Then I got just two words for you, bub...
August 5, 2016 9:34 AM Subscribe
Originally known as Maneuver Seven, the Fastball Special -- wherein a superhero throws another superhero at a villain -- was made famous by Chris Claremont's run on Uncanny X-Men, particularly using the combination of Colossus (thrower) and Wolverine (throwee). However, plenty of other strong (or telekinetic or suchlike) superheroes have chucked Wolvie at bad guys too, and even My Little Pony got in on the action.
In Whedon's run on Astonishing, the off-panel FBS had me tearing up.
posted by signal at 9:59 AM on August 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by signal at 9:59 AM on August 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
Also of note is Squirrel-Girl's Fuzzball Special, where she picked up her (neither anthropomorphic nor superpowered) squirrel compatriot Tippy-Toe and threw her in MODOK's face.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:16 AM on August 5, 2016 [9 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:16 AM on August 5, 2016 [9 favorites]
Does Lord of the Rings count? Aragorn throws Gimli into a bunch of orcs in the battle for Helms Deep.
posted by gucci mane at 10:22 AM on August 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by gucci mane at 10:22 AM on August 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
Big beefy guys throwin' other big beefy guys at still bigger guys. I've got the perfect theme song for that.
posted by JHarris at 11:32 AM on August 5, 2016
posted by JHarris at 11:32 AM on August 5, 2016
Has anyone ever done a fastball special with Speedball?
posted by drezdn at 11:33 AM on August 5, 2016
posted by drezdn at 11:33 AM on August 5, 2016
Or vice-versa, for that matter?
posted by The Tensor at 11:37 AM on August 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by The Tensor at 11:37 AM on August 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
In Whedon's run on Astonishing, the off-panel FBS had me tearing up.
It's a great splash page -- but I'm confused about how it's off-panel. Isn't Colossus right there?
posted by HeroZero at 1:13 PM on August 5, 2016
It's a great splash page -- but I'm confused about how it's off-panel. Isn't Colossus right there?
posted by HeroZero at 1:13 PM on August 5, 2016
I think signal means that on one page, Logan is about to suggest it, and when you turn the page he's already in mid-flight.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 1:22 PM on August 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 1:22 PM on August 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
It might help that Wolverine is in every single title in the Marvel world these days. I love that Canucklehead like everyone else but... market saturation is a thing here, Marvel.
posted by the uncomplicated soups of my childhood at 1:41 PM on August 5, 2016
posted by the uncomplicated soups of my childhood at 1:41 PM on August 5, 2016
Ha! My first role-playing game ever, Marvel Super Heroes RPG, had specific rules for how to do a fastball special.
In 1986.
posted by eclectist at 1:55 PM on August 5, 2016 [4 favorites]
In 1986.
posted by eclectist at 1:55 PM on August 5, 2016 [4 favorites]
Most recently, I've noticed Ms. Marvel and Squirrel Girl have reached equal if not higher levels of ubiquity in the Printed Marvelverse to Wolverine. In addition, Ms. M. makes her first appearance in the Avengers cartoon this weekend and every comedic actress NOT in Ghostbusters has expressed an interest in doing the Unbeatable S.G. in a Marvel Movie.
Unrelated but related, The MeFite Also Known As The Whelk has webpublished the Wolverine-centric "The X-Men Made Me Gay", which you could call another kind of Fastball Special.
posted by oneswellfoop at 1:57 PM on August 5, 2016 [5 favorites]
Unrelated but related, The MeFite Also Known As The Whelk has webpublished the Wolverine-centric "The X-Men Made Me Gay", which you could call another kind of Fastball Special.
posted by oneswellfoop at 1:57 PM on August 5, 2016 [5 favorites]
"During your times of suffering, when you could see only one set of footprints, it was then that I picked you up and threw you at a giant purple robot with laser eyes."
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:12 PM on August 5, 2016 [31 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:12 PM on August 5, 2016 [31 favorites]
It might help that Wolverine is in every single title in the Marvel world these days. I love that Canucklehead like everyone else but... market saturation is a thing here, Marvel.
