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https://nerdist.com/article/leap-frog-she-hulk-marvel-comics-history-who-is-leap-frog/
Daredevil is famous for his deadly and serious villains. Kingpin, the Hand, Bullseye, Typhoid Mary, Elektra. The list goes on. But those characters came after his gritty reboot in the ‘80s from Frank Miller, which set the course for the character from that point forward. Before that, in the Silver and Bronze Age of comics, the Man Without Fear had some very silly villains. We met one of them, Man-Bull, in She-Hulk’s seventh episode. And now, they have introduced us to another: the amphibian costumed Leap-Frog. But is the ridiculous character a TV invention, or is he from the comics? Well, not only did Leap-Frog originate in the pages of Marvel Comics, but Stan Lee co-created him. Let’s look back at Leap-Frog’s comic book history.
Leap-Frog’s Comic Book Origins
Stan Lee and artist Gene Colan created Leap-Frog, and he first appeared in Daredevil #25-26 back in 1967. Vincent Patilio was a scientist and novelty toy inventor who found little fame and success in his chosen field. So, he turned to a life of crime to make himself rich. Clad in a head-to-toe frog costume, Patilio’s suit contained electrical coils on the soles of each of his two flippers, allowing him to leap great distances up to 60 feet high or 100 feet long. A backpack contained Patilio’s power source, which he activated with buttons in his gloves. Taking the name Leap-Frog, he fought Matt Murdock in one of his earliest adventures.
Leap-Frog did not exactly become one of Daredevil’s star rogues after that. The hero of Hell’s Kitchen thoroughly kicked his butt on a few occasions. Ultimately, it was Iron Man who put Leap-Frog away for several years, after the foe had joined with a group of other villains. And for the most part, Marvel writers forgot about this silly character. When he finally got out of prison, he went back home to his wife and son.
From Leap-Frog the Villain, to Frog-Man the Hero
It was at this point that his son Eugene Patilio took up the Leap-Frog costume. Not to become a villain, but to become a superhero instead. He thought using his dad’s inventions to fight crime might change his family’s fortunes. The younger Patilio changed his name from Leap-Frog to the somehow less imaginative Frog-Man.
In an effort to ease his financial problems, the elder Patilio pretended to be a villain again, and went undercover in the criminal gang of the villain White Rabbit. But his son, as Frog-Man, was trying to take down the White Rabbit gang, not realizing that dear old dad was undercover in the organization. This led to much confusion, but ultimately they worked it all out. Patilio didn’t want his son adventuring as Frog- Man anymore, but he didn’t listen to him. He tried out to be a member of the Defenders, back when several original X-Men were part of the team. He had a few adventures with Spider-Man as well.
But Frog-Man simply never made it into the big leagues, despite several attempts. Still, he was seen as important enough by the Skrull Empire to replace him with a doppelganger during the events of the Secret Invasion, although that led to a long readjustment period once they returned him to Earth. Perhaps one of Eugene’s most embarrassing moments came when Kraven the Hunter captured him and placed him in a zoo for supervillains with animal motifs. And yet, Frog-Man soldiered on, hoping to one day be recognized as a legit superhero—or at least make up for the criminal past of his father.
The MCU’s Leap-Frog
For his MCU debut on She-Hulk, Leap-Frog was fairly comics-accurate. When his suit malfunctioned (due to his own stupidity), he went to Jennifer Walters for legal representation. Just like in the comics, he goes by Eugene Patilio. And also just like in the comics, he’s not very good at being a hero. The show mentioned his rich and powerful father, who we didn’t see on camera during the episode.
Eugene having a rich dad was a deviation from the comics, as the senior Patilio was anything but wealthy. But it sounds like he had some kind of notable career before his son did, which tracks with the comics. By making Leap-Frog a villain at the end, they definitely combined him with his father. Will we ever see Leap-Frog again in the MCU? He definitely holds a grudge against She-Hulk now, and Daredevil as well. Maybe he will try to reinvent himself as Jen’s arch-nemesis. Good luck with that, Eugene.
The post The Comics History of SHE-HULK’s Leap-Frog Explained appeared first on Nerdist.
