#mutant first strike (2023)

[yelenabucky]

jean in issue #1

[thehollowprince]

X-Men: BEFORE THE FALL

So we got our first look at the beginning of the Fall of X, with four issues as a sort of prelude to the event, coming after the events of Sins of Sinister.

"Witness a battle between two titans of the X-Universe. A man of innumerable personalities and powers vs. the most powerful artificial intelligence in this universe: Legion vs. Nimrod! With Nightcrawler in Orchis' clutches, David Haller and his allies will have to confront the mastermind who destroyed Warlock and nearly took Krakoa with him. But Nightcrawler is not himself... and Legion's allies aren't all they seem to be either."

"Not seen since the shocking ending of X of Swords, Apocalypse and his family have battled for survival in the harsh land of Amenth. Do they rule over this twisted world or do its demonic inhabitants rule them? And how has Apocalypse felt about the choices the Quiet Council has made in his absence?"

"A deadly mutant attacks an innocent small town but nothing is what it seems. Jean Grey, Cyclops, and Bishop are tasked with a routine mission but as they dig deeper, they uncover a hidden truth that will send shockwaves through mutantkind."

"In the aftermath of Sins of Sinister, all four Sinisters have been unmasked. They’ve gotten a taste of universal control but their true plans for mutantkind are just beginning…"

As much as I don't really want the Krakoa era to end, I'm kind of excited for this. Particularly when it comes to Apocalypse and his kids, who we haven't seen since X OF Swords.

[why-i-love-comics]

X-Men: Before the Fall: Mutant First Strike #1 (2023)

written by Steve Orlando art by Valentina Pinti & Frank William

[thequiver]

Who is.....Jonothan Starsmore | Chamber? - A Reading Guide

Jonothan "Jono" Starsmore is an X-Men affiliated mutant from Marvel comics first introduced in 1994. A native of London and explicitly connected to the grunge scene, Jono has always been the pinnacle of the "bad boy with a heart of gold" trope- the only difference being that in place of a heart he has a furnace of psionic energy. Jono is best known for being part of Generation X (the team he was introduced with) but has also been an official member of the X-Men. The manifestation of his powers left him disfigured and destroyed many of his internal organs as well as his jaw, leaving him unable to speak verbally, requiring him to utilize his psionic abilities to communicate telepathically. Jono's story chronicles one of self-acceptance and is one I'd highly recommend!

Below is a complete list of Jono's appearances as of 24. November. 2023, complete with links!

Generation X: A new team of mutants under the leadership of Sean Cassidy (Banshee) and Emma Frost (The White Queen) is formed at the Massachusetts campus of the Xavier Institute. The goal of this team is to earn an education and learn how to become the next generation of X-Men- their focus is not to fight villains.

Generation X (1994) #1-3 X-Men (1991) #41 <- This is part of Legion Quest which is expounded on here in my Legion reading guide - the whole event is covered in like 6 issues and is imo very worth the read as one section of it can be a bit confusing out of context Generation X (1994) #4-6 Wolverine (1988) #94 Uncanny X-Men (1981) #Annual '95 Generation X (1994) #7-9, Annual '95, 10-11 X-Men (1991) #49 Generation X (1994) #12-21 X-Men (1991) #Annual '96 Generation X (1994) #22-23, Annual '97 Incredible Hulk #Annual '97 Generation X (1994) #25-31 Marvel Team-Up (1997) #1 Generation X (1994) #32-40, Underground Special 1998, 41 X-Men Unlimited (1993) #20 Generation X (1994) #42-49 Generation X/Dracula #Annual '89 Generation X Holiday Special (1999) #1 Generation X (1994) #50 X-Man (1995) #50 Generation X (1994) #51 X-Men Unlimited (1993) #23 Generation X (1994) #52-56 Wolverine (1988) #141 Generation X (1994) #57-58, Annual '99, 59 New Warriors (1999) #5 Generation X (1994) #60-70 Uncanny X-Men (1981) #388 Generation X (1994) #71-75

Poptopia, a Delayed Joining of the X-Men, his own mini, etc.: Following graduation from the Massachussetts Academy, Jono was offered a position on the X-Men but declined instead going to London. After an unfortunate romantic entanglement Jono would return to the X-Men.

Unanny X-Men (1981) #395-398 The Order (2002) #5-6 Uncanny X-Men (1981) #399-400, Annual 2001, 402-407 Marvel Universe: The End (2003) #1, 5 Uncanny X-Men (1981) #408-409 Chamber (2002) #1-4 Uncanny X-Men (1981) #422-423

Defections + Countdown to Zero and House of M/M-Day: After altering reality so mutants were the dominant race, the Scarlet Witch then changed reality again, this time attempting to rid the world of the mutant gene, by casting another spell, "No More Mutants", de-powering the vast majority of mutants.

Weapon X (2002) #15-21 Generation M (2006) #1 New Excalibur (2006) #9

Secret Invasion: TW: THIS EVENT IS TIED PRETTY HEAVILY INTO ANTISEMITIC TROPES PROCEED WITH CAUTION The premise of Secret Invasion is that the Skrull empire, in a bid to take control of earth, replaces several super-powered humans/humanoids on earth with Skrulls.

New Warriors (2007) #2-20

Age of X: The mutants are almost extinct, tortured by a strike force led by Colonel Graydon Creed. The first signs of the Age of X appeared in X-Men: Legacy #244; the events were removed from the Earth-616 mainstream continuity, with no memories of the alternate lives. If you've taken a look at my David Haller Reading List you'll see this event explained as "David’s desire to be loved forces him to grapple with reality," and as a story that "places David in a role where he has to choose between a false universe where he is considered a beloved hero and reality where he must choose to be a hero despite the fear others feel about him." While that is the base of the event Jono also has some great moments to shine!

