hey since i'm on the favourite superhero train and it's in Summers-ville, why don't i do what i wanted to do anyways, but never got around to it, and gush about
THE CYCLOPS 2026 SERIES WRITTEN BY ALEX PAKNADEL
i am in goddamn love with this mcheckin series.
hang on hang on i gotta post some panels because gjkasl;gjdfksla; THIS IS WHAT I'VE WANTED. IT'S JUST HIM.
while having a chunk of wood impaled in his side, he not only keeps his head, but also teaches a child probably the most useful mental/emotional trick ever... especially for a mutant living in this horrific world that is the marvel universe.
(Now, bear with me, the adhd is in full swing right now and I'm having brain-translation-organization troubles.)
i was like "omg that's what he does! this is how he does it!" Paknadel laid out a specific exercise (that works irl btw. stuff like this is real for centering oneself/focusing/calming down) to explain the Scott Summers brand of stubborn fuck syndrome. Scott's vise-like grip on his mind and faculties has been a comics staple for decades, but the most we ever get that explores what that requires and what it says about a person has been vague shit like 'oh he puts his worries in a box, lalala', moving on immediately afterwards.
I cannot articulate how much i adore this and how much this means to me.
The exercise works, Mei can use her superstrength again, and pulls out the 'splinter' (fuckinnNN CHUNK) of wood.
sidenote: thank you Paknadel for addressing the fact that pulling out a huge impaled object is the last thing you want to do under normal circumstances. (since they're no where near any med facility, have to move and potentially fight, AND scott has magical heckin sealant, leaving it in would just cause it to move around and damage even more tissue).
i love this exchange:
Mei: "But I wasn't under psychic attack..."
Scott: "Sure, you were. From yourself."
fjsalkf;jdsaklf; SO GOOD FSAJFDS
i'll stop it there for this post even though i want to continue on. Paknadel is fantastic writing Scott again, just like he was in "Eversong", just like I had hoped he'd be. This series is a delight, all the fuckin knowledge and understanding of the history and characters and THEMES surrounding this particular character aaaaaaaaaa.
Go read the Cyclops 2026 mini series. Do it!