Outcasts Save the Day

Daily Ramble 82: Outcasts Save the Day

Interestingly enough playing through the beginnings of Horizon Zero Dawn and reading the first issue of Amazing Spider-Man have a bunch in common. Both portray situations where someone with ‘extra’ abilities do their best to help people in trouble. In Horizon, Aloy, with her earpiece, dodges machines and saves a boy who’s fallen into a dangerous area. In Spider-Man, Peter Parker risks everything to save J. Jonah Jameson’s test pilot son. And with both, the heroic efforts are met with disdain and hatred. For Aloy, we’re gonna have to learn why the Nora tribe considers her an outcast and for Spider-Man we’re gonna have to find out why Jameson hates him so much. Two very different heroes with very similar situations.

Save the Boy

Today was another learning day. As Rost and I walked about he taught me about crafting and making arrows. He also showed me how to target the weak spots on the machines so they were deactivated more easily.

I of course had a more difficult time than he did, but I downed a few. I think after that first one last time, things got a bit easier.

I also tested out my earpiece a bit more and learned that I could see the pathways of the machines so it’d be easier to avoid detection – this was gonna come in handy.

Then we heard a yell… Apparently one of the Nora tribe had fallen – a boy – and the beasts were closing in for to kill him. Rost thought the boy was a goner, but I just knew I could help him out. Rost held me back, but I had to do something! So I slipped off my bow and ran outta Rost’s grip. I was gonna save that boy.

Using the earpiece, I was able to carefully pick my way between the paths of the Watchers. I skittered between clumps of tall grass…here…there…duck…and I made it to the boy.

With him following closely behind, we dodged the machine pathways and were able to make it to safety. I had done it! I saved the boy! He was grateful…

But the tribesmen who showed up only treated me and Rost with scorn and berated the boy, Teb, for even talking to us. I guess not only are we outcasts, but they call Aloy motherless which seems like a pretty bad insult.

First Look: Amazing Spider-Man #1 – Story A

Apparently after he appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15, tons of fans wrote in to Stan and company that they wanted to see more Spider-Man so Marvel decided to give him his own book. This is the first (or technically 2nd) in what will become thousands of comics related to Spider-Man covering several decades, movies, TV shows, and animation.

As with many of the issues of the time, Spider-Man #1 is split into multiple stories so I just took a look at the first one. The idea of the tale is twofold – with Uncle Ben gone, Peter needs to find a way to help support the family and while he tries to do that, he runs into a determined newspaper publisher who wants to discredit him. I’m sure we’ll get more insight into why J. Jonah Jameson hates Spider-Man so much in future installments but he really goes out of his way, even in this first issue, to make our hero’s life miserable. But even if Jameson prevents Spider-Man from earning a living, Peter still does the right thing and saves Jonah’s son. He really is a true hero and even if the FBI considers him a criminal, and Jameson has convinced Aunt May of how evil Spider-Man is, I’m pretty sure he’ll be back in the next story saving the day.

I enjoyed this issue and am looking forward reading to the series.