Marvel likes to boast that it has a roster of more than 5,000 characters, but did you know that over two thousand of them are mutants? Over the many decades of Marvel Comics, some pretty bizarre mutants have been created. Here’s my picks for the top 15 most outrageously weird X-Men ever.

Note that I’m using the term “X-Men” here as a broad term to describe all mutants — whether members of the X-Men team of superheroes, or not.

Absalom

Real name: unknown
Powers: Absalom could control and change his skeleton, and often used this power to grow bony spikes out of his body (which were purple, for some reason). That hair metal mane was apparently unrelated to his abilities.
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Bling!

Real name: Roxanne “Roxy” Washington
Powers: Bling! (yes, the exclamation point is part of her name) had bone marrow that created diamonds. Uh-huh. She used this ability to shoot diamond shards at her enemies super-fast. The diamond also made her nigh-impenetrable, like Emma Frost.
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Chamber

Real name: Jonothon “Jono” Evan Starsmore
Powers: This rather popular character had most of his chest and half his face blown off by the psionic energy contained within his body when his powers first manifested. Um… gross much?
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Dirt Nap

Real name: unknown
Powers: The villainous Dirt Nap absorbed others into his own body, taking on their powers and memories. The weirdness comes from how he absorbed people: he ate them. He deployed a huge mouth with a clawed, green tongue and ingested his enemies. He tried this trick once on Wolverine, but Logan’s healing factor made it impossible for Dirt Nap to digest him. The villain barely escaped with his life, only managing it by quickly eating a rat to take on its form. For reasons never explained, he’s been stuck in the form of a rat ever since. The lesson to be learned in all this: never mess with Wolverine.
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Eye-Scream

Real name: unknown
Powers: A villain who could turn into ice cream. Seriously. Any flavor!
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Glob Herman

Real name: Robert Herman
Powers: Put simply: he was a wax-man. Instead of skin and musculature, his skeleton and organs were surrounded by see-through “bio-paraffin.” The stuff gave him added strength and speed, and it was highly flammable.
[Image source.]

Maggot

Real name: Japheth
Powers: Maggot would no doubt get most fans’ vote for weirdest X-Man of all time. Because his bizarre power consisted of a mutated digestive system that took on the form of two giant maggots. The maggots could eat anything, and would then return to his abdomen to disperse the nourishment and energy they’d collected; this gave Maggot super strength and (inexplicably) turned his skin blue. Yeeeeah. The day Maggot was created… somebody was stoned.
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Mammomax

Real name: Maximus Jensen
Powers: He’s an elephant-shaped man. For real. Mega-strong, durable, yadda yadda yadda. So the elephant thing is pretty much all he’s bringing to the table. And his name sounds like an extra strength mammogram.
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Marrow

Real name: Sarah
Powers: Girlfriend has bones that never stop growing, causing them to break through her skin and stick out. Once they’re through the skin, she can break them off and use ‘em as weapons.
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No-Girl

Real name: Martha Johansson
Powers: There were a lot of freak shows that joined the ranks of the Xavier’s School when Grant Morrison was writing New X-Men back in 2001. One of his numerous victims was poor Martha, whose brain was removed from her body and kept alive in a floating globe thing. She was telepathic, but that was all she had to offer.
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Skin

Real name: Angelo Espinosa
Powers: Think Mr. Fantastic if he was way grosser. Skin’s body holds about 4 to 6 feet of extra skin, which he can contract and stretch at will, using it in all sorts of ways.
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Stacy X

Real name: Miranda Leevald
Powers: The X-Men’s very own super-hooker. She gave off these super-powered pheromones that could stimulate any and all bodily functions. Including sexual ones. She also had scales covering most of her skin. You know, because reptiles are more alluring than humans. Stacy appeared in X-Men: The Last Stand, though she bore very little resemblance to her comic book counterpart.
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Tar Baby

Real name: unknown
Powers: This member of the sewer-dwelling Morlocks sweated a tar-like substance that caused anything and everything to stick to him. Were Marvel’s editors even awake that day?
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Ugly John

Real name: Steve
Powers: Another Grant Morrison creation, this one a mutant with no powers whatsoever. Just three faces on his normal-sized head. Poor sap.
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Xorn

Real name: Kuan-Yin Xorn
Powers: The poster child for the evils of retconning. Originally he was described as having a star for a brain (hence the metal headgear, needed to protect everyone around him), but then he turned out to be Magneto in disguise. Which was changed some time later to be a brainwashing thing. I can’t begin to explain it all. But a star for a brain? Seriously?
[Image source.]

