I own this and I’m pretty sure that this was my first Heroclix that I bought. I went a little nuts, buying all my favorite characters – it got pretty expensive.
A great website to buy Heroclix is :
Head Writer / Coordinator Jeff Christiansen
Writers Michael Hoskin, Stuart Vandal, Al Sjoerdsma, Eric J. Moreels, Sean McQuaid, Chad Anderson, Mark O’English, Anthony Flamini, Ronald Byrd, Jacob Rougemont, Mike Fichera, Madison Carter & Chris Biggs
Cover Artist Keu Cha & Tom Chu
Cover Dated 2006
On March 6, we lost comic legend Paul Ryan.
http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2016/03/07/r-i-p-paul-ryan/
In this issue, his work is spotlighted for the Kristoff Vernard profile –
Other profiles worth noting –
Paul Smith’s work is used for the Umar spotlight
Union Jack
Unus the Untouchable
Citizen V’s V-Battalion
Scorpion’s time as Venom is profiled
Vision of Young Avengers is featured
Cyclops’ younger brother, Vulcan, gets an entry
Amazingly, neither Magik or Kitty is mentioned in Warlock’s profile but Art Adams’ Warlock spotlight has Magik in an image.
Kitty is mentioned in the Warpath profile, featuring Billy Tan artwork
Young Avengers’ Wiccan is spotlighted
Sabretooth’s little buddy, Wild Child, gets two pages
MC’s Wild Thing gets an entry
Runsaways friend turn foe, Alex Wilder, gets a page
Winter Soldier gets a page
Kitty Pryde gets plenty of mentions in Pete Wisdom’s profile, art by Trevor Hairsine
Frightful Four leader, Wizard gets three pages
Magik is mentioned in Wolfsbane’s profile, art by Ryan Sook
Xavier’s Underground Enforcers is featured
Shadowkitty is mentioned in X-Babies, art by Juvaun Kirby
Villain group, Zodiac, gets four pages
Captain America classic villain, Arnim Zola, gets a profile
Psylocke slayer, Vargas, gets a half page
Finally, Alpha Flight team member, Yukon Jack, gets a half page
Writer Brian Michael Bendis
Art Valerio Schiti
Color Art Richard Isanove
Lettering & Production VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover Siya Oum
I saw that Magik was in this issue but then I saw this variant and thought that that would be awesome to own. I figured I was going to add it to my Wishlist but then Hastings actually had a copy! They are getting more and variants, which is pretty awesome. Look at all of those pouches on Cyclops’ belt!
Tempe, Arizona! Animax has gone to her father’s school, and interfers with his football game. Animax, who we haven’t seen since the beloved Battle of the Atom crossover. He abused her and her mother, and she is here for some sweet vengeance! Her mutant power is to invoke dragons.
The New Xavier Students (who chose to not go to the Jean Grey School, like how Scott wanted them to) arrives on the scene. Goldballs shouts his hero name, as if he is a Pokemon, attacking the dragons.
The Cuckoos diamond armor up, which is nice that someone remembered that is in their move set. They can even use their telepathic powers, while in diamond form. That shows up Emma Frost! Who I’m sort of missing, these days, as I haven’t read a comic with her in it, in what feels like a while. Is she even slated to be in any of the October / November relaunch titles?
Benjamin Deeds, changes his appearance to match Animax’s look. This does calm her enough to get her POINK!ed.
After the fight, Hijack gets interviewed – he wastes time with the fact that they don’t have a hero group name. Hero Squad is taken, but it shouldn’t be. Goldballs is also a media darling.
Hellfire Club. This team is crashing at an old Hellfire Club location.
Goldballs wakes up to a world that is in love with him. His mother lets him know that people have contacted his parents, to try to talk to him. His parents are very proud of their son, which is nice. I never understood while every parent has to hate their mutant child. Like, sixteen years of love and memories and then one uncontrollable act makes them turn their back on their child? That isn’t real.
