#Mystique vol. 2

[age-of-moonknight]

Cover for Mystique (Vol. 2/2024), #1 by Declan Shalvey.

[comicwaren]

“If your visions require a thousand more deaths, I’ll bring you back a thousand more times. Refuel the sun. Restart the universe. Whatever it takes.” -- Mystique

Cover art for X-Men: The Wedding Special Vol. 2 #001

Art by Jan Bazaldua and Rachelle Rosenberg

[wolverineholic]

Mystique Vol 2 #1 (2024)

Rickie Yagawa variant

[positivelybeastly]

If I may, what's your opinion on Hank from Earth-41001/X-Men: The End and GeNext: United?

So, I had to brush up on my X-Men history for this one, because Chris Claremont's post-2000 work often tends to slip my mind, especially his The End series, which has as many insane and weird choices as it does good ones.

The man really did lose a step after he got taken off the books in the 90s, and while I think that he's written some good stuff after that (his 2000s Excalibur runs are honestly better than I remembered them being), there's a reason he doesn't get asked back to do much more than the occasional story here and there, like the recent Uncanny #700 feature on Mystique, Nightcrawler, Destiny and Rogue.

Compare and contrast that to Louise Simonson, who got asked back to do a whole Jean Grey mini-series during Fall of X, and it's pretty clear that he's just not considered frontline talent anymore.

That being said, I think this Hank, and Claremont's work on GeNext, definitely skews more towards the good side of the scale.

This version of Hank is, of course, best known for his relationship with Cecilia Reyes, which, in this universe, blossomed into a fully fledged marriage with multiple kids - and that's a good choice, honestly! Of all his romantic partners, Cecilia has always struck me as the most level headed, the most stable, and the most likely to want to settle down, which Hank has, on some level, always wanted to do, and has perhaps the best ability to out of a lot of the X-Men.

Despite his physical mutation seeming like the biggest obstacle to him living a normal life, Hank's work with the Avengers and Defenders has resulted in a massive boost to his popularity in-universe, he's equivalent to a real life celebrity, and it's made it easy for him to settle down and stop doing superhero work if he so chooses.

It doesn't hurt that his public persona, of a well spoken, charming, and funny blue little guy, is an effective one, and one that's easy for him to maintain because, well, it's pretty damn close to what he's actually like.

But, back to The End and GeNext. It's a clear sequel to X-Treme X-Men in a lot of ways, something Claremont establishes pretty clearly by bringing up Hank's trauma regarding the death of Psylocke in Valencia, which I appreciate, because I feel like it really gives a lot of important emotional context to Hank's state of mind in New X-Men, and it weighs heavily on him. I don't think Hank is a person who takes death easily, and Claremont gets that.

I also have to include this, because it is hilarious.

I also really appreciate this moment, because . . . yeah, Hank is the guy you want to leave behind, because Hank is a fundamentally nurturing, bridge-building, educational force. There was a period of time, from roughly 2001-2005, where the X-Men became a lot more like the school focused book that people always kind of think of it as, where hundreds of mutants were running through the halls and the X-Men were teachers.

And, to be frank, a lot of those X-Men didn't really feel fit to be teachers? A lot of them have very good practical experience to teach certain applied subjects, but Hank, Emma, and a few select others have always felt like the most suited to actual higher education for the students, which is why Hank's recurring role in New X-Men vol. 2/Academy X always felt like such a natural fit.

Like, this man was born to be the cool teacher.

And born to be a dad, too.

I'll be real, I'm not . . . 100% on the clothing? I'm not an expert, but I don't know that a WASP man, even if he's blue, should be wearing this kind of clothing, even if he does rock it. Someone who's more of an expert on American cultures and African clothing would need to weigh in here, but it's not a choice I personally would have made? It feels a little bit 'older hippie accidentally strays onto the landmine that is cultural appreciation because he has a non-white girlfriend.' But, then again, this series was written in 2006, and Claremont is an older generation writer, so I can't judge it too harshly.

So, now we move on to GeNext, which, as the first issue states, deals with the premise that the X-Men's ages progressed in real time, rather than being stuck in the sliding timescale, which means that Hank is nearing 50. I've long since headcanoned that his healing factor, even if it isn't up to Wolverine or Sabretooth's levels, means that he should be just as agile and spry age 50 as if he were 20, and this series generally tends to hold to that?

I do appreciate that this series leverages the differences in Hank and Cecilia's outlook on the X-Men. Hank's always bought into Xavier's dream, always regarded the work the X-Men do as necessary, and while Cecilia holds to that, she reflects another aspect of Hank's take, which is that it's a worthy job, sure, but not everyone with an X-gene is suited to be an X-Man, and it's a worthwhile thing to consider.

