RicStar

Rick & 'Shot on da cover [X-tinction Agenda]

theidolhands — Sat, 20 Jun 2015 08:15:06 GMT

New Character Design

theidolhands — Sat, 11 Apr 2015 10:49:38 GMT

Character designs from X-tinction Agenda, has a "retro" feel.

Except for one of my old faves: Boom Boom.

I dare Longshot to actually use something from one of his many tiny pouches.

more here

The End of an Era

theidolhands — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 10:56:41 GMT

Anyone got links to what I believe is lauded as the last issue of X-factor?

Or perhaps a collection of "all new" work to peruse?

Any thoughts on that, btw? *linked article to PAD's thoughts

"Longshot saves the Marvel universe"

theidolhands — Tue, 23 Jul 2013 16:52:31 GMT

Hot off the San Diego Comic Con news presses. Although you ladies are better at keeping track of this stuff than I am, here's the news on the latest development of Shatterstar's father/son/clone thing:

more here: http://thetaylornetworkofpodcasts.com/2013/07/22/marvel-announces-a-new-longshot-mini-series-in-november/

Also, I don't know how geeky everyone is, or wether I'm right, but I suspected something like this since certain hints were dropped about the character in Earth X.

Pleeeease don't suck. *cries*
Ann Noncenti & Arthur Adams cash cow of dark originality has always deserved better.

X-Factor #259 recap and feels

kiev4am — Wed, 17 Jul 2013 22:19:13 GMT

I haven't done a recap for ages but I got this issue nice and early and I thought I should make the effort, considering it's The One With Mojo And Stuff. Warning for long and rambling ;)

As per the preview, Rictor is out in Mojo's arena, having a voiceover, musing about these 'rebels' he keeps hearing about. The next warrior who comes out to fight him is masked, but there's... something... very familiar about his speed and agility. Well, that and the double swords and the fact that 'RARRRRRR!' is his opening argument ;) So Rictor dodges and then does some quake power stuff to knock the guy's helmet off and yeah, it's Shatterstar, except he doesn't recognise Rictor at all. Then a bunch of rebels break into the arena to rescue 'Star, including Longshot who also has no clue who Ric is. Ric helps them by opening up a huge crater between the rebels and Mojo's goons and they escape to a little ruined bunker that turns out to be, well, much bigger on the inside. First pop culture reference of the issue goes to Rictor with his Doctor Who comment.

Inside the bunker is a huge science-shenanigans lab and Arize is there. He explains that 'Star (who's now in a giant test tube) 'dropped out of the sky a long time ago' and Arize, being a good comic book scientist, has been dutifully studying and cloning him for rebellion purposes ever since. Ric yells at him about that, but Arize isn't having it, he knows Mojo is aware of his every move and resistance most probably futile but he continues to do what he can. It turns out that 'Star didn't recognise Ric in the arena because he'd gone off on his own to fight Mojo and got mind-wiped, and Arize is now rebooting him back to normal. Ric talks to Longshot and queries why Longshot doesn't know him, and one of the rebels tells him that Longshot is only a few days old, being one of Arize's most recent clones... of Shatterstar. Arize clarifies that Longshot's not an exact clone, or he'd be identical. 'I extracted the mechanics of what makes your friend tick, performed modifications and improvements. To put it another way... Shatterstar is Longshot's father.'

Yep.

'Star wakes up, and this time he recognises Ric. 'You look like hell...' There's a sweet moment (sadly underdrawn) of Ric touching his face and being all 'OMG are you okay?' From what Arize said about him dropping out of the sky a long time ago, they may have been apart for a while, so d'awww.

Then Mojo turns up and spoils everything. Fight! And now he's got Spiral with him, who he says is a new recruit. Ric (helping 'Star out of his pod) wonders about this and 'Star says, 'Mephisto threw us back in time. This Longshot... it's before he came to our world. We're not *when* we're supposed to be.' Ric gets ready to fight but 'Star teleports them instead, to the same location at a later time. 'Star says that's all he's got energy for (interesting idea that travelling in time is easier for him than travelling in space). Ric hears a woman scream and goes to investigate while 'Star rests. Outside he finds Dazzler, waiting for Longshot, and in labour. Timing, guys! So he helps her into the bunker, where 'Star isn't entirely shocked to see her.

