#Predator Vol. 1

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

JUNGLE HUNTER HAS YOU IN HIS SIGHTS -- MANDIBLES OF DEATH CLOSING IN ON YOU.

PIC(S) INFO: Resolution at 869x1342 -- Mega spotlight on cover art to "Predator" Vol. 1 #2 (2 of a four issue limited series, published by Dark Horse Comics in October 1989. Cover artwork by Chris Warner.

PIC #2: The same cover, but with different color grading -- Resolution at 1725x2582.

CREATORS:

WRITER: Mark Verheiden

PENCILLER: Chris Warner

INKER: Sam de la Rosa

COLORIST: Chris Chalenor

Sources: www.abebooks.com/comics/Predator-1989-Dark-Horse-based-horror-movie-am-Rosa/30782326550/bd, various, etc...

[burningexeter]

I have this whole entire fucking idea for a dark, gritty, visceral, brutal and emotionally impactful adult animated series called "The Wildwood Chronicles" that will be a retroactive canon crossover series and ever-escalating Infinity War type of big, special media event between several pieces of media from movies, TV shows and video games along with surprise supporting roles from more TV shows, movies and video games and has references, easter eggs and photo cameos from yet even more TV shows, movies and video games. This putting over approximately 500 pieces of media in the same fucking shared universe as each other.

The Wildwood Universe

[thelordofologies]

Chinese hourglass spider - 里氏盤腹蛛 - Cyclocosmia ricketti

The Chinese hourglass spider is a fascinating species of arachnid, a very rare one at that ! Between the years 2000 and 2016 ONLY six of these spiders have been spotted in China, that we know of.

@hispaatra, @zick-the-fairy more on the awesome seal :D

Description

Cyclocosmia ricketti has a very distinctive disk on its abdomen which resembles an ancient coin, a seal, or even a grinding disc. The male Cyclocosmia ricketti are about 20.5 millimetres in length while the females of the species tend to be slightly bigger at around 25.83 to 30.0 millimetres in length. The largest known specimens can exceed 30 millimetres. The disk located on its abdomen typically has a radius of around 16 millimetres.

Extract from 'Zhu, Zhang & Zhang, 2006 : Rare spiders of the genus Cyclocosmia (Arachnida: Araneae: Ctenizidae) from tropical and subtropical China.' Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, vol. 54, No. 1, p. 119-124

According to Zhao Li, Director and Senior Biological Engineer of the Insect Museum of West China in Chengdu, Sichuan, Cyclocosmia ricketti is a nocturnal animal.

Predation behaviour

Cyclocosmia ricketti, like many other trapdoor spiders, dig burrows which are closed off by hatches in the ground. They do this instead of making webs, as they are not good at spinning silk, to catch their prey. They line their burrows with silk threads and mud. They use their disk to plug the opening of the burrow. When a small insect would step on its disk, Cyclocosmia ricketti will then purportedly shrink its abdomen to allow its prey to fall further into its burrow to be devoured. The disk also makes it difficult for its prey to escape from its grasp.

Cyclocosmia ricketti doesn't always use this method to hunt, as when its confronted with a non-threatening insect, Cyclocosmia ricketti will get out of its burrow and then directly grab it to eat it. This spider can also use the coin-shaped disk on its abdomen to protect itself from enemies by blocking the entrance to its burrow with it, and using it as a shield, a phenomenon called 'phragmosis'.

Distribution

Cyclocosmia ricketti are found in the Chinese provinces of Fujian, Zhejiang, and Sichuan. They are primarily found living in caves. The farthest north they are known to have been found is Sichuan, this is notable as it was previously believed that Cyclocosmia ricketti were not able to survive in places where the temperature could drop below 13 degrees Celsius. Winters in the province of Sichuan are known to get even colder.

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Image sources:

1.

https://za.pinterest.com/pin/604186106296940858/

2.

https://spidershoppe.com/products/cyclocosmia-ricketti-chinese-hourglass-trapdoor-sub-adults

3.

https://web.archive.org/web/20070811074158/http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/rbz/biblio/54/54rbz119-124.pdf

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Text references:

1.

Zhu, Zhang & Zhang, 2006 : Rare spiders of the genus Cyclocosmia (Arachnida: Araneae: Ctenizidae) from tropical and subtropical China. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, vol. 54, No. 1, p. 119-124

https://web.archive.org/web/20070811074158/http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/rbz/biblio/54/54rbz119-124.pdf

2.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclocosmia_ricketti

[alphynix]

The distinctive pinhole eyes, leathery hood, and numerous tentacles of modern nautiluses were traditionally thought to represent the "primitive" ancestral state of early shelled cephalopods – but genetic studies have found that that nautiluses actually secondarily lost the genes for building lensed eyes, and their embryological development shows the initial formation of ten arm buds (similar to those of coeloids) with their hood appearing to be created via fusing some of the many tentacles that form later.

There's a Cretaceous nautilidan fossil that preserves soft tissue impressions of what appear to be pinhole eyes and possibly a remnant of a hood, so we know these modern-style nautilus features were well-established by the late Mesozoic. But for much more ancient Paleozoic members of the lineage… we can potentially get more speculative.

So, here's an example reconstructed with un-nautilus-like soft parts.

Solenochilus springeri was a nautilidan that lived during the Late Carboniferous, around 320 million years ago, in shallow tropical marine waters covering what is now Arkansas, USA.

Up to about 20cm in diameter, (~8"), its shell featured long sideways spines which may have served as a defense against predators – or possibly as a display feature since they only developed upon reaching maturity.

