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Geekly News: August 2, 2027; New Releases

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Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another week of Geek News. I’m still taking a break with headlines. Let me know if you’d like to see more headlines in the future. Instead, we’ll be covering new releases for board games and video games. Let’s get to the games.

Garden Dragons Launches on GameFound

The Great Migration of dragons is coming and it is time to prepare the fields for their arrival!

Plant flower dominoes of the same type together to make the garden beautiful while discovering flower dragon tiles hidden in the fields from last year’s migration.

You will place one of your newly found dragons in the community’s Hatchling Nursery and the other you will take home to raise as your own.

However, you will need to choose wisely. The more common a type of dragon is in the nursery, the less prestigious and valuable they become.

They better you are at grouping flowers together, the more successful you will become. Once you are happy with a flower bed you have planted, place a helper to claim it as your own.

Have the most bountiful gardens and the rarest dragons to become the best flower dragon gardener in Garden Dragons.

Thank you, B A Games, for the description. I’ve actually demoed Garden Dragons. I love this title. I’m definitely backing this GameFound project. We didn’t have the full display (shown above) because space was limited, but I caught the gist of this game, and it’s every bit the whimsical pairing of dragons and gardens as you would think. Season is a gardener, and she happens to love dragons. This is playing into my “need” to back this GameFound project. But even without her, I love players’ abilities to dictate how much a dragon will score points. The image above has a overall board pictured in the top lefthand corner. The numbers are where players place dragons they don’t want. Placing a dragon on those spots lowers the dragons of the corresponding type’s point value. Brilliant.

Garden Dragons has two pledge levels at $38 and $65. If you’re interested in Garden Dragons, check out its GameFound page.

Cult of the Lamb: The Board Game Launches on KickStarter

Cult of the Lamb: The Board Game is a competitive dungeon-crawling and worker-placement game for 1 to 4 players, packed with the dark charm, humour, and unmistakable style of the hit video game from Massive Monster and Devolver. Whether you’re discovering the Land of the Old Faith for the first time or returning as a devoted leader of the flock, you can now experience Cult of the Lamb on your tabletop!

Crusade through dungeons, defeat Bishops, build your Cult, manage your Followers and become the most powerful prophet – balance the risks of adventure with the demands of leadership as you carve your path and shape the future of your flock.

Faith will be tested. Followers will dissent. Poop will absolutely become a problem.

The Land of the Old Faith is yours to conquer!

Thank you, Paper Fort Games, for the description. Paper Fort Games is a relatively new gaming company, and they have experience with adapting video games into board games: Terraria. Video games turned into board games are a far better bet today than they’ve ever been before. The Slay the Spire Board Game inspired the video game to incorporate a multiplayer, cooperative gameplay for the video game sequel. I don’t know if Cult of the Lamb: The Board Game will reach those heights, but Paper Fort Games’ Terraria was well received, and some of the mechanisms sound interesting. Crusades and base building sound fun.

The Cult of the Lamb: The Board Game offers multiple pledge levels, ranging from $81 to $335. If you’re interested in Cult of the Lamb: The Board Game, check out its KickStarter page.

Cook It Launches on KickStarter

Cook It! is a card-drafting and hand-management party game played over four menu rounds: Appetizer, Entree, Dessert, and an Open round

The deck consists of 100 unique ingredient cards. There’s an additional deck of Attack cards to disrupt you friend’s recipe. On a turn, a player draws from the central deck to modify their five card hand, aiming to craft a meal description that fits the active round’s category.

After three rounds, all players simultaneously reveal their five card hand and pitch their completed culinary creation to the table. Players then cast secret votes using Frying Pan tokens to determine the best dish. Players cannot vote for themselves

Tiebreakers are resolved by totaling the raw Pan Points on the matching ingredient cards. After each of the first three rounds, all cards are gathered and reshuffled. The game ends in the fourth Open round, where players who have not been eliminated face off in a final showdown

The player who wins the final open round wins the game. An optional real world variant challenges the winner to actually prepare and cook their winning five card recipe in real life.

