With Great Power Comes Great Destruction

Justin worked on Marvel's Infinity event a few years ago. In that series, a bomb explodes which spills vast amounts of Terrigen into Earth's atmosphere. Formerly, Terrigen was used in controlled settings, usually for helping children of the Inhumans complete their metamorphoses. Now Terrigen travels around the globe in storms. When a Terrigen cloud appears, ordinary people are encouraged to take shelter.

The reasons for this are obvious. Everyone carries a vast number of unutilized traits in their recessive genes. The Terrigen works on those recessive genes. If a person unknowingly carries an Inhuman trait, the Terrigen transforms the ordinary mortal into an Inhuman with special powers. Of course, as Stan Lee taught us, with great power comes the need for great responsibility. 

In Civil War II Issue 0, Brian Michael Bendis asks this question: What if a person is given great power all at once, and is not able to control it?

It's an interesting question to ask at any time, but even more so in an election year.

Dragon Dave

James Rhodes For President

Most of you probably know Colonel James Rhodes from the Iron Man movies, if not the comics. You may also remember the posts I wrote awhile back, when I covered his adventures as War Machine in Invincible Iron Man Issue 6. In Civil War II Issue 0, Colonel Rhodes has a meeting with...well, let's just say it's with a very important man.

Writer Brian Michael Bendis comes up with an interesting notion here, that billionaire Tony Stark might buy his way into the Presidency of the United States. Isn't it interesting how some people spend their lives destroying people, companies, and anything that would limit their company's personal power, and then, later in life, decide they want to "give back?"

Unlike Tony Stark, James Rhodes isn't like that. But then, that's why we love him.

Dragon Dave

She-Hulk Defends The Defenseless

In Civil War II Issue 0, we find Jessica Walters in court. Her job: to defend a super-criminal codenamed The Jester. This is one of the most painterly examples of Justin's work I've seen lately. It captures all the drama of this courtroom setting as She-Hulk argues on her client's behalf.

Later, on a SHIELD helicarrier, we learn that she lost her case. Yet we love her for believing in her client. After all, no one else does.

She-Hulk may be green, but she's not jaded by her experience as a lawyer. She has not stopped believing in the possibility of someone turning her life around. Perhaps that's why we love her so.

Dragon Dave

War Machine Versus Ninjas

In Invincible Iron Man 6, Brian Michael Bendis depicts Tony Stark's friend James Rhodes in his War Machine armor, investigating the Stark facility infiltrated by Madame Masque. There he is attacked by two beautiful, but deadly, ninjas. This time, they're ladies.

This photo of Mike Deodato and Frank Martin's artwork suffers a little from light reflection on the right hand side. But you can still compare how differently Dave Marquez and Justin Ponsor treated a similar scene in my earlier Ninja post. Take a look at the ladies' legs, for example. There's no detail in their musculature. You can barely see their feet.

There's much less depth and vibrancy than in the Ninja scenes by Marquez and Ponsor. The skin tones seem particularly flat by comparison. And there's so much black. Ordinarily, I would wonder if that was due to the Inker. But no one is listed as Inker for the issue, so it must be down to artist Mike Deodato or colorist Frank Martin.

I battled with light reflection while taking all my photos of Issue 6. Either that's got something to do with the change in art style, or I suddenly forgot how to use my camera.

Dragon Dave

Groovy War Machine

In Invincible Iron Man 6, Mike Deodato and Frank Martin's art provides a vivid contrast with that of Dave Marquez and Justin Ponsor. Take this image of James Rhodes in his War Machine armor, for example. Colorist Frank Martin seems to adore orange and black: those colors suffuse nearly every page. By comparison, all other seem muted. As you may have noticed in the earlier posts, the comic nearly becomes black-and-white, with silhouettes, and blazing light, mostly in the orange spectrum, that washes out much of the detail. 

Justin Ponsor colors each frame like a realist, evoking everyday color without, for the most part, enhancing it for effect. Frank Martin's color super-saturation, and his love affair with orange, make me wonder if at heart, he's a child of the swinging 1960s. Justin's work is forever, and for everyone. Frank Martin's color style appeals to the wild child. As Austin Powers might say, he's groovy, baby!

Dragon Dave

Radioactive Amara Perera

In Invincible Iron Man Issues one through five, author Brian Michael Bendis introduced us to Dr Amara Perera. She's every bit as smart as Tony Stark, and classy enough to refuse a kiss on their first date. Later, she warms to him, but Dave Marquez's sketching and Justin Ponsor's coloring made her seem like an elegant yet innocent young princess. Her skin is chocolate brown, yet gentle and supple. Clearly, it's her natural skin color.

