X-men Supreme Reflections: Lorna Dane PREVIEW and New Commission

The X-men Supreme fanfiction series has been unfolding since January 1, 2010, and in that time it has had its share of tragedies. Throughout the X-men mythos, there are many characters who are defined by the tragedies that have shaped their lives and their character. Some of the most famous stories in the history of X-men, such as the Phoenix Saga, are built on tragedies. Some of the most famous characters in all of comics, from Batman to Spider-Man, are shaped by tragedy. There are times I feel that too much weight is given to tragedy when developing a character, but the very nature of tragedy makes it difficult to get around. It will always have a profound influence of sorts. And few characters in X-men Supreme have been more defined by tragedy than Lorna Dane.

When I first introduced her, she was merely Iceman's love interest, a cute teenage girl with green hair who just happened to have mutant powers similar to Magneto's. Naturally, I didn't beat around the bush with her origins. I made revealed early on that Polaris is Magneto's daughter and the half-sister to Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. But I didn't want that to be the most defining aspect of her character. I wanted her to have a different motivation in this fanfiction series. That's what led me to develop the story around her mother's illness and her subsequent death. This tragedy, which became part of the emotional upheaval at the end of the Overlord arc, is what put Polaris on her current path. She is part of the Brotherhood of Mutants and served as an emotional anchor for Magneto up until the events of the Cambrian. This role and everything that led to it is full of so much emotion and loss, which is why I've made her the next subject of X-men Supreme Reflections.

There's a lot to explore with Polaris. In many ways, she has undergone the most emotional strain of any character since the beginning of this fanfiction series. So much of her life has been disrupted by forces beyond her control. Yet she didn't lose herself or make excuses. I think that's a big reason why she can reach someone like Magneto when nobody else can. Now in wake of the events of X-men Supreme Volume 4: Politics of Fear, she has to deal with a tragedy of another kind. As hard as she tried to save her father, she couldn't stop him. The reason she left her old life behind is now gone. So what does that mean for her in the future of the X-men Supreme fanfiction series? That's something that will factor heavily into her reflection. I've prepared a preview that should offer some insight into the world of Lorna Dane in X-men Supreme.

As I entered my teen years my mom did step back a little so I could grow. I’m not sure if this was her choice either. She had been dealing with some health issues that I thought were just minor at the time. I had no idea it was so much worse than that. How could I when my own body seemed to be turning against me?

Being in an overprotective environment, I lacked the social skills most kids my age had. By the time I was 15 and entered high school, I was so far behind that I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed. That’s not a good environment to be in when you have latent mutant powers. It was only a matter of time before they flared up. I wish I could say it happened during something traumatic or terrifying. That seems to be the case with a lot of other mutants. Not me though. My powers first showed up during an stupid Algebra exam.

It wasn’t some test that would have determined my future. It was just a test I didn’t study enough for. I came in knowing I was behind and really stressing since it was close to midterms. I tried to stay calm, but then I actually saw the test and it all went downhill from there. I was so paralyzed I began to hyperventilate. My palms got sweaty and my head started throbbing. At first it felt like a migraine. It was like there was this pressure around me pushing down on me and I didn’t know how to push back. It got worse and worse with each passing moment. I was so frustrated I didn’t notice that all the metal in the room started shaking.

Eventually, the pressure was bearing down on me so badly I had to push back. And by push, I mean I clenched my fists and outright shoved. When I did, all the metal that had been vibrating literally flung itself across the room. Since everybody’s chairs were made of metal, it caught them all by surprise. The whole room turned into a scene from a ghost movie and the only one not terrified was me. When it was all over with the metal from the chairs, pens, and paperclips had converged in the center of the room right in front of me into this twisted metal ball. It was at that point it finally dawned on me. I was the one doing this. That pressure I felt wasn’t a migraine. It was my powers.

It was probably the most confused and frightened I had ever been. It could have been a lot worse if someone knew it was me, but nobody managed to connect the dots. As far as they were concerned, this was just one of those bizarre events that couldn’t be explained. The only positive that came out of it was that the exam was canceled and I would get to retake it. But grades were the last thing on my mind. I had a much bigger problem to stress over.

