X-men Supreme Issue 62: Partners in Madness Part 2 PREVIEW and Pics Update

The X-men Supreme fanfiction series has evolved in many ways since its inception. When I created X-men Supreme, I didn't just want to create a fanfiction series. I wanted to crate an entire Marvel universe that could be every bit as compelling as the X-men comics that Marvel has been churning out for the last five decades. I know I'm a long ways away from being on the same level as any of the comics, but with X-men Supreme I at least try to measure up. That's why I believe the events I plan must be up to a certain caliber of awesome.

I've been teasing and hinting at it for so long and it's almost upon us! The X-men Supreme fanfiction series is now in a prelude stage to an event. I likened it earlier to what the series, X-Sanction, was to Avengers vs. X-men. But instead of Cable, the X-men have to deal with their old 4th wall breaking frienemy, Deadpool. And so far, the few responses I've received regarding my use of Deadpool has been very positive. He's a fun character to write and someone who knows how to make a grim set of circumstances incredibly entertaining. But to date, I haven't really established how he came to be in the X-men Supreme fanfiction series. Like many other characters, his background is somewhat different. Well the next issue of X-men Supreme promises to explore that history while finalizing the preparations for X-men Supreme's biggest event to date! As such, I've prepared a brief preview of the action to come.

“You are James Howlett.”

These words struck Wolverine in a way that even Weapon X had never managed. For a moment he was completely oblivious to the chaos around him. Shaw’s hired militia and Omega Red’s well-armed henchmen were locked in a bloody clash. Bullets were flying, bombs were going off, and people were dying. But none of that registered. All he could think about was this profound revelation. He was James Howlett.

It triggered all sorts of violent rages and conflicting memories. He saw images of wars in Europe, the Pacific, and Russia. In those wars a figure committed savage atrocities. This figure butchered, killed, and maimed without regard. This was before Weapon X. This was before everything he remembered. He didn’t want to believe that figure was him, but there was no escaping the truth.

“Ooh, you’re gonna get it now, Ruskie!” said Deadpool, who was still in a the iron grip of Colossus, “I know that look in his eye! It’s about to get real messy!”

“Piotr, please rip that man’s tongue out!” spat Omega Red as he tightened his grip on Wolverine.

“I’m trying! He’s…durable!” grunted Colossus in frustration.

“That’s what all the ladies say!” grinned Deadpool, “You should ask this girl back in Germany how I-ack!”

Deadpool didn’t get a chance to finish. Colossus squeezed him harder, placing a hand over his throat so he couldn’t speak anymore. The masked mercenary was still fighting him, but it wasn’t enough. He could not match his strength.

Several bullets flew by Omega Red’s head as he looked up at the suspended Wolverine. His whips around his neck, he started using his draining powers to suck the life out of the former living weapon. It was another part of his mutation, courtesy of the same ghastly process that made Wolverine. It would be fitting that this was his how Wolverine would meet his end.

“AUUUGGGGGH!” he roared in agony.

“You feel that, James? That’s the pain of all my countrymen you slaughtered! You, Sabretooth, and every last part of your little team stained my country with blood! Because of men like you, Mother Russia was crippled before she could rise to glory! I swear on the blood of my countrymen I will rebuild what you destroyed!”

Omega Red seethed as he drained Wolverine even more, listening as he let out more pained howls. It was glorious. The crimes of James Howlett were finally going to be punished.

He was so focused on exacting his vengeance that he didn’t even realize his comrades were being overwhelmed by Shaw’s militia. More pullets were flying their way and many were trying to retreat. None of this didn’t matter to him. This turned out to be a mistake though because in his focus he didn’t see two figures flying towards him from above.

“Arkady, look out!” exclaimed one of the figures.

Omega Red diverted his gaze just in time to see the body of Darkstar crash right into him. It caused him to lose his grip on Wolverine and knocked him back against the train.

“Or not!” grinned Rogue, who recovered quickly from the impact, “Ah tried to warn you, sugah. I’m stronger than Ah look!”

Rogue watched with supreme satisfaction as Omega Red lay stunned with Darkstar hunched over his lap. That woman had some major firepower and a great deal of strength, but she grossly underestimated her ability to take what she could dish out. So when she countered with a bold attack of her own, she wasn’t ready for it. Still hovering in mid-air, Rogue quickly flew over to help Wolverine. He was out of it from Omega Red’s draining powers, but he was still conscious and clearly pissed.

“You alright, Wolverine?” she asked him.

“Hell no!” spat the feral mutant as he shook off her help, “I’m pretty fucking far from being alright!”

Rogue was taken aback by his response. She had to step back a little. Wolverine had that berserker look in his eye. He seemed ready to rip into anything still breathing. It was disturbing, even by his standards.

His claws drawn, the former living weapon snarled as he narrowed his sights on the dazed Omega Red. He was poised to attack, but Colossus quickly stepped in. He still had Deadpool by the throat and was still obligated to protect the Omega family.

“Do not take another step!” he ordered as he squeezed Deadpool even harder, “Leave Mr. Rossovich alone or your ill-mannered friend will suffer!”

“Back off, Ruskie! You don’t want to defend this clown!” snarled Wolverine.

“Want is not the issue! I do as I must!” said the metal mutant strongly.

Wolverine didn’t listen. His sights remained locked on Omega Red. Deadpool, who was being choked to death by Colossus’s iron grip, was getting a little anxious.

“Uh…Logan?” he coughed, “A little help?”

His call went unheeded. Wolverine’s berserker rage was too strong. It didn’t look like Deadpool was going to get help from his old partner. Luckily, he soon got help from another source.

“Dang…this be bittersweet,” said a Cajun accented voice from above.

Without warning, a shower of charged playing cards rained down over Colossus and Deadpool. It came courtesy of Gambit, who was riding an ice slide into the chaos with Nightcrawler and Iceman. As soon as the Russian mutant looked up, the cards exploded and blinded him in a shower of bursts. As he instinctively covered his eyes, his grip loosened on Deadpool. The menacing mercenary used this opportunity to break free and fight back.

“Ahhhhhhh freedom! Is there any sweeter feeling?” he exclaimed, “Oh yeah! There’s this!”

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small grenade and tossed it into the chest of Colossus. As soon as it hit, it exploded sharply and knocked the durable mutant on his back. Before he could get up, Iceman came in lower and used his powers to create a thick ice shell around him.

“Sorry big guy,” he said, “But you’ll have to chill for a bit.”

“For zhe record, I appreciate your efforts to silence Deadpool,” said Nightcrawler as he teleported to the ground below with Rogue.

“Aww Nightcrawler! I didn’t know you cared!” said Deadpool obnoxiously.

“Maybe we should’ve given him a few more minutes,” muttered Gambit.

I've also finally gotten around to updating some of the pics section. I'm sorry I've been negating this section for a while, but don't think I've forgotten it! I know quality pics are an integral part of what makes X-men Supreme awesome. I'm proud to say I've updated the X-Couples section for Wolverine/Jean Grey and Cyclops/Jean Grey. I've also updated the X-ladies section for Jean Grey and Rogue. Notice a pattern? There's a reason for that! You'll see why soon enough.

While I did receive an uptick in feedback with my last issue, it wasn't very substantial. So once again, I urge all my wonderful readers to take some time to provide feedback on this fanfiction series. I can't tell you how much this feedback means to me. I work long on hard on X-men Supreme, trying to make it as awesome as it can possibly be. And the more feedback I get, the better it can be. So please take some time to post your thoughts in the comments section of each issue or contact me directly. Until next time, take care and best wishes! Excelsior!

Jack

X-men Supreme Issue 56: Diary of the Fallen

The situation for the X-men has grown quite serious both in the pages of the X-men Supreme fanfiction series and in Marvel's ongoing Avengers vs. X-men event. They have been enduring assaults on many levels. In X-men Supreme it's from the heat of politics in a dramatic presidential election. In Avengers vs. X-men, they have been enduring assaults by both the Avengers and the Phoenix Force. It seems like the X-men just can't catch a break, can they? Well, in any series it's impossible to go from crisis to crisis without developing a little depth on the side. So while the current political drama going on in the X-men Supreme fanfiction series will continue to be a central theme, that doesn't mean I won't take time off to visit some of the less obvious stories that I've yet to explore. That's exactly what I'll do with Issue 56: Dairy of the Fallen. It's a story that promises to revisit a darker part of Storm's past while also revisiting some unfinished plots with Mystique. As usual, I've prepared an extended preview in preparation for what should be a fanciful issue of X-men Supreme.

