(At one time known as the Logan and Ororo Shrine.)

It's been a long time since I've been satisfied with the X-books and the way they've been written. This is probably a symptom of being a dinosaur-- "But... these aren't my X-men at all!" is the mating call of the dino.

That's all right. There's a place for the dinosaur, the whiner, and the complainer. It's the internet. If there are two things that the internet is all about, it's pornography and a sense of entitlement.

We're not serving porn here today.

[complaint]

Round about the time Grant Morrison took over the X-men was the time I gave up on the franchise. Morrison is part of a breed of writers whose smarmy, self-satisfied approach to writing is difficult for me to read. Mark Millar typifies the breed; he's all polish and winking, with no substance. Morrison, at least, has some real ideas. There is some substance there. It's just hard stuff for a dino like me to swallow.

I don't mean to say that one writer drove me away from the X-men. That is not the case. I've ridden out some really bad writers *cough*Howard Mackie*cough* on books that I love. I suppose that like so many people, including some of these writers, I got one idea in my head and couldn't shake it out. Hell, I don't want to shake it out. This page is about my X-men.

[/complaint]

Just so's you know: I'm well aware that the characters belong to Marvel, and not to me at all. I am not presenting any sort of challenge or trying to be a dick; I'm just saying what I want to say about great characters from the House of Ideas.

It's very popular to like Wolverine, which is why pretentious people hate him. Much like people who give up on a band as soon as they get radio play, these folks love to throw stones at the runt. That's OK. He'd be the first to tell you that he's not the most personable guy in the world.

I appreciate the archetype of the noble savage. I enjoy the man-eater who mellows into someone you can sit next to on the bus. I am an angry, angry man who is slowly softening with age. I can relate to Wolverine on levels that I'm unwilling to share in a public forum.

He's a man who isn't exactly a team player, but deliberately stays in groups because he knows what would happen to his mind if he were to go off alone for an extended period. He's done it before, and it calls to him still.

There's a lot to appreciate, and to admire in Wolverine. Even if he is a stone-cold killer with more blood on his hands than any Marvel superhero other than the Scarlet Witch.

Ororo Munroe probably can't claim the following that Logan can. Nevertheless, there is a lot to like and admire about the African weather goddess. You will probably never hear her speak in contractions, which is not an indication that she is imperious (though she is) or pompous. It's a symptom of the tight control that she has to live under to keep her emotions in check. Her control over the elements is partly empathic; she 'feels' the fabric of the weather. She is a passionate person who must constrain herself in order to protect the people around her.

Her tight control hasn't kept her rigid and boring. Cyclops was becoming such a one-note character that writers have shaken him up with a variety of out-of-character behaviour-- just to make him human again. This is the sort of trap that Storm will never fall into. She is a fluid and ever-changing character, at one time ruthless and romantic, a free spirit and a leader. Ororo is simple and complex. Who could ask for more in a literary character?

Recently, Marvel hyped the devil out of her marriage to the Black Panther. Believe it or not, there is some small canonical basis to this, but it could have been handled so much better. Some romance as a build-up would have been good. I think it's a great match, but it could have made a believable one instead of just a marketing gimmick. Maybe I'll find some fan fiction that does the trick.

Please submit all fan fics involving either Logan or Ororo (or both, if you can do it) to poet at sharecom dot ca. Note that I am not a Wolverine/Storm shipper, despite romantic overtones in most of the stories here. If you have a tale in which Storm's One True Love(tm) is Gambit, or Wolverine has really got the hots for Psylocke, that's fine. Send it to me.

My stories have been rearranged so as to be in rough order of continuity, except In Sickness and Pale Horse, which can not be hammered hard enough to fit into the rest of the narrative.

The stories of other authors are currently archived in the order in which they were submitted. I may change that in the future. Another good place to look is my new page dedicated to Maverick, The Weapon's Legacy.

Last update: What A Little Blue Mouse Told Me Pt 1-4, by M14Mouse and Stillness by John Duffin

Stories by John Duffin:

In Sickness

This story demonstrates how Storm and Wolverine might have met in a world without mutants.
Illustrated by Diana Garcia.

Pale Horse

Wolverine and the X-Men investigate a series of deaths among their number.
Illustrated by Diana Garcia.

Melody

A new member of the X-Men contemplates his feelings for Storm.

In Health

What might have happened if Forge had asked Logan's advice after proposing to Storm, instead of Jean's?

Tell Me A Story

Two friends tell each other stories to pass the time when a loved one is wounded.

Paints

Colossus and Storm talk about life as he paints her portrait. A stand-alone prior in continuity to Like a Fox.

The Silver Fox Cycle:
Like A Fox

A spectre from Wolverine's past rises up to threaten Storm.

