She's the Boss Pt. 2

It's been a long time since I've posted anything new, mainly because I couldn't really think of anything to post. But, in the last couple of weeks I've been getting back into my love of Jubilee. I felt it would be a good time to finally post some new material. As, I've talked about in other posts I enjoy reading comics which feature Wolverine and Jubilee from the perspective that he is actually her sidekick. Just something about the idea that mean, feral, tough as nails Wolverine is following a bubbly teenage mall rat tickles me deep down in my soul and if I ever got the chance to write an X-Men book I would totally play up this alternative character interpation. With Jubilee calling the shots and Wolverine basically being like whatever, when do I get to punch someone? Looking back I think the main place the seeds of this interpation of their relationship were sewn was in the episode of the 90's cartoon in which Jubilee tells a group of kids visiting the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters a fantasy style tale, in which she is a Robin Hood type with an orc like version of Wolverine as her sidekick. Since, then it just makes their team-ups more enjoyable to me thinking that she is the boss and he is the muscle. Maybe, it's because she's always been a bit more mouthy and brazen then Wolverine's other teen aged sidekicks. Which writing this makes me wonder why no one seems to play up the creepiness of Wolverine taking on teen aged girl sidekicks as much as they do the whole thing with Batman taking up teen aged boys as sidekicks. To me at least Wolvie's relationships seem a bit more unseemly than Batman's. But, then that's just me. But, yeah I view Batman's mentoring a lot more innocently than I do Wolverine's. But, back on topic I feel that Wolverine and Jubilee's relationship works best when she is shown as the one guiding their missions and making the decisions about how to proceed.

Another Pitched Marvel Will Ignore

Thinking today about the book I would love to write if Marvel ever lost there sense and hired me. I came to the realization that the book I would truly love to write for them would be a new volume of Marvel Team-Up and for you my faithful readers I will layout how I would write it starting with my first team-up. I would take highly unlikely character and put them in situations where the would have to grudgingly accept each others help and maybe even become friends by the end of the story and my first team-up would be....Gambit and War Machine. That's right official stick in the mud Jim Rhodes and part time thief Remy LeBeau.



The story would begin with Rhodey investigating a string of thefts within Stark Industries. The clues quickly point him in the direction of one Remy LeBeau (whom has been living it up in Vegas). Rhodey travels to Vegas and playing it cool ends up in a game of Texas hold'em where he and Gambit are the last to players. As the stakes of their game get higher Rhodes asks more and more pointed questions in an attempt to get Remy to confess. Of course, Gambit sees what Rhodes is trying to do from a mile away and evades the questions while putting together a mental list of whom would be trying to set him up for these thefts. The final card is dropped and Gambit wins the pot. Deciding he could use some more info he offers to buy Rhodey a drink at the bar. While sharing a drink Remy comes up with some names of the possible perpetrators and offers to help War Machine catch the thieves (for a slight reward of course). They then go busting down doors making their way down Gambit's list of suspects. Though, non of these rogues are the one's Jim and Remy are looking for, they do provide some helpful information on the reason for the thefts and eventually the catch the theif whose is revealed to be... Tony Stark, who had set up Gambit because of a confidence scam Gambit had pulled on him. Gambit returns the money he had taken from Stark (though not before stealing Tony's wallet)and they all go out for a drink.

Well, there you have it my first issue of Marvel Team-Up staring Gambit and War Machine.

Just Throwing a Little Havok Your Way

What with Alex Summers out in space and all. It got me thinkig about how not many bloggers have much of an opinion on the middle Summers child. Maybe, it's because he was running the X-Men when I started reading comics but, I really like Havok and have ever since those early days and really dug what Peter David did with him in X-Factor. The only major story with him I didn't like was the Mutant X. But, then again I've never been much for alternative timelines other than Age of Apocalypse and Red Son). Silly costumes aside, I feel that Havok would be a nice contrast to Cyclops with everything going on in the X-Men universe right now. But, instead he's trpped in space playing space pirate. Which I feel is a shame since, Alex is such a cool character with a lot of stuff going on and I really like his plasma burst powers and the concentric circles used to portray them on the printed page and would have loved it if they would have atleast had a shout out to him in the movies. On the plus side they did try to work him in to the latest cartoon series. Alas, it seems that only I am a fan of his. Which is a shame since he really is one of the cooler X-characters.

