Radio Recap: The Avenger

The radio series the Avenger is a bit of an odd bird. I've looked at a few attempts to examine the program online and they don't quite agree with each other. The confusion seems to stem from a radio serial in 1941-42 called the Avenger, followed by a 1945-46 syndicated program with the same name. I'm looking at the syndicated program.

First, it should be noted that the Avenger was a pulp hero published by Street & Smith, the same people who published the Shadow, who had a very successful radio program. It seems the Avenger was never a top Street & Smith hero the way the Shadow, Nick Carter or Doc Savage were (and are) but he's enjoyed a decent following over the decades and has never been entirely forgotten. You may recall that a few years ago I looked at two issues of the 1970s DC Comic version of the Avenger (Justice Inc.) by Jack Kirby, here and here.

As presented in the 26 episodes of the syndicated radio show, the Avenger - Jim Brandon - is a police chemist who goes beyond the obligations of his career to solve crimes in his spare time. He aided by his female companion Fern Collier and has to prove himself each week to his skeptical superior Inspector White. His chief tools in his investigations are the telepathic indicator which allows him to pick up people's thoughts and the diffusion capsule which covers him in the "black light of invisibility."

If you know much about the pulp hero you'll be taken aback by that description because it doesn't sound like the Avenger at all. Telepathic powers? Invisibility? A female companion who knows his secrets? An incompetant police official? It all sounds like the Shadow, doesn't it? And the comparisons keep coming such as when he opens each broadcast by saying, "The road of crime ends in a trap that justice sets; crime does not pay!"

I think the pulp hero would have made a pretty good radio hero as he was. His schtick involved his ability to change his appearance and adopt other guises. Give that role to a hungry radio actor and I'm sure they'd love putting on a different voice every week! Instead the Avenger was made so much like the Shadow that you would assume he was a rip-off. Or perhaps there were a lot of Shadow scripts which had been rejected and with a few modifications were turned into Avenger stories.

But the Shadow went big - the Shadow's distinctive laugh, the over-the-top theatrical villains with mad ambitions. Even if you think the show is camp, you have to admit, the Shadow is great camp. But the plots on the Avenger are pretty modest. The only attempt at giving the hero a distinctive sound is the noise made when (once per episode) he takes his diffusion capsule to become invisible. However, the noise sounds like a champagne cork popping and that's unintentionally funny.

I have doubts as to whether the makers of the program were really that invested in what they'd made. Much is made in the first episode of how Brandon's telepathic indicator gives him an insight into crimes that the rest of the police force don't have. But that same episode shows the limitations: he picks up the impresions of a murder but doesn't know who was killed or where. It's only after going to examine a body with Inspector White that he gets the idea it's the victim of the murder he sensed earlier.

The problem with the above set-up is that it requires Brandon to have two inciting incidents. First he gets a vague sense of a crime, then he's part of a police investigation into the crime. It should be enough that as a police chemist he'd get brought in to examine crime scenes! One episode even indicates that Inspector White knows about the telepathic indicator so one wonders why he doesn't simplify his life and tell him he's the Avenger too. Pretty soon the show stopped using the telepathic indicator and instead Brandon and Fern would stumble into crimes the same way as Lamont and Margo on the Shadow - they'd be on vacation when a murder is committed, for instance.

The Avenger is a failure; a bit of an interesting failure, but if you haven't heard every episode of the Shadow, you should listen to all of those first - the standard of quality is much higher on the Shadow. If you do decide to give the Avenger a spin, be advised that the series was packaged for syndication with several 90-second organ interludes where the commercials would be added. Be ready to speed through those breaks, they do become tiresome.

Loki Creator Credits

Here's another Marvel Cinematic Universe creator credit list - this time for 2021's Loki, a TV mini-series.

My full list of Marvel Cinematic Universe creator credits is right here.

Stan Lee: co-creator of the Black Widow's red hair, black bodysuit, Widow's Bite wrist weapon and carrying explosives (Amazing Spider-Man #86, 1970); of the Avengers, a team of super heroes including Thor, Iron Man and Hulk who joined forces to battle Loki (Avengers #1, 1963); of Captain America as a member of the Avengers (Avengers #4, 1964); of Kang the Conqueror, a scientist from the 31st century who became a conqueror of other realities though time tarvel (Avengers #8, 1964); of Hawkeye as one of the Avengers (Avengers #16, 1965); of Ravonna, a time traveler (Avengers #23, 1965); of the Hulk, a man who transforms into a monster (Incredible Hulk #1, 1962); of the Hulk with green skin (Incredible Hulk #2, 1962); of Thor, the Asgardian god of thunder who wields Mjolnir and has power over storms; Thor's blue costume with red cape (Journey into Mystery #83, 1962); of Loki, Thor's evil brother who has the magical power to create illusions; Loki wearing green and gold, wearing a horned helmet; of Heimdall, Asgardian sentry over Bifrost; of Asgard, the home dimension of the gods of Asgard; of Bifrost, the rainbow bridge which connects Asgard to other dimensions; of Odin, lord of Asgard, father to Thor and Loki (Journey into Mystery #85, 1962); of Frigga, wife of Odin, queen of Asgard (Journey into Mystery #92, 1963); of Sif, female Asgardian warrior, love interest to Thor (Journey into Mystery #102, 1964); of Loki's father Laufey; of Loki being raised by Odin as his foster son; of Jotunheim, land of the Frost Giants (Journey into Mystery #112, 1965); of Loki wearing a headband with wings over the ears (Journey into Mystery #114, 1965); of Laevatinn, Loki's mystical dagger (Journey into Mystery #115, 1965); of S.H.I.E.L.D., an international espionage agency (Strange Tales #135, 1965); of Iron Man, armored super hero (Tales of Suspense #39, 1963); of Iron Man wearing red and gold armor (Tales of Suspense #48, 1963); of the Black Widow, an espionage agent (Tales of Suspense #52, 1964); of Hawkeye, a master archer (Tales of Suspense #57, 1964); of the Cosmic Cube, a massively powerful cube (Tales of Suspense #79, 1966); of Ant-Man, a super hero with the ability to shrink in size (Tales to Astonish #35, 1962); of the prophecies of Ragnarok which foresaw the destruction of Asgard (Thor #127, 1966)

Jack Kirby: co-creator of the Avengers, a team of super heroes including Thor, Iron Man and Hulk who joined forces to battle Loki (Avengers #1, 1963); of Captain America as a member of the Avengers (Avengers #4, 1964); of Kang the Conqueror, a scientist from the 31st century who became a conqueror of other realities though time tarvel (Avengers #8, 1964); of Hawkeye as one of the Avengers (Avengers #16, 1965); of Captain America, hero of World War II, carries shield, wears red white and blue costume with star on chest, 'A' on forehead (Captain America Comics #1, 1941); of Captain America wielding a round shield, wearing mask which attaches to his costume (Captain America Comics #2, 1941); of the Hulk, a man who transforms into a monster (Incredible Hulk #1, 1962); of the Hulk with green skin (Incredible Hulk #2, 1962); of Thor, the Asgardian god of thunder who wields Mjolnir and has power over storms; Thor's blue costume with red cape (Journey into Mystery #83, 1962); of Loki, Thor's evil brother who has the magical power to create illusions; Loki wearing green and gold, wearing a horned helmet; of Heimdall, Asgardian sentry over Bifrost; of Asgard, the home dimension of the gods of Asgard; of Bifrost, the rainbow bridge which connects Asgard to other dimensions; of Odin, lord of Asgard, father to Thor and Loki (Journey into Mystery #85, 1962); of Sif, female Asgardian warrior, love interest to Thor (Journey into Mystery #102, 1964); of Loki's father Laufey; of Loki being raised by Odin as his foster son; of Jotunheim, home of the Frost Giants (Journey into Mystery #112, 1965); of Loki wearing a headband with wings over the ears (Journey into Mystery #114, 1965); of Laevatinn, Loki's mystical dagger (Journey into Mystery #115, 1965); of S.H.I.E.L.D., an international espionage agency (Strange Tales #135, 1965); of Iron Man, armored super hero (Tales of Suspense #39, 1963); of the Black Widow, an espionage agent (Tales of Suspense #52, 1964); of the Cosmic Cube, a massively powerful cube (Tales of Suspense #79, 1966); of Ant-Man, a super hero with the ability to shrink in size (Tales to Astonish #35, 1962)

