Miniatures Finished: 15/07/21

Thanks to the series of 2021 Melbourne COVID lock downs, I've had plenty of time to paint recently, and superheroes have been a great distraction from Star Wars Legion and rounding out some Kill Teams.

Jack O Lantern: After taking a look at how this was painted, I just had to take other swing. Much happier with the new result, even if it's a tad less bright.

Junkpile: Also completed for some Cyberpunk gaming, this X-Men 2099 antagonist is a nice, chunky model and the basic colour scheme was actually pretty fun to do. A little rust effect on there and he's table-top ready.

Mongul: I've wanted this guy since reading "For the man who has everything", and I finally got some paint on him. I much prefer Mongul over Darksied, so I'll be sure to get him on the table when the opportunity presents itself.

Bossk: I've got a friend who likes to run every crazy idea I have off on his 3D printer and I get the pleasure of painting it. Naturally, when I started doing Club/Work Star Wars Legions armies, I had to have the Robot Chicken version of Bossk.

Mysterio: As with Jack O Lantern above, I didn't much like my work on Mysterio and took another swing. The newer GW glow effects paints made getting a good result on this character pretty easy, and now he pops a lot more than he used to.

Dusk: The Peter Parker version of Dusk for those wondering, for that "Death of Spider-Man" campaign I keep stalling on because of COVID keeping me from wargaming. Another easy paintjob, but I've loved this character since he appeared in the "Peter Parker: Spider-Man" comics and I'm glad to finally have my own.

Superhero Media: A Good Day to Die Hard

And here we are at the end of another series. Hopefully, I mean, I don't want to have to cover that proposed John McClaine "origins" film down the line or discover that there was an '80s cartoon with a tie-in action figure line I was unaware of. Ok, so A Good Day to Die Hard is clearly an attempt at a soft reboot of the franchise, with Jai Courtney as "John McClaine Jr", aka "Jack McClaine" being the literally anointed son before he was terrible in Suicide Squad. Set in Russia, because reasons, John McClaine (Sn) is looking for his estranged son, after reconnecting with his daughter in the previous entry, who it turns out is working for the CIA trying to stage a coup in Russia. Wow, got that one backwards, huh? Actually pretty much all of A Good Day to Die Hard is a fantasy of America being relevant and powerful, fighting back against Russian corruption with direct violence and ham-headed gun-play. It's actually pretty hilarious if you look at it as escapist fantasy for remorseful Trump voters, but otherwise is mostly bland and forgettable. 

I mean, A Good Day to Die Hard is still a Die Hard film, so seeing John McClaine mutter to himself, blow things up almost by accident and bleed everywhere, but it's like watching footage of The Rolling Stones recorded recently instead of just watching the "Sympathy for the Devil" video clip again. Sure, it's new, but is it really as good as just watching the classic would have been? See, Boomers, I've got stuff for you too, now redistribute your wealth already. And lay off the trans kids. There's a fun car chase and the story ends up a Chernobyl, because of course it does, can you name another place in Russia? The real elephant in the room on A Good Day to Die Hard is that this film kind of has the greasy feel of an attempted "Cinematic Universe". It's hard to spot, but it is there, especially in the continued mentions of Jack "really" being John Jr and the sudden introduction of competent law enforcement. Yeah, did you ever notice that, other than McClaine and other "beat cops", none of the professional law enforcement in the Die Hard franchise are capable of anything before this entry? 

The two Johnsons, the airport police, military specialists, FBI, CIA, they're all out of their depths without McClaine, right up until A Good Day to Die Hard, where suddenly they know what they're doing from the second act out. I guess it's what happens when a series runs from 1988 to 2013 and has to update along the way to stay relevant. Also the quality dips as we have to buy into McClaine somehow surviving each new outing, despite ageing and what has to be severe spinal trauma by now. Like, McClaine just has to have had at least a dozen concussions, so he'd be done without his healing factor that we've clearly established he has over this run of Superhero Media articles. I hope this is the end for Die Hard, what was a decent trilogy has become another run-on series with nothing much unique about it or a hook worth being interested in. That said, the value of the first film really can't be diminished and I'll still be watching it every Christmas.

