Strange Tales #108

 "Before I'm through crime, not justice, will prevail on Earth... and I'll be the king of crime!"

This is Saturday morning cartoon stuff even by the usual low standards of the Human Torch stories in Strange Tales, from a writer unknown to me who is, on the evidence of this, even worse than Larry Lieber. And those are strong words.

We begin with a sort of montage of the Torch thwarting various crimes, often involving property damage on his part, despite which he seems to be very pally with the police. He even reminisces with a cop over the truly rubbish baddies he's recently face.

Cue a very silly villain with an absurd origin (this careless painter can tell from the "style" that some alien underground pictures are a million years old, and happens to be able to read hieroglyphics...!) who has some magic paint that allows his speed paintings to come to life. Yes, really. Come back, Paste Pot Pete, all is forgiven.

And this baddie actually has a few repeat appearances...

The whole thing is awful, with this ridiculously overpowered baddie ending up defeated because of his own carelessness. This is... wow. Just how many of these Torch stories are there to go...? 

The Ten Doctors: Chapter 9

 "Blinovitch had nothing on these guys!"

Wow. I was wondering where on Earth the story was going to go next, with two instalments to go following what looked awfully like a climax. But no!

The scenes of the various Doctor freeing Ten from Dalekdom are not, in the end, any more than a few pages. It's all so very well done, though- we get dialogue from the pasts of each Doctor, the Third Doctor's words being from a certain bit of Shatner-esque "singing" from the early '70s!

And so we proceed to what seems to be a coda of sorts, again with nice touches- Maxil, of all Time Lords, planning to steal a TARDIS and run away...? 

But then it happens. The Doctors all head off... and Ten encounters the Black and White Guardians (now both young, female and no longer quite keen on the "bird on the forehead" look) and we get some rather exciting exposition. That stuff about Davros being a champion of time is because he's the champion of the White Guardian, just as the Doctor has been for the Black Guardian. It's all about Order vs. Chaos, not Good vs. Evil... but not so much in a Michael Moorcock sort of way but its opposite. The universe can't be balanced if it is to survive, a binary choice between Absolute Order and Absolute Chaos must be made- and it's up to the Doctor.

Cue the Ninth Doctor... several of them(!), to assist Ten in asserting that the universe must remain balanced even if that means it will one day end. Appropriately, it's Nine who is asserting that "everything has its time and everything dies."

Cue Reapers, the Death Zone, and lots of timey-wimeyness. I've no idea what the finale will have in store. This is bonkers and brilliant. 

Stargate SG-1: Children of the Gods

 "Many have said that. But you are the first I believe could do it."

Yes, I know. After a few months of not blogging much, then of not blogging much telly, I'm back, so much so that I'm starting another show. And why not? After all, I enjoyed the film and recently found out that my wonderful partner has seen this. So here goes.

First impressions are how very '90s television sci-fi this is, from the cinematography to the orchestral theme to the amusing fact that both Colonel Jack O'Neil and Daniel are now played by much cheaper actors. There's a new scientist character, Captain Samantha Carter, so cue some very '90s battle-of-the-sexes dialogue. It all looks cheaper than the film, as you'd expect, although it's impressive for '90s telly. And, from the evidence of this pilot, at least, we're looking at a slow, unfolding story arc rather than the story of the weewk format one might expect in 1997.

Oh, and the new general is Major Briggs from Twin Peaks! I'm minded to refer to him as General Major Briggs from now on. 

This pilot was double length and establishes lots of further lore in order to justify a long running series. Hence we have a huge map of potential stargate locations, and we discover that Ra is just one of many Go'auld, who are nasty creepy crawly things that burrow into the intestines of human servants called Jaffa, which is... uuuurgh, especially if one happens to have had surgery for umbilical and inguinal surgery in recent weeks...!

Yes, we as viewers damn well know that the gang were always going to get through the stargate in the very nick of time at the end, as that trope is always compulsory. But this is a strong pilot in terms of cast, world building and big, big ideas. Let's see where this goes...

Journey into Mystery #91

 "That brainless mortal!"

And so, alas, we come to another early Journey into Mystery from the pen of Larry "nepotism" Lieber. This is a fairly ho-hum example, but at least the plot is passable. Thor, up to this point, is hardly one of the stars in Marvel's firmament however.

Loki's back for a third time. Odin too, still not quite appearing in the form that will become familiar either facially or in the fact that he's sporting- yes indeed- a horned helmet. And there are some nice emerging bits of lore- we have valkyries, Odin's personal magic item delivery service, although at this stage they look nothing like what they will eventually become. And, of course, from the pages of the Eddas, we have Thor's belt of strength.

And, yeah... the first couple of panels amused me, using said belt of strength as the most blatant example of the Chekhov's Gun trope in comic book history. Thor needing the macguffin to get out of a tight spot was bound to happen. As for the story overall, it's silly but fun. I liked how Loki's proxy carnival show villain was defeated because he mentally "short circuited" after fruitless attempts to magically wield Thor's Uru hammer. 

