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Guesting Research

Dre from Nerd! asked me to guest on the next podcast in the comics series. The prompt he gave me was to talk about my comics origin story - where I first got interested in comics.

For me, the first time I went into a comics shop with my own money was to get the first issue of Youngblood. My friend was reading about it somewhere - likely Wizard - and told me it would be a good time to jump on. New stories plus a hotshot artist. My dad even encouraged me thinking they would be valueable someday. Like everyone else at the time, ensuring that wound never happen.

Reading the issue

I picked up a copy of the first three issues on Ebay. Since I’m taking notes on them, I’ll add them as posts. Might as well have some posts related to a podcadst I’m guesting on.

First thoughts on issue one

  • Holy shit, Shaft is leading this team. Shut your mouth. Book way cooler than I thought… never mind. I’ll be calling him Jeff Shaft
  • Cheapest card inserts ever
  • How long will this double-sided gimick last?
  • Surprised only ½ of team has wolverine claws
  • Photon might have lady deathstrike hands on one side, but likely just hands
  • What is going on with away team cover?
    • rolling a giant beach ball towards me while outrunning a wave
  • Home Team just posing on their giant beach ball
    • Light and sand behind them?

Issue #1 Home Team Notes

Page 1
  • Glad Liefeld at least hired someone for dialog
    • Hank Kanalz got scapegoat by Liefeld for the quality
  • 2-2 first two panels Wild on the angle perspectives
  • This guy hates paperwork
  • word balloons positioned wildly off
    • Panel 2 has background characters between both word balloons and the character speaking
    • Panel 3 Jeff Shaft looks like he’s having a closed-eyed shouting argument with himself as his concerned girlfriend stares at him.

Page 2-3
  • Did the shooter send the thief, or is this happenstance
  • Jeff Shaft transforms into quasimodo on page 3
  • Birth of the cap reborn perspective?
Page 4-5
  • Gotta drop the signing autographs line
  • 3rd panel page 4 - how is he standing??!?!?
  • Same goofy smile on bg women on page 5 panel 2 & 5
  • Is “‘tall” a Baltimore accent?!
Page 6-7
  • Is Bedrock eight years old?
  • Why are you talking to the other team. Please don’t make me turn the comic over and read the names of the Away Team to be sure that’s what’s up here. I’m old
Page 8-9
  • I was distracted by Liefeld’s ability to draw everyone with feet and missed Bedrock transforming into President Red Hulk from the abs down. With a mist-foot.
  • Looks like some kinda jail break. From a porta-potty.
Page 10 - 11
  • Bad guys out. Lotsa punching.
Page 12 - 13
  • 2 page spread of team. I guess that was it.

I know nothing about any of these people other than Jeff Shaft is famous enough to sign autographs and attract hired assassins. He’s the Hawkeye and the only time an action beat includes a character moment (throwing the pen). Chapel is the cad. Bedrock appears to be a child living with his mom.

All character interactions were limited to sarcastic and negative remarks about each other.

Everything else I know from the included trading cards and character designs. I’d say this is a world of top secret agents without powers - except for the giant rock-monster child. We’ll see if any of my curiosities are answered with issue #2.

Issue #1 Away Team Notes

Page 1
  • Oh shit, this is all based on a fictionalized occupation of Isreal. Liefeld is certainly the scribe for this topic… right?
  • Hassan Kussien… yeah he’s just mixing and matching names he hears in the news without thinking of any real-world implications beyond the names
  • First mention of super powered soldiers in the super powered soldiers comic
Page 2-3
  • Action spread with a cheeky broadcast boasting getting around censors
Page 4-5
  • Who is that in the golden horn-ear mask?
  • He was clearly in on the briefing
  • Everyone else in the team photo is accounted for
  • I think those shiny balls are soldier heads
Page 6-7
  • Psi-Fire jokes about buying the enemy land. Too close despite there being no attempt to make actual parallels or comments on events. Just using Isreali as a general conflict area.
    • First time power usages are underwhelming.
    • Riptide can make water
    • Psi-Fire can glow and fly
    • Sentinal can’t glow but can fly
    • Cougar is a wolf-man
Page 8-9
  • Riptide’s hand is talking in panel 2
  • They didn’t see that electric fence coming
Page 10-11
  • Is psy-boi immune to the eclectic fence?
  • Who is this asshole with metal arms??
  • Not the same as gold-eared dick from earlier because of shoulder metal and different outfit.
  • Counter-point… shoulder things disappear and re-appear every other panel
  • So there are two members of the team who may or may not be part of the team
  • OK, I’m convinced they’re the same person whose outfit accessories spontaneously phase in and out
Page 12-13
  • Looks like metal-armed asdshole has pointy ears like Cougar. Is Daddy?!!? Nope, that’s Combat from the other team. What the hell are the rules here.
  • Also, Combat?!?
  • Whatever Liefeld thinks the Saddam character is aligned with, Psy-boi makes a point of insisting he likes the way he dictates - but is a contract soldier for the highest bidder
    • With the images, is this some sympathizer BS
  • Are these dudes also celebs?
Page 14-15
  • Psy-boi blows up saddam’s brain with psychic waves and really enjoys it
  • They should have named this team Wetworks
  • Some of them are so old, but they like to get wet!
Page 16-17
  • Rest of team reacts to exploded man
  • Sentinal implies that they sneak out
Page 18
  • Fake news story blames Kussien’s death on suicide
  • Grenade in mouth
  • Implies assassination solved everything

Afterthoughts

Man, I kinda wish I lied and insisted on marvel cosmic or X-Men. Both of which I started reading at the same time but I actually stayed with. I’d recommend reading anything by Jonathan Hickman or Jim Starlin over this.