Thank you to the designer (Ovi Nedelcu) for the description. Cook It! sounds like a hilarious party game with some mild take that elements. Players draw five cards, they can “attack” players by stealing their ingredients or adding an undesirable ingredient to the mix. But that doesn’t matter. The art is in selling whatever dish you plan to make. Can you make a gummy bear gumbo sound appetizing? If so, your dish may be voted as the best recipe of the bunch. Cook It! has a simple concept, but it also sounds hilarious. If you’re interested in Cook It!, check out its KickStarter page.

Cirque Releases on GameFound

Cirque is a game about the joys and wonders of the circus. In Cirque, players take on the role of a Ringleader as they scout for talent, hire performers, build the reputation of their circus, and carry out performances. Each player builds their circus individually on their circus boards, and the main action tiles provide spaces of interaction and competition.

Cirque is designed around friendly competition, immense replayability, and appreciation for the circus and its craft. Alongside 180 unique performer cards, game setup includes randomized individual and shared goals to make each game a unique experience.

Thank you, Lithic Studios, for the description. Cirque features a unique mechanism where each circus performer has two values, depending on which performance occurs. This varies gameplay from one round to the next. If you notice, the gameplay ranges from 30 minutes to two hours. When Lithic Studios says 30 minutes per player, they’re referring to solo play as well. Crazy! There’s a lot going on in Cirque, but it looks like one of those games where the individual parts are easy to understand, but the full game plays out in various ways. Cirque is a point salad style of game, meaning players earn points in various ways. This leads to multiple paths to victory. Leveraging your performers during the best possible moments can mean victory or defeat. If you’re interested in Cirque, check out its GameFound page.

Truxton Extreme Releases

Take down hordes of alien invaders with your Power Shot, Truxton Beam, Thunder Laser, Homing Shot, Star‑mine Shot, and more! Don’t forget to breathe as you face off against gigantic bosses in the ultimate battle for humanity’s survival!

Ah! Truxton Extreme gives me mad flashbacks to Galaga or 1942. Truxton Extreme has received positive reviews. It accomplishes what it sets out to do: update fixed shooters to modern consoles. Truxton Extreme’s graphics look great for a fixed shooter. It definitely scratches that nostalgia itch. Truxton Extreme is available on PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox Series S/X.

Mistfall Hunter Releases

Mistfall Hunter is a dark fantasy extraction ARPG. Combine skills, talents, and gear for each class in thrilling combat! Whether you team up or go solo, one thing remains certain—only by fighting your way through can you return with a full haul. Good luck, Gyldhunter.

Mistfall Hunter looks pretty. With the exception of a couple of Obsidian titles (The Outer Worlds 2 and Avowed), the Action RPG genre of video games hasn’t seen too many good releases. Mistfall Hunter looks to change that. While I can’t speak to the gameplay itself (I have yet to play the game), the graphics look solid. I just hope Mistfall Hunter has the gameplay fluidity to match. Mistfall Hunter is available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S/X.

That’s all the geek news we have for this week. Which game looks the most interesting? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

X-Men ’97 “Strange Land, Savage Heart” Review

Published on by Kyra1 Comment

Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here and today we’re reviewing this week’s episode of X-Men ’97, “Strange Land, Savage Heart.” If you want to read our review of last week’s X-Men ’97 episode, here’s a link. This week’s episode saw the return of one popular X-Man, the introduction of another great villain (who had not be on screen prior to this episode), and a focus on Nightcrawler. Let’s talk about it.

Kyra’s Take

I left out Graydon Creed in that intro. He’s one of those X-Men villains you love to hate. As you can tell, “Strange Land, Savage Heart” packs a lot into a thirty-minute X-Men ’97 episode. The second season of X-Men ’97 has had a focus on family. It began with Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Cable (the Summers family) and even managed to throw in Havok (Cyclops’s brother) into the mix. Magneto and Polaris were explored last episode. This episode reintroduced Colossus and his sister Magik, while adding in the craziness that is the Nightcrawler, Rogue, Mystique, Sabretooth, and Graydon Creed family tree. Yikes!