———

NixIllustration.com | Tumblr | Patreon

References:

Anthony, Franz. "500 million years of cephalopod fossils" Earth Archives, 19 Feb. 2018, https://eartharchives.org/articles/500-million-years-of-cephalopod-fossils/index.html

Klug, Christian, et al. "Preservation of nautilid soft parts inside and outside the conch interpreted as central nervous system, eyes, and renal concrements from the Lebanese Cenomanian." Swiss Journal of Palaeontology 140 (2021): 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13358-021-00229-9

Korn, Dieter, and Christian Klug. "Early Carboniferous coiled nautiloids from the Anti-Atlas (Morocco)." European Journal of Taxonomy 885 (2023): 156-194. https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2023.885.2199

Kröger, Björn, Jakob Vinther, and Dirk Fuchs. "Cephalopod origin and evolution: a congruent picture emerging from fossils, development and molecules: extant cephalopods are younger than previously realised and were under major selection to become agile, shell‐less predators." BioEssays 33.8 (2011): 602-613. https://doi.org/10.1002/bies.201100001

Mikesh, David L., and Brian F. Glenister. "Solenochilus Springeri (White & St. John, 1868) from the Pennsylvanian of Southern Iowa." Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science. Vol. 73. No. 1. 1966. https://scholarworks.uni.edu/pias/vol73/iss1/39/

Shchedukhin, A. Yu. "New Species of the Genus Acanthonautilus (Solenochilidae, Nautilida) from the Early Permian Shakhtau Reef (Cis-Urals)." Paleontological Journal 58.5 (2024): 506-515. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/384922837_New_Species_of_the_Genus_Acanthonautilus_Solenochilidae_Nautilida_from_the_Early_Permian_Shakhtau_Reef_Cis-Urals

Wikipedia contributors. “Nautilida” Wikipedia, 26 Nov. 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nautilida

Wikipedia contributors. “Solenochilus” Wikipedia, 28 Apr. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solenochilus

[vertigoartgore]

1997's Predator vs. Judge Dredd Vol.1 #1 cover by Brian Bolland.

[babextoken]

Get Below Me vol 1💘

Simp!RoommateVessel x Virgin!Fem!Reader

Fluffy fluffy fluffy expo- some mentions of male masturbation - Vessel’s a bit of a weirdo - shy!reader - Both are obsessed with other and weird about it - Vessel wants to be your first - pacing is weird but hey 🍍

Volume 2 (the smut chapter) will be out this weekend. Happy Valentine’s Day!

taglist: @lifemod17 @glitterghost @inv3ga @adenobabe @jeriiicho @milk--bones @myaudiocommentary @horsebiologist @intake-of-breath @fruitsandcheese @0hg00dgirl @goosepond69 @friendly-neighborhood-ghoul @lynzeequitlollygagging @thatxxjiyong-ssi @cloudy-soul @daddysaidbringthethunder @evisnotok @cheomain @chaosandchaos @sage-m-sepia @dreamer-lost-in-wonderland

The minute Vessel sat down on the loveseat, nothing mattered. Your roommate dominated your attention. The show you were binging? Stupid. The rabbit hole you were falling down on your phone to occupy you while you were watching tv? Irrelevant. Your eyes were on him. You didn’t care if he walked around without a shirt on. Guys could do that. And you’ve survived seeing him in tighter sweats, surely. Just breathe.

You realize you’re biting your lip when he gets your attention.

“Are you alright?”

That’s when you also realize you’re eye fucking him while he plays on his Switch Lite. He’s making zero effort to be hot and yet…no. Save that thought for later.

“I…just got…” think think think “…really hungry! Be right be back. heh!”

You scurry into the kitchen, trying not to clamp your thighs together for relief as you “look for snacks.” You’re taking some deep square breaths to calm down when…

“Looking for snacks in the dark?” Vessel asks flatly after switching on the kitchen light. He’s leaning in the doorway, taking up more space than normal. His arm is resting against the top of the frame. Blocking you in. “Bit difficult that.”

You gulp and shake your head. “I uhm…using the light on my phone.”

“Your phone’s on the sofa.”

Fuck. He isn’t even looking at you like a predator. Hes looking at you like…Like he’s confused. Because he is. You did this often—scurrying away when there was no real conversation happening. Did you not like him? Certainly you did. There was no denying the mutual attraction but something kept you away. Maybe you were scared of silence. But what you should have been scared of was the thing that scared Vessel: how badly he needed you. No man of his age should “simp.” He’s a successful, intelligent, well-off guy. Finally he has to ask, calling out to you as you walk back into the living room.

“Why don’t you bring guys here? I genuinely wouldn’t mind if you did,” he says knowing full well he’d cry himself to sleep if you brought home some man and had to see the very same “some man” leave in the morning. He sits back on the chair across from you and waits to hear what you have to say, even though you look mortified.

“I…I don’t really date.”

Oh. This is a surprise. “Do you not…are you….”

“Hah it’s…no I’d like to. I just…I’m a late bloomer is all. Virgin…”

Vessel shrugs and rubs the back of his neck. “No worries. That’s not a bad thing necessarily. But…are you..I don’t know. Lonely? You’re so gorgeous and…”

“You think I’m gorgeous?” Your cheeks warm up.

He blushes and looks down. “Yes.” Vessel shrugs with a shy smile. “I…I doubt you even think…remotely similar to m—“

“No Ves, you…you’re… I think you’re so ha—.” You don’t even finish your sentence. He should know. He has to know. “Anyways. I’m at the point in my life where I want my first time to be with someone I’m sure about. A lot of my baggage is from just…giving ‘it’ up and by ‘it,’ I mean ‘me.’” You sigh heavily and look away. “Not trying to be prude about these things. I’m just scared. Scared of choosing the wrong person and ruining that part of my life. The uncertainty kills me.”

Vessel leans his elbows on his knees and looks at you lovingly. “There’s nothing wrong with that. Honestly it’s admirable but…you can’t live in fear. Easier said than done but…”

There’s a knowing look between you two. It’s a delicate, tender moment. “Ves…”

“Hmm?”

“Why don’t you bring girls over?”

Silence. He chews at his lip and sighs. “Hey…listen…” he pinches the bridge of his nose. “I’m going to avoid that question by asking you something that makes me feel just as awkward.” You don’t protest. Instead you shift a little and nod. “What if we, like, you and me…would you go out with me sometime? Maybe? Like for…fun?”

