Marvel Immersion Project: Wolverine #1-4, Thor #337-338

via Marvel Database

Wolverine's original solo series was one of the first trades I read when I entered the comic book hobby ten-ish years ago.  I loved it then and now, with deeper understanding of the broader Marvel Universe, I love it all the more.  In fact, I feel as if the comic books have been building up to this moment for a long time.

For starters, the project brought the company's best writer, Chris Claremont, and its best artist, Frank Miller, together.  Next, it provided a showcase for one of the franchise's most intriguing, and still relatively new, characters.  Could another of the X-Men have worked just as well?  I contend not.  They'd already killed off Jane Grey/Phoenix.  Perhaps Ororo would have been the next-best candidate.  But Wolverine offered something more, the sort of morally ambiguous character Marvel had been seeking to perfect for a long time.  Wolverine was a more relatable Hulk who never reverted back to Bruce Banner.  He's a hero who never quite manages to be a good guy.  He's delicious!

Furthermore, Wolverine (aka Logan) was the ideal character to make the most of Frank Miller's considerable talents.  As good as Miller's Daredevil issues are, it's the surrounding world that works.  The character himself leaves a lot to be desired.  Wolverine has an essential quality DD lacks: self-awareness.  DD is aloof while his friends and lovers do the worrying.  Logan's self-torment is a lot more interesting.

Bonus for me: most of the story takes place in Japan, a nation Logan, Frank Miller and I all love.  Miller's incorporation of Japanese aesthetic into the panels is absolutely stunning.  Funnily enough, what doesn't take place in Japan is in Canada, probably my second-favorite foreign country.

My Recent Reads

Wolverine #1

Originally Published September 10, 1982

Writer: Chris Claremont

Artist: Frank Miller

• We catch up with Wolverine in the Canadian Rockies where he hunts down both a rampaging bear and the irresponsible hunter who poisoned him.
• Afterwards, he heads to Japan in pursuit of his true love, Mariko, only to find that she has been married off by her father to an abusive husband.

via Marvel Database

• Lord Shingen, Mariko's father, captures Wolverine and challenges him to a duel with wooden swords.  Slowed by poison, our hero is easily defeated.
• Dumped in a Tokyo alley, Wolverine is set upon by a mob.  All are killed by an as yet unnamed ally...

Wolverine #2

October 10, 1982

Claremont/Miller

via Wikipedia

• Wolverine's mysterious new friend is revealed: Yukio.
• Together, Wolverine and Yukio fight off an attack by The Hand.
• We learn Yukio is actually working for Lord Shingen who has hired her to kill Wolverine.  But who's side is she on really as she's clearly falling in love with Logan?
• Wolverine and Yukio infiltrate a meeting between crime lord Katsuyori and Mariko's husband, Lord Yinshgen at a private kabuki performance.  They did not expect Mariko to be on-hand as well.
• When the kabuki cast jump off stage to attack Yinshgen, Wolverine intervenes to protect Mariko.
• Wolverine defeats them (and separately, Yukio offs Katsuyori) but Mariko is horrified by Logan's brutal violence.

Wolverine #3

November 10, 1982

Claremont/Miller

• The enigma of Yukio deepens.
• The Hand attacks Yukio and Wolverine as the latter sleeps.  The Hand remind her of her commitment to kill Wolverine but instead, she kills them.
• However, Logan calls her "Mariko" as he wakes.  She kicks the snot out of him and storms off.
• Later, Wolverine discovers his friend Asano dead and realizes, in turn, that Yukio killed him and she was also the one who attacked Wolverine when he first arrived in Japan.
• Wolverine and Yukio face off and he is determined to kill her, despite his developing feelings for her.  But The Hand ambush him and he must fight them off instead.
• As the dust settles, Logan realizes that Yukio had killed some of the ninjas, too.
• And now she's gone.

Wolverine #4

December 10, 1982

Claremont/Miller

• Separately but simultaneously, Wolverine and Yukio invade Lord Shingen's stronghold.  
• Noburu-Hideki, Mariko's husband, makes a run for it with his wife but Yukio kills him.
• Wolverine lets Yukio escape and with a kiss goodbye.
• Wolverine and Lord Shingen finally have their showdown, this time with steel, playing to Wolverine's adamantium advantage.
• Wolverine wins and kills Shingen.  He assumes Mariko will never forgive him.
• Not only does she forgive him, she offers him the family's honor sword, believing Logan to be more honorable than her father.  He accepts.
• The issue and the series end with the X-Men receiving an invitation to Mariko and Logan's wedding.