Marvel Comics is no stranger to hyperbole, and what happened today at a special press conference at Midtown Comics in New York City is a perfect example. Marvel’s Joe Quesada, Tom Brevoort, and Axel Alonso unveiled the company’s crossover event of 2011, entitled Fear Itself, labeling it with terms like “an extinction-level event,” “as ambitious as Civil War,” and “the biggest story we’ve ever told.”

Details about Fear Itself‘s story are few. It’s inspired by the fear-based climate we all live in (think: terrorism, economy, unemployment, etc.), and it involves the God of Fear — who gets stronger the more that people feel fear — attacking the Marvel Universe. The God of War places the title of “the Worthy” on certain Marvel characters, but the consequences of this and why those individuals were chosen is a big secret. Keeping things as vague but tantalizing as possible, Quesada & Co. said that Fear Itself will find the line between hero and villain becoming blurred and even crossed.

Fear Itself is being written by Matt Fraction with pencils by Stuart Immonen, inks by Wayne Von Grawbadger, and colors by Laura Martin. It’s planned as a 7-issue miniseries, beginning in April ’11, with over-sized first and last issues. Ed Brubaker and Scot Eaton a doing a prologue issue starring Captain America and Namor, for release in March. A number of tie-in comics will be published around the flagship mini, filling in background details and focusing on character drama, but these issues are entirely optional to enjoying the main storyline.

The Marvel team indicated that the company has been putting chess pieces in place across the board for as long as two years now, which will lead into Fear Itself‘s story. “There is a concealed act at the center of the Marvel Universe that was committed a number of years ago, and it will change everything,” said Brevoort. He also hinted that the “Map of Time” seen recently in Secret Avengers was a bit of cryptic foreshadowing for next year’s event.

Check out the trailers and videos Marvel has released for Fear Itself and then answer this question:

Are you in? Or is this one event too many for you?

First up, here’s Marvel’s teaser trailer for Fear Itself.

Next, listen to writer Matt Fraction talk about the mega-event.

Finally, if you’re up for it, here’s the entire press conference.

No doubt this is further evidence of Marvel’s ongoing assimilation into the Disney empire.

Marvel has just released a brand new trailer for the next big story arc of Amazing Spider-Man, which presents the next major change in status quo for Peter Parker. It seems Peter has gotten himself a new girlfriend (who’s name is not Mary Jane) and a nifty new job working for Horizon Labs. And as the trailer shows, he’s also going to be trying out some new costumes, and enjoying some free time thanks to a fellow wall-crawler helping him out.

Personally, I lost interest in Amazing when “One More Day” retconned pretty much everything from J. Michael Straczynski’s run on the title. But this is a very nifty trailer.

If you’re unfamiliar with Ivan’s work, it’s simple, yet oddly complex, he basically finds various black and white movies from the past, some more known and some obscure and scours them for characters that look like or actually are the same as the characters in movies made after the time of those films, he then brilliantly edits those films with an old school voice over to give them the appearance of being the original version of the film.

How good are his pre-makes? I actually had a buddy email me and said George Lucas had ripped off an old movie and “how did people not realize this!”

If you’re a fan of MST3K you’ll notice quite a few of these clips including:

Commander Cody as Iron Man, the Amazing Colossal Man as Giant Man and Emma Peel as the Black Widow. Overall there are 18 Marvel characters in the pre-make. Can you find all of the characters?

Here’s the video:

What do you think about the pre-make? And did you find all the Marvel characters?