By the standards of Thor, this is one of the good ones. But we're still so very, very early.

The Amazing Spider-Man #1

 "Everything I do as Spider-Man seems to turn out wrong!"

Wow. The contrast from the last issue in the Order is as huge as it could possibly be. Yes, it's still melodrama. And yes, up to a point (Steve Ditko being Steve Ditko) there's certainly a whiff of Ayn Rand's dodgy "philosophy". But this is sheer quality, an absolute triumph, easily the best thing Marvel have done up to this point. 

This is marvel really doubling down on the "superhero with problems" thing- right from the start the issue really doubles down on Peter Parker's angst. He's mourning Uncle Ben, but without Ben's salary he and his Aunt May are facing serious problems in paying the bills... and the sheer sense of angst and despair is superbly shown in Ditko's exceptional rendering of a desperate, frustrated Peter.

He's is an impossible moral dilemma- he needs to look after his Aunt May, dismisses the very thought of crime, and resolves to perform again... but in a delicious touch, one can't cash a cheque without a real identity!

Things get worse as journalist (not yet explicitly an editor) J. Jonah Jameson turns the public against him. And, just to twist the knife even further, Jameson doubles down as Spider-Man saves his (not yet vulpine!) hero astronaut son. The unfairness just gets worse and worse. And continues into the next story, where his desperate financial situation again takes centre stage. He angrily abandons plans to join the Fantastic Four when he learns that there's no salary on offer... which, as we've previously discussed. Even new generic villain the Chameleon (to become a minor part of his rogues gallery) knows of and exploits his poverty.

All this, of course, is very Ditko, with his hard right and wrong, Mr. A, Objectivist obsessiveness. But here, with the ideology not overt. it really works. This is a truly winning formula- a superhero with real, substantive angst.

And it feels, at this point, that we really do have a shared audience. Not just because of the FF's cameo, but because of Peter's rueful comment that other superheroes, like the FF and Ant-Man, don't seem to have problems like he does!

The Ten Doctors: Chapter 8

 "You're going to have to invest in a whole lot of nappies."

This feels a lot like a finale for the eighth chapter of ten... next episode presumably sees all ten and a half doctors healing the Tenth Doctor. But then...? I'm sure it'll all work out splendidly, the plotting in particular has been a triumph so far, and I'm sure there will be other plot threads. Such as what was the Valeyard's "familiar" regenerated form? 

This is epic stuff, though, a massive battle against the "Time Daleks" involving everyone, with 8 finally reunited with all his other selves and some nice character stuff, particularly with 9, a Doctor who has suffered things the others can barely imagine. Captain Jack is killed, but that's his party trick. And the dark turn of events with Leela's children is sort of undone... but if you're rejuvenated, and your children de-aged to become innocent babies again, a la Margaret Slitheen, the people they had been are, in a sense, surely worse than dead, as they never existed? But I'm overthinking things; it's an elegant solution that works on an immediate emotional level. 

It all looks great, with a big splash page and massive numbers of characters. The art here is a tour de force. And there are, I think, clues as to where all this is going- a plan to change 8's timeline? Regardless, I'm enjoying the start of the denouement. 

Tales to Astonish #41

 "I can hardly wait to turn them on those liberty-loving fools who attack my fortress.

Another Ant-Man story in Tales to Astonish. Oh dear. Let's just try and embrace the bonkersness and hang on for dear life. 

So, we begin with Henry Pym, who has now decided that all his clothes should be made of unstable molecules, an entirely practical thing to do on a scientist's salary, I'm sure. We follow him as he investigates a locked room mystery, a scientist friend of his having vanished. He then spends a few days investigating a spate of missing scientists while smoking his pipe as the reader ponders, as we often do with Ant-Man, the enormous number of editor's notes in this and every issue. 

The kidnapper is, of course, an alien scientist who needs to invent a death ray to deal with a rebellion and, naturally, turns to scientist from Earth, a planet explicitly said to be much less advanced in technology than his own.

And, yeah, hi-jinks ensue, and all that. It's Ant-Man. What can I say? All we can do is embrace the bonkersness and hope that there aren't too many of these left, 

Children of the Stones, Part 2- Circle of Fear

 "Don't meddle with the stones!"

Another episode suffused with atmosphere, as we (and Adam, Matt and Margaret) dig further into the mysteries of the stones... and the villagers. It rather helps that we have a very scientifically clever father/son combo as leads, with Margaret there for the history, folklore and superstition.

One has to smile at the innocence of those days, though- Matt just expected to be off on his bike for much of the day, and absolutely no concerns at the very intriguing Dai (the textbook example of the "rural and superstitious person" trope that all programmes like this absolutely require) simply inviting himself round when Matt is alone in the cottage.