The flight to Morocco went smoothly despite the weather. Storm remained tense while Gambit, Rogue, and Nightcrawler drank some coffee to help wake them up. They weren’t used to seeing her like this. Something about these Shadow Kings brought out a different side to her. It wasn’t dark or angry. It was more so an overwhelming sense of sorrow. It was a feeling that hung over her strongly as Logan took the X-jet down for a landing.

Now in full uniform and awake for the most part, the team followed Storm out of the jet and up towards the front entrance of the villa. According to Storm, they were expecting them. That didn’t mean they would be welcome though. Looking out at the villa, the X-men saw an unforgiving environment before them. Few knew what to expect. Even Kurt, who had heard of the Shadow Kings through his father, didn’t know a whole lot about them. But some couldn’t help their curiosity. Wolverine especially was concerned and couldn’t help but inquire as they followed Storm to the front gate.

“You better be awake by now, Gumbo. Because you need to start talking before we find this shit out the hard way,” said Wolverine sternly.

“What’s there to talk about?” said Gambit innocently as he shuffled some cards, “Ro be your girlfriend now. Why don’t you ask her?”

“Because I’d much rather bug the hell out of you than her,” retorted the feral mutant, “Now stop playing dumb. I know you know something. Spill it before I have to beat it out of you.”

Gambit shook his head. He had a feeling Stormy wouldn’t come clean with the details. As her ex-lover, it was up to him to fill in the blanks.

“Remy only knows what Stormy’s told me. She joined these hommes after she lost her parents. She lived under this big time Shadow King boss named Amahl Farouk. Remy don’t know too much about him, but word on the street was he was into some really strange mojo. His cell specialized in stealin’ rare artifacts, most of them magic.”

“You mean magic like the kind that makes Juggernaut so dang tough?” said Rogue.

“The very same,” said Gambit, “As you can imagine, it made him quite a tough fella to work for.”

“You don’t need to convince me, mien friend,” said Nightcrawler bitterly, “Zhat vould explain vhy he constantly clashed vith my father.”

“Gambit don’t know much about that. All I know is that they were the ones that brought Stormy in and trained her to be the skilled femme she is today.”

It filled in a couple of blanks. It explained why Storm was already such a proficient fighter when she joined the X-men. She had already been hardened by the Shadow Kings. But Wolverine wasn’t satisfied with this information.

“There’s more, ain’t there?” he said, giving the Cajun a menacing look.

“Don’t be pushing me, Logan,” said Gambit, “This sort of thing ain’t for Remy to say.”

“I’ll be the judge of that!” snarled Wolverine.

But before he could go any further, Storm stepped in. She was already very anxious about all this. She didn’t need her lover getting worked up as well.

“He’s right, Logan,” she said strongly, “If anyone is going to spill on my dark secrets, it’s going to be me.”

“So then why are you keeping me in the dark while your ex here knows the rest?” retorted the feral mutant.

“It’s…not that simple,” she said anxiously, “I promise it’ll make much more sense after we meet with Farouk.”

“I’m already lookin’ forward to it! He sounds like the kind of guy who would get along nicely with adamantium claws!”

“That may not be possible,” she said awkwardly as they reached the gate, “Meeting with Farouk is somewhat…unorthodox.”

“What do you mean, Storm?” asked Rogue.

Before Storm could respond, they got their answer. The five X-men all felt a sudden surge in their minds. It was as if someone was shouting into it, not unlike the feeling they got when they talked to Professor Xavier telepathically. Only this felt a lot less pleasant.

‘Welcome Ororo! At last you return!’

“The hell?!” grunted Wolverine.

As the X-men reeled from the shock, they watched a strange glowing figure form in front of them. He looked like a ghost or an astral projection, but his presence was definitely felt. As he stepped forth his intimidating appearance came into view. He was tall, oversized male with tan skin, dark eyes, and a very hallow expression. He was wearing what appeared to be a more elaborate version of the Shadow Kings cloaks that the rest of the thieves inside were wearing. It was almost like he was royalty.

As he approached them, Wolverine drew his claws and Rogue and Nightcrawler took on a defensive position. The only one who didn’t look surprised was Storm, who only tensed with anger as she saw him.

Also, as some of you may have noticed, I removed my hit counter from the side bar. It just stopped working so I took it out. That doesn't mean I won't keep track of hits. I'll just be using a different method. The X-men Supreme fanfiction series has come a long ways and I want it to continue growing. So please continue to read and spread the word about X-men Supreme. Moreover, I strongly encourage more feedback both in each individual issue and by contacting me directly. If you have any suggestions for making this site more awesome, please feel free to share them. If you want to contribute something to this site whether it be artwork or stories of your own, let me know and I'll be happy to discuss it. As always, I deeply appreciate those who have supported X-men Supreme from the beginning. Until next time, take care and best wishes! Excelsior!

Jack

X-men Supreme Issue 54: District X Part 3 is LIVE!

The time has come for another important step in the course of the X-men Supreme fanfiction series. Today, the District X arc will come to an end and the world of X-men Supreme will enter a new phase. I know that in the movies and comics, the X-men often play the role of a typical superhero team. There's always that element of fear and hatred from humanity, but it doesn't always manifest in the stories. I know that's not always possible given how the Marvel universe has unfolded. I know it hasn't been possible in the X-men Supreme fanfiction series because there are so many conflicts going on at once. But it's important to remember that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the X-men as an allegory for minorities back in the 60s. That allegory continues to be important and that's what I've tried to capture with District X. Like the race riots of the era, the mutants of District X have risen up to make a stand. That stand was complicated by a killer human/robot interface, but the theme is still there. Now the dust must settle and the impact on humans and mutants alike is ready to begin.
Issue 54: District X Part 3

The end of every arc brings great change and District X is no different. Expect a new wave of stories to unfold in the pages of X-men Supreme. In addition, you can also expect more updates to the pics and bios section. I'm proud to announce that my good friend, Brian Brinlee, has submitted a new piece recently. It's a piece that takes place in Issue 27: Cajun Chaos Part 1 and offers a nice glimpse of Gambit's first entry into the X-men Supreme fanfiction series. It is posted both in the issue and in the Official Panels section. I hope others will follow and please remember I'm always open to taking submissions for new pics. Please contact me if you wish to discuss this further.

 
Once again, I strongly encourage everyone to provide feedback on this latest arc as well as every issue thus far in the X-men Supreme fanfiction series. Feedback is vital to making this fanfiction series the best it can possibly be. I have such big plans ahead for X-men Supreme Volume 3: Ashes of Hope. Those plans will start to come together very soon so any feedback I can get would be deeply appreciated. Until next time, take care and best wishes! Excelsior!

Jack

X-men Supreme Issue 54: District X Part 3 PREVIEW

Whenever I'm close to the end of an important arc in the X-men Supreme fanfiction series, I tend to have all sorts of mixed feelings. The end of every arc is an accomplishment, but at the same time it's also a staging ground for the next big shift in the X-men Supreme mythos. Part of good storytelling involves setting up the stories of the future with the events of the present. The journey the X-men are currently undertaking is long and tedious. It promises to have many twists and turns along the way. The events of District X promise to reverberate in a profound way moving forward. The X-men Supreme fanfiction series is in the midst of various plots, but they are all linked together within a single web. It may seem messy now, but I promise you it's building towards something big! That big moment cannot happen until the District X story is resolved. It is just about complete and as such I've prepared a brief preview here that should offer a hint of what you can expect with this latest installment of X-men Supreme.

“You did good, son. I knew I could count on you to make the right decision,” he told his son.

“Wasn’t too hard,” shrugged Warren, “Creed dug his own grave. I just made sure he fell into it face first.”

“You did more than that. You were smart, cunning, and focused. Yet you never lost sight of your laurels, something I know I lose track of one time too many. You did everything a good business man should do. On top of that, you helped your kind and your family company all at once.”

“Thanks, Dad. But I’m not sure how much this is going to help the company. We did sink quite a bit of resources into Creed’s prototype. I doubt we’ll recover it all in a single lawsuit.”

“Look at it another way,” his father argued, “He developed that technology under the Worthington name. As such, we own the rights. So we can not only sue and cripple the Friends of Humanity. We can make money off the fruits of their labor.”

