Tuesday, June 28, 2016

TOP TEN MARVEL SUPER HEROES

THE TOP TEN MARVEL SUPER HEROES


DISCLAIMER:
These are MY PERSONAL FAVORITE Marvel Super Heroes, not which super heroes from Marvel are the most powerful, popular, or most recognizable. These are the characters from Marvel Comics that I have grown to love over the years of my fandom and the characters which I naturally gravitate towards. I'm not saying these characters are better than others nor am I saying these are the best characters out there. These are the characters I personally find the most enjoyable.

#11
BLADE 

As a bonus and honorable mention and just barely edged out of my top ten is BLADE. The story that solidified Eric Brooks a.k.a. Blade as one of my favorite characters in all Marveldom was THE RISE OF THE MIDNIGHT SONS crossover. That was my introduction to the character and one of Blade's most definitive interpretations. The TOMB OF DRACULA graphic novel mini series that preceded it (4 graphic novels by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan) and THE NIGHTSTALKERS series that succeeded it further endeared the character to me as an all-time favorite. Oh yeah, those three movies are pretty awesome too and so is the anime series written by Warren Ellis.


#10
IRON FIST

Danny Rand a.k.a. Iron Fist is one helluva character. After reading the entire volume of THE IMMORTAL IRON FIST by Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, and Duane Swierczynski I was forever hooked. Every issue surrounding that particular volume (all 27 issues plus a few one-shots and specials) was a "must read" for me. As a result I have come to love his supporting cast as well. COLLEEN WING and MISTY KNIGHT are wicked awesome and the team of the IMMORTAL WEAPONS are so cool. I sincerely hope the Netflix Iron Fist series knocks it out of the park.



#9
MORBIUS ~ THE LIVING VAMPIRE

Now I know what you're thinking. I probably just lost any or all credibility I may have had, but hear me out. Michael Morbius hasn't had the most stellar career. The most recent volume and stories surrounding the character have been pretty awful, in my opinion. Needless to say, those AREN'T the stories that place the vampire hero at number nine on my list.

I have loved Morbius since I was in single digits (the 1990's). And just like with Blade, THE RISE OF THE MIDNIGHT SONS crossover event and Morbius' 90's volume which ran 32 issues are the stories that have secured him a place on my list. His appearances in the 1970's are quite enjoyable too, his twelve issue run in ADVENTURES INTO FEAR #20-31 as well as VAMPIRE TALES #1-11, and of course his first few battles against Spider-Man. Regardless of his current status, Morbius has had some very good stories in the past.



#8
ADAM WARLOCK 

There are really two iterations of this character that have endeared to me. My first encounter with HIM a.k.a. Adam Warlock was in the INFINITY GAUNTLET event by Jim Starlin, George Perez, and Ron Lim. Warlock's appearances preceding Infinity Gauntlet, those in THE SILVER SURFER and the succeeding series WARLOCK AND THE INFINITY WATCH are all wonderful. Some of the best Warlock stories to come from Jim Starlin were those from the 1970's. STRANGE TALES #178-181 and WARLOCK #9-15, AVENGERS ANNUAL #7 and MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE ANNUAL #2 are all simply wonderful.

Jim Starlin's interpretation of Adam Warlock is the definitive one and for my money, pure gold. But there is a second interpretation which I love quite dearly as well. During the Marvel event ANNIHILATION CONQUEST followed by the 2008 volume of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, both written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning renewed my love for the character. Warlock's stint as a part of the Guardians of the Galaxy team remains a true favorite.



#7
CAPTAIN MARVEL

Which Captain Marvel, you ask? I am a follower of the HOUSE OF VELL. The Kree captain MAR-VELL, for me, is where it's at. The stories that have earned him a place on my list are from the 1960's volume, particularly CAPTAIN MARVEL #25-#33 by Jim Starlin. These issues chronicle the first THANOS epic and they are just that: Epic. I love those issues and for the most part that entire volume.

Another aspect of the character that has endeared me to him is Mar-Vell's legacy. His son GENIS-VELL and his daughter PHYLA-VELL are among my favorites and who I kind of include under the Captain Marvel umbrella here (I know, it's kind if cheating but it's my list). Genis-Vell as the 90's hero LEGACY was cool and his adventures as CAPTAIN MARVEL, written by one of my favorite comic book writers, Peter David, have solidified him as a personal favorite. Genis was also featured in the twelve issue maxi series AVENGERS FOREVER by Kurt Busiek and Carlos Pacheco, which is a stellar story and is the series that launched him into Peter David's book.

And then there is Phyla. Created by Peter David, writers Keith Giffen, Dan Abnett, and Andy Lanning propelled the character to new heights and making her one of my personal favorites as well. The stories of ANNIHILATION, ANNIHILATION CONQUEST, and the 2008 volume of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY are all the reasons why I love her. Phyla grew even greater when she took up the mantle of QUASAR, a legacy left by Wendell Vaughn and an extension of Mar-Vell's legacy as Protector of the Universe. Phyla and Genis deserve a comeback.

So, I am way cheating here, but I have a fourth character I include under the Captain Marvel umbrella: the current Captain Marvel, the former Ms. Marvel ~ CAROL DANVERS. It was only because of her ties to Mar-Vell that I even gave the character any thought and thus the reason for her presence here. I actually enjoy her more as Ms. Marvel, her 2006 volume by Brian Reed being my favorite epic of hers. I also loved her as BINARY and as a team member of the STARJAMMERS.

All in all it is MAR-VELL who is technically the number seven spot but it is his legacy that continues to endear the character to me.



#6
NOVA

NOT Sam Alexander. Let's make that perfectly clear. 

