Bullet Points 3: Or Why I Don't Write for a Living (late 1960s)

 Ok, so we've set everything up. What's the main plot then?

Things are certainly similar things but there will be some differences. Things go crazy with a sudden influx of alien refugees. They aren't running from war or economics though. 

Nope, they are running from Galactus. This is met with some skepticism but the scientists (Richards, Banner, etc.) figure this might be a problem so they focus all their efforts on stopping the giant purple man from eating the planet. 

The Silver Surfer arrives and things go to hell fast. He plows through the Avengers; even the Hulk gets smacked down, but the Surfer is knocked from his board and lands near the unassuming home of Steve and Peggy Rogers. 

From there the Surfer and Steve have a chat and Steve convinces the Surfer to side with the Earth. When Galactus shows up, he is rather annoyed that his herald is siding with his lunch. Reed Richards, working furiously from the moon base, stumbles on the Watcher and follows him back to his home. From there he gets beamed into Galactus's massive ship where he finds the Ultimate Nullifier

The Nullifier, plus the Surfer's attack drives Galactus away. Steve is given the chance to wield the Power Cosmic, but he turns it down.   

Bullet Points 2, or Why I Don't Write for a Living (1960s)

 Ok, so from last time things move more or less the same (war ends a bit later than normal, SHIELD is formed, etc.)

1961-Dr. Reed Richards is brought into the SSR by Director Rogers (Peggy; Steve was impressed by Richards's work) and wows them with his rockets. So much so that they put their full budget behind the rocket and soon it blasts off with Richards, his copilot Col. Ben Grimm, navigator Susan Storm, and engineer Johnny Storm. The test goes off perfectly and soon a moon base is established. When first contact is made (thanks to the warring Skrulls and Kree), Richards is brought into SHIELD to design a new means of defense. 

1962-With no Uncle Ben, May Parker lives on his pension and the life insurance from her in-laws the Parkers to raise her nephew Peter Parker in a small cottage by the sea. Peter meets a gal named Linda Brown, who seems rather friendly with his aunt (spoiler, she's a mermaid). Pete's got a chip on his shoulder but he focuses his efforts into science, earning a scholarship to ESU. 

1962-Thor, a bit arrogant after his rampage in WW2, is transformed into a hammer and left in a cave in Norway. Jane Foster, a nurse on vacation, stumbles into the cave when rock men from Saturn attack. She grabs the hammer and finds herself transformed into the goddess of thunder! When Loki sees what has befallen his half-brother, he swears revenge on Odin.  

1962-Dr. Hank Pym and his wife are on vacation in Eastern Europe. When Maria Pym is kidnapped by enemy spies, Hank rescues her by using a shrinking formula he developed some time before. 

1962-Dr. Bruce Banner is working on a gamma bomb. Quiet and withdrawn, his greatest nightmare happens when teenager Rick Jones drives across the testing ground. He rushes out to save the kid, but General Ross has to hold him back. "You'd never make it!" he warns as the countdown can't be stopped. The blast is horrific and Rick isn't seen again (at least as Rick. A gray skinned monster man is seen stomping around at night though). 

1963-Tony Stark, head of Stark Industries, is kidnapped by the VC while overseeing a weapon test in Vietnam. He and Dr. Ho Yinsen are forced to work on weapons, but Stark notices the guards torturing another POW, a Marine Lt. named James Rhodes. Stark manages to convince the guards that they need Rhodes and gets him transferred to their lab. He's in bad shape though so Stark and Yinsen build Rhodes a crude armored suit to help him walk and fight their way out. Once stateside, Rhodes becomes Stark's bodyguard, Iron Man. 

 1963-the Avengers are formed. When Loki, wishing revenge against Odin, chats with the Hulk, hoping to use him as muscle. "Why not?" the gray behemoth agrees and soon goes amuck in New York, hoping to draw Thor to him and free him from his curse (mostly so he can kill him later). He doesn't succeed but the group, consisting of the Human Torch, Iron Man, Thor, as well as Ant-Man (Pym), and Giant Woman (Maria) form the group, with the Avenging Angel (Warren Worthington III) being the first recruit. 

