Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
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Who am I?
Where am I?
What's happening?
I'm at a lacuna.
A lacuna of non-commitalness created by the wait for the return of the greatest feature the internet has ever seen.
The one in which the first person to post in the comments section below gets to decide the topic du jour.
But what shall that topic be?
I cannot say.
Only you can.
Therefore, feel free to post it and get this site swinging into a level of action never before surpassed in human history.
Posts
32 comments:
Charlie's topic, a few weeks ago, gave me an idea.
Create a 2nd string superheroes team!
( A strong character, a female character, a flier - & a hot-head - characterize many teams.)
Then, create a villains team, too.
Here's mine:
1.) Thundra ( that covers strong - and female - and I've only just started! )
2.) The Stingray - a fantastically costumed character, never fully utilized.
3.) Drax the Destroyer ( potential to be difficult to control, if not a hot-
head, per-se) - Drax back in his original form again, to erase all the
1990s silliness about him being a Hulk-like numb skull.
4.) The original Captain Britain - see above (apart from the Hulk-like
phrase.)
5.) The Wraith - I want at least one of Bill Mantlo's 2nd string characters (e.g.
Jack of Hearts, White Tiger, Wraith, etc) in my team. If I have Jack of
Hearts, as well as Stingray, it looks like I'm collecting Len Wein & Sal
Hulk opponents, so I'll have the Wraith! Besides, a mind-reading
character's extra info adds interest, for the reader ( kind of Phoenix-type
"You didn't feel that girl's pure terror, Scott - I did! ) Destiny's functions
similarly, in the Brother/Sisterhood of Evil Mutants.
Villain 2nd string team:
1.) Slaymaster 2.) Constrictor 3.) Warhawk 4.) The Griffin (strength & flight) 5.) Madam Masque? 6.) Megaman
This is still at a speculative stage...Villains teams are led by women more often than hero teams ( the Champs being an exception ) - e.g. the Viper, Mystique, etc - so maybe Whitney Frost could lead the gang!
Phillip
Destiny - not "Destiny's" ( proof-reading errors! )
Phillip
Oh - and because Jean DeWolff appears in Captain Britain & Spidey Team-up ( # 65 ) - this could create a link between Captain Britain & the Wraith, through his sister. Being almost halfway between the Wraith's two appearances ( # 58 & # 72? ), what exactly Jean was doing, I can't remember. Maybe, as a female character, she had - shock, horror - an independent storyline of her own, on the boil!
Phillip
Who would comprise your 2nd string superhero & villain teams?
Phillip
If this topic doesn't work, please somebody suggest another - I don't mind!
Phillip
Thanks for the topic, Phillip.
Time constraints mean I won't be able to come up with a list tonight but I shall come up with one as soon as I can, tomorrow.
So far, I’ve got:
Strong Guy: Doc Samson
Femme: Clea
Hothead: Namor (guess he could be my flying guy too)
I realized afterwards that they’re VERY “New Defenders” ish — I don’t know know if that’s a bad thing or not. I could lean into that idea by adding Galactus herald Frankie Ray as my Silver Surfer surrogate.
Or use Clea, She-Hulk and Namorita if I want to make em an all-girl spin-off group. People liked that Lady Ghostbusters movie, right?
b.t.
Phillip- I have no clue besides Sunfire: he flies, is a hothead (?), and shoots rays out of his hands.
Oddly I can see him alongside the Silver Surfer.
CH
b.t. - Doc Samson's an excellent choice; I should have thought of him. Namor would be well managed by Samson, his experience with the Hulk standing him in good stead! Also, as well as strength, Doc Samson fills the intellectual/ boffin ( Reed Richards/Prof X ) role!
Phillip
Charlie - Sunfire's a great choice, too. If you had the She-Hulk (strength, female) too, you'd have an entire team, with just two heroes!
Phillip
Phil-
Yeah, what happened to the Wraith? I remember that arc in MTU.
It was great!
I guess he got killed by the Punisher.
Like Stiltman.
Lazy-ass writers, trying to demonstrate how bad-ass the Punisher is by having him go around wasting third and fourth-rate villains.
Those are my favorite villains!
M.P.
(shaking his head sadly)
M.P. - Yes, exactly. Plus, with the Wraith, those great MTUs are linked to Iron Man # 106 (my first, and favourite Iron Man! ) The Wraith's prone, unconscious, on a fine Cockrum & Austin cover:
https://www.marvel.com/comics/issue/9335/jserrors/aggregate
Regarding the Punisher, to me, Marvel post-1981's non-canon. I like to pretend it's a bad dream, that never happened!
Phillip
Phillip, I've already mentioned my preferred team here, when Steve reviewed an issue of the Champions and I suggested a decent editor approached with the idea would have changed the line up.
Black Widow and Ghost Rider were cool, but they should have replaced Hercules with Thundra - the ideal choice for strong person in any team, right? - and not bothered with the two most boring X-Men when Brother Voodoo and Iron Fist were available instead.
Thats a team that nearly has it all - spies, bikers, wimmins lib, kung-fu...
In fact, thinking about it now, let's bump that up to seven members, and add the Red Guardian - the second one, obviously - and Dazzler, for a bit of communism and disco, and you'd have the most 70s super-hero comic ever.
-sean
No-one likes major changes to the continuity after they became regular readers, Phillip. While accepting anything that happened before, no matter how stupid.
