Message-ID: <3755@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 27-Sep-84 07:37:24 EDT
Article-I.D.: decwrl.3755
Posted: Thu Sep 27 07:37:24 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 3-Oct-84 08:27:51 EDT
Sender: daemon@decwrl.UUCP
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Lines: 124

I've been busy lately, so I've got a lot of comments to get out of the
way. This is the first set of them.

Be it known, too, in case any of you which to send mail to me, that I
will be unable to receive mail at my regular node this coming weekend.
Please note the temporary address change at the end of this message.
Thanks.

********************

[color=blue]>  From:	usceast!ted[/color]

[color=blue]>  Warlord 88[/color]
[color=blue]> 	A fairly entertaining issue, esp after the muddled time travel[/color]
[color=blue]> 	plotline, but truth to tell this is one of the 2 (*) books I buy[/color]
[color=blue]> 	for the backup strip : The Barren Earth. This is a swords,planets[/color]
[color=blue]> 	and dessert type story set in the far future after the general[/color]
[color=blue]> 	abandonment of Earth. The heroine is beautiful and competent[/color]
[color=blue]> 	and the plot engaging, what more could you ask for? Well a[/color]
[color=blue]> 	mini series for one thing, and this issue sets it up.[/color]

You may be pleased to know that a Barren Earth mini-series is scheduled to
begin in November.


[color=blue]>  From:	dartvax!markv           18-Sep-1984 10:38:02  [/color]

[color=blue]>  Also, can anyone fill me on on this [/color]
[color=blue]>  Bolton guy--who he is, what he is drawing/has drawn?[/color]

Well, he's done some work for the British Quality Comics --- the Dracula strip
in HALLS OF HORROR and a couple of strips for WARRIOR. On this side of the
Atlantic, check out some of the Bruce Jones Associates comics from PACIFIC ---
ALIEN WORLDS, TWISTED TALES, and PATHWAYS TO FANTASY. Bolton also did some mag-
nificent work for the Baxter-paper issues of KULL THE CONQUEROR, as well as
the "Marada the She-Wolf" stories in EPIC ILLUSTRATED (with Chris Claremont).


[color=blue]>  From:	nmtvax!horton           14-Sep-1984 11:28:44  [/color]

[color=blue]>  Could someone please tell me what's happening in X-MEN??? I've[/color]
[color=blue]>  heard talk of anti-mutant sympathy, but none of that is[/color]
[color=blue]>  happening in ALPHA FLIGHT. Also, I've seen these adds for DAZZLER[/color]
[color=blue]>  with the word "mutie" scrawled over her face. What is happening?[/color]

Basicly, two things are happening. First, "mutant fear" (*sympathy* isn't really
the word your looking for; I think you meant "anti-mutant sentiment") is taking
hold of the American public at large, much like the witch-hunts of the past.
Secondly, the government isn't helping matters by considering mutants as risks
to national security, so they're trying to legislate "controls" on mutants. The
result of all this is a movement toward the possible future of X-MEN #141/142
and Rachel's "flashforwards" in recent issues.
	The reason this hasn't shown up in ALPHA FLIGHT is simple and two-fold.
(1) Alpha Flight isn't really well known to the public, and the government is
has a benevolent attitude toward them (the government set them up, after all).
(2) There are only two mutants so far in AF. Guardian was just a normal guy in
a battlesuit; Heather doesn't have any powers; Puck really doesn't have any
special powers; Shaman is a mystic; Sasquatch is a gamma-ray-altered human;
Marrina is an alien; Snowbird is a hybrid. Only Northstar and Aurora are true
mutants (and Langkowski has supposedly taken care of that for Aurora), as well
as the new member, Talisman (any guesses as to who that will be?:-))


[color=blue]>  From:	fluke!moriarty           19-Sep-1984 07:59:46  [/color]

