Utopia Now! Squadron Supreme Appreciation

[theoneandonly]

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LOL

[CentralPower]

I think that the Gruenwald Zarda is supposed to be a 70s Wonder Woman type character. (She is peak human, maybe slightly superhuman. But, she is not in the class of Hyperion.) Tundra works with Hickman's Hyperion as neither of them are properly human. They both see regular people as children, if not pets.

I am just hoping that the series can settle on a direction.

[Michael Watkins]

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LOL

that's not even an existing lineup. Alice Nugent never worked with Power Princess. and Speed Demon was replaced by Joystick, iirc.

[Michael Watkins]

I think that the Gruenwald Zarda is supposed to be a 70s Wonder Woman type character. (She is peak human, maybe slightly superhuman. But, she is not in the class of Hyperion.) Tundra works with Hickman's Hyperion as neither of them are properly human. They both see regular people as children, if not pets.

I am just hoping that the series can settle on a direction.

taken from wiki...According to the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, Zarda possesses superhuman strength as well as superhuman agility, extremely retarded aging (though in the Exiles series, she states that she does not age at all), and superhuman durability that falls just short of making her bulletproof. This durability was sufficient enough to take blows from the likes of Redstone, though a shock wave produced by Redstone stomping the ground did scramble her insides for a short period and prevented her from standing. Power Princess also proved resilient enough to withstand three of Hyperion's blows that were redirected toward her by Inertia before being rendered unconscious. Zarda is also able to fly, presumably through psionic levitation. In addition to her superhuman abilities, Zarda carries a transparent shield of Utopian design that can block attacks up to tank shells and can be used to redirect energy. In addition, Zarda can throw the shield in a similar manner to Captain America, but given her superior strength, its edges are able to slice through metal.

Power Princess has extensive experience in hand-to-hand combat (according to her, she has over five centuries of combat experience[volume & issue needed]) and is skilled in discus throwing. She has undergone advanced graduate level studies in both Utopia Isle and Cosmopolis.

The Utopians are an experiment by the alien Kree of the Earth-Squadron's dimension to produce a genetically superior breed of human being.[citation needed] On the mainstream version of Earth, this genetic offshoot became known as the Inhumans following the use of the Terrigen Mist upon the populace. On Earth-Squadron, the Utopians never discovered the Terrigen Mist.

in other words, prior to having her powers drained, she was a straight up beast. I wonder what the Inhumans would think of her. Warrior Woman is kneeling before Medusa on one of the comic book covers.

[Michael Watkins]

Last issue of Hyperion's book was out today. Hyperion gears up for his final showdown with Doll's dad/evil carnival owner; Junior. but first, a visit from Iron Man.

SPOILERS AHEAD
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there wasn't much to it. but this issue made me feel as if the series were ending too soon. Tony shows up to give Marc a morality lecture and apprehend him for murdering Namor. they trade blows. Stark gets the upperhand with some kind of neutrino ray; that keeps Hyperion immobilized, while they talk. Hyperion isn't budging one bit on his stance. he sees what he did to Namor as delivering justice. Thundra interrupts the lively discussion by hitting Stark in the chest with her mace; destroying the neutrino ray, in the process. meanwhile, Junior is en route with a large army of what seem to be bikers and townsfolk. Iron Man tries to negotiate. Hyperion counters with a demand. Stark flies off with Doll (and her yet to be named dog) in tow. Thundra serves as Hype's backup (he doesn't need it). there's a brief face-off between Hyperion and Junior. the latter makes it clear that he can't be destroyed (he can grow himself back from a single molecule because of that alien starfish's augmentation). Hyperion then launches himself into the upper atmosphere. he comes back down like an atom bomb; on the assembled evil army. all that's left is Junior's slowly healing tissue. Hyperion takes Junior's brain and flies off into space. we're left with the image of Junior, fully healed, but floating (and presumably gagging) in outer space. meanwhile, Stark is helping Doll emancipate herself; gave her cash to start over, as well. I'm going to miss Doll and Marc's adventures a bunch. I really liked the Twin Peaks/X-Files-esque setting of the whole thing. plus a trucker-by-day superhero story is just fun (and allows the setting to change). I wonder what the fallout of this series will be. by the end of it, Hyperion has come to see himself as above human law. he's not sorry one bit about killing Namor, Junior, or the army of humans that Junior brought to the fight. he's also not going to turn himself over to Iron Man. Thundra seems to be on his side, as well.

