Tag Archives: Human Torch

90s Comics, 90s Marvel, Uncategorized

Ghost in the Machine (part 2 of 4)

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I have survived. Though I found myself in mortal danger, I live on. After a near-fatal Funko Pop avalanche, I crawled out from beneath the collectible rubble to press on and give you my comprehensive look back at “Death’s Head II” #2 by Marvel Comics. Only light injuries were sustained. (So…..much…..Disney….! I only slightly blame Mrs. Symbifan for her addiction. I have also been advised to tell you that I collect Funkos too and should probably just shut my trap. ) Moving on…..

It is the year 1992 and lightning strikes ominously as the Minion cyborg suddenly appears in a grungy back alley in New York City. Energy crackles from his metallic form as he constructs a deadly weapon out of the liquid metal in his right arm by sheer will. The cyborg is now ready to continue its mission. It will kill and assimilate the mind of one Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four! At that exact moment, Mr. Richards sits in a fancy, French restaurant, awaiting the arrival of his lovely wife, Sue. He looks up as the waiter appears with a phone. Mr. Fantastic takes it with a small thank you and answers. It’s Sue. It seems that she’ll be late for the date as she’s currently being held up at a charity event. He replies for her to take her time as he hangs up, amused. For once, she’s the late party. (For those of you that don’t know, Reed’s a crappy husband. He’d rather invent new technologies than satisfy his wife’s needs. Now, the sexy, aquatic monarch, Namor, wants Sue for his very own. So, emotionally cold but genius husband, or kingly and powerful bad boy. Let’s take a vote. Come on, ladies!)

Reed raised his water glass to his lips to drink, but is interrupted by the sudden appearance of a sexy, redhead dressed in strange garb and toting an enormous gun! She tells him that she’s Dr. Evelyn Necker from the year 2020 and that to live, he must do exactly as she says! Before Richards can question her further, Minion enters the restaurant, tossing staff aside like rag dolls as it advances on his target! Minion fires! But Necker pulls Reed to the floor and returns fire! She connects, stunning the powerful construct momentarily! She then rises to her feet to fire a killing shot! But this opportunity is taken away from her as Mr. Fantastic pulls the rifle from her grasp! He demands she stop firing in such a confined place with civilians present and that they take this fight elsewhere. Begrudgingly, she complies. Minion continuse to open fire as they race out the door! (Well, Necker had Minion dead to rights, but Mr. Goody-two-shoes had to ruin it. And the award for dumbass of the year goes to……) Forcing a cabbie from his vehicle, they get in and race off! But the cyborg won’t be dismissed so easily. It leaps and drops in front of the cab! Richards hits the gas, hitting Minion full force! Seconds pass and Minion rises from the street with a slightly annoyed look.

As the vehicle races through New York traffic, the Minion cyborg follows, running at super velocity! Cracking the pavement beneath its powerful footfall, it nearly catches up! And all the while, it fires blast after blast at the fleeing duo! As Reed tries to out-maneuver the shots, he demands an explanation from Necker. She reveals that it’s out to murder him and then absorb his superior intellect. How does she know this? Because she programmed it! It’s already done so with over one hundred victims, but it’s been acting uncontrollable since killing and absorbing the mind of the robotic Death’s Head. Just then, Minion catches up to the cab! But before it can attack, Richards sideswipes it into a lamppost and it tumbles into a store window! Glass explodes everywhere! The now-damaged cab speeds away! (Damn! Maybe old Reed needs to be taught a lesson by Minion. I mean, look at the mess he’s creating! Move the fight away from innocent bystanders my ass! Superheroes. Am I right?) Back in A.I.M. headquarters in the year 2020, a young man named Spratt, a sometimes-sidekick to Death’s Head, walks through the advanced lab, seemingly undetected as an outsider. He wears the uniform of a lowly A.I.M agent as he pushes Death’s Head’s remains down an empty corridor. As he walks, he vows to bring his friend back, no matter the cost!

