Over the Christmas holidays I had a bit of a clean-up. As I tidied out folders of old paperwork, I found a stash of old fan art I'd drawn roughly 14 years ago. All stuff that I'd drawn free-hand but based on actual comic art. Here's a classic example of what I mean...
Keen-eyed classic X-Factor fans will no doubt recognise this pose that I blatantly used as the basis of this. What was originally the Goblin Queen Vs Jean Grey on the cover of X-Factor #38 from Inferno, is now Illyana Rasputin struggling for dominance of her demonic side, the Darkchylde.
I clearly didn't have much idea about proportion or the human figure, but I loved Walter Simonson's cover so much that I clearly remember having a lot of fun drawing this.
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When people were voting for me as Community Starlet, I was trying to bribe them to change their votes. In all honesty, it was something I still don't feel that I deserved to win. I wanted to feel like I had done enough for the community to earn your thanks. Among the various promises I was making to un-buy votes was some Contests (which has already begun! ;) and some of my old Fan Art. So (as you can tell) I'm trying to retro-actively earn the title of Community Starlet.
As such, I present to you my very VERY old drawing of the Weather Witch, Storm!
Ooooh, yeah... She's a mutant, alright. With the ability to extend & distort her body beyond comprehension! ;)
I know that this was based on an actual comic image, but it' been so long that I can't remember what the original image was.
To be fair, this drawing is about 14 years old. When I drew it I didn't have much of an idea of proportions or the way that the human body was constructed (not that I do, now). And funnier still, when I spotted this picture in Storm's gallery the other day I felt immensely better with my effort. I was drawing Storm like a mutant-giraffe hybrid long before the professionals! ;)
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The comic on the left is American, while the comic on the right is British. It's not a Marvel UK title, though!
p & ¢ These days, all the comics that Marvel produce have the cover price in US dollars. But many years ago it was a different story. What they used to do was print all the issues for the American market... and then print a small amount with a British price conversion. So if they printed 95% of their comics in ¢ (Cents) then the remaining 5% would be printed in p (Pence). I'm only using the percentages as an example.
In the past, no-one really knew any difference. But with growing dependence on the internet traders began to struggle to sell these British back issues since some purist collectors thought they weren't real American comics. The truth is, they are. They were printed in the US and shipped overseas for a British market. They even feature the same American adverts for X-Ray Specs, puzzles, tricks & other gimmicks from the 70's. The only difference is the cover. The banner across the top (boasting to the British that Marvel comics were available in colour) and the price conversion are literally the only difference.
They're considered as the same cover so it doesn't even count as a variant cover ;)
Personally, I'm not bothered about whether my comics say pence or cents. As I sorted through some of my back issues earlier today, I discovered that I had quite a few of these British converted issues. I still have a lot of gaps in my collection from around that era, so I wonder how many more I'll end up with...
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It's something that we haven't spent a lot of time thinking about, but who is the Age of X named after? As soon as it was announced, we saw the purposeful parallel with the Age of Apocalypse, but we all knew who Apocalypse was. Very little information has been revealed about the name of this new story arc. It isn't known whether the 'X' in the title is a theme, concept or an individual.
It could simply be a tribute to the X-Gene that has been outlawed in this reality, and the mutants have already used the X as a signal to arms;
It could be from the name of Fortress X, as the mutants haven't seen the world outside of the Fortress for over 3 years; or
It could be the enigmatic 'X' who aids Magneto but hasn't been seen.
In Chapter 1, Cannonball was able to communicate from the battlefield to Magneto inside the fortress via someone called X. This is the first time we became aware of an individual called 'X' who seems to have a permanent presence in the mutants' lives. Since then X monitored Legacy's heart-rate, and summoned strike-teams into action. Whoever X is, they seem capable of knowing & seeing everything.
If this was regular Earth-616 reality then "X" would usually mean X-23. Apparently saying "Twenty-Three" is too much of a hassle for some X-Men, so they abbreviated it to just "X". However, before Wolverine's little lady clone was ever dreamt up, there was another X. Professor X.
Charles Xavier was conspicuously absent from a lot of the promotional material for the Age of X. Although these days we're used to seeing X-Men line-ups without the Professor, it did seem odd that he wasn't in any of the character designs. Since the story has kicked in, we know why.
Charles Xavier, the Stepford Cuckoos, No-Girl, Blindfold & Katherine Pryde are being held captive in the Brig of Fortress X. Unlike the others, Xavier is unconscious and being monitored in his perpetual sleep. Yet his telepathic powers are as formidable as ever, which was demonstrated when Legacy touched him & couldn't cope with the flood of thoughts & psychic feedback.
