Here’s another cliché of comics for you: the soundoff.

If you don’t immediately know what I’m getting at, that’s when characters either say their own name or the name of their compatriot (who returns the favor) mid-battle so that the reader knows who the heck they are.

It’s a clunky thing even when well done.

The below is an example of how not to do it.

You figure that someone who has lived in the MU’s New York for a while is going to be pretty blasé about super villain attacks, right?

Still, this is almost a little too blasé to be believed.

“Run! We have to move before the country reevaluates!”

When comic book writers can’t think of a good antagonist, do they just grab a nearby Bestiary and pick a page at random?

The Mongoose is a lightweight with a stupid name who you would think would be a one-off bad guy, especially for Thor. You’d think so, but you’d be wrong. He makes several repeat appearances.

No origin is ever given. I’m going to pretend that he got a blood transfusions from The Whizzer (more super heroes need to have vaguely unwholesome names).

Clearly, Pete Ross’s son does not read this blog.

It’s really less of a “code” than it is a guideline, you see…

Eh. Just felt like it.

Well no, not really.

I’m going to spoil this one in advance. Some bad guys try to catch the Midgard Serpent, but instead net a strangely orange Fin Fang Foom. When the bad guys confess to what they were trying to do, Foom announces he’s more powerful than the Midgard Serpant and certainly more powerful than Thor, and flies off to prove it.

Except they describe Thor in his original costume and as clean shaven, whereas in the comic he is now bearded and wearing armor.

Hilarity, as is to often does, ensues.

I originally just clipped this for the out of character Fin Fang Foom, but once Foom’s real identity was revealed I decided to still post it for the fun factor.

They never explain exactly WHY the serpent is pretending to be Foom though. Maybe he’s into role play?

After this scan we hit the DeFalco era of Thor. A lot of DeFalco’s writing is mediocre, but his Thor run is an exception.

Stay tuned!

The Barefoot-and-Servile MJ statuette is in today’s NY Post.

Yay for bad publicity?

If you only read one Thor storyline in your entire life, let it be 364-366!

You really have to admire Simonson for this arc, plus whoever in editorial championed it.

Loki turns Thor into a frog. An ordinary, every day frog.

No wait! It’s good, really!

After a cute misadventure in Central Park, he makes his way to his hammer Mjolnir and on touching it becomes THOR, FROG OF THUNDER!

Frog-Thor, by the way, is human-sized.

They even resisted the temptation to say “hopping mad”. Good for them!

Who’d win in a fight, Frog-Thor or Cap-Wolf?

While there are many comic book clichés that I hate, there is one I will forever love:

Ah yes, the “All-American Criminal”.

“Sure I’ll create millions of dollars in property damage to steal a few thousand dollars, destroying local infrastructure in the process, but help a dirty Commie? Hell no!”

How’s this for an exciting splash page, folks? (Not to mention a nice tie-in with yesterday’s post).

Thrilling!

How much of a risk is it to your secret ID to wash your costume in the public Laundromat of your apartment building?

“As wise as Athena,” indeed.

Marvel has a new figure coming out.

Wow, how amazingly objectifying is that? Let’s do a checklist…

We have a cleavage shot of a married woman, who is bent over, displaying her ass, while hand washing his clothing for him… while wearing pearls.

Yeeesh.

I know comics feature sexualized images of women and (occasionally) men. I know that merchendice may also be sexualized. I’ve gotten used to it and just don’t support such products with my hard-earned dollars.

However, what I can’t get past is the fact that this is a statue of a supermodel/actress – a successful career woman who has, in the past, been shown to be more than just yet another damsel in distress. How do they chose to depict her? Not as a model, not as a strong woman… but as a glorified maid.

The ever-rational Ragnel has a few, more detailed posts about this, including where to write if you feel like complaining.