Punch Magazine

FEATURING AR TCLES
Pen Pals • Hulk on Homes • Physchoanolyzing Superman • Batman 66
AUGUST 2015
ISSUE #2
$5.99 CDN
PUNC
PUN
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
WITH
MICHAEL
WALSH
BEGINNING WITH
A COMEBACK
TOP 10 DC TRADES YOU NEED TO KNOW

Welcome to Punch
A fanzine made by local comic lovers for comic lovers here in Saskatoon.
Ding! We’re back for round two! This issue features even more beautiful and
inspiring work from our talented city. Once again, the response was overwhelming.
You will be pleased to see more articles and art about the things
that you are passionate about; everything from Manga and Cosplay, to magic,
all your favorite Superheroes, and just about everything in-between. You will
need a heart wrenching tale of a comic-con dream that almost died, but was
saved by the graces of friendship; dip into the psyche of the man of steel; sneak
a peek into the world of what Transformers could be; and so much more!
This issue also kicks off in time to celebrate the first ever Saskatchewan Entertainment
Expo! We are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to interview
two of the guests, Canadian artist Michael Walsh, and cult icon from the
X-Files, William B Davis, better known as the Smoking Man.
The subject matter between these convers is diverse, but what all the pages
have in common is…love. Love has motivated the artists and writers to share
their affections with the rest of us. And we are grateful. Thanks to all the contributors
for another great issue of PUNCH!
CONTACT US!
(306) 242-8996
amazingstoriescomics.com
facebook.com/amazingstoriescomics
#370 – 2600 8th Street East
Enjoy.
Contents
Comeback Trail 4
Hulk on Homes 8
Bring on...The Bat-Time! 10
Fan art 12
Psychoanalyzing Superman 14
Pen Pals 16
Four Decepticons 18
Top 10 DC Trades 22
printed in China

