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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 7, 2019 16:20:55 GMT -5
Squadron Supreme #7 Cover by Buscema and Layton; looks rather like what we would see after the byrne revamp of Superman, in a couple of years. Creative Team: Gruenwald still writing, John Buscema-breakdowns, Jackson Guice-finishes, Janice Chiang-letters, Michael Higgins (not Jon Michael Higgins, aka Mentok, the Mind Taker)-colors, Ralph Macchio (not Danny Larusso)-edits Synopsis: We pick up where we left off, at the end of Cap #314. Remnant, Mink and Pinball have joined forces with Nighthawk. Now word of Remnants old partners Tile, Marble and Terrazzo; aka the Flooring Foor! They have come to a hidden complex to make a deal with Master Menace, who turns them down.  So, they go off to hunt other allies. MM, meanwhile, has been checking the multiverse for something in particular and finds it, drawing it into this dimension. It turns out to be the Squadron Sinister Hyperion, who was last seen taking off with Thundra to her world, of Femizonia. Except, he didn't end up there and, instead turned up in some phantom limbo. Kind of like a zone, or something. Lex... er, Emil convinces Hype that he can reunite him with Thundra, in exchange for destroying the Squadron, from within. They stage a flaming meteor, crashing to Earth, to draw out Supreme Hyperion and then swap places. I've seen how this works out, in multiple soap operas. Evil Hype is found unconscious and seems to be suffering from amnesia. Power Princess works with him and he gets the hots for her. She seems to have feelings, too. He sees her husband, Howard Shelton, an old man. Later, in the evening, Zarda brings in Howard, who has suffered a heart attack. Dr Decibel is unable to save him. In actuality, Evil Hype sucked the air out of his lungs, inducing a heart attack. Hype is caught between the hots for Zarda and helping the Squadron, to foster the relationship or betraying them for the chance of Thundra, assuming Burbank follows through (which we know he won't). Hype chooses the Squadron and attacks Burbank.  Burbank makes like REO Speedwagon and Takes It On The Run (baby). Hyperion returns to the Squadron, where they have Howard's funeral; and, one week later, Hype and Zarda are swapping spit (and maybe other bodily fluids). Thoughts: Um, this one seems to knock the story off the rails, a bit. We start out with Kyle looking for allies, with Master Menace, which fits the main plot. However, we then get sidetracked with the hokey soap opera double ploy. It serves to get Burbank out of play; but, not much else, other than set up a likely confrontation when the Supreme Hyperion gets freed from wherever he was displaced. The art here shows more of what I was looking for in something of this nature. Buscema is bigger, grander and Guice has more polish than Bob Hall. We still get a lot of grids and middle range shots; but, there is a bit more life to things. if this had been full on Avengers Buscema, it would have been spectacular. We see Supreme Hyperion and Foxfire try to persuade the reluctant warden about the B-Mod program (the devices have been fixed); but, he is still not totally convinced. One of the guards mentally calls Foxfire a bimbo, showing that there is still some negative feelings towards the ex-Institute members. Foxfire does dress like a dancer in a music video; but, Zarda isn't exactly all prim and proper. Speaking of bimbos and superficial reactions, this issue does give us this rather gratuitous shot....  The moon is out early, tonight! This seems to be a bit more up Guice's alley, than Buscema's; though, who knows?
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 7, 2019 17:12:09 GMT -5
Squadron Supreme #8 Covers have been improving, over the earlier ones. Creative Team: Bob Hall is back, with Sam Delarosa inking and Christy Scheele is coloring, though is credited as "Max" Scheele (including the quotation marks). Not sure what that is all about. Synopsis: The Whizzer breaks up a robbery by The Rustler and Bollix (!!!), who have stolen force field belts. The police, with their non-lethal weapons, can't stop them; but, Whizzer just dribbles them to the police station and into a cell. They crow about him not being able to touch them and use the B-Mod on them and Whizzer informs them that they have bigger problems...  Tom Thumb is supervising the conversion of a munitions factory to the production of the force field belts, when Whizzer turns up and tells him about Rustler and Bollix). Another time zone away, Blue Eagle, Quagmire and Ape X are doing the same, at a chemical plant, which makes "gumdrops," the nickname for the non-lethal substance used in police and military weapons. Quagmire says 'Hi" to an attractive woman and BE asks him to step outside and snatches a cigarette from his mouth, berating him for his appearance and the Squadron's image. Quagmire points out he didn't do anything wrong and can't thanks to the B-Mod and BE slugs him. Quagmire can't fight back, but does respond verbally. BE flies off, realizing he overreacted, due to the Lady Lark situation. He goes flying to clear his head and returns 15 minutes later, to discover there had been an emergency. Toxic gasses were released from the chemical mixture and Quagmire saved 30 people, before succumbing to the gas. he is in critical condition. BE feeling guilty, flies him to the nearest hospital.  