X-men Supreme Issue 61: Partners in Madness Part 1 PREVIEW

There have been some tragic moments in the X-men Supreme fanfiction series. Like the real X-men comics, there have been some moments to really test the heart of the readers. However, there will also always be room for less serious moments. By that, I'm saying there's also time for moments that are crazier than a sack of ferrets. That colorful metaphor should resonate with X-men fans everywhere because it means Deadpool is set to show up again in the pages of X-men Supreme. I already introduced Deadpool back in X-men Supreme Volume 2: War Powers in Issue 36: Deadpool. I had every intention of bringing him back for another arc later on and that time has finally arrived!

Given the recent events of the X-men Supreme fanfiction series, I think it needs someone like Deadpool to lighten the mood. Often, that lightening involves things that explode or shoot bullets. But would X-men fans expect any less? Now like everyone else in X-men Supreme, Deadpool does have a history. I only hinted at that history in the first arc. I'll be exploring it more in this new arc. Hopefully, it will lead to a bio entry that will fully explain how Deadpool became his 4th Wall Breaking self in this fanfiction series. As such, I've prepared an extended preview of the new issue.

The team fell silent and carefully followed Logan through the thick jungle. The facility was coming into view. They could see the outline of the building just up ahead through the haze. It was fairly big for a freight yard, but nothing seemed too out of the ordinary so far

“What about the other fella in this deal? Sylvester Shaw?” asked Rogue, “Do we know anything about him?”

“It’s Sebastian, Rogue,” Logan corrected, “And no. We don’t know dick about this guy. All we know is his company was involved in those sentinel thefts a while back.”

“So why didn’t we investigate this homme?” said Remy, bitterly recalling that affair, “If he be involved in the sentinels and with this Omega punk, he got to be a problem waitin’ to happen!”

“Funny, I told Chuck the same thing. But this guy’s a big time businessman, not a thug. Whatever he’s involved in, he knows how to keep his hands clean. Far as the real world is concerned, Shaw just an  upstanding fat cat.”

“Upstanding…right,” said Bobby dryly, “Must have some damn good lawyers protecting him.”

“Probably more zhan zhat,” said Kurt, speaking from experience in the Azazel, “Vhatever he’s involved in, I zhink it’s safe to say it isn’t noble.”

“Think we ought to worry about him more than Omega Red?” asked Rogue.

“I’m more worried about throwing Deadpool in zhe middle of all zhis,” said Kurt, “Zhat man has caused me nothing but trouble. For all ve know…”

But before Kurt could finish, he was abruptly cut off. Logan stopped in mid-stride and grunted intently as he took a defensive position.

“Quiet, elf!” he said under his breath, “Nobody move a muscle!”

“What is it, Logan?” asked Remy.

“All of you stay back! We’re being watched!” growled the feral mutant.

Remy, Rogue, Bobby, and Kurt each froze as they quickly scanned their surroundings. Logan’s senses were always pretty sharp. If he said something was there, then something was definitely there and that was usually a prelude to something messy.

The next few moments were tense. Logan, his claws drawn and ready for combat, sniffed the air thoroughly to pick up the scent. He took a few steps further, leaving the rest of the team to back him up. He eventually stopped at the base of a tree. That’s when he heard it.

“Peak-a-boo! I see you!”

Immediately turning his attention upward, Logan watched as the menacing figure of Deadpool came into view. Just as he had back in Germany he came in from above, descending from an adjacent tree with both his guns in hand. With Logan in his sights, he started firing relentlessly at his old partner. As soon as he landed, he set his guns to full auto and showered his former partner with a barrage of bullets.

“Errrrrr! Deadpool!” howled Logan as the bullets ripped through him.

“I’ve got him, Wolverine!” said Bobby.

Bobby sprang into action along with Rogue, Remy, and Kurt. He quickly iced up and fired and ice blast at Deadpool’s hands, freezing them and his guns in a thick block of ice to stop the shooting.

“Whoa that’s cold!” said Deadpool.

“Allow Remy to warm you up!” said the Cajun thief.

