CBCW : Hobgoblin

Comic Book Character of the Week : Hobgoblin

 

The Hobgoblin was created by writer Roger Stern and artist John Romita, Jr. for The Amazing Spider-Man #238 (March 1983). Like other writers Stern found himself under pressure to have Spider-Man fight the Green Goblin again, but did not wish to bring Norman Osborn or Bart Hamilton back from the dead, have Harry Osborn become the Green Goblin again, or create yet another Green Goblin. Instead he created a new character as heir to the Goblin's legacy and developed the Hobgoblin.^[3] Stern recounts that he directed Romita to base the costume on the Green Goblin's but to make it "a little more medieval-looking", while Romita asserts that he was given no direction beyond using the Green Goblin as a basis. Both agree, however, that the costume was chiefly Romita's design.^[4]

The character's identity was not initially revealed, generating one of the longest running mysteries in the Spider-Man comics. According to Stern, "I plotted that first story with no strong idea of who the Hobgoblin was. As I was scripting those gorgeous pages from JR [John Romita, Jr.], particularly the last third of the book, and developing the Hobgoblin’s speech pattern, I realized who he was. It was Roderick Kingsley, that sunuvabitch corporate leader I had introduced in my first issue of [The] Spectacular [Spider-Man]."^[4] A handful of readers deduced that Kingsley was the Hobgoblin almost immediately. In order to throw them off the scent, and in the same stroke provide a retroactive explanation for his inconsistent characterization of Kingsley in his early appearances, Stern came up with the idea of Kingsley having a brother named Daniel who sometimes impersonates him, sealing the deception by having the Hobgoblin conspicuously appear in the same room as Daniel Kingsley in Amazing Spider-Man #249.^[4]

Stern's original plan was to have the mystery of the Hobgoblin's identity run exactly one issue longer than that of the Green Goblin's identity, meaning the truth would be revealed in The Amazing Spider-Man #264.^[4] However, Stern left the series after The Amazing Spider-Man #252. Editor Tom DeFalco took his place. Wanting to resolve the mystery in a manner that would do justice to Stern's stories, he asked Stern who the Hobgoblin was, but objected when Stern told him it was Kingsley. DeFalco argued that the "twin brother" scheme was cheating the readers since, aside from a single thought bubble, there had been no hint that Roderick even had a brother, much less one who could serve as a double for him. Stern disagreed but said that DeFalco should feel free to choose whoever he wanted for the Hobgoblin's secret identity, reasoning that "I knew that whomever Tom chose, he would make it work."^[4] Upon reviewing the clues, DeFalco decided that the Hobgoblin was Richard Fisk. Moreover, he decided that the mystery of his identity should be prolonged as long as possible, since it was the chief element that made the Hobgoblin interesting.^[4] Through both Stern and DeFalco's runs, the answer to the mystery was continuously teased on the cover art, with the covers of Amazing Spider-Man #245, 251, and 276 all showing Spider-Man unmasking the Hobgoblin.^[5]

The mystery became further complicated after James Owsley came on as editor of the Spider-Man titles. Owsley's relationship with DeFalco and artist Ron Frenz was strained from the beginning, and so when Owsley asked who the Hobgoblin was at a Spider-Man creators conference, DeFalco lied and said it was Ned Leeds. Owsley then wrote the one-shot Spider-Man vs Wolverine in which Ned Leeds is killed off (though the actual death is not shown), and instructed The Spectacular Spider-Man writer Peter David to reveal the Hobgoblin as the Foreigner. David objected and argued that the only person who fit the clues was Leeds (having been present at the Spider-Man creator's conference, David also thought that Leeds was who DeFalco intended it to be). Because Spider-Man vs. Wolverine had already been drawn, however, it was too late to undo Leeds's death.^[4] Thus, the Hobgoblin's identity was revealed posthumously in The Amazing Spider-Man #289, a double-sized issue. With Spider-Man's then-archenemy now dead, a new Hobgoblin was created from the storyline of Jason Macendale's hatred of the Hobgoblin.^[5] Though the posthumous unmasking of the Hobgoblin as Leeds was unpopular with fans, in a 2009 interview David said that he is still proud of the story, arguing that the Hobgoblin being unmasked in a climactic battle with Spider-Man was the sort of tale readers had already seen countless times before, whereas having an archvillain unmasked in a flashback after having been brutally killed by nameless assassins was unprecedented and shocking.^[4]