Meanwhile, at the Fantastic Four’s base of operations, the Thing passes by a television set and happens to see the news as a frantic reporter recounts the recent events involving Mr. Fantastic, an unknown redheaded woman, and a superpowered attacker! Shocked, the Thing readies himself for action! As this is going on, Sue has finally arrived at the restaurant only to see the carnage! She pleads with the waiter as to her husband’s whereabouts! The man replies nervously about the pretty woman and the robotic assailant. (Ooooooh! Reed’s gonna be in trouble! Hehehe! Sorry. That was very juvenile of me…..He’s gonna get it! Hehehe!) Back to the action! Necker retrieves her firearm only to see that it’s damaged beyond repair. So instead, she throws an explosive at the gaining cyborg to slow it down! But shrapnel hits the taxi’s back tires and gas tank! This sends it spinning as it smokes! Mr. Fantastic wraps his rubber arms around Dr. Necker and rolls from the vehicle just as it explodes! Hearing a gravely voice, both look up to see the Thing sitting upon a hovering vehicle close by! The Thing asks for an explanation. Reed tells the large, rocky behemoth that, in short, the cyborg wants him dead. That’s all that Ben Grimm needed to hear. The Thing slowly approaches the cyborg as it walks towards him, through the flames!

The Thing doesn’t get too close however as Minion blasts him with his cannon arm! The rocky superhero pulls himself back to his feet and takes the cannon in both of his gigantic hands! He then crushes the weapon! Unfazed by this, Minion forms a blade-arm from where the cannon once was! Sensing that this fight might take him longer than expected, Ben orders the other two to take his vehicle and flee. Unsure at first, they finally comply. (That’s right, Mr. Grimm. Maybe this’ll teach you to only refer to people by nicknames for like ever! I’m sorry. I just can’t stand the Thing. How hard is it to remember three other people’s names after all of this damn time I ask you? Sheesh!) The Thing hits the cyborg assassin with two good punches, actually drawing blood! But Minion merely picks up the titan and throws him backwards off of the bridge they’ve been standing on and onto a passing boat far, far below! Minion, now satisfied there will be no more interference, continues searching for it’s prey!

A short time later, back at Mr. Fantastic’s lab, Necker lays Minion’s origins out for the superhero in the hopes that the explanation will help in stopping the killing machine. That’s when it hits him. Yes, Minion was built to assassinate and absorb the skills of several hundred organic hosts, but Death’s Head was mechanical! And if Richards didn’t miss his guess, the Death’s Head personality was inside and fighting for dominance of the cyborg’s mind. This would cause increased hostility and confusion. (Umm. Yes. I surmised this myself. Cough. -Clears throat.- Actually, I had no idea. But I love the pretty colors.) Reed immediately begins work on a device meant to force the robotic bountyhunter’s consciousness into the driver’s seat permanently! Less than an hour passes. The Human Torch comes home from a night out on the city, but is instead met at the door by Minion! Before the Torch can fully power up, he’s knocked out with a strong backhand! Minion enters the Fantastic Four’s HQ with ease! But when it makes it’s way into the lab area, it’s met with an energy burst that stops the cyborg in its tracks! Slowly, after a couple of minutes, it rises again. Only this time, it’s speaking like Death’s Head! The invention was a complete success! Death’s Head walks towards a nearby console and downloads all known knowledge on, Reed Richards, eliminating the need to kill him! He then turns and says his farewells before teleporting away! An annoyed and shocked Dr. Evelyn Necker does the same soon after.

Elsewhere, Spratt awaits a visitor with knowledge that can hopefully help bring his friend back. The man enters the room, announcing himself as Baron Strucker the 5th! He then strikes at poor Spratt, knocking the young man flying. Strucker approaches the remains of Death’s Head’s corpse with delight. He examines it closely and exclaims that with it under his command, A.I.M will pay and his family’s name will be avenged!

