August is Upstarts Month!

[Nyssane]

Since Dagger demanded, this month is dedicated to the competitive group known as the Upstarts! Comprised of D-Listers and a C-Lister here and there, the group was banded together to play the killing game and score points by attacking and attempting to murder well-known superhumans.

The poll this month: favorite Upstart?! Is it...

The man with the plan, but not really... GAMESMASTER?

The ever-decadent son of the former Black King... SHINOBI SHAW?

The time-warping long-time enemy of Bishop... TREVOR FITZROY?

The insanely powerful, insanely deadly, and just plain insane... SIENA BLAZE?

The treacherous, mischievous member of the Acolytes... FABIAN CORTEZ?

The child of two of the X-Men's greatest adversaries who couldn't hate them more... GRAYDON CREED?

The too-close-for-comfort children of Baron von Strucker... FENRIS?

Not entirely a member, but the poll is all-inclusive, so... SELENE?

Let the D-List love commence!

[Hi-Fi]

The Upstarts as a whole were pretty lame, but I love me some Siena Blaze.

[Flight]

Nobody will celebrate this except you.
They SUCK.

[Nyssane]

Nobody will celebrate this except you.
They SUCK.

Everyone loves the Upstarts, big nose.

[Flight]

If you think THATS my nose, then you are having some strange sex!!~~~~~~!~!~!~!~~ aaaaaHAHhaH~~~

[rilokyle]

Siena Blaze is all good fun.

But who I really love is POUNDCAKES! She should join the Upstarts.

[Nyssane]

Siena Blaze is all good fun.

But who I really love is POUNDCAKES! She should join the Upstarts.

Let's have sex. Right now.

Siena Blaze is my favorite because she had the balls to attack Professor X, Cyclops, and Storm at the same time AND nearly kill them all. She was hella powerful and I wish she was still around to cause some trouble. I find it hard to believe she was taken in by the Neverland Camp, since she can teleport AND create massive earth-destroying explosions. However, X-Men Unlimited #1 will forever be one of the best appearances by a female X-Villain.

[rilokyle]

Let's have sex. Right now.

Siena Blaze is my favorite because she had the balls to attack Professor X, Cyclops, and Storm at the same time AND nearly kill them all. She was hella powerful and I wish she was still around to cause some trouble. I find it hard to believe she was taken in by the Neverland Camp, since she can teleport AND create massive earth-destroying explosions. However, X-Men Unlimited #1 will forever be one of the best appearances by a female X-Villain.

LOL I would love if Siena, Phantazia, and Poundcakes formed a new x-villain team. That'd be bitchin'.

[Nyssane]

LOL I would love if Siena, Phantazia, and Poundcakes formed a new x-villain team. That'd be bitchin'.

LOL Siena and Phantazia are really similar power-wise. I swore when Carey released the cover shot of his X-Men (after he hinted that someone very close to Phantazia's powers) that the blonde was Siena.

Does anyone remember the game-gear games?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/ursula_boi/X-menGamemastersLegacy_018.png

:)

[Monty_Cristo]

my favorites were Graydon and Shinobi. i just like the name Shinobi and his general playboy manner. and Graydon was just a cool look at a normal guy being born to 2 super-villains. he did considerable damage during his short time on marvel-earth.

[Diablito]

Shinobi Shaw is half asian, right? Well half-asians are awesome, so he wins!

[brundlefly]

Everyone loves the Upstarts

Word. Trevor Fitzroy's easily my favorite of the bunch. How I miss that sniveling, sneaky green-haired bastard. At least he'll always have the slaughter of the Hellions to keep him in X-Men posterity (although Emma never mentions him by name whenever she laments her students' deaths). I liked Shinobi, Fenris and Siena, also.

Selene's really more a Hellfire Club member than an Upstart, as all I really remember of her Upstart tenure is Fitrzoy torturing her with some kind of future-tech gene-splicing chamber. Graydon Creed never did anything unique or memorable (other than get assassinated). And Fabian Cortez was overshadowed by Magneto and the Acolytes, playing the untrustworthy Starscream to "90s crazy Magneto's" Megatron.

Did Siena get killed in Tieri's Weapon X series at the Neverland camp? And was her relationship with Fitzroy ever explained?