Walter Simonson: creator of Mr. Mobius, an executive in the Time Variance Authority who attempts to repair damage done to the timeline; of the Time Variance Authority depicted as an immense bureaucracy (Fantastic Four #346, 1990); of the Minutemen, armored soldiers employed by the Time Variance Authority in order to arrest individuals (Fantastic Four #352, 1991); of the Time Variance Authority existing outside of normal time; of the Time Variance Authority placing people on trial for altering the timeline (Fantastic Four #353, 1991); of Casey, a minor employee of the Time Variance Authority (Fantastic Four #354, 1991); of the Dark Elves, enemies of Asgard (Thor #344, 1984); of Loki's magic transforming Thor into a frog (Thor #363, 1986); co-creator of the Time Variance Authority, an organization which attempts to police the timeline and sends out agents to correct divergences and variants which they judge should not exist (Thor #372)

Larry Lieber: co-creator of Thor, the Asgardian god of thunder who wields Mjolnir and has power over storms; Thor's blue costume with red cape (Journey into Mystery #83, 1962); of Loki, Thor's evil brother who has the magical power to create illusions; Loki wearing green and gold, wearing a horned helmet; of Heimdall, Asgardian sentry over Bifrost; of Asgard, the home dimension of the gods of Asgard; of Bifrost, the rainbow bridge which connects Asgard to other dimensions; of Odin, lord of Asgard, father to Thor and Loki (Journey into Mystery #85, 1962); of Iron Man, armored super hero (Tales of Suspense #39, 1963)

Mark Gruenwald: co-creator of Ravonna's surname Renslayer (Avengers Annual #21, 1992); of Alioth, a cloud-like creature who devours timelines and opposes the Time Variance Authority and Kang's empire (Avengers: The Terminatrix Objective #1, 1993); of Brock Rumlow, a vicious thug (Captain America #359-360, 1989); of the Time Keepers, three extraterrestrials who have assumed mastery of time (Thor #282, 1979)

Don Heck: co-creator of Ravonna, a time traveler (Avengers #23, 1965); of the Black Widow as an Avenger (Avengers #111, 1973); of Iron Man, armored super hero (Tales of Suspense #39, 1963); of the Black Widow, an espionage agent (Tales of Suspense #52, 1964); of Hawkeye, a master archer (Tales of Suspense #57, 1964); of the prophecies of Ragnarok which foresaw the destruction of Asgard (Thor #127, 1966)

Roy Thomas: co-creator of people of unusual destiny being called nexus beings (Avengers West Coast #61, 1990); of Valkyrie, an Asgardian warrior woman who encounters the Hulk (Incredible Hulk #142, 1971); of the Time Keepers depicted as working with the Time Variance Authority (What If #37, 1992); of He Who Remains connected to the Time Variance Authority (What If #39, 1992)

John Buscema: co-creator of the existence of divergent timelines which are accessible by others (Fantastic Four #118, 1972); of the Time Twister, which can alter time (Thor #243, 1976); of He Who Remains, the being who exists at the end of time itself; He Who Remains as the person who creates the Time-Keepers (Thor #245, 1976)

Joe Simon: co-creator of Captain America, hero of World War II, carries shield, wears red white and blue costume with star on chest, 'A' on forehead (Captain America Comics #1, 1941); of Captain America wielding a round shield, wearing mask which attaches to his costume (Captain America Comics #2, 1941)

Sal Buscema: co-creator of Roxxon, a shady international corporation (Captain America #180, 1974); of the Time Variance Authority, an organization which attempts to police the timeline and sends out agents to correct divergences and variants which they judge should not exist (Thor #372)

Jim Starlin: co-creator of Thanos the Mad Titan, immensely powerful extraterrestrial with purple skin (Iron Man #55, 1973); of the Infinity Gauntlet, glove worn by Thanos which used all six Infinity Gems (Thanos Quest #1, 1990)

Len Wein: co-creator of the Time Twister, which can alter time (Thor #243, 1976); of He Who Remains, the being who exists at the end of time itself; He Who Remains as the person who creates the Time-Keepers (Thor #245, 1976)

Jean-Marc Lofficier: co-creator of the Time Keepers depicted as working with the Time Variance Authority (What If #37, 1992); of He Who Remains connected to the Time Variance Authority (What If #39, 1992)

Randy Lofficier: co-creator of the Time Keepers depicted as working with the Time Variance Authority (What If #37, 1992); of He Who Remains connected to the Time Variance Authority (What If #39, 1992)

Mike Gustovich: co-creator of Alioth, a cloud-like creature who devours timelines and opposes the Time Variance Authority and Kang's empire (Avengers: The Terminatrix Objective #1, 1993)

Herb Trimpe: co-creator of Ravonna's surname Renslayer (Avengers Annual #21, 1992); of Valkyrie, an Asgardian warrior woman who encounters the Hulk (Incredible Hulk #142, 1971)

Steve Englehart: co-creator of the Black Widow as an Avenger (Avengers #111, 1973); of Roxxon, a shady international corporation (Captain America #180, 1974)

Kieron Dwyer: co-creator of Brock Rumlow, a vicious thug (Captain America #359-360, 1989)

Don Rico: co-creator of the Black Widow, an espionage agent (Tales of Suspense #52, 1964)

David Michelinie: co-creator of Scott Lang, alias Ant-Man (Marvel Premiere #47, 1979)

John Byrne: co-creator of Scott Lang, alias Ant-Man (Marvel Premiere #47, 1979)

Brian Michael Bendis: co-creator of Stark Tower, the downtown Manhattan headquarters of the Avengers (New Avengers #3, 2005)

David Finch: co-creator of Stark Tower, the downtown Manhattan headquarters of the Avengers (New Avengers #3, 2005)

Steve Ditko: co-creator of Iron Man wearing red and gold armor (Tales of Suspense #48, 1963)

Paul Ryan: co-creator of people of unusual destiny being called nexus beings (Avengers West Coast #61, 1990)

Bryan Hitch: co-creator of Hawkeye wearing sleeveless costume (Ultimates #7, 2002)

Mark Millar: co-creator of Hawkeye wearing sleeveless costume (Ultimates #7, 2002)

Ron Lim: co-creator of the Infinity Gauntlet, glove worn by Thanos which used all six Infinity Gems (Thanos Quest #1, 1990)

Robert Bernstein: co-creator of Frigga, wife of Odin, queen of Asgard (Journey into Mystery #92, 1963)