To be continued…..

90s Comics, 90s Marvel, Uncategorized

“Okay, Axis, here we come!” (Part 4 of 4)

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Here we are, folks! The epic finale of the 4-part “Invaders” miniseries! And boy, this series of articles has been a real treat for me to write! I’ve been fascinated by Golden Age superheroes and villains for years and this was an awesome opportunity. Talk about an amazing time to be alive! So many real life heroes and the emergence of real evil in that time period. So, before we begin this story, take a moment to remember your loved ones that fought in this horrific war and be proud of the bravery that they possessed. For they truly were the greatest generation. (Now, as the great sage, Forrest Gump, would say, “That’s all I have to say about that.”)

The villainous Battle-Axis gloat over the mighty Invaders as they are all encased within giant transparent prison cells! Dr. Death muses how America will soon be out of the second World War permanently! The Blazing Skull threatens the Nazi but Captain America calms him. Right now, the bad guys hold all of the cards. The Human Torch demands answers from the Vision. Why would he turn his back on humanity? Did he not realize that if the Nazis win the war, that’ll be the end of life on Earth as they know it? Evil will triumph! Vision merely states that he just wants to return to his home dimension and that life will continue on this planet regardless of his intervention. Cap interrupts. He can almost understand Vision’s point. He isn’t even from here. But the Golem! He’s a Jew! How could he betray his people in such a way? Golem answers that he knows that Dr. Death will most likely not release his brother after he has served him, but he must cling on to this small shred of hope. (Sad. I really feel for the guy. Mostly because he now has to now live in a body constructed of friggin’ clay permanently. I mean, why not adamantium? This is the Marvel Universe for cripes sake! Get inventive, people!)

The Silver Scorpion asks Dr. Death more about his fiendish plan to cause massive earthquakes with the oscillotron that will separate America’s west coast from the rest of the country. He continues though, caught up in his impending victory, and states that this part of the plan is only a trigger for the actual attack! The earthquakes will release poison gas from countless cannisters that were buried near the end of the last World War! This gas will cover thousands of square miles and claim countless lives! The Axis Powers will then be free to destroy Russia without the United States’ interference! To say that the Invaders are appalled and disgusted would be an understatement! But they aren’t alone. Dr. Death’s own men question this next phase of the plan! Surely he isn’t serious! (Man, you know you’re evil when even your minions question if you’re really sure about enacting your sinister scheme!) The Invaders try to escape their individual prisons, but are gassed for this escape attempt. As they sink into slumber, the android hero, the Human Torch, remains conscious! He begins to melt through his cell walls!

He doesn’t get far, however. Sadly, he’s caught by Volton and pummeled until he too is unconscious. Vision then freezes him as he is commanded. Dr. Death continues by ordering Strongman to carry the large doomsday device with them as Volton and Golem remain behind to guard the prisoners. Later, the villains enter a different subterranean chamber. Strongman positions the oscillotron as instructed as Dr. Death checks on Golem’s brother’s work. Johann pleads with the Nazi to not go through with this plan. Of course, this falls upon deaf ears. Dr. Death even adds insult to injury by telling the Jewish scientist that his brother is serving him as the Golem and it’s for his continued safety! Johann is shocked beyond reason! This obvious internal agony pleases the evil Doctor. (I wonder how many years of college are required to become an evil doctor? Asking for a friend…..) Meanwhile, as Volton taunts the awakening heroes, Captain America reveals to the Nazi what he suspects. Volton is in fact an android! Volton is amused and asks for proof. Cap asks why he isn’t burnt from his scuffle with the Human Torch? Why is he the only one who can’t remember his past? Also, remember that this Dr. Death once helped create the robotic Human Torch. He could easily have done so again!

