3 x 4
Thanks to YouTuber Spiderman Cartoons for hosting this video!
Matt Murdock is the main focus of this Daredevil appearance, his first animated one, but his costumed identity does appear in a flashback.
Writer Michel Fiffe
Pencils Amilcar Pinna
Inks Amilcar Pinna, Terry Pallot, Lorenzo Ruggiero, Le Beau Underwood
Color Artist Nolan Woodard
Letterer VC’s Clayton Cowles
No Gods, No Masters Part Two of Three
The penultimate issue!
Bombshell provides the opening narration.
Cloak and Dagger are revealed to be alive, which the Ultimate Universe : The End sort of spoiled already. I can see editorial wanting to take advantage of all of the teasers for Secret Wars, and releasing the promo art but by doing so, ruined the shock ending of issue nine of this series.
As everyone present in the above image, is alive at the moment. But it just goes and show how important this latest batch of Ultimate titles have been. Why they didn’t just end it with Galactus / Cataclysm, is still beyond me. Why have the one event, to not end the universe, just to end it with another one, two years later? Marketing, I suppose.
The character / powers are a tad funny, for two of them. Spider-Man, spider powers. Black Widow, spider powers. (oh really?) Kitty Pryde, phaser. Cloak and Dagger, dark matter and light energy. Diamondback, ruthless gang leader (Not an Ultimate).
Taskmaster is on top of the van, Bombshell is following close behind. Sidewinder is driving the van.
Sidewinder and Diamondback get into an argument.
Spider-Man still referencing the kiss with Diamondback, I suspect, he does want another round. She is a snake themed villain, so there may be some sort of toxin in play.
Diamondback cuts Spider-Man’s hands free, but he doesn’t return the favor. Could he not tear about rope? Maybe his was laced with something to make it tighter?
Spider-Man ends up freeing his teammates though, so his priorities are right.
Bombshell gets to the van, just as Spider-Man is making his way also to the top of it. Things are turning around!
That is until the van tips over and Cloak teleports everyone away.
East River. Taskmaster is first out but Spider-Man webs him to the sky and Cloak and Bombshell knock him out before he can use their powers. Bombshell turns her attention to Diamondback, who quickly tries to run away. Bombshell brings up that the toxin she was dosed with, made her perfectly aware of what was going on when her late boyfriend, Poey was killed. Right in front of her, so now she wants to kill Diamondback. She stops herself, as Diamondback isn’t worth killing.
Meanwhile. Crossbones, Brock Rumlow, ex-Serpent Skulls leader, injured and incommunicado.
Deladier Tower, Uptown. Crossbones enters the room that Jip and Ecstasy (who isn’t named in the issue, besides that her last name is, Deladier. Jip is annoyed at Crossbones’ attitude and one of the side effects of inhaling all of the drugs, is that he starts growing to Galactus size.
East River. Bombshell and Spider-Man are having a nice chat. Dagger takes out Sidewinder. Shadowcat wonders how they ended up at the river. Cloak is ready to be friends with Dagger.
Taskmaster reveals why he was hunting the Ultimates. Roxxon Oil created all but one member of the team. Black Widow is a clone of Spider-Man. Miles got bit by a spider owned by Roxxon. Roxxon provided Bombshell and her mother with some gear. Cloak and Dagger were killed and Roxxon brought them back from the dead and gave them powers.
He was hoping Roxxon would have paid him nicely for Shadowcat.
Giant Jip is tearing through the city.
Bombshell wonders if Shadowcat still has any giant pills – that she used to fight off and defeat Galactus. I wonder if my pal, a0040pc, takes this as confirmation that Shadowcat no longer has the ability to grow, or not.
The Ultimates head towards Jip to try to stop him.
Diamondback and Crossbones are about to escape when Dagger stands in front of him. He punches her in the gut and she passes out. He looks like he is going to kill Ecstasy.
