POWER PACK

I used to be really into Marvel when I first started reading comics, but I've been into DC almost exclusively for a pretty long time. My favourite comics are those with strong female characters, of which DC has many and Marvel doesn't. Recently I thought to myself, "what did I ever see in Marvel? There aren't that many characters I even like." Then I read Power Pack, and all became clear: Marvel is home to Katie Power. And Katie Power is awesome.

Katie's power is the absorption of energy which she can then attack others with. In one issue, the Power Pack team up with Iron Man and occasionally Rhodey to take down a bunch of old Iron Man suits that come to life in a museum through the machinations of the Puppeteer. They're doing okay with the older costumes, but the newer costumes are proving to be a bit of a problem. There are sensors on the wall in case of theft: if you touch one, you get a blast of 10 000 volts (which, sure: I'M GONNA GO UP AND TOUCH THE SENSORS ON THE WALL). Katie decides to absorb the power these sensors provide:

And singlehandedly destroys like ten Iron Man costumes. She's the strongest member of the Power Pack AND SHE KNOWS IT.

In Thor and the Warriors Four, the Pack go to Asgard and meet up with Thor and Beta Ray Bill. Katie immediately takes a shine to Bill and he doesn't really know how to handle it.

I remember seeing the first panel where she asks if he wants a bite of her carrot (she thinks he's a horse) but it took me forever to notice the second panel, WHERE HE ACTUALLY EATS THE CARROT.

There can never be enough of Katie Power being held by other superheroes. So cute.

And then he gets blasted by Katie Power, who is sick of this shit.

As a side note, I'm loving that they put him in his new costume. They don't use that costume enough, methinks.

I want these two to team up forever. How awesome would that be? Super awesome.

Happy isn't very happy

Is Dinah really THAT unselfaware? Like her leather leotard/fishnets ensemble wasn't ALREADY dressing like a hooker.

As a side note, later on Wonder Woman and Black Canary go to Japan for some reason and they both dress like strippers. Clearly, that's not a problem for Canary. Chuck Dixon wasn't thinking when he wrote this panel.

Geez Tony, even in the lighthearted Marvel Adventures universe you're a dickhead. Look how utterly depressed Happy looks. That's the last time he ever asks you for any advice.

I'm guessing that Damian is wearing Kevlar under his suit, but being shot five times at close range is NOT something from which you generally recover (unless you're 50 cent). No one seems very worried though, including Damian. Did they just forget when something VERY similar happened to Barbara Gordon? Perhaps they're just assuming that Talia will pop him into a Lazarus pit and he'll be fine, although that didn't really work out for Jason Todd.

Prepare to dock with planet FRAG

I had a dream a couple of nights ago that Mr. Terrific turned into a nice zombie, like the one in Day of the Dead. My sister called that day to tell me that she dreamed about Spider-Man and Batman. Sigh. I have B-list dreams.

A couple things amuse me in these panels. One, Tony's stupefaction in the face of his father's ranting. Two, Howard's crazy eyes. And three, the fact that he calls Iron Man "Mr. Man." This was my favourite issue of Marvel Adventures: Iron Man. Fred van Lente is a genius.

I love this panel. This is my favourite Lobo comic of all time. I think the best part is the Hitman's understatement. He's running away from a gigantic, murderous bounty hunter with a giant chain in his hand. "Oh jeez" is really not the best phrase to use. Another funny part in the comic which I don't think I saved, was when Tommy meets Lobo in a bar. His internal monologue is something like "In fact, having nothing better to do, I read the jerk's mind." Yeah, I do that too. "I'm bored, so I'm going to read random bar patrons' minds."

Initially I saved this because I just thought Tim and Steph were cute together. Then I was wondering why Steph was mad. I stared at this for SO LONG trying to figure it out.

I'm pretty sure they're talking about cosplay.

Bastich

I saved this picture primarily because Gambit's armour is adorable. Well, everyone's is adorable, but I particularly like Gambit's, mostly because of his ins

ane hair. I also like the phrase "No, I used my English reading powers..." I'm still not totally sure who that is standing with Gambit and Cyclops. I'm thinking Rogue because she would likely be with Gambit and because of the white stripe on her head. I wish I knew definitively.

I'm not a huge fan of the Hulk. I think he's boring and all he does is go "GRR HULK SMASH" and hit things. Anything I've read with him in it doesn't bother to explore the Bruce Banner/Hulk dichotomy, they just have him and his indestructible pants wreak havoc. But what I've learned mostly from his appearance in Marvel Adventures: Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, he's very amusingly snarky. He comes off as hilariously misanthropic and as you can see here, a master of the understatement. I would read a comic solely based around Bruce, but not the Hulk.

This guy is tied with Condiment King as having my favourite power ever. His name is the Defenestrator and apparently his power is carrying around windows and smashing them over people's heads. There are so many questions: How did he come up with this gimmick? Where does he get the windows? How does he carry them? But it's Lobo, so I'll assume that the hows and whys are not important; you're just supposed to bask in the insanity.

Sad Tony is sad

Five below? I guess that's Fahrenheit, which is like -20 C but seriously. Cry me a river Claire. Complain when your friend wants to go outside and dig up a vodka bottle you buried a year ago and it's about -50 and frost is growing on your face and you get frostbite.

Or...you could COVER UP YOUR CHEST. Just a thought.

My mom's proud when I like, bake cookies. And you can't be proud of your preteen son for BUILDING A ROBOT? No wonder Tony's such an asshole, with a dad like that.

Awesome armour is awesome

I'm not a huge fan of Tony but LOOK AT THAT. He gets plopped down in a pacifist, non-

technological village with like, a broken leg and shit, and he makes steam powered armour to fight an assassin. He may be an asshole, but you can't deny he has style.

This is simultaneously creepy and adorable.

Wow Ted. That is...some outfit. Like someone on Scans Daily said "Those outfits undoubtedly cost a lot of money, which means that Ted thinks he's oh so fashionable." He needs some fashion advice from someone. Maybe Batman.

Never talk about the fastball special

This is my favourite moment of Incredible Hercules so far. I think Ares is supposed to be a bad guy (yes? No? Antihero?) but this just makes me love him.

















Wolverine has something uncomfortable pointed out to him. I have no idea why Shulkie is dressed like that.















I was so charmed by this for some reason. Thanos as a child looks so hilarious. And he's tackling a stumpadon. STUMPADON. Marvel, never change.














So with that shirt, we're giving up any pretense of Shulkie ever having dignity, huh?

In other news:













Tony Stark hates puppies.
He invented this new "ghost armour" to sneak into Doom's castle. After Doom pointed it out, I realized this was a monumentally stupid move. One of Doom's nemeses is the Invisible Woman. GEEZ, Tony, get it together.

I HAVE NO EYES AND I MUST SCREAM

Or you know, really weird eyes.















Where are their pupils? WHERE ARE THEIR PUPILS?
















That guy on the right valiantly defending Tony's honour is freaking me right out. His eyes are two different sizes.















Meanwhile, Tony is so angry he's having a stroke, as evidenced by the fact that one of his irises is way, way bigger than the other.

And just because I can:















ACK, DON'T LOOK AT ME, MOJO