Arcanna has a check up and reveals that her powers are hiding her physical appearance, while she is pregnant, to keep form being treated as if she were fragile. Dr Decibel is sworn to secrecy and he can't break the B-Mod programming to alert the team that Arcanna is further along then they believe. Hyperion (secretly the Sinister version), Dr Spectrum and Lamprey are on a mission and, after Hyperion leaves the other two, Spectrum remarks about how he seems different, and how he has moved in with Zarda. Lamprey can't voice it; but, he recognizes that Hyperion's energy signature is different; but, as long as the Squadron believes he is the real thing, he can't say boo. Hyperion surprises Power Princess, for a Nooner, and Zarda is a bit taken back. They are interrupted by Foxfire, who begs their pardon and leaves. Meanwhile, the Supreme Hyperion can see them from what I will call the Ghostly Designated Area, or GDA. He is POd and wants to get out; but, can't. He discovers Master Menace there, who explains what happened to him. His power source is burnt out and he can't escape, either. Hyperion asks about the power source and MM says Hype's Atomic Vision could do the trick; but, demands a promise not to use the B-Mod on him. Hype says no dice and MM says get bent! Hype changes his mind and makes a promise not to interfere with MM's freedom. he charges the armor and, just when MM is about to betray him, grabs hold and they teleport back to their dimension, where Hype lets him plummet to Earth.  Hyperion then turns up at the meeting chamber and smashes through the roof, attacking the Sinister Hyperion. It spills outside and Zarda scrambles the Squadron (crying "Squadron Scramble"). The two Hypes battle it out, though Sinister has the edge, as he has faced more powerful opponents and knows how to exert more force. They smash President's Mountain (their Mt Rushmore) and Evil Hype tries to hit Squadron Hype with a nose...  They end up in a battle of Atomic Vision. The end result, by the time the SS catch up, is that both are blinded; but, Squadron Hype has the upper hand. he pummels Evil Hype with all of his might, until Zarda and Spectrum stop him. It is too late and Evil Hype dies, professing his love for Zarda, as she weeps. Thoughts: This issues theme is built around the negative consequences of the B-Mod device. Quagmire can't defend himself when Blue Eagle attacks him, due to his own shortcomings, not Quagmire's actions. Dr Decibel can't inform the Squadron that Arcanna is several months pregnant, not newly pregnant, and could endanger he unborn child, on missions. Lamprey can't alert the Squadron that Hyperion's energy signature is different, until the original Hype shows up and they begin to doubt the Evil one. The Institute members cannot perform even some positive actions, because they must be obedient to the Squadron. this was not just eliminating criminal tendencies but loss of free will. It leads to death and heartache. The opening scenes are an homage to classic Flash stories, where he uses brain power and speed to turn the tables on a gimmick villain. They think they are impervious to harm in the force fields; but, the fields also limit their abilities and Whizzer has more experience with the field. I have to wonder about the name Bollix, though. Bollix is a word used to conottate a foul up or big mistake. However, it is often used synonymously with bollocks, meaning testicles. Thankfully, the artist wasn't clued in, so we don't see a pair of spheres on the villains costume! Master Menace is freed of the GDA; but, is allowed to drop from the sky. Thought balloons tell us his armor will save him. Will he now aid Nighthawk? The GDA is this version of the Phantom Zone and Gruenwald homages a typical Superman plot, with Superman and Lex Luthor making a deal to escape. The alternate Hyperion can be likened to one of the Phantom Zone criminals, like General Zod or Jax-Ur (or Non, in the film). This gets way more intense than Superman II. At this point, we are set for the movement into the finale. The state of the world was introduced, the Utopia Program conceived, the fissure with Nighthawk, resistance from the populace, reaction of super-criminals, vulnerability of loved ones, cracks in the solidarity of the team, unintended consequences of B-Mod, further fracturing of the team, and psychological damage and stress. Now, how will Nighthawk exploit this situation to stop the utopia Program?
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Post by rberman on Mar 7, 2019 18:23:24 GMT -5
Squadron Supreme #8Creative Team: Bob Hall is back, with Sam Delarosa inking and Christy Scheele is coloring, though is credited as "Max" Scheele (including the quotation marks). Not sure what that is all about. I've wondered about that myself. At first I thought that Christie and Max were married professionals, like the Weins or the Simonsons. But no, Christie is Max. A minute's Googling reveals: womenincomics.fandom.com/wiki/Christie_%22Max%22_ScheeleHowever, she is married to a professional after all: letterer Jack Morelli. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 7, 2019 19:27:21 GMT -5
Squadron Supreme #8Creative Team: Bob Hall is back, with Sam Delarosa inking and Christy Scheele is coloring, though is credited as "Max" Scheele (including the quotation marks). Not sure what that is all about. I've wondered about that myself. At first I thought that Christie and Max were married professionals, like the Weins or the Simonsons. But no, Christie is Max. A minute's Googling reveals: womenincomics.fandom.com/wiki/Christie_%22Max%22_ScheeleHowever, she is married to a professional after all: letterer Jack Morelli. I started out to make a joke about her maybe feeling really butch that day; but, decided that was rather insensitive. Turns out I wasn't far off the mark. Funny old world. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 7, 2019 19:45:08 GMT -5
It's sad you don't hear much from the colorists in comics, as many are/were tremendous artists, in their own right, with Francoise Mouly probably being one of the best known, in the art world , between her work with husband Art Spiegelman and as art editor of The New Yorker.
