The 5 Spookiest Comic Book Characters You've Never Heard Of

1. Morbius

Publisher - Marvel Comics

First Appearance - Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1 #101 (1971)

Who he is - Morbius (also known as Nobel Prize winning biochemist, Michael Morbius) is technically not a supernatural vampire, but more of a scientific experiment gone wrong. Diagnosed with a rare blood cell deteriorating disease, Morbius secretly works on a cure and to his dismay is transformed into a super-powered being that must survive on plasma found in blood. If you ask me, the guy had it coming. Who told you to experiment using vampire bats!? C'mon, Morb!

What makes him so scary? - First of all, look at him. Secondly, he flies around in the darkest hour of the night looking to drain the plasma out of his next blood-filled victim with...creepy suckers on the palms of his hands. Oh, and he can hypnotize you too. 

2. The Spectre 

Publisher - DC Comics
First Appearance - More Fun Comics #15 (1940)
Who he is - Jim Corrogan is a murdered cop whose soul was refused access into the afterlife. He was granted supernatural powers by an entity known only as "The Voice" and given the responsibility to unleash vengeance on all evil.
What makes him so scary? - Well, for starters, The Spectre is practically a ghost. He lives forever and cannot be killed (since he's already dead). His power is seemingly unlimited, and very creative. For instance, he can transform the ground you are running on into a giant concrete, man-eating snake or turn the glasses on your face into razor sharp scissors. What makes him the scariest is that you never know when he's coming, he has absolutely no remorse and he always kills.

3. The Man-Bat

Publisher - DC Comics
First Appearance - Detective Comics #400 (1970) (Batman)
Who he is - In another experiment gone wrong, Dr. Kirk Langstrom hopes to repair his damaged hearing by acquiring the sonar abilities of a bat. While the experiment works, a slight side-effect is that he is transformed into a giant Man-Bat.
What makes him so scary? - What's scarier than werewolf? A flying Man-Bat of course! This thing can fly, has super-hearing and has super-strength, but the scariest thing is that it can put a hurtin' on the great Batman.

4. DeadMan

Publisher - DC Comics
First Appearance - Strange Adventures #205 (1967)
Who he is - Similar to Spectre, Boston Brand AKA Deadman is a supernatural ghost that was denied access to the afterlife. As an acrobat he was murdered by an assassin and now his spirit haunts the evil-doers.
What makes him so scary? - He's a creepy looking ghost. That should be reason enough, right? Wrong. He also has the ability to posses and take over any living being's body with the host having absolutely no recollection of the act. The good thing is that he does use his power for good.

5. The Black Lantern Corps.

Publisher - DC Comics
First Appearance - Green Lantern Vol. 4 #25
Who they are - This team is similar to the Green Lantern Corps, but oh so different. The black power rings grant power and life to the dead.
What makes him so scary? - They are basically a team of super-powered zombies whose only goal is to eliminate all life. The rings take over former super heroes like the Martian Manhunter and even Batman. On top of that here is their creepy Black Lantern oath that grants powers to their rings, "The Blackest Night falls from the skies. The darkness grows as all light dies. We crave your hearts and your demise. By my black hand, the dead shall rise"!

Tell me which spooky comic book character is your favorite! Let me know if you have any others.

Happy Halloween!        

X-Men Days of Future Past - New Official Trailer Just Released!

We have been waiting for this for quite some time. An ensemble cast with characters ranging from the very first X-Men movie all the way up to X-Men: First Class come together in the soon to be epic X-Men Days of Future Past.

So what is it about?
The X-Men of the future (or present, depending on how you look at it) are faced with an imminent, apocalyptic threat so great, that the only hope of stopping it is by warning and preparing their past bitter selves. The one tasked with doing this, is Wolverine, of course. The most recent Wolverine movie eludes to this in the end credits.

The brand new official trailer!
Judging from the trailer, this seems to be a very dark, powerful and emotional film, which is what set X-Men: First class apart from the others.

Towards the end of the trailer we hear a young Professor Charles Xavier, played by James McAvoy speaking face to face with the older Professor Charles Xavier, played by Patrick Stewart. In the exchange the younger, psychically bitter  and enraged Professor X implores to the other, "I don't want your suffering! I don't want your future"! Shortly after the older, calmer version of Professor X whispers, "Please...we need you to hope again".

With that, I will leave you with the brand new official Trailer of X-Men Days of Future Past. Enjoy!

(Link for mobile users - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK2zYHWDZKo#t=14)

Arrow TV Series Review

Before we get started, yes, I know the series is already in its second season, but I just got the chance to take a look at the very first episode. To say the least, I am pleasantly surprised. Especially after being sorely disappointed by the highly anticipated Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

As you can tell from the cover art, this is a much darker series than Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The overall tone, acting and attention to detail is extremely refreshing and at times reminiscent of the Batman Trilogy.

Just so you have some background, here is what the show is about: After a shipwreck that should have killed everyone, playboy billionaire, Oliver Queen (aka DC Superhero: The Green Arrow) emerges as the sole survivor and returns to his city...5 years later. (Sound familiar? If you're a Batman fan it should. He is often compared to Batman).

What happened during all this time? Where was he? What or who did he encounter? And what will he do now that he's back?  Obviously, many questions are left unanswered in the first episode, but the way the story is presented gives you just enough information to keep you wanting more.

The Canadian actor, Stephen Amell does a great job at luring the viewer in with his acting and demeanor. Another plus is that it is pretty evident that he does his own stunts and is skilled in parkour. All of which makes him more believable as both Oliver Queen and The Green Arrow.

SPOILER ALERT
One of the things which admittedly got me more excited than any other, was not the acting, nor the fancy bows and arrows or even the great action scenes. It was one brief two second tease of who may have contributed to Oliver Queen's troubled 5 years on that island and perhaps a foreshadowing of who we will see in the upcoming episodes.

That's right! That is none other than the unmistakable mask of Slade Wilson AKA Deathstroke, one of my favorite villains in the DC Universe. Now what does Deathstroke have to do with any of this? Could he be behind the shipwreck, the death of some of the passengers, or does he perhaps have something to do with the possible wrongdoings of Oliver Queen's father? I do know that he is a paid mercenary, so it can actually be anything. 

Final Verdict
If you have not noticed already, I happen to love the first episode of this series. If it is any indication of the coming episodes, I completely recommend watching it. The entire first season is available on Netflix.

Let me know your thoughts on the series and if there is anything superhero related that you would like me to review please feel free to let me know!

Until next time Metta-X'ers!