Age of X: Alpha (2011) #1 X-Men: Legacy (2008) #245 New Mutants (2009) #22 X-Men: Legacy (2008) #247 New Mutants (2009) #24 X-Men: Legacy (2008) #248 Wolverine and the X-Men (2011) #Alpha and Omega X-Men: Legacy (2008) #264-265

Avengers vs. X-Men: When the Phoenix Force approaches Earth, Hope Summers is assumed its next host. The X-Men and the Avengers are divided on how to handle the situation. The X-Men believe that the Phoenix Force will herald the rebirth of the Mutant Species, while the Avengers believe that it will bring an end to all life on Earth. This leads to a war between Marvel's two powerful superhero factions.

Wolverine and the X-Men (2011) #9-10 X-Men: Legacy (2008) #266-267

Jono's Miscellaneous Adventures: (which somehow keep involving David Haller?) This is now in with Legion: Son of X and the lead up to Krakoa! Jono does a lot of different things in this period (including Gen X Vol. 2) but things are a little more calm until War of the Realms.

Wolverine and the X-Men (2011) #19 X-Men: Legacy (2013) #2-6 X-Men (2010) #40-41 X-Men: Legacy (2013) #11-12 Wolverine and the X-Men (2011) #29 X-Men: Legacy (2013) #13-14, 22, 24 X-Men: No More Humans (2014) #1 Nightcrawler (2014) #3-4 Uncanny X-Men (2013) #600 Generation X (2017) #1-9 Phoenix Resurrection the Return of Jean Grey #1-3 Generation X (2017) #85-87 X-Men: Gold (2017) #30 Old Man Logan (2016) #39 Mr. & Mrs. X (2018) #6 Uncanny X-Men (2018) #11, 14-15, 17-18 Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (2015) #37

War of the Realms: Following the return of the Dark Elf, Malekith, from imprisonment, he ignited a civil war in his homeworld of Svartalfheim and emerged crowned as king. Malekith additionally began assembling a league of allies from across the Ten Realms, eventually forming the Dark Council which included among its ranks Dario Agger, King Laufey and Loki. If this doesn't sound like an X-Men plot that's because it's not, but the X-Men sure did get a tie-in and Jono's in it.

War of the Realms: Uncanny X-Men (2019) #1-3

Krakoa at last!: The following issues detail Jono's time on Krakoa and his role on the island.

New Mutants (2019) #1-2, 5, 7, 9-11 X of Swords: Destruction (2020) #1 New Mutants (2019) #15-18 Marvel's Voices: Identity (2021) - B Story X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic (2021) #1, 3-4 Phoenix Song: Echo (2021) #1 New Mutants (2019) #24 Legion of X (2022) #1 X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic (2021) #39-40 New Mutants (2019) #26 Legion of X (2022) #3-5, 7-8 X-Men: Unlimited Infinity Comic (2021) #79 X-Men: Before the Fall- Sons of X (2023) #1

[heckcareoxytwit]

The mutants of Krakoa are sent on their mission to investigate who is behind the terrorist attack and they help the survivors of the bombed city. Also, they fend off the Watchdogs who are harassing the mutants and survivors.

The mutants who do things in this comic are...

Storm disperses the biotoxic gas in the air and she helps out in fending off the Watchdogs. She also creates an oxygen-rich bubble environment to enhance Triage's healing powers.

Cyclops and Monet St Croix do most of the fighting in fending off the Watchdogs who are harassing the mutants.

Bishop helps out the survivors as well as fending off the Watchdogs.

Cerebra and Tempo analyze the skull and they found out that the skull belonged to a young mutant who was kidnapped and used as a living weapon by Orchis.

Thunderbird frees the trapped man inside the car, he also knows that the Heritage Foundation might have something to do with the X-Gene used to create the exploding mutant so he informs the CSI team that they were buying native X-Genes.

Iceman creates ice bowls for the dogs to drink water out of. He also uses his ice golems to do CPA stuff in the office, helping the town prepare for upcoming bureaucratic and budgetary battles.

Triage works to heal the critically injured and notes that half the town is sick or infectious due to the "dirty bomb" explosion.

Tag's powers are great for evacuation and he "tags" destroyed cars and buildings to help people escape them, while Karma telepathically guides people out of complexes.

Angel helps out in not only taking the trapped survivors out of the window from the building, he also helps out Cyclops, Monet, Bishop, Jean Grey and Bishop in fending off the Watchdogs.

Jean Grey ends up her telekinesis levitating most of the Watchdogs and after reading their minds realizes they're not part of the false flag operation. They actually believe mutants are responsible for the attack. She gets them out of the way and has them "chasing their own tails." Jean Grey also rebuilds people's homes using their memories as blueprints.

Somnus keeps the wounded but stable victims dreaming comfortably as they rest.

Thumbelina uses her shrinking powers to perform microsurgeries inside the survivors' bodies.

Wicked the Genoshan mutant connects the deceased with their loved ones as grief counseling. Bishop notes that without backups of these people the Phoenix Foundation can't bring them back.

Icarus singing local tunes to lift the hearts of the victims.

Escapade switching places with trapped people as she seems good at escaping.

Crave the random mutant eats the contents of biohazard bags that have been collected, neutralizing them. He also finds them delicious.

Northstar and Aurora light up the night sky.

Sanjar Javeed (Horseman Death from Remender's Uncanny X-Force) boosts the immune systems of the most vulnerable.

Brutha Nature grows air-scrubbing flora all over town.