My favorite Nova and number six on my top ten favorite Marvel Super Heroes is none other than Marvel's original human rocket, RICHARD RIDER ~ THE MAN CALLED NOVA. Writer Marv Wolfman was basically the sole scribe for Richard Rider during his original story arc. Richard returned in the 1990's volume of THE NEW WARRIORS. Writer Fabian Nicieza delved deeper into Richard's character and explored the Nova Corps and Nova Force. Nicieza greatly expanded the character with some wonderful storytelling.

In 2006 writers Keith Giffen, Dan Abnett, and Andy Lanning put Richard through hell, a literal trial by fire in the event titled ANNIHILATION. It was in the pages of this story that Nova climbed to a new level, both with his character and story, but also with his status in the Marvel lexicon. Thus started the greatest volume in Nova history, a 36 issue volume by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. Sam Alexander wouldn't be here if not for the Nova book mentioned above by DnA. Nova would not be a presence in current Marvel comics today had it not been for this book.

Nova was always on my radar but never in a big way until Annihilation and the 36 issue volume by Abnett and Lanning. The two writers gave Rich a grand sendoff in the mini series THE THANOS IMPERATIVE (another amazing story) and Richard hasn't been seen since. This is part of the reason why Richard is still so amazing to me. Abnett and Lanning remain the last writers to really write him and he hasn't been dragged through the dirt yet by lesser writers.



#5
DOCTOR STRANGE

Strangely, Stephen Strange is the most recent addition to this list. I am ashamed to say that only within the last few years have I really come to know and love DOCTOR STRANGE. I have always been interested in the character but other characters have stolen my attention. But now after having read a lot of Dr. Strange I have to say he is one of the my personal favorites. The stories that have endeared him to me the most are his adventures in MARVEL PREMIERE #3-14 and the 1970's DOCTOR STRANGE volume #1-9 (the majority of the 1970's volume is amazing). Writer Peter B. Gillis finished off the volume and continued the story in STRANGE TALES Vol. 3 #1-19 and then the first four issues of the 1988 Doctor Strange volume. Gillis' Strange is excellent.

The 1988 volume which ran through the 1990's DOCTOR STRANGE SORCERER SUPREME #1-30, 57-79, and 83-90. Roy Thomas' work on this volume is at its strongest before it starts crossing over into other events. David Quinn's run is quite different from any Doctor Strange story I've ever read and quite entertaining. And capping the whole 1988 volume off beautifully is J.M. DeMatteis' run. All in all, Doctor Strange has had a lot of amazing stories and there is a reason he has endured for so long. Sadly I have not read any of the Stan Lee/Steve Ditko stories. With a Doctor Strange Omnibus coming out in the near future I hope to change that.



#4
NAMOR ~ THE SUB-MARINER

I was introduced to the Sub-Mariner through his friendship with the HULK and the SILVER SURFER. Stories where he crossed over into their books were among the first I'd ever read of the character. Since then I have delved deep and discovered how truly wonderful Namor is. The first full run of Namor's that I read was his 1990's volume. John Byrne's run from issue #1-25 is incredible (also my first real exposure to the character IRON FIST). Jae Lee's run and the story spanning from issue #26-39 is perhaps my favorite saga of the Sub-Mariner. 

I am currently working on collecting the entirety of Sub-Mariner's 1960's volume and so far from what I've read it is wonderful. His stint with the X-MEN in the mid to late 2000's had some great moments too. The issue DARK REIGN-THE LIST: X-MEN written by Matt Fraction is one of the best single issue Namor stories I've read and his time on the ALL NEW INVADERS written by James Robinson is the most recent wonderful representation of the character. Jonathan Hickman's NEW AVENGERS did some interesting things with the character too, some of it good, some of it meh.


#3
THE SILVER SURFER

Norrin Radd a.k.a. The Silver Surfer has long held the number three spot on my list since even before I had a list. His position here will never change because he is one of the reasons why I love comics and super heroes. Again, growing up reading comic books in the 1990's, I was enamored with the Silver Surfer. His artistic depiction by Ron Lim was what drew me to the character. It's such a simple character design yet it was so compelling. And his stories were mind blowing and totally cosmic. The Silver Surfer is the reason I love Marvel's Cosmic Corner of stories and cosmic characters more than any other.

The 1987 volume of the Silver Surfer is my favorite of his and I dare say the best quality of any of his stories. Of course it was his battle against Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet saga which really put him on the map. Jim Starlin's writing on Surfer along with Steve Englehart's and Ron Marz's are fantastic. George Perez's run and J.M. DeMatteis' run near the end cap off an amazing volume. During this volume the other HERALDS OF GALACTUS were fleshed out and became something of a team, one of my personal favorite ensembles in the Marvel Universe.

The Silver Surfer and the Heralds took part in the event ANNIHILATION, one of my favorite stories in all Marvel Comicdom. While not necessarily the most standout performance of the Surfer it is still a quality story. Andrea DiVito's artwork is some of the best looking Silver Surfer renditions I've seen since Ron Lim. This story eventually led to another couple stories called THE THANOS IMPERATIVE and THE ANNIHILATORS, two more of my favorite stories in all Marvel. The relatively recent Silver Surfer book by Dan Slott and Michael Allred, while completely different from any Surfer story to come before it, has maintained a creative and fun story.

The Silver Surfer represents one of the three pillars of my love of Marvel, super heroes, and comics.



#2
GHOST RIDER

To be perfectly clear: the movies have nothing to do with why I like Ghost Rider.

