Superhero Media: Ash Vs Evil Dead

Full disclosure, I'm not really a fan of the Evil Dead series. Sure, I've seen them all and want to read the Freddy vs Jason vs Ash comic at some point, but I can't say that I've ever viewed them as "classics" in any respect. My guess is that I simply came to them too late, well into my 20s, to have them leave a lasting impression, then again, it was the same for Big Trouble in Little China and that is a goddamned masterpiece. That said, I really enjoyed the first few episodes of Ash Vs Evil Dead, with an ageing, overweight and laughably pathetic Ash eking out an existence in retail. When the dead rise again, Ash does everything he can to ignore the problem until his coworkers force him to strap on his chainsaw and get busy. When Ash finally gains the impetus to go after the Deadites, it's a pretty cool scene, pity that momentum doesn't last the rest of the series. 

To start with Ash Vs Evil Dead is pure Sam Rami, through and through; the splatter quotient is dialed up to eleven and the zombie makeup is actually really good for a television programme. Where it falls down is in terms of plot and verisimilitude. Ash and co basically have to get the Necronomicon back to the cabin to prevent the apocalypse, not sure why it took them a whole season though, as the cabin appears to be in the same state and they're driving. Ok, yes they have to stop to fight deadites every episode to keep the action up, but the lack of progress is distracting, especially when Ash is trying to pick up a random waitress in a diner, who clearly isn't interested; yes, it informs character, but runs contrary to the idea of the chase/road narrative. Also odd is that, in an early episode, deadites are overrunning a shopping centre and people are looting, but one episode later (and one county over), everything seems to be fine and no one is aware of the undead apocalypse bearing down on them. 
 

My guess is that Ash Vs Evil Dead is made for the fans. The references to the films are think and fast and Rami-splatter seems to be used as a kind of caulk for the gaps in narrative. The longer I think about it, the more holes I find; why has Ash not sold the Necronomicon if he's that hard up for cash, he had at least one buyer? Why is all of his Deadite-hunting gear in perfect working order if it's been that long, he seems pretty lazy? Is there really only one Necronomicon, a lot of people seem to know about it and in most fiction there are a few copies rocking around? If, unlike me, you can sit there and not analyse things too much, you should get a kick out of Ash Vs Evil Dead, but I don't think I'll be chasing down the second series now that my 30-day Free Trial has expired. Still want that Hasslefree "Not Ash" for Ultimate Alliance though... 

 

Superhero Media: One Punch Man

So this anime was memeing pretty hard and I figured I should probably check it out. Something about a guy who was so strong he could kill anything with only one punch. Given the tedium that overpowered anime and video game characters tends to inspire in me, I was reluctant to get started. What anyone failed to tell me was that the protagonist, Saitama, suffers from such a degree of existential ennui that he is occasionally unable to function and borders upon suicidal. No one mentioned that One Punch Man was a pastiche of exactly the kind of overused tropes and cliches that I'm growing sick of in comics, anime, films and video games and that there are some unique concepts explored very cleverly. Also, there's big fights and a really strong guy, that's what really counts, right? 

 

Of all the overpowered anime characters to grace the small screen, Saitama is by far the most humble and, frankly, the most reasonable I've ever come across; he just wants to help out. After rescuing a child from a massive crab monster, Saitama dedicates himself to training, with the aim of becoming the strongest hero in the world; he succeeds, but the credit always seems to go to someone else. Also of interest is the public registration, payment and ranking of heroes, in which heroes essentially become public servants or, at the top level, special forces. One of the "S-Class" heroes is actually a criminal, who spends most of his time in prison, either for rape or sexual assault, it's not clear, but he's powerful enough that he's pulled out for the biggest fights. Imagine the level of amoral bureaucracy that requires. It makes a great counterpoint to the whole "Civil War" thing.

For a more international take on the interaction between superheroes and governments, give One Punch Man a go, there's a lot there to explore in games. The fights are pretty spectacular and Saitama's struggle with motivation and mental health give it a bit more mileage than it might otherwise have. Despite my usual tendency to veer away from really powerful characters, I am a bit tempted to track down a 28mm Saitama, he's really strong, but he requires an activation roll to get up and going. In the next series, I'd like to see some more explanation of how the Hero Ranking system works and what the plan is for when the number of heroes grows too large, or someone really powerful goes rogue.

WIP: Alternate Hulkbuster

Like pretty much everyone, I loved the Hulkbuster scene in Avengers: Age of Ultron. The Hulkbuster has a proud history in Marvel comics and it was a real fanboy gushing moment to see it on the big screen. Naturally, I was keen for the heroclix version as well, but was underwhelmed when it was a Chase Ultra-Rare in a Gravity Feed set. It goes for about $20-30USD on eBay at the moment, which means, with the struggling Aussie dollar and exorbitant US shipping, that I'm looking at at least $50AUD to get one in my hands. A bit pricey for a clix. There are a couple of toy options, but all lack real detail and decent posing. 