Joe Sinnott: co-creator of Frigga, wife of Odin, queen of Asgard (Journey into Mystery #92, 1963)

Mike Friedrich: co-creator of Thanos the Mad Titan, immensely powerful extraterrestrial with purple skin (Iron Man #55, 1973)

Bob Harras: co-creator of Alexander Pierce, agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Nick Fury vs. S.H.I.E.L.D. #3, 1988)

Paul Neary: co-creator of Alexander Pierce, agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Nick Fury vs. S.H.I.E.L.D. #3, 1988)

David Anthony Kraft: co-creator of Valkyrie wearing silver armor (Defenders #47, 1977); of Thanos' helicopter (Spidey Super Stories #39, 1979)

Keith Giffen: co-creator of Valkyrie wearing silver armor (Defenders #47, 1977)

John Romita: co-creator of the Black Widow's red hair, black bodysuit, Widow's Bite wrist weapon and carrying explosives (Amazing Spider-Man #86, 1970)

Archie Goodwin: co-creator of the existence of divergent timelines which are accessible by others (Fantastic Four #118, 1972)

Ralph Macchio: co-creator of the Time Keepers, three extraterrestrials who have assumed mastery of time (Thor #282, 1979)

Keith Pollard: co-creator of the Time Keepers, three extraterrestrials who have assumed mastery of time (Thor #282, 1979)

Mark Pacella: co-creator of the Time Keepers depicted as working with the Time Variance Authority (What If #37, 1992)

Alan Zelenetz: co-creator of establishing how Loki cut off Sif's hair for amusement, causing her to receive black hair in instead (Thor Annual #11, 1983)

Bob Hall: co-creator of establishing how Loki cut off Sif's hair for amusement, causing her to receive black hair in instead (Thor Annual #11, 1983)

Al Ewing: co-creator of Loki's headband with horns (Loki: Agent of Asgard #1, 2014)

Lee Garbett: co-creator of Loki's headband with horns (Loki: Agent of Asgard #1, 2014)

Christopher Hastings: co-creator of Loki running for president with a 'Vote Loki' button on his lapel (Vote Loki #1, 2016)

Langdon Foss: co-creator of Loki running for president with a 'Vote Loki' button on his lapel (Vote Loki #1, 2016)

Gavin Curtis: co-creator of He Who Remains connected to the Time Variance Authority (What If #39, 1992)

Win Mortimer: co-creator of Thanos' helicopter (Spidey Super Stories #39, 1979)

Brian Michael Bendis: co-creator of Stark Tower, the downtown Manhattan headquarters of the Avengers (New Avengers #3, 2005)

David Finch: co-creator of Stark Tower, the downtown Manhattan headquarters of the Avengers (New Avengers #3, 2005)

"Plan B." "Are we only at B? Seems higher." Halo Infinite review

The newest Halo video game Halo Infinite came out last year while I was in Angola so I only recently acquired a copy and began playing it in the last few weeks. What's nice about that is that I missed most of the hype around the launch so I can come to this game a little removed from the high emotions fans must've experienced at launch time. I'm also glad that I dodged any spoilers beyond the first two trailers. I'll spoil the game below, but first...

Before I can delve into this game I need to digress and talk about the previous game, Halo 5: Guardians. Halo Infinite follows that game, although it also picks up characters from the non-shooter game Halo Wars 2.

It can be difficult to talk about what went wrong with Halo 5: Guardians because there's no real consensus from Halo fandom about what the problem was; every Halo fan has a particular hobby horse and they get upset at every. single. game. It becomes tiring to attempt to cut through all the noise and figure out where the real problems lay. But make no mistake, Halo 5: Guardians had problems and Halo Infinite very clearly wants to win back the fans.

So I can only talk about the problems with Halo 5: Guardians from my own perspective; take it with a grain of salt (or whatever cliche you prefer). I felt the multiplayer on Halo 5: Guardians was pretty good - mind you, my favourite mode in multiplayer is Firefight, so I'm atypical. There were changes to the gameplay, most importantly the "Spartan charge" abilities, but they didn't make a real impact on gameplay (the "ground pound" was fun but liable to fail in multiplayer).

The biggest problems with Halo 5: Guardians were in the campaign mode and that's where Halo Infinite works hard to make changes. Part of 5's problem was the massive cast; due to putting the cart before the horse - writing 8 different Spartans into the role of protagonist so regardless of whether players were in 4-player mode or not there would always be 4 Spartans on the screen - cluttered up the game. Frankly, having 3 other Spartans present at all times distracted from the story. How could a player pause to enjoy a nicely-designed visual when immediately one of the Spartans would start yakking about some irrelevant detail? Beyond the Spartans there was also a massive supporting cast (Halsey, Palmer, Lasky, Roland, Arbiter) and that's without getting into the antagonists!

Halo 5: Guardians also frustrated me due to its annoying ad campaign, the "hunt for truth" ads which made it appear that the game's conflict of Master Chief vs. Spartan Locke would involve some differing perspectives, a mystery to uncover. The game kind of flails towards that (there are levels where your only objectives are to find people on the map and listen to their exposition) but virtually everything in the ads was non-canon - the scenes depicted never came close to occurring in the game itself.

Third, there's Spartan Locke himself, who turns out to be the real protagonist of the game (alongside his 'Team Osiris' Spartans). Master Chief is demoted to only about 1/3rd of the game's missions. And the Chief's allies, Blue Team, were given an odd introduction. They were big deals in all the novels written about Halo but this was their first time to appear in the games. If you hadn't read the books, you wouldn't think they were a big deal at all - they just appear with the Chief. Their actual reunion was shown in the comic books instead (and even there it was downplayed).

I think I understand why Spartan Locke was created; if the franchise is going to have a future, there need to be new protagonists to keep the series fresh and expand the universe. On that level, I don't mind Locke. He's bland - that's fine, the Chief barely had a personality beyond 'taciturn' until Halo 3. But to pit him against the Chief - even though their "conflict" only plays out as a single cutscene - is a really bad call if the goal was to make Spartan Locke a new fan favourite. Do not send him to attack the franchise's most beloved character... just... don't, ever. I think that's at the heart of fandom's disdain for Locke.

There are other aspects that might've harmed Halo 5: Guardians -- the Prometheans are uninteresting bullet sponges, but on the other hand we're still fighting the Covenant all these years after they were beaten? - but the last, and I think most fatal blow was that the game reintroduced Cortana (the 2nd most beloved character of the franchise) as a villain. And not just a "agree to disagree" opponent, full-on cackling "my Guardians will destroy Alderaan" super-villain. It wasn't just a heel turn, it was a heel turn which was impossible for Cortana to ever come back to.

My suspicion at the time was that when the next game arrived the Chief would have to put Cortana down (Old Yeller style) and then he, perhaps, would assume responsibility over "the Mantle" in her place, thereby writing him out as the franchise's lead protagonist.

Of course, that didn't happen; that really did not happen.

Halo Infinite retreats quite a few paces from Halo 5: Guardians. Many of the changes seemed designed to win back fans - to change the Chief's armour to something more like the earlier games (fans always complain about the armour even though they only have to see it during cutscenes). They brought back Joseph Staten, who wrote the stories for the games the fans now think they love (at the time they complained about his stuff; fans never change).

