Hi everyone I’m Jim Trabold. Welcome back for another edition of the Handbook.
Hey Daron how’s it going?
Pretty good this week, actually. You?
Not exactly great here. I need a vacation. This always helps get my mind off work though.
I hear that”¦though I’d be happier with a new job.
Let’s start then.
Uh, ok.
Blake asked
I think I figured out the Q you were talking about the other night….
So…
How many of the main Marvel characters are actually mutants?
Well actually Blake this answer is in constant flux at times.
At the beginning of Marvel they where a minority. There was about maybe 100 on Earth known.
In the 80s – 90s the list grew to over 1000’s of mutants
Pre-Decimation as Emma said once. There where close to a 100,000. Now the mutant population got cut 98%. So likely only 2% of Earth’s population is still mutant. So it’s closer now to 70’s and early 80’s Marvel
Sam emails
howdy j & d:
Hey Sam
Yo.
always look forward to seeing the handbook on wednesdays and appreciate your work. i never ‘got’ the DC universe and think that the differences between the two Major Industry Heavyweights ultimately lies in their core characters, specifically in how the heroes’ experiences relate to our (the readers) own. here’s a couple q’s in hopes that you can help me flesh this out further :
* the DC/Marvel miniseries of the mid 90’s / Amalgam Universe & one shots : i’d love to know the history & reasoning behind this (not since ?) collaborative effort from the Big Two. i’d imagine it had something to do with the market crash after foil covers and such became the rage but would appreciate some illumination.
Alright here’s the story I know:
Mark Gruenwald of Marvel and Mike Carlin of DC were the editorial team on DC vs. MARVEL, and oversaw other editors on the individual Amalgam titles. They were really the ones behind the Amalgam concept, and I believe they came up with the core characters who starred in the Amalgam books.
Secondary characters, like the supporting characters in DR. STRANGEFATE, were the product of the individual writers on those issues . . . It’s safe to say Mark and Mike were the architects of the whole thing, even though they had help.
The possibility is the Marvel was close to crashing itself and DC was having problems as well. The two companies agreed to do it to help the market.
* delving into the miniseries & the Amalgam universe, can you provide a tally of who defeated who before (i assume) the heroes teamed up and fixed whatever multiuniversal mayhem that the villain (never heard from again?) wreaked ?
Actually the Marvel/DC series had main battles we know of fans voting on and then had other little battles. I’ll cover them here:
DC wins:
Superman beat Hulk
Batman beat Cap
Flash beat Quicksilver
Aquaman beat Namor
Robin beat Jubilee
Superman beat Juggernaut
Batman beat Bullseye
Marvel wins:
Wolverine beat Lobo
Storm beat Wonder Woman
Silver Surfer beat Green Lantern (Kyle)
Thor beat Shazam
Elektra beat Catwoman
Spider-Man (Ben) beat Superboy
Captain America beat Bane
Wolverine Beat Killer Croc
Spider-Man beat Scarecrow
Hulk beat Metallo
Other battles unknown:
Green Lantern/Green Goblin
Daredevil/Riddler
Punisher/Deathstroke
Ghost Rider/Demon
Firestorm and Martain Manhunter/Thing and Human Torch
Spider-man/Man-Bat
Thanos/Darkseid
In the end Access had to stop the brothers as the Marvel/DC heroes teamed up to deal with the many villains involved as well.
* regarding the Analgam universe – what were the combinations, who fought who & were there any lasting ramifications, or was it just the one-off ‘fantasy booking’ type event ?
Well no real lasting ramifications that didn’t get resolved quite easily in the crossover or even the follow up one called All Access.
plus, i seem to recall that there was some kind of ‘900 line’ voting so you could chip in your two cents as to if Hulk could kick Superman’s ass.. do you ever see such an event happening again ? i think it would behoove the Big 2 to include us, the internet fans who may relish the opportunity to chime in our 2 cents instead of telling us what to look forward to in their upcoming issues.. utilizing the internet to create an interactive circle of supply & demand ?
Yes it was phone calls and polls that you filled out and sent in from the comics and more. I believe Wizard was involved to.
As much as the industry could probably use something like this, considering who’s in charge of the two companies I don’t see it happening any time soon”¦they can’t even get a single character crossover going anymore”¦
hmm, maybe i should hop off the soapbox because i just realized that if marvel was listening to me then they’d be releasing their version of ‘The Surreal Life’, with Galactus, Beyonder, Tigra, Beta Ray Bill, Silver Sable, Willie Lumpkin, Liz Osborn.. might be a good topic to open up to the internet at large – which crazy combinations of marvel characters would make for an awkward celebrity filled household ?