Honestly, I prefer the Nightcrawler-Rogue family drama more than the Summers family saga. I appreciate last season’s episodes that showed the Cable/Madeline Pryor backstory. That has never been portrayed onscreen before. The Summers family is important, but they see a lot of play in X-Men shows and movies. The Nightcrawler-Rogue-Mystique connection doesn’t get nearly as much airtime. While the Summers family has some messed up revelations (with some more to come, I’m sure), The Nightcrawler-Rogue-Mystique family has some brutal trauma. Mystique abandons Nightcrawler because he can’t pass as a normal human. I love any X-Men episode/movie that pays Nightcrawler respect. And “Strange Land, Savage Heart” centers its story on Nightcrawler. The audience sees the events unfold through Nightcrawler’s eyes.

This was the best choice for point of view character. “Strange Land, Savage Heart” features Magneto’s acolytes. Again, this is another first appearance for a mutant group in an X-Men property. With Magneto gone, his acolytes, lead by Exodus, carry on his legacy. They construct a safe haven in the Savage Land, something Magneto had once done in the original X-Men: Animated Series. Exodus is the perfect foil for Nightcrawler. “Strange Land, Savage Heart” hint at Exodus’s past. After encountering Apocalypse in the 12th century, Exodus was given immortality. Exodus’s costume echoes his past as a crusader. Exodus calls his mission his “crusade.” Nightcrawler calls Exodus a “Templar.” Nightcrawler is willing to give people second, third, and fifteenth chances. Exodus has little patience. Graydon Creed needed to be punished.

And watching Nightcrawler defend his hateful brother while Exodus lays out every reason Nightcrawler should lose hope in his brother was fantastic. Colossus as the judge showed his alignment (friend of both sides), and it was great to see Colossus reintroduced. He’s a fan favorite, and I hope Colossus continues to make appearances in this series. X-Men ’97 does give us hope of that. Polaris’s character was developed quickly in last week’s episode. I like that X-Men ’97 didn’t drop her. I also like her blooming romance with Bishop. X-Men ’97 features villains and characters the original X-Men: Animated Series didn’t portray or in Nightcrawler and Colossus’s case, got put on the backburner.

Exodus can’t be dead. Graydon Creed shoots Exodus near the end of this episode, but as I said, Exodus is immortal. He’s too good of a foil for Nightcrawler to be a one and done villain. Nightcrawler chastising Graydon at the end was perfect. “You may not be a mutant,” Nightcrawler said, “but you are very much your parents’ son.” Ouch! That’s so good. This is why you’ve gotta love Nightcrawler. Thank goodness he’s a main cast member in X-Men ’97.

And we get to “Strange Land, Savage Heart’s” final moments, the pre-credits scene that sets up the following episode, and it’s a doozy. X-Force–that’d be the one with Cable, Jubilee, and Psylocke–discover an Apocalypse drained of his lifeforce and burnt playing card. I’ve been predicting that X-Men ’97 is building up to Apocalypse and the Age of Apocalypse storyline by the end of this season, but it could be developing something far more interesting. Don’t get me wrong. I’d love to see Age of Apocalypse adapted to the screen, but we’ve seen Magneto, Apocalypse, and Mr. Sinister on this show. What if the show went in a different direction?

X-Men ’97 could be building up to the Huntsman (Weapon XII). This villain seems more in line for next season’s big bad. X-Men ’97 introduced X-Corp last episode. The X-Men’s new outfits (pictured in the image above) reflect this change. The Huntsman represents a threat the X-Men have never faced on any screen. It consumes its host’s identity. Weapon XII is an alien being with a hive mind. Think the Borg from Star Trek. I hope X-Men ’97 goes in this direction. A Huntsman story would also push X-Men stories into the 2000s. This also makes sense for X-Men ’97’s third season. We’re headed to a new millennium.