Taking out a couple of cards, Remy charged them up and flung them right at the stunned mercenary. They exploded right near his hands, shattering the ice and knocking him back against the tree. In the split second it took for him to recover, Kurt teleported in front of him and swiped his guns.

“I’ll be taking zhese!” said Kurt with an angry tone.

“Penelope! Lucile! Be careful with those! They’re minors!” said Deadpool obnoxiously.

“You want careful? Ah’ll show you careful!” said Rogue as she attacked.

“Ooh! Sounds sexy-ahhhhh!”

The merc with a mouth’s dirty comment was abruptly cut off when Rogue lunged forth and pinned him against the tree, pressing her forearm against his neck. She used an extra dose of strength, not just to keep him restrained but to shut him up as well.

While Rogue had Deadpool pinned, Remy and Bobby helped Logan back to his feet. He had at least fifteen bullet holes in him, but he was far from out of it. The wounds were bleeding profusely, but Logan was too pissed off to feel pain. With blood dripping down his face he stormed over towards Deadpool and held his claws right up to his face.

“You got a lot of nerve, bub!” roared the angry mutant, “First you call me and my friends out here! Then you attack us?! What kind of bat-shit game are you playing?!”

“Ack! Take it easy, Logan! I was just playing!” said Deadpool through Rogue’s choking grip, “You always liked it when I snuck up on you back in the day!”

“Why in the heck would anybody like being shot by a masked clown like you?” scoffed Rogue.

“What can I say? When you heal like we do, you gotta find new ways to train!” laughed the masked mercenary.

“Whew, this guy really is crazy,” commented Bobby.

“Aww, now that really hurts,” said Deadpool playfully, “I go out of my way to reach out to you and this is how you repay me? Seriously, Logan, have a heart!”

“For all zhe trouble you’ve put us through, vhy vould ve have any kind of sympathy?!” spat Kurt, who was eager to condemn this man for abducting Amanda twice.

“Would it help if I said I was sorry?”

Kurt and the rest of the X-men looked at him strangely. Rogue maintained a firm grip on his neck, ready to crush him the second he gave her another reason. It was starting to look as though this deal they were here to stop was a ruse.

Then Logan’s demeanor shifted unexpectedly. Looking at Deadpool, he searched his memories. Everything involving the wise-cracking mercenary was still pretty vague, but some of it was starting to come back to him. The pain of the bullets left in him seemed to jar his memory. He recalled a similar greeting like this when they were partners in Southeast Asia. It was still as annoying back then as it was now, but it was part of how they operated. He even remembered encouraging Deadpool.

'You seriously gotta try harder, Wilson. How do you expect me to be ready to stop an ambush when you’re as subtle as a live grenade?'

'I’ll make note of that, old buddy! Next time, I’ll shoot first and make jokes after!'

As the memory played over, he made a fateful decision.

The X-men Supreme fanfiction series is nearing the end of another volume and the importance of feedback is all the more vital. I already commended my good friend Stormbreaker for being a regular commenter. I hope others will join him as this fanfiction series continues to unfold. So please take the time to post comments or contact me if you have any feedback or questions. I'm always willing to talk X-men and fanfiction! Until next time, take care and best wishes! Excelsior!

Jack

X-men Supreme Issue 51: Stirring Outrage PREVIEW

For much of Marvel's history, the X-men have represented a social commentary aspect of their mythos. The X-men have always been seen as a metaphor for minorities and persecuted groups while still being the costumed heroes we comic book fans know and love. I've made some effort to capture that social commentary aspect in the X-men Supreme fanfiction series, but I've avoided getting too political until the events of X-men Supreme Volume 3: Ashes of Hope. Fittingly enough, during this election season I'm telling a story of how the struggles of the X-men and mutants have become a key issue in a presidential election. Senator Robert Kelly is trying to ride the fear and hatred stirred by mutants from the events of X-men Supreme Volumes 1 and 2 right into the White House. The previous landmark 50th issue of X-men Supreme set the stage for a conflict that is as dangerous as it is political. Now a new kind of battle is ready to unfold and it begins in the pages of Issue 51: Stirring Outrage. I've prepared a quick preview to show what can be expected.

