Fuck Yeah, Tabitha Smith

A blog dedicated to miss Tabitha Smith AKA Boom-Boom AKA Boomer AKA Meltdown AKA dfjsadfsdkf;dlfka

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X-Tinction Agenda is Dumb

This month’s Secret Wars brings us a one-panel cameo of Tabitha in X-Tinction Agenda #2.  In it, Native American Man randomly chastises Tabby for “TURNING HER BACK” on Genosha and her kind.  I would post a clip of it, but I don’t want to pollute your eyes with the terrible art, nor even the hints of the sloppy, scattered attempt at storytelling.

The remade Inferno mini-series from awesome-sauce Dennis Hopeless offers a slightly better spin to this “every crossover revisited” gimmick that Secret Wars keeps serving.  I’ll post a review of that series when it’s complete.

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The rest of Deadpool versus X-Factor

I finally got around to reading issue #2-4 of DP vs XF.  As my last post suggested, this story is totes not even vaguely, remotely about Tabby and she’s relegated to a bit character. So are most of the characters, in fact. Also neglected is storytelling flow, writing, etc. All hack.  (If anyone is truly hungry to read this but doesn’t want to invest much, just read #4--it’s the best of the lot.)

Look at this blurb.  Do you really think this is the voice of Tabitha Smith?

Swierczynsk, please just stop writing comics.

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Beyoncé as Boom-Boom?

Wow, this story has been blowing up, and putting Tabby’s name all up in the internets.  This story is rank with rumor and unlikelihood, alas.  Also, probably a bad casting choice.. Boom-Boom is more like... Anna Faris.  But disentangling her mutant identity (FOX), as well as her general obscurity, makes all of this seem like nonsense.

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/showbiz/449313/EXCLUSIVE-I-ll-Bey-movie-marvel

http://www.vcpost.com/articles/76280/20150624/avengers-infinity-war-part-1-casting-under-way-evil-character-magus.htm

http://www.bet.com/news/music/2015/06/22/beyonce-marvel-s-avengers.html

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/beyonce-tipped-marvel-avengers-which-superhero-could-flawless-singer-play-1507313

http://www.realtytoday.com/articles/16936/20150623/http-hellogiggles-com-beyonce-avengers-3.htm

http://news.softpedia.com/news/marvel-wants-beyonce-for-the-avengers-universe-485037.shtml

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Someone-Claiming-Beyonce-Marvel-Join-Forces-Which-Would-Destroy-Internet-72188.html

http://www.youthhealthmag.com/articles/18303/20150623/beyonce-marvel.htm

[fuckyeahtabithasmith-blog]

Dear Marvel: give Boom-Boom more love.  Thanks in advance.

[nerdynerdynerd]

Boom Boom by RDauterman

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Deadpool vs X-Force #1: I am disappoint

Tabitha appears in a paltry 6 panels in #1 of this three party mini-series. That's worse than even a background character. Swierczynski, the writer, says in an interview "I've written all these characters before," and I suppose if one has their name attached to a book with the character inside, that is...technically...a true statement. 

For introducing any non-Cable character to this miniseries, Swierczynski opts to simply throw up a splash page with their names in boxes, and a micro-description under it.

At first I simply thought: economical.  I get it... putting X-FORCE on the title might get more buyers than simply calling it DEADPOOL vs CABLE. 

But then I remembered that Liefeld himself was quite a fan of this method, in which zero writing effort (or skill) was required.  In which all characters were random assemblages of color with a name and utterly interchangeable and disposable. 

Here's an image I got from Young Blood #1--I grabbed it from the famously funny "40 worst Liefeld drawings" article.  Here's how Liefeld introduces new characters in that book.  Characters that have never even been seen before. 

Below is one of the only two panels where Tabby gets anything even remotely like significance: she ineffectively has her time bombs easily deflected by Deadpool: he simply bats them away, regardless of the fact that Tabby can detonate her bombs at any time with her mind.  (I guess Deadpool is just that ninja!)

It does take some extra balls to write a comic this meaningless, I'll admit.

At this point I would've considered all this Tabby neglect just a victim of "Act I" set-up limitations (that's me graciously excusing the poor writing), but... after Tabitha's only line in the entire comic is given, she's immediately silenced hard: relegated to "Stay Behind" status. 

That'll teach you to have any speaking parts!

Notice how Cable completely ignores her question?  In his defense, a lot of things here are pretty forgettable.

