The Sword Is Drawn
01-06-2009, 06:36 AM
Put simply a category for the one X-Men character who you thought stood out for you this year, above all others. Of those nominate four candidates received nominations which made them stand out ahead of the pack. But as another six characters all tied on two nominations apiece, for that fifth slot, it did seem a little unfair not to include them all in the poll. So here is the whacking great 10 candidates for the award of Breakout X-Character of 2008...
Megan Gwynn (Pixie) : A year ago Pixie was very little more than a background cast member in New X-Men. What a difference a year makes. Being brought on to the main New X-Men team just before Messiah Complex Megan then got included in the X-Men offering for Free Comic Book Day, before becoming a major character on Uncanny X-Men, after to the move to San Francisco. Llongyfarchion, Megan! (That's Congratulations, in her native Welsh, btw).
Telford Porter (The Vanisher) : It's hard to imagine that somebody could make The Vanisher into a credible villain. But that's what Kyle and Yost have done this year. Turning up on X-Force Telford has got his hands on some Legacy Virus. That's not good for anybody! Crain's gritty visual style has also helped. When most people saw his face on the cover in early solicits very few knew who it was. It's an impressive makeover.
Victor Borkowski (Anole) : Much like Pixie, Anole was once a background character. But after the whole thing with Belasco Victor was promoted to the main New X-Men squad, which is where he was at the start of 2008. And then, as thee was no new X-Men anymore, Anole went into limbo. He got a story in Divided we Stand, which was great, but when Young X-Men started up Anole was missing. And he WAS missed. So much so that when it was clear that Young X-Men just wasn't working Anole was drafted back in to try and MAKE it work. His appearances have been pretty good, despite the book being less than satisfactory, itself.
Neena Thurman (Domino) : Bit of a surprise this one. She's recently come back out of limbo and joined up with the new X-Force after encountering them in Tokyo, whilst they were hunting the Vanisher. But she hasn't really done a lot yet. Well, apart from appearing draped over Logan in a suggestive manner on an X-Force cover. Maybe a picture tells a thousand words?
Cipher : Well, we don't really know much about this one, do we? She's certainly NOT Doug Ramsey. Cipher turned up in Young X-Men #8, a young African-American girl, who Greymalkin had previously mentioned in his gibbering. We assumed he was referring to Doug. Apparently not. So little is know of this new character, so far.
Warren Worthington (Angel/Archangel) : Funny year for Warren. We finally get him back from effective limbo, and now he's living TWO lives on the X-Books - Angel in Uncanny and the metal winged Archangel in X-Force. Oh, and he certainly enjoys offing Sentinels off panel... Something for everyone?
Faiza Hussain : She's really new to the hero thing. Faiza was a just a civilian (A Doctor in fact) until Secret Invasion, when an encounter with some weird Skrull tech gave her a truly unique ability. Fazia can effectively perform a live dissection on a person, pulling the body apart to find a problem, without injuring them. Well, providing she puts then back together again. She's also currently carrying the sword Excalibur, symbol of all things British. Merlyn used his influence to make her take it. She's now part of MI13, and somewhat a rarity in Marvel - a convincing Brutish Muslim character.
Josh Foley (Elixir) : In many ways a quiet year for Josh. He did kind of disappear into the background after Messiah Complex. Luckily, Kyle and Yost picked him up for their X-Force title. Of course, having now worked with X-Force he's kind of not allowed to go back to the X-Men - because he knows what's going on. But frankly, with the number of wounds those guys pick up he's kind of needed. Highlight of the year - Josh creates an 'X' shaped tumour in the Vanisher's brain. Artful, Elixir.
Laura Kinney (X-23) : Messiah Complex saw Laura join up with X-Force from the get go. She's been kept pretty busy there doing nasty things to people, the very way she was created to. Hopefully Wolverine can keep her perspective on life away from being a pure killer. I do miss seeing her interact with guys her own age, but in Kyle & Yost we trust.
Hisato Ichiki (Armor) : A good year for Armor - her joining up with the main team in Astonishing, going into space, and finally being taken seriously. A number of people feared she might fall by the wayside Whedon left Astonishing, but luckily Ellis has continued to include her on his run, and even gave her a rather pivotal role in a haunting tale from the Ghost Boxes limited.