I began my comic book reading in the early 1990's. Not surprising at all is the 1990's volume of Ghost Rider being my favorite and the reason why I love the character. DANNY KETCH is my Ghost Rider. Howard Mackie and Ivan Velez are my favorite Ghost writers and artists Javier Saltares, Mark Texeira, Ron Garney, Adam Kubert, and Salvador Larroca supplied the images I always think of. Writer Howard Mackie contributed more for Ghost Rider and the Ghost Rider mythos than any other writer to ever pen the character. Howard Mackie is my Ghost Rider god.

The 1990's Ghost Rider volume along with Doctor Strange, Morbius, Blade and the Nightstalkers, and the whole MIDNIGHT SONS banner remains one of my favorites, in not the favorite, era of comic books I've ever read (the Giffen, Abnett, and Lanning cosmic era coming close). John Blaze during this era remains my favorite depiction of Johnny Blaze. Of the 1970's Ghost Rider volume issues #68-81 are among the best Ghost Rider stories ever written. If not for what Roger Stern, J.M. DeMatteis, and Bob Budiansky did during that era of Ghost Rider, I would not have the 1990's Ghost Rider to look back on with love and admiration.

In 2005 the last great era of Ghost Rider began with a beautiful six issue mini series by Garth Ennis and Clayton Crain called GHOST RIDER: ROAD TO DAMNATION. This story continued through a 35 issue volume written by Daniel Way and becoming something truly amazing in the hands of Jason Aaron, the writer who brought back Danny Ketch and finished off the story with a six issue mini series titled HEAVEN'S ON FIRE. 

Sadly ever since the Ghost Rider mantle has been picked up and passed off to any Tom, Dick, and Jane Marvel wants resulting in some truly wanting iterations.

Danny Ketch Ghost Rider would be my number one favorite character had it not been for the big guy that tops my list...



#1
THE INCREDIBLE HULK

The Hulk is Marvel's character that has been with me the longest, since the 1980's when I was in single digits. My favorite color is green, perhaps the impetus for my interesting in the Hulk. It started with the classic Bixby/Ferrigno television show and then transferred to the comic books. My love for the character started with the most basic primal aspects of him, his strength and rage. Everyone can relate to having anger and a need to let it out.

As I grew up and the more I read the more drawn I became to the character's complexities. The laymen may not think it, but the Hulk is actually one of Marvel's more complex characters. Not everybody can write him well either. Split personalities and different Hulk manifestations for each, far deeper emotional problems than just anger, and the fear of becoming what everyone believes him to be: a monster. Hulk always stays the hero but is constantly riding the line between man and monster, hero and villain. I personally have a deep affinity for misunderstood monsters and there is no better example in Marvel than the Hulk.

The stories that have endeared the Hulk to me the most are hands down those of writer Peter David. To me it doesn't get any better than Peter David's Hulk run. He gave us Mr. Fixit, the Professor Hulk, and the Maestro. He has done more for the character than any other save Stan Lee. I could go on and on about that run. Greg Pak, the writer who gave us Planet Hulk and World War Hulk has probably been the next best writer since Peter David. The 2014/15 Doc Green story arc by Mark Waid and Gerry Duggan was solid too and a fitting follow-up to Greg Pak's story.

The most underrated and underappreciated run on the Hulk is that of writer Bill Mantlo. Bill Mantlo penned over sixty issues of Hulk and wrote some of the character's definitive character threads. He wrote a proto version of the Professor Hulk and wrote the first issue about Banner's childhood and experiences with his father, plot threads Peter David would later pickup and run with. Both Greg Pak and Peter David's Hulk stories were heavily influenced by what Bill Mantlo had done.

The Hulk/Bruce Banner is my favorite comic book character with a bullet.



And there you have it. My top ten (eleven) personal favorite Marvel super heroes. Now I know what you're thinking, "How can you call that a top ten?! Where are Spider-Man, Wolverine, Iron Man, Captain America, Daredevil, Black Panther, Luke Cage, Punisher, and Black Widow? And you can't have a top ten without Deadpool!"

Those are all fine characters worthy of top ten lists everywhere. And some of them may have been on my list at one time. There are so many characters out there of all walks, shapes, and sizes. It's been my experience that the more you read and the deeper you dive the more characters you find that feel tailor made for you. Certain aspects call out stronger than others. We each develop our own personalities and personal preferences and the whole of Marvel's heroes are as diverse as we are. Does this mean my preferences are better than yours? No. Nor are mine worse than yours. They're just different because we are different. And that's the wonder of the World of Marvel, there are enough characters for everybody.

Hope you enjoyed the list!

Feel free to leave a list of your top ten Marvel super heroes in the comments below!

For more Top Ten Lists check out the lists below!


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Tuesday, June 21, 2016

COMICS IN REVIEW: DOCTOR STRANGE #8

Hello everyone! As some of you may know, I am writing for the website COMICONVERSE. I have been covering the current comic books from Marvel Comics Guardians of Infinity and Doctor Strange.

For myself and anyone else interested I am documenting each of my articles here at Blood Work.

If you haven't checked out this latest article here you go!
DOCTOR STRANGE #8

Doctor Strange meets Tomb Raider in this issue from Marvel Comics. No, he doesn't meet Lara Croft but he does take a few tips from her. You think I'm kidding but I'm not. Read it if you don't believe me. I will say this: the good doctor has never been portrayed like this before.

As always feel free to comment and drop me a line of your own thoughts!
CHECK OUT MY OTHER REVIEWS FOR COMICONVERSE


 
 
 
 
5 EVENTS THAT ACTUALLY CHANGED THE MARVEL UNIVERSE
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Monday, June 20, 2016

COMICS IN REVIEW: GUARDIANS OF INFINITY #6

Hello everyone! As some of you may know, I am writing for the website COMICONVERSE. I have been covering the current comic books from Marvel Comics Guardians of Infinity and Doctor Strange.

