Review: Captain America #440

Captain America #440, "Dawn's Early Light," Taking A.I.M. part 1 of 4, Cover Date June 1995
Written by Mark Gruenwald, Pencils by Dave Hoover, Inks by Joe Rosen

I should admit going into this that I'm not a fan of Captain America. I think he works fine as a part of the Avengers, but I think he's an incredibly dull protagonist compared to just about every other Marvel character. So while I know a lot of obscure trivia about most Marvel characters, I've only read a few scattered issues of Captain America before Brubaker and Epting tricked me into buying an amazing crime book that featured Captain America (until he was killed off 25 issues in).

Review: Avengers 386

Avengers 386, "Shadow Hunt," prelude to "Taking A.I.M.," Cover Date May 1995
Written by Bob Harras and Terry Kavanagh, Pencils by guest penciler Angel Medina, Inks by guest inker Scott Koblish

 Previously on the Avengers: Bob Harras had begun co-writing with Terry Kavanagh, a Brazilian artist known for his depictions of heroines in thongs took over the art chores, and the Avengers found themselves led to a base in the Yukon territory where they were attacked by the Red Skull!

Review: Fantastic Force #1

Fantastic Force #1, "Legacy," Cover Date November 1994
Written by Tom Brevoort and Mike Kanterovich, pencils by Dante Bastianoni, inks by Ralph Cabrera.

Review: Sleepwalker #20

Sleepwalker #20, "Split Decision," Cover Date January 1993
Written by Bob Budiansky, Pencils by Kelly Krantz, Inks by John Lowe

Review: Avengers 385

Avengers 385, "Evil in a Cold and Lonely Place," Cover Date April, 1995
Written by Bob Harras and Terry Kavanagh, Pencils by Mike Deodato and John Buscema, finishes by Tom Palmer

Despite the cover, I can assure you that Black Widow's head does not start blasting electricity at the team. Thunderstrike (Thor's 90s equivalent) does not appear inside the issue.

Cartoon Friday: Avengers: United They Stand (1999)

It's another Friday, so here's another nostalgic cartoon intro. This one courtesy of The Avengers: United They Stand. I haven't watched any Ultraforce, so this is the worst cartoon I've seen any of that I've posted so far.




I can't say I watched much of this one, even though it was on Fox, because at the time I was partial to pretty much whatever Kids WB was doing (New Batman and Superman Adventures, Batman Beyond, etc.). Lowlights include: Ant-Man, Wasp, and Hawkeye(?) armoring up in the credit sequence, and in nearly every episode to pad run-time. Costumes so hideous a barely changed Wonder Man costume might be the best among them (Wonder Man, the guy with the worst costumes ever!). Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor are revealed in the final "pan up" of the intro, to remind viewers, "Oh yeah, I know those guys!" Iron Man and Cap were in one episode each, and Thor never appeared. Wonder Man is listed as a member but spends nearly the entire show in a coma (echoes of Beast in S1 of X-Men, if X-Men was canceled after that first season). The creators also received notes to "be more like Batman Beyond," but unfortunately that doesn't involve future raves, just generically setting the show in the future. Hank Pym is the leader. It's pretty bad.

Review: The Batman Adventures #3

Batman Adventures #3, "Joker's Late-Night Lunacy," Cover Date December, 1992
Written by Kelley Puckett, Penciled by Ty Templeton, Inked by Rick Burchett

In 1992, Fox Kids debuted Batman: The Animated Series, a series that was so popular and influential it inspired a dozen spin-off and "shared universe" style cartoons over the next 15 years. To coordinate with the success and style of the cartoon, DC naturally released "Batman Adventures," a companion comic drawn in the style of the show. While you might assume that a TV-tie in book aimed at a crossover "all-ages" market might be awful, Batman Adventures is actually a very good series: don't take my word for it! The series and its assorted spin-offs and one shots won 7 Eisner Awards over its lifespan for everything from "best single issue" to "best title for younger readers." Enough pre-amble! Let's get to it!

Review: Namor, the Sub-Mariner #34

Namor, the Sub-Mariner #34, "Call From Home," cover date January 1993
Written by Bob Harras, Penciled and Inked by Jae Lee