P.S. Doll names the dog 'Marc'

[CentralPower]

Okay then, I guess we are talking about "Hyperion" #6 in this thread.


Hyperion #6:
No question, this series is ending too soon. But, Wendig did a good job of wrapping up the series.

"Hyperion" worked the way that a Squadron-series should work. "Hyperion" was "the Superman story that DC will not publish". It touched on the idea of power (and how it should be used). Wendig addressed the idea of heroes killing. (Admittedly, this was rushed.)

I give it a few more points for how Hyperion resolved the moral dilemma. He simply owned the fact that he was not human. He was more than happy to protect Doll. But, he did not seem to mind wrecking the motel (and likely endangering/ending the lives of the people in and around it) during his fight with the Carnies. This seems to go back to the utilitarian ethic Hyperion was taught by his "father".

The two big dangling threads are the Maker and the "616" father. Would the Maker have become a Braniac analogue, possibly allied to the "Superman"? What plan did Wendig have for "the Father"? We may never know. (I keep getting distracted from contacting the writers about these questions.)

No question, I am going to miss this series. (I need to give it time to settle. But, it might be my favourite Squadron content.)



Thunderbolts #4:
The Squadron shows up in this issue.

All things considered, it works pretty well. Zub gets what the Squadron is about. They are more aggressive heroes. They show up to grab a powerful McGuffin (an over-powered kid who is part Cosmic Cube?) and ends up fighting a team of morally grey characters. Zub even gets the "tone" of the individual characters, particularly Blur and Nighthawk.

Worth getting as a Squadron appearance, and as good comics.

[Michael Watkins]

Okay then, I guess we are talking about "Hyperion" #6 in this thread.


Hyperion #6:
No question, this series is ending too soon. But, Wendig did a good job of wrapping up the series.

"Hyperion" worked the way that a Squadron-series should work. "Hyperion" was "the Superman story that DC will not publish". It touched on the idea of power (and how it should be used). Wendig addressed the idea of heroes killing. (Admittedly, this was rushed.)

I give it a few more points for how Hyperion resolved the moral dilemma. He simply owned the fact that he was not human. He was more than happy to protect Doll. But, he did not seem to mind wrecking the motel (and likely endangering/ending the lives of the people in and around it) during his fight with the Carnies. This seems to go back to the utilitarian ethic Hyperion was taught by his "father".

The two big dangling threads are the Maker and the "616" father. Would the Maker have become a Braniac analogue, possibly allied to the "Superman"? What plan did Wendig have for "the Father"? We may never know. (I keep getting distracted from contacting the writers about these questions.)

No question, I am going to miss this series. (I need to give it time to settle. But, it might be my favourite Squadron content.)



Thunderbolts #4:
The Squadron shows up in this issue.

All things considered, it works pretty well. Zub gets what the Squadron is about. They are more aggressive heroes. They show up to grab a powerful McGuffin (an over-powered kid who is part Cosmic Cube?) and ends up fighting a team of morally grey characters. Zub even gets the "tone" of the individual characters, particularly Blur and Nighthawk.

Worth getting as a Squadron appearance, and as good comics.

the Thunderbolts appearance was better than I expected it to be. the Squadron were the antagonists. but they were treated as, relatively, formidable. again, the most dangerous element of the team seems to be Nighthawk and Blur's ability to work together. they are almost a team within a team. I wonder how long T-Bolts (the book) will stick around. it doesn't seem to be any more focused than the Squadron's book. and the characters are somewhat unrecognizable to people familiar with the original run. oh well, that's a question for another thread. i'll reply to the first part of your post, later tonight.