But the mysteries of the stones deepen. Ley lines stopping at the circle's edge, with Hendricks' house in the centre? All the stones at a perfect ninety degree angle? The clues are given to us, bit by bit, at a perfect pace. and then... the suggestion that the stones are "a primitive Jodrell Bank" pointing at something out there in the stars, but the space is empty...

The last few minutes are atmospheric and perfect, as the camera has us look again at the painting and then Matt, in evocatively shot outdoor footage, sees the whole village singing at the stones... and this time it's for him to touch the stone and collapse...

Slow burn, addictive and brilliant. 

The Ten Doctors: Chapter 7

 "Well, well, well, so four of me made it. I wonder what happened to the other six?"

I had to go with the above quote... but I almost went with "The Ultimate Adventure, you might say" from the Sixth Doctor to the Third. ah, nostalgia. I saw Jon Pertwee in that play at the Belgrave Theatre in Coventry in April 1989, the only time I ever clapped eyes on the great man for real, as an early twelfth birthday present. The play, and the associated merchandise, was my first encounter with the world of fandom, I suppose. But it was all so long ago...

Anyway, I shan't repeat myself at length about the impressive plotting on show here, how the complex plot is somehow both easy to follow and feels natural, or indeed the skill with which Rich Morris handles what should surely be an impossible number of protagonists. Especially, as in this episode, as the number of plot threads is starting to reduce and so Doctors interact more often.

There are so many lovely moments here. 6 being annoyed that 4 is alive, because that means he was wrong. The Brigadier's touching speech to 1, surrounded by so many who have been touched by the Doctor's life. Glitz and Mel reunited. The Second Doctor defeating the Toymaker... although I do wince at calling said immortal "Cellie". Still, it's very likely that Rich Morris, like many people, isn't aware of the unfortunate etymology of the word "celestial". And I love that explosion.

And yet... the Dalek invasion of Gallifrey, with all its Cronenberg-esque body horror, feels unstoppable. And what's about Davros being a "champion of time"...? 

Tales of Suspense #39

 "Have you never seen an Iron Man before?"

At last we get Iron Man- it really does feel as though it's been ages. Now we just need the X-Men, Daredevil, and the Silver Age debut of Captain America, and the main initial Marvel cast will be more or less assembled. 

It's basically the well-known origin story here, but interesting to read this story on its own terms as opposed to the origin of a well-established character. tony Stark's face is not quite yet recognisable. And the character... it's a brave move to make Stark a glamorous playboy, a "millionaire bachelor", and an inventor of weaponry for the US government- hardly an underdog. But this, of course, is why he must be cursed with the shrapnel close to his heart, forcing him to wear an iron breastplate in order to stay alive. 

It's all very of its time, though- South Vietnam, in the years before the draft. The art is, at times, well, more than verging on racist caricature. And it feels at times as though every other word is "transistor". But this, as an origin, is simple yet solid, and it's already clear that this is an idea with potential.

There's a later short story about Vikings on a desert island, part of the Order only because of references to Odin, that is entertaining enough for what it is. But I'm curious to see the first steps of Iron Man as a character now we've established the origin... 

Gen V: The Kids Are Not All Right

 "I saw my first vagina here."

"Ok. Thanks for that."

"You're welcome."

Wow. This episode took several unexpected turns. Yet it has us asking so many questions about Cipher. What does he want? Why does Marie's potential mean so much to him? Is Jordan right that he's in so much pain? What's going on with his dad, and all the hardcore carer stuff he does? He's sleeping with Sage, but what are he and his genius lover planning? He certainly doesn't seem to have Homelander's welfare in mind.

It's likely he manipulates everything for Marie, Jordan and Emma, sending Cate to Elmira as scapegoat as a blatant trap for the three of them, who are obviously going to spring them. It feels inevitable that they're all going to end up in that hellhole, and so it comes to pass. But there are so many nuances here. There's the shock of how Cate is treated when she arrived, her wig and fake forearm being removed. There's her genuine surprise and appreciation at what the others did for.

But... what Cipher pulls with Annabeth to manipulate Marie? Wow. And did Marie resurrect her? 

The scenes with Sam and his parents are nicely done too. At first it seems as though he's going to inevitably end up lashing out and killing them- but that gets subverted, and instead he learns a truth about who he is: his instability isn't Compound V, it's just genes.

This episode is... mad. This season feels as though anything can happen. The fact that we're kept guessing about Cipher just makes everything feel charged and exciting. And Hamish Linklater is literally acting his face off. 

The Incredible Hulk #6

 "I hate havin' to become that weakling Banner all the time!"

This is the final issue of The Incredible Hulk... for now. It's one of the better issues- not least because the art is by Steve Ditko rather than an increasingly overworked Jack Kirby. But it's also illustrative of how the title, which apparently wasn't selling well, could fail. 

The villain, who will only have a handful of future appearances. is yet another generic all-powerful alien conqueror. He isn't very interesting, and nor is the trite manner of his defeat- although it's interesting to see Rick Jones establish the Teen Brigade, a bunch of teenage radio hams!

