Mad? No, And Here's Why

So, you may or may not have seen this thing here. If you don't feel like clicking the link, that's the original Hobgoblin (AKA Roderick Kingsley) getting decapitated like a chump by Phil Urich (AKA That Guy Who Was Green Goblin That One Time). Basically, Dan Slott brought back the guy Spider-fans have been clamouring for and subsequently killed him off a few pages later. Too, just to twist the knife a bit, Spider-editor Steve Wacker has been gloating, apparently. Or so I hear. I haven't read through the thread, so I'm providing it purely in the interests of TMI.

Boom-shaka-lacka.

Now, I could rant about this, because if ever there was a situation designed to press my personal fan-boy buttons, this is it...two characters ruined for the price of one. Awesome.

But I'm not going to, and here's why: this has been done before, with this character, A LOT. Kingsley has pulled the old switcheroo not once, not twice, but three damn times before. Three. All three times with dudes who thought they were him or had replaced him.

Get where I'm coming from? This isn't new, or edgy, or even a twist. This is the same Hobgoblin story Roger Stern was telling back in the day. And if it's not? Well, we'll always have DeFalco'sSpider-Girl, won't we?

All In

Something they need to bring back? The floating super-hero poker game. I haven't seen that in ages. A bunch of super-heroes, gathered around a table, cracking jokes and losing money to the Thing. Whatever happened to that?

Villains With Potential-The Living Eraser

The Living Eraser is straight up Silver Age. He is hokey and ridiculous and wears a funny hat.

He is also terrifying. He is an other-dimensional invader who erases you from one dimension and traps you in another, with a wave of his hand. Think about that...if you didn't KNOW that this guy was a loser, if he didn't monologue and scream his intentions to high heaven every panel he was in, if he didn't wear that ridiculous outfit, he would be the guy who makes people disappear forever. And that's scary.

Frankly, mix in some HP Lovecraft rhythms and a bit of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and you've got yourself a potent brew of paranoia for any hero. All you'd really have to do is tweak things a bit here and there.

The Supremacy, for instance. That's a great title-both authoritative and menacing. Unfortunately it's attached to another green dude. But what if it wasn't?

Say, for instance, that the Eraser's home dimension has been invaded. Conquered. His people imprisoned by a rapacious species of extradimensional predators...the Spawn of Shuma-Gorath, say. And his people are to be devoured, just like every other living thing in their dimension, until the Eraser steps up and says, "Hey, you want snacks? I can get you snacks! Plenty of 'em!"

And thus it goes. The Living Eraser taking people from our world-undesirables mostly, but maybe he teams up with the Owl and removes obstacles from his new partner's path in return for a promise of steady sacrifices and/or help in saving his dimension...

Eight Is Enough

If there's been one good thing that's come out of the new Spider-Man status-quo, it's the revamp of Dr. Octopus. I am all in favour of the current post-'Gauntlet' Octopus, from the emaciated body to the eight semi-sentient robotic arms and the 'on-death's-door-come-to-Jesus' moment we get explaining it all. Too, Ock finally seems to be assuming his rightful spot as the apex of the Spider-Man rogues gallery...Osborn not withstanding.

Then, hasn't that always been where the 'Master Planner' deserves to be? I've always felt that Octopus is Spider-Man's true arch-enemy...a fractured mirror take on Peter Parker. He's a better opposite number, in the symbolic sense. Octavius is old where Parker is young. His exposure to radiation weakened him, where it made 'Puny Parker' into Spider-Man. He turns his intelligence to crime, where Spider-Man uses his for justice. Etcetera and so on and so forth.

Granted, you can make the some of the same comparisons with Norman Osborn, but with Octopus you get the symmetry of the animal totem (two apex-predators with eight legs and high intelligence), as well as the 'there but for the grace of God' tagline. If Peter had never been bitten by that spider, would he too have grown into an increasingly bitter, continually taunted, yet still hopeful minor scientist? Possibly.

The sympathy factor is a strong one there as well. I think that the most interesting Spider-Man villains are the ones that he in some way, however minor, sympathizes with even as he fights to take them down. The Lizard, Rhino, Harry Osborn when he's off his meds (if you insist that the Green Goblin be Spider-Man's main baddie, why oh why give us the father when the son is so much more interesting? But that's another topic...), these are all characters that Spider-Man feels some stirring in his soul for. Octopus is no different. He's a reflection of Spider-Man, both as a hero and as a regular man.

Too, any villain the hero can team-up with on a semi-regular basis makes for better arch-enemy play than a guy he literally despises, IMO. There's just enough common ground between Spider-Man and Dr. Octopus to make them at once desperate foes and hesitant friends, should the occasion warrant. They don't like each other, but they understand each other. And that makes their conflict more nuanced than the usual punch-up.

Just my two cents.