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 7, 2019 20:58:49 GMT -5
Squadron Supreme #9 Well, so much for that trend. The basic staging isn't bad; but, the colors kind of muddy up the image. Creative Team: Paul Ryan is back on art and Rick Parker handles the letters. Synopsis: Dr Decibel operates on Hyperion for the 7th time, as his tissue's invulnerability inhibits the ability of the laser to perform the surgery to reattach his optic nerves. Time will tell if he is blind. Meanwhile, Tom Thumb's condition has worsened and his computer, AIDA, breaks programming and shares the info with Ape X. She convinces Tom to return to the future and steal the Panacea Potion from Scarlet Centurion and bring it back to analyze. Then return it, so that Tom doesn't feel like he is stealing, which is against his moral code. She further convinces him to order Lamprey to assist, which he does. They arrive in the future and find their way to the Temple of Eugenics, where the potion is kept. After battling Centurion's soldiers, they escape. Tom analyzes the potion and learns that the name is not symbolic; it consists merely of penicillin and B-complex vitamins. We are told of Tom's fate, at the end...  While this goes on, Foxfire studies records of herself and a previous battle between the Institute and the Squadron. The Institute were used by the Scarlet Centurion as pawns, battling the Squadron, who were controlled by the Grandmaster, creator of the Squadron Sinister. Foxfire is upset about the depiction of a battle with nighthawk and the little information they have on her. She is interrupted by Dr Spectrum who invites her to help get up a game of poker. She invites him for a different kind of game.  Zarda visits Hyperion and tells her of the love she found with the other Hyperion, but it was for him and wants to pursue it further and puts the moves on him, in the hospital. Nighthawk and his band are using a device to track down potential allies and locate one. Nighthawk talks to him and convinces him to join and we meet Redstone...  Thoughts: Not much need to go in great detail, on this one. The main thrust is Tom's drive to cure his cancer. At first, he is working on a cryogenics chamber, to freeze people, for when a cure can be found. His health worsens and AIDA breaks programming, out of concern, and tells Ape X. Ape X is inhibited by B-Mod conditioning; but, she can reason with Tom. Tom has an absolute moral POV; but, she makes him see that returning the serum, after analyzing, isn't exactly stealing. This is enough for Tom to rationalize. She can't help; but, suggests Lamprey, whose energy draining capabilities make him a versatile accomplice. In the end, the point is moot because the potion only works in the future, where evolution and breeding have improved the immune system enough for this to work. The Panacea Potion is probably derived from Amygdalin, ala Laetrile, which was promoted as a cancer cure, in the late 70s. Subsequent testing debunked this and found it to be nothing more than a placebo. The name Panacea Potion comes from the Greek goddess, Panacea, who was equated with healing, via a potion. It became synonymous with a solution for all problems, which by nature, is virtually impossible, especially in medicine. Cryogenics had been heavily promoted through the 70s and 80s, as a possible solution to disease, though no practical method has been forthcoming. it is a favorite of sci-fi, in literature and entertainment. Woody Allen's Sleeper involves his character being cryogenically frozen and revived in a totalitarian future. Mission Impossible had a late era episode where a criminal is conned into believing he has been frozen and reawakened, in the future, to entice him to lead them to the loot. We see cryo-chambers in the Alien movies, 2001 A Space Odyssey (and 2010, the sequel), and various other films and tv shows (including the classic Star Trek episode, "The Space Seed.") Foxfire's peak at the lack of records of her criminal past suggests the conditioning has affected all elements of the brain, as she seeks acknowledgement of her accomplishments. Dr Spectrum surprise her with a "Guess who?" stunt, using his power prism. She reacts with her powers, until she can actually see Spectrum, and conditioning takes over, suggesting that inhibiting sight of the Squadron members could allow the Institute to revert to free will. This parallels with Lamprey, in the last issue, when he was able to get past the conditioning, once the Squadron doubted the Squadron Sinister Hyperion. Gruenwald is dropping more hints thatthe conditioning may not be irreversible, as Tom stated. Zarda is an emotional mess, grieving for her dead husband and new lover. Did she transfer the love of one to the other? Is she now doing the same with the Squadron Hyperion? She's the leader of the team, which demonstrates her head isn't on straight. Hyperion may be permanently blinded, which makes him more vulnerable. Nighthawk has found Redstone. We don't know his abilities; but, he looks like he might be a physical challenge for Hyperion. Los of hints that foreshadow the defeat of the Squadron.
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 7, 2019 21:48:46 GMT -5
Squadron Supreme #10 Dynamic cover, though Quagmire's ooze is a bit too light, based on the interiors. Creative Team: Janice Chiang back on letters; all else the same. Synopsis: The issue opens with a news report of Tom Thumb's death.  We learn that Tom was born Tom Thompson and stopped growing at the age of 3; but, was a genius, with degrees in multiple disciplines. His true genius was in developing new technologies, which led to his crime fighting career and Squadron membership. he designed and built Rocket Central, the previous satellite base of the Squadron. It details his developments during the Utopia Program and reveals the Hibernaculum.  This will allow them to continue to work on disease, against which they have had the least progress. All of this is watched by Nighthawk and his team, which includes Golden Archer, in a new black costume, plus several unnamed members. They remark about Quagmire's absence and the mysterious destruction of President's Mountain.  