[Brian "Vash" Ashby]

Fenris


"Twincest powers activate!"

[mattbib]

Grouping together lame villains does not make them cool. The only good thing to ever come from them is the New Warriors / X-Force crossover.

I did like Siena Blaze in the Ultraverse New Exiles...it's a shame she's dead.

[DDM]

Selene's really more a Hellfire Club member than an Upstart, as all I really remember of her Upstart tenure is Fitrzoy torturing her with some kind of future-tech gene-splicing chamber. Graydon Creed never did anything unique or memorable (other than get assassinated). And Fabian Cortez was overshadowed by Magneto and the Acolytes, playing the untrustworthy Starscream to "90s crazy Magneto's" Megatron.



Selene is supposed mastermind behind the Upstarts; however, this is contradicted with the introduction of Gamesmaster.

The Upstarts were supposed to kill all of the current & former members of Lords Cardinal such as Sebastian Shaw, Emma Frost, Donald Pierce, but this idea waned when the Upstarts became the Hellfire Club & turned into killing X-Men & X-Men related villains for sport.

I still count Selene among the Hellfire Club & not a member of the Upstarts.

[Porcelain]

Shinobi, easy. Champagne and jacuzzi's has to win every time.

[Monty_Cristo]

Shinobi Shaw is half asian, right? Well half-asians are awesome, so he wins!

he also might be half-Harry Leland.

[Novaya Havoc]

Uh, no. August is ESSENTIAL DAZZLER month.

[Red Lotus]

Siena Blaze.

Her trying to take the X-men leaders by herself was great. Its too bad it was all down hill from there.

[eurazn]

Shinobi Shaw is half asian, right? Well half-asians are awesome, so he wins!

Why, thank you :D !

I also vote for Shinobi because he's monetarily and sexually decadent. Yay for sexy villains!

[Nyssane]

Why, thank you :D !

I also vote for Shinobi because he's monetarily and sexually decadent. Yay for sexy villains!

You're half-asian? Marry me.

[eurazn]

You're half-asian? Marry me.

EURAZN = Eurasian ...

But wait, didn't you just insist on sex with rilokyle a few posts ago?

Are you sure YOU'RE not Shinobi Shaw? ;)

[Nyssane]

EURAZN = Eurasian ...

But wait, didn't you just insist on sex with rilokyle a few posts ago?

Are you sure YOU'RE not Shinobi Shaw? ;)

Wtf is Eurasian, anyway?

AND NO! It's only because Kyle tempted me with Poundcakes. :( I had to give him a pity screw.

[Diablito]

Wtf is Eurasian, anyway?

AND NO! It's only because Kyle tempted me with Poundcakes. :( I had to give him a pity screw.

Eurasian's are people of european and asian descent. I LOVE EURASIANS!

[Dagger]

OMG!!!! NYSSIE, I LOVE YOU1!!!! This is sooo hard! I love Shinobi, and Fenris, and Sienna Blaze, and Creed!!! The NW/X-Force crossover were golden!!!1 I loved the issue of X-Factor where Shinobi comes in and blows daddy to bits!!!! ZOMG!!! I can't believe were doing this month!!

[Diablito]

OMG!!!! NYSSIE, I LOVE YOU1!!!! This is sooo hard! I love Shinobi, and Fenris, and Sienna Blaze, and Creed!!! The NW/X-Force crossover were golden!!!1 I loved the issue of X-Factor where Shinobi comes in and blows daddy to bits!!!! ZOMG!!! I can't believe were doing this month!!

What?!? Shinobi blew his father to bits? That has to be the strangest incest since Polaris and Magneto!

[Dagger]

What?!? Shinobi blew his father to bits? That has to be the strangest incest since Polaris and Magneto!
LOL! You know you love it!

[Sean Whitmore]

The Upstarts had a great premise that none of the writers seemed able to have them live up to.

I admire how much Shinobi Shaw was able to accomplish, given his obviously high levels of mental retardation.

Proof of this being that, despite the fact that he had the absolute most PERFECT power with which to kill his father, he chose to try and do so with an explosion instead.

Which is why Shinobi is now buried under a men's room somewhere.