Daredevil is famous for his deadly and serious villains. Kingpin, the Hand, Bullseye, Typhoid Mary, Elektra. The list goes on. But those characters came after his gritty reboot in the ‘80s from Frank Miller, which set the course for the character from that point forward. Before that, in the Silver and Bronze Age of comics, the Man Without Fear had some very silly villains. We met one of them, Man-Bull, in She-Hulk’s seventh episode. And now, they have introduced us to another: the amphibian costumed Leap-Frog. But is the ridiculous character a TV invention, or is he from the comics? Well, not only did Leap-Frog originate in the pages of Marvel Comics, but Stan Lee co-created him. Let’s look back at Leap-Frog’s comic book history.
Leap-Frog’s Comic Book Origins
Stan Lee and artist Gene Colan created Leap-Frog, and he first appeared in Daredevil #25-26 back in 1967. Vincent Patilio was a scientist and novelty toy inventor who found little fame and success in his chosen field. So, he turned to a life of crime to make himself rich. Clad in a head-to-toe frog costume, Patilio’s suit contained electrical coils on the soles of each of his two flippers, allowing him to leap great distances up to 60 feet high or 100 feet long. A backpack contained Patilio’s power source, which he activated with buttons in his gloves. Taking the name Leap-Frog, he fought Matt Murdock in one of his earliest adventures.
Leap-Frog did not exactly become one of Daredevil’s star rogues after that. The hero of Hell’s Kitchen thoroughly kicked his butt on a few occasions. Ultimately, it was Iron Man who put Leap-Frog away for several years, after the foe had joined with a group of other villains. And for the most part, Marvel writers forgot about this silly character. When he finally got out of prison, he went back home to his wife and son.
From Leap-Frog the Villain, to Frog-Man the Hero
It was at this point that his son Eugene Patilio took up the Leap-Frog costume. Not to become a villain, but to become a superhero instead. He thought using his dad’s inventions to fight crime might change his family’s fortunes. The younger Patilio changed his name from Leap-Frog to the somehow less imaginative Frog-Man.
In an effort to ease his financial problems, the elder Patilio pretended to be a villain again, and went undercover in the criminal gang of the villain White Rabbit. But his son, as Frog-Man, was trying to take down the White Rabbit gang, not realizing that dear old dad was undercover in the organization. This led to much confusion, but ultimately they worked it all out. Patilio didn’t want his son adventuring as Frog- Man anymore, but he didn’t listen to him. He tried out to be a member of the Defenders, back when several original X-Men were part of the team. He had a few adventures with Spider-Man as well.
But Frog-Man simply never made it into the big leagues, despite several attempts. Still, he was seen as important enough by the Skrull Empire to replace him with a doppelganger during the events of the Secret Invasion, although that led to a long readjustment period once they returned him to Earth. Perhaps one of Eugene’s most embarrassing moments came when Kraven the Hunter captured him and placed him in a zoo for supervillains with animal motifs. And yet, Frog-Man soldiered on, hoping to one day be recognized as a legit superhero—or at least make up for the criminal past of his father.
The MCU’s Leap-Frog
For his MCU debut on She-Hulk, Leap-Frog was fairly comics-accurate. When his suit malfunctioned (due to his own stupidity), he went to Jennifer Walters for legal representation. Just like in the comics, he goes by Eugene Patilio. And also just like in the comics, he’s not very good at being a hero. The show mentioned his rich and powerful father, who we didn’t see on camera during the episode.
Eugene having a rich dad was a deviation from the comics, as the senior Patilio was anything but wealthy. But it sounds like he had some kind of notable career before his son did, which tracks with the comics. By making Leap-Frog a villain at the end, they definitely combined him with his father. Will we ever see Leap-Frog again in the MCU? He definitely holds a grudge against She-Hulk now, and Daredevil as well. Maybe he will try to reinvent himself as Jen’s arch-nemesis. Good luck with that, Eugene.
The post The Comics History of SHE-HULK’s Leap-Frog Explained appeared first on Nerdist.