Those are my thoughts on X-Men ’97 “Strange Land, Savage Heart.” Let’s see what Season thinks.

Season’s Thoughts

As a Nightcrawler fangirl, I loved seeing Kurt as the main protagonist of “Strange Land, Savage Heart.” The dynamic between Nightcrawler and Graydon Creed was so tense I’m surprised Graydon’s neck didn’t snap from tension alone. Nightcrawler’s defense of Graydon was almost believable. Almost. I understood where he was coming from, but I’m siding with Colossus on this one.

I liked the pacing for “Strange Land, Savage Heart.” Each character got enough screen time for what was necessary, despite “Strange Land, Savage Heart” being one of the shorter episodes of X-Men ’97. I’ve never seen Weapon XII before, so I’m hoping they get some screen time. I was not expecting a withered Apocalypse at the end of “Strange Land, Savage Heart.” Also, will there be a Bishop and Polaris romance on the horizon? Yes, please.

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here again. Those are our thoughts on X-Men ’97 “Strange Land, Savage Heart.” Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Whatcha Doing, Geekly? Personal Updates

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Happy Wednesday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here. Today, our writers share personal updates from the last few months. I’ll kick off the post by sharing what I’ve been up to over the past several months.

Kyra’s Update

I’ve been submitting my board games to various publishers. This includes a lot of work like making sure the rulebook works, blind playtest, crafting a sell sheet, and a how to play video. Here’s a link to JK Geeky’s YouTube channel, where you can find how to play videos for Whirligig Pets and Spill the Beans. The latter game I pitched at Omaha Gaming Convention, and a publisher has agreed to have me pitch the game after GenCon, which will occur this weekend. So, I should have a meeting soon. Fingers crossed that everything goes well.

I also returned to my writing group. “Ber” season soon approaches. Ber season is the months ending in “BER.” I’m a little early this year, but I wanted to get a head start on this year’s fiction and maybe get another pass on the Rustbucket Riots novel. I’m still pitching Crooked as a Dogwood to agents. I just reached a total of 50 literary agents with a few of them asking for the entire manuscript. I wanted to submit to at least 50 literary agents before considering small publishers. I may try another 25 to 50 before I transition to submitting to publishers directly.

That’s all I have for this month’s personal update. Ultimately, I’m still playing the waiting game. Let’s see what Season and Skye have been doing.

Transgender Flag

Skye’s Update

Hello, Geekly Gang! It’s great to be back, and wow do I have a story for you. I know I haven’t posted any updates in a while, but only because I’ve had a lot of personal developments taking place. On Jun 22, I had bottom surgery! Since that was the last surgery I planned to receive as part of my medical transition, this now means that my medical transition is fully complete. Woo-hoo! That also means I’ve been spending a lot of my time lying in bed and focusing on recovery too. It’s been relaxing hanging around the house, but I’m the kind of person who doesn’t like having her actions restricted. It’s not all bad, except for that first week of recovery (that sucked), especially now that I’m starting to regain some semblance of the status quo. Don’t worry, I’ve also had plenty of time to catch up on various media in that time as well.

With all that said, I look forward to my official return to the Geekly Gang next week with my latest installment of what I’ve been playing. I’ll get started typing out my picks early; I wouldn’t want to miss it! I also have plenty of options. You bet I made the most out of my recovery time. I hope y’all are having a fantastic week and never stop geeking. 😉

Season’s Update

Hey, Geekly Gang! I’ve been busy the past several months. I got employed as a gardener in late September of last year, and I love it. I’ve learned a lot about the ins and outs of how the company I work for likes to do things, and I haven’t burned out at this job. I plan on working there for a while. I’ve also been playing catch-up on taking care of my medical appointments. I’ve got a clean bill of health, and so does one of my cats. Next week, my other cat is going to the vet for his yearly checkup. Yay!