Sometimes, people just want enough training that they can control their powers, and then they just want to bounce, and that's an outlook that should be respected, even if it doesn't always pan out.

This is a particularly interesting development, given where Scott would fall on the axis of letting kids be kids, versus making kids into X-Men, later on in the 616 continuity.

But it makes sense. In this universe, the Decimation never happened, and the arc of these two characters changed as a result - hell, Hank never turned feline, either, which I always regarded as a massive learning process and maturation for him, a furthering of his arc in New Defenders where he was learning what it meant to be a responsible adult.

It feels, in this universe at least, like he never quite lost the devil-may-care spirit that feline Hank's brushes with mortality beat into him. Maybe that's a good thing, maybe that's a bad thing, but it's hard not to see his point - if good kids have the power to effect change, then they're going to do it, with or without your say so. Denying that fact only leads to a New Mutants/Magneto situation, where they kind of end up resenting you for holding them back, even if your intentions are only to keep them safe.

His tune does change a little bit in United, though it's a very different situation here - rather than pushing the boundaries as an Xavier sanctioned X-team, seemingly with some training wheels on, as Hank seemed to be suggesting, here, Cooper is hinting at a more formal, more high stakes, more original flavour X-Men solution, which. Hank has thoughts about. Though, it wouldn't be Hank if he weren't capable of holding two contradictory viewpoints at the exact same time about the exact same thing.

It does always make me laugh when people say that Hank always turns evil in alternate futures. What about this one? He's like the coolest old guy ever. He's solid. He's reliable. He's flexible. He's understanding. There's not a goddamn evil bone in his body. He counts just as much as Dark Beast does, is all I'm saying . . .

Soft. Sweet. Gentle. This is Hank McCoy at his purest.

Hank McCoy. Everyone's friend.

That being said, I'm a sucker for moments like these.

Oh, shit, yeah, Hank IS strong enough to bench press ten tons, and he IS a raging beast with uncanny speed, reflexes, and brutality. Maybe fucking with him and removing the thing that tempers and controls and keeps him reasonable - his soul - isn't a good idea??? Oops.

There's not a ton more left to comment on, Hank is very much a supporting character in United, but it does remind me of something that I've always felt in my heart of hearts - that even though Chris Claremont didn't get to write Beast very much, he had a very strong appreciation for the character, and enjoyed writing him when he had a chance.

There's an alternate universe out there where Hank stayed with the X-Men rather than joining the Avengers and Defenders, and though I don't think I'd want to live in that universe - I enjoy New Defenders entirely too much to give it up for anything - I definitely think it'd make for an interesting What If, where Hank's present for much more of Claremont's defining 16 year run on the X-Men. I definitely think he would have done him justice.

[batmanego]

DAVID HALLER READING LIST

have you ever wanted to read a story that will make you go 'hm, i can't decide if this depiction of DID is surprisingly progressive or reductive for the time'? have you ever wanted to kill charles xavier more than you already do? have you ever just wanted to see a 14 year old be the worst person in a 100 mile radius? luckily for you i've dedicated a non insignificant amount of time and brainspace to thinking about little miss ableism, david charles haller. below the cut is a list of recommended reading for getting into him and his miserable life, links included.

LEGION: SON OF X/X-MEN LEGACY VOL. 2 this is quintessential david reading, and while it's not where david's story starts, it's where i would recommend new readers begin. it's fairly self contained and gives us the basis for a lot of his modern characterization, as well as having a depiction of david's DID that resonates a lot with me. read lsox/xml vol 2 Here.

LEGION: SHADOW KING RISING shadow king rising is also quintessential david reading, and what i would recommend new readers read second. shadow king rising collect's davids first appearances and documents his time on muir island and also that time he killed destiny! whoopsies! read it here. also, you should read this specific issue of x-men forever.

X-MEN: AGE OF APOCALYPSE PRELUDE hey, remember destiny and how david killed her? well, there were some consequences for that action. age of apocalypse prelude explores the consequences of that, notably mystique trying to kill him. also, david tries to kill magneto and kind of fucks up spectacularly. read it here.

NEW MUTANTS VOL. 3: RETURN OF LEGION david was in the otherplace. now he's back. he's not having a very good time. start here to issue 5, then issue 14 so you can see his torture chamber, and then issue 24.

X-MEN: AGE OF X david shunts everyone into an alternate dimension again, this time spurred by medical abuse! you can read this entire thing if you want here, but what's really important is.....

X-MEN: LEGACY VOL. 1 ISSUES 247-253 more age of x stuff! and also aftermath! and also lost legions! just a whole bunch of stuff for davey boy. he gets to hang out with magneto. start here, end at 253.

WAY OF X way of x is a kurt book. but david is there. i'm not the biggest fan of what's currently going on with david, but he is there. read it here.