Over the last five episodes, She-Hulk has taken delight in introducing some of the Marvel Universe’s most deep-cut characters. This week is no different. In episode six, we join Jen as she attends a close friend’s wedding. It’s all fun and games until the final moments of the episode. It’s here we get a hint that a darker plan is in place, and Jen’s new wedding bud may be a part of it. While Jen is having fun at the wedding, Nikki and Mallory discover a nightmarish online cesspool called the Intelligencia, which likely rang a bell for Marvel Comics fans. Who are these new villains to the MCU fold? Let’s break down the end of episode six, Marvel’s Intelligencia villains, and what they want with She-Hulk.
Who Is the Intelligencia in Marvel Comics?
First introduced in 2009’s Fall of the Hulks: Alpha #1, Marvel’s Intelligencia began as an organization for supervillains to share their nefarious information. We see that core of the Intelligencia reimagined in a very contemporary way in this episode of She-Hulk. Jeff Parker and Paul Pelletier created the to, essentially, give the Hulk his own supervillain antagonist team. And what a team it was. There have been many notable members of Marvel’s comic book Intelligencia. Doctor Doom, M.O.D.O.K.—who we know will appear in Quantumania—Chameleon, and even deeper cut villains like Awesome Android, Egghead, Wizard, Trapster, and the Red Ghost all appeared as part of the villainous group. Soon the Intelligencia evolved from an information-sharing network to actual evil plotting and scheming.
The Intelligencia’s most dastardly plan—one that feels very relevant to their appearance in She-Hulk—was revealed in 2010’s Hulk #23. There readers learned the Intelligencia were behind the creation of Red Hulk. So it’s very likely that whatever we’re seeing here could lead to that eventuality. Interestingly, in She-Hulk‘s eighth episode, Jennifer Walters mentions a Red Hulk in an aside to the audience. She discusses the possibility of a finale twist and offers that it could be, “There’s another Hulk, but this one is red.” We will have to wait and see if that’s some She-Hulk foreshadowing to do with the Intelligencia.
How Did She-Hulk Change the Intelligencia?
The MCU version of the Intelligencia in She-Hulk is a clickbait-style website with a dark secret. As members know, it’s actually a hateful anti-She-Hulk site. Multiple death threats, posts about the best ways to kill the hero, and other horrific posts fill its pages. While Mallory believes it’s just trolls, Nikki is far more worried. And it turns out she should be.
Is She-Hulk‘s Josh Part of the Intelligencia?
Nikki calls Jen to reveal all to her bestie. But she gets Jen’s voicemail as her friend is busy drunk eating fries with her handsome fellow wedding guest, Josh. And the biggest question after Jen’s wedding escapades is whether Josh is a part of the MCU’s Intelligencia on She-Hulk. Josh seems to know exactly what Jen wants to hear after her legal tussle with Titania last week. He’s kind, thoughtful, and most importantly, he’s a Jen fan, not a She-Hulk one. Though it does feel pretty coincidental that Josh just happens to be there with Jen in the exact right position for the pair to be watched.
Well, too coincidental turns out to be exactly right, in episode seven, we learn that Josh is, in fact, a member of the MCU’s Intelligencia on She-Hulk, and he’s up to no good. Unfortunately for Jen and She-Hulk, after slithering his way into Jen’s good graces, Josh copies her entire phone, and worse, he seems to be out for her blood. We see him directly texting the evil Intelligencia’s leader at the end of the episode. Josh seems to imply he managed to get a sample of She-Hulk’s blood for the organization. And that spells trouble.
The Evil Leader of the MCU’s Intelligencia
The final moments of She-Hulk episode six introduce us to a high-tech lab where it seems a team of scientists are very interested in Jen’s blood. Not only are they cyber-stalking her via security camera, but they are also monitoring her vitals.
We immediately discover this is connected to the She-Hulk Intelligencia site we saw as that site had a logo that featured a Hulk face—redrawn to look like Pepe the Frog—with a crown. And as we join the lab, we see that same avatar pop up under the name HulkKing. And he wants a status update from the lab. Other clues we get about the people behind the lab are the bent needle from episode three, hinting that the Wrecking Crew were employees of HulkKing and his crew. Plus, the Intelligencia have learned their lesson as they are preparing a new super needle to steal Jen’s blood. The identity of their villainous leader is currently unclear, though there are some likely options.