Won't People Fear Mutants More, If We Call Ourselves Mutant Hunters?

Lately, I've been on a X-Men: First Class kick and I've just been reading the 3 TPBs that have been published and while being on this Original X-Men jag. I've been wanting to read just about anything with them in it as a team. So, the other day I was reading some stuff online about the original X-Factor book and it got me thinking of the terrible idea it was to create the team as a group of mutant hunters and yeah, I know they were being manipulated by Cameron Hodge. But, still didn't any of the original 5 think that was a terrible idea? Even Beast? Granted he is a super genius scientist who's greatest accomplishment as accidentally turning himself blue. But, still... Heck, even Cyclops should have had an inkling that this was a terrible, terrible idea. granted because of my age I'm not too experienced with the early issues of X-Factor, since, by the time I started reading comics Angel had already gotten his metal wings and Havok was leading the X-Men. I just find it weird that it doesn't seem like any of the original 5 that this was the terrible idea it was until Cameron Hodge and Apocalypse had manipulated them into creating more fear of mutants in the general populous. Of course, the one thing this premise had in its favor is how in general the normal people of the Marvel Universe seem to not like or trust superheroes far more than in the DC universe.

How Does Iron Man got to when he has tax problems?

Here's a few of the firms I feel should exist in the Marvel universe.

Robert Drake and Associates, Accounting Services

Samson, Blake and, Strange: Health Services

Worthington, Worthington and, Stark; Investments

The Law Offices of Nelson, Murdock and, Walters

Xavier/Frost: Education Enterprises

Wilson and Rhodes: Security

Well, there you go some firms and organizations that they should have in the Marvel U.

Jay's All New, All Different X-Men Team.

I haven't done this in a while. So, I thought it would be fun to take a Little time and come up with the teams I would use if I were writing the X-Men Books. First off I would use the idea from the 90s of a gold and blue team. I would also have them based out of the mansion again and have a support team of Forge, Moira, Cypher and, Cyclops leader of the entire group.
The Gold Team. For this team I thought I'd go with a more experienced group.

Havok - Team Leader. Like his brother. Havok is a natural leader and has led many of the members on this team before.

Polaris - Besides being Alex's on again/off again love interest. She's a flier with long range powers.

Rogue - Heavy hitter and a flier.

Cannonball - Though, a good leader in his own right. He is the only one of the New Mutants to make this team and like Rogue, he is a flier and heavy hitter.

Nightcrawler - He can be stealthy, is good with malee weapons and can get help out of a fit in a pinch, with his teleporting powers.

Wolverine - He had to be on at least one of these teams so, might as well be on the one with someone whom knows how to deal with him.

Gambit - Besides also having Rogue on this team. With all the time he's spent reigning in Logan. I figured Havok could control Gambit a lot better than the leader of the Blue Team and it's always good to have someone that can blow stuff up on at least one of the teams.

Psylocke - Again, she has experience working with Alex and, her powers are complimented by being on this team.

Colossus - The team's heavy hitter.

Kitty Pryde - With Piotr and Logan on this team you could've guessed she was going to be on this team. Plus, much like Nightcrawler she's good to have around in case the fight starts to go sour.

BLUE TEAM. Though, not as experienced as the Gold Team. They're not a team to be taken likely.

Multiple Man - Team Leader. Since, starting up X-Factor investigations. Madrox has been the type of leader a guy with his powers should be.

Siryn - With her and Jamie's personal history. She could be good at keeping him in line as well as her long range and flight powers.

M - Jamie knows how to deal with her and she is a powerhouse, no matter what time she's on.

Angel - I put him and a couple of the original X-Men on this team to work as mentors to the younger members. Plus, he's a flier and it's always good to have a few of those on your team.

Wolfsbane - The malee fighter of the team.

Husk - She was on a team with M and in a relationship with Angel. So, there will definitely make things interesting. Plus, the her powers she can be whatever supporting member the team needs.