Thinking Out Loud: The Overton Phantom-Zone Viewer

An interesting little discussion I get into occasionally is "where do superheroes sit politically"? Now, this is kind of a dumb question on its face, as individual characters would have different political leanings, not to mention that different writers will put their own spin on things. Also there is the Overton window, which shifts over time, further muddying the already fraught notions of the "Right" and "Left" in politics. For example, your average American may consider the Democratic party as "Liberal", though by the standards of Australian politics, the Democrats would still be considered fairly "Conservative". Also, our Liberal party is pretty damn conservative and our Conservative party are a bunch of religious nutbags that no one takes seriously, just to be extra confusing. For myself, being an anarchist, pretty much no political party at home or abroad represents what I want or stands for the same thing I do, so the notion of democratic "Left" and "Right" parties is kind of nonsensical from where I sit, and I honestly consider the "Leftist" parties of Australia to be closer to the "Centre" for the most part.

The argument is, and it's not a bad one, truth be told, that because Superheroes maintain "order", they must be Conservative, as there is the assumption that the society they're helping to protect is worthwhile. Ok, so, yes? You rarely see superheroes raging against the government, and even when you do, in say Civil War or The Dark Knight Returns, there isn't really anyone agitating for the end of capitalism, as I would in their place. Then again, comics, especially Marvel Comics, have a history of being an "outsider" medium, with the Silver Age being replete with support for the Civil Rights, Environmental and Spiritualist movements, all of which are still considered outside of the mainstream, to some degree. Most superheroes are humanist, at least to a certain degree, being against killing their foes and trying to avoid fights, and I tend to place Conservatism and Capitalism as non-humanist, what with the whole letting people die of exposure and starvation rather than pay for them to have housing and food thing. I think if you exist only in the false and inaccurate Liberal/Conservative dualism of politics that is common in Western Democracies, then reading Superheroes as predominantly "leftist" is fair, though not the whole story.

As the internet provides more access to information outside of what is deemed "acceptable" by the mainstream politics and media in your country, (Australian media is weirdly conservative compared to our culture, for example) young people are finally able to learn what terms like "Anarchist", "Fascist" and "Socialist" actually mean, rather than how they are framed by those already in power. I have to admit, I used to have very incorrect assumptions about all of them, and I actually only realised I was an Anarchist when I was actively seeking out a label to help explain my political views to others. Even now, when I tell people I am an Anarchist, there are plenty of assumptions that I find I have to fight, but thankfully, most of my peers are at least willing to consider what I have to say. In the past few years, as the people writing comics get to be of my generation and younger, the politics of heroes are shifting. Be it the MCU Flag-Smashers, Alison Green or even the Immortal Hulk, some heroes are getting more radical in their politics and approach to the status-quo that they once safeguarded. I don't know if this is indicative of a bigger shift in how Superheroes are written, or if it's just a case of companies "going woke" to make more money, but you can be sure that I'll be keeping an eye on it and hoping.

Superhero Media: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - Black Dossier

The oft-overlooked third entry in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Black Dossier is a collection of shorter narratives, filling in the gaps of the setting somewhat, covering from the end of the nineteenth century through to the 1950s. Some of these details would be further illustrated later in the Century series, but for a long time, Black Dossier is all fans had to continue the story. The story covers Alan and Mina, returning to England after the fall of INGSOC, uncovering and reading the titular Black Dossier, a report gathered on their own activities. Trying to apprehend Alan and Mina are James Bond, Emma Peel and Bulldog Drummond, because, being a The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen book, Black Dossier is just packed with references to anything and everything from The Tempest to Fireball XL5. Black Dossier is probably one of the best examples of what Alan Moore is capable of as a writer, because, unlike other entries in the series, it is mostly prose, with little in the way of traditional comic panels. 