But to the problems I noted about Halo 5: Guardians: instead of 8 protagonists there's just one: Master Chief. His supporting cast? Echo-216 and the Weapon - and that's it. The ad campaign? Totally up front, to the point that I was surprised when I saw the trailers I'd missed that they spoiled a lot of things I assumed were meant to be surprises (such as the Weapon). Spartan Locke is gone (they might've even killed him off-screen, a blood/pixel sacrifice to placate the capricious fans).

But the story - the story in Halo Infinite is such an improvement. It's set on a Halo ring, which is nice (they haven't been the scene of any games since Halo 3). At times, Halo has felt like an artifact title. Trying to explain to someone why a few of the games have 'Halo' in the title makes you sound ridiculous ("Well, we visited them in earlier games... and one appears for about 3 seconds in this game during a cutscene...")

Cortana is gone - dead. She's still not absent as the story of Halo Infinite follows the mystery of how she died (a genuine mystery unlike Halo 5: Guardians), but having committed to killing her off the game has no problem ramping up her super-villainy (she blows up a planet mainly because she has no idea how diplomacy works). But, as we learn, she also owned up to her mistakes and sought to make amends before her destruction. It's still frustrating that this is how Cortana's story ends, but a lot is mitigatedd by the presence of the Weapon.

I found the Weapon to be absolutely perfect - precisely what the franchise needed. A naive newcomer who doesn't really understand what's going on and has to be guided by the Chief - a reversal of his relationship with Cortana. Indeed, Weapon is characterized as being younger and more child-like than Cortana - she doesn't have the ridiculously sexy body of Cortana, instead garbed in a modest UNSC uniform (the camera also seems careful not to linger on her anatomy in ways that previous games did on Cortana). Hints are dropped throughout that although she claims to have been programmed to "imitate" Cortana, there's more than mere physical resemblance - and, indeed, she proves to be a copy of Cortana. This way we end up with Cortana as a continuing character, yet she doesn't have to bear the burden of responsibility for all the terrible things Cortana did.

The Weapon and Echo-216 both have character development - the Weapon going from exuberant to resentful after the Chief tries to delete her and finally coming to terms with what she is; Echo-216 begins mostly irate and irritable but in time he becomes the Chief's best buddy (even hugging him at the climax). And through their character development, the Chief is allowed to progress a little as well. It's a hard thing to make the Chief develop as a character without breaking what makes him work (that is, making him relatable all players, for which he needs to be a bit of a cipher). I think working out his character issues through his relationships with the Weapon and Echo-216 was a clever way to make it work.

Something also has to be said for the Banished, villains who were introduced in Halo Wars 2. Fans never warmed up to the Prometheans but the Banished have the advantage of being comprised of Covenant races but not actually being Covenant themselves. It's a bit of a step back yet also a step forward. They're familiar foes, but their goals are different and they even have a few new abilities and weapons.

Weirdly, this is the first time I'm going to talk like a real Halo fan -- that is, I hate the changes to the weapons! It's a bit of a problem in the campaign but something I really noticed in multiplayer: vehicles can't take as much damage as they used to; the Needler doesn't seem to kill as quickly as before; the Banished sniper rifles don't seem to be as powerful (or easy to wield) as the Covenant beam rifle. On and on... maybe I just need to work out my old expectations and stop thinking the current versions of the weapons will work like the old ones, but the learning curve has been a bit steep for me (Halo Infinite does have a training mode for testing weapons but it's one thing to use them on stationary targets - another against a moving opponent).

But in all, I'm very pleased with Halo Infinite. The open world exploration in campaign mode offers a lot to do after the story is finished. I'm very pleased with the character work done with Master Chief, the Weapon and Echo-216. I have yet to play a Halo I dislike, but this one in particular I enjoyed more than the other 343 Industries games.

Radio Recap: Cabin B-13

A few times now I've written on this blog about shows which had some relation to Suspense: Hollywood Star Playhouse; Appointment with Fear; the Philip Morris Playhouse; the Black Book. This time I'm looking at a series which is a direct spin-off from Suspense: Cabin B-13.

If you don't know, "Cabin B-13" is a story by John Dickson Carr which was dramatized on Suspense fairly early in its run (Carr wrote the bulk of episodes in the show's first year). It was first braodcast March 16, 1943, but we have no copies of that version. Fortunately it was repeated later that same year on November 9th (indicating it was a well-regarded script as they used few recycled scripts at the time) and that version still exists. It's a riff on "the Vanishing Lady" story popularized by Alexander Woolcott (many of Carr's Suspense stories are riffs on other people's works - "The Man without a Body" is Wells' "the Invisible Man," "The Body Snatchers" is obviously inspired by Stevenson's story of the same name, etc.).

In that drama, a woman on her honeymoon aboard a ship is alarmed when her husband disappears and no one aboard seems to remember seeing them together. The solution to the mystery is rather stupid but imagines itself to be very clever (which I find is a common problem in Carr's writing). The solution (spoilers for "Cabin B-13") is no one remembered seeing her husband because he was really a member of the crew. So basically it's only a mystery because no one asks the right questions or gives a complete answer - if just one crewman had said, "But I didn't see you with your husband -- just a member of the crew" the whole story would have ended right there.

The series Cabin B-13 features the character of Dr. Fabian as host (portrayed by Arnold Moss) - he was the one who solved the mystery in the original - and he frames the stories told on the program from Cabin B-13 itself (which was not his cabin in the original story, but whatever). It ran on CBS from July, 1948 to January, 1949. Unfortunately, although much of CBS radio has been preserved, very little of Cabin B-13 has survived - just three episodes. Even then, we know very little about the series of programs themselves and what stories were told. Heck, we don't even know for certain if the original story "Cabin B-13" was dramatized!

We do have the 1st episode, "A Razor in Fleet Street," which promises the series will feature brand-new stories by John Dickson Carr. But they didn't hold to that promise since the other two surviving episodes (both near the end of the run) were recycled from Suspense: "The Bride Vanishes" and "The Sleep of Death" (retitled from "The Devil's Saint"). The latter two episodes are interesting to compare with the Suspense versions and do have the type of quality expected of a post-war CBS dramatic program, albeit sans the big stars in the Suspense productions (Peter Lorre really carried "The Devil's Saint").

So let's talk about "A Razor in Fleet Street," the one surviving episode which is original to Cabin B-13. The plot concerns a couple on holidays in England when the husband is sought out by Scotland Yard. They inform him he looks a lot like a killer they're trying to capture and they'd appreciate it if he stayed off the street. Determined to improve his career in the diplomatic corps, the man decides to ignore their warning and go seek the killer himself, hoping to capture him. It's already a pretty far-fetched premise but, indeed, he just so happens to encounter the criminal who looks like him. You might wonder what impact his resemblance to the killer has upon the plot; the answer is "absolutely nothing." It's merely an excuse to have Scotland Yard seek him out at the start of the story.

A common failing in Carr's radio writing is that his mysteries are too literary and don't make for good radio. He tends to bury his clues in the text and that's a problem in an audio medium. Such is the case in "A Razor in Fleet Street," which does not do a good job of presenting the clues. The murder happens about 20 minutes in and the rest of the runtime is devoted to characters making wild hysterical assumptions until the case is solved (which is typical for Carr's scripts). A better program - the sort of thing Suspense would attempt after Carr left - was to have the murder happen in the opening 5 minutes and devote the rest of the show to solving the problem. "A Razor in Fleet Street" would have been improved to my ears had it been structured in that manner - and better yet if the clue had been indicated through the audio, not just the dialogue. The clue to solve the mystery could have been conveyed using careful sound effects but instead it plays out like a magazine short story - which is, at heart, what Carr was best at writing.