But the interest lies elsewhere, as Stan and Steve experiment a lot with the format, trying to make it work- as it clearly doesn't. The gamma machine, as a gimmick to change Bruce to the Hulk and vice versa, doesn't really work narratively- why shouldn't Bruce just stay as himself? Surely any peril sufficient as to involve the Hulk should be rare? It's suspicious how many threats emerge in his vicinity. After all, why should the Metal Master, who wants to conquer all of Earth, start by attacking this particular military base in New Mexico?

So this issue has the gamma machine be unreliable, perhaps an unacceptable risk, along with such silliness as the Hulk having Bruce's head and having to wear a mask! Interestingly, we seem to end with Bruce deciding to remain as himself, and distrusting the machine. It'll be interesting to see how this develops.

Also, to what extent are Bruce and the Hulk different people sharing a body or variations on the same psyche? Rick tells us at one point that Bruce is "not always responsible for what the Hulk does or says". Yet the Hulk- who has been fairly verbally eloquent right throughout, far from the "Hulk smash!" persona of later pop culture- apparently remembers most of Bruce's science knowledge.

Fortunately, we know with hindsight that The Incredible Hulk will eventually be tweaked and will ultimately succeed. But it certainly needs a break and a rethink at this point. 

The Ten Doctors: Chapter 6

 "Doctor! That thing is my son!"

This is a somewhat darker instalment as we learn more of what is going on. There are a few introductions here (Rutans, Movellans, the Brig) but we're more than half way through now, so it's a case of developing and interweaving already established plot threads rather than starting new ones... but still with that same masterful plotting which seems effortless- and, if something seems effortless, it is certainly no such thing.

There real darkness here, though- the Valeyard is turning Time Lords into a new race of Daleks... and poor Leela, an old lady whose family means everything to her, realises that her husband and children have all become Daleks. That's bleak. So is the fact that the Tenth Doctor is undergoing conversion- and the process seems somehow to have started for Eight.

The Valeyard's new face after regeneration is described as "vaguely familiar", mind- but not to me. something's clearly going over my head at this point!

That aside, though, it's a wonder, and a credit to Rich Morris, how easy this is to follow with so much going on, and how each character gets their amount of time in the spotlight. No character dominates, no character is neglected. Thus far, The Ten Doctors hasn't put so much as a foot wrong. 

Dexter: That Night, a Forest Grew

 "Pardon my tits!"

Oh me. back to Dexter again (recovering well from my op) and what an episode.

Where to start? Well, there's the manifesto from the "Bay Harbour Butcher". Dexter thinks he's being clever by writing it, putting the FBI off the scent with distracting nonsense. But he's too clever be half, perhaps? Because Lundy sees clearly what the manifesto's purpose happens to be, and accurately concludes that the killer is linked to law enforcement. Meanwhile,his manipulation of Doakes gets his rival suspended. Again, though, too clever by half? Doakes won't be giving up, and he sort of has this habit of never actually being wrong about anything.

Worrying that he's going after that nice Camilla lady, mind. Her line about being scheduled to retire next year feels worryingly like a kind of dialogue Chekhov's Gun- if she was fated to retire, surely that line wouldn't be there?

Ultimately, this episode is all about relationships and change. Rita finally sees how controlling and abusive her mother is (perhaps explaining her choices of men?) and banishes her. Deb banishes her sexy but ordinary boyfriend and comes on to the urbane, cultured, wise and much older Agent Lundy... and it seems to go well. But is she thinking straight? She's very upset at Dexter leaving Rita and shacking up with the obviously dangerous Lila.

And... ah yes. Dexter and Lila's relationship blooms, on the surface. Really good sex. Excitement. Yet... as we see Dexter supporting Cody at his school assembly thing, Lila sets fire to her valuable artwork, the one she's actually sold, in order to manipulate Dexter into staying with her and away from Rita. Which is... deeply creepy and controlling. She's a paradox: genuinely the cause of keeping him away from his "addiction" to killing, but oh so very dangerous...

Dexter has just got even better. 

Carry On Up the Jungle (1970)

 "Game?"

"Any time, if you are."

This is... well, there are some good one liners, the cast is good as ever (although Kenneth Williams is glaringly absent)... but, well, it's hardly the best of the series.

Why? Well, there are the moments that make one wince- Bernard Bresslaw in blackface, the jokes about the "natives"- but this is a Carry On film from 1970 set in deepest Africa: such things are priced in.

Then there's the obvious cheapness. This is set in Africa yet clearly shot on a set in Hertfordshire, so much so that it feels almost claustrophobic at times. There are various lions, elephants and giraffes... all of them very obviously stock footage. If all of this were made into a joke, it would work... but breaking the fourth wall is not the Carry On style. Also, Terry Scott as Tarzan is... a courageous bit of casting, to put it mildly.