Villains With Potential-The Destroyer

Several years ago, when Marvel Comics was holding one of their oh-so-rare-for-reals-open submission calls (Epic, I think...the one that gave us that version of the Crimson Dynamo who subsequently never reappeared, remember?), I submitted two proposals. One was about the Shocker, Hydro-Man and the Rhino taking a cross-country road trip. The second was about this gentleman here...the Destroyer. The Asgardian Destroyer, if you want to be exact.

The Destroyer is, depending on the writer and the needs of the story in question, either a jobber or a monster. Which is what's fun about the character, really. The Destroyer showing up means there's going to be a fight-plain and simple.

A mystical engine of destruction, inanimate unless inhabited by a soul, the Destroyer was created for one purpose: to kill Celestials. Since that didn't quite work out as anyone had planned, the Destroyer has since spent most of its time grinding Thor and/or the Avengers into the pavement. Which is fine...but as it stands, the Destroyer is more a macguffin than a character.

My long-ago proposal was based on the idea that since it took a soul to activate the armor, what would happen if the soul in question was one of Marvel's patented 'every-men', trapped inside due to the machinations of Loki? Not a hero or a god or even a particularly good (or bad) person, just some unlucky schmoe who suddenly finds themselves in control of one of the most powerful weapons in the Nine Worlds. A weapon that any number of individuals and organizations (both heroic and villainous) want to get their hands on. A weapon that is slowly driving its wielder into a berserk frenzy from which there will be no return. What does this person do? Where do they go? Do they try and settle old scores? Right old wrongs? Or do they go on the run, prodded all the while by the ghostly laughter of Loki? Speaking of Loki, what's his plan anyway?

Of course, I went into more detail than that. Needless to say, it wasn't chosen. Neither was the other one, just in case you were wondering. Still, I think it's a good idea. Early in Dan Jurgens' run on Thor (sometime after the whole Heroes Reborn debacle), there was a similar sub-plot, which was neatly resolved later on, but I thought it had more meat to it than what the writers gave it then. There's a lot of room to run with the concept of a semi-sentient suit of magic armor possessed by a ghost. That's my feeling anyway.

It's Like A Bit of Heaven...

Chad Bowers and Jojo Seames' MONSTER PLUS, I mean. A webcomic about a Frankenstein-vampire-werewolf-zombie-mummy-from-Mars possessed by the ghost of the Last Witch on Earth trying to prevent the world from being scared to death by an ancient evil? That's just gold. Devil's gold, in fact.

Also, there's a clone of Bela Lugosi and Moon-zombies.

If you don't want to read that, you're a horrible, horrible person.

Premature Something-Something

David Brothers on JM Straczynski's leaving Superman and Wonder Woman in mid-story, to work exclusively on Superman: Earth One which I hear ain't that great.

Since I read none of these comics, I won't burden you with my opinions. Suffice to say...yeah. Just...yeah.

EDIT: I will however share Warren Ellis' opinion on the matter. Which I also think is correct, to an extent. JMS does have to watch out for himself, decide his own fate, etc. However, in another respect, he's forcing other writers to clean up his mess. Name of the game, true enough.

Still, it's a bit crap, ain't it?

Marvel Two-in-What?

Hey, remember all those times I've linked to the awesome The Brave and the Bold: The Lost Issues? Yeah? Well, now it's become Marvel Two-in-One: The Lost Issues! So far they've had Aunt Petunia's favorite nephew team up with Batman, Adam Strange, Ambush Bug and Animal Man! Do yourself a favor and go give it a look-see, and then dream of what might have been...

Hey, Remember When I Talked About Comics That One Time?

Well, guess what? I'm doing it again. Head over to the Book Cave for Part 2 of my chat with Ric Croxton and Derrick Ferguson about those wild and whacky supernatural comics of the 1970s!

And I still don't know what I'm talking about.

Many Things and Ice Creams

Glommed from The Beat, who got it from Nate Cosby. The above image is courtesy of Evan Shaner, who I wouldn't mind seeing draw a Thing ongoing.

So, You're NOT Batman Then?

It's an interesting direction, I'll say that much. Batman, as a concept, has been in a bit of a holding pattern for the past decade or so, and Morrison is giving a game try to opening up the sandbox a bit. It won't last, of course, past his eventual departure (unless, like Geoff Johns, he becomes a lifer with DC), but it's nonetheless an admirable go at building something new and interesting out of Batman.

Besides, let's be honest here, who doesn't want to see some crazy pan-global Batman adventures? Especially since said crazy adventures won't tie up the main book(s), leaving those who only want to read about Batman punching Gotham's usual suspects in the kisser a space to enjoy such things.

And, not to be one of those guys, but Batman hasn't been a lone crusader for justice since the Sixties. A veritable baker's dozen of vigilantes are on his payroll these days, including Huntress, Oracle, Robin 1, Robin 2, Robin 3, Robin 4, Robin 5, Spoiler (who was also Robin 4), Batgirl (who was also Spoiler, who was also Robin 4), Batwoman, Red Robin (who was also Robin 3), Nightwing, Azrael 1, Azrael 2, and likely three or four others I'm forgetting. The Outsiders, even. Two-Face, that one time.