On a more personal note, I struggle with anxiety. I’m also kind of an introvert. I want to go to events and board game conventions, but when I do, I sometimes shut down if the crowd is too big and/or if the noise level is too high. I enjoy myself when I find a corner to hunker down in, but it takes me a while to relax. I’m currently seeking a psychiatrist who can help me figure this out. I will also continue to go to events because, dang it, they’re fun. Don’t let anything hold you back from doing what you want to do, Geekly Gang.

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here again. Those are our writers’ updates for the past several months. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Geekly News: July 26, 2026; New Releases

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Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another week of Geek News. We don’t have a headline for this week of Geek News; I’m still setting up JK Geekly’s Instagram presence. We’ll be on the Gram in August. Woot! Even though we don’t have a headline, we have plenty of new releases for board games and video games. Let’s get to the games.

Rosalie Launches on KickStarter

In Rosalie, players are aspiring rose breeders competing to build the most magnificent rose garden and earn renown as the finest nursery grower in town.

Each player begins with a small plot of land and a dream. Over the course of the game, players plant roses, crossbreed new varieties, cultivate their soil, and adorn their gardens with fountains and windmills. New and exotic roses are temperamental — neglect their care, and they will wither. To help tend the garden, players can recruit caretaker robots, powering them with electricity to keep their precious roses alive and thriving.

Workers are at the heart of the operation. When their hands are free, players direct them to carry out essential tasks: planting, breeding, tilling, and decorating. Every decision shapes the garden, gradually transforming a modest patch of earth into a source of pride.

Money is always available — the town is generous with its loans, and players can borrow freely whenever funds run short. But beware: at the end of each year, interest quietly accumulates. Debt begets debt, and what once felt like a lifeline can become a chain that strangles your ambitions. Managing finances wisely is just as important as cultivating beautiful roses.

Balance your budget, breed striking new varieties, and build the most captivating rose garden to claim victory.

Thank you, uchibacoya, for the description. Wow! Just wow! Rosalie: A Rosy Game of Gardening looks amazing. The image above showcases a player board. These boards are double-layered, and the one pictured depicts the character Nana. But Rosalie’s double-layered player boards have inserts. You can change Nana for another character, allowing for multiple character abilities and replayability. I like the recent trend in nature-themed board games. Rosalie looks like another solid title. It’s not for the faint of heart. As you can probably tell in the picture above, there’s a ton of strategic depth in this game, and uchibacoya is no stranger to garden-themed games. They have a history with their Garden Trilogy (Dinosaurs, Birds, and Fish). A game like Rosalie is in their wheelhouse. This game looks amazing.

uchibacoya is an up-and-coming board game publisher. While I have yet to play one of their highly regarded games, I have full confidence in uchibacoya delivering with a game like Rosalie. The game boasts several strategies and an intriguing action-selection mechanism. Pledges range from $88 to $169. If you’re interested in Rosalie: A Rosy Game of Gardening, check out its KickStarter page.

Shakeup Adventures Launches on KickStarter

What happens when party game designers make a dungeon-crawling RPG? You get all the adventure and none of the homework.

ENTER THE DUNGEON THAT DOESN’T STAY STILL
Gather a party of up to six heroes (or foolhardy friends) and dive into this ever-changing dungeon. With billions of possible map configurations, you’ll never explore the same dungeon twice.

Build your character abilities, analyze the map, and draw your unique path through monsters, curses, and spike pits, racing fellow adventurers to complete quests and conquer each floor.

Learn, set up, and begin play in under 10 minutes, but don’t be fooled: the possibilities and strategies will challenge even seasoned gamers.
Light enough to explore with the family, but deep enough to spend hours crawling with your gaming group… ready for adventure?