Hyperion has new vision goggle, which restore his sight; but, he is having issues with them. Ape X fixes them and we later see she is building some kind of robot, with Tom's likeness. Dr Decibel discovers Quagmire's ooze coming from his hospital room, where he has lain, in a coma. Arcanna and Power Princess are off to address the AMA, about the Hibernaculum, and they share conversation about Zarda and Hyperion, as Zarda expresses doubts, while Arcanna continues to hide the stage of her pregnancy. Blue Eagle and Lamprey help set up a new decriminalization center, where B-Mod will be administered by civilians. Dr Spectrum and Foxfire help with building destruction, so a new construction program can start. While this goes on, Nighthawk implements his plan to acquire the plans for the B-Mod devices. Redstone and one of the newbies, Moonglow, are sent in to try to join the Squadron. They turn up at an employment center and meet Whizzer. After a demonstration of their powers, they are brought to Squadron City, for a possible vote. Moonglow demonstrates gravity powers; but, she is actually an illusion caster. During the vote, Blue Eagle suggests they should use the B-Mod on them, regardless of background check, to ensure loyalty, which brings immediate dissent. Whizzer is tasked with background checks, while they are given probationary membership. meanwhile, master Menace contacts Nighthawk to say he has discovered info about the B-mod decriminalization center and plans to steal the devices. nighthawk objects, as his people are inside. GA takes the opportunity to thank Kyle for giving him the chance to redeem himself. The Squadron are alerted by Dr Decibel about the emergency at the hospital. When they arrive, the ooze has overwhelmed the building. Hyperion gets inside and his goggles help him navigate through the muck. He has been tasked to shut down the machines keeping Quagmire going, as they believe that he is dead, yet his brain is keeping the hole open to the dimension, where the ooze comes from. Hyperion makes it to the room and pulls the plug, ending Quagmire's brain activity and the muck. Unfortunately, he is too late to save Dr Decibel. he is put in a hibernaculum. Thoughts: Well, Quagmire and Dr Decibel are now gone, along with Tom. Arcanna is deeply pregnant. The Squadron is now understrength. Nighthawk is seeking to infiltrate the team, to get to the B-Mod devices. Moonglow's powers are the casting of illusions, which is quite significant and allows them to fake their way in. The ease of acceptance shows how desperate the Squadron is getting. Blue Eagles suggestion of using the B-mod outright suggests they are having fewer qualms about it being used voluntarily. Considering how it was used on Lady Lark, you'd think he would have rethought his position. However, Blue Eagle has been shown to be very dogmatic and conservative, and loyalty would be a big issue. Master Menace is continuing to confound his alliance with Nighthawk, which could end up tripping up his team. Whatever the final outcome, it looks like it will be messy. One troubling thing here, apart from new characters with no names, is the portrayal of Foxfire. She has been shown to be extremely promiscuous, even provocative, both in dress and attitude. No exploration of this has been forthcoming. That kind of behavior has origins; sometimes in sexual abuse. Gruenwald doesn't seem to be prepared to explore the background. She is just a slut and we are to accept that. It comes across as insensitive, at best, and misogynistic, at worst. No, Dr Spectrum has been shown to have a significant Little Black Book; but, that hasn't really been portrayed in a negative light. At best, it made him look a bit sad, when the others went off to spend time with family and loved ones, before their unmasking. He appeared to have no one but casual acquaintances. Nothing more has been done with that. Gruenwald has never struck me as misogynistic, as Shooter and some others have, though he also hasn't been as sensitive as Claremont (relatively, ignoring the fetishistic aspects of his work). He handled characters like bernie Rosenthal and Diamondback well, in Captain America and Wasp, in the Avengers. So, I'm chalking it up to it being a villain cliche, as a sort of femme fatale.
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 7, 2019 22:25:21 GMT -5
Squadron Supreme #11 Creative Team: Same bunch. Synopsis: The Squadron and the new recruits play a game of Capture The Flag. We see more members of Nighthawk's team have joined Moonglow and Redstone...   They are, from left to right... Haywire, Moonglow (already named in last issue), Inertia, Black Archer (the former Golden Archer), Redstone (also named last issue), Mink (seen in Cap #314 and previous issues), Remnant (ditto), Pinball (also ditto) and Thermite. Haywire, Inertia and Thermite have joined Moonglow and Redstone, as new recruits. Black Archer, Mink, Remnant and Pinball are known to the Squadron and are hiding out at Kyle's mansion. The recruits are mademembers and given new access, which allows Moonglow the chance to access the databanks. She uses an illusion to hide from Ape X and transmits the data to master Menace, who alerts Nighthawk. he abandoned his scheme to steal the B-mod from the decriminalization center, as he figured Hyperion would peg him. He figures out how to reverse the conditioning.  Blue Eagle still wants to use B-mod on the recruits; but, is shot down. AIDA spots Moonglows transmission and alerts Ape X, who is working on her Tom Thumb robot, hoping to insert his brain patterns into the cybernetics. AIDA shows Ape X the surveillance footage and Ape X debates what to do. She can't betray the Squadron; but, they must be alerted; but, Moonglow is a new member. The conflict ends up making her like Hal and she ends up in a catatonic state. Hyperion and Zarda find her; but, AIDA, fearing what will happen to their mental states, does not tell them. The renegades nab Lamprey, with Haywire's tanglewire and subject him to the B-Mod reversal. he readily agrees to join Nighthawk's band. They are working on Shape, when Black Archer and Remnant bring in the captured Blue Eagle, who followed the recruits. Nighthawk is faced with the choice of using B-Mod on Blue Eagle and Master Menace says he can be changed back and Nighthawk, reluctantly, agrees. Thoughts: Nighthawk's plan has worked; but, he has made deals with devils and pays a price, as Blue Eagle must be subjected to the very thing that Kyle wanted to stop. Kyle states the case that the Squadron has destroyed civil liberties and stolen free will, which is correct, even in the noblest of causes. For utopia to work, it must be mutual consent, not imposed from above. That is dictatorship. We see further how the conditioning has taken away from the Institute, as Ape X is driven mad by a moral conflict, thanks to the obedience programming. Eminitaing criminal behavior was one thing, total obedience had nothing to do with stopping that. That is the Squadron imposing their will upon the Institute, to exploit their abilities, just as Amphibian charged. Kyle has rationalized that "The enemy of my enemy is my friend;" but, as is usually the case, the enemy of my enemy is only a convenient friend. That ends quickly when the convenience does. There is no moral highground left, as Kyle discovers. At best, they can end the Utopia Program and return political control to the people. Too many revolutions have ended up in this place. One dictatorship replaces another.