In Invincible Iron Man Issue 6, colorist Frank Martin depicts Amara as a surfer girl. Either she's just sat under a sun lamp for a few hours, or Tony Stark's Iron Man armor has developed a radiation leak. Amara, run, do not walk, to your nearest dermatologist. 

Hurry!

Dragon Dave

Mary Jane's Dilemma

In the new Invincible Iron Man series by writer Brian Michael Bendis, Mary Jane Watson moves to a new city and opens a night club. As she tells the crowd, one of the perils of living in New York City is that it's filled with superheroes and super villains. On one occasion, the clash between the two forces destroyed the first night club she tried to open. So for her, this represents a fresh start.

Of course, often a fresh start really isn't a new act. It's merely the repetition of an old act. Of course, we can hone our skills, and eventually master them, through repetition. But all too often, we merely pick up and move somewhere else, or try doing the same thing in a new place. Then we wonder why we fail.

Some claim the definition of insanity is to continue doing what hasn't worked in the past, and hope for different (better) results this time. Yeah, like none of us ever do that.

While nothing can (or should) stop us from trying, sometimes we are the way we are. In Mary Jane's case, she naturally attracts superheroes and super villains. It's just part of who she is. So when Tony Stark, aka Iron Man (Superhero!) and Whitney Frost, aka Madame Masque (Super Villain!) walk into her new bar...well, you can guess the result.

When her new club is destroyed, Tony Stark recognizes not just her loss, but her talent and tenacity. So he offers her a job. Unlike merely opening another bar, going to work for Stark Industries will be a different move for her. It will be interesting to see how she grows as she stretches herself in a new environment. 

Do what you did someplace else, and hope for better results next time? Try your hand at something different, and hope it gives you more satisfaction that your previous efforts? There's always more than one way to embrace the future. As to which course will offer the future we desire...well, that's a little more difficult to see, isn't it?

Either way, it's better than doing nothing. Right?

Right?

Dragon Dave

Mary Jane Watson: Reincarnated

Everyone dies: that's a fact of life. And sooner or later, everyone dies in comics: that's also a fact of life. For some characters, that's the end. Their bodies crumble to dust, memories of their exploits fade, and even their creators are forgotten. As in life, this fate befalls all heroes and sidekicks, no matter how powerful or significant. 

Recently, I've been enjoying the exploits of a character called Mantra. She was one of a special group of superheroes called Ultras. She and her fellow superheroes endured hardships, and enjoyed such spectacular adventures, that Marvel purchased Malibu Comics, the company that published their adventures, back in the mid 1990s. For a time, authors such as Robert W Barr, and artists like Dave Roberts, thrilled readers who made titles like Mantra a part of their lives. The Ultras even ventured into toy stores, and enjoyed a brief run in the TV series "Ultraforce." Sadly, the Ultras, and all memories of their exploits, faded away, when Marvel decided to close Malibu Comics, and stopped publishing their adventures.

Had readers banded together in great numbers, and insisted Marvel publish more of the Ultras' exploits, perhaps their fate would have been different. But no matter how much people loved and admired them, they just didn't care enough about characters like Mantra, and in sufficient numbers, to convince Marvel to continue their adventures.

Stan Lee envisioned Mary Jane Watson as the pretty, wholesome girl-next-door whom Aunt May wanted Peter Parker to date in the early days of "Amazing Spider-Man." Elsewhere, I've mused upon his inspiration for the character. Like Dr John Watson, a man who shares a similar name, Mary Jane has enjoyed a long life and career in comics. Or, perhaps I should say, many lives and many careers. At times she's pursued journalism. At other times, acting. In some eras, she was the girl who loved Peter Parker from afar. In others she dated him, or was his wife. Now she's a new incarnation, no longer living in New York, but in Chicago. She's a former supermodel, and has just opened a nightclub. From the cover of Invincible Iron Man #4, it seems as though she has consigned any hopes of life with Peter Parker to the past. So what's she doing with Iron Man? You'll have to read the issue to find out, won't you? 

One thing's for sure: some characters never die. We care about them too much to let their bodies crumble to dust, and let all memories of them fade away. Spider-Man and Iron Man are two heroes who seem destined to live forever. Mary Jane Watson, a woman without lacking any superpowers, is another person who continually rises from the ashes of her former existence to remake, recreate, and reincarnate herself. 