When I got home that day, I locked myself in my room and curled up on my bed. My mom was still at work and I had no one else to turn to. I must have laid still in a fetal position for a full hour. The whole time I kept feeling that same pressure. I didn’t know what to make of it and I kept praying that it would go away. When I finally accepted that this thing wasn’t going anywhere, I stood up and confronted it. I tried to be brave for once. That same adventurous spirit I had back in Paris that day hadn’t completely left me. I’m glad because I needed it to get a grip on myself.

For the next few hours I experimented. I figured out that by pushing and pulling on this pressure I could make metal move. It wasn’t all that coordinated at first, but it was a start. When it erased my ipod I figured out that this was some kind of magnetism. A few internet searches later and I was convinced. I was a mutant. I didn’t know how to take that. All about mutants at the time was that they were a hot button issue. People were really afraid of them and after what happened at school, I couldn’t blame them.

When my mom got home that day, I told her everything. I figured this wasn’t something I could keep from her and that she would be loving and understanding like she always was. That was another bad assumption on my part. When she saw what I could do, I could literally see all the color in her face disappeared. It was like she saw Jesus himself. I don’t think she said a word for a full ten minutes. She just stood there, her hand over her mouth gasping.

At first I was really worried. Was she really that disgusted with me? Was me being a mutant going to destroy our family? All sorts of dire outcomes went through my mind. My fears were somewhat laid to rest when my mom finally threw her arms around me and hugged me like she always did. That made everything a bit better. She also started sobbing uncontrollably.

“My little miracle…my special little girl.”

Again, I didn’t understand and I didn’t care to. I know now that my mom figured out the truth long before I did. I could have probed deeper. It would have been the perfect time to ask all these burning questions about who I was and where I came from. I’m pretty sure my mom would have told me the truth as well. I could have learned that Magneto was that father that day. My mother didn’t lie to me. I just never demanded the truth. I was comfortable not knowing…too comfortable.

I also have a quick update for the pics section. In the nearly five years since the X-men Supreme fanfiction series began, I've made a few friends. Some of them are generous enough to provide the feedback I ask for every week. One of them, Callum, was dedicated enough to submit some fanart that I proudly added to the pics section. Thank you, Callum! And as always, anyone out there who wishes to submit artwork and receive my undying praise, please contact me.

X-men Supreme Official Panels

Like every character in X-men Supreme, I've tried to treat Polaris with the utmost care. That has involved changing a number of things about her history and giving her roles that she has never had in the comics or cartoons. But I always strive to ensure that a character remains true to their core. Polaris might not be on the same level as Wolverine or even the Scarlet Witch, but she has a place in the X-men Supreme fanfiction series and it's important that I ensure this place works. So please, whether you’re a Polaris fan or not, take the time to provide feedback so that I know I'm doing her justice. Either post it in the comments section or contact me directly and send it. I'm always happy to chat X-men and story development. Until next time, take care and best wishes. Excelsior!

Jack

Scanned Thoughts: Amazing X-men #7

Some crossover stories have become so ingrained that we don’t even think of them as crossovers anymore. It’s like chocolate and peanut butter, bacon and whiskey, or tits and ass. To have one without the other simply defies logic. That’s why the idea of Spider-Man teaming up with the X-men barely qualifies as a crossover in the same way the Kardashians barely qualify as being celebrities. He has been teaming up with the X-men for so long that I’m amazed he hasn’t crashed in their mansion more often. So I’m not going to call this latest Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends retread. I’m less excited about this involving Spider-Man as I am about this being the return of Craig Kyle and Chris Yost, the Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg of X-men comics. They’ve taken over Amazing X-men while Jason Aaron takes his magical beard to write Original Sin. Amazing X-men #7 is their first issue back and they’ve decided to start simple, using one of the most common crossovers the X-men have done that doesn’t involve Wolverine getting drunk with Thor. With Nightcrawler coming back from the dead and Wolverine about to be dead for a while, I’m okay with keeping it simple.

And in that respect, it’s hard to get simpler than just going out for groceries. It’s one of those mundane tasks that doesn’t involve giant robots so it’s rarely subject to a story. Yet Iceman and Firestar find a way to make it interesting and they do it without the aid of a killer robot. They’re on what Iceman calls a “snack run,” which I think is code for, “We were too busy fighting giant robots and evil X-men from the future to get basic supplies.” They have some nice exchanges, but it’s not exactly the same flirtatious exchange they had in the first arc. For whatever reason, that has been glossed over. That’s too bad because if there’s one thing the X-men comics need, it’s another love affair with a pretty redhead.