Thank you, Very Special Games, for the description. I almost dismissed Shakeup Adventures when I first saw it. I thought it was a tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) peripheral. I was interested in a randomizer for a dungeon crawl (D&D and other TTRPGs I play and DM) and marked Shakeup Adventures for later, thinking I’d add it to my TTRPG repertoire. And then I saw that it was a standalone board game. What? Despite thinking Shakeup Adventures was a TTRPG add-on, and JK Geekly doesn’t typically cover TTRPGs because there are so many releases each week, I still wanted to cover this project. Since it’s a board game, I don’t have to justify covering this game. Yes!

Just yes! Shakeup Adventures takes little time to set up. I love the randomization. Shakeup Adventures claims its game sessions take thirty minutes to an hour. If so, I don’t know of too many dungeon crawlers that take so little time to learn the rules, set up, and play than Shakeup Adventures’ claim. You had me at variable dungeon floors, Shakeup Adventures. And the fact that players shake the castle (pictured above) to randomize the dungeon floors is insane. The toy factor is through the roof. Shakeup Adventures pledges range from $39 to $269. The entry level isn’t as high as I would’ve thought. If you’re interested in Shakeup Adventures, check out its KickStarter page.

Stag Launches on KickStarter

Stag follows the life cycle of beetles — a game of planning and resource management, culminating in a social deduction showdown where you can lose it all if you’re too greedy!

Players plan their actions using their action tiles, then resolve them simultaneously. The aim is to score the most points
by progressing your beetles through their life cycle, going up the trait track and fulfilling personal and universal objectives.

Each stage of the beetle life cycle is represented by the card mats and rings circles on the board (with the middle ring rotating each round). Once two or more beetles reach the final stage, a showdown is triggered! After 5 showdowns points are scored to determine the winner.

Thank you, Split Stone Games, for the description. We have a stacked release for board games this week. GenCon is right around the corner, so we’ll see even more great games launching on KickStarter and GameFound. Each of these projects should still be active when the largest board game convention of the year begins. I’m stoked for Stag. The circle above is a rondel whose layers rotate. That’s so cool. The tiles pictured at the bottom are on top of a player board. These tiles can be moved to cover or reveal the symbols (like the double circle and red teardrop). Wow! Just wow! I said it before, I could say it for each one of this week’s board game titles. Split Stone Games has outdone themselves. Stag’s production value is fantastic.

You don’t see it in the picture, but those player boards have spaces underneath where players can slip cards into place, giving them extra abilities. You may be able to trigger more than one. I’m unsure of that. Stag has an intriguing design. It’s the second game this week to use double-layered player boards in a new way. I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy. Pledges range from $60 to $129. Well, there’s also an opulent edition set at over $1000. I can’t believe that pledge level has seven backers. Wow! If you’re interested in Stag, check out its KickStarter page.

Dinoblade Releases

Dinoblade is an intense action RPG set in a prehistoric world forever changed by a cataclysmic event. Step into the role of a young Spinosaurus, wielding a colossal Great Sword. Confront rival dinosaurs, some armed with weapons of their own, all in a desperate fight to prevent a looming extinction.

At first, I thought Dinoblade was a joke, but you’re playing as a sword-wielding dinosaur. Yes, please. Dinoblade has received good reviews, so somehow Team Spino made this mashup work. I’m certain Season wouldn’t mind playing a game with samurai dinos. Dinoblade sounds right up her alley. And at less than $20 on Steam, Dinoblade has an enticing price point. $20 sounds like a good price for sword, dino hijinx.

Gurei Releases

Gurei is an unforgiving game with precise combat. Fight challenging bosses in any order, acquire their unique powers, and succeed on your own terms.

Okay. I learned a new video game term this week: boss rush. Gurei gives me crazy Cuphead vibes (in terms of its gameplay), and that’s because it’s a boss rush game, which is the same game type as Cuphead. Gurei’s aesthetic is closer to Hollow Knight. Gurei is yet another video game title this week that has received good reviews. Publisher Astrolabe is a prolific studio. They’ve put in a lot of what they’ve learned from previous titles into Gurei. The game looks slick. Gurei is available on PC, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 5.