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Post by rberman on Mar 7, 2019 22:38:48 GMT -5
Squadron Supreme #9Thoughts: Not much need to go in great detail, on this one. The main thrust is Tom's drive to cure his cancer. At first, he is working on a cryogenics chamber, to freeze people, for when a cure can be found. His health worsens and AIDA breaks programming, out of concern, and tells Ape X. Ape X is inhibited by B-Mod conditioning; but, she can reason with Tom. Tom has an absolute moral POV; but, she makes him see that returning the serum, after analyzing, isn't exactly stealing. This is enough for Tom to rationalize. She can't help; but, suggests Lamprey, whose energy draining capabilities make him a versatile accomplice. In the end, the point is moot because the potion only works in the future, where evolution and breeding have improved the immune system enough for this to work. The Panacea Potion is probably derived from Amygdalin, ala Laetrile, which was promoted as a cancer cure, in the late 70s. Subsequent testing debunked this and found it to be nothing more than a placebo. The name Panacea Potion comes from the Greek goddess, Panacea, who was equated with healing, via a potion. It became synonymous with a solution for all problems, which by nature, is virtually impossible, especially in medicine. Cryogenics had been heavily promoted through the 70s and 80s, as a possible solution to disease, though no practical method has been forthcoming. it is a favorite of sci-fi, in literature and entertainment. Woody Allen's Sleeper involves his character being cryogenically frozen and revived in a totalitarian future. Mission Impossible had a late era episode where a criminal is conned into believing he has been frozen and reawakened, in the future, to entice him to lead them to the loot. We see cryo-chambers in the Alien movies, 2001 A Space Odyssey (and 2010, the sequel), and various other films and tv shows (including the classic Star Trek episode, "The Space Seed.") Robert Heinlein's 1957 novel Door Into Summer was one work popularizing the notion of cryogenic suspension. Its protagonist freezes himself and awakens a celebrity from the past. Cordwainer Smith's 1945 novelette Scanners Live in Vain is an even earlier example. Of course, stories about people sleeping for decades or centuries (without the freezing aspect) go back much further, through Washington Irving's Rip Van Winkle back to Greek myths. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 7, 2019 23:44:41 GMT -5
Squadron Supreme #12 Creative Team: The same. Synopsis: Foxfire has been kidnapped and subjected to deconditioning. it isn't quite voluntary, as she is tied to the chair. She comes out and told of what has happened and given the offer of revenge. She accepts; but, we get the feeling she is conflicted. As they return to Squadron City, we see that she is troubled by passing by people in need of help. Shape finds Ape X and tries to tell her what has happened; but, she is still catatonic. Moonglow is monitoring and uses her illusions to make Shape believe that Ape X is telling him to aid the renegades, that the Squadron wanted to kill him and Arcanna hates him. While this goes on, Hyperion and Power Princess return all authority to the government, except National Defense, security and caring for the Utopian technology. So, they have modified their promise. they return to the City, where they find Nighthawk and his Redeemers. They face off and Kyle tries reason, then reveals his subterfuge. It erupts in violence.  Dr Spectrum gets the jump on the Redeemers, using the prism to bind them long enough for the Squadron to hit them; but, he is hit by the flying body f Zarda and goes down. The battle turns into a melee. Hyperion loses his glasses and is helpless. Moonglow uses her powers to block Arcanna , who is going into labor. Spectrum and Black Archer face off and Wyatt unleashes an arrow that shatters the power prism. Spectrum is bleached white. Foxfire thinks he is dead, but sees he is still alive. She goes to prove her love for him. Shape is torn by what Moonglow is doing to Arcanna and she feeds him more lies. Arcanna knocks her out with a haymaker and asks Shape to get her to the hospital. As they leave, Shape sees that Moonglow has changed from a startlingly attractive woman, to an overweight, plainer featured woman. Her biggest illusion was her appearance. Redstone and Lamprey incapacitate Hyperion; and, Lamprey goes after Blue Eagle. Lamprey leeches off the energy in Blue Eagle's anti-gravity system and he plummets. he aims to land on Pinball, to break his fall; but, his velocity is too high and he snaps his neck, while also snapping Pinball's spine. Nighthawk restores Hyperion's glasses and explains the flaw in the utopia; that the Squadron has to maintain it. He asks what happens when they are no longer around? Hyperion sees the wisdom. Foxfire, to prove her love, runs up to Nighthawk and rots his heart, killing him. Mink slashes her back with her claws, as she has killed the man she loves (she is this world's Catwoman). Spectrum explodes in anger and grief, and he generates the power, instead of the destroyed prism. it kills Mink and he flies off with the dying Foxfire. Lamprey attacks and gets blasted, obliterating his body. The bodies pile up.  In the end, Nighthawk, Blue Eagle, Black Archer, Foxfire, Lamprey, and Pinball are dead. Thermite is critical, with a 10% chance of survival. However, Arcanna has given birth to a baby boy and life goes on. Thoughts: You knew this wasn't going to end well, right? The bodycount here, is higher than Watchmen. Nighthawk had to die a revolutionaries death. The Institute paid a heavy price, with only Shape surviving for the good, as the others are dead, except Ape X, who is a vegetable. of the Redeemers, only Redstone, moonglow, Inertia, Remnant and Haywire survive. Tom Thumb and Nuke were previously killed or died. Amphibian departed the team, as did Lady Lark, when Black Archer was expelled. BA spots Linda in a crowd shot, at a protest of the Hibernacula. She does not get involved in the fight, but is alive. Hyperion is blind. Dr Spectrum has been turned into a living power prism. In the end, Nighthawk was right; a utopia that requires enforcement is no utopia. Even noble intentions are not justification for a dictatorship. Even though the Squadron was returning government control to the elected officials, they were still maintaining great powers. Gruenwald did a spectacular job at exploring a "what if," where the Justice League uses its powers for society's greatest good. It was a fine testament to his talent. He presented powerful ideas