Jubilee - With Husk and M on the team it's only natural to have Jubes on the team. Plus, I think it would be entertaining how she and MAdrox would butt heads.

Iceman - The main reason I put him on the team was because of this team's lack of long range attackers and him being a bit more immature than the folks on the other team. I thought he'd make a good fit on this team.

Sunspot - The team's powerhouse and a former teamate of Rahne's I felt this was the team for him.

Beast - A heavy hitter and able to find solutions for problems no one's thought exist. I feel he would make a good mentor to all the members including Madrox and I kind of think that if he had a choice he would pick to be on this team, for the entertainment of watching these personalities trying to work together.

Well, there you go. My Gold and Blue X-Men teams.

Fallen S.W.O.R.D. (A Review/Post Mortem)

So, this week I finally got the chance to read SWORD. For those whom didn't read it before it was cancelled SWORD follows Lockheed, Beast and, Abigail Brand after Astonishing X-Men. In the series Henry Gyrich has been selected by Norman Osborn as the co-head (along with Ms. Brand) of S.W.O.R.D. (Sentient World Observation and Response Department)basically, the outer space version of S.H.I.E.L.D. and is head quartered on a space station above Earth named The Peak. Although, I did enjoy the series. I can also see why it was cancelled. For one the set up seems like it would have been better suited to a mini series rather than an ongoing series. there is a bit of a storytelling engine set up for the series. But, for the most part it's lacking a set up to continue for a long time. One of the first cracks in the armor of this series as an ongoing series is the machinations of Gyrich to have all aliens on Earth, deported back to their home worlds. While it is a good story had this plot been paced as more of a secondary plot than the main one (as it is in the issues I read). It could have added some interesting story arcs in the long run as Gyrich slowing turns the staff of The Peak against Brand and becomes more influential on Earth. Instead of doing this however, Gillen and Sanders make this the main story of the first arc. Had they used this plot point as a slow burner. I think they could have made the storytelling engine a bit richer. The final thing that I think set this series up to fail was that it didn't seem to have enough of a intro hook besides remember the last couple of pages in Whedon's Astonishing X-Men series. This is what happened to Beast and Brand. Though, another thing that could have helped the series was had they shown they were keeping take of that "bullet" Kitty was trapped in. Like I sadi at the beginning cool story but, easy to see why it didn't make it as an ongoing series (atleast in my humble opinion).

Sienkiewicz (un)covered

Lately, I've been re-reading my New Mutants: Classic collections and one of the things I have realized in re-reading these is that I really like Bill Sieniewicz covers. Now, I'm not a big fan of his work. In fact, the only stories I enjoyed his interior work in where the Demon Bear and Legion story lines. For those stories and the whole metaphysical angle of them, I think his art works really well in creating the vibe of these stories taking place in a bit of a dream scape. However, his work on the other New Mutant stories just really bugs me. I'm not quite sure why, but it does. The one place where I feel he was really good on all the issues he worked on were the covers. Something about that painted style of his really clicks on the covers of The New Mutant books. My personal favorite of his covers is issue #21, entitled Slumber Party! the cover of that issue was really what got me interested in reading The New Mutants again when I was working at the Mile High Comics warehouse. When I was a kid I read a few New Mutant comics but, that was around the time of the Fall of the Mutants crossovers. So, I hadn't read any of the early issues and then I was walking around the Mile high Comics warehouse one day and I see this table in the back corner near the area I worked in. This table was decorated in a collage of all kinds of covers and other pictures and stuff. The first one that caught my attention was the VHS cover of that movie Melissa Joan Hart did with the guy from Entourage (it stuck out in my mind because in Jr. High, when she did Clarrisa Explains It All I had a huge crush on her). Anyways the second image that I noticed on the table was the Slumber Party cover Mr. Sienkiewicz did for New Mutants #21 and after that I really wanted to check out those old stories and along the way became a huge fans of the team. All because of that cover and just to have everything come full circle at Comic Fest this year I bought that issue along with a ton of other X-Factor and New Mutants comics.