'Star: Rictor, you have to understand something. I'm a time traveller. There are things I know, events I've been waiting for. I don't know when they'll happen, but I know they do. [Who does *that* remind you of?]
Ric: So you want to tell me what's happening now?
'tar: Alison's giving birth, obviously.
Ric: Yeah, I get that. To who?
'Star: To me.

Okayyyy. Dazzler gives birth and then falls asleep, and then 'Star fires up the lab's mind-wipe technology so he can restore the timeline by erasing his parents' memories of ever having him, and he and Ric can go forward in time to leave baby 'Star with the people who are meant to raise him. The issue closes with Ric cradling baby 'Star (which is as cute as it sounds) and saying 'Man, have you got a weird life ahead of you.' He also gets to namedrop Heinlein. Heh.

...

All in all, I thought this was pretty damn good. Minor whinging:
- The artwork was technically fine, but a bit lacking in facial detail and consistency, and most importantly Ric looked all wrong with long straight hair and a beard. I think the idea was to show the passage of time he'd been locked up and maybe to hark back to the days of X-Force when he and 'Star were Hair Incorporated. Didn't work for me, though.
- No kiss. Sue me, I'm shallow.
- So 'Star is suddenly a time-traveller as well as a teleporter, with a limited power of Knowing Stuff (what's supposed to happen, but not exactly when) that would've merited more than a nod to whatever his link is with Layla. I'm going to choose to take this omission as a sign that it's still to be dealt with in whatever PAD's new book is.
- I wasn't too keen on 'Star mind-wiping his parents as briskly as he does, but I'm aware that PAD was working in a very tightly controlled continuity box here so I have to give it a pass.

Stuff I really liked:
- The explanation of the 'Star-Longshot relationship was respectful, sensible and sustainable. I love that the relationship is this perfect Moebius strip of DNA where neither of them is the 'first' and they're equally responsible for and dependent on each other. Well played, PAD. (He also steered well clear of Ben Russell, and I'm not sure whether to be disappointed or relieved).
- They didn't get left in limbo. It seems pretty obvious that they can teleport, and that after they drop off baby 'Star they can get back to wherever they need to be.
- The cover didn't lie, well not too much. Nearly everybody who was on that cover was in the story too.
- Rictor recognised 'Star from his fighting style/body language. D'aww.
- Rictor being the voice of the issue. It worked really well to have him observing all of the Mojo madness.
- Rictor using his powers a lot.
- Rictor sitting there with baby 'Star holding onto his finger was utterly goddamn adorable in a messed-up comic-book sort of way. Not only that, but it's now canon that Rictor most likely delivered him into the world :D

In other news, PAD is going to be at SDCC this week and he's on the Marvel X-Panel on the Sunday. I'm going to take that as perhaps a hopeful sign for at least some of the X-Factor crew...

FTI: X-Force Movie currently being written by Jeff Wadlow

tarchannon — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 05:22:56 GMT

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/12/x-force-movie-jeff-wadlow_n_3588640.html?utm_hp_ref=entertainment How exciting!

Preview for X-Factor #259

kiev4am — Fri, 12 Jul 2013 22:16:59 GMT

...is up on CBR.

Gahhhh, I don't know if I'm ready for this. What can you say about a one-shot issue that's entirely focused on your OTP, promises to address one of the most speculated-about mysteries in their canon, and also might just be a bittersweet farewell issue before one or both of them vanish into comic book limbo, depending on the author's intentions and/or editorial freedom? Even without the uncertainty about their imminent future, there's just so many ways to over-invest in this issue and be disappointed. I'm on the fence about the art. And I'm aware that there's only so much PAD can do in a one-shot and his treatment of the characters may ride on what, if anything, he's planning to do with them in future - I wish there'd be an announcement about PAD's 'new' book at SDCC and that our guys are going to be in it, but who the hell knows at this point. It's painful.