Splatoon Raiders Releases on Nintendo Switch 2

Splatoon Raiders differs from other Splatoon titles. It features a single-player story. Gamers can choose between playing an Inkling or an Octoling. Accompanied by members of Deep Cut (introduced in Splatoon 3), players explore a region known as the Spirhalite Islands.

I’ve played very little of the Splatoon franchise, mostly because I didn’t have enough friends on the Nintendo network to play multiplayer games. Splatoon Raiders hits different. I’ve always liked the polish of Splatoon games, but I’ve been reluctant to pick up a copy because I didn’t think the games had much of a story mode. Splatoon Raiders changes that, and like most Splatoon titles, it’s received high marks. I may need to watch out for Splatoon Raiders.

Those are all the new releases for board games and video games for this past week. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

XMen 97 Season Two Review 01

X-Men ’97 “Danger.exe” Review

Published on by Kyra1 Comment

Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another review/reaction of an X-Men ’97 season two episodes. Today’s topic is “Danger.exe.” If you want to see our writers’ thoughts about the previous episode, “Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs,” check out this link. We saw some great developments in “Danger.exe.” I don’t know if Season will have time to share her thoughts this week. We’ll see. Regardless, I’ll get things started with my thoughts on this week’s episode of X-Men ’97.

Kyra’s Take

“Danger.exe” does a great job of showing Professor X dealing with the loss of his friend (Magneto) and links this loss with Polaris, Magneto’s third child (aside from Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, which is sometimes debated depending on the world). While I would’ve liked to have seen Polaris in more episodes before “Danger.exe,” X-Men ’97 has woven her into the post-X-Men reality created at the end of last season. Honestly, I can’t remember much of Polaris from X-Men ’97 season one; it’s been a couple of years since I last watched those episodes. I believe Polaris did show up in the previous season, primarily in the Genosha episodes, but I could be wrong. I know for certain that Polaris shared a moment with Jubilee in this season’s episode, “A Force to Be Reckoned With.” Polaris freed Jubilee, allowing her to free the rest of the entrapped mutants.

So, it doesn’t come as a shock when Polaris rages against her current employer, the government-sanctioned X-Factor. She had one foot out the door when we last saw her. Polaris has a mean streak. She has that in the comic book as well. This is nature over nurture. We learn that Professor X raised her; she gets her temper from her father, Magneto. And I love the moment she and Professor X share after this week’s threat, more on Danger in a minute. Professor X tells Polaris that he felt Magneto when Polaris let loose her rage; Polaris tells Professor X the same. It’s a tender moment.

And I like how X-Men ’97, following in the original X-Men: Animated Series’s footsteps, allows a character to vanish for some time. Yes. X-Men ’97 is an animated series based on a comic book, so death doesn’t always mean the end. But X-Men ’97 retires characters long enough for other characters (and fans) to miss them before bringing them back. More on another previously “dead” X-Men later. I don’t expect Magneto to stay dead. But I do expect Professor X, Polaris, and the rest to explore what it means to live in a world without Magneto. Watching them cope and deal with the loss yielded some powerful moments in “Danger.exe.”

I knew from this episode’s title, “Danger.exe,” that the X-Men would tussle with Danger. I squeed. Not gonna lie. Danger is yet another villain I didn’t think would ever make a television or movie appearance. And she’s one of the X-Men’s deadliest enemies. Danger is the Danger Room’s artificial intelligence (AI) run amok. This is a perfect villain for the modern world. Most people distrust AI. Danger plays into this distrust. The X-Men put too much of themselves into the Danger Room’s programming. When the AI malfunctioned, becoming Danger, it knew which pressure points to exploit.

