Anyone else having trouble with Google converting scheduled posts to drafts for no good reason?
Man, this has not gone the way I thought it might. It isn't as though the Evil Eight were entirely unexpected, but the Sinister Sixteen were even less so, and I've had more headscratcher results on random matches than I could keep up with.
B'rett vs. Commander Blanx: This is a painful round as hopes are dashed against the rocks. B'rett has walked a long hard road and proven himself a stone cold bastard by killing his way into the top eight, but the final four means someone has to put Ol' Yeller down. It's sort of like in a zombie movie where the best friend volunteers to shoot his bitten buddy in the head as he begins to turn into an undead threat. Blanx and B'rett never met, but I like to think that they would either get along as boss and thug, or better still, sparks would fly between overlord and mercenary renegade. Either way, they're two obscure and long unseen Martian menaces who changed the game with their too few appearances, but only Blanx has an army of minions and a full armory of super-weapons. I thank those who handed B'rett sympathy votes, but he sleeps with the Bloodworms. (2-11)
The Hyperclan vs. Ma’alefa’ak: I knew when I set up this match that Malefic would win, and I'm fine with that, but it's very nearly nonsense. Yes, if Malefic took on the White Martians when his lack of telepathy offered him immunity from H'ronmeer's Plague, some gasoline and a book of matches would be just as effective in his hands as Batman's. However, Malefic's mental abilities were turned back on before he "died," which means he would take on a whole team of beings as powerful as himself with a shared vulnerability. That would play out far different, seeing as he was ultimately defeated by J'Onn J'Onzz, who got his ass kicked by Primaid alone.
That said, this was Malefic's to lose on popularity, and I had planned a final showdown with Commander Blanx next round, but other results mean that has at least been pushed back, if not canceled outright. I hope not, as I even had that poll posted for about two minutes before deleting it to rearrange the line-up. (4-10)
Mr. V vs. Professor Arnold Hugo: I was hoping it would come down to these two. Prof. Hugo debuted in the pages of Detective Comics, but three of his four battles with our hero were in House of Mystery. The latter is the only comic Mr. V ever appeared in, but he did so multiple times more than Hugo, acting as the featured villain in the final year of Martian Manhunter stories. Hugo was J'Onn J'Onzz's first major reoccurring human foe of the Silver Age, and Faceless was his last. Both have minions and high tech gadgets, and each acted internationally against "Marco Xavier." Mr. V has vastly more resources at his disposal, but is hampered by the size of his organization, misinformation, and his primary ability being his avoidance of direct conflict. The Wizard of 1,000 Menaces is much more agile and ingenious, but spends an awful lot of time in prison because of his failures while taking the battle to the Alien Atlas. Faceless indirectly dealt damage to Hawkman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern, but Hugo actually managed to subdue Batman, Robin, and Superman (before getting beaten by Aquaman.)
While he's far and away my favorite of the two (not to mention most of the Vile Menagerie,) Hugo was objectively only the ninth most important Martian Manhunter villain, as he debuted in a Batman story, introduced no radical changes to the John Jones comic strip, and is basically just J'Onn's Luthor/Sivana generic mad scientist. Mr. V ranked fourth, because he was created for the Manhunter franchise, has fought J'Onzz exclusively, and I suppose brings more to the table. Just not the manic charm, which is why this one was so narrow.(6-5)
Bette Noir vs. Despero: I thought this would be an elemental battle between a guy powered by the Flame of Py'tar and a girl known to Scorch. Instead, we ended up with a psychic conflict between the telepathic third eye of a Kalanorian and a woman whose mental manipulations overwhelmed Dubbilex and vexed the Manhunter from Mars. Even under those terms, I figured this would be lopsided in Despero's favor, but the results came down to a wisp of Bette's hair. Finally, I thought it would be really fun to see Professor Hugo in the Jasonar/L-Ron role, pitting gadgets against the otherworldly tyrant. When Mr. V came up in the rotation instead, I had to switch fighters to keep things interesting at the last minute. Weird round.(6-7)
Round 5: Polls close on the evening of the 30th. Round 6 will only last the 24 hours of March 31st, and will not be preceded by a wrap-up post, so don't dawdle.
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What's Pink & Green & Red All Over?
Malefic/Ma'alefa'ak
vs.
Despero
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Mr. V
vs.
Despero
Mister & Commander!
Commander Blanx
vs.
Mr. V
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1 comment:
B'rett is tough, but Commander Blanx is in another weight class.
I feel like Malefic has more tricks up his sleeve, with or without telepathy, and simply has more personality. I'd say the Hyperclan win four times in ten, but Malefic wins the first three meetings.
I think Hugo plays in bigger leagues, but V's victory here isn't out of left field.
Bette Noir could win this on the right day, but Despero is just too much for her most of the time.
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