Having already addressed the pressing issue of defunct comics I’d like to bring back earlier this week, I’m now turning my greedy eyes towards the individual characters I’d like to see receive their own titles, for each to enjoy at least 15 minutes of geek fame.

In no special order, I’d grant the following their share of the spotlight.

Nite Owl & Rorschach: The adventures of this potentially dynamic duo were alluded to in The Watchmen, but never materialized in the form of a separate book. And since Alan Moore turned down DC’s offer of the rights to The Watchmen in return for prequel and sequel work, we’re not likely to see their prior lives without divine intervention. Still, there are bound to be tales in their complicated pasts that I’d enjoy reading, and for that reason alone, I’m willing Alan Moore to work it out.

Jeffrey Garrett: AKA the dead kid from Academy X. Although he was present as early as X-Treme X-Men #20, he played his most memorable role in X-Men history as a student killed when Magneto destroyed the school. As a result his ghost haunted the rebuilt academy. Discovered and tamed by the New Mutants, Jeffrey went on to be a spectral student until Scarlet Witch’s reversal of mutant powers basically erased him from print. I feel there’s a lot that can be done with a ghost whose ability to affect reality is still so strong that he could, as we see in David’s dream, destroy an entire continent. And a ghost who remains a child with childlike impulses, as well. Jeffrey’s tale is really one of melancholy, and a limited run series exploring his time at Professor Xavier’s school would be one I’d surely collect.

Edwin Jarvis: AKA the consummate butler, originally in Tony Stark’s employment but now an important member of the supporting cast for the Avengers. The stories of the unsung always interest me, particularly when it comes to those who’ve put up with years of back story we can only imagine (even on top of decades of stories we already know). What kinds of beans does Jarvis have to spill? Inquiring minds want to know. Even if it’s only a one-shot, Jarvis has more than earned the spotlight for his years of faithful service to an often unmanageable cast of characters. (And let’s face it. Doesn’t being torn apart and eaten by your employers [Marvel Zombies] earn you a big break?)

Michonne: This unpredictable heroine of The Walking Dead is at times so twisted I look forward to seeing her part in the tale unfold from month to month just about more than any other character. While she’s not the main protagonist in the series, she’s become a massive force to be reckoned with, and I’d like to see how she got that way. Like, from the very beginning. A Michonne origins title would be exceptionally well received not just by me, but by the countless other geeks who hang on Robert Kirkman’s every word. We get a glimpse of Michonne’s past in the series, but a glimpse simply isn’t enough. This katana-wielding ass-kicking lawyer has far more to tell.

Evey Hammond: Let’s face it. Judging not only from my previous mention of V for Vendetta as a title I’d like to bring back from the dead, but also from the fact that the creators left the door wide open for any such spin-off material, Evey Hammond as V simply had to make this list. She emerged a pretty tough cookie in the end. Would she hold under pressure? Could she get away with the role? Does the world even need a V anymore, with the wheels of anarchy already in motion? There are plenty of questions. It’s high time we discovered the answers.

Stay tuned for part 3, wherein I deftly arrange superheroes into dream teams with more panache than a world-class interior decorator with Donald Trump’s budget!

Are you a bona fide comics geek, like me? You should check out Why I gave up comic books and its rebuttal Why I haven’t given up on comics here on ForeverGeek, too!

Consider me the Veruca Salt of comic book geeks.

First up in the grand scheme of things I’d change in the world of comics is to enact a rule by which all title cancellations would have to meet my approval and all previous cancellations, if met with my displeasure, would be undone. Add to this the option of bringing back any series that’s simply run its natural course. (I like to think this would generally improve the comic experience for fans everywhere, but it’d probably only serve to make it impossible to collect anything for sheer quantity of material.)

My messianic powers of comic book resurrection would touch the following titles, in no particular order of urgency.

