Category Archives: Superheroes

June 7, 2025 · 12:15 am

MARVEL CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS (1982)

This weekend’s escapist, light-hearted superhero post from Balladeer’s Blog takes a look at Marvel’s pre-Secret Wars miniseries collecting a huge assembly of their heroes in a competition for the fate of the Earth.

CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS Vol 1 #1 (June 1982)

Title: Gathering of Heroes (No matter what the cover says.)

Villains: The Grandmaster and Death

Synopsis: The Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum in the movies), one of the Elders of the Universe, the very first intelligent species to evolve after the Big Bang, challenges Death’s female incarnation, the same being wooed by Thanos during his attempts to wipe out all life in the universe.   

They both agree that since Earth has the greatest concentration of superbeings it will be the site of their mysterious contest. The two villains abduct every single superhero in Marvel Comics at the time, plus several new ones from around the world who were just introduced in this story.

The Grandmaster and Death address the captive heroes and explain the circumstances. The duo have placed the entire Earth in a state of stasis in which it will remain unless the figures agree to participate in a contest of champions between the two villains. Continue reading →

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May 31, 2025 · 12:01 am

BATTLE BRICK ROAD (2020 – ?)

This weekend’s escapist and light-hearted superhero post here at Balladeer’s Blog looks at the independent comic book series Battle Brick Road from Eric Weathers, Farah Nurmaliza and Zeb Hatfield.   

BATTLE BRICK ROAD IS NOT TO BE MISSED.

This ongoing series is an exciting work from some of the most daring and visionary creators in sequential art today.

Battle Brick Road presents a post-apocalyptic take on Frank Baum’s Oz stories twisted through the ingenious prism of artist ERIC WEATHERS and writer ZEB HATFIELD with lettering by FARAH NURMALIZA.

Get ready for Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion like you’ve never seen them before – as technologically and biologically enhanced warriors in a dystopian world that not even Mad Max could survive. 

Battle-hardened, survival savvy Dorothea Gale – Thea for short – searches for her father through the futuristic technological wasteland called O.Z. (Operation Zephyr).

Continue reading →

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May 24, 2025 · 12:01 am

WHEN JIM RHODES WAS IRON MAN (1980s)

This weekend’s light-hearted, escapist superhero post from Balladeer’s Blog looks at the period during the 1980s when Tony Stark’s latest bout with alcoholism prompted him to let his pilot Jim Rhodes take over as Iron Man. 

IRON MAN Vol 1 #169 (Apr 1983)

Title: Blackout

Villains: Magma and Obadiah Stane

Synopsis: Iron Man (Tony Stark) is very drunk but is recklessly flying around New York City. His lapse back into heavy drinking was triggered by a combination of being dumped by his latest love interest Indries Moomji and corporate rival Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges in the movies) outmaneuvering Stark in several business deals recently.

Tony faces trouble from the mayor over minor damage caused by his “employee” Iron Man. NOTE: This was back when Tony kept it a secret that he was Iron Man and claimed the hero was just his high-tech bodyguard to explain why they both often showed up at the same locations at the same time.

At a board meeting, Stark gets more pressure regarding his careless spending and mountains of debt he has run up. Obadiah Stane is trying to talk the angry creditors of Stark International into letting him buy and assume the debts, which would give him very serious leverage over Tony’s business.

Tony’s personal pilot and friend Jim “Rhodey” Rhodes, who had been a supporting character in the series for years at this point, catches Tony drinking even more after the meeting. Iron Man’s old supervillain foe Magma, his tank and troops attack Stark’s Long Island HQ. 

When Tony proves too drunk to handle his Iron Man armor, Jim Rhodes dons it instead and flies out to face Magma and company. Continue reading →

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May 17, 2025 · 12:02 am

SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPER-VILLAINS (1976) DARKSEID, MANHUNTER AND MORE

This weekend’s light-hearted, escapist comic book post from Balladeer’s Blog takes a look at the early stories of a 1970s DC Comics series.

SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPER-VILLAINS Vol 1 #1 (Jun 1976)

Title: Attend – Or Die

Villain Roster: Captain Cold, Sinestro, Gorilla Grodd, Copperhead, Mirror Master, Star Sapphire II, the Wizard, Manhunter III, Shadow Thief and Captain Boomerang

Comment: “What are we, some kind of Secret Society of Super-Villains?” (Had to be said.)

Synopsis: Captain Cold and Mirror Master pull off a large jewel robbery and while dividing up their loot they get an invitation to join the title “Society” at a place called the Sinister Citadel in San Francisco.

