X-Force 26: Death of an X-Man

Let me start off by saying that i have really enjoyed the first third of the Second Coming crossover, it's like watching the old(?) Phoenix Suns (Nash, Amare, Marion, Joe Johnson, etc.) play basketball. They just keep on going, fast paced all the way.

X-Force 26 features the first major death of an X-Man in Second Coming and it probably won't be the last (i think Cable will go down with guns blazing on the finale) and it does deliver, There have been deaths before this one (Ariel) but she wasn't really one of the core X-Men. Like the rest of the Second Coming issues, this is very action packed while also being able to distribute the appearances to the four most prominent "teams" that have been appearing, Alpha (Wolverine, X-23, Colossus, Archangel, Psylocke, Cable), Beta (New Mutants, right?), Home (Cyclops, Emma, etc.) and the newly formed Rogue, Kurt, and Hope. i really like the detail in Choi's art, the only thing that bothered me was the face of Psylocke, i think it was way too round. Other than that, i think it was great. I already got used to the way he draws Logan's face.

Now, onto the death itself. (I'm assuming that if anyone is reading this, he/she has already read the issue)

It's believable to think that Bastion saw through the diversion created by the Alpha Team, though he still made sure just in case by sending a lot of people there. He could have seen through it since their fastest mode of transportation is heading somewhere else with Rogue. My only problem here is that Kurt didn't need to die..i thought he would die because there would be no other choice. He could have jumped behind, instead of infront of Hope, getting there just in time to BAMF the two of them to safety. I did like the way when he said in the end that he believes that it is worth it because he believes in her. and here's a look at how the Alpha team found out..

images taken from Psylocke - like a Butterfly

i REALLY wish Wolverine will be the one who gets to kill Bastion instead of Hope, i think it'll be a great way for him to avenge the death of Kurt.

Kick-Ass Kicked ASS!!

Title says it all! i really liked this movie. This is the type of movie that if i ever run into while surfing the tv a year from now and i see it, i'm going to watch it again. This isn't usually the type of movie i like this much, i'm not really into slasher and action movies. I'm usually into comic book movies, romantic-comedy movies, straight up comedies and the like. This movie is actually a comic book movie but as far as i now, there's only one that was kind of like this (Punisher: Warzone) which i also liked. Anyway, i'm not really going to do a review or anything like that. I don't actually know how to do that, I guess i'll just post the things i like and i didn't. Oh, and just to make it clear. I'm not going to compare the comic to the movie since i never got to read the comic. Though thanks to the movie, i'm planning to check it out REAL SOON. Though i guess it does have some differences such as the costume and some other stuff.

CONS:
- Red Mist: didn't really like the selection of Red Mist, something seemed off about him.
- CENSORSHIP: movie's R-13 so the blood and gore are there, too bad the other "mature" parts were cut. here in our country. Can anyone tell me if there was a nude part in the scene where Dave Lizaweski (Kick-Ass) was in Katie's room and he was massaging her? Not sure about the name..
- Big Daddy: The thing he did with his voice making it sound robotic, not good. Though i did like his last scene though. The one where he was getting burned, really sad.

PROS:
- the 3 main geeks were really believable for me, especially the fat one who plays Dale on Greek.
- BLOOD and VIOLENCE - there were plenty, and i don't think they were over the top.
- Hit-Girl -I LOVE HIT GIRL. i seriously do! i cringed when the big boss bad guy kicked her in the face. She's so cute and yet she's so violent and she says "cunt" and is shot by her dad in the chest and stuff. I especially liked the scene where she took out the entire mob of muscles of the big bad guy.
- The jet-pack gatling gun thing - yeah, it only killed 3 guys..but still.
- THIS GIRL: Lyndsy Fonesca. WOW. she's up there in my list of celebrity crushes now.I liked a lot more about the movie but i'm not in the modd to think right now, all i can say is that the movie isn't for everyone. Parents shouldn't bring their kids to go and watch this. But for anyone who's looking for a good movie to watch that has a mix of comedy and brutality, go and see this. KICK-ASS is great. I want to be like Kick-Ass now, maybe go and start a super-hero trend in our world.

