Category Archives: 90s Marvel

90s Comics, 90s Marvel, Uncategorized

Ghost in the Machine (part 1 of 4)

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Greetings, Legions of the Unspoken. Tis I, your loyal narrator, Symbifan. That’s right. I’m back. And boy oh boy, have I been through the emotional ringer since last we spoke. Whew! My father passed away, to state it bluntly. Now, I’m not going to say that the man and I were close, but damn it, we were trying after all these years. Sigh. Anyway, that’s my excuse for my long tardiness in writing this article. I’ve been in a kind of confused haze for way too long. Well, now I’m back and I’m ready to get back to my true passion. That’s right. I’m ready to continue my nude sculptures of Batman. Ha! Anyone that knows me knows that it’d be Superman I’d sculpt in the buff. Jeez! It’s fun to laugh again. Anyway, on to my look back at “Death’s Head II” #1 by Marvel Comics! (Also, if you haven’t heard the guys over at the Unspoken Issues give their expert opinions, I highly recommend you give them a listen! Here’s the link to their podcast on this very storyline: https://youtu.be/lEpAio_wSuM?si=k3xIP0YZlYVTCVc9!)

The robotic bountyhunter, Death’s Head, looked at his surroundings. He was now on a planet called Tyler’s World, within a supposedly impenetrable high-tech base. His target was a male by the name of of Tyler Wilson. Tyler had done well for himself, the hunter mused. This was his planet after all. (I’d get a planet named in tribute to me, but Ultra Sexy World was trademarked already. Damn you, Carrot Top! Always one step ahead of me.) Death’s Head spied a duo of highly armed mercenaries not far from his position. To his dismay, they put up little fight even when they noticed him bearing down on them. Way too easy. Or was it? Several more soldiers surrounded him, attacking fiercely! The robot used his hand-blade to send all of them to their makers and with little effort. Death’s Head did love his work. Three million credits to dispose of someone he wanted to kill anyway? A no-brainer. But as the bountyhunter entered the next room, he finally saw something he wasn’t prepared for. Tyler was strung up in a web of cables! Looming over him was a cyborg that’s tech put his own body to shame! Death’s Head called out for the cyborg to cease it’s attack. This was his prey. Ignoring him, it plunged blades from a weapon/arm into Tyler’s skull! It then stated aloud Tyler’s full name, the number one hundred and three, and that he was now assimilated! Ignoring this, Death’s Head demanded satisfaction for stealing his target! The cyborg looked to him and replied that he had other places to be, but he’d see the bountyhunter again soon. It then teleported away. Death’s Head handled the tracking device in his metallic hand. Sooner than the cyborg thought.

The cyborg arrived within an A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics) lab in the year 2020. His creator, a redheaded woman by the name of Dr. Evelyn Necker, asked for a status report from the creature. Called Minion, it answered with sarcasm that wasn’t part of her project’s original programming. She was annoyed by this but supposed it was inevitable as the cyborg absorbed parts of it’s targets’ personalities and skills that it found useful to itself. The lab technicians checked Minion out in every way possible, and it prepared to teleport away once again, eager for it’s next kill. Necker did manage to get the name “Death’s Head” from Minion before it disappeared. This mere mention of the robotic bountyhunter caused fear in the usually cold and indifferent doctor for some reason. Dr. Necker called for an emergency meeting of the A.I.M. board of directors immediately. She stated for all of those holographically assembled that she was concerned for the Minion project’s wellbeing as it was growing less and less controllable with every kill and that she required more funding to discover any bugs as this cyborg was created to ensure that A.I.M wasn’t somehow destroyed in the near future. It was to be their ultimate protector. Begrudgingly, the board agreed. (Man, she’s good. I could’ve used her to beg for a higher allowance from my ex-wife. Umm…..I mean…..never mind…..)

