skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Last time we saw an undersea clash between my versions of the two great aquatic heroes. The actual version of one of those heroes, Aqualord, has something that the other didn't: An aquatic teenage boy who shared many of his adventures! (The character from whom Ultramarine was derived also had a teenage counterpart, but his was a girl and this is Quantum MALE Art!) My version of Aqualord's sidekick is called Aquaboy, naturally enough, and he's been gracious enough to get out of his costume for us here.
As has become the custom for teenage sidekicks in that particular universe, Aquaboy had to grow up and take on an adult identity. We see him here, again out of costume, in his grown-up guise of Seastorm. If you were drowning in the ocean, here's someone you'd love to have come to your rescue!
The waves tossing on the surface of the ocean give only a hint of what may be going on below. In this case, it's a naked battle between my versions of the two greatest sea-going super-heroes in comics. On the right, Ultramarine swings while on the left, Aqualord parries. What could the two of them be fighting over? Whatever the reason for their clash, just pull up a giant clamshell and enjoy the show!
My name for this character is "The Miracle". Though, in the words of Paul Simon, he may remind you of the days of miracle and "wonder," Man. What's miraculous about him is that in his very first appearance, he supposedly died. Then his brain engrams were transcribed into an android. Then he apparently returned from death, but it turned out that the process that had made him superhuman in the first place had begun to metamorphose him into a being composed of energy, so his "death" was actually a stage in his transformation. Look at the hairy hotness below. Can you believe that's all energy and not flesh and muscle and hair? Boy George sang that "...dreams are made of emotions." What dreams and emotions does The Miracle stir in you?
I’d like to start this post with a shout out to a new online friend of mine, John Savage, who just yesterday posted a selection from Quantum Male Art on his own Blog, Rants, Roids, n Rasslin’. As you may surmise, John’s blog is themed on wrestling, albeit with a decidedly gay slant and an acquaintance with comic book art. In fact, some of his recent posts pit a couple of famous characters from a Decidedly Classic comic book company against each other in the ring; they’re characters who have appeared in my own veiled guises on this very Blog. Anyway, to return the favor, I wanted to give an appreciative link back to John this time. Thanks, John, and whatever may be the wrestling equivalent of “break a leg!"
Now, for our usual business and what I hope will be your pleasure: a couple of cosmic champions. On the left stands Powerstar, a character who in his actual comic-book guise shared a name with an old Chevrolet (and I don't mean Vega). He came on the comics scene like, how shall we say, an exploding star in the mid-1970s and is enjoying a revival today. On the right we have Stellarman, whose actual comic-book identity might make you think he got his powers from Motorola! As Protector of the Universe, the comic-book version of this character once saved the entire cosmos from the onset of the Big Crunch! Let me leave you to "crush" on the pair of them till next time.
In prior posts we've met both "The Black Arrow" and the actual comic book hero on whom he's based. Here, from another, even more--ahem--Marvelous universe is another bow-slinging babe, my version of whom is called Surefire. I've always thought that as hunks go, this character, when he's drawn correctly, is right on target. From the looks of him here, he's a guy from whom even villains shouldn't mind getting the, ahem, "shaft". BULLSEYE!
In comics there is a long and much-loved tradition of super-heroes taking costumed teenage sidekicks into battle with them. The wisdom of this custom is very much open to debate. While it's true that the sidekicks grow can grow up to become heroes in their own right (and even form teams of their own), it's just as likely that the bad guys will kill them, leaving the grown-up hero guilt-ridden for years. This has happened more than once, even though the sidekick characters were later resurrected, which is a commonplace occurrence in comic books these days. Case in point, the character on whom I based Manta Ray has had several sidekicks, all with the same identity, and the second one became a casualty. Here's my version of the actual character, who may not be "bob, bob, bobbing along," but is looking properly sporty as he wears nothing but his mask and tosses his trademark yellow cape. "Holy Heartthrob!"
The cowl of "Manta Ray" should give you a clue as to the true identity of this grim, dark, and very hot avenger of the night. As to why he's made himself a naked sentinel after the fall of darkness, we'll leave that to you to imagine. If you were a criminal and saw this spectacle watching over you, would you be intimidated, aroused...or both?
As has become the custom for teenage sidekicks in that particular universe, Aquaboy had to grow up and take on an adult identity. We see him here, again out of costume, in his grown-up guise of Seastorm. If you were drowning in the ocean, here's someone you'd love to have come to your rescue!
Posts