I think Cabin B-13 is an important bit of Suspense's story and definitely one for the fan who's heard everything of that series and still wants more. You can hear the 3 surviving episodes on the Internet Archive.

RIP: Tom Palmer

Tom Palmer died on August 18th.

Palmer is going to be best-remembered as an inker and he was absolutely one of the best - a legend, one who kept working up to the end, covering more than 50 years of quality output. He was also an occasional painter and colorist. I think I first saw his work on Marvel's Star Wars where he inked Ron Frenz (and painted some beautiful covers). I also found his work on Tomb of Dracula, inking Gene Colan, which was like night and day; Colan was extremely stylish compared to Frenz's realism but Palmer made both men look good; he's frequently been called Colan's best inker for their work together on Tomb of Dracula and Doctor Strange.

But I'll remember Palmer best for the Avengers. He was for me the definitive Avengers inker, covering everyone from John Buscema to Neal Adams, Paul Ryan to Steve Epting. It didn't always pan out - he inked Mike Deodato on Avengers but Deodato penciled in a wild, loose style that Palmer couldn't seem to tame (I'm not sure if he ever inked Deodato in later years when Deodato adopted an ultra-realistic style).

Palmer was said to be an overpowering inker but that's why I liked him on the Avengers - he brought consistency to the book through some tumultuous times. I saw Epting's work for the first time when Palmer was inking him on Avengers and it made me a lifelong fan of Epting's style - basically because I thought Palmer made him look like John Buscema.

The Buscema/Palmer issues of Avengers are particularly special to me, including the notable "Mansion Siege" storyline (Avengers #273-277).

Palmer was one of the best-known inkers in the business; he leaves behind a terrific legacy of quality work. Rest in peace, Mr. Palmer.

Radio Recap: CBS Radio Workshop

The CBS Radio Workshop - "dedicated to man's imagination; the theater of the mind" - aired from January, 1956 to September, 1957, fairly late in the life of radio drama. But before I can describe what the series was like, I need to describe the Columbia Workshop, its predecessor.

There's not really anything on radio quite like the Columbia Workshop (or the CBS Radio Workshop). The Columbia Workshop was a CBS program which bounced around their schedule from time-to-time between 1936-1947. It was a very experimental program - it took a lot of chances and not all of them worked. The Columbia Workshop was a space for producers, directors, writers, musicians, sound effects men and actors to try out material that wouldn't have fit anywhere else. The risks which CBS took in running such a program certainly paid off for them in the years ahead - Suspense is one such program which owes a lot to the Columbia Workshop for testing new ways of telling stories.

Like the Columbia Workshop, CBS Radio Workshop had no particular genre or even style of content; sometimes it presented drama, other times comedy, sometimes a "colloquy" which were opportunities to editorialize on a certain subject; there were musical episodes, slice-of-life programs and a bit of journalism. Not every episode will be to a person's taste (I find the music program "The Stronger" to be a chore), but I think every radio fan can find at least a few episodes they'll enjoy.

For instance, there was a lot of airtime given to science fiction, which CBS didn't delve into too often (such stories were more common on NBC). CBS Radio Workshop kicked off with a two-part adaptation of Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" and later adapted his novel "Jacob's Hands." There's a Ray Bradbury episode which adapted "Season of Disbelief" and "Hail and Farewell"; they adapted Heinlein's "The Green Hills of Earth"; John Cheever's social commentary "The Enormous Radio"; the humourous Robert Nathan story "A Pride of Carrots"; Antoine de St. Exupery's "The Little Prince"; a two-part adaptation of C. M. Kornbluth's "The Space Merchants"; and the fun fantasy story "Housing Problem" by Henry Kuttner.

Other interesting adaptations included a number of great humour stories: "Roughing It" by Mark Twain; "The King of the Cats" by Stephen Vincent Benet; "You Could Look It Up" by James Thurber; and a very funny adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's "Never Bet the Devil Your Head."

The show looked at the process of writing for radio in "A Writer at Work" and at microphone technology in "I Have Three Heads"; the series explored psychic research in "Report on ESP"; an examination of Hawaiian culture in "Malahini Magic"; and a portable tape recorder presentation of famous cities: "The Voice of New York," "This Is Paris," and "Portrait of London."

It was a fairly highbrow show at times - Shakespeare comes up a lot. The first colloquy is an "interview" with Shakespeare; there's a Hamlet play called "Another Point of View"; and a look at Shakespearean acting in "Lovers, Villains and Fools." There's also a look at the titular "Oedipus Story," some Japanese theatre in "Noh Plays of Japan," a dramatic reading of Christ's passion in "The Son of Man" and an episode in which William Conrad read poetry: "1489 Words."

You can hear adaptations of novels and short stories on any 'playhouse'-type program. What sets CBS Radio Workshop apart from other dramatic shows are the programs which probably couldn't have been done anywhere else. To that end, there are four episodes I want to single out:

• "A Matter of Logic": Writer/producer Antony Ellis appears as himself as he tries to convince William Conrad of his take on a far-out concept; Conrad disagrees with Ellis' premise and the two try to hash it out through a friendly argument. One wonders if Ellis was inspired by similar arguments he'd had with performers over the years.
• "I Was the Duke": A remarkable conversation with a juvenile delinquint. It certainly supports everything one fears about teenage criminals, but it is surprising to hear how casually the real-life criminal discusses his crimes, with some uncensored profanity littering his speech! It's probably your only chance to hear some profanity in old-time radio.
• "Nightmare": An interesting drama about a man (Elliott Lewis) struggling with a heart attack and the odd nightmare he experiences while clinging on to life. It's a beautifully surreal stream-of-consciousness play.
• "The Silent Witness": A one-man play performed by Raymond Burr; not up to the standard of Suspense's "The Waxwork" but a very solid drama.

So that's what sets CBS Radio Workshop apart from other dramatic shows, but what set it apart from its predecessor, the Columbia Workshop? I think the difference is that the Columbia Workshop was testing unproven ideas and concepts, pushing the boundaries of what could be done in radio. CBS Radio Workshop arrived at the end of dramatic radio and seemed to comprehend that it would be among the last of its kind; rather than strive towards a future that wasn't there, it simply demonstrated what was possible with the technology of the time. For that reason, I think CBS Radio Workshop is much easier to listen to than the average episode of the Columbia Workshop, but I think I've written enough to give you an idea of whether this show would appeal to you.

The Old-Time Radio Researchers Group has a collection of the CBS Radio Workshop at the Internet Archive.

Thor: Love and Thunder creator credits

Who would've guessed that the first film to draw extensively from the work of Jason Aaron would be so... goofy?

The full list of creator credits is here!