Thor #337

November 10, 1983

Writer and Artist: Walter Simonson

• Here begins Walter Simonson's long and celebrated run on Thor.
• Don Blake - Thor's human alias, a non-factor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe - is out for a stroll in Chicago's Grant Park when he's kidnapped by S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Col. Fury tells Blake that an alien ship is headed toward Earth at high speed and they need Thor's help.

via Wikipedia

• Thor heads off to intercept.  He encounters Beta Ray Bill (strong candidate, worst super-villain name ever).  
• The two battle.  Thor drops his hammer - Mjolnir, affectionately referred to as "Meow Meow" at our house - and unexpectedly reverts back to Don Blake.  Suddenly vulnerable, he gets flattened by Bill.
• Upon crashing on Earth, Bill is confronted by Fury and company.  He picks up Blake's walking stick which is actually Mjolnir.
• Apparently Bill is worthy, because he is able to pick up the hammer and thus becomes Thor.
• Mistaking him for the real thing, Odin calls Bill/Thor away to Asgard.
• In the midst of all this, we do get a visit to Asgard where we are reacquainted with Odin, Loki and others in Thor's supporting cast:

via Marvel Database

• Sif

via Marvel Database

• Volstagg

via Marvel Database

• Balder

via Marvel Database

• Heimdall

via Marvel Database

• Lorelei (introduced in this issue)

via Marvel Database

• Surtur

Thor #338

December 10, 1983

Walter Simonson

• Odin is faced with a dilemma.  When he learns of Bill's role as guardian of his now destroyed civilization, he realizes that both he and Thor are genuinely worthy to hold Meow Meow... er, Mjolnir.  But apparently Asgard ain't big enough for both of them.
• Odin sends both Bill and Thor to Skartheim to settle matters with a fight to the death.  
• Bill wins but cannot bring himself to destroy such a worthy and honorable foe.  So, Bill is brought back to Asgard with Thor in his arms.

via Wikipedia

• Featured: Hugin and Mugin, the ravens of Odin.

Star Trek: Allegiance

Episode: "Allegiance"

Series: Star Trek: The Next Generation

Season 3, Episode 18

Original Air Date: March 26, 1990

via Memory Alpha

Merry Christmas!

Captain Picard is kidnapped and replaced with a doppleganger.  The real Picard is imprisoned in a cell with three other seemingly random abductees.  The doppleganger leads the Enterprise on an apparent suicide mission.  He also confesses romantic feelings to Beverly.

It occurs to me that Star Trek contrives these situations a lot: something weird happens and our usually restrained heroes reveal their true natures.  It strikes me as... lazy.  And it goes all the way back.  "The Naked Time" was only the fourth episode of the original series.  The entire crew is intoxicated and we find out what each principal most desires.  Job done, folks, we never need to delve too deeply into psyches again. 

My griping aside, "Allegiance" has its moments.  Patrick Stewart is stellar and the makeup work garnered an Emmy nomination.

Acting Notes

via Marvel Database

Stephen Markle plays the role of Kova Tholl a Mazarian and one of Picard's fellow captives.  Markle was born September 26, 1945 in Toronto.  Other TV guest appearances include Crossing Jordan, The Practice and The West Wing.  

He passed away November 6, 2018 from complications related to Parkinson's.

On the Coffee Table: Charles Dickens

Title: A Christmas Carol

Author: Charles Dickens

via Amazon

A Christmas Carol is a story I have known well for almost my entire life.  I have seen stage plays and numerous film versions.  The Muppets' rendition is a family favorite (read here).  And yet, I'd never actually read the book.  

Our dear friend English Prof had a marvelous idea: a read-along via Zoom.  Yes, we're all tired of Zoom but it definitely has its place in this COVID Christmas season.  Never in human history has it been so easy to bring together loved ones from far-flung corners of the globe.  And perhaps we all appreciate the small comforts a little bit more in this troubling time.  I've actually been wanting to do a Dickens read-along as a family for years so this was a welcome opportunity to experience the work more intimately.  I think there were about 35 of us in on the call.  English Prof knows a lot of theater types so the readings were dramatic and engaging.  My daughter and I both took turns.