Oh yeah, now i'm excited about these movies:
- Iron Man 2
- The Expendables
- The Losers

And I should really go and get my new comics:
- Dark Wolverine 85
- Uncanny X-Men 523
- X-Men Legacy 235

Eaglemoss CMF X-23 review

This will be my first non-Wolverine review and also my first CMF review.

looks good even inside the box.

The CMF collection made by Eaglemoss is a small figurine that's painted/cast with lead, which makes it dangerous gor anyone who still likes to put everything they touch into their mouths. It's around $14 each and it's around 3 inches. this is called by a friend of mine as a rich man's PVC or the poor man's Statue. The Marvel line's already up to around 160 i think, X-23 being #117. This thing comes with a book that kinda gets you up to speed with what's currently happening with the character. As always, i don't intend to collect every single one of these things..just the following..

- #002 Wolverine (my lcs has this but it's $20.00 already since this was ordered online instead of diamond)
- #035 Gambit (maybe? always thinking bout starting Gambit but never really pushed through with it)
that's pretty much it, unless of course they release x-force versions of the other characters. What's nice about this line is it really has a very wide range, as far as i know only Spider-Man has been released more than once and very rarely does a variant come along. What i don't like bout this is the sloppy paint apps, i know it's in three inch but they can do better. Remember the Bandai Wolverine figure i reviewed a while back? Now that one has real nice paint apps. This figure i have was pretty much the best painted of the four that was available.

Part One: THE MAGAZINE
Basically, the main part of the magazine called "Histoty of a...TEST TUBE TERROR!" sumarizes X-23's short history in the Marvel universe, this is a good read for those who haven't read comics with X-23 for a while or for those who only know her from her current X-Force role. There's also this nice part on the bottom wherein they show certain key issues for X-23 such as her first appearance and her first encounter with the X-Men but since her history is short, it felt like some of the issues were being pushed such as "first encounter with Wolverine retold." and "X-23 aquires Legacy virus, tries to kill herself". The middle part of the magazine named "Artistic Lisence" (which is probably the generic name for the entire line) shows different artist sketches of the character, nothing special here as most of these made the different comic books anyway, no rejected idea for her looks. 3rd part is entitled "Daddy's Girl" is a more in depth summary of how she was created and raised and then there's a basic comparison between him and Wolverine, her genetic progenitor (new word for me). "Department X..." then deals with her life together with Wolverine and the rest of the X-Men, now this is the part that gave me a lot of new knowledge since i only read about X-23 in X-Force then read scans of X-23 and X-23: Target X. I never had a lot of knowledge about her earlier X-Men days until the start of Messiah Complex other than those that are still talked about until now. Tidbits about how she attacked Bishop after a heated training session with Wolverine was nice to know. The only problem is that it felt like almost all the storylines she was in was written here in order to have more to talk about. "To Clone a Legend.." for me is the best part of the book, it talks about how she was conceptualized by Craig Kyle and Cristopher Yost and how she has grown as a character.

Overall, the book's a good read that would add a lot of knowledge to the casual fan of X-23 and might even get them interested in her, though if you already know a lot about X-23 this wouldn't really add anything. My only problem with this book is that the summary of her story ends in X-Force #19, the issue wherein Kimura cuts of her arm. They end the summary with X-23 having no arm, so that means someone who doesn't read X-Force and any X-book for that matter would think that she's actually handicapped right now (she regrew her arm and reattached the adamantium). Other than that, i good read that's actually nice to have as a freebie (or is the figurine the freebie?).

THE FIGURINE:

nicely simple pose.