Taskmaster is about to escape when a sniper blocks his path with a fired bullet. The fired cops are now calling themselves, Terror Inc., and they have massive guns.
Next issue concludes the story. Here is hoping it is a satisfying ending!
Cover Dated 1986
I really adore the back cover (the left one) which is the cast of Marvel Characters circa 1963 and the front cover (right side) which is all of the characters circa 1986. I really like how all the characters are in the same positions – except for that lousy Iceman forcing Angel to switch places with him.
Like the first Annual, Marvel goes out with the list of books, with various ones getting a full page showing off who the cast is and what is going on with that title.
The 1963 has a five page sequence where we all pretend what would it be like if Marvel Age existed in 1963. Which is pretty cool to see how Marvel would have promoted both Avengers 1 and X-Men 1. Imagine people buying those issues on newstands and having their minds blown?
The proper section starts with some high hyperbole, though they don’t know it at the time, that New Universe is going to change comics for all time. As far as I know, it is a slight footnote in the failures of Marvel.
There is a five page Jack Kirby written and drawn section about the Marvel Bullpen.
There is an awesome 100 Highlights from the First 25 Years section.
- Fantastic Four 1
- Incredible Hulk 1
- Fantastic Four 4, with Namor
- Fantastic Four 5, with Doctor Doom
- Amazing Fantasy 15
- Journey into Mystery 83, with Thor
- Journey into Mystery 85, with Loki
- Tales to Astonish 35, with Hank Pym
- Fantastic Four 10, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby first Marvel Appearance
- Fantastic Four 11, with Impossible Man
- Tales of Suspense 39, with Iron Man
- Fantastic Four 12, Thing v Hulk
- Fantastic Four 13, with Utau the Watcher
- Sgt. Fury and His Holwing Commandos 1
- Tales to Astonish 44, with Wasp
- Spider-Man 3, with Doctor Octopus
- Strange Tales 110, with Doctor Strange
- Avengers 1
- X-Men 1
- Fantastic Four Annual 1, the first annual
- Tales to Astonish, with Giant Man
- Tales of Suspense 50, with Mandarin
- Tales of Suspense 52, with Black Widow
- Avengers 4, with Captain America
- Daredevil 1
- Tales of Suspense 57, with Hawkeye
- Strange Tales 126, with Dormammu
- Tales to Astonish 63, with the Leader
- Avengers 16, first new lineup, with Captain America, Hawkeye, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch
- Strange Tales 135, with Nick Fury leads SHIELD
- Strange Tales 135, with Hydra
- Strange Tales 138, with Eternity
- Fantastic Four Annual 3, with the Richards Wedding
- Fantastic Four 44, with the Inhumans
- Fantastic Four 48, with the Silver Surfer
- Fantastic Four 48, with the coming of Galactus
- Avengers 28, with Goliath
- Fantastic Four 52, with Black Panther
- Daredevil 41, death of Matt Murdock’s fake brother Mike, to protect his secret identity
- Not Brand Ecch 1, with Forbush-Man
- Marvel Super Heroes 12, with Captain Mar-vell
- Avengers 48, with Black Knight
- Marvel Super Heroes 18, with the Guardians of the Galaxy
- Avengers 57, with Vision
- Fantastic Four Annual 6, with Franklin Richards
- Avengers 59, with Yellowjacket
- Avengers 60, the Pym Wedding
- Captain America 117, with the Falcon
- Conan 1
- Amazing Spider-Man 96, the drug issue that changes the Comic Code
- Avengers 85, with the Squadron Supreme
- Avengers 89, the start of the Kree-Skrull War
- Hulk 141, with Doc Samson
