Category Archives: X-Men
Review: X-Factor #233
Madrox the Multiple Man is alive again and all is right with the world – except for this far from spectacular issue of X-Factor. Don’t get me wrong, it was a fun read, but it did not accomplish anything particularly noteworthy or interesting. This is mostly just a solid story with a few funny gags, some nice characterization, but a pretty bland conflict. And then the teasers for the next big storyline leave me in a big pile of yawns.
X-Factor #233
Still, Multiple Man is back from the dead! I’m definitely more excited than Pip the Troll…I’ll explain in a bit.
Comic rating: 4/5: Good.
X-Factor #233 basically features a straight forward and simple tale of the good guys vs. some generic bad guys, while supporting two subplots that move along certain storylines while setting up others. From a purely storytelling standpoint, writer Peter David probably should have held off for longer before bringing Multiple Man back (blasphemy, I know!). But the primary conflict that arises in this book, the idea that Havok and Polaris took over as leaders of the team in Madrox’s absence, has not had any time to play out. The last time we saw the entire team of X-Factor in this book, they were introduced to Havok and Polaris becoming the new team leaders. This issue features one superhero adventure with Havok and Polaris as leaders. But next issue, most likely, is going to be about who gets the Matrix of Leadership, Madrox or Havok/Polaris?
Yet we haven’t gotten to know Havok and Polaris as leaders. This issue indicates that some time has passed since Madrox died, but we, as readers, have not experience this time. This conflict of leadership isn’t really the kind of conflict David wants it to be if we have no reason to support Havok and Polaris’ claims to the title.
They have no legitimate claim to leadership now that Madrox is back. But something tells me they’re not just going to step aside. I guess we’ll find out next issue. For now, let’s check out this issue after the jump!
6 Super-Villains That I Want to See On the Big Screen
The best superhero movies are also the ones with the best villains. Would Spider-Man 2 have been so great had Doctor Octopus not been such a sympathetic and tragic character? All four X-Men movies have given Magneto a starring role, and for good reason. And the late Heath Ledger redefined the Joker with his incredible, Oscar-winning performance. The superheroes may be the stars of the flick, but a great super-villain can easily steal the show!
The only super-villain recognized by the Academy
There have been some fantastic super-villains on the big screen. From General Zod’s immortal demand that Superman “KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!” in Superman 2, to the gregarious Loki pulling double-duty as the villain in both Thor and The Avengers. But being the notorious comic book geek that I am, I know of many classic and fantastic super-villains who have yet to see any motion picture love. So here is my list of 6 super-villains who have never appeared in feature films before, but definitely should!
The Exiles Are Back…Sort of!
One of the biggest stories out of Wondercon this weekend was the creation of the new series Xtreme X-Men, which appears to be a spiritual successor to an old favorite of mine, Exiles. The basic concept is that a team of alternate reality X-Men and superheroes band together to save the multiverse. Exiles ran for more than 100 issues and featured fantastic writing, amazing characters and downright brilliant alternate takes on familiar faces.
Well it’s been a few years since Exiles was cancelled, I guess Marvel has decided to give it another go!
That's 'Xtreme' without the 'E', because the X-Men are just that much more EXTREEEEEEM!! Mountain Dew! Snowboarding!
The problem is I don’t give two flying fudges about any of the characters announced. The only reason I started getting Exiles, and subsequently fell in love with the series, was because one of the main characters was an alternate version of the Mimic, one of my all-time favorite comic book characters. This new series, Xtreme X-Men? Not so much.
The book will be written by writer Greg Pak, and it will spin out of the series Astonishing X-Men, which I consider to be the most extraneous X-Men title now on the stands. Pak recently wrote a story in which normal Cyclops traveled to an alternate reality and met a bunch of alternate versions of the X-Men. Pak really loved writing those characters, so he said in a recent interview that he talked to his editor and somehow someone greenlit a new series starring some of those alternate characters.
And because ‘X-Men’ is far more marketable than ‘Exiles’ – no matter what adjective is in the front – Pak was given the reigns to Xtreme X-Men.
The three characters in that image, from left to right, are Emmaline Frost, a steampunk Emma Frost who appeared in a different Astonishing X-Men story written by Warren Ellis; Governor General James Howlett of the Dominion of Canada, a pulp-adventurist Wolverine; and Kid Nightcrawler, who is basically just a young, hyperactive Nightcrawler.
They will be joined from the normal Marvel Universe by, of all people, Dazzler!
I just don’t have any interest in any of the characters so far. None of them sound too exciting, and I wasn’t about to read that Astonishing X-Men story. I haven’t been interested in Astonishing X-Men since Joss Whedon left. But for all you non-comics fans, hear me out here. I know the X-Men are a popular comic book franchise, but the number of books is getting out of control.
The two main books are Uncanny X-Men and Wolverine and the X-Men, both of which are good (the latter being great!). Then as auxiliary titles, we have X-Men, X-Men: Legacy, Astonishing X-Men, X-Factor, Uncanny X-Force and finally Generation Hope, which has been cancelled.
Is adding a new book called Xtreme X-Men really a good idea? I guess marketing thinks so. I realize its a unique idea compared to those other X-books, but there are only so many X-Men titles that the fans can be expected to buy. Trim the fat, Marvel! Trim the fat!
The Top 6 Irish Comic Book Characters
Top o’th’mornin’ to ya, me bloggies! Or the afternoon. Or even Sunday, depending on when you’re reading this. Throw back a pint in the name of your favorite geek Internet blogger! I’ve got a little bit of Irish in me, and that sure comes in handy on this, the holiest of the green holidays! It’s St. Patrick’s Day!
Kiss him, he's an Irish superhero
And like all things, whether it be holidays or the judicial system, I like to attach superheroes to it! So here’s my list of the Top 6 comic book characters who also have a little Irish in them. Oddly enough, I couldn’t find any superhero named ‘Leprechaun’. Somebody get Marvel Comics on the phone! Have I got an idea for them!
Nobody Likes Dazzler
Let’s start this morning with a bit of humor. Website extraordinaire Dorkly have done it again with a hilarious video game parody. This time it’s X-Men The Arcade Game, and how nobody – not even Magneto – liked Dazzler. This is funny stuff people.
Henchman-4-Hire 