“Wow Ves, for fun? You know how to treat a girl,” you snicker.

He rolls his eyes and groans, rubbing his face hard with his wide hands. “Don’t be daft, honestly.” He shakes his weary head and bites his lip, taking in your pretty face. “Just put me out of my misery and reject me already. Can I take you out sometime?”

Yeah, ok. “Reject him.” You couldn’t if you tried. You two took things slow. Almost painfully slow, but this was important to both of you. Very much so to Vessel, but he didn’t want to show it too much. He wanted to be brave for you. A perfect boyfriend, if you’d allow him that. It was all going to plan.

From the moment you inquired about the room for rent, he was drawn to you. But again, he couldn’t show that. How creepy would that look? A tall and imposing but otherwise gentle (on the outside) guy insisting that a pretty, single girl like you share his townhouse might raise eyebrows. He was cool. Aloof, but not apathetic. He wanted you in his house on your terms. That’s all. And as he hoped, you were falling for him. He was already there. Just biding his time until you caught up. Until then, it was night after night imagining how nice it would be to strike. To make the first move and just show you how shamelessly…how gleefully obsessed with you he is. Vessel spent so many nights fucking his own fist, staring at his closed bedroom door just willing you to catch him. But you were a good girl. You’d never barge in unannounced unless there was an emergency. So good. The best girl, in his estimation. Why couldn’t you barge in? Why couldn’t you be just a little more of the vixen Vessel knows is hiding underneath your surface.

It was Valentine’s Day. A five whole weeks since Vessel asked you out. That also meant five weeks of…tooth rotting happiness. You were beside yourself. You still had absolutely no idea how long he wanted this. Wanted you. And in his mind, the less you knew was better. He just wanted you to let it happen and accept that you were his. He was yours. And he wanted this night to be special.

[first-class-feral]

brad dourif scrungly feature analysis: eyes

from the “Boys” dourif-hottie supercut music video:

I’d love to see an artist break this down!

For now, let me write you a novel about Brad's spectacular eyes...

The Strangeness

(Skip if you want to preserve the mystery.) BD's right eye is placed a little higher, and turned up as if tugged from the outer corner. I think it's part of that subtle something that immediately sets him apart. This unique, catlike, romantic asymmetry snatches your attention.

.

The glow

His striking, chameleonic blues capture light — even in B&W — which directors loooooove to exploit by lighting him obliquely:

It's a great way to crank up the eerie vibe of any scene, and I respect Star Trek for trashing that option outright with all-black contacts. (Of course, he still served an incredibly compelling outsider.)

(Edit: I put up a post just about this effect because they seriously do it all the damn time) (...because it's awesome)

Set in shadows

He has hooded eyes, deep-set and accentuated by heavy eye bags. The shadows and textures draw you in toward those luminescent irises, like picture frames that amplify each motion of his eyes.

.

Contrast

Sometimes he pops them wide open, creating these huge, expressive magnets...

...Or squints lopsidedly...

...Or interrogates, challenges, threatens — alert but defensive, like a prey animal on the edge of lashing out.

He’s said he chooses roles that "turn him on" (pretty clearly in an artistic sense); many of these blend menace and vulnerability, and our boy dumps emotion into every. single. line. This can manifest as an intense, wary, combative look, with eyes wide under neutral or furrowed brows:

.

Cry, baby

...And that's all before we mention the tears. He cries, of course, at will and liberally, and his eyes go red-rimmed and wet, highlighting them even more as he pins someone's soul to the wall with his gaze.

When he hovers right on the edge, they seem to shine in the dark.

.

Bared

At times, his fair eyelashes almost vanish, compounding his unusual look with a birdlike or reptilian tinge.

Obviously, the shaved brows in LOTR add to this effect.

A couple more things you'll notice here: he'll hold his eyes wide open for much longer than normal, drawing out these moments and making him seem even more alien.

And when he gets up-close in someone's face (which is often), he's constantly switching his gaze between their eyes — totally fixated, as if scanning for emotional feedback. In my opinion, it adds to that vulnerability: to the object of his attention, he must seem like a predator freezing them in place... but it's also desperate, like a prey animal trying to decipher the other person's intent, all senses tuned to pick up their slightest signal. (Gríma Wormtongue and Jack Dante especially have this pathetic air about them: grasping at sources of warmth while lashing out at the harsh, unintelligible world around them, allying themselves with uncontrollable destructive forces in an attempt to establish a place for themselves........)

.

TL;DR

The eyes — and how he uses them — are the standout scrungly feature, the main reason we can’t look away from this unforgettable weirdo.

The cat-eye asymmetry pulls focus;

His ice-blue irises are light traps, framed in textured shadow;

His full-bore emotional commitment ramps up the anguish and torment to an aching crescendo that's impossible to ignore.

Eventually I'll follow up on other contributing factors, but for now, I'll leave you with a couple of article snippets about The Eyes:

Imagi-Movies: Vol 1 No 2 — Winter 1993/94. Pages 11-13: "Traumatic - Brad Dourif". Link

SoHo News: November-December 1981. "Tension and mercy - Brad Dourif glowers for our sins" (an article all about his eyes! But they don't mention the asymmetry.)

[Gifs were mostly stolen from the GOAT, @exdeputysonso — with some of my own, mostly the square ones. Shout-out to @dragonsbloodsnowcone for inspiring this word vomit.]

Thanks for reading!

[longitudinalwaveme]

DC Comics' Who's Who: Flash Entries

My brother and I recently bought all of the DC Comics Who's Who issues that contain Flash characters in them (except for the ones with Abra Kadabra and Thinker, who I somehow forgot about). These issues were published between 1985 and 1987, and they provide a very interesting snapshot into how the characters were viewed around the time of Crisis on Infinite Earths.