“Leave me alone! What do you asshats want from me?!” a desperate teenage girl cried out into a dreary night.


“You’re already an abomination, mutant! You’re not doing yourself any favors by running from human justice!”


They were words of sheer hatred. Megan Gwynn, or Pixie as some called her, had been hearing it for much of her life going back to her days in Wales, England. The bigotry she faced back home was bad, but she never faced anything like this before. These people were operating on a whole new level of hatred. She didn’t know who they were or where they came from, but they were all wearing the same uniforms with the emblems ‘Friends of Humanity’ embroider on their shirts. Despite the name, they hardly seemed friendly.


Running desperately through the dirty alleys of East Harlem, she struggled to remember how this all started. She wasn’t in a friendly area to begin with. This was a shady part of town, but one in which mutants tended to congregate. They had to with all the prejudice they had been facing. It had been especially hard for her. She recently lost her father in a mining accident and had been living off the inheritance with a few other mutants in a shelter. It was a rough life, especially when it was hard to hide her mutation. They were nothing fancy. She had insect-like butterfly wings on her back that she could use to fly and elf-like ears. It seemed like a benign power, but these guys didn’t seem to care.


She had just left a small restaurant frequented by mutants and was heading back to the shelter. Along the way she noticed these strange men following her. The next thing she knew she was surrounded. They started pushing her and intimidating her, knowing full well she was a mutant trying to hide her mutancy. When they ripped off her jacket and revealed her wings, it was the excuse they needed to start chasing her. Why they singled her was beyond her. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.


“Over here! She’s heading around the back!” one of the men chasing her said.


“Good! That means she’s got nowhere left to hide!”


Pixie was in dire need of a breather. She had been running for her life for a full fifteen minutes. There were just too many of these guys. They were swift and coordinated, setting them apart from other anti-mutant hecklers. They were trying to corner her, leading her down an ally that had no escape. It was going from bad to worse and the young mutant was really starting to panic.


‘Who the hell are these guys? I know it’s been bad for mutants lately, but these guys…they take hatred and mix in an extra dose of crazy! And here I was thinking Americans were friendly to mutants and the Welsh!’


Pixie saw more of these men down towards the end of the alley. Now she was being chased from behind and from up ahead. She had no choice but to run into a smaller, adjacent alley where garbage had piled up. It led her straight into a dead end. Now she was facing a hoard of anti-mutant zealots on one end and a brick wall on the other.


Leaning against the wall and gasping for air, Pixie knew they officially had her trapped. Fear and frustration took over as she turned around to face her attackers. They were closing in, their eyes full of hate and disgust. Some of them were armed with baseball bats, metal pipes, and brass knuckles. She wasn’t sure if they were going to kill her or just beat her to a pulp. Whatever their intent, she had to get away.


“End of the line, mutant scum!” said one of the men, “Time to face the pure hand of humanity!”


“Why?! What did I ever do to you blokes?!” Pixie cried desperately


“You were born!”


It was hatred of the worst kind. There was no reason behind it. They just hated what she was. It was a hate Pixie knew she could not get around.


“Brace yourself, mutant bitch! Cooperate and we’ll make this quick!” said the same man.


“Says you!” Pixie spat angrily, “These wings aren’t just for show, you know! Although they could be!”


Gathering what strength she had left, Pixie flexed her wings and took to the air. Up above she saw clear, open sky. They would not be able to follow her here. Or so she thought.


“See you later you mutant hating jerks!” she taunted, “You don’t like mutants? Take it up with Charles Darwin!”


“She’s getting away!” said one of them.


“Not for long, she isn’t!”


Pixie was just about to clear the building. Then one of the armed men stepped forth from the crowd a pointed a specially made hunting rifle up at her. She was tired so she wasn’t flying very fast. Before she could get too far, he got off three well-aimed shots. The first two missed, but the third one hit her right in the upper part of her wings. As soon as Pixie felt this, she went tumbling back towards the ground below in a world of pain.