Jack Kirby: creator of the Celestials, immense intergalactic cosmic creatures who have been likened to gods (Eternals #1, 1976); of Arishem, one of the Celestials (Eternals #2, 1976); of the One Above All, one of the Celestials (Eternals #7, 1977); of Ziran, one of the Celestials (Eternals #18, 1977); co-creator of Thor, Asgardian god of thunder whose hammer Mjolnir can control weather and has a worthiness enchantment which prevents others from lifting it; Thor's silver helmet, red cape and blue bodysuit; Thor encountering extraterrestrials made of stone; Thor called "the mighty Thor" (Journey into Mystery #83, 1962); of Jane Foster, Thor's mortal love interest (Journey into Mystery #84, 1962); of Loki, Thor's evil brother who possesses the power to cast illusions and wears green/yellow; Loki's horned helmet; Asgard, home of the Norse Gods which connects to Earth via the rainbow bridge Bifrost; of Heimdall, guardian of Bifrost; of Odin, father of Loki & Thor (Journey into Mystery #85, 1962); of Thor's ability to channel lightning through his body even when separated from Mjolnir (Journey into Mystery #93, 1963); of Surtur, the immense fire demon who is an enemy to all of Asgard (Journey into Mystery #97, 1963); of Sif, female Asgardian warrior, love interest to Thor; of Hela, Asgardian goddess of death; Hela's green costume, cape and large black headdress (Journey into Mystery #102, 1964); of Asgardians piloting sky ships (Journey into Mystery #103, 1964); of Volstagg, a red-haired, overweight and jovial Asgardian warrior; of Hogun, a mostly-silent grim-faced and dark-haired Asgardian; and of Fandral, a blond-haired dashing, adventurous Asgardian clad in green (Journey into Mystery #119, 1965); of Asgard possessing advanced technology (Journey into Mystery #120, 1965); of Zeus, the Greek god of lightning; of Hercules, the son of Zeus who is pitted against Thor; of Hercules as a bearded man wearing a brown band over his ears (Journey into Mystery Annual #1, 1965); of Nick Fury, an experienced soldier (Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #1, 1963); of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine (Tales to Astonish #6, 1959); of Groot, an immense tree-like being (Tales to Astonish #13, 1960); of Valhalla, the land where the honored dead of Asgard reside (Thor #133, 1966); of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom (Thor #164, 1969)

Stan Lee: co-creator of Thor, Norse god of thunder, defender of Earth, wields hammer Mjolnir which can control storms, always returns to his hand and can only be lifted by those who are worthy of its power; Thor's silver helmet, blue costume, bare arms and red cape; Thor encountering extraterrestrials made of stone; Thor called "the mighty Thor" (Journey into Mystery #83, 1962); of Jane Foster, Thor's mortal love interest (Journey into Mystery #84, 1962); of Loki, Thor's evil brother who possesses the power to cast illusions and wears green/yellow; Loki's horned helmet; Asgard, home of the Norse Gods which connects to Earth via the rainbow bridge Bifrost; Heimdall, guardian of Bifrost; Odin, father of Loki & Thor (Journey into Mystery#85, 1962); of Frigga, queen of Asgard, mother to Thor & Loki; of the Valkyrie, an order of Asgardian warrior woman who ride flying horses (Journey into Mystery #92, 1963); of Thor's ability to channel lightning through his body even when separated from Mjolnir (Journey into Mystery #93, 1963); of Surtur, the immense fire demon who is an enemy to all of Asgard (Journey into Mystery #97, 1963); of Sif, female Asgardian warrior, love interest to Thor; of Hela, Asgardian goddess of death; Hela's green costume, cape and large black headdress (Journey into Mystery #102, 1964); of Asgardians piloting sky ships (Journey into Mystery #103, 1964); of Volstagg, a red-haired, overweight and jovial Asgardian warrior with a wife and several children; Hogun, a mostly-silent grim-faced and dark-haired Asgardian; and Fandral, a blond, green-clad, dashing, adventurous Asgardian (Journey into Mystery #119, 1965); of Asgard possessing advanced technology (Journey into Mystery #120, 1965); of Zeus, the Greek god of lightning; of Hercules, the son of Zeus who is pitted against Thor; of Hercules as a bearded man wearing a brown band over his ears (Journey into Mystery Annual #1, 1965); of Nick Fury, an experienced soldier (Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #1, 1963); of the location of the cosmic entity Eternity being sought (Strange Tales #132, 1965); of Eternity, an immensely powerful cosmic being who embodies the cosmos themselves, visualized as a being made of stars (Strange Tales #138, 1965); of the Living Tribunal, a cosmic entity (Strange Tales #157, 1967); of Groot, an immense tree-like being (Tales to Astonish #13, 1960); of Kraglin, an extraterrestrial criminal (Tales to Astonish #46, 1963); of Valhalla, the land where the honored dead of Asgard reside (Thor #133, 1966); of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom (Thor #164, 1969); of Infinity, a powerful cosmic being (Thor #185, 1971)

Jason Aaron: co-creator of Jane Foster being compelled to give up being Thor because Mjolnir was hastening her own death from cancer (Mighty Thor #703, 2018); of Jane taking up Mjolnir again despite knowing it will cost her her life; of Jane dying in battle alongside Thor (Mighty Thor #705, 2018); of Jane's spirit journeying to Valhalla (Mighty Thor #706, 2018); of Jane Foster wielding Mjolnir and wearing a modified verison of Thor's costume with a mask built into the helmet; of Jane Foster suffering from cancer (Thor #1, 2014); of Thor approving of Jane Foster as his replacement (Thor #4, 2015); of Jane Foster revealed as the identity of the female Thor (Thor #8, 2015); of Thor wielding an axe forged by dwarves in place of his hammer; of the Black Berzerkers, shadowy creatures who serve the God Butcher (Thor: God of Thunder #1, 2013); of Gorr the God Butcher a man who despises the gods and is determined to slay as many of them as he can; of the Necrosword, Gorr's chief weapon, which can slay immortals (Thor: God of Thunder #2, 2013); of Falligor, a god who is slain by Gorr; of Thor discovering Falligor's corpse; of Omnipotence City, a celestial locale frequented by gods of many pantheons where Thor goes for information on the God Butcher (Thor: God of Thunder #3, 2013); of Gorr being a former believer in gods who was offended when they failed to save his family (Thor: God of Thunder #6, 2013); of Gorr recreating his dead family with cosmic power (Thor: God of Thunder #9, 2013); of Gorr dying after battling Thor (Thor: God of Thunder #11, 2013); of Jane Foster's mother dying from cancer (The Unworthy Thor #4, 2017)

Esad Ribic: co-creator of Jane Foster being compelled to give up being Thor because Mjolnir was hastening her own death from cancer (Mighty Thor #703, 2018); of Jane taking up Mjolnir again despite knowing it will cost her her life; of Jane dying in battle alongside Thor (Mighty Thor #705, 2018); of Jane's spirit journeying to Valhalla (Mighty Thor #706, 2018); of Thor wielding an axe forged by dwarves in place of his hammer; of the Black Berzerkers, shadowy creatures who serve the God Butcher (Thor: God of Thunder #1, 2013); of Gorr the God Butcher a man who despises the gods and is determined to slay as many of them as he can; of the Necrosword, Gorr's chief weapon, which can slay immortals (Thor: God of Thunder #2, 2013); of Falligor, a god who is slain by Gorr; of Thor discovering Falligor's corpse; of Omnipotence City, a celestial locale frequented by gods of many pantheons where Thor goes for information on the God Butcher (Thor: God of Thunder #3, 2013); of Gorr recreating his dead family with cosmic power (Thor: God of Thunder #9, 2013); of Gorr dying after battling Thor (Thor: God of Thunder #11, 2013)

