Hey all and Welcome to the newest issue of the Marvel Handbook. I will say you are all helping a ton to get us going I‘m almost wanting to give everyone a gift lol. Hey Daron what‘s up?
What’s up is that I’m finally starting to dig myself out of the hole that’s been my life these past few weeks, and kept me from doing anything that was school or work related. With that in mind, I’m hoping I can get us back on track…or at least something close to that.
I am over the flu and fully back to normal but I have a right leg cramp that is killing me.. Not stopping me though from doing my job so let‘s go.
Well that was random, but yeah, let’s go…
Soak posted
ask and you shall receive i guess. here’s a question that may take up some space. whatever happened to the pantheon and could you do a brief history of each character?
After the Mount was destroyed and Agamemnon was killed as well as Achilles Pantheon disbanded as Hulk quit. Of course Pantheon reformed under Paris and would become enemies with Hulk as they would soon work for the government. They have not been seen since Incredible Hulk II Annual 1997
Achilles: Helmut Halfing Born in Germany, 1909 a Jew and a survivor of the Holocaust. He realized he was immortal when he gassed and thrown into a mass grave containing the corpses of the other victims of the camp.
Agamemnon: Vali Halfing son of an Asgardian god and a mortal woman, Vali traded the pick of his future offspring to the Troyjan race in exchange for knowledge of immortality. Instrumental is establishing the Pantheon, an interventionalist think-tank dedicated to improving the human condition by ending war, famine, and disease. He has often recruited several of his own family, who exhibit superhuman abilities such as near-immortality due to their hybrid nature.
Ajax: unknown past for the most part. We know he has relations in Weapon X and Pantheon
Andromeda: she and Jason are the parents of the Pantheon seer Delphi. Andromeda had been the seer for the Pantheon until she lost her virginity and became pregnant with Delphi. With this in mind, Delphi has chosen to remain pure of body in order to retain her gift.
Atalanta: She was recruited by Agamemnon and given her code name due to her similarity to the ancient Greek huntress, who was also very proficient with the bow
Cassiopea: has the ability to absorb and re-channel most forms of energy, sometimes referred to as ‘starbolts’. Cassie leaves the Pantheon for sometime, to indulge her ‘free spirit’. After the death of her father, the Hulk, who was in temporary command of the Pantheon, orders her return. Ulysses tracks down Cassie and persuades her to come home.
Delphi: She was recruited by Agamemnon and given her code name in reference to the ancient Greek city which housed a fortune-telling oracle. Delphi serves on the Pantheon’s elite fighting team by directing their efforts, rather than participating in the field.
Hector: He was recruited by Agamemnon and given his code name in reference to the brother of Paris and the greatest warrior of the ancient Greek city of Troy.
Jason: often did Agamemnon’s dirty work disposing of people who had crossed Agamemnon. Jason defects from the Pantheon when Agamemnon orders him to murder his teammate Ulysses. The task later fell to Pantheon member Achilles. As a result of this Achilles student Walter Charles takes Ulysses’s codename and place within the Pantheon. Shortly before this Walter Charles had stabbed Jason in the eye with the handle of a mop. This causes Jason to lose the eye.
Paris: He was recruited by Agamemnon and given his code name in reference to the ancient Greek brother of Hector. Paris serves as an administrator
Perseus: retired from the Pantheon and took the identity of an inn keeper at Loch Ness, Scotland. To keep people from asking too many questions about his age he faked the death of the Innkeeper and took on the identity of the Innkeeper’s brother Scott Shannon.
Prometheus: was born with a deformed face that looks horribly burned. Prometheus drives a very high tech vehicle created by the Pantheon engineers called the Argo. Prometheus debuted trying to kidnap Bruce Banner
Ulysses I: became a member of the Endless Knights like the rest of Agamemnon’s deceased offspring but this has never been stated. Lied to the rest of the Pantheon and said that Ulysses wanted Walter to take his place in the event that anything happened to him. Walter then assumed the mantle of Ulysses as his own.
