X-Men #17 (February 1993)

When it comes to superheroes and drama, there is arguably no team that is close to drama as Marvel's Merry Mutants, the X-Men. After all, one of the reasons why the team got so popular back in the 1980s and 1990s was that, well...it wasn't just people in costumes punching other people in costumes. The comic had essentially become a soap opera, including all the crazy romances and twists that came with it. But even the X-Men need a break from all that insanity...until the universe decides to not give them one. This is X-Men #17!

The cover is an Andy Kubert and Mark Pennington piece. It's a basic piece, with the X-Men standing around like they're posing for a poster, a villain looming in the background. This cover would make a nice poster, though.

"A Skinning of Souls Part One: Waiting for the Ripening"
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Penciler: Andy Kubert
Inker: Mark Pennington
Colorist: Joe Rosas
Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story begins on the Ustor Dynski farming collective in Siberia. A young girl runs through the fields, happy as a clam. A member of her family is coming to visit her. And unknown to her, she is being observed.

"I don't get paid enough for this."

The little girl runs into her father's arms, excited to see her brother Piotr again. As in Piotr Rasputin, aka Colossus of the X-Men. Yes, this girl is Illyana Rasputin, aka the former New Mutant and future X-Man known as Magik. Yeah, she was de-aged back to childhood thanks to the events of the 1989 Inferno crossover, which we've touched on in the past. Yeah, I've shown how Spider-Man and his supporting cast, the X-Men, and Daredevil got through it. So, some Halloween reading for you there. You are welcome.

The mysterious observer overhears them discussing how long it has been since Piotr came to visit, and he's all like, "It has. Hasn't it?"

We next go northwards to the oil-rig town of Neftelensk. From what I can find, this is a made-up village, supposedly located near the real-life Lena River. There has been some strange things going on here, so two of Russia's resident superheroes are taking a look into it.

"So they told us to just...stand here and try to look cool?! WHAT'S THE POINT?!" 

Meet Laynia Petrovna, aka Darkstar, and Father Alexi Garnoff, aka the mutant telepath known as Blind Faith. Both of them were members of the team known as the Soviet Super Soldiers (basically a USSR/Russian version of the Avengers) that would be revamped as the Winter Guard. The two notice that despite the presence of people in this town, Blind Faith's telepathy can't seem to pick them up. It's like they're not even there...

Darkstar pulls a Fred Jones and tells Garnoff to continue investigating on the ground, while she looks for clues from the air.

When she flies off, she spots a familiar...Presence.

"Why have you not given me any grandchildren?!" 

This is Sergei Krylov, aka...the Presence. A nuclear physicist from Belarus, he is the father of Darkstar and her twin brother Nikolai Krylenko, aka the telekinetic Vanguard. He's also a bit of a whacked-out nutbar.

Right, right. The Presence taunts her, despite also claiming that he is not responsible for what is happening in this little oil-rig town. Darkstar's powers somehow go out of control. The same mysterious presence also attacks Garnoff and takes him down.

Three days pass. Over at Red Square in Moscow, three men are conversing about the situation.

"This better be good, gentlemen. I got the Cuban cigars out."

From left to right, they are General Fyodr Sheltov (the head of the People's Protectorate), Col. Alexei Vazhin, and Colonel-General Valentin Shatalov (the head of the Remont program). Remont can't investigate as they're not allowed to work within Russia itself, and Sheltov has no desire to risk the members of the People's Protectorate. Vazhin realizes they need another man to deal with the problem. Someone expendable. Someone they can disavow and pretend they went rogue. Not the X-Man Rogue, as in "went off on their own without permission". Vazhin says that it'll take some convincing, but he can get Omega Red on board with this. Oh yeah, Omega Red, the superpowered serial killer. That can only end well!

You know, this is a book called "X-Men", after all. Where are they at? Well, another three days pass, and their Blackbird is flying over the skies of Russia. 

Scott and Betsy had no other clothes.

As you can see, the group is comprised of James "Logan" Howlett/Wolverine I, Betsy Braddock/Psylocke (who is in the body of the ninja Kwannon, yeah THAT was a whole thing), Scott Summers/Cyclops, Bobby Drake/Iceman, Jubilation Lee/Jubilee, and of course, Piotr Rasputin/Colossus.