Oh god. That sounds like that Comedy Central series in ways. You know Drawn Together. But instead you want all Marvel. Your idea though has no star power. No one to draw the readers. Most of them can’t hold a series and won’t work in the way your thinking.
If I where to do it I need one major character.
Try this:
Wolverine (hey he’s in every book now why not one more)
J. Jonah Jameson
Deadpool
She-Hulk
Abomination
Rick Jones
Mary Jane Watson Parker
anyways, appreciate all ya do & keep it up- cheers
We’ll do our best.
“¦or die trying.
Glen emails
Thanks for answering my questions last week.
Not a problem
Now I have another question. What is the deal with Kyle Richmond: Nighthawk? He’s two different people, a villain, a hero, a demonhunter, somehow absent from the Defenders miniseries. I’m so confused.
Nighthawk is all the above. He’s got different versions remember. Nighthawk 616 is the former Squadron Sinister member. I’ll cover him first: Nighthawk II
When the Grandmaster needed a team to fight the Avengers, he transformed several humans on Earth-616 into new versions of the Squadron Supreme, whom he had observed in their own reality, and created the Squadron Sinister. Among these were the Earth-616 version of Kyle Richmond, an egotistical and wealthy playboy who, unlike comics’ archetypical playboy Batman, frequently drank and womanized whose father had to pay hush money to protect his son’s name after a drunk-driving accident that injured a woman. While he began as a supervillain, he reformed after losing a battle with Daredevil and joined the super-team The Defenders.
He was killed in an explosion in Defenders (vol.1) #106. He came back to life later in his own comic book series, with an explanation that he was in a deep coma. He appeared to gain ESP powers that allowed him to prevent crimes but this turned out to be a trick by Mephisto. He later founded a new incarnation of the Defenders, when the mind-controlled original team tried to take over the planet as The Order.
Nighthawk II’s main superhuman ability was enhanced strength, being able to lift between 900 pounds and 2 tons, with the uncommon limitation that this strength remains only from sundown to sunup. During the daylight hours he had the strength of a normal man. His strength was derived from a potion he discovered in a book on alchemy. His enhanced strenth was only an accidental side effect, however; the potion was meant to cure his weak heart. He flew with the use of a jetpack concealed under artificial wings, and usually used some kind of projectile weapon in combat.
For a brief time both Nighthawks I and II switched worlds and Nighthawk I was briefly a member of the Defenders.
Squadron Supreme: Nighthawk I
In Avengers #85-86 Squadron Supreme came to comics, a group of heroes from a parallel world who were a more direct homage of the Justice League than their Squadron Sinister predecessors. These heroes lived on Earth-712, or Earth-S. This group included Nighthawk, secretly a human named Kyle Richmond. The first version of the character was a close analogue to his original inspiration, Batman. He did not, however, lose his parents to crime; they died of natural causes. Nevertheless, Richmond vowed to use his money and skills to fight evil. He became friends with his earth’s champion, Hyperion, and the two of them were among the Squadron’s founders.
When the Squadron were brainwashed by the Over-Mind, Kyle Richmond became the President of the United States at the Over-Mind’s behest. After the Defenders defeated the Over-Mind and freed the Squadron and their world, the Squadron began the Utopia Program, intending to become the leaders of the reconstructed Earth. Although Nighthawk was not alone among the Squadron members in his opposition to the plan, he was the only one to quit the team over it. He briefly considered shooting Hyperion with a bullet that he had carved from Argonite but couldn’t make himself do it.
Nighthawk then formed a group called the Redeemers from unknown superhumans and former supervillains. Hyperion’s nemesis Master Menace supplied the Redeemers with a way to reverse the brainwashing technology that the Squadron had used on its captured foes, who had been allowed to join the Squadron after their brainwashing. The formerly brainwashed Squadron members remained in the Squadron as double agents until the Redeemers confronted the Squadron, at which point a battle broke out that resulted in the deaths of most of the Redeemers and several Squadron members. Nighthawk was one of the last to die, killed when Squadron infiltrator Foxfire used his powers to rot Nighthawk’s heart. His death prompted Hyperion to surrender and formally disband the Squadron Supreme.
Nighthawk III:
The new Nighthawk Neil Richmond, was introduced. This Nighthawk was the adopted son of the original Nighthawk who had gone underground and assumed his father’s identity after the death of the original. Neil Richmond was actually the biological son of Nighthawk’s old nemesis, The Huckster. He joined the Squadron to fight the “New World Order” that had taken over following the dissolution of the Utopia Program.