LEGION OF X legion of x is a kurt book being billed as a david book. it's fine. i really like the judgement day issue. this is what is currently going on with david. read it here.

anyway, that's just about it for charles' firstborn and least favorite son! he's had other appearances, but these are the ones that i think are easiest to collect and are the most important for his character. happy reading!

[karmirage]

some fun facts for the @tournament-of-x voters

The oldest contestants currently in the match (and by oldest, I mean “the date of their first appearance”, not their actual ages) are Magneto, Jean Grey, Bobby Drake/Iceman, and Scott Summers/Cyclops. All four of them first appear in X-Men #1 in 1963.

The youngest contestant currently in the match (again, in terms of the dates of their first appearance, not actual age) is Gwendolyn Poole/Gwenpool, who first debuted in Howard the Duck #1 in 2015.

Of the contestants, only Laura Kinney/Wolverine appeared first on screen -- her first ever appearance was in Season 3, Episode 10 of X-Men: Evolution in August of 2003. This would be later followed by her first comic appearance in NYX #3, in December of 2003.

As far as classic teams go: the 33 characters remaining include three of the original five X-Men (Jean, Bobby, Scott), four of the classic nine New Mutants (Xuân Cao Mạnh/Karma, Dani Moonstar/Mirage, Roberto da Costa/Sunspot, and Illyana Rasputin/Magik -- Dani, Xuân, and Roberto are also founding members), and two people who have two first appearances (both Illyana and Nathan Summers/Cable appear in canon continuity as babies/toddlers prior to appearing later under their aliases -- Illyana appears in Giant-Sized X-Men #1 in 1975 and Nathan appears in Uncanny X-Men #201 in 1985). Two contestants are also part of the iconic Giant-Sized X-Men team created in 1975 -- Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler and Ororo Munroe/Storm. Two members of the original Generation X remain (Monet St. Croix/M/Penance and Jubilation Lee/Jubilee), as well as two from the Academy X era (David Alleyne and Megan Gwynn, from the New Mutants second generation team and the Paragons, respectively), three if you choose to count Laura Kinney/Wolverine, who joined the remaining students of New X-Men vol. 2 just after M-Day.

All the contestants save nine made their first appearances in X-books (X-Men, Giant-Sized X-Men, Uncanny X-Men, New Mutants, X-Factor, X-Force, Generation X, X-Men: Evolution and New X-Men). The ones who do not first appear in X-books are Mystique (Ms. Marvel #18 in 1978, though she technically had a cameo appearance two issues prior), Xuân Cao Mạnh/Karma (Marvel Team-Up #100 in 1980), Anna Marie Lebeau/Rogue (Avengers Annual #10, 1981), Dani Moonstar/Mirage and Roberto da Costa/Sunspot (both in Marvel Graphic Novel #4 in 1983), Billy Kaplan-Altman/Wiccan (Young Avengers #1, 2005), Tommy Shepherd/Speed (Young Avengers #10, 2006), Eden Fesi/Manifold (Secret Warriors #4, 2009), and Gwendolyn Poole/Gwenpool (Howard the Duck #1, 2015).

Demographically speaking, four characters in the tournament are canonically Jewish -- Magneto, Kate Pryde, Billy Kaplan-Altman/Wiccan, and Bobby Drake/Iceman (thanks for the reminder, @/ant-ifascottlang!) Though it hasn’t been confirmed, one might assume that Tommy Shepherd/Speed and Lorna Dane/Polaris are also Jewish, being related to them.

The 70s and the 80s are proving themselves to be the most popular -- 8 candidates that were created in the 70s are still in the tournament (Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler, Ororo Munroe/Storm, Illyana Rasputin/Magik, Mystique, Jean-Paul Beaubier/Northstar, Jeanne-Marie Beaubier/Aurora, Kitty/Kate Pryde, and Emma Frost/White Queen), and 8 characters created in the 80s are still in the tournament as well (Irene Adler/Destiny, Xuân Cao Mạnh/Karma, Anna Marie Lebeau/Rogue, Dani Moonstar/Mirage, Roberto da Costa/Sunspot, Nathan Summers/Cable, Julio Richter/Rictor, and Jubilation Lee/Jubilee).

Of the other decades: seven characters were introduced in the 2000s (Eloise Phimister/Negasonic Teenage Warhead, David Alleyne/Prodigy, Laura Kinney/Wolverine, Megan Gwynn/Pixie, Billy Kaplan-Altman/Wiccan, Tommy Shepherd/Speed, and Eden Fesi/Manifold), five were introduced in the 60s (Magneto, Jean Grey, Bobby Drake/Iceman, Scott Summers/Cyclops, and Lorna Dane/Polaris), and four were introduced in the 90s (Remy Lebeau/Gambit, Lucas Bishop, Neena Thurman/Domino, and Monet St. Croix/M/Penance). Gwendolyn Poole/Gwenpool is the only character remaining in the tournament to be introduced after 2010.