But, Rictor voiceover. And PAD writing Mojo. And Ric in Mojo's arena, with a freaking sword. Honestly, the flail is starting to win out a bit.

Fic: In Reverse and Atlas Air

tangeriner — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 12:18:57 GMT

Two new fics, both written for the Trope Bingo challenge over at Dreamwidth. The tropes found here are "fuck or die" and "au: steampunk", respectively.

In Reverse (3977 words) by Tangerine
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: X-Force (Comics)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Julio Richter/Shatterstar
Characters: Julio Richter, Shatterstar, Roberto da Costa
Additional Tags: Fuck Or Die, Awkward Sexual Situations, Community: trope_bingo
Summary: Star finds himself in a bit of trouble; Julio helps him out of it.

Atlas Air (2234 words) by Tangerine
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: X-Factor (Comics)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Julio Richter/Shatterstar
Characters: Julio Richter, Shatterstar
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Steampunk, Community: trope_bingo
Summary: Entrepreneurship is not going well for Rictor.

"Closed" : X-Factor #262 (Last Issue)

theidolhands — Fri, 21 Jun 2013 15:06:44 GMT

Happy Friday everyone!

I thought we might use this post to discuss our thoughts on the run in general...what we liked....what we didn't like...what we think/fear/hope the future will hold?

I'll say that usually Jamie Madrox does zippo for me, and I actually do miss the days of dot matrix coloring, but that this cover changes my mind on both those points.

Random X-Factor Pages

theidolhands — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 15:22:36 GMT

X-Factor Investigations #255

More spoiler pages with Monet: one + two

Nooooooo...!

kiev4am — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 18:39:44 GMT

Couldn't think of a better heading under the circumstances, and too depressed to comment properly.

News from C2E2 and PAD, guys :/

OH, HALE NO

theidolhands — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 07:07:43 GMT

OH, HALE YES
---
X-FACTOR #259
PETER DAVID (W)
LEONARD KIRK (A)
Cover by DAVID YARDIN
• THE END OF X-FACTOR, part 3 of 6
• One of X-Factor’s oldest secrets revealed…
• The truth about Longshot and Shatterstar!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

hola and a question

karrenia_rune — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 21:50:21 GMT

Hola: I am currently participating in the 2013 comics big bang, and I was wondering if any one on here would be willing to
beta/give it the story I'm writing a once-over. It's the X-Factor gang team-fic except that I've placed them in the Marvel 1602 verse.
It's called "Blessings and Curses". If anyone could, that would be made of awesome. If not, I shall continue looking/waiting for the replies to PMs on ff.net.

Thanks and take care, karrenia

X-FACTOR #259 Solicitation

crabby_lioness — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:51:00 GMT

PETER DAVID (W)
LEONARD KIRK (A)
Cover by DAVID YARDIN
• THE END OF X-FACTOR, part 3 of 6
• One of X-Factor’s oldest secrets revealed...
• The truth about Longshot and Shatterstar!
32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$2.99

X-Factor 251 Summary

crabby_lioness — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 21:21:16 GMT

Looks like my internet connection is finally fixed and I can post again. Yay!

Meanwhile, back at the ex-X-headquarters ....

Darwin ~~complains~~ explains to Monet that he could kill her instantly. She dares him to do it.

Cut to the rest of our gang surrounded by the Lords of Hell. (As the last person to get out of this situation in Journey Into Mystery last year) where's Loki when you need him? They crack Layla's shield, knocking her out. X-Factor puts up a good fight, aided by Jezebel, who runs off with our team back to the ruins of their home.

