CROSSOVER MADNESS

 I've just reviewed the 1951 pirate-spoof DOUBLE CROSSBONES, which includes such legendary pirates as--

Blackbeard.

Anne Bonney.

And Alan Napier as Captain Kidd.

MONSTER MASHUPS #158

 I gave the 1984 SHE a negative review eight years ago, but I'll admit, after a re-screening, that it isn't as unimaginative as most post-apoc films, which, if they have monsters at all, usually keep it down to some stumbling zombie-mutants. SHE does boast--

THE NOOKS, mutants who are totally okay after their arms get sliced off.

GODAN, a psychoknietic mutant who tries to build a cult around his godhood.

 A colony of vampires who appear on the surface to be high-society types.

A self-regenerating fellow named Xenon, who can not only rebuild any body part (arm, head) out of nothing, the severed parts also grow into duplicates of Xenon-- though this monster's real threat is that he sounds like Robin Williams on speed.

There's also a mad scientist (assisted by a big bearded guy in a tutu) and a gang of warriors called "Norks," but I consider both of these "villains" rather than "monsters."       

CROSSOVER MADNESS

 I wouldn't have bothered noting the Beagle Boys (in issue #20 of their own title) interacting with Clarabelle Cow, but the line predicting their getting nabbed by Scamp is a keeper.

 Next issue has the Beagles hoaxing Super Goof into stealing the Brooklyn Bridge for them.

MONSTER MASHUPS #157

 

Here's Kirby's monster-hero The Demon taking on a super-werewolf, The Howler. It's one of the King's best fight-scenes in that title, though he avoids having his were-beast transmit his curse with something as visceral as causing wounds with fang or claw.

MINING POLITICAL MINEFIELDS

 Another messboard-mess.

________

I doubt most Libs will have any interest in my subject. For many of you, "bravery," the opposite of "cowardice," inheres in giving in to superior numbers, or at least to influencers who appear to have the ear of government figures and/or big corporations. This is not usually the way BS has framed his idea of bravery, since I believe (though I have no quotes ready) that he has touted the bravery of the Israeli people for standing up to the greater numbers of their Muslim neighbors.

But for BS, based on that quote, it seems "cowardice" now means just not saying the name of one's opponent in some particular address. I saw BS use the same sophism on Michael Knowles when they debated the Iran conflict. But MK has not avoided Trump's name in her ongoing critiques of the conflict, so BS's claim seems particularly looney-toons.

I doubt that BS cares that much about MK's criticisms of Iran. I think he's still sore that MK wouldn't join him in condemning Candace and Tucker. the former being a figure who built her success in part on getting built up on BS's platform the Daily Wire. I personally think Candace and Tucker have said a lot of dumb things-- but are those opinions so pernicious that they can cause the entire Right to fall apart? BS must know that it makes no difference if Lefties can accurately quote particular speakers to make the Right look bad. Lefties are more content to shriek "Nazi Nazi Nazi" or "Pedo Pedo Pedo," they dont care about accuracy in the first place. I think MK would denounce Tucker and Candace if they were saying things that could really turn the "great middle" against the Right, and that is indeed one big reason MK opposes the Iran conflict. But they're really outliers. The middle doesn't care if Candace talks trash about Erika Kirk, and I frankly don't think BS cares about the Kirks either.  

MONSTER MASHUPS #156

No combinations of distinctive monsters occur in GHOST SWEEPER MIKAMI until the 1996 story-arc "Survival Mansion." In this tale, the GS team is trapped by evil munitions makers who have started making monsters, whether of real demonic derivation or of artificial creation, to sell as super-weapons. The villains try to use the sweepers as test subjects of their monsters' toughness, but Mikami and her aides Yokoshima and (a now mortal version of) Okinu kick the asses of--

A ghost woman.

  Zombie dogs.

A Gun-Golem (my name for it).

A troop of miniature GI JOE dolls (huh?)

A sexy djinn named Gura.

And an artificial version of the Hindu bird-god Garuda.

MONSTER MASHUPS #155

 I liked the first crossover between the DC Universe and the Monster-verse, but a second one sounded like gilding the lily.

I did rather enjoy King Shark becoming a kaiju.

 Giant Shark gets to fight Godzilla while Giant Croc fights Kong.

JLA mixes it up with LEGION OF DOOM.

 

Interesting tete-a-tete with Black Manta and Cheetah.

Harley says "hi" to Big Bat.

New appearances of King Ghidorah and Rodan (or variants thereof).

Cheetah also gets kaiju-ized.

Some unnamed monsters appear, as well as Skar King from the sequel.

All in all, not quite as good as the first one, but a decent read.