They get outside. Iceman even throws in an indirect dick joke about which part of his body he provides ice from. He and Firestar are still annoying each other to a point where it’s hard to imagine there was any flirtatious undertone between them. But that might be for the best because something fucked up finally happens to ruin this otherwise mundane moment. It happens in this unexplained bright flash. And no, it’s not a killer robot or the Phoenix Force. It’s a baby.

Now a baby might sound like the least threating thing to ever come from some unexplained flash. But considering how the last time a baby appeared under mysterious circumstances led to the creation of Hope fucking Summers, I would prefer more killer robots. Hell, I would prefer another attack from Toad over another Hope fucking Summers. Marvel must have shitty child care services because they are very anti-baby. While Firestar’s motherly instincts kick in, it doesn’t take long for the baby to attract trouble.

Again, it’s not a killer robot. It’s the Amazing Spider-Man. He’s no longer the Superior Spider-Man. He even tries to apologize for it, but he still acts like a dick because he demands that they fork over the baby as if it had the keys to Emma Frost’s panties or Wolverine’s whiskey stash. Firestar and Iceman are obviously confused and a little suspicious. Spider-Man doesn’t even let them try to do the responsible thing and report the baby to Social Services where, hopefully, it can be adopted by Angelina Jolie. He’s a lot more serious than usual, not making jokes or wise-cracks. Either this baby has just shot his Aunt May or Mephisto sent it to fuck with him.

In the end, he doesn’t have to explain himself. The baby, channeling its inner Hope fucking Summers, reveals that it isn’t a normal baby. It isn’t even a human baby. It’s a baby/bat/demon/I-have-no-fucking-idea. It attacked Iceman and gave off another one of those ominous flashes. As if babies weren’t terrifying enough, this one has wings and cries acid. It sounds like the kind of baby that should be incorporated into a Sex Ed class. Any teenage boy or girl that sees this will have a lot of incentive to either use a condom or put a lock on their underwear. It’s more than a little fucked up, but in a playful sort of way. Where else can we get a demon/baby/bat without taking a fuckton of LSD? I may be confused, but I’m damaging less brain cells this way.

Iceman is able to calm it down with some cookies stuffed with processed preservatives. In that sense, he’s basically doing what 90 percent of American parents would do. Once the baby stops crying acid, Spider-Man takes it and swings off with it. Iceman and Firestar could probably leave it at that, trusting that Spider-Man knows what he’s doing. I’m sorry, I couldn’t type that with a straight face, even while sober. They’re still confused and not sure what the fuck he’s going to do. Having recently been under the control of his worst enemy, they have plenty of reason to be suspicious.

That said, going after him and fighting him still doesn’t make one goddamn bit of sense. This isn’t fucking Magneto they’re dealing with. It’s Spider-Man. They don’t ask questions or try to get an explanation. To be fair, Spider-Man doesn’t take the time to give them one. They just fight him. It’s a poorly detailed and poorly developed scenario. But since it involves a demon baby, it’s still entertaining. And there are some hints that maybe Spider-Man might actually know what he’s doing. I just barely managed to type that with a straight face too.

At some point, Firestar and Iceman managed to subdue Spider-Man long enough to get an explanation. He says there has been a kidnapping. They give him the “no shit” response, but he explains that it didn’t involve the baby. He says he needs this baby for an exchange to get back whoever was actually kidnapped. He doesn’t explain where the found the baby, how he found it, or how he knows it’ll be an effective bargaining chip. Those are all trivial details in a story that involves a demon baby with bat wings.

That leaves only one pressing question…how do aliens and a goat fit into all this? No, I didn’t take too many hits of LSD. No, I didn’t mix shrooms with my weed again. That’s actually a legitimate question because there are actual aliens involved and for some reason, they have a goat with them. Now I thought aliens only abducted cows and did experiments on their junk. A goat seems like a downgrade. But who am I to argue with an alien’s choice in pets? Maybe someone should try to turn them onto goldfish. It feels like one of those WTF moments, but it actually does play a part in the story. I didn’t type that with a straight face either.