and conflicts and showed that there really are no simple solutions to the world's problems that superheroes can provide. They have to come from mankind. However, it is not a perfect work. Gruenwald raises many ideas that get quickly abandoned or get solved with the wave of a superhero wand. His detail work leaves a lot of plotholes and half-rendered ideas. Characterization is often lacking, as his cast is too big. With Foxfire, we do see a change; but, no exploration as to why she plays at being the slut. Gruenwald is hit and miss on the emotional and psychological elements. His attempt to make the characters like the Justice League never fully lets them be more, to match the ambition of the project. The art is in service to the story; but, it lacks spectacle that would elevate the weaker components. A project like this calls for something more, like Perez and Lim on Infinity Gauntlet, Zeck on Secret Wars, or Alex Ross on Kingdom Come. Epic vision require epic execution. Bob Hall and Paul Ryan (and John Buscema & Jackson Guice) tell a good story; but, don't quite reach epic. This really needed more room than 12 issues. There is a lot of material that could have used more room. Gruenwald hit on an interesting dynamic in having the families living near each other. Here's a chance to explore life for the heroes' loved ones. You can see what it's like for military and police families, or others whose spouses serve a greater calling. Gruenwald touches on that; but, it cries out for more. The treatment of Tom Thumb, by his colleagues bears examination; but, it never comes. Someone treated so badly would harbor resentments and that doesn't really come up, other than frustration. The Squadron doesn't even get called out on it. Ultimately, I think the storytelling template that Jim Shooter was enforcing on Marvel works against this story. It has the effect of reducing the scope, when the story is calling for a broader approach. Something like Squadron Supreme should be different than a monthly issue of the Defenders or Iron Man. A singular style is going to result in singular stories. Variety is the spice of life and it gives a broader spectrum to a publishing line. There is no one approach to a story, even if there are structures to it. Some stories call for experimental techniques. 2001 should not be told in the same manner as Star Wars. Their goals are different. Squadron Supreme is a project that called for experimentation; but, that was not encouraged in the main Marvel line. Gruenwald was mentored by Shooter and learned to tell his types of stories, in his way. Sometimes, he was able to break the mold a bit. he is trying here; but, the art needs more and he needed an editor like an Archie Goodwin or Louise Simonson, who would challenge him to go deeper, further. I have to think, had he been able to do this as DC, under Kahn, Levitz and Giordano, he would have been pushed to go further and really makes this truly memorable. Gruenwald succeeds in making it memorable; but, more in contrast to what was being done elsewhere. Gruenwald has a lot of innovations that we would see in later works. Golden Archer presages Green Arrow's involvement in attacking Superman, in Dark Knight, the Utopia Program invites comparisons to the later Kingdom Come. Hyperion and Power Princess' relationship brings to mind Superman and Wonder Woman, also in KC. Nighthawk's alliance with Emil Burbank/Master Menace foreshadows Batman and Luthor, teaming to stop Superman's group. Infact, Squadron Supreme seems to be a template for Kingdom Come, more than it shares similarities with Watchmen. Gruenwald wants to shake up the toys; but, he wants to play with them again. Alan Moore wanted to break them and leave them in the dustbin. Squadron Supreme mainly ended up a cult favorite, until the Kingdom Come Companion brought up its innovations, in conjunction with other deconstructionist works, like Supefolks, Miracleman, Watchmen, and Kingdom Come, itself (plus the aborted Twilight). It status was elevated after gruenwald's untimely death and the revelation that he wanted his ashes mixed in with the printing ink of a comic book, leading to the trade paperback (first printing). In many ways, this should have been Marvel's Crisis or Watchmen, more than Secret Wars. There is more going on here than simple battles and costume changes, or new wrinkles for the main books. It would seem, on the surface, that perhaps Shooter's ego wouldn't allow something to surpass Secret Wars in acclaim and promotion. There is no evidence to support that conclusion. Even Shooter's pet project, The New Universe, ran into problems with promotion and budgeting. When you look at Dc and Marvel in the 80s, Shooter is working to boost the average; Jenette Kahn, Paul Levitz and Dick Giordano are looking to make big payoffs. They worked on the average and made similar growth; but, they did a lot more of swinging for the fences. Marvel stayed on top; but, DC closed the gap quickly, until the 90s shook up the industry, leaving both weakened. Now, where do you go from here? Dc had wanted to follow up Watchmen; but, moore was too much the auteur and it took 20 years to happen. Marvel didn't even wait that long to revive Jean Grey. This did well enough for a sequel, though it took 4 years to come and happened after Shooter was ousted. That is our next focus, as we explore 1989's Squadron Supreme: Death of a Universe.
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Post by rberman on Mar 8, 2019 6:01:01 GMT -5
Good write-up! Judging by your samples (I've neve read the series beyond this), it seems that the main thing going for it was an interesting story that looked beyond typical black hat/white hat superhero punch-ups to deal with the problem of authority, as Watchmen did. But Watchmen is loaded with Easter Eggs and quotable dialogue and fascinating caption/art juxtapositions and a distinctive page layout. Dark Knight Returns had a bold visual style. Kingdom Come had next generation photorealism and a zillion Easter Eggs. Squadron Supreme might have been remembered as a classic if it came out in 1978, but coming out so close to those other works that offered more than just a better story, I can see why it was eclipsed.
When you said "Twilight," are you talking about Chaykin's Twilight? I can see some overlap here with its second issue (of three), in which the Knights of the Galaxy are enjoying galaxy-wide success through a cult of personality that may not be such a great idea in the long run, and an immortality serum that's proven quite a mixed blessing. But that Twlight wasn't aborted, though it was brief. Are you speaking of another one?