At the same time, Pym also joins a group consisting of him, Stark, Banner, Richards, Dr. Otto Octavious (taking him away from his work at atomic plants) and soon Peter Parker (as an intern). A lot of monsters have been sighted, and only weird science can stop them. 

1963-Dr. Stephan Strange wrecks his car. His hands mangled; he tries to find a cure. Traveling through Europe, he finds Victor Von Doom, as the ruler of the country of Latveria is rumored to be a miracle worker. His hands are replaced with metal ones and with them he is able to repair the damage done to Von Doom's face. This impresses the dictator enough that he allows Strange to leave, but he'll keep in touch...

1963-the Brotherhood is formed. Magneto, alongside Professor Charles Xavier, establish a school for mutants. Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and Cyclops are the first students, with Marvel Girl, the Beast, and Iceman quickly joining. 

1966-With no Captain America, the Black Panther is a bit different. Since Steve Rogers didn't fight T'Chaka back in the 40's, T'Challa is a bit more isolationist. Not a villain, but he is a bit frosty towards outsiders. 

Bullet Points, Or Why I Don't Write for a Living (the 1940s)

 Had a chance to reread the Marvel miniseries Bullet Points. Found it a bit a pointless really, but I'll get to that later. 

Ok wise guy, you say, what would you do instead?

Friday the 13th Vengeance 2: Bloodlines (2022)

 Friday the 13th Vengeance 2: Bloodlines (2022), dir. Jason Brooks, Real Fiction Studios/Newton to Newton Productions

Back again and still looking at the fan films. 

We open a few weeks after the previous film. Tommy Jarvis (Thom Mathews) is still missing. His youngest daughter, Ashley (Sanae Loutsis) hasn't given up hope but when she gets kidnapped from her therapist's office, well, big sis Angelica (Kelly Tappan) goes hunting. 

Which is a pity, as Elias Vorhees (CJ Graham) and his baby boy Jason (Jason Brooks) go hunting too. It seems Elias is still harboring a grudge over what Tommy did to his special little boy, so he's looking to end the Jarvis line once and for all.

Can the Jarvis sisters survive and find their father?

Not bad; we have a return of some of the series' actors with some pretty decent effects. We spend more time with Elias but he manages to not overstay his welcome. 

Transformers/GI Joe series-Or Why I Don't Design Toys

 The Transformers and GI Joe series have both been popular separately but aside from the comics the two have never met. Hasbro intended to have the two lines met, but typically if Joe was popular, the Transformers weren't and vice versa. 

Come 2022 and they finally work something out with the Megatron/Baroness set and followed by the Bumblebee/Stalker set. The catch is the Transformers turn into GI Joe vehicles (a HISS Tank and AWE Striker, respectfully). I also heard rumor of a Soundwave/Zartan and Zaranna set too, with Soundwave being the Thunder Machine

No idea if they intend to make more, but if they asked me here's what I'd have.

Optimus Prime/Duke (APC)

Ironhide/Gung-Ho (MOBAT)

Jazz/Breaker (RAM cycle)

Starscream/Cobra Commander (Rattler)

Thundercracker/Destro (Rattler)

Skywarp/Wild Weasel (Rattler)

Laserbeak/Buzzer (Fang)

Prowl/Wild Bill (Dragonfly)

Metroplex/Hawk (Command Center)

Hound/Scarlett (VAMP)

Sideswipe/Ace (Skystriker)

Wheeljack/Cover Girl (Wolverine)

Powerglide/Flint (Sky Hawk)

Masters of the WWE Universe-or Why I Don't Design Toys

 As of late I've found myself rather fixated on the now sadly canceled toyline Masters of the WWE Universe, which mashed up WWE superstars with Masters of the Universe characters. 

They skipped a few, so not list my picks?