Let me go off on a tangent for a moment. Currently, we don't know which other mutants are being held in the Brig. Aside from Pryde, the others are all telepathic based. We assume that there are other telepaths among the other free-roaming mutant residents of Fortress X... but are there really?
The Force Warriors: Are They Really Telepathic? The only psionic mutants are part of the Force Warriors, who use their psionic powers to construct a telekinetic Force Wall. Psylocke is still in her original British body, but what if she's still had her powers messed around with? Who's to say that she's not a telekinetic instead of a telepath (again). No-one is quite sure whether Revenant is the old Phoenix, but even the original Jean Grey started off as a pure telekinetic and previously lost her telepathy. As for Legion, no-one really knows who's in charge of his body, but perhaps the dominant personality is only a telekinetic. So what if there are no free-roaming telepaths in Fortress X?
Has Magneto somehow construed it so that there are no telepaths to read his mind & undermine him. Does he keep a lone pet telepath to keep him tactically connected to the other mutants? But again, that leads us to 'Who is X?'.
Legion's general demeanour didn't indicate the signs of a Multiple Personality Disorder, but he seemed fed-up & almost depressed. Was it the lack of action on the battlefield that was bothering him? Or was he keeping a secret for Magneto? Or was he distracted by his secret other personalities working for Magneto? Likewise, the stoic Revenant could be all-powerful that she keeps a stoic personality both on the field and when commanding the mutants. Or is Psylocke's warm relationship with Iceman a front to cover another more serious role?
Or perhaps Magneto has somehow controlled Charles Xavier's telepathic unconscious? X had so far demonstrated possible telepathic knowledge of characters' well-being, location & was able to communicate over great distances. We all know that Xavier was able to telepathically command his students ever since he first called "To me, my X-Men". It wouldn't be much difference to telepathically monitor heart rates, etc. Is this the reason that Legacy instinctively recognised him, even though they'd never met? Is X just short for Xavier?
It's hard to identify the true nature of X. For a start, the comic book medium means that we can't even detect a male or female tone to their 'voice'. Plus, the way that X's speech-bubbles are formatted it's hard to determine whether its telepathic speech or because its being filtered through something technological. Perhaps X is just someone sat in a small dark room surrounded by a plethora of monitoring technology & a fancy switchboard to patch in "Comm Worms" between mutants?
Personally, I'm struggling with so many theories flying around in my head that it's hard to get them all down in coherent text. So much of it sounds like conspiracy theories. It's not that I'm trying to pre-empt the story, but my curiosity about who (or what) X is is going into overdrive.
What do you think? Perhaps you have your own ideas on the secret role they have to play, who X is, and why this story is named after him... or her!
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Thank you everyone for your opinions! Here are the suggestions that everyone voted for:
thexeroxkitty
TheXeroxKitty
MissXeroxKitty
missxeroxkitty
TheRealXeroxKitty
TheOriginalXeroxKitty
OfficialXeroxKitty
ComicVinesXeroxKitty (I did wonder if xeroxkittycv was a it too obscure, but this it clearer)
XeroxKitty#1 (sorry, but YouTube wont allow names with the hash sign # in them)
XeroxKittyBegins (Snazzy... but I can't make my voice that gravelly)
XK1
xeroxkitten (I really really liked this one, it's so cute!)
xeroxcuddlekitty (hrm... maybe a bit too cute)
copierkitty
xeroxkitty9 (I'm sensing a personal theme from Catman9 ;)
xeroxkitty4queen (A bit long & slightly treasonous, but at least it recognises my true role in life ;)
helloxeroxkitty (noooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!)
xeroxkitty1.0 (Pretty sure that the . wouldn't be allowed y mean old YouTube ):
o0xeroxkity0o (I'm sensing a personal bias from .o0Johnny0o. ;)
carbonkitten
facsimilefeline (love the alliteration!)
carbonkitty
GrandmasterQueenRoyalXeroxKittySupreme (Wow! Maybe a teesny bit too grand for li'l ole me ;)
xeroxkittycc
XeroxKitty616 (I tend to associate 616 with the 'number of the Beast' as it was used before '666')
XeroxKitty0000
XeroxKittyPrime
LaChatteXerox (oooh, continental!)
MXK
MissXK
All these received at least one vote, but the most popular were TheRealXeroxKitty, TheOriginalXeroxKitty (both with 2 votes each), MissXeroxKitty, OfficialXeroxKitty (received 3 votes each) and the outright winner is TheXeroxKitty with 7 votes!
So with the spirit of a democracy, I've created TheXeroxKitty! I don't have anything to upload yet... I've got to learn how to make videos yet ;) But I hope to have fun with this... and I'll always think of you guys when I do :)
It never occurred to me to create an account for YouTube until I started thinking about making videos. After all, I don't leave comments & you can watch videos for free! Unfortunately, I've stumbled across a couple of hurdles:
Hurdle #1
YouTube doesn't allow any other characters in usernames other than alphabetical & numerical characters. This in itself isn't a major crisis, because AnimeVice & Twitter don't allow me to insert the hyphen either, and therefore xerox-kitty became xeroxkitty.
