Tag: Deathmate

What To Watch On YouTube Right Now – Part 157

What To Watch On YouTube Right Now – Part 157

carlocarrasco

Welcome back my readers, YouTube viewers and all others who followed this series of articles focused on YouTube videos worth watching.

Have you been searching for something fun or interesting to watch on YouTube? Do you feel bored right now and you crave for something to see on the world’s most popular online video destination?

I recommend you check out the following videos I found.

#1 Popcorn in Bed’s X-Men movie reaction videos – I enjoy watching the movie reaction videos posted by Popcorn in Bed. For the most part, Cassie and her sister Carly (who joined her many times in reaction videos) are pretty reactive to the movies they saw for the first time ever regardless of genre. Recently, I replayed watching their reaction videos of the live-action, X-Men movies (the main ones specifically) from 2000’s X-Men to 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse. Each X-Men reaction video of theirs is fun to watch and I noticed how Cassy and Carly discovered who the characters are, familiarized themselves with them, and still succeeded on following the stories even though there were so many characters in each film. That said, I encourage you all to watch their videos below.

#2 The Sherman Oaks Galleria today – You may not have visited the Sherman Oaks Galleria in California, but you might have seen it in films like Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Chopping Mall, Commando, and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Indeed, the said shopping mall was used as a location in the movies and given the fact that a lot of shopping malls across America have closed down, revisiting the Sherman Oak Galleria’s legacy is both nostalgic and even educational. To find out what the Sherman Oaks Galleria looks like today, watch the video below. Tell me if you can recognize the malls spots that appeared in movies.

#3 Magic Johnson’s 1996 Comeback as a Lakers Player – Looking back at the career of Magic Johnson, the 1990s was a series of drastic changes about him. He quickly retired in 1991 because he had Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) but returned as a player in the 1992 NBA All-Star Game and represented the United States as a Dream Team members in the Barcelona Olympics. He retired again in 1992 as controversy and protests grew from players over his plan to rejoin the Los Angeles Lakers for the 1992-93 season. He came back to the NBA as Lakers head coach in 1994 winning 5 games and losing 11, and eventually stepped down. In 1996, he came back as a player for the Lakers taking a new role as a power forward. Magic Johnson’s presence on the basketball courts looked exciting on face value but there was a lot of tension behind the scenes and even division among the Lakers. To discover what happened, watch the video below.

#4 Eels to eat in Japan – I enjoy eating Unadon, the classic Japanese dish that has eel (unagi) grilled in the kabayaki way and served in a rice bowl. I had Unadon during my visits to Japan and in Japanese restaurants (both locally and overseas). Eels are truly popular in Japan. Even though supply constraints of live eels are felt by consumers and businesses, somehow the Japanese food joints found ways to secure enough of them and offer them to hungry customers in creative ways. Watch and learn from the Nippon TV video below.

#5 Retro World Expo 2026 – I always wanted to attend a retro gaming convention in America. I saw this video about Retro World Expo 2026 which took place in Connecticut and it was enjoyable to see. There is nothing like playing classic arcade games and classic console/computer games running on their original hardware. Watch the video below.

#6 You, Me and the Movies react to Resident Evil: Degeneration – If you are a fan of the Resident Evil games and movies, do you really enjoy watching the computer-generated Resident Evil movies? Back in 2008, the pure-CGI movie Resident Evil: Degeneration was released in cinemas and there was some excitement for it among RE enthusiasts as it had fan-favorite characters Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield. Not only that, RE fans who were disappointed with the Milla Jovovich-led live-action movies wanted to see RE movies that were more connected with the games they enjoyed. You, Me and the Movies recently posted their reaction video about Resident Evil: Degeneration and it is a must-watch.

#7 Ashleigh Burton reacts to The Transformers: The Movie – Finally, Ashleigh Burton saw the animated classic The Transformers: The Movie and posted her reaction video of it. It is nice that the animated movie got featured by her as this year marks its 40th anniversary. Go watch her video now! It’s fun to watch.

#7 Deathmate and the 1990s comics revisited – As a long-time comic book reader, I personally witnessed the presence and impact of the Deathmate crossover comic books in 1993. The Deathmate comics published by Valiant were released on time while those from Image Comics really arrived late. Local comic book collectors near me had no excitement for Deathmate even though famous artists like Rob Liefeld, Jim Lee and Whilce Portacio participated in it in various degrees. The video below is very comprehensive with its focus on not just Deathmate but also the comic book speculator boom, the 1990s comics trends, the intrigue behind the scenes and more. Watch the video now.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @CarloCarrascoPH as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

A Look Back at Gen13 #1 (1994)

A Look Back at Gen13 #1 (1994)

carlocarrasco

Disclaimer: This is my original work with details sourced from reading the comic book and doing personal research. Anyone who wants to use this article, in part or in whole, needs to secure first my permission and agree to cite me as the source and author. Let it be known that any unauthorized use of this article will constrain the author to pursue the remedies under R.A. No. 8293, the Revised Penal Code, and/or all applicable legal actions under the laws of the Philippines.

Welcome back, superhero fans, 1990s arts and culture enthusiasts, Image Comics fans and comic book collectors! Today we go back to the mid-1990s to examine one of the many tales of Jim Lee’s original WildStorm universe through the original Gen13 mini-series.

There is a lot to enjoy in the WildStorm comic book universe of the 1990s with such titles like WildCATS: Covert Action Teams, Team 7, StormWatch, Grifter, Backlash and Wetworks to name some. The WildStorm depicts the world as chaotic filled with strong paramilitary concepts, conspiracies and even aliens from deep space.