One character is canonically Muslim -- Monet St. Croix/M/Penance.

Eleven characters are canonically LGBTQ+: Bobby Drake/Iceman, Mystique, Jean-Paul Beaubier/Northstar, Kitty/Kate Pryde, Irene Adler/Destiny, Xuân Cao Mạnh/Karma, Julio Richter/Rictor, David Alleyne/Prodigy, Billy Kaplan-Altman/Wiccan, Tommy Shepherd/Speed, and Gwendolyn Poole/Gwenpool.

Laura Kinney/Wolverine, Remy Lebeau/Gambit (thanks for the reminder, @/souldagger!) and Megan Gwynn/Pixie have been confirmed by writers to be queer, but there has been no on-panel confirmation for any of them beyond Pixie’s appearance/alternate dimension self in Secret Wars.

Without counting the upcoming Uncanny Avengers, at least three characters have been recurring Avengers -- Anna Marie Lebeau/Rogue, Roberto da Costa/Sunspot, and Eden Fesi/Manifold. Rogue and Sunspot also notably led teams of Avengers. Several other candidates have been Young Avengers -- David Alleyne/Prodigy, Billy Kaplan-Altman/Wiccan (who was a founding member), and Tommy Shepherd/Speed.

Ten characters are mutants of color -- Ororo Munroe/Storm is Kenyan-American and grew up in Cairo, Xuân Cao Mạnh/Karma is Vietnamese, Dani Moonstar/Mirage is Indigenous American, specifically Cheyenne, Roberto da Costa is Afrolatino and from Brazil, Julio Richter/Rictor is Mexican, Jubilation Lee/Jubilee is Chinese-American, Lucas Bishop is Aboriginal Australian/Black American (according to Chris Claremont, who confirmed that Bishop is indeed descended from Aboriginal Australian mutant Gateway), Monet St. Croix/M/Penance is Monacan-Algerian, David Alleyne/Prodigy is a Black American, and Eden Fesi/Manifold is Aboriginal Australian.

While Laura Kinney/Wolverine first appeared as a visibly brown girl in X-Men: Evolution, her design has since been lightened and she does not have a confirmed ethnicity.

Only eight of the remaining contestants have never appeared in live-action adaptations -- Irene Adler/Destiny, Xuân Cao Mạnh/Karma (though her name is shown on a computer screen in X2: X-Men United), Jean-Paul Beaubier/Northstar, Jeanne-Marie Beaubier/Aurora, David Alleyne/Prodigy, Megan Gwynn/Pixie, Eden Fesi/Manifold, and Gwendolyn Poole/Gwenpool. Of these, only Karma, Penance, Prodigy, Manifold, and Gwenpool have no on-screen appearances at all -- the others appear in the various animated series (Destiny has a recurring appearance in X-Men: Evolution, Pixie pops up in Wolverine and the X-Men, and the Beaubier twins appear in the X-Men cartoon of the 90s). While Penance is listed on Wikipedia as being in Wolverine and the X-Men, it does not cite an episode, though her twin younger sisters appear in Season 1 Episode 10 “Greetings from Genosha.” **this post has been corrected -- Monet St. Croix/M/Penance appears in the direct to TV Generation X movie (thanks for the reminder, @/cranechel!)

[newx-menfan]

Storm #1 Review

*spoilers!*

The issue opens with Storm and the X-Men fighting the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.

As Mystique and co are captured…we find out the whole thing was a stunt for some unknown customer and not about getting mutant files… (foreshadowing!!)

As Storm assessed how the team did, Ororo and Kitty get in a verbal spat… (this takes place before Piotr broke up with Kitty…but around Kitty’s freak out about Storm getting a Mohawk..but before “Love Story” with Forge…if any of that makes sense lol) 

After the battle, the X-Men do what the X-men do best- chill at the beach.

While swimming (cheers for the iconic thought bubbles returning!!), Storm nearly drowns and questions her old status of “Goddess”.

Meanwhile some human named Jimmy (it always Jimmy’s…) goes on some anti-mutant rant at Kurt….while Kurt just ignores the whole thing to more or less put the moves on his girlfriend (The real reason people hate Kurt is because he will steal your girlfriend…)

Kitty and Rogue go off together after Kitty blows up at Storm for having a motorcycle (Kitty got mad at the weirdest shit back then honestly)…

Rogue seems hesitant to “corrupt” Kitty, knowing she’s still on thin ice with the team despite saving Logan in Japan awhile ago… (I weirdly love early heel turn Rogue, so this is a HUGE treat for me!) 

