Obsessively putting our comics in chronological order since 1985.
| 1991-11-01 00:06:10 |
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NFL Superpro #2
Issue(s): NFL Superpro #2
Cover Date: Nov 91
Title: "The killer instinct"
Credits:
Fabian Nicieza - Writer
Jose Delbo - Penciler
Mike DeCarlo - Inker
Bob Budiansky - Editor
Review/plot:
All right, let's see if we've got all the elements.
Keeping the world safe for professional football? Well, we're avenging the shooting of a pro player that runs a community center on the side.
I mean, it's not smashing the VCRs of people that have recorded football games off the TV without the express written permission of the NFL, or beating up ivory tower eggheads claiming that football injuries cause serious brain damage, but it'll do. I assume we'll get to those other stories soon enough.
Next on the list is horrible football puns. And, well, i mean... barely.
That's the best i could find in this issue. Geez, that is really disappointing. "The game's over"? Anyone can say that. That's not why we come to an NFL Superpro comic. I demand a "No you received... a pounding, that is!" or better every issue. How about "I'm going to dropkick you through the goalposts of justice!"?
Superpro instead seems to be relying on gambling references, as we saw last issue too.
Does this guy even know what comic he's in?
On the other hand, we do have a jealous ex-teammate of Superpro's who is now inexplicably a deadly ninja, and that is probably worth the price of admission (as long as the price for admission is 4 for a dollar).
I mean, clearly a guy named Quick Kick in a football comic should have something to do with field goals; i don't know where this ninja thing is coming from. But it's worth it for Superpro's befuddled, "Er, why is this guy a ninja... ah, who cares?".
There's also a little (mild) sexual innuendo in a flashback. At least these people know to talk in football puns.
And we're promised an even more awesome sounding villain for next issue, and one that is guaranteed to give us some football allusions.
So i guess we can stick around a little longer. I am glad that Marco Sanzionare has full sized posters of all his operatives on hand. It helps convince me that Instant Replay will be great (as if the name wasn't enough!), and i assume it's necessary because his henchmen are kinda dumb.
One final note. I've been speculating that NFL Superpro must be affiliated with the NFL or else he couldn't get away with using their logo. And clearly the NFL have a lot of pull. Because at the end of this issue, the police respond to Superpro's "I just murdered some guy in a plane crash" with "Good job, buddy." and then they let him go free to ramble on about his "cause".
Another one for the checklist which is met: casual disregard for the secret identity. First of all, the ninja "Quick Kick" was able to identify NFL Superpro as his former teammate immediately. And then as you can see above, we have cameraman Ken Reid walking up to talk to Superpro like they know each other, even though Ken Reid is part of Phil's civilian life.
The good news is i'm pretty sure master villain Marco Sanzionare is dumb as dirt, so it probably doesn't matter.
Quality Rating: D
Historical Significance Rating: 1
Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A
References: N/A
Crossover: N/A
Continuity Insert? N
My Reprint: N/A
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Comments
How're they gonna introduce a martial-arts character named Quick Kick in a Marvel licensed property comic... when there already was one?
(One who, according to Grant Morrison, learned at the knee of Shang-Chi: http://80pagegiant.blogspot.com/2011/09/it-came-from-dollar-bin-action-force-17.html )
I think Instant Replay's title as the "killer who can cut through time" is pretty damn fantastic as well.
What about: "You've just made your last foul play" as an American Football pun? Anyhooo. Does Quick Kick actually kick quickly? Shouldn't he be called Quick Throw since he throws Ninja stars? Am I over thinking thing? :S
Fabian Nicieza once complained that people were too harsh on this series because it was intended for eight year olds. If he intended it for eight year olds, then he shouldn't have included the innuendo.
Did SuperPro actually CAUSE the crash? If the bad guy crashed it himself, then no wonder the cop didn't try to charge him for murder.
They were fighting around the plane and Quick Kick crashed into the wing and then insisted on trying to fly away anyway, so no Superpro didn't cause the crash directly, but he was involved in the incident. And it's not like the police were around to see that.
Sorry to do this, but here goes: It's a wonder Superpro wasn't given a sidekick, maybe even a non-human one. Like a dog named Referee, when he barked he'd go "Ref! Ref!" Or like the Falcon, he could've had a bird, and referred to it at his Personal Fowl.
"Personal Fowl". lol. Thanks, Brian Coffey--that made my day!