Along the way, WildStorm has its own take on the sub-genre of super-powered teenagers which was realized as Gen13 (stylized as Gen13). Strangely enough, the team – which actually first appeared in the Deathmate Black crossover comic book in 1993 – was originally titled as Gen X but WildStorm had to rebrand it into Gen13 as Marvel Comics already trademarked the name Generation X for an X-Men-related comic book project. To learn more about production history and background of Gen13, click here.

With those details laid down, here is a look back at Gen13 #1, published by Image Comics in 1994 with a story written by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi with artwork done by Jeffrey Scott Campbell (ink work by Alex Garner). This is the first issue of the mini-series.  

The cover.

Early story

The story begins sometime in 1979 when a married couple (Stephen and Rachel Callahan) desperate runs away with their two little children. A team of armored troops (the Black Razors) riding two hovering vehicles catches up with them and hit Rachel with bullets passing through her body. Stephen, who is carrying his son Matthew, uses his power to destroy one of the hovering vehicles. One of the Black Razors realized that the husband is gen-active and nobody informed their team that he was with Gen12.

Agonizing with severe head pain, Stephen tells Matthew to take his little sister Nicole with him and run to the trees. As far as Stephen is concerned, he is finished and all he can do is buy time for the two little children to escape. He tells Matthew to protect his sister. Suddenly, the Black Razors killed Stephen right in front of Matthew and Nicole.

Fifteen years later, a young, nerdy college student named Caitlin Fairchild makes her way through the college campus in Princeton. She is a gifted student who has been focused on maintaining a high grade and graduate with her advanced degree in computer science in the near future.

Upon arriving at the dormitory, she meets her promiscuous roommate Alexa who informs her that some guys arrived earlier looking for her. The guys were described as middle-aged suits and they wanted to talk to Caitlin about some internship program. Alexa then leaves.

A few hours later, Caitlin wakes up as the door gets knocked. Special agent baker of the National Security Committee tells her that she has been accepted into the Gen13 program and her presence is immediately required in order to process her into the program before it begins the next day…

Quality

Roxy, Burnout, Grunge and Caitlin Fairchild together for the first time at the secret facility of the Gen13 program. One other member – Rainmaker – has yet to appear.

I enjoyed this comic book the first time I had it in 1994. I can clearly say that it is still fun and engaging to read again today.

This comic book was written with the intention to introduce super-powered teenagers as a new and really distinctive team in one corner of the original WildStorm universe while also expanding the lore by focusing more on International Operations’ unethical covert operations which will easily remind people about government conspiracies, top secret missions and the like. The story has really strong elements about conspiracies, unethical scientific experiments and even human rights violations. The story by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi has a strong structure but what stood out to me was the really creative writing done to bring the characters to life complete with a touch of the 1990s vibe (in reference to comic book trends and real-life society).

John Lynch, a former member of Team 7 and also one of the high-ranking officials of IO who occasionally appeared in prior WildStorm comic books, gets a nice share of the spotlight in the story and indeed he is not full control of his organization. In fact, IO’s execution of a new program about developing people with special abilities or powers (without their knowledge) raises Lynch’s concerns as he himself was a victim of betrayal and exposure to an experimental gas during his time with Team 7. Lynch also appeared in The Kindred mini-series (read my reviews by clicking here, here and here).

When it comes to the characters, Gen13’s members here are introduced with notable differences in terms of personality. The nerdy Caitlin Fairchild is the very promising smart young lady who has the potential to succeed. Bobby (Burnout) is the quiet guy who quickly realizes that true unity is needed in order for a group to succeed under the program they are in. Roxy is the undisciplined and rebellious young lady while Grunge is the loose cannon and has trouble with authorities. While it is clear you won’t see much of their powers yet in this comic book, they turned out to be interesting enough to follow thanks to the strong creative writing by Lee and Choi.

When it comes to the visuals, Jeffrey Scott Campbell’s artworks really stood out mainly due to his distinctive style. If you look closely at how he draws the faces of women – particularly the ones who are young and fit – you will realize the exaggerated look complete with the big eyes and curves seen on females in anime or even manga (Japanese comics). If you are looking visual realism on the characters, you won’t find it here at all. Campbell’s style truly defined the look of the characters and yet he was able to draw armored troops (Black Razors and the armed security guard) with a really high level of details (including their weapons) which really stood out visually. Campbell is also good with superhero spectacle and hard action. Last but not least, there is a deliberate amount of erotic imagery in this comic book which serves as a reminder that this is a story aimed at young adult and adult readers.  

Conclusion

John Lynch and Ivana having a confidential talk about International Operations and its current project about super-powered beings. Even though he is a very high officer at IO, Lynch was kept in the dark about something crucial.

Indeed, Gen13 #1 (1994) remains entertaining to read mainly because of the strong writing. The story moved at a smooth pace, the exposition was done cleverly, and the characters ended up being worthy enough to pay attention to. By the time I reached the end, I am convinced to go on to the next issue and rediscover not only more of the mini-series but also the way it expanded the lore of the WildStorm universe of the 1990s. This comic book alone strongly emphasized the connections with other elements of the WildStorm universe, particularly with Team 7 (its mini-series launched months after this one) and the dark legacy of IO. It is an adulterated superhero comic book that really offered readers something new and intriguing.

Overall, Gen13 #1 (1994) is recommended.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. If you want to support my website, please consider making a donation. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @CarloCarrascoPH as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco/.