COMIC SCHOOL W/PROFESSOR MIKE - SESSION #4

COMIC SCHOOL W/PROFESSOR MIKE - SESSION #4


Hello, children!  Welcome back to class....sorry it's a day or two late to begin this session, but I had to find something for the curriculum this week.  Took me some extra time to get the lesson plan together.  But I am here, ready for you, as I hope you're ready for me.  So, let's get to last week's quiz and hand out the answers---see how you all did---before we begin this week's session.  By the way, quick shout out to my friend Jocelyn, my new TA, for helping me plan this week's lesson.  

Last week's quiz was very Spidey centric, so let's see how we all came out on our pop quiz:

1.  What are Peter Parker's parents' names?  Peter's parents were Richard & Mary Parker, who were killed in a plane crash when Peter was 6.

2.  When Did Mary Jane Watson make her first FULL appearance?  Mary Jane Watson's first FULL appearance (where we actually SEE all of her in her splendor), is AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #42 ("Face it, tiger....you just hit the jackpot!")

3.  Jean DeWolff's brother, Brian, was also a costumed villain.  What was his name?  Brian, who was controlled at one point by their father, Philip, was named Wraith.

4.  One of Spidey's future enemies came out of this story...can you name them?  A writer for the Daily Globe had gotten the exclusive interview with Emil Gregg confessing to the Sin-Eater killings before he was exposed as a copycat, and not the real killer, Stan Carter, by Spider-Man.  That writer's name---Eddie Brock.  And his hatred for Spidey led him to later join Spidey's old symbiote and become Venom.

5.  Betty Brant Leeds' husband, Ned, also had a secret ID...what was it?  Ned, for a time, was brainwashed by Roderick Kingsley to take his place as The Hobgoblin.  Ned was later killed in Germany at the hands of an assassin named The Foreigner, while he and Peter Parker were on assignment for the Bugle.


Okay!  Now that we've gotten last week's answers out of the way, we WILL have yet another quiz at the end of this class.  

As for today's lesson....I gotta ask you a question.  What makes a great super villain?  Or, for that matter, a great arch enemy....that one villain who comes back again and again, with a new dastardly plot to either rule or destroy the world, or to destroy our intrepid hero?  What would be the key elements to make a hero and a villain become the bitterest of foes?  The constant defeat the villain suffers from until they can't take it anymore?  The game itself?  The constant effort to prove your better than your enemy?  A personal gripe with the hero or villain?  Tragedy?  A misunderstood accident?  Or simply...insanity?  Many factors play into these rivalries, but one thing is for certain:  Your arch enemy is the one who knows how best your work, how the game has been played, and knows what buttons to push to get you to come after them.  Or---in the case of our bad guys---the constant time getting caught, revenge. ego, bloodlust, or just anarchy.  Either way...they are the ones you look forward to seeing the LEAST when you either hit town again to raise hell, or have to be the hero, and suit up again to stop them....hoping it will be the LAST time.  Today, I'm going to give you my Top 10 biggest arch enemies list.  These are the battles forever waged between two individuals (or even a group), that their enemy takes it to that next level---where all is at stake, and death is almost evident.  You can come up with your own Top 10...mine, of course, is subjective.  But I based this on the LENGTH of the rivalry, the INTENSITY of the rivalry, and the PERSONAL aspect of it.  Let's see if YOUR list will match mine.