Macendale supplanted the original Hobgoblin for a decade (1987-1997). Initially he wielded only the weaponry of his predecessor, but during the 1988-89 Inferno crossover writer Gerry Conway had him imbued with demonic powers by N'astirh. In addition to giving him power over hellfire and increasing his strength and speed to far greater than that of the original Hobgoblin, these powers also disfigure Macendale so that his head is even more grotesque than his Hobgoblin mask, and ultimately alters his mind so that he is deluded into thinking that his appearance is normal. Several years later, in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man, Macendale succeeds in purging himself of his demonic powers. Towards the end of Macendale's run as the Hobgoblin he was revamped again, this time with cybernetic implants.
Stern was unhappy with the revelation that his character's civilian identity was Ned Leeds, and in 1997 he wrote a three-issue miniseries, Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives, with the retcon that Roderick Kingsley was the original Hobgoblin, and had brainwashed Leeds into serving as a fall guy. Macendale is killed off in this miniseries, and Kingsley is returned to operating as the Hobgoblin. According to Stern, initially he had not known how to resolve the situation of having two Hobgoblins, and it was at the suggestion of the editorial staff that he had Kingsley kill Macendale and take his place.^{[4]  - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobgoblin_%28comics%29}

 

Get all your nerdy needs at IntergalacticComics.com

CBCW : Squirrelpool

Comic Book Character of the Week : Squirrelpool (Wade Wilson TRN-351)

First Appearance : Deadpool Kills Deadpool #4

Death : Deadpool Kills Deadpool #4

Get all your nerdy needs at IntergalacticComics.com

CBCW : Daredevil

Comic Book Character of the Week : Daredevil

 

Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City, Matt Murdock is blinded by a radioactive substance that falls from an oncoming vehicle. While he no longer can see, the radioactive exposure heightens his remaining senses beyond normal human ability. His father, a boxer named Jack Murdock, supports him as he grows up, though Jack is later killed by gangsters after refusing to throw a fight. After donning a yellow and dark red, and later an all dark red costume, Matt seeks out revenge against his father's killers as the superhero Daredevil, fighting against his many enemies including Bullseye and the Kingpin.^[2] Daredevil's nickname is "the Man Without Fear".^[3]
While Daredevil had been home to the work of comic-book artists such as Everett, Kirby, Wally Wood, John Romita, Sr., and Gene Colan, among others, Frank Miller's influential tenure on the title in the early 1980s cemented the character as a popular and influential part of the Marvel Universe. Daredevil has since appeared in various forms of media including several animated series, video games and merchandise, and the 2003 feature-length film Daredevil, where he was portrayed by Ben Affleck. Charlie Cox plays Daredevil in Marvel's Daredevil live-action television series.^{[4] -} http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daredevil_%28Marvel_Comics%29

Get all your nerdy needs at IntergalacticComics.com

CBCW : Yellowjacket

Comic Book Character of the Week : Yellowjacket

Hank Pym

Main article: Hank Pym

Hank Pym is the first character to take on the Yellowjacket code name in the modern mainstream Marvel Comics. He was also known as Ant-Man, Giant-Man, Goliath and later as the Wasp. The character has been associated with several superhero teams in the Marvel Universe, including the Avengers and the Defenders. Hank Pym was defeated by the young avengers in the battle of dark canyon, in which Thanos killed off the earth as a living being.

