The Fastball Special is a famous fighting maneuver that is used in the X-Men Comics. The Fastball Special was invented by Colossus and Wolverine and 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, essentially creating the ultimate Fastball Special.
The issue’s plot revolves around an alien invasion of San Francisco. This coincides with the arrival of the team searching for the first newly awakened mutant they have discovered since their re-establishment. Naturally, they decide to help defend the city while they search for the new mutant.
The aliens seem to have the advantage in numbers, with hundreds of ships launching from a large mothership. Luckily, the heroes had a new weapon that was ideal for this situation, although not yet tested. Developed by Beast, it uses advanced technology to improve the physics behind the classic fastball special.
X-Men No. 2 reveals “human railgun”
Described as a “human railgun,” the weapon shoots people like bullets at tremendous speeds. Against a normal-sized person, this would be deadly enough, as mass increases with speed. The effect is even more impressive, albeit brief, when the unstoppable Juggernaut is used as ammunition. It also utilized the heroine Temper’s energy manipulation powers, allowing her to amplify the effect even further by dissipating the excess heat. This reduced the base air friction, allowing Juggernaut to go even faster with less resistance.
As impressive as this premiere was, it was tempered by the fact that the alien fleet was an illusion created by the newly awakened mutant. Still, it was a successful first test for the X-Men’s new weapon. It was also an impressive improvement on the classic Fastball Special.
X-Men #2 is now available in all comic shops.
