
Red Robin #9Tim Drake-Wayne is back in Gotham and back into the Bat-Continuity after taking down the League of Assassins. Last Week In Comics (LWIC):
I hope this new “dark knight detective” persona Tim created as Red Robin is not overshadowed by Batman’s current drama. Tim being out of Gotham working on his own worked to build his character, he could be an individual outside of Gotham instead of a sidekick.
That being said, this was a good issue even though it was mostly set up. The issue set up: confrontation between Steph and Tim, a huge battle with Ra’s al Ghul, a possible love triangle/partnership with Tam Fox, and lastly a small detail that may play a huge role – Tim will be distracted from his search for Bruce Wayne.
I want so bad to say that this book is my favorite monthly comic, but to be honest there are too many Batman related books that they seem to drown each other out… No matter how much I like one book there is always another one that comes out the next week with a different storyline to replace it.
Superman: World of New Krypton #12When the bottled city of Kandor was saved from Braniac, the Kryptonians created a New Krypton. Wanting to learn more about his people, and to keep a closer eye on his enemy Zod, Superman left Earth to live with his people and serve in their military. While living there the two worlds have been preparing for a war with General Sam Lane defending Earth and General Zod defending New Krypton. LWIC:
Twelve issues of set-up that could have been done within one issue, or maybe even six pages. I expected, after reading about Superwoman and the framing of Nightwing and Flamebird, that General Lane was working behind the scenes to fuel the war and I never doubted that Zod was doing the same from New Krypton. Therefore, the conclusion of this series did nothing to move the story forward. The most exciting thing that happened this issue was on the last page when Braniac arrived to battle the residents of New Krypton in the next issue of Superman. The last page is proof that this series was filler, the most exciting battle featured in this comic will take place in another book.
So why is The Question 37 the best comic of last week?
So, if you haven’t yet indulged in the intriguing stories and awesome art that is collected in The Quesiton 1-36 you need to NOW! And if you have partaken in the pleasure found on those pages, read them again! Seriously folks any comic that features Vic Sage as the Question that is written by O’neil and drawn by Cowan will always be the best on my list.


Galactus (SpaceBooger)
Multi-Man (Fantasy Theater)
The Juggernaut vs Spidey (The Sock Drawer)
The Juggernaut vs the Hulk (Slay, Monstrobot of the Deep)
Gargoyle (The Last Burly Men on Earth)
Sonar (Stars And Garters)
Shockwave (ShadowWing Tronix)
Darth Vader (Crisis On Earth Prime)
Dragon King (Hero Sandwich)
Don’t forget to vote* for your favorite fight by Sunday @ 11PM.
All votes will be considered, but in the end I will have the final say. The winner will be announced next Tuesday with the pre-fight rules.
Visitors and guests – please cast your vote too!
The Mighty Thor #161
Stan Lee – Story
Jack Kirby – Art
*Voting for the winner will be done in the forums as a poll. You can access the specific fight’s poll by clicking the “comments” link found on the bottom right of the post. For more information about voting in the poll and the forums read this post.
Is the pixelated and physic defying world of video games a perfect playground for the over-the-top characters found in comic books? There is only one way to find out:

Print-N-Pixel is an in depth Group look at Comic Books In Video Games. Print-N-Pixel is more than just playing comic book related video games, its also a “book club,” a month long video game AND comic book club.
Even if you don’t play video games and you only read comic, or vise versa, stick around and participate in thediscussion of either the game or the comics. And if you missed the introduction to Print-N-Pixel you can find it here.
The game has been introduced, the plot explained, the characters listed, and my favorite X-Men vs Magneto comics reviewed, now it’s time to put the focus back on the game. If you have not started, there is no better time than now to start playing.
In this edition of Print-N-Pixel:X-Men the Arcade Game, I will be looking at the game’s levels in detail while reviewing the game. Remember Print-N-Pixel isn’t just about me, it’s about the discussion, so make sure you chime in with your opinions and views of the levels and the game as a whole. While you’re at it, go ahead and chime in on the Recommended Reading too.