- Marvel Feature 1, with the Defenders
- Marvel Premiere, with Adam Warlock
- Tomb of Dracula 1
- Hero for Hire 1
- Captain America 154, Cap fights 50s Cap
- Iron Man 55, with Thanos
- Amazing Adventures 18, with Killraven
- Amazing Spider-Man 121, death of Gwen Stacey
- Avengers 116 & Defenders 8, Avengers / Defenders War
- Amazing Spider-Man 129, with the Punisher
- Marvel Premiere 15, with Iron Fist
- Astonishing Tales 25, with Deathlok
- Fantastic Four 150, Quicksilver / Crystal Wedding
- Hulk 180, with Wolverine
- Giant Size Avengers 4, Vision / Scarlet Witch Wedding and Mantis marries a tree
- Fear 19, with Howard the Duck
- Giant Size X-Men 1
- Werewolf by Night 32, with Moon Knight
- Champions 1
- Eternals 1
- Marvel Spotlight 32, with Spider-Woman
- Spectacular Spider-Man 17, Champions break up – the first hero team to do so
- Devil Dinosaur 1
- X-Men 120, with Alpha Flight
- She-Hulk 1
- Epic Illustrated 1
- X-Men 137, Death of Phoenix
- Dazzler 1
- Daredevil 168, death of Elektra
- Death of Captain Marvel
- Marvel Graphic Novel 4, with the New Mutants
- Spider-Man Annual 16, a new Captain Marvel
- Dreadstar 1
- Avengers 230, Hank Pym, no hero name
- Marvel Age 1
- Iron Man 170, Rhodey becomes iron Man
- GI Joe 1
- Secret Wars 1
- Power Pack 1
- West Coast Avengers 1, the Limited Series
- Secret Wars 7, with the new Spider-Woman
- Secret Wars 8, Spider-Man’s Black Costume
- Thor 353, Odin is lost
- Star Comics begins
- Thor 364, Frog Thor
- X-Factor 1
- New Universe
Pretty cool that they even made a list!
Next is the backbone of the issue, Marvel A to Z by Dwight Jon Zimmerman, where he breaks down all of the Marvel titles. A few titles get a full page of art!
Alpha Flight
Amazing Spider-Man
AniMax
Since we are celebrating Daredevil Month, I’ve included that page. Daredevil page brought to us by :
Writer – Steve Englehart
Penciler Louis Williams
Inker Al Williamson
Avengers
Avengers versus X-Men
Bozz Chronicles
Captain America
Care Bears
X-Factor
Uncanny X-Men by
Writer Louis Simonson
Penciler Alan Kupperberg
Inker Art Nichols
New Mutants by
Writer Louis Simonson
Artist Art Adams
Chuck Norris, Karate Kommandos
Classic X-Men
Cloak and Dagger
Comet Man
Conan the Barbarian
Conan the King
Dakota North Investigations
Daredevil
Doctor Strange
Star Wars Droids
Elektra
ElfQuest
Ewoks
Fallen Angels
Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four meet the X-Men
GI Joe
GI Joe Special Missions
Sergie Aragone’s Groo the Wanderer
Groo Graphic Novel
Grown-Up Thermonuclear Samurai Elephants
Heathcliff
Hugga Bunch
Incredible Hulk
Inhumanoids
Iron Man
Madballs
Marvel Fanfare
Marvel Saga
Marvel Tales
Masters of the Universe
Moonshadow
Moonshadow the Graphic Novel
Muppet Babies
The ‘Nam
New Mutants
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
Official Marvel Index to – Uncanny X-Men, Avengers, Fantastic Four, Marvel Team-Up and Spectacular Spider-Man
Power Pack by
Writer Louis Simonson
Penciler Jon Bogdanove
Inker Art Nichols
Kitty made it to a panel!
Spectacular Spider-Man
Peter Porker, Spectacular Spider-Ham
Phoenix
Popples
Power Pack
Savage Sword of Conan
Savage Tales
Silver Surfer
Amazing Spider-Man versus Wolverine
Steelgrip Starkey and the All Purpose Power Tool
Strikeforce Morituri
Swords of the Swashbucklers
Mighty Thor
Thundercats
Secret Life of Top Dog
Transformers
Web of Spider-Man
West Coast Avengers
Wolfpack
X-Factor
Uncanny X-Men
I really like seeing all of the logos of these titles.