Then I found this: 

It's a Disney Infinity figure for video games. It cost me $14. As you can see, it's pretty damn big, those are a Knight Models Doctor Doom and Eureka 28mm Modern next to it. Now, in the film, the Hulkbuster is a little taller than the Hulk, and my Hulks (I have a Hulk problem) tend to top out at about 54mm, making this one damn big Hulkbuster. It's a bit hard to see in the blister packaging (I'm keeping it sealed until I decide to keep it), but it's about twice as tall as the KM Doom. 

Now, in World War Hulk, Iron Man breaks out a new Hulkbuster that's a fair bit taller than old Jade Jaws; Heroclix make one of those too, but it looks pretty naff and would be upwards of $50 again. So what if I called this big boy the latest model? As you may be able to tell, he's pretty nicely pre-painted and shouldn't require much work to get to a tabletop standard. 

So, true believers, what do you think? I'm going to base my decision to keep it or return it based on the feedback I get here. 

 

Rethinking the Wish List

Hey True Believers! Sorry that the posts have been more about writing than games or miniatures of late; I've been focusing on other games and my studies. One thing I have been doing though, is trying to get a bit more of a focus on the ongoing Ultimate Alliance project, now that I have the table looking pretty damn good. To that end, I'm going to be planning out my future goals here, so that I have something to work to other than pages of notes handwritten in the back of workbooks. 

1. New Roads/Pavement 

I currently have a set of cork tile roads and un-expanded foam footpaths that sit under the buildings of my city table. Together these look great, but they are easily damaged, are heavy and awkward to transport. I've seen a couple of other options, like the Hawk Wargames urban battleboards or getting a mat printed, but I'm currently discussing some lasercut MDF with a local guy, which I'm hoping will be a decent compromise. I think the Mat would be the ideal solution, but no one seems to be making a "clean" (i.e. without craters and battle-damage) urban road mats at the moment. 

2. Traffic Lights
I may finally have a lead on O-Scale Traffic lights! It's only taken four years! Still a little shocked that no one is putting this out in a lasercut. 

3. Buildings 

I'm pretty good for buildings, but I'd like to replace my abandoned building, shoe-box warehouse and foamcore skyscrapers eventually. They're nice "enough" but don't quite look up to scratch next to the Sarassia and Impudent Mortal stuff. Knights of dice are getting going locally, and my love of all things Art Deco will be having me pick up at least a couple of their things. Multiverse's Magnetic towers as well are very tempting, and Mind Games Melbourne is stocking them now, so I should have something soonish. My Cor-Sec shop that I've done up as a bank is problematic; it was warped and broken when it turned up and is slowly falling apart, even with my heavy mods to keep it together. I'm never bothering with that mob again. 

4. Heroclix 

The great thing about superhero games is that you only really need one of most characters an miniatures. The bad thing is, if you read as many comics as I do, you still want a heck of a lot of those characters. I've had a "Buy List" of heroes (mostly clix) on my desktop for a few years now, and I finally think it's getting shorter. Also, it helps that there isn't many new Clix coming out that grab my fancy; time will tell with TMNT, but we'll deal with that below. In terms of Clix, the current list is as follows:
Nick Fury (616), Ragdoll, Spiderman 2099, Batman Beyond, Cosmo, Firefly, Captain Marvel (SHAZAM), Apocalypse, Metallo, Drax the Destroyer, Prowler, Quake, Desaad, Granny Goodness, Mongul, Starlord, Gamora, Brainiac, Jackal, Vapor, Rogue, Asp, Princess Python, Sidewinder, Lizard, Calendar Man, Guy Gardner, Mojo, Doctor Bong, Cloak, Melter, Black Adam, Titanium Man, Bizaro, Baron Zemo, Mister Sinister, Taskmaster, Blood Brother, Killowog, Gabriel Air Walker, Mirror Master, Captain Cold, Gravitron, Hulkbuster and some Badoon. 
As you can see, nothing too insurmountable or too expensive on the secondary market, my main hurdle is student income. 

5. Knight Models 

I have to say, I've managed to resist the allure of Knight Models so far, but there are a few that I do plan to grab. Jim Lee Superman, Lobo, Doctor Doom and the starter set Bane are all on my radar, but I'm waiting for sale/discount stock so that I'm not dropping $100AUD on four miniatures. I have, as of this moment, no real plans to get into the Batman Miniatures game, but time may tell. 

