Dude didn't use his distance powers, since the terms of the fight were "no powers." (A moot point now anyway, and since neither of them is invulnerable it's down to who gets the first accurate shot in...)

Madelyne Pryor can make my head hurt like few other comic characters. It's as if, when they wrote her backstory, the printer's ink was made from concentrated crap.

Dude didn't use his distance powers, since the terms of the fight were "no powers."

Really? I had recalled her out-manouvering him so that he couldn't use them.

I'll have to look that up.

It has been years since I read it, you may be right that he wasn't specifically prohibited from using his eyebeams. Though since those can knock out Colossus, I'd hate to think what anything more than the most carefully dampened-down shot would do to someone with normal resilience.

I checked -- she was unpowered due to the whole Forge thing, he was able to use his powers. IIRC, they were in an urban landscape, and he started out using them against the surroundings to deter her. Then she did some crafty stuff, and snuck up on him and kicked his ass.

He's got very precise aim and control. I've never gotten the impression he couldn't pull a punch with the best of them. And it's not like he normally fights to kill, or only fights against people with increased resistance.

She wasn't expected to win. That says something.

I've always liked Cyclops, even though the rod up his ass has a rod up its ass. He reminds me of Season 3 Wesley; the guy was never popular, so he decided not to look for popularity and insist on being right instead. And really, the only reason Cyclops started getting written as a prick in the first place was because Wolverine came on the scene and they wanted to contrast the two.

And I'll say this about Wolverine: I think he's one of the most fun and interesting characters the Marvel Universe ever put out, but I am really, really, really sick of seeing him in every title every gorram month. It's getting pathetic.

I always thought Cyclops started out boring, and became a prick. So it's better than what he was. I like not liking him.

There is a great deal of Wolverine, all over the place. And not usefully used much of the time.

Still, half-assed Wolverine is better than Birdboy at his ... is best the right word?

My reaction it IC #6 is much the same as Victor's.

And did Batman just arrive at the same conclusion as the ME, despite not seeing teeny tiny footprints in anyone's brain? And isn't that concept -- - the death by teeny tiny footprints -- way squicky?

Retcon? We're probably the only two people in this room that know that word, and I'm going to pretend I don't. You're on your own.

Heh heh. Yeah....

One bit of trivia I noticed for IC #6. The news reporter covering the Drake murder is named Teri Phyllis, which is a combination of the first names of two of the actresses who've played Lois Lane over the years.

I liked Astounishing 6, now that I finally read it. That's really all I have to say.

I also wanna know who the hell Emma was talking to.