[color=teal]>>  Spectre - Does he do magic? He is by his nature supernatural, and he uses the [/color]
[color=teal]>> 	powers which his supernatural form gives him, but I don't think he casts[/color]
[color=teal]>> 	spells or draws on other powers. [/color]
[color=teal]>> [/color]
[color=teal]>>  Post more ideas, please!				Harry[/color]
[color=blue]> [/color]
[color=blue]> [/color]
[color=blue]>  Hmm... I don't believe his powers are "magic"; they might almost be[/color]
[color=blue]>  considered religious, as he seems to be the shade of a dead man with the[/color]
[color=blue]>  power to warp reality....  Anyway, I always figured that his[/color]
[color=blue]>  powers came from the Big Man or Woman Upstairs...[/color]

It was pretty evident in The Spectre's own comic back in the late 60's and his
guest appearances in DC COMICS PRESENT #29 (where he had to stop Superman from
going beyond the Pale to rescue Supergirl) and the recent SWAMP THING ANNUAL
that The Spectre does indeed work for the Big G., though the Boss is never
specifically named (it's all right for Satan to appear in a comic, but not God;
interesting, isn't it?).


[color=blue]>  From:	milo!eric           25-Sep-1984 12:31:54  [/color]

[color=blue]> 	This last week's batch of comics seems to emphasis a trend that I[/color]
[color=blue]>  have been seeing. DC is definitely pushing more sex and graphic violence.[/color]
[color=blue]>  What is unusual is that it is not in their limited distribution books, but[/color]
[color=blue]>  the mass market ones as well.[/color]
...
[color=blue]>  	I find this a little disturbing. I can accept such things in[/color]
[color=blue]>  comics which are aimed at an older audience, such as Teen Titans, or[/color]
[color=blue]>  Swamp Thing. But "Jemm" and "Flash" have been marketed as books for[/color]
[color=blue]>  a younger audience, and as such I am not sure why these scenes are showing[/color]
[color=blue]>  up. Am I off base on this, or have others noticed this trend?[/color]

Gee, I would've thought of TEEN TITANS as a comic aimed at a younger audience
(of course, the Baxter book is different, but supposedly the more "adult" scenes
in it will be edited for the Mando reprinting). As far as JEMM goes, though, you
are definitely off base. It is *not* marketed for a younger audience. The fact
that DC is publishing it (and SWAMP THING) without the Code seal is proof of
that (or hadn't you noticed?). Just because it gets newstand distribution rather
than being direct-only doesn't mean that it's aimed at a younger audience.
	I agree with your concerns, though, and have had them myself since the
Elektra/Hand stories appeared in DAREDEVIL. I'm a supporter of the idea of
rating comics like the movies. In many cases, it's not really a problem that I
can see, at least as far as sex is concerned. Most of the time, with regard to
sexual innuendos (such as, oh say, the issue of X-MEN during the Brood War in
which Kitty roundaboutly asks Peter to hop in the sack with her), there is
enough subtlety so that anyone who would be "too young" would be unlikely to
understand just what the hell's going on anyway. Violence, however, is getting
a bit too graphic these days for younger readers.

--- jayembee (Jerry Boyajian, DEC, Maynard, MA)

UUCP:	{decvax|ihnp4|allegra|ucbvax|...}!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-akov75!boyajian
							          ^^
ARPA:	boyajian%akov75.DEC@DECWRL.ARPA
		     ^^

**NOTE** akov68 changed to akov75 for the weekend of 28-Sep to 1-Oct.
	     ^^		       ^^

Message-ID: <5964@rochester.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 30-Jan-85 12:54:41 EST
Article-I.D.: rocheste.5964
Posted: Wed Jan 30 12:54:41 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 3-Feb-85 01:53:07 EST
References:  <583@oddjob.UChicago.UUCP>
Organization: U. of Rochester, CS Dept.
Lines: 69
Xref: seismo net.comics:1514