“In other words we’ll be screwing them over in more ways than one?” laughed Warren, “I doubt the hippies will approve and I’m sure the lawyers will be all for it. But if it hurts the pro-Graydon Creed camp I’m all for it!”

The younger Worthington raised his glass in a toast and finished his champagne. He couldn’t stop smiling as he continued watching the news. But as they savored their victory, the older Worthington’s expression became serious again. He kept watching his son as he laughed and drank. As much as he wanted to celebrate with him, there were other important matters to discuss.

“As glad as I am to see you so upbeat, there are a few serious matters I was hoping to discuss with you, father to son.”

“Can it wait, dad?” groaned Warren, “They’re about to show the clip of Creed getting cuffed again!”

“I’m afraid it can’t,” said the older Worthington as he hit the pause button on his TV much to his son’s dismay.

“Oh come on! They were just getting to the part where his eyes looked like they were about to explode!” Warren complained.

“You can watch it later. We really should talk about what you’ve done here. This is a big deal for us and I’m not just talking about the company or Graydon Creed.”

“Oh…I see,” said the winged mutant, picking up on his father’s undertone, “Were you hoping to make a father/son moment out of this or something? As happy as I am, you can’t expect this to overshadow all the times you’ve messed up.”

“I’m not saying it should. I understand I still have a long ways to go in that respect. But I was hoping this could be the beginning of something new. Not just for us, but for our family as a whole.”

“What are you getting at, dad?”

Warren Jr. rose up and sighed. It was never easy talking to his son about these issues, even when they were both in a good mood. But he may not get another chance like this.

“Son, this whole endeavor to bring you into the company so you could watch over the Friends of Humanity wasn’t just about making amends. There’s another more pragmatic side to it,” the older man said.

“Why am I not surprised?” said Warren dryly, “Is it possible for you to not have ulterior motives for once in your life?”

“I’m sorry, but it goes back to that naïve notion I’ve been holding onto all these years. Even when we were at our most distant, I still have a sincere hope that you will one day take over this company and lead it as my father did before me.”

“You think after just one success like this I want to throw everything away with the X-men and follow in the family business?”

“I’m not asking you to throw anything away, Warren. I don’t want a repeat of what happened with Candy. I’m just leaving it on the table for you. Is it so much to ask that I be able to entertain such hopes?”

Warren looked at his father cynically. He set aside his wine glass and got up as well. He found himself looking away, having seen that desperate gaze in him before. It was usually easy to brush off. After he drove Candy away from him, he swore he would never follow the path laid out for him by his father. But with these recent events, he wasn’t so sure.

“I’m willing to take small steps here,” said the older Worthington, “For now, you can go back to the Xavier Institute and rejoin the X-men. But whenever you’re ready to take the next step, however small it may be, Worthington Industries will be ready for you. I have a number of positions you can take on at a moment’s notice.”

“Not that I’m considering it, but what kind of positions?” asked Warren curiously.

“Important kinds,” his father answered, “All have ties to our mutant research division. I know we have a shaky history in that arena, but we can’t afford to ignore it.”

“That’s going against karma in a big way,” said Warren.

“I know. But consider these recent events. If Graydon Creed didn’t use us to develop his prototype, he would have found someone else. And you never would have been in a position to stop them.”

The winged mutant was silent for a moment. He looked back at the paused image on the TV, which depicted Graydon Creed getting forced into a police car. It was humbling in a ways. Without his family company, this satisfying outcome wouldn’t have been possible.

“The same logic applies to every organization doing mutant research,” his father went on, “If we don’t do it, someone else will. For that very reason, it’s important we stay involved. You’re in a unique position, Warren. You’re the heir to the Worthington fortune. You have the resources to effect great change, almost as much as Charles Xavier. You can be part of this process. One way or another, science and business will find their way into the mutant issue. If you’re part of it, you can see to it that future advancements are for the good of everybody. If not...I suppose that’s a risk you must be willing to take.”

Also, I've been working hard to get my pics section for the Goblin Queen up to date. I know it seems like she's been getting most of the attention lately and there's a reason for that. I had a large number of pics stored before she was introduced into X-men Supreme and it's been tedious getting them all uploaded. Thankfully, I'm almost complete! Soon, the Goblin Queen's section will be up to date and I can dedicate more time to finding pics for other sexy X-women!

The end of the District X arc will lead to some major shifts that will open new conflicts while revisiting old ones. It will also allow me to do some work on the bios. I know I said I've been working on that for a while and I mean it. The first bio I want to post after District X is Alex Summers. I thought about posting it beforehand, but I didn't want to risk any spoilers. I generally try to introduce new characters after their first big arc. Once he's up, I'll see if I can develop other bios from the mutants of District X. The X-men Supreme fanfiction series is a big world and it's only going to get bigger. As always, I strongly encourage everyone to provide feedback by contacting me or posting it on each issue of the series. There's so much more to come so the more feedback you can provide the better! Until next time, take care and best wishes. Excelsior!

Jack

X-men Supreme Issue 53: District X Part 2 is LIVE

It's been a big week for Marvel comics and I hope to add to it with the X-men Supreme fanfiction series. I saw the Avengers movie and it certainly raised the bar for comic books everywhere. I have every intention of trying to meet that bar with X-men Supreme. I don't have Joss Whedon's star power or the resources to make a movie so I have to do the best with what I can offer. Right now, the X-men Supreme fanfiction series is my best contribution to the world of Marvel comics. It may not be much, but I'm making it the best it can be. X-men Supreme is in the midst of a major arc in Volume 3: Ashes of Hope. The X-men have crossed paths with the mutants of District X and it promises to lead to a very public mutant spectacle, not to mention a rather bitter family reunion between Cyclops and his brother. How bad will it get and how will the Friends of Humanity try to exploit it? Well it may not be as big as the final battle in Avengers, but it's here and it promises to make a mark on X-men Supreme.

Issue 53: District X Part 2

Also, I haven't forgotten about the pics section. I still have a number of pics for the Goblin Queen that I haven't gotten around to posting. I managed to get a few more posted this time around. You can check them out in the Goblin Queen section of the sexy X-Ladies area. I've gotten a few questions about the Goblin Queen lately and I just want to say right now that yes, she will show up again. I can't say whether or not it'll be in X-men Supreme Volume 3: Ashes of Hope. That remains to be seen, but for now rest assure there will be some other famous X-women making their debut very soon!

It's a great time to be a Marvel Comics fan. I hope I can continue to add to it with the X-men Supreme fanfiction series. I have some major events planned for X-men Supreme Volume 3: Ashes of Hope. The seeds have already been sewn and if you've been following closely, you'll have some idea of what to expect! Once the District X arc is over, I hope to make a few updates to the bios section. I'm also always open to more contributions to the pics section. If you have anything you would like to submit, contact me and I'll be happy to post it. More importantly, please contact me and let me know what you think of this latest issue and every issue of the X-men Supreme fanfiction series. Feedback is very important and it'll only grow more important as X-men Supreme Volume 3: Ashes of Hope nears it's biggest event to date! Until next time, take care and best wishes! Excelsior!

Jack

X-men Supreme Issue 50: Proposals and Principles is LIVE!

The X-men Supreme fanfiction series has reached a truly momentous event! In the comics industry, a series that lasts for 50 issues is deemed a success by most measures. I know X-men Supreme can't be put into the same category as other Marvel comics, but I've treated this fanfiction series with the same level of scrutiny that I would any comic. I sincerely want X-men Supreme to be every bit as awesome as the mainline comics while also being unique. When I started this fanfiction series two years ago, I had no idea how far it would go. I can say without hesitation that writing X-men Supreme has been a great joy and I'm glad I could make it to 50 issues. And it's an important issue, no less! The events of The Good, The Bad, The Sinister have left their mark. The events preceding it have also left a number of issues unresolved. Well this issue promises to set the tone for the next conflict! With Senator Robert Kelly making his push for the presidency and Professor Charles Xavier looking to forge a new partnership with Lilandara Neramani (a bio should be coming from her soon by the way), there's much at stake for the X-men. You'll see what I mean when you read the new issue!

Issue 50: Proposals and Principles

One aside I was hoping to mention earlier involved comments. I know I make a big deal about asking for comments on each issue of X-men Supreme, but recently I discovered that the comments function I included in each issue has been abused by spammers. I do not appreciate this. I built this site for X-men fans and fans of Marvel comics. Not for spammers to post their coded spam. Anyone who tries to post spam in the comments section will have their IP addresses blocked and their comments will be deleted. If anyone sees such a message in the comments section, please contact me so I can take care of it.