“Ahhhhhhhhhh!” she cried out.


Her wing was bleeding. She could feel the blood drip down onto her shirt. She tried to grab onto the ledge of the building to keep herself from falling back into the ally. But her fingertips barely grazed it, leaving her nowhere to go but down.


She struck the hard pavement below with a hard thud. She landed on her side, feeling a sharp snap in her left leg as she landed. She definitely broke a few bones. She could even feel one protruding from her skin. It was painful in a terrible way. But the pain was secondary to her fear. Only half-conscious and unable to move, she watched as the angry men surrounded her on all sides.


“Please… don’t,” Pixie begged, blood now dripping from her mouth.


“Save your breath. The Friends of Humanity show mercy only to our fellow humans. And you are most certainly not human!”

In addition, I've done a quick update to the Goblin Queen section of my pics section. I've noticed that Madelyne Pryor is a pretty popular character in the annuls of X-men. I promise I'll do my best to fill her section as I have the other X-women!

While I strive to make the X-men Supreme fanfiction series the highest of quality, I also try to make it relevant as the real comics so often are. Part of what makes Marvel awesome is their willingness to tackle real-world issues. X-men Supreme will address those issues in many unique ways that you won't find outside this fanfiction series. If you have any feedback or commentary of your own for how I'm handling this or any other element of the X-men Supreme fanfiction series, please contact me and I'll be happy to discss this with you! Thank you everybody for your kind support. Until next time, take care and best wishes!

Jack

New Pic and Bios Updates for X-men Supreme

Quick update, X-men Supreme fans! I promised that I would update the bios and pics section once I was finished with The Good, The Bad, The Sinister. Well, I'm making good on that promise. I just finished posting new bios entries for the two major characters that made this arc so big, Mr. Sinister and Madelyne Pryor. These are two characters that had a profound impact in the history of X-men. I couldn't make this fanfiction series complete without getting them involved. However, I felt it was important that I change their backstory significantly for X-men Supreme. Sinister is still Sinister, but Madelyne Pryor has undergone a significant overhaul for a number of reasons. I always thought that Marvel mishandled her history in the comics and never really made Sinister's past clear. I hope to avoid those mistakes with this fanfiction series. I know I didn't fill in all the details with The Good, The Bad, The Sinister. I hope these bios help.

Bio - Goblin Queen

Bio - Sinister

And just another reminder, please remember to review and provide feedback for the lastest issue and every other issue of the X-men Supreme fanfiction series. I know I've been saying that a lot, but the traffic and the feedback has been down lately and it's starting to worry me. I work long and hard on X-men Supreme. If fewer and fewer people read it, then it's going to be a lot harder to put so much work into it. So please, from the bottom of my fanboy soul, take some time to review. Thanks again for everyone who has supported this series. Until next time, take care and best wishes. Excelsior!

Jack

X-men Supreme Issue 37: Deadpool Part 2 PREVIEW

I've been having a lot of fun with X-men Supreme since I brought Deadpool into the mix. This fanfiction series is that much more awesome with Marvel's favorite wise-cracking, fourth-wall breaking mercenary. I'm really happy with the response I got from the previous issue, but as always there's room for improvement! There's no way I could tell Deadpool's story in just one issue. That's why I've turned it into a two-issue arc. In the last issue, Deadpool captured Nightcrawler's girlfriend and her mother for the second time. Now Nightcrawler must get help from Storm, Wolverine, and Cyclops to get her back! Here's a sneak peak of what you can expect.

Kurt and his fellow X-men didn’t have to go too far in their search for Amanda. The address Logan got was fairly close by. With the X-jet still refueling they rented the fastest cars the airport had on hand and sped down the Autobahn towards Frankfurt. Kurt was naturally anxious for most of the trip, but Logan was on edge as well. That voice on the phone stuck with him. He was sure he remembered it. He just didn’t know from where. Whoever it was, they were going to find out soon enough.

