Friday, January 10, 2014

X-men Supreme Issue 92: Starcrossed Part 2 PREVIEW and Pic Updates


It's getting increasingly cold outside and increasingly dire in the X-men Supreme fanfiction series. Professor Charles Xavier's secret has been exposed. His X-men now know that his cancer is returned and he does not have much time left. But there's no time for them to be upset with him. An alien threat has returned to the world of X-men Supreme. In X-men Supreme Issue 46: Paradise Mystery, the Shi'ar were introduced to this fanfiction series. They have visited the planet Earth before, but for reasons that have yet to be explained, they have been avoiding it. Now they have returned and their target is none other than Professor Xavier's lover, Lilandra Neramani. And just like the comics that Marvel has been churning out for over 50 years, the Shi'ar will play a major role in the future of X-men Supreme.

Now I've actually gotten a few comments from readers, which I deeply appreciate by the way, regarding the inclusion of the Shi'ar. When I started the X-men Supreme fanfiction series, I wasn't sure if I wanted to bring aliens into the mix. I always felt that was a little out of place in the mythos of X-men. It's supposed to be a story about humans and mutants, not aliens. But there's no denying that the Shi'ar have a significant influence on the history of the X-men. And by negating it, I would be missing an opportunity to incorporate some of that history into X-men Supreme. So I eventually decided to bring the Shi'ar into the picture. And with Starcrossed, I will take the next bold step in bringing their story in line with that of the X-men. I established part of the conflict in X-men Supreme Issue 46: Paradise Mystery, but there's a much bigger story surrounding the Shi'ar. There's also a very good reason why they haven't shown up on Earth in X-men Supreme and it's very different from the reason in the comics. I can't reveal too much, but I can say there will be hints in Starcrossed.

The alien agenda for X-men Supreme arrives at a time when the rest of the world is still in a tenuous state of recovery. The impact of the Cambrian is still being felt. And as this alien story unfolds, look for another story to unfold with the likes of Reverend Stryker and Colonel Wraith. The end of X-men Supreme Volume 4: Politics of Fear is in sight. And with this arc and the issues stemming from it, I will set the stage for its conclusion. I try to make the end of every volume of X-men Supreme feel natural and satisfying. I try to organize it as if it were one of Marvel's large graphic novel compilations. Starcrossed will represent a staging area of sorts. What happens in this arc will have far-reaching implications for the end of X-men Supreme Volume 4: Politics of Fear and future volumes. For a sneak peak at what to expect, I've prepared a preview that should set the tone for that future.

“Professor Xavier is a jerk!” said Kitty bitterly.

“Don’t be so harsh, Kitty. I know you don’t mean that,” said Jean distantly.

“Well he is!” she scoffed, “Don’t we have a right to know if the guy who runs X-men is dying?”

“You cannot condemn him for his actions, Katya. Not for an issue that is this personal,” reasoned Piotr.

“Personal or not, this is something that effects the whole team,” said Bobby, “When was he going to tell us anyways? When he keeled over and slipped into a coma?”

“I doubt he would have kept it a secret that long, Bobby,” said Betsy.

“Maybe you giving the Professor too much credit,” said Remy flatly, “When my mother was dying, Remy didn’t find out until the grim reapers was knockin’ at the door. Those last moments with her was pure hell.”

“I rest my case,” said Kitty dryly.

Jean tensed at their harsh tones. She was upset too, but she wasn’t about to start hating a man after he gave them so much.

“Come on! You guys are being the real jerks!” retorted Jean, “This man is still the heart of the X-men! So much of what we’ve accomplished has been because of him!”

“Take it easy, Jean. It ain’t like we’re hangin’ the man out to dry,” said Remy, “Every one of us got a debt we ain’t never gonna repay to the Professor. But it still ain’t an excuse to keep us in the dark like this.”

“It’s not an excuse if there’s reason behind it! You mentioned the last few moments with your mother. Would you rather have that brief time in hell or would you rather prolong the agony by knowing how bad it was from the beginning?”