Rita DeMara

Main article: Yellowjacket (Rita DeMara)

Rita DeMara is the second Yellowjacket in the modern mainstream comics who debuted as a supervillainess. She joined the supervillain groups known as the Masters of Evil and the Femizons. DeMara later became a superheroine and joined the ranks of the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy. She was killed by Iron Man who was under the control of the super villain Immortus.^[1] She was later resurrected in the Chaos War storyline.^[2]

Other versions

Earth-1610

The Ultimate Marvel version of Yellowjacket is Ultron. Henry Pym creates android duplicates of the Ultimates. Ultron, who has fallen in love with the Scarlet Witch but is rebuffed by her, takes control of the Yellowjacket android to murder her.^[3]

In other media

Television

• In an episode of The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Hank Pym begins to suffer from a personality disorder. He fakes his death and becomes Yellowjacket, a fearless new vigilante who attacks members of the Serpent Society.^[4]

Film

Yellowjacket as depicted in Ant-Man

• In the upcoming 2015 Marvel Studios film Ant-Man actor Corey Stoll will portray the film’s main antagonist Darren Cross, a former protégé of Pym, who takes over Pym's company and acquires Pym's technology to create the Yellowjacket suit, which Pym asks Scott Lang to steal.^[5][6] 

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowjacket_%28Marvel_Comics%29

Get all your nerdy needs at IntergalacticComics.com

CBCW : Red Fraggle

Comic Book Character of the Week : Red Fraggle

 

Red Fraggle is one of the five main Fraggles in Fraggle Rock. She is yellow and her hair is red with yellow and orange highlights which is always in big pigtails. She usually wears a red sweater and has the most hair of any Fraggle.

Red is athletic and energetic. She likes to think of herself as the fastest and strongest Fraggle in the Rock. She is highly competitive with her friends, which sometimes causes extreme interpersonal problems, especially with Gobo Fraggle (though, as revealed in a recent SFX interview, despite their constant competition, she secretly admires him).

Red also has her share of insecurities; she especially hates to admit her mistakes.
Red loves sports, especially diving and swimming. Her job is to clean the pool in the middle of Fraggle Rock. She also teaches swimming classes, and considers herself an expert at rock hockey.

Red shares a room with her best friend Mokey Fraggle yet doesn't get along very well with Mokey's plant Lanford. Red later strikes up a friendship with Cotterpin Doozer. She is particularly loath to listen to Uncle Traveling Matt's postcards.

In The Secret Society of the Poobahs, it is revealed that Red is a member of the Poobahs as the Mind-Reader. Mokey didn't know about this until the end of the episode.

Red is the first Fraggle that Kermit and Robin meet when they visit Fraggle Rock in A Muppet Family Christmas. She later reappears with the other Fraggles during the Muppets performance of "The Holly and the Ivy."

She also was part of a group of Muppets who sang "Just One Person" at Jim Henson's memorial service.
Starting in 2008, Karen Prell began making live appearances with Red at various events. Red has also appeared in promos for the The Hub. - http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Red_Fraggle

Get all your nerdy needs at IntergalacticComics.com

CBCW : Lobo

Comic Book Character of the Week : Lobo

http://wylfden.deviantart.com

The character enjoyed a short run as one of DC’s most popular characters throughout the 1990s. This version of Lobo was intended to be an over-the-top parody of the Marvel Comics superhero Wolverine. In issue #41 of Deadpool, a separate Marvel series, Lobo was parodied as "Dirty Wolff", a large blue-skinned man who drove a demonic motorcycle. He was also parodied in the Image Comics series Bloodwulf and as "Bolo" in the Topps Comics series Satan's Six.
In a 2006 interview, Keith Giffen said, "I have no idea why Lobo took off... I came up with him as an indictment of the Punisher, Wolverine hero prototype, and somehow he caught on as the high violence poster boy. Go figure."^[1]
Lobo is the favorite DC Comics character of Stan Lee.^[2]

Fictional character biography

Lobo is a Czarnian with exceptional strength and fortitude. He enjoys nothing better than mindless violence and intoxication, and killing is an end in itself; his name roughly translates as "he who devours your entrails and thoroughly enjoys it." He is arrogant and self-centered, focusing almost solely on his own pleasures, although he proudly lives up to the letter of his promises - but always no more or no less than what he promised. Lobo is the last of his kind, having committed complete genocide by killing all the other Czarnians for fun. As detailed in Lobo #0, Lobo unleashed a violent plague of flying scorpions upon his home world, killing most of its citizens.

The first appearance of Lobo.