As such, I decided to post the relevant Flash entries and give some of my own commentary.

The most interesting thing about Captain Boomerang's entry, at least as far as I'm concerned, is that it's the first time that we see the name "Ian Harkness" attached to Digger's father. Prior to this point, Digger's dad (who had only appeared once, in Flash vol. 1 #227) had been referred to solely as "Pop" (by Digger) or as "Aussie Green" (by the narrator). Since "George Green" was the alias Digger used to land the Captain Boomerang job at Wiggins' Toys, I think that Cary Bates forgot that Digger's last name had been established to be Harkness, and that his father's last name should therefore have been Harkness as well. As such, I suspect that the writer of this Who's Who entry decided to fix Bates' mistake by giving Aussie Green the more appropriate name of Ian Harkness.

But what's really fascinating about this is that, since this issue was published in 1985, it means that the "Ian Harkness" name predates Suicide Squad #44 (published 1990), the story where Digger's stepfather was called Ian Harkness. I had always previously assumed that Ian Harkness was created for that issue, and that Aussie Green had been retconned out of existence, but it seems that there's an argument to be made that he instead was just given a major personality overhaul, much in the same way that Wally West's father, Bob/Rudolph West, was.

I love that the entry talks about Digger's ability to use his own body as a boomerang, a hilarious feat that only appeared in Flash vol. 1 #227.

The art for Digger was drawn by his original artist, the late, great Carmine Infantino (and Murphy Anderson). I like that it includes Digger shooting the Flash into space on a giant boomerang.

I love the art for Captain Cold's Who's Who entry. Interestingly enough, it was drawn by Bob Smith, rather than by his original artist, Carmine Infantino.

Technically, since this entry is about Alvin, not Albert, his first appearance should probably be listed as Flash #287, since all of the earlier Dr. Alchemy appearances were Albert, not Alvin. But since Showcase #14 was the first appearance of Dr. Alchemy as a costumed identity, I can understand why it was chosen.

I don't think this bio is inaccurate to state that Albert didn't have the ability to telekinetically control the the Philosopher's Stone, since to my knowledge he had not shown that capability up to the point that this issue was published, but for a modern reader it is somewhat odd, since it was established that Albert also had psychic control over the Stone in Flash vol. 2 #40-41 (published 1990), and it was a major part of his powerset during Geoff Johns' run in the early 2000s.

Much like Captain Cold, Alvin isn't being drawn by his original artist, Don Heck. Instead, the art for his entry was done by Mike Vosburg and Dick Giordano.

In speaking of Albert, here's his entry.

Some interesting observations:

Albert is an inch taller and 3 pounds heavier than Alvin. So they wouldn't be physically identical in the costume, as one might assume.

Alvin's parents are identified as Mr. and Mrs. Herman Desmond, a name taken from Flash vol. 1 #288. This is very helpful, as it clarifies that he was the Al born in San Diego, California, and also establishes that Albert was born in Tampa, Florida (as per the backstory given in that issue). Flash #288 states that Albert's parents are Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Desmond, but that was a mistake on writer Cary Bates' part, since in Flash vol. 1 #221, Albert's father was named Peter Desmond. This Who's Who entry correctly identifies his parents by that earlier name, which is a level of ridiculous nerdiness that I can respect.

The claim that the Philosopher's Stone is more powerful than the Element Gun does make sense.

There's also an interesting omission in the entry. In Flash vol. 1 #221, it's made explicit that the Element Gun is at most a conduit for Albert's own natural powers. It doesn't work for the Flash, and Albert is able to use his elemental powers even when the gun isn't in his hand.

I am not surprised to learn that Albert has "little strength in hand-to-hand combat". Nor am I surprised that Alvin is more physically adept than Albert is.

Albert was drawn by his original artist, Carmine Infantino.

At 6'1", Fiddler is a bit taller than I expected. And he is a "vile" and "villainous violinist". I appreciate the Silver Age-esque alliteration.

And the Fiddle Car makes an appearance, both in the text and in the artwork. I love the Fiddle Car. It's so gloriously goofy.

I'm not sure exactly when the Fiddler gained weight, but I guess it's good to know that his diet plan worked out for him.

Artists Sandy Plunkett and Joe Rubinstein did a great job on the main drawing of Fiddler for this entry.

I like that Jay Garrick's name is written in the font that was used for the 1940s All-Flash series, of which he was (unsurprisingly) the leading character.

I actually didn't know that Jay was specifically the head of Keystone Research Laboratories, Inc. I knew that he was a research scientist, but not that his place of work had been specifically named.

Artist Eduardo Berreto did an excellent headshot of Jay, and I like that he included the Fiddler and the Three Dimwits (Winky, Blinky, and Noddy) in the background. That being said, I'm not the biggest fan of the main drawing of Jay here. He looks a bit stiff as he runs.

Barry Allen gets a massive two-page spread. The really interesting thing about this is that, while this issue was published in October 1985, after Barry's series had ended, it was published just before Crisis on Infinite Earths #8 (November 1985), the issue where Barry actually died. As such, he's still alive here, but will be dead by the time the Who's Who series wraps up in early 1987.

Weirdly, Ira West (Iris' adoptive father) is described as Barry's stepfather-in-law, which doesn't seem quite right.

Carmine Infantino, Barry's original artist, does the art with help from Murphy Anderson. He does a good job, as is expected, and in addition to the headshot and the main drawing, he includes a picture of the accident that gave Barry his speed, headshots of Iris and Wally, a picture of Barry shooting his costume out of his ring, and headshots of a ton of Barry's villains.

The villain headshots are especially amusing in an oddly-drawn way, and include, in the words of @gorogues, "shampoo ad Digger, movie star Kadabra, middle-aged Roscoe, and ate-too-many-Twinkies Sam".

In most modern DC guidebooks, Lisa is listed at 5'5" and 115 pounds. Here, she's listed as 5'5" and 105 pounds. In case it wasn't clear that she was tiny, I guess.

