Every good comic super-team needs a resident magical hero. In this post I'll pit two of the more popular ones against each other. One DC hero, one Marvel. This post's two fighters are The Avenger's hex-powered Scarlet Witch (Marvel), and the dark-magic wielding Raven, of the Teen Titans (DC).
Before we begin the actual face-off, let's start with some background for each character.
Wanda Maximoff is the daughter of Magneto, an extremely powerful mutant, and an ordinary human. Shortly after realizing she was pregnant, Wanda's mother ran away from Magneto, finding safety at Mount Wundagore, home of the High Evolutionary. While at the mountain, Wanda's mother gave birth to twins. Wanda, and her brother Pietro. Sadly however, Wanda's mother, fearing that Magneto would find her, ran away and perished shortly after. After her mother's death, Wanda and her brother were left in the care of the High Evolutionary, who experimented on the infant Wanda, giving her amplified magic powers, in addition to her mutant powers. After a little while, the High Evolutionary placed Wanda and Pietro in the care of a gypsy couple, the Maximoffs, who raised the children as their own. When living with the Maximoffs, Wanda accidentally started a fire with her mutant powers, and the twins were forced to flee from an angry mob, who thought them monsters. The twins are saved by the mutant terrorist Magneto, who is actually their father, but they don't know this. After stretches of time in Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and the X-Men, Wanda joins the super-team known as the Avengers, and stays there for many years.
Wanda's powers include reality altering "Hex Magic", that she uses to alter probability in her favor. Her hexes can be used to deflect projectiles, cause objects to burst into flame, levitate objects and more, and some mind control abilities.
Raven is the daughter of a human mother from the magical plane of Azarath, and an powerful demonic father. Raven was raised in the magical world from which her mother hailed, Azarath. While living there, she was taught to keep her emotions in check, due to the fact that if her emotions became too strong, her inherited demonic powers would reveal themselves. Around her sixteenth birthday, Raven learned of her father, the demon Trigon's plans to come to her home dimension, and she vowed to stop him. She initially went to the super-team known as the Justice League for help, but the turned her down. She then reformed the adolescent super-group known as the Teen Titans, who she would serve with for many years, even leading them at times.
Raven powers are channeled through her emotions, and manifest in the form of black energy, which she can use to lift objects, fire energy beams, open portals to other dimensions, and much more. These powers make her a powerful foe.
So, if these two were to face off in a battle, who would win? Well, let's find out.
Both are extremely powerful, but it's hard to decide who would make the first move. For our purposes, let's say Scarlet Witch shoots first, with a well aimed energy bolt, easily deflected by Raven. Scarlet Witch would then fire a rapid barrage of energy bolts, throwing Raven off guard, but angering her, making her more powerful. Raven would shoot back by lifting a nearby object with her powers, and throwing it at Wanda, who easily avoids the threat by causing the object to combust. Scarlet Witch at this point might try to use her powers to get into Raven's head, but the backlash from Raven's mental guards would be too strong, causing Scarlet Witch to become distracted, letting Raven get the edge. Although both combatants are extremely powerful, Raven has the advantage, allowing her to overpower Scarlet Witch.
Winner: Raven
-Tony Snark
Yesterday Marvel and Sony finally announced the new Spider-Man actor! 19 year old British actor Tom Holland will portray the webslinger in the next Spider-Man movie, set for a July 2017 release date.
Due to the deal between Marvel and Sony, this version of Spidey could also appear in any upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe films, and most likely will. If this happens, it would be the first time Spider-Man ever appeared in a live action feature length film alongside the Avengers, something that Marvel was previously unable to do because of Sony owning all Spider-Man film rights.
Tom Holland will be replacing Andrew Garfield, who previously portrayed the webslinger in The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
For the full article on the Marvel site, click this link: http://marvel.com/news/movies/24758/sony_pictures_and_marvel_studios_find_their_spider-man_star_and_director
A few days ago DC and the CW network released the first trailer for the upcoming show, DC's Legends of Tomorrow.
The show features characters from the hit shows Flash, and Arrow, as well as new characters adapted from the original DC comics for the show. Newly adapted characters include Hawkgirl, and Rip Hunter.
The trailer appears to show Arrow and Flash putting together a team of either powered, or otherwise enhanced individuals in order to stop Vandal Savage, an immortal menace who appears to be the main villain of the series.
The team appears to mainly consist of the following characters:
Firestorm - A nuclear powered meld of two scientists, fused together.
Captain Cold - A criminal who wields a specially designed ice gun.