1.  Batman & The Joker:  These two are the best representation of bitter enemies, and the duality of man in our world.  The Batman---whom lost his parents to a criminal when he was just a boy, vowed to NEVER let a criminal escape and kill again.  He became the Batman to fight the evil underworld of Gotham City---and it's corrupt political officals.  And for the Dark Knight---who has often been a modern day version of the bogeyman---because many in Gotham City still feel he's a myth, which works to his advantage, he has tackled some of the most interesting and psychologically damaged individuals in comics history.  Batman's roster of villains is perhaps the best in all of super hero comics history.  Penguin, Riddler, Poison Ivy, Two-Face, Mr. Freeze, the Scarecrow, Bane, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, and a host of others who, if they didn't wind up at Blackgate Prison, were put away in Arkham Asylum.  NONE of those fiends could hold a candle to perhaps THE greatest super villain of all time in comic book lore---The Joker.  As many times as both Batman, and us readers, have marveled at the cat-and-mouse game these two played, we always tried to figure out the MOTIVE for which the Joker does what he does.  The reality is:  there IS no pattern.  The Joker is just plain insane...it's that simple.  He is chaos, disorder, anarchy.  His plots are well thought out with one thing in mind....a great punchline---one that only HE gets, and HE can get the last laugh.  Batman is law and order, justice and vengeance all rolled into one.  He's always seen criminals as a superstitious, cowardly lot.  His use of fear and playing the shadows has allowed him to scare the underworld...not to mention his brutal tactics at times.  For Bruce Wayne, it's all about the mission:  to rid Gotham of the criminal element.  It is his only purpose in life, what drives him....the memory of his parent's murder.  These two have waged war since BATMAN#1 back in 1940.  And through close to 80 years, they have been the ultimate yin & yang of what a hero and villain are---and their battles have entertained us, scared us, and have been some of the most brutal and psychological wars ever fought on the comics page.  They are the standard bearer...because with the Joker---you'll never run out of ideas on how he can disrupt the sane world with is insane ways.  And it's been PERSONAL at times.  The Joker killing the 2nd Robin, Jason Todd.  His crippling Barbara Gordon right in her own home with a gunshot wound at close range through the spine, thus ending Barbara's career as Batgirl.  I've always liked this one quote Batman made to Alfred in The Killing Joke:  "How can two people HATE each other so much without even really KNOWING each other?"  It's so poignant, yet describes their twisted relationship well.  I've always felt that no matter HOW many times The Joker has tried to kill Batman, I feel he'll never really go through with it, because he LIKES it.  For him to be WITHOUT Batman...I think he would feel LESS.  No one would be able to be on par with him to stop him...to match wits.  To use another quote from The Dark Knight, when Batman asked why did he want to kill him (in regards to the Joker wanting to kill Batman), the Joker replied, "Kill you?!!  What would I do WITHOUT you?!  You....You COMPLETE me!".  It's such classic stuff.  You always know that when it comes to Batman & The Joker...it's always a must read.

2.  Superman & Lex Luthor:  Another two combatants who have been waging war on each other for 80 years are these two next on our list.  What can we say about Lex Luthor?  Extremely smart and business savvy.  A prominent scientist and businessman who felt that his superior genius made him a god among men...until an alien from another planet crash landed to Earth, and took that title away.  Lex felt that he OWNED Metropolis, what with his business being the prominent corporation and employer in the city.  He figured he owned the people, and had control over it like a crime boss...without really getting his hands dirty.  Lex was good at covering his tracks, hence his superior genius among humanity.  But somehow, when a certain Kryptonian came to town with powers and abilities far beyond those of normal men, that just didn't sit well with Lex.  He figured ANY power so grand should be SHARED with humanity---but in all, knowing Lex's ego, it should be shared with HIM.  Superman, as he painfully found out, was not someone who could be bought, persuaded, or otherwise put under Lex's foot for him to control.  Superman saw through all of Lex's bravado, and used Lex's own ego against him, mostly to foil the many plots Luthor has concocted over the years to destroy the Man of Steel.  Admittedly, Lex was against dropping the gloves and going toe to toe with Superman, but eventually got a battlesuit and did.  Most of the time, Lex has gone out of his way to not only destroy the Man of Tomorrow, but to humiliate him, and PROVE, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that a superhuman alien was no match for him intellectually.  And that usually proves to be his downfall.  But...sadly for Superman, Lex has been able to slip through the fingers of the law time and again...and even gone so far as to become President of the United States, and find a way to wage his war against his bitter enemy.  This combo has always been a tale of superiority, intellect, tapping into the weakness of the other, explosive ego, out and out bitter hatred...mostly on the part of Luthor, but I know Superman has no love lost for him, either.  And no matter how many incredibly powerful foes Superman has fought....NONE have given him MORE headaches or made their tet-a-tet more personal than Lex.  Luthor will not rest until he has beaten the Man of Steel, for all the world to see.  It's always fun to see what new trap Lex designs for Superman to either discredit or kill him...and Superman always finding a way to win the day---and watching Luthor wiggle out of trouble, only to come back more pissed off than the last time...ready to renew their war.