Not to beat a dead horse, but DP vs X-Force #1 is bland, and not worth the buy in itself.  I'm sad to report this, as I had high hopes, regardless of Tabby's inclusion or not.  Even Deadpool's lines seem pretty hack, he's the WaCkY star.

It was a mistake to make the entire X-Force team just a huge extension of Cable's dry, straight-man persona in his Laurel & Hardy riff with Wade.

So, yeah, this series reeks of missed opportunity, but as a duteous Tabitha blogger, I'll still report on how the series ends up.

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I'm really hoping she doesn't get background treatment, especially since this is going to be the first time in a while that I have hope regarding how she'll be written. Also, can we talk about how a decent artist managed to make that outfit kind of cute?

A comprehensive catalog of Boom-Boom fashion would be epic.  A worthy task!

For the record, and speaking of hope, I would argue that DENNIS HOPELESS gave Tabitha some pretty classic dialogue in his not-quite-2-year run with CABLE AND X-FORCE.  I didn’t even notice this series until January, soon before it was about to end.  But catching up on the back issues this year, even though the art is generally pretty meh, Boomsy does have numerous fun appearances.

For those reading this and wondering which to get… #11 is the winner.  More on that particular issue another time.

Other good issues with Tabitha to pick up are her introduction in #6-7.

Also, when the two X-FORCES collide in #18-19 is pretty great.

Tabby faces off against Puck (Yes, the dude from Alpha Flight), wins, and makes him pedicure her.

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Deadpool vs X-Force - soooon

In nine days, the first issue of this mini-series drops. 

In the new four-issue series DEADPOOL VS. X-FORCE, writer Duane Swierczynski and artist Pepe Larraz will explore that history; and thanks to the wonders of time travel, they’ll also explore American history, as Cable and his team pursue the legendary loudmouth into the past.

This story finally reveals how Cable and Deadpool first met. As the title of the book suggests, it didn’t end up a friendly meeting.

I'm crossing my fingers '90s Tabitha doesn't get the ultra-background-character treatment as this description implies (even if it would be in the same maligned spirit Liefeld so eloquently blessed us with).

Still, new Tabby comic!

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In 1997, Marvel Comics did 'Flashback Month': the art, layouts, and setting meant to emulate a year before the Fantastic Four's original space flight that granted their powers. 

Here's Tabby's cameo for X-Force.  The whole issue is a kind of a pointless throwaway 'negative one' issue... where many famous characters unwittingly co-exist (yay synchronicity?) at some random circus fair.

Warpath wrestles an escaped tiger.

[fuckyeahtabithasmith-blog]

Onward to Explodey

Hi.  My name is Olivia and I'm... a fan of Tabitha Smith. 

HI OLIVIA.

I started being a Boom-Boom fan all the way back in the early '90s.  The first time I connected with the character was actually in high school, when my chums and I established a regular Saturday weekly Roleplaying club, frequently in basements.

Most of the time we rocked Marvel's FASERIP, though GURPS was another creative haunt.  Our first few months were all about original creations.  We brought some some bizarre concepts to life, and our group swelled from the original 5 to a usual crowd of 8-10.  Eventually we decided it'd be more fun to start adding our crazy and silly free wheelin' creative energy to famous Marvel characters, and since the experience was meant to be about group storytelling, we played fast and loose with the rule system. 

Of all the regulars, I had the hardest time choosing which character to play.  Marvel characters, and the culture that surrounded it, was generally dude territory, and our playgroup only had 2 females, myself included.  While some people chose their characters instantly, I took a whole week to do so.  I surfed my collection, my friends collections, the Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe, and even the local comic store (Fat Jacks in Philadelphia!).  Carefully scratching a shortlist of my selections, it eventually game down to a small handful.  When I showed my DM the list, his response was: "You ARE Boom-Boom!" -- I had to admit during that time I was quite the fashion-challenged, sassypants slacker. From there it clicked, and I played her as a character for a long while.

Tabby has had her share of good times and bad times.  Very few writers have truly nailed her awesomeness and captured her concept: but when they do, it's a wonderful work of art.  She is without a doubt, in my mind, one of the most underrated characters in the Marvel Universe, and given the creative opportunity, could easily match the comedy stylings often trumpeted out to characters like Deadpool, or Squirrel Girl.

I'm making this blog for a few reasons.  To dig deep into those old comics and pluck out some gem panels.  To archive quality moments with the character.  And to promote any of her appearances in the future.

I've changed a lot since those days, and I'm in my thirties now, but I still contend that Tabitha holds down a certain type of a unique, fun, and irreverent whimsy better than anyone. (I'm looking at you, Jubilee.)