SEAN

[Kalen O.]

The Upstarts had a great premise that none of the writers seemed able to have them live up to.

I admire how much Shinobi Shaw was able to accomplish, given his obviously high levels of mental retardation.

Proof of this being that, despite the fact that he had the absolute most PERFECT power with which to kill his father, he chose to try and do so with an explosion instead.

Which is why Shinobi is now buried under a men's room somewhere.


SEAN


Heh. All true. But Fitzroy was awesomely crazy, and Siena was awesomely stupid yet crazy powerful, and Shinobi was awesomely hot, and really, brains is never required in conjunction with hotness.

Cortez was just a freaking ugly moron though. Why's he the only one who got to come back?

FAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIILLL.

[Monty_Cristo]

The Upstarts had a great premise that none of the writers seemed able to have them live up to.

I admire how much Shinobi Shaw was able to accomplish, given his obviously high levels of mental retardation.

Proof of this being that, despite the fact that he had the absolute most PERFECT power with which to kill his father, he chose to try and do so with an explosion instead.

Which is why Shinobi is now buried under a men's room somewhere.


SEAN


actually, the explosion was mainly to cover up his crime. he first used his powers to effect Sebastian's heart; weakening him. then he tried to overload his kinetic energy absorbtion powers with the explosion. that Sebastian lived is a miracle. sure, he could have killed him by using his powers to phase in and crush his heart. but then what? go to prison? it'd be one unusual autopsy that would lead the police right back to Shinobi. i'm pretty sure that the younger Shaw was just trying to make it look like an accident.

[Sean Whitmore]

That just makes him look dumber.

If he completely overlooked the crushing the heart thing, I could understand. But he starts to do it, and then tries to cover it up by giving the kinetic-energy absorber with a big ol' explosion?

Not too bright. I bet Sebastian never called him "sun".


SEAN

[Monty_Cristo]

That just makes him look dumber.

If he completely overlooked the crushing the heart thing, I could understand. But he starts to do it, and then tries to cover it up by giving the kinetic-energy absorber with a big ol' explosion?

Not too bright. I bet Sebastian never called him "sun".


SEAN

yeah, and that's why Shinobi hated him and became a total loser. same thing happened to Pietro Maximoff. it's the "i'm-the-child-of-an-icon-syndrome." look at...

Harry Osborn
Sean Madigan
Graydon Creed
Marcus Immortus
Richard Fisk
Blackheart
and
Andreas Strucker

all disappointments to their bigger-than-life fathers.

[Sean Whitmore]

yeah, and that's why Shinobi hated him and became a total loser. same thing happened to Pietro Maximoff. it's the "i'm-the-child-of-an-icon-syndrome." look at...

Harry Osborn
Sean Madigan
Graydon Creed
Marcus Immortus
Richard Fisk
Blackheart
and
Andreas Strucker

all disappointments to their bigger-than-life fathers.

THEY should have a support group! I'd read that quicker than I would that stupid Loners series.


SEAN

[HellFrost]

I had to go with Selene. She rocks and I hope she comes back really really soon.:evilsmile

[rilokyle]

AND NO! It's only because Kyle tempted me with Poundcakes. :( I had to give him a pity screw.

To quote Poundcakes herself, "You shouldn't have done that, frail. [I'll] make you cry for Daddy."

[Novaya Havoc]

To quote Poundcakes herself, "You shouldn't have done that, frail. [I'll] make you cry for Daddy."

But that makes Nyssane Dazzler? WEIRD.

[Pro]

THEY should have a support group! I'd read that quicker than I would that stupid Loners series.

I'd love a Doc Samson solo book which focuses entirely on his therapy sessions with superheroes and villains.

Doc Samson, psychiatrist for hire!

[rilokyle]

But that makes Nyssane Dazzler? WEIRD.

Well, maybe if you start propositioning me, one day I'll use the same line on you my dear.

[brundlefly]

yeah, and that's why Shinobi hated him and became a total loser. same thing happened to Pietro Maximoff. it's the "i'm-the-child-of-an-icon-syndrome." look at...

Harry Osborn
Sean Madigan
Graydon Creed
Marcus Immortus
Richard Fisk
Blackheart
and
Andreas Strucker

all disappointments to their bigger-than-life fathers.