Storm runs into a HOTTIE while out on her bike who’s apparently randomly and conveniently a climate change tech bro…(you GET IT Storm 😎 !)

Storm gets back to the mansion about the same time Kitty and Rogue do…

And….Kitty…walks in with cornrows and a tat (😬 pulling a “Vanilla Ice” there Kitty?? 😂🤣🤣)

Xavier lectures Kitty while Ororo goes out to see her tech bro again (Man Storm must like techies…also the guy must be like a 10 in bed if she’s going back to see him so SOON! 😂🤣🤣) and accidentally causes a hail storm (Storm blames dark thoughts…I blame being horny 😂🤣🤣🤣) and some rando appears that looks like Gollum and blames Storm for causing it (damn that’s just being PETTY) and fights her…

Storm questions if she is at fault while she drives him away from the civilians…

As Storm drags said rando in a tornado, there’s a backlash…causing her to fall from the sky!

Review:

The art is depressing horrid…like “New Mutants vol. 2” levels of horrid…(sorry not sorry)

How Kotian got on both CLAREMONT and NOCENTI books…I will never know!

It’s reminiscent of the old X-books…but in a good way! Seeing Colossus use Russian and his corny comment on it meaning “thug”…or many of the admittedly corny moments like Kitty saying she’s gonna make Colossus a “mixtape” or Storm talking about the  “weather at her fingertips”…It just feels like the old X-Men. It just feels FUN again.

Rogue stands out the most- I didn’t realize how much I missed Southern stereotype skunkhead until reading this compared to “Rogue & Gambit”…

All the characters feel like “themselves”, which honestly makes this book a huge treat, even if the story is pretty “meh””.

In an era where characters feel interchangeable- it’s nice to see them be DEFINABLE and FLAWED again!

My only critique is- I would actually like Claremont and Nocenti to branch out a bit…

As fun as it is seeing them write “Gambit” or write “Storm” again…It also a choice that feels a bit safe.

I would like to see Claremont or Nocenti try taking a crack at some of the newer characters instead of just returning to previous eras, partially to see what they’d do and because I do think they need more of a challenge!

Still- this is a fun read, especially if you miss the old Claremont X-Men! 

Predictions:

I mean OBVIOUSLY the rando is the tech bro, whose somehow messing with or stealing Storm’s powers. And the girl flirting with Kurt is in on it….

Rogue will say “hog” so many times that it will become a drinking game…

Kitty will start listening to rap music and Colossus’s mixtape will be Kitty’s new rap album 😐😂.

[funtomfactory]

Noah's Ark Circus themed music

Carnaval du Monde - Town entrance - Carnaval de Paris Carnaval des Débuts - Opening (Joker) - Entry of the Gladiators Carnaval Festival - Clown act - Carnaval festival Carnaval d'Entracte - Intermission 1 - Indian water lily Carnaval des Félins - Beast (tiger act) - Agni Kai Carnaval du Feu - Firecrackers (Jumbo) - Raise the Roof Carnaval des Violons - Intermission 2 - Danse Macabre Carnaval des Couteaux - Knife throw (Dagger) - Fiery Nights Carnaval du Vol - Trapeze (Peter and Wendy) - Villa Volta Carnaval des Fées - Intermission 3 - Hemelbruchten Carnaval des Rêves - Tightrope walk (Doll) - Dream Flight Carnaval de la Transmission - Intermission 4 - Jungle Fata Morgana Carnaval du Mystiques - Snake dance (Snake) - Gypsy Carnaval de la Réalité - Encore and ending - RCT2

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

PICK YOUR POISON, BUB. WHO'S YOUR FAVORITE X-VILLAIN?

PIC INFO: Resolution at 1845x2732 -- Spotlight on "A Villains Gallery," original and remasteted (digitally colored) pin-up double spread by Jim Lee & Scott Williams, from the pages of "X-MEN" Vol. 2 #1. October, 1991. Marvel Comics.

Now, for this extensive fuckin' roll-call, and be sure to let me know if I've missed anyone. In no specific order, too:

Arcade, Sentinel, White Queen, Sebastian Shaw of the Hellfire Club, Apocalypse, Juggernaut, Toad, Magneto, Loki, Sauron, Sabretooth, Mesmero, the Brood, Goblin Queen, Mister Sinister, Mystique, Spiral, Mojo, Dark Phoenix, (& Warlock?) Up top, next to Loki. Anyone know who that is?

Source: https://i.redd.it/e1o4ih9gcg851.jpg.

[sonofcoulson]

It's All Connected

Index below the cut.

The motivation behind It's All Connected lies in Avengers: Endgame.

