X-Men #203 pg 10 (Ramos pencils, Cuevas inks, Carey story) - Blockbuster and the Marauders

From the final chapter of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT (part 4) in X-Men #203 (Nov 2007) comes this page featuring Blockbuster and the Marauders.

The story revolves around the X-Men searching for Destiny’s diaries and reviving Blindfold. The Marauders (Arclight, Harpoon, Scalphunter, Sunfire, Blockbuster, Vertigo, Riptide and Prism) gladly interrupt their plans, the center right panel was one of the reasons to get this page. It’s a great lineup of the Marauders, which were characters that first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #210 (Oct 1986). The main highlight for me on this page is the half splash action of Blockbuster in the top left corner.

Blockbuster (Michael Baer) first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #210, he is a member of the Mutant Marauders, with the ability of superhuman strength and stamina. He is a character strong enough to break Thor’s arm and was prominently featured in The Mutant Massacre where he tortures Angel (ultimately breaking his wings and spirit) and The Inferno X-Men crossovers (where he is cloned and brought back from Sinister, only to be later killed by Havok and then brought back again). His character is not too deep, but I do really enjoy it when he is on the page. He seems to be a mix of SLAB and STRONG GUY. In a recent page I posted (X-Facrot #227), you can see the very similar resemblance between Strong Guy and Blockbuster.

And finally getting some Cannonball blasting action and a struggle between he and Riptide was a nice addition as well. Ramos and Cuevas art work really well together. Ramos has a unique styling with characters, long slender bodies and limbs, mixed with bulky tank bodies with smaller heads. Characters tend to be extra expressive, especially with their big eyes. You get a lot of that extra facial expression detailing in the lower right panel and can see the lengthy arms throughout. Cuevas does a great job with his inky solid blacks and tightly detailed lines. Their art is immediately recognizable and this page works well to showcase both talents.