UNCANNY X-MEN #331: The Splinter of Our Discontent

Frost gets bit!

Why donate to Uncanny X-Cerpts on Ko-Fi?

For the last while, every post on this blog has had a link to support me on Ko-Fi promising -- sometimes questionably -- that you can "get more" with your support.  

I don't like the idea of twisting people's arms by putting stuff that should be part of this project behind a paywall. I briefly considered whether I should split the difference and put my write-ups of X-MEN vol 2 up there (or Substack or Patreon or whatever platform I was on at the time) but I decided it wouldn't be true to what I wanted to accomplish here.

And besides, I don't have a lot of time to whip up exclusive paid content anyway. I've been down that road. I really wanted to make it work with Patreon and I got close with Substack before the dark truth about that platform was revealed. But I'm usually just a few inches ahead on X-CERPTS and I have other things going on in life, and I respect paying customers too much to short-change them.

I don't deserve any kind of fortune for simply making material out of other creatives' hard work (although in this economy, people have been paid more for less) but I would be doing myself a disservice not to at least have a tip jar. I've given you a half-million words on the X-Men free of charge, and I was happy to do it, and if you want to offer a vote of confidence and a bit of gratitude by "buying me a coffee" with no guarantee of additional work, I am happy to accept. Mentally, thinking of it this way helps me feel less guilt about not providing more exclusives to those who have generously offered a few token bucks over the years.

In thanks for that, I do provide exclusive posts -- I try to do one per month, but in practice it's not that frequent. This week I've posted a write-up of X-Men Unlimited #10, which is a key issue and very worth talking about. Given that the X-Men story is sprawling and often spills outside of the regularly-scheduled pages of the monthly series, it makes sense to have somewhere I can tackle the digressions and side-stories that impact the main thread without disrupting my regular weekly cadence. It's that fabled "stretch space" that has taken a few different forms over the years.

What I like about Ko-Fi is that with one donation of any size, you can have limited-time access to all the exclusive posts I do, which includes X-Men Prime, the fan favourite AOA tie-in Generation Next, the bulk of Phalanx Covenant, and more to come. As of now only a handful of people have read these posts, but you could today!

If you don't, it's no big deal. This blog will do what it does for the foreseeable future, and I'm happy to do it. Thanks for reading!

X-MEN #50: Full Court Press

The X-Men get a Post notification from Onslaught

X-MEN #48-49: Five Card Studs / Eyes of a New York Woman

Bishop runs from a past that may not be his own!

UNCANNY X-MEN #329-330: Warriors of the Ebon Night / Quest for the Crimson Dawn

Wolverine and Archangel race against time to save Psylocke's life!

UNCANNY X-MEN #328: Precipice

Sabretooth breaks loose... again!

X-MEN #47: Big Trouble in Little Italy

The X-Babies are on the run from Gog and Magog!

X-MEN #46: They're Baaack...

Gambit and Bishop hit the town!

UNCANNY X-MEN #327: Whispers on the Wind

Magneto is awake and seeking redemption!

UNCANNY X-MEN #326: The Nature of Evil

Gambit attempts to expose Sabretooth's inner self

X-MEN #45: The Enemy of My Enemy...

Gambit and Rogue talk it out

UNCANNY X-MEN #325: Generation of Evil

Storm faces off against the leader of Gene Nation!

UNCANNY X-MEN #324: Deadly Messengers

The X-Men get sacked by Gene Nation!

UNCANNY X-MEN #323: A Nation Rising

The X-Men encounter some strange new foes!

X-MEN #44: Lost and Found

Professor X searches for Cyclops!

X-MEN #43: Falling From Grace

The X-Men must escape a doomed space station -- yes, again!

X-MEN #42: Heaven Can Wait

Exodus' houseguest overstays his welcome

UNCANNY X-MEN #322: Dark Walk

Whomst I ask??!

X-MEN: OMEGA #1: ...Endings

This is the end

Hiatus Imminent

Hey everybody!

It has been a tremendous pleasure to bring you UNCANNY X-CERPTS nearly every week for the last seven years.

In 2023 I was able to devote a lot of time to this little project, which was good because there were a lot of X-Men comics to talk about as I started covering X-Men Volume 2 / X-Men 1991 / Adjectiveless X-Men. Somehow I found myself equal to the challenge as I kept up the pace and covered as many comics as I wanted to in that year.

Un-fortunately, real life does exist. Work is looking to be a lot more "worky" in the near future, and I don't know what that means for my free time. I don't do a lot of blogging during "office hours" but with certain changes in my routine there may be a knock-on effect of less time to write about X-Men.

