Each week, Xavier Files staff offer their recommendations for what to read. New DC comics come out Tuesdays, everything else Wednesdays. This Week in Swords X-Force #14, Hellions #6 and Cable #6: Last week we learned that “X of Swords” doesn’t really involve as much sword-fighting as we thought it would. What will that mean…
Each week, Xavier Files staff offer their recommendations for what to read. New DC comics come out Tuesdays, everything else Wednesdays. DAN’S PICK: Undone by Blood #5: Will Ethel Grady Lane get revenge for the murder of her family? Find out in the conclusion to this AfterShock series by co-writers Zac Thompson and Lonnie Nadler,…
Name: Warren Kenneth Worthington III Code Names: Angel, Archangel, Death First Appearance: X-Men #1 (Sept ‘63) Powers: Flight, razor-sharp flechettes, healing blood Team Affiliation: X-Men, Champions, Defenders, X-Factor, X-Force, Horsemen of Apocalypse About The original five X-Men are often criticized for telling a story of persecution and bigotry through the eyes of a group of WASP-y kids…
Name: Julio Rictor Code Names: Rictor First Appearance: X-Factor #17 (June ‘87) Powers: Seismic Wave Generation Team Affiliation: X-Factor, X-Terminators, New Mutants, X-Force About A big part of being a young adult is discovering who you really are. For many people, it is the first time they are away from their family, the first time they must…
Name: Rita Wayword Code Names: Spiral, Ricochet Rita First Appearance: Longshot #1 (Sept ‘85) Powers: Teleportation, magic Team Affiliation: Freedom Force, X-Force About The poet Ocean Vuong had an insight about something an Italian philosopher observed. “Vico had this theory that time moves more in a spiral than it does in a line. He believes that’s why we repeat…
Peter Milligan & Mike Allred’s X-Force #116 from 2001, their first issues on the book, spends its’ first 18 pages introducing readers to a new team of superheroes. They were well-branded reality stars that the world loved to watch. They were nothing like the X-Force team of the last hundred-odd issues, they were the new…
Name: Neena Thurman Code Names: Domino First Appearance: New Mutants #98 (Feb ‘91) Though it is a bit more complicated than that Powers: Luck Teams Affiliation: X-Force, X-Men, Six Pack, Merc$ for Money About There is a beauty in coincidence. Domino Harvey was the daughter of Academy Award winning actor Laurence Harvey and, if she wanted, she…
Art by Mike and Laura Allred Name: Doop Code Names: Doop First Appearance: X-Force #116 (July ’01) Powers: Is there anything he can’t do? Teams Affiliation: X-Force, X-Statix, X-Men About Comics are weird. No, weird isn’t a descriptive enough word. Some comics are gritty, straightforward, planted firmly in reality. Some are epic tales of gods, monsters, swords and…
The 90’s weren’t as good as a lot of fans claim they were. Comics were obsessed with flashy art, toyetic design, and continuity that is still hard to follow today. The 90’s also weren’t anywhere near as bad as other fans complain about. There is a lot of energy in those comics and they were…
Art by “Calamity” Jon Morris Name: Adam Neramani Code Names: X-Treme First Appearance: X-Force Annual #22 (Oct ’93) Powers: Sets blood on fire Teams Affiliation: X-Force kinda About When ratings on The Itchy & Scratchy Show began to decline, executives decided to retool the show with a new character for a new generation, Poochie. He had killer…
Art by Jim Cheung and Laura Martin Name: Hope Summers Code Names: Hope First Appearance: X-Men #205 (Jan 08) Powers: Power mimicry Teams Affiliation: X-Men, Lights, X-Force About Douglas Adams once wrote, “It’s one thing to think that you’re the center of the universe — it’s another thing entirely to have this confirmed by an ancient prophecy.” That’s the cornerstone…
Art by Ariela Kristantina and Sonia Oback Name: Laura Kinney Code Names: X-23, Wolverine First Appearance: X-Men: Evolution Season 3 Episode 11 Powers: Healing factor, enhanced senses, adamantium coated claws in hands and feet Teams Affiliation: X-Men, X-Force, Avengers Academy About In 1943, the writers of the Batman movie serials introduced The Bat’s Cave, a secret underground lair for the…
Art by Marko Djurdjevic Name: Nathan Christopher Charles Dayspring Askani’son Summers Code Names: Cable, Soldier X First Appearance: New Mutants #86 (Feb ’90) Powers: Telepathy, Telekenisis, A Big Gun Teams Affiliation: New Mutants, X-Force, Six Pack, X-Men, Avengers About Continuity is one of the trickiest things in shared-universe superhero comics. In the hands of a good writer, the…
Name: James Nicola Bradley Code Names: Dr. Nemesis, Dr. Death First Appearance: Lightning Comics #6 (1941) Powers: Hyperevolved Intellect Teams Affiliation: Battle-Axis, X-Club, X-Force About There is something about science that appeals to me and I think it is the sense of discovery. Finding something new is an experience I have always yearned for. That sense of discovery was half…
Art by Jorge Molina Name: Sarah Code Names: Marrow First Appearance: X-Men: Prime (July ‘95) Powers: Can grow and project bones from her body Teams Affiliation: Morlocks, Gene Nation, X-Men, Weapon X, X-Force About The X-Men are built on second chances. When the original run was canceled with issue #66 it looked like the X-Men would be an…