Level 1: The Street
Magneto somehow gained control of the mutant hunting sentinels and sent them to attack and destroy a large city (which I assume is New York City) to start his master plan. The X-men arrive on the scene smashing sentinels and armored gunmen. After fighting along a street full of enemies, Pyro bursts through a wall and begins shooting flames at the hero.
Like most video games, this first level can seem hard when playing it for the first time, but after you get the hang of controlling your character and a strategy for taking down each kind of enemy the level becomes simple. The most effective strategy for the projectile shooting enemies, the goons with guns and the level’s boss Pyro, is to approach them from the top or bottom and avoiding being in their direct line of fire.
Level 2: Sentinel Factory
The first time I played this game I was wondering how Magneto had hundreds of the mutant hunting robots at his disposal. I also wondered why they were all human sized and standing around 3 stories. The answers to my questions are simple; Magneto took over the Sentinel Factory. The X-men travel through the factory fighting the same enemies featured in the previous level while dodging flame spewing exhaust vents on the floor and welding robots with the hopes of shutting down the manufacturing of Magneto’s army. Within the factory lies the second member of the “Brotherhood of Terrorist Mutants” – the Blob.
The enemies of this level are as easy as the previous level, but the challenge is greater because their number is greater. With more enemies on the screen at once it is harder to maneuver out of the the line of sight of those enemies who shoot projectiles. The welding robots also cause problems because they also shoot projectiles, but their fire takes off double the health. With the difficulty of the level increasing, its nice to know that the difficulty of the boss did not. I personally think the Blob is the easiest of the bosses. If you can stay out of his reach directly in front of him you can easily take him down. Approach the Blob from the top or bottom of the screen and hit him once to knock him down, literally. After a successful hit the boss falls and just sits there for a small amount of time allowing you to get three or more hits on him before he stands. Wile the X-Men were busy beating down robots, Magneto doubles back to the X Mansion and captures Professor X and Kitty Pryde.
Level 3: Island M
With the Blob not Magneto at the Sentinel Factory, Professor X psychicly suggests that his team tries looking on Magneto’s personal island – Island M. I understand looking for Magneto at the Sentinel factory before checking his base of operation since the majority of his army is composed of the robots, but rushing off before totally destroying the factory was not a good idea. Island M, like the other levels, is crawling with Sentinels, but there are also mutant Bees and Alligator Men who attack the heroes. Near the end of the level Magneto shows up and seems to be ticked that the X-Men are almost inside his base on the island, he shows up and and crumbles the cliff the hero(es) are standing on. After surviving the fall the X-Men realize that they landed right at the front door, or cave, to his secret base. At this point I was expecting the “Game Over” screen since Magneto dropped the X-Men directly where he didn’t want them and this could be a good sign that he is incapable of planning a successful planetary takeover. But I was wrong and there was no “Game Over,” instead Wendigo come crawling out of the cave.
To beat Wendigo, I used the same strategy that I used on the Blob and Pyro of attacking from a diagonal direction. With the same types of enemies attacking and the same strategies being used on all bosses up to this point the game sounds repetitive, but it’s not. The sheer number of attackers has increased and so the the player adrenaline because of the ramped up challenge, there is no time to think about anything other than your mutant’s survival.
Level 4: Inside Magneto’s Island Cave Base
After pummeling Wendigo it’s time to save Kitty, who according to Professor X is inside, and defeat the Master of Magnetism. Inside the Cave Base it seems as if every enemy now shoots some kind of projectile whether it’s the gun toting goons from the early levels, fire breathing Alligator Men, Sentinels with missile fists, or Bonebreaker the Reaver… well not just Bonebreaker but an army of his clones too. After defeating a wave of Bonebreakers and more sentinels it’s time for the heroes to save the day. Kitty Pryde is being held in a cell at the end of this level, but before you can save her you have to take out her prison guard – Nimrod.
Nimrod, a more advanced sentinel from the future, can be easily disposed of in the same manner as the previous bosses – approach from a diagonal direction, attack, retreat, and repeat. Like the Blob, Nimrod will grab you if you are too close and I found many of my attacks thwarted immediately followed by my character flying across the screen. Nimrod also has a damaging long range attack, so the best way to approach and avoid him is to constantly move in a zig-zag patter from the top of the screen to the bottom.

