Showing posts with label weirdworld. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weirdworld. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Wednesday Comics: Queen of the Man-Things

Reviews of previous issues of Weirdworld can be found here.

"Queen of the Man-Things"
Weirdworld #4 (November 2015), Written by Jason Aaron; Art by Michael Del Mondo

Synopsis: Arkon and Skull the Slayer have plunged into a swamp where the very touch of the vegetation burns. The Slayer has the upper hand, but Arkon luckily finds one of his lightning bolt-shaped weapons underwater, and stabs Skull with it.


The combatants are both grabbed by plant creatures rising from the much--Man-Things. They again burn as they feel fear, Arkon sees the flames consuming his beloved Polemachus.

The Queen of the Man-Things comments that there is so much fear in both of them. She is Jennifer Kale and she reveals that Skull is James Patrick Scully and they are both from the world beyond Weirdworld. She tells Arkon that it is Morgan Le Fay, the Baroness of Weirdworld that hunts him and Skull works for her.

Kale wants to depose Le Fay and bring peace to the world and for that, she needs soldiers. She takes two winged frog things and puts them in their mouths. Arkon sees a vision of Polemachus upside down, but he realizes it's something more that his fear of his world being turned upside down.

Skull's vision makes him see the error of his ways. Kale rechristens him Skull the Redeemer. She turns to Arkon...

He rejects her offer and flees. Kale lets him go. Arkon runs through an area of rock that looks familiar. He's at the place where Polemachus should be, but it's gone. He's at the edge of Weirdworld. Arkon prepares to committee suicide. What he doesn't know:


Commentary:
Man-Thing is famous (well, as non-top tier Marvel characters go). Jennifer Kale is a supporting cast character from the Man-Thing's comic; she's heir to ancient Atlantean magics.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Wednesday Comics:The Coming of the Slayer

"The Coming of the Slayer"
Weirdworld #3 (October 2015), Written by Jason Aaron; Art by Michael Del Mondo

Synopsis: Arkon and Warbow manage to fight their way free of the magma men that had them surrounded last issue. They drop into a conveniently waiting boat in the lava below. They make good their escape, but not before Warbow yells their names defiantly to the magma men.

Once they are in a place of safety, Arkon is eager to take his leave of the obviously somewhat mad Warbow. He asks for the map he was promised before he goes:


While just has crazy, the map doesn't at all resemble what Arkon had on his map. Warbow explains the land is called Weirdworld for a reason--it's everchanging.

Meanwhile, the magma men report to Morgan Le Fay the two heroes escape--and their names. She decides to send an assassin after Arkon, a man named Skull the Slayer. Skull is busy slaying elves when he gets the message.

He and Arkon meet up at a tavern. After an exchange of vague grimness, the fight commences. The Slayer seems to have the better of him, until Arkon causes them both to plummet from the mountain into a jungle below.

Commentary:
Another obscure Marvel character makes his appearance: James "Skull" Scully.

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Wednesday Comics: Escape from Apelantis

"Escape from Apelantis"
Weirdworld #2 (September 2015), Written by Jason Aaron; Art by Michael Del Mondo

Synopsis: Arkon, Lord of Warlords, has been captured by sea-dwelling ape-men and imprisoned in their underwater city of Apelantis. They've taken his dragon and his map. Arkon vows to escape, but it isn't clear how he's going to accomplish that.

Then, he finds there's another prisoner in the adjoining cave. The other prisoner knows a way to get out, but he can't do it alone. Arkon is in. The other prisoner introduces himself by breaking down the wal between the cells:


The two manage to bust out of the underwater city, but lose Arkon's map in the process. Warbow tells him not to worry. He's got a map. If Arkon helps him free his Prince he will give it to him.

Meanwhile, the dragon Arkon was riding has been delivered to Baroness Morgan le Fay is her castle. She plans to break the beast to saddle:


It's going to be a challenge.

When she flies out, Warbow and Arkon sneak into the castle by crossing a lava moat. They make it into the treasure room, where they discover Warbow's Prince Crystar.


Arkon realizes Warbow is completely insane. And then, they're surrounded by magma men.

Commentary:
The presence of Warbow is an unexpected surprise. He was one of the characters in Marvel's short-lived  1983 comic tied in with a Remco toyline, The Saga of Crystar, Crystal Warrior. Unlike most Marvel tie-in comics, this series was created and owned by Marvel.

The Crystar link connects the magma men here with that world as well, rather than Marvel's pre-existing lava men.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Wednesday Comics: Weirdworld

"Where Lost Things Go"
Weirdworld #1 (August 2015), Written by Jason Aaron; Art by Michael Del Mondo

Synopsis: Arkon, Lord of Warlords, has been fighting is way across the land he has dubbed "Weirdworld," one of the sections of Battleworld, looking for his lost home of Polemachus. Finding himself on a floating island, after defeating a group of squidsharks, he is about to give in to despair and step off the edge, when a group of ogres trying futilely to wrangle a flying dragon comes in view.

Arkon grabs hold to one of the ropes on the dragon and holds on as it dives to attack the ogre's friends in a tank below. The dragon with a little help from Arkon makes short work of the ogres. Arkon manages to climb onto the dragon's back. The two fly along for a while, but then the dragon swallows a piece of over-sized bait, shot up on a line from a body of water below. The two are dragged into the depths, where Arkon encounters:

Apes in diving suits.

Meanwhile, the surviving gun ogres report back to their mistress. They tell her that the man they fought called himself Arkon spoke of a place called Polemachus.



Commentary:
The name (and fantasy elements) are the only things this series seems to have in common with the Doug Moench/Mike Ploog created series in the '70s. (I've discussed that one before.) This one seems to be a hodge-podge of Marvel weird pulp fantasy elements--and things re-imagined as weird pulp fantasy, not unlike the DC Elseworld JLA: Riddle of the Beast did with a more high fantasy approach.

Arkon and Polemachus first appeared in Avengers vol. 1 #75 (1970). Arkon was the leader of a war-like extradimensional realm that was always coming into conflict with superheroes of earth for one reason or another. He and his macho warriors eventually went to war with Thundra and her gynocratic regime in Femizonia--before Arkon and Thundra fall in love.

Morgan Le Fay also has a long Marvel history. She first appeared in the Atlas era in Black Knight Comics #1 (1955). Her first official Marvel Universe appearance was Spider-Woman vol. 1 #2 (1978).