My Hands Are Of Your Colour

Continuing the story begun in Like A Fox. Memory and the past intertwine and threaten the party on their journey back to Westchester.

Vendetta

Some mistakes that Wolverine has made begin to catch up with him in this sequel to My Hands Are Of Your Colour. An alternate vision of the Dream's End storyline.

Though I Shame To Wear A Heart So White

The final installment of the Fox series. The dead cast long shadows in this tale of lies and misdirection.

or, you can download the entire Silver Fox Cycle in a ZIP archive. It's in Macintosh text encoding, so be sure to set your ZIP extractor to account for that. You have permission to download it for your personal use, but you may not distribute it, post it, or change it without my expressed permission.

Milan

Gambit and Storm go on a shopping trip after the events of the Silver Fox cycle.

Still Pools (R rated)

A reply of sorts to Ebonbird's Kinds. Blame the pretty birdy. :)

Poetry by John Duffin:

Stillness

Logan contemplates his lost love, Mariko.

Stories by Josh Benton:

Cold Fire

Mercenaries working for the Department decide to interrupt Logan and David while they're having a quiet beer, by kidnapping a guyver named ColdFire. Not such a good idea. The sequel to Symbiote Genesis.

Stories by Ebonbird:

Love Sponge

Bobby and Ororo on a bright winter's day. Inspired in part by the songs "Love Sponge" and "Healing".

Kinds (R rated)

Based on John Duffin's Silver Fox Cycle and Milan. The issues raised by recent events between Ororo and Logan finally come to a head.

Stories by Nikia Johnson:

Mystic Beginnings

This story combines a little magic and a little romance for Storm and Wolverine.

The Body Guard

Ororo is in danger of her life. Her father, therefore, hires a bodyguard to protect her- Wolverine.
Now with illustrations by Diana Garcia.

Witch Hunt

Ororo and Logan battle a murderous sorceress.

Tender Moments

Logan discusses his reasons for settling down with an old friend.

Pages Torn From My Life

What if the X-Men hadn't saved Storm from becoming a vampire?
Illustrated by Diana Garcia.

Towards Understanding

Storm and Wolverine attempt to see past their differences.
Illustrated by Diana Garcia.

Follow Your Heart

Logan follows some sage advice from Charles.

And Then There Was None...

Mr. Sinister reforms the Marauders to strike at Logan and Ororo's family.

Stories by M14Mouse:

What A Little Blue Mouse Told Me (updated March 02, 2003)

A strange little mouse makes friends with Storm and the X-Men.

Stories by Nina:

Life Dance

Logan and Ororo meet out-of-doors after the events of Uncanny X-Men 381.

Poetry by Shadow:

Our One Night of Love (R Rated)

After Storm did something that she regretted, Logan found this poem in her room when she went to the Savage Land.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, the Logan and Ororo page has commissioned a number of works of fan art featuring our two favourite mutants from the talented Diana Garcia, and you can see them here. If you'd like to see some more, mail me and I'll see if I can pester her into doing some more work. Alternately, if you would also like to do some art for the Logan and Ororo page, check out these guidelines, and then send a sample or two. I'd be happy to take a look.

Click here to enter the Diana Garcia gallery which has been approved for viewing by all audiences.
New art added July 4, 2002.


FAN ART by Mr. Scary

Recently, a gentleman e-mailed me an excellent charcoal piece of Wolverine, so I've added a gallery of his work here. Hopefully, it will expand in the future. You can mail me if you like, and I'll pass along your well-wishes or requests to the artist.

Click here to enter the Mr. Scary gallery which has been approved for viewing by all audiences.
New art added August 5, 2002.


FAN ART by Eduardo Alvarez

It's a fan art explosion, apparently. All good for me (and you). In any case, Mr. Alvarez first e-mailed me an art-decoesque piece, a reproduction of an existing picture of Wolverine, captured by a digital camera and then re-coloured on the computer. The effect is striking. I hope to see more of his stuff.

Click here to enter the Eduardo Alvarez gallery which has been approved for viewing by all audiences.
New art added September 1, 2002.


FAN ART by Nicole Goff

I was surfing on the highly admirable Mr. Scary's site, and came across the work of Nicole Goff, which I immediately decided to poach. My only regrets in this regard are that a) there isn't more of it, and b) I couldn't use more of what there was. I hope more is on the way.

Click here to enter the Nicole Goff gallery which has been approved for viewing by all audiences.
New art added January 21, 2003.


LINKS

If you're an X-Men afficianado, you may wish to check out the famous sites on the Poet's RPG and Comics Links page.

Please check out my new fan page, The Weapon's Legacy, which is dedicated to Maverick. There isn't much there now, but with time and submissions...

Back to the Poet's Home Page