-sean
Sean - Since Steve (and Mark Antony Wilson) have been reviewing Marvel UK from the beginning, the major revelation for me, is how many times ideas I'd thought happened for the first time/were original, when I read them in '77 had been done before, at least twice. Nothing's new under the sun, I know - but...oh brother!
Your team sounds spot-on. Regarding Iron Fist, Marvel didn't have martial artists in teams, yet DC did didn't it, with the Karate Kid? There'd certainly be scope for friction a-plenty, between Thundra & the Black Widow. And Red Guardian & 'Tash both having similar backgrounds opens interesting story possibilities!
I like(d) the Champions a lot, but I preferred Ghost Rider's later more dangerous incarnation than Johnny Blaze assuming his fake spook voice to supposedly frighten people!
Phillip
Phillip
Genius! Wish there was a “Less Generic / More 70s” name for the group than The Champions, but otherwise brilliant.
Oh! And instead of a land-locked headquarters, they could just drive around in an RV for some thrilling CB action.
Oh! Oh! And Lockjaw could be their Scooby Doo - like mascot.
OH! OH! OH! After a confrontation with The Gargoyle he could get turned to stone — then he’d be the group’s pet rock.
b.t.
b.t., don't forget that Iron Fist gives you the option of the Daughters of the Dragon as regular guest stars.
And that Thundra brings the Grapplers, her wrestling team, to the table...
-sean
You have to match like with like: like-powered heroes against like-powered villains with a good like-minded story.
I know we’ve sort of beat this to death… For example, in the Marvel movies having the black widow and Hawkeye and Captain America fighting Thanos. Or Spidey fighting Galactus. Big mismatch!!!
Charlie would use Sunfire, the male silver surfer, and the original captain Marvel in his green uniform were he available. Or swap out the last two with their female counterparts if today.
A team of three, like Defenders, kicking the bigger, badder existential villains in the gluteus maximus!
I've given the matter some thought and can announce my heroic super-team would be:
Resident scientist - Bill Foster.
Strong character - Razorback.
Female character - Lila Cheney.
Flier - Red Raven.
Hot-head - the Prowler.
Granted, this would be a worse team than even the Champions but it was the only one I could come up with that didn't bear any great resemblance to already existing teams.
"Titans Three!" Charlie - Yes, the prototype Defenders!
Phillip
Steve - I suppose Bill Foster could add some strength, too!
Phillip
Btw… Charlie just reread Marvel Zombies compilation. Zombie Hulk biting off flesh-and-blood Silver Surfers head because Hulk is starving… lol. Every Zombie who gets a bite actually inherits Surfers powers! Spidey Surfer, Giant Man Surfer, Cap Surfer, Hulk Surfer, et al. In a way, a Zombie version of Super Adaptoid!
Now if flesh Sunfire, for whatever reason, had himself a bite of flesh Surfer my Superhero Team could just be green Captain Marvel and Sunfire Surfer 🏄 We don’t need no women! (Like Spanky and Alfalfa doing “The Women-Haters Club!)
Btw… were you UK gents ever exposed to “Our Gang/ Little Rascals” series from the 1930s/40s? Man, what a stitch!
Can't exactly recall those, Charlie. Little Rascals sounds vaguely familiar - but the Perishers is probably what I'm remembering! Once Galactus suffered from cosmic indigestion. Marvel Zombies, however, sounds worse than the Black Douglas's feast - or even Titus Andronicus!
Phillip
sean:
I’d have bought an All Kung Fu team book in a heartbeat back in the day.
SONS AND DAUGHTERS — starring Lin Sun, Abe Brown, Bob Diamond, Colleen Wing and Misty Knight (I know she’s not a “real” martial artist, but just go with it. Besides, bionic arm!). Shang-Chi and Iron Fist could take turns as rotating Guest Stars. Maybe even Mantis could drop by once in awhile.
b.t.
Thinking about it, didn't Shang-Chi, Iron Fist & the White Tiger team up, in DHOKF?
Phillip
I believe you’re correct, Phillip. In one of the last issues of DHOKF. I can see the Bob Larkin cover painting in my mind’s eye.
b.t.
Charlie, the Little Rascals movie shorts used to get shown on Yorkshire TV, in my region, on Saturday mornings in the early 1970s.
I've now come up with my team of super-villains, simply by assembling the original Avengers' worst enemies.
The Scarecrow.
The Scarlet Beetle.
The Cobra.
The Boomerang.
Batroc the Leaper.
I think any team of super-heroes is going to have trouble defeating that lot.
b.t., Misty Knight doesn't need to be a martial artist for that to work. I mean, she's not cosmic either, but I'd still be ok with her as a Guardian of the Galaxy or member of the Infinity Watch. The Daughters of the Dragon would improve any team really...
So anyway, how's this for an exciting super-team -
The Grim Ghost
Phoenix
Tiger-Man
The Brute
And, for token female member, Devilina. Or possibly Vicki.
Actually, maybe that's more a Defenders-style non-team.
-sean
Believe it or not, one of Martin Goodman’s grandkids beat you to it. He revived some of the Atlas characters about ten years ago, and teamed up a bunch of them in a super-group. ATLAS UNITED featured The Grim Ghost, Wulf The Barbarian, Phoenix and Sam Lomax of the NYPD. Sounds AWESOME :)
b.t.
But I like your proposed line-up too!
b.t.
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