Maybe. I don’t think so just because today’s Kitty is still grappling with what she did. So if anything her recent hardness may give her pause. I can see her hesitating when her mindset slips into that frame, even though she’d obviously never try to kill Magik, but just going into that space may cause her discomfort. Magik doesn’t have that kind of hang up.
Ahem. What I meant to say is that it is agreeable to once again participate in the Kelly Thompson sponsored game known as “X-Men War.”
One takeaway from this initial round is that I have some blind spots when it comes to some X-Men and X-Men adjacent characters. Excalibur characters may be the biggest lesser knowns for me. So, when they were matched against more familiar characters, it was tough to vote for ‘em, even if they should have been clear winners.
Another takeaway is that a few favorite characters got some TOUGH matchups. (Looking at you, Jubilation Lee.) That kind of thing always happens in one of these, but I shall miss them going forward.
Another-another takeaway is that I try really hard to vote for who I think will win and keep my emotional connection to the characters out of it… until I don’t. Do I think Cable would beat Forge? Yes. Can I bring myself to vote for Cable? No.
Rob, if you haven't read any Excalibur I highly recommend a couple stories. The Chris Claremont/Alan Davis stuff is good -- the Alan Davis/Alan Davis stuff is my favorite.
I hear you on "emotional connection"... it felt very wrong voting for Rachel over Kurt for me.
Are we supposed to comment on every matchup? I can do this all day.
Monet over Archangel. No more whiny rich mutant. He's just another victim of Jean Grey' s constant "love me" mind control.
Psylocke over Meggan. KwannonBetsyPsylocke confuses the hell out of me but I am voting for that incredibly sexist Jim Lee outfit.
Magneto over Betsy. I was once asked which superhero power I wanted, and I said Magneto. After finding out that many superheroes don't have any powers (GL).
Cerise over Colossus. Colossus is so very boring, Phoenix Five notwithstanding.
Mystique over Havok. Havok is really pretty lame in every aspect.
Laura over Longshot. Sexy Wolverine beats Domino knockoff.
Deadpool over Boom Boom. This matchup is a tragedy and travesty. Sic transit Boomer.
Sunspot over Warpath. I flipped a coin.
Pixie over Quicksilver. I am so tired of Run Fast Guys.
Dazzler over Multiple Man. I know it's comic books, but Madrox's power is silly.
Armor over Banshee. If you think I'm voting for female X-Men, you are correct.
Domino over Shatterstar. It would be a fun fight. But he is lame (see: Deadpool movies).
Cable over Forge. Somehow, Forge needs to exist. But I don't have to like him.
Cyclops over Cannonball. Sam is so one-note. Oh wait... so is Scott...
Spiral over Bishop. He is cool, but his power set confuses me. I understand six arms.
Polaris over Wolfsbane. I love Lorna, because of that New Mutants movie.
Iceman over Captain Avalon. I barely know that British guy at all.
Jean Grey over Anybody. Sorry, Siryn.
Professor X over Lilandra. Wow, couple fight. Needs marriage counseling.
Beast over Feral. I mean, really.
Storm over Strong Guy. This matchup is a travesty. I love you Guido!
White Queen over Frenzy. Emma has a strong power over me.
Rogue over Jubilee. Ouch.
Magik over Shadowcat. Taxi Driver With Sword > Unsolid Girl.
Rachel Phoenix over Nightcrawler. I like Phoenixes.
Wolverine over Synch. Synch is a support character like Forge, but I don't have to like him.
Gambit over Mirage. Remy done made a name for himself.
if anyone read the recap of their love story in the vault and didn’t a) cry; and b) think they were both total bad asses then i question their humanity. ;-) i barely knew who synch was prior to that and he went to be a top character of mine (laura was already there but old laura was even better).
That story is huge proof to me that it only takes one great (unforgettable?) story to make a character really pop for a reader -- make them a fan for life. It's happened to me a lot over a lifetime of reading/watching, but that one is one of the most recent to do it so well.
totally agree. once you have that memory and emotional connection locked in place: it’s there.
ps. on that note you moved cassandra cain and barda for me from characters i liked a lot to characters i love. but you’re one of the greatest, so no surprise.
