Marvel 1976.07 - Captain Marvel #45

Captain Marvel #45

Title: The Bi-Centennial!

Writer: Steve Englehart

Artist: Al Milgrom

Villain: Supreme Intelligence, Null-Trons

Regulars: Rick Jones

The Null-Tron/cyborg hybrid has just asked Captain Marvel for help in his battle against the Null-Trons. To do this, he has to enter a large red gem in the underground chamber. This is a soul gem, one of six gems scattered throughout the universe. The gem on Warlock's forehead is also a soul gem, but the other four gems have been lost. These are the gems that are called the Infinity Gems in later comics. This is the first time we're told that there are six gems, and we see the other gems in future issues of the "Silver Surfer", also written by Steve Englehart. This red gem is later identified as the Mind Gem.

We see in a flashback that the gem was discovered in the dirt on Deneb IV. This is the scene P2 from Captain Marvel #41.

First the cyborgs throw Rick Jones' unconscious body into the gem. Then Captain Marvel follows him. Captain Marvel and Rick see one another on opposite sides of a glass barrier, as if they're in a mirror. Neither of them think it's real, so they start to fight one another.

On the surface, the Null-Trons and the cyborgs are fighting again. Through the power of the Mind Gem, the battle between Mar-Vell and Rick Jones is being used to power them. When Mar-Vell has the upper hand, the Null-Trons are winning, and when Rick Jones has the upper hand, the cyborgs are winning. The hybrid admits to his servant Rambu that it doesn't matter who wins. He wants peace on Deneb IV, and that can only be achieved when one side is defeated. The problem is that Captain Marvel and Rick Jones share their power via the nega-bands. Whenever one of them draws on his band's power, the other weakens.

The mysterious woman, Fawn, comes to Rambu and tells him he must help her stop the fight. She wants to enter the gem, but she says her substance is not of the universe, so she needs his aid. Strange. He takes her hand, and they plunge into the gem. Fawn says that if Rick dies she'll die as well. Rambu pulls Mar-Vell and Rick apart.

The Supreme Intelligence is watching the fight, accompanied by his servant Bun-Dall. He says that he arranged all the events leading to this fight. He's made the Null-Trons more powerful, which is the micro-circuit relay in scene P3 of Captain Marvel #41.

Fawn touches Captain Marvel, and he sees her for the first time. She says that it was a lie that Captain Marvel and Rick Jones are merging into one another. They'll only merge if they want to.

The war on the surface ceases. Fawn leads Captain Marvel, Rick Jones and Rambu out of the gem.

This is a confusing story. It's not clear what's happening unless you read it more than once, but it's worth it. 

Now we've seen the meaning of the first four scenes from Captain Marvel #41. Only the last two are outstanding.

Marvel 1976.05 - Captain Marvel #44

Captain Marvel #44

Title: Death Throws!

Writer: Steve Englehart

Artist: Al Milgrom

Villain: Supreme Intelligence, Drax the Destroyer, Null-Trons

Regulars: Rick Jones

Flashbacks: Thanos, Moondragon

At the end of the last issue Drax threw Captain Marvel towards Deneb IV's moon, making him burn up as he enters the atmosphere. He regains consciousness, but he's helpless to stop himself. Then he remembers that Rick Jones drew power from his nega-band, so he tries to do the same. It works. He stops his fall and replenishes his strength. He resumes his fight with Drax, much stronger than he was before. His blows weaken the Destroyer enough that he can throw him down to Deneb IV's moon. Drax also burns, but unlike Captain Marvel, the flames don't hurt him.

Meanwhile, Rick Jones has removed his protective helmet, encouraged by Fawn. He lies dying, and Fawn runs away. Rick is broken-hearted, because he thought Fawn loved him, and now she's killing him. Drax falls to the ground and sees Fawn running. She touches him, and he suddenly knows that Thanos isn't dead. He also knows where Thanos is. Captain Marvel arrives and wants to continue the battle, but Drax tells him that their fight isn't important any more. He has to fight with Thanos.