They would have been there sooner, but stuff in Wolverine's own book held them up. Betsy worries that Scott Summers is pushing himself too hard by bringing the X-Men to visit Colossus's family. Cyclops isn't too worried. After all, he kind of needs the break. He's been going through some stuff right now himself. She believes that Scott thinks too much, and should start doing more. 

Elsewhere in the jet, Bobby and Piotr are talking. Bobby asks him if he's alright with telling his parents and sister about what happened to his older brother Mikhail. Piotr says that it would be a relief to do so, as it may help him ditch the struggles he's had since Mikhail seemingly killed himself by flooding the sewer tunnel home of the Morlocks in Uncanny X-Men #293 (October 1992). The Blackbird arrives at the Rasputin's home. The man who is observing them recognizes the X-Men and makes a call. He needs to talk to Colonel Vazhin immediately.

So, while Colossus is with his family, let's look in on the rest of the X-Men, shall we? Back at the Xavier Institute, Rogue is undergoing a trust exercise with Remy LeBeau, aka Gambit.

Gambit wasn't sure Rogue doing some blind diving was a good idea.

Why are they doing this? Well, Rogue had been temporarily blinded, and Remy's trying to help her cope...in the Gambit way. He tells her to walk forward, which nearly causes her to go off the diving board.

Gambit did this to make a point, giving her two rules: Trust the people you care for, and if you're in a vulnerable state, don't trust anyone. If you're confused by this, you're not the only one. 

Professor Xavier is watching this, while pondering. He can sense that Remy wants Rogue to love him, but he doesn't want to be in love with her. A dangerous game, our mysterious Cajun is playing. He's pulled out of his thoughts by Storm with two members of X-Force: Former New Mutant Sam "Cannonball" Guthrie and ex-Hellion James "Warpath" Proudstar.

Ororo Munroe likes to do everything dramatically.

Sam and Jimmy had just learned of the deaths of the other Hellions and their leader, future X-Man Emma "White Queen" Frost's coma. They were slaughtered by a villain named Trevor Fitzroy (who also had some Sentinels with him) in Uncanny X-Men #281 (October 1991), with Empath being the only survivor. They would be restored to life in the Krakoa Era, but that's another tale for another time. Sam and James want to lay them to rest, alongside Empath and fellow ex-New Mutant Magma. They'll also be joined by Firestar, who was a Hellion and is with the New Warriors at this time.

Xavier can't loan them a Blackbird due to legal issues X-Force is going through at the time, but he suggests the New Warriors may be able to help with that, which they do in New Warriors #31. 

Our scene shifts again, this time to Japan. In particular, the Ginza district. This place is known for its many department stores and coffeehouses. Basically, if you want to shop till you drop in Japan, you come here. A mysterious woman has made her way here, but not to shop, drink coffee, or do both. Instead, she thrashes a bunch of men in a back alley. As part of her thrashing, she shows off her love of the Three Stooges.

Turns out "Nyuk nyuk nyuk" didn't sound as good in Japanese.

The narrator notes that she speaks perfect Japanese but has an odd accent. She takes off her hood, revealing light purple hair. She feels ready now to face the X-Men...and get her revenge. 

Back in Russia, the sun is rising, and Piotr Rasputin, ever the farmboy, is not only awake, but he is also chopping some wood. Wolverine is also awake, enjoying a cigarette. Mainly because Piotr's mother told him to smoke outside. There's just something so funny to me about this around 200-year-old mutant who's fought in tons of wars and is considered one of the toughest characters in the Marvel Universe being told to go smoke outside by an old Russian lady. But Wolverine does have a heart, and Piotr's mom is presumably very nice, so I can imagine he'd be fine with it. Piotr tells him that she suspects his father sneaks a cigar every now and then when he's out with friends. Logan confirms he does (he can smell it), but it's not very often.

The two have a nice character moment, Piotr asking if all the X-Men have suffered through is worth all they have accomplished, all the times they have saved the world. Logan looks at it like this: the world owes them nothing. Colossus wonders if maybe going to join the X-Men was the worst mistake of his life.