Suddenly enraged, Volton smashes his fist through the Captain’s tube! Cap nods towards Volton’s fist. No blood from the glass! The Blazing Skull chimes in by asking if Volton remembers ever bleeding? Now furious and determined to prove these “fools” wrong, the Nazi takes a large shard of broken glass from the floor and rams it straight through the hand in question! Not one drop of blood! (I knew it from the very beginning! Okay, maybe I didn’t know positively that he was an android, but I suspected he was at least colorblind. I mean, look at his costume! Ugh!). As he marvels at this, Captain America strikes from the hole in his prison wall and connects with a mighty punch! As the villain staggers, Cap emerges, free from his translucent prison! But the Nazi uses his powers over electricity to shock the hero again and again as he stumbles towards his nearby shield! He throws the weapon but Volton dodges easily! The shield sails through the air, smashing through the rest of the Invaders’ cells! Captain America then jumps and kicks the distracted Nazi in the head, knocking him down! When the villain shakes off the stars he’s seeing, he beholds all of the Invaders standing over him! He tries to rise and attack, but Silver Scorpion’s stinger blasts put Volton down for the count! Now for the treacherous Golem…..

But the Golem raises a dismissive hand. He wishes not to fight the heroes. In fact, he’s pondered their words and decided that he will fight at their side! He leads them to where the lab is. At that moment, Golem’s brother has also had a change of heart it seems! Roaring that he will not work for Hitler, no matter the peril, he strikes at the Nazi scientists near him with his bare fists! He then flees the room! Unfortunately for him though, several shots ring out! Nearby, in another room, Dr. Death and his Battle-Axis have heard the gunfire and decided to ignore it. Dr. Death reaches for the lever to activate the oscillotron, but a sudden blast of flame stops him! In flies the Human Torch, followed by the rest of the Invaders! Dr. Death orders his team to attack and Captain America let’s the heroes’ battle cry sound! Both sides clash! In the mighty scuffle, the evil Doctor slips free and runs towards the device to start it! But a wounded Johann lunges at him to stop him! The scientist is shot dead by Sky Shark’s pistol! (Murdered by a dude with a damn fin on his head. No-one deserves to go out like that. Nobody. Sniff…..sob…..)

The Golem sees this through the titanic battle and roars as he tears through the Nazi soldiers in the room as if they’re no more than flimsy rag dolls! Vision hovers over all of this chaos, unmoving, but in deep thought. Dr. Death makes a run for the oscillotron once again and, though Captain America drops him with his thrown shield to the back, manages to start the machine! The madman turns to gloat, but is electrocuted by the flying Volton as he enters the room! Dr. Death is no more! The android then turns his attention to Cap, but the Torch intervenes with a strike in mid-flight! Elsewhere, Silver Scorpion uses her armor’s augmented strength to uppercut Strongman, knocking him stumbling to the floor! Namor flies over the others towards Cap. The Captain asks if even the Sub-Mariner could survive the backlash from destroying the oscillotron. Only one way to find out! The Avenging Son crashes through the enormous machine, creating a large explosion that rocks all involved to their very core! Silence fills the smoke-filled laboratory. (Damn! That was heroic as hell! Cheers to Namor for saving the day as he became no more than stinky, burnt chum. Too soon?)

But the Sub-Mariner did survive! He walked through the smoke, ready to continue the fight against the Battle-Axis! Too late. The villains quickly surrendered. That now taken care of, the heroes wonder if any of the poisonous gas was released in the tremors. Vision answers this question. It was! He points toward a large, leaking pipe! But before anyone can act, the Vision orders everyone to stay back. The smoke from the exploded machine has made it possible for him to create a portal home. He quickly flys in, taking the deadly gas with him! He then seals the mystical door behind himself! (Where’s he when I eat dairy? Hiding I bet. Coward!) Later, the Invaders crawl from a hidden passageway beneath the desert sands, emerging into the clear air. They had won this day not only for America, but for the world.

End.