Bah. Harry Osborn was awesome, particularly in Dematteis' run on Spectacular Spidey. It's Harry's daddy who's become a joke ever since his "resurrection." Those other guys, though? Oh, yeah, totally agree.


I'd love a Doc Samson solo book which focuses entirely on his therapy sessions with superheroes and villains.

Doc Samson, psychiatrist for hire!

That's a great idea; I'd pick that book up in a heartbeat. The "Spidey rogues and their animal obsessions" issue alone would be gold.

[streator]

my favorite upstart is fitzroy, but i liked when he went by the name chronomacer instead. i liked that look better, too.

/i think i drew him once for an x-jam here

[Ice_Cold_Emma_Frost]

Selene is supposed mastermind behind the Upstarts; however, this is contradicted with the introduction of Gamesmaster.

The Upstarts were supposed to kill all of the current & former members of Lords Cardinal such as Sebastian Shaw, Emma Frost, Donald Pierce, but this idea waned when the Upstarts became the Hellfire Club & turned into killing X-Men & X-Men related villains for sport.

I still count Selene among the Hellfire Club & not a member of the Upstarts.

are you KIDDING ME!?

Waned?

The Upstarts were successfull in killing Emma's Hellions, knocking her into a coma and being more or less responsible (indirectly) for her being in the Xmen today.

Trying to kill Emma was probably the ONE thing they did before it "waned" but that was the whole reason Emma invited the Xmen to the Hellfire Club in Uncanny 281. I think the only reason it 'waned' was b/c Claremont left the book and a new writer started shortly there after.

Pierce I think was captured/killed at this time and then we didn't see Sebastion Shaw again until he kidnapped cannonball and planed to use him to 'cure' the legacy virus.

[DDM]

are you KIDDING ME!?

Waned?

Yes.

The Upstarts were successfull in killing Emma's Hellions, knocking her into a coma and being more or less responsible (indirectly) for her being in the Xmen today.

Yet the Upstarts failed to kill Sebastian Shaw, Emm Frost, & Selene. The Upstarts also failed miserably when facing the X-Men as targets.

Trying to kill Emma was probably the ONE thing they did before it "waned" but that was the whole reason Emma invited the Xmen to the Hellfire Club in Uncanny 281. I think the only reason it 'waned' was b/c Claremont left the book and a new writer started shortly there after.

Actually, the Upstarts was Chris Claremont's idea under another name. The former Inner Circle was going to be replaced by new bloodthirsty members such as Matsuo of the Hand, Fenris, & Fabien Cortez. Selene, Emma Frost, Donald Pierce & Sebastian Shaw would have different roles, but be no less deadly after being freed from the Shadow King's control.

Pierce I think was captured/killed at this time and then we didn't see Sebastion Shaw again until he kidnapped cannonball and planed to use him to 'cure' the legacy virus.

Donald Pierce showed up alive & an ally of Sebastian Shaw in Cable; he also reappeared in Uncanny X-Men's "Chasing Hellfire."

[Ice_Cold_Emma_Frost]

Yet the Upstarts failed to kill Sebastian Shaw, Emm Frost, & Selene. The Upstarts also failed miserably when facing the X-Men as targets.


Actually, the Upstarts was Chris Claremont's idea under another name. The former Inner Circle was going to be replaced by new bloodthirsty members such as Matsuo of the Hand, Fenris, & Fabien Cortez. Selene, Emma Frost, Donald Pierce & Sebastian Shaw would have different roles, but be no less deadly after being freed from the Shadow King's control.


You just contridicted yourself.

if the upstarts, trying to kill the hellfire club, were claremont's idea....you're saying it was also his idea NOT to kill them but the keep them on in some "different roles"

How were they going to kill Selene? She isn't a mutant she's an Eternal

[Nyssane]

Yet the Upstarts failed to kill Sebastian Shaw, Emm Frost, & Selene. The Upstarts also failed miserably when facing the X-Men as targets.

Shinobi did succeed in killing Sebastian, it's just his death was later retconned. But all throughout the Upstarts' existence, Sebastian was "dead." And I wouldn't say they failed miserably, as Siena herself was able to devastate the three most powerful X-Men on her own.