I also can’t keep a straight face when the struggle for the baby turns into a big alien poop joke. And no, I didn’t just watch a Seth Rogan movie while stoned again. There is actually a poop joke thrown into this fucked up plot when Iceman suspects that the baby needs a diaper change. That somehow causes another big green explosion the likes of which does serious damage to Iceman’s shell, his sense of smell, and his ego. Even I can’t get stoned enough to make this shit up. While Iceman probably just gave himself a vasectomy by being caught in the crossfire, he manages to confirm that it is a boy and it eats some really crazy shit. After toilet humor of this magnitude, Iceman and Firestar finally agree to trust Spider-Man and go along with him to find the baby’s parents.

Now this whole scene isn’t just full with South Park level gags. It’s very disorganized and downright chaotic. First there was a goat on an alien ship. Then there’s a poop joke with an alien baby. It’s hard to believe that this is a plot in the same X-men comic that just recently told such an emotionally gripping story about Nightcrawler’s return. That’s not to say it isn’t entertaining. Anyone who can’t laugh at a good poop joke has no soul. It’s just a fucked up change of pace that makes for a fucked up story.

They eventually meet up at a zoo where the same alien ship from earlier lands. They have with them the same goat that they didn’t seem to know what to do with. Since they’re not into alien animal porn, they seem okay with exchanging it for the baby. There’s more chaotic, poorly detailed conflict when Firestar randomly attacks the aliens. But that all seems to be resolved when Spider-Man gets some kid to lend him his bag of chips. Again, I swear I’m not just describing my last LSD induced nightmare. This is actually what happened. The poor organization of the scene really shows here. It’s not clear how things go from Firestar attacking the aliens to the baby being reunited. It’s still fucked up, but it’s more confusing than entertaining. I don’t pretend that every episode of Family Guy isn’t fucked up to some degree, but at least it’s still entertaining.

Firestar and Iceman return to the Jean Grey Institute way less confused than me. They have their groceries and some disturbing experiences that will probably require a fuckton of therapy. But they have the groceries. We even find out that the goat they exchanged the baby for happened to be a mascot. I guess there are stranger mascots that a sports team could have. I miss the days when the only mascots involved animals that could be eaten. But for a story this fucked up, it’s not even top five in terms of things that are wrong with this story. They didn’t save the world. They just saved a mascot. Guess they all can’t be epic. But they did save the poopy diaper from the baby apparently because Wolverine found it in the trunk. And I guess any comic that ends on a poop joke can’t say it didn’t end on a high note.

This issue couldn’t have been more different in tone from the previous six issues if it were Whitney Huston doing a duet with Rosanne Barr. It wasn’t an epic struggle between the forces of Heaven and Hell. It involved an alien baby, poop jokes, dick jokes, and a goat. That may sound like a preview of the next Seth Rogan movie, but that didn’t mean it was any less fun. The striking change of tone is jarring. There’s no doubt about that. But it’s still fun. I mean who doesn’t enjoy an X-men comic that is a light-hearted for once? It took a fairly typical situation that isn’t often scrutinized and turned it into a struggle between aliens, babies, and maturity. It wasn’t all that concise and the characterization, especially for Spider-Man, was questionable at best. But it was funny as hell, even without the aid of weed. That alone is an accomplishment for any comic. That’s why I give Amazing X-men #7 a 6 out of 10. It’s not meant to take the characters in a bold new direction. It’s not meant to tip the balance between Heaven and Hell. It’s just a hilariously fucked up situation mixed in with a classic crossover. Anyone who can’t enjoy that on some levels is either a douche-bag, pure evil, or Rick Santorum. Nuff said!

Scanned Thoughts: Uncanny X-men #21

Being really stubborn is one of those traits most people think is one prolonged dick move. A roommate refuses to sweep up the condom wrappers outside his room, a girl refuses to stop shaving her leg in the kitchen sink, or a teacher won’t let anyone chew gum during an exam are just some traits that reinforce this notion. But there are times when being stubborn can be a good thing. The founding fathers were stubborn in getting the fuck away from Great Britain. Martin Luther King Jr. was stubborn in pissing off racists. Pamela Anderson was stubborn when her doctors said she couldn’t possibly make her boobs any bigger. Plenty of good has come from this attitude because sometimes, people are actually justified. Now I’m not saying Cyclops has been right in everything he has done since Avengers vs. X-men, but he comes off as the kind of guy who is stubborn for the right reasons while Maria Hill comes off as the obsessive bitch who won’t even entertain the possibility that there are more pressing issues than throwing Cyclops back in jail. Maybe it’s not fair to call her stubborn. In the previous issue, she revealed that she secretly wants to bone Cyclops. I’m not going to say that’s wrong. I’m just going to say it doesn’t make her sympathetic. It just makes her horny. I don’t expect anyone to address their horniness in Uncanny X-men #21, but I do expect everyone involve to keep being stubborn.