So there you go, TEN X-characters, one choice. What will yours be? You have until the end of the month to vote. More polls to follow.
Over to you...
Megan Gwynn (Pixie) : A year ago Pixie was very little more than a background cast member in New X-Men. What a difference a year makes. Being brought on to the main New X-Men team just before Messiah Complex Megan then got included in the X-Men offering for Free Comic Book Day, before becoming a major character on Uncanny X-Men, after to the move to San Francisco. Llongyfarchion, Megan! (That's Congratulations, in her native Welsh, btw).
Telford Porter (The Vanisher) : It's hard to imagine that somebody could make The Vanisher into a credible villain. But that's what Kyle and Yost have done this year. Turning up on X-Force Telford has got his hands on some Legacy Virus. That's not good for anybody! Crain's gritty visual style has also helped. When most people saw his face on the cover in early solicits very few knew who it was. It's an impressive makeover.
Victor Borkowski (Anole) : Much like Pixie, Anole was once a background character. But after the whole thing with Belasco Victor was promoted to the main New X-Men squad, which is where he was at the start of 2008. And then, as thee was no new X-Men anymore, Anole went into limbo. He got a story in Divided we Stand, which was great, but when Young X-Men started up Anole was missing. And he WAS missed. So much so that when it was clear that Young X-Men just wasn't working Anole was drafted back in to try and MAKE it work. His appearances have been pretty good, despite the book being less than satisfactory, itself.
Neena Thurman (Domino) : Bit of a surprise this one. She's recently come back out of limbo and joined up with the new X-Force after encountering them in Tokyo, whilst they were hunting the Vanisher. But she hasn't really done a lot yet. Well, apart from appearing draped over Logan in a suggestive manner on an X-Force cover. Maybe a picture tells a thousand words?
Cipher : Well, we don't really know much about this one, do we? She's certainly NOT Doug Ramsey. Cipher turned up in Young X-Men #8, a young African-American girl, who Greymalkin had previously mentioned in his gibbering. We assumed he was referring to Doug. Apparently not. So little is know of this new character, so far.
Warren Worthington (Angel/Archangel) : Funny year for Warren. We finally get him back from effective limbo, and now he's living TWO lives on the X-Books - Angel in Uncanny and the metal winged Archangel in X-Force. Oh, and he certainly enjoys offing Sentinels off panel... Something for everyone?
Faiza Hussain : She's really new to the hero thing. Faiza was a just a civilian (A Doctor in fact) until Secret Invasion, when an encounter with some weird Skrull tech gave her a truly unique ability. Fazia can effectively perform a live dissection on a person, pulling the body apart to find a problem, without injuring them. Well, providing she puts then back together again. She's also currently carrying the sword Excalibur, symbol of all things British. Merlyn used his influence to make her take it. She's now part of MI13, and somewhat a rarity in Marvel - a convincing Brutish Muslim character.
Josh Foley (Elixir) : In many ways a quiet year for Josh. He did kind of disappear into the background after Messiah Complex. Luckily, Kyle and Yost picked him up for their X-Force title. Of course, having now worked with X-Force he's kind of not allowed to go back to the X-Men - because he knows what's going on. But frankly, with the number of wounds those guys pick up he's kind of needed. Highlight of the year - Josh creates an 'X' shaped tumour in the Vanisher's brain. Artful, Elixir.
Laura Kinney (X-23) : Messiah Complex saw Laura join up with X-Force from the get go. She's been kept pretty busy there doing nasty things to people, the very way she was created to. Hopefully Wolverine can keep her perspective on life away from being a pure killer. I do miss seeing her interact with guys her own age, but in Kyle & Yost we trust.
Hisato Ichiki (Armor) : A good year for Armor - her joining up with the main team in Astonishing, going into space, and finally being taken seriously. A number of people feared she might fall by the wayside Whedon left Astonishing, but luckily Ellis has continued to include her on his run, and even gave her a rather pivotal role in a haunting tale from the Ghost Boxes limited.
So there you go, TEN X-characters, one choice. What will yours be? You have until the end of the month to vote. More polls to follow.
Over to you...