Level 5: Outside the Cave Base
With Kitty safe it’s time to save the Professor. The X-Men exit the cave and continue to fight their way to the left. The number of enemies shooting projectiles at this point is almost ridiculous, there is no way I could ever beat this level with only one quarter – I probably would have spent $5 in quarters (total for the whole game) at the arcade by the time I reached the next boss: The White Queen Emma Frost.
For being one of the most powerful mutants in the X-Men universe, Emma Frost is pretty easy to defeat in this game. Like the other bosses a diagonal attack, retreat, and repeat works just be aware that she can shoot projectiles at both short and long ranges.
After taking down the White Queen the level does not end there are more monsters, sentinels, and a wave of Bonebreakers that emerge from the mouth of a super-sized (or normal sized based on the comics) sentinel. After fighting what seems like hundreds of enemies in a short time our heroes read the final boss of the level – the Juggernaut.
Like the other bosses you use the diagonal strategy to defeat him, but beware when running away because the Juggernaut will charge at fast, so fast that you may not have time to dodge. I think that the Juggernaut is one of the hardest of the level bosses, not because of his super strength, but because he has a Bazooka! Up until this point most of the bosses either pummeled you to death or shot projectiles, the Juggernaut does both! Beating the Juggernaut is either real easy or super hard. If you can get a good position close enough to him, but not too close, you can land a decent amount of attacks and take him down quickly… but getting that good position seems to take more luck than skill.
After taking down the Juggernaut Professor X shows up. Apparently he was not in any type of cell and the only thing stopping him from rolling away was the Juggernaut… or was it?
Level 6: Underneath the Cave Base
The X-Men and Professor X start to walk away from the Cave Base into the sunset toward a happy ending when suddenly the Professor is no more, instead it’s Mystique in the wheelchair. Duped by the shape shifter the X-Men walked right into her trap and she sends them tumbling down a pit to the lower level of Magneto’s Cave Base.
Underneath the Cave Base things get crazy. There are literally swarms of enemies and machines that continually shoot at our heroes. Surviving this level is a challenge, but these enemies are nothing compared to four flame shooting pyromaniacs.
Yeah, level one’s boss Pyro returns with three copies of him. Take the traditional way of defeating him and throw it out the window. There is almost no way to attack him from a diagonal because as you attack one at a diagonal you are almost certain to be in the line of fire of at least one of the other three. After using all of my special mutant power and a continue or two to defeat these four foes continue your way though more enemies and the level boss.
The boss at the end of this level is not one I recognize from the comics. This boss consists of three stone statues. Remember the trouble fighting four Pyros… yeah now imagine fighting three more powerful and dangerous of a boss. After defeating the statues any way possible Professor X telepathically reviles his true location at Magnetos’ main base of operation – Asteroid M.
Level 7: Asteroid M
Upon arriving at Asteroid M, our heroes are greeted by some sentinels, laser shooting welding bots, and some more Bonebreakers. These enemies are pretty easy to take out, but what comes next is the hardest part of the game. After taking out a couple waves of lackeys all of the bosses show up again: The Blob, Wendigo, the White Queen, and Nimrod to fight again. If you are not careful and walk too far to the left, you can end up having all four of the bosses attacking you at once. The best strategy to winning this battle is to stay to the right and try to take down one boss at a time the same way you did before.
If you survive the onslaught of the four bosses you will reach the Professor X’s cell and the Master of Magnetism himself – Magneto. You might expect more from the main baddie of the game than a barrage of punches and kicks, but that is all Magneto throws at you. Using the diagonal strategy the battle is pretty easy and somewhat disappointing, but…
The fallen body of Magneto morphs into a KOed Mystique. Again Mystique tricked the X-Men by posing as someone else. With Mystique down for the count and the Professor free, it’s time to take down Magneto for real!