90s Comics, 90s Marvel, Uncategorized

“Okay, Axis, Here We Come!” (part 3 of 4)

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Boy, these characters from Marvel’s Golden Age sure are awesome, eh Unspokenites? I for one was always fascinated by them. It’s sad that so little of them still exist today really. (Except for the Whizzer in his yellow costume. Him, you can keep! Ha! Just kidding.) Anyway, I bet you’re wondering what happens next in our titanic tale! Well, wonder no further! The Unspoken Decade proudly presents “Invaders” #3…..

The Human Torch had had enough! He bursts into flames and melts his way out of his see-through prison! The Whizzer asks to be freed too, but the Torch is too enraged to be stopped now! The flaming android melts the surrounding Nazi soldiers’ guns as he flies towards the members of Battle-Axis! Dr. Death orders Volton to hurl a beam of electricity his way. He does, but the Torch is too fast! But as he evades, he’s suddenly struck powerless by a high-powered hose from the lab’s ceiling! Now without his flame, he plummets right into Strongman’s path! The muscle-bound villain uses the Human Torch’s momentum and his own superior strength to knock the hero out with a single punch! He’s then drug into a fresh prison chamber. Dr Death then walks towards the Torch. Peering in at him, the Nazis asks if he’d like to know his identity! The Torch seems unconcerned until the villain pulls off his face mask! (And reveals himself to be…..Shaq! Man, he really is in everything these days!) He is James Bradley, assistant to the man who created the Human Torch! He explains that he had begged his partner not to go public with the Torch, but his pleas were ignored. Disgusted, he stormed out of the lab before the press arrived. Years later, he was thrilled to become Dr. Death for the Third Reich when they approached him if it meant getting his hands on his old co-creation!

The Human Torch now knows why this Dr. Death betrayed his country. But what of these others? He demands answers. The Spider Queen is the first to answer. Her name was Sharon Kane and her husband had been a scientist that had invented a super-strong web fluid for Washington. All was well until the day he was gunned down by Russian spies! Soon after, America allied themselves with Russia against Nazi Germany when they entered the war! That’s why she fights against her homeland. The next to speak is Strongman. He was named Percy Van Norton. He’d been a millionaire, but even his money couldn’t take away the sting of being relentlessly teased as a youth. So he took an experimental formula that enhanced his strength and durability. He knew the Nazis valued strength, so when Dr. Death approached him, he was more than willing. The Human Meteor had been called Duke O’ Dowd and had received his powers by crashing his plane in the Himalayans and discovering the secret city of Bayakura. The denizens there taught him how to convert his atoms into pure energy. He had started out a superhero, but when he learned that America was working with the British he so despised, he joined the opposite side. Volton spoke up next. He remembered nothing of his human life or why he’d joined the cause. He just remembered being struck by a bolt of lightning. (Well, that was a simple and right to the point origin story. Genius! Gotta love a deeply motivated character.)

While the villains are in such a talkative mood, the Torch questions them further. Where are they and what is their master plan? Dr. Death replies with pride that they are beneath the Mojave Desert where they have constructed a giant oscillotron. The machine’s job is to create an earthquake so destructive, that the West Coast would break off, killing numerous Americans and forcing the U.S. out of the war! Without their powerful ally, England would be forced to surrender next! This would leave Russia to battle all of the Azis Powers alone! The Whizzer cries out in rage, but he is simply ignored and the Human Torch is doused once again with water within his cell. Meanwhile, as Captain America flies the Atlantean aircraft high above the desert, Miss America demands to know of the villains’ secret location from the Silver Scorpion. The new, armored heroine seems unsure. Miss America next asks how this woman even knows of the armor she now wears. The Silver Scorpion replies that she had accompanied her fiancée to work often as he served as a guard to a scientist that was creating the armor. The scientist had needed a model to fit the armor around and chose her. (I bet he did! Pervert! I applaud your ingenuity, good sir.) The heroes know the rest of her sad tale.