Captain Britain and MI: 13: As a chick with a thing for Psylocke, it grieves me to think the name she once borrowed has lost its share of the spotlight. Captain Britain, the UK’s answer to Captain America, debuted in 1976 but his most recent series met the axe in 2009. I’ve always deducted points from Captain Britain for name and concept originality, and this title has never particularly registered as a big fan favorite. I, for one, have never gone ape for tales of Dracula on the moon. But more than the content of the series itself, I appreciate the delicious irony of its Hugo nomination after it got the chop. I may be the only person to read it, but I’ll take it.

Ms. Marvel: This sometimes-feminist has undeniably become one of Marvel’s most remarkable characters, likable both in her personality and her powers. The aforementioned feminism is the root of some controversy surrounding the title, but that hasn’t stopped her creators from confusing fans and activists alike since 1977. For my part, I love unfettered girl power – especially when it’s in thigh highs and a leotard – and I was disappointed to see her title go. At least she’s still around as a member of the New Avengers.

The Watchmen: DC had a good thing going with this dark title, which began and ended as a limited run series in 1986/1987. As a bonus it was adapted to film very well, something many, many…many comics can’t boast. What frustrates me is that when recently offered back the rights to The Watchmen on the condition that he create a prequel and sequel, writer Alan Moore flipped DC the bird. Thus we wallow without additional adventures of unforgettable characters like the inkblot-masked Rorschach.

V for Vendetta: I’ll readily admit I love a superpowered hero as much as the next geek, but some titles are made much more intriguing by a lack of superpowers and a boost of cold, hard realism. Add a heaping spoonful of politics and history with a heavy dose of anarchy, and you have a comic that I personally just about shed a tear to see end. I’ll also readily admit that it probably wouldn’t bear the same weight without the primary incarnation of its hero V, but there’s still a lot of room for growth and a lot left to be said.

Concrete: A seemingly unsung title – apart from its four Eisner Awards – Concrete’s simple black and white artwork may not make it a flashy read, but it’s an enjoyable one. It’s a shame that this solid Dark Horse series has all but faded into obscurity. At least if the rumored film adaptation with Bill Murray had materialized, we’d have a likely cult classic to relive Concrete by. As it stands, the alien-engineered rocky hero’s hearty adventures, which he embarks upon simply because he can, must languish in the past.

Up next in my free reign to complain are characters I’d like to see with their own titles, so stay tuned!

FCBD is an annual event where comic book stores across America give away a bag full of free comics to all who visit their store. Every major comics publisher participates, publishing a special free comic just for today’s event. No purchase is necessary — just run down to your local comic shop and you’ll get 10 special comics entirely for free. It’s part of an effort to raise awareness of the unique art form that is comic books, and create new fans.

Marvel and DC are using the opportunity to promote new directions and events that are starting this summer: Marvel is launching its line-wide Heroic Age while DC is prepping War of the Supermen. Meanwhile, other publishers are offering free editions of Toy Story, Shrek, Archie’s Comics, new titles like Fractured Fables, the return of Doctor Solar and Magnus Robot Fighter (a couple of heroes from yesteryear), and David Petersen’s celebrated Mouse Guard.

Some local stores are known to throw in other special freebies as well. Many shops are also hosting artists and writers for in-store events.

Free Comic Book Day is today only — May 1st, 2010 — so get out to your closest comic book store before the day is out.

Once Siege ends in a few months, Marvel is promising a new “Heroic Age,” a new time of optimism, when superheroes come out of the darkness and into the light. Nowhere are these changes more present than in the just-revealed details of the Avengers line of titles, which are undergoing some major overhauls across the board, with new #1s and entirely new series. Writer Brian Michael Bendis continues to lead the charge with Marvel’s flagship team, so it ought to be interesting to see what he writes in a brighter, more idealistic era.

Click through for a look at the extensive changes coming to the Avengers…

Among the changes are a new leading series titled simply Avengers, written by Bendis with pencils by John Romita Jr., and debuting in May. This prime Avengers team is being referred to by Marvel as “the most blockbuster Avengers team ever,” and based on the just-released cover of Avengers #2, it looks like the all-star team includes Captain America (Bucky Barnes), Thor, Iron Man (in his new armor), Spider-Man, Wolverine, Hawkeye, and Spider-Woman. Don’t expect that line-up to be final; Bendis loves to switch up rosters, so there could be more changes before the team is finalized. The first story arc features Kang the Conqueror alerting the team that they need to travel to the future “to save their own children from destroying the universe.”