You know the tale, right?  Ebenezer Scrooge is a grumpy and miserly money-lender in London.  He's impatient and resentful towards everyone: his employees, his customers, indeed what few relatives he has.  And, of course, he hates Christmas.  On Christmas Eve, he is visited by spirits who teach him the true meaning of the holiday.  Upon waking, he is a new man, both generous and joyful.

It really is a beautiful book and wonderfully fun to read aloud.  Dickensian London is as miserable as ever, yet the story is hopeful.  It's gratifying to know how faithful the Muppet version is to the original text.  My daughter confessed she can't help thinking of the Cratchit family as pigs and frogs.  I assured her that Dickens would have wanted it that way.

I would love to make this an annual event.  My wife may take some convincing.  

Squid Mixes: Monarch Martini

A monarch martini combines mint leaves, gin, elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, simple syrup and peach bitters.  I got my recipe from Difford's Guide.  

Each of the ingredients smells amazing, which makes for an awfully good start.  Everything has a voice and the peach, especially, comes through nicely.  It's a very nice drink.

Marvel Immersion Project: Uncanny X-Men #139-142

This is my last week with the X-Men for a while.  Next up is Wolverine's excellent original solo run (a re-read for me), then an extended visit with Thor.

Without a doubt, Claremont's X-Men tenure was fantastic.  I still can't say I have the same emotional investment with his characters as I do with Spidey's best but I can certainly appreciate why it's obligatory reading.  I'll be circling around back to these characters in time.

My Recent Reads

Uncanny X-Men #139

Originally Published November 10, 1980

Writers: Chris Claremont and John Byrne

Artist: John Byrne

• Kitty Pryde joins the X-Men.  Ororo gives her the code name Sprite.  Naturally, Kitty makes a soda joke.
• Wolverine goes to Canada to officially resign from Alpha Flight and brings Nightcrawler along for the trip.  Naturally, they and their Alpha Flight friends get caught up in an unexpected adventure.

via Character Level Wiki

• Nemesis: Wendigo
• Introduced:

via Wikipedia

• Heather Hudson, wife of James as well as his eventual replacement as Vindicator and leader of Alpha Flight

via Marvel Database

• Stevie Hunter, Kitty's dance teacher

Uncanny X-Men #140

December 10, 1980

Claremont and Byrne/Byrne

• Wendigo is defeated.
• Alpha Flight is disbanded by the Canadian government.

via Wikipedia

• Meanwhile, at issue's end, the Blob escapes from prison, announcing he is a member of the New Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.

Uncanny X-Men #141

January 1, 1981

Claremont and Byrne/Byrne

• The story opens in a dystopian future, 2013 as it turns out.
• The Sentinels rule the Earth, cracking down hard on mutants and those with mutant-like qualities.  Most of the X-Men, Avengers, etc. are dead.
• Kate Pryde, previously Kitty, has survived and is our protagonist.  Wolverine is still around, too, as are Colossus, Storm, Franklin Richards (son of Reed and Susan) and his telekinetic girlfriend Rachel (later identified as Rachel Summers, daughter of Scott Summers and Jean Grey.  Umm... how?).  These six represent the core of the resistance.

Franklin Richards via Marvel Database

Rachel Summers via Marvel Database

• They devise a plan for Kate to switch places with her 1980 self in order to prevent this horrible future from unflolding.
• Back in 1980, while Charles and Moira are testifying before the US Senate in defense of mutant rights, the Capitol Building is attacked by the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.  The Brotherhood's roster (besides Blob, whom we met last issue):

via Wikipedia

• Mystique

via Marvel Database

• Destiny

via Marvel Database

• Pyro

via Marvel Database

• Avalanche

Uncanny X-Men #142

February 1, 1981

Claremont and Byrne/Byrne

• The X-Men triumph.  They prevent the assassination of Senator Kelly, thus preventing the future hellscape anticipated in the previous issue.

via Marvel Database

• On the final page, we meet Henry Peter Gyrich who will lead the President's anti-mutant operation.

Star Trek: Sins of the Father

Episode: "Sins of the Father"

Series: Star Trek: The Next Generation

Season 3, Episode 17

Original Air Date: March 19, 1990

via Memory Alpha

Klingon Commander Kurn has been assigned to the Enterprise as part of the Federation-Klingon Officer Exchange Program.  Our own Commander Riker served aboard the Pagh in the same capacity in "A Matter of Honor."  After throwing his weight around and generally putting everyone on edge, Kurn reveals his true purpose: he requested the assignment so he could contact Worf, his long-lost older brother.  