Story Craig Kyle and Chris Yost
Script Chris Yost
Pencils Skottie Young
Inks Sean Parsons with Jay Leisten
Colors Jean-Francois Beauliu and Skottie Young
Letters Dave Sharpe
Cover Dated July 2007
Quest for Magik, Part One of Four
It did take us a year to get back to this story! To let new visitors know what is happening, thanks to Comic Book Queers – a podcast I haven’t listened to in a while – episode, 93, gave me this great idea. What better character to spotlight on this day of Resurrections, than Illyana Rasputin! So I’ve been doing titles that chronicle her return to us after her tragic death in Uncanny X-Men 303.
Comic Book Queers Episode 93 :
http://www.comicbookqueers.com/?p=28
On the credit page, Craig Kyle is credited as the creator of X23.
Onto the issue!
Mercury is tossing and turning in bed. Elixir heals Prodigy’s poor eyesight. This was during the time when O*N*E Sentinels were watching over the Xavier Institute, so its after M-Day. Hellion and Surge are talking about X23. Surge is mad at Hellion for going on a deadly mission with X23. Surge is the leader of the New X-Men. There is a giant explosion. Surge sends Hellion to investigation.
Limbo. Prodigy and Dust wake up in a weird place. The explosion was some of the students were teleported to Limbo. Mercury is there as well as X23.
Belasco and S’ym are standing about. He wants to know where ‘she’ is. Elixir is there as well. X23 notices there is a hole in the sky, that leads to the Institute.
Nowhere near these students and Belasco, are another group of students : Rockslide, Anole and Pixie are there. As is Woflcub, Blindfold, Match and that other guy. Blindfold foresees that a ‘she’ will come. Gentle was there, that’s who I couldn’t think of. Good thing these captions showed up, finally. Loa is there as well, no clue who that even is! These students are attacked by demons.
There is a giant explosion and everyone looks towards the sky and this awesome image is seen –
Magik with those sexy goat legs and riding a sweet arse animal.
Belasco wants to know where Illyana Rasputin is, as the issue ends.
Not sure if we have to wait until next Easter before we get to the next chapter in this saga but if we do, it will be worth it!
Artist Writer
25 Trina Robbins Raina Telgemeier
24 Rumiko Takahashi Barbara Kesel
23 Jo Chen Jen Van Meter
22 Emily Carroll Marguerite Bennett (10)
21 Colleen Coover (5) Colleen Doran
20 Wendy Pini Jo Duffy
19 Jillian Tamaki Kate Leth
18 Ming Doyle Rumiko Takahashi
17 Faith Erin Hicks Allie Brosh
16 Stephanie Hans Lynda Barry
15 Marie Severin Hiromu Arakawa
14 Kate Beaton Becky Cloonan
13 Annie Wu Emily Carroll
12 Ramona Fradon Devin Grayson (4)
11 Babs Tarr Marjorie Liu (3)
10 Pia Guerra Noelle Stevenson
9 Amy Reeder Kathryn Immonen (5)
8 Nicola Scott Marjane Satrapi
7 Colleen Doran Ann Nocenti (2)
6 Sara Pichelli (1) Alison Bechdel
5 Emma Rios Kate Beaton
4 Jill Thompson (3) Louise Simonson (1)
3 Becky Cloonan G. Willow Wilson (8)
2 Amanda Conner Gail Simone (7)
1 Fiona Staples Kelly Sue DeConnick
http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/category/top-50-female-comic-book-writers-and-artists/
Brian Cronin and Kelly Thompson really outdid themselves with this list!