Heat Wave - Captain Cold's partner in crime. Wields a sort of miniaturized flamethrower.
Rip Hunter - A mysterious time traveler from the future.
Hawkgirl - A winged superhuman, reincarnated throughout the centuries in different bodies.
The Atom - Billionaire scientist with a special suit that enables him size-changing abilities, as well as other powers.
White Canary - A former assassin, resurrected by mysterious means.
This team must come together, despite their differences, and defeat the evil Vandal Savage. The series airs in 2016, on the CW network.
For those of you who have yet to see the trailer, here is the link: http://cwtv.com/shows/legends-of-tomorrow/
-Tony Snark
I received an advanced reading copy of Writer's of the Future Volume 31, for review purposes. I will review the stories that stuck out to me in this post, but don't worry, no spoilers here.
For those of you who don't know, Writers of the Future is a contest held yearly to find the best science fiction writers, and compile original short stories by the best of them.
So, here's my review of my favorite stories in this year's edition.
The God Whisperer, by Daniel J. Davis: The God Whisperer is a humorous short story, about a disruptive death god, adopted by a human. This story made me laugh out loud, and was extremely well written. 5/5 stars.
A Revolutionary's Guide to Practical Conjuration, by Auston Habershaw: In this story, a young man buys a magical book, unaware of the consequences it may cause. The story is witty, and is well paced. 5/5 stars.
Planar Ghosts, by Krystal Claxon: This story focuses on a boy, and his friend Ghost. Ghost is only seen by him, but everything changes when he finds out that Ghost isn't all that she seems. I throughly enjoyed it, and would definitely recommend. 4/5 stars.
Rough Draft, by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta: When a washed up former science fiction writer is handed a novel written by an alternate version of himself, he isn't entirely sure what to think. But his decision ends up changing his life. I loved this story. The concept was great, as was the writing. 5/5 stars.
Between Screens, by Zach Chapman: A teenaged boy "skips" through space using portals, watching the supernova deaths of planets with his new friends, but the has a shocking realization. I liked this story, it was gripping, and the ending had a nice, ominous feel. 4/5 stars.
Half Past, by Samantha Murray: This is a touching story of ghosts, and leaving home. Combine that with a surprise plot twist at the end, and you have a great story. 5/5 stars.
Wisteria Melancholy, by Michael T. Baker: After a man's sister pushes him off a cliff, he discovers he isn't like other people. He enrolls in a live in facility with other's like him, only to discover the rest of the residents are children. This story is overall awesome, with elements of humor, betrayal, and mystery. 5/5 stars.
Overall the anthology is very good. I personally could do without the various essays thrown in with the fiction, but otherwise the book is fantastic. Another thing that deserves mention is the art. Every story is accompanied by an original work of art, and every single one is absolutely amazing.
I would definitely recommend this anthology to anyone who loves science fiction.
Here is the Amazon link to purchase the book. http://www.amazon.com/Writers-Future-Volume-Hubbard-Presents/dp/1619863227
-Tony Snark
This past weekend DC gave us the first look at their upcoming movie, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Although Batman gets top billing, the film is a sequel to the 2013 Superman film, Man of Steel.
The sequel features a good look at Batman's new suit, and also a cool armored version of it. The armored suit is very similar to the one Batman wears in Dark Knight Returns, a comics story that also features a fight between Batman and Superman.
Overall the movie seem as if it will be very similar to Dark Knight Returns. An aging Batman fighting a disillusioned Superman. One other similarity is the shot of Batman atop a building with a gun, something he almost never does, due to his aversion to guns.
One of the most powerful shots in the trailer shows a statue of Superman, defaced with the spraypainted words "False God". This image show the people's opinions of Superman as an overpowered outsider, which may be one of the reasons that him and Batman fight.
I am extremely excited for this movie, and I can't wait to see the fights between Batman and Superman.
The movie is set for a 2016 release date, and you can view the trailer at the official site.
http://www.batmanvsupermandawnofjustice.com/
-Tony Snark
Marvel recently released the first full trailer for their upcoming film Ant-Man, set for release in theaters this July. The film stars Paul Rudd as former criminal Scott Lang, and focuses on his transformation into the costumed hero known as Ant-Man.
Scenes from the trailer show Scott learning to control the powers given to him by a super powered suit and helmet, given to him by a scientist named Hank Pym. Hank Pym is the original Ant-Man, at least in the comics. The trailer also gives us a look at what appears to be the villain of the movie, Yellowjacket. Yellowjacket's suit possesses many of the same features as Ant-Man's, but with the added features of what appear to be flight, and energy blasts. Yellowjacket's secret identity in the film is not yet known.