Meanwhile, Scott Summers is waking up from another bad dream he had about his son Cable and the villain Stryfe. He's been having those dreams for weeks, and it's been keeping him from enjoying a good night's sleep. He decides to grab a shower to clear his head, only to find Betsy there in a towel.

An embarrassed Scott decides he's out of there. Boy, he got his head cleared up alright! And it got Psylocke smirking. 

In the kitchen, Bobby and Jubilee are enjoying some breakfast with Piotr's mother, Jubilee helping the now-kid Illyana put on a little makeup. 

Back in Red Square, Vazhin is looking at a photo of Illyana. He doesn't like this. Sheltov ain't a fan of it either, as she reminds him of his own daughter. Thing is, she may be their last hope to stop what is going on in Neftelensk, and well...Omega Red went down there and he's been missing for two days. Vazhin points out that man reported to him that the X-Men are in Russia. He'll ask them to look into it.

This was an enjoyable issue. If you ask me, Fabian Nicieza is an underrated writer, especially when it came to the X-Books. He's very good at providing character moments for both drama and humor. I got a good chuckle out of Scott accidentally walking in on Betsy in the shower, and Bobby trying to speak Russian. You'd think hanging out with Colossus would have allowed him to pick up at least a couple words, ha ha. But yeah, this drama is one of the reasons why the X-Books were such big hits in the early 90s. 

Nicieza gives us some great character work in this issue. I really liked the interplay between Piotr and Logan, the sensitive kind artist who is losing faith bouncing off the cynical, rough, yet philosophical warrior. Not to mention Betsy's flirtations towards Scott. What is it about that man that gets telepaths all revved up? It does feel like a soap opera. With superpowers. I also liked the scene with Bobby, Jubilee, and Illyana with Piotr's parents. I love scenes like this with the X-Men. To me, the X-Men need human family, friends and allies to help remind them of why they exist, what they're fighting for, and to keep them, well...grounded for lack of a better word. It's why I couldn't stand the Krakoa Era. If you keep the X-Men away from humanity, they lose it. 

Andy Kubert has artist in his blood. He is the son of legendary artist Joe Kubert. His style here is very reminiscent of Jim Lee. Which does make sense, Lee's art stye was one of the reasons why the X-Men became so huge in the early 90s. He does a very good imitation, although I do find the faces a bit...stiff. 

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2013 trade paperback X-Men: A Skinning of Souls. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you like it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-Fi! See you next time!

National Dessert Day

 Happy National Dessert Day!

The word "dessert" comes from a French term meaning "to clear the table". Which makes sense, as desserts are often the last course of a meal. 

The earliest sweeteners are dried fruits and honey, often used as offerings to gods in various gods like in Mesopotamia and India. Speaking of India, they would help create desserts as we know them. How? Because before 500 BC, they would grow and refine sugarcane. Sugarcane would spread throughout Asia thanks to trade, allowing sugar to be a staple ingredient in cooking and dessert-making for the next thousand years there and in the Middle East. 

In Europe, sugar and sugarcane would be rather rare, if not outright unknown until the Crusades and colonization. Still, desserts would remain a luxury for the rich in Europe. It would not be until the rise if the Industrial Age that sugar and desserts would be readily available to commoners. 

Desserts can take many forms. Cakes, pies, ice cream, cookies/biscuits, or even something like a little candy bar. But they generally are something that is delicious, but not the healthiest thing to have regularly nutrition-wise, ha ha. So yeah. Treat yourself to a nice dessert today! Tnaks for reading this blog entry! See you next time!

National Fossil Day

 Today is National Fossil Day!

What is this day about? The purpose of this day is to promote awareness and appreciation of fossils and paleontology. The day was originally born as part of an Earth Science Week established by the National Park Service in 2010, but has become a separate celebration in its own right. 

But what is a fossil, you may ask? Well, a fossil is a remnant of any living thing from the past. For example, a footprint, a shell, a bone, those are all fossils. Fossils can be formed in a variety of ways, from permineralization and carbonization.