For myself and anyone else interested I am documenting each of my articles here at Blood Work.

If you haven't checked out this latest article here you go!
 

This issue has some of the best action I've seen in years from any comic book. I love the main feature story of this book and will be sad to see it go. On another note both Dan Abnett and Eric Palicki, the writers of both stories in this issue, tweeted that they like this review!

As always feel free to comment and drop me a line of your own thoughts!

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Thursday, June 16, 2016

KAIJUOLOGY: VARAN

Art by Yasushi Torisawa

Subject: Varan a.k.a. Baran, Baradagi or Baradaki

Documentation: Varan The Unbelievable (1958), Destroy All Monsters (1968), Godzilla: Monster of Monsters (NES video game 1988), and Godzilla Unleashed (Nintendo Wii video game 2007)

History: Theories among the most preeminent kaijuologists are that Varan may in fact be one of the first mega-fauna in existence on Earth, earning it the name Varan "the father of lizards" and possibly the real life progenitor of many known reptiles. A creature from a long forgotten era, Varan is a completely natural kaiju. It is believed that Godzilla's colossal size was due to nuclear radiation whereas Varan's stature, being of equal height and mass to Godzilla, was due to natural evolution. Varan may in fact be the oldest living kaiju on Earth and perhaps the first kaiju to exist on Earth.

Art by Yasushi Torisawa
According to ancient tribal lore of the Iwayans, Varan ruled the world in the dawning ages of the Earth possessing dominance over the water, the land, and the air. It is believed that the concepts for both flying dragons and sea serpents were derived from early humanity's encounters with Varan, later variations due to other kaiju sightings. Elements of the Kappa from Japanese mythology and folklore seem to have been derived from the Varan legend as well.

For years Varan had made its home in a remote region of Japan near Tohoku about 40 meters up the Kitagami River, often called the Tibet of Japan. At a point near one of the highest elevations in all of Japan multiple mountain peaks come together creating a hidden lake between the peaks. It was here within the lake that Varan had make its home. This lake, nestled within the Kunishiroshima Valley, was unknown until 1958. The area to this day is completely undeveloped and yet in its natural state. A strange gas found only in the area keeps the land covered in a perpetual fog.

There are no roads through the area, only ancient cart paths and walking paths. The only human presence near the area is Iwaya Village, with a population less than one-hundred. The Iwayans possess the only known history and lore surrounding Varan whom they believed to be the primal god Baradagi. The Iwayans erected a shrine to Baradagi with a priest who would regularly conduct ceremonies to appease Baradagi and avoid incurring the god's divine wrath.

In 1958 two colleagues of Professor Sugimoto's went missing while on a research assignment in the Kunishiroshima Valley. When bereaved family members of the victims and another member of the institute arrived in Kunishiroshima the Iwayans told them of their wrathful god Baradagi and that their god was responsible for the two deaths. The village elder and shrine priest expressly forbade them from traveling beyond the village borders into the valley lest they fall prey to Baradagi. The trio from the city ignored the priest's warnings and entered into the valley. There they discovered the strange mist and the lake. Varan emerged shortly thereafter. It followed the three of them to the Iwayan Village, destroying the settlement and killing many.

The trio returned to the city with a report and photographs of Varan. Professor Sugimoto believed Varan to be a species of Varanopode that existed 185 million years ago somewhere within the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods. A conference was held discussing what to do about the beast. Given the recent devastations in Tokyo by Godzilla, Osaka by Anguirus and a second Godzilla, Fukuoka by Rodan, and the world threat by the Mysterians, it was decided that Varan was too dangerous to allow to live.

Another incursion into the Kunishiro Valley was mounted by Professor Sugimoto and other preeminent members of the scientific community. The JSDF led the incursion with many soldiers, tanks, and heavy artillery. By filling the lake with chemicals the JSDF coaxed Varan to the surface. The JSDF attacked with all their weapons but were unable to penetrate the beast's thick hide. By setting the forested area surrounding the lake ablaze they forced the monster out of the valley. All watched in awe and horror as the kaiju climbed to the tallest mountain peak and took flight via wing-like membrane stretching out from its arms to its feet. The tremendous wind gusts generated as the kaiju flew overhead extinguished the flames. Varan eventually landed in the sea.
Art by Yasushi Torisawa

After a fruitless naval pursuit Varan traveled through the Uraga Channel into Tokyo Bay. The kaiju made landfall at Haneda Airport. All of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces efforts proved useless against the monster. Varan laid waste to the airport and surrounding areas. Through the use of experimental bombs attached to flares did the JSDF finally yield results. Professor Sugimoto surmised that Varan would be drawn the bright lights of flares. In a freak stroke of luck, as the flares drifted closer to the kaiju, Varan not only was drawn to them but ate them as well, bombs and all. The bombs detonated within the creature's body. Varan retreated into the sea. Japan's forces believed the beast to be dead but no carcass was ever recovered.
Art by Yasushi Torisawa

ATTACK ON KILAAK

Varan was discovered years later alive. As it was decided that no weapon possessed of man short of an atomic bomb was capable of killing the beast. Instead the kaiju was captured and relocated to the Ogasawara Islands. An invisible magnetic shield was generated to contain Varan on the island. There he remained for years, captive but also safe from harm. Other monsters had already been relocated to these islands and more would arrive later. A safe habitat was created for Varan and the other kaiju to where they could live in peace. This compound was later named Monsterland and became a scientific institute where the kaiju could be studied and observed.

