Illicit Magazine

ILLICIT FALL 2014 Why So Serious? LET’S PUT A SMILE ON THAT FACE THe Mastermind Edition FIND OUT JUST WHAT MAKES THESE CRIMINALS TICK 1



VilliansDisney COLLECTION by SEPHORA MALEFICENT

What’s inside... FEATURE STORIES

The Dawn of a New AgeMagneto’s Plan for World DominationThe Ravager of Worlds The simple reason as to why Galactus wants to destroy the universeTMhaestPesrymcoinldogy of aAn analysis of the Joker by Dr. Harleen F. Quinzel The Many Faces of Death Mystique’s fight for freedomAll Hail the Queen How Emma Frost became the White QueenFCaetwmommanedisFcuasstesathle tehin line between good and evil

Faetmalme e “Whether they want to kiss you or kill you, it’s nice to have people thinking about how to get their hands on you day and night.”6 ILLICIT FALL 2014 ILLICITMAG.COM

CTHE THIN LINE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVILCatwoman is one of the few characters in but the emotional effects have continued tosuperhero comics that have experienced a shape Catwoman into the character she istrue progression throughout the years. She’s today; she’s got many complex layers thatevolved from a simple cat burglar villain to other characters simply lack.one of the most complex characters in comics.She’s overcome a life of prostitution to become Selina represents a gray area in Batman’sa figure of inspiration for young girls while otherwise black and white life where theearning her keep in the Bat-family, oftentimes line between good and evil blurs, and hismuch to the chagrin of Batman himself. Not to attraction to her stems from this perceptionmention their on-again off-again relationship that, in her way, she’s kind of a female versionthat, when exploited correctly is the source of of himself: another dark creature that prowlsgreat drama. the night. She has successfully walked the line between hero and villain more fluidly thanShe’s been a CEO, she’s been a mother, she’s most. She plays the game by her own rules,lost and subsequently battled her sister, she’s and the only winner she ever sees is herself.been a murderer, and she’s got a thing for older She’ll drop Batman in a second if he’s in themen. The important thing is that despite all of way of her objectives; at the same time, Selinathese crazy happenings, they’ve successfully acts as the perfect shade of grey to assist inbuilt on top of each other throughout the Batman’s war on crime. She’s willing to bendyears- perhaps not with flawless continuity, morality more than most. 7

QALLUHAEILETNHE Emma Frost displays a very superficial and material-centered personality. Her various goals and pursuits are often tied to the acquisition and maintenance of her looks and wealth. Such pursuits result in a persona that is driven, controlled, and focused. She strives to master them as a means of setting herself apart. This in part drives the arrogant and coarse nature of her personality. It is indicative of a persona that is heavily motivated by hedonistic tendencies. However, this aspect of Emma’s persona is only part of her mentality. Were the circumstances of her life different, that personality would be much more prominent. But a number of those circumstances have resulted in traits that balance this superficial materialism with a strong sense of selfless dedication and a capacity for altruism.8 ILLICIT FALL 2014 ILLICITMAG.COM

“The darkness of how you feel about the word 'mutant' -- is only your ownuncertainty about being one. About whether you can explore that unknown safely. “ 9

FEAR ORDER FAIRNESS THE LEGEND ENDS

CHAOS PAIN RUINGOTHAM WILL FALL

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THE MANYFACES OFDEATHLittle is known about Mystiques past due tothe fact that she can eliminate the outwardsigns of aging with her shape-changingpower, and its not known exactly how old sheis. Mystique can psionically shift the atoms ofher body to duplicate any humanoid of eithersex, wearing any kind of clothing. She canprecisely duplicate another persons retinapattern, finger, palm and skin-pore patterns,and vocal cords. She can increase her volume,but not her mass.Mystiques power grants her age retardation,increased healing, and immunity to drugs andpoisons.She apparently learned to use hershape-changing power at a very early age, forthere is no evidence known to the public orthe government that Raven Darkholme everlooked like anything but a normal humanbeing.Mystique had concealed her superhumanpowers and criminal intentions so well overthe years that, as Raven Darkholme, shewas able to rise rapidly through the UnitedStates Civil Service to the trusted positionof Deputy Director of the Defense AdvancedResearch Planning Agency (DARPA) in theUnited States Department of Defense, givingher access to military secrets and advancedweaponry, both of which she used for her owncriminal and subversive purposes. 13