I was so annoyed with the way events on Vormir turned out I started to rethink the scene. Then I started to rethink other scenes. Then I started to think about how they originally said the whole MCU would be connected, even the TV shows. And then about how that proved to be untrue. But what if...it was all connected? All of it...what changes would you need to make?

It became too much to hold in my head so I decided to type it out. Then I started thinking about missed opportunities like integrating the earlier X-Men movies and having Cap team up with the Invaders. Now I have (somewhat) refined all my ramblings and present them to you. The MCU IAC (rolls easily off the tongue, no?).

Some general notes:

Probably for MCU geeks only.

This is total fantasy, so there is no limit on time, budget or casting. CGI will always look great (monsters, deaging etc).

I genuinely enjoyed all the movies, even the ones people generally don't like. So most of the things that I've changed are for connectedness, missed opportunities or fairly minor gripes. For the most part.

Where I have consciously taken inspiration from outside the MCU I have tried to label or link to that.

Happy to add links to anything I might have missed. Suggestions welcome for blank spaces in casting, continuity errors etc.

And obviously...MASSIVE SPOILERS...right the way through.

I hope you enjoy.

INDEX:

Phase I: Gods and Monsters

(Pre/during/post Viking times) Tales of Asgard

Casting

Season 1 Episode 1 "Ginnungagap"

Season 1 Episode 2 "Glorious Purpose"

Season 1 Episode 3 "Sigrun"

Season 1 Episode 4 "Warriors Three"

Season 1 Episode 5 "Sword of Surtur"

Season 1 Episode 6 "If He Be Worthy"

Season 2 Episode 1 "Langobards"

Season 2 Episode 2 "Utgardaloki"

Season 2 Episode 3 "The World Serpent"

Season 2 Episode 4 "Balder the Brave part I"

Season 2 Episode 5 "Balder the Brave part II"

Season 2 Episode 6 "The Death of Balder"

(1571) Talokan series?

(1845) Wolverine vol I

Phase II: The War Journals

(1914) Freedom's Five (Limited series)

(1918) Wolverine vol II

(1920) Atlantis?

(1930) Namor: The Submariner?

(1941) The Human Torch

(1941) Namor the Submariner vs The Human Torch

(1942) Captain America: The First Avenger

(1944) Captain America: The Invaders

(1945) Captain America: Super-Axis

(1945) Wolverine vol III

(1945) Agent Carter and the Howling Commandos

(1946) Agent Carter series 1

(1947) Agent Carter series 2

(1948) Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. series 1

Phase III: The Rise of the Mutants

(1955) Namor: The Battle of Wakanda & Namor: The Battle for Talokan

(1957) The Blue Marvel

(1959) Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. series 2

(1962) X-Men: First Class

(1969) The Blue Marvel II

(1970) The Blue Marvel III

(1970) Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. series 3

Episode 1 Mystique

Episode 2 Destiny

Episode 3 Banshee

[anosci]

(377-391 albums etc that I’ve listened to this year, copied from twitter) (now with art. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27])

names and thoughts below cut

377/ Fearful x Mtwn - Beyond The Veil (2023) big heavy crunchy beats :)

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378/ Machinedrum - 4#TRAX (2023) was rly excited to learn this was a tribute for that #trax, but sadly its not super FT2-ish. all that really registers as such is a very ft2-vol-env-sounding release in "BTHE1" and the shortloops in "VIOLET". still a fun machinedrum jam.

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379/ Rolando Simmons - Walk on Strawberries (2017) had an itch for some analogy smth and OH BOY this scratches it "Magic Machine" is truly magic. i cant think of a paragraph to write here but like. man. all of this is so good.

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380/ Forest Swords - Bolted (2023) hazy as hell. somehow only a few tracks resonated with me. mostly "Rubble" and "End"

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381/ Actress - LXXXVIII (2023) this conjures something in me that i havent quite felt since discovering flylo. dusty.

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382/ Ametsub - Mbira Lights 1 (2017) absolutely beautiful timbres of mbiras, awash in some beats that are more 808 tail than hihat. it's a really good combo. honestly its strongest at its opening with "Mbr / Northbound" but it touches on several flavors that are delightful

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383/ Towa Tei - TOUCH (2023) holy BASS, "HOLD ON!" is rubbing me the RIGHT way. "BEAUTIFUL" secondary highlight for dat groove

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384/ Future Sounds of London - Environment 7.003 (2023) i feel like ive rly slept on fsol. this is dusty like old concrete. decreptid source engine ass music (affectionate) "Overwrite"… "Trichome". i guess youll know what im saying if you know what im saying.