In the year 1999 the Earth was attack by the alien invaders known as the Kilaaks. All the monsters were freed and loosed upon the world. The Kilaaks controlled the beasts through their advanced technology. Earth's forces eventually severed the Kilaaks control over the monsters. Varan and the other earth monsters rose to defend the planet against the Kilaaks. At the base of Mount Fuji in the Aokigahara Forest, Varan and the other kaiju battled against the Kilaak controlled King Ghidorah. Earth's kaiju triumphed and returned to Ogasawara. Varan made his home in a cave in the peak of a mountain on Ogasawara's main island. There he has remained ever since.

VARAN'S BIOLOGY

Varan is one of the last remaining ultrasaurs from prehistory. A king from an ancient time, a world we'll never know, Varan's name is in derivation of Varanus pater which means "father of lizards." Believed to be a colossal ancestor to the modern day Draco lizard, Varan also shares similarities with the Andrias Japonicus (Japanese giant salamander) as well as the Phrynosoma (horned lizard), specifically with the latter regarding Varan's facial features and carapace.

Varan is one of few recorded kaiju that is a true triphibian monster. The kaiju is at home in the water existing for extended periods of time under water. Yet its biology is equally adapted to life on land, dwelling within mountain peaks in caves. And most astonishing of all, Varan is equally at home in the air, flying over great distances. Very few kaiju qualify for all three habitats. The others that do, Gamera and Hedorah for instance, have achieved these qualities through either scientific augmentation or extraterrestrial means. Varan is one of the few natural kaiju adapted to all three areas. The kaiju Gappa may be the only other.

Interestingly Varan often moves between a quadrupedal stance and motion to that of a bipedal stance. The kaiju is adept at both stances and when in its upright position is even taller than Godzilla, due to the horns along the crest of its head. As a result of this ability to move between stances, Varan is far more agile than most kaiju, possessing greater speed and dexterity than the thicker heavier kaiju. While Varan possesses leaner muscle tissue it is no less strong than Godzilla.


Varan possesses an invulnerable hide. Its hide along its belly is softer but still impervious to all conventional weapons. An even harder carapace covers its head, neck, back, and along the length of its tail. This hard shell is impervious to nearly all kaiju attacks yet possesses a flexibility allowing for more movement and quicker speed. Along the crest of the head down the neck, back, and to the tip of the tail is a row of hyper dense bone-spikes. These spike-like protrusions are extensions from Varan's vertebra moving and flowing with the creature's every movement.

Perhaps Varan's most peculiar ability and trait uniquely his own are the membrane running from its wrists along down its sides to its ankles. The membrane is collapsible and easily hidden close to its limbs and torso. When expanded to full length and pulled taut the membrane enables the creature to glide through the air and even fly at speeds in excess of mach one. How this membrane allows such a heavy creature to fly has yet to be determined. A strange fog-like gas covers the area around the lake and land where Varan was discovered. It is believed that this strange gas, found nowhere else on the Earth, was expelled by the creature and that the gas was what allowed the kaiju to fly. An alternative theory was offered by one kaijuologist, Marc Cerasini, that hydrogen gases are created within tiny pores along the creature's body lifting the kaiju into the air. This theory has yet to be confirmed but so far has proven the most plausible.

And finally Varan possesses extremely sharp claws on its hands and feet, extending farther during battle like those of a cat into curved-like talons capable of carrying creatures and objects through the air. Varan also possesses powerful jaws with razor sharp teeth. Once its jaws are clamped down they are nearly impossible to force open. Varan however does not possess any range attack or energy weapon although some claim the beast has a sonic scream attack. This aforementioned attack has yet to be substantiated. 

Review: The kaiju that would be king. Varan's story is one of opportunity and broken promises. The landscape of kaiju cinema may look very different today had the plans for Varan been carried out to fruition.

The original Varan film was conceived as a joint project between Toho and an American film company. During the 1950's Toho was creating some of the most astounding monster movies the world over. Naturally Hollywood wanted a Toho produced monster movie of their own far greater than anyone had ever seen before. With a huge budget from the American studio Toho's staff set about creating a kaiju film greater than any that came before it. Toho devoted their best men to the project: legends Ishiro Honda and Eiji Tsuburaya were in charge of directing and special effects, the great Shinichi Sekizawa wrote the script, the magnificent Akira Ifukube composed the score, and the monster man himself Haruo Nakajima played the titular kaiju. With Tomoyuki Tanaka producing, this film had everything it needed to become something spectacular.

Then the American studio pulled out halfway through production taking with it the film's funding. Ishiro Honda, Eiji Tsuburaya, and the rest of Toho were left with half a movie and practically no money left to finish. Even so Toho completed the film. The result is a movie with a tremendous first half and a lack luster second half. Varan's tragedy forced Toho to completely rethink and retool the future of monster movies. No more kaiju were seen for three years in the wake of Varan's failure. Their next giant monster feature MOTHRA was a reinvention of the wheel. Kaiju after Mothra were relegated to mere cameos like Maguma and Manda. Godzilla's return in King Kong Vs Godzilla was less of a serious movie and more of a fun slapstick wrestling match celebrating Toho's 30th anniversary. It wasn't until Mothra Vs Godzilla that kaiju films really came back in force.

Had Varan been completed by both companies and resulted in the international success the companies had hoped for or at the very least become a well executed film from start to finish who knows what the history of kaiju cinema would look like today. But as a result of what had befallen the project a certain taint lingered with Varan. But someone at Toho hadn't given up on the kaiju. When Destroy All Monsters came about Varan was resurrected with plans to be an active participant in the film. But the budget for the kaiju suits was smaller than they had hoped forcing Toho to salvage what older monster suits they could, allowing new suits for only Godzilla and Anguirus. The only usable Varan suit wasn't a suit at all but an elaborate puppet that greatly limited what the character could actually do on screen. Varan was pushed to the background with less than a minute of screen time in the film.

