Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Super-Sons

If you hate them so much, why do dress like them?
What would it be like if Batman and Superman started their own families and had sons? Well, DC Comics decided to answer that with the Super-Sons saga.
History
Superman and Batman Jr. grew up in the shadow of their namesake. The two fought crime despite lacking the recognition of their fathers. While fighting crime, they went through a journey of self-discovery that led them to become comfortable as the successors to their fathers. They also fought their universe's version of Robin, who wanted to become Batman's successor over Batman Jr. However, the stories never revealed if the duo actually replaced their father. On Earth-One (one of the main realities), a Kryptonian computer accidentally created two copies of the Super-Sons. The copies willingly allowed themselves be destroyed because they "were a threat to the stability of Earth-One" (DC Wiki). It turned out that the "real" Super-Sons were nothing more than simulations created by the actual Superman and Batman to see what their kids would be like.
References:
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Super-Sons
http://bronzeageofblogs.blogspot.com/2009/02/its-super-sons.html

Monday, April 21, 2014

Phil the Prince of Insufficient Light

It has been awhile since I talked about a comic strip character. So, I decided to talk about Dilbert character Phil the Prince of Insufficient Light.
Overview
Phil is the devil-like ruler of Heck.  Heck is a lesser Hell that punishes people for minor sins (such as taking a chair that you don't own) with mildly annoying punishments (such as forcing someone to write "I proactively leverage my synergies" over and over again or having to "endure the stale wit of your co-workers"). Phil carries around a giant spoon as oppose to a pitchfork. He is also the brother of the Pointy-Haired Boss, who Phil claims was their mother's favorite.
References:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/Dilbert
http://search.dilbert.com/search?p=Q&srid=S3-USWSD01&lbc=dilbert&ts=custom&w=Phil%20Prince%20Of%20Insufficient%20Light&uid=42185853&method=and&isort=date&view=list&filter=type%3acomic&srt=6

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Super-Soldier

Super-Soldier in the foreground
DC Comics and Marvel Comic had an event where their universes combined into one (under the name Amalgam Comics). As such, many of the resulting characters were combinations of one character from each universe (for example, Wolverine + Batman = Dark Claw). Super-Soldier is a combination of Superman and Captain America.
History
The U.S. army made a "Super-Soldier" formula from the cells of a dead alien found in a crashed spaceship. During World War II, volunteer Clark Kent was injected with the formula. After being exposed to solar radiation, Clark Kent gained super powers. Clark Kent became the superhero Super-Soldier. Reporter Jimmy Olsen, who found out about the project, decided to keep quiet in exchange for the government giving him exclusive infomation for his news stories. Super-Soldier got the sidekick, American Girl, and became an All-Star Winners Squadron member. Clark Kent was in love with Lois Lane, who married the cold-hearted billionaire Lex Luthor, much to Clark's chargin. Super-S fought Major Zemo (a member of the Nazi organization HYDRA) with Segerant Rock and his Howling Commandos. However, they didn't know that Lex Luthor was the real leader of HYDRA. In 1942, Super-Soldier was seemly killed by the robot Ultra-Metallo, but actually frozen in icy water. After fifty years, the JLA found a frozen Super-Solider. They thawed him out. Super-Solider joined the team and started to work at the Daily Planet in his Clark Kent guise. However, it turned out Lex Luthor was still alive. He used Green K (part of a meteor found near the spaceship) to extent his lifespan (although it turned his skin green). Aided by HYDRA, Lex kidnapped an older Jimmy. Having been beaten and released by Luthor, Jimmy revealed to Super-Soldier that HYDRA was in Washington D.C. Super-Solider went to D.C. to find Lex Luthor, HYDRA and a now-Green K-powered Ultra-Metallo. Super-Soldier used a lead pipe (which could block the radiation of the Green K) to beat Ultra-Metallo up. Soldier exposed Lex Luthor's crimes, which got Lex imprisioned. Super-Soldier laater revealed the fallout of Green K weakened his powers.
Powers and Abilities
Super-Soldier has a variety powers derived from the "Super-Soldier" formula. He has invulernability, x-ray vision, flight, super-strength and heat-ray vision. Green K weakens him.
References:
http://batman.wikia.com/wiki/Dark_Claw
http://www.comicvine.com/super-soldier/4005-47079/
http://amalgam.wikia.com/wiki/Super-Soldier

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Guardians of the Galaxy (Earth-691)