[color=royalblue]>>>  ...Doom is even older, since he's a contemporary of Reed Richards,[/color]
[color=royalblue]>>>  who fought in World War II.[/color]
[color=teal]>> [/color]
[color=teal]>> But revisionist Marvel History has it that that issue of SGT. FURY in[/color]
[color=teal]>> which Reed Richards appears never happened, or that it wasn't *really*[/color]
[color=teal]>> Reed Richards. Marvel doesn't want Reed to be 60+ years old.[/color]
[color=teal]>> [/color]
[color=blue]>  [/color]
[color=blue]>  How can they help it?  I remember an old FF where Ben and Reed were[/color]
[color=blue]>  reminiscing about their war days.  Ben was a fighter pilot in the Pacific,[/color]
[color=blue]>  and Reed was with the OSS in Europe.  I even think there was a Two-in-One a[/color]
[color=blue]>  few years ago teaming up Ben Grimm and the Howling Commandos.  I don't[/color]
[color=blue]>  *think* that that was just a dream, although I could be wrong.  The fact[/color]
[color=blue]>  that Ben and Reed were in WWII seems to be too ingrained in the FF saga for[/color]
[color=blue]>  Marvel to arbitrarily dump it.[/color]
[color=blue]>  [/color]
When the origin of the FF was reprinted in the ORIGINS OF MARVEL COMICS
trade paperback, around 1970, Stan Lee had a comment on this.
He quoted Reed as saying Sue was "the girl I left behind when
I went to war", and then Stan wrote something like, "It must
have been the Korean War. Sue isn't THAT old!"

Also, there have been occasional references to the gamma radiation
slowing down the FF's aging processes.

[color=blue]>  On the same note, does anyone remember the issue of the X-men a few years[/color]
[color=blue]>  back where Wolverine, in a tough situation, says something like "this[/color]
[color=blue]>  reminds me of that night on Monte Casino".  Seems like he was in WWII too[/color]
[color=blue]>  (and who knows how many *other* wars he was in.  That mutant healing factor[/color]
[color=blue]>  might give longevity, as others on the net have suggested.)  Charles Xavier,[/color]
[color=blue]>  I believe, also served in WWII.[/color]

Again, Chris Claremont has said in interviews, but never in
an official X-Men publication, that Wolverine is quite old and
did serve in WWII.  His mutant healing factor is what gives him such
long life.  Xavier is a little different.  He has always appeared 
older because of his bald head, but recent X-Men stories say he was
only in maybe his late twenties when he founded the X-Men.
I think the confrontation with the bad guy who crippled Prof. X's
legs has been set at 1960.

I heard recently that Puck from Alpha Flight is supposed to be about
100 years old, and there will be stories of his early exploits
published soon.  He used to be known as The Dwarf.

I agree, this is all very hard to keep consistent.
John Byrne seems determined to single-handedly construct a time line
that makes the origin of the FF about 8 years back from the present
day.  This shows up in, for example, the origin of Guardian/Vindicator,
when he is shown working on the suit when the news of the FF's trip to
space is announced.  Flashbacks in the FF indicate that theirs was
the first STARSHIP, not the first SPACESHIP, and that the original
goal of reaching the moon (as quoted in FF #1) seems to have
mysteriously turned into a trip to the stars.

On the other hand, I am not crazy about the DC way of doing things,
as it has changed recently.  Earth-1 and Earth-2 I can accept,
and I would even support a migration to a new Earth-n which
would have all brand-new heroes (slthough this is not what
the CRISIS series seems to be moving toward).
What bothers me is the piecemeal way that longevity is being
added to some of the characters.
e.g. The JSA gets a portion of time energy added to their lives
in the "Case the World Isn't Ready For", so they don't age
as fast, but the Black Canary gets replaced by her daughter.

