Flailing Upwards

Home to my rants and ravings about Marvel comics and their red headed stepchild of a property, the X-men. I try and capture great moments, and story points from current issues and talk about some of my favorites.

[poorlydone-xmensketches]

Three X-men that need to be in a drawing together, name them and one man will try to draw them.

[peterrasputin]

Cyclops, Colossus, Havok

[zeddfrost]

Hypocritical Editorializing

So, basically this is the kind of bullshit that pisses me off about how Marvel is going about forging the X-Men corner of their universe post Secret Wars.

In Extraordinary X-Men 5, Storm makes an impassioned speech to the masses (after yet another oh so tired, Scott Summers is evil! monologue) about how the X-Men are here to help everyone…but also in no uncertain terms she also said that they will retaliate if mutants are harmed.  An olive branch as it were, but also a very clear show of force…  

Which interestingly enough echoes this speech that Scott makes in Gillen’s first Uncanny X-Men issue in 2012…(in a much better written fashion I might add). 

Seriously, what in the frakkity fuck?  It’s not enough that Scott gets dragged through the mud for something…that we’re not even really sure about (It has something to do with Inhumans…it had something to do with protecting mutants (I’m sure)…the Limbo squad is worse than the Manitowoc Sheriff’s department)…but Storm gets to trot out what is basically the same mission statement without any of the bad press?  I mean come on.  At the very least, if you’re gonna get on the ‘Scott is like the worst thing to happen to mutants in like EVER’ bandwagon, at least have a distinct enough ideology/mission statement from him.  

Of course we can’t….because the X-Men have to simultaneously hate older Scott while at the same take up his mission statement so they don’t look like self-loathing, pathetic losers who, for some asinine reason, have seemingly lost the ability to stand up for themselves.  

X-Editorial office COME ON.  Can’t we stop with the ‘hate older Scott’ stupidity? It was stupid years ago when Bendis got handed the keys to the kingdom, and it’s so stupid now.  It really hampers good story telling and it’s such an unnecessary distraction.  You literally can still have this stupid, rehash of M-Day, status quo without the ‘hate older Scott!’ parts.  SMH. 

I also love Lemire’s solo work, but the man really should not be doing team books.  I worry this book is just going to be as awful as his run on JLA.  The dialogue still feels so stiff and Bendis-esque.    

[kalinara]

Honestly, as much as I love Storm, she’s always had a bit of a tendency toward hypocrisy.

I am curious as to what Scott could have done this time, but considering his level of post-Phoenix evil amounted to: “collect some teens in trouble, make friends with some godlike dude Xavier screwed over, and mouth off to the Avengers”, I’m not as concerned as I probably ought to be.

[peterrasputin]

I wish I could say I haven’t given up on the X-men Editorial team, but I don’t see things getting better anytime soon.  Every reference to Scott digs their own hole they are in alittle deeper, and when it finally comes time to trot him out from behind the scenes, or out of some villains dungeon, or reincarnated, or whatever else they eventually decide or have already decided to do the damage has been done.  

They are sacrificing someone that has been the cornerstone of the X-men for 50+ years.  

It’s so disappointing to see Marvel forget themselves and fall back on the tropes they feel they have to build up in order to create a larger audience for the Inhuman movies.  I have no doubt that the Marvel Cinematic team is going to do an outstanding job putting that movie together.  I’m sure it will be a large draw for many fans.  But trying to say that you aren’t attempting to marginalize or reduce the X-men to bring the Inhuman’s into the spotlight is so fake its sad.

If someone could correct me I really hope that I’m wrong but as far as I understand it, in the current Marvel U on earth there is a giant cloud of Terrigen Gas that roams over the planet because of Black Bolt.  This gas sterilizes anyone that is a mutant, and spurs the process of Terrigenesis in anyone with inhuman dormant dna.  So effectively the ENTIRE WORLD is under a chemical attack by a super powered nation.

Where are the Avengers?  Where is Captain America?  Why are the world’s heroes NOT banding together to stop this world changing event like that have done with EVERY other threat thats been tossed at the planet.  They did it for the Phoenix, the Red Skull, Fear Itself, Norman Osborn, Skrulls, the list goes on.  

I may return to X-men comics when they start telling compelling stories again, but honestly the only X-book that has any interest for me right now is X-men ‘92.  And personally I hope it sells through the roof and forces these guys to choke on their ideas and just write great X-men stories without chopping off a limb.

Scott Summers isn’t dead.  If he is... show us how it went down, otherwise shut up about the man and do something better with that panel.