Everyone enjoys a little Rahne every now and again

Taking a brake from all the listy goodness for a little bit. I thought I would right about something that's been bouncing around my head for the last couple of weeks. A couple of weeks ago while I was at Comic Fest me and the friend I went with were chatting about this and that and it got me thinking about how (despite her low profile) Wolfsbane has been in more titles than almost any other New Mutant, heck she's even co-starred in a couple of mini-series with Wolverine (and weirdly enough both were also written by Peter David). Seriously, you never hear much in fandom about Ms. Rahne Sinclair (not even on any of the feminist type blogs), Even though, she was in New Mutants, two versions of X-Factor and is now one of the main characters in the new X-Force book as well as being in the New Mutant/New X-men book while she was dating Elixir. I'm not really sure why this is, though I do have a sinking suspicion that Peter David really digs the character. After all, he has written two series and to minis that she has co-starred in. Yet, she barely rates a mention on the internets and that is a real shame. Now granted,I really dig Wolfsbane, in all of her incarnations and was extremely happy when I found out that one of my quarter bin finds from Comic Fest was X-Factor #99 where Haven cures her of the mutate thing and she was able to revert back to her human form and was no longer mind linked to Havok. All in all it's not a bad issue at all. Anyways getting back to the subject I think one of the strength's and why she has been in, is that she is really good supporting character. For one her background and her faith makes for interesting exchanges between her and other characters (especially,when some kind of moral dilemma is being discussed). Plus, with her powers of lycanthropy it makes a good visual, even in the background of a fight scene. What's weird is still thinking about all of this the other day, I started thinking about whether or not she would be able to carry off her own mini series and even as a huge fan of the character I don't really think she could. Unless of course, a very talented write had a story they felt could only be told with her in the lead. Other than that though, I think she works best as a supporting character that occasionally has an issue or to that spotlight her. Lately, I started re-reading the latest version of X-Factor up until she left and joined X-Factor and I think what I really enjoy about her is how Peter David writes her as a girl with a fierce and tough exterior in a vain attempt to hide her caring and soft personality and the conflicts and hurt that stem from her upbringing as well as from the conflicted ways she feels about her powers and mutant abilities. I really feel that even as a supporting character she is really fleshed out well (especially when written by Peter David) into a character that you really care and hope for as she deals with the traumas of her childhood as well as her mutant powers while growing into a woman of deep faith and conviction and it's a shame she doesn't get more coverage on the blogs or in the comic press and hopefully here soon, more people will realise just how awesome she is. Plus, who doesn't love a gal with a Scottish accent.

Shhhh... It's a Secret Part. 2

Still in a list making mood and not quite ready for my New Mutants casting call. I thought it would be fun to give you fine folks another peak into how my mind works with second edition of the secret gifts/guilty pleasures of some of my favorite characters.

Alex Summers(Havok)- Besides being better at crossword puzzles than Scott, he's also better at the game of Scrabble. In fact he's one of the best Scrabble players at the X-Mansion and he and Beast have an ongoing rivalry as well as a bet on which one is actually the best.

Rahne Sinclair(Wolfsbane)- Though it's not something she would admit to, she enjoys reading "Bodice Rippers" and just to make it more humorous. In my mind it was Monet how introduce her to these trashy books, while she was still on X-Factor and that is one of the few things they were able to bond over as team members.

Tim Drake(Robin/Red Robin)- Is not very good at Wii sports. For all his training under Bruce Wayne, Tim just can not win at any of the games on Wii sports. He maybe a ninja and one of the best detectives of the DCU. But he is a terrible Wii boxer, bowler,etc.

Bobby Drake(Iceman)- Really hates when his friends ask him to make slushies, margaritas, dacaries or any other type of drink that requires ice and a blender and even more mysteriously he didn't mind it until after college.

Betsy Braddock(Psylocke)- Much too everyone's surprise (especially considering the outfit she fights in)her most prized clothing item is her full length flannel nightgown. She loves nothing more on a slow evening than to curl up on the couch in flannel nightgown with a good book in front of a roaring fire.

Well, there you go another list of some of the things I think these characters are into and that some of them would rather no one knew about.

