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jrubalcaba · 6 years ago

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Good Night, Sleep Tight - A CHFIL/SlayerSoldier series crossover story

Good Night, Sleep Tight - A CHFIL/SlayerSoldier series crossover story

author: jrubalcaba

warnings: none except seeing superheroes in tears

rating: so fluffly it’ll rot your teeth. oh, mentions of smut, but no actual smut.

words: 3876

I hope you guys all enjoy this. I certainly enjoyed writing it!

“But I don't wanna go to bed!” Evie heard Robby whine as Steve carried him and Sarah upstairs, one under each arm. She looked over her shoulder and laughed as her mini-me started to kick and scratch at his dad, trying his best to get away.

“Robert, it's time for bed. End of discussion,” Steve snapped. He was still irritated from bath time when the kids decided to see who could make the biggest waves and soaked the entire bathroom, Steve included.

Normally Evie did both bath and bedtime, but since their fight, Steve has been doing every little thing around the house so Evie could relax more. He felt guilty for slacking off on his daddy duty, hence why he was wet, but not in a good way.

Evie sighed as she continued reading her book, when a wild Robby appeared, running through the house towards the Barnes’ side. A streak of pink with blonde on top raced by after as Sarah chased her brother.

“Man, those two are fast,” Steve panted as he entered the living room. Evie grinned.

“Just like their dad,” she replied. He rolled his eyes.

“How do you handle them both every night?” he asked, clearly at his wit's end. She giggled.

“Awww, what's wrong? Can Captain America not keep up with his two demons, I mean, darlings?” she teased with a wink. He sighed.

“Yes I can, but they're just so…..” he trailed off.

“Stubborn? Gee, I wonder where they got that from.” Evie smiled at her husband, laughing when he went Sad Faced at her comment. “We have a routine. I noticed that you get restless when your own bedtime routine gets messed up, so I got them into their own and it works wonders.” Steve's jaw had dropped, as she had neglected to mention that little detail to him.

“Well, you need to tell me more about it so I can do it too,” he snapped at her. She mulled it over for a bit.

“I guess I could,” she answered. Suddenly, voices in the hallway caught their attention as Alice and Bucky walked in, looking unamused.

“Can someone explain why the twins interrupted Becca's bedtime story, just to say goodnight?” Bucky asked, clearly pissed. Evie grinned at Steve.

“Well, Daddy is in charge of bath and bedtime, but it looks like fighting off bad guys is so much easier than putting his kids to bed,” she teased, causing him to roll his eyes again.

“Okay, I'll admit that I slacked off a lot, but this is hard work,” he said in defense. Evie scoffed.

“Yeah, if you haven't done it every night for the past five years.” Becca was tugging her parents forward more and more as the adults talked.

“Momma! I wanna say goodnight to everyone too, just like Robby and Sarah!” she whined impatiently. All three adults looked around in confusion while Evie's eyes grew wide.

“Ohhhh boy,” was all she said before following her niece upstairs, the other three right behind her. Once they all made it to Robby's room, they stopped at the sight that met them.

The three kids were standing at the wall that Robby had dedicated to all the heroes in his life, each of them replicated in action figures that may or may not have been commissioned especially for him.

“Look! Daddy and uncle Steve!” Becca cried as she saw the two figures (Robby refused to call them dolls) on the nightstand. The Steve one was identical to the real Steve, right down to the beard that covered his face. The Bucky one was also identical to the real Bucky, complete with fully movable Vibranium arm (that was specially made in Wakanda).

“Well, duh. Those two are the best, so of course they're gonna be right next to my bed, Becca!” Robby said snottily. Evie and Alice looked to their husbands and saw them both tear up at being called ‘the best’ by their son/nephew.

“That is adorable, but what did Becca mean when she said ‘say goodnight to everyone’?” Alice asked quietly. Evie turned to her and grinned.

“I think it's best if you three each take a kid and find out,” she replied. Each of them shot her a puzzled look as they walked into the room and Steve picked up Robby, Bucky took Becca, and Alice got Sarah. Robby reached up and grabbed the Ironman figure.

“Good night Uncle Tony,” he said, kissing and hugging it before handing it to Becca. “Good night Aunt Pepper. Good night Big Papa Howard and Big Mama Maria in the sky,” he added, tilting his head back and speaking to the ceiling. As if on cue, Steve, Bucky, and Alice all looked over at Evie, jaws dropped in shock and awe.

Something Evie caught on camera, as she was finally able to record Robby doing this.