Honestly, I think the real reason Superman isn't allowed in Gotham is because his colourful tights clash with the theme the Batclan has going. Dude just stands out is all.

It's a big list, is what I'm saying. And Morrison has decided to embrace the lunacy of the 'lone vigilante (except for his extended family)' by exploiting it to its fullest extent. International Club of Heroes indeed. If it gets us more Gaucho stories, I'm in.

And, frankly, making Batman into a symbol of hope as opposed to a menacing spectre of vigilantism is a good directional shift. We've had the BatGod, the Batman Vs. the World, and the Urban Legend, and those permutations have gotten stale from over-exposure. If BatDickery has become a pop-culture meme, something likely needs to change. Familiarity eventually breeds indifference, and a good shake-up to the core supports of the concept will breathe some fresh life into things.

At worst, we'll get some new stories and some new characters. At best, we'll eventually get a storyline called 'Intergalactic Club of Heroes', where the Shadow of the Bat extends to other worlds. Bring back the Alien Batmen, says I!

Hey, Want To Hear Me Talk Comics?

Then head over to the Book Cave and give a listen to episode 39 of Ric's Comics. It's part one of a massive discussion about the horror and supernatural comics of the 1970s.

And if you listen closely enough, you'll realize that I have no idea what I'm talking about...

Villains With Potential-Mandrill

Oh God, is there anything about Mandrill that is not creep-tastic? He's basically a poster-boy for latent misogynistic impulses and rape-fantasies. A baboon man with mutant pheromones who reduces women to submissive zombie playmates.

Gah.

I mean, that's kind of hard to redeem or do anything constructive with right there. The squick-factor on such a character pretty much reduces your available avenues to either screwball comedy or outright body-horror. Now, I know which I prefer, but let's explore both avenues in the interest of me being bored.

First off, going the humor route with a case like Mandrill is going to be tough. On the face of it, his power just ain't that funny-he subdues and dominates women. But, with the proper context, you could likely wring some bawdy fun out of things. Maybe Mandrill decides to go into black market couples counselling, selling jars of his sweat to troubled spouses in order to reignite the flames of passion. Or maybe he gets hired by a parody of the Axe Body Spray guys, who want some Truth in Advertising. You could even have Mandrill as an inadvertent Lothario, attempting to lay low or commit his crimes while being pursued by women that he has no interest in, including super-heroines who show up, drawn by his pheromones, just in time to foil his crimes.

Granted, this reduces Mandrill to a joke character, but frankly 'Rape-Baboon' isn't any great shakes as it stands. Better to be funny, than offensive to a segment of your audience, right?

Or maybe not.

If you were of a more unpleasant frame of mind, you could go the opposite route with the gentleman in question. Remember my post on Mr. Hyde? There are some characters who are built for nastiness and MAX situations and Mandrill is one of them. The writer could play up Mandrill's utter inhumanity to great effect in this instance, making him a truly nightmarish figure. The animal lurking inside every man, the abuser you can't help but love, the incestuous father/uncle/brother. Something that makes the reader cringe. He'd be a vile, disgust-inducing nightmare of a character.

Especially if he got away. Again and again. Always slipping away thanks to his abused coterie of followers. The eternal victimizer, never being punished, always lurking. The pay-off, when it finally came, would be amazingly cathartic. Granted, you'd have to put Mandrill in a box for a year or three before you could use him again, but as literary weapons go, he'd be a useful one. Foulness personified, and with a deft touch he'd make for a compelling (if unpleasant) story.

Unfortunately, I believe that there's no such thing as a deft touch in comics these days, and what you'd end up with is not a horrifyingly compelling villain, but a slobbering sex-bully in a monkey suit. He'd wind up an excuse to give the readers a lot of T&A and degrading situations to toss the token female character of the month into. Less a character and more an ambulatory plot device.

Which is why, in the end, I believe that to rehabilitate Mandrill as a villain, you have to remove his power. Or, at the very least, alter it. Make him able to manipulate both men and women, as opposed to just the latter. Or give him the ability to control the 'monkey-brain' of his victims, reverting them to savagery (I know, I know, that's the Lizard's schtick now, but monkeys are different to lizards, so shut up). Even better, make the effects of his pheromones more subtle. Like hypnosis. His victims do what he wants within reason, i.e. nothing they wouldn't ordinarily do. Have Mandrill ditch the disco outfit for a power-suit and make him Marvel's version of Gorilla Grodd, manipulating the stock market or bank managers or even the population of a town. Make him interested only in his own comfort, using his mutant abilities to simply provide for himself, rather than indulging in sadism or humiliation.

Basically, remove the squick-factor, and you've got yourself a relatively plug-into-plot character with an interesting power set and cool visual. And in the end, isn't that more preferable to 'rape-baboon'?