title: Merv

text: A final set of Seljuq remains are the walls of the Soltangala. These fortifications, which largely remain, began as mud brick structures, inside of which were chambers for defenders to shoot arrows from. There were horseshoe-shaped towers every . These walls, however, did not prove to be effective because they were not of adequate thickness to withstand catapults and other artillery. By the mid-12th century, the galleries were filled in, and the wall was greatly strengthened. A secondary, smaller wall was built in front of the Soltangala's main wall, and finally the medieval city's suburbs—known today as Isgendergala—were enclosed by a wall. The three walls held off the Mongol army for at least one of its offensives, before ultimately succumbing in 1221.


title: Merv

text: Many ceramics have been recovered from the Abbasid and Seljuk eras, primarily from , the city walls of Soltangala, and the Shahryar Ark. The ware was primarily late Abbasid and consisted primarily of red slip-painted bowls with geometric designs. The pottery recovered from the Sultan Gala walls is dominated by 11th to 12th-century colour-splashed yellow and green pottery, similar to contemporary styles common in Nishapur. Turquoise and black bowls were discovered in the Shahryar Ark palace, as well as a deposit of Mongol-style pottery, perhaps related to the city's unsuccessful re-foundation under the Il-khans. Also from this era, is a ceramic mask used for decorating walls found among the ruins of what is believed—not without controversy—to be a Mongol-built Buddhist temple in the southern suburbs of Sultan Gala.


title: Merv

text: Shaim Kala was built in the 7th AD. Shaim Kala was a self-contained walled city intended to relieve over-crowding, and to deal with the religious and political discontent of the newly arrived peoples.


title: Merv

text: Today, the site of the ancient Merv is located near city of Mary velayat, Turkmenistan. It is a city in and the seat of Baýramaly District, Mary Province, Turkmenistan. It lies about 27 km east of the provincial capital Mary. In 2009, its population was estimated at 88,486 (up from 43,824 in the 1989 census).


title: Merv

text: The present inhabitants of the oasis are primarily Turkmens of the Teke tribe and some Persians or Tajiks. There are relatively large minorities of the Beluch and the Brahui in the Merv Oasis as well.


title: Merv

text: An elaborate system of canals cut from the Murghab irrigates the oasis. The country is renowned throughout the East for its fertility. Every kind of cereal and many fruits grow in great abundance, e.g. wheat, millet, barley and melons, also rice and cotton. Cotton seeds from archaeological levels as far back as the 5th century are the first indication that cotton textiles were already an important economic component of the Sassanian city. Silkworms have been bred. Turkmens possess a famous breed of horses (Turkoman horse) and keep camels, sheep, cattle, asses and mules. Turkmens work in silver and armour. One discovery of the 1990s excavations was a 9th- to 10th-century workshop where crucible steel was being produced, confirming contemporary Islamic reports by Islamic scholar al-Kindi (AD 801–866). He referred to the region of Khorasan as producing steel. This was made by a co-fusion process where cast iron and wrought iron are melted together.


title: Merv

text: The oasis of Merv is situated on the Murghab River that flows down from Afghanistan, on the southern edge of the Karakum Desert, at 37°30’N and 62°E, about north of Herat, and south of Khiva. Its area is about . The great chain of mountains which, under the names of Paropamisade and Hindu Kush, extends from the Caspian Sea to the Pamir Mountains is interrupted some south of Merv. Through or near this gap flow northwards in parallel courses the Tejen and Murgab rivers, until they lose themselves in the Karakum Desert. Thus, they make Merv a sort of watch tower over the entrance into Afghanistan on the north-west and at the same time create a stepping-stone or "étape" between north-east Persia and the states of Bukhara and Samarqand.