How do we embrace each new day? Do we continually look to become someone new? Or do we continue long journeys toward the realization of long-held goals? I suspect Mary Jane Watson does both equally well. Perhaps that is the reason why she refuses to die, and why we keep on insisting that she live.

Dragon Dave

Related Dragon Cache entries
Stan Lee's Inspiration

Iron Man's Ninja Beach Bash

In Invincible Iron Man Issue 4 by Brian Michael Bendis, ninjas attack Tony Stark at night.
So Iron Man takes the action away from an apartment building to the beach, where he can fight them without risking civilian casualties.

I love the old comics of the 1970s and 1980s, in the time period often called the Bronze Age of Comics. This was before computers made their way into the hands of the artists, and comics were still drawn and painted on paper. I love the handmade look of those old comics. As the artwork was less sophisticated, I think often the writers worked harder to pack more plot into their stories. But what amazes me about today's comics is how much darkness artists like Justin can pack into a picture. All the dark colors in the sky, the sea, the sand, and yet all those elements stand out in a way they never could have back in the good old Bronze days.

Iron Man's artificial intelligence/operating system, Girl Friday, even uses the armor's chameleon circuits (Like Doctor Who's TARDIS, only these function far better) to color the outer plating black, so that's more darkness in the picture for you.

Faced by hi-tech ninjas, whose cybernetic suits can instantly adapt their fighting techniques, Iron Man's new armor reshapes into a modern Samurai warrior. The armor even manufactures a sword so he can take on the ninjas on even terms. Wow!

I'm betting Justin had just as much fun coloring these scenes as Dave Marquez did drawing them. But then, one should always do one's best for ninjas and samara warriors.

Dragon Dave

Superheroes Read Books

In Invincible Iron Man Issue 3, a battle with Madame Masque, and an encounter with Doctor Doom, leave Tony Stark shaken. When Dr Amara Perez leaves the laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MIT), she finds Tony Stark in her office. Crouched by a bookshelf, he tells her that, right now, he'd rather be with her than anyone else. As he puts it:

"I can't shake the idea
 that becoming the man that would actually deserve you
 would be very good goal in life at this stage of the game."

Tony Stark may have a protective suit of armor, but Amara Perez can't help but notice how he's cast off all barriers in her presence.

After seeking solace from her, Tony Stark knows he needs to do a little research on what Doctor Doom has told him about the powers Madame Masque now wields. So he heads over to the Sanctum Sanctorum of Doctor Strange.

The print version of this picture really doesn't do it justice. But in the electronic version (included free with purchase of Issue 3), you can see Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum in all its majesty. Candles hover in the air, and burn on the floor, illuminating floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. It's the kind of library I'd love to have someday. Only, as I can't levitate, I'd want a solid wood ladder on wheels connected to a brass rail.

I'm not sure if writer Brian Michael Bendis consciously intended this, but one theme that emerges from Issue 3 is the source of a superhero's power. Dr Amara Perez is one of the smartest scientists of her generation, but she didn't reach her exalted post, get her learned papers accepted in the most prestigious journals, or make her important, world-changing discoveries without lots of study. Likewise, Doctor Strange works incredible feats by merging science and (what we call) magic, but he couldn't do so without the need to study. 

And then, remember how Tony could have sat anywhere in the room. Instead of taking a comfortable chair, he sits on the floor next to Amara's packed bookshelves. 

In today's culture, we place so much emphasis on what a person does that we tend to forget all the effort that lies behind one's actions. Achievements are like icebergs: others can only see the smallest, most outward portion of all the work that went into them. Enthusiasm, instinct, and natural talents can carry you far. But to develop your intelligence and abilities, study is required. 

There's a reason Dr Amara Perez and Dr Strange keep those books close by. There's a reason Tony sits by them. They're not just there to impress other people. Instead, those books the foundation of these superheroes' powers and careers.

Naturally, Justin Ponsor had to color each and every one of them.

Dragon Dave

Iron Man's New Armor

One thing you're sure to like about the new Invincible Iron Man series is how Tony Stark's armor changes. Linked via cybernetics to his brain, and aided via Artificial Intelligence in the (virtual) person of his girl Friday, Tony's new armor changes shape instinctively, reacting to the needs of the moment. For example, when presented with Madam Masque's ability to hurl massive bolts of energy, the armor reshapes itself to divert maximum shielding to ward off her attack.