The Black Dossier of the story contains reports, extracts and novellas that mention the various incarnations of the League, from the original Prospero's Men, through to the Alan, Mina, Orlando triad. In doing so, Moore gets to flex his literary skills, writing in the styles of Shakespeare, PG Wodehouse and Jack Kerouac, to name a few, and mostly getting it pretty right; making Black Dossier a treat for Literature Graduates like me, but tending to turn off the more casual fans. I'm thrilled personally by more detail on the Hommes Mysterieux, the French answer to the League and an almost certain future wargames project for me, featuring Jean Robur, the Nyctalope, Arsene Lupin, Zenith and Fantomas. Whilst not as overall effective as the first Murray League, the Hommes Mysterieux kick the crap out of the version later seen in 1910 and may be the only superhero team comprised of criminals and serial killers that I actually enjoy reading; excepting some incarnations of the Thunderbolts. 

What Black Dossier tends to remind me of, even more than other comics, is a sourcebook for a roleplaying setting, the kind of strange yet endearing indy game that was everywhere in the 2000s where the books are collections of articles and diary entries rather than straightforward explanations of the setting. If The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a setting you'd like to try gaming in, Black Dossier is one of the best places to start, as it covers the broader timeline of the series better than most entries, and lets a shocking amount of popular culture bleed in, unifying much of it through the "hub" of the Blazing World. There are even some superheroes, mostly from the Golden Age, like The Angel and the Woman In Red, if that's the path you want to go. For an indy comic by one of the medium's great auteurs, Black Dossier creates a whole sprawling universe to rival even Marvel 616 or the DC Multiverse, with immortals, super spy agencies and underground cities galore, just ripe for your teams and/or players to explore and adventure through.

Miniatures Finished: Ratzies!

After selling off some of my Weird World War II figures, I decided I needed some new antagonists for Golden Age and Pulp games, so I picked up a box of Warlord Winter War Germans from work. Some quick work and a fast paint job and I have another team of henchmen for games.

The paint work is pretty a-historical, more intended to evoke Pulp Comics than actual German Infantry.

The kit comes with this great hand holding a folded map, which makes for a perfect "I have the plans now Kapitan Amerika! Nothing will stop the Third Reich now!" kind of moment with the model. He also has a skull eye-patch, which didn't photograph properly.

You can never have enough Panzerfausts, especially when fighting Allied Superheroes.

Plenty of potential for these guys in Pulp games too, a great kit for any 28mm Superhero gamer.

Superhero Media: Dragon Ball Z - Wrath of the Dragon

In this adaptation of the popular video game franchise, Dragon Quest, the great hero Tapion must use his magical sword and enchanted ocarina to defeat the evil wizard Hoi and his terrible monster Hirudegarn. To aid him in his quest, he has Trunks, Gohan, Videl and Goku who help fight Hirudegarn and protect the people of Earth. Wait a minute, this is a Dragon Ball Z film? Holy hell it is! It's the one where Kid Trunks gets the sword that Future Trunks has. Look, Wrath of the Dragon is pretty decent, all told, but the whole elements with Tapion, his history and the magical music box feel like they're from a different series, or at least Dragon Ball rather than DBZ. The film is really about Trunks making a friend, which is actually quite nice, as Tapion gains closure on his grief from the bond as well. Though what I personally enjoyed most about Wrath of the Dragon was getting to see the Z Fighters take on a Kaiju! 

Despite the huge variety of characters and stories that can be told in the superhero genre, it's actually pretty rare to see human-sized characters with powers take on giant foes all that often; off the top of my head, it's mostly a Silver Age Superman bit. Also there's Doctor Demonicus, but I'm pretty sure only I actually remember that character. I mean, it really seems like an obvious premise, take your super-strong people who can fly and shoot energy and have them fight a big monster who wants to trash cities, preferably Tokyo. Sure, as a concept, it could have diminishing returns, but that's a hell of a bit for Avengers 9 or whatever. As much as I like the Legendary Pictures Godzilla franchise, I don't expect it to run too long, as it's not doing anything great at the box office, why not have Disney get the rights on a contract to have The King of The Monsters fight Earth's Mightiest Heroes? I'd watch the hell out of that. 