Goldballs is invited to the Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon states that he is part of, Hero Squad. He is on the cover of, Falling Stone. I don’t like that Fallon says his real name but I imagine it really is impossible to keep a secret identity in this modern age.
POINK is no longer the new BAMF, it is the new THWIP! So that has to be pretty popular. Probably nowhere near as SNIKT.
The goldballs are actually gold, so they must hurt, like crazy! But they disappear, rather quickly. On a show I don’t recognize, Goldball’s parents out him as a mutant, and it becomes a whole dumb thing.
Hero Squad takes out Klaw, but Goldballs gets a bottle thrown to his neck! However that happens, is beyond me. A woman threw the bottle and the Cuckoos shut her stupid racist mind down. Triage starts to heal Goldballs’ neck.
The issue ends with the team going to the Jean Grey School. That was a pretty fast rise and fall, but that’s the new era we are in. Adult Iceman and regular Storm, invite them into the school.
Not a bad issue, it all leads to Uncanny X-Men 600, which will come out, one day.
As a Kitty Pryde fan, I don’t own many movies that I’m embarrassed by. She doesn’t get referenced in too many non-X-Men films. There is 25th Hour and then there’s 2008’s Superhero Movie. Which was one of those parody movies. This one uses mostly the first Spider-Man film for inspiration. The best scene of the movie is when the main character, Dragonfly, goes to the Xavier School for the (Non-Asian) Gifted.
The Kitty and the Kitty wannabe happens at the 0:22 through :028 mark.
Thanks to YouTuber Movieclips for hosting the video! I did not think it was going to be on YouTube at all. Now, if I can only find that Edward Norton talking about his desire to walk through walls like that character from the X-Men.
If I remember correctly, Superhero Movie, wasn’t that bad, it may be one of the better parody films. Disaster Movie has a fun Batman cameo, so I will count that one as one of the better ones as well.
Writer Marguerite Bennett
Artist Mike Norton
Colorist Fco Plascencia
Letterer VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover Art Adams and Paul Mounts
I had to add the Norton variant to my Wishlist.
In the caves beneath New York City. Poor Kate, hasn’t seen Lockheed in 15 years! I take it, through her dialogue, that she hasn’t showered Christina with tales of the little purple space alien that just happens to resemble a dragon.
Kate explains that she lent Lockheed to Angel. Back then, President Kelly (who has been the President, for more than the legal amount of terms!) had the Sentinels use radiation-based weapons. Which caused Lockheed to become mutated, he grew large and also half blind. Though he can see better in the dark, but is that better?
Kate asks Lockheed to defend the mutant race, one last time.
Lockheed busts free and starts taking out Doom Sentinels! It is these panels that we see how gigantic Lockheed has become. Those Doom Sentinels are the same size as the traditional Sentinel, and Lockheed dwarfs them.
Look at that jerk of a Doom Sentinel, jumping on Lockheed’s back! For shame!
Storm arrives on the scene and starts aiding Lockheed.
Kate leads Christina and Cameron to safety as the rest of the X-Men try to save the other refugees. Rachel is on the scene, as well.
I like that Storm does some battle chatter with Lockheed. One of the Doom Sentinels’ fallen heads fires back. The eye beams blast Lockheed, full force, to his belly.
Lockheed falls to the ground AND HARD! Poor purple dragon! I hope he is okay!
A wall starts to fall on Cameron and Kate jumps and phases them through the wall. The important item here, is that she shouts that Cameron is her son! The what!?!
I thought that she could have been his mother, from last issue – due to the power set – but I couldn’t see her and Wolverine siring a son.
I guess Colossus heard what Kate yelled as he doesn’t even try to pretend that he didn’t. Logan isn’t happy that this is how the truth came out. Colossus confirms that he is the father of Cameron. Though Norton does draw him more like Wolverine but I guess if Colossus had brown hair, instead of black, that is how he would look.
Colossus tells his wife to take the children to the last sanctuary for mutants. The X-Men will look for Lockheed.