Larry Lieber: co-creator of Thor, Norse god of thunder, defender of Earth, wields hammer Mjolnir which can control storms, can only be lifted by those who are worthy and always returns to his hand; Thor's silver helmet, blue costume, bare arms and red cape; Thor encountering extraterrestrials made of stone (Journey into Mystery #83, 1962); of Jane Foster, Thor's mortal love interest (Journey into Mystery #84, 1962); of Loki, Thor's wicked brother; Loki's green & yellow clothing, horned helmet; of Asgard, the realm where Thor lives; Bifrost, the rainbow bridge which connects Asgard to other worlds; of Odin, lord of Asgard, father of Thor and Loki; of Heimdall, guardian of Bifrost (Journey into Mystery #85, 1962)

Keith Giffen: co-creator of Star-Lord teamed-up with Mantis, Groot and Rocket Raccoon; Groot and Rocket Raccoon's friendship; Star-Lord's helmet with full faceplate, red goggles and breathing unit; Star-Lord favouring twin guns; Rocket favouring heavy artillery (Annihilation: Conquest - Star-Lord #1, 2007); of Drax's redesign with red body tattoos (Drax the Destroyer #3, 2006); of Drax wearing only pants; Drax preferring knives as weapons (Drax the Destroyer #4, 2006); of Rocket Raccoon, an anthropomorphic adventurous raccoon (Marvel Preview #7, 1976)

Jim Starlin: creator of Eon, a cosmic entity (Captain Marvel #29, 1973); co-creator of Death conceptualized as a cosmic entity (Captain Marvel #26, 1973); of Thanos, a death-worshipping intergalactic warlord who inflicts genocide; of Drax, a galaxy-travelling hero with green skin who excels at destruction (Iron Man #55, 1973); of the Infinity Gems, six all-powerful stones wielded together as the Infinity Gauntlet (Thanos Quest #1, 1990)

Michael Avon Oeming: co-creator of Sif losing her left arm in combat (Thor #80, 2004); of Sif's missing arm replaced with a stump; of Fandral and Hogun perishing in the events of Ragnarok (Thor #82, 2004); of Thor losing an eye during the events of Ragnarok (Thor #84, 2004); of Thor permitting Surtur to destroy Asgard so that he could vanquish a greater threat; of Volstagg perishing in Ragnarok (Thor #85, 2004)

Walter Simonson: creator of Stormbreaker, an uru weapon forged by dwarves to imitate the power of Mjolnir; of Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder, two enormous goats who travel across dimensions pulling Thor's vehicle (Thor #339, 1984); co-creator of Thor wearing a beard (Thor #367, 1986); of Thor wearing full body armor in gold and blue with his red cape fixed to his shoulders (Thor #378, 1987)

Russell Dauterman: co-creator of Jane Foster wielding Mjolnir and wearing a modified verison of Thor's costume with a mask built into the helmet; of Jane Foster suffering from cancer (Thor #1, 2014); of Thor approving of Jane Foster as his replacement (Thor #4, 2015); of Jane Foster revealed as the identity of the female Thor (Thor #8, 2015)

Mark Gruenwald: creator of the name for the Kronans, an extraterrestrial race of rock-like creatures (Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #5, 1983); co-creator of the many pantheons of gods meeting and cooperating together (Thor #300, 1980); of the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, an ally of Thor (Thor Annual #10, 1982)

Daniel Berman: co-creator of Sif losing her left arm in combat (Thor #80, 2004); of Sif's missing arm replaced with a stump; of Fandral and Hogun perishing in the events of Ragnarok (Thor #82, 2004); of Thor losing an eye during the events of Ragnarok (Thor #84, 2004); of Volstagg perishing in Ragnarok (Thor #85, 2004)

Robert Bernstein: co-creator of Frigga, queen of Asgard, mother to Thor & Loki; of the Valkyrie, an order of Asgardian warrior woman who ride flying horses (Journey into Mystery #92, 1963); of Thor's ability to channel lightning through his body even when separated from Mjolnir (Journey into Mystery #93, 1963)

Andrea Di Vito: co-creator of Sif losing her left arm in combat (Thor #80, 2004); of Sif's missing arm replaced with a stump; of Fandral and Hogun perishing in the events of Ragnarok (Thor #82, 2004); of Thor losing an eye during the events of Ragnarok (Thor #84, 2004); of Volstagg perishing in Ragnarok (Thor #85, 2004)

Roy Thomas: co-creator of Valkyrie, an Asgardian warrior woman who encounters the Hulk (Incredible Hulk #142, 1971); of the Soul Gem, from which the Infinty Gems were derived (Marvel Premiere #1, 1970); of Odin having only one eye (Thor #274, 1978); of the One Above All's visual appearance (Thor #288, 1979)

John Buscema: co-creator of Hercules wearing a costume with a strap across his chest and around his shoulders (Avengers #256, 1985); of Nebula, a blue-skinned space pirate (Avengers #257, 1985); of Infinity, a powerful cosmic being (Thor #185, 1971); of Odin having only one eye (Thor #274, 1978)

Timothy Green II: co-creator of Star-Lord teamed-up with Mantis, Groot and Rocket Raccoon; Groot and Rocket Raccoon's friendship; Star-Lord's helmet with full faceplate, red goggles and breathing unit; Star-Lord favouring twin guns; Rocket favouring heavy artillery (Annihilation: Conquest - Star-Lord #1, 2007)

Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning: co-creators of Groot's vocabulary limited to little more than "I am Groot" (Annihilation: Conquest#2, 2008); of Drax, Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Mantis and Groot banded together as the Guardians of the Galaxy; Rocket as the team's tactician (Guardians of the Galaxy #1, 2008)

Mike Friedrich: co-creator of Death conceptualized as a cosmic entity (Captain Marvel #26, 1973); of Thanos, a death-worshipping intergalactic warlord who inflicts genocide; of Drax, a galaxy-travelling hero with green skin who excels at destruction (Iron Man #55, 1973)

Sal Buscema: co-creator of Rocket Racccoon as a swashbuckling hero clad in green with the moniker "Rocket" (Incredible Hulk #271, 1982); of Thor wearing a beard (Thor #367, 1986); of Thor wearing full body armor in gold and blue with his red cape fixed to his shoulders (Thor #378, 1987)

Greg Pak: co-creator of Miek, an insectoid gladiator (Incredible Hulk #92, 2006); of Korg, a Kronan who had been a gladiator (Incredible Hulk #93, 2006); of the Kronans revealed to reproduce by clasping hands together nearby lava (WWH Aftersmash: Warbound #3, 2008)

Steve Ditko: co-creator of the location of the cosmic entity Eternity being sought (Strange Tales #132, 1965); of Eternity, an immensely powerful cosmic being who embodies the cosmos themselves, visualized as a being made of stars (Strange Tales #138, 1965)

Bill Mantlo: co-creator of Rocket Racccoon as a swashbuckling hero clad in green with the moniker "Rocket" (Incredible Hulk #271, 1982); of Rocket Raccoon, an anthropomorphic adventurous raccoon (Marvel Preview #7, 1976)

Steve Englehart: co-creator of Mantis, a heroic Asian woman with empathic powers (Avengers #112, 1973); of Star-Lord, alias Peter Quill, a half-alien space-adventuring gun-wielding hero (Marvel Preview #4, 1976)

Roger Stern: co-creator of Hercules wearing a costume with a strap across his chest and around his shoulders (Avengers #256, 1985); of Nebula, a blue-skinned villainous space pirate (Avengers #257, 1985)