On the other hand, when he takes on the Marvel Universe's premier villain, Doctor Doom, Tony Stark's armor switches over to Hulkbuster mode. This form may prove no more effective than it did against the Hulk in World War Hulk, but then, Doctor Doom is the Marvel Universe's premier villain.

I don't even know where to go in discussing Justin's coloring work here. Each of these panels leaps off the page for different reasons. Of course, some credit for the artwork must go to penciler David Marquez, and even more must go to writer Brian Michael Bendis, whose story concepts the artists have brought to life. Amid Justin's eye-grabbing, jaw-dropping color, one must stand in dumbfounded awe. But then, that's why Justin is the Marvel Universe's premier colorist.

Dragon Dave

Dr Amara Perera: Tony Stark's New Love Interest

Tony Stark's holographic Girl Friday, and Whitney Frost, or Madame Masque, make big entrances in Invincible Iron Man Issue 1. But Amara Perera, a brilliant biophysicist from Sri Lanka, really captures your heart. Right away, you can tell how hard Tony Stark is working to impress her, when he buys out the entire rooftop restaurant for their first date.

Yet she's not impressed by his extravagance, as this profile shot readily demonstrates.

While guarded, she's clearly intrigued by his interest. As the evening winds on, she softens toward him.

After dinner, she even confesses that she has conceived of a cure for the mutant gene. This is something she's never told anyone else, or even written down, for fear that the government might requisition her invention, develop it, and force all mutants to take it.

Later, they repair to the top of Tony Stark's headquarters. Atop the high-rise, as she enjoys the catered dessert, she pretends not to see Lady Thor arrive for a coincidental visit. 

Instead, she warns him that should he have engineered such a chance meeting, she would leave immediately. She doesn't want him to impress her with his powerful resources and friends. She wants to see the real him.

I like how penciler Dave Marquez drew Dr. Amara Perera, and how the panels show the progress of her gradual softening toward Tony Stark. I also like how Justin Ponsor colored her, such as her luminous entrance, her shadowed face when she's pushing him back, and the highlights in her hair when she's confiding in him. I look forward to seeing how Tony Stark's relationship with Dr. Amara Perera develops in successive issues. I'm also interested in discovering how writer Brian Michael Bendis may make her conceptual cure into a reality all of Marvel's marvelous mutants must confront.

Most significant of all, perhaps, is how Bendis surrounds Tony Stark with three completely different women whose personalities pop off the pages of Invincible Iron Man Issue 1. They're all smart, beautiful, and powerful in their own way. Way to celebrate Girl Power, Brian Michael Bendis!

Dragon Dave

Whitney Frost: Tony Stark's Masked Villainess

In Invincible Iron Man Issue 1, we meet a woman engaged in industrial espionage. At least, that's what she appears to be doing, as a man hands her a suitcase. In doing so, he's betraying his employer, A.I.M. (or Advanced Idea Mechanics), in the hopes of substantially supplementing his income. But we never see what's in the suitcase, or why the woman wants it.

As it turns out, this mysterious woman is acquiring several things. We can only assume they are technological inventions she plans to put to some important use. The second item she collects is from a business division Tony Stark owns in Osaka, Japan.

In this panel, she's just leapt out the plate glass window of a skyscraper, and is pursued by several of Tony Stark's employees. Presumably, after she shoots them, she has a way of landing.

She's not just snatching inventions from A.I.M. and Stark Enterprises. Later, she emerges from Doctor Doom's castle in Latveria. She shoots off with her rocket pack, another briefcase clutched to her chest. 

Penciler Dave Marquez does some fine work, capturing the female form, the technology, the frantic action, and the intricate mask that covers her face. But the way the contents of the suitcase glow, the way her mask blends in with her skin, the flare of her burning rockets, the way the artificial day of the high-rise contrasts with the natural darkness of night in the second picture, and the way the castle and surrounding landscape fade into the distance in the early morning are all due to Justin's coloring.

I look forward to reading more issues of Invincible Iron Man, and seeing where Brian Michael Bendis takes the series. I'm also interested in learning about Whitney Frost, also known as Madame Masque. I gather she's a classic foil for Tony Stark, having appeared in stories shortly after Stan Lee created Iron Man. One thing's for sure. As Whitney Frost collects the items she needs, and assembles and uses them for her intended purposes, I know she'll look terrific doing so, thanks to the penciling efforts of Dave Marquez, and the coloring of Justin Ponsor.

Dragon Dave