Alchemist (Sudi Abadi) purifies the contaminated water.

Theia also helps to reassemble the streets, businesses, etc.

Greycrow cooks a massive pot of seafood boil while Madrox fills and passes out bowls.

Eye-Scream the obscure mutant makes ice cream for the children.

Hindsight uses his telemetry to do more investigations.

--- X-Men: Before the Fall - Mutant First Strike #1, 2023

Whew! What a list!

[nightmareinfloral]

Icarus & Aero- Where to Read?

Two of the lesser known Guthrie family mutants, Jay (Icarus) and Melody (Aero) both possess the power of flight, Jay through his wings and Mel through aerokinesis. Below the cut is all their appearances and mentions, together and separate, as well as some important Guthrie family storylines, updated as of April 2024.

Rom (1979) Annual 3

The New Mutants (1983) 42

X-Force (1991) 36

X-Men (1991) 36

Uncanny X-Men (1981) Annual ‘95

What If…? (1989) 92

Generation X (1994) 23

Uncanny X-Men (1981) 437-440

New Mutants (2003) 9

Uncanny X-Men (1981) 441, 444

New X-Men (2004) 1

X-Men (1991) 157

Uncanny X-Men (1981) 445

X-Men Unlimited (2004) 3

X-Men (1991) 158

New X-Men (2004) 2-3

X-Men (1991) 159

New X-Men (2004) 4-5

X-Men (1991) 162

New X-Men (2004) 6

X-Men (1991) 164

New X-Men (2004) 7

X-Men (1991) 165

New X-Men (2004) 8-9

Astonishing X-Men (2004) 8

New X-Men (2004) 12-14

Uncanny X-Men (1981) 460-461

New X-Men (2004) 15

New X-Men: Academy X Yearbook Special (2005) 1

House of M (2005) 8

New X-Men (2004) 20-21

X-Men: The 198 Files (2006) 1

New X-Men (2004) 22

Uncanny X-Men (1981) 469

New X-Men (2004) 23-24

New Avengers (2004) 17

New X-men (2004) 25

New Avengers (2004) 18

New X-Men (2004) 26-29, 32

New Warriors (2007) 2

X-Men (1991) 203

X-Men: Legacy (2008) 260.1

Origins of Marvel Comics: X-Men (2010) 1

Avengers World (2014) 17

Phoenix Resurrection: The Return of Jean Grey (2017) 4

Fearless (2019) 1-4

X-Men (2019) 7

X-Factor (2020) 5

New Mutants (2019) 14

Way of X (2021) 1

X-Force (2019) 32

X-Men: Before the Fall - Mutant First Strike (2023) 1

X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic (2021) 101

[erikeisenhardt]

Recent corner box cover inspired Scarlet Witch art + art of Wanda by the same artist

- Lukas Werneck: X-Men: Before the Fall - Mutant First Strike #1 Stormbreakers + personal work

- Mark Brooks: Avengers #3 (2023) + personal work

[moviehealthcommunity]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023)

This is a Movie Health Community evaluation. It is intended to inform people of potential health hazards in movies and does not reflect the quality of the film itself. The information presented here has not been reviewed by any medical professionals.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem has some moments of extreme strobe effects during the second half of the film, starting with strong police car lights at the end of a high-speed chase, and mostly featuring electrical-type effects. During the first half, there are mild, infrequent, split-second flickers of light, and there is a brief but intense strike of lightning at the end of the mid-credit scene.

There are several high-speed orbiting and tracking shots, and some of the action takes place at extreme heights.

Flashing Lights: 8/10. Motion Sickness: 6/10.

TRIGGER WARNING: A horrific backstory is depicted that shows on-screen vomiting. In a similar situation later in the film, there is another instance of on-screen vomiting.

NOTE: Our evaluation of Meg 2: The Trench is now available on our Patreon page at Patreon.com/MovieHealth, and will be available on this page on Tuesday, August 8.

Image ID: A promotional poster for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

[racefortheironthrone]

The 2023 Hellfire Gala stacked its tragedies higher and higher, after the initial party crashing, in parts similar to the Red Wedding. What are your thoughts on the event?

Anonymous asked: What did you think of the Hellfire Gala 2023 one shot and specifically how the new team of X-Men were treated?

I would recommend first listening to Gerry Duggan's interview on the Cerebrocast podcast, because I think he gives some important context for the artistic intent behind the 2023 Hellfire Gala.

Then I'm going to talk about some spoilery/speculative stuff after the cut. You have been warned.

Introduction

So let's start with my overall impression: the Hellfire Gala was really tough to read and I found myself reading in chunks of a few pages at a time and then putting it down, because either I was dreading what was about to happen or needing a minute to process what had just happened.

None of that makes it bad comics, because it's very clearly intended to be tough to read - as a recapitulation of the original Mutant Massacre which originally ended with the X-Men decimated, spread across the world, and faking their own deaths in order to strike back from the shadows, this event is supposed to put our heroes in the absolute worst position possible, "put their backs to the wall" as Duggan put it, to see how they get out of it. And I do think there are both textual and metatextual clues for how they get out of it.

The Prelude

Just to start with everything that takes place before things start to go to hell: as previewed, it is revealed that Kamala Khan is both a mutant and an Inhuman, as she is restored to life by the Five. Following up from some of her increasingly cryptic comments in Immortal X-Men, the FCBD Uncanny Avengers one-shot, and Rogue & Gambit, Destiny is trying to GTFO to avoid the Massacre but Mystique wants to stay and help Rogue, which causes a fight and ultimately leads to Mystique's seeming death (although we never see the body).