[Michael Watkins]

Okay then, I guess we are talking about "Hyperion" #6 in this thread.

I could have started a single thread. And it would have had 2 or 3 posts in it. Or I could make this thread longer. It was an easy decision for me.

"Hyperion" worked the way that a Squadron-series should work. "Hyperion" was "the Superman story that DC will not publish". It touched on the idea of power (and how it should be used). Wendig addressed the idea of heroes killing. (Admittedly, this was rushed.)

It definitely had a message (which somewhat bogged down Nighthawk’s mini). But I appreciate the story simply for the entertainment value. The idea of augmented carnival freaks is very old school. They were interesting foils for Marc; even the worm guy. It made me want to know what he would encounter next.

I give it a few more points for how Hyperion resolved the moral dilemma. He simply owned the fact that he was not human. He was more than happy to protect Doll. But, he did not seem to mind wrecking the motel (and likely endangering/ending the lives of the people in and around it) during his fight with the Carnies. This seems to go back to the utilitarian ethic Hyperion was taught by his "father".

It seemed to me like he was distancing himself from the goals of his father. His choosing to self-identify as a “god” reminds me of the Supreme Power version’s character arc. I couldn’t help but see Doll (and her dog) as the humanity that he was casting off. i’ll miss the character; even though we know very little about her. I generally dislike sidekicks. But she fits with the silver age model of superheroism (probably why she had to go). Hopefully the star creature doesn’t disappear forever. Too much potential, imo.

The two big dangling threads are the Maker and the "616" father. Would the Maker have become a Braniac analogue, possibly allied to the "Superman"? What plan did Wendig have for "the Father"? We may never know. (I keep getting distracted from contacting the writers about these questions.)

Did any of the other Hyperion have father figures? Supreme Power version had government plants. And I probably didn’t read the Gruenwald version closely enough. I seriously doubt that we’ll ever see Marc’s dad (the 616 version) unless he’s al already existing character; like Andrew Forson (Scientist Supreme). I don’t think there is a 616 version of Emil Burbank.

No question, I am going to miss this series. (I need to give it time to settle. But, it might be my favourite Squadron content.)

I prefer stories like this to them picking a fight with (and losing to) Blue Marvel, at least.

[PaxHouse]

I was curious about any poster's opinions about the recent SS's appearance within THUNDERBOLTS #4.......

Thunderbolts #4:
The Squadron shows up in this issue.

All things considered, it works pretty well. Zub gets what the Squadron is about. They are more aggressive heroes. They show up to grab a powerful McGuffin (an over-powered kid who is part Cosmic Cube?) and ends up fighting a team of morally grey characters. Zub even gets the "tone" of the individual characters, particularly Blur and Nighthawk.

Worth getting as a Squadron appearance, and as good comics.

the Thunderbolts appearance was better than I expected it to be. the Squadron were the antagonists. but they were treated as, relatively, formidable. again, the most dangerous element of the team seems to be Nighthawk and Blur's ability to work together. they are almost a team within a team. I wonder how long T-Bolts (the book) will stick around. it doesn't seem to be any more focused than the Squadron's book. and the characters are somewhat unrecognizable to people familiar with the original run. oh well, that's a question for another thread. i'll reply to the first part of your post, later tonight.

....it appears that their appearances was indeed well received and totally understood by the T-Bolts' writer.

[Michael Watkins]

I was curious about any poster's opinions about the recent SS's appearance within THUNDERBOLTS #4.......





....it appears that their appearances was indeed well received and totally understood by the T-Bolts' writer.

but that's me looking at it as a squadron fan. putting my Thunderbolts fan cap on, the team is way too dependent on Kobik. and the characters voices seem "off" to me. otherwise, I don't regret my purchase.

[CentralPower]

I wonder how long T-Bolts (the book) will stick around. it doesn't seem to be any more focused than the Squadron's book. and the characters are somewhat unrecognizable to people familiar with the original run. oh well, that's a question for another thread.