Someone still believed in him though. After a quite different Godzilla film in GODZILLA'S REVENGE and a truly bizarre kaiju film in GODZILLA VS HEDORAH, Toho wanted to bring Godzilla back to the basics and produce a proper kaiju epic with GODZILLA VS GIGAN. Varan was set to return in a big way as he was originally planned to appear alongside Godzilla helping the king of the monsters battle Gigan and Ghidorah. Due a major decline in box office sales from previous films the budget for Godzilla's 12th outing was significantly reduced. Toho couldn't afford to make two new kaiju suits, only one. As a result Varan was replaced with Anguirus and Gigan became the only new kaiju suit created for the film. Varan had his opportunity stolen from him again.

In 1988 Varan finally received an opportunity to battle Godzilla himself albeit in a different form. Toho produced a video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System titled GODZILLA: MONSTER OF MONSTERS in which Godzilla and Mothra would traverse every planet in our solar system battling various monsters. Varan along with Moguera, Gezora, Baragon, and many of Godzilla's more popular kaiju foes were featured as antagonists within the game. It wasn't a movie but Varan was chosen to be featured in the game over many other popular kaiju like Rodan or Anguirus.

Then in 2001 Toho hired director Shusuke Kaneko, the famed director of the GAMERA TRILOGY, to inject new life into the Godzilla franchise. In Kaneko's script Anguirus, Varan, and Baragon would defend Japan against Godzilla. Once again the franchise was experiencing dwindling returns at the box office with each subsequent film. An executive decision was made by Toho. They told Kaneko to remove Varan and Anguirus for more profitable kaiju instead. Ghidorah and Mothra were forcefully inserted into the film. The designer for the kaiju suits on the film, Fuyuki Shinada, was disappointed by the studio's decision as Varan was his all time favorite kaiju. In an effort to keep some of Varan's spirit in the film Shinada borrowed Varan's facial features and added them to Ghidorah's design. Kaneko also retained Varan's origin and emergence in the film and simply swapped Varan for Mothra. 

No other kaiju has had so many chances at life renewed only to have these opportunities dashed at the last second. Over the years Varan has garnered more attention and his tragic story is becoming more well known. He is one of the most underrated kaiju with incredible potential. The wonderful kaiju design is undeniable as it remains the only true strength the kaiju has in the film world. Famed artist and kaiju fan BOB EGGLETON has said on many occasions that his second favorite monster (Godzilla always being the first) is Varan. Eggleton has been a longtime advocate for Varan producing breathtaking art and articles in magazines about the greatness that is Varan.

Since the late 90's and early 2000's Varan has resurfaced here and there. He was featured in the American young adult book GODZILLA 2000 by author Marc Cerasini as well as the childrens books Godzilla: Journey To Monster Island and Godzilla Vs the Space Monster by Scott Ciencin as well as the picture books Who's Afraid of Godzilla by Di Kaiju and Godzilla Likes to Roar by Kerry Milliron. Cover art and illustrations for all the books mentioned above were by Bob Eggleton. In 2014 and 2015 Varan appeared in the IDW comic books Godzilla: Rulers of Earth and Godzilla In Hell. In 2007 Varan was a playable character in the fighting video game Godzilla: Unleashed for the Nintendo Wii where he featured a sonic scream attack and sonic energy ball, attacks he has only possessed in this incarnation.
Varan's 8 bit NES sprite
Slowly Varan has been making more and more appearances as the years continue, becoming less obscure and more of a known entity. Media Blasters dvd distribution has helped immensely by releasing the original Japanese version of Varan The Unbelievable a.k.a. Daikaiju Baran on dvd here in North America as well as a blu ray of Destroy All Monsters. In recent years the Japanese toy company X-PLUS has released several high quality vinyl statues in Japan and in the America ranging from 12 inches tall on down. These products cost an arm and a leg but they are worth it. The sculpts for the statues are near perfect reflections of the movies.

Draco Lizard

Varan is my second favorite kaiju behind Godzilla (hence this exhaustively long post). Personally I feel his design is one of the strongest of all the kaiju from any studio. Varan's destruction of the mountain village in his 1958 film is among the best destruction scenes ever filmed. Haruo Nakajima's acting as Varan is easily his most convincing performance of his career. And Akira Ifukube's score for Varan contains themes that have gone on to become synonymous with Godzilla and kaiju films the world over. Despite Varan's relatively unknown status among his more popular kaiju brethren a lot of good came from him and his film and the potential for greatness is still there. I only hope that one day he receives the big screen resurrection that he deserves.

Threat Level: 6 out of 10
Global Destruction

Defender of Earth

For more studies in Kaijuology check out the pages below

GIGAN 

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Wednesday, June 15, 2016

THE SAGA OF THE KING OF THE MONSTERS ~ PART 9: DESTROY ALL MONSTERS (1968)


THE QUEST FOR THE LOST GODZILLA FILM

I can vaguely remember first discovering Godzilla as a four year old child. This was the VHS era well before the advent of internet. Instant and complete information was not at the click of a button. Back then my obsession was dinosaurs (I still love them) and then dragons (thanks in large part to Peter Dickinson's THE FLIGHT OF DRAGONS and the animated film of the same name). Anyway, when I saw Godzilla it was like someone took my two favorite things and combined them for something greater than the sum of its parts. I went to my local video rental store (back when those were plentiful) and rented every Godzilla movie they had (which was maybe five or six movies in all).