As Drax leaves, he says that the girl reminds him of his daughter. Captain Marvel is confused, because he can't see a girl. Fawn touches him, and he knows where Rick Jones can be found. Captain Marvel also knows that Rick isn't dying because of the atmosphere, it's because he weakened Rick by draining all the energy from the nega-band. They're still connected, and they share their power. Mar-Vell recharges Rick's nega-band, even though it weakens himself.

The metal horse is working now. It was never broken, it was only temporarily deactivated by the intervention of the Supreme Intelligence. Together with the unconscious Rick Jones he flies to Deneb IV. The planet has recently been devastated by a war. Nobody is alive. He places Rick in a life-support chamber in a deserted hospital.

Captain Marvel flies over the planet's surface to investigate. He finds Null-Trons, killer robots from the early years of the Kree empire. He didn't think they were still used. They don't just conquer planets, they destroy all life. When they see a plant, they stop fighting Mar-Vell and destroy it first. This was probably programmed as a result of the Kree's dealings with the Cotati. Then they say that the creature standing next to Mar-Vell is dangerous. He can't see anyone next to him, but they see Fawn. She touches him, and he regains his strength. He also feels that Rick needs him.

Mar-Vell returns to the hospital, and Rick's body has gone. He's attacked by a large army of cyborgs. They knock him out and carry him into an underground chamber. When he wakes up he sees Rick, still comatose in his life support chamber. The leader of the cyborgs is a Null-Tron with a human head attached. He/it says he wants Captain Marvel's help in defeating the Null-Trons on the surface. He also says that Mar-Vell and Rick have a brain disease making their two minds merge into one.

Steve Englehart has written a lot of slow-burning philosophical stories, especially for Doctor Strange. This issue shows that he can also write thrilling action stories.

We still haven't seen the other four scenes from Captain Marvel #41. We'll get to them eventually. I hope. There's also the mystery of Fawn. Who is she, and why is she invisible to Captain Marvel?

Snatched (4 Stars)

"Snatched" is a comedy film made in 2017, starring Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn. I admire Amy Schumer a lot, primarily for her real life personality, rather than her acting. On the other hand, in films like "Snatched" she's playing herself, so it's the real Amy we see. She's goofy, inappropriate and determined that the whole world should march to her drum. In other words, she's the sort of woman I could fall in love with.

Amy plays Emily Middleton, a single woman in her early 30's. She's dating a rock musician who dumps her in one of the opening scenes. Boo! Boo! Hiss! Hiss! The trouble is that she's booked a romantic trip to Ecuador, and she doesn't want to go by herself. She rings round all her friends, but they all have excuses, even though she offers the trip for free. Eventually Emily asks her mother, who also turns down the offer because she's paranoid. She lives her life in fear of being attacked, so she hardly leaves her house. She lives with her son, Emily's older brother, who spends all day at home playing computer games.

But Emily eventually persuades her mother, and off they go. It looks like paradise, even though Emily needs a lot of effort to persuade her mother to leave the hotel. Emily even meets an attractive young man who takes the two on a day trip. It's too good to be true. He's a member of a gang that kidnaps American tourists and sells them back for ransom. Emily is single and her mother is divorced, so the gangster Morgado demands $100,000 from Emily's brother. Puh-lease... how many Americans have that much money in their bank account?

The two women are driven into Colombia. They escape from the car trunk, and hit Morgado's nephew over the head with a shovel, accidentally killing him. She doesn't know her own strength. In a following fight she kills Morgado's son with a spear gun. Now it's personal. Morgado no longer wants to sell the women, he wants to kill them. The women flee, trying to reach the US Embassy in Bogota, with Morgado and his men in pursuit.