Regardless of whether Cyclops is on the warpath for the right reasons, he arrives at the Jean Grey Institute already horribly fucked. He doesn’t get a chance to be reasonable, like that would do anything against the former friends who still lump him with Dr. Doom. His powers go haywire again and he starts randomly shooting up the place, which I’m sure the Jean Grey Institute does daily drills on anyway. As far as I’m concerned, he’s just skipping a step because I doubt Beast would have helped him anyways without giving him too much shit. But then Magik’s powers go haywire too so they can’t just say Cyclops was trolling them, although I’m sure they’ll still use it as an excuse to bust his balls. The Hank McCoys of the world can never have too many.

By the same token, Storm can never have too many opportunities to unleash the full force of nature up the asshole of whoever happens to be pissing her off. Given that she hasn’t been all that forgiving to Cyclops or Magik either, she doesn’t hold back. By that, I mean she ends the fight with the same effort that I put into making my bed in the morning. It seems a bit uneven, especially for two mutants as powerful as Cyclops or Magik. But keep in mind, they’re fucked up and can’t control themselves. That’s like having Iron Man run into a war zone naked. Some of their greatest strengths have been nullified. That makes them to Storm what baby seals are to Ted Nugent. Some might have a problem with Storm being callous in how she handles Cyclops and Magik. I’m not saying I’m okay with it. But I don’t have to agree to admit that she was still pretty damn badass.

Now Cyclops and Magik are unconscious and subdued. If ever there was an opportunity to turn Cyclops over to the authorities or at least tattoo a dick on his face, this is it. There are so many sadistically cruel things they could to pay them back for starting a mutant revolution, protecting mutants being harassed by the authorities, sheltering the O5 X-men when they were under siege from the future Brotherhood of Mutants, and…actually, those are all bad examples. I’m just saying that if this were a frat party, Cyclops and Magik would be lucky to wake up with their eyebrows still intact.

While I’m sure Beast and Storm are entertaining all the devious possibilities, they don’t get a chance because Dazzler (who is still Mystique in disguise) shows up on the front lawn of the Jean Grey Institute with an entire SHIELD Hellicarrier and a very pissed off Maria Hill right behind her. She doesn’t start barking orders the way Maria Hill would. I’m sure Maria Hill would probably demand that she be in a locked room with Cyclops for an hour with no cameras and some lube. I guess she figured that Dazzler would be more polite about it and the X-men would be less inclined to get pissed off. It might be the first tactically brilliant move Maria Hill has made since admitting that Cyclops makes her feel all hot and bothered between her legs.

It’s a tense situation at the Jean Grey Institute. It’s also been tense in Madripoor, albeit for a very different reason. Blob, who we learned got his powers back with the help of MGH in the previous issue, is finding out the hard way that he sucks at taking drugs. He’s got a bad case of withdrawal that probably involves him thinking that scorpions are crawling out of his urethra. He was having fun, getting into a bar fight with someone who probably just looked at him for a nanosecond too long. Then like a crack addict who just smoked his last rock, he gets sick as hell and needs more. For a guy this big, he sure is a lightweight. Any experienced drug user knows that only a dipshit takes the last dose before hitting his dealer up again. Only a dipshit would start throwing up the moment those scorpions get too hostile so I’m guessing Blob would be a real buzzkill on a trip to Tijuana.

Since he can’t get a hole of Mystique, he goes straight to the source, which happens to be Dazzler. Now this isn’t entirely unrealistic. There are a lot of high end sources that utilize pretty blonds. As anyone who has ever willingly eaten a life tarantula to get their attention can attest, they get away with way more shit than anyone else. Being a lightweight drug addict in serious withdrawal, there’s a lot of fucked up shit he could do to her. Any pretty blond that has passed out drunk at a frat party knows they’re lucky if they wake up with the same panties on.