There is an ad for CollectorCorps.com as they also have a $25 mystery box. One of these days, I would like to take advantage of these. The Ant Man tie-in box looks like those peeps got some fun items. A t-shirt, four action figures and maybe a comic or trade.
Coney Island. Later. The Doom Cathedral. Christina really doesn’t want to listen to her mother, right now. Since Doom is God, any place that has his visage, is sacred land. We see who runs the church, which of course is – Priest Nightcrawler!
Kate asks Kurt to call her, Kate, but he knows her as Kitty and still calls her that. Kate begins to introduce her children and the way I read Christina’s “both of us” is with such teenage angst, that it is thick.
Nightcrawler’s “Colossus–?” is interesting. Is Kurt asking about his wearables or who is the father of these two teenagers.
Kate tries to talk to Christina but she walks away. She turns to Cameron to explain his origin. When he was still an infant, the Sentinels attacked and Wolverine took off with the boy. Which explains why Wolverine doesn’t respond to Cameron’s “dad” or “father” but really, after 16 years, why would he not respond to that? Maybe because he saw this day coming and didn’t want to be so attached.
Christina was born in secret, but in the camps – which sounds tricky.
I like how Cameron sums up this whole secretary nonsense. Cameron forgives his mother, as she didn’t ask him too. Christina couldn’t be told about her secret older brother, as she may have let the news slip in front of a guard. Cameron has suspected that Logan wasn’t his father.
Logan never spoke of Shadowcat or Colossus, they were missing from all of their stories. I imagine Logan did this, to not color Cameron’s view of his parents. Another reason why I thought Kate was the mother was that Carmen and Cameron, are pretty much the same name.
Cameron’s summary is pretty sad and heartbreaking. Christina got all of the heart and Cameron got the fear. She the heir and he, the spare. It is pretty saddening.
Cameron wants to be alone, and finds Christina. He makes a Star Wars reference, but she doesn’t get that reference. He jokes that, at least, they didn’t have any unresolved sexual tension. Not unlike Sons of Anarchy 3×10 when Jax made out with his half-sister, Trinity Ashby, in the episode Firinne. Which was an intense season, when Jax is trying to get his son, Abel, back in Ireland. Kurt Sutter, show creator, writer and guest-star, kept writing it as if Jax and Trinity could have sex, at any moment, AND they let us, the audience, in on the family connection so early. My wife and I watched their scenes together, with so much worry.
But I have to imagine, with hormones raging – they must have fantasized about the other. Plus, they probably never told their parents or guardian, in Cameron’s case. Making that whole ordeal, even worst – with this revelation.
Christina is having a hard time grasping this familiar secret plus her new goal in life, to save all of mutant kind.
Mutant Internment Camp No. 1432. Which is just on the other side of the church. In front, is a carnival, and in the back, is an interment camp. oh boy.
Kurt has tried to free these detain mutants but there are power blocks in place. They just need to get the mutants onto the church grounds. Christina wants to just jump into action but Cameron tries to reason with her. She just got her powers, Kurt and Kitty are not at their prime. Cameron, also, will not take any part in the plan. These mutants have been prisoners forever, they are weak and broken, they are not the army that the X-Men need.
Christina armors up and jumps off the roof of the Church and down into the camp. Cameron gives chase.
Kurt and Kate also teleport down. They don’t really put up a decent fight. Kurt gets a power dampening collar on. He shouts that it is a trap!
We see the other three members of Mystique’s Brotherhood of Mutants – Destiny, Avalanche and Pyro. They do not need saving.
Which great issue, a lot of information is revealed and we even got Lockheed! I can’t wait for the next issue. So far, my favorite series coming out of Secret Wars 2015.
As much as I do love our current logo –
I really want to be able to combine these two logos :
The words “Shadow & Flame” then some type of stylize ‘with’ to go with Magik’s logo.
That would be pretty ideal and awesome.
Though I’m not sure how copyright rules apply as I would like to still ‘own’ the logo so I’m not even sure if that idea would work.