6. TMNT 

So TMNT Heroclix are on the way. Hells to the yeah! I'm not sure how many actual boosters, I'll be buying, I'm pretty sure my focus will be more on singles, as I already have a very nice set of turtles. Basically, I'd like Bebop, Rocksteady, Shredder, Splinter, April, Casey Jones and Metalhead. You know, the secondary characters. So far, the previews only really show many variations of turtle, but hopefully there'll be common or uncommon versions of the other major characters. 

7. Dragonball/Z/GT/Super 

Did you know that there's a Dragonball Z board game and possibly collectible miniature game in the works? Jasco Games, an American company, has a card game called the Universal Fighting System that includes several Animes, Megaman and has recently picked up the rights to Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter and Dragonball Z. Last year they Kickstarted a Megaman Board Game and are set to do the same for Dragonball Z in the near future. Jasco has also announced a CMG in the works, featuring several of the properties they have access to, though specifics are thin on the ground at the moment. Unlike TMNT, Image or Dark Horse, I'd happily have just about every character from the Dragonball universe. Supreme West Kai, Bra, Mercenary Tao, Launch, Jeice, I'll take them all. Actually, almost all the main characters interest me far less than than the minor players, which will hopefully work out in my favour if the go CMG. Watch out for the Great Saiyaman mixing it up with Moon Knight at some point. 

8. Other Manufacturers 

There are a few other things out there that I'll be picking up to fill out some heroes and villains. Hasslefree do a couple of characters I'm currently without and I must pick up some Ninja at some point to serve as Hand/Foot or whatever Japanese henchmen I need access to. It's great to see that there are companies turning out the occasional knockoff for those of us that can't resist mashing their settings together. 

9. Wish List 

Because that's what it's all about at the end of the day, right? Playing all the fantasy team-ups that we'll never get to see in comics because of the crazy IP laws that the USA have created to protect Mickey Mouse. It's actually kind of amazing how many characters I've been able to find over the years from scrounging through the dark parts of the internet, but there are always more, aren't there? Here's a look at the current line-up of desire: 

 Allen the Alien (Invincible, Image Comics)

I'll cover this more with the titular character below, but Invincible is an amazing comic and you should all read it. Allen is a great secondary character from the comic with a huge fan following and an amazing back-story. I won't ruin it too much here, but Allen has some great generic "Paragon" abilities and a cool look. I'd like to see him alongside the Guardians of the Galaxy on my gaming table one day. 

 Astro Boy 

Actually, a friend is keen to sculpt up an Astro for use in my Ultimate Alliance games, so this may no longer be a fantasy in the near future. Like many born in the 1980s, I grew up with Astro Boy and his adventures are ingrained on my consciousness. Now, everybody; "Soaring high in the sky..." 

 Commander Keen (Commander Keen, ID Software) 

Yeah, still on the Commander Keen train of thought. Replaying the classic games just increased my enthusiasm, which is pretty atypical for me; what with The Maxx and Darkwing Duck falling off the Wish List pretty quick when I watched the programmes again. However, Commander Keen is just the kind of hero I'd like to see grace the table; nothing but a pogo stick, a ray gun and a bit of pluck, sounds like a winner to me. 

Doctor Dinosaur (Atomic Robo, Red 5 Comics)

I have an Atomic Robo now, so, of course, I need a Doctor Dinosaur to fight him. I thought Doctor Dinosaur was genius the minute I read his dialogue on the page and knew I must have one. In a world with Doctor Doom and Lex Luthor running their Machiavellian schemes, we need a crazy dinosaur who powers his machines with Crystals and mangles the English language. 

General Zod (As portrayed by Terrance Stamp)

C'mon, I can't be the only person that thinks this is the superior version of Zod. Modern power-armour or classic spandex doesn't do anything for me, but a widow's peak and chest hair? Brilliant. Yeah, it's camp and silly, but Silver Age Superman is camp and silly and that should be celebrated, not forgotten and shoved aside for "dark and edgy" Superman. "Kneel before Zod" is a classic line that deserves some play on the tabletop. 

Invincible (Invincible, Image Comics) 
Once again, Invincible is an amazing comic and you must read it. Go read it right now. Mark Grayson is the son of one of the most powerful heroes in the world and his powers have just kicked in. Awesome. Imagine if Superman was Peter Parker's dad and you have a vague idea of what's going on. Mark has to grow up with a great deal of "power and responsibility" and still balance his normal life. A great comic, a great character and I really want one.  

John Hours (Black Summer, Avatar Press) 

How many superheroes do you know that have murdered a sitting president? John is the leader of the Six Guns, a team of cybernetics-enhanced University nerds who took it upon themselves to clean up their city, with guns. A patently libertarian reactionary piece to the lies and crimes of the Bush Administration, Black Summer is a great read with a couple of really great characters, including John Hours, a man willing to commit the worst crime he can think of in order to set his country free. Imagine Captain America with The Punisher's morality and Mister Miracle's tech. 