I love the film with its crazy comedy. Okay, the tapeworm scene is disgusting, apart from being totally infeasible. Can you really tempt a tapeworm to leave a person's body by holding a bloody steak in front of the mouth? That scene alone made me want to lower my rating to 3½, but I'll be generous and leave it at 4.

No, the gangsters don't keep their captives naked. In this scene they're playing strip poker while escaping by boat. But they can't keep their hands on their breasts all day. They have to hold their cards.

"This is another fine mess you've gotten me into!"

In a more innocent scene, Emily/Amy shows how to take a good selfie. I've never mastered the art of selfies. I can't smile. I have to concentrate on getting the pose just right, and the concentration turns my face into a grimace.

To keep Amy Schumer's fans happy, here are a few more screenshots. She looks amazing!

And she can even manage a double selfie.

She makes mommy smile. Being hugged by Amy Schumer might make me smile as well. But I can't guarantee it.

I realise this isn't a film for everyone. The zany humour isn't everyone's taste, but I love it. Apart from the tapeworm. I need to fast forward over that the next time I watch it.

Success Rate:  - 0.6

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VFB Stuttgart Season 2022 Match 18

RB Leipzig – VfB Stuttgart

Date: 27th January 2023, 8:30 pm

Result: 2 – 1

This is the 18th game, i.e. the beginning of the second half of the season. VfB Stuttgart has to face the same 17 opponents again in order. Can Stuttgart do better this time? Evidently not. The first game against Leipzig was a draw, but VfB lost the second game. This means Stuttgart has gently slipped back into the league's cellar (the bottom four places in the table).

I didn't even know the match was taking place yesterday. I got the dates mixed up, I thought it was today. I only realised the game was being played when the result popped up on my television in the middle of "Fast and Furious 8". That shows how much my feelings for the team are evaporating. Things have to change fast. Stuttgart needs to win the next two games, against Werder Bremen on 5th February (while I'm at the Stuttgart film festival) and SC Freinburg on 11th February. Then I'll be happy again.

1.	Bayern München	36
2.	RB Leipzig	35
3.	Union Berlin	33
4.	Eintracht Frankfurt	31
5.	Dortmund	31
6.	SC Freiburg	31
7.	Wolfsburg	29
8.	Leverkusen	24
9.	Mönchengladbach	22
10.	Köln	21
11.	Werder Bremen	21
12.	Mainz	20
13.	Hoffenheim	19
14.	Augsburg	18
15.	VfB Stuttgart	16
16.	VfL Bochum	16
17.	Hertha BSC	14
18.	Schalke 04	9

Marvel 1976.03 - Captain Marvel #43

Captain Marvel #43

Title: "Destroy! Destroy!" screams the Destroyer

Writer: Steve Englehart

Artist: Al Milgrom

Villain: Supreme Intelligence, Drax the Destroyer

Regulars: Rick Jones

The title is spread over three pages, but this in the only splash page. I can't remember anything like this being done before. Al Milgrom is a good artist. I'm surprised that I've never paid attention to him in the past.

Drax is flying through space, destroying everything in his path. First he smashes a small asteroid to pieces. No big deal? Then he flies into the heart of a small sun and rips out its molten core, causing it to explode. Drax is one of the most powerful beings in Marvel's comics. My guess is that James Gunn didn't have time to read the comics before he introduced the character in "Guardians of the Galaxy". In the film Drax isn't even Art Douglas from Earth. What a mess!

The Supreme Intelligence is watching from Hala. He wants to bring Captain Marvel and Drax together, so he causes the metal horse to malfunction. Captain Marvel and Rick Jones have to land on another of Deneb IV's moons. Rick flies off to explore while Captain Marvel tries to repair the horse.

Rick sees the girl from the western town again. This time she speaks with him. She tells him her name is Fawn. She encourages him to take off his helmet. When he takes it off, he collapses. The air isn't poisonous, but it's hard to breathe.