Ulysses II: seemed to have problems with several other members of the Pantheon. Paris hated him for letting his parents die in the Watts Riot. He and Hector often argued about Hector’s homosexuality. Jason hated him for plucking out his eye with the handle of a mop. His predecessor thought he was incompetent.
whatever happened to thunderstrike?
was confronted by a new Bloodaxe, who claimed the wielder was someone close to him. It turned out to be his girlfriend, Jackie Lucas. Eric was able to save her and use both his mace and the Bloodaxe (Enchanted Axe) to battle Seth, becoming possessed in the process. He died to purge himself of its corruption and refused a place in Valhalla.
what were the circumstances where beta ray bill and thor 1st met and how did he get his powers?
The Burning Galaxy was destroyed through the machinations of Surtur. The surviving Korbinites decided to choose a champion whom they would follow to their new home. That champion, known as Beta Ray Bill, was successful and was transformed into a cybernetic being resembling a fierce creature. The Korbinites then massed their fleet, put themselves into stasis, and followed Bill’s ship, Skuttlebutt. Bill fought legions of demons sent by Surtur.
As the fleet approached the Milky Way galaxy, it was detected by a SHIELD satellite. Nick Fury asked Thor to investigate. Thor was deemed a threat by Skuttlebutt, so Bill fought him. During the battle Thor was separated from his hammer, Mjolnir, and reverted to Donald Blake. Curious, Bill picked up the hammer and gained the power of Thor. Skuttlebutt landed on Earth, but Odin transported Thor and Bill to Asgard to resolve the problem.
Bill claimed the hammer as a spoil of battle. Odin decreed that the two would battle to the death in Skartheim for the right to keep the hammer. Bill’s Korbinite physiology gave him an advantage in the lava-filled realm, and he won again. However, he refused to take Thor’s life. Odin may have chosen that arena to further test Bill’s worthiness and to teach Thor a lesson; regardless, he returned the hammer to Thor and had a new hammer, Stormbreaker, forged for Bill
what are the essential stories of The Hood that take place after his mini?
Not too much to list here:
Beyond 1-6
New Avengers 33-47, 46, Annual 2
Thunderbolts 125
Secret Invasion 4, 6-7
how did the original guardians of the galaxy (from the 90’s) series end and have any of those characters been seen since?
The Guardians had their biggest shake-up when they were asked to help Ripjack and the High Evolutionary aginst the threat of Bubonicus, a genocidal alien that had decimated the Martian race centuries earlier. Vance Astro had allied with the Martian Ripjak, to the defiance of other members, but soon Bubonicus was defeated. The Guardians regrouped, and Charlie-27 was elected their leader. Under Charlie’s direction, the team traveled the 21st Century, hoping to stop the Martian invasion from ever occurring in at least one timeline. Although they were successful, they encountered the alien Wormhole when trying to return, and they became lost in space-time, seeking a way to return to their rightful home in the 31st Century.
We have seen members and the like since:
Yellowjacket died in Avengers the Crossing
New Warriors 68: the Guardians battled the Warriors
Avengers Forever
Universe X
Paradise X
Avengers/JLA
Guardians of the Galaxy: Both Vance and Starhawk have been in the title
Jag emails
Hey Jim,
Have some questions for TUH as we gotta keep these columns going (who
knows what happened to the DC guys).
1) You mentioned in your last column about how freakishly strong the Black Panther is looking nowadays in his title and how he beat the Silver Surfer. How the heck did that happen as it just seems crazy outlandish?
It happened when such writers as Dwayne McDuffie and Reginald Hudlin got a hold of the character.
2) Do you know where Marvel is headed in terms of major storylines after Secret Invasion? I hear about a “dark” time coming but not sure what this entails.
