Episode 38 – Captain America

 

 

Episode 38 – Retro Comics & Movie Review: Captain America – The Winter Soldier

 

On this episode of the Geeks Menagerie, the Rambler and I review Captain America(2005) issues #8, 9, 11-14 and Captain America 2 – The Winter Soldier staring Chris Evans. Dont worry! We went spoiler free on the movie! I was also thinking about how I could help those out there that dont know much about some of the characters and their comic book histories.

 

 

Captain America (Marvel)(01 – Steve Rogers) click here for more details on this characters comic appearances COMICBOOKDB

Real Name: Steve Rogers.

Powers:
Captain America represents the pinnacle of human physical perfection. He experienced a time when he was augmented to superhuman levels, but is no longer. Captain America has a very high intelligence as well as agility, strength, speed, endurance, and reaction time superior to any Olympic athlete who ever competed. The Super-Soldier formula that he has metabolized has enhanced all of his bodily functions to the peak of human efficiency. Most notably, his body eliminates the excessive build-up of fatigue-producing poisons in his muscles, granting him phenomenal endurance.

Bio:
When fine-arts student Steve Rogers enlisted with the US Army during World War II, he was determined to be 4-F; unfit for duty. Seeking to help the war effort any way he could, Rogers signed up for the secret program known as Operation: Rebirth. Given an experimental Super-Soldier Serum and “vita-rays”, Rogers is near instantly transformed into the perfect human being.

Using his new abilities to further the US war effort, Rogers was made a symbol of the US fighting spirit, Captain America!

During the final days of World War II, Captain America and his teen sidekick Bucky seemingly died stopping a drone plane programmed by Baron Zemo, but in reality, Rogers was knocked unconcious and frozen in a block of ice. Sustained by the super-soldier serum, Rogers survived for 20 years in the block of ice until he was accidentally thawed by the Sub-Mariner.

Discovered by the Avengers, Rogers would join their ranks and continue to uphold the American ideal.

First Appearance: Captain America Comics (1941) #1

 

Falcon (Marvel)(02 – Sam Wilson)  click here for more details on this characters comic appearances COMICBOOKDB

Real Name: Samuel Wilson

Powers:
The Falcon used to have an empathic link with his bird, but that has grown to encompass and ability to call(command) a large number of avians ; and to look throught their eyes. He flies by means of hard light wings that can deflect high caliber weaponry. This flight suit was designed by the Wakanda design group.

Bio:
Former partner of Captain America, brother of Sarah, uncle of Jim. Father and mother killled by muggers, developed multiple personality disorder. “Snap” identity used to deal with anger, original personality returned, with empathic bond with the falcon Redwing enhanced by Red Skull using Cosmic Cube. Sent to become partners with Captain America to be used as a weapon at a later date. Snap identity has resurfaced in periods of extreme personal stress. Social worker, unsuccessfully ran for councilman.

First Appearance: Captain America (1968) #117

 

 

Nicholas Joseph ‘Nick’ Fury (Marvel)

 

Nicholas ‘Nick’ Fury (Marvel)(Ultimate) click here for more details on this characters comic appearances COMICBOOKDB

Notes:
While some characters that debuted in Ultimate Marvel Team-Up may act inconsistently from their other, later appearances, The Official Handbook of the Ultimate Marvel Universe: Ultimate X-Men/The Ultimates 2005 #1 confirms this character’s appearance to be in-continuity.

The Ultimate version of this character is not an alternate identity of the regular Marvel character as the Ultimate universe is a distinct reality. See here for more information.

First Appearance: Ultimate Marvel Team-Up (2001) #5

 

Black Widow (Marvel)(02 – Natalia Romanova)  click here for more details on this characters comic appearances COMICBOOKDB

Powers:
The Black Widow has received a variant of the Super-Soldier Serum which has enabled her to remain in peak physical condition for the past several decades, as well as slowing her aging process to some degree.

Weapons:
Bracelets that contain both the “widow’s line” which fires her cable, and the “widow’s bite” which releases electric bolts to stun her adversaries with a charge of up to 30,000 volts. Her gloves and boots are equipped with miniature suction cups which enable her to cling to surfaces. Her belt contains plastic explosives.

Bio:
Natalia Romanova, known to most as Natasha Romanoff, is rumored to be a relative of the Romanoffs, the last ruling czars of Russia, but nothing else is known of her family. During World War II, a Nazi assault upon Stalingrad set the building she was in on fire. A woman, possibly her mother, threw her into the arms of a Russian soldier named Ivan Petrovich before being consumed by the flames.

Ivan brought Natasha under his protection and soon had to defend her from her many enemies. In 1941, Natasha was sought by the Nazi Baron Strucker, who presented her to the Hand to become their master assassin. She was saved from Strucker and the Hand by Ivan, the American super-hero Captain America, and the Canadian adventurer Logan.

 

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Episode 35 – 300 Peabodies & a Sherman!

This week on the Menagerie, the Rambler and I review Mr. Peabody & Sherman along with 300: the rise of an empire.

Episode 35 – Movie Reviews

Mr. Peabody is a cartoon dog who appeared in the late 1950s and early 1960s television animated series Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show, produced by Jay Ward. Peabody appeared in the Peabody’s Improbable Historysegments created by Ted Key, and was voiced by Bill Scott, while Sherman was voiced by Walter Tetley.

The cartoons are about Peabody, a beagle who is the smartest being in existence. Peabody has accomplished many things in his life as a business magnate, inventor, scientist, Nobel laureate, gourmand, and two-time Olympic medalist.^[1] One day, Mr. Peabody becomes sad and lonely and decides to adopt his own human son. In an alley, he meets Sherman, a dorky, glasses-wearing, orange-haired boy. After saving Sherman from a group of bullies, Peabody discovers that Sherman is an orphan and decides to adopt him.

After a court appearance and a talk with the President and the government, Peabody becomes Sherman’s new guardian. Mr. Peabody tells Sherman to not call him “Daddy” and to call him by his name, “Mr. Peabody.”

Peabody realizes that boys need running room and so invents the WABAC machine as a birthday gift for Sherman. He and Sherman then go back in time to see a Roman speaking in Latin; Peabody then adds a translator circuit to the machine so that everyone seems to speak English and see the Roman again finding out he is a used chariot salesman. Their next trip is to see Ben Franklin flying his kite, but Peabody and Sherman discover that they cannot interact with the past, so Peabody makes some more adjustments, turning the WABAC from a time machine into a “should-have-been machine.” This results in the past they visit being totally cockeyed (including anachronisms and famous people behaving totally out of character).

For example, Paul Revere is unable to make his famous ride through Boston because his horse is actually a statue. In another trip Robin Hood has suffered a head injury causing him to behave the opposite of normal—shooting bows (rather than arrows) at peasants and wanting to steal from the poor so as to give to the rich. – This is why I loved the old cartoon!

Episode 23 – Movie Review The Desolation of Smaug

We are back with our review of The Hobbit – The Desolation of Smaug