[xcyclopswasrightx]

For all the wonderful people in Australia reading this blog, today. And tomorrow and so forth. 

[peterrasputin]

This movie cannot come out soon enough.  So sad to hear it will not reach China in its current incarnation.

[xcyclopswasrightx]

I really hoped Old Man Steve was going to last longer. Super bummed by this news. I was even thinking that since he was born as old man Steve in the new MU, there was a chance he could stick that way.

An Old Men Logan and Steve team up book, written by Garth Ennis and drawn.by Ron Garney would have been fantabulistic. I’d have them drive around back road America in a beat up 57 Chevy, and get into adventures.

Oh well.

[film-atic]

You know with Civil War coming out this was going to happen, I mean they even have Sharon on the cover too..yeah I hoped it would have last longer too

[xcyclopswasrightx]

Yeah. I knew it was coming and got over it quick. But let me tell you, the more I think on it, the more irritated I get that nobody at Marvel had the vision to put the buddy comic with Logan and Steve, together. That book would have been a treasure.

[acesoldia]

I’m curious how. If memory serves Sharon grew older too being stuck in dimension z

[xcyclopswasrightx]

Cosmic Cube

[gpack3]

I want Sharon to have a turn as Cap now too. It’s only fair.

[xcyclopswasrightx]

Don’t worry, you’ll get her when they start the Captain America Corps.

[peterrasputin]

Uncanny X-men #268

Writer: Chris Claremont

Artist: Jim Lee

Did someone say Logan/Steve buddy comic?  Logan and Cap vs the Hand in two different time periods.

[peterrasputin]

Secret Wars #9 (part 1)

Written by: Jonathan Hickman

Art by: Esad Ribic

Colors by: Ive Svorcina

“LET US FINISH THIS... ...AND DO SO AS GODS.  ON THE EARTH... IN THE SKY... AND THE HEAVENS ABOVE.” - Victor VonDoom

There was so much good in issue 9 that I thought I would honor Hickman and the Marvel and turn one post about the last issue of Secret Wars into two because of the length that it will likely be. =)  Couldn’t help myself.  

Part one of this post is going to solely cover the Black Panther/Namor vs Doom tussle that opens the book and seriously delivers some amazing art.  Seeing the Infinity Gauntlet in the hand of a leader like T’challa up against a ‘god’ had to have been a tall order for Ribic.  It is also somewhat bittersweet for me to see a major cosmic power fair so much differently in execution than Scott did with the Phoenix force.  

Obviously there are outside factors to consider in both of those encounters but while the beautiful execution of this story wraps up like this there is still regret for what could have been, and hope for more to come.

[peterrasputin]

Extraordinary X-men #5 Preview Images

So I may just have to read Extraordinary X-men #5.  This may be the first sighting of the original Scott. 

But it could be something else entirely;

Summers Clone - Sinister is there.  Clones are not a huge leap he’s been screwing with Summer’s DNA for a huge part of Scott’s life.

Original Cyclops - Panel 2 sure looks alot like part of the new costume with the piping.  The clear mutation on the left part of his body could be the effect of Terrigen mists, or something else Sinister did.

Alternate Universe Summers - Secret Wars Sinister created the Endless Summers for the Shield.  Or any number of Cyclops were featured in the different baronies.

Whatever the case its Cyclops versus Old Man Logan with Jean apparently between them.  Not an entirely new scenario.  Consider me interested.

[peterrasputin]

All New X-men #2

Sooooo if All New X-men #2 is a taste of what this new book is going to be like under the new editorial/writer team I’m not likely to hang on for much longer.  The unexplained action that Cyclops supposedly took that alienated him even more from his former students, friends, and compatriots is getting old quick without actual details.  It is clear that whatever it was had to be captured on video for the “world” to see, but that makes the action even less plausible. Apparently multiple deaths occurred as a result.  Again part of this difficulty is that we’ve just seen Scott bring the Mutant race into a peaceful rally in Washington DC, (Uncanny #600)

I realize that in Marvel time that actual event happened 8 months before the Nation X events in Hickman’s Uncanny Avengers where Scott first mentions his nest ‘Phoenix egg’.  But this is part of the problem.  In a world that has gone through three timeskips, complete destruction, and two rewrites it makes it incredibly hard to hold onto the intended escalation that the character was likely intended to have gone through to get to the place they are describing.  The choice to turn Scott full villain off screen in my opinion was a mistake.  And while there are rumors this wasn’t actually Scott, that he may swoop in and save the day in Act 3 of this new era for the X-men it seems less likely every issue.  Especially with the ‘Ghosts of Cyclops’ which are clearly an attempt to further draw comparisons to Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants for the former X-men leader.

