Panel Vision - History of Hydra

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There’s been a lot of chatter in the online comic circles lately about the fictional organization Hydra.  A lot of this has come out of Marvel’s big, 2017 comic event Secret Empire, a follow-up to Nick Spencer’s Captain America work where it was revealed Captain America was secretly a member of Hydra all along.  Admittedly, the real mechanics of Secret Empire are shaping up to be a lot more complicated than that, with one of the biggest issues of contention being the comics’ emphasis on separating Hydra from the Nazis within the fictional universe.  

This is a distinction made all the more complicated by the fact Marvel has been pushing “Hydra as Nazis” in the films since Captain America: First Avenger and even more so as part of the current Agents of SHIELD storyline about a simulated world ruled by Hydra.  With the comics and superhero fan communities abuzz over the topic of fictional fascists and what we’re allowed to feel about them, I figured it was well past time to do a deep dive into the actual history of Hydra. 

Panel Vision - JLApe: Gorilla Warfare

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It is a truth universally acknowledged that apes on comics sell comics.  This is a fundamental cornerstone of comics going all the way back to the ‘50s.  It first emerged under one of the colossal giants of the medium Julius Schwartz, the man who served as editor of DC Comics during its Silver age through the ‘50s and ‘60s.  Schwartz claimed to have data showing a bump in sales of comics when a gorilla was featured on the cover, data that was so convincing it actually shaped all of DC’s output for a time.  

There were legitimately strict rules and limits on the whole idea of putting apes on comics, treating the phenomena as a finite resource to be carefully exploited to avoid oversaturation of the ape-based marketplace.  Given that those 2 decades have defined the shape of comics to this very day, apes on comics remains a popular tradition to this day.  With The Flash finally bringing Gorilla City to the small screen I figured now would be a perfect time to dive into the great legacy of apes on comics in possibly their finest moment: JLApe.

8 Things to Expect from Doctor Strange 2

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So, Doctor Strange has now gone from “just another good Marvel movie” to “bona fide smash hit that’s bigger than Man of Steel.”  Given that success, one can only assume that a sequel announcement is around the corner, especially with some of Marvel’s bigger guns like Thor and Iron Man on the fence about returning for more films in the 2020s.  Given that Dr. Strange 2 has now moved from stretch goal to likely scenario it’s time to start throwing out some guesses on what could be next for the sorcerer supreme. 

All we know for sure, however, is that his next adventure will take place in the wake of Avengers: Infinity War and the finale of their Thanos/Infinity Gauntlet saga.  Given that, the relatively limited scope of Dr. Strange’s own mythos as a hero, and the various changes that would have to come along with Marvel’s Phase 4, I’ve compiled a list of 8 possibilities to expect from Dr. Strange 2.

7 Cameos to Expect in Wonder Woman

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So far, the DCEU has been pretty terrible.  Even if you liked Man of Steel or Suicide Squad for some ungodly reason, there’s no denying that WB has had a serious problem tapping into the same level of mass popularity Marvel has mustered.  By the same token, the DCEU has come off a lot more scattershot than the competition, with the slow march towards Justice League hampered by the producers regularly hitting the restart button on what the big story should be.  

That means that Wonder Woman will have yet another thankless task in addition to being the first woman-led superhero film of the modern era and needing to turn around the DCEU trend of making terrible movies.  Now, Wonder Woman will also have to be setting pieces in motion for future films like Shazam, Justice League, Aquaman, and Wonder Woman 2.  Given that, I’ve come up with a list of 7 character cameos that I think we can expect from Wonder Woman. 

Panel Vision - DC Comic Pasts

So, Legends of Tomorrow is on the way and a big part of this show is going to be time travel.  How much time travel is involved is still a little unclear but we at least know a good chunk of the show will take place in the ‘70s and that Jonah Hex, a cowboy hero from America’s old west (1870-1880s) will play a role in the story.  Those are both pretty great ideas and they’ve got me thinking about the history of the DC Universe.  One of the weird things about comic book universes is that because of how much unregulated weirdness was popping around comics for so long they end up with super weird visions of history.

 Sometimes this is due to the mandate of setting, like how all of DC’s cowboy adventures had to happen in the old west even if they involved guys like El Diablo, a bank teller who was possessed by a spirit of vengeance.  Other times it’s the result of time travel nonsense or just the fact that some characters and places have just always existed.  As such I’m looking back at some of the craziest and most interesting points in DC Comics’ history, let’s dive in.