SO many good matches here. And I would love to see General Thompson write them. The one that cut my eye was Warpath versus Sunspot. I agree and gave it to the latter. But here’s why: Warpath forgets that he is also a speedster. Back when he was dating Hepzibah, they really dove into his power set and perhaps amplified that aspect and it’s never been written the same since. So I think he’s a lot more powerful than he often exhibits and thus Sunspot wins it.
That's wild! I knew Bobby and Sam had been in space adventures -- sometimes with the Shi'ar for a while -- but they weren't stories I read, and I never saw Warpath. I'll have to check it out.
I had to vote for Cannonball because I dislike Cyclops that much. Plus, Sam is invulnerable while moving. That's got to help him out.
Haha. Yeah, I'm with Chuck, Spite Voting is totally legitimate.
Ooh, spite vote, I love it!
A few stand out votes for me
Jubilee: she did recently solo an elder of the universe
Magik: she’d do things Kitty wouldn’t
Mirage: NEVER vote against a Valkyrie
Emma wins, but she lets it go to fisticuffs for the satisfaction.
While it a long shot (pun intended) I had to vote cannonball. Anybody who gets a crack in on Gladiator can surprise anyone.
Pixie: nothing is faster than teleportation. And first rule of a brawl, never bet against a limbo girl. Pixie is grossly under used/appreciated.
Dazzler: because Jamie is a one man army. And armies are noisy.
Yeah, but ROGUE COULD SOLO *TWO* ELDERS OF THE UNIVERSE!
Definitely agreed on Magik.
Excellent point on Pixie... I want to change my vote (I voted for Quick in the end!)
Fuck. That Dazzler comment is so fucking good I'm angry at myself for not thinking of it.
Is this Today's Kitty or the Kitty that's on the card?
On the card, yeah, Magik would take it.
Today's Kitty is a lot harder than she used to be. I actually think she and Magik would go to a standstill; Kitty might actually take it.
I think it's whatever Kitty you want it to be.
But for me I tend to use whatever my "last known information is"
Maybe. I don’t think so just because today’s Kitty is still grappling with what she did. So if anything her recent hardness may give her pause. I can see her hesitating when her mindset slips into that frame, even though she’d obviously never try to kill Magik, but just going into that space may cause her discomfort. Magik doesn’t have that kind of hang up.
That's a great point.
I think the Magik/Kitty matchup would be a fun thing to watch at the beginning of an arc where they team up
Also Laura Kinney foreverrrrrrrrrrr
100000% behind Laura, too!!!!
X-MEN WAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR! WOO HOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Ahem. What I meant to say is that it is agreeable to once again participate in the Kelly Thompson sponsored game known as “X-Men War.”
One takeaway from this initial round is that I have some blind spots when it comes to some X-Men and X-Men adjacent characters. Excalibur characters may be the biggest lesser knowns for me. So, when they were matched against more familiar characters, it was tough to vote for ‘em, even if they should have been clear winners.
Another takeaway is that a few favorite characters got some TOUGH matchups. (Looking at you, Jubilation Lee.) That kind of thing always happens in one of these, but I shall miss them going forward.
Another-another takeaway is that I try really hard to vote for who I think will win and keep my emotional connection to the characters out of it… until I don’t. Do I think Cable would beat Forge? Yes. Can I bring myself to vote for Cable? No.
Final-another-another-another takeaway. X-MEN WAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR! WOO HOOOOOOOOOOOO!
I too am not familiar with that Excalibur stuff. What, we're not supposed to vote for the one we like? It's a popularity contest, right? :P
Haha.
Rob, if you haven't read any Excalibur I highly recommend a couple stories. The Chris Claremont/Alan Davis stuff is good -- the Alan Davis/Alan Davis stuff is my favorite.
I hear you on "emotional connection"... it felt very wrong voting for Rachel over Kurt for me.
Loving Mystique at 100%.
BKV LOVES MYSTIQUE PASS IT ON.
I havent read much X-Men so im going with Kitty just based off the latest X-Men #25.
The Dazzler / Multiple Man pairing after he was in her recent series is incredible. XD
So. Many. Heart. Breaks.
Kitty v Magik... ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!?!
I KNOW! I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT!
Are we supposed to comment on every matchup? I can do this all day.
Monet over Archangel. No more whiny rich mutant. He's just another victim of Jean Grey' s constant "love me" mind control.