3.  Spider-Man & Green Goblin:  Sometimes, there are just those enemies so lethal, so dangerous, so insane, so vindictive and conniving, that it really hits close to home.  This is such a tale.  Two men who came from very different backgrounds:  Peter Parker and Norman Osborn.  Parker, the orphaned high school bookworm who gained incredible powers through a freak accident, and Osborn, an abused child who took his weaknesses, turned them into strengths, and became a prominent businessman.  Peter was raised in a good home by his Aunt May & Uncle Ben until tragedy---which he thought was his own fault because he didn't stop the criminal when he could have---became a super hero, vowing to never let anyone suffer his fate.  Osborne was a businessman who craved power, and didn't care how shady the deal was to get it.  Their common ground was science...Peter being a student of it, and Osborn a scientist in his own right seeking a way to enhance his body to give him even more power.  He created the identity of the Green Goblin to scare the underworld, and control it.  But he didn't count on Spider-Man stopping him at every turn.  Ironically, Spider-Man befriended Osborn's son, Harry, as Peter Parker, and the two became best friends.  However, Harry got hooked up on the wrong crowd and started a drug habit, that Peter wasn't always around for when it came to helping his friend.  That angered Norman...especially when he found out Peter was Spider-Man.  This became personal.  Norman caught Spidey, revealed who he was to Peter, and the game was on.  As much as Osborne tried to dig into Peter, Peter would always fight back.  Eventually, it drove Norman a bit bonkers, and he took it over the line by kidnapping Peter's love, Gwen Stacy.  The Goblin then tossed her off the George Washington Bridge, and much to Peter's dismay, his webbing her didn't save her, but let do her snapping her neck and dying.  The ensuing battle caused the death of Osborn himself, when he got impaled on his own glider.  The story didn't end between the Spider and the Goblin...no way.  Soon, Harry found out about his father's extracurricular activities, and became the Goblin to settle the score with Peter.  Peter won, but at a cost---the sanity of his friend.  And when the Goblin was thought to finally be gone...Harry lost control, and his battle with his best friend ended in his death.  Over the years, we found out that Norman had survived, and was pulling the strings in a lot of the things going on in Peter Parker's life.  There's is a hatred based on how they felt those around them were treated...like Harry.  There is genuine hate and a blood feud between these two.  Make no mistake, Norman wants the utter destruction of Peter Parker, and Peter wouldn't mind seeing Norman Osborne take a permanent dirt nap.  With Norman, it's always been "how far can he go THIS time?"  And there have been some wild stories about Norman crossing every ethical and moral line there is to get back at Peter.  And yet, despite all the odds and all the damage---physically, mentally, emotionally that Peter and his family and friends have taken at the hands of the Goblin...he always seems to come back, showing us his indominable will.  

4.  Flash & Reverse-Flash:  Here's a story about two men who grew to hate each other, and have it span across time AND family.  Eobard Thawne was a scientist in the 25th Century obsessed with The Flash --- Barry Allen. So much, that he managed to replicate the Flash's powers, and put on a suit that was the opposite of the Scarlet Speedster.  He was the antithesis of everything Barry Allen stood for.  He committed several crimes, not only in his time, but in the Flash's.  And every time, Barry managed to capture Thawne and send him away back to the 25th Century.  Knowing from history, he'd be forever the Flash's enemy, Eobard took it to the next level, and tried to steal Barry's life.  It failed, like many of his other plots, but he came back and took yet another jab at Barry...this time committing the ultimate crime---murder.  Eobard hit Barry right where the heart is when he killed Barry's wife Iris.  After a big battle, Eobard got lost in the time stream.  Barry was devestated, but picked up the pieces of his life and moved on.  And just when he had found happiness, and was about to get married again, Thawne came back to settle the score, and was planning to murder his new bride, just as he'd killed Iris.  This time, not only did Thawne's plan fail...but he paid for it with his life, as the Flash broke his neck.  Flash went on trial for manslaughter, and was eventually cleared.  Barry then disappeared into the Speed Force during the Crisis, and left the world in the hands of Wally West...who had his own battle with Thawne, when he tried to destroy Barry's legacy.  From Thawne, it moved onto Hunter Zolomon---Zoom, as he called himself, and became a major thorne in Wally's side.  In yet another Crisis, Barry returned, and Eobard once again tried to destroy him, but failed.  Time has been altered and changed a lot in the DC Universe...and we now know that Thawne was responsible for the death of Barry's mother, thus adding another personal touch to this grudge.  The future also gets murky because, at one point, the family paths come together in the form of Bart Allen...an offspring of Thawne's daughter, and Barry's son.  It doesn't sit well with Eobard, and thus has done all he can to destroy Bart, as well as wipe out the Allen legacy off the map.  Barry, as usual, stands as the stoic hero, ready to run circles around his hated enemy.  For Barry & Eobard...it's about legacy, family, and the future.  Who's truly the Fastest Man Alive?