Perhaps I'm being a little harsh here? After all, the Carry Ons are coming off a run of very strong films, but might that be the problem? Is Carry On Up the Khyber going to prove impossible to top? I suppose the script and performances are as good as ever here, and it's certainly good to have Frankie Howerd again after all this time. But this film just feels... well, cheap.

Journey into Mystery #90

 "Arrest that costumed pest!"

This... may be the most inconsequential comic yet, more skippable Larry Lieber stuff, this time without even the art of Jack Kirby, even if on these stories he phones it in a bit, to make it better. Basically, it's neither good nor particularly interesting, and the Xartans (another alien race) will be making only token, novelty future appearances. In short... Thor, at this point, is not very good.

There's more of the tiresome love stand-off between Donald Blake and Jane, each afraid to declare their love to the other... although, this time, Odin officially orders Blake not to reveal his identity, which is unhelpful.

The baddies are, well, a precursor to the Zygons in Doctor Who in that their plan for world conquest involves an ability to impersonate people, as long as they hold the original person as prisoner. Their plan is bonkers, though- impersonate those in power, implement ridiculous laws, and they invade with their battle fleet in confusion!

This issue has the most bonkers ending yet. Thor throws the alien warlord into the sky, right into space so the battle fleet turns around and goes after him. As for the Xartans on Earth, it's the old Skrull cow trick again, getting them to turn into trees and, as trees, lose their sentience forever. Blimey, that's dark. 

But yeah, moving swiftly on... 

Crimes of the Future (2022)

 "Surgery is the new sex."

From looking at the iMDb rating, this film isn't rated very highly. I'll come straight to it: I think it's brilliant. Those who dislike it, I suspect, were looking for something else. David Cronenberg doing body horror again after all these decades, after all, creates certain expectations. People will expect this to be like his body horror of the '70s and '80s. And, yes, there's some of that. Yet, like all Cronenberg's films of the last decade or two, this is entirely a film of ideas.

It's a future set in a pleasingly low budget society, claustrophobic, studio bound, beautifully and artistically shot with precious little nature to stop Cronenberg being in total control of his artistic environment. Only the first, shocking sequence, with its plastic bin eating and its graphic scene of filicide, takes place anywhere near nature.

No: this is a world in which both pain and infection are things of the past, and surgery is therefore a light matter, while the human body is evolving fast (let us briefly handwave away that this isn't how natural selection works, just as Saul handwaves away the impossibility of traits arising from surgery being inherited) in order to survive in a plastic, polluted environment.

Only in this world can exist a couple like Captice and Saul, using the routine surgery of the removal of his emerging mutant body organs as performance art. This despite the scepticism of the Detective to whom Saul is reporting, who scoffs at random emerging organs being “Picasso, Deschamps, Francis Bacon, perhaps?

Yet there is also a blatant subtext of surgery as sex, as fetish. This is, of course, not the first time Cronenberg has explored such themes, and one may certainly raise an eyebrow at this. 

Body horror abounds- tattooed organs, a zipped abdomen- but the ideas just keep coming in this thoughtful, disturbing dystopia. Cronenberg has most certainly still got it

Fantastic Four #12

 "Miss Storm, a pretty young lady can always be of help- just by keeping the men's morale up."

Ah, General Thunderbolt Ross. Such a feminist paragon. So is Reed, who replies "That's just the way we feel about Sue, General!"...

Anyway... ladies and gentlemen, with this crossover, between what are, as of the beginning of 1963, Marvel's biggest properties, we can sort of say that this is a shared universe. A caveat, though: the existence of crossovers, nothing new in comics in 1963, do not a fully formed shared continuity make. Yet. But it'll be fun to see that emerge, develop and evolve.

Anyway, we start with some fun little moments. Ben and Alicia have been to see a performance of Beethoven's Fifth, although Ben prefers New Orleans jazz. And, when Thunderbolt Ross hires the FF to get the Hulk, blamed for a naughty bit of sabotage, Reed comments, after seeing some footage, that the Hulk seems to exist, implying that this had been in doubt. Er... pot, kettle, Reed? 

Johnny, teenage auto whiz that he is, has redesigned the Fantasti-car, by fan demand(!) with a very impressed General Rossas its first passenger. And the FF meeting Bruce Banner and Rick Jones is a big moment.

Of course, the Hulk is innocent, the true culprit is- you guessed it- a communist spy, caught by the Torch after, er, leaving a membership card in his wallet. If only today’s Russian spies were this rubbish.

The fight between Hulk and the FF (and especially the Thing!) is both enormous fun and no longer than it needs to be. All is satisfactorily resolved- and it’s left nicely ambiguous whether Reed suspects Bruce of being the Hulk.

Excellent stuff, and a real watershed.

The Ten Doctors: Chapter 5

 "Who's this bloke, Professor? And why's he sound like he's from the south?"