Here the story takes an abrupt turn.  Worf and Kurn's father, Mogh, has been posthumously charged with treason.  Since Worf is the oldest son, Kurn urges him to challenge the accusation with Kurn standing as his Cha'DIch, or second.  If the challenge fails, both will face what would have been Mogh's sentence: death.

Without a doubt, Next Gen has been on an awfully strong run over the past three episodes.  "Sins of the Father" is yet another popular choice on best episode lists.  I assert that they are, in fact, the three best installments of the series to this point.  The story represents a transition on several fronts:

1. Our first visit to the Klingon home world.  The sets and costumes are fantastic, earning an Emmy for Art Directors Richard D. James and Jim Mees.  
2. Crucial development for Worf, arguably his most important episode.  In the end, he demonstrates he is willing to sacrifice his own honor for the sake of the common Klingon good.  Hereafter, both writers and actor approached the character differently.
3. The dangling narrative threads at the end left little doubt that a return to this storyline was inevitable.  To this point, the producers had been resistant to the idea of continuing story arcs.  With "Sins of the Father," that door was kicked open.

As good as it is, the episode has an obvious narrative flaw: the story of the officer exchange is left unresolved.  Kurn's stunning revelation, while awesome, lets everyone off the hook far too easily.  It would have been interesting to see how the mounting tensions might eventually play out.

Once again, food is an essential window to culture as Kurn navigates dinner aboard the Enterprise.

Acting Notes

via Wikipedia

Charles Cooper plays the role of Klingon Chancellor K'mpec.  He was born August 11, 1926 in San Francisco.  He had a long, 50-year career.  Most of his credits were television guest appearances.  He did particularly well with western series, including Cimarron City, Lawman and The Rifleman.  Big screen credits include The Wrong Man, A Dog's Best Friend and Valet Girls.

This was the second of three Trek appearances for Cooper, always as a Klingon.  He played the part of General Korrd in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and would return as K'mpec in Season 4's "Reunion."  Cooper passed away November 29, 2013.

Squid Mixes: The Sidecar Chronicles

The sidecar cocktail was invented during World War I.  The history is a bit murky as to where exactly but either London or Paris.  In the beginning, the recipe called for Cognac, Cointreau and lemon juice, though variations since have allowed for other brandies and other orange liqueurs.  At our house, we have generally favored Robert Simonson's recipe from 3-Ingredient Cocktails.  He likes the original combo.  The International Bartenders Association (IBA) standards, on the other hand, stick by the Cognac but allow for the more general "triple sec."  For our experiments, I am choosing to keep our usual Cognac as brandies in a comparable price range are generally sweeter and we don't want that.  As with The Champs-Élysées, I also have no desire to fuss over lemons.  So, that leaves the orange flavoring...

Orange Liqueur Battles: Cointreau vs. Grand Marnier

We begin with the heavyweights.  Cointreau is produced in Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou, France.  The Cointreau brothers Adolphe and Edouard-Jean began selling their orange liqueur in 1870.  In 1990, the family-owned company merged with Rémy Martin to form Rémy Cointreau, a publicly traded entity.  

Grand Marnier's first distillery was built in 1827 in Neauphle-le-Château, France.  The current flagship product was first produced in 1880.  The brand is now owned by the Campari Group in Italy.

Head-to-head, Grand Marnier is simply more orangey, both in color and flavor.  It is smoother and the combination with Cognac is less baby aspriny than one gets with Cointreau.

Winner: Grand Marnier

Orange Liqueur Battles: Grand Marnier vs. Bols Triple Sec

Bols has been our preferred lower-shelf triple sec for some time.  The Dutch company claims to be the oldest distillery brand in the world, extant since 1575.  The triple sec is but one of 30 different flavors produced.

We both preferred Grand Marnier - simply more flavor by my reckoning.  Interestingly, my wife said she prefers the Bols to Cointreau: less harsh.  I feel with a gentler orange flavor in the Bols, more of the lemon comes through - not a bad thing.

Winner and Champion: Grand Marnier

So, here's our Sidecar All-Star Team:

Salignac Cognac

Grand Marnier

Lemon

Next up: Bronx Cocktail