One by one, each figurine was taken down, told ‘goodnight’ three times, and given three hugs and three kisses before being put back. What was even sweeter was the fact that each one was called by their real name, not their superhero one. Those who were deceased also got told goodnight, affectionately called ‘Uncle Pietro’, ‘Big Uncle Yondu’, ‘Big Uncle Odin’, ‘Big Auntie Frigga’, all the ‘Auntie Valkyries’, ‘Big Uncle T'Chaka’, ‘Big Uncle Ben’, ‘Big Grandma Sarah’, ‘Big Grandpa Joseph’, ‘Big Grandma Winifred’, ‘Big Grandpa George’, ‘Big Grandma Elizabeth’, ‘Big Grandpa Kevin’, ‘Big Auntie Becca’, and ‘Big Auntie Maggie’.

After all the figurines were placed back in their holders, the kids all squirmed down from their adults and ran to the nightstand. Robby grabbed the picture frame from it and began to kiss each person in the picture, telling Uncle Simon, Auntie Maggie, Auntie Kerry, Cousin Riley, Auntie Gail, and Cousin T'Zari goodnight before handing it to Becca and Sarah, who did the same.

Once everyone had been told goodnight, the kids each hugged Steve, Bucky, and Alice, bidding them goodnight as well, hugging and kissing them extra hard before running to Evie and doing the same thing. Once Robby was tucked in bed, the two girls and four adults left the room, and Evie made sure to capture the tears on her husband, sister and brother-in-law’s faces as their parents had been included by their children.

Out in the hallway, Evie downloaded the video to FRIDAY's server before sending it to every member of the Team, all of the Defenders, to Wakanda, and to the Benatar, wherever the hell it was.

After Sarah was tucked in and the Barnes family left, she and Steve laid down for bed. Steve was silent for quite some time before he finally spoke, his voice cracking.

“You told them?” was all he said, to which she nodded.

“Of course. Sarah wanted to know who she was named after, so I sat them both down and told them about your parents, Bucky's and Alice's. Then, they wanted to know why T'Challa's daddy wasn't here but his mommy was, and they wondered about Thor and Loki's mommy and daddy, so I just explained everything to them. They took it all in, eager eyes and everything.” Steve was silent again for a while.

“Howard and Maria?” That was the trickier thing to explain.

“They know that a guy who looks like Uncle Bucky hurt Howard and Maria and made them go to sleep forever, and that's why Uncle Tony isn't very good friends with Uncle Bucky.” Steve stared at her for what seemed like hours before speaking.

“That's….probably the best way you could have explained it. Good job,” he said, squeezing her.

“Thanks. Those kids are so much smarter than you think. Robby knew we were having that fight, and he understood that Daddy had said some things that hurt Mommy, but didn't mean to. That being said, I don't think the concept of brainwashing is something a five-year-old would understand, but I could be wrong. I'd much rather wait to explain it to them properly until they're older.” Steve nodded in agreement before snuggling into Evie's side and they both fell asleep.

***********

Shuri pulled up the video file from Evie and read the accompanying text. She then went to find her brother, sister-in-law, nephew, mother, and Okoye to show them as well.

“This is a video that I just received from Evie, and this is what she wrote: To brighten your day and to show how much you mean to us.” She then played the video for them.

“Okoye, are you crying?” T'Challa asked incredulously after the video was done.

“Absolutely not. I just have...something in my eye.” The General wiped her eyes as she turned away. Gail giggled.

“Oh, I must tell Evie and Alice that,” she said before pulling out her phone and sending a message to them.

“It is good to know that we are never forgotten by our friends,” T'Challa said as he hugged her.

“Mama! Tell my cousins I say good morning to them!” T'Zari exclaimed brightly.

“Of course my darling,” she cooed as she sent yet another text overseas. “That did brighten our day.” They continued through the palace, wanting to spend the day together.

************

“Hey assholes, we gotta incoming message from Terra,” Quill shouted over his shoulder to his fellow Guardians. Groot, Rocket, Drax, Mantis, Gamora, and Nebula all joined him at the holoscreen and read the text.

“‘To brighten your day and to show how much you mean to us’? What the hell is that suppose ta mean?” Rocket grumbled. Quill shrugged.

“How would something brighten our day? Is it a light of some sort?” Drax asked.

“I am Groot,” came a reply from the back.

“Peter, just play the video,” Gamora sighed.

“Alright. Oh, it looks like it's from Evie, Captain America's wife.” At this, Rocket perked up.

“She gives the best head scratches,” he said with a longing sigh.

They all chuckled as the video began to play. Once they saw Robby grab the Quill figurine and hug and kiss it so tenderly, they all began to tear up as their own were given the same loving treatment. Quill burst into tears as Yondu was also told good night, as it had been years since the man had died.

“That was...the cutest thing I've ever seen,” Gamora said softly after the video was over.

“I am Groot,” Groot said, wiping what looked like tree sap from his eyes.

“I've never been called Auntie before,” Nebula said quietly from the corner. Gamora walked over and hugged her.

