Inside Pulse launched on August 9, 2004, and has covered the world of comics for over a decade. Every day, we take a look back at what was happening in the world of comics 10 years ago, as reported right here at Inside Pulse!
Marvel Handbook
Daron buddy, Ben Morse wrote to us again. He really must miss us.
I’m sure he does…you know you can only take goofing off in offices of Wizard Magazine for so long. I bet, Ben will quit Wizard and come running back to us by the end of the year. Any takers?
(note: The above is a joke. Please don’t send emails asking how much I want to bet.)
Ready to start bud?
Sure…I got nothing better to do.
Who’s Who in the DCU (1/13/04)
Howdy folks. I have to admit; I’m feeling a bit under the weather. I think I’ve got a bit of that Anti Life Equation Flu going around. Tim, are you suffering any ill effects from last week’s jaunt to The Fourth World?
Ultimate X-Men #54 Review
This is the Ultimate title that I take for granted. It’s sad, but it’s true. I don’t know why exactly. It could be because (until Astonishing) the mutants of the Marvel Universe proper only interested me in concept, rarely in delivery. It could be because Ultimate Spider-Man has just always resonated more with me. It could be any number of things. As a result, Ultimate X-Men almost always takes me by surprise. I’m surprised to find it in my folder, I’m surprised when I remember that one of my favorite writers in the business (BKV) is on the title, and I’m surprised to find that, after reading it, I really, really enjoy it. Apparently, I have a very short memory.
Across The Pond: Pommy Heroes
In case you didn’t know, I’m an Australian. My country has a bit of a schizoid attitude to the British. On the one hand, we dislike them for looking down on us, bathing less frequently than they should, having our young men killed in wars and losing at the cricket all the time. On the other hand, we prefer their spelling and pronunciation of the language to that of our new imperial overlords the Americans and we know more about the poms popular culture than a lot of poms do (`pom` is slang for “English person”, often but not always derogatory).
I grew up on a diet of Dr Who and gritty police action shows like Callan, the Sweeney, New Scotland Yard. This was largely thanks to my parents, who had a feeling that British stuff was more high-culture than American stuff. Thus I missed out on T.J Hooker, Charlie`s Angels and the like. I also missed out on most Australian 70s TV shows, not entirely a bad thing. With comics, I grew myself up on Marvel comics, which I collected and swapped with a small circle of Marvel-obsessed mates (okay, two people). The two worlds didn’t usually overlap. The yanks ruled the page, the Brits ruled the air-waves. Then came the Invaders.
Phoenix: Endsong #1
A new year and a new Jean Grey incarnation, shocker? Not with X-3 coming out in a year or two. The new belief about the Phoenix is that she is just that – a Phoenix, forever destined to rise and fall like her mythological namesake. What happens though when the Phoenix rises too early? In this startlingly decent X-Man miniseries, we find out just that.
Skin Review
Adequate tests to check whether the drug would pass the placenta were not carried out despite the fact that such tests were available. In short the company producing thalidomide lied through its teeth so as not to interfere with the much more important business of making money. The result was that many children in Europe (the drug was hardly used in America thanks to the work of Dr Frances Kelly of the FDA) were either miscarried or born with defects. The most common of which was phocomelia-extremely foreshortened arms and legs and in the 1970s such people were a common sight.
Spider-Girl #82 Review
Superhero weddings always have one major conceit that is expected: the bad guys show up and wreak havoc. Well, it seems, engagement parties with ex-super-villains that are the stepson of a superheroes best friend, go that way too.
This month’s tale begins at the engagement party of one Normie Osborn, grandson of Norman Osborn (the original Green Goblin), and stepson of Foggy Nelson, Daredevil’s best buddy. In the past, Normie was known to don the Green Goblin gear. He has since gone straight and become good friends with our hero, Spider-Girl. Spider-Girl’s alter-ego, Mayday Parker, her dad, Peter Parker (the original Spider-Man), and Johnny Storm are also in attendance at the engagement party.
Toe Tags: Featuring George A. Romero #4 Review
The first issue of Toe Tags did nothing for me. I just didn’t like it. As a big fan of George Romero and the zombie genre, I’m still having a hard time getting over the shock. Needless gore, confusing plotting, and a fast read worked against the book. Things have improved the past few months, but it seems Toe Tags will never reach greatness. Hell, I don’t think it’s going to hit excellent. As of now good might be out of reach, but mediocre seems like a smart bet. Considering Toe Tags is a zombie book written by George Romero, that’s just not good enough.
