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90s Comics, 90s Marvel, Uncategorized

Ghost in the Machine (part 4 of 4)

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Apologies for the tardiness on this last part of my Death’s Head II series. I’ve been spending some time with my son and his daughter as of late, doing my fatherly/grandfatherly duties. The visit lasted around four days, and I can tell you Unspokenites one thing about my granddaughter…..Banshee and Black Canary have nothing on a pissed off one year old! Damn! That girl has some pipes! (The only difference is a slight height difference and a pee-soaked diaper!) Anyway, explanations aside, let us return to our favorite cyborg, already in action…..

It is the year 2020 AD and the world is a war-torn, desolate place. Only a very small group of freedom fighters stand in the path of the one who corrupted this planet to the state it’s currently in. The Punisher leads the charge with Daredevil, Spider-Man and Doctor Strange following. In the past, this unlikely team would be more than enough to best any evil foe. Now? The odds don’t look very good. Charnel’s demonic drones surrounded the heroes! But twenty years of constant fighting had taught them how to hit back even harder. Back-to-back, the heroes fired at the creatures. The fight was going well until Spider-Man’s spider-sense went wild, warning him of danger! The evil warlord, Charnel, now stood before them! The monster began by taunting the heroes. But this meant nothing to the Sorcerer Supreme as he hit the creature with magic blast after blast! Charnel laughed as he used his own magic power to meet this mighty attack! Daredevil orders Spider-Man to swing off, following their plan! The wall-crawler does so with zero hesitation! That’s when a an energy blast of epic proportions hit the ground surrounding them! The Punisher turned to see his once-rival, Daredevil, drop and breathe no more! (Damn! Bleak much? Let’s stop here to sing a rousing battle song for our brave, fighting heroes. Who knows the words to Hansen’s “MmmBop”? Don’t lie.)

Enraged, the Punisher pulled Daredevil’s corpse to him and fired straight at the enemy as he roared in defiance! The next to fall was Doctor Strange. Charnel pushed his own powers back at him along with his own, atomizing the mage! The Punisher looked defeated. That was until he saw Spider-Man swinging up behind the villain! He carried a small, metallic disc with him. Spidey threw it to Punisher just before Charnel murdered him too! The beast demanded that Frank Castle give the device to him immediately! Instead, he threw the disc some distance where it was out of the madmans’ reach! The Punisher pulled a blade and charged Charnel! That was his last stand. (Poor Punisher. He died like he wanted to, though. Trying to knife a dude that just shrugged off the strongest attacks from the godlike Doctor Strange…..Duh, Frank!) Charnel takes his leave of the massacre minutes later. A large hand uncovers the disc minutes after that and takes it to his heroic friends and fellow soldiers. He was once a supervillain called the Rhino. But war makes for strange bedfellows and he was now an Avenger. Rhino waited to be let into the secret bunker of what remained of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Wolverine let the hulking man in, asking if he had the device. Rhino assured the mutant that it was right where they he was told to find it. Wolverine asked about the other heroes. The Rhino looked down, giving his reply without words.

Rhino came to stand with his arm around She-Hulk. The others surrounding the meeting table were the Scarlet Witch, Captain America, and an orb that held a fleshy blob that was once the leader of the Fantastic Four, Mr. Fantastic. That was before Charnel punished the scientist with his dark sorcery! Wolverine came to a halt to stand by the others as the meeting began. The plan was a simple one as plans went. The disc was a time travel device. Using it, some of them would travel to 1992, the time that Charnel was born, and end him. If all went well, this nightmarish time period would cease to exist! Mr. Fantastic wished the superheroes his best as the battle cry was given, “Avengers, assemble.” And with those rousing words, (Much better than “MmmBop.”) the group teleported backwards through time! Meanwhile, in 1992, Death’s Head stood with Dr. Evelyn Necker and Tuck as they scanned their surroundings. Once, this was a busy shopping mall. That was before a mysterious fire burned it to the ground and A.I.M. purchased the land dirt cheap. They were currently looking for the creature that had already converted one A.I.M. headquarters into a place of literal nightmares. But before they could get much of a feel for the barren area, Death’s Head was suddenly jumped from behind by the Wolverine of 2020! The mutant sliced through the cyborg’s back and out of his stomach area with his razor-sharp, unbreakable claws!

Death’s Head formed a high-tech cannon out of his liquid metal arm to retaliate, but Logan rammed his claws to a space by the barrel to stop it from firing! The result was one of Wolverine’s adamantium claws snapping completely off! (Unbreakable metal my amazing butt! What? I’ll have you know that I used to have quite the tight little derriere back in the day. Umm…..moving on whilst blushing profusely……) Logan stalled only momentarily before moving to strike once more! That was when Captain America’s commanding voice rang out to halt his attack. This creature wasn’t Charnel. The Avengers and Death’s Head’s group spend the next few minutes explaining who they are and describing their missions. As it seems that both teams want this Charnel creature dead, an alliance is formed. Good thing too. Because that was when Charnel chose to arrive! The first thing he did was take down the Scarlet Witch. She-Hulk leaped to attack next! She was caught in massive hands, her powerful neck broken quickly! Rhino charged the monstrous Charnel next! But the brute was only backhanded away like he was no more than a mere insect! Captain America’s body broke the titan’s fall! Death’s Head ran towards his enemy with a charging weapon/arm, but the cyborg missed his energy shot only to be hit by dark magical energies!

Wolverine leaped into Charnel’s waiting, clawed hands, slashing wildly as Captain America threw his iconic shield! The weapon cut off the villain’s arm, forcing him to drop Wolverine! Death’s Head then reemerged on the battlefield and joined Wolverine and Captain America in their brutal fight! Rhino shook what remained of the cobwebs from his head and charged Charnel once again! That’s when Tuck noticed someone else trying to stand in the rubble! Dodging the fight, she found the very much alive form of the Scarlet Witch! Tuck helped her stand as she hit the madman with everything she had! But big mistake! Charnel absorbed her strange, magical energies and merged them with his own!He then unleashed a wave of power that incinerated Cap, Logan, and Rhino as he grew to the size of a true titan! As the beast cackled, Death’s Head whispered a battle plan into the Witch’s ear. He then roared for Charnel to face him! The villain, amused, complied. Death’s Head leaped onto Charnel’s large form and yelled down that the moment was now! The Scarlet Witch blasted the time disc within Death’s Head’s hands, duplicating it! The cyborg then placed a device on either side of the monster’s body, activating both discs simultaneously! Charnel quite literally ripped in half as the cybernetic hero fell to the rubble beneath! (Yeah. I’m as confused as you are. But that action scene…..shall we say…..excited me?)

When questioned by Dr. Necker, Death’s Head answered that he had sent both halves of Charnel to completely different time periods! The result was an agonizing death! The Scarlet Witch merely smiled as she simply ceased to be. The cyborg then continued that Charnel was Necker’s fault in a way. Perhaps she should think better of it before acting like God in the future. As for the money she had promised him? He doubted she’d ever have payed it. He then turned to leave, the loyal Tuck beside him. Moments later, the superheroes from this period in time arrived to see what was causing their advanced instruments to go haywire as they registered the recent, epic battle. They only found reports of a stolen semi truck speeding from the area. Death’s Head and Tuck raced away in the large vehicle, ready for whatever adventure might find them next!

End.

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.