Nighthawk III and a reformed Squadron were fighting to free their world from a global dictatorship which had taken it over while the team was stranded in the main Marvel Universe.
Supreme Power: Nighthawk IV
In this version, Nighthawk is Kyle Richmond, an African American entrepreneur who, having lost both his parents in a hate crime at a young age, takes revenge on criminals as Nighthawk. He follows principles of militant activist. Like Batman, Nighthawk uses a combination of high-tech weaponry, stealth and fighting prowess to overcome his foes.
Ultimate: Nighthawk V
Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch redesigned the Defenders as a group of hero poseurs, which the depressed Giant Man joins. None of the members have super powers or are particularly good fighters. Nighthawk, the leader of this group, lies about the team’s roster in an attempt to keep Giant Man with the group in order to garner publicity for the team. His only attempt at heroics involved leaping from the shadows at a group of criminals, only to break his ankle and be severely beaten.
Neil emails
Hey Jim and Daron;
Hey Neil
What up, Neil?
That email Jim posed in the latest Handbook about the trading between Marvel and DC was great. Unlike Jim, though, I don’t really think of it as the old Raw vs. Nitro days, but of the current WWE Draft Trades that we’ve been given lately. And I wanted in on this discussion.
Now, you said that the first stringers would be exempt. Now, from a purly business standpoint, they would be, IF this were to actually happen. But it won’t, and so, I think big name trades are possible indeed. So here’s my list, 5 from DC, 5 from Marvel (just like the Raw/SmackDown trades are done)
My first trade would be for Marvel to get Wonder Woman. Personally, I think WW’s gotten boring lately, and the recent attempts to make her badass are just failing in this fans mind. Plus, I can’t think of a good WW rouge off the top of my head for the life of me, so she’d actually have nothing to really loose playing with some of Marvel’s villians. I mean, I’m just picturing WW vs. Dr. Doom and drooling over the possiblities.
DC in return should get the Incredible Hulk. I only say this because it seems like Hulks faced every possible hero that Marvel has offered and is just spinning his wheels sometimes. Throw him over to DC. Let the big guns over there tackle the giant green goliath. Superman vs. Hulk? How bout Flash vs. Hulk. I think that’d be a great story myself. Or the battle of the Emeralds: Green Lantern vs. the Hulk
Interesting trade. Plus you are right we’re just having fun so first stringers being traded will be fine here.
Nice idea to. I would like to see Wonder Woman come to Marvel. But I’m not sure I’d trade Hulk for her but it’s a decent trade.
It’s definitely an interesting trade, though technically I don’t think the 2 characters on the same level. Wonder Woman is one of 3 biggest/most important characters in the DCU. I’m not saying Hulk isn’t a major character, but he’s not Spider-Man or Wolverine. If I were refereeing this trade, I’d say Marvel should through in a decent second stringer and then the trade would be cool.
Marvel’s next draft should be Nightwing. Maybe it’s just me, but I think Marvel is just a perfect fit for Nightwing. Marvel has more street level villians that Nightwing can battle. And some good battles they could be too. Electro, Bullseye, even the Owl. And of course, the Kingpin would be a great war for him.
And DC can pick up Nova. Richard Rider is a great hero, one of my favorites, and I think he would fit in great with some of DC’s more intergalatic supervillians, as well as fit in great with some of the other younger heroes that DC is rich for. Imagine Nova with the Titans. Or the Outsiders. It just makes perfect sense to me.
Now that trade I like more then getting Wonder Woman. Plus you get Dick out of Bruce’s wing in many ways. He won’t have to be a second rate Batman.
Wow! I know we said that this isn’t going to really happen, but I thought we were going to base these as if they could (and mind you I’m cool with trading first stringers). But this trade would never happen, and shouldn’t. Do you really think DC would trade not only a first stringer for MAYBE a third stringer, but more importantly one of the most important characters in their history for a character who hasn’t even been able to keep a title afloat for the past 10-years? On top of that, I don’t think DC really needs a Green Lantern clone when they again have a ton of them. I hate to say it but I have to veto this trade”¦
The next two picks are just out of mild curiosity of what would happen. For Marvel, give them the Spectre. I honestly can’t think of any great things that he’d do, I just think it’d be neat for DC’s Spirit of Vengence to go to Marvel and see what he could go against. And, of course, a Spirit of Vengence vs. Spirit of Vengence would be ineviatible when the Spectre takes on Ghost Rider.