Someday, I would like to be able to get shirts made (at least one for me) and that would be pretty cool to not get into any trouble of a legal nature regarding it.
Writer Kieron Gillen
Artist Filipe Andrade
Color Artist Rachelle Rosenberg
Double Page Spreads Andrade & Rosenberg; James Stokoe; Jorge Coelho
Letterer VC’s Clayton Cowles
Before I get too far along, am I the only one who thinks of Karen Gillan, when I think of Kieron Gillen and vice versa? Anyways.
10 Years Ago. 20 Years Too late. Abigail Brand defeats Ord, of Breakworld, in a Secret War. Doing so, puts her in charge of the Shield. She is a Shield-Maiden. It is exactly what she wanted.
Now. Abigail Brand’s War Journal. Day 3682. Which is 10 years and a month later. I like Gillen’s world building here. The Shield is 250 feet high and circles the entire southern hemisphere of Battleworld.
The Shield keeps back the Marvel Zombies, the Alien Symbiotes and the Army of Ultron robots.
I also like the logic of this series. In the main title, we learn that it has been eight years since the universes collided so there is some room to believe that characters could have aged in that time.
Leah, we get her name later, wakes up Brand.
http://marvel.wikia.com/Leah_(Earth-616)
Leah is from Gillen’s time with his Kid Loki saga – from Journey to Mystery to Loki’s solo title.
Leah informs Brand that there were no big attacks, during the night. Actually, we do get her name on this page, I just missed it. Brand implies that Leah is leaving, more on that later. Her replacement is someone Brand is not looking forward to. Leonardo da Vinci comes into the room.
http://marvel.wikia.com/Leonardo_da_Vinci_(Earth-616)
They head to the top of the Shield. Scott Summers, one of many as they have a slew of him as clones. Far as I can tell, no Mister Sinister, in sight.
Lady Katherine of Bishop, who I first saw over in Secret Wars Journal 1, is here – so now I know that the team that protects the Shield, comes from all over Battleworld. She introduces herself to Ms. America Chavez.
http://marvel.wikia.com/America_Chavez_(Earth-TRN366)
They seem to be fast friends.
Thing, who appears to be both, wearing tighty whitiess as well as being able to merge with the planet surface. He is their main source of transportation.
War Journal. Five years ago, Pym-Phalax went into the Deadlands (where the Zombies live). They were hoping to learn from the Zombies, to better combat the Ultrons. They lost contact with Pym after two months. A year later, attacks from Giant Ants (Man) started.
I love the detail of the line, that on their DNA, is a message – Kill Me. I’m sorry. I was wrong. Kill Me.
So intense!
Their solution to this threat is to hook up the Endless Summers to a lense created by Leonardo Da Vinci and they just blast the dudes.
Later. Brand comments on the name “Giant Ant-Men Zombies” which is a threat one can only find a comic book. Brand took this position from Fury.
Leah implies that Fury left six months ago and Brand has outperformed him.
Apparently, a group of people went down the Shield and into one of the regions. Fury was leading them, and Leah is leaving her post to go after them. She’s leaving as Illyana is out there. Which leads to me buying this issue and tracking the series.
Leah is a Hel-Ranger and a Shield-Maiden, she will not leave Illyana out there, alone. I’m not sure why Leah didn’t go in the first place. Maybe it was more of a routine trip down to the region and things got out of hand?
Brand tells Leah (and us) that Illyana has been gone for a week, so she could still be alive (I hope).
Leah reveals that Beast and Brand were a couple (I do like them together). It is implied that he died, the same way, going to the surface.
Leah has been the best Second that Brand has had. Leah finally confirms it, her and Illyana are a couple. Not an unfamiliar concept with Illyana. I am, assuming, that Illyana is Magik – as there is only the one character named, Illyana, in the Marvel Universe.
We see who is Leah’s replacement – Kang! He is going to take charge of the Hel-Rangers. Kang has experiences fighting Hulks. Which seems impressive until Brand says that fighting Hulks is nothing like what they have to fight on a daily basis.