5.  Fantastic Four & Doctor Doom:  Family, Ego, and personal hatred have driven this rivalry for a long time.  Victor von Doom and Reed Richards are two of the most prominent minds on Earth---with Reed being the super genius.  It's the thing that drove Victor nuts---Reed always proving his superior mind to Doom's.  The Latverian ruler was never going to settle playing second fiddle in the genius department to Richards, and thus their feud was born.  It got even more intense when Doom found himself in a suit of armor, rigged to the hilt with many weapons, while also seeking ultimate power through mysticism and science.  He would always be met, however, by Reed and his family, who made up the Fantastic Four.  Time and again, when Doom would set foot in New York, or some other part of the world, the FF would be at the ready.  Doom has also been a ruler with an iron hand in Latveria, but seems to be admired by his citizens.  Doom's ego and personal grudge is unrelenting, as is his thirst for ultimate power.  He has shown some compassion in regards to Sue Richards, but make no mistake, he despises everything Reed Richards stands for, and won't stop until he's gotten the better of him, and proven that HE is the superior mind on Earth.  Reed and the FF are determined to take down the Ruler of Latveria, and make sure he'll never harm the world again.  For 57 years, this feud has brought us many an epic battle...and we look forward to more.

6.  X-Men & Magneto:  This is an interesting feud, that isn't quite so much based on personal hatred, but different sides of the same coin.  A bit of yin & yang, but not quite.  It's more on idealism, and what each thinks is the best route for their kind to take.  Mutants have been outcasts for years---feared, hated, misunderstood, attacked, killed, maimed, and generally been dealing with prejudice their whole existence.  It's fascinating how these issues cause two parties to diverge in different paths to achieve the same objective:  equality and peace.  On the one hand, you have Charles Xavier and his X-Men, a team of mutants who have banded together to protect humanity, and work towards a peaceful co-existence between mutants and normal humans.  Then there's Magneto---a man who suffered greatly in World War II, as he watched his family put into concentration camps by Hitler's Third Reich for simply being Jewish.  His own prejudices and hatreds run deep, as he feels that---as a mutant himself---that THEY are the superior species on the planet---the next evolution of humanity.  And in order to achieve true peace, he feels he must call other mutants to arms to take up the eventual war between humans and mutants, thus putting him at odds with the X-Men.  Their battles have been epic, and it has caused pain on both sides, but it is often interesting how certain incidents also make strange bedfellows, as we have seen Magneto work WITH the X-Men to win the day....but in the end, Magneto will never budge from his point of view, and feels Xavier is foolish to believe in humans...but Charles' optimism and unwavering faith in his fellow man drive him to draw a line in the sand with his old friend---even if it must mean taking his friend down.  There is mutual respect...but that's about as far as it goes.  Wolverine said it best in the first X-Men movie:  "You know Magneto's right.  There's IS a war coming....sure you're on the right side?"  It's awesome when you have a story this rich, that reflects our own society, and makes you see things from all sides to gain perspective.  