It was now the year 2456. The place was the Zeta Reticula quadrant. A rather large, barbarian-like being with a greenish, incectoid hide was demanding knowledge of his future from a bound, pink-skinned female creature! She refused and this was met with a fierce backhand from the monstrous creature! That’s when a robotic voice from behind the two answered for her. His future was to be murdered within minutes at the hands of the Minion cyborg! Minion leapt from his hiding place and attacked immediately! It caused an avalanche of rock with a blast from it’s cannon-arm and turned to the female. And then, it surprisingly freed her. To repay him, she hastily warned him that the alien barbarian wasn’t dead quite yet! And sure enough, he did crawl from underneath the rubble and spring at Minion! A backhand tore half of the flesh from the cyborg’s face and sent him reeling! (Always with the backhand! Anyone else think that this dude’s a space pimp in his spare time? ) But Minion wasn’t beat yet, growing a liquid metal spike in place of his cannon-arm, the cyborg first cut off the beast’s hand! He then followed by impaling him through the chest and then through the mouth! Minion stated that subject one hundred and four was now assimilated. But before he left this desolate scene, the female thanked him. Strangely enough though, she called him Death’s Head! Speaking of Death’s Head, he teleported in seconds later, narrowly missing all of this. But he had a lock on Minion now!

Minion arrived back in the year 2020 with Dr. Necker demanding to check his systems thoroughly. He declined. This angered the good A.I.M. scientist who attempted to order the cyborg into compliance. This verbal fight was interrupted however as Death’s Head crashed through the overhead window! He immediately fired a lazer rifle at Minion’s face as he roared in his hollow-sounding voice about his stolen bounty! As Minion slowly arose, he told the robot to not resist. Confounded, the bountyhunter asked if he was serious. Minion then leapt at him, saying that Death’s Head was in fact his next target! The two tumbled to the ground with a heavy thud! Minion tried to gut Death’s Head with his bladed arm, but the bountyhunter was too fast and used his own blade to impale the cyborg! But Minion did connect next, nearly tearing half of the robot’s head off in one powerful swipe! Minion approached from the rear as Death’s Head tried to recover. Too late. The rest of his head was cut cleanly from his metal neck! Minion wasted no time in absorbing the robot’s skills and traits. That’s when he started to overload! His circuits were on fire! And then, he suddenly stopped. Minion looked to Dr. Necker and told her he was now leaving for his next target. But he spoke as Death’s spoke now, using his expressions! He then teleported away, without another word! Necker turned to a nearby technician and demanded to know the identity of the next name on the cyborg’s hit list. The man replied that he had gone to 1992 to murder Mr. Fantastic of the Fantastic Four! (Was anyone else reminded of Rock em’ Sock em’ Robots during the fight? To the exxxxtreme!)

To be continued…..

Dedicated to the memory of my father, Terry L. Miller. Thanks for buying me this storyline as a kid. It was worth mowing the lawn for after all. Goodbye, Dad.

90s Comics, 90s Marvel, Uncategorized

Worthy of the Webs (part 4 of 4)

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Well, here we are! The epic finale in the slugfest between the fledgling hero, now known as the Scarlet Spider, and the veteran villain, Venom! Will Ben Reilly succeed where so many other heroes have failed? Will he defeat the Lethal Protector once and for all? (And will I finish this article in or out of the bathroom due to stomach issues? Stay tuned!)

Venom stood atop the skyscraper, lifting the broken and battered hero one handed by his neck! The Scarlet Spider’s feet dangled over the edge as Venom mocked him. Ben couldn’t help but wonder if he deserved this. He was nothing more than a clone after all. (Ugh! Stop with the pity party already and kick his ass, Benny-boy! Jeez! Am I right, folks?) That’s when the Scarlet Spider looked over to Scream. The woman within the symbiote was unconscious and barely breathing. That’s when rage overtook him! No! He wouldn’t surrender! Not when another human life was depending on him! Using all of his advanced strength, the Scarlet Spider balled up his fist and struck behind himself! The blow connected with Venom’s jaw, stunning him long enough for Ben to turn and deliver yet another powerful blow! This one sent Venom soaring across the rooftops, crashing straight through a billboard!

