The fastball special is a famous combat maneuver popularized in the X-Men comics. Pioneered by Colossus and Wolverine, the fastball special occurs when a super-strong person uses a smaller teammate as a projectile. X-Men #2 by Jed MacKay and Ryan Stegman puts a new twist on this idea, creating what is, in essence, the ultimate fastball special.
The action of the issue centers around an alien invasion in San Francisco. This coincides with the team’s arrival, searching for the first newly awakened Mutant they’ve detected since the team reformed. Naturally, they decide to aid in defending the city, while searching for the new Mutant.
The aliens seem to have the advantage of numbers, with hundreds of ships launching from a large mothership. Thankfully, the heroes had a new weapon that was ideal, if untested, for this situation. It was designed by Beast and uses advanced technology to enhance the physics behind the classic fastball special.
X-Men #2 unveils “human rail gun”
Described as a “human rail gun,” the weapon shoots people like bullets at vast speeds. This would be lethal enough using an ordinary sized person, as mass increases with velocity. The effect is even more impressive, if brief, using the unstoppable Juggernaut as the ammunition. It also drew upon the energy manipulation powers of the hero Temper, allowing her to further enhance the effect by leaching off the excess heat. This reduced basic air friction, allowing Juggernaut to go even faster with less resistance.
As impressive a premiere as this was, it was muted by the fact that the alien fleet was an illusion, created by the newly awakened Mutant. Despite this, it was a successful first test for the X-Men’s new weapon. It was also an impressive upgrade of the classic fastball special.
X-Men #2 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