Aside from the relationship between Trunks and Tapion, there isn't too much to Wrath of the Dragon other than some really good fights, not that that's an issue in a DBZ film or anything, just an observation. The city scenes are some of the best in the history of the franchise, and getting to see more of Videl as the Great Sayiawoman is always welcome. Whilst I may still be waiting for my comprehensive range of DBZ miniatures for superhero games, I can at least eye off a
Hirudegarn to go with my Kaiju games, once I find an action figure in my price range. As much as I enjoyed it, I don't think that Wrath of the Dragon will be making it into high DBZ rotation for me, the presence of Tapion and his magical accouterments break the immersion for me just a little, really seeming like abandoned designs for Dragon Quest than something that was intended to go along with late-stage DBZ Goku and friends.

Ultimate Alliance: China - Part V

With speed and reactions honed from years of brutal combat, the Masked Warrior spun his whole body in a jumping heel kick that landed squarely in the middle of Inframan's chest plate. Though there wasn't much of Science Officer Hayama left under the armour to be injured by such a strike, the force behind it was enough to throw off his jump and he was sent sprawling across the roadway outside the University of Hong Kong. The ancient computers wired into his brain were working overtime analysing the power of the blow which struck Inframan as he picked himself up, just as he focused on the shape the move had taken, identifying the technique with almost the same precision. Win-Chung Kung-Fu certainly, but with elements of less rigid and more brutal styles mixed in. Adjusting his pose, Inframan was again ready to fight. 

Reading his foe's movements, the Masked Warrior started to dash towards Inframan and the pair clashed at a rate of knots, the shock-wave rippling through the police who had cleared a circle around them, unwilling to get between two superhumans. Despite being composed of cutting-edge cybernetics, Inframan was decades out of date and hadn't had a proper overhaul since the '90s, so the Masked Warrior was working rings around him and raining blows. The Masked Warrior was strong for a human, but still all too human, so his blows did little to shift Inframan, but in return, Inframan was far too slow to get a hit in himself. If the fight continued at this stalemate, it was Inframan who had the advantage, though his battery power was limited, it was measured in days, much longer than most humans could reasonably operate at the same level. Unless the Masked Warrior had a nasty surprise awaiting him, Inframan was confident in his eventual victory.

From the Masked Warrior's perspective, however, this was just another in a lifetime of fights where he was outgunned and had to rely on skill and cunning to win. As he had rushed to Hong Kong without a large amount of time to prepare, most of Chen's equipment was out of date, which rendered a lot of it too dangerous to use. Sweaty gelignite, leaky gas canisters and damp flash powder would have to be disposed of properly at some point, but for now, the Masked Warrior still had a few tricks up his sleeve. Dashing forward, Chen used his momentum to kick up and off Inframan, gaining some vertical distance and flinging a slender but strong throwing blade into the wafer-thin gap between his foe's shoulder and neck armour plates. Chen had had the blades made decades ago when a Shanghai gang he was battling had the bright idea of building suits of armour to protect themselves from police gunfire. Whilst Inframan lacked too many human parts for the blade to injure, the delicate mechanical joints under his armour were an obvious weakness.

Almost immediately, Inframan's right shoulder seized as the socket ground against the high-tensile steel alloy of the Masked Warrior's blade. Not giving his opponent time to breathe, the Masked Warrior followed up the first knife with a second to the knee and a third to the left elbow. Collapsing to one knee, Inframan twisted in panic as a stone-faced Masked Warrior closed in, drawing another small explosive from his jacket and preparing it for use. Taking his time, Chen leaned in towards Inframan, putting his face close to what passed for the cyborg's ear so that he would be heard over the commotion of the clashing police and students.

"Do you bleed?" mocked Chen as he placed the explosive on Inframan's head, "because you will."

Facing probable death and certain serious damage to his long out-of-date robotic upgrades, Inframan was forced to unleash his ultimate weapon, the Infra-beam. Even during the worst of the Kaiju wars, Inframan had never used this devastating beam of concentrated energy against a human target, and had no idea what the effect would be, as it was designed for killing giant monsters, but he had precious few options remaining. The Infra-beam operated on the same atomic reactor that powered Inframan himself, so it took only a fraction of a second to charge, unleashing a vivid scarlet beam of energy just as the Masked Warrior stepped back to discharge his explosives.