“Me neither. It felt pretty good too.” Loud sniffles were coming from Rocket and Peter, who both appeared to try and hide their emotions.

“Who do those little gargoyles think they are, calling us all ‘Uncle’ and ‘Auntie’ like we're all some big family?” Rocket grumbled angrily as he wiped tears away. Gamora scratched his head and he turned away, walking to the sleeping quarters muttering about ‘family and how it felt good to have one’.

“I can't believe they remembered Yondu,” Quill stammered as he cried. Gamora came to comfort him too, patting his back.

“How did that brighten our day? All that did was make me feel happy,” Drax said from right next to them.

��It made your day better, right? Well on Terra, ‘brighten your day’ means ‘make your day better’,” Quill explained, his voice muffled as he cried into Gamora's shoulder.

“Oh. Well, then yes, that did brighten our day,” Drax said loudly as he too walked to the sleeping quarters.

The rest of the Guardians all stood in silence as they came to terms that they had a family again, after losing their own so long ago.

***********

“Sam! Come see what Evie just sent us!” Kerry called from their room. A few moments later Sam walked in, ready for bed.

“What is it?” he asked, kissing her sweetly.

“It's a video to ‘brighten our day’,” she replied, pressing play. They watched it in silence, both of them tearing up when they and their unborn baby boy were mentioned.

“Oh my god. That is the cutest fecking thing I've ever seen,” Kerry said shakily once the video was done. Sam nodded, unable to speak.

“It's good to know Riley is already so loved before he officially gets here,” he said after a while. The expectant parents snuggled in bed, smiles on their faces as they fell asleep.

************

“Hey everyone, Evie just sent us a video. Let's watch it!” Peter called through the Compound. The Team assembled in the common room, ready to watch. FRIDAY began to play it, and Tony was a mess within the first five minutes, unashamedly sobbing into Rhodey's shoulder as his parents were so affectionately wished goodnight.

Thor and Loki were the next to choke up as their mother and father were mentioned, followed by Natasha. She was used to being called Auntie Nat by the kids, but to see them send her such love was enough to crack her tough exterior.

Wanda burst into tears as her brother was also wished goodnight, as she missed him terribly. Peter and Aunt May were there, as May and Bruce were still dating. To hear Ben be mentioned brought tears to their eyes as well, Bruce included.

The video was done playing, and everyone sat in stunned silence.

“Yeah, that just made everything that we do worth it. Those kids look up to us, and I'll be damned if I let them down, “ Rhodey declared, patting a still sobbing Tony on the back. Everyone nodded their agreement, then slowly, one by one, they all went to sleep, sweet dreams aplenty.

The next morning, Evie woke to her phone going off, the notification tone repeating every few seconds. She grabbed it and unlocked it, looking at all of the messages on the screen.

“Steve, wake up,” she urged, grabbing her husband's shoulder and shaking him. He snaked his arms around her and pulled her close, throwing a leg over hers.

“Five more minutes,” he mumbled into her neck before covering every inch he could reach in kisses. He began to grind his hips into hers, his arousal growing by the moment.

“Steve…” she trailed off as his left hand came up to cradle her face while he kissed her deeply. He took advantage of her distraction to climb over top of her, grinding his erection into her even more. Evie wrapped her arms around his back, reveling in the way his muscles moved under her fingertips. Her hands slowly made their way to his pants, intent on removing them as her earlier preoccupation was forgotten as they continued kissing.

“Uncle Steve! Get off Auntie Evie! You're gonna hurt her!” came the outraged cry from the doorway as Becca ran into the room. Evie jumped, causing her teeth to nick Steve's lip. He quickly got off of her, sitting up in bed as Alice and Bucky entered soon after their daughter, bursting into laughter as Steve's blush covered his upper body. Evie quickly sat up as well and swung her legs over Steve's lap to help hide his erection from their niece.

“Becca! What have we told you about coming into our room without knocking?” she scolded the little girl. “What if I or your uncle were getting dressed? We don't want you to see us naked, so you have to knock first.” Becca bowed her head.

“Sorry, Auntie Evie. I was just so excited to tell you about what Auntie Gail said about Miss Okoye,” she replied. Evie sighed before holding her arms out for her niece.

“It's okay, but that's one of the rules, remember? We all have to knock before opening someone's door,” she said as she hugged the little girl.

“Becca, she's right. You wouldn't want her or Uncle Steve to just walk into your room while you were getting dressed, right?” Bucky asked his daughter. Becca's eyes grew big as she understood the issue.

“No. Okay, I'll knock every time, I promise.” Evie hugged her again before kissing the top of her head.

“Good deal. Why don't you go hang with Sarah? I'm sure she's awake.” Becca was out the door before Evie got the whole sentence out. Once she was gone, Steve got out of bed, holding a pillow over his crotch as he walked past Bucky and Alice as he headed to the bathroom.