While spammers are not welcome, other comments or feedback for the X-men Supreme fanfiction series is always welcome! Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any feedback or criticism. I'm always willing to make X-men Supreme better so make sure you make your feelings known about this fanfiction series! Until next time, take care and best wishes. Excelsior!

Jack

X-men Supreme Issue 50: Proposals and Principles PREVIEW

The big 50th issue of the X-men Supreme fanfiction series is almost upon us! I'm working hard to make sure this new issue is worthy of such a milestone. After the events of The Good, The Bad, The Sinister I'm looking forward to developing this fanfiction series further. I've brought in some family drama with the introduction of Gabriel Summers and Madelyne Pryor. Well coming up next, I'll be introducing drama that isn't so familial so to speak! Before Sinister injected himself into the X-men's affairs, the political situation surrounding humans and mutants was taking a turn for the worse. Senator Robert Kelly is making a hard push to bring his anti-mutant agenda to the White House. Well in the course of opposing this agenda, the X-men met up with a mysterious woman named Lilandra Neramani who seems to have an interest in peace. She also appears to have a keen interest in Charles Xavier. That interest will take center stage in this latest issue along with a few other lingering dramas. I've prepared an extended preview here to offer a brief taste of what you can expect.

“You got two minutes! Go!” barked Logan.

The four X-men did as they were told, pushing through their fatigue and attacking their respective targets with a fury of well-aimed punches and kicks. The targets lit up as they struck them, adding to their score. Logan went along with it, only his bag was specially made to accommodate his metal bones and deadly claws. He growled angrily as he attacked each target, sounding as though he was getting dangerously close to another berserker rage. It was enough to worry the others, even as they tried to concentrate.

“He’s going to lose it on us!” grunted Kitty as she tried to focus.

“He better not! I’m not calling Xavier back from his date to put him under!” said Bobby.

“Just be ready to run!” grunted Remy as he struck several targets in sequence, “It may get uglier than a corcs ass at any second!”

Bobby, Kitty, Remy, and Kurt kept going until time expired. But even after they were done, Logan kept going. He snarled as he relentlessly pounded the bag, not even aiming for the targets. He wasn’t really training anymore. He was letting out some pent up rage that was fueled by echoes from the past.

In an uncontrolled outburst, Logan drew his claws and relentlessly thrashed the punching bag. With a mere several slashes of his claws, he reduced it to bits of leather and foam. He even trashed the high tech sensors, something Hank worked long and hard to create. Even after there was nothing left, he was still raging. All throughout this angry state, that name kept echoing in his mind.

‘James Howlett.’

He was just a half-step behind another berserker rage. But before he crossed that fragile line, he felt the eyes of his students on him. Bobby, Kitty, Remy, and Kurt were all looking at him nervously, taking a defensive posture in case he attacked them. It was then he realized how far he had gone and quickly pulled himself back.

‘Damn it! I did it again!’

Panting heavily, Logan took deep calming breaths as Jean and the Professor had taught him. The rage was still burning, but he shut it out. Once he collected himself, he withdrew his claws and turned to his teammates. They were still looking at him suspiciously, uncertain if he was going to lash out again.

“You done, homme?” asked Remy, standing defensively ahead of Kurt, Kitty, and Bobby.

Logan’s expression hardened, but he was in control now. This time it was going to stay that way.

“We’re done,” was all he said in response.

While the four X-men let out a sight of relief, Logan stormed off. He hated that he had this rage burning inside him over this one name. He hated even more that he was taking it out on his teammates, the only ones who really gave a damn about him in this world. They didn’t deserve to deal with this. They had enough problems with angry humans, corrupt politicians, and secret aliens. If he couldn’t get it together, then he didn’t belong here.

Watching Logan storm off, the rest of the team took a moment to catch their breath. Logan worked them pretty hard, but it wasn’t just for his amusement. He was dealing with a lot of issues to say the least. Sinister just made it worse.

“Wow, I actually thought he was going to make us do it again,” said Bobby.

“Good thing he didn’t. I don’t think I could have lasted another round,” said Kitty, leaning against the punching bag for support.

“He seems to be getting vorse,” said Kurt in a more concerned tone, “I zhink it’s time ve start vorrying.”

“You mean you ain’t started yet? That homme got more issues than a toothless croc,” scoffed Remy, who was rubbing a very sore shoulder.

“Zhese are issues of a very different kind, Remy,” said Kurt more seriously, “Sinister really left his mark on him. Vhatever he told him, it’s not just affecting him. It’s hurting him. And I don’t know if he can handle it.”

“He just needs some time to cool off. No pun intended,” said Bobby as he wiped the sweat from his face with a towel, “If it gets reakkt bad, someone like Jean or the Professor will help him.”

“If they have time,” said Kurt, “Jean’s been in and out of action vith migraines and zhe Professor has his own priorities vith zhat Lilandra woman.”

“And a beautiful femme always takes priority over a moody Wolverine, non?” commented Remy.

“It’s nothing to joke about! Logan is our friend! Or have you forgotten already, Remy?” said Kurt with a touch of scorn.

The Cajun mutant shifted. Kurt knew how to put him on the spot. He figured he liked to single him out because he was so close to Rogue. But he made a point. Logan was a teammate and Remy was not about to turn his back on a fellow X-man as he once did his fellow thieves.

“He needs zhe support of his friends,” Kurt went on, “Even if it means doing more of zhese drills.”

“If you’re going to go after him, you have our blessings, Kurt,” said Kitty, “But I’m not sure we should start reaching out to him just yet. Bobby’s right. It sounds like he needs to cool off.”

“Wow, you actually admit I’m right,” grinned Bobby, “You feeling okay, Kitty? Maybe you’re the one we should worry about.”

“Don’t let it go to your head,” she chided as she maintained a serious tone, “Seriously, this is Logan we’re talking about. We really don’t understand the first thing about what he’s going through.”

Kurt sighed to himself. Kitty was right. As much as they cared for their teammate, there was no getting around the truth. He was a tormented soul who didn’t even remember where much of that torment came from. No matter how much they worried, there was no working around the overwhelming burden of Logan’s past.

Also, I threw in another extensive update for the pics section. I updated the pics for Goblin Queen, Kitty Pryde, Mystique, Rogue, Storm, Jean Grey, the Scarlet Witch, Cyclops and Jean Grey, and Wolverine and Jean Grey. I know I've put off certain sections while I gather images. Please note that if ever you have any artwork you would like to submit to this website, please contact me and I'll be happy to post it and give you full credit.

As the X-men Supreme fanfiction series approaches the 50th issue, it's more important than ever that I get appropriate feedback for this and other issues that have led up to this point in the series. I've worked long and hard, carrying myself as if Marvel was looking over my shoulder every step of the way. I sincerely want to make this series as awesome as it can be! So please help me boost traffic for this site, which has been stagnant for months now. Please provide feedback so that I can make X-men Supreme the awesome fanfiction series it deserves to be. Until next time, take care and best wishes! Excelsior!

Jack

X-men Supreme Issue 48: The Good, The Bad, The Sinister Part 2 is LIVE!

The world of the X-men Supreme fanfiction series is poised to take a very sinister turn in more ways than one! Two weeks ago, I began a new arc entitled The Good, The Bad, The Sinister. This arc brought Mr. Sinister back into the mix in addition to introducing the X-men Supreme incarnation of Madelyn Pryor, who in this fanfiction series is Jean Grey's deviant cousin. Links to the past and present have been established. Now as this fanfiction series continues, those links will continue to evolve. It all continues in the next issue of this very important arc for X-men Supreme. I worked long and hard on it so I really hope you all enjoy it and take some time to provide feedback for it.

Issue 48: The Good, The Bad, The Sinister Part 2

Now I know I take time out of every update to urge my readers to review my series. And I mean it. I really do want to hear what you all think of X-men Supreme. The traffic and the feedback for this site has been flat or declining. I really want that to change! I work so hard on this fanfiction series and it's really important that I know that people are out there who are as passionate about reading it as I am about writing it. So please contact me or post your comments in each issue. I plan on doing other updates in other parts of the website. Once this arc is over, I'll add some new bios entries. But if anyone has any suggestions for more improvements, I would love to know! I'm willing to post artwork and even other story materials if one is willing to help me with this site! Thank you all and I hope this series continues to grow. Until next time, take care and best wishes. Excelsior!

