Sophia > Recent Status Updates

Spinning Doomsday’s Web
This is a lot more Black Widow story than a Punisher one.

Their first interaction makes me think Nat and Frank hadn’t met before.

This starts off with BW doubting herself, which Fury uses to his advantage.

I’d have thought her training would have silenced that small voice in her head, but I suppose she’s only human.

Nat’s reminded how close life and death really are.

Issue #289
That WAS cruel. Rhodey gave the Living Laser hope and then he just attacked him…

I mean, I suppose the idea of Laser being a threat was enough for Rhodes but he did seem amenable to being hired!

Anyway, Morgan Stark becomes unreliable to the businessmen and Rhodey gets the surprise of his life…

Tony Stark is alive!
Rhodes is so mad he quits right then and there…

#288 cont.
The scientists have a plan to revive Tony! It’ll require a scientific miracle.

Then it’s more flashbacks of Tony’s life.

Coming to the present of his life sees the final incision of his surgery.

The microchip is implanted and Tony’s new operating system is being booted up!

The scientists received quite the shock when a message from the man himself appeared on their screen…

Issue #288
Skimmed the beginning. Rhodey as Iron Man makes a deal with Atom Smasher for Stark Enterprises to expose what’s really going on with those nuclear sites.

Marcy plants evidence in Rhodey’s house, framing him for Tony Stark’s murder?!

Also, not sure why but Living Laser was going around in a Tony disguise for some reason??
He does NOT seem happy with Rhodey…

I didn’t read Issue #287 too closely but I did pick up some things…

Rhodey and Ms LaCoste get… close, Marcy swears Rhodes will pay for firing her and Morgan Stark says she won’t refuse his offer.

And then the scientists watching over Tony are surprised they’re picking up brainwave activity.

Plus a cool original sketch page for an Iron Man Annual.

Issue #285 -
The AWC really didn’t want to talk things out…
Pym immediately shrinks Rhodey, without letting him explain things.

And when he saves Jan, she’s like ‘you could’ve told us you were on our side’!?
You didn’t give him a chance to!

Mid-fight, Kathy decides she can’t live without Tony…
It’s a shame she didn’t get the true help she needed.

Morgan Stark is ready to take everything that was Tony’s…

Issue #285 -
Tony’s funeral is interrupted. Rhodey thinks things are really up to him now…

Meanwhile, Tony is remembering his troubled childhood with his alcoholic father…

The villains thought they knew how to deal with him… But War Machine shows he’s got some moves not seen before!

Is he called WM? I don’t think so but that’s what I’m going to call him.

Issue #401 -
Hulk takes Rick and the resurrected Marlo to Betty. He thinks her fainting is all in stride.

Rick IS mad at Hulk for interrupting the process but he also wants his help.

First, Agamemnon wants to meet to discuss the Pantheon's leadership...
As in he wants Bruce to run it!

Meanwhile, the 'trusting fools' vote Omnibus to rule Freehold...

Issue #400 - Part 2…
Hydra attacks Freehold!

‘Aggy’ tells Leader ‘help’ is on the way.
Hulk shows up. Ready to put a stop to whatever the villain has planned!

Turns out, Stein’s not trying to help Marlo but gain immortality!

Hulk kind of loses it and trashes Leader and the lab.

In the end, as Rick stares as an inanimate Marlo and Hulk stares at his mess. They both question what they have done…

Issue #400 - Part 1…
Agamemnon turns to Betty to retrieve Bruce.

They share a moment of grief for Marlo. And seemingly mend whatever’s going on between them.

Rick is in Freehold. A settlement created by the Leader for ‘survivalists’.
That Hydra wants to attack!

Later, Agamemnon tells Bruce he didn’t intend to keep his promises to the Leader…

And Leader is about to bring Marlo back?!

Issue #399 -
Rick goes around the super community trying to find anyone to bring back Marlo.
They all give the same response… That it cannot be done.

Meanwhile, Hulk has these weird hallucinations that take him back to New Mexico.

Until he’s right back where he was last ish. In front of Agamemnon and mad because he made a deal with the Leader.

Then Leader ‘ports to Rick. And says he wants to help Marlo!

Issue #398 -
Oh my gosh! Poor Marlo…
And go, Betty! Definitely not a damsel-in-distress anymore.

Why did they do this? I hope it’s more to do with Marlo’s character than about Rick.

Hulk puts on an impressive display when he survives and is able to get close enough to Vector.
Though, he does lose his pants…

Meanwhile, Leader and Agamemnon struck an ‘accord’.

Issue #397 -
For a second there, I thought it was a Pantheon comic instead of a Hulk one!

I did like that Hulk was beating his U-Foes (get it?) through science and not just brute force.

They made a deal with… Leader! Who wants a chat with Agamemnon, for some reason.

And Rick has gotten into some trouble!
Lucky Marlo and Betty happened to pass by at the right time…

I skipped the Return of the Defenders storyline.

I don’t think I read any of the original series. And while it may have been cool to see the ‘current’ iterations of these characters (as they were in the 90’s), I decided I could do without.

Marvel Comics Presents #109-116 -
I wasn’t expecting a spy conspiracy…

This also has weird continuity for both Wolverine and Mary - who should be locked up in a psych ward, right?
(Which is swept away with a footnote.)