James Howlett/Logan/Wolverine has been dead for over a year and isn't showing up in too many comics right now. His clone has her own book, and shows up in one of the X-Men books. And an old alternate universe version of him is in his own book, and shows up in another X-Men book. But that's about it. And that would make 2016 the least saturated with Wolverine everywhere that Marvel's been since um the mid-80's?
posted by thecjm at 2:49 PM on August 5, 2016 [3 favorites]
James Howlett/Logan/Wolverine has been dead for over a year and isn't showing up in too many comics right now. His clone has her own book, and shows up in one of the X-Men books. And an old alternate universe version of him is in his own book, and shows up in another X-Men book. But that's about it. And that would make 2016 the least saturated with Wolverine everywhere that Marvel's been since um the mid-80's?
posted by thecjm at 2:49 PM on August 5, 2016 [3 favorites]
I think signal means that on one page, Logan is about to suggest it, and when you turn the page he's already in mid-flight.
Yep, and they never actually say 'fastball special'.
posted by signal at 3:01 PM on August 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
Yep, and they never actually say 'fastball special'.
posted by signal at 3:01 PM on August 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
In Whedon's run on Astonishing, the off-panel FBS had me tearing up.
It's a great splash page -- but I'm confused about how it's off-panel. Isn't Colossus right there?
It's mostly the context. Peter has been thought dead for years, but the X-Men discover he's actually been alive, held in captivity all that time, leading to this marvelous bit of Whedon dialogue:
Nick Fury: How do you know this is the real Colossus?
Emma: I read his mind.
Beast: I matched his DNA.
Wolverine: I smelled him.
Beast: I also did that.
In the midst of Peter's rage and the X-Men's outrage about his captivity, his captor escapes with a child hostage and it is at that point, when Wolverine asks, "Feeling rested up, Petey?" and he replies, "I am strong," that it gets a bit dusty in here.
posted by straight at 4:26 PM on August 5, 2016 [8 favorites]
It's a great splash page -- but I'm confused about how it's off-panel. Isn't Colossus right there?
It's mostly the context. Peter has been thought dead for years, but the X-Men discover he's actually been alive, held in captivity all that time, leading to this marvelous bit of Whedon dialogue:
Nick Fury: How do you know this is the real Colossus?
Emma: I read his mind.
Beast: I matched his DNA.
Wolverine: I smelled him.
Beast: I also did that.
In the midst of Peter's rage and the X-Men's outrage about his captivity, his captor escapes with a child hostage and it is at that point, when Wolverine asks, "Feeling rested up, Petey?" and he replies, "I am strong," that it gets a bit dusty in here.
posted by straight at 4:26 PM on August 5, 2016 [8 favorites]
Metafilter: His clone has her own book, and shows up in one of the X-Men books. And an old alternate universe version of him is in his own book, and shows up in another X-Men book. But that's about it.
posted by No-sword at 8:29 PM on August 5, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by No-sword at 8:29 PM on August 5, 2016 [5 favorites]
The X-Men may have invented the Fastball Special, but young Lumberjane Ripley did my favorite example of the form.
Fastball specials are best done while actually yelling FASTBALL SPECIAL, in the same way that movies are better when a character says the name of the movie.
posted by middleclasstool at 4:12 AM on August 6, 2016 [3 favorites]
Fastball specials are best done while actually yelling FASTBALL SPECIAL, in the same way that movies are better when a character says the name of the movie.
posted by middleclasstool at 4:12 AM on August 6, 2016 [3 favorites]
The ultimate aim of the Wolverine cloning project (from which we got X-23, aka the current Wolverine) is a gun that fires Wolverines, which of course would be wielded by Cable.
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:14 AM on August 6, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:14 AM on August 6, 2016 [5 favorites]
And the gun would be powered by pouches. So many pouches.
posted by signal at 7:24 AM on August 6, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by signal at 7:24 AM on August 6, 2016 [6 favorites]
So, yeah. Just subscribed to Marvel Unlimited thanks to this thread.
Thanks!
posted by MrVisible at 1:56 PM on August 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
Thanks!
posted by MrVisible at 1:56 PM on August 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
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