One by one I tracked them all down through various means. It wasn't until discovering Jeff Rovin's book THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MONSTERS at my local library (this was the late 80's or early 90's) where I finally saw a complete list of Godzilla's films. There was one film in that list that remained elusive for almost a decade after that: DESTROY ALL MONSTERS. Today the most elusive Godzilla film is GODZILLA 1985 and before that it was Biollante and Megalon. But one could still find these titles easily on VHS or pirated online somewhere. Back in the 80's and 90's however DAM (Destroy All Monsters) was nowhere to be found, not on VHS, Laserdisc, or television. For me it became the Holy Grail of Godzilla films.

Reading about DAM filled my young mind with wonder and amazement. How could there be eleven monsters in a single movie? Eleven kaiju in one movie! My mind was blown at the thought of it. And to top it all off, three of the monsters were new to me: Manda, Baragon, and Varan. I had seen Manda briefly in stock footage from other Godzilla films and I only knew Baragon and Varan as enemy kaiju in the 1988 Nintendo video game GODZILLA: MONSTER OF MONSTERS.

I built this movie up in my mind as the magnum opus of Godzilla films. The end all be all kaiju epic. The fact that it remained hidden from me for years added all sorts of mystique and intrigue around it. My pursuit of this film was like a treasure hunt. Then in the late 90's/early 2000's while combing through the TV Guide I saw DAM listed on the Sci-Fi Channel (a premium channel at the time). My household only had basic cable! Through a convoluted web of personal connections I found someone who not only had the Sci-Fi Channel but was also willing to record DAM for me on VHS! My quest had reached its end!
Art by Yasushi Torisawa

THE PLOT

In the year 1999 mankind has established a manned outpost on the moon and has regular flights to the moon through advanced rocket ships. On Earth all of the monsters have been collected and contained within a small chain of islands called Monsterland for observation and study. One day Monsterland is attacked by alien invaders calling themselves the Kilaaks. The Kilaaks control the monsters and set them loose on the world destroying major cities around the globe. The Japanese Self-Defense Force, scientists, along with the brave men of the moon rocket SY-3 successfully free earth's kaiju from Kilaak control. The monsters gather at the base of Mount Fuji to battle King Ghidorah in the final conflict to decide the fate of the Earth.

THE GOOD

Kaiju, kaiju everywhere! Let's face it, the only reason we want to see this movie is for the monsters and for the most part this film delivers. The monster role call at the beginning of the film is wondrous to behold. Thanks to beautiful DVD and Blu Ray clarity you can see in more detail the monsters in the monitoring room too, our first tiny glimpses of Varan, Baragon, and Manda in the film. The final kaiju role call at the end of the film is even better, my first time ever seeing Baragon and Varan in close-up glory. But the first big moment is the convergence on Tokyo. Godzilla, Rodan, Manda, and Mothra all attacking Tokyo at once is a major highlight of the film for me. Manda's inclusion in the this sequence, for me, is the standout piece. But everything pales in comparison to the grand battle at Aokigahara.
Art by Yasushi Torisawa

Special Effects Precision. Of all the Godzilla films in the Showa Era none come close to the special effects demands of DAM because no other Godzilla film contained this many monsters. Supervised by the man himself, Eiji Tsuburaya and helmed by Sadamasa Arikawa, the special effects in this movie are nothing short of brilliant. When you watch this movie keep in mind that nearly every monster has wires attached to them. When you have five monsters on screen battling each other you never see a wire and the illusion of these monsters battling is fully realized without any misstep or flaw. That means the actors in their hundred pound kaiju suits knew their blocking, hit all their marks, and the wire-works teams hit all their ques. Add in the explosions, beautiful miniature and breakaway sets, totally convincing matte paintings, and animated energy beams and one's mind is blown that such a sequence exists on celluloid. No CGI. All practical. Mind blown? Yes.
The monsters global assault with Baragon attacking Paris

The Acting. With one or two exceptions (the guy who gets shot in the head on Monsterland), all the actors in the film bring their A-game. To add to the overall serious tone of the film the actors bring a genuine gravitas to their performances. Yoshio Tsuchiya especially stands out even though he is only in the movie for a brief period. Akira Kubo play the man of action and does so without going too over the top. Add in quality supporting roles from Jun Tazaki and Yukiko Kobayashi and Destroy All Monsters stands firm on both the human character front and kaiju front.
The global assault we never got to see.

THE BAD

When I first saw this film it was with a horrible English dub. For most of my Godzilla film viewings I had the high quality AIP dubs to listen to. But this particular dub for DAM was so bad it detracted from my enjoyment of the film. The monster scenes were fantastic but I could barely stand the dubbing. I hated the dubbing so much that when the first DVD release by ADV Films came out I passed on it because that was the only audio choice on the disc. Luckily when the first North American blu ray release debuted it contained the long lost AIP dub of DAM. At last a quality English dub is at my disposal and it is good. Sadly the dubs for the DVD and blu rays of Sea Monster, Son of Godzilla, and Hedorah lack the AIP dub and contain only the horrid International dubs. If anyone is listening please rectify this sin as the AIP dubs (available on VHS only) are far superior.
The original ADV dvd/vhs release cover

Kaiju Inequality. This movie, for me, lives up to the hype. I love it. But it didn't come without a few disappointments. Baragon, Varan, and Manda. Manda doesn't take part in the final battle, but at least Manda had the wonderful monorail attack in the middle of the film (one of my personal highlights of the film). Baragon and Varan receive practically nothing to do in the film whatsoever. As someone who had seen every other Godzilla film aside from this one, I was personally looking forward to seeing the kaiju I was least familiar with the most. I had already seen multiple wonderful representations of Mothra, Rodan, Anguirus, and Ghidorah. Having seen Godzilla Vs Gigan before DAM, Anguirus' battle with Ghidorah was old news. Gorosaurus was fine but he's still a fairly uninspired kaiju (an homage to the Tyrannosaurus Rex that King Kong fights in the original 1933 classic). Gorosaurus is a great kaiju to be sure but he's so bland next to Baragon and Varan.