Jack

X-men Supreme Issue 45: Hearts and Minds is LIVE!

It's time to shake things up in the X-men Supreme fanfiction series and today a new issue will turn the corner on this unique Marvel universe. This website is nearing 17,000 hits and I'm very excited about where this fanfiction series is heading! Part of what has made the X-men compelling since their inception has been their involvement in social issues. It's not enough for them to just be superheroes. There are others like the Avengers and Spider-Man to carry out that role. The X-men have always stood for far more fundemental issues of being different as outcasts of society. My X-men Supreme special Issue 0: Revelation X showed when the X-men accepted this role in X-men Supreme. The first issue of X-men Supreme Volume 3: Ashes of Hope showed just how hostile the world has become to mutants. It's fueling not just tension on Genosha with Magneto. It's also fueling a presidential campaign for Senator Robert Kelly. That campaign takes center stage in this new issue of the X-men Supreme fanfiction series. Hope you enjoy it!

Issue 45: Hearts and Minds

The larger conflicts throughout the world of X-men Supreme will continue to expand. X-men has always involved a wide array of conflicts. They can be the more social aspect of mutants or far more elaborate threats that go beyond mutants. Rest assure, there will be many such threats as this series continues to unfold. For now, it's important that readers provide feedback for this and every other issue of X-men Supreme. Please post it in the comments section for each issue or contact me with your comments. Any feedback is welcome and I'm always happy to discuss the world of X-men. Until next time, take care and best wishes!

Jack

X-Campus #4 - Awesome That's Over Too Soon

So when I first offered my review to the limited X-Campus series I admit I wasn't expecting much. Whenever Marvel churns out these gimmicky minis they're about as hit or miss as a Stevie Wonder at an archery tournament. Most are going to miss and kill a few innocent civilians in the process. But every so often one does hit the target. When I first saw X-Campus it looked too cartoony and too out-there to be anything more than a nice way to kill 12 minutes in between Skinemax marathons. Some have called it a cheap European import, sort of like Mili Vanilli except instead of lip syncing he's ripping off X-men Evolution. However, this is one of those books that takes a premise any half-brained idiot with low quality pot can come up with and makes it awesome. I didn't expect to like the first issue as much as I did. I expected even less to like the second issue. Now I'm all the way at the end and I can safely say that X-Campus has been a rare hit of awesome from the overused bong that is Marvel minis.

The last issue was really what prompted me to review X-Campus #4. The last issue continued the story that began with the first two issues while throwing in a hell of a twist at the end. That twist involved a revelation that Professor Jean Grey (who for the first two issues was more her older, mature, MILF movie version) was actually only a professor of jail bait. She was actually a teenage girl like the rest of the X-characters, who just happened to be parading around as an adult with the help of Professor Xavier. A twist like that is harder to top than Sarah Palin's shopping receipts. But that revelation helped set the stage for this issue because it put the X-men (bearing in mind they're not officially the X-men yet and just a bunch of teenage mutants) in position to uncover some secrets that have been brewing at the Worthington Foundation. Those secrets involve killer robots and mutant domination plots. In other words, it's a standard representation of 80 percent of all Marvel comic book plots. The key for X-Campus #4 is keeping it interesting.

It starts with the subtle approach, taking some of the proto X-men and having them patrol the campus on the look out for the sentinels. Except these aren't those lame, over-sized purple sentinels with a color scheme that would make a gay fashion designer faint. These are are a bit more practical and terrifying, taking on the shape of bugs and creepy crawler knock-offs that test their skills by harassing students that stay out too late. It seems a little underhanded until you take into account it's the perfect way to test these systems covertly because any student out that late at night is either drunk or stoned and would chalk the sighting up to mixing too much tequila with vodka.

These tiny incarnations of the sentinels act as sort of a pre-cursor to the greater plot that's been unfolding with the X-Campus students for the past few issues. These sentinels aren't exactly being built in factories. They're more the Braniac version of the sentinels in the sense that they inject nanomachines into regular humans (college students) and turn them into machine-like drones. In other words, they become part cyborg and part zombie. It takes one awesome concept and mixes it with another to make a new kind of awesome. It's simple, but damn it if it doesn't work nicely. It's a hell of a lot more efficient than building giant humanoids, that's for sure. It leads me to believe that Bolivar Trask in this universe is Japanese.

They pay Professor Magnus (Magneto) a visit to let him know they're onto his little side-projects. He reacts with about as much enthusiasm as Christopher Walken on Botox. He doesn't pick a fight with the X-men just yet. He essentially leaves them to ponder and worry as teenagers are so adept at doing with or without mutant powers. While they keep searching for answers on this techno-zombie hoard menace, they get a visit from someone else who has been habitually fucking with them since the beginning of this series. That's Emma Frost. She's still the preppy bitch in X-Campus (which alone makes her more true to her character than the 616 version at the moment) and she has the audacity to call out Jean Grey, the girl whose cover she blew so that she can't get into a bar anymore or a male strip club.

However, she's not up to her usual trick this time. She's actually trying to be somewhat of a help, which would make her seem somewhat less bitchy even if she's still in another zip code of Matt Fraction's Emma. She reveals that someone else has been developing this sentinel techno-zombie technology. Someone who isn't Magneto and isn't satisfied with Nazi style domination. She acts as a mediator between them and Magnus. It's like the Rebels and the Empire coming together to stop Jabba the Hut. Needless to say, that's a tough sell.

 

So Xavier still agrees to meet with Magnus. He brings Mesmero and Mystique with him. It has a very Bloods vs. Crips atmosphere to it and nobody is too thrilled to be working with each other. But they seem to agree that they would rather not fight a hoard of techno-zombies. These are still teenage X-men and Brotherhood. They're a few years away from that so they have to be pussies to some extent and find a way to stop it. That means breaking into the labs and putting a stop to the Cyberno research that has been developing for the past few issues.

Colossus and Nightcrawler are already a step ahead of the game and enter the lab. They're tasked with pulling the plug on Cyberno. It should be as easy as tripping over it in the dark and blaming poor lighting or inconsiderate roommates. But it's a plan that goes bad faster than a sub-prime mortgage from Bernie Madoff. Cyberno is a high tech piece of equipment. Like Skynet in Terminator, it's going to have defenses and these don't consist of a bunch of naked Arnold Schwarzeneggers.

Mystique and Mesmero soon show up to make good on this whole partnership deal. That's when a not-so-surprising revelation is dropped. Mystique reveals that Nightcrawler is her son. That's about as surprising as the Yankees making the playoffs, but there's another twist thrown into the mix. Remember Bolivar Trask? The other asshole behind the sentinels that was screwing Magneto over? Well he's there, but he's not exactly human anymore. He's pulled the old brain-in-a-jar stunt and actually become Cyberno. I know some people get caught up in their work, but I'm still a long ways away from linking my brain to my X-men Supreme website (not this year anyways).

Not content with just making himself a machine, Trask has done what the entire Department of Education has only dreamed of doing and turned each student within the school into a mindless machine. So instead of giant killer robots, the X-men have to fight their friends and classmates as zombie cyborgs. As much as I love killer robots and all, zombie cyborgs just looks and feels a lot cooler while throwing in that reservation and uncertainty that puts superheroes in such awkward positions. Yet it still makes for some kick ass action scenes that the Resident Evil movies haven't been able to capture despite four lackluster attempts.

The fighting isn't put on an epic scale that you would see in a Michael Bay movie, but what it lacks in mindless explosions it makes up for in the human element. You still get classic moments like Storm making Mother Nature her bitch to fight some zombie sentinels, but you also get the whole conflicted battle mentality. It's not simply a matter of blowing the obstacle up. You've gotta work around the people behind the crazy asshole looking to channel his inner Pol Pot. That helps make up for the lack of scale and ends the first half of the issue with Trask making his typical anti-mutant speech. Even though it sounds like he's reading it off a teleprompter, the fact that he's turning teenagers into zombie cyborgs helps add a bit more punch.

Now like every issue of X-Campus thus far, this issue is double sized with two issues being packed into one. For the first three issues, this usually meant two separate stories that didn't always link up. This one is different. This one is double sized, but the story is essentially a two-part arc. Except you don't have to wait a whole fucking month or two weeks to see it. Given that most fans now a days have the attention span of a flea on crystal meth, that's like being cast in a dick sucking contest for Sweedish supermodels. This issue doesn't miss a beat. As soon as the second part of the story begins, it's quick and seamless. Like the previously mentioned dick-sucking contest it continues as if it never stopped.