If you thought Mystique’s version of Magneto was easy to beat and somewhat disappointing, the real Master of Magnetism will try your patience. Magneto speaks proclaims himself the “Master of Magnet!” shields himself in an electromagnetic bubble and shoot some short of laser or projectile at you. While he is in that “bubble” you can not touch him or you will be damaged. There will be short periods of time, and I mean real short, where he is not shielded. Using the diagonal attack strategy along with lots of running and dodging is the slowest and most “credit” friendly way to defeat the self proclaimed “Master of Magnet!”
If you were successful at defeating Magneto and saving the world you will be rewarded with a short cut-scene showing the X-Men escaping Asteroid M as it explodes. To reward you for saving the world the arcade game rewards you with a new title screen to start the game over with your remaining credits.

Conclusion of the Review:
I love this game, but when writing this review, I noticed how repetitive it seems. The great thing about this game is that it never seems repetitive. While the characters may not be perfect matches for those found in the comics and the skewed physics of the Marvel Universe may not be accurate, with human size sentinels and multiple incarnations of the same character on screen at once, the game’s furious action and adrenaline rush overshadows it’s downfalls. It was not until writing this review that I really noticed, or was annoyed, with the continuity problems or the bad English that Magneto spoke, which says to me that the game play and fun factor make this one of the most fun comic book based beat ‘em up game I have ever played.
If you have not played the game, there is still time.
MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) is a great way to play older arcade games. If you are using a Windows based computer I recommend downloading and using MameUI to play X-Men the Arcade Game. Once you have some version of MAME you will need to locate a working ROM. Please don’t ask me where to find the ROM for this or any other game, instead use google and search for either “xmen.zip” which is the 4 player single screen rom and/or “xmen6pu.zip” which is the double screen 6 player game perfect for widescreen monitors.
For a more detailed guide on running this game in MAME read the “How to Play” section of Print-N-Pixel: X-Men the Arcade Game Part 1.
If you have any problems with the emulator check out the Emulation thread in the forums.
SpaceBooger Achievements are earned by playing the featured game, and also for comic book related tasks such as reading and obtaining recommended comics. SpaceBooger Achievements can be earned for any game or comic at any time, but I encourage all participants to attempt to earn the achievements when they are posted.
This week’s SpaceBooger Achievements are:
“1-3″

Defeat Three Levels with One Quarter or No Continues. (Hard)
“The End”

Beat the Game without the aid of cheats, continues, or extra credits. (Extreme)
“Member” – Become a member of the SpaceBooger.com forums. (Easy)
“Input” – Suggest a game and/or comics for upcoming Print In Pixel features. (Easy)
“Press Start” – Play the featured game at least once during the time it is featured. (Easy)
“Hard Copy” – Obtain and play an Original Hard Copy of the game. (Hard)
“Comic Book” – Read one or more of the “Recommended Reading” books. (Medium)
“Comic Collector” – Obtain a Hard Copy of one or more of the “Recommended Reading” books. (Hard)
“Recommendation” – Suggest other comics that may be relevant to enjoying this feature. (Medium)
“Another Castle” – Short for “I’m sorry, the Princess is in another castle.” Beat the Game using cheats, continues, or extra credits. (Medium)
“1-1″ – Defeat One Level with One Quarter or No Continues. (Easy)
“1-2″ – Defeat Two Levels with One Quarter or No Continues. (Medium)
Remember to leave a comment letting me know what achievements you earned along with posting themhere in the forums.
References:
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-Men_(arcade_game)
I know that yesterday was Groundhog Day, but according to the movie when the clock read 6am it was still Groundhog Day. So, technically the strip is not a day behind.
Anyway, check out the comic strip here: http://www.spacebooger.com/index.php?comicID=138

To be down with BAD BOYS send an email to fnf [at] spacebooger.com no earlier than Tuesday at 6PM,
and no later than Friday 6PM (EST)!
In the email make sure to include the url of your fight. A direct link to your post or include a link to your homepage – I will check at 8PM on Friday to find the exact url.
Every entry needs to include the following:
Friday Night Fights:BAD BOYS
Round 6 February 5th at 11PM!!