I could go for more proper history lessons of Battleworld. Brand tells Kang about what happen 30 years ago. There were seven major breaches and the Shield came down. The regions of Perfection (Ultrons), Deadlands (Zombies) and the Bugs – had a feast of death. God Doom allowed this to happen, allowed all of the destruction, to happen – until it got to the southern border of Fortress Doom. Then Doom, with a wave of his hand, fixed the situation. He allowed millions of deaths and reformed the Shield. That is one insane decision!
There was another region, Breakland, that doesn’t exist anymore. Brand was only nine years ago, so she is now 39 – which is older than I thought she was. Brand swears that she isn’t going to let that happen, ever again.
Brand does not like that Kang isn’t concern about the obstacles. His carelessness, is going to get millions killed. I do like Brand, as a character. She describes the best case scenario – that you fight back a threat on Monday, and they don’t come back until Tuesday. In the meantime, there are other threats to deal with. She underlines it for Kang – there is no win, they just can’t fail.
To further emphasize this, Future Kang shows up with a warning. He thought he could do it but he was wrong. In 20 days, the Shield will fall. Secret Wars 2015 is all about countdowns. Thanos is coming! This is the Proper Thanos, as no one knows that name. Makes sense that Doom wouldn’t create another Thanos. Though he did create Zombies and Ultrons, so who knows what he is willing to recreate.
Issue ends –
Time Before The Fall of the Shield :
20 Days and Counting.
There Is No Hope.
I’m so excited about this series!
I love the X-Men Legends games, the second one being my favorite of the two. I wish the Marvel Ultimate Alliance games were more like the these ones. The first Ultimate Alliance was the closest and the second game was okay, it tied in with the then current Civil War storyline and that was cool.
The first game, I really liked but only once you can recruit Emma Frost. Then I will play the rest of the game as Emma, Cyclops, Wolverine and Beast – the Astonishing X-Men team. If only it had New Game Plus, a feature that all RPG type games should have! Imagine if Star Ocean 2 had that feature? It would be even better of a game! Chrono Trigger started that and more should follow!
X-Men Legends II, does in fact, have New Game Plus, thus, I’ve played it the most.
X-Men Legends II has this great moment when you run into Kitty Pryde, who I wish was a playable character.
Thanks to YouTuber 40warrior for hosting the video.
I thought I would check YouTube and wasn’t really expecting to see this section of the game as a video. Pretty awesome that I can have the thought and the Internet can provide it.
Kitty shows up at the end of the first minute of the video. There is a little lag but don’t worry, its a PS2 game so there were huge lags from the loading screen and the saving function.
She has a unique conversation with Colossus that I like that the video creator took the time to record. Oh that Scarlet Witch is a hussy!
Watching the video again has made me want to play the game so much!
Writer Haden Blackman
Penciler Dalibor Talajic
Inker Goran Sudzuka
Colorist Miroslav Mrva
Letterer Travis Lanham
The issue opens with another flashback to the beginning days of K’un Lun. The Iron Fist school was the first. Quan Yaoiu was the first Iron Fist, the school was always the first, at everything – realizing that the war will ruin the region and the first to win the Thirteen Chambers. Danny Rand, the current Iron Fist, knows that Zheng Zu had Shang Chi murder Lord Tuan. Rand wants to defeat Zu, in the Thirteen Chambers, so that he can be the emperor – then Shang Chi would have no place to hide.
Zheng Zu opens the doors and addresses his people. Today is the day of the Thirteen Chambers tournament, apparently it is only suppose to last one day. The other masters of the schools are – Wise T’Challa of the Panther Clan / Brave Ava of the House of the Jade Tiger / Savage Lord Namor from the Halls of Atlantis / Mysterious Drew of the Spider Cult / Unyielding Karnak of the House of the Terrigen Mists / Noble Creed of the Tooth and Claw / Shattered Spector of the Faces of the Moon / Most Deadly Lady Mandarin of the School of Spirit Blades / Loyal Red Sai of the Red Hand and Rand-K’ai of the Iron Fist.