Sculpt:

I have no problem at all with the sculpt of this thing, it's not really very detailed but you can see that it's not that bad either. There are some nice details such as the lines on her top, the pendant she's wearing but the best part is the detail on her boots, with the straps and everything. As for the pose of the figurine, I'd imagine that X-23 would actually stand up like this. She's they type of person who wouldn't walk like THIS or pose like THIS. Yes Sideshow, i don't like those poses, do it better next time. She would never do that unless her mission is to be a catwalk model or to seduce someone. Some might say that the pose is pretty plain but it's the only way i can actually see her standing up, ready to fight but not in an action pose kinda way since it won't be uniformed with the others. This is actually the only problem i have with the sculpt:

stupid insects getting in the shot.

The claw is bent. I know it's probably not a problem with all the figures but still, they could've taken better care of it. I know it's not going to be straightened with the hot-cold method and i sure as hell won't try to bend it. If that thing breaks i'm throwing $14 out the window. Other than that the figure is pretty good.

who's a good photographer? not me.

PAINT:
This is the part where i have issues with the figure, it's a bit too sloppy and this one's already the best one of the lot. I know this is a 3 inch statue but they could still have done better. This is probably machine painted instead of hand painted that's why it's a bit sloppy. Good thing though the slops are very minimal, almost non detectable unless you actually try to examine it. It's pretty much acceptable othher than one big out of place paint.

this one.

There's black paint where there's no black paint near that part at all. Other than that it's pretty good other than that tiny speck of flesh you can see on the glove. you could see in the pictures below that the black spot is very disturbing once you take note of it.

Other than that, there's not really anything else wrong other than the usual smudging of the colors. It's a good thing i got one that has pretty good paint apps, you can actually see that the eyes look straight instead of being lazy eyed. some figurines that were brought to the comic book shop actually had half an eyebrow missing, unpainted eyes, etc. Knowing that, having that little smudge doesn't seem that bad now, does it?

I believe this was worth the money i shelled out. It's a nice addition to my growing X-23 collection. I think that if you're a character themed collector, you wouldn't go wrong with getting one, just be careful about the paint apps. It's better if you buy this in person instead of online since you have to be real picky about the paint apps, though if you're talented you can actually repaint it yourself. I actually thought about repainting it into the X-Force version since it's actually the most current uniform and it's the one she's wearing at the current age they're portraying her as. If i get a chance to buy X-23 for around P400 ($8), i would definately consider repainting whichever has the worse paint apps into the X-Force version.

the x-men's direction according to e2c2.

It's been a while since i posted anything new here so here i am, blogging..again. Though i seriously doubt anyone's reading.

I live in a far far away land where it's impossible for me to just go to Chicago and go to the expo personally so i rely mostly on Comic Book Resources for my updates on what's happening. This is no different.

Here are the new news about the X-Men which is arranged from least to most important for me..the site is still being updated as of right now so i don't know if this will be up to date or not. In general, most X-books will start over and go back to #1 around September or October.

X-Men #1 - "Mutants Vs. ________"

X-Factor - "When 'X-Factor' #207 comes out, fans are going to go nuts," he continued. "The last page will get us as much attention, if not more, than since Madrox ate his baby."
The only reason this is here is because i don't get this book. I'll try to grab the Second Coming supplemental reading and we'll see how it goes from there. From what i know they're like the P.I.s of the mutants, right?

New Artists - Whilce Portacio will be the new artist on "Uncanny X-Men" beginning in July, Singh announced. Leonard Kirk will be the new artist on "New Mutants," while Chris Claremont and Milo Manara's "X-Women" one shot will also ship in July and Claremont's "New Mutants Forever" begins in August.
Meh, I don't really have any preferences in terms of artists as long as they make the artwork clear and not Dillon-ish. But then again this is good news since Whilce is a kababayan if i'm correct.

Daken: Dark Wolverine- "Dark Wolverine" will become "Daken: Dark Wolverine" in September, with Liu, Daniel Way, and Giuseppe Camuncoli returning. "The key words are intrigue, violence, exploitation, sex—more of the same." So that means this book will continue even with the end of Dark Reign, huh? Let me just say that I'm very close to dropping this title, nothing really happens here. The entire Seige tie-in didn't really matter that much. I guess, whether or not i drop this will depend on how good the tie-in with Wolverine Origins will be. The writing is good, this book really makes me hate Daken (which is good) but it's just that it seems nothing will be different during the Heroic Age.

drop or contitnue?