After Professor X expositions a bit of Ms. Marvel's new status quo, we get an interesting scene between Ms. Marvel and Rasputin IV in which we learn that in Rasputin's future, Kamala is a figure of legend as both a mutant and Inhuman and something of a hero of Rasputin's (following the theme of Rasputin as fangirl). What I find a bit strange is that the Sins of Sinister timeline took place before Kamala's death and resurrection - so how is it that Rasputin knows about her as a mutant? Also, I'm a bit confused when it comes to the mention of the "breeding pits," because I don't remember those being mentioned in the SoS timeline and instead the chimeras seemed more purpose-built rather than mass produced.

To weaken resistance to their plans, ORCHIS sets off their distraction attacks at the Treehouse, D.C, and the Brooklyn Bridge, which cause Cyclops, the Avengers, and Rogue to leave right before everything goes down. (This is a better explanation for "why didn't the other heroes help" than we've gotten in a while - ORCHIS has worked out contingency plans, and those plans are setting up Uncanny Avengers.)

The X-Men Vote

Here we get to the first big gut-punch moment of the event: the new X-Men team is voted on and revealed, and it's a lineup that a lot of people were really excited about: it's the most diverse X-Men team since HOXPOX (half poc, half women of color, and the first elected human X-Men), and it features a good mix of well-known characters like Jubilee and Juggernat as well as more niche fan-favorites like Frenzy and Prodigy.

Then Nimrod drops in from terminal velocity and wipes out almost everyone on the team, and for some fans it felt like a very charged slap in the face, given the rise of far-right violence against minority communities and how that's evoked by these dead mutants of color. Leaving aside that I think it's a very deliberate invocation of that by the creatives, I can understand why people are upset by these deaths (and indeed, the deaths of Bobby, Jean Grey, Mystique, Lourdes, et al.). A lot of characters that we all care about died in gruesome, painful fashions - and I think it's ok for people to feel bad about that.

However, I'm not as devastated as I could be, because I know these characters aren't really dead for good - and I don't mean that in the "no one stays in comic books" long-term sense. Part of this has to do with how I interpret the ultimate fate of the Five and the population of Krakoa, but also part of it has to do with the fact that I've seen solicits and previews for forthcoming Fall of X books, so I know that some of the characters we see dead are appearing soon in major roles - Iceman's got a solo book, Jean Grey's got a solo book, Juggernaut's on the cover of a forthcoming issue of X-Men, etc.

I am willing to bet dollars to donuts that the X-Office did not go through the rigamore of an X-Men election and putting together a team lineup to not use there characters in Fall of X. But it's meant to be a surprise when they suddenly turn up to save the day.

Two minor points involving a status quo to people's powers: when ORCHIS attacks, it is revealed that Magik's powers have been interfered with by Dr. Stasis' nanite infection (as part of ORCHIS' focus on cutting X-Men off from teleportation), and Iceman gets jabbed with what seems like a similar device by Nimrod (which helps to explain why part of his storyline for his upcoming book seems to be him having trouble with his powers).

Forced Surrender and Survival

It's at this point that Dr. Stasis and Karima make a dramatic tango entrance and reveal their masterstroke: they reveal the killswitch that Stasis and MODOK have built into Krakoan medicines, and use that to force Xavier into surrendering and mind-controlling mutantdom into leaving Earth.

Even though Duggan et al. have been foreshadowing this for some time - we've known Stasis had been fucking with the meds generally since the first Gala, we've known about the killswitch for a couple issues of X-Men, etc. - the twist that it would be used not just to blacken Krakoa's reputation but to blackmail Xavier into using his telepathy against Krakoa is a very good one. By taking millions of human lives hostage, ORCHIS is essentially forcing Xavier to undergo a real-life trolley problem experiment, counting on his very empathy and humanitarianism to win them the day.

(My one critique is that it's not really explained why Xavier couldn't use his mutant powers to mind-control Stasis and MODOK and prevent them from activating the kill-switch in the same way that Jean Grey does a bit later. I think the storytelling reason is that they don't want to repeat the Jean Grey/Moira beat, but it is awkward and ungainly that Xavier is uncharacteristically passive compared to later in the story and it's not explained why.)

This then kicks off a series of dominos:

Jean dies, and Scott is taken away in another dubious ambulance - we know from solicits that Jean is doing some sort of rebirth/time-travel stuff in her miniseries, so that makes sense, and Cyclops is apparently going to be a prisoner of ORCHIS. This also has the effect of reserving the spotlight entirely for Synch and Talon as the new leaders of the X-Men, as Jean and Scott are not going to be active drivers of the plot.

In a very good plotline, Jean chooses Firestar as a retroactive undercover agent within ORCHIS, playing on Firestar's reputation as someone with a rocky relationship with mutantkind - but without any clear way of proving her true loyalties to surviving mutants.

This is a key moment that has really important context for what comes next: as the mind-controlled mutants walk into the gates, Mother Righteous does something to alter their destination and traps Krakoa's Atlantic island in one of her magical lanterns. This is very important, because among those who go through the gates are the Five - and depending on what you think happens to them, that really affects what you think of the death of the X-Men lineup or the broader Fall of X scenario. (Notably, as this happens, Destiny turns to the camera to tell Mystique and us the reader that this is the only way for mutantkind to survive, which is an important bit of signposting to reassure the audience that the writers are playing fair rather than doing a screwjob.)