Trask's zombie cyborgs have both sides on the ropes. Then Nightcrawler is the one that steps it up, channeling his inner John Conner and teleporting him and Colossus out of the lab. He makes it a point to promise his mother, Mystique, that he would come back for her. Now this is somewhat strange because it's not clear if Nightcrawler knew beforehand that Mystique was his mother or if there was some sort of reaction. It's one of those little things that's overlooked, but when there are zombie cyborgs attacking it's understandable that such revelations would fall to the wayside.

Nightcrawler and Colossus's presence offer some much needed back up to the rest of the X-men. They start turning the tide with Rogue and Colossus acting as the heavy hitters along with Blob while Wolverine shows he's just as deadly as a punk teenager as he is a miserable asshole drunk adult. Even Warren, who has been keeping his wings concealed to this point makes a contribution. He rescues Nightcrawler so he can get in the action as well. He doesn't do much fighting. Wings aren't very useful as weapons, but at least he does something. His name is still on the school building so he can't feel too bad.

Once the tide turns, the zombie cyborgs of Trask's sentinel army retreat back into the school. Rather than follow them, Magnus uses this opportunity to become a total asshole again and break the truce. His solution is simple. Use his powers to basically level the school, destroying Cyberno and killing everyone inside it including the unwitting students whose only crime was not having a mutant power with which to defeat killer robots. This is definitely the Magneto we know and love, not the pussy who basically goes along with Cyclops now in 616. It doesn't even bother him that Mystique is still inside. He even hits Nightcrawler when he tries to stop him. That alone makes him the epic douche bag he's supposed to be and sets up for the long expected clash between the X-men and the Brotherhood. For old school X-men fans, this is like your favorite stripper offering you a free lap dance.

Unfortunately, that fight doesn't happen. Cooler heads do prevail. Xavier convinces him to avoid the whole mass killing part of his plan, instead opting for an electromagnetic blast that shorts out all the zombie cyborgs. It's like that favorite stripper I mentioned earlier suddenly asking for 100 bucks. I know many would have preferred an X-men vs. Brotherhood fight, but that would leave too little room with which to fight Cyberno. Since the book is running out of ink, they have to go with the indirect approach.

While this makes getting to Cyberno a lot easier, it also gives Magnus time to go over his whole "mutants are superior" shit and "we should join forces and take over the world" crap. Now for most teenagers who already think they rule the world, that's sort of a redundant speech to make. But it doesn't stop Magnus from being like Brett Favre and Ben Rothlesburger are to women and not take no for an answer. Before they can even get to Cyberno, he turns on the X-men. So it appears we'll get the classic X-men vs. Magneto fight after all, meaning that stripper bumped the price of that lap dance to a discount.

Here's where another twist enters the fray. Magnus tears into the X-men with his powers, going all out with his powers to take them down. And for a moment it looks like he wins. The X-men hardly put up a fight. However, that's not exactly what happens. You see, Magnus only thinks he's beating down on the X-men the same way Ike Turner beat down on Tina. In reality, Professor Xavier jacked his mind before he got past the "Let's take over the world" speech. He essentially did the dirty work and before he can screw Xavier over, he gets the better of him. It's not a Lost style mind-bending twist, but it's still damn good way to win a fight and it shows that Xavier can be pretty damn cunning for a guy in a wheelchair. In that sense he's like Stephen Hawkings if he could do kung fu.

This leaves the X-men free to journey into the lab and take down Cyberno. With no zombie cyborgs protecting him, Trask has to face fend for himself. He's surprisingly prepared because it looks like he saw War of the Worlds (the non-Tom Cruise version) and ensures his brain is in fighting condition via a Doctor Octopus spider monster. It's not a terribly original, but it's pretty damn effective. The man made a bunch of teenagers his zombie cyborg minions. He deserves somewhat of a pass for making a brain powered robot that looks like a knock-off of no fewer than 29 B-rated sci fi movies.

There is some heart thrust into this seemingly bland robot fight. Trask still has Mystique in his clutches and uses her the same way the Taliban uses their women, as cannon fodder and human shields. Trask does his typical boasting, but that doesn't stop the X-men from attacking. Nightcrawler isn't there to hold them back so Rogue makes the move to attack Trask's little brain bot, which frees Mystique but not in a very gentle way.

It's bad for Mystique, but bad for Trask as well. There's one last touching moment for Mystique, who passes on her memories to Rogue now that she's absorbed her. She becomes quite possibly the least spiteful Mystique in X-men and she goes out in a way that's somewhat heroic. Rogue, who may have been overly brash in attacking, has the sense to take on Mystique's form when she finishes the job against Trask. With help from the rest of the X-men, they make quick work of Trask. Again, it's not a terribly epic fight. This series has not really been keen on making the kind of epic fights that X-men are supposed to have. These are teenage versions of the X-men and they're not wearing uniforms so you wouldn't exactly expect it that way. It still seems unrefined, but satisfying none-the-less. It's like watching a firecracker blow up an aunt hill. Napalm would have been more awesome, but a firecracker still gets the job done.

So Trask is defeated. The X-men are triumphant. There are some casualties and some damage to the school that will make the insurance companies shit their pants. It's basically par for the course for the X-men. There's a nice moment with Rogue and Kurt as Rogue explains why Mystique got involved with Magnus and Trask. In the end she still loved him. She only helped Trask because she wanted to find her son. She did, but in the end Trask still fucked her up and Rogue managed to obtain all the memories with which he can share with him now. So it's a nice touch of emotion to go along with the triumph. It's like a gram of coke atop a bag of weed. It adds an extra touch to an already great experience.

Now that the killer brain is gone and Magnus has taken a 'leave of absence' as it were, the X-men of the X-Campus start anew. Xavier becomes the new director of the Worthington Foundation, the zombie cyborgs are cured of their condition and have no memory of their zombie badassery (which most will probably chalked up to some bad shrooms), and the X-men are now their own social click within a school. In a world where the difference between school being an ass-raping prison and a quality experience for growing teenage minds is simply having a click, it's as fitting an ending as anyone could hope for. It's actually a happy ending, something few comic books have had since the 1960s. There may be a few douche-bags out there who think a happy ending outside an Asian massage parlor is lame, but some people actually like finishing a comic book with a smile. There's actually something charming about a book that ends on a high note. Since X-Campus is a limited series, a happy ending means it can end without any loose ends. At a time when no comic company can resist leaving shit open for a sequel, this is like a unicorn fucking an elf. It's such a joy to see (in a non-bestiality way of course).

So that's it! X-Campus is over. The little mini that could has finished and in only four short (but double sized) issues, it has told a story about an entirely alternate X-men universe that is compelling, charming, and enjoyable. You get the sense that if X-men Evolution wasn't a cartoon, this is the secondary form it would take. The idea of the X-men being teenagers in a school is not new, but it's still a good idea and X-Campus does it as well as X-fans could possibly hope.

Now as I've already pointed out, this series is lacking in a few areas. There aren't the epic battles that one would associate with the X-men. Even X-men Evolution had a bigger scale than this. Hell, they had episodes with giant robots fighting mutants in the middle of downtown Manhattan. This series took place almost entirely on a school campus and was largely contained. So there isn't much of an awe factor. And because there were only four issues, the characters really didn't get much of a chance to develop. Aside from Rogue and Nightcrawler, there wasn't much of a personal touch. There wasn't even any romance or love triangles. If this series were longer there would have been plenty of time to develop it. Sadly, X-Campus was limited by it's scope.

Even so, this series has been a real treat and right in time for Halloween no less! X-Campus #4 is the perfect ending to a perfect little mini that really stands out among a vast sea of X-books that don't offer a viable alternative to the current status quo. With X-men Forever sucking more with each issue and Ultimate X-men utterly destroyed, X-Campus outshines them all with it's awesomeness. So for this final issue I give X-Campus a much deserved 5 out of 5. If you're an X-fan and looking for something different, this is your book! Marvel doesn't come out with shit like this often so enjoy it! Nuff said.