Fossils are important because they give a record of what animals and plants were like in the distant past. The oldest known fossil is the cyanobacteria fossil. These fossils were found in the Archaean rocks of Western Australia. These fossils have been dated to around 3.5 billion years old.

The youngest known fossils are from around 10,000 years ago, around the end of the last Ice Age. When it comes to humans, some of the oldest fossil evidence of evolution into modern humans was discovered in Ethiopia, dating back between 195,000 and 233,000 years ago. 

Humans have been interacting with fossils as long as humanity has existed. There is evidence that early man used fossils for decorations and even weapons. It's believed that fossils may have inspired various myths and legends throughout the world. For example, the Plains people's legends of the thunderbird may have been inspired by fossils of plesiosaurs. Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder would write of "tongue stones' that were actually fossilized shark teeth. Medieval China used fossil bones as medicine. In 1088, Chinese scholar Shen Kuo's observations of fossilized bamboo lead to early theories of climate change. The Renaissance would lead to a more scientific view of fossils. Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus would develop a classification of species that still exists today based on fossil research, and observations regarding fossils would help inspire Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.

Despite all the efforts of various scientists, and the advances that have been made, it's believed the complete fossil history of the world is still incomplete. Will it ever be? I personally doubt it, but hey, crazier things have happened. 

If you want to learn more about his day, you can click right here on the National Park Service website. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-Fi! See you next time!

Nintendo Switch Online October 2026 Game Updates, My Thoughts

It's that time again! It's time to look in on the Nintendo Switch Online service! They've been steadily adding more games to the service, and now let's look in on the additions for October 2026!

Monster Rancher Advance 

Developed and published by Tecmo, Released in North America in November 2001, Japan in December 2001. This is a life simulator game that was a spin-off of the Monster Rancher series. Basically, in this game, you raise, merge, and battle monsters. Basically, it's kind of like the Pokémon games, only less traveling around and fighting in Gyms. I think there was an anime based on this series I remember watching years ago. 

This game received favorable reviews, and I can see why. The graphics look really pretty. Despite that, for me, this game comes off as a Pokémon ripoff. It's just me, if you love these games, more power to you. I'd give it a try, but it's no Pokémon. I can imagine that duck thing's going to have the mother of all headaches after that headbutt, ha ha.

Metal Slug Advance
Developed by Noise Factory and published by SNK Playmore, released in Japan and North America in November 2004, Europe in December 2004. In this game, you play as one of two new recruits to the Peregrine Falcon squad, as a training exercise turns into a real battle for survival. Unusually for a Metal Slug game, you have a life bar. In other games in the series, one hit kills you. 

This is a series I am more familiar with, as I have played a couple games from this series. I've played Metal Slug 7 for the DS and the first game on the Switch. They are incredibly fun.

Kururin Paradise
Developed by Eighting and published by Nintendo, it was only released in Japan in December 2002. This is its first official international release. The second game in the Kururin series, you play as this bird-like dude, who I am assuming is the titular character. 

You fly around in a ball-like helicopter, trying to rescue Birdguy's family here by traveling through mazes. I admit, this is rather unique. I can see a little bit why it was not released internationally. I can imagine it was felt that a puzzle game like this would not be well-received by those outside Japan. Hopefully that can be proven wrong here.

Well, this is a nice variety of games here. If I had to play one, I'd go for Metal Slug Advance myself, as I am familiar with that franchise, and found the games from them I have played a lot of fun. Hopefully, you find something you like here. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! if you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!

Marvel: The Lost Generation #3 (December 2000)

It's that time again! It's time to take a look at the adventures of the Lost Generation of Marvel Super-Heroes!

Last time, we saw tragedy on two fronts: the First Line suffering their first fatality in battle, just as America will end up losing its Camelot thanks to an assassin's bullet. And for one member, he truly could not go home again. On the other hand, we got a good laugh by seeing the start of a new partnership. As we go further back in the First Line's history, we ask ourselves this, what other threats did the Line face? Well, did you know that the Line once battled a villain from the 1950s? You'll see what I mean when they face a certain wannabe Fu Manchu in Marvel: The Lost Generation #3! 