Meanwhile, Drax senses Mar-Vell's presence on the moon and flies down to attack him. His first punch smashes his helmet. Captain Marvel collapses, but he pulls himself together and stands up again. Drax says he's angry with him because he killed Thanos, which is what he wanted to do himself. Anyone else would have said thank you.

There's a fierce fight, in which Mar-Vell's skin gives him a slight advantage over Drax's raw strength. But however often he knocks Drax down, he stands up again. Mar-Vell flies into space, but the can't escape Drax. Drax grabs his ankle and smashes his head onto space debris, knocking him unconscious. Then he throws him back to make him burn up in the moon's atmosphere.

So far we've still only seen two of the scenes from Captain Marvel #41, P1 and P4.

Fast & Furious 8 (4½ Stars)

This is the eighth film in the Fast & Furious series. The title is silly, whether it's spelt Fate or F8. I hope you approve of my sensible renaming.

The team has two new members in this film. The first is Ramsey, the hacker we met in the seventh film. She was rescued from a Nigerian terrorist, but I didn't expect to see her return in the next film as a team member. Maybe she had nowhere else to go.

There were enough jokes in the last film about her not looking like a hacker, so I won't repeat them here. I'll just say that I agree. She doesn't look like a hacker.

Roman and Tej are vying for her attention. Tej (on the right) says he's the most suitable partner because he's also a computer expert. Roman (on the left) says he's the most suitable partner because of his sex appeal. If he says so.....

The second new member is Deckard Shaw, and his presence in the team is even less expected. In "Fast & Furious 7" he was the team's enemy. I knew he wasn't really a bad guy. He was only taking revenge for his brother. But now his brother has recovered from his injuries, so there's no need for him to work against the team. Apart from that, the mysterious Mr. Nobody got him out of prison on condition that he did a job for him. That job involves taking down an international terrorist called Cipher.

A shocking development in this film is that Dominic Toretto (Dom) turns his back on his team to work for Cipher. It's obvious that she has something she's using against him, but I'm not going to tell you what it is. If you haven't seen the film yet, now's your time.

In the 11-minute pre-credits scene the film returns to its roots. Dom takes part in an illegal street race in the streets of Havana, Cuba.

There's a scene in which we see Luke Hobbs working as a football coach. He's good. He's really good. I wish VfB Stuttgart had a coach like him.

He turns innocent young girls into lean, mean fighting machines.

I'd be scared to play with a girl like this.

This girl scares me even more.

And a girl like this would make me run and hide behind the goalposts.

You can see where they've got it from.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock is the ex-wrestler who's the most talented actor. I feel tempted to say that he's the only ex-wrestler who's a good actor. Most wrestlers are embarrassing when they try to act, but don't tell them I said so. They're tougher than me.

I'm glad that Paul Walker's character, Brian O'Connor, hasn't been written out of the series after his death. It would have been tasteless to hear the team talking about him being killed by an enemy in between the films. He simply isn't there any more, so we can imagine that he's settled down as a happy family man, living a quiet life in a house by the beach. He's had enough of being fast and furious.

Success Rate:  + 2.9

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Marvel 1976.01 - Captain Marvel #42

Captain Marvel #42

Title: Shoot-Out at the O.K. Space Station!

Writer: Al Milgrom, Steve Englehart

Artist: Al Milgrom

Villain: Supreme Intelligence, Stranger, Drax

Regulars: Rick Jones

According to the letters page, this issue was plotted by Al Milgrom. If that's what it says, it must be true, but there are elements in the story that were obviously thought up by Steve Englehart, so I judge them to be co-plotters.

The Supreme Intelligence has sent Captain Marvel and Rick Jones to a (seemingly) random planet in the Kree empire. Their arrival is spotted by an old man. That's scene P4 from Captain Marvel #41. The atmosphere is poisonous, so they pass out. They would have died if the old man hadn't given them helmets as protection.  He takes them back to his home town, which is covered by a protective dome.