X-Campus #3 - Twists of Awesome

I know there are some big name books coming out this week. There's X-Force" Sex and Violence and X-men #3 (the new one and not the Claremont/Byrne one), two books who by most measures are more pressing on the minds of X-men fans other than trivial things like food, water, and air. You know, shit that's overrated. However, in addition to those titles which I'm sure are awesome in their own right, the X-Campus series released the third part in it's limited four issue series. Now I've reviewed the previous two issues and given them high marks. This series has done more than simply tempt fans into forking over more of their hard earned money. It's flown under the radar in terms of quality and novelty. It's taken the concept of X-men Evolution and given it a new twist with some European style (it doesn't involve as much tits as we've come to expect from across the pond, but still with pretty decent awesome). It hasn't just told the story of teenage X-men. It's presented a viable and engaging alternative that shows the X-men coming together along with the Brotherhood in a way that's nicely done and well-developed. It could very well be it's own cartoon series and hopefully one that won't get fucking canceled after only 26 episodes (if that was too subtle, fuck the assholes who canceled Wolverine and the X-men!).

Since this series is a mini, it's been somewhat limited. However, the quality comes in the package. Each book isn't just one issue technically. It comprises of two issues, which offers more story and more bang for the buck. This style has been like icing on top of the line of cocaine on a strippers ass. It's like a bonus, but this bonus feeds into the stories. Each story moves the premise of the series further. It started with a teenage version of Rogue being recruited to the Worthington Academy. It is here were teenage versions of the X-men (minus an adult Jean Grey) attend class like regular students who just happened to have superpowers beyond what raging teenage hormones give them. From this story Charles Xavier and a rival professor named Magnus (Magneto for all those not up to speed on the many codenames X-men has thrown around) have been quietly assembling a team of mutants to train. Xavier has more peaceful purposes in mind while Magnus has been quietly working on some dirty laundry that doesn't involve getting the hooker stench out of underwear. They've been building their forces for the last two issues and the third issue continues that story while setting the stage for a much bigger confrontation.

In the previous issue it was Nightcrawler who was the target. I suppose each team needs a mascot and Nightcrawler always has been his own spectacle. This time they're looking for more strength than style. So they look up a young yet still badass version of Colossus. Here he's much like his Ultimate version (although it's not clear if he's gay just yet). His name is Peter Rasputin and he's a super-strong if not mild mannered badass who works for some enterprising Russian gangsters. He doesn't come off as the mean Tony Soprano type gangster, but since gangster is still the most lucrative job in Russia it's right up his alley and he uses his powers well. Probably too well for that matter because Blob and Toad are staking him out like he's the window into a girl's locker room at a supermodel agency. It's not quite as perverted as one may expect, but remember these are teenagers. Everything they do has some levels of perversion in it.

The next scene isn't quite as ominous. In every issue of X-Campus thus far it details some levels of teenage slapstick that one would find in pretty much every teen movie ever made. Only this one has mutants involved. It shows some of the X-men in gym class (which for some will bring back horrible memories of rope burns and wedgies) and a couple of typical teenage douche-bags messing with Rogue. It's not as creative as the douche-bags in my old school. All they do is throw a basketball at her butt. As a guy who witnessed pants being pulled down, tampons being used as weapons of mass humiliation, and porn being shoved in less than appropriate areas it's very underwhelming. But it gives Rogue a chance to remind readers that in the last issue she tangoed with the X-Campus version of Juggernaut and got a touch of strength in the process. It puts her in a position to show up the arrogant pricks messing with her and should bring a tear to the eye of anybody who ever endured bullying. Excuse me, I just teared up a little.

Rogue isn't the only one showing off her new skills. Nightcrawler is now part of the school and like his X-men Evolution version, he's wearing an image inducer to hide his appearance. He doesn't look all that similar to the human form he showed in that series. He actually looks more like a younger version of Brad Pitt. And who could blame him? If anyone could pick their appearance, why not look like someone who gets more panties wet than a washing machine?

However, his looks aren't the main topic of discussion. Xavier had him investigate the office of a guy named Bolivar Trask, who is supposed to be a professor at the school. What class he teaches isn't clear, but he's Bolivar Trask so any X-fans should know that means trouble. Nightcrawler details how he 'casually stumbled' into his office and found a secret keycard leading to a special elevator. It's like those rumors of a secret basement in a school that contains a pool, a strip club, and various piles of blow that all students fantasize about. Only this one is real, minus the pools, blow, and strippers of course. Nightcrawler investigates the area, which turns out to be some sort of fancy sub-level. He then discovers that Trask is an idiot when it comes to password protecting his computers because he punches in the number on the keycard and it gives him access. It's like using your address as a combination. It's fucking stupid.

So Nightcrawler shows his worth. He helps pay Xavier back by spying on a guy he thinks is up to no good. Frankly, it may have been easier just to catch Trask with a hooker, but I guess this works as well. But it's not over for Nightcrawler when he leaves the office. He bumps right into Rogue and screws up his image inducer, which happened plenty of times in X-men Evolution. They end up having to hide while class lets out and everybody starts screaming like Justin Bieber fans. As if their luck wasn't fucked up enough, they end up slipping into the principal's office. Now this would seem bad enough, but there's a twist here. The principle in X-Campus is none other than Mystique and both Nightcrawler and Rogue see this when she returns to her true form. This would have made for a powerful moment, but nobody says anything and nothing happens. All they do is just stand there with their jaws on the floor while Mystique doesn't notice them. It seems unnecessary, but that all depends on whether or not Mystique will have any family ties to them as she does in the comics. Since X-Campus has so many twists, that's up in the air and no real hints are given here. It just seems like an unnecessary scene.

A more meaningful scene takes place next when Xavier and his prized mutant students meet at the gazebo they met at in the previous issue and learn of what was on that data Nightcrawler uncovered. This is where X-Campus doesn't necessarily distinguish itself too much from the other books. It essentially reveals that Xavier's rival, Professor Magnus, is preparing for a war between humans and mutants. Anyone who knows anything about the X-men comics will yawn at this revelation. Other revelations are a bit more meaningful. Apparently, Magnus is carrying out this plot under Warren's father's nose by keeping him mind controlled through Mastermind. He's also using a device called Cyberno, a less sexier version of Cerebro, to track mutants by tracing mutant brain waves. Among the latest brain waves to be scanned are none other than a guy who made an appearance earlier, Peter Rasputin.

As expected, Magnus's goons are already meeting up with Peter. He works at an auto garage as a cover, sort of like how Al Capone was officially a used furniture salesman who just happened to have a hundred million dollars. Toad, Blob, and Mastermind show up with pictures showing them roughing up Peter's uncle in order to set him free as they say in Russian. Of course, free is a relative term in Russia and Peter doesn't take too kindly to such tactics. I'm not sure what the Brotherhood was looking to get from a Russian gangster, but they look way more surprised than they should be.

Even so, Peter gets outmatched by Blob. It's three on one and when one of those three has super strength as well, it's not a fair fight. Thankfully, this is when the X-men show up to even the odds. But they aren't exactly even. Now they outnumber the Brotherhood and the fight that ensues really isn't all that even. In fact, the Brotherhood are readily handled and it's not even that elaborate. Cyclops and Wolverine don't even use their powers at one point. Within a page it's over and the Brotherhood is running away. It's a pretty underwhelming fight to say the least.

Underwhelming or not, the struggle does continue for a bit after. Peter doesn't take too kindly to all this commotion and tries to throw the nearest heavy object at the X-men. This doesn't do much because Rogue still has Juggernaut strength and she catches it as if he tossed her softball. This surprises Peter and saves the X-men the trouble of explaining who and what they are. They go onto offer Peter the same opportunity they were given and Peter's response is entirely appropriate. "You're not scientologists are you?" Classic! That line makes the whole issue.

So Peter Rasputin joins and the ranks of the X-men continue to grow. It's a nice ending to the first part of the comic. Now Xavier has a former Russian gangster on his team. Not sure if he's supposed to feel confident or not, but a win is a win. He's still not satisfied though anymore than a football team is satisfied with a win in the preseason. He also drops a hint that there was more in that data than he told his X-men and that Trask was working on something bigger than Cyberno. If the word Sentinel didn't come to mind, then someone needs to get in touch with their inner Google because that shit should be obvious for all X-fans.

As with the previous two issues of X-Campus, the book is only halfway done at this point. There's a whole other story in this double sized issue. It's a great format for a book like this because Marvel could have easily been greedy and just split the books up in hopes of more money. But surprisingly, they didn't. They kept the books together. It may just be to save them the cost of ink, but whatever the reason it's a great bonus because it keeps moving the story along without having to wait another agonizing month for the next part.