Psylocke over Meggan. KwannonBetsyPsylocke confuses the hell out of me but I am voting for that incredibly sexist Jim Lee outfit.
Magneto over Betsy. I was once asked which superhero power I wanted, and I said Magneto. After finding out that many superheroes don't have any powers (GL).
Cerise over Colossus. Colossus is so very boring, Phoenix Five notwithstanding.
Mystique over Havok. Havok is really pretty lame in every aspect.
Laura over Longshot. Sexy Wolverine beats Domino knockoff.
Deadpool over Boom Boom. This matchup is a tragedy and travesty. Sic transit Boomer.
Sunspot over Warpath. I flipped a coin.
Pixie over Quicksilver. I am so tired of Run Fast Guys.
Dazzler over Multiple Man. I know it's comic books, but Madrox's power is silly.
Armor over Banshee. If you think I'm voting for female X-Men, you are correct.
Domino over Shatterstar. It would be a fun fight. But he is lame (see: Deadpool movies).
Cable over Forge. Somehow, Forge needs to exist. But I don't have to like him.
Cyclops over Cannonball. Sam is so one-note. Oh wait... so is Scott...
Spiral over Bishop. He is cool, but his power set confuses me. I understand six arms.
Polaris over Wolfsbane. I love Lorna, because of that New Mutants movie.
Iceman over Captain Avalon. I barely know that British guy at all.
Jean Grey over Anybody. Sorry, Siryn.
Professor X over Lilandra. Wow, couple fight. Needs marriage counseling.
Beast over Feral. I mean, really.
Storm over Strong Guy. This matchup is a travesty. I love you Guido!
White Queen over Frenzy. Emma has a strong power over me.
Rogue over Jubilee. Ouch.
Magik over Shadowcat. Taxi Driver With Sword > Unsolid Girl.
Rachel Phoenix over Nightcrawler. I like Phoenixes.
Wolverine over Synch. Synch is a support character like Forge, but I don't have to like him.
Gambit over Mirage. Remy done made a name for himself.
Haha. Not necessary to comment on every one, but I'm enjoying it.
"His power set confuses me. I understand six arms." is peak. lol
Funnily, Monet is also super rich... I should have mentioned that... honestly, the jokes write themselves on that one. Sigh. I AM rusty.
Oh yeah, she is rich. Love that gal.
synch all the way!
I love that story so much.
if anyone read the recap of their love story in the vault and didn’t a) cry; and b) think they were both total bad asses then i question their humanity. ;-) i barely knew who synch was prior to that and he went to be a top character of mine (laura was already there but old laura was even better).
That story is huge proof to me that it only takes one great (unforgettable?) story to make a character really pop for a reader -- make them a fan for life. It's happened to me a lot over a lifetime of reading/watching, but that one is one of the most recent to do it so well.
totally agree. once you have that memory and emotional connection locked in place: it’s there.
ps. on that note you moved cassandra cain and barda for me from characters i liked a lot to characters i love. but you’re one of the greatest, so no surprise.
that's very kind.
SO many good matches here. And I would love to see General Thompson write them. The one that cut my eye was Warpath versus Sunspot. I agree and gave it to the latter. But here’s why: Warpath forgets that he is also a speedster. Back when he was dating Hepzibah, they really dove into his power set and perhaps amplified that aspect and it’s never been written the same since. So I think he’s a lot more powerful than he often exhibits and thus Sunspot wins it.
I'll have to check that one out.
Wait... Sunspot was dating Hepzibah, not Warpath, right?
No! Warpath was which is so insane when I say it. So much so that I don’t even remember the era by the writer, but just by the fact that it happened.
That's wild! I knew Bobby and Sam had been in space adventures -- sometimes with the Shi'ar for a while -- but they weren't stories I read, and I never saw Warpath. I'll have to check it out.
I've been an X-Man fan since forever, and I had to flip a coin for that one. (insert embarrassed emoji).
I think you might be underestimating today's Betsy. With both psionics and magic and a more tactical approach, she would probably surprise Magneto.
Also, doesn't she now come with a magic summon Rachel ability? :)
Maybe. But I don't ever underestimate Magneto. He's been doing this longer than almost any of them, the man is impossible.
Fair point!
The Jim Lee art is so good!