Those mutants who are going to be the main characters in Fall of X, whether it's Kurt in Uncanny Spider-Man, Emma et al. in Immortal X-Men, Synch and Talon et al. in X-Men, the whacky Limbo crew in Dark X-Men, and so forth, are distinguished from the rest of mutantkind by their red triangle defense that Gerry Duggan borrowed from Al Ewing. (I like linking the Red Triangle to the letters of the word resist, that's an instantly iconic bit of worldbuidling there.) Interestingly, some of the characters who you would have thought would get the red triangle training - like Ilyana and the crew from Realm of X - stil go through the portals and others it's left ambiguous.

With psychic assistance from Emma Frost, much of the cast of Fall of X manages to escape to New York City, although Lourdes is killed in the process of teleporting them to safety- once again returning to her original origin and death in Classic X-Men. Emma finds out that mutants have been locked out of the gates to keep them from escaping and to keep them divided at the cost of her nose, but for some mysterious reason Kate suddenly can pass through them and winds up in Jerusalem. Note the emphasis on surviving characters being scattered and divided - so that they can reunite in Rise of X.

The Genocide that Didn't Happen

And here we arrive at the denoument: having held his shot for some reason, Xavier tells Rogue to smash Moira and flee the Gala, only for him to find out that he has been made the unwitting and unwilling agent of mutant genocide - fulfilling Magneto's prophecy, Xavier's completely understandable attempt to save millions of hostages seemingly led to the deaths of all 250,000 mutants on Krakoa. We end with a complete existential destruction of Charles Xavier, as he is left alone and bereft on Krakoa's Pacific island.

(Interesting that ORCHIS' plan seems to have left the home island at home, so that Krakoa itself is still alive and where we left it.) I say seemingly, because Xavier only thinks that the Krakoan people are dead. As we have seen, Mother Righteous has her own agenda and altered the gates - we know that some mutants who went through the gates ended up in Vanaheim, and others ended up on the Atlantic island in Righteous' pocket dimension...including the Five. And as long as the Five live, so too does Krakoa. I again will bet dollars to donuts that we will see mutants who died at the Gala brought back to life by the Five at a dramatic moment to take their places in Fall of X and Rise of X (because comics never stopping cuts both ways).

So what we have is something that feels like a genocide in terms of its emotional impact on the reader and the psychological impact on Charles Xavier, and that certainly hearkens back to Hickman's recontextualizing of mutant genesis with the dramatic focus on Xavier and the helmet (he's even kneeling in water again), and the population of Krakoa falling to one...but that isn't actually a genocide. The overall purpose is clear: just as one is supposed to put one's toys back in the box for the next writing team, it's also important not to play so rough with your toys that you end up breaking them.

At the same time, I have to admit I feel kind of a way about playing the symbolism of genocide in a comic fakeout sort of way. I know that it's going to result in a triumphant moment and it follows on from HOXPOX using resurrection to promote the idea of reversing genocide as a liberatory act of science-fiction, but I think it's fair to say that it left me a little raw and I feel like the X-room is going to have to do some aftercare to soothe their audience.

[katiemcgrathultimate]

Friday, July 21

Peacock’s The Continental: From the World of John Wick: Stars from the series and EPs Basil Iwanyk and Albert Hughes provide an exclusive first look at the series. A prequel to the blockbuster action franchise, the series will explore the origin behind the iconic hotel-for-assassins centerpiece of the John Wick universe through the eyes and actions of a young Winston Scott, as he’s dragged into the Hell-scape of 1970s New York City to face a past he thought he’d left behind. Ballroom 20, 3PM.

[comicwaren]

This week on Marvel Comics (29th November 2023):

Amazing Spider-Man Gang War: First Strike #001 (One-shot)

Captain America Vol. 11 #003

Howard the Duck Vol. 7 #001 (One-shot)

Luke Cage: Gang War #001 (NEW!)

Marvel Zombies: Black, White & Blood #002

Miles Morales: Spider-Man Vol. 2 #012

Moon Knight Vol. 9 #029

Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant #004 (Finale)

Realm of X #004 (Finale)

Spider-Woman Vol. 8 #001 (NEW!)

X-Men Blue: Origins #001 (One-shot)

[stormxpadme]

Whumptober 2023 No. 6 - "Made to Watch."

READ THE FIRST SCENES OF THAT STORY ON AO3.

It was Logan's worst nightmare come true all over again, this time only with the difference that he was around for the big show and forced to watch.

He took only a nanosecond, before moving, to call himself a goddamn fucking idiot upon waking up in what his senses let him know immediately could only be one of Essex' usual underground research centers. That combination of moldy walls, copper on his tongue, and the sharpness of an endless variety of drugs, he'd identify from a thousand stenches at once. He should have known the bastard wouldn’t lose any time once the universe was safe, to get back to his favorite obsession. Scott and he should have stayed at Stark Tower for a couple of days, for fuck's sake, to get those security measures at Mutant High and in Logan's room in particular updated that had no longer been necessary after his lover's last demise. Or they could have just fucked off to the Canadian wilderness for a while until Logan could have been sure, his new partner would stand half a chance even against someone outmatching both of them so easily. Too late for regrets. If he didn’t want history to repeat itself, he couldn’t waste even a second on grief and regret, neither with regard to the past nor concerning his latest fuck-up of negligence. Logan had always been a far bigger fan of correcting mistakes. With a suppressed growl on his lips, he forced himself to ignore that horrible tug of some thick hooks best as he could, that he'd immediately felt upon waking were piercing several locations of his back, and the back of his arms and thighs, keeping him suspended from the ceiling of what sounded and smelled like a pitch-black solidary cell. A chance that begged to be used. Clenching his teeth, Logan craned his neck away from where an unforgiving bondage of pure adamantium cuffs was keeping his crossed arms, his knuckles, pressed to his own throat. Just one of Essex' usual perversions, nothing he hadn’t seen – or experienced – before, and nothing he couldn’t beat if he was quick enough though it would be anything but pleasant. No matter. Stabbing right through himself was the only way to cut those chains behind him that were keeping him in the air. To get his arms free, somehow, and get the fuck out of this room, to find out where that psycho motherfucker had taken his partner this time … Another groan came from Logan's lips when a bright neon spot right above him was suddenly turned on, the glaring light stinging in his eyes and making him too dizzy for a moment for the precision of the required strike. So much for the hope of being unwatched.

