant Force look a bit better, though they still mostly look like rejected villain toy designs for GI JOE or some other low end toy line. Probably from Remco. So, the team has its baptism by fire and Shooter wants everything to be X-Men. Or Secret Wars. Looking at the splash page, I noticed that there is a certain look to 80s Marvel that you just can't mistake fore another decade. No matter who the artist is, you still have that same look to things, from page layouts, to production. Speaking of production, something weird happens in the lettering. We suddenly go from typical comic book lettering to a sort of serif font, rather like Will Eisner used to have in The Spirit. It's kind of jarring. So, what next for our heroes? 22 and a wake up!
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