Max Damage (Incorruptible, Boom) 
And I though Irredeemable was good. Max Damage is the world's most dangerous Super-criminal, but when he sees the Plutonian go on a rampage, he has an epiphany and realises that it's time to be a hero. Max's motivations are somewhat puzzling to those around him, as he destroys his lair, abandons his teenage sidekick and even burns a mountain of cash that he stole. Max knows that he is the only one who can defeat the Plutonian, but can he get past his own history and reputation to do so?  

Samus (Metroid Series, Nintendo)

I used to want a fair few Nintendo characters for Ultimate Alliance, but the frankly stupid powers they give them these days makes me cringe. For some reason, Samus has escaped relatively unscathed, I'd like to not have to put that down to misogyny, but you never know with Nintendo. Samus is a bounty hunter with an awesome set of power armour with a proud history of preventing genocide. Perhaps her motivates aren't always grand, but she's on the right side when the chips are down. 

The Crow (The Crow) 

Nothing like Gothic, harlequin, undead justice tearing up the mean streets. The Crow is in indy comics icon and one I feel needs representing in miniature. I believe he'd be one of those characters like Gamera or Snake Eyes; not many people would want to play him, but those who do will be thrilled at the option. A sculpt that looked like the above art would be really great. 

The Spirit (by Will Eisner) 

The original comic hero, how could I not? Again, not a character I'd see picked up and played all the time, but a much-needed addition to Golden Age games. So long as I manged to stay away from Frank Miller and terrible film adaptations, I think The Spirit would work well in Ultimate Alliance. 

Tom Noir (Black Summer, Avatar Press) 

The only other really interesting character from the Six Guns, Tom Noir can read and see telecommunications in the air around him and hack at the speed of thought. Drunk and injured and pulled out of retirement for one last job, Tom hates the idea of corruption and is perfectly willing to fight against Government and Police in the name of true freedom. He also looks cool, which is a good thing for a miniature. 

Watchmen (DC Comics and Alan Moore) 

I can't be the only person disappointed that the only Watchmen miniatures available, both in Clix and Knight models, are based on the terrible film rather than the original comics, right? Ok, so my Rorschach doesn't matter either way and I'd never put Doctor Manhattan on the table ("God exists, and he's American"), but everyone else would be welcome. Pudgy Nite Owl II, Dollar Bill, even Moloch and Hooded Justice would be great to have mixing it up. The sooner I can consign the film to a bitter memory, the better. 

The Venture Bros. (Adult Swim) 

Man, I could write the shit out of a Venture Brothers miniature game. Seriously, I already know the basic mechanics in my head and how it would work (a little like a Pulp Alley/7TV/Pulp City mashup) and I could bash out an alpha in a weekend. Give me a call Doc Hammer. 

Andrew W.K. (A free spirit that can never truly be contained)
Yeah, Andrew W.K., seriously. I have my reasons. 

Earthworm Jim (Universal) 
Great big muscles and a really big ray gun, Jim is a hero through and through despite his general incompetence and lack of comprehension of almost everything. Another slightly-wacky space adventurer that I'd like to have alongside Allen the Alien, Ratchet and Clank and Commander Keen. 

Mewtwo (Pokemon, Nintendo) 

There are people who look at the characters they can play in Ultimate Alliance and see the Pokemon Trainer and cringe. Then there are those who realise the potential and settle in for a fun game. As I tend to like to have at least one matching hero and villain, Mewtwo is probably the best fit for my G1 Pokemon mindset. Also, he's been known to fight the good fight when he really needs to; nothing like a villain turning hero just long enough to save the day before turning on his temporary allies. 

Ratchet and Clank (Insomniac) 
The galaxy's greatest heroes are due their own film next year and it actually looks pretty good. I guess that's what happens when Sony goes the Marvel Studios route and gets people who actually worked on the games to work on the film. I think a gravity-feed clix set of the film may be a bit much to hope for, but maybe some mircofigs? Come hell or high water, one day Ratchet and Clank are going to kick some arse on my table. 

Thinking out loud: The Future of Heroclix

Way back in the early 2000s, I got into Heroclix pretty hard when it first hit the shelves. It was my first flirtation with supers gaming and probably the biggest jump I'd made away from Warhammer 40,000 at the time (purchase-wise, I had played a bit of DBA and NATO Spearhead). Much like what would happen five or so years later with Warmachine, tournament play finally killed my enthusiasm for Heroclix, as well as the artificial rarity, and I pooh-poohed the game for a fair while after that. Despite this, I did keep buying the odd loose clix, if it was of a character I really liked or could find use in another miniatures game; I had, at one stage, grand plans for an Ultimates-themed 40K Daemonhunters army, with Nick Fury as an Inquistor and Captain America as a Grey Knight, but I could never get the figures to put it all together. It was then that I first rebased and repainted clix and I found that I got a lot of satisfaction out of it, so, even though I didn't have a project in mind, I just kept going with it. A few years after that, I discovered SuperSystem and the rest, as they say, is history. 