Here is who I voted for :
Ten Writers
- Louise Simonson
2. Ann Nocenti
3. Marjorie Liu
4. Devin Grayson
5. Kathryn Immonen
6. Kim Yale
7. Gail Simone
8. G. Willow Wilson
9. Kelly Thompson
10. Marguerite Bennett
Ten Artists
- Sara Pichelli
2. Rachel Dodson
3. Jill Thompson
4. June Brigman
5. Colleen Coover
6. Ariela Kristantina
7. Altri Firmansyah
8. Yasmine Putri
9. Alisson Borges
10. Sonia Oback
How did I forget Jo Duffy!?!
Not too many people who made both lists, I thought with all of the comments, that there would be more creators on the same lists.
Rumiko Takahashi (A24 W18)
Emily Carroll (A22 W13)
Kate Beaton (A14 W5)
Colleen Doran (A7 W21)
Four is still pretty impressive!
I’m pretty impress with myself for getting so many writers on my list, making it to the big list. I had Kelly Sue DeConnick but replaced her with Marguerite Bennett. I should have taken Kelly Thompson off the list and kept both of the other two but since Kelly worked on the list, I thought that wouldn’t be proper. PLUS, if Kelly did make the list, I wanted to be within the number that did vote for her but that clearly didn’t work out. I wonder if she got any votes or was I the main one.
I am still pretty embarrass that I left off Jo Duffy, she is such a great writer! She could have been ranked 19 if I had done it right!
Really surprised that DeConnick beat out Simone but I’m also surprised that Louise Simonson didn’t make it to the Top Three.
I thought that I would have had more lady artists make the big list but I also don’t really know any of them either, in terms of all popular they are and such. I believe that Sonia Oback may be like Rachel Dodson and doesn’t do pencils but mainly inks. I could be wrong on that.
Looking over the list, I’m not sure if any of these pairings have worked together. Some would make pretty good creative teams, that’s for sure!
Words and Pictures Fred Hembeck, Himself
Inks (outside covers, pages 3 – 24) Vince Colletta
Inks (inside covers, pages 1, 2, 30 – 32) Joe Staton
Letters (pages 3 – 29) Janice Chiang
Letters (inside covers, pages 1, 2, 30 – 32) Rick Parker
Color (pages 3 – 29) Steve Mellor
Color (pages 1, 2, 30, 31) Gregory Wright
Dedicated to The Big Guy
Cover Dated July 1989
This website has the comic, if you want to read along –
http://www.idoc.co/read/15178/fred-hembeck-destroys-the-marvel-universe
I’ve always liked Fred Hembeck and how Marvel will give him a few panels here and there in the Marvel Bullpen. He is like the original Chris Giarrusso – so it makes sense that he would also get his own special.
The basic concept of the issue, like the title states, Hembeck is going to draw Marvel characters dying.
Hembeck is narrating the comic and the Punisher shows up to stop him.
Death is walking about the Marvel Universe. Ant-Man gets doused by water by the Water Wizard. He collapses on a lady’s doorstep and places him in the microwave. Oops!
In Asgard, Loki puts on a concert. He plays Ragnorock and Roll and destroys Asgard.
The Black Characters all get the Black Plague – Black Bolt, Black Cat, Black Knight, Black Panther and Black Widow.
Captain Marvel, Monica, gets trapped into an episode of Three’s Company and has the television set turn off.
Daredevil gets a sai to the heart. Since we’re celebrating Daredevil Month, I’ll show the page.
Dazzler is killed by the statue form of Thanos.
Spider-Man is killed by Doctor Octopus, Toad, Rhino, Lizard, Scorpion and the Vulture – the Sinister Six.
Juggernaut and Kingpin die in canoes as they are too heavy.
Hulk dies fighting this male Death.
Doctor Doom has the Fantastic Four in canisters. Reed implies that Doom is his father, which is weird. He’s not Victor Von Doom but Nathaniel Reed Richards, noted mid-western surgeon. I wonder if Nathaniel Richards was an established character at this point? After a nice family reunion, the Fantastic Four are walking away when a giant boulder crashes on top of them.