But Magneto steps in before Blob can do anything that would make him a spokesman for roofies. Where the fuck did Magneto come from? Why is he showing up after leaving Madripoor on such a shitty note? I have no fucking clue. But he basically gives Blob the kind of pep talk that the people at DARE only think they give teenagers. There’s even a nice little flashback to an early panel of Uncanny X-men that shows Magneto working alongside Blob when he wasn’t just a degenerate drug addict. Unlike the DEA, he spares Blob further indignation and lets him go. He’s more concerned about Dazzler because he’s just that nice a guy. Then again, when a drug addict is the only other comparison, that’s not saying much.

Thanks to Magneto, Dazzler wakes up and she’s understandably confused. The last thing she probably remembers is accepting a cup of coffee from Agent Coulson, who happened to be Mystique. Now she’s the posterboy for roofies because that one dick move landed her in a coma and made her Mystique’s personal Jessie Pinkman for making MGH. She’s obviously confused, but Mystique isn’t around to lie to her. Magneto already knows the full story because Mystique foolishly told him, thinking he would be on board. She didn’t think that a guy who survived the holocaust would have a problem with using a mutant for a sick experiment to make MGH. Seriously, I’d love to know what her logic was for that.

Mystique has no idea how her shitty logic has failed her. She and Maria Hill are locked in a tense standoff with the X-men, who are somewhat reluctant to turn Cyclops and Magik over to SHIELD, if only because it wouldn’t give them a chance to tattoo a dick on their faces. Beast insists that he be allowed to analyze them first, which I suspect is just code for wanting to stick breast implants into Cyclops. Mystique, still trying to use the influence of a pretty blond, says that’s a shitty idea. But Maria Hill must be in a merciful mood because she gives Beast one hour to do what he needs to do. Should be enough time to stuck at least one breast implant into Cyclops, right?

Neither of them end up getting their chance because that mysterious Mysterio rip-off who has been behind the Sentinel attacks for way too fucking long finally makes his move. He even actually talks. Hell, it could be a women or a transvestite under that helmet. We have no way of knowing. But the fact that he/she/it/they are finally saying something is the first non-teaser we’ve had of this asshole since he showed up. And I’m guessing it’s a he because he has some big fucking balls to basically turn the whole SHIELD helicarrier against them. He could have just sat back and let them assume Cyclops just attacked them to be a dick. But now he has to show that he’s capable of fucking with them as much as he is with Cyclops. It’s not smart, but fuck if it doesn’t send a message.

All this upheaval is completely lost on Emma Frost and the rest of the students at the New Xavier School. Cyclops and Magik left them behind because bringing students along on a trip to the Jean Grey Institute, where the entire staff wants Cyclops crucified and boiled in acid, was seen as inappropriate. He figured that leaving them with his ex-girlfriend/ex-stripper/ex-White Queen of the Hellfire club was safer. I honestly think it’s a toss-up here. But even though she doesn’t have her powers at full strength, she still has a distinct feeling that something is going horribly wrong. I don’t think it takes a psychic to make that assumption. In the Marvel Universe, that’s as safe a bet as Peyton Manning beating the Cleveland Browns. But there’s something else they notice in addition to Emma’s sneaking suspicion. We don’t find out what it is, but knowing they’re luck, it’s probably a drone meant to spy on Emma Frost in the shower. At least, that’s what I would use a drone for.

Shit at the Jean Grey Institute continues to go bad. More of the Jean Grey Institute staff joins the battle, including Firestar, who is only wearing a bathrobe. It shows that while the institute may prepare for being attacked, they probably don’t prepare for a full-blown attack by SHIELD. Knowing Maria Hill, I’m surprised that doesn’t happen more often. But during the attack, Beast somehow finds time to study Cyclops and Magik. And somehow, he is able to glean from this information who is behind this shit. The Mysterio rip-off even recognizes Beast, saying he’s ready to teach him a lesson. I normally don’t root for villains, especially ones that wear fish bowls on their heads. But given how many lessons Hank McCoy needs to learn for his shit lately, I’ll make an exception. It has me even more excited who this villain is. If he hates Hank McCoy, he can’t be too bad.

