Flashback Fridays: The Ballad Of Beta Ray Bill TPB

     I found this Trade Paper Back at HeroesCon, at my own Comic Shop's booth.  It was well worth the five bucks I paid for it.  I have had one of the issues of this story for a long time.  It is the part where Odin creates the new Hammer Stormbreaker for Beta Ray Bill.  This is a cool old school Marvel tale brought to us by the excellent Walter Simonson.  His art and story are what I grew up on as a comicbook reader.  This was Thor in all the majesty and golden realm glamor.

     It starts with a threat from the stars and Nick Fury abducting Dr. Donald Blake to get Thor.  Soon Thor is enlisted to aid Fury and company.  From the initial investigation in space a battle in happening as a crash occurs and the alien craft now lies on Earth.  Thor meets  the craft's champion and in battle the Hammer of Thor changes the alien Beta Ray Bill.  A summons by Odin brings Bill to Asgard and strands Donald Blake on Earth unable to become Thor.


     This book has everything.  The Lady Sif plays a big part in this story and even a romance blossoms for her.  Odin plays a major part by realizing the honor of Bill and the dire need of his people in a space convoy.  These demons are chasing them after decimating the home planet.  Everyone except Bill is placed in suspended animation.  Beta Ray Bill is genetically changed and forever separated from his people, yet he is there to protect them.  All this leads to a great test of Thor and Bill as Odin decides if Mjolnir can belong to Bill through his twice defeat of Thor.  It is a great fight that shows the good being that Bill is as an living being.


     Events are foreshadowed here for a major Asgardian battle with a creature of their mythology.  It is also the start of another Loki  scheme that will play out to the heart break of the Lady Sif in some ways.  She is great here.  She even takes on a quest for Odin while Bill and Thor are laid up from their battle to decide who gets the Hammer.  Odin however has another idea.  When Sif wins her challenge, Odin is granted the making of a second Hammer.  The Dwarves fire up the metal works and Odin provides the power and Stormbreaker is created.  Now there are two beings with the power of Thor.  They take off in Thor's chariot pulled by his two rams.  I kid you not.  That is how Sif, Bill, and Thor take off to battle.

     Soon Bill's ship Skuttlebutt finds Sif fighting hordes of demons and the two make a desperate stand to protect the convey.  Bill and Thor travel to Bill' planet to find a portal has been created out of the planet and these demons are flowing from it.  It is a cool fight and way to win the battle.  This is just a great and well told story.  So many twist and turns while laying the groundwork for future stories.  You also read this book.  Lots of words.  It is really one of the classic stories and classic styles of Marvel back when it was just an amazing place to visit.

     This was a great buy at HeroesCon.

BDS

Mutant X Mondays: (Double Feature) Mutant X # 6 & Mutant X #7

MUTANT X #6

     I wanted to catch up a bit and decided that I should give you two issues today.  It works because the focus of the book focuses from here own out around the rise of the Goblin Queen.  Madelyne has become possessed it seems, at least we are hoping that is the case.  She is seen as the powerful evil Queen and then in glimpses we see the loving mother of little Scotty.  She has manipulated the Brute into taking the fall for her murder of the Green Goblin and Man-Spider.  Now the world is having tension around the Mutant issue that had been settled in this Universe.

     This issue is wordy and moves the plot along, but is is quick and disjointed.  It does show us some old Marvel mainstays like Matt Murdock (lawyer), Bullseye, Electra (Nanny extraordinaire!), and an alive Man-Spider (Spider-Man).  What we see is how the Goblin Queen can humble the haughty Fallen (Warren Worthington III) and bring him under control.  It shows how brutal this character can be.  That will lead into what follows in the expanding story.  Her evil even brings about the Brute speaking as Dr. McCoy and asking to be executed as a murderer.

 

 MUTANT X #7

    What?  Last issue we had the Brute ask to be executed.  We open here to Alex, Scotty, and Electra in a convertible cruising down a desert highway.  This is standard in this book, pulling a time shift and letting the reader fill in the gaps, but this one seems too much.  When collecting the issues like I am and have it makes you wonder about the continuity.  Still, it is a cool issue.

     One can see that Electra and Alex are forming a bond.  We also can tell the depth of Electra's devotion as protector of little Scotty.  Some awesome artwork is shown here when Electra has to throw down, but I am ahead of the story.  What we get is a shifting tale of Havok on the run and the rest of the Six facing an enemy of great power.  Bloodstorm is taken down easily by we will learn is the Goblin Queen.  As Iceman enters the scene and tries to aid Bloodstorm, she claims that there is an evil stronger than we the readers suspect.  She urges Bobby to run and warn Havok for the sake of every soul on Earth.  He doesn't and soon there is a group of Five waiting to be Six again.

     Yes, I said Five.  Apparently Havok and Electra saw Hank be executed and yet he is alive and sent by the Goblin Queen for Scotty.  The employees of the Diner the trio stop at turn into demons and then hordes of demons attack.  That was the fight scene I mentioned earlier.  Brute doesn't take Scotty, but reminds Alex what happened the last time someone tried to take Scotty from her.  This is something that happened before our Alex landed in this Universe.  It is also the time and place that Madelyne made the deal that has now come to be her undoing as payment comes due.  She is now controlled by the Goblin Queen and the world is in big trouble.  I will say, the explanation of what the Goblin Queen is makes one really like this alternate world.

BDS

HeroesCon 2012 Small Prints

     Here are scans of the prints that fit on my scanner bed from Heroes Convention.  Below is Annie Ammo which you will get information about later when I discuss the new venture by so awesome artists in the industry.  The most exciting thing about that venture for me is that Randy Green's Dollz is back as well.  Annie is brought to us by the outstanding Richard Case.

     The "Cats" here are drawn by Danielle Soloud.  A funny drawing of these two on her Sketchbook last year was the reason I purchased it.  I got her new one this year and she made me a deal to get the print here instead of last years sketch book as she was pairing them.  I scanned last year's card so you can check her website out(Some Mature Content, so just know that.  It is artsy, but still felt it needed saying).

       Christian N. St. Pierre was selling these three prints, the last two that were harder to scan, and they were really affordable.  I loved the Dragon.  He had about five or six different Dragons, but I liked this one best.  Rocket Raccoon....c'mon....it's ROCKET RACCOON!  Why wouldn't I buy it for $1.  The Wonder Woman is just really regal in the way she is presented.  

www.christiannstpierre.com

BDS

More HeroesCon

J K Woodward has the greatest idea ever.  It is placed on the back of the below card.  This would be the combining of two of my favorite characters.  Space Ghost I grew up on during Saturday Mornings.  Batman Beyond was a character of my college days.  This idea would just rock.  Oh yeah, I bought this at HeroesCon.

BDS

K-9 Sketch Card