Venom doesn’t stay down for long though! As the Scarlet Spider swings towards his foe, Venom has already shot up a webline of their own, swiping at the hero with razor-sharp claws! Ben barely dodges! He’ll have to slow the villain down. He raises his web-shooter and fires countless orbs that explode upon impact into quick growing webbing! Soon, the symbiotic duo are completely encased, not unlike a deranged mummy! The hero attempts to take a breath and rest his open wound. He needs to plan. But an enraged Venom bursts through the several layers of ultra-strong webbing with an unearthly roar! Wasting no time, Venom pounces at Ben like a panther, sending them both over the building’s edge! (Damn, I nearly spit out my popcorn as I read the exciting words I just wrote! Damn, I’m good!)

The two trade blows back and forth in the small crater they’ve created in the street below! Finally, Venom seems to prepare for a killing strike! But too late! As the monster taunts him, Ben fires even more impact webbing balls into the symbiote’s open, fanged mouth! As they explode, the force begins to pull the Venom creature from it’s human host! As this transpires below, a lone figure dressed in a ragged cape watches from a rooftop with keen interest! The Spider then finishes his attack by firing a stinger bolt from his web-shooter! It hits Eddie Brock’s exposed skin, causing immense pain! While he’s stunned, the Scarlet Spider delivers blow after powerful blow to the villain! They connect with devastating results until, at long last, Venom drops! The mystery man from the rooftop stands, shocked. He will make his presence known soon. Ben Reilly will soon feel the mark of Kaine! (So cool! I have literal goosebumps! Who is this mystetious Kaine? Use Google. Who am I, your living encyclopedia? Presume much?)

Now separated from it’s unconscious and beaten human host, the symbiote lunges towards Reilly! It senses something familiar about him and longs for symbiosis! (What a cheating whore!) But Ben forces it away striking the already wounded alien creature until it drops. The Scarlet Spider then collapses, exhausted beyond words. Later, armored Guardsmen take Eddie Brock and the symbiote in to custody in separate containment chambers. Scream seems to have disappeared completely. The Guardsman takes the Scarlet Spider’s hand and thanks him as he shakes it. The Scarlet Spider then fires a webline upwards and swings away in deep thought. He just defeated Venom! Maybe he’s worth more than he originally thought. Maybe he can be a superhero after all!

End.

(P.S. I made it without running to the bathroom once! Yay, me!)

90s Comics, 90s Marvel, Uncategorized

Worthy of the Webs (part 3 of 4)

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Here we are, Unspokenites! Its part three of my look back at not only the Scarlet Spider’s first night out as a hero, but his first battle as well! And what a first battle too! I mean, who goes and picks a fight with Venom when they’re just a rookie? (I’d be searching for someone wussy like Egghead or something.) Anyway, I present to you the story from “Web of Spider-Man” #119…..

The Scarlet Spider clings to the wall of a building, holding pressure to the webbing that’s holding his insides in place. Venom almost gutted him just moments ago. He needs to get home. Find a way to treat his wounds. Somehow, he manages to return to his apartment. Using his hooded sweatshirt, he ties pressure over the deep gashes on his side just as his webbing finally dissolves. He dresses in his civilian clothes and attempts a call on the telephone for help. But the blood loss is too great. He passes out in the building’s hallway. A neighbor discovers him and, despite her distrust, decides to get him to the hospital ASAP. (Man, I know this is a serious moment in the story, but who else would become a peeping tom if they were granted spider powers? Well? A show of hands? Liars!)

Elsewhere, Venom swings toward the apartment of one Peter Parker in search of answers about this fake Spider-Man that they’ve just battled. The symbiotic duo crash through a window and examine the dwelling. Empty. Annoyed, they look elsewhere. (The subtlety of a triggered Gilbert Gottfried-sounding burglar alarm. Rest in peace, dude.) Their search next take them to the home of Parker’s Aunt May. Nothing. What’s been going on in their absence? Where is Spider-Man? At that moment, as Ben Reilly receives the last of his stitches at the hospital, a nurse casually leaves the room and searches out a phone. Finding one, she makes a hurried call to reporter, Ken Ellis, of the Daily Bugle. He had called earlier, offering cash to anyone who had news of a young man with a specific, serious injury that should arrive this night. Hanging up quickly, he rushes out the double doors and into a passing cab.