I own this for the Kitty Pryde plus the X-Men page :
That probably is the only way to kill the X-Men, in their sleep. They are killed by Ninja Sentinels.
Zzzax kills Namor with electricity. He then jumps into a hot tub and dies.
Punisher, who has been reading this comic along with us, is visited by the spirit of Uncle Ben Parker. Punisher takes off his face mask and uniform, revealing he was Stan Lee, the entire time. Hembeck calls him, Mr. Lee, and Stan corrects him. It is, sir.
It is a fun issue.
http://www.hembeck.com/Destruction.htm
I found Hembeck’s own website, and he wrote about the issue itself and it is a very great (and long) essay.
Here is my list :
- Daredevil 236
2. Daredevil Volume Four 6
3. Secret War
4. Ultimate Knights from Ultimate Spider-Man
5. Blockbuster from Ultimate X-Men
6. Kevin Smith’s Guardian Devil (Volume Two 1 -8)
7. Daredevil : Yellow
8. Daredevil : Man Without Fear
9. Daredevil : Out, Volume Two 32 – 40
10. Daredevil : Born Again, 227 – 233
http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2015/03/23/vote-for-the-50-greatest-daredevil-stories
Sorry I didn’t get this up in time to get the votes out. The results started on April 1st.
http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2011/11/01/the-greatest-daredevil-stories-ever-told/
I cheated and used the above site for my picks 8, 9 and 10 – which will be on the list for sure.
I wish I had more Ann Nocenti on my list but I had a hard enough time coming up with five and then my memory kicked in for six and seven. She gets my top slot, so that must mean something.
The reason why I’m so late is due to how I wasn’t going to vote but then I realized I could come up with ten, if I cheated a tad.
Scripter Ann Nocenti
Penciler Barry Windsor-Smith
Inkers Barry Windsor-Smith and Bob Wiacek
Letterer Joe Rosen
Colorist “Max” Scheele
Cover Dated November 1986
Cover by Walt Simsonson
We are trying something a tad bit ambitious here at S&FwM. We are not only celebrating Avengers Month here this May, but also, Daredevil coming to Netflix!
The problem with getting all of these Marvel 25th Anniversary issues is that I drop into a storyline and I jump right out again.
I honestly thought this was the Daredevil issue that was tied into Mutant Massacre but that’s issue 238. So that was a tad disappointing.
Issue opens with some crazed scientist describing how the body works. He’s telling this all to the Black Widow. He is describing Agent Hazzard, the latest in a line of attempts at making a perfect solider. They discuss Nuke, from Frank Miller’s Born Again storyline. The doctor wants Natasha to take Hazzard out.
Some jerk mercenaries harass her as she leaves the room.
We catch up with Hazzard, who is sweating up a storm, in public. He is talking to a brunette lady who is wearing a clearly inspired by Wonder Woman shirt. They discuss Nuke as Born Again ended at issue 233, so we are still dealing with the fallout. Poor Nocenti, having to follow Miller on the title but she has a pretty decent run with the character.
Hazzard keeps seeing the doctor’s face on everyone he passes by and starts attacking them.
Daredevil starts tracking Hazzard. He runs into Black Widow, hot on his trail as well. She is in street clothes, which seems odd. Later, Natasha updates Matt on the entire situation. Natasha is glad that Murdock has been able to bounce back from Born Again.
Hazzard goes to visit his mother and see’s his nephew. His poor mother has a heart attack. Hazzard starts giving his old guns to his nephew.
Hazzard gets into a handicap match with Natasha and Daredevil. The guy freaks out as he sees a human devil before him and starts having a panic attack. Natasha goes into for the kill but Hazzard grabs her by the throat. He grabs Natasha’s gun and kills himself.
Issue ends on the haunting note of the nephew pretending to shoot people on the street from his apartment window.
http://www.newsarama.com/23947-axel-alonso-says-x-men-will-have-new-world-post-secret-wars.html
Axel Alonso was interviewed for Comic Book Resources, but I found the quote on Newsarama.