We’ve long wondered if Tim Blake Nelson’s Leader could be behind the mission to gain She-Hulk’s blood. That still seems likely, as he may want it to cure his own Hulk-tendencies. Plus, he was an Intelligencia member in Marvel’s comics. It could also be the original Thunderball, Dr. Elliot Franklin, perhaps sick of being a henchman. The nature of the MCU Intelligencia’s misogynistic website also opens new options for who is behind She-Hulk‘s Intelligencia. Perhaps this is nothing more than a hateful Hulk fan who wants to cure Jen, so his hero is the only Hulk? Could it be one of the men that Jen went on a date with? Or even Titania, the ultimate She-Hulk hater? As always, there is another option that would lean into some classic Marvel Comics and Hulk history.
What Is the Intelligencia’s Plan for She-Hulk and Her Blood?
If we’re thinking bigger than a hateful fan, then there are two big options. One we already touched on is that it would connect to the Leader and his need for Jen’s blood. If he wants it for selfish reasons, that could explain it, but as he’s about to feature in Captain America: New World Order. There’s another potential too. As Jen got her powers from Bruce, it means her blood includes an adapted version of the Super Soldier Serum. It seems likely that the notion of Super Soldiers will play into Captain America: New World Order, so we could be seeing that seeded.
But our bet is much closer to the Intelligencia comics canon. We think that the most likely reason they want her blood is to create another She-Hulk or Hulk… with a crimson hue. If the Intelligencia is indeed trying to create Red She-Hulk that could be a great way to reintroduce Liv Tyler as Betty Ross into the MCU. It could also be something that’s just seeded in this season and continued in future MCU projects. As we mentioned above, She-Hulk does refer to a red Hulk in episode seven. And the Intelligencia is back at the end of the episode, causing Jen to Hulk out by releasing the contents of her phone.
Whatver they’re up to, the Intelligencia are up to no good, and they are clearly the big bads behind the attempts on She-Hulk’s life and blood.
Originally published on September 22, 2022.
The post Who Is SHE-HULK’s Intelligencia and What Is Their Plan? appeared first on Nerdist.
A few years ago, I stumbled upon the English translated version of Wakakozake via Comixology, and loved it. I just consumed the volume of manga and thought it was perfect for foodies and slice-of-life lovers. When the pandemic came, I found myself at home with more time on my hands and reread many old favorites and comfort reads across genres including manga. When rereading the manga, I did remember that there was a anime adaptation for the series that perfectly fit in the bite sized anime category for my palate that was too good not to share!
What is it About:
The tagline from the manga tells us: “A 26-year-old Who Enjoys Herself at Bars Alone, Eating And Drinking.” The anime follows the outings of Murasaki Wakako, a 26-year-old Office worker who loves finding new places to eat at after a long day at work. Delicious food and drink is KING in her book and finding that perfect pairing of the food she wants to eat and the perfect accompanying drink makes the search all worth it. When that magical moment happens, when she’s achieved this feat, a very happy sound of “PSHUUU” leaves her lips.
That’s it. That’s the anime. Just an anime of Wakako venturing out and being the foodie I wish I could be and reminding me in my heart of what eating inside restaurants was like before the chicken and cheese panni hit the world. It reminded me of the solo dolo adventures I loved taking by myself as a college student. I’d just explore different local places after hitting up a museum or watching a movie at a theater and going to place I had never been to before and grabbing a bite to eat nearby!
Order Up!
Folks that Wakakozake could appeal to include:
- Folks who are looking for bite-sized anime
- Folks who are looking for wholesome anime that’s a bit silly
- Folks who want anime series centering female characters
- Folks who are looking for anime on the light side, less drama and/or violence
- Folks who want to watch anime series focusing on food, especially Japanese cuisine
What makes this Series Standout:
I love it when an anime series has rewatchability. At just twelve episodes and a runtime of three minutes or so long, I don’t think the episodes or the series are too short. Wakakozake is short and sweet and gives viewers enough of an appetizer to enjoy Wakako’s entertaining adventures finding a fantastic place to have lunch or dinner each time around. Sometimes her outings, especially the ones after work, serve to be a time to decompress when she’s had a less than stellar day. Other times her outings serve to be a fun pit stop before going home when she’s already having a night out on the town.