Mer-Man/Kevin Owens

Sorceress/Trish Stratus

Sy-Klone/Texas Tornado Kerry Von Erich 

Battle Armor He-Man/Hulk Hogan

Buzz-Off/Koko B. Ware

Mekanek/Classy Freddie Blassie

Orko/Mean Gene

Jitsu/Jay Uso

Kobra Khan/Tajiri

Whiplash/Sami Zayn

Moss Man/RVD

Rio Blast/Big Boss Man

Two-Bad/Chad Gable and Otis

Hordak/Vince McMahon

King Randor/Bruno Sammartino

And there would be another ring, this time based on the Fright Zone, with a creepy snake puppet to snag the unwary, or maybe a cage made of wood. Maybe have it come with Dragon Blaster Skeltor/Triple H and Stinkor/Randy Orton

WWE VS the World XV

 It's that time again folks. There's been some shakeups in the wrestling world this past year. Results in two weeks, so vote early and often. 1-14-2023-the results are in. 

RAW VS NEW JAPAN

From the State Farm Arena, Atlanta GA

With Bryon Saxton and Kevin Kelly

The Miz, Shelton Benjamin, and Mustafa Ali VS House of Torture (Evil, Sho, and Yujiro Takahaski)

Winner: Miz, Benjamin, and Ali pull off the upset. 1-0

Bianca Belair VS Kairi

Winner: Belair 2-0

Brock Lesnar VS Karl Anderson 

Winner: Anderson in a surprise 2-1

Chad Gable and Otis VS The Motor City Machineguns (Alex Shelly and Chris Sabin)

Winner: Gable and Otis 3-1

Seth Freaking Rollins VS Fred Rosser 

Winner: Rollins 4-1

Johnny Gargano VS Shingo Takagi 

Winner: Gargano 5-1

Damien Priest and Finn Balor VS FTR (Dax Hardwood and Cash Wheeler)

Winner: FTR 5-2

Austin Theory VS Will Osprey 

Winner: Theory 6-2

Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio VS United Empire (TJP and Francesco Akira)

Winner: United Empire 6-3

Nikki Cross VS Mayu Iwatani 

Winner: Iwatani 6-4

AJ Styles VS Tajiri Ishimori

Winner: Styles 7-4

Roman Reigns VS Jay White 

Winner: White 7-5

Raw kicks things off seven to five. 

SMACKDOWN VS IMPACT WRESTLING (Day 2)

At the Deep, Dallas TX

With Michael Cole and Matthew Rehwoldt

Small tribute to Don West 

Sami Zayn VS Joe Hendry 

Winner: Hendry 0-1

Karrion Kross w/Scarlett VS Matt Cardona 

Winner: Kross 1-1

Charlotte Flair VS Jordynne Grace 

Winner: Flair 2-1

Gunther VS Trey Miguel 

Winner: Miguel 2-2

Damage Control (Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky) w/Bailey VS the Death Dollz (Jessicka and Rosemary) with Tara Valkryie

Winner: Death Dollz 2-3

Shinsuke Nakamura VS Josh Alexander 

Winner: Alexander 2-4

Braun Strowman VS PCO

Winner: Strowman 3-4

The Usos (Jey and Jimmy Uso) VS the Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin and Alex Shelly)

Winner: Motor City Machineguns 3-5, no doubt fired up after their loss the previous night. 

So with this, Impact wins five to three. 

NXT VS AEW (Day 3)

From the Bojangles Coliseum, Charolette, NC

With Booker T and Jim Ross

Apollo Crews VS Hook

Winner: Hook 0-1

The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) VS the Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens and Max Caster)

Winner: New Day 1-1

Roxanne Perez VS Jaime Hyter 

Winner: Hyter 1-2

Brutus Creed, Julius Creed, and Commander Azeez VS Death Triangle (Pac, Rey Fenix, and Penta Oscuro)

Winner: Death Triangle 1-3

Katana Chance and Kayden Carter VS Jade Cargil and Kiera Hogan

Winner: Cargil and Hogan 1-4

Wes Lee VS Samoa Joe 

Winner: Joe 1-5

Joe Gacy VS Orange Cassidy 

Winner: Cassidy 1-6

Bron Breakker VS MJF

Winner: MJF 1-7

And an almost total shutout, with All Elite picking up the win seven to one. 

So, the record now is 1-2 with the world in the lead.