In exchange for the Spectre, I say DC gets one of Marvel’s primal forces. The Phoenix Force. Why? Same reason as trading the Spectre. Shits and giggles. And I guess I have a small urge to see Donna Troy possessed by the Phoenix. Think it might be neat.
Plus maybe we can send then Jean too in the trade. I’m tired of her dying constantly and coming back.
Now this is an interesting trade, especially if you don’t actually trade any characters but just the essence/powers, and let them inhabit existing characters in the other universes. This is your best trade so far. Hell I’d be interested in hearing what characters other people would like to see inhabited by these two powers.
Now to trade some villians. Over to Marvel I’ll send Bane. I loved Bane. I thought he should and could have been one of Batman’s greatist villians. I honestly don’t know what he’s been up to lately, maybe he’s dead for all I know (stopped following Batman many years back). But I think Bane would be awesome over at Marvel, especially against Daredevil (who could really use a good new nemesis). Hell, I’d love to see a throwdown, no holds barred slugfest between Bane and Luke Cage.
In exchange for Bane, I’d say send Tombstone over to DC. Like Bane, Tombstone was a cool character. Not a fav, but had serious potiential at times. Plant Tombstone in Gotham and watch the sparks fly. It would give Tombstone a fresh new perspective and give Batman a great new villian to play with.
I like this trade a lot too. I would love to see Bane in Marvel. Hell it would be interesting. Send him to Hell’s Kitchen. Tombstone could be better used also so send him to Gotham.
I honestly can’t say I have an opinion on this trade”¦ :)
Next, for Marvel…….. Lex Luthor. Lex is one of my favorite villians, not because of any powers or mad schemes, just because he is who he is. And in Marvel’s playground, I think he’d kick ass. He’d quickly have his hand into every organization there is. Hell, nobody in Marvel knows about his past in DC, so he’d be a shoe in for President there. Wonder how he feels about mutants……..
And for DC. Magneto. Magneto, like Lex, is such a deep character, and, correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think there are any real mutants in DC. And if there are, they certanitly arn’t a hated minority there. So what would the very definition of mutant supremacy do in a world where he may actually be treated with reverance? Would he use his powers for good, teaming up with such groups as the JLA (I am sooo loving the thought of Magneto standing alongside Superman, Batman, Manhunter etc) or would his ego find some other reason to turn to evil? Oh yeah, I would restore Magento’s powers before sending there, of course.
Good move there. I like Lex. Him and Fisk teaming up would make sense to. I mean those two would get along. Mags needs something fresh as well. Tired of him being the X-writers main backbone to go back to.
I too like this trade, and probably you’re most even “character” trade – A list villain for A list villain. Sure Lex doesn’t have any powers, but he sure has kept Supes on his toes for a LONG time.
So, those would be my five picks a piece. To recap;
Marvel gets Wonder Woman, Nightwing, Spectre, Bane and Lex Luthor
DC gets The Hulk, Nova, The Phoenix, Tombstone and Magneto.
Feel free to edit this as you see fit, but just thought you’d like to know what was going through my messed up, possibly buzzed mind when I was coming up with these trades.
While I’m writing anyways, got just a quick question for ya.
I don’t edit emails. Never thought it was fair to the emailer. Like your ideas and I would love to see more like them.
Sorry if my comments sounded a bit harsh, I just think if we’re going to do this we should keep the trades fair and reasonable in the eyes of both parties.
I read somewhere that Genesis (Tyler Dayspring) was Cables adopted son. I could’ve sworn he was actually Cable and Jenskot’s biological son. If he is adopted, whose the father? Just looking for some clearing up there.
Genisis is the son of Jenskot but no one can confirm Cable being the daddy. His biological father has been speculated on but never fully revealed. Cable adopted him and loved him as if he was his own son.
Keep up the great work, guys.
We’ll do our best as always.
“¦or kill someone trying.
Lord_Buff posted
What has happened to Nick Fury? I keep reading that he is no longer in charge of Shield but keep seeing him in Sheild?
Actually Nick Fury is still around and running S.H.I.E.L.D. again. He lost control for a short time when he was thought dead. (Frank Castle killed him back in the 90s and left Sharon Carter in charge of SHIELD) He came back and took over again.