I only knew Baragon and Varan from the old NES video game and I looked forward to seeing them on screen more so than any other kaiju in the film. They even teased us with a kaiju burrowing into Paris but where it should have been Baragon the kaiju is replaced by Gorosaurus (as if we wouldn't notice! Baragon is even mentioned by name as the kaiju responsible for the Paris attack). Having read several books and done some research I have learned why they are both relegated to simple cameos. The film's budget was minimal and they could only afford to make two new kaiju suits, that of Godzilla and Anguirus. The Baragon suit was in too poor of condition to do much with save a cameo. And the Varan figure was only a high quality puppet used for publicity shots back in 1958. Even now knowing the reasons why, I am still disappointed. However, this did lead me to Baragon and Varan's other film appearances and Varan eventually became my second favorite kaiju behind Godzilla. Little silver linings.

A still of the famous deleted scene from Destroy All Monsters
Destroy All Monsters also contains the holy grail of deleted scenes. During the Tokyo Assault there was a sequence where Manda coiled up the height of a skyscraper. The building eventually collapses under Manda's constrictive pressure when Godzilla happens to be passing by. As a result Manda collides with Godzilla and two kaiju enter a brief tussle. This is the closest we'll ever get to see a Showa Era Godzilla Vs Manda battle. I was fortunate to find this deleted scene on Youtube several years ago. Sadly the video has since been taken down and as of now no North American release of DAM has this scene as a special feature. Why this isn't included on the disc yet the footage floats around on the internet is a mystery and a shame. I'd buy the movie again if this deleted scene was added or better yet cut back into the film as an extended director's cut. Someone with power please make this so.

Ode to what could've been

As with many ideas for movies, sometimes the original concept is far greater than what actually makes it to the screen. There are a few Godzilla movies in the franchise that would look quite different had the original ideas made it to the screen. One of them wouldn't even be a Godzilla film had the original concept carried through. With Destroy All Monsters the pieces left on the table would've only made the film grander and more impressive. And they would've erased any disappointments I'd have with the film.
Art by Fourgreen.

Varan and Baragon were originally supposed to have much bigger parts. Varan was supposed to aid the monsters in the final battle, taking to the air and tag-teaming Ghidorah with Rodan in an epic aerial fight sequence. Promotional art for the film depicts some of these ideas showing Varan battling in mid-flight. In addition to this both Manda and Baragon were to battle Ghidorah as well. Regardless of what some scholars have said Baragon was supposed to have been the kaiju to attack Paris (it fits Baragon's character far more appropriately than it does Gorosaurus who, in reality, couldn't burrow. It's just not physically possible for Gorosaurus to burrow. Look at his arms). Baragon was also supposed to be one of the kaiju defenders of the Kilaak Earth base along with another kaiju who was cut from the film entirely: MAGUMA.
Maguma and Baragon defending the Kilaak Base on Earth. Art by Fourgreen.

Yes, the seldom seen Toho kaiju Maguma was originally supposed to be in the movie as well. The kaiju walrus was supposed to aid Baragon in defending the Kilaaks from the JSDF and of course take part in the epic finale. Personally I would've loved to have seen Maguma receive a proper monster role in a film instead of the six minute afterthought from Gorath. And on top of all of this promotional art exists depicting both Ebirah and Odako (the giant octopus from King Kong Vs Godzilla and War of the Gargantuas taking part in the film as well. However given their nature the inclusion of these two kaiju seems slightly problematic but I'm sure Toho had a plan) Alas the filmmakers were not given enough money to realize everything they had originally wanted. Such is the fact for most films. There is only so much time a film can run and so much money at the studio's disposal. Had all these things happened Destroy All Monsters would be even more epic than it already is and maybe it would've launched other underrated kaiju into renewed stardom.
Odako, Ebirah, Maguma, Varan, and Godzilla all in the same scene.

THE VERDICT

The movie's plot is basically a lesser repeat version of INVASION OF ASTRO MONSTER a.k.a. MONSTER ZERO, but no other kaiju film from any studio in the Showa Era comes close to matching the number of kaiju featured nor the sheer spectacle of effects displayed in DESTROY ALL MONSTERS. Destroy All Monsters is a benchmark for all kaiju films no matter the era. Godzilla: Final Wars attempted to remake DAM and ended up being a big episode of Power Rangers with a lot of Matrix influences thrown in. Final Wars doesn't even come close to touching Destroy All Monsters in my opinion. DAM is the AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR of kaiju films.
Overall Ranking: 9 out of 10
Nigh Perfect! Makes it into my Top Ten. A Rarity.
 
Category: Transcendence
(a movie appreciated by all ages)


Missed a chapter in the saga? Get caught up as we continue the countdown to number one!

Part 10: Godzilla's Revenge (1969) 
Part 11: Godzilla Vs The Smog Monster (1971)
Part 12: Godzilla Vs Gigan (1972)
Part 13: Godzilla Vs Megalon (1973)
Part 14: Godzilla Vs Mechagodzilla (1974)
Part 15: Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)    
Part 16: The Return of Godzilla (1984)  
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