Here is the brief quote regarding the X-Men :
We’ll wrap with solietaire, who’s looking several months into the future to ask, “Can you give us any hints about what’s to come for the X-Franchise beyond the summer?”
Alonso: The X-Men office is taking the opportunity of “Secret Wars” to build an entire new world for the characters — to create a shared universe within the X-books that’s set off by a huge event/incident/surprise. At that point, they’re going to introduce a new team that feels unlike anything you’ve seen before. It’ll be… “extraordinary.”
People seem to think this means that we are going to have a Heroes Reborn Earth for the X-Characters. Which, as long as it is one title, I could be for it. It would make it easier to track the X-Men and I imagine that it would take away from the argument that it doesn’t make any sense that in a world with Avengers and Fantastic Four, it makes no sense for the world to hate and fear the X-Men.
My main thing about this, is how silly it is that they are promoting Post-Secret Wars 2015 when Secret Wars 2015 hasn’t even started yet. I do like that Marvel has finally come out and say that the X-Men will exist after the event. I was going to type, in the Marvel Universe, but that may not be the case.
Here is the full interview tih Axel Alonso :
. . .
Feel free to come back tomorrow, as we kick off . . . DAREDEVIL MONTH!!!
Writer Dangerous Gerry Duggan
Penciler Maniacal Mark Bagley
Inks Dastardly Drew Hennessy
Colors Jabbin’ Jason Keith
Letters VC’s Crazy Cory Petit
Cover Art Maniacal Mark Bagley, Dastardly Drew Hennessy and Notorious Nolan Woodard
Assistant Editor Evil Emily Shaw
Editor Madman Mark Paniccia
Editor in Chief Axial Axel Alonso
Chief Creative Officer Jumpin’ Joe Quesada
Publisher Dan “The Man” Buckley
Executive Producer Alan It’s All Fine
Hulk created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Omega Hulk, Chapter 5
The issue Gerry Duggan was cool enough to tell us about months ago on the Kitty Pryde appreciation thread over on the Comic Book Resources X-Board.
Good thing there is a Previously On page, as we’re nine issues in and I wasn’t exactly sure what made this Hulk “Doc Green.” I was under the impression it was just another stab at the Professor Hulk that had Bruce’s mind and the Hulk’s body. Doc Green is not that.
So this is what happened, prior to this – Betty Banner put out a hit on Bruce (or the Hulk). Bruce was healed by Iron Man’s Extremis (and main plot point of the film – Iron Man 2). This made the Hulk super smart but when he sleeps, Bruce comes out. Previous other events are mentioned throughout the issue but we’ll get into those as they come up in the issue proper.
The Canadian Wilderness . . . Home to the Weapon X Program . . . and Cyclops’ team of X-Men. Doc Green, as he calls himself – so I will do the same, is knocking on the X-Men’s door.
I really like seeing Kitty and Illyana pal-ing around together. Or surviving a Hulk experience, what have you.
I’m firmly in the camp, now, that Gerry Duggan should write a Shadowcat ongoing.
Doc Green pokes his head through the door, just like Jack Nicholson did in The Shining.
Has Magik met Hulk before? I know she stood on his back when the Secrets Bomb went off in Original Sin 3.
I do like how Magik already has a plan, teleport him to the Sun.
Doc Green is there to ask Shadowcat for some help. Magik being shocked that Doc Green has a briefcase is pretty classic. I’ll be great with Duggan writing a Magik ongoing, as well. She could totally carry her own title for years to come.
Kitty wonders why Doc Green would come to her, of all the options he has. Though, I’m not sure if his logic is right. Also, does any code carry a by-line about brain surgery?