The cover is a John Byrne and Al Milgrom piece. It's...alright. It depicts the Yankee Clipper and another character facing off against the armored forces of the Golden Claw in front of a cityscape, the man himself looming over them while holding what looks like an action figure of Namor the Sub-Mariner in his hand. Yeah, the Claw is very protective of his action figure collection, and he will never let anyone else get their grubby little paws on them.

"Mad to Live"
Writers: Roger Stern, John Byrne
Penciler: John Byrne
Inker: Al Milgrom
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Letterer: Jack Morelli
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras

The story begins at the Rocky Mountains-based hideaway of the First Line, where they're engaging in some relaxation. Well, relaxation for them, anyway. It's spring 1961, and the Yankee Clipper is showing how strong he is by doing some one-armed pushups with Liberty Girl and Nightingale standing on his back.

The exercise isn't just for showing off, though. It's also a way of examining Patrick Carney's physical limits, even with his strength-enhancing power belt. After all, you never know when the group will face the Red Front again. Kid Justice, aka Timothy Carney (Patrick's younger brother and the future Mr. Justice) comes in with a newspaper. It's got an announcement. 

"Oh my God, a new petition to free that mad horse!"

Not really. President John F. Kennedy has announced that he intends to have a man not only go to the Moon by the end of the 1960s, but also safely return to Earth. Of course, that does end up happening both in real life and in this miniseries, as shown in issue #6. Liberty Girl, Timothy, and Nightingale are feeling optimistic about it. However, Patrick is thinking about one thing: it's all coming to pass, just as "she" said it would. He remembers that Cassandra Locke told him about the Apollo 11 mission, which is now nearly a decade away. Liberty Girl remarks that Black Fox would have loved to see this, as he's a big space buff. Patrick decides to go talk to his brother privately. 

Meanwhile, in San Francisco, a hip new hero has made the scene, a cool new heroic cat for the 1960s!

"You guys are the kings of Squaresville, man!"

Meet the Hipster, the swingin' new super-sensation of the Sixties! This man is Fred MacRae, his original identity before he became Captain Hip. A man is about to put a few bullets in him before he is rescued by Pixie. She uses her "pixie dust" to petrify the men that the Hipster is fighting. One manages to escape, needing to warn the "master". 

Pixie wants to be the Hipster's partner in crimefighting. The Robin to his Batman, that kind of thing. Thing is, the Hipster is a solo act at this time. Pixie pouts and flies off, saying she'll find a partner that'll show him up. And who actually bathes. 

Ah, don't feel too bad for Freddie. As past issues have shown, he won't be a solo act forever. As for the one man who got away? Well, he managed to make it to his master...

"You haff interrupted my bratwurst eating marathon!"

Yes, the menace named Plan Chu, but most men know as the Golden Claw (or the Yellow Claw as he was originally known). The Claw's associate finds the man's story a fairy tale, but Chu tells the associate (a former Nazi named Von Voltzmann) that the henchman only spoke the truth to him. After all, the henchman would not dare lie to the Golden Claw. Not to mention, it's the Marvel Universe. A superpowered beatnik would not be that strange. 

The Nazi remarks that they are in vexing times. The rise of the First Line is causing a new wave of superheroism to emerge. Von Voltzmann finds it as annoying as the era of the Invaders and the Liberty Legion during the war. The Golden Claw is not worried about that. After all, he has a little something they can use against the Line.

Page 10, Panel 1

Yup, Namor the Sub-Mariner himself. He was found by one of the Claw's operatives, amnesiac and wandering around. Which makes sense. This story is set in 1961. In 1958, Namor had an encounter with a mutant telepath named Paul Destine that left him amnesiac, as shown in the events of Sub-Mariner #1 (May 1968). 

Voltzmann sees an opportunity to get some lethal payback against the former Invader, but the Claw refuses to let him kill the human/Atlantean hybrid. Why? Well, Namor is a powerhouse. He nearly destryoed New York City before he became an Invader. A being that powerful is useful. Namor wakes up and breaks his bonds, demanding to know who did that to him. The Claw pretends to be a benevolent man named Tzing Jao, who wins Namor's loyalty. Namor seems to remember a faraway place...and that's when the scene shifts to Atlantis, where Namora reports to the then-monarch of the underwater city: Prince Byrrah.