Some standout episodes include: the very first episode as it really demonstrates how particular Wakako is with her food. It also sets the standard with the audience with how precious this time, eating and drinking, alone is to her. Episode seven features potato salad: a side that I love, but I won’t eat everyone’s, especially if I’m offered some with raisins in it or worse. This is a really fun episode, because I loved seeing Wakako describe everything from the texture to the funfact about potatoes at the end. Episode eleven unlocks a hilarious memory from her college years that really puts in perspective her love for a certain dish she’s happy to eat by herself now. The final episode features an appetizer that will remind the audience that sometimes food can act as a slow acting medicine and take our minds off the difficult issues in our mind, if only for a short while.
I’ve thought long and hard about what makes Wakakozake a standout as an anime series, and the answer I’ve come to is simply: the magic of discovery. Watching Wakako try all these different combinations of great food and drink is not only educational but amusing and wholesome to watch. Folks watching may see some food items that may be familiar to them in different forms and created with a twist also makes it worth watching. For example, the fried chicken she enjoyed in one episode was marinated with sake which is different from how I was taught in my parents’ kitchen.
Wakako’s appreciation of food paired with her enthusiasm to find new places to eat reveals that she appreciates how her meals are prepared and what ingredients are used. Oftentimes, she inspires others coming out to eat to pick what she’s having based on her expressions at the end of a meal. Re-watching Wakakozake has made me hungry for not just more bite sized anime but to also get back to throwing down in the kitchen and get back to checking out local restaurants that I haven’t been to before. Wakakozake remains a comfort anime of mine and one I still very much consider a hidden gem that I will always recommend.
You can find Wakakozake streaming on Crunchyroll.
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The post Hidden Gem Anime Series To Enjoy: ‘Wakakozake’ appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
The pressure of growing up in a Caribbean household meant I always had a plan. A 10-year plan, a five-year plan, a breakfast, lunch and dinner plan. I always had dreams that my parents didn’t believe in; therefore, my adolescent years meant planning out my dreams into reasonable journeys.
But my junior year in college was the first time in my life I didn’t have one. I wanted to be a veterinarian growing up; however, freshman year in college made me realize how bad I was at chemistry and math, so that didn’t seem viable. I’ve always been a great performer and writer. Most of my college years was spent performing for large audiences. I wrote poems and was solicited to perform them around the country. I loved poems, but I wasn’t sure if being a touring poet would’ve been satisfying to me.
There was always proof that performing and writing would be part of my life. My parents did not create an environment that made me believe my talent was sustainable. I wanted to utilize the talents I had in spaces that would lift me up.
A Channel Change and a Bowl of Cereal
Spring break, April 2016, I grabbed a bowl of cereal and turned on the television. I was feeling lost, emotionally exhausted, digging into my soggy ass cereal. Something compelled me to turn on my television. The Daily Show with Trevor Noah was on. I’ve heard news reports about him. A South African stand-up comedian “mostly” unknown to America taking over for one of the most influential late-night TV personalities, Jon Stewart. I’ve heard how people thought Trevor wasn’t funny, that he wasn’t ready for the seat, or that it should have gone to any other Daily Show correspondent. And yet, when I saw him, my future made sense. This man that wasn’t even supposed to be alive, flourished in a seat that people thought shouldn’t belong to him.
At that moment, all the feelings of sureness, fear, and confusion exited my body. I saw Trevor Noah and suddenly I made the most impulsive decision of my life: I decided I wanted to write for late night television. And I cannot express it enough, this was the quickest decision I’ve ever made in my life. Every plan I craft usually takes me weeks or months, but here I made this decision in less than 10 minutes. I pulled up my phone, requested tickets, called my partner, begged him to come with me, and was on that line to see a taping that same day.