The issue with Golden Glider's entry was published in November of 1985, and, sure enough, it's noted that the Flash is dead in her entry.

The notion that Lisa's gem weapons were adapted from some of the Top's designs isn't something that was explicitly stated in any of her appearances, but it is an interesting idea, and it does make sense as an explanation for how she was able to build them so quickly.

Golden Glider's art is drawn by her original artist, Irv Novick, with assistance from Dick Giordano, and it all looks amazing. I'm especially fond of the drawing of her with Captain Cold in the bottom right.

I love that Gorilla Grodd's occupation is "Would-Be World Conqueror".

It's also nice to get confirmation that the gorillas of Gorilla City have amplified strength even when compared to normal gorillas, as I hadn't been sure if that was the case before now.

Grodd's art was done by his original artist, Carmine Infantino, alongside Bill Sienkiewicz. He doesn't really look like an actual gorilla, but there will basically be no realistic-looking gorillas in Flash comics until the early 1990s.

Also, while Grodd is usually big and muscular (since he's a gorilla and all), he's especially massive here.

I think the most noteworthy thing about Heat Wave's entry is the fact that it highlights a very important fact about him: namely, the fact that he was the second-ever Flash villain, and first Rogue, to reform (specifically, in Flash vol. 1 #312, in 1982). He reformed some two to three years before the Trickster (James) semi-reformed in Blue Devil, and six years before the Pied Piper reformed in Flash vol. 2 #20 (1988)! Most people seem to have forgotten about this nowadays.

Another aspect of Heat Wave's character that seems to have been forgotten is that Heat Wave's gun isn't just a flamethrower....it's also capable of superheating the air around it and effectively firing "beams" of heat.

Oh, and Mick's suit used to be made of asbestos. So if you're wondering how he got terminal cancer in Jeremy Adams' run on the Flash, now you know.

I've always thought that 5'11" seemed short for Heat Wave. For some reason, I can't shake this mental image of him as this 6'6" giant (even though the artists don't usually make him that much taller than everyone else). Maybe it has something to do with Dominic Purcell's portrayal of the character on the CW Flash show...but even then, Purcell is only 6'1" (so tall, but not enormous). Maybe it's just because he's often depicted as the least intelligent Rogue, and unintelligent villains tend to be very large in fiction.

Heat Wave's art was drawn by his original artist, Carmine Infantino, alongside Joe Giella.

Wally's entry claims that his parents have never been named, but his father was named Bob West in Flash vol. 1 #116, so he at least had been given a name by this time. (Post-Crisis, Wally's dad was renamed Rudolph, and his mother was named Mary.)

The issue with Wally's entry was published in February 1986, a month before he would take up the mantle in Crisis on Infinite Earths #12 (March 1986). As such, he's still Kid Flash here, even though Barry is dead.

It's interesting that this entry states that Wally was in high school when he became Kid Flash. This is mostly consistent with what we see in the early Wally stories from the Silver Age (even if the art makes him look 10 to 12 years old rather than 14 or so), but it is a noticeable contrast to William Messner-Loebs' and Mark Waid's takes on Wally's backstory, which both claim that Wally was 10 years old when he became Kid Flash.

Also interesting, and sometimes forgotten about, is the fact that Wally went to college towards the end of his career as Kid Flash, and was even hoping to settle down and start a normal life before Barry died. The events of Crisis on Infinite Earths threw a wrench in these plans. Wally became the Flash full-time, and as a result never finished college.

The art for Wally's entry was done by George Pérez, who unsurprisingly did a very good job.

Mirror Master's entry was published in May 1986, four months after his death in Crisis on Infinite Earths #10 (January 1986). As such, his death is described here. His successor, Evan McCulloch, wouldn't debut for another three years (first appearing in 1989 in Animal Man #8).

The entry underlines Sam's popularity in his day; he's described as "one of the Flash's most formidable and persistent foes", and he is accurately credited with forming the Rogues. This is something that often gets forgotten now that Len has taken the spotlight as the de facto leader of the group.

Sam appears to be the least physically capable of the Rogues described thus far ("only a fair hand-to-hand combatant"), which makes sense, given that he was primarily an inventor.

Something else interesting is that it's only starting in this issue that "the Flash's Rogues Gallery" is listed as a group affiliation for the people on the team. Len, Digger, and Mick weren't listed as members of the group, even though they were definitely part of the team. (Golden Glider is a borderline case. She worked with Len and Roscoe before Crisis, but didn't appear alongside the full group until afterwards.)

Carmine Infantino, Sam's original artist, did the art here, alongside Steve Mitchell. I like the background art, but I'm not a huge fan of the main drawing or the headshot, primarily, I think, because Mirror Master looks way too buff. There are a number of better Infantino drawings of Sam.

In speaking of weirdly buff Rogues, here's the Pied Piper, about two years before he reformed (the issue his entry is in was published in August of 1986, and he reformed in late 1988).

The entry claims that "Henry Darrow" was the alias his parents paid to establish for him, while "Thomas Peterson" was the alias he chose for himself. This is an interesting idea, but it doesn't seem to fully align with the Flash comics of the time. For example, during the interminable Trial of the Flash arc, Digger called the Pied Piper "Henry", which suggests that Piper told gave at least him the "Henry Darrow" name, which wouldn't really make sense if "Thomas Peterson" was his chosen alias. (That being said, Cary Bates' habit of confusing characters' names really doesn't help here. Since he later called Piper "Henry Rathaway" by mistake, it's possible that he was intending to have Digger call Piper by his actual name, but forgot that the actual name in question was Hartley and not Henry.)

I am not surprised that Hartley is a poor hand-to-hand combatant. Even if he had a weird period in the early-to-mid-80s where the art made him look like He-Man's stunt double (and you can still kind of see that here), he's usually drawn as being fairly skinny, and he was also a sheltered rich kid. It makes sense that he wouldn't know how to fight.