Ellis’ sudden departure does not go unnoticed. A being atop a building across the street uncloaks herself, becoming visible. (It’s a Disney-owned Predator! Run! Run before it forces you into it’s inevitably crappy movie!) It’s the female symbiote, Scream. She will follow this reporter. He will lead her to this new Spider. And through him, Venom. Then she will have hope again. Hope of controlling her alien “other”. She cloaks herself once again and follows the cab from the rooftops. Meanwhile, a room of gangsters speak to a shadowed man as he reads the newspaper. They demand he do what they hired him to do, murder the head of another crime family for them. This is his specialty after all. The mysterious man is called Kaine and he doesn’t like taking orders. Kaine ignores them and continues reading in silence. Now angered, guns are drawn and held on him. But Kaine merely knocks the large chandelier down onto many of the criminals with the throw of an unseen weapon, disarms two more men with ease, and finishes by burning the face of the most outspoken one with his mere touch. He dies in anguish! Kaine leaves the paper behind with the headline announcing the Scarlet Spider. Kaine whispers to no-one that he’s found something else more interesting to do.

Back at the hospital, as Ben lowers his shirt over his bandaged midsection, he overhears a commotion from behind his curtain. Peering out, he spies Ken Ellis pushing his way through the nurses. Frantic to conceal his identity, Ben leaps onto the ceiling and pulls the casing off of the overhead vent. He crawls through hastily, making his way to the roof in hardly any time. When Ellis bursts in, he’s met with an empty room. (I know I’ve felt like crawling to freedom exactly like Ben did to escape the utter boredom of the emergency room where I live! You need how much blood? How long does this test’s results take? Madness!) But when the Scarlet Spider reaches the rooftop, he finds he isn’t alone! Scream’s waiting for him! Good thing he thought to pull his mask on! She demands his aid in finding Venom. But Ben has had enough of this situation. He swings off quickly, leaving her to rage alone! Or did he?

Scream tears the rooftop to pieces in her anger, sending pieces of debris flying downwards to the people in the busy streets below! But the Scarlet Spider hasn’t left the scene quite yet. Half expecting this, he hid and waited. He catches and crushes as much of the falling pieces as he can before she swings away. Ben begins to think, what if he hadn’t been here to rescue these people below tonight? What if he’d ignored them and left them to save themselves? It reminded him of Peter’s Uncle Ben and how his murder could have been prevented should Peter have stopped a certain thief earlier that fateful night. Perhaps he’d forgotten Spider-Man’s lesson: “With great power comes great responsibility.” (Is anyone else sick of this constantly repeated credo? Ugh! It’s like the Spider-Man origin story in general. I consider leaping from a high window whenever it’s retold. Maybe it’s just me…..Nah.)

Later, the woman who saved Ben Reilly’s life knocks on his apartment door. She’s been wondering if he’s okay since his sudden disappearance at the hospital. (Yeah. And she saw his muscles while he was unconscious too. I bet that played no part. Women. What a bunch of perverts.) Ben answers but doesn’t remove the chain from his door. He apologies and tells her that he’s busy. She looks taken aback at his rudeness but nods and leaves. He closes the door all of the way and continues suiting up. He’s going to war against Venom! He may still leave this city, but it’ll be with a clean conscience because he’s stopped that creature! Elsewhere, Scream has absolutely lost it! She throws even more heavy objects from the great height of another skyscraper, putting countless more innocent people in harms way! She’s stopped rather quickly, though, as two feet hit her at great speed and with superhuman force! She turns. Venom has arrived and they’ve had enough! Venom knocks Scream down with a powerful punch to the face! They then pin her down and begin to literally tear the bonded symbiote from the human host’s very flesh!

Just then, small orbs are fired upon Venom from behind! Venom turns, confused. The Scarlet Spider stands where the tiny balls were shot from. The pellets suddenly explode with webbing and it covers Venom’s face so quickly and completely, that even they must struggle to tear it off! The hero states that he calls his new invention impact webbing, and he’s brought plenty to end this fight! The two square off. The final battle is here at last!

To be concluded…..