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Post by coinilius on Mar 8, 2019 9:48:16 GMT -5
I think it’s a reference to the aborted Alan Moore Twilight of the Super Heroes project
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 8, 2019 14:40:17 GMT -5
Good write-up! Judging by your samples (I've neve read the series beyond this), it seems that the main thing going for it was an interesting story that looked beyond typical black hat/white hat superhero punch-ups to deal with the problem of authority, as Watchmen did. But Watchmen is loaded with Easter Eggs and quotable dialogue and fascinating caption/art juxtapositions and a distinctive page layout. Dark Knight Returns had a bold visual style. Kingdom Come had next generation photorealism and a zillion Easter Eggs. Squadron Supreme might have been remembered as a classic if it came out in 1978, but coming out so close to those other works that offered more than just a better story, I can see why it was eclipsed. When you said "Twilight," are you talking about Chaykin's Twilight? I can see some overlap here with its second issue (of three), in which the Knights of the Galaxy are enjoying galaxy-wide success through a cult of personality that may not be such a great idea in the long run, and an immortality serum that's proven quite a mixed blessing. But that Twlight wasn't aborted, though it was brief. Are you speaking of another one? Alan Moore made a pitch for something he called Twilight, as in Twilight of the Gods. It featured a future world where the superheroes were split into ruling houses, with the House of Steel as one, and the House of Mystery another. The superheroes are pretty much ruling gods, and it comes to a head, with Billy Batson as the mcguffin that helps pull it all down. The pitch used to be available online and is summarized in the Kingdom Come Companion (which was pulled from the shelves, after legal threats from DC). Much of it is quite similar to Kingdom Come, which led many to believe that Waid saw the pitch at DC and copied it. Problem with that is that Alex Ross conceived the thing, not Waid. Kingdom Come pulls a lot of influences, including Moore's work, the same Mad comic story of Superduperman, and Robert Mayer's Superfolks. Chaykin's Twilight was a completely different thing, though I wouldn't be surprised if someone at DC had wanted to use the name of Moore's project, even as they rejected the idea. When you read the pitch, you know DC would never do it. It made watchmen and Kingdom Come seem tame. Captain Marvel gets rather badly treated and there is an element there that matched a plot point of Superfolks, with its Captain Mantra and Mary Mantra. Though, I have to say, with the treatment of Mary Marvel in recent years, I wouldn't be surprised of the pitch would have been greenlit under Didio. Here is the wikipedia summary. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 8, 2019 14:49:40 GMT -5
There is a bit of further irony, with Squadron Supreme. At the same time this was coming out, the Epic line was publishing Rick Veitch's The One, which is another superhero deconstruction and the start of what Veitch would later call his King Hell Heroica. That one flew even further under the radar that Squadron Supreme did, due to Marvel mostly ignoring Epic (apart from Elektra Assassin) and its rather gonzo approach. If you have seen Bratpack or Maximortal, it's pretty much the same thing, while to covers satirize brand name packaging, in advertising. I discovered it by accident, when a local shop had the trade collection, which looked like a pack of Marlboros.  |
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 9, 2019 2:15:58 GMT -5
Squadron Supreme: Death of a Universe This is also, technically, Marvel Graphic Novel #55 Creative Team: Mark Gruenwald-writer, Paul Ryan-pencils, Al Williamson-inks, Janice Chiang-letters, Paul Becton-colors, Ralph Macchio-edits, Tom DeFalco-in over his head. Synopsis: In the future, Scarlet Centurion and Overmind are watching a pair of gladiatrices in combat; but, SC is bored. he has conquered everything. A tech comes to him and he excuses himself. They have a breakthrough which allows them to pierce the veil that has covered the late 20th Century, preventing its conquest. What he sees is a giant hand, reaching out of an energy manifestation, piercing the sun and growing even larger.  In the 20th century, it is one week after the battle between the Squadron and Nighthawk's Redeemers. Hyperion arrives with the president and some of his cabinet, for a meeting about the dismantling of the Utopia Program. After a recap of the max-series, Hyperion is interrupted by a summons from Prof. Imam. There is a great danger to the world and beyond. While this goes on, Power Princess and Redstone get into a brawl, after she finds him in Tom Thumb's lab...  He accuses her of stalling on dismantling things and she feels he is needlessly destroying thingd, before they have formulated the best plan to prevent chaos erupting, again. Hype breaks it up and takes Zarda with him, to see the professor. We see Squadron members taking some R & R. Arcanna feeds her new baby son, benjamin, while her other kids play with Shape. Dr Spectrum visits the hibernacula and grieves, only to be interrupted by Whizzer. Inertia and Haywire frolic by the artificial lake. Moonglow observes them, unseen and walks away, as we see her true form.  Hype and Power Princess arrive at the Temple of Contemplation, where Prof. Imam shows them the potential end of their world and universe. Guess I won't worry about returning that library book! They head back to Squadron City and call everyone together to pass on the news and confirmation from outside observers. Problem is, they don't have a spaceship to fly up and study the phenomena. Hyperion goes off to make a deal with the devil (again). Master Menace has seen the phenomena and is packing to bug out, when Scarlet centurion shows up.  he convinces Emile Burbank (aka Master Menace) that the thing could devour other dimensions, as well. Hyperion turns up to seek an alliance in saving the universe. After a lot of pompous ranting, Burbank goes with Scarlet centurion to the future, to make modifications to a device which could send the phenomena elsewhere. he reappears 45 minutes later, looking a bit worse for wear.  He spent 15 subjective years working on the problem and is back with the solution. Hype returns and we see Spectrum and Lady Lark, visiting the hibernacula, while Linda loses her s#$%. Spectrum reveals what happened to him and Whizzer shows up with the news. They all assemble at the airport and PP grounds Arcanna, due to having just given birth. Arcanna storms off. The others get ready and depart in sky skimmers and Lady Lark, using a set of Blue Eagle's wings, joins them. They head to Burbanks castle and then load into his ship and launch into space, with burbank at the controls. Moonglow thinks something about the others not suspecting. In space, redstone starts acting strangely...  