Pied Piper is kind of the opposite of Heat Wave in that 5'10" somehow seems too tall for him. There's no good reason for it, but I always picture him as being short and slight. Maybe it's just because he's often so thin?

It's also interesting that Hartley's hair is listed as being blonde here. It swapped between red (as per his first appearance, Flash vol. 1 #106) and blonde all the time before eventually seeming to settle on a light red/strawberry blonde color.

Pied Piper's art was drawn by his original artist, Carmine Infantino, and Dennis Jensen. Like with the Mirror Master, I like the background art, but not the main picture or the headshot. Infantino has drawn better Pipers too.

I did not know that Rag Doll was an "eccentric dancer" in addition to being a contortionist until now.

The fact that he used to work for the circus also makes him one of three Flash villains who can make that claim. The other two are Heat Wave (who worked as a fire eater) and the Trickster (who worked as a hire wire and trapeze artist).

Ragdoll was drawn by Steve Leialoha, and I think his take on the character is really unique and interesting. He makes the character look appropriately bendy and rubbery.

Somehow I never realized that Rainbow Raider's eyes were grey.

I appreciate that the Who's Who entry treats Roy as a legitimate threat. Enjoy it while you can, buddy. It won't last.

Rainbow Raider was drawn by Don Heck, his original artist. I especially love the headshot here.

I think this may be the first time that "Professor Adrian Zoom" was established as an explicit alias. (This name, like Sam and Roscoe's middle names, exists entirely because Cary Bates forgot a character's name.)

Barry, Jay, and Eobard are all 5'11" and 179 pounds, and Wally is 5'10" and 179 pounds. I guess we now know why Eobard is so good at impersonating Barry.

Carmine Infantino, Eobard's original artist, did the art alongside Murphy Anderson. This may be the best Eobard's hair has ever looked (although that's a very low bar to clear). It's also darkly amusing that the two background pictures are of him creeping on Iris and getting killed by Barry.

Rose and Thorn's story is very interesting and tragic, and I really need to track down the issues where it happened so that I can actually read them.

She also seems a lot like a proto-Poison Ivy. They're very similar looking physically, and Rose and Thorn had natural plant-controlling powers long before Poison Ivy did. (Notably, Ivy's Who's Who entry states that her only power is immunity to poison. Her other plant creations are attributed to her scientific acumen, rather than to any inherent abilities.)

Rose and Thorn was drawn by Todd McFarlane.

Moving on to another Jay Garrick villain, we have the Shade, who won't get his natural darkness-controlling powers for another eight years or so. (This issue was published in September 1986, and Shade's natural powers weren't established until he appeared in the Starman series, which began in 1994.) At this point, he was dependent on technology (more specifically, his cane) to control shadows.

At 6'2", Shade is one of the taller Flash villains. He's the same height as Len, but at 170 pounds to Len's 197, he's a lot lighter.

Shade's white hair is probably attributable to two factors. First, he hadn't yet been established to be immortal, and so would have been an older villain during this time period (since he was an enemy of Jay Garrick). Second, and probably more importantly, the Shade actually did have white hair during his first (and only) Golden Age appearance:

Yes, that really is the Shade. He looked different during the Golden Age.

It's interesting that the Shade is stated to have little experience in hand-to-hand combat here, but I suppose that the fact that he's so reliant on his shadows may have something to do with that. (I think I'm surprised because his later appearances in the Starman series gave him a ton of life experience, including experience in at least some athletic endeavors.)

The Shade was drawn by Carmine Infantino and Rick Magyar, who did a great job with him. Both of the background drawings seem to be based on scenes from Flash vol. 1 #151, in which Shade fought both Barry and Jay.

"Presumably the Top's spirit is no longer active on Earth." The issue with Top's Who's Who entry was published in February 1987, almost six years after his last appearance (Flash #303, from November 1981). It would be another three years before he returned in Hawk and Dove Annual #1 (1990), and an additional year before he properly returned to the land of the living by possessing the body of Senator Thomas O'Neil in Hawk and Dove #27-28 (September-October 1991). It took a while, but he did come back!

The entry also states that the Top "could spin at high, but not superhuman, speed". Since we saw the Top spinning fast enough to outpace the Flash and deflect bullets, I have my doubts about the accuracy of this statement.

The fact that Roscoe has blue eyes bothers me irrationally. He really seems like he should have green eyes.

The Top was drawn by his original artist, Carmine Infantino, and Joe Giella. I love the background art, and I like the main image, even if Roscoe is maybe slightly more buff than it seems like he should be. The headshot is one of the vanishingly few drawings of Roscoe without his mask (basically all the others are either of him before he became the Top, or from Flash vol. 1 #219, the only issue where he's out of costume for the majority of the story).

Remember how I said the Top looked too buff? Here's the proof. The Top is 6 feet tall and weighs 179 pounds. The Trickster is also 6 feet tall and also weighs 179 pounds. So either the Top is too buff in his entry, or James is WAY too skinny here. And I'm definitely leaning towards the former, given that having a lot of muscle mass will increase weight.

Trickster's list of known relatives does not mention his mother, who had not only appeared but been named by this point. (She's called Helen in Flash vol. 1 #113, the Trickster's debut issue).

Interesting fact: James actually reformed before Hartley did! James is already listed as being reformed in this issue, which was printed in 1987; Hartley won't be shown to be reformed until late 1988.

I really wish Trickster's brief career as a special effects artist was reference more often.

Trickster was drawn by Paris Cullins and Gary Martin, who were not his original artists. That being said, I love their take on him, especially his rubber chicken.

Both the Golden Age Turtle and the Silver Age Turtle Man share one entry, with the primary art being of the latter. The Golden Age villain only appears in the background art.

I always confuse the Turtle and the Turtle Man, probably because they have nigh-identical names, very similar M.O.s, and don't appear very often. The fact that neither one of them has a civilian name also doesn't help, since I can't even distinguish them that way. I guess the main difference is that the Turtle Man is somewhat more of an inventor than the Turtle.