Physically, Lobo resembles a chalk-white human male with blood-red pupilless eyes with blackened eyelids. Like many comic book characters, Lobo's body is highly muscular. He was originally portrayed with neatly trimmed purple-grey hair, this was soon redesigned as a long, straggly, gray-black mane, and more recently into dreadlocks. Similarly, the orange-and-purple leotard he wore in his first few appearances was replaced by black leather biker gear, and later replaced with both the robes of his office as a putative Archbishop and pirate-themed gear. His arsenal includes numerous guns and a titanium chain with a hook on his right arm. Extra weapons may include "frag grenades" and giant carving blades.

Lobo has a strict personal code of honor in that he will never violate the letter of an agreement- saying in Superman: TAS that "The Main Man's word is his bond,"- although he may gleefully disregard its spirit. He is surprisingly protective of space dolphins, some of which he feeds from his home. A few have been killed in separate incidents, which he avenges with his usual violence.

Lobo's friends include Dawg, a bulldog that he often claims is not his when it gets into trouble; Jonas Glim, a fellow bounty hunter; Ramona, a bail bondswoman/hairdresser; and Guy Gardner, whose friendship was cemented when Lobo came by Guy's bar Warriors where he gave Guy one of his Space Hogs and the skull of the Tormock leader Bronkk.
Dawg is stomped to death by Lobo in Lobo #58 in which he again claims to Superman that the dog is not his, this for the final time. Somehow, Dawg later appears alongside Lobo when Lobo goes to Earth to fight Green Lantern and Atrocitus.^[4] His enemies include the do-gooder superhero parody Goldstar, Loo, Vril Dox, Bludhound, Etrigan the Demon, and General Glory. Lobo generally tries to kill anyone he's hired to capture, including his fourth-grade teacher named Miss Tribb, his children, Santa Claus, and Gawd. Although his main targets are Superman and Deathstroke, whom he has defeated a countless number of times. Lobo frequents a restaurant, Al's diner, where he often flirts with Al's only waitress, Darlene. Though Lobo protects these two from frequent danger, he doesn't seem To understand the distress caused by his tendency to destroy the diner. Al and Darlene later prosper due to Lobo's appetite for destruction; he destroys the city, except for the diner, leaving hordes of construction workers only one place to eat lunch. He also ends up destroying a diner Al gives to him as part of a birthday celebration.

The last revelation of Lobo and the diner appears to be in the pages of Lobo One Million, where his last adventure is depicted. By the time of the action, he's already morbidly obese and working as a carnival attraction, scaring tourists into leaving their money behind. Then, a sexy client appears to offer him a last job: finding a legendary evildoer named Malo Perverso. At the prospect of a last well-paid job and a chance to score with the client, Lobo quickly agrees, and again invades the diner to use their Tesseract teleporter to reach his gear. It is revealed then the "client" is none other than Darlene, who wanted to see him back in his prime rather than see him sink even deeper into sloth.

After reaching his gear, Lobo invades the HQ of the JLWB (Justice League of Wannabes) and crushes all opposition in order to hack their files on Malo Perverso. There, he is attacked by Perverso himself, who then reveals himself to be Clayman, the team's shapeshifter, who admits he impersonated Perverso to get rid of Lobo. Clayman also squeals that the real Perverso went into a black hole. Lobo, still eager to find his bounty, goes into the black hole. Ironically, due to Lobo's interference in a planetary conflict in the same issue, Al later gets a package through the Tesseract for Lobo - which promptly blows the diner up, yet again.
At one point, Lobo has trouble with a clone of himself that had survived previous misadventures. A battle between the two makes it unclear which of them survived. Some fans conclude that the original Lobo was the victor, since later in the series, Lobo removes a miniature radio which he had surgically implanted in his head some time before the clone fight, and only organic matter can be cloned.

The character has participated in several money-making schemes, such as being a priest and being a pop-rock idol. Most of these schemes tend to end with the violent deaths of nearly everyone involved. He has many friends among the bounty hunter world, though many tend to die when they are around Lobo, either by his hand or at the hands of enemies he faces. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobo_%28DC_Comics%29

Get all your nerdy needs at IntergalacticComics.com