"I strongly advise against that, Howlett, unless you're eager to find out how fast you can dig an inhibitor bullet from behind your guts with a severed windpipe and torn jugulars." Essex didn’t even turn to him at where he was standing, in the middle of a cluttered lab on the other side of a bulletproof glass wall Logan had been demonstratively draped in front of as he could finally make out once his sensitive eyes had adjusted. The eager way the asshole was pacing there, with sickeningly greedy stares at his other prisoner who was tied to a metal examination chair, was a crass contrast to the absolute ignorance almost bordering on boredom that he had to spare for Logan's threats and curses his way. Logan had never been someone Essex had had a lot to fear from, not when he set up one of his perverse little scenes with enough preparations. And after Logan had ruined his day back at the time so often, and with a couple of years gone by that the bastard had been forced to stop his experiments on his favorite subject for good, there was no mistaking how much he was looking forward to his victim waking from unconsciousness. "Why do you still bother?" Essex sighed at Logan's useless, agonizing attempts to rip himself free from those hooks with sheer force. "You know the drill, Howlett. You two will be home by nightfall if you don't give me any trouble. If you're being a good boy now and shut that big mouth of yours so I can concentrate, I might even add painkillers to the mix this time. You deserve a little treat, for bringing me back my most precious gift." While busy with invisible hands, programming the lab's main workstation to fill injections and infusion bags and clean a whole myriad of scalpels, saws, retractors, and clips – the sight of which alone had Logan's stomach turn –, Essex reached to brush one sleazy, spidery fingertip along the bare, haggard curve of Scott's unmoving shoulders. A gesture of tenderness almost, enough to very damn near make Logan throw up in his mouth. "Can you imagine my surprise when I checked my usual observation screens of your school and saw that beautiful face back between those tasteless halls? I don't know how you slept with to score yourself such an excellent variant to keep, Howlett, but I have to admit, you might be good for more than I used to think. One day, I'll make you two part of my army just yet. Great job indeed." His blood-red eyes glowing with sadistic anticipation, Essex came to stand next to that damn patient chair, holding a few first sterile clothes and a far too sharp-looking knife, looking like a child in front of a Christmas tree. "An almost unmarred canvas for me to work with. This will help me finally discover the missing pieces of the puzzle. How about that, Howlett: You tell me in which dimension you found this particular specimen so I can reap some more useful objects from there. Then I might let you two out after just a couple of samples and pricks today."

"Does this guy ever shut up?" Only at that particularly terrifying development, of his new arch-enemy threatening all that Scott had been forced to leave behind not too long ago, Scott gave up the cover of alleged unconsciousness of which Logan had long sensed that his lover had left behind by now. Unlike Logan, Scott wasted no energy, putting up a useless fight against bonds a thousand times stronger than him or with a gift rendered useless thanks to the lazily red blinking collar around his neck. Instead, he chose the only tactic possibly able to stall the horrors waiting to unfold, ever until they might be found by the people Logan knew were already looking for them. Stalling a man whom he'd never consciously met before, with something more interesting to Essex than even his thirst for knowledge and torture being instantly quenched.

If Logan hadn’t been out of his mind with worry and rage right now, he might have been proud of his lover. "Oh please, don’t encourage him. Dude's only real superpower is the huge fucking boner he has for himself." Somehow, he managed to force a grin of his own onto his raw-bitten lips, Scott's and his gaze meeting for a brief look of wariness, of warning, of anxiety. Even that split-second was enough for Logan to fall in love all over again with the sky-blue ocean that was this verse's Scott's pupils. The next moment, a hoarse scream tore from his lips when current was suddenly flowing those implements in his flesh, causing him to arch up involuntarily against the cruel restraints which left even deeper gashes in his flesh that for the moment couldn’t close. "Motherf…"

"Want another taste? If not, keep that trash-mouth of yours shut." Essex demonstratively held up a little remote he'd plucked from his belt and turned back to Scott with a satisfied nod when Logan only bared his teeth at him. "Allow me to introduce myself in a more civilized manner. I gather from what little your file in Westchester says about you that we have not had the pleasure before at where you come from. Name's Mr. Sinister. The two of us have a lot to catch up with. How about I give you a rundown of our common history while I get a few first readings and souvenirs of that beautiful body of yours?"

"No need, doctor," Scott replied flatly, his face unmoving in spite of the cold sweat beading at his neck that Logan could detect even without his enhanced senses, at the sight of all these stainless steel instruments on the table behind Essex. But if there was one thing, this newly emerged Scott didn’t need to learn first, it was keeping his emotions under the same adamantium lock and key as his predecessor, even in the face of a mighty adversary. "I have long acquired all the information on you that I need." When Essex backed away with a confused frown for a moment, pulling away the blade that had been only a few inches from below Scott's bare ribcage, with his head tilted in curiosity, the cynical smile curling on Scott's lips only deepened, his tense posture not relaxing in carelessness even for a second. He was lurking. Two minutes in, and the guy was already playing Essex like a damn fiddle.

If somehow, they would be lucky enough to make it out of here in one piece, Logan would spend all day tomorrow with his mouth on his lover's cock, he decided.