As this conversation is going on, Namor takes this time to ask of the Blazing Skull’s origins. He answers that he was once a journalist named Mark Todd and that he had been on assignment during a war in China. He was forced underground during an attack and encountered a race of beings that had flaming skulls for heads! There, they taught him how to become immune to flames and gifted him a mask to look as they did to the surface world. This was to fight injustice incognito. He later learned how to make his own flesh appear transparent. To put the Blazing Skull at ease, Cap tells him that this was no more strange than his or the other Invaders’ origins. (Like…..heehee…..the Whizzer…..getting super speed from a…..hahaha…..blood transfusion from a…..mongoose! Haw! Haw! Haw!) These talks however have not stopped Miss America from grilling the Silver Scorpion. She questions her once again about the villains’ hideout. Things become so heated up between the two females, that the Scorpion suddenly shouts out that she lied! She knew nothing of their evil plans and overheard only a vague statement about a “dead lake”. Before Miss America can say anymore, Captain America motions for her silence. They are flying over the Mojave Desert right now. Doesn’t this place have craters called “dead lakes”? And if so, couldn’t Namor’s Atlantean ship detect them?

The Sub-Mariner confirmed that this was in fact so. Scanning the desert, the ship’s sensors quickly picked up a crater that had been covered up, comoflauged in some way! Cap decided they should keep their distance until a plan could be formed. But too late! Anti-aircraft guns came out of concealed spots in the desert sands and began firing upon the Atlantean ship! They made a crash landing! But, unable to wait any longer for her beloved, Miss America burst from the craft and flew down with the guns as they sank back into the earth! She found herself inside of an enormous high-tech base, full to bursting with Nazi soldiers! She was discovered immediately! But the heroine knew how to deal with their like! She fought her way through, knocking the Ratzis around like bowling pins! But, so concerned was she with the soldiers, that she missed a sneak attack by the Human Meteor and Volton! (Geez. Maybe if she’d waited for the others before attacking? The Whizzer must be some man in the sack! Giggle.) She’s then ensnared by the Spider Queen’s webbing and pulled forcefully to the ground!

But never fear! The Invaders burst into the Battle-Axis headquarters, ready to rescue their friend and cripple this whole evil operation beyond repair! Dr. Death plunges a syringe into Miss America’s arm and she slips into unconsciousness. He then orders a nearby man in a lab coat to activate a device he calls the Dimension Smasher! As Captain America and the Blazing Skull battle the behemoth known as the Golem, Silver Scorpion fights against the Spider Queen! Still unsure of her armor’s capabilities, she manages to fire an energy blast that gives her foe pause! Next, Namor slowly advances upon Volton through his barrage of electrical blasts! It seems as if our heroes are winning! Battle-Axis is quickly losing ground! That is until the Dimension Smasher hums to life! And then, emerging from the smoke, hovers in a strange alien being! Some know him as the Vision! But he calls himself Aarkus, Destroyer of Evil! (“Destroyer of Evil”? Sounds like a plus actually for the Invaders. Who’s more evil than Nazis after all? Not counting New England Patriots’ ex-quarterback, Tom Brady, of course. That joke was for you, mom!)

The Vision surveys his surroundings and studies those that surround him in awe! Captain America looks to the strange being and pleads that, if he is against all things evil as he says, that he join them in their fight. But instead, the Vision floats past Cap and towards Namor. He raises one hand and places a single finger upon the Atlantean hybrid’s brow. Namor suddenly freezes into a block of ice! Volton exclaims in shock that the Vision is on their side! Dr. Death merely states that why wouldn’t he be? They control his way home! Next, Vision attacks the Silver Scorpion, knocking her out! The Golem finishes the job by defeating Captain America and the Blazing Skull with his mighty fists! The Invaders all now lie defeated! Who will save America now?

To be concluded!

(And don’t forget to donate all unnecessary metals to the war effort! Keep ’em flying, boys!)