Identical invitations are received by the supervillains called Gorilla Grodd, Copperhead, Sinestro and others. Everyone but Catwoman accepts. When they are all assembled in the aforementioned Citadel they meet the new woman using the Star Sapphire nom de guerre. They also meet their butler, Carstairs.

Suddenly, the Justice League members burst in and attack, but the villains fight and destroy what turn out to be robotic duplicates of the League. The costumed Manhunter III enters the room and tells the villains they passed their initiation by wiping out the robots. He calls himself a representative for their anonymous “host.”

NOTE: Their host is really Darkseid, as will be made clear soon. This third person using the Manhunter alias is one of the “evil” Paul Kirk clones whose organization the Council was thwarted by the lone “good” Paul Kirk clone, who also destroyed all the evil clones. (Paul Kirk was the original Manhunter from DC’s 1940s comic books.) Continue reading →

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May 10, 2025 · 12:01 am

ARKON AND XEMU VS THE FANTASTIC FOUR AND THE INHUMANS

This weekend’s escapist, light-hearted superhero post here at Balladeer’s Blog will look at 6 issues in a row from a memorable Fantastic 4 run.

FANTASTIC FOUR Vol 1 #158 (May 1975)

Title: Invasion from the Fifth Dimension

Villain: Xemu

Synopsis: Mr. Fantastic (Reed Richards) and his wife Invisible Woman (Susan Storm-Richards) are debating the pluses and minuses of her rejoining the team full-time. Medusa from the Inhumans has been substituting for Sue during her and Reed’s son Franklin’s problems with his mutant powers. With Franklin now cured, Invisible Woman wants to come back.

The former Avenger Quicksilver, now a member of the Inhuman Royal Family through his marriage to Crystal (who had replaced Invisible Woman during her pregnancy with Franklin), uses his speed powers to break into the Baxter Building headquarters of the Fantastic Four. The Human Torch (Johnny Storm), annoyed after striking out at a singles bar, arrives home and, encountering Quicksilver, attacks him. 

The pair fight it out, fueled largely by their former romantic rivalry for Crystal. The Thing (Ben Grimm) and his girlfriend – the blind sculptress Alicia Masters – arrive back from a night at the Metropolitan Opera and the Thing joins the Human Torch in attacking Quicksilver. Mr. Fantastic calls a halt to the fighting and asks Quicksilver why he invaded the Baxter Building.   

Pietro (Quicksilver) explains to the Fantastic Four, including Medusa and Invisible Woman (which makes 5) why he came. The Human Torch’s old foe Xemu, the ruler of the Fifth Dimension, led an interdimensional army in an invasion of Attilan, the Inhumans’ high-tech hidden city in the Himalayas. Continue reading →

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May 3, 2025 · 12:01 am

BRITISH SUPERHEROES OF THE 1960s

This weekend’s escapist, light-hearted superhero post from Balladeer’s Blog looks at some of Great Britain’s homegrown superheroes from the 1960s. For their 1940s heroes click HERE.

GADGETMAN

Secret Identity: Burt Travis

Debuted: 1968

Origin: Burt Travis was the scientific genius who ran Travis Corporation. He used some of his inventions and the costumed identity of Gadgetman to fight criminals, aliens and other menaces. 

Powers: Burt Travis had a hidden teleportation device in his office. When he wanted to become Gadgetman he would teleport to his secret headquarters and go into action. This hero could fly via jet-shoes, shoot assorted ray-guns called Gadget Guns and release a substance from his costume that made him slick and impossible to hold onto.

Gadgetman also piloted a flying Gadgetcar and Gadgetcycle. Burt Travis’ lab apprentice Gary Stewart was really Gimmick-Kid, with a costume and gadgetry similar to Gadgetman.

CAT-GIRL

Secret Identity: Cathy Carter

Debuted: 1969

Origin: Cathy Carter was the daughter of a widower private investigator. In their home’s attic she found an old cat costume that was a gift from an African head of state her father had helped. Putting on the costume, she gained various powers and fought crime as Cat-Girl. 

Powers: Cat-Girl has greater than human strength, speed and incredible agility. She can see in the dark and gains magnified senses of smell and hearing. Her claws can cut through metal and other objects. In costume she can control the prehensile tail. Continue reading →

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April 26, 2025 · 12:01 am

GOLDEN GIRL AND CAPTAIN AMERICA: 1940s ADVENTURES

This weekend’s escapist, light-hearted superhero post here at Balladeer’s Blog will look at the late 1940s stories with Captain America teamed up with Golden Girl, who replaced Bucky after he was seriously injured.

GOLDEN GIRL 

Secret Identity: Betsy Ross

First Appearance: As Betsy Ross – Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941) As Golden Girl – Captain America Comics #66 (April 1948) Her final Golden Age appearance came in July of 1949.