Hurdle #2
When I typed in xeroxkitty it wouldn't let me use the name... Someone else already has it!
I didn't realise this at first and thought I may have previously created the account but totally forgotten about it. Sadly, when I tried to reset the password, I didn't receive an e-mail about it. Curses!
Weirdly, the girl who also thought to use the name xerox-kitty is also British and has uploaded videos from 'Bleach' and 'Wolverine & the X-Men'. Both series I really like! But she's certainly not me because I'm a lot older & I wouldn't dream of having hearts all over my layout scheme ;) Worse yet, she appears to have abandoned the account. Basically...
The person on YouTube called xeroxkitty is not me! ;)
The Alternative Options
I'm not desperate enough to contact a stranger to ask for a second hand account. It's kind of sad, needy & creepy. So now I want to come up with an acceptable yet recognisable alternative.
Let me know what you like the look of:
thexeroxkitty
TheXeroxKitty
missxeroxkitty
MissXeroxKitty
Or... can you think of something better? I really want something that will be recognisable as 'me' that I can connect any activity on YouTube to my activity on Comic Vine :)
29 Comments
The other day I blogged about the formatting mess that someone had made of the Deadpool page. I'm really sad to say that X-23 has also suffered greatly from more anonymous point-whoring members. Therefore it seems necessary to write this mini guide. This has been broken down into two halves: HOW to create links; and WHEN to add links.
How To Create Links
The Magic 'Link' Button
How Do I Add A Link?
Easy! Highlight the text that you want to transform into a link. Then simply click on the chain link icon in the tool bar...
How Do I Link To A Comic Vine Page?
Automatically Searching Once you've clicked the Link button, a box will pop up. It will search for Comic Vine for pages that are named after the text you've highlighted.
Using X-23 as an example, there are lots of pages called X-23. There's the character and four different volumes. Comic Vine is clever enough to search for all these pages called "X-23", but it doesn't know which one you want. Therefore you use your cursor to click on which page you want to link to... Then hit the big green 'Create Link' button.
Linking To Pages You Can't Search For
How Do I Link To A Non-Database Page/An External Site?
This is helpful mainly for the Forums, blogs, etc. If you can't find the page you want, or you want to add a link to an external site then don't panic! Let's link to my ' Pulp Fiction Game' gallery page.
When you have the Link creation pop-up box open, simply click in the box above the Search box; the one uncannily named URL: Then just paste in the URL address of the web page you want to link to. Hit the big green 'Create Link' button & you're done.
Note: Do not add external links to Wiki pages. We want everything to be internal Comic Vine pages. You can link to external sources in Forum topics, blogs & other pages.
When To Add Links
When Should I Add A Link?
Links are usually added the first time a name is used. It can be a Character name, Object name, Location name, Creator's name, Volume name, Concept name etc.
Can I Add Links To Everything?
Simple enough... NO!!!!
Do NOT Add Links To The Same Names Throughout The Same Page!!
For instance, X-23 has a deep connection to Wolverine. That does not mean that you link to Wolverine's page every time his name is mentioned. You ONLY add a link to him the FIRST time his name appears. You don't add the link to all 66 times his name is mentioned.
Why? Because it looks messy & we want Comic Vine to look professional. We don't need 66 links to Wolverine. We need 1 link to Wolverine; the FIRST time he's mentioned! If you add 66 unnecessary links that make the page look messy, then you are a point-whore! Someone who only wants to gain points through excessive & needles edits.
Plot Summary: No Links Here
Don't Link Names In Issue Plot Summaries
This is an increasing trend... but it's a bad habit that isn't needed.
Basically, all pages for individual comic issues already have long lists of every character, creator, location, concept, object & story arc involved. Therefore you don't need to add links to every name in the Plot Summary, since there are already links in the characters list, etc. To demonstrate, Age of X Alpha starts by explaining who the different artists were on which part of the issue. But there wasn't a need to link to those creators because there are already listed in the Creators section of the page.
Note: There are times when you may need to add a link in the lot Summary. For example, to a character who is mentioned, but doesn't appear in the issue, or to another issue where previous events may have taken place (which would be useful in a cross-over event).
The End
So there ya go! Easy to make links and when it's right to use them. So if you see too many links on a page, make sure you hit the big green 'Edit This Page' and remove them. Don't make kittens cry (especially the xerox-kittens)... Tidy the page up & earn yourself a place in Comic Vine Heaven...!