THE PSYCOLOGY OF A MASTERMIND An Analysis by Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel14 ILLICIT FALL 2014 ILLICITMAG.COM

The Joker doesn’t have any interest in money, “I found the Joker’s psyche disturbing, his dementia alarming, and his charm irresistible!” power, fame, respect, or even life. The Clown Prince - Harley Quinn of Crime has one interest: Batman. The two are distorted reflections of one another, which the Joker sees a lot more clearly than Batman. But whereas the Joker has accepted and reveled in madness, Batman refuses, despite the ample evidence – he’s a billionaire who dresses up like a bat and beats up thugs half to death, which isn’t exactly what most sane people would do in his situation. The Joker’s specific goals have varied over the years – to drive various people insane, to murder as many people as possible, or to indiscriminately cause destruction. And that’s what makes the Joker Batman’s – and, all of comics, apparently – greatest villain: he’s unpredictable and unrelenting, with little or no concern for himself, because this is all a joke to him. None of it really matters. He has adopted a number of “Jokes” as lethal weapons -including hand-buzzers that electrocute, lapel flowers that squirt acid, and far more. Im convinced that while everything about the Joker - his murderous instincts, his manical laughter, his maddening behavior - points to his being insane, he is the furthest thing from it. The Joker’s greatest prank has been to pull the wool over soiety’s eyes all these years, masquerading as a madman so as to be thrown into an asylum and treated with kid gloves when apprehended, to be “rehabillitated” rather than punished in a penitentiary. It’s a strategy worthy of a high-stakes player, so its apt that he’dJbenamedforaplayingcard. 15

Death. Eternity. The origins of the universe. These concepts and beings are fundamental to the existence of the Marvel Universe. Equal to these, however, is GALACTUSDespite his rather garish appearance,the being formerly known as Galan livedbefore the birth of the modern cosmos, and isas fundamentally important to it as entitiesresponsible for the creation and elimination of life. Galactus, in his destruction of planets, brings balance to the universe, just as life is given and taken every day on Earth. And his only reason for wantimg to destroy the universe is simply because he’s hungry THE ILLICITMAG.COM RAVAGER OF WORLDS16 ILLICIT FALL 2014

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THE DAWN OF A NEW AGE18 ILLICIT FALL 2014 ILLICITMAG.COM

“ I have been known by many names. Max Eisenhardt. Erik Lehnsherr. Magnus.Magneto. Each name marks its own sin. And one day I’ll answer for those offenses.But not today. Only my actions... what I do in the name of all mutants... hold any real meaning.”Magneto is something of a revolutionary, with The conflict Magneto represents is a conflictnot an ounce of love in his body for the human seen in our own society. There are some groupsrace and doesn’t believe that it possesses any who believe that they are better than others.redeeming qualities. This surefire hatred was These groups are determined to forge a newcertainly spawned from an early, childhood order of their rule over those deemed “inferior”.experience. Seperated from his family at a We’ve seen such action in the TwentiethNazi concentration camp in Poland, it was Century when Adolf Hitler and his Nazi forcesalmost certainly here that Magneto developed took over the nation of Germany. So the storyhis misanthropic world-view that sparked his of Magneto is one of irony. The triggering ofrevolutionary crusade against mankind. How, his hatred for mankind was inspired by menhe thought, could anyone treat another living like Adolf Hitler, yet Magneto’s very ownbeing the way these humans did? Magneto actions almost emulate those of Hitler’s!was determined to make a difference. 19

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