I wish we had more buildup with Danger. She’s too good an X-Men adversary to be a villain-of-the-week. While I believe the Danger Room never saw Polaris’s full power (she was worried she’d turn into her father), Danger’s defeat was too quick and tidy for my liking. It felt like X-Men ’97 used Danger to introduce Polaris to the team. I’ve always liked Polaris as a character. I even liked Emma Dumont’s portrayal of Polaris in The Gifted. Polaris is such a great, conflicted character. Perfect for X-Men ’97. I’m happy Polaris is a permanent member of the X-Men. But I’m also disappointed we won’t see more of Danger in the near future. The X-Men will monitor the Danger Room’s programming like a hawk. In short, I would’ve liked Danger’s story to be a two-parter, but I’m happy with X-Men ’97 season two’s finale setup.

During another mid-credit scene, Apocalypse resurrects Gambit. It’s on. I don’t think we’ll see Gambit (as Death) in the next episode, but X-Men ’97 has done a fabulous job setting up this season’s finale. According to the leaks, X-Men season two’s finale will be titled “Survival of the Fittest.” This season began with Apocalypse, and it will end with Apocalypse. My money is still on X-Men ’97 building up the classic alternate reality story Age of Apocalypse for the following season. I didn’t think a movie or television show would ever adapt Age of Apocalypse from the comics, but I also said that about Danger. There’s hope. I’m stoked.

“Danger.exe” could’ve built up Danger. X-Men ’97 could’ve explored one of the X-Men’s most powerful enemies–and that’s saying something because the X-Men have one of the most powerful rogues’ galleries in comics. But I’m glad that Danger made an appearance and Polaris joined the X-Men in earnest. Something tells me the X-Men will need Polaris in the coming battles.

Those are all my thoughts on X-Men ’97 “Danger.exe.” Let’s see what Season thinks.

Season’s Take

I also would have liked more buildup to Danger. I don’t recall X-Men ’97 foreshadowing her as a villain in previous episodes. I thought Danger would have exploited more weaknesses of the X-Men in “Danger.exe.” She let Jean Grey and Cyclops off way too easily. I hope she makes a comeback, but we’ll see.

Polaris is such a cool character. She’ll probably be with the X-Men for a while, but I can also see her deciding to join a different group or go solo for a bit if she gets the urge to. I would have liked to see more of her struggle with figuring herself out. We saw hints of it in previous episodes, but it felt a little too quick. It was touching that she got to see more of Magneto through Charles, but that interaction felt like it was more for Charles than Polaris. It was still heartwarming.

I’m excited to see the next installment of the Apocalypse saga. “Death” is sure to be a treat.

Writing Brain Dump: July 24, 2026

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

Happy Friday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another writing brain dump. I didn’t do one last week because July has five Fridays. I had to skip the 17th or the 24th. I decided to skip the 17th because of familial obligations. Anyway. What have I been doing this past month with my writing practice? In short, I’ve been honing the novel based on Rustbucket Riots.

The novel still doesn’t have a name. I’m getting there. Rustbucket Riots is a working title; the events of the novel take place well after the Rustbucket Riots, so the name can’t possibly work. I’ve used the robot Shakespeare short stories to flesh out the world. The Shakesbot stories do take place during the Rustbucket Riots, by the way. Working on this project also gave me a little bit of distance. It’s not the same as a sequel; I don’t even know if I’ll seek publication for these short stories. But I was able to find the shape I wanted the novel to take. I’m going with multiple timelines.

In last month’s writing brain dump, I mentioned ten shapes a story can take. I’m linking that post here. The more I worked on the Rustbucket Riots novel, the more I felt the story needed a time jump, similar to the one found in Freida McFadden’s The Housemaid. I may need to reread The Housemaid. That novel has its issues, but I can’t deny McFadden deftly used the multiple timelines form. Sometimes, writing requires reading. So, I’ll attempt to read McFadden’s The Housemaid as a writer, taking note of how the two timelines build off of each other. The Rustbucket Riots novel sees a severe change between the protagonist and antagonist. I’m hoping the multiple timelines work to show the difference in these segments. We’ll see.

I don’t have much for this month’s writing brain dump. Last month’s writing brain dump was rather long. And I’m in the thick of rewriting. Fingers crossed that something useful comes out of this draft. Thank you for reading. Good luck with your writing, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.