Origin: After years of working off and on with Captain America in her capacity as a federal agent, Betsy Ross adopted the costumed identity of Golden Girl in 1948 to serve as Cap’s new partner when Bucky was out of commission after suffering injuries at the hands of the supervillainess called Lavender.

Powers: Golden Girl was in peak physical condition and excelled at unarmed combat. She was more agile than an acrobat and wore a bulletproof cape which she could wrap around herself or innocent bystanders as needed. Continue reading →

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April 24, 2025 · 5:29 am

NO, THE CONTESSA’S HAIR IS NOT A TULSI GABBARD JOKE

Just a light-hearted post about a non-serious topic but one which I’m seeing both sides of the political aisle making silly talking points about. In the new Marvel movie Thunderbolts Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays the character Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.

Because of the prominent streak of white in her hair anti-Gabbard people are wasting their time pretending it’s making fun of Tulsi while pro-Gabbard people are wasting their time getting upset at the notion that it’s making fun of Tulsi.

BALLADEER’S BLOG

In truth, Valentina was introduced in 1967 in the comic books and has had the streak of white in her hair for SEVERAL DECADES. So, everybody on both sides can calm down. The white streak is simply a trademark of the character as much as Nick Fury’s eyepatch is. (And she had been Fury’s romantic partner for decades, by the way.)

This is like when The Dark Knight Rises movie came out long ago and people unfamiliar with comic books made a similar mistake. Some Republicans were upset that the character Bane was supposedly a joking insult about Mitt Romney’s Bain Capital and some Democrats were laughing because they too thought the name was a satirical poke at Bain Capital. Continue reading →

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April 19, 2025 · 12:01 am

ARGENTINA’S SUPERHEROES

This weekend’s escapist, light-hearted superhero post here at Balladeer’s Blog looks at several home-grown characters from Argentina. 

CABALLERO ROJO (Red Cavalier)

Secret Identity: Rafael Reinoso

Debuted: 1996

Origin: Rafael Reinoso is the 34th member of his family line to become the costumed Caballero Rojo. Like the Walker family in the Phantom series or the Black Panther and Red Wolf characters in Marvel Comics, the role has been passed down from generation to generation for centuries. 

Powers: This hero is in peak physical condition, excels at unarmed combat and is more agile than an acrobat. Caballero Rojo also uses a high-tech grappling line to swing around the city like Spider-Man. He also wields throwing blades and red smoke bombs. His headquarters is in an abandoned church in Buenos Aires. 

CYBERSIX

Secret Identity: Adrian Seidelman 

Debuted: 1991

Origin: Dr. Joseph Von Reichter, one of the many Nazis to flee to Argentina after the end of World War 2, has used his genius at bioengineering and cybernetics to keep himself reasonably young for decades.

He also created several humanoid & animal figures who were part biochemical and part cybernetic.

Von Reichter’s creations developed free will, including Cybersix and the pantheroid Data 7, and they rebelled. Von Reichter exterminated all of them except our heroine Cybersix and Data 7, who escaped and have opposed their insane creator, his new creations and other forces of evil ever since.

Cybersix disguises herself as the male teacher Adrian Seidelman at Meridiana High School, with Meridiana being the city in which she resides. Dr. Von Reichter frequently targets that city. 

Powers: This heroine possesses super-strength, greater than human speed & agility, and can see in the dark. Like her panther Data 7, Cybersix can make spectacular leaps due to her incredible strength. Continue reading →

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April 12, 2025 · 12:20 am

MISS AMERICA: THE REMAINING STORIES OF THIS 1940s SUPERHEROINE

This weekend’s light-hearted, escapist superhero post from Balladeer’s Blog will conclude my look at Marvel’s 1943-1948 heroine from when the company was known as Timely Comics. For Part One and her origin click HERE.

NOTE: In the 1970s it became Marvel canon that Miss America was the mother of the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver HERE, but that has since been retconned. 

MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS Vol 1 #64 (Jun 1945)

Title: The Story of Miss Bluebeard

Villain: Miss Bluebeard

Synopsis: Our high-flying heroine Miss America (Madeline Joyce) comes across an insurance investigator who was just murdered by a supervillainess who is called Miss Bluebeard by insurance agencies around the U.S. Miss America investigates and uncovers an entire network of accomplices run by the evil woman, real name Lorelei Ricciardi.

Our main character shuts down Miss Bluebeard’s operations, which involve her marrying older men and then getting their insurance proceeds after they seem to die from natural causes. Miss America also saves the woman’s latest husband and another insurance investigator from being killed, then turns Miss Bluebeard and her underlings over to the police. Continue reading →

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