Five instalments in and, well, let's just take for granted that all the praise I lavished on the previous four apply equally here, shall we? Charm, glorious art (I particularly love the yellow splash of deep colour on the Cyber tombs or whatever they are), incredibly complex storyline which somehow works, fanwank in the best possible way, characterisation... you know the drill. 

There's a twist here- the Sontarans want to take over everything, including the Federation, both Dalek factions and the Time Lords, working with the Master whom, of course, they in no way blatantly intend to double cross, much as the Master in no way so blatantly wishes to betray the War Chief that it's literally a given. Glad that's settled. 

I love the older Leela's firmness with the Eighth Doctor: this is her family and her life, and she won't be fobbed off by (ahem) the "old one". But not as much as I love the fact that the Sixth Doctor and Maxil actually meet, to considerable Renegade Dalek confusion. It would have been a terrible missed opportunity were this not to happen.

Lots of other delights here, of course, such as the Sixth Doctor getting to say "spack off", but Nyssa getting her bloodthirsty revenge on the Master for what he did to Tremas and Traken is deliciously cathartic... and, of course, she handwaves it away to her Doctor with an"I'll explain later"! We even get a cheeky appearance from the Devious Doctor.

Ha;f way through, and I'm very much loving this. 

 

 

 

Strange Tales #107

 "Oh well... boys will be boys!"

Two Strange Tales Human Torch stories in a row... sometimes that's just how it goes. As a reminder, I'm going by the Complete Marvel Reading Order. It's early days as yet, but I'm hoping to get at least as far as the early '90s.

Anyway, this issue is good fun. It's pretty much entirely the Torch challenging the Sub-Mariner to a fight, nothing too serious or acrimonious, and having fun with that while giving both of them bizarre one-off powers (Namor with, er, puffer fish powers?) just because Johnny wants to prove himself to the rest of the FF... but then proceeds not to tell anyone when he beats the Sub-Mariner. This is top japery, though.

And once again there are interesting points to note. Reed is still smoking that pipe. The FF are taking notes of their exploits to Stan and Jack... and Sue did the typing, naturally! The Torch doesn't know how long his flame will last until it goes out, so he'd better not be in the air at the time!

Oh, and you know how this issue acts as though the bends is not a thing? Don't try this at home, kids... 

Children of the Stones, Part 1- Into the Circle

 "I deny the existence of that which exists."

Happy day!

One episode in, and I'm hooked. No, actually... I was hooked by the deeply atmospheric opening titles, with the uncanniness of both the music and the splendidly unsettling way the stones (actually the Avebury Stone Circle) are shot. The mood throughout is utterly superb.

And so are the performances. A pre-Blake's 7 Gareth Thomas as Professor Adam Brake gives us a charismatic lead. Iain Cuthbertson, as landlord Mr Hendricks, is... well, the jovial yet unsettling character that Cuthbertson always plays, which is a very good thing indeed. Even the kids can act.

And, of course, there's the sheer joy of seeing the England of 1977, the time and place of my birth. the cars, the fashions, the shop interiors, the bikes, the hairstyles, even the very 1970s style woo and nonsense- ley lines and all that, so deeply ingrained that Adam can pooh pooh ley lines at one moment and then happily plan some "electronic dowsing" in the next.

Best of all, though, is the gradual unravelling of what's going on. Some of the kids are "happy" and others are not. And being "happy" seems to mean genius intellect but also blind obedience... almost a kind of psychic link and control? And then there's the mysterious painting, Matt's weird visions, and that cliffhanger...

This is very good stuff. 

This is very good stuff. 

Strange Tales #106

 "You landed your fish!"

So the story here is meh, and the forgettable baddie- the Acrobat- is barely a recurring villain. This is eminently skippable... almost.

Because there's one thing here that really is awfully clever in how it subverts the secret identity trope. I've commented before on how Johnny's secret identity is absurd and here we have confirmation, from the mouth of Sue, no less, that... yeah, everybody blatantly knows that he's the Torch, and he's the only one who didn't know that they knew. I love that.

Oh, and Johnny very briefly leaves the FF in order to very briefly join the, er, Torrid Twosome(!) because an arrogantly pipe-smoking Reed (wonder when he'll be last soon doing this? It's hard to notice when something is done for the last time.), who incidentally is a millionaire, refuses to allow Johnny a salary (from "reward money"- the early FF are still crime fighters as opposed to explorers) in favour of scientific research. Is it me, or is that totally unreasonable? Is being on the team not a commitment that would preclude a full time career?

Not a particularly great issue, then, but this certainly raises some questions about the FF. Oh, and another baddie with a beret? Is it open season on Bohemian existentialists? Will Johnny be battling Jean-Paul Sartre next?

The Ten Doctors: Chapter 4

 "And you, stop fretting. It was nice."

There are only so many times I can praise the tone, the art, the charm, and the sheer fun of this without constantly repeating myself, so just take it as read. But I'll simply note, once again, that the sheer complexity of the plot- now with even more characters- somehow manages to be a breeze to follow.