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385/ Pentagrams Of Discordia - Deprogrammed (2023) this was presented to me as "like boc". and it's true. it really captures the timbre of boc. but somehow it doesn't… envelop me? its just alrite. idk :\

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386/ Full Bloom - Time Zones (2023) jazz. dubby. sexy. feels at home with oldschool ninja tune. also fun that it almost dives into fusion at times, i.e. with "Saw"

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387/ DJH & sv1 - voids (2022) yeah this is good and all but. "teal lacy" is beyond words. shiny nostalgia specifically for me. "femto" also to a similar degree but. teal lacy…….

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388/ Tha Trickaz - Cloud City (2017) some p nice wob stuff! it doesn't 100% click with me but: "OG Purp" & "I'm Back" got some fun screechy stuff. "Hood Bodega" is like 2013 but top notch

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389/ I Awake - Zenith (2017) psychill, i believe it's called? a delicious chill to keep me company in work.

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390/ Miguel Atwood-Ferguson - Les Jardins Mystiques Vol. 1 (2023) this one's a little outside my perview i think, but it's brainfeeder so i gotta at least take a look. and… yeah it's not quite my jam sorry. "Porpita" quite lovely tho!

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391/ VA - Speeding Towards Adventures (2017) grab bag etc there is exactly one song that I must shower with love: "Chemical Fusion"! it's jfusion but with its own identity! it's rly rly good!! that said, "Gotta Start from Somewhere" also deserves a shoutout as a banger opening

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[comicwaren]

From X-Men: The Wedding Special Vol. 2 #001

“Something Borrowed, Something Blue”, by Kieron Gillen (W), Rachael Stott and Michael Bartolo (A)

“Wedding Gatecrashers”, by Tini Howard (W), Phillip Sevy and KJ Díaz (A)

“Get Mystique... a Gift!”, by Tate Brombal (W), Emilio Pilliu and Irma Kniivila (A)

“Épée Is Truth”, by Yoon Ha Lee (W) and Stephen Byrne (A)

“The Thief’s Surprise”, by Wyatt Kennedy (W), Jenn St-Onge and Brittany Peer (A)

[wolverineholic]

taken from Mystique Vol 2 #1 (2024)

by Declan Shalvey, Matt Hollingsworth & VC's Clayton Cowles

[positivelybeastly]

Astonishing X-Men vol. 4 #1 and #2

In which the X-Men are so stupid and careless they don't question why Hank is wearing the wrong face.

I know this is probably an editorial mistake, where the writer/editor didn't tell the artist that Beast hasn't looked feline for five years by this point in the comics, but guess what, this is why you pay a goddamn editor. Because now it looks like the X-Men just.

Didn't notice that Hank has changed faces again. Or didn't care.

This also makes Mystique's repeated hints look even more hilarious, as if she's testing them and being a bit disappointed that it took them two full issues to notice such an obvious disguise that she's barely working to maintain.

[rei-the-head-shaker]

July 2023 Spotify Stats

(according to last.fm)

A few numbers:

Scrobbles:  1.726

Avarage Scrobbles per day:  55

Nr. of Artists:  764

Nr. of Albums:  1.029

Nr. of Tracks:  1.226

Top 10 Tracks:

“Hijo De La Luna” by Forestella  (12)

“LA PAURA DEL BUIO” by Måneskin  (12)

“BIBI Vengeance” by BIBI  (10)

“Shallow” by Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper  (9)

“Can’t Help Falling In Love - DARK” by Tommee Profitt  (9)

“All Things End” by Hozier  (9)

““Steinway” by Rosalyn  (8)

“Red Lights (Bang Chan, Hyunjin)” by Stray Kids  (8)

“Can't Pretend” by Tom Odell  (8)

“MACARENA” by Blitzers  (7)

Top 10 album:

“Skin” by Rosalyn  (43)

“Mystique” by Forestella  (19)

“Eat Your Young” by Hozier  (19)

“Hozier” by Hozier  (18)

“Teatro d'ira - Vol. I” by Måneskin  (16)

“NOEASY” by Stray Kids  (16)

“Wasteland, Baby!” by Hozier  (15)

“KPOP Piano Collection, Vol. 2” by DooPiano  (14)

“Hozier (Special Edition)” by Hozier  (13)

“ODDINARY“ by Stray Kids  (13)

Top 10 artists:

Hozier  (86)

Johannes Bornlöf  (58)

Rosalyn  (52)

Stray Kids  (50)

Xdinary Heroes  (35)

Forestella  (34)

ATEEZ  (23)

DooPiano  (21)

Måneskin  (19)

BTS  (17)

[night-gay]

Into the Anthill pt 19 - A New Lease On Life

Hank’s time with the Wes Coast Avengers was going great until the writers decided to give him a son, kill that son, and have Tigra break up with him. In true comics fashion, no hero is allowed to be too happy for too long because those stories aren’t dramatic. I knew they would do it again, but I never expected him to actually attempt suicide. I’m very thankful he had someone who was invested his emotional well-being around this time to help him pull himself back out of it.