They find Monet standing over the battered Darwin. Layla bends down to check on him, and he whispers to her that Monet is already dying, did Layla know? Layla whispers "yes", and the team regroups to the outdoor concert stage in Central Park. Jezebel explains that whichever Hell Lord kills the seven billionth human born gets to rule the Earth, and somehow they've decided that's Tier. (Whether a mutant-Asgardian hybrid qualifies as "human" is a question someone really ought to ask.)

Just as our team decides they're in over their heads and need help, the Bad Guys show up. 'Star rushes into battle and gets his arm broken. The Lords promise worse if Tier doesn't die immediately.

A good issue. The Hell Lords act like they did last year when they showed up in JiM, more likely to attack each other than anyone else. IDK, I'm just blockbuster-weary and can't really get into the big fights anymore. I've seen too many in close succession. Thoughts?

Comics bigbang is open!

comics_bbmod — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 07:45:45 GMT

(Posted with mod approval)

Bring your fic and art of any version to us!
Author Sign up Post
Artist Sign up Post
The Rule Post

Oh hey guys

kiev4am — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 22:30:24 GMT

*waves* I've not had much time to post at length lately so here, have a build-up of random X-Factor snippets. Spoilery comment on X-Factor #249 and March solicits, plus a RicStar quote from one of PAD's letters pages. Hopefully his stroke recovery is continuing steadily - the last I saw on his blog he was walking unaided, which sounds excellent.

I absolutely loved X-Factor #249. It was one of those issues where the whole team meshes together in one glorious dysfunctional snappy whole, with moments and good lines for everybody without holding up the action for a second. Also, hilarious. I really felt it had a Nextwave vibe - partly Kirk's angular, cartoony art and partly the wonderful nonstop 'hit things while yelling at each other, stop to hit each other, hit the things some more' mayhem. One of my favourite things about X-Factor is the theme of them being awful to each other but still family, almost ungovernable but still a team, immature and flaky but still badass in a crisis. This issue was all that. But my very favourite thing of all was that Ric got to be a badass and kill the big monster and save 'Star for a change (he even got to have the classic torn t-shirt of comic book fightingness, heh). I've been waiting for that for ages, dammit :)

And I know we always gush about Yardin's covers but daaaaaamn did you guys see the one for #253? Isn't that beautiful? The arrangement and the lighting and the reduced colours are just stunning. I don't know any cover artist more than Yardin who can do these classic whole-team poses and somehow make them look like a family, like they actually have relationships and interdependencies and care about the shit that's happening.

Finally, in case nobody saw it yet, something from issue #247 that's relevant to our interests. This is part of a letter that was printed:

"...I'll end with a plea: keep Rictor and Shatterstar together. Allow them to be an against-type couple. Allow them to be happy. Allow Shatterstar to be flirtatious because it's funny, but nonetheless committed. Allow them to remain together, and allow them to be a secure couple. Do this not because that's about the most transgressive thing you could do with a bisexual male couple, but because they make a damn fine couple."

Typically for a letters page (where you get teasing and brief answers to everything), PAD didn't address all of that, especially the excellent point about the uniqueness of a secure bisexual male couple in comics, but he did say this:

"Although there are no plans for love to run smoothly, I have no intention of breaking up Ric and Star. They're too entertaining. But happy... happy gets boring pretty quickly. Drama, by its definition, is having two people be at odds with each other. No at odds, no drama, and that's what fiction is all about."

While I completely disagree with him about needing relationship conflict for drama (I've seen a ton of ways to create drama around or in spite of a secure couple), I am terribly happy to have Word Of PAD on them sticking together :D

~~Also I have 3 unfinished fics, gahhhh~~

PAD health news

qara_isuke — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 21:55:01 GMT

PAD is reporting that he has suffered a stroke while on vacation with his family. They do not yet know the full extent of the damage.

Best wishes to him and his family, during this difficult time.