Mitch Breitweiser: co-creator of Drax's redesign with red body tattoos (Drax the Destroyer #3, 2006); co-creator of Drax wearing only pants; Drax preferring knives as weapons (Drax the Destroyer #4, 2006)

Paul Pelletier: co-creator of Drax, Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Mantis and Groot banded together as the Guardians of the Galaxy; Rocket as the team's tactician (Guardians of the Galaxy #1, 2008)

Joe Sinnott: co-creator of Frigga, queen of Asgard, mother to Thor & Loki; of the Valkyrie, an order of Asgardian warrior woman who ride flying horses (Journey into Mystery #92, 1963)

Don Heck: co-creator of Mantis, a heroic Asian woman with empathic powers (Avengers #112, 1973); of Kraglin, an extraterrestrial criminal (Tales to Astonish #46, 1963)

Gene Colan: co-creator of the yaka arrow, which is controlled by whistling; of team of heroes based in space called the Guardians of the Galaxy (Marvel Super-Heroes#18, 1969)

Arnold Drake: co-creator of the yaka arrow, which is controlled by whistling; of team of heroes based in space called the Guardians of the Galaxy (Marvel Super-Heroes#18, 1969)

Carlo Pagulayan: co-creator of Miek, an insectoid gladiator (Incredible Hulk #92, 2006); of Korg, a Kronan who had been a gladiator (Incredible Hulk #93, 2006)

Keith Pollard: co-creator of the One Above All's visual appearance (Thor #288, 1979); of the many pantheons of gods meeting and cooperating together (Thor #300, 1980)

Butch Guice: co-creator of Gorr being a former believer in gods who was offended when they failed to save his family (Thor: God of Thunder #6, 2013)

John Byrne: creator of Thor called "Odinson" (Namor the Sub-Mariner#13, 1991)

Tom DeFalco: co-creator of Mjolnir being shattered by an immensely powerful foe (Thor #388, 1988)

Ron Frenz: co-creator of Mjolnir being shattered by an immensely powerful foe (Thor #388, 1988)

Gil Kane: co-creator of the Soul Gem, from which the Infinty Gems were derived (Marvel Premiere#1, 1970)

Ron Lim: co-creator of the Infinity Gems, six all-powerful stones wielded together as the Infinity Gauntlet (Thanos Quest #1, 1990)

Herb Trimpe: co-creator of Valkyrie, an Asgardian warrior woman who encounters the Hulk (Incredible Hulk #142, 1971)

Marv Wolfman: co-creator of the Xandarians, an alien race very similar to humans (Fantastic Four #204, 1979)

Steve Gan: co-creator of Star-Lord, alias Peter Quill, a half-alien space-adventuring gun-wielding hero (Marvel Preview #4, 1976)

Tom Raney: co-creator of Groot's vocabulary limited to little more than "I am Groot" (Annihilation: Conquest #2, 2008)

H.E. Huntley: co-creator of Kraglin, an extraterrestrial criminal (Tales to Astonish #46, 1963)

M.C. Wyman: co-creator of Nebula's body reinforced with cybernetics (Silver Surfer #72, 1992)

Ron Marz: co-creator of Nebula's body reinforced with cybernetics (Silver Surfer #72, 1992)

Christopher Priest: co-creator of the panther god Black Panther worships being the Egyptian god Bast (Black Panther #21, 2000)

Sal Velluto: co-creator of the panther god Black Panther worships being the Egyptian god Bast (Black Panther #21, 2000)

Don Glut: co-creator of Jane Foster gaining the power of Thor (What If #10, 1978)

Rick Hoberg: co-creator of Jane Foster gaining the power of Thor (What If #10, 1978)

Ralph Macchio: co-creator of the many pantheons of gods meeting and cooperating together (Thor #300, 1980)

Gene Day: co-creator of the many pantheons of gods meeting and cooperating together (Thor #300, 1980)

Chic Stone: co-creator of the One Above All's visual appearance (Thor #288, 1979)

Leonard Kirk: co-creator of the Kronans revealed to reproduce by clasping hands together nearby lava (WWH Aftersmash: Warbound #3, 2008)

Donny Cates: co-creator of Mjolnir being rebuilt with visible cracks in its pieces (Thor #23, 2022)

Nic Klein: co-creator of Mjolnir being rebuilt with visible cracks in its pieces (Thor #23, 2022)

Olivier Coipel: co-creator of Jane Foster's mother dying from cancer (The Unworthy Thor #4, 2017)

Kim Jacinto: co-creator of Jane Foster's mother dying from cancer (The Unworthy Thor #4, 2017)

Marie Severin: co-creator of the Living Tribunal, a cosmic entity (Strange Tales #157, 1967)

Bob Hall: co-creator of the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, an ally of Thor (Thor Annual #10, 1982)

Alan Zelenetz: co-creator of the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, an ally of Thor (Thor Annual #10, 1982)

Brief Thoughts about Thor: Love and Thunder

I'm trying to pin down what it is I don't like about Thor: Love and Thunder.

SPOILERS do follow...

I enjoyed Thor: Ragnarok quite a bit; I've tried other works by director Taika Waititi and enjoyed them as well. While watching Thor: Love and Thunder I kept recognizing the same type of humour which I'd found amusing in Waititi's other works. I was interested in the film. I didn't dislike the film. But I never connected emotionally to the film - that is, I never found it funny.

The thing about Thor: Love and Thunder is that it is a comedy film; there's only a little bit of drama - most of the picture is founded on jokes. The majority of scenes are set-ups for jokes. Maybe I'm too old for the film - it did seem like very juvenile humour to me, so perhaps I've outgrown Waititi's type of humour.

However, Thor: Love and Thunder is a contrast to how humour is used in other Marvel films. In other pictures, humour is used primarily to keep the story going; the directors get to a point where they don't know how to end a scene, so a character will crack a lame joke --> scene transition. The humour beats in a Marvel film are predictable but not offensive.

In Thor: Love and Thunder rather than the humour forcing itself into dramatic situations, the drama has to force itself into humourous situations. There is such a sense of ironic detachment throughout the film. Everything is a joke, a one-liner. Thor is frequently just childish - which makes one wonder how they'll adapt Hercules to the films, given that in the comics Herc's personality is normally more childish than Thor's. Very few dramatic moments land; the villain, Gorr, is treated seriously; Jane's cancer is mostly dealt with seriously (except for the scene which introduces it, strangely); Jane's death is treated as a serious moment. But the rest of the film so light-hearted, so weightless. What Gene Siskel called, "much of a muchness."

I think what I wanted from a film that puts Love right in its title is a little more emotion - that is, vulnerability. To let a few more dramatic moments land.

The very premise of Gorr the God Butcher seems like a good one for the picture - a worshiper of gods who is incensed at the lack of love shown by his gods, which turns him into a killer of gods. But that's really only covered in the opening scene. Ultimately, this version of Gorr is a distraught father who wants his little girl back - he blames the gods, but he's not particularly philosophical about it. His presence hints to some headier ideas, but the movie isn't interested in expounding on his philosophy or prompting Thor to offer a counterpoint. That would've intruded on one of those 80s hair metal ballads, I guess.

I don't dislike Thor: Love and Thunder but I'm very dissatisified with it. There's more going on in it than, say, Thor: The Dark World but it feels hollow; a series of comedy sketches instead of a journey.

(A list of creator credits for Thor: Love and Thunder will follow soon)