I wasn’t expecting West Coast Avengers to make me tear up, but I guess there’s a first time for everything.

🐜🐜🐜

Avengers Annual vol 1 #15

Hawkeye organized an East v West baseball game to boost morale for both Avengers teams. Mystique and her Freedom Force arrived mid-game to deliver arrest warrants to them by order of Henry Peter Gyrich. Wasp refused to cooperate despite Hawkeye agreeing to go peacefully, leading to a fight that neither Avengers team could win. With all of his allies down, Captain America begrudgingly surrendered and Spiral brought them to The Vault to meet with Gyrich and Val Cooper. Gyrich would not explain the charges or provide legal counsel, but he did claim that another Avenger agreed to sell them out and testify. They were freed by Spider-Woman, who hated working with Freedom Force and felt that the Avengers had been wrongfully detained. 

West Coast Avengers Annual vol 1 #1

After ruling out a few options for the traitor the teams split up to check in with former members and narrow it down further. When Thor arrived he accused Hank, still seeing him as the only one shameful enough to betray them. When they met back up Captain Marvel confirmed that the only Avenger unaccounted for was Quicksilver. The Avengers split into 3 groups of 5, each heading to a different base to regroup and each encountering Quicksilver and members of the Zodiac Cartel at their destination. Hank, who did not go with any of these groups, visited Vision and Wanda to enlist their aid. Vision got Pietro to give up on his campaign of violence by showing him pictures of Billy and Tommy Maximoff, his and Wanda’s newborn sons (Pietro’s nephews (technically Hank’s great grandsons)).

West Coast Avengers vol 2 #14-24

After Tigra lost control during a training exercise and chose to give up her heroic identity, Hank promised to stand by her decision. And he did, until demons attacked and kidnapped the two of them because of Hank’s research into Master Pandemonium. The Avengers hired Hellcat and Hellstorm to bring them to the demon’s lair in Hell for a rescue mission. When Pandemonium showed up the battle ended and they all wound up on a boat, sailing to the Cat Tribe’s village. There, Tigra was finally able to merge both aspects of her soul and regain control of her life. When they got home she took this opportunity to break up with Hank. He nearly had another breakdown, but he was able to distract himself by coordinating Hellcat and Tigra on a mission against Whirlwind. His old foe called him a worthless failure and threw him off the roof. The issue ended with Hank staring at the Golden Gate Bridge, contemplating suicide.

The Avengers left for Albuquerque to find Firebird, but they instead found themselves lost in time when Dominus sent them back to the wild west. Hank, who they had left behind for this mission, took this time to pen his suicide letters and get his affairs in order. Jan could tell something was wrong when he called to say goodbye, but she chose not to press him for details and just asked him to put Hawkeye on the phone. With everything out of the way, he sat down in his room and put a pistol to his head. He was stopped just in time by Firebird (now calling herself La Espirita). She told him that she had been where he was before, and that to find hope he needed to find a new purpose in life. Together, she hoped to find the kind of hero he could feel comfortable being. Since he did not believe in the power of prayer she believed they could find the answers he needed in his lab.

Bonita asked him questions about his life’s work with the Pym Particles (the first time they’ve ever been referred to by name) and his experiences with robotics and creating Ultron-1. With new inspiration and a friend to lean on for emotional support, Hank finished a flying vehicle with a simple A.I. called Rover that he could use to help the Avengers with combat and transportation. He also realized he could use his size-changing abilities to influence objects around him rather than himself to reduce the strain on his body. This meant he could carry an entire arsenal worth of tech and decide on the fly what would best suit the situation. Thrilled at his efforts and excited for the future for the first time in a long time, he and Bonita shared a kiss. Whether scientist or adventurer, he would wear the name Dr. Pym proudly.

The WCA, lost in time for the last several issues, left a message in Bonita’s family bible more than 100 years in the past that they were heading for Rama-Tut’s Egypt. Moon Knight was told by Khonshu about this and traveled to the Avengers Compound to alert La Espirita and Hank, since they had not noticed the note when it appeared in her bible. The three of them reached out to the Fantastic Four to use their time machine, but it had recently been broken so Hank helped Reed rebuild it. The Fantastic Four stayed behind while Hank, Moon Knight, and La Espirita went back to 2940 BCE to rescue their missing allies. After a quick pit stop in 1876 where Mockingbird had been left behind, they returned to 1987 (modern day) to get revenge on Dominus. He blasted them with a mind-control ray, but since Moon Knight had other minds to fall back on he was unaffected. Dominus’s body then failed him and he returned to space.

Minor/Cameo appearances from this period:

Avengers vol 1 #280