Dark Reign: wake of Secret Invasion has heralded a frightening new status quo for the Marvel Universe. Certain people take the hit, certain people rise up as the heroes who you wouldn’t expect, and from that comes a new power status in the Marvel Universe that some would consider a dark reign and some would consider heaven. One man’s dark reign is another man’s ‘Finally!'” There’s going to be new books including Dark Avengers
3) What’s your take on the Marvel Zombie thing? I thought at first it was a fun idea but now its a bit played out.
alright I loved the first Marvel Zombies it was fun and something new. Now it‘s getting stupid Marvel Zombies 2-3, Dark Days, and vs. Army of Darkness. It‘s gone stupid. I‘m tired of it and if that isn’t enough we have stupid Marvel Apes
I honestly thought it was pretty stupid from day one, but you know Marvel…anything to make a buck.
4) What are your thoughts on Deadpool’s new book? I think its one of the funniest things going in Marvel right now.
I love Deadpool. I admit I always have but this new take is great by Way. He’s made Wade fun to read about again. It’s one of the best titles out there and way better then many titles which have been out
5) Quick question: after World War Hulk, what has happened to Dr. Strange? After conjuring up a demon and getting his hands smashed up, I’d think that he would have had some issues
He was in New Avengers for a short time but since the Invasion started he’s disappeared and sees himself as failed in his duties as Sorcerer Supreme, he no longer holds the title to his thinking and this is why he has not appeared in Secret Invasion so far. Dark Reign will be reveal who the new Sorcerer Supreme is if any.
6. Got a question for the TUH. Recently, I got a copy of the X-Men cartoon from the early 90s and was blown away at how awesome it was. Where Batman: TAS is considered the greatest animated series of all time, I have to say that this version of the X-Men has to be up there as well and far beyond the X-Men: Evolution (too far from the source material and teeny-bopper element was more cliche than effective) and the new Wolverine series just seems like another version of Evolution. The drama of the 90s cartoon was incredible as it was a delving into the characters that even the recent comic storylines wish they could emulate. What are your thoughts on the show?
I love the 90s X-Men taking the stories from the comics and making them more for the new X-Men viewers. Taking a team using many of the X-Men from the 90s and making the team work. It was the X-men done right, They decided to screw it up with Evolution. Now we have to hope for Wolverine and the X-Men to be good.
Keep up the good work,
Secret Invasion synopsis
Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. #35: Jim takes out the Skrulls followed by their ship. The Soviets are told not to help but do, They take out the ships. Then take out Super Skrulls. Dynamo helps Jim escape Russia.
Punisher War Journal #25: Rampage attacks Punisher. Skrulls attack Bridge. Punisher helps Bridge. Rampage goes to fight the Skrulls. Punisher stops Rampage. Bridge kills Skrulls. Punisher Escapes. Bridge visits Rampage.
Manifest Destiny Synopsis
Uncanny X-Men #504: Maddy gathers the Cult. Colossus fails to get a tattoo. Colossus can’t seem to get past Kitty’s death. Cyc and Emma confront Colossus. Emma examines Cyc’s mind. Colossus help a couple finding a foe from his past. Beast and Angel meet Bradley. Alaska is burned.
Young X-Men #8: Ink faces the cult. Ink then learns the truth. Moonstar ask the question about the artist. Rockslide and Anole train. Dust gathers the team. They head on a mission failing to find the artist but instead finding tattoo powered people. Cipher finds Ink.
Original Sin Synopsis
X-Men Legacy #218: Xavier tries to help Logan. They find the Hellfire Club. Sin knocks out Daken. Xavier sees strange things. Wolverine fights Shaw. Xavier faces Sin. Xavier finds Daken before he’s taken out as well as Sin. Wolverine shows up to fight Daken.
That‘s it for today. 1 email but heck it helped fill in the issue with all the questions. Hopefully we can either get more emails or emails like that one. What you think Daron?
Good stuff, hopefully my absence the last few weeks doesn’t set us back too far…
I‘m good with this issue. I just hope the readers and mailers are still out there. We really need help right now .Let‘s sign off.
1. Digital comics Comics you can read online
2. Marvel is in the process of adding new bios and added a ton of new ones. Check them out here
That’s it from here. As always reporting from my corner of the Marvel Universe I’m Jim Trabold. Make Mine Marvel.
And make mine with a pillow and blankets will ya, I need a nap!