Also, at 5'6", the Turtle is very short. He's only an inch taller than Lisa (though he's 73 pounds heavier)! The Turtle Man, at 5'11", is a lot taller.

The Turtle and the Turtle Man are drawn by Peter Laird, who was not the original artist for either character. Their drawings of the two characters are still effective, though.

Last, but not least, is the Weather Wizard, who, in a continuing trend, is weirdly buff. It's especially noticeable in his case, since he's usually drawn to be quite slender (although it is in keeping with the way Infantino drew basically all the Rogues during the Trial of the Flash arc).

Weather Wizard's reformation didn't last terribly long, but, due to the fact that he didn't show up very much during the late 80s and early 90s, it lasted a bit longer than you might expect. He reformed in Blue Devil #30 (published November 1986, about 3 months before the issue with his Who's Who entry was published), and wasn't shown doing anything illegal again until Flash Annual #5 in 1992. So he was more-or-less reformed for five to six real-world years.

I love that his entry includes the ridiculous fact that the Weather Wand is telepathically linked to his brain (as established in Adventure Comics #466 in December 1979), and that it makes mention of his habit of riding around on clouds.

Weather Wizard's art was done by his original artist, Carmine Infantino, and Murphy Anderson. I love the background art of him fighting Batman, and I like the art of him battling the Flash, but I think he looks a bit too buff in the main drawing and in his headshot. That being said, that headshot must be the neatest that Mark's hair has ever looked. Usually it's way more windblown than that.

[mothlady-garden]

So hear me out (this is all a big maybe): Plant-Song as a way to communicate, that manifests in their bodies

A Chladni figure these are created when a vibrating surface (usually a metal plate) is covered with sand and excited by different frequencies. The sand accumulates at the nodal points where there is no movement.

Now for comparison the Plant pattern we see in the Anime Opening:

And now as a comparison, the Plant markings in the manga, which display kinda similar characteristics, further reinforce this connection: (Manga spoiler)

If we analyze the pattern, in Stampede it could correspond to a higher frequency or a complex superposition of different vibrations. However, it is difficult to determine an exact frequency or a specific tone based solely on the pattern. Such shapes typically arise at certain harmonics, and if they are symmetrical, regular shapes, they usually correspond to sounds like sine tones. The shape could indicate a sound between 500 Hz and 2 kHz, which would fall into the range of high-pitched tones (e.g., violin or flute).

There is also a scene in TriMax Vol 5, Chapter 03: Loss where Knives says to Vash who is currently opend his gate for the first time "... resonate with me" what would also fit into this theory

In the *Trigun Stampede* soundtrack, there is a song titled "Plant Song on Erhu" that would fit well within these frequencies.

In general, Plants can communicate through primitive sounds accessible to us, but they only do so in moments of extreme emotion, such as in Trigun Vol. 2 Ch. 9.

Additionally, communication through vibrations and frequencies would be far more efficient than the human linguistic. Let’s assume that the singing of their sisters falls below 20 Hz, into the infrasound range. In this case, they could communicate over thousands of kilometers without humans perceiving it.

The audible spectrum for humans covers less than 1% of all possible frequencies.

My theory is that the Plants use the dimension available to them as a kind of resonating body, and a shadow of their song is reflected into the lower dimensions through these intertwined vibrations. On top of that, other beings (especially those who have been enhanced) may possess the ability to sense the aura and emotions of the twins.

This would also explain why Vash can "feel" his twin. The terror WW repeatedly experiences could be linked to the idea that the experiments have improved him enough to partially perceive these frequencies, and/or that his instincts as Homo erectus are awakening, urging him to flee from the "predator" before it’s too late.

Additionally, the *Song of Humanity* mentioned in the manga would thematically fit very well with this idea.

Edit: This could also explain why Vash and Legato can communicate throu some kind of "telepathy". Maybe the blue mother fucker can also recieve/send out something similar to Plant-Song

They are angel-like beings that communicate through song, shaping their bodies with their tunes. I find that a very beautiful concept.

I know the theory has MANY holes, but I still thought it was worth writing about. Sorry when this theory is old.😅

Thank you for taking the time to listen.

[jade-len]

so today i tricked my very straight male friend into reading svsss.

okay look, i wasn't planning to at first and it's not like it was completely my fault. he wanted to read it!

i was showing him how badly they fucked up mu qingfang in the donghua by comparing it to the english novel design (he said that mu qingfang went from looking like a soft dilf to a predator registered on the epstein island list). and then, i showed him how different some of the other character designs were like gongyi xiao's ("he looks like he'd be a genshin character" -friend, to eng novel design) and luo binghe's ("lowkey, he kinda gives airbender vibes" -friend, to bunhe eng novel design)

so that was all i was gonna show him, nothing else. but after seeing them, he goes, "these designs actually look hella cool. what's the book called?"

now, do i:

A. tell him the name, eventually revealing that it's a danmei when he looks it up?

B. just straight up tell him that it's a danmei?

C: don't tell him the name just yet, spill the summary, get him interested, and tell him to not search anything up about it because there's heavy spoilers and it will reveal them the moment he types it up on the search bar

i go with C, obviously.

me: so, basically, some guy named shen yuan transmigrates into an incel harem male power fantasy novel where the protagonist, luo binghe, has hundreds of wives. thing is though, the guy pretty much took over the body of binghe's teacher he had when he was a teenager, who turns out to be a really scummy dude. and now he has to be nice to him so that the protagonist doesn't rip off his limbs and put him into a pickle pot in the future to suffer for eternity.

friend: that sounds hilarious and horrifying at the same time.

me: yes it is, and you should read it. it's like. my favorite novel at the moment. but don't search up anything about it because people spoil that shit. i'll let you borrow my novel

friend: nah don't worry, i'll just pirate it

friend: wait. does it have pictures?