"At least now Namor won't bother my plans for conquest...."

Byrrah thinks that with Namor gone, Atlantis needs all the defenses it can get. As part of that desire, he had a warlord named Krang pursue one avenue: meeting a geneticist named Vyrra to create a warrior to protect Atlantis. Yyrra has done that successfully, but he's going to need time for said warrior to grow to proper maturity. And he has given her a name: Mako. Yup, that's the same Mako that appeared all the way back in issue #12! 

Back to San Francisco! We're not there to get Rice-A-Roni, even though it is the San Francisco treat. We're there to check in on the Hipster. He's been hearing about some electronics thefts and is looking into it. He follows a car that has some of the thieves in it.

Unseen by the Hipster, the Black Fox is also around. He views the beatnik-themed hero as a loose cannon and decides to call in the Line for some backup.

Elsewhere in the city, Cassandra Locke materializes in a warehouse...in the same warehouse Plan Chu is using as a lair.

The man gives Namor a suit of armor that matches the armor of a group of men who swore fealty to the Fu Manchu pastiche. Outside, the First Line have gathered to kick the Golden Claw's head in. And they proceed to fight the armored minions of Chu, alongside the Hipster.

Nightingale senses Namor in one of the suits, the one holding back. She tries to heal him, but he pushes her away. She was able to clear up his mind enough that he realizes the Golden Claw was using him. Cassandra watches the fight.

Elsewhere, von Voltzmann and Chu have a nasty surprise for the Line.

"This machine will make the First Line into popcorn!"

The two are confronted by a furious Namor, who demands the Golden Claw tell him who he is. The Claw tells him not to come any closer or else he'll set off this bomb. The Black Fox is like "NOPE" and dropkicks him in the chest. The Claw reveals another nasty surprise: the bomb had a dead man's switch. And since Fox knocked his hand off it, the bomb is going to blow.

Cassandra tries to initiate a time-jump as the building goes kablooie.

Now, if you have read issue #12, you know this is not the end for our heroes. Nope, they still got about 20-25 years before they get taken out. It's here that the Yankee Clipper's little power belt is revealed to have unlocked a new trick.

"So that is what the green button does."

Looks like the Yankee Clipper got enough experience points in that battle to level up and unlock a new skill!

Sorry. I love RPGs. The Black Fox also survives, because, well...he's a Batman pastiche, and that comes with Batman-level plot armor. He claims that he's alive thanks to Lady Luck...

No, not that Lady Luck! She's not even a Marvel character! She's DC! Anyway, Fox managed to use a grapple line to get out of there. And even better? He got von Voltzmann. So, yup. At least they captured the Nazi war criminal. Nightingale senses that there's no one else in the building. Liberty Girl asks Hipster if he'd like to join the First Line. They have a great dental plan, after all. The future Captain Hip is impressed with the Line, but he finds being in a team too "square" for him. And with that, he's gone.

Black Fox also notes that he thought he saw the Sub-Mariner when he attacked the Claw. Yankee Clipper asks if he's sure, as the man's been missing for years. The story ends with him realizing the exploding base was one that Cassandra warned him about in the past. And now, she's on her way there to meet him...and her destiny...

This was a fun issue. It felt like a Silver Age adventure to a degree. I do wish that we got some idea of what the Golden Claw was doing in that issue, and why he wanted Namor under his power. Considering the fact that the Golden Claw had been having men steal electronics, I wonder if he had been building some kind of machine. It can't be that bomb we saw later in the issue, as it seemed like a contingency in case of superheroes, not the main part of a plan. 

I did also enjoy seeing the pre-Captain Hip Fred McRae. I can imagine that as the 60s went on, he transitioned his gimmick from beatnik to hippie to seemingly go with the times, and the hippies by then were more fashionable and fitting to his anti-establishment mentality. I do wish we got to see that transition. I also got a nice chuckle out of Black Fox surprising Kid Justice. I can see that being a bit of a running gag of the First Line's existence. 