“Why the hell are you hiding it from me? It's not like I don't know what one looks like,” Bucky directed at his brother's back.

“Yeah, well my sister doesn't need to see it though,” he shot back over his shoulder as he threw the pillow at Bucky, shutting the door. Alice shuddered as she climbed up next to Evie.

“Yeah, I really don't need to see him like that,” she agreed. Bucky rolled his eyes.

“What? We're all adults here,” he argued. It was Evie's turn to roll her eyes.

“Yeah, but you wouldn't want me to see you like that though, right?” she asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“Well no, but we're related.” Another eye roll from the doctor.

“They are too, because of us, so it's the same thing, moron.” Bucky flipped her off before calling over his shoulder.

“Having problems in there, Stevie?” Evie couldn't hear her husband's response, but judging by the blush that covered Alice's face and Bucky's laugh, it was pretty filthy, even for Steve. “I think we're gonna go hang with the little monkeys so you can go help him out.” He stalked to the bed and swept Alice into his arms and walked out.

Taking that as her cue, Evie went into the bathroom, walking up behind Steve, who stood in front of the toilet. She grabbed his hands and turned him towards her, the tent in his pants quite noticeable

“Here, let me,” she said as she sank to her knees.

**********

Evie followed the voices of her kids and niece downstairs, finding them, Alice and Bucky in the kitchen, eating breakfast.

“Everything okay?” Bucky asked teasingly. Evie smiled at him.

“Oh yeah. You know better than anyone about that super soldier stamina, so we had to take care of his issue a few times,” she replied with a wink, making Alice blush.

“Eww. So anyway, we didn't know that you had sent that video to everyone last night,” she said, narrowing her eyes at her sister. Evie shrugged.

“What? I thought that everyone would enjoy it. Sorry for not asking before I sent it.” She set about making a cup of coffee for herself and a glass of milk for Steve.

“Thanks, baby,” he said as he walked in and grabbed it from her. He wasn't a fan of coffee, so it was milk or water for him.

“Welcome, babe.” She kissed him sweetly before walking over to Becca. “So, what did Auntie Gail say about Miss Okoye?” The six-year-old grinned brightly, her father's smile copied perfectly into her little face.

“Auntie Gail said that Miss Okoye cried when she saw your video, Auntie Evie!” she exclaimed. Evie looked around at the other adults in shock. Making Okoye, the General of the Dora Milaje, cry over a video was an impressive feat.

“Uh, wow. That is pretty amazing,” Evie replied in a daze. Becca nodded enthusiastically.

“Yep and cousin T'Zari said hi to us too!” All of the adults were glad the super kids would all grow up so close. Steve had opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted when the front door opened. The four adults went to see who their unannounced visitor was.

“Brighten our day?! Tug at our heartstrings is more like it!” Maggie cried as she stomped in, followed by Simon, Kerry, and Sam.

“Yeah, that was pretty heavy-handed, Evie,” Sam said, closing the door behind him. “Kerry woke up crying a few times over ‘how fecking cute’ it was.” Steve and Bucky grinned at the thought of Sam having to deal with a pregnant partner and the accompanying mood swings.

“Sorry. I didn't mean to make her or Okoye cry,” Evie apologized.

“Wait...Okoye cried?! Wow,” Simon exclaimed, impressed.

“Apparently.” Her phone dinged again and she looked at the messages. “Oh yeah. I was going through the responses I got when someone distracted me,” she said, glaring at Steve.

“What? I had needs, and you took care of them,” he answered with a shrug. “What did everyone say?” Evie scrolled through her notifications, her smile growing with each one.

“So Okoye cried, so did Quill and Rocket. Tony sobbed, and Thor and Loki got choked up. Oh my gosh…..Nat cried. I made Natasha Romanoff cry.” Evie honestly didn't know what to say. She didn't mean to make anyone cry with the video. She just wanted to show everyone how much they meant to the kids.

“Simon cried too, Evie. Good job,” Maggie congratulated her. The offended look on the burly man's face was priceless as she sold him out. Bucky, Steve, and Sam burst out laughing, while Kerry and Alice smiled sweetly at him.

“Awww, Si. I've made you cry, and now Evie has. Did you cry when Gail got married? Will you cry when Kerry gets married?” Alice asked. He scowled at her.

“Shut it, Al. For the record, I wasn't crying last night, I just had….allergies,” Simon explained.

Which, in the presence of a doctor, probably wasn't a good idea.

“Do I need to prescribe you something for those then?” Evie said, slipping into Doctor mode. He stuttered at being caught in a lie.

“Yeah, some time to hang with all of the kids so he's not such a fecking moody bastard,” Kerry quipped, making all of the adults laugh. “Oh. Riley must want to play too.” She rubbed her belly, looking uncomfortable.

“Everything okay in there?” Evie was on edge. She couldn't exactly diagnose anything with Riley or Kerry, as obstetrics was out of her league. The redhead sighed.

“Yeah, he's just over eager to get here. I'll be so glad when he does though.” Sam rubbed her back soothingly as she took some calming breaths.

“Alright. Just don't go into labor yet. He's not done cooking and there's no one here that's qualified to deliver him,” Evie warned. They all gave her the same look. “What?”

“You are the most qualified person here,” Alice insisted. “None of us have gone to medical school and only two of us have given birth.” Evie's eyes grew big as she realized her sister was right.

“True, but let's leave me as Plan Z. You'll be at the Compound when you go into labor I'm sure.” They all nodded in agreement. They've had enough excitement to last them a lifetime.

“Okay, enough chit chat. I've got a nephew and some nieces I need to see,” Simon declared, pushing past them all and heading towards the kitchen. Evie chuckled as they all followed him. If he's this whipped before fatherhood, then he'll be a downright puddle of mush when he and Maggie have a baby.

Evie hung back and watched everyone in the kitchen, happy to see all the love and affection they all had for each other.

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#cant help falling in love #slayersoldier series #steve x evie #bucky x alice #simon x maggie #sam x kerry #becca barnes #robby rogers #sarah rogers #t'challa x gail #tzari #riley wilson #the guardians #the defenders #the avengers

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gokinjeespot · 6 years ago

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off the rack #1242

Monday, December 24, 2018

I was hit by a spasm of back pain on Saturday like the ghost of Christmas Past. That'll teach me for being such a Scrooge this time of year. I try not to be naughty but being nice is such a pain in the pants. I am slowly recovering under the gentle ministrations of Santa's Helper. Being around family and friends is better medicine than any pain pills I could take. My brother and sister-in-law hosted a brunch yesterday and seeing everyone together laughing and happy soothed me greatly. Just holding baby Oliver and making him smile eased my back pain.

I saw the Ottawa premiere of Aquaman thanks to my Jee-Riz partner Chris, who won passes from the comic book store Myths, Legends and Heroes. I can sum up how I felt about the movie in one word; wigs. I wish they had spent some of the Atlantis special effects budget on better wigs for the actors. Arthur's dad's toupee was glaringly obvious. I've seen better hair on Cosplayers than Nicole Kidman's wigs. It looked like Amber Heard/Mera was wearing a wig at times but even when it looked like her real hair the colour red they chose was too unnatural looking. The movie's saving grace for me was Jason Momoa. He makes a great Arthur/Aquaman. I'm glad I didn't pay to see this one.

Ugh. Stan Lee tribute covers. Terrible marketing idea.

Dead Man Logan #2 - Ed Brisson (writer) Mike Henderson (art) Nolan Woodard (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). A couple of things really annoyed me this issue. Sin, the Red Skull's daughter, acted like a spoiled brat. It's not a stretch to foresee the villains losing at the end of this 12-issue story. Then we have Forge repairing a machine that can get Old Man Logan back home. They actually go there and he doesn't stay. I'm for super heroics as much as the next nerd and maybe I'm selfish, but that irked me to no end. Old Man Logan has been whining about getting home ever since he showed up in this timeline and now he wants to stay to prevent all the super heroes from being killed by all the super villains. There isn't even a guarantee that is what happens in the future. And why don't they use the machine to fix things? Man I hate time travel. I really like Mike Henderson's art but this looks like another travelling super heroes versus super villains battle every issue, and that's not very interesting to me.

Defenders: The Best Defense #1 - Al Ewing (writer) Joe Bennett (pencils) Belardino Brabo (inks) Dono Sanchez Almara (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). It's the big Defenders reunion to save Earth. Old Man Dr. Strange, Hulk, Namor and the Silver Surfer have to sidetrack The Train in order for Earth to survive. It's a bit complicated and I'm surprised that you didn't really need to read all the one-shots to get what's going on. I mean all those scenes where the stabby killer in the bed sheet is killing aliens isn't even mentioned in this story. So what was up with that?

Marvel Knights #4 - Vita Ayala & Donny Cates (writers) Joshua Cassara (art) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Here's where they explain why all the super heroes have forgotten who they are. T'Challa/Black Panther is featured in this issue that ends with him discovering the lair of villains. I'm wondering how the bad guys retained their memories.

Old Man Hawkeye #12 - Ethan Sacks (writer) Francesco Mobili (art) Andres Mossa (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). That was a very satisfying ending. What a great prequel to the Old Man Logan story where Clint and Logan go on a road trip. This is where Clint loses his sight for good. I loved the last page epilogue showing Clint tracking down someone who will help him to continue to fight the bad guys despite his blindness.

