I took a few days from reading comics to get outside a bit and focus on some other hobbies I have. I'm not that good at keeping track of time and balancing things in that sense, so it's either days of reading comics or days spent doing something else. But I think taking a few days away from Uncanny X-Men was a good thing as I had been catching up relatively quickly. There are nine volumes out so far and I'm now done with the seventh. Considering it's ongoing, I'd prefer to not catch up that quickly to the point of having to wait for the next release. Yes, I can be quite impatient in that sense. And it's always hard keeping track of what's coming out and when, where you are in a comic while juggling a ton of others at the same time. Especially when there isn't really a useful service (that I know of) to keep track of where you are and what you're reading. I have been enjoying the series up until now though, it has been a fun exploration into a group of superheroes that I have never really cared for in the past. They're totally new to me outside of the poor Hollywood releases that featured the most notable names in the earlier 2000s. My interest in this stuff doesn't really extend beyond the comics, however. So whatever I learn in the comics is the total sum of my knowledge regarding the characters and worlds they're in. And that introduction with Uncanny X-Men has been a blast so far, as have the individual stories of certain characters like Magik and Psylocke that I have been reading. Rogue's individual release was a disappointment, however.
The last volume ended with another member of the X-Men being kidnapped in an operation to distract and extract. Picking up where the last one left off, this volume is all about Rogue's plan to perform a raid on Corina Ellis and her team, which have been utilising various mutant prisoners as her henchmen to pursue her deeds against the remaining X-Men. Cyclops makes a brief appearance in a phone call with Rogue in which the two state that it's probably not a good idea that Cyclops gets involved with his team given the act of war that it would generate based on the scale of the raid; claiming it's more of an invasion rather than a raid to get in and out. Too much bloodshed. That was something that seemed a bit annoying based on the circumstances: an enemy that is hunting you down, trying to kill you, kidnapping your people, but causing bloodshed against them would be too much. But hey, that's the way these superhero things tend to go. Can't be getting too violent or using violence of a high degree against those that deserve it and are likely to keep causing suffering providing they aren't put down! Instead of the team being put together, the remaining group of Rogue, Gambit, Logan, and the newer generation of teens is thrown together in efforts to bring back the kidnapped member. Located in the prison which was once the school that taught mutants how to properly use their abilities and for good purposes.
The actual raid itself was relatively underwhelming. A series of fortunate events unfolding one after the other in panel after panel which had the raid go from a stealth operation to an immediate jump in and start fighting operation. No major panels which showcased any interesting fight sequences or unique perspectives in the art style. The really interesting part of the raid comes when things go south for them, and one-by-one the raiders are met with equal matches from other mutants. Clear that the reliance on other members of the former X-Men no longer means anything, there's no longer an organisation that they can trust. Cyclops isn't really on their side. It was fun seeing these two sides clashing, something that mixed things up a little instead of having the usual suspects joining forces and saving the day without much hassle. Though sooner than later the two do decide to stop the fighting and focus on something else. Narration from Rogue making it clear that even if the fighting stops there's no forgetting the fight that took place and that whatever happened certainly isn't over between them. A little bit of drama here and there to mix in with the action and keep the momentum going. Though again, nothing all that special in terms of the art to really wow you. Instead, the volume ends with new challengers appearing, showing that the raid isn't over and the fight will continue going into the next volume.
Largely a mediocre volume given the events. The drama wasn't too intense, and the raid's start was something that felt like it lost some of the weight it should've had. The whole raid being something that should've been difficult, something with genuine risk to the group. Throughout the volumes we have seen them talk of how they're the last of their kind, how everything has changed and that there's no going back anymore. Logan's depressive state being one that is relatively self-destructive, and Rogue stuck in the past while struggling to get a grasp on the present and future. I think the lack of emotion here just left it with little urgency and fragility regarding the situation. Perhaps some of that returns later with the next volume as the raid continues, but I do think I would've preferred a bit more serious consideration of the raid itself, rather than a quick jump into it. And when things did go south, they against weren't too south that it had me reading with the assumption that something really could get bad for the characters.
I am hoping things pick up in the next volume, but this wasn't anything that will be particularly memorable. At least Marquez is back for the art again. I had really missed that with last volume's artist swap. Though I don't think the story really took advantage of his abilities here. The panels felt a little bit thin. Void of detail and interesting colours, and that's a disappointment when it comes to mutants clashing with various abilities. This was the first volume to be considered a two-parter, at least.
take, take, take is what you do,
HIVE is all about giving too,
change your ways, or I will call,
to see you and your account, fall
Fuck off
Oh yeah?
Sure, let's talk.
There are people on this chain that get daily appreciator votes and have a historical curation earnings of less than 100 HP. In fact, I saw one earlier with 20k author rewards and a measley 1.5 hp EVER in curation rewards. They simply do not vote others. Yet here I am getting the ol' drama hammer while they continue unnoticed. That's great, isn't it? 6000hp in curation rewards historically on my end with 20k hp in author rewards. Current posts are 100% powered up as well, what a strange thing. A good amount of liquid Hive from my earnings kept on Binance for catching the volatility. Something I haven't really done before and missed out on with it being in HP. Not that I HAVE to be telling you this anyway.
Will you be sending these little riddles to the OCD curators that hold similar amounts despite their historical income? Or are they out of reach?
Now I'm one to believe that any vote matters on here. A cent is a cent. Small accounts matter as much as the big ones. Are you implying I don't/have not curated? What's your problem here?
You are 100% correct.
And I want to have that conversation with OCD curators :)
Believe me, I had that conversation many times in the past. It is not an easy conversation but that doesn't mean I don't want to have it.
Looking at your blog, people rarely even have a conversation with you, while you are an interesting and reasonable person, and live in an interesting part of the world a place we know little about.
You have much to contribute and your do, but rarely people care, so you have stopped caring too. Am I right?
PS. the little riddles are not mine, I have no connection to that account.
I'm fine having conversations with people about this (and anything really), more than happy to. I tend to only face people head-on if I feel that isn't an option. Anonymous account and condescending poetry aren't exactly conversation starters.
Yeah I think that largely comes from some niche interests. I don't think many have much to say about comics on here. As far as I'm aware there's about 3 or 4 of us that do it somewhat frequently. Hive Book Club itself is also quite a niche community so the engagement is relatively low. I was a moderator for it at one point and it was difficult trying to boost engagement. Quite a few other communities suffer the same fate of a general low interest.
There's another side to this though that I have tried to deal with. A lot of the old friends I had on here simply aren't around anymore. A lot of people I used to talk to even on discord from here just stopped posting. It wasn't long ago that I mentioned this in some Snaps and was asking people to recommend new accounts for me to follow and engage with that had similar interests to mine like photography, travel, comics, etc. I did get a few good recs and followed them.
I would say you're wrong there regarding me not caring. I definitely care and have a great amount of fun sharing the things I do and interacting with people. If we are to talk about my HP specifically in the event that is what you're referring to by not caring: it's a case of wanting to reorganise everything, build HBD Savings, have liquid for catching the pumps here and there on spot, and then building the HP. I have a few side things not on Hive I've been working on to add to some passive income to build the HP through actual purchases. Coming from English teaching here to selling drone footage. I've mentioned that a lot in my posts over the past year.
Anyway, good to actually talk to someone instead of just odd clashing and unnecessary drama.
Do you know @blewitt