Stark Attack - Marvel: Earth-USB Saga (Part 29)

[BlackLancelot12]

Definitely hoping Natasha gets USB'd, and hopefully with a lot of focus on her predicament lmao.

[tirepanted3]

To be honest, I wouldn't mind Suzi reappearing in the story. But whether she follows the 'Tirepanted paradigm' or she returns only to have her outfit stolent once more, even I don't know what I want...

I liked writing Suzi, and I wouldn't mind having her appear again later in the story. As to whether her fortunes improve remains to be seen...

The canon versions of the characters indeed look stern and no-nonsense, at least judging by their designs (that's 80s-90s artstyle to you, I guess...). I don't know if canon Fiona is the jokester she is here, but either way Earth USB embraces the zaniness of the light-hearted Spider-Man issues, so the characters being "wackier" than their canon counterparts is fitting and logical.

The original comics version of HEART didn't give any of them much personality - apart from Tyler, they were mostly interchangeable. And they debuted in the early 90s, at a time when comics as a whole carried a very grim and dark tone. So I'm happy to provide a contrast and give them more fun and defining personalities (such as making Fiona the jokester), especially as it fits better with the vibe of Earth-USB.

But now you're leaving me guessing, and I can't wait to find out the answer. To think I'll have to wait until next year... Can I at least have a clue? (Like, is it a recent mainstream scene or an old classic one?)

It's a fairly recent scene, one of my favorite mainstream USB scenes of the last few years. Also not from a Marvel comic. I think you'll recognize the homage right away.

A bit fitting. So far AIM has never been anything more than cannon fodder for heroines and anti-heroines looking for disguises in Earth USB, so I see no reason for them to be anything else in this arc. It's the full-concealing hazmat suits. They scream two things: "TACKY!" and "Oh-please-just-steal-me-I'll-make-your-infiltration-so-much-easier!". And Black Spectre radiates that "henchwomen for hire" vibe, so their odds don't look good either compared to HYDRA or HEART...

The main challenge will be finding AIM disguises other than the hazmat suits, to add some variety...

Hopefully for who though? Hopefully, Janet van Dyne didn't spill the beans, and Silver Sable is still in the dark about the woman who mugged her and stole her clothes - underwear included.

I can confirm that, at this moment, Janet has not interacted with Silver Sable. Sable still believes that she was mugged and replaced by Taylor's team. Felicia is in the clear... for now.

Definitely hoping Natasha gets USB'd, and hopefully with a lot of focus on her predicament lmao.

Natasha has reached a point in her career where she doesn't have to worry much about USBs, since she's become so adept at infiltrations and taking down muggers herself. But she's still only human, in a world where many women have a variety of superpowers. So she'll need to stay on high alert...

[rufusluciusivan]

I'm looking forward to see more of HEART, and more of Suzi should she be (un?)lucky enough to be featured once more. As for AIM... Well, I'm sure they have a few normal-looking scientists from time to time. Or they could take a page from Black Hole's book in The Flash #20 "Iris West:Agent of the Black Hole? (2017). Sure, that blonde scientist got mugged all the same, but as least she didn't look like a buffoon clad in a lab coat + powered armor combo. Even her undergarments covered almost all her body, which I think many women in her situation wished...

It's a fairly recent scene, one of my favorite mainstream USB scenes of the last few years. Also not from a Marvel comic. I think you'll recognize the homage right away.

I'll try my hand at the guessing game once again, and I wager this is the one from Leg Weaver #117. Its set-up of a duo infiltrating some kind of underwater lair feels tailor-made for this arc. Of course in the Leg Weaver issue, the partner is a man, but that can be easily fixed...

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(For the record, my runner-up in the guessing game is the one from Castle: Richard Castle's Deadly Storm.

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I recall you really enjoyed that one, but I ruled it out because the set-up suits less the events which I anticipate will take place in the next chapter.)

But no spoilers.

[tirepanted3]

I'm looking forward to see more of HEART, and more of Suzi should she be (un?)lucky enough to be featured once more. As for AIM... Well, I'm sure they have a few normal-looking scientists from time to time. Or they could take a page from Black Hole's book in The Flash #20 "Iris West:Agent of the Black Hole? (2017). Sure, that blonde scientist got mugged all the same, but as least she didn't look like a buffoon clad in a lab coat + powered armor combo. Even her undergarments covered almost all her body, which I think many women in her situation wished...

Oh yes, AIM has a lot of workers who don't strut around in those goofy hazmat suits. There are also some characters who are tangentially AIM-related who I can probably feature as AIM workers if their uniforms are good enough for disguise purposes. Marvel has no shortage of great outfit designs.

The Black Hole scientist mugged by Iris West at least had the sense to wear long clothes beneath her armor, which was not necessary for Iris to steal. Had she been on Earth-USB, it might have been a different story.


No spoilers about the mainstream scene I'm referencing, of course. But as I recall, it's a scene you really liked, so I'm hoping to do it justice.