*Voting for FNF: BAD BOYS will be done in the forums as a poll. You can access the specific fight’s poll by clicking the “comments” link found on the post just like you used to. For more information about voting in the poll and the forums read this post.

Batman and Robin #7Dick Grayson has finally finished his “can I really be Batman” phase and is filling his mentor’s shoes quite nicely. Last Week In Comics (LWIC):
This may not seem like a lot of plot, but the art and action that fills the pages in this comic is quite beautiful. Cameron Stewart’s rendition of Batman’s acrobatic action is phenomenal and a welcome replacement for words. This by far has been my favorite issue of this series, partly because of the art and partly because we know that the body placed in the Lazarus pit isn’t Bruce’s since he is lost in the time stream… Finally a real story and a real mystery.
Detective Comics #861The flagship of DC Comics is going back to it’s roots with a mystery that only a disciple of the World’s Greatest Detective can solve. LWIC:
Ahh a good mystery. As much as I loved the origin arc in the last couple issues it seemed that the only mysteries and crime solving going on was in the Question’s second feature. Speaking of the second feature, it still remains one of my favorites. There is just enough humor, violence, and mystery to make it a perfect comic. I hope both stories continue to feature mysteries and deep crime solving worthy of the book’s title.
Justice League of America #41I haven’t read JLA in a while, but with a new team of “B listers” joining it, I am having hopes of Giffen and Dematteis’ Justice League all over again. LWIC:
Not reading “Cry for Justice” doesn’t help at the start of this story since it seems to stem from it’s aftermath, but the rebuilding and plot set up for the next issue is intriguing. It looks like JLA will be a monthly read for me again.
Superman #696The set-up for a war between Earth and New Krypton continues in Superman 696. LWIC:
First of all the art in this issue was fantastic. Bernard Chang’s pencils (and inks) is action incarnate and more realistic than any red and blue 3D glasses can. As for the story… it still feels like filler and set-up that is taking too long. I am looking forward to this summer’s big event that is being set-up by this storyline, but I am tired of stories that drag on for months that could easily be told in one issue.
Back in the day when Abin Sur passed away and his Green Lantern ring and responsibilities were passed to Hal Jordan, he did so because of his findings about the prophecy of the “Blackest Night.” In the present, many different colors of Lantern Corps have formed, or have been found in the universe. Each color of Lantern Corps receives it’s power from emotion and each emotion is represented by a different color.
The prophecy of the “Blackest Night” predicts the removal of all life and emotion from the universe by a corps of lifeless lanterns – the Black Lanterns. To remove the emotion and life from the universe, the Black Lantern Corps’ members are all formerly deceased creatures/heroes throughout the universe that prey on those they were close to. By raising the emotions of their prey the Black Lanterns energized, or recharged, their Power Battery. With the Power Battery fully charged the lord of the Black Lanterns Nekron rose from the darkness.
Nekron revealed that he is the reason all of the heroes of the DCU were able to be resurrected in the past, he put himself between them and “everlasting death” so that he would have power over them whenever he decided to wage war against the Guardians of the Galaxy. The Guardian’s replicate one of each power ring and deputize new Lanterns to help the charge against Nekron: The Scarecrow (Yellow – fear), Wonder Woman (Violet – love), The Atom (Indigo – compassion), Barry Allen (Blue – hope), Mera (Red – rage), and Lex Luthor (Orange – greed). The only hope for the universe is a new alliance of multi-colored Lanterns working together to create the only thing that can destroy the Black Lanterns – pure white light.
Green Lantern #50Nekron has risen and plans on overthrowing the Guardians as the most powerful beings in the universe. The seven leaders of each Lantern Corp and their newly appointed deputies have a run in with a powerful Black Lantern on their way to battle Nekron. LWIC:
When I first saw the cover to this issue I thought to myself “Parallax again!” Since the concept of the Parallax as a parasitic demon of fear was created in 2006, he (or it) has played a major role in almost every “big” Green Lantern story since then. I thought it would be overkill, but the explanation and the fact that it tied directly into his (its) first appearance I was cool with it. I am glad that I didn’t let the return of Parallax influence my opinion of this story, because as much as it doesn’t relate to the overall Blackest Night storyline I am looking forward to a HUGE battle next month… and sometimes that is all I need from a comic book to enjoy it. So bring on the battle!
