Aggressors - The new hero pulp

Okay, I didn't really get aggressive but I did go for 2 reasons: Wold Newtonry and Aggressors and come back happy with the results so I can't complain. I didn't get everything I wanted but I got a heap of cool stuff none the less.

Wold Newton - well to kick off the con I participated in the Wold Newton Panel with my good mates (funny how people I'd only met in person a few hours before can be some of my best mates in the world) from left to right Win Eckert, Me, Chuck Loridans, John Small, and Pete Coogan(Thank you Dennis for taking the photos at the panel)The panel went really well except for the very nervous Aussie, the questions presented at the end were interesting and showed that the audience were listening.

I managed to get my hands on the first four issues of Farmerphile Magazine, which presents some previously unpublished short fiction by Philip Jose Farmer as well as serialising an unpublished novel. It also offers articles offering perspectives on Farmer, including Win Eckert's Wold Newtonry articles.

I also got the new edition of Tarzan Alive signed by Win Eckert. I already have a copy but this edition has a couple of bonus features, new material by Win Eckert and Mike Resnick as well as the addition of "An Exclusive Interview with Lord Greystoke" and "Extracts from the Memiors of Lord Greystoke" both by Farmer.


Whilst delving through a paperback stall looking for Aggressor novels I found "Escape from Loki" A Doc Savage novel by Farmer and "The Adventure of the Peerless Peer" Tarzan meets Sherlock Holmes by Farmer

And I got to meet and hang out with the Wold Newton gang

Left to right Chris Carey, Chuck Loridans, Dennis Power, Me, Win Eckert and his wife Lisa, John Small and his wife Melisa and sons Joshua and William. Henry Covert and Rachel crouching (Thank you to Andre for taking the photo)

We sat around discussing Wold Newtonry, exploring crossovers and comparing theories and writings.

Aggressors-
Stack of Aggressor comics, The Punisher, Vigilante, Huntress, Tomb Raider, Buckaroo Banzai were purchased most to reviewed at a later date here.

I visted the Gold Eagle booth where I got hold of the first book of the Rogue Angel series. I'll fully review the book later but it seems that Gold Eagle is getting out of Men's Adventure and focussing on the Silhouette Bombshell Women's Adventure line. Perhaps it's more that the bombshell line is new and hence the heavier promotion.


Lionsgate had a booth and they tell me that the Punisher 2 is still being scripted and that will be going ahead, later on I had a chat to Tim Bradstreet (Punisher cover artist) who mention that he's been busy on an animated prologue for the director's cut of The Punisher.

I met Valerie Perez, who is playing Lara Croft, in the fan movie Tomb Raider: Tears of the Dragonand she was wonderful lady even being nice when I turned into gushing fanboy. We did discuss the Lara Croft Challenge, the Australian version was run by FHM magazine, the American version is run by Maxim.

Whilst I wasn't able to get autographs I did get photos of Marv Wolfman and George Perez co-creators of Vigilante.

I also met The Huntress

Whilst not at the Comic Con I did ring and speak to Chet Cunningham, who wrote the Penetrator, The Executioner (7 novels) and The Avenger. He's a really nice guy who encouraged me to write more and tald me he was busy on a new series titled Scream (not connected to the movie series) So I'll be keeping an eye out.

In closing I had a blast and a half and I've needed a week and a half to get back into the swing of reality but it was sooooooo worth it.

Firstly, I have an email where I can be contacted, aggressorbrad@hotmail.com . Drop me a line.


Secondly, I recently found a reference to a Punisher analog herecalled The Eagle set in the world of Angor, where skewed versions of Marvel characters appear in DC comics. The timeline references Justice League Quartlerly #3 as the source of the Eagle. So I went and bought that comic and found that there was only this picture on page 18


Live Large

Brad

Okay, recently I posted a review of three different items and I suggested that there was a connection between these items. They were The 1989 Punisher movie starring Dolph Lundgren.


A What if... story postulating what if The Punisher's family hadn't died in Central Park.



and New Teen Titans Annual 2 introducing the Vigilante.



and a quick look at all of these things we see a number of similarities,

All had there families killed in bomb blasts, all wage a violent war on crime, all were involved in law enforcement.

I briefly discussed the possibility that What if #10 served as an origin for the 1989 movie, but how well does the Vigilante back story fit the movie?

Adrian Chase is a District attorney, "Frank Castle" is a cop. (hmm not going well)

Adrian Chase has blond hair, Dolph Lungren is naturally blond, but died his hair to play "Castle"

Adrain Chase rides a motorcycle as Vigilante, "Frank Castle" rides a motorcycle

Adrian Chase is chased/helped by Captain Hall, an Afro-American police officer, "Frank Castle" is chased/helped by Jake Berkowitz, an Afro-American Police Officer.

Adrian Chase became the Vigilante in 1983, "Frank Castle" became the Punisher in circa 1983.

Adrian Chase wears all black with no logo as Vigilante, "Frank Castle" wears all black with no logo as The Punisher.

Adrian Chase committed suicide in Vigilante #50 in 1988, in 1989 we see "Frank Castle" in action.

It seems to me that "Frank Castle" could well be Adrian Chase having faked his death.

So my reader what do you think?

I never would have found this particular comic and made the connection that was made, but John McDonagh in his Earth-886 Timeline which chronicles the comic book adaptations of Marvel comic characters in movies and he mentions that there are similarities between the Dolph Lundgren movie and this issue.

The story starts in an alternate universe where Frank Castle and his wife and two children are on a picnic in Central Park. In regular Marvel universe, the family stumbles on a mob hit and except for Frank are all killed. In this universe, it starts raining and the family leave the park avoiding the mob hit. The family lives happily for a period and retired marine Frank Castle joins the police force.

Castle discovers corruption in the police force and sets out to expose it. The corrupt police aren't about to let this happen and bomb the Castle house killing everyone except Frank (a relative is visiting and his body is assumed to be Frank's)

We see Frank take out corrupt police officers and judges dressed in an all black outfit (very similar to what The Executioner wears) and release his findings on corruption to the press. It is only on the final pages the we see Castle with a skull on his chest (inpired by his son's Captain Punisher halloween costume seen earlier) and call himself the Punisher.

This story does serve as a kinda origin for the 1989 Punisher movie.

Jim Dennis is actually a pen name for James R. Berry & Dennis O'Neil, the latter of course being famous as a writer for Batman, Green Lantern/Green Arrow.

I've never been able to find out if there was a Richard Dragon #2 but this novel was the basis for the first four issues of Richard Dragon Kung Fu Master comic book, we may assume that if there was a second novel that material may have been used in the comic.

Richard Dragon is a martial arts master trained by O-Sensei. O-Sensei had studied all of the martial arts and philosophies and melded the best of each into his own system, in essence a reverse engineered version of Sinanju.

In this adventure, Richard Dragon is called out of his retirement to help O-Sensei's daughter who is believed to have the key to a new energy source and has been kidnapped. But this is a mcguffin as it serves as an excuse for Dragon to engage in several martial arts fights to track down her kidnapper The Swiss, and recall the events that lead him to become the Kung Fu Master.

And that's one thing I couldn't help was comparing Richard Dragon to Remo Williams. Both are masters of their respective martial arts, Remo can become Shiva, Richard can become The Dragon, Remo works for CURE (which isn't an acronym) Richard has a rocky relationship with GOOD (which isn't an acronym) Indeed, if Sapir had been sucessful in killing off Chuin in Destroyer #5 this could have been Destroyer #6 with the names changed.

I'll certainly be chasing down the Richard Dragon comic series based on this novel.