[DDM]

Shinobi did succeed in killing Sebastian, it's just his death was later retconned. But all throughout the Upstarts' existence, Sebastian was "dead." And I wouldn't say they failed miserably, as Siena herself was able to devastate the three most powerful X-Men on her own.

Yet Siena Blaze failed her assignment: to kill Cyclops, Storm, & Professor X!

[Monty_Cristo]

Yet Siena Blaze failed her assignment: to kill Cyclops, Storm, & Professor X!

use comic book logic for a second. Siena couldn't win without depriving the xbooks of 3 top tier characters. it could have been any villain and the 3 of them would have made it out alive. what Siena, a completely untested combatant, did was take down 3 of the more powerful X-Men and walk away unscathed. them living doesn't deprive her of the "win" imo. she did extraordinarily well for a no0b.

[Ice_Cold_Emma_Frost]

use comic book logic for a second. Siena couldn't win without depriving the xbooks of 3 top tier characters. it could have been any villain and the 3 of them would have made it out alive. what Siena, a completely untested combatant, did was take down 3 of the more powerful X-Men and walk away unscathed. them living doesn't deprive her of the "win" imo. she did extraordinarily well for a no0b.

Not to mention it took place in "xmen unlimited" and who reads that?

[Novaya Havoc]

Not to mention it took place in "xmen unlimited" and who reads that?

LOL!

I have 3 copies of THIS issue of Unlimited.

http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/x-men-unlimited/32-1.jpg

Oh, and there's the Darkstar one.

And the one where Nightcrawler is finally revealed as Mystique's son.

But overall, I get you. ;)

[eurazn]

LOL!

I have 3 copies of THIS issue of Unlimited.

http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/x-men-unlimited/32-1.jpg

Oh, and there's the Darkstar one.

And the one where Nightcrawler is finally revealed as Mystique's son.

But overall, I get you. ;)

That is awesome. I need to go and get myself a copy, too.

[Faded]

LOL!

I have 3 copies of THIS issue of Unlimited.

http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/x-men-unlimited/32-1.jpg

Oh, and there's the Darkstar one.

And the one where Nightcrawler is finally revealed as Mystique's son.

But overall, I get you. ;)

Is that the issue with Kitty Pryde wearing a Dazzler shirt?!?

I have the Darkstar one, too! <3

[Ice_Cold_Emma_Frost]

But its Dazzler and Darkstar


the other one was "cannon fodder/earthquake girl takes on the leaders of the Xmen"

[Onslaught Reborn]

I can see why Shinobi is winning, and always did like him more than his dad, but I had to vote for Cortez, who really is the Starscream of the Marvel Universe, and automatically makes anything more entertaining, whether you love him, or love-to-hate him.

Despite being built up as powerful and threatening from Day One, Fitzroy suffered from lame armor and the fact that it's hard to take a guy named 'Trevor' seriously as a major villain, and didn't really overcome any of this until becoming the Chronomancer in Bishop's book.

Graydon Creed served an important role (and the whole Friends of Humanity/Humanity's Last Stand movement sadly all-but disappeared after his death), but was maybe a little too noticeably insane to get as close to becoming president as he did.

Siena Blaze was a powerful threat, but I remember her as being really annoying, too, talking kind of like an evil version of Jubilee.

Whenever I think of Gamesmaster, I end up thinking of the Shatterstar 'origin' he was involved in, and remember why I didn't like the Gamesmaster.

Fenris, I have no love for, and eagerly await seeing the surviving twin have his head slammed through more electrial appliances.

And to this day, I still have no idea why anyone would actually like Selene.

[KittyPryde]

I like both Shaw & Selene a lot...tough call for me (must be something about Black Royalty in the Hellfire Club :p ). *thinks hard* Selene it is just cause she's such the conniving you-know-what :o

[Brian "Vash" Ashby]

i cant tell because of the image quality, but is dazzler on that cover twice? I notice a pink haired person there

[Dagger]

i cant tell because of the image quality, but is dazzler on that cover twice? I notice a pink haired person there
No. That was before her NEX makeover. She was still blond, and still kicking it in the Mojoverse.