This procedure feels like it should be pretty intense but the explanation is pretty straight forward and we’ll see how easy it was for Kitty eventually. But Doc Green’s artificial intelligence and Shadowcat’s know-how, make it completely understandable why this goes so fast. Which really means, that Duggan got a chance to write the X-Men’s Shadowcat and Magik, and took the opportunity and ran with it. Which I fully support. obviously
The Extremis program caused Doc Green to have a brain tumor. Do other people suffer from this? It seems like something Tony Stark should have worked out, by now. I bet the Hulk’s biology is the reason for it.
Doc Green really just needed a person who can turn intangible (but also has skills for it). With a little magnetic goo, Kitty should be able to phase her fingers into his head, and the tumor should go straight to her fingers. Seems pretty straight forward.
Doc Green reveals that it was Banner who was shot and became a vegetable.
I sort of adore Doc Green having no respect for Banner and keeps calling him, Puny Banner. That’s pretty fun. I also really miss Bagley, he’s been a constant in my comic book collecting life for decades and it has been some time since I last read a comic by him. Since Ultimate Cataclysm, so its been a few months / half of a year. I should have gotten Ultimate Spider-Man 200, but I added it to my Christmas list so I should be getting a copy of it soon. I went with the Peter Parker cover as he my Ultimate Spider-Man.
Doc Green foreshadows that Stark is one day going to blow up the world, which probably will happened one day. Him and his Illuminati friends sending the Hulk to that one planet caused it to explode. Plus the Illuminati has been destroying Alternate Earths in the pages of New Avengers, so maybe that is what is being hinted at here.
Shadowcat asks about the connection between Puny Banner and Doc Green. Which is pretty smart, she really has two patients’ lives to consider.
I like Doc Green calling her, Katherine Pryde. Him stating that he is smarter than Banner is good to know, as well. He is very confident in her abilities to perform the task. Being a second choice behind Reed Richards isn’t too bad. I wonder what Doc Green was hinting at with what else Kitty can transverse. Like time? Like space? Like jello? Like that death trap Deadpool puts her in in Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe 3?
So we get the explanation and then one page of dialogue and now look, Shadowcat saved Doc Green. I wonder if the tumor has been a long running plotline or did it get brought up this issue and solved this issue.
Do people snicker about Illyana’s head garb things, behind her back? Look at those in the middle right panel? The heck?!
Kitty removed the tumor and now Doc Green is hemorrhaging. He references Abomination hitting him, which happened in the fourth issue of this series. Which I had to look up, on my own.
Kitty has the natural concern about killing a Hulk. Magik immediately comes up with a plan to get rid of the body.
I can’t imagine what it must be like to wake up to someone talking about how they killed you while their friend talks about how to get rid of your body. That has to be unsettling.
Magik is concern about yet another Avengers v X-Men nonsense.
Doc Green compliments Kitty on her good job.
Doc Green has a teleporting device, proving he really doesn’t need Magik at all. She really was only Kitty’s friend in this issue. Which is pretty cool.
Kitty gets to reprise her famous, . . . is a jerk, that everyone just loves.
Cyclops makes a cameo and we end the X-Men section of the issue. The rest is okay but since we are not getting issue ten (unless they reference Kitty, which might happen, or at some point in this future), the rest moves rather quickly.
The Beehive, a place of secret science for Doc Green. Doc Green interrupts a conversation Jessup and Damon are having. I guess they are research assistants of Doc Green.
Before going to sleep, Doc Green turns on the security system. Bruce wakes up, he has the same hair style Doc Green has, which I’m not sure has always been the case.
I do like seeing Bruce and Hulk having a conversation, that seems like a classic element.
Betty Banner is no longer Red She-Hulk, and Doc Green has set bombs all over her house. If Bruce doesn’t change back into Doc Green, her house will explode.
Doc Green comes back and falls asleep. He has a dream of becoming the Maestro from Future Imperfect. He wakes up, wanting to grow a beard. Issue ends with him taking a blade to his hair, so I’m not sure what that has to do with growing a beard.
Next issue promises to have Doc Green fighting Red Hulk.
Shadow and Flame with Magik 