Also, self pity does not look good on young Scott.

[peterrasputin]

Well cats out of the bag apparently adult Scott is dead... again.  And we’ll likely not learn much more about it until this first or second story arc is done with Extraordinary X-men.  So far, not really getting the warm and fuzzies for the X-men post Secret Wars.

[luxlightly]

Honestly, Rick Rolling is the best practical joke ever. Like, there’s nothing offensive or mean  spirited about it. It’s just like “Oops you thought there would be something else here but it’s ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’.” which isn’t even a bad song. It’s fairly enjoyable to listen to. There’s no jumpscares, no screaming, no ill will. Just Rick Astley telling you he’s never going to give you up. I think that’s great. “You fell into my trap! Here, listen to this completely benign song that will have no negative effect on you.” 

[moonblossom]

I wish this were true. There’s a really good article about the problems inherent with rickrolling here.

[pinkphilosopher-deactivated2020]

Very interesting. I never thought about that and now I feel bad.

[peterrasputin]

It definitely puts things into perspective... 

“A cat will chase a toy mouse because a good chase activates its brain's reward system. The same is true for us. We experience anticipatory joy. In other words, anticipation of a desired outcome makes us feel good. Research by Stanford University's Brian Knutson shows that just looking at the object of our desire activates neural signals associated with the release of dopamine (a neurotransmitter released during reward signaling) in the brain. Knutson's research suggests that we don't just derive happiness from attaining, receiving, or consuming the object of our desires, we also do so from anticipating it i.e. it's not just eating the cake that makes us happy but also staring at it through the storefront. Think of anticipating a fantastic vacation, or a reunion with a friend you haven't seen in a long time, or a meal at your favorite restaurant. This may be the reason why people go window-shopping, gamble, test-drive ferarris or go to strip clubs. Although they can't possess the object of their desire, they experience the titillating state of anticipatory joy.” -  Emma M. Seppälä Ph.D. ‘How Desire Fools Us’

I guess it is just like stealing candy from a baby.

[peterrasputin]

Full image of the modern look at Cyclop’s old visor and how it works.  If you haven’t seen Marvel Fact Files they are outstanding sources of detail covering everything Marvel.

Marvel Fact File #13

[comicallytechnical]

Eliot R. Brown: Cyclops’ Visor

Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Deluxe Edition #3 (1986)

[comicartistevolution-deactivate]

This one’s for Jason.

[xcyclopswasrightx]

Thank you.

[peterrasputin]

Or the updated version if you’d like.   

Marvel Fact File - #13

[all-new-x-men]

Love Shadows Longest

All-New X-Men #26 Bendis • Immonen • Von Grawbadger • Gracia

“And you and I… we get married, we have kids, all the good and terrible things that are supposed to happen to us in our lives…

And we both know we don’t live happily together.

Maybe this way we finally get to be happy.”

[the-uncanny-jake]

I love that Scott handled this as well as he did. It was the ONLY way to handle it. I also like how Kitty handled it. ,sure, she seemed a little heavy handed with Scott, but she has a minor in the strangest situation imaginable to protect.

[peterrasputin]

There is also a component of this that not many folks have touched on either.  Kitty is intimately familiar with the emotions of a young teen girl who has feelings for an older man.  Granted Piotr was only five years her elder at the time, but it’s very clear that that first experience for her had an effect that she’s carried with her, and has likely effected most of her adult relationships.

I believe Scott deserved more credit in how well this was handled also... but I’m also sure he didn’t need it.

[peterrasputin]

Secret Wars #4

The action scenes start on the first page of this epic issue in this outstanding series.  The Thors’ fight against the cabal with the narrative ongoing from Strange had such a perfect feeling to everything going on.  My only regret even with all of the opportunities that we’ve had with Scott Summers/Phoenix communicating I keep wavering at how much he was truly at the wheel.

Unfortunately, just when it looked like we’d have some dialogue to better gauge Scott’s behavior the Thor signal went off.  

I pulled some of the key moments from the issue of which there was MANY, but I felt compelled towards these.  Again if you haven’t picked up these books you are missing an amazing story people.  There is more to this issue than I’m showing here, and even moments after the last image below there is so much more to see.  