These days, I'm spoiled for choice when it comes to miniatures for generic superheroes, I've lost track of the number of makes and manufacturers that have gone into my "Equalisers" setting stuff and I'm still yet to get any of my Crossover stuff on the table. However, when it comes to the big name heroes for my Ultimate Alliance games, I still find myself turning to Heroclix more often than not. Despite the quality of sculpts varying from reasonable to abysmal, the pre-painted atrocities and the above mentioned problems with rarity, the fact is, if you want a Marvel or DC hero, you'll find it in clix, probably for next to nothing. Knight Models has hit in a big way with their Batman/DC and Marvel ranges, but anyone who has bought one of their products will tell you about the fiddly assembly and poor cast quality. When I'm asked what the best way to get into supers gaming is, I say download the SS4 quick-play rules and grab a Heroclix booster; in for under $20. 

Marvel and DC are still the biggies when it comes to Heroclix, but I have plenty of the Indy clix and whilst I never bought any Halo, Assassin's Creed or Bioshock clix, I did see them around. Also, TMNT is coming out, which is pretty damn cool and should fill out a fair few slots on my wish list. What surprises me most about TMNT clix is just how long they've taken to arrive. As a writer and someone who has worked in the gaming industry, I get that miniature wargames is hardly an obvious choice for merchandising and that licensing is a legal minefield, but Heroclix is one of those weird entities that seems to have defied all expectation. Think about how much tooling molds for plastic miniatures must cost, even with a large scale production, and now consider that WizKids make hundreds of new molds every year; they must be doing ok to still be operating more than ten years later. 

Personally, I'm hoping that TMNT will be a huge success for WizKids, not because I play Heroclix (I don't anymore), but because it would be a great "bargaining chip" for them to expand their range. I don't know about you, but I was glad to get my hands on the BPRD set back in the day and got a bit giddy when I opened a Howard the Duck and I'm set to relive that with TMNT; fingers crossed that Metalhead isn't a Chase Rare. Should WizKids get the chance, I'd like to see them start to move in on some other comic, television, film and video game brands: 

Image Comics

Until recently, I had only been exposed to Image's early 1980s and 1990s work, which is, frankly, pretty woeful as Rob Liefeld is the driving force, both artistically and in terms of writing and he is pretty damn crap at both. Ok, so Deadpool came good in the hands of other writers, but that was clearly the exception rather than the rule. Then I started reading Invincible. Holy crap that comic is amazing. Like Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle and Ultimate Spider-Man amazing. Here was a fully fleshed-out world, populated with a variety of heroes that "felt" like Marvel or DC but was still unique and fresh. Forget Spawn and all that Youngblood crap; Invincible, Guardians of the Globe and Savage Dragon alone would provide a great basis for a series of Clix sets. Plus Spawn and all the other teenage power fantasy BS would draw in a few people as well. 

King Features Sydnicate

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think King still owns the rights to Phantom, Mandrake and Flash Gordon, plus the associated characters and even other "heroic" characters like Prince Valliant and Jungle Jim. Ok, so there's not a great deal of opportunity for growth, but at least there are more characters than the Watchmen set. Thanks to the 1980s DOE cartoon, there's a substantial cult following for these characters, and with superheroes being the big thing in pop culture at the moment, may as well strike while the iron's hot, right? Seriously, Octobrain clix, I want one. 

Dragonball Z 

Much like TMNT, why is this not a thing already? There's a new DBZ film and series on the way, the relaunched CCG is going gangbusters and DBZ video games continue to sell like crazy in Japan and the USA. Akira Toriyama is famously difficult, but has shown that he'll do pretty much anything for truckfulls of cash. When asked, as I have been more than once, how I would do DBZ as a minis game, I say that Heroclix is about the only existing system I can see pulling it off. Plus, there's hundreds of characters, many with multiple forms or costumes, so sets could go for years. It would be like printing money; watch Super Saiyan God Goku go for four figures on eBay, especially if he's a convention exclusive. 

Nintendo 

And why not? Nintendo will slap Mario and Co on pretty much anything these days the the punters lap it up. Have you seen Amiibos? I know people who don't even own a WiiU or DS that collect the damn things and keep them in the blister packs. Can you imagine how fast Nintendo Clix would sell? The best thing is, all Nintendo would have to do is sell the license and approve designs, then sit back and rake in a percentage. Nowhere near the top of my list, but still, the possibilities are pretty huge. 

So that's my (amateur) take on the future of Clix sets; probably more an exercise in fantasy than prescience, but that was what I was going for anyway. How about you, what boxes would you like to be cracking? CW DC sets? Mortal Kombat? Vallient Comics? 