Mike Ciaraldi
ciaraldi@rochester
seismo!rochester!ciaraldi

Message-ID: <409@rlgvax.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 30-Jan-85 22:35:52 EST
Article-I.D.: rlgvax.409
Posted: Wed Jan 30 22:35:52 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 3-Feb-85 02:10:41 EST
References:  <583@oddjob.UChicago.UUCP> <5964@rochester.UUCP>
Organization: CCI, Federal Sales Office
Lines: 28
Xref: seismo net.comics:1516

[color=blue]>  [/color]
[color=blue]>  On the other hand, I am not crazy about the DC way of doing things,[/color]
[color=blue]>  as it has changed recently.  Earth-1 and Earth-2 I can accept,[/color]
[color=blue]>  and I would even support a migration to a new Earth-n which[/color]
[color=blue]>  would have all brand-new heroes (slthough this is not what[/color]
[color=blue]>  the CRISIS series seems to be moving toward).[/color]
[color=blue]>  What bothers me is the piecemeal way that longevity is being[/color]
[color=blue]>  added to some of the characters.[/color]
[color=blue]>  e.g. The JSA gets a portion of time energy added to their lives[/color]
[color=blue]>  in the "Case the World Isn't Ready For", so they don't age[/color]
[color=blue]>  as fast, but the Black Canary gets replaced by her daughter.[/color]

Actually my least favorite bit of retro-fitting came from DC.  It was when
they decided to explain why no one ever noticed how much Clark Kent looked
like Superman.  The explanation said the Supes subconciously hypnotized people
into thinking the Clark was frail.  Give me a break guys!  I can remember at
least 4 times that Lois Lane (THE most fickle girl in the entire comics
universe!  I mean that girl will go for any man in tights that can lift a tank)
fell in love with Clark Kent look alikes ("Why, I've never seen Clark so manly.
I always liked him, but now I think I could love him...")

Alright, I know that it is old news, but it REALLY bothered me.

				"You knew the job was dangerous when you
				took it, Fred."

				OZ
			seismo!rlgvax!oz

Message-ID: <5012@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 4-Feb-85 21:18:10 EST
Article-I.D.: utzoo.5012
Posted: Mon Feb  4 21:18:10 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 4-Feb-85 21:18:10 EST
References:  <583@oddjob.UChicago.UUCP>, <5964@rochester.UUCP>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 19

[color=blue]>  ...  Xavier is a little different.  He has always appeared [/color]
[color=blue]>  older because of his bald head, but recent X-Men stories say he was[/color]
[color=blue]>  only in maybe his late twenties when he founded the X-Men.[/color]
[color=blue]>  I think the confrontation with the bad guy who crippled Prof. X's[/color]
[color=blue]>  legs has been set at 1960.[/color]

Unfortunately, I'm not sure this can be reconciled with the Gabrielle
Haller business.  Her original trauma was very firmly tied to WW2.
It is difficult to realistically put her birthdate later than perhaps
1935, and it should probably be a bit earlier.  And she was definitely
still a young woman when Xavier cured her.  Furthermore, their contact
was relatively brief, and resulted in a child who is now an adolescent.

Unless one makes *some* kind of strange assumption somewhere, Charles
Xavier must have been a young adult not too long after WW2, and the
current year in the Marvel universe cannot be much later than 1970.
-- 
				Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
				{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry

Message-ID: <1245@shark.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 9-Feb-85 03:43:12 EST
Article-I.D.: shark.1245
Posted: Sat Feb  9 03:43:12 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 11-Feb-85 04:39:13 EST
References:  <583@oddjob.UChicago.UUCP> <5964@rochester.UUCP> <5012@utzoo.UUCP>
Reply-To: hutch@shark.UUCP (Stephen Hutchison)
Organization: Tektronix, Wilsonville OR
Lines: 32
Keywords: clone
Summary: 