Jodypaloosa interviews
Michael Walsh
Canadian artist Michael Walsh
has been drawing comics for
as long as he can remember. “My
mom likes to tell people that I
could fingerprint the ninja turtles
before I could talk. I always knew
I would be an artist of some sort
and after college I decided to put
all my energy into comic art.”
His first major series, Comeback,
written by Ed Brisson, was
released by Image Comics in
November to wide acclaim. He is
currently creating art
for the X-Files, and is
launching a new series,
Zero, with Ales Kot
this fall. Michael was
kind enough to share
some insights into the
life of a professional
illustrator.
Punch: Are you formally trained?
Where did you go to school? Is
it necesary to follow that route,
or do you feel it’s possible to be
successful if you’re self-taught?
MW: I attended OCAD in Toronto
and have a BA in Illustration.
I don’t think it is necessary
at all as long as you have a strong
work ethic, direction and the will
to learn and improve. It does help
with understanding how to take
a negative critique and interact
with peers. I learned more from
other students than I did from my
teachers.
Punch: When did art become
Comeback Trail
your full time job and how did it
feel?
MW: I quit my day job a few
months before Comeback got
picked up as I was getting a ton of
commissions and had a few other
small gigs lined up. I figured without
a day job I would be more
motivated to get full time comic
work and I was right! It felt great
to be doing what I love full time.
It’s a privilege not a lot of people
get to experience and it’s extremely
rewarding.
Punch: How do you draw? Are
you a diligent, disciplined, draw
every day kind of guy?
MW: In comics you can’t afford
to not be working. Right now I’m
drawing 6 days a week ten hours a
day. If I’m hung up on something
I just move on and keep working
then come back to said hang-up. I
find it fastest to spend a few days
pencilling and then take a day to
ink all those pencils as inking is
usually a little faster than pencilling.
Punch: What is your favorite
medium?
My favourit medium is plain old India
ink and brushes. It’s the most cathartic
part of the process w here I can let my
arm do the work
and my mind gets to rest.
MW: My favourite medium is
plain old India ink and brushes.
It’s the most cathartic part of the
process where I can let my arm
do the work and my mind gets to
rest.
Punch: How much does technology
assist in your creative process?
MW: Technology helps me in a
bunch of different ways, the most
helpful of which is that it saves
me time (one of the most
important commodities to
a comic artist). I mostly use
the computer for preliminary
drawing, pencilling,
printing/scanning and looking
up building/gun/car reference.
It’s a valuable tool
and helps me every day.
Punch: What does your process
look like? Do you have any favorite
supplies... paper, pens?
MW: My two new tools I’m in
love with are a Blue Pilot Color
Eno mechanical pencil (the first
easily erasable non photo blue
pencil i’ve found) and FW Artists
Ink (It’s acrylic based so it dries a
nice and thick matte black, makes
the original art more appealing to
potential buyers)
My current process is as follows:
I thumbnail the pages in photoshop,
using just a regular round
Pencil tool and a page template
I created. All the photoshop
drawing is done on a bamboo
tablet. After these are approved
I blow up the thumbnails and
pencil them in photoshop. I’m
not too finicky at this point as I
do a lot of drawing during the
inking phase but I do make sure
everything Is tight enough so that
all the anatomy and perspective
is worked out. I then print these
pencils out in a light non-photo
blue onto an 11x17 strathmore
paper. Sometimes I do a bit more
pencilling the the Pilot Color Eno
that I mentioned but most of the
time I just jump into inks. I use a
variety of tools and am constantly
experimenting with new inking
techniques. I use #4 brush quite
a bit and also brush pens from
zebra and pentel. I use the Pentel
Pocket correction pen for any
errors and a good old toothbrush
for splattering ink or masking
fluid. After I’m done inking I
scan back into photoshop and
format the pages, making any last
adjustments before sending to the
editor.
Punch: How long have you
participated in Artists’ Alley at
comic-cons? How successful were
you? What advice would you give
fledgling artists hoping to break
into comics?
MW: I’ve been in the artist alley
game for about 2 years now. I’ve
always been decently successful
at cons as I have pretty cheap,
eye-catching prints that sell really
well. I always do commissions for
relatively cheap and bring a boat
load of original sketches in case
my commission list fills up.
As for con advice, I would say
to find a way to make your work
stand out amongst the dozens
of artists in AA. Make the prints
bold and position them so
that people walking by can see
them. Also, don’t undervalue
your worth! At my first con I
was charging ten dollars for full
figure sketches and my list filled
up quick. At the end of the day
its better to charge a little more
and do a few less to give yourself
some breathing room, less stressful
that way.
Punch: Who is/was your biggest
influence artistically? Are there
any artists/writers in the comic
world that particularly inspire
you? If you could work with
anyone on your next project, who
would it be?
MW: I have so many influences
its impossible to name just one
but I’ll try and keep it brief, Alex
Toth (Zorro, Torpedo, etc),
David Mazzuchelli (Batman: Year
One), Mike Mignola (Hellboy),
then there are tons of modern
artists I look to for inspiration
as well, including Samnee, Aja,
Lark, Phillips, Leon … the list
goes on and on (I read a ton of
comics).
For my next project? I’d love to
take a crack at something in the
Hellboy/BPRD universe under
the penmanship of Mignola/Arcudi.
Also I’ve been loving Locke
& Key and I feel I’d be a good
match for the writing of Joe Hill.
Punch: Do you do other
artwork in your spare
time? Is it stylistically
similar to your technique
in Comeback?
MW: Spare time? HA. I’m a
comic artist, I don’t have spare
time! My work schedule is pretty
demanding so I don’t find myself
creating artwork for fun. That said
if my load does lighten at all in
the next few months I want to do
a short fantasy webcomic that’s
been brewing in my head for the
last bit. Would be a dark fairy tale
in the vein of Pan’s Labrynth.
Punch: What artwork are you
most proud of?
MW: This really changes from
day to day. As of TODAY I
am probably most happy with a
particular sequence from the first
issue of X-Files that I just got back
fully coloured by Jordie Bellaire
(Coloring Godess). Looking
back I’m still pretty happy with
how the covers to Comeback all
turned out. It’s great seeing them
all in a row popping off the comic
shelves.
page 4 page 5

Punch: How did you get on board
with Image Comics? Are they
good to work for? How do you
like the other titles in that line?
MW: Image itself is a hard nut
to crack and it took quite a few
pitches before we had any response
from them, perseverance
and patience were key. Image is
great as there isn’t very much editorial
influence and we were given
pretty much free reign on the
interior pages. Image is one of
my favourite publishers and they
are pumping out a bunch of my
favourite books right now. Including
Saga, Fatale, The Manhattan
Projects, Nowhere Men, Prophet,
Walking Dead… They have way
too many good books to name. I
could sit here rhyming them off
all day.
Punch: Without spilling the
beans, what can you reveal about
your upcoming release, Zero?
MW: Zero is the brainchild of
Ales Kot. It’s a series set in the
near future that flips all the tropes
of super spy fiction on their
head. It’s an ongoing series with a
different artist on each issue. I’m
working on the first issue which
is set in Palestine, it’s been a
blast to draw so far.
Punch: You’re currently also
working on the X-files comic.
Were you a big fan of the
show? Any favorite characters
or memorable moments?
MW:When the show originally
aired I was a little too young to
watch it as it was way too scary
for me. That said I’ve watched
Zero is the brainchild of Ales Kot. It’s a series set
in the near future that flips all the tropes of super
spy fiction on their head.
it since then and loved it! One of
my favourite characters is Walter
Skinner, that dude is just way too
bad-ass I love the scene where
him and Mr. X scrap in the elevator
in the episode End Game.
Punch: On your blog, you say
that Nightcrawler is your favorite
comic character. Why?
MW: Hm, did I say
that? You guys did
your homework! I
don’t know if he’s
my favourite character
today? He might be my
favourite X-Man. I like that he
is so many different things, dude
grew up in the circus looking like
a Demon, yet ended up being a
priest. He’s a swashbuckling ladies
man with values, and he really has
a sense of childlike charm to him.
I think my favourite character
ever MIGHT be Hellboy. Today
it’s Hellboy. Probably because
I’ve been re reading the comics
from the beginning lately and
they are so damn good. He is
born of a demon and a witch
in hell. Descendant of King
Arthur and rightful heir to Excalibur
AND the throne of England.
He has a giant right hand that is
the key to unlocking 7 Lovecraft
inspired dragons which will bring
about the end of the world but he
chooses to use that hand to smoke
cigars and drink whisky. Yeah I
just convinced myself. Favourite
character.
Punch: What comic related book/
movie are you most excited to see
come to fruition?
MW: Well I just heard that the
rights to the Daredevil films just
passed back to Marvel so I’m
super excited to see what they do
with the character. It would be
silly of them not to jump on a film
immediately.
Punch: What books are currently
your favorites?
MW: Been reading on a bit of a
Lovecraft kick lately. Also loved
the newest Dark Tower novel :
The Wind Through the Keyhole
by Stephen King. It’s been great
to return to Mid-World, if only
for a little while.
Michael Walsh will be a guest at
the Saskatchewan Entertainment
Expo in September. Let’s show
this talented artist, (and native
of Canada’s Doughnut Capital,
Hamilton, origin of TIm Hortons)
some prairie hospitality. “Tim
Hortons? I love Time Hortons.
Large Regular 5 days a week! I
could live off of Boston cream
donuts.”
page 6 page 7

HULK ON HOMES
Article by Jeff Kocur, Art by James Zintel
Years ago, the Incredible Hulk
became a household name
by showing puny humans how
devastating his strength could be
when pestered by the military and
superhuman villains. Nowadays,
the Hulk has focused his rage on
poorly constructed homes. His
team of approved home inspectors
is providing the most thorough,
high quality
home inspection
services available.
A heart-wrenching
letter has led The
Hulk to the front
door of a homeowner
named Mike Steel. His
trailer unit and those in his trailer
park, located close to super-villain
prison The Raft, sustained major
damage from the latest super-villain
breakout led by Electro which
freed all the prisoners.
“Hulk get stupid letter. Hulk see
if trailer worth saving”
The damage done to the trailers
is the fourth time in the last 3
years that a prison breakout has
affected Mr Steel’s home.
“Hulk not laugh so hard since he
punched Galactus in rear end.”
Starting with the roof, Hulk suggests
some changes.
“Maybe use admantan, andaman,
alamanta, umm Wolverine bits to
hold roof together. Hulk hit Wolverine
hard and he not break.”
Moving onto the interior lighting
and wiring Hulk suggests some
changes.
“Hulk rip out lights. Actually
Hulk hit head on lights, get mad
and rip out lights.”
“HULK NOT LAUGH SO HARD
SINCE HE PUNCHED GALACTUS
IN REAR END.”
Checking the flooring, Hulk
observes some problems with the
original construction.
“Hulk find lots of holes in floor.
Look like Hulk footprints.
Oh... They are Hulks footprints.”
A further inspection on the interior
walls reveals improper fitting
and mudding in the drywall.
“Hulk can see where poor workmanship
has led to problems.
Not enough care was taken in
the fitting and cutting stage. Ha
ha. Hulk sound like Holmes on
Homes.”
Going around the back, Hulk sees
the patio concrete pad is uneven
and cracked.
“Look like result of Umar** and
Hulk wrestling match.”
Finally, Hulk gives his opinion on
Mr Steel’s trailer home.
“Hulk think trailer not worth
saving. Easier to smash then buy
new trailer.”
Hulk then gives some final tips
that might help Mr. Steel when
future prison break-outs occur.
“Maybe move. Hulk not live
near prison. That is dumb.”
** Umar: A vastly powerful,
sadistic and hedonistic, immortal
sorceress, and sister of the mystic
entity Dormammu.
She finds the Hulk attractive,
and has tried to make him into
her personal enforcer and sexslave.
Jordan Ratzlaff
page 8

49 years ago, in January of 1966, a
little TV show debuted and kinda/
sorta changed things.
Starring Adam West and Burt
Ward, the show became something
of a sensation.
Oh sure, it featured campy comedy
( yes, the whole series IS actually
a comedy, NOT an action/
adventure show) and veered often
towards satire. Compared to other
shows in the 60’s at the same
time, it can be considered somewhat
daring with its sense
of parody and innuendos.
What younger fans may not
realise is that the very first
episode “ Hi Diddle Riddle”
featured a goofy dance bit,
the “Batusi”--a pun on the
Watusi, that became a hip
dance trend in 1966. Right
from the start, the show was
making trends.
The show featured similar iconic
touchstones, such as the famed
“window cameos” with various
popular celebrities of the day,
and the seemingly endless “ Holy
_______ “ phrases from Robin,
amongst other things. Stuff like
the famous on-screen comicbook
sound effects still influence
both comics AND other TV
shows and movies to this day.
The charm of the show is that it
can be appreciated at two levels.
There’s the action and derring-do
for the kids, and then the silly
camp performances, and frequent
sly double-entendres in the
dialogue for the adults.
One of the interesting ironies of
the show is that even though it’s
been around almost 50 years,
it’s not been marketed to it’s full
potential. Oh, sure, it’s had literal
tons of products made as a direct
result of it, except in two area:
action figures and home viewing
of the show itself.
Stuff like the famous onscreen
comic-book sound
effects still influence both
comics AND other TV shows
and movies to this day.
Yes, it has run almost
continuously in many TV region
markets since it was cancelled
after three seasons but, until
this last fall, the show itself
has NEVER been legitimately
available on VHS, DVD or Bluray.
You could go to almost any
major comic convention and
find/buy bootleg copies of the
series in various formats, and of
often dubious quality.......but there
never was a genuine authorized
article available.
Likewise there were always
products like die-cast toy
Batmobiles, and various toys
based on Batman and Robin, but
never ones specifically drawn
from the TV show itself........
again, up until about a year ago.
Now there is a host of excellent
products in tribute to the show.
Comics, blu-ray/dvd sets, toys--
both low and high-end. Batman
from that era is finally getting his
due, and the wait has been worth
it.
Utterly enthralled by the heroics
and completely oblivious to the
innuendos. Corgi 1/43rd scale
die-cast Batmobiles--perhaps
my all-time favourite toy--and
still own one today. The action
figures now have great likenesses
to the series actors, and decent
enough feature and articulation
to make them very collectible.
The availability of the series
on DVD/Blu-rays means I can
finally watch them all in order. It
certainly is a product of its times,
but it still remains charming
and really quite funny. On Bluray,
the show has never looked
better, easily the best prints going,
despite its age.
page 10
page 11

Dead Space 3
by Brooklyn Hamel
Poison ivy by Kacey Thurston
James Zintel
Bleach’s Ic higo Kurosaki
by Janessa McKenzie
James Zintel
Naruto
by Naomi Wiwchar
Vanessa Wiwchar
page 12