John Byrne's art is enjoyable, but it is clear that his style here is a bit "rougher" than in the past. I have pointed this out before, but I think it's likely a mixture of age and possibly style refinement.

If you want to read this for yourself, you'll likely have to find it in the back issue bins. It was never collected in a trade. It was included in a 2018 Omnibus: The Marvel Universe by John Byrne Vol. 2. However, if Omnibuses are too big and expensive for you, well, you'll just have to find it elsewhere. I got the series on eBay. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!

World Octopus Day

 Today is World Octopus Day!

On this day, we celebrate the awesome sea dweller known as the octopus. Octopuses (yes, that's the correct plural, not octopi) are a member of the mollusk phylum, alongside cuttlefish, squids, and nautiloids. 

There are over 250 species of octopuses, living in every ocean. There are no known species of the critter living in freshwater environments, though. They tend to be solitary animals, and they are regarded as one of the more intelligent invertebrates. The legendary kraken of mythology is often portrayed and described as a very large octopus. All species are venomous, but only the blue-ringed octopus (native to the seas of Australia to the East Indo-Pacific) has venom strong enough to kill a human. People have been attacked by octopuses, but in general, octopuses tend to avoid humans. 

Octopuses are pretty cool. They can camouflage themselves by changing their bodies' colors and regrow lost limbs. Their bodies are predominantly muscle. They have excellent eyesight. Many species of octopus can produce ink to escape predators...well, except for the ones that live deep in the ocean. They also have bluish-colored blood. That's because instead of hemoglobin (which is why human blood is red), their blood contains hemocyanin. Hemocyanin is better at ferrying oxygen than hemoglobin is in cold environments with little oxygen. You can learn more about these cool critters here. And also check out this cool infographic from Daily Infographic.

Yeah, they are fascinating and wonderful animals. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-Fi! See you next time!

Marvel Tokon Phoenix Cyclops Gameplay Trailer, My Thoughts

Back in July, I gave my thoughts on the announcement trailer for the first DLC character in Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls: Scott Summers, the optic-blasting Original X-Man known as Cyclops. But not just any version of Cyclops. A version of the character that has the Phoenix Force within him, which is clearly a nod to Avengers Vs. X-Men. 

I was somewhat not surprised to see Cyclops be a playable character here. After all, he's been riding a wave of popularity thanks to X-Men '97 (Ray Chase, who voiced him in that cartoon is voicing him here as well.) and he's also been revealed to be a playable character in Marvel Cosmic Invasion (I talked about that here). Makes sense he'd appear here. Let's look at the trailer to see how he plays!

Which makes things really awkward when Scott is trying to pay for things at a store. I mean, I doubt debit cards are fireproof, which doesn't make things any easier. Dang it, Phoenix.

Cyclops is totally handling it. He is clearly handling it well. 

I mean, he's not wrong. A star going nova? As in, exploding for all you non-fans of space stuff (space stuff rules). Yeah, that can consume a planet.

Illyana, Scott was giving supevillains optic blasts to the face when Belasco was trying to find a babysitter for you in Limbo! He is way above your weight class here!

Yeah, Cyclops is totally handling the power well. 

And there it is! The optic blast!

Cap ain't wrong, Cyke.

Yeah, Cyclops is totally handling the power well. 

You know, Scotty. Saying stuff like this is one of the reasons WHY PEOPLE HATE AND FEAR MUTANTS!

Oh boy, he's got Jean and Phoenix confused again. 

Heh, quoting the iconic cover.

Well, that looked pretty cool. I can imagine why they chose this particular incarnation of Cyclops with this game. Yeah, in the comics, Cyclops is also a skilled martial artist, but I can imagine having optic blasts would be rather limited when it comes to cool fighting effects. Having the power of the Phoenix Force with him also him to create some cool visuals, as can be seen here in this trailer. Not to mention the addition of a bit of Phoenix fire can give his punches and kicks some flair. 

I am so excited to see the next DLC character. I hope they go for someone lesser known. I mean, we got the Roberto Reyes Ghost Rider here, and Rivals and Cosmic Invasion have been giving spotlight to lesser-known characters like Phyla-Vell and White Fox. I hope Tokon does the same. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! if you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!