"Really. What is it that they say about me in your world?" Staring at his instrument undecided, Essex put it away again with a shrug, obviously not in a hurry.

Scott raised his chin a little higher and let out a dry chuckle. "Nothing, doctor. Nothing at all. Where I come from, no one knows your name and no one ever will. Charles Xavier has made very sure of that. And from what I'm seeing of your adolescent torture porn fantasies in here, I don't think that's a loss for anyone."

For a moment, Logan was absolutely convinced that Scott had taken his diversion gamble too far, that in his wrath, Essex would punch right through him when their enemy lost it, not entirely unexpected, bringing his supernaturally strong fist down on his prisoner's unprotected midsection.

But Scott only reared up in his bonds with a breathless, tortured gasp and then started coughing and retching so violently, so exaggeratedly, that Logan's panicked brain finally caught on to the plan. In fact, even before Essex rolled his eyes at his prisoner's troubles to keep breathing through those contractions and obstacles in his throat, and reluctantly let the shackles tying Scott down open with an impatient telekinetic movement.

If Scott kept this up, Logan would end up bottoming voluntarily for the guy for a whole month.

Essex was none the wiser for the moment, watching impassively as Scott was writhing on the ground after collapsing from that chair, dragging desperate breaths through his lungs between spitting out the rest of last evening's celebration feast. "Maybe I spoke too soon. He's a breakable one, that variant, isn’t he, Howlett? You might want to look out for your new bedside entertainment if you don't want to scrap his corpse off my laboratory ground in a month as well."

The waves of blood red rising higher and higher behind Logan's increasingly blurred vision, along with the bottomless black pit that was his grief, exploded in his soul in an instant, bursting the chains of weak restraint with which he'd tried to stop such an outburst exactly. In the most dangerous of all places, going berserk always could mean his own death just as much as his friend's and family's, especially with his powers temporarily eliminated … But none of those warning considerations made it past that one horrible image in his head that his enemy's provocations conjured, of a bloodless body cradled in his arms, the echo of his own anguished screams in his mind drowning out every voice of rationality. Rearing up against his chains once more, he tore free of four of those fucking hooks, the rest ripping easily through flesh and muscle, no longer able to hold his weight, before he crashed to the ground covered in his own blood, with the air pressed brutally from his chest, too much even for voicing the agony wrecking him.

Instead, someone else was screaming.

For a moment, Logan was absolutely convinced that he had fucked up, again, had made the worst possible decision in the worst possible moment. That Scott would be paying the price for that before Logan would even somehow manage to stumble to his feet, could at least try and fight his way through to his lover, through all the usual deadly traps that all of Essex' places were rigged with …

Only belatedly, he realized that he'd mistaken the voice yelling there, thanks to the loud ringing in his ears. Scott had used the second of distraction wisely that Logan's crash had offered. The scream turned into a gurgling sound of damaged airways, not much unlike the fate his enemy had threatened him with earlier, choking sputtering following, the heavy thud of something massive hitting the ground … Then it was silent, right before Logan finally managed to push himself to his feet.

"You look like shit," Scott told him dryly, looking up with a grin from where he'd only just finished, driving an inhibitor dagger even deeper into Essex' throat that Scott must have brought up from his own damn stomach in a move as brilliant as desperate. Promptly, Logan remembered seeing his lover reach for something under his pillow when they'd been attacked, in that only split second they had had for such a decision. And it had been exactly the right one. "What? How do you think I survived in the streets after Mom and Dad crashed? When you start to deal with drugs at 14 or so in the most patrolled alleys of Hell's Kitchen, you quickly learn how to swallow and vomit stuff at will."

"You are a lunatic. You know that, right?" For seconds, Logan could just stare at that smart bastard he happened to call his partner, too perplexed even to think of getting that damn inhibitor out of his own body so he could stop painting the damn floor red, or find something to cover himself up with. First things first. There was something he'd avoided last night in his damn stupidity and emotional constipation, and fuck him if he'd risk even for one second longer, not getting a chance to say it at all. "For some damn reason, I love you anyway."

Scott granted him another long moment of looking at those beautiful eyes AS they were promptly glistening with a hint of salt, of seeing that broad, touched smile on his lips, before he bent down to his enemy's corpse again, for a certain key and his VISOR safely tucked away in Essex' belt, to get rid of his inhibitor collar. "Right back at you, Claws. Looks like we make a pretty good team in every verse."

Logan impatiently punched the damn glass between them to pieces, ignoring both the shards between his knuckles and new drops of red splashing on the ground in favor of pulling his lover close and kissing him senselesa. That was all the answer needed anyway.

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Please note that this was once a preexisting oneshot based on a prompt, to which I added the above scene to make it a legit Whumptober-entry.

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@whumptober | @whumptober-archive

[xmencovered]

X-Men: Before The Fall - Mutants' First Strike Vol 1 1 / Published: June 7, 2023 / Artist: Oscar Vega

[why-i-love-comics]

X-Men: Before the Fall: Mutant First Strike #1 (2023)

written by Steve Orlando art by Valentina Pinti & Frank William

[thequiver]

Who is....Ruth Aldine | Blindfold? A Reading Guide

Ruth Aldine in an X-Men affiliated mutant from Marvel comics first introduced in 2004. She was born with no eyes or open eye sockets and due to her mutant condition her father left her, her mother, and her older brother only a week after her birth. Spending her childhood tormented by her abusive older brother, Ruth would eventually find freedom and happiness only after her mother had died protecting her from her brother's attempt on her life. Now living with her aunt, Ruth would begin to teach herself to harness and control her extensive mutant powers, but her brother's execution would result in him stealing half of her powers and her being sent to the Xavier Institute, where she first received her codename, Blindfold.