PSYCHOANALYZING SUPERMAN
Douglas Rasmussen
With the release of the
new trailer for Zack
Snyder’s upcoming Superman
film, Man of Steel,
brings forth once again the
question of identity and
masks in the Superman
character. A debate that
swirls around the concept
of which belongs to his real
self and which is the false
identity that Superman is
deliberately performing. Is
Clark Kent the real self while
Superman the façade? Or
is the reverse true?
Complicating the issue is
that there are in fact three
facets to the Superman
personality; Clark Kent, Superman,
last son of Krypton,
as well as Kal-El. The 1978
Superman movie shows
us that Superman does
have access to Kryptonian
culture (by way of Marlon
Brando’s large floating
head). It can be argued
that this aspect is too removed
and distant to be
have the full impact on his
identity, but in actuality I
would postulate that it is in
fact more significant access
to cultural heritage than humans
have. As a mortal
I do not have the facity to
interact and have a dialogue
with my ancestors. In
this regard Superman has
a greater knowledge of his
genealogical past than we
humans do.
It is this aspect of an isolated
alien from another
world, another culture that
separates Superman from
mortals. Central to this
concept is a Superman
whose extraordinary origins
form the basis of his real
self. Superman as the authentic
self and not just a
public role has been taken
up by Grant Morrison in
All-Star Superman, one of
the better explorations of
the Superman mythos, who
undertook his project with
this perspective in mind.
The concept was also popularized
in a monologue by
Bill in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill
Bill. Although as any historian
of comic book criticism
would know, that monologue
is taken almost word
for word from Jules Feiffer’s
1965 book Great Comic
Book Heroes.
John Byrne argues the opposite
view in the mid-80’s
mini-series called Man of
Steel. Byrne however, highlights
the main difficulty with
establishing the Clark Kent
persona as the authentic
self. The only way to promote
this idea of Superman
as the public role and Clark
Kent as the true identity is
that Byrne strips all the silver
age elements from the
character in order to make
The concept was also
popularized in a monologue by Bill
in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill
this idea work. By doing this,
by modernizing the Superman
character, readers
lose everything that differentiates
Superman from his
origins. It also leaves question
to what purpose would
a super-powered being
perform such a transparently
awkward interpretation
of a teenager, well into
adulthood. The shyness, the
stammering, the fainting at
times of crisis (more prominent
in the Fleischer cartoons
than in the contemporary
incarnations), the
obvious acts of buffoonery,
are too blatant as to actually
draw attention towards
the character.
Finally there is the physical
reality of his extraordinary
abilities. When Superman
wakes up in the morning
he is that powerful being
known as Superman. This
would be particularly evident
during adolescence,
when everything that separates
an individual from
Finally there is the physical reality of
his extraordinary abilities.
the rest of his peers is highlighted
and exaggerated,
often becoming the point
of ridicule. There is no way
for a character with powers
of this magnitude would be
able to comfortably blend
into the rest of the teenagers.
Not only is it psychologically
unbelievable that
a powerful being from an
alien world would be able
to comfortably fit into our
society, it also devalues
everything that is interesting
about the character.
By removing the alien
heritage as integral to
Superman’s identity the
readers are left with an
assimilationist ideal of a
unique being called Kal-
El becoming comfortable
with his adopted culture
and abandoning the traditions
that helped formulat
his identity.
jordan Ratzlaff
page 15

Pen Pals
My First Con Adventure
Hi my name is Curtis, and
would like to share my experience
at my very first convention
at the Calgary Comic Expo in
April 2013. I went along with my
friends Jordan and Adam. Stan
Lee was the main reason we went
to the convention. I’ve waited
most of my life for this opportunity,
and knowing he is getting
up there in age and might not be
to do conventions much longer, I
decided this was my best chance
to meet him. I remember when I
was 12 years old; I and my brothers
would always try to watch TV
shows that would have Stan Lee
on it. We would tell each other
how cool it would be to meet him.
Well, on Friday April 26th, that
dream became a reality. I anxiously
waited in line with Jordan
for over 3 hours for him to make
his appearance; unfortunately
he came a bit late, but what an
entrance! The crowd cheered and
screamed as he sat down, and he’s
still looking great!
I had purchased an art poster
reprint of the cover to Amazing
Fantasy #15, the first appearance
of Spider-man, and brought
it along for him to sign. I was
concerned about black ink not
appearing well on the poster, so I
also brought a gold pen for him to
sign it with. Unfortunately, when
Stan Lee signed the poster with
my pen, the pen exploded and
there was a big pool of gold goop
that was mildly in the shape of his
signature. I set it aside, hoping it
would dry, but eventually I had to
move along and the ink ran everywhere
– the poster and signature
were ruined. At this time my eye
started to twitch and I felt sick to
my stomach. After all the waiting,
the planning, the anticipation, this
was how it worked out. However,
this story still has a happy
ending. After these events, I left,
broken-hearted, to my photo-op I
had with Stan. While I was doing
that, Jordan and Adam took it
upon themselves to right what had
happened. They looked around
the convention and bought a
poster that was similar to the one
I had, and then the next day, they
After these events,
I left, broken-hearted,
to my photo-op I had
with Stan.
waited in line and got the new
poster signed by Stan Lee, this
time with a regular pen, and gave
it to me. I was still a bit upset at
how everything went down initially,
but their gesture and effort
meant a lot to me and I was truly
thankful that it all worked out in
the end.
I met many celebrities over the
weekend, but my favorite person
to meet at the convention was
Cary Elwes; he seemed to genuinely
care about fans. I also got to
sit in the Delorean from Back To
The Future, which was another
highlight. My only wish at the
time was that there was plutonium
in the tank and had enough road
to reach 88 mph, so I could go
back in time to warn myself about
not using that blasted pen! Overall
the experience was great and now
that I’ve had my first taste, I feel I
will start going to more cons.
Oh, and just stick to the tried and
true pens that the celebrities have
with them, or you could end up
like me!
page 16 page 17