In article <5012@utzoo.UUCP> henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer) writes:
[color=teal]>>  ...  Xavier is a little different.  He has always appeared [/color]
[color=teal]>>  older because of his bald head, but recent X-Men stories say he was[/color]
[color=teal]>>  only in maybe his late twenties when he founded the X-Men.[/color]
[color=teal]>>  I think the confrontation with the bad guy who crippled Prof. X's[/color]
[color=teal]>>  legs has been set at 1960.[/color]
[color=blue]> [/color]
[color=blue]> Unfortunately, I'm not sure this can be reconciled with the Gabrielle[/color]
[color=blue]> Haller business.  Her original trauma was very firmly tied to WW2.[/color]
[color=blue]> It is difficult to realistically put her birthdate later than perhaps[/color]
[color=blue]> 1935, and it should probably be a bit earlier.  And she was definitely[/color]
[color=blue]> still a young woman when Xavier cured her.  Furthermore, their contact[/color]
[color=blue]> was relatively brief, and resulted in a child who is now an adolescent.[/color]
[color=blue]> [/color]
[color=blue]> Unless one makes *some* kind of strange assumption somewhere, Charles[/color]
[color=blue]> Xavier must have been a young adult not too long after WW2, and the[/color]
[color=blue]> current year in the Marvel universe cannot be much later than 1970.[/color]
[color=blue]> -- [/color]
[color=blue]> 				Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology[/color]
[color=blue]> 				{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry[/color]

Ummmmmm.  Lest we forget, folks, Xavier's body is younger now than
any of his pupils' .... Remember, he was cloned and mind-transplanted
at the end of the Sleazoid Wars?

They force-grew his recipient body to a comfortable level of maturity
(like, about 22) and then did the transplant.  Still, he is literally
less than a year old.

Continuity, anyone?

-Hutch

Message-ID: <1638@pur-phy.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 18-Feb-85 08:40:17 EST
Article-I.D.: pur-phy.1638
Posted: Mon Feb 18 08:40:17 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 21-Feb-85 07:21:07 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: Parakeets for Peace
Lines: 19

[color=blue]>  ...Doom is even older, since he's a contemporary of Reed Richards,[/color]
[color=blue]>  who fought in World War Two.[/color]

	For all those faithful readers of the Fantastic Four mag, I can
explain why Reed is younger than he appears.  Somewhere in the early 200's
a Skrull used an aging ray on Sue, Ben and Reed; Johnny was not affected.
	Therefore Johnny was instructed to find the aging ray.  For a
while things looked bad until Reed examined this "ray gun".  He found
a way to reverse the beam's effect.  When Sue, Ben and Reed awoke from their
sleep it seems a side effect was increased abilities.  Reed might
in fact be the same age as Doom, but actually (or biologically) he
is younger than Doom is presently.
	I would also like to point out that Doom was restored to a
youthful vigor on two separate occasions.  The first was when he stole
the powers of the Silver Surfer.  The other was when he obtained all of
the Beyonder's powers.  Now the struggle between Reed and Doom can continue 
far into the future.
				-Paul-
"This tape will self-destruct in five seconds.  Good luck, Jim."

Message-ID: <5096@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 23-Feb-85 21:13:05 EST
Article-I.D.: utzoo.5096
Posted: Sat Feb 23 21:13:05 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 23-Feb-85 21:13:05 EST
References:  <583@oddjob.UChicago.UUCP> <5964@rochester.UUCP> <5012@utzoo.UUCP>, <1245@shark.UUCP>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 17
Keywords: clone

[color=blue]>  Ummmmmm.  Lest we forget, folks, Xavier's body is younger now than[/color]
[color=blue]>  any of his pupils' .... Remember, he was cloned and mind-transplanted[/color]
[color=blue]>  at the end of the Sleazoid Wars?[/color]

This is true, but irrelevant to the point I was making.  The conclusion
that Xavier must have been a young adult not long after WW2 is based
on his encounter with Gabrielle Haller, which cannot possibly have
happened too long after the war.  (She was still a young woman at the
time of the encounter, remember, and she wasn't a child at the time of
her trauma, which was during the war.)  The conclusion that the year in
the Marvel universe cannot be later than about 1970 is based on Haller's
son, born as a result of that not-too-long-postwar encounter, being an
adolescent now.  Charles Xavier's current apparent age doesn't figure
into either line of reasoning.
-- 
				Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
				{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry