The first issue of X-men Supreme Volume 3: Ashes of Hope was a resounding success. Thank you everyone for your support and generous feedback! The first issue is always the hardest in a new volume. This fanfiction series continues to move forward, following many of the same themes as was demonstrated in
Issue 44: Discrimination. The X-men have always been linked to social issues like discrimination and prejudice. I'll be expanding on this in the next issue and throughout X-men Supreme Volume 3: Ashes of Hope. I don't just want to tell stories about the X-men as superheroes. I want to show how they can be a real social force. So with that in mind, I've prepared an extended preview of what you can expect.
“Have you picked up any scents, Wolverine?” asked Storm.
“Down here, it’s pretty damn hard not too,” he snarled, “I’m guessin’ we’re under some burger joints and they just had a special.”
“Please Herr Logan! Do not go into detail!” said Nightcrawler, clutching his abdominal, “I don’t zhink my stomach can take it!”
“Relax Elf, that ain’t all I smell,” said the feral mutant as he came up to a T-junction in the pipes, “Someone else walked through this same pipe. Whoever they were they got that unforgettable Morlock aroma!”
“How many are there? Can you tell?” asked Cyclops.
Logan moved ahead further, sniffing the air more thoroughly as he did.
“I ain’t sure, but there’s more than a few,” he said, “A few are familiar. But there’s one other that smells…different.”
“Different how?” asked Gambit anxiously, “Different ‘round us ain’t ever a good thing.”
“Just because I smell them doesn’t mean I know their life story, bub!” said Wolverine in annoyance, “But I know the nose never lies! Something stinks here and it ain’t the freakin’ sewage!”
“Then let’s find it before we have to learn the hard way,” urged Storm, holding the feral mutant back from further outbursts, “Here, I’ll get the air moving. It should help you follow the trail.”
“Thanks darlin’. Just go easy on the gale force winds. We don’t want our mystery guest giving us the slip before we ‘introduce’ ourselves,” said Wolverine menacingly.
“I’ll be careful,” she assured him.
That was good enough for Wolverine. He let Storm kick up some wind to get the scent trail moving. With the others lighting the way with flashlights, the two of them took lead and led them through the maze of pipes. Storm looked a lot calmer than she did last time they were in the sewers. Her claustrophobia seemed to do better in the more open spaces of the Philadelphia sewers. Sticking close to Wolverine also seemed to help for whatever reason. A few even took notice.
“Is it just Remy or do Stormy and Wolverine seem a little…closer,” said Gambit under his breath.
“Yeah, Ah noticed that too,” said Rogue silently, “You think they shacked up or something?”
“Don’t know. Stormy ain’t said nothing and she usually tells Remy about these things,” he said.
“Doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened.”
“Or they just be beating around the bush,” said Gambit as he carefully observed them, “Either way, Remy ain’t sure he likes it. I can’t imagine see a femme like Stormy going for a guy like Wolverine.”
“You’re one to talk, Cajun. She went for you, didn’t she?” quipped Rogue.
“That be different. Remy ain’t Logan. Only Logan be Logan. Take a homme like that and a femme like Storm and put them together, what do you get? Remy don’t know, but Remy ain’t sure.”
Rogue pondered that for a moment. She didn’t know Storm nearly as well as Gambit. To her she was the caring yet demanding teacher that always reached out to her students. The idea of her with someone like Wolverine did seem a bit out of place, considering the personalities of the other men she dated. She could say the same for Wolverine. She could see why he dated Jean, who was more outgoing and playful. Storm seemed too serious for him. But then again, stranger things had happened in the team.
“Ah don’t know either,” said Rogue, “What do you think, Kurt?”
“I’ll give you my input vhen my insides stops churning,” groaned Nightcrawler, “Can ve just get on vith zhis so ve can get out of here?”
“Seriously, homme, you gotta watch that diet of yours,” snickered Gambit.
Nightcrawler gave the Cajun a bemused look. He was not in the mood to argue anything having to do with food or ongoing dramas between their instructors. His only inclination was to find these rogue Morlocks and get out of here.
“Keep up you guys!” Cyclops called out from just up ahead as Wolverine and Storm started moving faster, “It looks like we’re closing in on something.”
“Finally! My stomach is grateful,” said an anxious Nightcrawler.
Wolverine was really onto something now. He was moving with that intensity he always got whenever he picked up on strong scent. That meant it had to be close. The team set aside their revulsion of being in a sewer and prepared themselves to strike the moment something came up. Professor Xavier had been adamant. They were to stop whatever this rogue Morlock planned before it caused a major scene.
They followed Logan towards a more open part of the sewer, most likely an area below an intersection. They noticed this part of the sewer was a lot older than the ones they entered in. The walls were lined with brick, which was thick with fungus and mold. The pipes were also a lot more rusted and leaking all around. It must mean they were in the historical district of the city, which just happened to be where Senator Kelly was giving his speech. Wolverine slowed his pursuit, stopping just before a junction towards three pipes. The scent was directing him down the central pipe.
“We got ‘em now!” said Wolverine, taking a predatory stance, “They’re just up ahead!”
In addition, I also have a fresh update to the
pics section, courtesy of
Brian Brinlee. Once again, he was generous enough to take time to do another commission for the X-men Supreme fanfiction series. This time he took the big climax from
Issue 25: Power Play and brought it to life. It was one of the most volatile moments of X-men Supreme Volume 2: War Powers and it set the stage for what would happen between
Quicksilver and the
Scarlet Witch later on. Check it out along with the many other wondeful commissions for this fanfiction series in the
X-men Supreme Official Panels section.
I know I've said this before, but X-men Supreme Volume 3: Ashes of Hope is going to be bigger and more expansive than the previous two volumes. This fanfiction series will start covering more plots and expand to more characters as the story unfolds. Because of this, it's very important that I continue to receive feedback from generous readers. X-men Supreme can only be awesome if there are people who care about it enough to see it continue. I really do enjoy writing this fanfiction series and I want it to be as awesome as possible. So far, I've had some wonderful support from certain readers. I would like that list of readers to increase. If at any time you have questions or comments for this fanfiction series, please don't hesitate to
contact me. Until next time, take care and best wishes everybody!
Jack
