snaps: X-Men - Blind Science

... where the X-Men Science Team goes off on an adventure on their own (but not of their own volition) due to a ticking bomb on an oil rig they're investigating. Dr. Nemesis steals every frikkin' scene, but in the end it was Dr. Kavita Rao who saves the day (Cecilia Reyes is probably gouging her own eyes right now). Hank McCoy who?

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!


Dr. McCoy, I presume? (okay, i thought it was Forge)


this confirms it: Chinese restaurants use CAT MEAT!!! spread the word!!!


there should be an X-Club limited series, with lots of crotch-punching!


okay, one more Star Trek reference and you've exceeded your quota, Nemesis!


who needs Professor Xavier, when we have James Bradley?

snaps: Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine #1

... where our intrepid heroes find themselves in the Savage Land after a weird event at a bank robbery. turns out its not the Savage Land, and its not Kansas either. am not sure how the characterization works with Logan and Peter - at one point, they kind of regret being trapped there together, but for me, Logan's like the big grim brother to him and their time as Avengers solidified this (i recall Logan telling him that Peter can't miss next time he gets a shot at Norman Osborn - am waiting if Siege #4 delivers on that). the hyped pairing of Jason Aaron and Adam Kubert has beget a story that looks like a raucous adventure even though am not sure where its going.

well, i guess not everyone wants to be on Survivor: Heroes & Villains, even if you're a hero.


how much you wanna bet there's a little Logan or two among these people?


what, now we have to change the song lyrics??


stop whining. you could be stuck with Daken and J. Jonah Jameson, respectively!


Angar the Screamer has a crew? that's a ... scream.


Devil Dinosaur doesn't get no respect. damn you, Warren Ellis.

snaps: Wolverine/Wendigo one shot

... where Wolverine takes on the Wendigo, one more time. and on Thor, which turns out to be a much-cliched somebody-got-mind-controlled situation (ho-hum). oh, and the God of Thunder is introduced to jägermeisters! Frank Tieri's not called a hard-hitting writer for nothin'.

hey, be thankful its not a Sasquatch documentary - Walter Langkowski did a lot more than groping!!


Alpha Flight: Canada's finest ... beer. so sad.

let me get this straight: Tony Stark entrusted enough information to the underground Avengers to bring his comatose body to Broxton, Oklahoma for Dr. Donald Blake. but here, it looks Logan just goes to check out the place because he has no idea what the hell is going on. outstanding.

and he goes straight to a bar sponsored by ... Pepsi. ooohhh, tough.

ok ... Logan's got a brother? a pain-in-the-ass brother?? did he decapitate him recently? or is this pesky sibling still alive? do tell us, bro!!!

eyes wide shut

drive-by readings

X-Men Origins: Cyclops one shot (Marvel) "Eyes Wide" Stuart Moore Jesse Delperdang Andy Lanning Matt Hollingsworth Rob Steen Adi Granov (cover)

we've seen this origin tale many times before, and there isn't much difference now, save that its been tailored for a new generation (thank God they didn't include that iffy part in that Wolverine movie ... but who knows). Cyclops has always been cast as this inspiring yet robotic leader spouting the Xavier credo of mutants-must-coexist-with-humans, but at least in the last decade, there has been this shift towards making him a much more layered individual and not simply a yes-man to his father figures. by having him taken over by Apocalypse, dealing with his demons, having a psychic affair with Emma Frost, and the eventual killing off of Jean Grey, Scott Summers finally shed the doubts nagging him as to what he's really capable of. and with the stepping down of Charles Xavier and Scott's eventual ascent to running the school and uniting the remaining mutants and having their own island, the transformation was complete.

this origin story somewhat ties in to the present because it already shows Scott not making decisions based on what Xavier says all the time. he has his own mind, whether in battling Magneto or making the long-term decision to lead the X-Men in Xavier's stead. it must have been rankling to the professor to have his star student brush him off as he finds his own path, not as a petulant child, but as a confident adult. Mike Carey, Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction have delineated this transition as a very interesting angle in recent years.

i don't remember much of Jesse Delperdang's work save his stint inking Andy Kubert in X-Men and Ka-Zar, but he does a good job here, somewhat veering from Kirby/Ladronn-ish to Kevin Nowlan.

and now for some snaps!

"yes, mistuh Xavier sir, you want me to remove my visor to show you?"


by the way, Scott, spoke to Alex lately?


not being able to shoot Magneto with his eye beams, Scott decides beat him to death with his mask/visor.

Bobby Drake has taste

i mean at least those who don't hate the '80s (snicker) at least remember this classic pin-up, yes?





if you don't like Heather Thomas, i'm seriously questioning your masculinity, right now. yeah, that's right.

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X-Men Origins: Iceman #1