Wonder Man Annual #1
The System Bytes Part 3: To the Max
Following his return from Operation: Galactic Storm, Wonder Man has taken a job as the a spokesperson for a beer company. Accompanying him on this shoot is Ginger Beach — who is one of the bikini models in the commercial — and her annoying brother Spider, who is trying to become Wonder Man’s boy sidekick.[1] Instead, all Spider ends up doing is prolonging the shoot by being a creepy little pervert and sexually harassing the other models. Simon wants them to ship Spider home, but the director says that sending anyone home before they are finish filming will cause insurance problems. Seeing he has no choice, Simon relents but tells the production crew to keep Spider away until they’re finished filming.
Meanwhile, the Ultramax computer virus has survived past attempts to purge it from existence. It is now spreading across the Internet at an alarming rate. However, despite there being limits to its expansion it continues to grow. That it until a portion of itself infects a unique computer system that has a unique form of network security. Once the Ultramax virus infects this system, its connection to the internet is shut off. This leaves a portion of the virus isolated and desperately seeking to find a means to reconnect with the rest of itself.
Back on the island, Wonder Man is spending the down time between shots complaining about agreeing to be in this beer commerical. Not only has Spider ruined things, but Simon also gave up a date with Alex Flores to be here. Ginger doesn’t see why Simon is wasting his time on someone like Flores when he could be with someone attractive like her.[3]
This entire time, one of the crew has been trying to get in touch with the mainland to summon a boat to get rid of Spider. However they cannot get through due to some kind of interference. Suddenly, they get a response from the portion of Ultramax that has been separated from the rest of the computer virus. Although its attempts to explain itself are not understood by anyone on the crew, Wonder Man figures that whoever is responding is in need of help, even if they sound like a crack pot. He decides to search the rest of the island to try and find where it is originating from. He Simon tries to make one of his big leaps he ends up tripping over his feet and landing flat on his face. Everyone gets a good laugh but Simon senses that something is messing with his powers. Trying to jump again, he puts too much strength into his leap and ends up jumping over the island and landing in the middle of the ocean leaving him to wonder what is happening to him.[4]
As Wonder Man makes his way back to the island, Ultramax discovers that the system it is trapped on is also connected to automated defenses and decides to use them to try and reinterface with the world wide network. This is just as Wonder Man begins searching the island on foot. Joining him are Ginger and her brother Spider, much to his annoyance. Detecting their presence above, Ultramax uses coils to push up through the sand and snare Ginger and pull her into the facility below. Wonder Man leaps in after her with Spider following no far behind. Simon then finds himself fighting against automated defenses that are trying to stop him from prevent Ultramax from “interfacing” with Ginger vis-a-vie some invasive surgery. As Wonder Man fights his way through these defenses he discovers that this is an old abandoned Hydra base. As he and Spider push foward they also find that the facility also has an abandoned rocket that has a spy satellite as its payload.
Eventually making their way into the room where Ginger is being held. Wonder Man hears how Ultramax is trying to reconnect with the Internet so it can continue to spread and grow. In order to try and prevent the virus from doing so, Simon convinces it to transfer itself into the rocket and launch it into space. When Ultramax does as instructed, Wonder Man suddenly remembers about the spy satellite and realizes that he has made the situation instantly worse. Racing to the launching pad, Simon jumps onto the rocket as it takes off. As it begins reaching escape velocity, Williams crawls up to a control panel and wires the rocket to explode in an effort to destroy Ultramax once and for all. When he succeeds, Wonder Man is sent crashing back down to Earth no worse for wear except for his outfit was burned off upon re-entry and needs a towl to cover up.
Although he believes Ultramax was destroyed, the payload survived the blast and has been knocked into deep space. The virus lives on vowing to one day reach a network where it can finally interface and grow again.
… This story is continue in Guardians of the Galaxy Annual #2.[5]
Recurring Characters
Wonder Man, Ginger Beach, Spider Beach
Continuity Notes
Simon’s agent Neal Saroyan hired Spider to be Wonder Man’s kid sidekick in Wonder Man (vol. 2) #3, much to Simon’s chagrin.
The Ultramax virus was was apparently created at the behest of the United States government. Getting out into the wild the virus posed a risk to all computers in the world and had already been stopped by the Punisher, Daredevil, and Deathlok as seen in Punisher Annual #5 and Daredevil Annual #8.
Wonder Man was set up with Ginger by his agent in Wonder Man (vol. 2) #1, however he’s never really been interested in her because Ginger is vapid and driven by fame. He met Alex in the following issue and asked her out in Wonder Man (vol. 2) #6, but has had to put plans on hold when he went off to partake in Operation: Galactic Storm starting in issue #7.