It had to happen sooner or later. Someone had to outsmart Cyclops, the Jean Grey Institute, and SHIELD. I say it had to happen because these people put themselves in the kind of situations that places a big target on their backs and an invitation just above their assholes. For nearly a dozen issues now, Cyclops has been looking for a hidden enemy controlling the Sentinels and Maria Hill has had her head so far up her ass that she didn’t think it was possible that her helicarrier could be taken over a second time. Was Battle of the Atom really that long ago? Either time really does flow differently in the Marvel universe or Maria Hill needs to cut back on the weed. But after so many teasers and side-tracks, we finally get a hint as to who the Mysterio knock-off might be. I don’t want to jump to conclusions without going on a few more drinking benders, but it finally feels like Uncanny X-men has a legitimate plan that doesn’t just involve the mounting sexual tension between Cyclops and Maria Hill. I give Uncanny X-men #21 an 8 out of 10. It would have been nice to get a little more detail, but I’ve been to enough strip clubs to know it’s not a good idea to get too greedy. And like my uncle said, better a hangover from booze than a concussion from a pissed off bouncer. Nuff said!

Doomed Concept: Superman Doomed #1

The following is my review of Superman Doomed #1, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

The best tools have multiple uses for multiple tasks. That's how some people can be dropped on a remote desert island with nothing but a pocket knife and some duct tape and survive in ways that would put Gilligan's Island to shame. But some tools are defined by their utterly singular use. A sledge hammer only has so many functions. Nobody can ever say a sledge hammer helped them craft an ice sculpture of the Virgin Mary. However, these tools are often designed with this singular use in mind. It's fairly reasonable to conclude that the inventor of tequila didn't call it a success because it tasted good. Like any drink only meant for getting drunk, certain characters are brewed for one desired outcome. Doomsday is basically the sledge hammer/tequila of the DC Universe, which makes an event surrounding him conceptually questionable.

Doomsday as a character has only one use: to kill Superman. It has succeeded before to an extent. This was the creature that killed Superman in the now iconic Death of Superman arc, a story that might or might not have been nullified by the New 52 reboot. It has already shown up before in Superman/Wonder Woman, albeit briefly. Now an entire event is being built around Superman battling Doomsday. The main selling point is that unlike 99 percent of Superman's enemies, this one is as strong as him and fully capable of killing him. That means that those who complain that Superman is too powerful will have little to complain about in Superman Doomed #1, the first issue in a crossover story that will consume every Superman comic.

This story effectively builds on Doomsday's earlier appearances. Before, this mindless creature was like Stan Lee in the Marvel movies, popping up every now and then and not having much of an impact. Now the creature has stopped biding its time and begins making its presence known, which for Doomsday involves the kind of wholesale slaughter usually found only in Rambo movie. Superman, obviously not a Rambo fan, takes it upon himself to stop Doomsday. He gets help from everyone he can, including Lex Luthor. That alone demonstrates the power of this creature. It's dangerous enough for Superman to actually agree with Lex Luthor.

But this issue doesn't just involve Superman looking for ways to battle Doomsday. This battle unfolds in the midst of another conflict that involves everyone in Smallville falling into a coma. This is how Lois Lane and Lana Lang get involved, adding some personal stakes to what could have otherwise just been a glorified street brawl between overpowered characters. However, the link between this story and Doomsday is poorly defined. The lack of connections make it an aside of sorts. The same thing happens with Steel, who briefly gets to have a shot at Doomsday. But he might as well be a warm-up battle because little comes of it. So while there is an effort made to make this story about more than a mindless beast capable of killing Superman, those efforts lack refinement. It's like a computer with no WiFi in that its function is limited.

In the end, it still turns into a story that's mostly about Superman battling Doomsday and therein lies the flaw in the concept. This is pretty much the only way for the story to go. It's like a destination that has only one road leading to it. The story has to unfold this way. As a concept, it's inherently predictable. As a theme, it's exceedingly narrow. However, an effort is still made to ensure Superman Doomed #1 doesn't become just another Death of Superman knock-off. While most of the story does involve Superman fighting Doomsday, the end result opens the door to paving a different path that helps make it at least somewhat less predictable.