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It's been a couple of months since Comic Vine introduced the new standardised format that all wiki-pages are to follow. A month ago Abnormally Warm Guy did a wonderful job of editing Deadpool's page to fit the new standard. However, somewhere along the line someone has messed it all up again!
Please please PLEASE take the time to read the guides & watch the videos in Red LAMP's Comic Vine Wiki Style Guide. If Deadpool fans want their favourite Merc With A Mouth to be taken seriously then it is absolutely vital that everyone is up to date with the way we do things around here!
Out of the many crimes committed against he man in red & black, someone had:
Added images without Captions;
Placed images down the left-hand side of the page;
Included several space bar hits at the start of every paragraph to create an indent;
Added links to every single character, team & location name.
All seemingly harmless crimes. All crimes against Deadpool's loyal fan-base who want to give him the best wiki page possible. All of these crimes made the page an amateurish mess.
The truly worst thing about this is the fact that Abnormally Warm Guy & a barrel load of loyal fans (and I) had worked hard on Deadpool's page. Then along came someone who didn't care about Deadpool... who only wanted to point-whore by adding irrelevant changes. Subsequently they ruined the page.
Don't let this happen in future. Deadpool and ALL our favourite comic characters deserve the best treatment possible. Every time you spot a misdemeanour, no matter how small, hit that Edit Page button & fix it! Or kittens will be sacrificed to Apocalypse!
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A Life In Comics: My, How You've Grown! We've grown accustomed to seeing themed variant covers. We've seen Wolverine Art Appreciation Month, Iron Man By Design & Deadpool Month. There have even been months celebrating 70 years of Captain America & the Fantastic Four. And let's not forget the repeated Zombie & Vampire themed months.
Look But Don't Touch: Rogue's A Goddess In Green! Marvel haven't announced anything, but a quick look down the solicitations for May 2011 revealed an Uncanny theme. The phrase " X-Men Evolutions Variant" crops up again & again. Each cover features one X-Man (or X-Woman) dancing across the page in a dazzling display of their personal fashion hits & misses over the years.
So far we know that 13 titles will feature these fashionable mutants. The only wardrobes we've had a sneak peek of so far belong to Emma Frost, Kitty Pryde, Rogue & Sabretooth. But there's no current indication of who else will appear.
Personally I think the various themed months are cute & sometimes funny. However, they have yet to convince me to part with any extra cash for the pretty alternative art. But so far I like the look of these X-Men Evolutions. It really drives home how far a character has 'evolved'. For instance, Kitty Pryde has blossomed from a little feisty kid into a strong & confident young woman (yet she's not seen sporting her current Mr Freeze-esque goldfish bowl... gee, I wonder why). Also, the quality of art seems to range depending on which artist has drawn the cover. Yet so are I think the Emma Frost cover is the most dynamic yet (even though her wardrobe hasn't changed that much). If Emma looks so natural posing, imagine how former fashion model Psylocke will look!
A Vision Of Blinding White So with just over a dozen covers (and one wasted on Sabretooth), who else do you think will have a chance to shine on their own cover? Cyclops, Magneto & Wolverine seem like natural choices. But who else would you like to see? By which artist? And would you be willing to pay extra for their cover?
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It's not uncommon for a title to skip a month of two. Usually it's because the artist has fallen behind schedule (which lead to infamous delays for J Scott Campbell'sDanger Girl & Joe Madureira'sBattle Chasers). Once in a blue moon it is for planned reasons, such as the brief hiatus X-Factor took when it made the number-jump from issue 50 to issue 200.
So Marvel's solicitations for May 2011 have been released today. Among the various X-Titles are:
That's a mighty amount of mutants... but where are New Mutants #25 & X-Men Legacy #248?!
The previous issues in April 2011 are final chapters in the Age of X storyline. Meanwhile, in May Marvel are making their big push for the new Fear Itself cross-over. The new X-Men: Prelude mini series is starting which is supposed to shake up the world of the X-Men.
So I honestly have no idea why New Mutants & X-Men Legacy haven't been listed for publication in May. I know that Marvel like to keep secret over little things like this to stir up rumours & interest. I don't think they would cancel two titles unceremoniously, especially with New Mutants about to hit issue #25 (usually a landmark issue for any title, with wrap-around gatefold covers or bonus stories included), but stranger things have happened.
As Baddamdog has pointed out, there are even more titles missing! Generation Hope, Uncanny X-Force & Uncanny X-Men are also missing!! These are the core X-Men titles. All these teams are based around the main flagship title Uncanny X-Men. X-Factor is independent & therefore seems to be immune to whatever is plaguing the other core on-going titles. Are they on haitus while X-Men: Prelude shakes up the status quo? Or would Marvel relaunch titles that aren't even a year old?
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