y Rod Parker
Overlord
Bludgeon
Deszaras
Thunderwing
Previous Leadership Experience: Led the Decepticons
in Super–God Masterforce. Overlord demonstrated
a tactical mind in his time as leader, and something
bordering on actual care for his troops and respect for
his enemies. This would make him a refreshing change
from the megalomaniacal tendencies of Megatron.
Lately though, he’s been a raging psychopath with
a grudge against Megatron, and almost enough
mechanical muscle to put Megatron in his place.
Why He Should be in the Movies: His character design
is awesome. His robot mode is made up of an SR–71
style jet and a tank, which is something unique to the
current movies and suitably awesome for Sir Bay. Just
think of all the toys that could be sold if each half of him
is sold separately! The fact that he has six missile
tubes in his torso would lend itself to a live–action
Itano Circus, (made famous in Macross) which would be
awesome.
Why He Won’t be in the Movies: The overwhelming
thing against Overlord is the question: “Who?” Even
though he had a starring role in IDW’s Last Stand of the
Wreckers and More Than Meets the Eye series, Overlord
will get flattened by the nostalgia train that will demand
a more recognizable name to carry the next movie
trilogy. For that reason alone, Overlord will find himself
in the “Wishful Thinking” category.
Previous Leadership Experience: Took command of the
Decepticons near the end of the original Marvel Comics
run, and has been a perennial favorite of writer Simon
Furman ever since. Bludgeon has often
commanded small teams of Decepticons with an affinity
for Cybertronian martial arts and magical arts as well.
These factors alone would separate him from many of
the other Decepticon leaders and would make him an
interesting character to explore.
Why He Should be in the Movies: His mastery of
“Metalikato” would make him visually interesting to
film, and his action sequences stand out from what has
already been done in the previous movies. Who doesn’t
love a robot samurai and all it entails? His tampering
with the mystical side of Cybertron would also provide
a different story angle, and add another visual element
that would make him stand out from the rest of the
Decepticons.
Why He Won’t be in the Movies: While he has slightly
more nostalgia factor on his side due to his appearances
in the G1 and G2 comics, Bludgeon will also find himself
undone by the question, “Who?” The fact that he died
in IDW’s movie tie–in comics certainly doesn’t help
his cause, but death in the Transformers movies so far
seems to be only a minor obstacle. Therefore, there is
an outside chance that he could make a return, but it
still remains highly unlikely.
Previous Leadership Experience: Took command
of the Decepticons in Victory, and, get this, builds a
Transformers–scale transforming fortress/Death Star.
Let’s repeat that: a Transformers–scale transforming
fortress/Death Star! Deszaras doesn’t mess around.
When he says he wants to destroy earth, he gets down
to business. He also has chest – minions similar to
Soundwave, and fights with a giant scimitar, a spiked
flail, and a cannon that destroys living metal.
Why He Should be in the Movies: Given his penchant
for massive building projects, and no–nonsense
weaponry, there are a lot of story and combat options
that would make him unique. Also, he transforms into
a winged lizard kaiju, (think Godzilla with wings) which
would add another visual element that hasn’t been
seen in the current live action movies. He’s not at the
tactical level of Bludgeon or Overlord, but he isn’t
restrained by any concept of honor, or equality.
Why He Won’t be in the Movies: He transforms into
a metal monster. While this is cool, it probably smacks
of Mechagodzilla a little too much. It also defeats the
whole “Robots in Disguise” angle of the movies as well.
As well, his love of massive building projects would
likely disqualify him. He tends to lead from the rear
quite a lot unless he leaves to tangle with Star Saber,
which makes him a little less interesting than some
of the other Decepticon leaders. Deszaras also lacks
popularity, and hasn’t been featured in the western.
Previous Leadership Experience: Led a small band
of Decepticons during The Matrix Quest portion
of the Marvel Comics run. He was also evil enough
to corrupt the Creation Matrix, and later used it to
challenge Unicron … for a couple of panels. He later
became a mindless monstrosity in Stormbringer after
experimenting on himself in the hopes of making an
outer shell to survive the deteriorating conditions on
Cybertron.
Why He Should be in the Movies: Thunderwing’s
descent into madness and corruption of the Creation
Matrix would make him a compelling villain to watch as
he slides from scientist to monster as he experiments
on himself and others. He would also be a better
subject for the Pretender technology that was used in
Revenge of the Fallen for Alice (the blonde Terminator
thing). Watching a villain slide into obsession is always
fun, and the power that Thunderwing comes to
possess would ensure a suitable level of danger for the
Autobots to overcome.
Why He Won’t be in the Movies: Thunderwing is
undone by the level of characterization that would be
required to make him truly compelling. In addition, the
last Pretender wasn’t well received, so that puts a black
mark against him.