For some of the foreseeable future, it may be wise to adjust my routine and not stress myself out by thinking about when I am going to find time to write 1000-2000 words about X-Men every week. There is always an urge to push through and keep topping yourself, but I think this is wisest. The Age of Apocalypse provides a good place to hit pause.

My intention is to write up X-Men Omega, hopefully on schedule for next Monday, but maybe not, and then step back. I don't know how long it will take me to get my bearings: maybe only a week or two, maybe more than a month. Overall I am happier when writing this blog is part of my routine, but I need to know what that routine is going to look like before I commit.

I know that nobody will have a problem with this and everyone will be supportive, but I like you guys too much to ever just disappear without in some way addressing it first. This blog has been going on for a long time and I've somehow always found time and mental energy for it and I have no reason to doubt that will continue to be the case.

For my Ko-Fi supporters, I hope to give you something during this layover, at least a post per month.

Thanks again for your support, encouragement, understanding, and X-Fandom. If you want to find me, I'm spending a lot of time on Bluesky these days and consciously avoiding certain other social media platforms (though there are still good people there, and lots of folks who click my links there, so I am still "around.")

Keep on rockin

-Scotto

AMAZING X-MEN #4: On Consecrated Ground

The X-Men fight for Bishop and plans come together!

ASTONISHING X-MEN #4: Holocaust!

The X-Men aim to shut Holocaust down once and for all

AMAZING X-MEN #3: Parents of the Atom

Magneto and Apocalypse face off!

ASTONISHING X-MEN #3: In Excess

The X-Men take the fight to Holocaust

AMAZING X-MEN #2: Sacrificial Lambs

The X-Men gaze into the Abyss -- and the Abyss gazes also into them!!

ASTONISHING X-MEN #2: No Exit

Sabretooth takes the fight to Holocaust!

AMAZING X-MEN #1: The Crossing Guards

The X-Men fight... alongside the Sentinels??

ASTONISHING X-MEN #1: Once More, With Feeling

Magneto sends his X-Men on a suicide mission or two or three

X-MEN: ALPHA #1: Beginnings...

This is the dawning of the Age of Apocalypse!

X-MEN #41: Dreams Die!

This is the end

UNCANNY X-MEN #321: Auld Lang Syne

Cable lends a hand

X-MEN 40: The Killing Time

The X-Men have a cup of coffee in the past

UNCANNY X-MEN #320: The Son Rises in the East

Desert, Storm.

X-MEN #39: Birds of a Feather

And now for something completely x-treme.

UNCANNY X-MEN #319: Untapped Potential

Iceman comes home

X-MEN #38: Smoke and Mirrors

The X-Men at work and play

UNCANNY X-MEN #318: Moving Day

Generation X is about to be a thing

Throw a dollar in the hat and get more Uncanny X-Cerpts on Ko-Fi!

Hello X-Fans!

Unfortunately, there's no new update on the site today. I needed a little extra time to cover the final arm of the Phalanx Covenant on Ko-Fi, so I'm leaving the next issue of Uncanny until this Thursday.

I know that some of you have been slow to take me up on my offer of "Fundraiser Posts" but I really think you should consider it. For just a small donation -- your choice how much -- you get monthly access to all the wild branches of X-Men history I don't have time to cover here. Simply chipping in a dollar now and again to acknowledge the work this site has done gets you a bounty of extra material!

Think about it: We've already covered The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix, and two of the three parts of Phalanx Covenant that were not posted here. You never know what else I might do, but here's a hint.

In early 1995, the entire X-Universe was flipped into the alternate reality Age of Apocalypse, in one of the most sprawling and ambitious crossovers ever attempted, with four-part digressions in every X-Men title.

If you're like me, you have a lot of affection for this particular event, but if you are me, you simply don't have time to cover all of it on this blog. I will be bringing you the runs of Astonishing X-Men (which takes the place of Uncanny) and Amazing X-Men (the "adjectiveless" title) but if you want more, you've got to go to Ko-Fi.

I don't think it's asking too much, and your contributions help power the growth of this site.

Consider donating today!

X-MEN #37: The Currents Shift (The Phalanx Covenant Book One: Generation Next Part Four)

The Next Generation of Mutants put it all on the line!

UNCANNY X-MEN #317: Enter Freely and of Your Own Will (The Phalanx Covenant: Generation Next Part Three)

Generation "Next" fights for their freedom!

X-MEN #36: Drop the Leash (The Phalanx Covenant: Generation Next Part Two)

Banshee and the Makeshift X-Men strike against the Phalanx!

UNCANNY X-MEN #316: Encounter (The Phalanx Covenant: Generation Next Part One)

The Phalanx have infiltrated the mansion and only one mutant stands against them!

X-MEN #35: Sunset Grace

No, "who" is correct

UNCANNY X-MEN #315: Peers

It's the trial of the century on Avalon!