7.  Daredevil & The Kingpin:  No rivalry on this list has seen a villain that went toe to toe with Spider-Man dozens of times, become the #1 hated man to the Devil of Hell's Kitchen.  If there is ANYONE who has made Matt Murdock's life a living, breathing Hell---it's Wilson Fisk.  Fisk likes to live up to his nickname---The Kingpin.  The man who rules the underworld of New York...who feels virtually invincible.  Not because he's paid off police, judges, or political officials in the city, but because his massive size and power increases his already huge ego to no end.  Daredevil has found ways to defeat the Kingpin and take him down...but outside the law AND in the courtroom.  But Fisk is no dummy---he managed to find ways to attack Daredevil personally...like hiring an assassin named Bullseye to try and kill him but end up killing his girlfriend Elektra at the time, causing Matt immense grief.  Or...such as gaining information on his ID as Matt Murdock from Murdock's girlfriend, Karen Page, who sold it to Fisk for  money so she could continue her drug habit.  Kingpin beat him down badly, and forced Murdock to leave New York for awhile.  But Matt would come back, and take on Fisk again, and beat him.  There's is a story of Fisk's ego...being the big, schoolyard bully who can push and beat down anyone who doesn't follow him or bow down to him...and Daredevil---who isn't afraid to take on the big bully, and show the city that he's just a man...nothing special.  Both men have eaten at each other's personal lives, and it's become a blood vendetta for the two.  But you alwys look forward to the next time they square off...wondering if it will be the last.  

8.  Justice League & Darkseid:  We go from dealing with enemies who relegate their battles to either a city or a country, or even the Earth.  This feud is about the universe, and one being's quest to be its ultimate ruler...and create a dark apocalypse for which everyone will bow down to him.  Darksied is a powerful being with God like powers.  And while the New Gods and Darkseid and his minions have waged many a battle, it is with the world famous Justice League where the ruler of Apokolips has had the biggest problem.  Darkseid has tried to take over the Earth several times over the years, only to be met with resistance from the Justice League.  He has used many of his minions to stop them in their tracks, but to no avail.  Kalibak, Steppenwolf, and DeSaad were no match for the World's Greatest Super Heroes.  At one point, he even used one of this minions---Glorious Godfrey to go down to Earth, and use his powers of influence to destroy the super hero credibility, and destroy Earth's Legends.  he nearly succeeded, when heroes were outlawed by the President.  However, many defied that order, and tried to keep the criminal element from going on a massive crime spree across the nation.  Eventually, the League rose up to meet the challenge, and take him down.  They have even battled him face to face several times, while he was in search of the Anti-Life Equation, which could destroy all life.  Darkseid's lust and thirst for ultimate power is what drives him to plot, but also find a way to destroy the League in order to achieve his end.  It's amazing how, in many of the battles with the League, he tends to underestimate the likes of Batman, Green Arrow, Flash, and several others who do not possess superior power like his, but he DOES relish going toe to toe with Superman at times...their battles are epic in and of themselves.  But yes---while he is as powerful as any god...the League, when banded together, are just as equal as he is.

9.  Avengers & Thanos:  This epic tale of two rivals is yet another team vs. supreme being, with the fate of the universe at hand.  Thanos was from Saturn's moon of Titan, and was born with the Deviant gene.  Many of his race felt he'd be the one to one day destroy the universe.  Thanos is a nihilistic being, who cares nothing about anything nor anyone but himself.  It has put him at odds with Iron Man, and the rest of the Avengers, as the assembled to do battle with him time and again.  One of the things Thanos desired was the Cosmic Cube, which had bounced around many hands before Thanos got ahold of it.  He also wanted all the Infinity Stones, as to destroy half the life in the universe in one snap.  He had succeeded with that quest, but he is also met with resistance by whatever remaining Avengers are are left.  Thanos feels he cannot be beaten, even when he has.  The Avengers are the biggest thorn in his side, and no matter what combination of the team it is, they fight on to defeat him, and await his eventual return.  Much like his DC counterpart, Darksied, Thanos not only is analytical in this thinking, but also able to throw down when it's called upon.  He is the greatest threat in the universe, but yet the greatest threat to HIM, is Earth's Mightiest Heroes.  And their battles are epic in scope, and branch across the galaxies.  Thanos is unrelenting in his quest, and the Avengers are there to meet him at every turn.  