Spectrum tries to rush him back to Earth; but, he dies. His powers were somehow tied to Earth, as Spectrum thinks of the greek myth of Antaeus. The team then gets ready to carry devices to different points of space, to create a ring around the entity, which is taking human shape. As they move into position, Burbank says the entity will consume the sun in 9 minutes and it will take 15 for Hyperion to reach his final point. Inertia sugegsts using her powers to reverse the energy flow of the entity. Power Princess doesn't think she can do it; but, Moonglow suggests using her and Prof Imam's magicks to augment her. Zarda smells a rat, as far as she knows, Moonglow's powers are over light and gravity. They try it an Inertia gets turned into a red mist...  There is a hull breach and Moonglow seals it, saving the others, briefly flickering, to reveal she is Arcanna, in disguise. Only Scarlet Centurion sees this. Zarda starts turning into Helen Lovejoy...  They activate the spheres to transfer the entity out of their dimension and it fails. Burbank takes it badly.  Moonglow/Arcanna and Prof Imam try to reach a mind at the heart of the entity, while Scarlet centurion goes back to his time, for help. Hype flies around the entity and Lady Lark heads on a suicide run, as does Whizzer and Spectrum. Imam reaches the consciousness and learns it is Thomas Lightner, the Nth Man, who orchestrated the break ins at Project Pegasus (during the classic storyline in MTIO). Imam dies trying to communicate with him. Arcanna reveals herself (with the baby) to PP and SC returns with Overmind, who looks a bit grey. He tries his psionic powers; but, ends up like the unfortunate people in Scanners.  Well, poop! All seems lost, and Arcanna asks Scarlet to take her baby to the future. he refuses and buggers back to his time. Motherf........Everyone settles down to die when baby Benjy tells moma not to worry and he joins with the Nth Man and replaces him in the energy form. Seems he is the successor to Imam and absorbed his power and knowledge. he swaps with Lightner and contracts the energy back to where it came. Lightner is left behind, to be the new sorcerer supreme.   We end with the Squadron returning to the ship and SC in the future, moping about his cowardice; but, realizing things must have worked out or he would be gone. So he did the right thing; but, doesn't feel like celbrating. Thoughts: This is, basically, Gruenwald doing Crisis on infinite earths. Instead of the Anti-Monitor wreaking havoc, it is the Nth Man, Thomas Lightner, from Gruenwald and Macchio's Project pegasus arc, of Marvel Two-In-One. Lightner was transformed into an energy being and was sucking out reality, when he was sent away. Well, here is where he ended up, destroying his alternate dimension. Things don't go well for the Squadron and baby Benjy has to save the day. Deus ex infans. Kid had some powerful Pampers! Pretty much a cop out to the whole thing,as Benjy turns into the Starchild, from the end of 2001. Not a particularly strong follow up to the maxi-series; but, it does have a sense of impending doom. Characterization is all but non-existent, as there isn't time or room. The women come off badly, as Power Princess goes from haughty and defensive to hysterical. Superheroes having emotional breakdowns in the face of impending doom isn't the greatest thing to read. Lady Lark is still under the B-Mod spell and Moonglow is disposed of, without anyone learning her secret. She is still shallow about her appearance and doesn't get any kind of emotional growth. Arcanna has twice had to hide her appearance; in the maxi because of pregnancy, and her, because she was grounded. Not exactly a female empowerment moment. Most of the bodycount has little meaning, beyond Inertia, who is shown in playful moments with Haywire, who freaks when she turns to a stain on the floor, forcing Zarda to knock him out. Overmind is a bit puzzling. We aren't sure if it is the same dude as in defenders, whose brain was fried and body was inhabited by the telepath collective and who went back to Marvel Earth, with the Defenders. SC could have pulled him from an earlier time or it could be another of his race. The one at the end has white hair, instead of red, as seen at the beginning. it gets confusing and is never really explained. Gruenwald makes a mistake, early on, when Overmind bets on the Blue Gladiatrix, then aids the Red Gladiatrix to win his bet. Wha?  He did the same thing in Contest of Champions, when he lost track of which team people were on and had one side win the contest, when the score was actually tied. He was aided by Bill Mantlo and Stephen Grant on that mini; so, not sure whose mistake it truly was. As end of the world stories go, this isn't bad; but it isn't that great, either. There are some great scenes; but, the ending is unsatisfying and kind of weak and the whole suffers for it. This is a problem with a portion of Gruenwald's writing. His plots tend to be loose and his endings don't always pay off the build up. He also wasn't so hot on characterization, compared to some of his colleagues. However, he tended to give his all to his work and there is an enthusiasm to most of it. He was more consistent than Bill Mantlo, though he would never be ranked as one of the greats. He was a solid writer, though, and his MTIO, Captain America (even the goofy stuff) and DP7 are all worth reading (and DP7 is one of the few New Universe books you can say that about). This one pretty much snuck out, under the radar, in 1989, 4 years after the maxi-series. Marvel was a bit of a mess, as Tom Defalco was now EIC, after Shooter was fired. Defalco wasn't as strong a presence as Shooter and the company kind of split into competing factions. It was also sold to the McAndrews and Forbes, around this time frame. They took the company public and bled it dry, resulting, ultimately, in Marvel's bankruptcy. However, DeFalco had one of the longest EIC tenures and was far more open to experimentation than Shooter, even if he embraced gimmicks to the detriment of the company (DC did the same thing, despite experienced management. The 90s were a mess!) Marvel put out a lot of stuff like thi, that kind of came and went. They also did things like The Pitt, to kill off the New Universe, rather than try to make it work better. Destroying Shooter's hometown did come across as a bit childish. Gruenwald isn't done with the Squadron, as they will turn up, again, in Quasar, where Gruenwald did a lot of plot resolution. That is our next stop.
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