Runaways #16 - Rainbow Rowell (writer) Kris Anka (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Reading this Christmas special is better than getting a lump of coal. Having Doombot as a dinner guest made this a treat. I wish he was a regular member of the team.

West Coast Avengers #6 - Kelly Thompson (writer) Daniele Di Nicuolo (art) Triona Farrell (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). The good guys have been captured by the bad guys: Satana Hellstrom, M.O.D.O.K., The Eel and Madame Masque. Kate is still free however and she's not going to abandon her team mates. Too bad she gets waylaid on her way to rescue them. Her captor is a complete surprise, which will make the next issue a hoot.

Thor #8 - Jason Aaron (writer) Mike del Mundo (art) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). This is an awesome issue with Thor fighting the Angelus. It ends with an ex-Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. being paid a visit by the Black Panther. I like how this book is being tied into The Avengers.

Season's Beatings #1 - Jason Latour (writer) Greg Hinkle, Chris Brunner, Veronica Fish & Mario Del Pennino (art) Rico Renzi, Jim Campbell & Veronica Fish (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). I should have realized from the cover that this was a Deadpool Christmas Special. If I had known, I would have bought a pair of socks from the Dollar Store with the $4.99 US that this comic book costs. Unless of course, you're a big Deadpool fan or West Coast Avengers fan or even an X-Force fan. They're all in here too. Plus Squirrel Girl and Doctor Doom. Come to think of it, this is an everything but the kitchen sink gift for a Marvel Comics fan who will get a few chuckles out of it.

Freedom Fighters #1 - Robert Venditti (writer) Eddy Barrows (pencils) Eber Ferreira (inks) Adriano Lucas (colours) Deron Bennett (letters). This is some heavy duty patriotic poop right here. We start this 12-issue story in 1963 America that is ruled by Adolf Hitler and his "ratzi" party. The original Freedom Fighters meet to plot a resistance attack on a war robot factory. Things don't go well for the good guys. Jump forward to 2018 and the surprise appearance of the New Freedom Fighters; Black Condor, Doll Woman, the Human Bomb and Phantom Lady. All we need is Uncle Sam. Robert Venditti holds nothing back showing the Germans as ruthless racists. The art is really well done so I will give these Golden Age heroes a chance to see how they fare in modern times.

Middlewest #2 - Skottie Young (writer) Jorge Corona (art) Jean Francois Beaulieu (colours) Nate Piekos (letters). A new character named Jeb is introduced who helps Abel get out of a bind. Jeb reminds me of the first time we meet Gandalf. Abel's quest continues and we find out a bit more about the symbol on his chest. I predict he'll meet his mother down the road but unlike the talking fox, I won't be travelling down it with him.

Cover #4 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) David Mack (art) Michael Avon Oeming (Owen art) Zu Orzu (colours) Carlos Mangual (letters). This issue is a great example of how a comic book can tell a story with words and pictures. I felt like I was watching a TV show or a short film. Brian, David and Michael work together seamlessly

Hardcore 1 - Robert Kirkman & Andy Diggle (writers) Alessandro Vitti (art) Adriano Lucas (colours) Thomas Mauer (letters). Yeah man, it is. Agent Drake is a drone pilot but what he controls are other human beings. A new nanotechnology allows him to take over and move a remote body for 72 hours so he can complete wetwork missions. It's really cool. The big problem arises when the guy who invented the tech comes back to reclaim it from the government. That guy is not asking nicely. I like this concept and the predicament that Agent Drake finds himself in at the end of this issue. Therefore, this goes on to my "must read" list.

Klaus and the Crying Snowman #1 - Grant Morrison (writer) Dan Mora (art) Ed Dukeshire (letters). This $7.99 US one-shot tells the tale of how Sam the snowman helps Klaus save the Earth from murderous aliens. I loved how they wove in Norse mythology. You'd think a crying snowman would be doomed in the end and you'd be right, but fear not, 'tis a happy ending.

Betty & Veronica #1 - Jamie Lee Rotante (writer) Sandra Lanz (art) Kelly Fitzpatrick (colours) Jack Morelli (letters). The BFFs are back with a 5-issue mini that starts off their senior year of high school. I know that these slightly more mature Archie Comics want to draw in a new audience but Betty dating Reggie? Sacrilege. A few other things bothered me storywise that turned me off even more. Betty drinking a spiked punch without noticing? C'mon. Then there's the art. I didn't like the interiors compared to the nice cover that Sandra drew. I expected my girl Betty to be treated better than this.

Catwoman #6 - Joelle Jones (story & art) Laura Allred (colours) Josh Reed (letters). The finale of "Copycats" is a quick read so I read it twice. The first time was to see how Catwoman deals with the evil Mrs. Creel and her pumped up on drugs son. The second time was to see Catwoman in action and to savour the beautiful art and layouts. I wish Joelle Jones would do a Betty & Veronica mini.