Melissa Friesen
Myles Fontana

TOP 10 DC TRADES
Written by Jeph Loeb
Drawn by Tim Sale
...according to Graeme
1 BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN
Set in the early days of his career,
Batman sides with Commissioner
Gordon, and Harvey
Dent to take on the Mob, and the
mysterious Holiday Killer. (This
is my all time favourite book.)
5 DEADMAN VOL.1 6 Superman: Birthright
Written and drawn by
Neal Adams
Boston Brand is the high
flying trapeze artist
“Deadman” until he gets
shot and killed mid act.
Reborn as a ghost with
the power to posses people’s
bodies, can he find
out who killed him?
Written by Mark Waid
Drawn by Lienil Francis Yu
We all know who Superman
is; now learn how he
came to be in this modern
retelling of his origin.
2 GREEN LANTERN
SINESTRO CORP WAR
Written by Geoff Johns
and Dave Gibbons
Drawn by Ivan Reis, Patrick
Gleason, Ethan Van
Sciver Hal Jordan, Kyle
Rayner, John Stewart, Guy
Gardner and the rest of
the Green Lantern Corps
fight a war with Sinestro,
and his yellow lanterns,
The Sinestro Corp.
7 Crisis on Infinite Earths 8 Identity Crisis
Written by Marv Wolfman
Drawn by George Perez
This classic from 1985
changed the face of the DC
universe forever. Heroes
from infinite earths are
called upon to save their
planets from the Antimonitor
and things have never
been the same since. This
is a great classic tale that
changed the DCU forever.
Written by Brad Meltzer
Art by Rags Morales
This is a “whodunit” for
the Justice League. The
death of Elastic Man’s
wife calls upon all the
JLA to rethink just how
safe they are? Find out
what secrets could tear
the team apart. (I broke
into DC with this story
and never looked back.)
3 FLASHPOINT
Written by Geoff Johns
Drawn by Andy Kubert
The Flash stars in this tale of
a world without Superman,
where Batman is not who he
seems, and Wonder Woman
is in an all out war with
Aquaman. Could this be the
real DC universe? And why
Is Barry Allen the only person
to notice that things are not
how they should be?
4 Batman: Hush
Written by Jeph Loeb
Drawn by Jim Lee Who is Hush? Follow
Batman as he encounters
his entire
rogues gallery and
all of Gothams protectors
in search of
the answer. This is a
great starting point
for new readers of
Batman, DC comics,
or comics in general.
9 52 vol. 1-4
Written by Mark Waid, Grant Morrison,
Greg Rucka, and Geoff Johns
Drawn by various artists
In a year without Batman,
Superman, and
Wonder Woman, follow
several intertwining
stories of some of DC’s
lesser-known heroes.
Includes The Question,
then Black Adam Family,
Elastic man, Animal
Man, and more.
10 The Question Vol. 5: Riddles
Written by Dennis O’Neal
Drawn by Denys Cowen
The Question continues
his quest to clean up the
cesspool that is Hub City.
Is he enough for the task?
Will The Riddler stop
him before he is finished?
(Some of the best writing
I’ve ever had the pleasure)

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