Rick Jones uses his newly acquired powers to create a costume for himself that matches Captain Marvel's. So now they're Captain Marvel and Marvel Boy? No, he isn't given that name, or any name at all. I hope it stays that way.

The town is in the style of an American western town, even though its inhabitants are a mixture of different races. The old man, whose name is Shabby, is thrown out of the saloon by cowboy bullies who like to pick on a helpless old man. Captain Marvel and Rick fight to protect him. The cowboys say they'll go and get help from the Big Boss.

According to Shabby, the planet is a small moon of Deneb IV. It was a sleepy little planet until the Kree discovered thyamite. Their mining operation poisoned the air, so they built a dome over the planet's only town. The residents are a mixture of the planet's original inhabitants and retired miners. 

Then the Big Boss arrives. It's the Stranger, a rather eccentric powerful being that we last saw in Fantastic Four #116. He says he's taken up residence on the planet because the town is so unique and bizarre. He challenges Captain Marvel to a gunfight.

I'm not sure where Captain Marvel gets his gun from. Al Milgrom didn't think that far. It's possible that Shabby gave him the gun. The Stranger himself goes through the motions of a gunfighter, but his hand is empty. He fires power blasts from his hand. Captain Marvel is the first to hit his target, but the Stranger laughs; he says that no weapons can harm him. That's not a fair gunfight!

Captain Marvel's shot ricochets from the Stranger's body and hits the dome, cracking the glass/plastic/whatever it is. Rick flies up to repair it while the gunfight continues on the ground. A stray blast from the Stranger hits Shabby. Captain Marvel turns to look at him, and the Stranger hits him in the back.

The Stranger says that winning by hitting his opponent in the back has ruined his pleasure. He leaves the planet. Captain Marvel and Shabby are merely stunned.

Rick sees a beautiful woman who's invisible to everyone else.

Captain Marvel and Rick Jones fly to Deneb IV on a small metal horse.

Drax the Destroyer flies through space and turns towards a planet. This is scene P1 from Captain Marvel #41. Drax used to be a real estate agent called Art Douglas. He witnessed Thanos on one of his first visits to Earth, so Thanos killed him. Kronos placed Art's soul in a new body created from the earth and gave him an overwhelming desire to kill Thanos. But Thanos was killed in Captain Marvel #33, so Drax has nothing left to live for. Or does he? Next issue will reveal all.

Smallville 2.03 - Duplicity

Click here to watch the podcast.

Wait a moment! Michael Rosenbaum is wearing a Talkville shirt! Is he allowed to do that? I know that for rock groups it's considered bad style for band members to wear their own group's shirt on stage, but what's the etiquette for podcasts?

There's something I should have done long ago, but I've neglected it until now. This is a gallery of the Smallville opening credits:

The only change from the opening credits in season one is that Eric Johnson (Whitney Fordham) has been replaced by John Glover.

Now to "Duplicity" itself, the third episode of season two. It begins with Dr. Hamilton visiting Lex Luthor in his mansion. Lex has summoned him because he's been causing problems at Cadmus Labs, starting fights with the employees. Dr. Hamilton is obviously ill. His hand is shaking violently, as if he has an acute case of Parkinson's Disease. Lex fires him, but promises to pay his medical treatment.

Dr. Hamilton drives home, but on the way he drops his pills and tries to pick them up off his car floor while he's driving. A van has to swerve to avoid him and falls off the road. Dr. Hamilton drives away when he sees another car arrive. It's Pete Ross. Pete finds the van overturned in the cornfield. Pete drags him out, but he also sees a spaceship in the field, the ship that crashed in the season's first episode.

The next day Pete shows Clark the spaceship. The police haven't visited the crash scene yet, so Pete says they should take the ship away before anyone else sees it. Pete wants to borrow Clark's father's truck. Pete insists on taking it back to his own house, despite Clark's protests.