Simon’s fluctuating powers were caused by being caught in a nega-bomb explosion in Wonder Man (vol. 2) #9. He’ll figure out by issue #12 that his powers are now affected by his emotional state and will force him to be perpetually in a state of rage to sustain his powers. This will remain the status quo until Wonder Man (vol. 2) #25.
There is some argument about whether or not the Ultramax seen Guardians of the Galaxy Annual #2 is the same one seen here or a version from an alternate reality. This stems from the fact that Earth-616 and 691 (the Guardian’s native reality) had diverged following the events of Marvel Two-In-One #69. There is more to it than that, see below for more.
Topical References
Spider is depicted wearing a Ren & Stimpy Show t-shirt in this story. At the time this comic was published the cartoon was at the height of its popularity. Ren & Stimpy originally ran from 1991 through 1996. It had a brief and failed revival in 2006. As I write this a second revival is currently in the works. That said, the reference here should be considered topical.
Apparently Ginger once dated a guy who once promised to get her a role on Star Trek. What iteration of the long running science fiction series is not specified here. However, given the date this comic was published Spider is likely referring to Star Trek: The Next Generation which ran from 1987 to 1994. Its reference here should be considered topical.
My Ten Worst Villains
Wonder Man has just been announced the winner of best actor at the Oscars. Rather than give the usual acceptance speech, Simon Williams decides to instead tell the audience about his top ten villains.
He starts this list with the man responsible for his transformation from Simon Williams — disgraced business owner — to Wonder Man, Baron Zemo.[1] He follows that by naming the Enchantress as the next one on the list.[2] This is followed by Goliath,[3] Simon’s brother the Grim Reaper.[4] He also lists Ultron as one of his foes since the robot used Simon’s brain engrams to create the Vision, causing him great emotional turmoil as the android was once romantically involved with the Scarlet Witch, whom he also loved.[5] He also named the Black Talon, as it was his voodoo that enslaved Williams before he was fully revived.[6] The next on his list is the person(s) who designed his various costumes over the years.[7] The 8th and 9th place on his list are given to Splice, and Count Nefaria respectively.[8] When it comes to the 10th person on his list, he teases the audience for a bit on possible candidates before naming himself as his own worst enemy.[9] He explains to everyone that all of his personal problems all stem from one person: himself.
As the crowd cheers, Simon is suddenly woken up by Alex Flores. As it turns out, the whole Oscars ceremony was just a dream and he is needed on set for the next scene. Alex tells Simon that he was muttering in his sleep and she knows what he was dreaming about. When he asks her to keep what she heard a secret she promises to protect it like it is his secret identity.
Recurring Characters
Wonder Man, Alex Flores
Continuity Notes
Baron Zemo famously turned Simon Williams into Wonder Man way back in Avengers #9. Multiple mentions are made that shortly after Zemo gave him his powers, Simon appeared to die, we’ll get into that in more detail in a minute….
The Enchantress also paired up with Zemo during Wonder Man’s creation. However, Simon has fought her more recently in Marvel Comics Presents #38-45 and Wonder Man (vol. 2) #2.
Goliath makes Simon’s list after the titan fought him in Wonder Man (vol. 2) #1. Here, Simon mentions he was first Power Man, given powers similar to his own in Avengers #21. After losing a fight to Luke Cage in Power Man #21 he started calling himself the Smuggler in Spectacular Spider-Man #49. More recently he gained his size-changing powers and started calling himself Goliath in Iron Man Annual #7.
Simon mentions how the Grim Reaper got his start trying to avenge him when Simon was believed to be dead. Eric Williams first appeared as the Reaper in Avengers #52. Also mentioned was the time he attempted to revive Simon this was in Avengers #102 and 106-108. Lastly, he mentions Eric’s death and resurrection as a lifeforce stealing zombie. See Vision and the Scarlet Witch (vol. 2) #2 and Avengers West Coast #65.
Ultron used Simon’s brain engrams to create a personality for the Vision, as explained in Avengers #57. Simon glosses over the love triangle between he, the Vision, and the Scarlet Witch. Wanda married the Vision in Giant-Size Avengers #4. Their marriage came to an abrupt end when the Vision was disassembled and put back together again and was stripped of all emotion, as played out in West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #42-45. By this time, Simon realized he loved Wanda. When the Vision abandoned his wife in Avengers #312, Simon and Wanda dated for a bit from Avengers West Coast #62 through 69. She called an end to it when she decided that she only wanted to be friends.
Black Talon used his powers of voodoo to seemingly reanimate Simon in Avengers #151-152. In reality, Simon never really died but was in a death-like state as his body metamorphosized into a being of pure ionic energy, as explained in Avengers #164.
Here we see Wonder Man’s various costumes over the years. There his original green and red hooded costume he first wore in Avengers #9. The revised version designed for him by the Beast in Avengers #161. His “street clothes” look which consisted of a safari jacket and sunglasses that he started wearing in Avengers #164. We also see his awful green and red onsie from West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #12.