Ruth is currently the girlfriend of Professor Xavier's son, David Haller, and does not have a corporeal form on Krakoa, instead living inside of David's head. David has however as of 3. May. 2023 blinked himself out of existence and Ruth's fate is unknown.

Ruth was born in North Carolina and it is implied that she is from the Appalachian region of the state!

Below the cut you'll find a mostly complete reading order for Ruth!

First Appearances

Ruth's first appearances are found in the lead-up to M-Day/Decimation and its immediate aftermath. It may be beneficial to read Astonishing X-Men (2004/Vol. 3) #1-6 for context before reading Ruth's first appearance if you would like a better understanding of the run.

Astonishing X-Men (2004) #7-8 New X-Men (2004) #23-24 X-Men (1991) #201-204 [A stories only] New X-Men (2004) #37-41 Astonishing X-Men (2004) #15-18

Divided We Stand, Manifest Destiny, and Utopia

In the wake of Messiah Complex Charles Xavier is presumed dead and X-Men are disbanded. There is no home for mutants, no trust and no purpose to live for. Scott Summers is at this time the leader of mutantkind...things are going about as well as you'd expect. This gets picked back up following Necrosha (explained below).

Young X-Men (2008) #1-6 X-Men: Manifest Destiny (2008) #3 [C Story] Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Exodus

Necrosha

Necrosha is a crossover event that deals with mutants being resurrected for the dark purposes of Selene Gallio (an old enemy of the X-Men, first appearing in New Mutants (1983) #9) who intends to use these resurrected mutants in her quest to become a goddess.

X-Necrosha (2009) #1 X-Force (2008) #21-22 X-Men: Legacy (2008) #231-233

Utopia Continued

The following issues are a continuation of Utopia!

Nation X (2010) #2 [C Story] X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back (2010) #1-3 <- this a 4 issue story so I would personally recommend reading #4 as well ;) X-Men: To Serve and Protect #3 X-Men: Legacy (2008) #244

Age of X (sort of)

The mutants are almost extinct, tortured by a strike force led by Colonel Graydon Creed. The first signs of the Age of X appeared in X-Men: Legacy #244; the events were removed from the Earth-616 mainstream continuity, with no memories of the alternate lives. If you've taken a look at my David Haller Reading List you'll see this event explained as "David’s desire to be loved forces him to grapple with reality," and as a story that "places David in a role where he has to choose between a false universe where he is considered a beloved hero and reality where he must choose to be a hero despite the fear others feel about him." Ruth's appearances here are still pretty connected to the X-Men: Legacy (2008) plotline we've been following now for a bit.

New Mutants (2009) #22, 24, 27

Curse of the Mutants

In what can only be described as the "oh shit we've run out of ideas" last resort of any creative company putting out too many crossover events in a short period of time..... the X-Office put out Curse of the Mutants. The arc centers on a human bomb exploding in San Francisco's Union Square, covering dozens in vampire-converting blood. It then becomes the mission of the X-Men to track down Dracula's son Xarus, now "Lord of the Vampires", even if that means enlisting vampire-hunter Blade. Yeah.... I don't know either.

X-Men (2010) #11

Schism and Regenesis

Schism follows the break-up of the X-Men at a moment of peak anti-mutant sentiment. Regenesis is the period of regrowth and reorganization following Schism.

X-Men: Schism (2011) #5 <- May be helpful to read #1-4 as well! X-Men: Regenesis (2011) #1 X-Men: Legacy (2008) #259, 261, 263

Avengers vs. X-Men

When the Phoenix Force approaches Earth, Hope Summers is assumed its next host. The X-Men and the Avengers are divided on how to handle the situation. The X-Men believe that the Phoenix Force will herald the rebirth of the Mutant Species, while the Avengers believe that it will bring an end to all life on Earth. This leads to a war between Marvel's two powerful superhero factions.

Avengers vs. X-Men (2012) #3

Legion: Son of X

This is where Ruth's path first crosses with the professor's son, David Haller, in any real meaningful way. It does however mold her story around his and start the descent of her story into being focused around David rather than Ruth.

X-Men: Legacy (2013) #1-24

Ruth has a handful of blink and you'll miss it appearances between Son of X and This is Forever but they aren't..... really important at all and don't really do anything to tell Ruth's story.

This is Forever

The X-Men are all presumed dead, but this isn't the case.

Uncanny X-Men (2019) #11

Legion of X and Before the Fall

Ruth Aldine is back from the dead.... and is now living inside of David Haller's head rather than having a body, and oh did we mention that she now pretty much has no motivations that don't revolve around David and is only seen when she can promote David?..... As a David fan, I am exhausted.

Legion of X (2022) #1-10 X-Men: Before the Fall- Sons of X (2023) #1

Reading list is current up until 6. November. 2023!

[heckcareoxytwit]

A preview of X-Men: Before the Fall - Mutant First Strike #1

X-MEN: BEFORE THE FALL - MUTANT FIRST STRIKE #1

KRAKOA STRIKES?! Ever since mutants declared themselves humanity’s new gods, certain circles have been waiting for the other shoe to drop—the wrath. When a small New England town is hit by a devastating mutant attack, it seems the wrath is here. But all isn’t as it appears. And Krakoa doesn’t hesitate to save lives—so it’s time for BISHOP to lead Krakoa’s biggest rescue effort yet!

Written by: Steve Orlando Art by: Valentina Pinti, Frank William Cover by: Israel Silva, David Baldeón Page Count: 36 Pages Release Date: June 7, 2023