I would disagree. From this issue, "Thunderbolts" seems to have a definite focus, more than current "Squadron Supreme".

But, anyway....

It definitely had a message (which somewhat bogged down Nighthawk’s mini). But I appreciate the story simply for the entertainment value. The idea of augmented carnival freaks is very old school. They were interesting foils for Marc; even the worm guy. It made me want to know what he would encounter next.

It almost certainly would have involved the Maker alien and/or Hyperion searching for 616 Father.

It seemed to me like he was distancing himself from the goals of his father. His choosing to self-identify as a “god” reminds me of the Supreme Power version’s character arc. I couldn’t help but see Doll (and her dog) as the humanity that he was casting off. i’ll miss the character; even though we know very little about her. I generally dislike sidekicks. But she fits with the silver age model of superheroism (probably why she had to go).

Hyperion was not casting Doll and Marc off. He had solved their problem, and had released them in to the world. (As stated in the issue, she saved him.) Doll likely would have stuck around had the series stuck around.

Given the obscurity of this series, I figure Doll will go off to live in obscurity, and the Carnies will stay dead. And, that is fine.

Did any of the other Hyperion have father figures? Supreme Power version had government plants. And I probably didn’t read the Gruenwald version closely enough. I seriously doubt that we’ll ever see Marc’s dad (the 616 version) unless he’s al already existing character; like Andrew Forson (Scientist Supreme). I don’t think there is a 616 version of Emil Burbank.

There may be a 616 Burbank. But, the Father arc is likely never going to be played out.

I believe that the current (Hickman) Hyperion is the only one with a father. I read an interview (I forget where), where Hickman said he needed a specific backstory for his Hyperion, hence the new iteration of the character.

[Michael Watkins]

I would disagree. From this issue, "Thunderbolts" seems to have a definite focus, more than current "Squadron Supreme".

well they are just continuing Bucky's open-ended mission. but I really don't see much of a reason for the individual Thunderbolts to be aiding him in that mission. Fixer seems like he wants to kill Kobik. Abe seems like he wants to bail on the team. Moonstone seems like she wants to exploit Kobik. the alien killing seems kind of unimportant when they have a very dangerous entity living with them.

It almost certainly would have involved the Maker alien and/or Hyperion searching for 616 Father.

sure. but it's not like he would have found the father; the very next issue. I just wonder what other trouble he'd get in.

Hyperion was not casting Doll and Marc off. He had solved their problem, and had released them in to the world. (As stated in the issue, she saved him.) Doll likely would have stuck around had the series stuck around.

possibly. would have Thundra stuck around?

Given the obscurity of this series, I figure Doll will go off to live in obscurity, and the Carnies will stay dead. And, that is fine.

stranger things have happened. I never expected to see Cammie (from the Drax series) again.

There may be a 616 Burbank. But, the Father arc is likely never going to be played out.

I don't think it will because Squadron Supreme isn't doing very well. but I could see the father becoming more important in a more successful squadron series. they need an enemy of their own. currently, they have Zarda. I kind of want Imus Champion back. I just liked his visual. and he has history with at least one Squadron.

I believe that the current (Hickman) Hyperion is the only one with a father. I read an interview (I forget where), where Hickman said he needed a specific backstory for his Hyperion, hence the new iteration of the character.

makes sense. it fit with his role in the Avengers; mentoring the Zebra kids.

[Michael Watkins]

'Finding Namor' preview for next issue of Squadron Supreme (issue 11) is up at comicosity

http://www.comicosity.com/exclusive-...on-supreme-11/

[CentralPower]

Given that Thundra was meant to join the team and be a consort for Hyperion, so she likely would have stuck around if "Hyperion" had continued.

[Michael Watkins]

Given that Thundra was meant to join the team and be a consort for Hyperion, so she likely would have stuck around if "Hyperion" had continued.

but would that have interfered with Doll being around; was my roundabout question. she seems to pull Marc in an entirely different direction.