Last week the Maggia crime family was almost ruined by it’s current leader’s incompetence. Just as Mr. Negative’s crime family was about to overthrow the Maggia, the families fallen leaders show up alive and kicking… kicking butt. It turns out that the Maggia’s former leaders were never dead, their deaths were staged by the special effects artists and super-villain Mysterio. LWIC:
This is a well written comic with many subplots and questions that leaves the reader at the edge of their seat waiting for the next issue. I want to know how Mysterio is creating all of his “illusions?” Are they reanimated dead bodies like this issue hinted at, or are they something else? What is the purpose for Carlie’s dad’s resurrection, or is his story the only real one?
I’m not quite sure how well I summarized this issue, but no matter if it makes sense or not you need to pick up this issue and read it if you have not already. You won’t be disappointed.


Tombstone (SpaceBooger)
William Leather (Hero Sandwich)
Servant of Darkness (Stars And Garters)
Doctor Octopus (Slay, Monstrobot of the Deep)
The Walrus (The Last Burly Men on Earth)
Cain (Crisis On Earth Prime)
The Penguin (Fantasy Theater)
Jax-Ur and Mara (ShadowWing Tronix)
Enchantress (The Sock Drawer)
Korvac the Enemy (Marvel Flipside)
Don’t forget to vote* for your favorite fight by Sunday @ 11PM.
All votes will be considered, but in the end I will have the final say. The winner will be announced next Tuesday with the pre-fight rules.
Visitors and guests – please cast your vote too!
Darkhawk #11
Danny Fingeroth – Story
Mike Manley & Ricardo Villagran – Art
*Voting for the winner will be done in the forums as a poll. You can access the specific fight’s poll by clicking the “comments” link found on the bottom right of the post. For more information about voting in the poll and the forums read this post.
There are currently four people living in our house. Both adults and the one and a half year-old have bad colds while the six month-old is showing signs of the sniffles too.
Not only are the humans in the house sick, my wife’s cat was diagnosed with “fatty liver disease” his liver shut down after losing seven pounds which is about 1/3 his normal weight. Now he (the cat) has a feeding tube that goes directly into his stomach. We have to feed him via syringe and tube with liquefied cat food every 2-3 hours. By doing this it will “jump start” his liver again and he should be back to normal in 4-6 weeks.
So no content for today (unless you count this lil blurb), but I will be posting Friday Night Fights tomorrow so make sure you come back tomorrow @ 11pm.
Being in high school and college in the 1990’s influenced the SpaceBooger webcomic. Barry Fly, a “butterfly on steroids,” was designed with extra large unrealistic proportions just like the characters in the comics of that era. His name is based on Barry Bonds is a baseball player associated with steroids, and in the 90’s the national pastime was dominated by the steroid sluggers. The steroid era was most prominently protracted by Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire’s battle for the HR record in 1998.
A couple weeks ago Mark McGwire was back in the news now that he is the St. Louis Cardinals newest addition to the coaching staff. There was no way that I could pass up a chance to feature Barry Fly in a comic strip based on the news, unfortunately I had to wait a couple weeks because of the celebration of the strips third birthday.
Check out this week’s comic strip here: http://www.spacebooger.com/index.php?comicID=137
And while you are at it check out this other Barry Fly and Steroid related comic strip: http://www.spacebooger.com/index.php?comicID=105

To be down with BAD BOYS send an email to fnf [at] spacebooger.com no earlier than Tuesday at 6PM,
and no later than Friday 6PM (EST)!
In the email make sure to include the url of your fight. A direct link to your post or include a link to your homepage – I will check at 8PM on Friday to find the exact url.
Every entry needs to include the following:
Friday Night Fights:BAD BOYS
Round 5 January 29nd at 11PM!!
*Voting for FNF: BAD BOYS will be done in the forums as a poll. You can access the specific fight’s poll by clicking the “comments” link found on the post just like you used to. For more information about voting in the poll and the forums read this post.