Wonder Man fought Splice in Wonder Man (vol. 2) #4 and fought Count Nefaria in Avengers #164-166.
Wonder Man teases other foes including the Griffin whom he fought in Marvel Team-Up #78 and West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #10; whom he never really fought but was part of Zemo’s Masters of Evil in Avengers #9; and the Red Ronin the massive robot he fought in Avengers #197-199.
Topical References
This story features a bunch of celebrity cameos during Wonder Man’s Oscar acceptance speech. These were all talents that were popular at the time and at the height of their careers. All of these references could be considered topical unless you want to believe that Simon was dreaming of actors and personalities that were popular in the 1990s. While oddly specific I don’t think something like that would be impossible in a dream. The people I can identify at least are:
The first person we see is, I’m thinking Leonard Nemoy, best knock for playing Spock on Star Trek. Nemoy died in 2015. Nemoy appearing here doesn’t make any sense because he wasn’t involved in any Oscar events around the time this comic was published.
Barbara Streisand: Her appearing here makes sense. Streisand, mostly known for her singing, was also an actor. She appeared in the 1991 romantic drama The Prince of Tides which was nominated for seven Academy awards at the time.
Clint Eastwood: Best known for his appearances in westerns. At the time this comic was made he starred in the 1992 western Unforgiven. It was nominated for three Academy awards but only won Best Picture.
Whoopi Goldberg: At the time she had won the award for Best Supporting Actress in 1990’s Ghost.
Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert: Two movie critics who were popular at the time, particularly due to their television review show At the Movies. Siskel died in 1999 and Ebert in 2013.
Eddie Murphy: Who was in the decline of his career at the time this comic came out. In 1992 he was in two movies: Boomerang and The Distinguished Gentleman.
Harrison Ford: You know, Han Solo from Star Wars and Indiana Jones. At this point in his career, Ford wasn’t just doing mindless franchise films. He was doing serious shit like 1992’s political thriller Patriot Games.
Kevin Costner: Who had just won Best Picture and Best Director for his work on Dances With Wolves in 1991.
Jack Nicholson: Nicholson was in two films in 1992 A Few Good Men and Hoffa. But I wouldn’t be surprised if the artist stuck him in there because he was the Joke in 1989’s Batman.
Woody Allen: Back before he was a problematic figure in Hollywood. His 1992 film Husbands and Wives was nominated for 2 Academy awards.
Lurking in the background is another movie critic, this time Gene Shalit who is best known for his massive mustache. He retired in 2010.
Selling the War
Neal Saroyan has heard that his client, Wonder Man, has joined the Avengers in fighting an intergalactic war between the Shi’ar and the Kree. Deciding that this would make for a great movie Neal decides to hire the one screen writer that knows his client better than he does, Alex Flores.[1]
Soon Alex is driving to a meeting with Neal with her daughter Jamie and giving the teenager a lecture on what to do that summer. Alex wants her to focus on her acting lessons, which Jamie is not a fan of. In order to get her daughter to play along, Flores offers to take her out shopping for new clothes if she takes the lessons seriously.
When they arrive at Saroyan’s office he welcomes them inside and gets right down to business. He tells Alex about turning Wonder Man’s recent mission in space into a movie he calls Operation: Galactic Storm. He recounts the reports of battles with alien invaders on Earth and the threat posed to the Starcore satellite near the sun as exciting elements to put in a movie. Alex, who has talked to Simon since he returned to Earth, tells Neal that this is probably not a good idea. She explains that Simon was front and center when the Shi’ar detonated a nega-bomb in Kree space and how Simon was unable to stop them and feels as though he has blood on his hands after all the lives lost.
This makes Neal even more excited and he presses on the issue. Alex suggests that maybe they should take an anti-war angle to the tale, but Neal says those kinds of stories aren’t popular right now. Alex is reluctant and agrees to write an outline to pitch to Neal in a week.
When she gets home, Alex gets to work but Jamie — taking Simon’s account of the horrors of war to heart — asks her mother to read a poem about war that she wrote the year before. It hits hard for Alex and she decides that perhaps she shouldn’t go through with this project. She deletes her current treatment and asks Jamie if she can show Simon her poem.
Recurring Characters
Alex Flores, Jamie Flores, Neal Saroyan
Continuity Notes
This story is centered around Wonder Man’s involvement in Operation: Galactic Storm which took place in Captain America #398, Avengers West Coast #80, Quasar #32, Wonder Man (vol. 2) #7, Avengers #345, Iron Man #278, Thor #445, Captain America #399, Avengers West Coast #81, Quasar #33, Wonder Man (vol. 2) #8, Avengers #346, Iron Man #279, Thor #446, Captain America #400, Avengers West Coast #82, Quasar #34, Wonder Man (vol. 2) #9, Avengers #347, Captain America #401, Quasar #35. This story specifically mentions the events of the three Wonder Man issues that were part of this crossover.