Wish List - Part 3: C-c-c-c-computer games!

I'm not really what one would call a "gamer". I do play video games, on occasion, but I'd rather wargame or, if that's not an option, watch something and paint. That said, the Marvel: Ultimate Alliance game inspired my biggest and longest-running supers project to date, so I do recognise the good concepts and ideas that can come from games, even if they're not my favorite pastime. When I run my demo games, however, I get plenty of requests for video game characters, some I've heard of, but most I have no idea. Being the kind of guy who's willing to buy a miniature or two to get more interested in the hobby, I'll go off and have a look at some of these suggestions, only to discover that they're all epically powerful, god-killing golden children. Kids these days... what happened to rooting for the underdog? I do actually have some video game heroes, as you may have seen, like Solid Snake, the Pokemon Trainer and there are a couple more in the pipeline, but there's always those couple more, aren't there? 

1. Kirby 

The very first video game I owned was Kirby's Dream Land 2 on Game Boy. I loved that game, lost track of how many times I finished it, and since then I've tried to own or at least play as many Kirby games as I can, they're great fun, if a little kiddy. For an eight-inch tall ball of marshmallow, Kirby is a rampaging engine of destruction, battling elder gods and ancient threats whilst devouring his foe's very souls to gain their power. In game terms, I'm not entirely sure how Kirby would work, his whole "inhale and copy" ability would be odd in a 3D miniatures game, I think it would be a bit of fun, however, to have this pint-sized, pink "Star Warrior" tangling with the likes of Thanos. 

2. Commander Keen 

Remember these games? I do. I remember booting up the 486 and typing "keen1" into DOS. Good times. This kind of classic character is exactly what I'm thinking about when I complain about the walking gods that inhabit Video Games these days; a boy genius builds a spaceship in his backyard and flies to Mars, where he finds aliens bent on destroying the Earth, with nothing more than a raygun and a pogo stick, he saves us all. Also he's the ancestor of the main character in Doom. Guardians of the Galaxy showed how the saviors of the universe can be ordinary people with just a little pluck and courage; Commander Keen would look great next to Flash Gordon and Ratchet when the alien fleet lands and starts to wreak havoc. 

3. Mewtwo 

Yeah a Pokemon one. I know that with Pokemon, you either get it, or you don't, it's a generational thing. Unlike most Pokemon, Mewtwo has a distinct personality and a complicated back story; having been created in a lab and battled with his own desires to conquer and destroy. Mewtwo walks that wonderful line of villain-hood where he is forced into being a hero on occasion, which he proves better at than being a destroyer, much to his rage. To me, in my "Head-Canon" the idea of cramming Mewtwo into a Pokeball is laughable, he's a force of nature, and you'd better hope that he's on your side when it comes to the crunch. 

4. Samus Aran 

I haven't played many Metroid games, but I have a soft spot for Samus; the bastard daughter of Ellen Ripley and Tony Stark. Like all Nintendo characters, Samus has had a grand destiny built upon her in recent years, but back in the day, she was just a damn talented bounty hunter with the bad luck to keep getting caught in the middle of an alien holocaust. Forget the sexed-up "Zero Suit", I want to see an armoured Samus blasting away Skrulls on my table one day, hoping she gets paid for saving the day yet again. 

5. Megaman 

Why has there never been a Megaman/Astro Boy team up? In the distant year 20XX, the evil Doctor Wiley attempts to conquer the world with his invincible Robot Masters; the only thing in his way, Doctor Light's robot boy, Rock. Endlessly adaptable, almost indestructible and (depending on how you read Bob and George), pretty stupid, Megaman has been a gaming icon for decades, and has always had that superhero edge to his story. Not sure how his various powers could be represented, but I think he'd be a popular addition to any games featuring Metallo or Ultron. 

Wish List - Part 2: Legacy

Stuck at home sick today, so I've got some time to think and write a little; this wish list is a little more esoteric. A "think piece" if you will, about how some iconic, but less traditional, comic characters may interact with the big names I already have. 

1. The Crow 

I've both seen the Brandon Lee film and read the original Graphic Novel and whilst I see how it became a cult classic, to be fair; it has dated. That said, an undead (more so in the film) vigilante driven by love and revenge is an extremely evocative and primal image. For those of a certain generation Eric Draven is more important and iconic than The Avengers and Batman and I can imagine he'd play in a unique fashion, only being stunned or slowed by attacks that would kill many other characters. I also imagine that he'd be fun to team up with Ghost Rider and Deadman. 