Bad news. :(

darkfenixrising — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 21:53:54 GMT

http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2012/12/peter-david-suffers-a-stroke-while-on-vacation/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

In my defense...

theidolhands — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 01:45:41 GMT

*and, I would just like to say how very much I hate the "X-factor" tag on Tumblr

Summary X-Factor 247 & 248

crabby_lioness — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 16:28:05 GMT

X-Factor 247 - Layla and Jamie are in Vegas, having their honeymoon (and implied menage a Madrox) interrupted by a very unconvincing ghost of General Lee killing Civil War reenactors and Lincoln impersonators. While CW reenactors are some of the most annoying people on earth (25 years experience with reenacting here) there's no way I can believe that's Robert E. Lee. Nathan Bedford Forrest or Jeb Stuart yes, but Lee had too much class. Anyway, whoever it was warns that mutants are about to cause the zombie apocalypse by coming back to life too often. Why does everybody always have to blame the mutants? Other superheroes do it too. Just ask Marv-El the next time he's breathing.

X-Factor 248 - Pip is in trouble. He's being chased by deathly apparitions and goes to hide in a convenient opening, which leads him from the land of demonic nightmares to the land of -- Monet's head. He wakes up inside Monet's body and handles that fairly well, although when he tries to peek at her body it slams him into a wall. He goes to see what's happening with his rightful body, which has been found by Lorna, Longshot, Ric, and Star. The foursome can't figure out why a body with a hole through the forehead is still breathing, and decide to get Monet to do a telepathic scan.

Pip walks in wearing Monet's body and yelling for someone to find the bullet. Everyone except Star finds this incredibly funny, who points out this it's a violation of Monet. Pip explains that in his species his brain is really in his chest conjoined with his heart, and anyone who finds that funny better belong to a species like his own that doesn't have wars.

Ric and Star start whispering and grinning at this point.

Longshot retrieves the bullet. Pip tries to use it to teleport to it's sender, but he's not in his proper body. He can't return to it until his body heals. Longshot and Star basicly do the same thing by combining the powers because Star has a "relationship" with Longshot. Ric grumbles without any heat that Star seems to have a "relationship" with everyone in the room. "Not me," Lorna points out, which starts Star flirting.

Lorna points out that it's undoubtedly a trap set by extremely nasty people, and they should be very careful. They teleport to a wooded area.

Meanwhile, Layla and Jamie are back, and so engrossed in negotiated the finer points of newly permanent-coupledom that they don't notice their taxi driver is demonically possessed. They end up at the NY Botanical Garden, where they are told all of X-Factor will fall at once.

Layla expands her force field to destroy the car. Jamie interrogates the driver, who says he was sent by "the Warders", demons who guard those who set up the ZA. They're mad at X-Factor for killing one of their brethren in Kansas, so they're making an example out of them.

And then -- you know what's coming -- all Hell breaks loose.

247 was a third-rate story idea turned into an okay story. 248 was a good story, but the art was not that good.

A couple of RicStar image songs

eliyes — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 03:14:11 GMT

I often associate songs with characters, relationships, and situations. (It's why so many of my fic have song lyrics or titles as their own titles.) I thought I would share two songs that I have really strong RicStar associations with. Both of these songs are available on youtube, but I'm not providing links because my browser seems to be having issues with that site today. Also, the theme in the song titles was completely unintended on my part, but, well...

Gunning Down Romance Savage Garden
Singer POV: Rictor

I recommend the live version from the Declaration bonus disc for the right sound, here. The rather dubious biochemistry in the lyrics could be Ric trying to explain to Star about emotions, but for me the choice lyrics are as follows:

Love come quickly
Because I feel my self-esteem is caving in
It's on the brink
Love come quickly
Because I don't think I can keep this monster in
It's in my skin

It seems very Ric to me, especially before they left for Mexico together. His uncertainty, his self-image issues especially in regards to having such dangerous powers, and having such a messed-up background and life. Wrestling with the idea that he wants a guy. Wanting to know Star feels this, too. Wanting help keeping in control, of his powers, his feelings, his life.

There's also:

Love, I beg you
Lift me up into that privileged point of view
The world of two
Love don't leave me

...which hits me as a plea to confirm that yes, they are together, and to want reassurance that Star will come back to him.