“You’re not really making an ignorance is bliss argument, are you Jean?” said Bobby.

“Ignorance has nothing to do it! Just look at what we’re up against. We’re on our way to fight aliens! Could we be the heroes the world needed us to be if the Professor came clean? Hell, even if we could, would we be able to rise to the challenge? The Professor has always puts the well-being of others before his own and we should be just as willing to do the same. Otherwise, we’re the jerks.”

Jean’s words silenced the others. Now Kitty seemed uncomfortable with her earlier statement. Remy, despite being a philosophy buff, went back to shuffling cards. It seemed pretty selfish to cast blame the Professor when his intentions always had the X-men and the world as a whole at heart. It was still hard not to be bitter, but it was a lot harder to stay mad at the man who sacrificed so much to make them what they were.

The only one not willing to take a side in this debate was Betsy. She hadn’t been with the X-men long enough to be outraged. That didn’t mean the Professor’s deception hadn’t affected her. She just chose to distract herself with the mission, gazing out the window and looking for activity.

“If you guys are done sulking, I suggest you divert some focus to the mission involving real aliens,” said Betsy, “I certainly hope I’m not the only one a little unnerved about facing a nightmare version of ET.”

“Don’t start feeling lonely, cherè. You in good company,” assured Remy.

“Yeah, I don’t think anybody here is taking this lightly,” said Bobby, “This is a first for a lot of us and speaking as a lifelong sci-fi fan, I have some pretty mixed feelings about it.”

“Well I never watched much Star Trek and I only saw the first three Star Wars movies,” Betsy went on, “Considering how often movies are wrong, I kind of wish we had more to go on than the Professor’s visions. Do we even know what kind of aliens we’re dealing with?”

“I’m going to go out on a limb and say they aren’t little green men,” said Jean.

“You never know, luv. Being an X-man has taught me that anything and I do mean anything is possible. I was always under the impression that if there were aliens, they would be so inhuman they wouldn’t bother with us. I mean think about it…if a species is truly alien, then wouldn’t their words and thoughts be alien too?”

“Seems disturbingly reasonable,” shrugged Kitty.

“Then again, isn’t the opposite just as possible?” reasoned Betsy, “Couldn’t they also be similar to us in so many ways that they seem human in a sense? What if being human is the same for any being that happens to think on a certain level?”

“You trying to steal Remy’s philosophic thunder, cherè?” teased Remy.

“I’m just asking the questions nobody here is asking. If they’re advanced to the point of making star ships, then how far behind does that make us? Not just in this mission, but as a whole?”

Betsy posed some profound questions. The X-men had faced bigoted humans and renegade mutants, but at least they shared one commonality with these threats. They were all human on some level. These were aliens they were dealing with. They truly had no idea what they were up against. They would have to wait and find out the answers to which humanity as a whole had been contemplating for centuries.


In addition, I hope to help warm up the cold winter months with a quick update to the pics section. There's no question that the women in X-men are hot. So who better than to warm up the coldest days of the year? As such, I've updated the sexy X-women section for the Goblin Queen.

Goblin Queen Pics

Emma Frost Pics

Psylock Pics

Scarlet Witch Pics

Storm Pics

It's hard to believe that I've almost completed four volumes of the X-men Supreme fanfiction series. I have many stories to tell and I intend to keep telling them. This series has evolved in ways I never expected when I first envisioned it. I fully expect it to take more twists and turns as this fanfiction series unfolds. And that's why I always make it a point to encourage people to provide feedback for X-men Supreme. If I'm doing something wrong, I want people to tell me about it. That way I can fix it or improve it. I always want ot be improving X-men Supreme and feedback is a key means of doing so. Please contact me directly or post your comments in the comments section of each issue. Either way is fine. Thank you very much to everyone who have taken the time to submit comments and feedback. I encourage everyone else to do so. Until next time, take care and best wishes! Excelsior!

Jack

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