2. Magnus, Robot Fighter 

I stumbled across Magnus through some 90s Valiant comics that I won at an arcade. It was the first time I had read an indy comic that featured a genuine superhuman, having been exposed only to The Phantom outside of Marvel/DC at that stage. At that stage, Magnus was fighting other superhumans more than robots, but the character stuck in my head despite the poor quality of the comics. Given that the license for Magnus has been picked up again in the last couple of years, I wouldn't be surprised if a film studio starts up a Magnus project to cash in on the success of Marvel Studios. A super-powered man from the future who fights evil robots is a pretty easy sell to Middle America. 

3. The Maxx 

Ok, let's face it, the Maxx is weird. Between the multiple universes, the flat-out crazy and the antagonist being a straight-up rapist, it's hardly a comic that most would find enjoyable. That said, I have a remarkably high tolerance for weird and crazy in my comics; bring on the Man-Thing/Maxx/Ducktor Strange crossover I say! Can't be any worse than the time the Maxx met Sonic the Hedgehog right? Yeah, that happened: http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/linkara/at4w/44730-sonic-super-special-7 . Come to think of it, I watched the Maxx animated show at about the same age I got really into comics, and almost all of my homebrew heroes have some kind of complex or emotional issue in their personality makeup. Perhaps it's time for a good, hard, psychological look at my Equalisers setting... 

4.The Spirit 

Few things say "Legacy of Comics" more than The Spirit. I am, of course, talking about the original, Will Eisner creation, not the abortive, nonsensical Frank Miller effort.The prototypical costumed hero, The Spirit is the direct ancestor of characters like Batman, The Question, The Angel, The Green Hornet and so many more, so I feel he deserves more respect than he tends to get. As well as a fun and iconic superhero, The Spirit would be great for Pulp, Weird World War Two and even Interwar gaming, as he is essentially just a man in a mask. Great iconic look too. 

5. Spawn 

I hate Spawn. I have never read anything with him in it that I enjoyed and I find the character a good example of everything wrong with 90s comics. That said, Spawn, and Image Comics in general, have an important place in the history of comics that tie into major events like the Speculator Boom and the rise of creator-owned content. Essentially I feel that I should have an Image Tentpole in my collection, and as I don't care for any Image character, Spawn is the obvious choice.

7 Marvel Films I'd Like to See (in no particular order)

For those unaware, I did a minor in Film Studies at university, so cinema holds more fascination for me than most. Understandably, Superhero Films are something I really enjoy, and the rise of Marvel Studios has been a joy to watch. Rumors and leaks about the next series of films are near-constant, and the success of Guardians of the Galaxy has opened the floodgates on just what is possible to do in the medium. So, for a bit of fun, here is a list of seven productions I'd like to see Marvel Studios undertake in the future.

She Hulk – Single Green Female 

Jennifer Walters is a shy, mousy, unpopular law student just trying to keep her head down and get through college, until a bone-marrow transplant from her cousin Bruce Banner turns her into the Savage She-Hulk! Fast forward five years and She-Hulk (Jen or Shulkie to her friends) is a prominent lawyer, a beloved celebrity and one of the most desirable women on the planet. When Jen is fired from her law firm for partying too hard and crushing photocopiers trying to photocopy her butt, she is picked up by a prestigious law firm (Goodman, Lieber, Kutzberg and Holliway) to help them practice Superhuman Law! This seems so obvious as a TV Series, I’m a little surprised Marvel Studios hasn’t given it the “Green Light”. Imagine a less neurotic Alley McBeal whose clients include Superheroes, Supervillains and many other familiar faces from the MCU, also, she occasionally gets to punch someone through a wall. Shulkie has a huge cult following among Marvel fans, so there’s an audience ready-built for what could be the most unique programme in prime-time.

Supreme Power 

Now, stop me if you’ve heard this one; a spaceship crashes in Kansas carrying a baby boy with incredible strength, he’s found and taken home by a farming couple who decide to raise him as their own, until the Army turns up and takes the boy. Dubbed “Mark Milton” the alien child is raised in an artificially “perfect” American environment until he is old enough to be deployed in the Gulf War. Meanwhile, germs from the spaceship have given a young Alabama boy super speed and mutated an unborn child into a fish-creature, a goddess awakes in Greece, the power crystal of the ship gives a special forces soldier super powers and the heir to a fortune sees his parents gunned down in front of him. Penned by Joseph Michael Stracynski (Babylon 5), Supreme Power is, essentially, Justice League through a glass darkly, and if it could be made as a film, it would cement Marvel Studio’s superiority in the world of Superhero Cinema for decades to come. Just imagine if Marvel produced a “better” Justice League film, Warner Brothers would crap their pants.