In the hospital the injured van driver, Ray Wallace, has been babbling about having seen a spaceship. Dr. Hamilton goes to the field and finds nothing, so he visits Ray in the hospital. Ray tells him that he was rescued by Pete Ross. In a town as small as Smallville everyone knows everyone. Ray recognises Dr. Hamilton as the man who ran him off the road, so Dr. Hamilton panics and increases Ray's morphine dosage, killing him.

Clark and his father drive to Pete's house at night to steal the spaceship, but it's already gone. Dr. Hamilton has taken it. Pete sees the Kents drive away, so the following day he accuses Clark of having taken it. Clark denies it, but Pete accuses him of lying and says their friendship is over. Pete drives away angrily, so Clark overtakes the car and stops it, revealing his speed and strength. He tells Pete that he's an alien and arrived on Earth in the spaceship. Pete freaks out at Clark having kept this secret from him his whole life and wants nothing more to do with him.

Dr. Hamilton can't open the spaceship, but he sees a space where the octagonal key fits. He goes to Luthor Mansion to ask Lex for the key, but Lex says it was lost in the tornado. Dr. Hamilton goes to Pete's barn to search for the key. Pete interrupts him, but Dr. Hamilton overpowers him. Pete says that the ship belongs to someone powerful, almost giving away Clark's secret.

Dr. Hamilton ties up Pete and takes him back to his own home. He can't get Pete to give any more details. He says that his shaking is the result of too much contact with the meteor rocks, so he'll inject Pete with a serum made of the meteor rocks if he doesn't talk. Clark arrives just in time and saves Pete, but he's weakened when the serum runs out. Dr. Hamilton quickly realises what's happening and tries to pour a beaker with the serum onto Clark, but Pete knocks him over and Dr. Hamilton pours the serum on himself. Dr. Hamilton's shaking becomes so bad that he dies.

A subplot is that Lana's Aunt Nell wants to marry an insurance agent called Dean Winters. Lana doesn't like this, so she makes excuses to stay away from her house. She sleeps in the Talon, telling her aunt that she had a sleepover at Chloe's house.

The episode's title comes from the multiple deceptions in the episode. Clark lies to Pete, Lana lies to her aunt, Clark keeps secrets from Lana, Lionel has been lying to Lex for years. In the podcast Michael Rosenbaum counts the deaths and saves every episode, but he should also count the lies. Who lies most? Is it Clark or Lex? I don't know, but it must be close.

Lana Lang's words are wise beyond her years. She knows that Clark is keeping secrets from her, but she has no idea what they are. If Clark had been honest to her, they could have become lovers long ago. She has feelings for Clark, but she can't trust him.

I couln't help finding Chloe extremely attractive in this episode. Maybe Clark is interested in the wrong girl. He could have carried on with her after the spring formal.

What do you think? She's beautiful, isn't she?

In the podcast Michael Rosenbaum confesses that he can't remember the episode at all. He can only remember that he was happy to work with the director Steve Miner. Steve signed Michael's DVDs of "House", "House 2" and "Lake Placid". Michael claimed that Steve directed all three films, but he didn't direct "House 2".

Tom Welling doesn't remember much about the episode, but he remembers playing basketball with Sam Jones.

One interesting thing came up in the conversations. Tom Welling quoted the famous words of Ben Parker, "With great power comes great responsibility", and Michael didn't recognise the quote. I thought these were words that everyone would know. Michael said that he's never watched the Spider-Man films; none of them. He's missing out. Even if he's not a Marvel fan, he should watch the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films. I want to hear what his rose'n'bomb ratings for the films are. If he doesn't give them three roses, I'll be very disappointed.

The Talon is shown twice in the episode. Someone should really help Lana with her spelling. I'm an open Mike, never duplicitous, but you don't use me for singing. You use an open mic. It's a big difference.

But at least the Talon has the best cappuccino in Smallville. I won't argue with that. Probably the best espresso as well.

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