I love the Rani's reaction to Glitz coming on to her, as well as that he isn't actually selling Davros a sample of Lazar's Disease (Yes, he WOULD do it, such a power would set him up above the gods and all that) but simply "Gumblejack liver oil", which is at once very much in character and top example of all the subtle references. These scenes also help to alleviate a concern that had been evolving in my mind- that the Seventh Doctor was somewhat overshadowing Two. That's much less the case here... and didn't Troughton always used to remain on the edges of the screen?

The clash between Six and Four is interesting... although, so far, Four feels the Doctor most left in the background. I love the reaction from his subsequent selves when he's hurt, though. Oh, and, of course, even more characters! Winifred and Captain Jack, who know each other because of course they do. Grace Holloway... and a lovely little cameo from Martha before the events of Smith and Jones, which is set after this but had been broadcast by now- nice moment!

And yeah... love the moment of mistaken identity with Romana being revived by Grace's kiss! Also love that UNIT have glitter guns because of Sarah Jane (must cost a few bob!) and the Tenth of all Doctors meeting the Valeyard...

Still having enormous fun. I'll keep these coming thick and fast. 

Gen V: Bags

 "What if I kill him?"

"That's why we name them for assholes." 

A goat called Elon. Presented as an expendable bag of blood that blows up gloriously. I'm sure there's a subtext here, but it's beyond me. Still, this levitation scene sure beats the one in The Empire Strikes Back.

Anyway, I'm back blogging this after such a long time with my condition getting worse, the resulting surgery, and my ongoing recovery from that, meaning it's been less easy to focus on television episodes. But I'm back now, cheerfully admitting how I'm so very far behind. And it's good to be back with Gen V. Naturally, Jordan's confession is disbelieved with all sorts of on point but extremely nasty resulting transphobia which, sadly, reflects the MAGA-polluted world in which we live. 

There are some nice character touches, though. Cate (whose powers are still on the blink in, er, gnome-related ways, starting to reconcile with Marie, Jordan and Emma. There's Ally and Harper looking up to Emma, perhaps helping with the low self-esteem aspect of her powers... and Greg, a possible new love interest.

But, well... my probably wrong hot take? I wonder if Cipher is just an overly sinister red herring? He's very mysterious, manipulating Marie since she was born, the whole purpose of Odessa, training her to be the most powerful supe ever... as a possible not-evil rival to Homelander? Even the fight between her and Jordan (their chemistry remains sweet) ends positively. He's very mysterious- a dad on life support in a locked room, no V in his blood but powers to use people as puppets. But is he actually well-meaning?

I know. I'm naive. But this is another great episode, and not only because of the pooing scene... 

Update

 Fear not... I haven't abruptly switched this from a primarily film and TV blog to a comics blog!

I'm recovering from surgery, and the first couple of weeks it was difficult to focus on screen stuff, so that's the only reason it's been mostly on temporary hiatus. But the good news is that I'm improving, so the screen stuff will resume- so both Gen V and Dexter will resume immediately, as well as films mostly at the weekends. Unfortunately, I didn't quite get to the end of Batman: The Animated Series so something will be replacing it imminently.

This remains a primarily screen focus blog, with added novels and albums as and when. The Complete Marvel Reading Order will continue, though- it's not particularly time consuming. Same with the Doctor Who webcomic The Ten Doctors. There isn't much of it and I have the time at the moment. I'm off work recovering for another three to four weeks, not very mobile and having to be careful with the stitches but perfectly able to consume media, read, think and write. So expect more content than usual!

Fantastic Four #11

 "I haven't exactly got any super powers, but I can wiggle my ears real good, and..."!

Here we have the debut of Mr. Mxyzptlk the Impossible Man, an omnipotent yet irresponsible trickster. I suppose the half of the issue dealing with him is amusing and entertaining enough. And, although I know this is an incidental detail, I'm surprised to see s police officer in New York referred to as an "inspector". This is the usual term here in the UK at least, but I get the impression that the USA (San Francisco aside, I think?) uses military titles like "lieutenant" or "captain" instead?

Be that as it may, the first story, supposedly depicting a day in the life of the FF and with no external threat, is much more fun and interesting- even if it does have the Thing turning back into Ben Grimm for five minutes yet again, and yet another origin retelling. 

We get some comic relief with some fan letters, and then we meet "Mr. Lumpkin"- no first name as yet. 

The FF are all dressed in very Mad Men type fashions- this is still (just!) 1962, after all. And Reed is seen smoking a pipe once more! 

We get some fascinating backstory. Reed and Ben are old mates from uni, so therefore of a similar age, and both are veterans of the Second World War, so can't be any younger than about forty. Sue, meanwhile, is described as Reed's childhood sweetheart- so the age gap must presumably be less than we might have previously assumed, despite Sue having a (much) younger brother in his late teens? But we're reminded, once again, of the love triangle with the Sub-Mariner that is sadly keeping them apart. This may not exactly be deep and three-dimensional relationship drama, but at least it convinces more than certain parallel situations. Looking at you, Donald Blake and Jane Foster...