me, my plan coming together: yeah, it has pictures. buuut, when you pirate it, it doesn't. trust me dude, i tried and was severely disappointed. plus, the physical copy is so much better

friend: fuck yeah ok thanks

me: hold on though. i'll text you later to see if my friend who's borrowing it rn is done reading it

he's hyped. he's excited. he craves a good book and a good transmigration interpretation. he's especially happy about the fact that it takes place in a chinese setting with cool powers and an actual good main character. "this sounds so good, god i wanna read it so bad."

i tell him that binghe is actually adorable, too. that it's pretty much found family! my friend then asks if shen yuan adopts him and becomes a father figure or something.

and i said "yes". you know, like a liar. (the father figure part probably isn't a lie though)

now i'm gonna give him the novel tomorrow! of course, i'm gonna cover the chapter 2 bunhe sexual awakening scene with washi tape and say that my baby cousin (sorry baby cousin, you would never <\3) scribbled all over that paragraph with her markers, and since i'm a neat book freak, i put washi tape and just wrote the scene! i don't know if that's really all too believable, but he didn't seem to care that much. just a simple "if my baby cousin did that to my book i would punt them into the sun"

i think what'll be more hilarious is the fact that you can't really tell that svsss is a BL. especially not volume 1. there's like, only a few lines indicating, but if you remove the baby binghe sexual awakening scene then you probably won't be able to know (...if you don't really read romance or anything. idk he's kinda dense anyways). so let's hope he gets attached and has a slow descent into the homo before i drop svsss vol 2 on him!

ok anyways i'll update you guys later with a reblog. maybe in about two or three days lol

(also don't worry, we already fuck around with each other on a daily basis like this. he's already tricked me into reading some manga i was unprepared for, and i thought that it'd be funny to mess around with him using svsss this time lol)

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

GIVING THE HUMAN "SOME CANDY" BEFORE UNLEASHING AN OTHERWORDLY ASS-BEATING.

PIC(S) INFO: Climactic pages of Detective Schaefer going head to head (hand to hand! Toe to toe!) with a Yautja, from "Predator: Concrete Jungle" Vol. 1 #1. June, 1989. Dark Horse Comics.

"Schaef said he felt it before it actually appeared. A prickly feeling -- like something brushing the hairs on the back of his neck. All of a sudden it was there."

-- "PREDATOR: CONCRETE JUNGLE" Vol. 1 #1

Source: www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1025155624537796&set=a.

[nerds-yearbook]

The first issue of the second volume of Hawkworld was published with a June 1990 cover date. In the issue, Hommy died. ("Predators" Hawkworld vol 2 1, DC Comic Event)

[exceptionally-minded]

The golden coats of Naboo's native ikopi blend brilliantly with the grasslands of their homeworld. This, combined with their rapid rate of movement, makes them a challenging prize for game hunters. Ikopis live in herds, banding together for safety and survival. Their floppy ears give them a keen sense of hearing that they use to detect predators. Ikopi employ their four curved antlers during displays of dominance and for defense. But perhaps the most curious trait of the species is their elongated hollow tongue -- measuring up to three times the length of its head, this tongue is useful for conveying water and nectar into the ikopi's beaklike mouth.

From Star Wars Bestiary, Vol. 1 by S.T. Bende and Illustrated by Iris Compiet

[vikkicomics]

Sigi in a sailor suit, character sheet for Moth vol 1&2.

He's 17 in the first two volumes, and quiet sweet and innocent, some of his mannerisms are taken from Kiki (Kiki's Delivery Service); he hasn't truly come of age yet, in 1900's Germany you were considered a youth/child until you turned 21. Sigi had a fairly strict, isolated up-bringing, with most of his hours dedicated to study, since he becomes orphaned and has a large fortune, he is frivolous with money and unmotivated by the pursuit of wealth. He earnestly believes that he must be good and kind and is motivated to help others (Singing the final verses of Mozart's Abduction from the Seraglio which reflects the German Christian world view upheld in those days), for most people this outlook can cause a lot of anxiety, lucky for him he has a super-human level of inner peace; that aspect is inspired by Richard Wagner's Siegfried being unable to feel fear, but keep in mind that fear is usually in response to the unknown, something that Sigi has no patience for.

This part of the story is strongly inspired by the tale of Buddha leaving his palace and childhood home, seeing the suffering of the people and believing he must find a way to help them. People don't always want to be helped in the way Sigi would like to, and before he can really put his ideals into practice he looses his innocence and is overtaken by a curse of spite.

This younger version of Siegfried still has the mischievous smile that reads 'I know something that you don't' or 'That I should not'. He is highly perceptive and such an expression should make the receiver feel as if Sigi can read all their secrets on their face. This expression coupled with a witty come-back is just enough to keep him alive, because otherwise such a scrawny orphan would attract a wider range of predators.

[vertigoartgore]

1997's Predator: Kindred Vol.1 #4 cover by artist Igor Kordey.

[professeurm]

so buffy s8, i cant wait to read

here the thing we got like 40 issues and my ass is having pstd of angel: after the fall

so instead of hurling a massive building to me again

imma break it down according to the site and give my reviews in between. maybe give a general review of s8 after i finish

the order will be:

> btvs s8, vol 1: The Long Way Home (issues 1-5)

> btvs s8, vol 2: No Future For You ( issues 6-10)

> btvs s8, vol 3: Wolves at the Gates (issues 11-15)

> btvs s8, vol 4: Time of Your Life (issues 16-20)

> btvs s8, vol 5: Predators and Prey (issues 21-25)

> btvs s8, vol 6: Retreat (issues 26-30)

> btvs 8, vol 7: Twilight (issues 31-35)

> btvs s8, vol 8: Last Gleaming (issues 36-40)

then we got the library editions but thats later

imma be tagging them with obv btvs s8. then the vol number and s8: whatever the title is that im on

thats all from me. hope u enjoy 👍🏼