10.  Captain America & The Red Skull:  This is an 80 year war....not only between the Axis and Allies, but between two men who idealistically, and personally, have a hatred that runs the length of most of the 20th Century.  The Skull was Hitler's right hand man, who also had ambition WELL beyond Hitler's, and then there was Steve Rogers, who only wanted to serve his country and end the war.  He became the living embodiment of the United States and its allies--Captain America.  He and the Skull battled numerous times during the war, especially when the Skull was going to rise up a new Reich and take power with his organization, HYDRA.  Cap was there to help put him down.  But the Skull never took his losses lightly.  Always seeking more power, he searched for the Cosmic Cube and possessed it for a time, and helped HYDRA infiltrate America to destroy it from within.  He hates Cap's and America's values, but he seeks true, ultimate power.  Cap is a man out of time, but not a man who forgot about justice and doing what's right.  He is still the living symbol of freedom in the world, and his relentless spirit to knock out evil puts him at odds with the Skull.  The Skull has tried several times to steal Cap's life force, draining the Super Soldier formula from him, to kill him.  It is ideology that truly drives their feud.  The Skull is maniacal...and Cap is the resistance to meet him.  Their battles are incredible, and the Skull still works on today, to destroy America, it's values, and what it represents....which is all rolled up in Steve Rogers.


HONORABLE MENTIONS:  

Wonder Woman & Ares:  One is the God of War, the other, and Amazonian Princess with life and powers imbued to her by Zeus.  Ares has been there from the beginning, urging on mankind to destroy itself, and create chaos and disorder on Earth, while Diana of Themyscira is a woman entering a man's world to save it.  

Green Lantern & Sinestro:  Hal Jordan of Earth, chosen to be one of the many Green Lantern Corps to help police and protect the universe at the behest of the Guardians, and Sinestro from Qward---a former Corps member who decided to go rogue, and seize power for himself.  A battle of will vs. fear for the fate of the universe.  Hal & Sinestro have had many stellar battles through the years.

Wolverine & Sabretooth:  Two mutants with rapid healing power, beastial like features and instincts, subjected to the same Weapon X program.  One becomes a paid assasin and mass murderer, while the other becomes the lynchpin of the X-Men.  Their hatred for each other runs deep, and their battles have been bloody, vicious, knock down, drag out affairs where we have not seen a clear winner---but when they fight, it's always to the death.

Teen Titans & Deathstroke the Terminator:  Slade Wilson is a contract killer and assassin who never misses.  His objective is the Teen Titans, who had battled his first son Grant, known as the Ravager, and was killed.  Terminator has taken it personal, and took the job provided by a villainous group called THE HIVE, and went after the Titans, whom he felt responsible for his son's death.  He even put a spy in place on their team to learn their secrets.  Time and again, he's battled the Titans, and, as yet, the Titans have managed to defeat him.

Optimus Prime & Megatron:  I was reluctant to even include this one, since the comics, animated TV show, and movies have long contradicted themselves.  But nonetheless, Prime and Megatron probably should've made the top 10, but I wanted to focus more on the comic book super heroes, and not the Transformers.  But since there WAS Transformers comics at the same time the original animated series debuted, we'll stick 'em here.  What more can be said about Prime and Megatron---two leaders of warring factions.  One trying to save their home planet of Cybertron from being ruled by the evil Decepticon leader.  Prime and Megatron are equals, and their battles have been mostly stalemates, until the movie came out.  And, at some point, Optimus Prime gets killed.  But he always manages to find a way back to take down his arch nemesis.  


Well...that's MY list, kids.  How will YOURS fare?  I'd like to see them!  So please leave a comment in the space below.  How right or wrong am I?  

Now, before I dismiss class for this week, it's time for your pop quiz.  Remember, the honor system is in place, and look forward to seeing your answers:


1.  Two part question:  A.  How many Green Lanterns patrol the universe?  B.  What sector does Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Guy Gardner, and Kyle Rayner patrol?

2.  Vulture, Doctor Octopus, Electro, Sandman, Kraven the Hunter, and Mysterio make up what super villain team that plagues Spider-Man time and again?

3.  Who were the original members of The Flash's Rogues Gallery?

4.  Who were the members of the original Defenders?

5.  Who was the entity that had taken all of the heroes and villains in the Marvel Universe, and transferred them to a planet to partake in the "Secret War"?



Alrighty!  That's it for this week...don't forget to subscribe to our class, and pass the good word around!  Until next week...CLASS DISMISSED!