I stood in line, pen and notebook in hand, nervous about stepping into the studio. This would be my first-time stepping foot in a television studio. Consenting to go inside symbolized my intent to follow through with these goals. Even though I knew at any moment I could decide “this was too impulsive let me step back,” something seemingly minuscule as just being part of an audience meant that I was investing in this.
I prepped a question for the Q&A: “how do you and your writers work together to create the web of your show each day, and how does that transform over time?” When he stepped out and so happen to call on me, it was over. Apologies to my partner who was next to me as I was cheesing ear to ear, when Trevor smiled at me, and said, “wow I wasn’t expecting that, that’s a great question.”
Late Night’s Embrace
He spoke about how the show web transforms day to day, and the collaborative process derives from the various people watching everything unfold. I didn’t know the extent of it then, but putting on a show every day based on the information you learned a couple of hours ago would be a lesson in stamina.
I didn’t have the kind of exposure to media growing up like most people did. Being raised as a Seventh Day Adventist meant that things that didn’t immediately “glorify” or center God was not meant for my consumption. I loved comedy but shows that came on late at night or did gags that were borderline blasphemous, or even worse, cussed would be skinned from the television. Therefore, going to see late night shows and committing to the art form was an act of protest.
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah was one of many gateways out of indoctrination. My friends brought me to see late night shows as a gift. It started with former The Daily Show with Jon Stewart correspondent, Samantha Bee, whose show, I frequented almost every other Wednesday. My best friend brought me to see The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore weeks before it was unfairly canceled. Another friend, Isaiah, stood with me in the freezing cold so we could dance along to Jon Batiste and Stay Human at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. My world changed, because I saw a future in someone being there at the right place, right time.
An Art Form is Dying?
People have asked me, “Is late night dying?” Does anyone watch late night anymore?” We see our world shaping still because of the voices in late night. Who are we for us to make a grandiose statement that a whole art form is dying? I bowed my head when Desus & Mero departed, my heart broke when Full Frontal with Samantha Bee got canceled, and now Trevor Noah sings of his leave, but we act like there’s not a new generation of late night still budding. We have a legendary writer who got her well-deserved seat three seasons ago, Amber Ruffin. We have the cunning comedy in the awkward silence of Ziwe.
Late night is going through a transitional period because what the standard was a decade ago is exhausting. We never stop growing, we never stop shedding ourselves of things that no longer serve us. With that in mind, how do we expect an art form to stick to the same format and not transform with us?
No Longer Serves Them
Late night is a reflection of the day after we experience it. If we, as an audience are seeing the world differently, then why would we not expect an art to go through the same form of growth? Late night has the tools to be the perfect merge between poetry and comedy like how I saw it when I sat at The Daily Show. As networks look for the replacements of our departing hosts, they should analyze the reasons that they left.
Why does this seat no longer serve them? How can one uplift and change the late-night format without completely disassociating from the nostalgic format that brought previous audiences? Also, what are we learning from social media that can be added to the television hemisphere? Some shows prove that it doesn’t need an interview segment in each show to still be invigorating to audiences, or maybe some shows can be all interview segments and make that the focal source of comedy.
So no, late night is not dying because a few hosts decided this path no longer serve them. Late night is being destroyed because it refuses to cultivate space for diverse voices to shine. Systems want to adhere to what their white counterparts’ thought was important. Networks need to grow when thinking about late night formats, much like how their audience is growing.
They Said I Wouldn’t Make it
When I think about Trevor Noah taking The Daily Show mantle when people doubted him, I reflect on how I’m perceived in late-night. As a Black woman in media, I often find myself shrinking and making my dreams smaller to seem more “possible.” People told me, “not everyone can be a writer.” One part of me revels in the fact that when it does happen, I can do the stereotypical rapper shit. I could say “people said I couldn’t do it.”
I said I wanted to be a late-night writer for my parents. Said I wanted to be a writer so that my peers think I have reasonable goals. The truth is, when I saw The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, I believed I could be a host. The same late night that is “dying,” many people that look like me are aspiring to take it over. It’s understandable to grieve, but it’s a mistake to disregard the people who still contribute to the art.
Cover image via Los Angeles Times
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The post Late Night is Shedding, Not Dying appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.