There's no question that when Superman is focused on a single task, he's more than powerful enough to see it through. This is someone who has moved planets, traveled through time, and managed to befriend Batman. So when he takes on Doomsday, he doesn't hold back. But in doing so, he finds out the hard way that he's fighting something he doesn't fully understand. This is yet another instance where Superman could learn a thing or two from Batman because by focusing on stopping Doomsday from hurting anyone else, Superman sets into motion the most menacing threat from the creature. He essentially sets the stage to become Doomsday himself. That's something Batman would've figured out, albeit at the last possible moment. But in the end, it's too late.

So even though the battle between Superman and Doomsday doesn't turn into a ripoff of Rocky IV, it's still somewhat predictable. Superman tries to defeat Doomsday, but by using only his fists, he incurs some unexpected damage. It might be an epic, visually stunning battle, but it's only the first round. And few fights that don't involve Mike Tyson or Muhammed Ali in their prime end in the first round. Future rounds promise to take on a very different form, which involves Superman fighting himself even harder than he fought Doomsday. And that's another concept that is inherently flawed on many respects because if the only way to stop Doomsday is to become him, then that just reinforces the character's primary purpose of challenging Superman.

Flawed concept or not, the execution of the story is still solid and the conflict it creates is set to expand into every Superman title. The connections to this story are still not in place, but the scale of the conflict has been effectively set. Superman Doomed #1 manages to set itself apart from a typical Superman-battles-a-killer-monster narrative. It creates a conflict that is both daunting and personal for Superman and one that will rely as heavily on his supporting cast as it will on his strength. While the concept may be akin to a very simple tool with a singular use, this doesn't make that tool any less effective.

Final Score: 6 out of 10

X-men Supreme Reflections: General Nathan Grimshaw is LIVE!

Every so often, I encounter a part of the X-men Supreme fanfiction series that is both incredibly challenging yet deeply rewarding. For a fanfiction series this big, there have been more than a few parts like that. Arcs like the Phoenix Saga, the Cambrian, and Overlord rank very highly in terms of those I'm most proud of in creating X-men Supreme. However, I take a special kind of pride in creating the two original characters that I've incorporated into this fanfiction series, Captain Jack Freeman and General Nathan Grimshaw.

As I've said before, incorporating original characters into a fanfiction series is very challenging and very easy to mess up. I knew at some point I was going to create my own characters to help X-men Supreme become more unique. I waited until X-men Supreme Volume 4: Politics of Fear because I wanted to make sure I had developed as many X-men characters as possible. When the time came to bring General Grimshaw and Captain Freeman into the mix, it had to be under just the right circumstances. And I think I created just that with President Kelly's mutant initiative and the ongoing conflicts with Reverend William Stryker. Since then, General Grimshaw has become an X-men Supreme mainstay, positioning himself on the front lines of these conflicts. And when X-men Supreme Volume 5 unfolds, he will remain in that position. That makes him an important character for the future of this fanfiction series. As such, it's important that readers know who this man is and why he does what he does.

For this reason, General Grimshaw's entry into X-men Supreme Reflections is probably the most important reflection to date. I won't say it's required reading for X-men Supreme Volume 5, but I will say that it helps put some of the future events into perspective. It also will give readers a better sense for how General Grimshaw's role will develop. He said from the beginning that he can be the X-men's greatest ally or worst enemy, depending on the choices they make. He is very different compared to President Kelly or Reverend Stryker. His history and his ambitions will drive him in a way that will make him a force to be reckoned with. So with that, I am very excited to release the inner reflections of Nathan Grimshaw. He's not just my own creation. He is a man on a mission who promises to have a major impact on the future of X-men Supreme.

X-men Suprme Reflections: General Nathan Grimshaw

Take note in that General Grimshaw cannot be found in any of the X-men comics, cartoons, or movies. He is an X-men Supreme exclusive. And because of that, I am extra motivated to make him as awesome and memorable as possible. For that same reason, it's even more important that I receive input and feedback from readers on him and his counterpart, Captain Jack Freeman. Again, I understand that X-men fans want stories about the X-men. And rest assured, these characters will not detract from the X-men. But I want General Grimshaw to help make the X-men and the X-men Supreme fanfiction series more awesome. So please, my fellow X-men fans, take the time to provide feedback and comments on this entry of X-men Supreme Reflections. Either post it directly in the issue or contact me and send me your remarks. I'm open to either one and I will gladly respond to every inquiry. Until next time, take care and best wishes. Excelsior!

Jack