Decimation update:
Powered:
Beast (House of M 8)
Bishop (House of M Day After 1)
Bruiser (Runaways)
Cable (Cable/Deadpool 18)
Cannonball (Cable/Deadpool 18)
Colossus (House of M 8)
Cyclops (House of M 8)
Dazzler (New Excalibur 1)
Domino (House of M Day After 1)
Dust (New X-Men 20)
Elixar (New X-Men 20)
Emma Frost (House of M 8)
Erg (House of M Day After 1)
Firestar (House of M Day After 1)
Forge (Cable/Deadpool 18)
Franklin Richards (Fantastic Four)
Gambit (House of M Day After 1)
Gregor Smerdyakov (Mutopia X 5)
Havok (House of M Day After 1)
Hellion (New X-Men 20)
Icarus (New X-Men 20)
Justice (House of M Day After 1)
Madrox (House of M Day After 1)
Magma (House of M Day After 1)
Mammomax (House of M Day After 1)
Marvel Girl (House of M Day After 1)
Meltdown (Cable/Deadpool 18)
Mercury (New X-Men 20)
Mister M (Mutopia X 5)
Nightcrawler (House of M 8)
Nocturne (New Excalibur 1)
Peepers (House of M Day After 1)
Pete Wisdom (House of M Day After 1)
Petra (Deadly Genesis 1)
Psylocke (House of M Day After 1)
Rockslide (New X-Men 20)
Rogue (House of M Day After 1)
Sage (House of M Day After 1)
Shadowcat (House of M 8)
Silver Samurai (Wolverine 36)
Siryn (Cable/Deadpool 18)
Stepford Cuckoos (New X-Men 20)
Storm (House of M Day After 1)
Strong Guy (House of M Day After 1)
Sunspot (House of M Day After 1)
Surge (New X-Men 20)
Tito Bohusk (Exiles 72)
Valeria Richards (Fantastic Four)
Wallflower (New X-Men 20)
Warpath (Cable/Deadpool 18)
Wither (New X-Men 20)
Wolfsbane (House of M Day After 1)
Wolverine (House of M 8)
X-23 (New X-Men 20)
De-Powered:
Aero (New X-Men 20)
Angel Salvadore (Exiles 72)
Armena Ortega (Mutopia X 5)
Beak (Exiles 72)
Blob (House of M Day After 1)
Bugman (Mutopia X 5)
Callisto (House of M Day After 1)
Chamber (Generation M 1)
Feral (House of M Day After 1)
Gary Peterson (Generation M 1)
Gazer (X-Men 178)
Hannah Levy (House of M Day After 1)
Hydro (New X-Men 20)
Iceman (Secondary mutation (House of M 8))
Jeanie Martin (Generation M 1)
The Juicers (Mutopia X 5)
Jubilee (House of M Day After 1)
Lara the Illusionist (Mutopia X 5)
Latonya Jefferson (Generation M 1)
Magneto (House of M 8)
Moonstar (House of M 8)
Ned Ralston (Generation M 1)
Polaris (X-Men 177)
Preview (New X-Men 20)
Prodigy (New X-Men 20)
Quicksilver (House of M Day After 1)
Scarlet Witch (House of M 8)
Spector (New X-Men 20)
Tag (House of M 8)
Thornn (House of M Day After 1)
Tony Romeo (Generation M 1)
Wind Dancer (House of M 8)
All Beak/Angel kids but 1 (Exiles 72)
Dead:
Chamayra Ortega (Mutopia X 5)
John Grey (Uncanny X-Men 466)
Other matters:
X-Corp building in France bombed
Sentinel O*N*E activated against the mutants
Xavier Institute Student Body from 182 to 27
Wolverine remembers everything
Mutants start getting killed randomly
An X-Man comes for Revenge on the team in Deadly Genesis
1. Marvel.com Which of the characters introduced in Amazing Fantasy #15 should get their own mini-series
2. Superherohype poll: How would you rate the new “X-Men 3” teaser trailer? (with 10 being best)
3. As always your opinions on anything in the article or out on the shelves is welcome. After all you never know what type of response you will get.
4. Keep those emails coming and make sure to label them Marvel Handbook.
5. Next week it’s the yearly article piece. The perfect Gifts for the Marvel comics fan in your life. I do it around this time every year so I’m here to help again next week. I had to hold it off this week because of busy week with work. Sorry all.
That’s it from my end. Reporting from my corner of the Marvel Universe I’m Jim Trabold. Have a great week and see you at the comic shop.
That’s it for me as well. I’d like to see some more of the trades come in, and I promise to try and be nicer”¦sorry Glen.
Have a great week everyone.