The next part starts off on a train with Rogue. Apparently, something happened off panel (or the writer watched the first X-men movie while writing this) and Rogue left the academy. She's now on a train heading back home and it's not entirely clear why. Either someone posted pictures around the school of her going down on a horse or she's being mind controlled. In the real world the former is more likely, but the inner monologues just drone on about how she doesn't want to hurt anybody and how she has the curse of Cain Marko in her now that she's absorbed the strength. It's a painfully weak portrayal of Rogue's character, but there's a full comic ahead to explain this shit so it's worth giving a chance.

It doesn't take long for some explanation to be offered. More appears to have happened off panel than Rogue leaving. Jean and Ororo are both already on the train looking for Rogue. Now how they got there is really not clear. Did they fly in? Did they board the train Mission Impossible style? It would have made for an awesome scene, but I suppose the writer wanted to leave it to the reader's imagination. That's always dangerous because most male readers will just picture the same thing, only with the women being naked and occasionally going at it with some hot lesbo action. Whatever the perverse fantasy, Emma and a teenage Sebastian Shaw show up and are on the train as well. They haven't been involved since the first issue so it's nice to see them up to their old tricks again, even if they try to make it sound more ominous than it really is.

The next scene is a flashback, one that hopefully will fill in the blanks. It doesn't seem to do much filling at first. It has Warren Worthington (remember, in this universe the school is called the Worthington Foundation so it's kind of a big deal) showing Professor Xavier that he has a power now. He has wings. It's not too surprising, but seeing as how Warren's family has a much bigger role in this series it opens the door to some different plots. Warren is understandably freaked out. It's not every day new limbs appear out of nowhere and this can't be good for his inheritance prospects. Lord knows he can't make nearly as much money as an angel as he can a mortal billionaire. What does that say about Heaven?

Thankfully, Xavier doesn't have to listen to Warren's bitching for too much. Nightcrawler comes in and says there's a problem in the computer lab. Donald Pierce, who also hasn't shown up in a while, attacked Hank and not simply because he's such an asshole. Teenage Pierce is just as bad as adult Pierce and that should come as no surprise. Except this time it may not have been out of sheer douchiness. Pierce is a cyborg in this universe just as he is in the other comics. Only this time the implants are courtesy of Bolivar Trask. If you remember a few pages ago, Xavier uncovered some data from Trask's computers. It was Hank's job to decrypt it and in doing so, it triggered a fail-safe that had Pierce go Manchurian Candidate on Hank. Lucky for him, Bobby stopped by and put him on ice (bad pun totally intended). Cut me some slack, this comic isn't giving me a lot of room to make dick, poop, drug, and stripper jokes.

Since Pierce is down for the count and the fail safe you know...failed, the work continued on decoding the data. But then the plot takes another random turn and it's discovered by Ororo that Rogue has up and left. Again, not much detail is offered into her departure. After the events of the previous story, there aren't really any clues that she was thinking about leaving. She just did. It could have been a totally worthless plot point, but there is an extra complication thrown in when Professor Magnus (Magneto again for those not keeping up) finds out from Emma.

So we return to the present without any of the explanations we hoped for. If your spirit feels a little betrayed, don't worry. That's normal. Explanation or not, the action does pick up. Emma Frost, who was on the train with Shaw at the beginning of the issue, decides to play a trick that's almost the cruelest a teenage girl can play on another human being (she's still an amateur compared to some the bitches from my old high school). She calls the police and says there are four girls on the train with weapons. Since we're assuming this series takes place after the events of 9/11, the reaction is what you would expect from the government and that's completely unnecessarily excessive.

On the plus side if you can call it that, they do find Rogue. She actually fell asleep only to wake up to find herself surrounded by guns. Since she's a bit more aggressive than Jean and Ororo, she takes them out with her special touch (admit it, that's a much better pun) and catches up with Jean and Ororo. It looks like this is just a matter of clearing up some confusion. Then we're reminded that this is Emma Frost guiding this little prank and she never does anything halfway. While still not in the same league as the girls from my old high school, she inches just a wee bit closer by using her telepathy to take over Ororo's mind and have her throw a teenage hissy fit in a confined area. It's quite possibly the deadliest weapon any terrorist could ever hope to unleash.

What happens next is a classic telepathic smack down between Jean and Emma and this time it isn't even over who's fucking who's man. It should bring a smile to all those who got high off of the psychic spats Grant Morrison put together in his run, even if this incarnation is a over a lot sooner. Even so, Jean still ends up winning. It further proves the point that redheads beat hot blonds no matter what the game, even if blonds are more fuckable.

While Jean does win the battle, in the process it reveals the biggest twist of the X-Campus series to date. Apparently, Trask and Magnus aren't the only one keeping secrets. Early on in the series, one of the major twists was that Jean Grey wasn't a teenager in this. She's an adult who happens to be Xavier's assistant. It's not entirely a product of a bad LSD trip. The older and more mature Jean Grey was well established in the X-men movies, thanks in large part to the bonerific performance of Xania Onotop herself, Femke Jennsen. No one had any reason to call this twist weird and most were probably okay with accepting it. Then in the span of a page that all changes.

Apparently, Jean Grey wasn't as mature as she let on. When Emma Frost clashed with her mind, she undid a telepathic illusion that had been hiding the fact that Jean Grey wasn't a hot cougar psychic. In reality she's actually jail bait. Like most every other X-character, she's just a teenager and not a bad looking one either! It's a truly awesome surprise. If anyone says they saw it coming, assume they're either high or just lying through their fucking tooth.

It makes for a very awkward yet very awesome moment. Then everybody remembers they still have a fucking SWAT team bearing down on them. The explanation for Jean has to wait and Ororo pulls off another hissy fit, this time one that's a bit more controlled (at least as controlled as a teenage girl can get). More movie references are made as three tornadoes engulf the area and fuck up the government's operation. Liberal douches should be having heart attacks while conservative right-wingers should be getting boners. It makes for an iconic escape and a nice finish to the conflict.

So Rogue returns to the academy and so does teenage Jean. The boys are understandably shocked/intrigued. If any of them had a cougar fetish, they're fucked. But a hot teenage girl is certainly nothing to scoff at. The explanation is pretty standard. Jean used her powerful telepathy to make sure everybody saw only what they wanted her to see. There wasn't much explanation on how the school would get around Dr. Grey mysteriously disappearing and a teenager who looks like her and has the exact same name just happens to enter. Either they'll need to use even more telepathy or someone is going to have to call up the mob to get some fake paperwork. Since Peter joined in the last story, neither is completely out of the question.

In addition there are some hints that Logan and Scott are quite thrilled to see Jean as a teenager. Logan makes a comment about how she's a looker and Scott indirectly implies he feels the same by being a bit of a jerk. It sets the stage for what may be a teenage version of the classic Scott/Jean/Logan triangle. Since there's only one issue left that would be a perfect cap to what has been a unique and stellar series. But for now, everyone seems content with a younger Jean Grey and Rogue coming to her senses.

It's an interesting and fitting way for the book to end. While the two stories may not have flowed very well together, they were both compelling in their own right. Peter's first appearance and the revelation about Jean were both very nicely done. The twist and surprises in this issue alone makes it the best thus far in this young and short mini. There's still the issue of Rogue and why she ended up leaving out of the blue. There's also the plot with Warren, which was never really addressed after being revealed. Not every loose end was tied up, but with one issue left there's still time to bring it all together. There's a lot to enjoy here and not just because the book is twice the size of a normal X-book. There is actually some quality to be found beneath the whole gimmick of the X-men being teenagers. It may still sound like a half-hearted concept from someone at Marvel who watched too many John Huges movies. But it still works and this issue really moves things forward, getting a brief entry into the greater mutants/humans conflict while keeping with the same teenage conflicts that add to the appeal.

So far X-Campus has been one of the most surprising minis in a long time. It's no Ultimate style alternative nor is it some X-men Forever derivative. For one, it's a lot better done than X-men Forever and hasn't been destroyed by Jeph Loeb like Ultimate was. It's still something that mostly X-men Evolution fans would really enjoy the most, but there's something for all the hardcore X-fans in this. X-Campus #3 continued to develop the story that began with the first issue and sets the stage nicely for the final issue. This along with the twist involving Jean Grey make this issue the best thus far. So it earns a solid 4.5 out of 5. With the final issue, we'll know for sure if this mini deserves a special place in the annuls of X-men minis. So long as someone working on this title doesn't go on a one month cocaine bender, there's no reason why it shouldn't be great. Nuff said.