I’m not certain if this is truly the end of Scott, or if the phoenix in him will bring about his rebirth, it’s hard to say.  I will say a jealous part of my devotion to the character hopes this is not the end, but knowing there is future plot with Cyclops ‘missing’ after Secret Wars gives hope there will be some future for his story to continue in one form or another.

A good friend mentioned that perhaps this will finally let Jean and Scott reunite.  Which again I think has little chance, but would make me happy at least in the end.

R.I.P. Scott Summers - 616

R.I.P. Stephen Strange - 616

To add some humor to this heavy message... looking at who we’ve just lost... if Doom goes on killing characters and stays in this part of the alphabet Sue Storm and Sebastian Shaw had better get their affairs in order.

[xcyclopswasrightx]

Secret Wars 4

That was some heavy shit.

[peterrasputin]

I’m still processing everything that happened... It is still by far one of the best stories Marvel has put out in years.  Not without its flaws... but pound for pound this story is living up to the hype and then some.

I can’t post images yet... as much as I want to share my sadness and the amazing moments that took place... but give me a day or so to process this further and I’ll lay it all out.

[xcyclopswasrightx]

Doctor Strange by Jason Aaron & Chris Bachalo.

Well, there goes my idea for “Strange Magik” starring the good Doctor and Illyana as his apprentice. He would teach her the arcane arts as the next in line for Sorcerer Supreme, and she would teach him what it is to be young again. Together they would defeat evil monsters and get into adventures and other cool stuff.

This might be just as good, though

[peterrasputin]

That last picture with the shield almost makes him look more like Dr. Steven Rogers, than Dr. Stephen Strange.  Dr. America?  Captain Strange?

[peterrasputin]

Secret Wars #3 - Doom and Sue...

Once again it needs to be said that far and away, Secret Wars is an outstanding success for Hickman and the marvel team.  And clearly the fans agree with the sales reports on the first issue dominating the market.  Now, gushing aside I need to get this out before it’s actually revealed, but when I read, re-read, and re-re-read this issue I was torn.  The panels with Doom and Sue together were so beautifully written and so emotionally painful to watch unfold.

Seeing Doom succeed where all others failed.  Watching the scions of the Richards family and Susan Storm-Richards treat Doom as the god he’s become made me sick to my stomach, but not for the obvious reasons.

The easy explanation for their behavior is unlike Stephen Strange, these innocents have been warped into the thinking/personalities that Doom desired to be the cherry atop his godhood sunday.  That would mean that there is hope for things to be righted once Reed and the remaining 616′ers go on the offensive.

However... the thing that scares me about where this story goes; and again let it be said how fucking awesome this story is... is that there is a logic that I can see where the Richards family survivors have not been altered, tweaked, or changed any more than Strange has.  

The 616 life raft is being opened now, 8 years since Battleworld was forged.  Let’s assume that Susan, Valeria, Franklin, and Johnny have been conscious and alive since it’s formation.  Eight years is a long time for a wife to wait for a husband that could very easily not exist.  And I don’t think it’s strange at all that conceptually while we’ve seen many baronies that touch the big Marvel groups (Avengers, X-men, Spider-man, Hulk, etc) there are or at leave have yet to be any fractured Fantastic Four, and definitely no sign of any Reed Richards.  But then, Doom would want it that way.

But how much sweeter a victory for Doom... if after eight years Susan made the choice to save her children, and a life for herself and commit to her husbands greatest enemy.

Now that being said... there are moments in this issue that speak against this potential plot.  If Sue, like Stephen had her full memories Doom would not likely have to explain what he did to save existence as he said he did when talking with Susan.  Stephen when speaking with the survivors of Marvel 616 seemed genuinely shocked that they still had their memories of the past.  If Sue and the others also had these memories Strange would have likely had a less shocked reaction to that news.  I really hope I’m just jumping at shadows on this one... 

Anyone have a thought on this?

[dailydamnation]

No tree (or sister?) is safe for the might of the Colossus! Storytellers: Brian Michael Bendis & Kris Anka Source: Uncanny X-Men vol.3 #600 preview

I like the rare occasions when Illyana lets herself be vulverable, but it does make me go d’awwww a bunch.

[peterrasputin]

Uncanny X-men #20 (Vol. 2) - The last time Colossus and Magik have seen each other before Uncanny #600. 

I’m hopeful that this comes out.  That Kitty gets the full story about the deception and the torture that Illyana allowed her brother to suffer to destroy the idealized love he had for her.  

I hope that reconciliation is possible for these two, but for me if there is anything decent in Ilyanna which we’ve seen much more of in the latest run that Bendis has provided she’s going to have a rough time with this discussion.