It’s hinted that Mary has had a split personality since childhood.

It doesn’t give us any more info than that.

This feels a little more like a Wolverine story than a Mary one.

I’m shocked this CE actually starts with the comics I want to read!

Though, I didn’t notice before that all the stories included are from Ann Nocenti…

Issue #50 -
This was the strangest 50th issue I’ve read.

The She-Hulk comic writer/artist died, and Renee is showing Jen pages from different writers and artists.

It’s a weird and wacky fusion of genres that Jen doesn’t exactly vibe with.

Turns out Byrne isn’t dead. Renee thought he needed a break.

In the end, Jen kills Byrne herself… to get just as many sales as ‘Death of Super-Man’!

Issue #49 -
Wheezi is definitely enjoying her time as She-Hulk.

Wyatt brings up a good point about how they might help Wheez want to change back…

Jen wasn’t going to do it to save her friend's mind - but her father inadvertently helps.

He tells Louise he loves her as she is.

Jen gets her powers back just in time to stop Titania (apparently - the end of the fight wasn’t shown).

Issue #48 -
Wow, this was the most tame issue for a long while!

And I liked the gag; they let the readers choose which villain they wanted.

Anyway, Reed studied Jen and Wheezi and learned they should’ve changed forms back spontaneously.

That is, until he remembered his own experience...

If one of the pairs doesn't want to revert back, the process becomes permanent.

Wheezi likes her new body!

Issue #46 -
Oh, no. The transfer did not go according to plan!

Because of the gamma radiation in her body, Jen and Wheezi swapped physical forms…permanently?!

It’s enough of a clue for Wheezi to ‘port on the planet.

When Wheezi breaks into the prison, the D’Bari gets desperate and sets its pistol to overload…

Guess all’s well, when the Skrulls get swept up in the fallout and Buford and Rocket are freed!

Issue #45 -
Is Bryne even trying to tell a story now?! Most of the first half of this comic was filled with ‘pin-up’ shots of Jen.

After Renee scolds Bryne, we get a look at the other prisoner. An Ovoid whose species has the power to swap their minds with others.
This gives Jen an idea…

And executes it a little too well…?

Not only did she swap minds with Wheezi, but body types?!

Issue #44 -
The first few pages were used for some 'helpful' flashbacks.

They show Earth's history with the D'Bari people... right before the Skrulls intend to completely destroy those that remain!

For some reason, the Skrulls help Jen by teleporting her onto the doomed planet, to find her friends.

Too bad the cells are surrounded by some sort of force field…

Also, Rocket Raccoon got stoned (literally)!

Issue #43 -
These cold openings are so storylines take up more issues, right?

Anyway, the conflict with Xemnu is short-lived as Wheezi returns and hits the back of his head.

Apparently, she negotiated a deal to be ‘pleasingly plump’.

Then it was time for the introduction of the next story.

The Big Pig was captured by ‘Asparagus People’...??

*sigh* More space adventures…

Issue #42 -
Wheezi calls out Byrne’s proclivities for drawing curvier women and goes on strike.

That leaves Jen alone to deal with Spragg’s army of rocks!

(I think Bryne just couldn’t figure out how to get Wheezi out of that situation any other way).

Jen thinks of a plan with steel mesh. And it works!

Spragg even has a new home with Big Enlwen.

But he freed all his teddy’s, including Xemnu!

Issue #41 -
I’m finding this series less funny and more lewd. Like, just tell the story, man!

I thought those ‘oxygen pills' were a tad ridiculous. But I did like the ‘bone phones’.

Anyway, we learn most other living hills went off peacefully in one direction. Spragg went through a wormhole, taking some rocks with him that he animated.

Jen is less careful. But that still leaves her and Wheezi surrounded!

Issue #40 -
Seven pages wasted on that ‘jumping rope in the nude’ gag.

Then Jen seems quite shocked at Wheezi’s new appearance.
Her father said the right thing though…

Then Jen and Wheezi find themselves zooming into space!

The Start Stop is being stomped on by the living hills!

I wonder when (if ever) we’ll actually get a lawyer plot out of this book…

Why swimsuit magazines were part of super-hero comics, I don’t understand.

I mean, it’s bad enough that most of the women’s costumes get so shredded they resemble a two-piece every other issue!

I didn’t read too much of issue #293.

Jean tells Warren how it is.
He’s responsible for his actions. He can blame Apocalypse for taking one night away from him. The rest of his life is his own…

Mikhail’s madness envelopes the Morlocks and he floods the tunnels!

That was a sad phone call Peter had to make.

Bishop reassures Storm she will get her life back together, with her friend’s love.

Issue #290 -
Oh my goodness. Forge said he’d give Ororo time to answer but then when she hesitates, he can’t handle it and decides to be an armchair psych and tells Ororo why she ‘won’t let herself’ have a normal life.

And she was going to say yes!!

To use her childhood trauma against her is beyond cruel.

There’s also something going on with Peter’s brother Mikhail.


I skipped issues #291 and 292.

Issue #289 -
At least Forge admitted why he was being a jerk. Because he was hurt that Storm was distant.

He wants her to take a chance on herself… Forge asks Storm to marry him!

Mystique tries ‘helping’ Warren, who can’t stand the sight of who he once was.

And Hiro’s warning is ill-worded and ill-timed!