We also see a little bit more of Ant-Man's powers, including a shot of him running on the barrel of a pistol in his ant-sized for, then jumping up and kicking the wielder in the neck. We also see him interacting with some ants, as the helmet of the suit allows its wearer to communicate with insects.
I'm incredibly excited for this movie, and I absolutely cannot wait to see it.
For those of you who have yet to see the trailer, here's the link: http://marvel.com/news/movies/24432/watch_the_new_trailer_for_marvels_ant-man
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Tony Snark
The story has been told many times throughout the history of the comic book. The faithful sidekick meets his fate, but later returns as a mysterious foe to haunt the hero he once worked alongside. DC and Marvel have each told the story in their own ways. DC with the tragic tale of Jason Todd, the second to wear the uniform of Robin, brutally beaten to death by the evil Joker, only to return as the mysterious Red Hood, and Marvel with the story of Bucky Barnes, the sidekick of Captain America, presumed dead at the end of World War Two, but in actuality captured by the Soviet Union and forced through brainwashing to serve as their deadly assassin, the Winter Soldier.
Before I get to the actual fight, I'd like to give a little background on each character.
First off, The Winter Soldier.
Teenager James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes was the unofficial mascot of the United States Army training camp where Private Steve Rogers, secretly the masked super-soldier known as Captain America, was stationed. Although Private Rogers appeared to be the clumsiest soldier on the base, young Bucky discovered Rogers changing into the star-spangled uniform of Captain America one day, and pledged to keep his identity a secret, and joined the Captain in his adventures as his faithful sidekick, Bucky! Captain America and Bucky fought alongside each other until almost the end of World War Two, when a mission involving an experimental plane went wrong, and both heroes lost to the icy waters of the Pacific Ocean, presumed dead. Not too much later, Bucky's body was discovered by a Russian submarine, frozen in a block of ice, still alive in suspended animation, although missing his left arm. Bucky was taken back to a secret base deep within the Soviet Union, and was outfitted with a bionic replacement for his missing limb, as well as brainwashed, and was forced to serve the Soviets as their shadowy assassin, the Winter Soldier.
Now, Red Hood.
Jason Todd was an orphan living on the streets of Gotham City, making a living by stealing to survive. Batman caught the boy one night as he was trying to steal the tires off of the famed Batmobile. Needless to say, Jason failed. Batman was initially furious at the boy, but began to see something he liked in him, a spark. Batman took the boy under his wing, and after months of intense training, Jason became the new Robin. Jason was a good fighter, and a decent detective, but was angry, and has a tendency to disobey Batman and rush into situations without thinking. During one such stunt, Jason discovered his mother was still alive, and was working as a volunteer in Africa, and traveled there to attempt to meet her. Although his mother was indeed living in Africa, the evil Joker had kidnapped her, and trapped her in an abandoned warehouse, in an attempt to lure Robin, and in turn lure Batman. Jason discovered the Joker's evil schemes just moment too late, and was brutally beaten to death with a crowbar by the psychotic clown, then left to die in the warehouse, rigged with explosives. Batman arrived mere moments before the warehouse blew, and carried out the mangled body of the boy, which was later buried on the grounds of Wayne Manor. However, due to some dimensional tampering by some extraterrestrial beings, Todd was restored to life and broke out of his coffin, training for a few years before returning as the vengeful Red Hood.
Now to get to the fight!
These two would most likely be fighting in an urban setting, perhaps the Winter Soldier has been sent on a mission to kill Red Hood, and has to travel to Gotham. The two also both use an extensive arsenal of guns, knives, and various explosives and gadgets. Anyway the two would probably chase each other around the city for a little bit before beginning an actual fight, most likely with Red Hood throwing mocking remarks in an attempt to throw his opponent off. With the Winter Soldier growing increasingly frustrated, he would decide to lose Red Hood amongst the rooftops, in order to get an unobstructed shot with his rifle. Red Hood has a sharp mind, so he would probably be aware of the Winter Soldier's strategy, and would play along just to mess with him. Eventually the Winter Soldier will have had enough of messing around, and will bring the fight to the ground. The Winter Soldier's bionic arm gives him an advantage in a hand to hand fight, but Red Hood knows how to fight dirty, and certainly isn't afraid to. However, even though Red Hood may be a scrappier fighter, the Winter Soldier has the upper hand, due to his superior training, and bionic arm, allowing him to win, but only after a long fight.
Winner: The Winter Soldier.
-Tony Snark