The beam split the pavement below Inframan, scattering asphalt across the area of the conflict and blasting the Masked Warrior backwards. Despite his dire situation, what remained of Science Officer Hayama could not bring himself to kill another human being. Using the limited motion remaining in each arm, Inframan snapped off the blade protruding from his knee joint, giving him enough movement to launch himself into the hole blasted by his Infra-beam, which had cut right through to Hong Kong's intricate sewer system. In the chaos caused by the blast, few saw Inframan escape and none were in a condition to pursue him, including the Masked Warrior, who painfully picked himself up, a significant distance from where he had left the ground and fought down the painful ringing in his ears. Whatever fight had been left in the mob was gone, the protesting students had retreated behind their barricades and even the police had begun to withdraw.

Cursing the cowardice of the police and the failings of his own aging body, Chen drifted stiffly into the smoke and made good his exit, swearing revenge on Inframan when they next met.

Superhero Media: Captain Marvel

I'm writing this in September 2020, so over a year after Captain Marvel was in cinemas, and doing some rough math, expect this article to come out through the backlog sometime in 2023, by which time, I really hope angry nerd guys have stopped complaining about it. No, I'm not "defending" Captain Marvel, because I don't feel multi-billion dollar corporations need me to defend their products and the film stands fine on it's own merits. For me, Captain Marvel is middling in terms of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it has good characters and fun elements, but falls down in a few areas. What Captain Marvel is not, however, is a "bad film" because it doesn't appeal to traditional, read; Male, narratives. Look, I'm really not qualified to lecture on Feminist Film Theory and this isn't the place for it, but, rather fittingly, Captain Marvel chooses to forgo the typical male superhero narrative for a more feminist character journey, which, of course, made it a shitload of money from female fans and left a bunch of nerds butthurt on the internet. This may well be the darkest timeline after all. 

So yes, I probably won't be talking much about the narrative of Captain Marvel here, at least in terms of recounting it, as it's perfectly serviceable and how many of us really watch the MCU films for the intense plots? I honestly feel that the guys (and it is ALWAYS guys) who complain that Carol "doesn't overcome" anything to "earn" her power are, on some level, willfully ignorant of female experience. Watching Captain Marvel again for this article, I was like "Oh yeah, Carol's been pushed around and boxed in her whole life", so whilst I may not really be able to identify with the narrative, I do understand it and think it works well. The entire world has told Carol not only what she can and can't do, but what to feel and how to act; don't give into your emotions (like a weak woman), be rational and logical (like a strong man). The secret to unleashing her power, however, is to feel, to embrace her natural emotions and be her true self, undefined by the roles placed on her by others. I'm not saying you have to enjoy Captain Marvel or can't criticise it, but "it's not a male narrative" is not a legitimate criticism, it's sexism. If you really were being critical, you would have pointed out the uninteresting soundtrack, poor mixing or bland alien planets. Funny you didn't.  

Oh hey, there are Skrulls in this film! I fucking love Skrulls! Sure, they're pretty different from how they are in the comics, and they don't do any of the interesting spiritual or gender stuff, but I can't honestly say I was expecting any of that. Ben Mendelson is brilliant as Talos and I'm glad that he's already been back in Spider-Man Far From Home, can't wait to see how they do Super-Skrull, Paibok and the Skrulltastic Four. I feel, for me, that Captain Marvel will be like Doctor Strange, in that I enjoy it enough, but will not be hanging out for each new installment as much as I will, say, Guardians of the Galaxy or Ant-Man. And that's ok. There are enough films to go around, not all of them need to be something that I will, specifically, enjoy, the girls are welcome in the playground, there's plenty of space and I don't mind waiting for the slide occasionally. Hey, maybe if we stop being mad about the girls getting included, we can also invite the LGBTIQ+ people over? They seem like a lot of fun to have around? Just a thought.