Also in May, Marvel is unveiling Secret Avengers, a new ongoing title featuring a team with a roster as mysterious as its premise. No artwork or story details have been revealed about this one. All we know is that Ed Brubaker is writing and Mike Deodato is drawing.

New Avengers restarts with a new #1 in June, with a team that assembles “to take on the threats too dark, too dangerous, and too bizarre for any other team of heroes.” The cover for the first issue shows Luke Cage, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Ms. Marvel, and Thing as part of the team, but the first story arc is set to reveal a member of the team that was formerly one of the Dark Avengers and now seeks redemption (my money’s on the Sentry). Bendis writes, Stuart Immonen draws.

Avengers Academy, a new ongoing debuting in June, looks set to take the place of Avengers: The Initiative, which ends in May with issue #35. Initiative writer Christos Gage is helming this new series, with art by Mike McKone. The premise finds Hank Pym building a new school where the next generation of heroes can be trained. The twist this time is that the faculty is a rotating roster made up of anyone who’s ever been an Avenger. The first class features six brand new young heroes that have never been seen before.

Both Secret Warriors and Thunderbolts will have shake-ups following the events of Siege, though little is known about how far these changes will go.

Though not directly related to any Avengers titles, two more new series starting in June are spinning out of the Heroic Age. The first is Hawkeye & Mockingbird, written by Jim McCann and penciled by David Lopez, who previously teamed on New Avengers: The Reunion, which starred this husband/wife duo. The ongoing series similarly casts them as superhero/superspies.

Young Allies is an entirely new concept, grouping together five youthful heroes who have gotten lost in all the shake-ups of the last few years. Written by Sean McKeever and drawn by David Baldeon, Young Allies finds these five displaced heroes teaming up to find their place in a crowded world of superheroes. The roster: Araña, Firestar, Gravity, Nomad, and Toro.

The Heroic Age is also spawning a handful of miniseries exploring various facets of Avengers history and future. Avengers: The Origin, a five-parter starting in April, “reveals previously untold details of the historic first meeting of Thor, Iron Man, the hulk, Ant-Man, and the Wasp.” Written by Joe Casey and drawn by Phil Noto.

Avengers Prime, by Bendis and artist Alan Davis, rekindles the friendship between founding Avengers Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, and Thor, as the world is presented with a threat that only the big three can handle. This five-part epic starts in June.

Lastly, May brings Age of Heroes, a four-part series of preludes that set the stage for much of what’s to come in the Marvel Universe with all of the new titles being launched.

Dark X-Men TheBeginning 2 cover

When Cloak and Dagger were revealed as members of the (Dark) X-Men, my initial reaction was ‘Huh?’

They are favourite characters of mine, and have been ever since their first appearance all those years ago in the Spider Man titles. In fact, they soon became my main reason for reading the Spider-Man titles, I never had much time for Peter at that age, not that I have a great deal now. (A story has to be highly recommended for me to dig it out of the back issue bins.)

However, despite one encounter with four of the New Mutants back in an old Marvel team-Up annual, and maybe the big face off with the Beyonder at the culmination of the second Secret Wars where both they and the X-Men were present, our duo have never had a great deal to do with the Marvel mutant community.

And working for Osbourne? I had assumed that the talents of Emma Frost would be required to reel them into his clutches in the first place. It didn’t gel with me, despite being visually striking. Like his recruiting of Psionex and the Force Of Nature into the Initiative program, it just seemed like a random decision, played out mainly to give the story some background colour.

Boy was I wrong.