Ultimate Galactus 

It comes… and there is no escape. Gah… Lak… Tus… Of all the many retellings of Galactus’ coming to Earth, none has done it on as grand a scale as Ultimate Galactus. An alien broadcast out of Russia foretelling the end of all life kick-starts a SHIELD investigation, uncovering the terrifying truth of Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds, and it comes to Earth. It seems as if no defence can be mounted against such a creature and his “Heralds”, Silver men who preach suicide in the face of the returning god, until a Kree defector, Genris Halason Mar-Vell agrees to help steal the Kree database on Galactus. The Avengers, SHIELD, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men must work together to devise ways to achieve the impossible; defeat Galactus. The comic is filled with fantastic scenes that would translate brilliantly to the big screen; Professor X using the subconscious of the entirety of humanity to confuse Galactus, X-Men and Avengers fighting back-to-back and the epic conclusion of Reed Richards opening a gate into a pre-universal hydrogen influx, dropping a h-bomb through and blasting Galactus with the force of another universe’s Big Bang! Admittedly, with the way various Hollywood contracts are set up currently, this film would be extremely difficult to achieve. The X-Men would have to be cut out, the version of Galactus in the comic is pretty uninspiring and the Silver Surfers are lacklustre at best. That said, such a film could serve as a bookend to the entire MCU franchise, it would open up Ms Marvel, the Heralds and even Annihilation (see below).

Power Pack 

With Big Hero 6 due out soon, Disney and Marvel have made it clear that they can combine studios to produce interesting children’s cinema. Should Big Hero 6 be a success, I can’t think of anything that would make more sense to do than Power Pack. The Power siblings are the ordinary children of a single-parent scientist until an encounter with a seahorse-like alien leaves all four of them with incredible powers. Keeping Earth safe from the all-conquering Snarks and staying in school is tough enough, but the Power Pack always seems to be running into people like Doctor Doom, The Fantastic Four, Iron Man and SHIELD, who treat them like little kids. An animated Power Pack film would be a great way to draw younger audiences into the MCU and the opportunities for cameos from the live action films would draw in the adults as well.

Annihilation 

Thought Galactus was a big deal? Annihilus, the Death that Walks has declared war on our entire universe! Hailing from the Negative Zone, Annihilus has an endless army of insect minions, one hundred super-powered aliens, the Seekers (not the band, but creatures each the equal of a Herald in power) and Thanos on his side, plus he turns Galactus into a living weapon. The only people standing between the universe and total destruction are Richard Rider (the last Nova Corpsman), Drax, Starlord, Gamora, Ronan and Super Skrull. Annihilation is a Science Fiction war story turned up to eleven; planets crumble in the wake of the Wave and even the combined might of three Heralds is as nothing. And the best thing about this story? It ends with a draw and a cold war. Few films would give me more joy than seeing Annihilation on the big screen, moments like Ronan breaking the Universal Weapon over Ravenous’ head, Galactus screaming for Annihilus’ blood, Drax wading through wave after wave of drones, it would be spectacular.

Captain Britain and MI-13 

A reasonably obscure comic that was cancelled after only 14 issues, Captain Britain and MI-13 seems like it was destined to be a big-budget motion picture trilogy. It all begins with a Skrull invasion; desperate to remove magic from the human arsenal, England comes under siege from an army of Magic-Wielding Super Skrulls. Captain Britain (Merlin’s Champion), The Black Knight (wielder of a cursed blade), Spitfire (WWII Superhero turned Vampire), Blade the Daywalker (he’s British, you know), Peter Wisdom (imagine Johnny Depp playing James Bond with magical powers) and Doctor Fazia Hussain (the Muslim wielder of Excalibur) fight off the invasion right on the steps of the Houses of Parliament; and that’s just the first film. Forming MI-13 to deal with super-powered and supernatural threats to Britain, the team go on to battle a daemon bent on global domination posing as a Birmingham Gangster and finally fight off an invasion of England by Dracula and his army of Vampires from the moon. With great supporting characters like a Skrull turncoat posing as John Lennon, Union Jack and Captain Blood, Captain Britain and MI-13 could be the next big trilogy after The Avengers.

Next Wave 

Yay explosions! Next Wave are in your room, touching your stuff! Five Z-list superheroes are recruited by the Highest Anti-Terrorism Effort (HATE) to battle the enemies of Freedom, only to discover that HATE is actually a Terror Cell named SILENT and are planning to field-test bizarre weapons of mass destruction on America! Monica Rambeau (Photon), Aaron Stack (Machine Man), Tabitha Smith (Boom Boom), The Captain (his name is The Captain!) and Elsa Bloodstone (she’s English) must battle against killer koalas, Elvis MODOKs, broccoli men and Dirk Anger (Supreme Director of HATE) to prevent thousands of deaths. Along the way, we’ll discover that The Captain has issues with teddy bears, Tabby is an illiterate kleptomaniac, Aaron Stack hates “fleshy ones” and Dirk Anger is suicidal. Next Wave is manic, unpredictable, utterly silly and probably would make Marvel Studios squillions of dollars. Next Wave: Blatantly wasting your money since 2005!