Casting Call: X-Factor: The 90s Edtion

While at Comic Fest over the weekend I was catching with the friend I went with and thought it would be neat to revisit the X-Factor casting call dealie I did awhile ago. But, rather then just changing the actors, since i think I did an awesome job. I thought it would be fun to think about who I would cast if I was doing the 90s version of the team and don't worry I'm going with different actors for Rahne and Jamie since they would be younger in this version of X-Factor. So, here you go:

Alex Summers/Havok - Owen Wilson. Besides being blond and the right age. i think Owen would make a really good Havok, he could even channel some of the energy he has from being in the same profession with more well know brother Luke. Plus, he's got the charm to pull off some of the trademark dickishness the Summers brothers are known for, without you hating him.

Lorna Dane/Polaris - Diane Neal - With her years on SVU. I think she would make a very good Lorna who had been manipulated by various people through out the years of her being associated with the X-Men and I feel she she could bring that depth to the character. Of course, this also depends on how she looks with her hair dyed green but, I think she could pull it off.

Valerie Cooper - Jeri Ryan. Seeing some the more bureaucratic roles since leaving Voyager. I think she would make a good choice for the Mutant Affairs liaison and boss of X-Factor.

Guido Carosella/Strong Guy - Ethan Suplee. As mentioned in the other post. I think Ethan would make a great choice for bringing Strong Guy to the silver screen and I'm keeping him as my choice here.

Jamie Madrox/Multiple Man - Seann William Scott. That's right, in my flick Stifler would make the perfect guy to play the less focused and more immature Jamie Madrox of this team.

Rahne Sinclair/Wolfsbane - Michelle Trachtenberg. Even though she's a bit older than Rahne was during these stories. I feel she could still pull off playing a 16 year old werewolf, with her work on Buffy and the stuff she's done since then. I think she would do a really good job as the Havok obsessed Rahne of this era.

Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver - David Hyde Pierce. A bit of an adment to the other posting I think he would actually make a better Pietro than Cary Ewles. So, he's out and Niles, is in.

Nathaniel Essex/Mr. Sinister - Jeremy Sisto. With his role as Batman in New Frontier and his gravelly voice. I think he would be great in the role of evil geneticist and villain Mr. Sinister.

So, there you go there's the 90's X-Factor casting call.

Comic Fest 2010: A Fantastic Spring Day

So, last week was Comic Fest here in Denver and it was a blast. I got some awesome prints of Zatanna and Matilda (Natalie Portman in the Professional), I also picked up a big chunk of the original New Mutants run including a copy of Marvel Graphic Novel No.4 signed by Claremont and McLeod and the issue Cypher died in. Besides the cool raid of the quarter bins and finding out there's a cool little comic shop in Cheyenne. I also got to hang out and have a cigarette with Matthew Sturges (after he signed my copy of JSA: All Stars(which of course, cuz it's me was the issue with Stargirl on the cover). I even made him laugh while doing a bit of monologuing on Power Girl's outfit and the frequency of having to tie Chuck Taylors(which we agreed was a worthwhile cost of wearing cool shoes). Then I got an issue of Madame Xanadu as well as a sketch, and make it even cool was when she told me she remember the review I did here at Monkey Knife Fight of her manga Fool's Gold. She and Matt Sturges are(from my meetings with them) super nice and awesome folks. Oddly, enough while I was there I kept running into Scorpio Steele and Zach Howard (also really neat guys) and I also said "Hi" Armando Durruthy how did an awesome Guy Gardner sketch from me last year and we've kinda been keeping in touch since then. Oh and before I forget I also got a way cool Avengers print done in a style that kinda reminds ya of Bruce Timm's style. though, I didn't have any work critiqued this year I was able to scope out some of the panels. Which for whatever reason, I ended up missing all of the panels last year, which really sucked. All three of the panels I went to were all pretty DC centric and the Marvel panels honestly seemed kinda lame so, I opted for raiding Quarter Bins instead. Well, that's about it had a really great time and hopefully next year they'll move it to a bigger room as it's starting to get really crowded in the space they hold it. I even managed to find a copy of the Marvel Team-Up featuring Spiderman, The New Mutants and Cloak & Dagger, in which Sunspot and Wolfsbane are injected with the drugs that gave Cloak and Dagger their powers. All in all I had a really fun time.