Dark X-Men – The Beginning #2 started off with the story of exactly how Tandy and Tyrone ended up in Norman’s latest team. It is believable, very realistic (well, as realistic as one can get in a world of mutants, thunder gods and aliens), and true to their character. The pair, led as ever by Dagger walk reluctantly into an offer that is too good for them to refuse, mainly government support in their own war against drugs. Cloak as ever is appalled and rebellious, but even he cannot deny what Osbourne dangles before them.

Of course now they are in Emma Frost’s tender care, but I wonder at just how much she would be able to dominate Cloak, as even his mind seems to exist within the Dark Dimension. But it would be great to see them enter into the X-Universe full time, the pair have been skirting comic book limbo for far too long.

There are a few questions that still need answering however. Unless I have missed a major storyline somewhere, how is it that the pair are back together again. The last I remember was that they had had a fall out and parted ways. Still, I suppose Cloak will always be drawn back to Dagger, as she remains the only one that can assuage the hunger of the darkness within his cloak. A true symbol of addiction, as caused by the drugs they make war upon.

Now if you are unfamiliar with the pair, then I have a recommendation for you from your local back issue bins. The second series of Strange Tales (1987-88) was 18 issues split between Doctor Strange and our duo, both very good stories in my eyes and well worth digging out.

So, here’s hoping we get to see a lot more of Cloak and Dagger in the future.

(One word of apology, this looks to have been uploaded late as it floated in the system and should have come out last week.  I must have had a brain lapse.  Oops.)

An interesting addition to the team is Prof. X’s son, Legion. The last time we saw him was when he ushered in The Age of Apocalypse. It will be interesting to find out how a super mutant like Legion who is deranged has been allowed to join the team. Rumors are that he’s actually instrumental in reforming the New Mutants.

Can’t wait to find out.

Rumors are going around the net that Marvel Comics’ Captain Britain and MI: 13 is going to be cancelled because of low sales it has been posting right after the Secret Invasion summer event.

But Marvel has assured fans that Paul Cornell written comic book is not going to be cancelled after all. In fact, a new storyline is about to commence that Marvel said will forever change the whole team. The new storyline will begin in issue #10 of the series. Fans should look forward to the return of Meggan as well as an appearance of the whole team in the pages of the Mighty Avengers.

I’ve been collecting comicbooks since I was a young teen and I have never lost my love for the superheroes that I have grown up with. Even though I would sometimes stop collecting (the pressures of fatherhood can sometimes be a sobering jerk towards reality and practicality) I never lose track of what is happening to my favorite titles.

What got me surprised though is a new way of presenting comics — and no, it’s not the comic scans that are proliferating on the net right now. Marvel has pioneered the presentation of comics that move. Yes, you read it right — Marvel now offers motion comic books.

The new comics “format” will be made available on both the iPhone and iPod Touch. Basically the presentation here is just like scanned comic but with certain animated frames and also voiceovers for the text. Kids will probably fall in love with this format. But I don’t see the appeal. Marvel, there’s nothing wrong with READING and IMAGINATION.

First, Ash (of the Evil Dead trilogy) fought Herbert West: Re-Animator. Then, he was pitted against the Vampire King himself, Dracula. Next, he teamed up with Sam Raimi’s cult classic anti-hero, Darkman. So, what other horror franchise could Ash possibly crossover with next?

The freakin’ Marvel Zombies.

Didn’t see that one coming. For those unaware, the Marvel “Zombieverse” is an alternate reality where nearly all the heroes and villains of the Marvel unvierse were stricken with a virus that transformed them into flesh-eating zombies. The Marvel Zombies debuted in Ultimate Fantastic Four #24, and then in their own best-selling miniseries, aptly titled “Marvel Zombies”.

Well, taking place as a prequel to the Marvel Zombies miniseries is this crossover with Ash from the Evil Dead films and Dynamite Entertainment’s Army of Darkness comic. No news on the story yet, but who cares? All I wanna see is Ash kicking zombie-Daredevil’s ass (that pansy).

Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness will be a 5-issue limited series, written by John Layman with artwork by Fabiano Neves and June Chung and covers by Arthur Suydam. The first issue is set for release in March 2007.

Source: Newsarama