Topical References
Alex Flores states here that she doesn’t want her daughter to spend the whole summer playing Nintendo. Given the time that this comic book was published, she is referring to the Nintendo Entertainment System, a popular 8-bit video game console at the time. This should be considered a topical reference since the NES is an obsolete system and Nintendo is a real world product.
Neal Saroyan has figurines of Mickey Mouse, Opus, and Ren & Stimpy. Since Disney now owns Marvel every appearance here is topical except for that of Mickey Mouse. Neal also apologizes for not having any Barbie dolls, another topical reference.
Neal also has a poster for Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey which came out in 1991.
The reason why Neal wants it to be a pro-war movie is because it is the one year anniversary of Desert Storm. This was in reference to the United States involvement in the Gulf War that took place a year before this comic was published.
Alex is depicted as having a computer with a CRT monitor. This should be considered topical as this is another piece of obsolete technology.
Alex also talks about how teenagers argue over who is cuter: Keanu Reeves or Luke Perry. This is an incredibly dated reference since neither man is considered a teen hearthrob anymore. Also, Keanu would win that argument since Perry died in 2019.
Supplement Material
A pin-up of Wonder Man arm wrestling the Juggernaut.
A pin-up of Wonder Man and Ginger Beach
The System Btyes Reading Order
Punisher Annual #5
Daredevil Annual #8
Wonder Man Annual #1 <— You are Here
Guardians of the Galaxy Annual #2
Theory: Ultramax and the Multiverse
The System Bytes storyline concludes in Guardians of the Galaxy Annual #2. While this story plays it as though the future of the Guardians of the Galaxy is related to the Prime Marvel Universe, this is not entirely the case. The Guardians exist in a possible future that has been index as Reality-691 per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Realities 2005 #1. For a time, the Guardians future was expected to be the eventual future of the Marvel Universe. However, the two realities diverged when the Vance Astro of Earth-691 encountered his younger self on present day Earth-616 as seen in Marvel Two-In-One #69.
In their profile on Ultramax, the Unofficial Index to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe posits that for this story to work, the Ultramax has to have not only traversed time but also crossed dimensions to interact with the Guardians of the Galaxy. This is based on the premise that a lot of early Guardian stories discuss historical events that happened in their reality during the 21st Century, listing dates that have already passed us by making their literal interpretations anachronistic. Particularly since the Prime Marvel Universe operates on a Sliding Timescale and has also surpassed a lot of the dates given in the original Guardians backstories.
While I respect everything they do at the Appendix, not all of their explanations and ideas are winners. And applying fixed dates to a “possible future” timeline is just stupid. The way the Appendix chooses to interpret this time line (and others such as the Deathlok timeline) exist in realities where the Modern Age of the Marvel Universe came and went in the 20th Century. That way the dates can be kept literal.
I disagree with this interpretation since there eventually becomes a point where we will surpass these “possible futures” if we accept these dates as being literal. I wrote a whole thing about this regarding the Deathlok timeline here.
The TL;DR of it is this: All of the past dates: the cancer epidemic of 1982 that is referenced in Defenders #26, Vance Astro’s space flight being in 1988 in Marvel Super-Heroes #18, the bionic wars of the 90s and so on. These were all stories told prior to those dates. I’ve always viewed those dates as topical and that all future timelines operate on a Sliding Timescale similar to that of the Prime Marvel Universe and the Pre-Modern Age. As the Modern Age pushes forward, so too do the events of that future in terms of events that are ascribed to a date we can reach or have surpassed already. While the events of the Guardians can remain intact since a lot can happen in 1000 years, events like the “1982” cancer epidemic or Vance Astro’s space flight in “1988” constantly push forward. Rather than “1988” Vance’s space flight is about 20 years in the future from the point of publication/Sliding Timescale. So Marvel Super-Heroes #18 was published in 1968. If it was a Earth-616 story that would make “1988” as being “20 years” after “year two” of the Modern Age (or year 22). Same thing with all the other dates that have already come to pass.
This way you don’t have to keep on doing work arounds to make Prime Marvel Universe crossovers with the Guardians of the Galaxy timeline a huge mental exercise or this stupid “Modern Age but in the 20th Century” nonsense.
That all said, with my interpretation the Modern Age can continue to expand and grow. The Guardians timeline while diverged from Earth-616 can still have an analogous past history that mirrors Earth-616. The events that divert (the cancer, the cyborgs, the Martian invaders, Killraven’s future and so on) get incrementally pushed forward as the Modern Age slides forward as well. With roughly 1000 years between the Modern Age and the Guardians future you can push forward events forward in time quite liberally before it impedes with the events of the end of the 30th century.
With that all said, the Ultramax that appears in the Guardians annual is from Earth-691 but it can still also share the same origin as the Earth-616 version.