Upon reaching their destination Scott led Kurt, Logan, and Ororo towards the front entrance of the building. It was in a decaying part of the city, full of ghettos and crime. The building itself was boarded up and covered in German graffiti. Any worthwhile criminal would be right at home in a place like this.

“Is zhis it?” asked Kurt as he stared down the building.

“Oh this is it,” said Logan as he sniffed the air, “I can already smell the two of them inside!”

“Can you tell if they’re okay?” asked Ororo.

“Since when can I smell that? But they ain’t got friendly company. I’m also smelling cordite and grenades, the military kind. Whoever’s got them doesn’t skimp on the merchandise.”

“Zhen vhat are ve vaiting for?” exclaimed Kurt, “Let’s get in zhere and get Amanda out!”

“Normally I’m not for barging in, but you’re not going to listen are you?” said Scott.

“Do I ever?” said Logan as he drew his claws, “You can stay out here and see the sights all you want, Summers! But we’re going in!”

Kurt and Logan barged ahead, shoving Scott aside as they ran up to the front entrance. Scott lingered a bit before following with Ororo. Neither one of them had a good feeling about this. It just didn’t seem right. But nothing was going to stop Kurt or Logan at this point. They were going in trap or no trap.

Logan made quick work of the front door, cutting the board securing it in half and kicking it in. Kurt quickly barged in ahead, intent on finding Amanda as soon as possible. Logan, Scott, and Ororo followed close behind him. The ground level of the old hotel was fairly spacious, consisting of an open foyer with a desk off to the right-hand side and a staircase leading up to the second level on the left-hand side. There wasn’t much light aside from some flickering fluorescents. There was also trash everywhere over the dusty floor. It was not a pleasant sight. This place had clearly seen better days.

Logan sniffed the air while Kurt scouted ahead, looking for any signs of a presence. Scott kept his hands on his visor, ready to attack at a moment’s notice. Ororo stuck close to Logan, keeping a watchful eye out every step of the way. But the more they looked around, the more suspicious this whole situation seemed. Whoever was behind this was crazy enough to call them and give them his location. But to set up shop in a place like this? Either he was incompetent or even crazier than they thought.

“This place is a dump,” commented Scott as he stepped over a pile of garbage, “Doesn’t exactly fit the profile of a kidnapping headquarters.”

“Who cares? I can smell ‘em here! And the nose never lies!” growled Logan.

“Good enough for me,” said Kurt as he teleported around the desk and second level, “Let’s just find whoever is behind zhis and get Amanda out of here!”

“It still doesn’t feel right,” said Ororo suspiciously, “This has to be a trap.”

“Or just someone’s sick idea of a joke,” said Scott.

The team kept scouting around the foyer, not seeing any trace of the kidnapper or of Amanda and her mother. Logan continued to follow his nose, tracing any scent he could. It was hard when the stench of garbage filled the area. But there were subtle traces of a live presence.

The more he smelled it the more certain Logan was he recognized it. His memory may be fragmented, but his nose was as sharp as ever. He kept following the mysterious scent, tracing it back to the center of the foyer just between the desk and staircase. Ororo stayed close by while Scott covered them. Then the scent stopped. The trail abruptly shifted. Instead of leading him forward it was leading him up towards the ceiling. That’s when it finally dawned on him. But not before a booming voice echoed through the old building.

“HERE’S WADEY!”

In addition to the preview, I've also done a major update to the pics section for X-men Supreme. I added some new material to the always popular X-ladies section. Check out a fresh batch of scintilating images from Storm, Mystique, Jean Grey, Rogue, and the Scarlet Witch. I don't have any new commissions at this time, but I am hoping to get some new ones soon! Please keep in mind I'm always open to accepting artwork from others. If you wish to contribute to the X-men Supreme fanfiction series, please let me know! I'll be happy to work something out.

It won't be long now before Deadpool continues to add his personal (and destructive) touch on X-men Supreme. In the meantime, please take the time to review and comment on previous issues of this fanfiction series. If ever you want to discuss this or any X-men related topic, please contact me. Until next time, take care and best wishes!

Jack