Vance Astro, Charlie-27, Matrinex and Yondu
The Guardians of the Galaxy have been given a movie. As such, I am going to talk about the original verison of the team, whom the movie isn't based on. This version is from the parrallel reality Earth-691.
History
In the 31st century, the Badoon aliens took over all of Alpha Centaury and the Sol system. The Badoon soldiers oppressed their occupied planets. Charlie-27, Vance Astro / Major Victory, Matrinex and Yondu formed the Guardians of the Galaxy to fight the Badoon. They staged an Earth rebellion with the aid of a time-travelling Captain America and Thing. The Guardians later went to the Thing's time to learn about an earlier failed Badoon invasion. After fighting a mutant eel with the Defenders, the Guardians went home. The GoG was joined by Starhawk. They defeated the Badoon Empire with the aid of the Defendeers. After the Defenders returned home, the Guardians decided become space explorers and helped various former occupied planets rebuild. They learned Silver Surfer stopped the original Badoon invasion of Earth. The Guardians of the Galaxy helped Thor and the Avengers fight Korvac in the 20th century thus earning honory Avengers membership. They stayed in the 20th century for a while and had various adventures. During this, the Guardians accidentally caused Vance's younger counterpart (who is later revealed to a parallel counterpart) to gain the powers of his future self. This caused the young Vance to become a superhero that joined the Avengers. The Guardians returned to their time. The group gained new member Yellowjacket (this universe's version of Rita DeMara) and Talon. Martinex left the team to get new members: Phoenix IX, Spirit of Vengeance, Replica Hollywood (this world's Wonder Man), Firelord and Mainframe (Earth-691 Vision).
References:
http://www.comicvine.com/guardians-of-the-galaxy/4060-25956/

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Captain Tootsie

Captain Tootsie is on the right
As I mentioned in my "NFL Superpro" post, a common tactic to advertise a product is to have a superhero based around the product. One of the oldest example of this is today's subject: Captain Tootsie. Created by C. C. Beck (creator of the original Captain Marvel), Captain Tootsie appeared in 1940s ads that told one-page stories similar to the later Hostess ads.
Captain Tootsie was a superhero. He was assisted by the Secret Legion (who consisted of three young boys: Rollo, Fisty and Fasto). The quartet would go on adventures do feats such as fighting villains and daring rescues. CT would eat Tootsie rolls to get the energy boost he needed. As such, he would carry a yellow man bag full of them.
These ads were distinctive due to his creator's use of clean and open line work. Tootsie got a two-issued comic book in the 1950s. However, the ads disappeared during this era (due to changing taste in comic books at the time). In 1997, Toby Press featured Captain Tootsie on a phone card. However, he was incorrectly colored.
References:
http://www.toonopedia.com/tootsie.htm
http://pdsh.wikia.com/wiki/Captain_Tootsie

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Run, Daihatsu Tanto!

Akito proposing the series to Moritaka
I am a fan of the manga series Bakuman. The series is about two teenagers, Akito Takagi and Moritaka Mashiro, trying to get a successful manga published and then have be adapted into an anime. The series features many fictional manga series. Among them is today's subject Run, Daihatsu Tanto!.
Premise
The titular Daihatsu Tanto is an elementary school boy. His grandfather, Daihatsu Meijin, is a crazy inventor that creates bizarre machines. Each story revolves around Tanto using one of his grandpa's inventions (usually for some form of mischief). This leads something going bad which, in turn, leads Tanto's teacher (who Meijin has a crush on) taking away the invention. The premise is oddly similar to the popular series Doraemon (which is about an elementary school boy that abuses his robot cat's inventions only for it go badly usually end with him learning a moral in the end).
Context in Bakuman
Run, Daihatsu Tanto! is second series created by the Akito and Mashiro. It was often ranked as number 12th in popularity (although one chapter managed to reach 11th). Because the series was unable to compete with their rival Eiji Nizuma, the duo ended the series much to the chargin of Editor-and-Chief Hisashi Sasaki.
References:
http://bakuman.wikia.com/wiki/Run,_Daihatsu_Tanto!
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Anime/Doraemon
http://bakuman.wikia.com/wiki/Muto_Ashirogi
http://bakuman.wikia.com/wiki/Hisashi_Sasaki

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Crimson Commando

The Red Guy of Marvel
History
Frank Bohannon / Crimson Commando was a World War II superhero that worked with Stonewall and Super Sabre. Later on, the tiro mistook the X-Men leader Storm as a criminal and attempted to arrest her. They were defeated by her and Wolverine. This somehow made the tiro confess their viglantism to the authority (which makes no sense since superheroes are clearly legal since no bat an eye at most superheroes). In the 1980s, he joined the government-funded superhero team Freedom Force along with Super Sabre and Stonewall. The group Desert Sword wounded Frank. The government (via Care Labs) turned Frank into a cyborg. They renamed him "Cyborg X" and later "Commando". Due to a glitch that made him unable to disern the present from his memories of the past, Cyborg X went on a rampage until Spider-Man and Ghost Rider stopped him. Spider-Man took him back to Care Labs to be fixed. However, the Lab was attacked by Sinister Six (who was missing a member). However, he was later just fine so we can assume he was repaired off-panel. Commando and his former Freedom Force teammate Avalanche were ordered to attack Empyrean and stop his operations. A rogue government agent told them to kill X-Factor member Polaris. This was never brought up again. Frank lost his powers due to the events of M-Day. Dying without his powers, he kidnapped Hope Summers hoping she could save him with her powers. Instead, Wolverine decapitated him.
Powers and Abilities
Crimison Commando was a mutant. His powers made him the peek of physical pefection, age slower and immune to telepathy. He is trained in hand-to-hand combat.
When he was turned into a cyborg, Frank Bohannon gained new powers. He gained super strength and speed. His body could repair itself to a limited extent. His arms could be transformed into projectile weapons. He has tentacles (that act as more limbs) and rocket boosters in his legs.
References:
http://www.comicvine.com/crimson-commando/4005-14906/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimson_Commando