If Zu wins this day, he will be the first emperor to rule K’un Lun for one hundred years.
Like a pimp, Shang Chi arrives, claiming he is the Master of the Lowest Caste. Rand is not thrilled by this and Zu is surprised.
Shang Chi states, according to ancient rule, he is allowed to participate as he has a school and students. Zu has to allow his son to enter the tournament.
Zu dictates who Shang Chi’s opponents will be. Zu raises the stakes, once he defeats his son, he will kill all of his students! So we need Shang Chi to win (or at least Zu, to not win) so that Kitten and Lock survive! Rand looks forever to facing Shang Chi in the tournament.
Zu raises his hand and a giant statue comes out of the ground. Everyone enters through the giant mouth of the head and. IT. IS. ON!
For a seqeunce that this series has been leading up to, for three issues, this does not disappoint!
Shang Chi feels that Kitten has been following him, and asks her to come out of the shadows. There are no rules to observers, but none survive – which I’m super curious why that is. The issue doesn’t explain that but the battles are pretty intense, so I imagine that it is due to either debris falling on the audience or bodies being thrown into them. Shang Chi explains that no one really knows how the Thirteen Chambers, really work or how they came to be. It changes every year.
Round One! Namor v Shang Chi!
Namor gets the early advantage in the fight, as he can breath under water.
Since Namor can breath underwater, that means his lungs are making that possible. Shang Chi has the ability, the Mortal Blade, to turn his hand into a blade (get it?) and he punctures both lungs of Namor’s.
I like how the tournament doesn’t require the deaths of the masters, that way, they can get better and stronger AND there isn’t a new one every year.
We get a montage of the other fights. Which is disappointing, only in that I was expecting maybe two issues dedicated to the tournament.
Shang Chi defeats several masters – the Spider Clan person, Karnak, White Tiger, Lady Mandarin (maybe?), Moon Knight, maybe Sabretooth (who wanted to fight Iron Fist first, which has to be a reference to his first appearance being in Iron Fist, right?) and Black Panther. Black Panther reveals that he has fought in more tournaments than any other great master – which I had to reread twice as I was thinking how he could have fought more than Zu but he is the Emperor and not a mere master.
Shang Chi isn’t fueled by desire of power, he just wants to unseat his father. No one else can do it, but him.
I wish we got more of the Black Panther fight, besides the two panels, as Shang Chi tells Kitten that T’Challa ruptured something of his. Shang Chi has nothing else left, in the tank.
Of course, the issue ends, with his next opponent revealed . . . IRON FIST! dun Dun DUN!
I like how Iron Fist promises to make this, not quick. This series keeps getting better!
Thanks to 20th Century Fox for hosting this video!
So glad the Broncos won, that made my mother-in-law very happy!
This wasn’t a bad trailer, it felt short at 30 seconds but YouTube states it is 44 seconds, but it moved so fast! Also, nothing new was really shown, as far as I could see.
New was the nuclear missiles firing.
I really do wish Iceman could be in this film.
Psylocke slicing through a truck was bad arse! Olivia Munn wants her own solo film so bad and I want it too!
I don’t think I realized that this was coming out Memorial Day weekend.
My wife asked me if I knew who Storm’s actress was. She’s Alexandra Shipp but I don’t recognize her from anything. She was in an episode of Switched at Birth, so that’s where my wife probably recognized her from. She is also in Straight Outta Compton, a film I still need to watch. Yet another reason to do so.
The ad was only 30 seconds with 13 seconds added for the other links and such.
Not to shabby.
Someone asked me if Hugh Jackman was in this and as far as I could tell, he isn’t but that seems like a shame as he’s in every single one of these X-Films but we have to start getting use to him not being there and we might as well start with this film. I can see him in the post-credit scene setting up Wolverine 3 but they barely finished the script for that film, so it is too late to tack it on now. Though he could just be doing some random activity and it would count as being in the film.
Shadow and Flame with Magik 