And of course:

Love don't leave me
Take these broken wings
I'm gonna take these broken wings
And learn to fly
And learn to fly away
And learn to fly away
And learn to fly away
I'm gonna take these broken wings
I'm gonna take these broken wings
And learn to fly
And learn to fly away
I'm gunning down a romance

This could be Rictor setting out to do the X-Corps thing without Star and determined to learn to operate without him, and/or Rictor on the ledge after he lost his powers, and/or Rictor struggling to function without his powers and without Star, bitter.

The Enemy Guns DeVotchKa
Singer POV: Shatterstar

Having this be Shatterstar's song, with the accent it's sung in and the content, might be a little odd, but I think it works. I always picture the current, X-Factor version of Shatterstar, referencing things that have happened. Also, I love the whistling.

Let's start at the beginning:

Oh, my love
Here in the darkest hour
It is you, my desert flower,
That I am dreaming of

I like the idea of Shatterstar, now that he's accepting and exploring his feelings of love and lust, saying something like this. Because his life, their life, is dangerous, and Rictor has gotten him through a hell of a lot. Rictor is the one he wants with him, no matter who else is involved. Plus, I think Ric would smack him if Star called him "my desert flower", but secretly kinda like it.

We have given our bodies
To the Mexican Army
But my heart and soul belong to you, my love

See the above note, really. Mexican Army here standing in for this commando/superhero/fighting thing they do.

This is the part that really gets me:

So let the enemy guns
Cut me to ribbons
For my eternal soul
Will know the way back home

That has happened. Shatterstar has been killed and his soul has found it's way back, and things got more serious with Rictor. It's a painful kind of love, and a painful life, but I think Shatterstar is more at peace with that -- than he was, and than Rictor often is.

Unfortunately, parts of this song are in Spanish, which I have no facility with. They sound lovely, but I can't find a translation. Feel free to give me one in the comments, if you can!

Thanks for reading. ;3

Hee!

kiev4am — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 22:00:04 GMT

The most recent X-Factor trade is out - 'Together Again For The First Time' - the one that collects the first Havok/Polaris issues plus the Shatterstar/Scattershot story. As an extra, it includes that whole issue of 'Wolverine' from the X-Force era where he teams up with Shatterstar and everything is SUPER 90s WITH A SIDE OF 90s. They really don't want anyone to miss out on the delicious trolling in the 'Star story XD.

crabby_lioness — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 21:20:20 GMT

We open with a mugging in an alley stopped by Pip, who's read way too much Raymond Chandler. Or knocked back too many drinks with Raymond Chandler, you never know in the MU....

The non--muggee, a lovely brunette, is taken to a bar where the locals are carefully primed to sing Pip's praises and lie about him being the actor from "The Game of Thrones". It turns out the "mugger" was also carefully primed, although he breaks cover to warn Pip about a plot against X-Factor. Given a choice between a warm "thank you" and the cold streets, Pip -- is too old not to hit the streets. Too old, been alone too long, and too hungry for the kind of settled "family" life that X-Factor represents.

On the way back he gives us a rundown of all the cases he's personally handled on the side, including the daily missing persons case -- no need to bother anyone else when he's a cosmic-level tracker. Or the intruders he's flushed down his handy-dandy personal wormhole generators.

But he should have spent more time listening to Chandler. He forgot how often in noir the lovely brunette is a trap -- and a dead shot.

He looks dead in the final panel, but IDK. Pip's been around too long not to have a personal safety system.

Hell On Earth

theidolhands — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 19:23:17 GMT

I like Longshot's hair a whiter blonde for differentiation purposes and the guys all look great (as does Polaris), but it might've been nice if they were closer together like Madrox & Layla imo.

Oh, and the purple of Lorna's new uniform, aside from being clashy-clashy cool (see: The Misfits from Jem and The Holograms) works in a hint of Mageneto's coloration? hmm?

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