Extermination #5 - Ed Brisson (writer) Pepe Larraz (art) Marte Gracia (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). I tolerated this time travel tale because of the amazing art. I wish Pepe Larraz would do a Betty & Veronica mini. If you thought that the mutants being exterminated was a real threat then you haven't been reading X-Men comic books for very long. This story puts the young X-Men back in their own time and all is well again. The big surprise comes on the last page and I'm thinking "oh geez, here we go again".

Domino #9 - Gail Simone (writer) David Baldeon & Michael Shelfer (art) Roberto Poggi (ink assist) Guru-eFX (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Soldier of Fortune part 3. The ladies are asked to kill Longshot. Haven't seen him in a while. Might not see him for long though, since he's supposed to bring about the end of the world. This is interesting because both Domino and Longshot have the same super power. Who's luck is going to run out first?

Firefly #2 - Greg Pak (writer) Dan McDaid (art) Marcelo Costa (colours) Jim Campbell (letters). Mal and Zoe are being hunted by a gang of thieves and the Alliance. Darn tootin' there's going to be shootin'. I have been watching Nathan Fillion's new cop show The Rookie and I quite like it.

Batman #61 - Tom King (writer) Travis Moore (art) Tamra Bonvillain (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). Knightmares part 1. The "what the!?" appearance on the last page of #60 is explained here as a new story starts. I knew something was hinky when I saw the string of pearls around the dead body of Martha Wayne in the alley. I thought we were in an alternate universe and we sort of are but it came as a complete shock when what was going on was explained. Arkham Asylum is getting a new inmate. At least he's new to me unless I want to go back and read Batman #38.

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gokinjeespot · 6 years ago

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off the rack #1241

Monday, December 17, 2018

I got sucked into the vortex that happens this time of year for social events that I couldn't avoid. We went out to dinner on Friday at Grow Your Roots Café in Kanata with our vegetarian friends to celebrate my and Brian's birthdays, which are two weeks apart in December. I actually enjoyed my beyond meat burger platter. Way better than A&W's, although to be fair I haven't had the fast food version yet, but Brian has. And their fries were excellent too. Saturday was date night with dinner at the Yangtze Restaurant on Somerset Street and then crossing Arthur Street to Bar Robo to see the Tony D Trio. I've always wanted to see Tony D play live and this was a great chance to do that. It was intimate and we got a great table. We stayed for both sets and got home just before midnight. Not bad for an old fogey. The rocking music helped me stay awake. Sunday morning found us at the Carleton Tavern having breakfast at 9 AM. We try to see Sam the chef before Christmas and wish him and his family all the best for the holidays. Sam spoils us. You can tell he piles a lot more food on our plates than for other diners. You get that when you've patronized a place for 40 years. And finally, I venture out tonight to go see the Aquaman movie with my Jee-Riz partner Chris. I hear Amber Heard is in it.

X-23 #7 - Mariko Tamaki (writer) Diego Olortegui (pencils) Walden Wong (inks) Chris O'Halloran (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). X-Assassin part 1. You can safely jump onto this book right here with this new story. Laura and Gabby help out the NYPD with a serial murder case and the killer is something brand new. I like the connection between the assassin, X-23 and Honey Badger and the new art team did a great job so I'm going to keep reading.

Doctor Strange: The Best Defense #1 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Greg Smallwood (art) VC's Cory Petit (letters). By the Vishanti was this ever good. These Defender one-shots are thoroughly worth reading if you're a big Marvel Fan. Greg did a wonderful tribute to Steve Ditko in a two page spread and I loved his Clea. The stabby guy in the bed sheet is still killing aliens too.

The Silver Surfer: The Best Defense #1 - Jason Latour (writer & art) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). My hopes for all of the Defenders one-shots to be stellar were dashed with this one. Norrin Radd doesn't even appear until way later in the story. It starts off incomprehensibly with a bunch of aliens and ends with a lot of new age gobbledy goop that the Surfer spouts while floating in space. The crazy knife wielding Halloween ghost only shows up in two panels so that was disappointing as well. The only thing I liked was when the Surfer's board takes off eh.

Magic Order #5 - Mark Millar (writer) Olivier Coipel (art) Dave Stewart (colours) Peter Doherty (letters). This is the penultimate issue with many shocking revelations. It sets up next issue's conclusion beautifully. I can hardly wait to find out what happens.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #1/LGY #241 - Saladin Ahmed (writer) Javier Garron (art) David Curiel (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Yay! This did not suck. I was so afraid that the new Miles book would not stand up to the high standard that I put on it when Brian Michael Bendis was writing his adventures. Saladin Ahmed did an excellent job here and it helped that Javier Garron's art rocked the whole issue. You get all you need to know to enjoy this Spider-Man even if you didn't read the 240 issues leading up to this. I admit I did a little eye roll when the super villain showed up but then there's a twist that made me give a cheer. I can't wait for the next issue, and that's the magic that Brian used to make that kept me reading.