We Are The X-Men - Singh said that, following "Second Coming," the X-Men will be much more integrated into the Marvel Universe, which will explain why Spider-Man, She-Hulk and others are in the X-Men promotional images.gambit and elektra?!

Ah, so that explains having Elektra, Spidey, and the Savage She-Hulk in the we are the X-Men, i think it's a welcome addition that they'll be able to freely interact with the others again but PLEASE don't make every single hero an x-man. Though that doesn't explain Blade and vampire Jubilee..

X-Men #1 - "Mutants vs. Vampires" begins in a new "X-Men" #1 by Victor Gischler and Paco Medina.

Jubilee will once again make sparks. Now through her perfectly carved marble hard granite perfect vampire skin.

What the hell? VAMPIRES? are they trying to cash in on Twilight? Maybe get a few new readers? Hopefully they won't make Jubilee sparkle. WAIT!! her powers are sparks, right? Will check this out but i hope they make this good.

X-23 ongoing - X-23 series begins in September, written by Liu with an artist to be named later. "She's basically on a journey of self discovery. It's going to be very dark, intense book, but hopefully along the way there will be a ray of light that she'll be able to find her place in the world," Liu said.

emo-23.

A new X-23 ongoing? hmm, I'll try to get that one. Though the one-shot was a bit too "emo" for me,but i know X-23 is kind of like that. Even slashing her wrists and all that, though i hope this will have a great positive impact on Laura's character. From what i understand from the interview with Marjorie Liu , she'll be away from the X-Men for a while. I hope that she comes back though.

Wolverine - "Wolverine: Weapon X" will be ending, with a new "Wolverine" #1 by Jason Aaron and Renato Guedes, with covers by Jae Lee shipping in September. In it, Wolverine goes to Hell. "His soul goes to hell, andwWe're going to see what happens when he's not around to be in control of his own body," Schaefer said.

Wolverine: Possessed by demon chiken.

I don't know why they have to stop the Wolverine: Weapon X title, they should have just continued it on that one. Then again maybe not being the "main" Wolverine book is hurting the sales a little, either way as long as Aaron's writing the book that means it's going to a good read. I believe he's writes one of the best Wolverine stories right now. First story arc seems to be about Wolverine going to hell, how? I don't really know yet. Let's wait and see when it comes out.

New X-Force - "X-Force" will end after Second Coming, to be relaunched in October with Rick Remender and Jerome Opeña. "When Wolverine is put in charge of X-Force, it's a totally different team than Cyclops would put together," Schaefer said. "They're going to be taking on Apocalypse."

new x-force is very stealthy.

Reading the interview with Remeder got me pumped up and excited to get this one. I hope that it'll be as good as the one during Yost's run, it was a short 2 years but it was a great ride. The end also showed some closure too, as Warpath won't be a part of the team since he was able to get his revenge. Wolfsbane wasn't really supposed to be there (and she really wasn't other than the first and last story-arc) and Wolverine telling Cyclops she doesn't want Laura there. I really like that, Wolverine not wanting Laura to do what she was born and trained to do, wanting her to have a better life. Anyway, the team will be new "With the exception of Wolverine this is an almost entirely new team,” Remender remarked. “Only one other has any previous connection to X-Force, but they're all A-list character" Marvel provided us with the same thing they did with Ultimate X and the Avengers things, characters which are censored. My guess is that Psyclocke(extreme left), Fantomex (extreme right) and Archangel(flying).

there you do, hopefully this will be a good year for the X-Men. Nightcrawler was also an untouchable during the panel. I really think he'll go byebye in Second Coming. I can also see Wolverine having this inner monologue about how happy he is that the elf isn't where he is at the start of Wolverine #1.