I hate the leonine Beast. I liked the previous blue furry incarnation better.

Yeah. Actually, I'm trying to see the point of having Beast in the same lineup as Wolverine since their abilities would seem to fill the same niche. Hank is just more polite than Logan.

I liked Kitty's flashbacks, and her line to Emma about being late because she was remembering to put on all her clothes. There is also a kind of neat art detail when they're in SpinalTap!Hawaii. As Hank is fiddling with the holo controls, the background of one of the frames goes all pixelated as he finally manages to change the resolution of the display.

God, as if I needed more things to distract me from schoolwork, I really wish I understood enough of the X-verse to understand Astonishing (completely) and the Bat-verse (to follow your conversations). Tell me what I should read! Trades and Graphic Novels I will buy, and issues I can download, just tell me!

(If this post makes no logical sense, Captain Morgan is to blame. Also, Annheiser Busch.)

Beast in the same lineup as Wolverine

My first reaction is to say that Beast is a brain and Wolverine is a fighter -- I've never considered them even slightly interchangeable except from a hairdressing POV, but let me pull out the trusty handbook:

PowerBeastWolverineEmmaCyclopsKitty Intelligence52334 Strength54522 Speed22222 Durability44523 Energy Projection11551 Fighting Skills37345

I'm surprised at the durability rating -- the whole adamantium plus I once regenerated myself from a drop of blood thing might rate a 5 or a 6 for Wolverine, I'd have thought.

7 is the top of the scale.

Beast is a brain, but my memory is that he rarely did anything with that intelligence in the way a Reed Richards or a Hank Pym would. He mostly used it to snark. (Anyone else think that Beast would be a great Buffista?) His primary function in the group has always been as muscle, and he's not as good at that as Wolverine.

Yeah, the durability rating is whacked.

Only ita would be awesome enough to insert a table inside of a b.org post. You are awesome, ita.

I like the way Beast looks in Astonishing 1. Like all of the characters in Astonishing 1, actually. Mostly, don't know jack-shit about the X-Men (they're mutants, once hunted by those evil robots, the Sentinels, and Emma Frost was once the evil Ice Queen, plus Scott (Cyclops) was once married to Jean Gray, who Wolverine loved, but she's now dead. Plus, Rogue (who I still envision as Anna Paquin) was bad.), but still want to read more about Astonishing universe, mostly to learn more about Kitty Pryde (makes sense, as she's Joss's favorite mutant supposedly), and am impressed (again!) by Joss's writing abilities. I don't know much, actually, about Marvel.

Was I going somewhere with this? I forget...

Why is Kitty's speed so slow? I would figure the ability to walk through walls would give her some advantage in that department.

Also, if Buffy hooked up with someone in the X-verse (no, the other X-verse), wouldn't it be somebody even more disreputable than Logan (though he's certainly disreputable)?

my memory is that he rarely did anything with that intelligence in the way a Reed Richards or a Hank Pym would. He mostly used it to snark.

That's not him anymore. While he's been with the X-Men (post-Apocalypse after he got back his intelligence) he's been the resident lab rat. Dude -- he found a cure for the Legacy virus.

if Buffy hooked up with someone in the X-verse (no, the other X-verse), wouldn't it be somebody even more disreputable than Logan (though he's certainly disreputable)

I don't think there's anyone else with charisma more disreputable.

Plus, Rogue (who I still envision as Anna Paquin)

The Rogue I remember in no way resembles Anna Paquin. First of all, Rogue was an adult, not a teenager, when she joined the group. She also had a pronounced southern accent, and had permanently acquired all of Ms. Marvel's powers (flight, super strength), in addition to her own ability.

(I've been out of the X-loop for awhile, I admit it.)

Re: Kitty's line to Emma about being late because she was remembering to put on all her clothes.

Am I missing some reference, or is the implication she has trouble keeping them on because they pass right through her?

Tell me what I should read!

Watchmen. Cause.

The Rogue I remember in no way resembles Anna Paquin. First of all, Rogue was an adult, not a teenager, when she joined the group. She also had a pronounced southern accent, and had permanently acquired all of Ms. Marvel's powers (flight, super strength), in addition to her own ability.

Same here. Again, I acquired my knowledge via the animated series.

(I've been out of the X-loop for awhile, I admit it.)

I read that he'd been a brain during the Avengers and Defenders too, but I never read those, so I have no cites. The Legacy virus was almost 10 years ago, wasn't it?