This is good stuff. At this point Fantastic Four is the best Marvel ongoing title, although no single issue has reached the heights of the Spider-Man story in Amazing Fantasy #15. 

 

The Ten Doctors: Chapter 3

 "You boys need to be supervised!"

Three chapters in, and not only is this brilliant, full of so many nice little touches, in terms of both character and the best kinds of fanwank both overt and subtle, but... well, it's incredibly complicated, its plot a truly tangled web. But somehow it works. It doesn't confuse or overload the reader. Yes, I suspect part of this is the fact that we're having so much fun that the threat of plot fatigue doesn't arise, but we have some masterful storytelling here. And that's in terms of both plotting and (integral to the medium) in terms of the visual storytelling of the art. The little notes at the bottom are a nice touch too.

I mean, the only gripes I have are over two ridiculously nitpicky things. One is that the Third Doctor at one point addresses his archenemy as "my dear old Master", whereas at no point on screen does this Doctor ever directly address the Master as such, and never does- and this can be no coincidence, given the amount of screen time they have, implying a rejection of the Master's claimed title.

I'm also uneasy at the sight of the Celestial Toymaker reporting to Omega. I don't think I'm being influenced by The Giggle in any way when I say that I've always seen the Toymaker as a more powerful, ineffable being than even the most legendary of the Time Lords. The Celestial Toymaker, rubbish story though it is, portrays the character as basically a god. Then there's the novelisation of The Nightmare Fair and the character's appearances in various novels...

That said, I gather from the notes that there's a reason for these two being paired, so I'll reserve judgement. And any gripes I may have are far outweighed by the sheer awesomeness. As well, of course, with the wise and righteous rejection of any nonsense about the War Chief having been the Doctor Master (oops, typo!).

There's so much to praise, though. The plot may be complex, but it makes sense, and the fact that we know all the characters (Drax!Leela! K'Anpo Rimpoche! A full hat trick of K-9s!) is a useful narrative shorthand. The hints about the Keeper indeed being the Valeyard are delicious. There's the intriguing mystery of certain characters not recognising certain Doctors. And... yeah, Leela should never have married Andred.

I may well end up zooming through this. 

 

 

Journey into Mystery #89

 "A girl so beautiful would never marry a... a weakling like me."

 This is, it has to be said, an entirely skippable issue, but the whole point of this exercise is to skip nothing and read every comic set in what will soon be the Marvel Universe for as long as I want to keep going- and, at the moment, I expect that to be, at least, the early '90s. After that, we'll see.

The story, concerning a bog standard thug and the complications of Thor's secret identity, is... forgettable. Thor should be about bigger things than this, but the series has yet to work it out. Hence this story, with yet another origin retelling and more focus on the deeply uninteresting love triangle between Donald Blake, Jane and, er, Thor.

Things worth noticing? Well, Thor literally steals from a mannequin shop, however much he may insist that he intends to pay later. Jane daydreams of life with Thor, said dreams  consisting mainly of household chores and... cutting Thor's hair short? Begone with thee, Delilah! We men with long luscious locks want nothing to do with your sort.

Interestingly, Odin recognises Blake as his son. And... Thor now officially has ventriloquism powers! But ultimately... my fellow completists aside, you can skip this one.

The Ten Doctors: Chapter 2

" A gilded tomb is still a tomb."

Soooo much happens in this splendid little instalment, and I certainly have no intention of trying to describe the plot in any way. Suffice to say that there are an awful lot of plot threads and the stakes are very high. But more important than any of that is the wonderful way that Mel's screaming is treated.

Because, yes, the cast gets even bigger at this point. Mel, Sabalom Glitz, Nyssa and the Garm for good measure. Sarah Jane, with her K-9, on the blower to a delightfully realised Harry Sullivan in late middle age, a rather meta yet very touching glimpse of a world in which Ian Marter hadn't died so young. The Rani. Alpha Centauri. And Eight meeting a Keeper of the Matrix who looks "familiar"- the Valeyard, perhaps?

 There's so much superior fan service to enjoy here, right from the very beginning, as a Sontaran and a Draconian discuss Dalek continuity and how, by sending the Doctor to meddle with the Daleks' origins in Genesis of the Daleks, the Time Lords ensured that Davros would survive, meaning the Daleks would in turn survive the Movellan virus.

The fact that the Chameleon Circuit never really gets fixed is rather interestingly lampshaded. it's established that the TARDIS's own internal time is always relative to Gallifrey's present. This story is full of such inspired ideas.

And yet the charm, the characterisation, the winsome quirkiness of the art, are what really keeps the reader hooked. I'm recovering nicely from my op, and I'm going to plough right on with this...