Category Archives: Comics
My 6 Favorite “Sixth” Members
The Green Ranger is the best Power Ranger. It’s indisputable. He was the coolest, had the best costume and was just plain awesome. And ever since I saw him karate kick his way onto my weekday afternoon television screen, I have loved the “Sixth” Member of teams. On TV Tropes, this trope is actually called the “Sixth Ranger” specifically because of the Green Ranger, but I didn’t want anybody to think this was a list only about sixth Power Rangers.
I know this is the Gold Ranger, but he’s a strong runner-up
The trope is that you take an established group or team of characters, and then some time later, you add an extra member to the roster. Sometimes it’s a bad guy turned good. Sometimes it’s a new member. Sometimes it’s just a hanger-on. But whatever the case, this is one of my favorite character tropes and I wanted to share!
So join me after the jump for some of my favorite fictional characters, almost entirely because they’re the “Sixth” member of an established group. It’s a pretty reliable thing for me.
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 11/24/18
Happy Thanksgiving, Henchies! As well as to you international readers, you’re welcome at Thanksgiving too! I had a nice time with my family, then woke up the next morning to below zero temperatures and a flat tire, so I guess I have plenty to be thankful for!
Definitely a lot of comics to be thankful for, like more Batman, more Uncanny X-Men and more Iron Man! Comic Book of the Week goes to the latest issue of Mr. & Mrs. X for being nicely romantic.
It’s too late now, Rogue!
Meanwhile, is anybody reading Infinity Warps? I’m curious about it, because of my love of the Amalgam Universe, but I still don’t want to buy into Marvel’s Big Event comics anymore.
Comic Reviews: Batman #59, Mr. & Mrs. X #5, Tony Stark – Iron Man #6, Uncanny X-Men #2 and West Coast Avengers #4.
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 11/17/18
Oh boy, this must be some kind of record! I’ve got 10 — count ’em, 10! — reviews for you henchies this week! The combination of a day off from work on Wednesday, and plenty of time to write these up, allowed me to really enjoy comics this week. I even skipped some titles to spare my sanity, so there could have been even more!
We’ve got G. Willow Wilson’s debut on Wonder Woman, which I enjoyed. We’ve got the much-hyped Uncanny X-Men #1, which was meh. We’ve got the long-delayed new issue of Fantastic Four, which was good. And a ton of others!
Comic Book of the Week goes to the final issue of Mister Miracle for a pretty momentous epilogue issue. It remains as mind-boggling as the rest of the series.
R.I.P. Funky Flashman
I skipped a bunch of comics this week. Ms. Marvel was nice, but was a pretty weird tangent. I think I’m going to stop reviewing Rainbow Brite after only that first issue. The second one lost me. I skipped the new Domino purely because there were so many comics this week. And I’m still not caught up on Thor! Why do all my favorite comics come out in a single week?!
Comic Reviews: Amazing Spider-Man #9, Captain America #5, Catwoman #5, Fantastic Four #3, Go Go Power Rangers #14, Mister Miracle #12, Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #38, Uncanny X-Men #1, Unstoppable Wasp #2 and Wonder Woman #58.
Good News, Everybody! Stingray Isn’t Dead After All!
I was worried for a minute there. But we can rest easy, folks.
Stingray is probably my all-time favorite Avenger. It’s all in the costume. That is one damn cool superhero costume. And I love his reserve status, this ordinary dude who sometimes helps out the Avengers when it comes to watery stuff. I love that he designed his suit for his job as an oceanographer, and first and foremost, he’s an oceanographer, but will help out as a superhero when necessary.
And should Marvel Comics ever come calling, I have a tight 5 to 6 issue Stingray pitch to offer. Seriously, call me.
He flies through the seas with the greatest of ease
Last month, it appeared that his longtime ally, Namor the Submariner, killed Stingray in Avengers #9, by writer Jason Aaron. I was devastated. It’s been a rough year for me and having my favorite superheroes killed.
The issue opens with a really awesome scene of Stingray fighting Tiger Shark, drawn by David Marquez.
Brothers-in-law
But then a new evil Namor shows up, having once again declared war on the surface world, or some such. When Stingray balks at kissing Namor’s ring, Namor beats him within an inch of his life and orders his war sharks to kill Stingray. It’s pretty brutal.
Namor is dead to me
And that looked to be the end. Stingray is a minor character, and having him killed to kick off some big Namor storyline in Avengers is a perfectly reasonable use of a minor character. That’s what happens to minor characters.
And fans of such minor characters, like me, just have to deal with that fact.
But then the follow up issue, Avengers #10, came out this week. Captain America seems to reassure me personally that everything is OK and the world isn’t as dark and horrible as I’d feared.
Are there two more beautiful words than “damn near”?
Stingray doesn’t actually appear in the new issue, but that comment from Cap is good enough for me! He lives! Stingray lives!
For now…
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My 6 Favorite Comic Characters Created by Stan Lee
Stan “The Man” Lee passed away this week at the age of 95. He had a good, long life, full of imagination and storytelling, two things I hold very near and dear. Not only was he instrumental in revolutionizing the comic book industry — which dominates my life, hopes and dreams — but he’s been enjoying a delightfully fun resurgence in pop culture over the past two decades with his movie cameos.
Stan Lee is a legend. And the best way I can honor him is by geeking out over some of my favorite comic book characters!
1922 – 2018
I never had the pleasure of meeting Stan Lee. I think the most I ever managed was seeing him board an escalator at New York Comic-Con once. That’s good enough for me. I’ve never been one for hero worship, especially with famous people and celebrities. But there’s no denying that Stan Lee created a fictional world that means everything to me, and has inspired me to dedicate my own life to creating awesome fictional worlds. Gotta give the guy props for that.
So join me after the jump for my favorite Stan Lee creations in comics! And please feel free to share your own in the comments!
Henchman-4-Hire 