The Batman Who Laughs #1 - Scott Snyder (writer) Jock (art) David Baron (colours) Sal Cipriano (letters). I was going to give this 6-issue mini a pass because I didn't like the whole Dark Nights Metal storyline but I thought I'd give Scott Snyder another chance. He presents a very different kind of dark knight that I still do not like so I won't finish reading this story either, but that's just me. If you want to see what happens when Batman gets turned into the Joker (WTF?) then you'll want to read this.

Goddess Mode #1 - Zoe Quinn (writer) Robbi Rodriguez (art) Rico Renzi (colours) Simon Bowland (letters). This new Vertigo book takes place in a very colourful future where folks live in a virtual reality because the real world sucks. Cassandra Price is a coder who works for the corporation that controls the VR. A glitch sends her into another reality and there she meets three other women and I think they go fight evil forces. This book is very bright and very tech and text heavy. I felt like I didn't get to know Cassandra very well before she gets transformed into a goddess and her situation is very confusing. This book is not to my taste unfortunately.

The Unstoppable Wasp #3/LGY #11 - Jeremy Whitley (writer) Gurihiru (art) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). A.I.M. has broken into Pym Labs to steal tech and Nadia must save her friends and keep the bad guys from getting away. These foes are quite formidable and even with the help of the original Wasp and Mockingbird, the bad guys win. I like the new A.I.M. villains and want to learn more about them.

Avengers #11/LGY #701 - Jason Aaron (writer) Ed McGuinness & Cory Smith (pencils) Mark Morales, Scott Hanna & Karl Kesel (inks/finishers) Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). It's the calm before the next storm. According to the cover Jason's other story in Thor, "The War of the Realms", will cross over into this book in 4 months. Meanwhile, T'Challa meets with some international super heroes to try and form an alliance to keep the world safe. Thor and She-Hulk go on a date and Phil Coulson explains why there's a Squadron Supreme of America. See, it's not always massive alien invasions and war with Namor.

Fantastic Four Wedding Special #1 - This lead in one-shot to Fantastic Four #650 has 3 stories.

"(Invisible) Girls Gone Wild" by Gail Simone (writer) Laura Braga (art) Jesus Aburtov (colours) & VC's Joe Caramagna (letters) is a silly bachelorette party at a strip joint with Alicia's friends and some of Sue's super powered buddies. I expected better from Gail.

"Father Figure" by Dan Slott (writer) Mark Buckingham (pencils) Mark Farmer (inks) Matt Yackey (colours) & VC's Joe Caramagna (letters) reminded me of who Alicia's step-father is. I was touched as I remembered asking Mr. Fowler for Penny's hand in marriage. I loved the job the two Marks did. I would have sworn Jack Kirby drew this.

"The Puppet Master's Lament" by Fred Hembeck (writer & art) & Megan Wilson (colours) was a monologue recap of Ben and Alicia's relationship. It was typical Fred Hembeck humour.

You really don't have to read this since there's nothing here that impacts the wedding much but it's a nice accompaniment to the big day.

Sasquatch Detective #1 - Brandee Stilwell (creator & writer). This $7.99 US 64-page special continues the beloved tradition of silly funny animal comic books that used to rule the racks. Too bad it doesn't cost 25 cents like back in the fifties. You get the origin story by Ron Randall (art) Ross Campbell (colours) & Dave Sharpe (letters). This will tell you how Tonya Mae Lightfoot from the Appalachian Mountains leaves her Sasquatch family to go to Los Angeles and join the LAPD. What follows are five short stories where Tonya solves crimes. I would not have wanted to read this big book normally, but the art throughout is really good. Thanks to Gustavo Vazques (art) & Chris Sotomayor (colours) in "Sasquatch Anniversary"; Gustavo Vazques (art) & Ross Campbell (colours) in "Unsolved Mysteries", "Neighbourhood Watch", "Arrest and Relaxation" & "Smoke and Mirrors". There are even some cameos by some DC heroes as a bonus.

Batman Annual #3 - Tom Taylor (writer) Otto Schmidt (art) A Larger World's Troy Peteri (letters). If Tom King ever leaves Batman I hope that Tom Taylor takes over the writing chores. I love when Alfred is featured but only if it's very well written and this story is very well written indeed. The relationship between Alfred and Batman/Bruce is special and this story proves just how special. If you're a Batman fan but don't normally get the annual, you have to get this one.

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