title: Merv

text: Merv is advantageously situated in the inland delta of the Murghab River, which flows from its source in the Hindu Kush northwards through the Garagum desert. The Murghab delta region, known to the Greeks as Margiana, gives Merv two distinct advantages: first, it provides an easy southeast–northwest route from the Afghan highlands towards the lowlands of Karakum, the Amu Darya valley and Khwarezm. Second, the Murgab delta, being a large well-watered zone in the midst of the dry Karakum, serves as a natural stopping-point for the routes from northwest Iran towards Transoxiana—the Silk Roads. The delta, and thus Merv, lies at the junction of these two routes: the northwest–southeast route to Herat and Balkh (to the Indus and beyond) and the southwest–northeast route from Tus and Nishapur to Bukhara and Samarkand.


title: Merv

text: This place was a stop on the Silk Road during the time of the Han dynasty. Here merchants could trade for fresh horses or camels at this oasis city.


title: Merv

text: Merv is dry and hot in summer and cold in winter. The heat of summer is oppressive. The wind raises clouds of fine dust which fill the air, rendering it opaque, almost obscuring the noonday sun. These clouds make breathing difficult. In winter the climate is pleasant. Snow falls rarely, and when it does, it melts at once. The annual rainfall rarely exceeds , and there is often no rain from June until October. In summer temperatures can reach , while in winter they can be as low as . The average yearly temperature is .


title: Chang Chen

text: Chang Chen (born 14 October 1976) is a Taiwanese actor. He was born in Taipei, Taiwan. His father Chang Kuo-chu and his brother Hans Chang are also actors.


title: Chang Chen

text: Chang started his film career at a very young age. He was then selected by a Taiwanese film director Edward Yang to be the protagonist of a four-hour-long critically acclaimed film "A Brighter Summer Day", which won the Special Jury Prize at the Tokyo International Film Festival.


title: Chang Chen

text: One of the earliest films Chang acted in was Wong Kar-wai's "Happy Together" (1997). He rose to fame for his role as "Dark Cloud" in the 2000 film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", directed by Ang Lee. He also featured in Wong Kar-wai's "2046" (2004).


title: Chang Chen

text: Chang then co-starred with Shu Qi in Hou Hsiao-hsien's "Three Times" (2005), which was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and won Golden Horse accolades for Best Taiwanese film, among other awards. For his performance in that film, Chang was also nominated for a Best Actor award at the 2005 Golden Horse Awards.


title: Chang Chen

text: In 2006, Chang was nominated for the Golden Horse Award for Best Actor for his role in "The Go Master", a dramatisation of the life of the Go master Wu Qingyuan. The following year, Chang made his Korean debut in Kim Ki-duk's "Breath", which was nominated for the Palme d'Or award at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival,


title: Chang Chen

text: Chang then starred in the historical war epic "Red Cliff" (2008-2009), portraying the warlord Sun Quan. He was nominated at the Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Supporting Actor. He next starred in the 2012 historical epic "The Last Supper" directed by Lu Chuan and the 2013 kungfu epic "The Grandmaster" by Wong Kar-wai.


title: Chang Chen

text: In 2014, Chang headlined the wuxia film "Brotherhood of Blades", which won commercial success and critical acclaim. He earned his third nomination for Best Actor in the Golden Horse Awards.


title: Chang Chen

text: In 2015, Chang reunited with "Three Times" director Hou Hsiao-hsien and co-star Shu Qi in "The Assassin", which competed at the Cannes Film Festival.


title: Chang Chen

text: In 2017, Chang played the title character in the action film "Mr. Long", which was selected to compete for the Golden Bear in the main competition section of the 67th Berlin International Film Festival. The same year, he returned for the second installment of "Brotherhood of Blades" film.


title: Chang Chen

text: In 2021, Chang played Dr. Wellington Yueh in Denis Villeneuve's epic science fiction film "Dune". which premiered at the 78th Venice International Film Festival. In the same year, he won the Best Leading Actor award at the 58th Golden Horse Awards for his performance in the mystery film "The Soul", which was his first Golden Horse Award after being nominated three times without winning.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: Duke Nukem 3D is a first-person shooter video game developed by 3D Realms. It is a sequel to the platform games "Duke Nukem" and "Duke Nukem II", published by 3D Realms.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: "Duke Nukem 3D" features the adventures of the titular Duke Nukem, voiced by Jon St. John, who fights against an alien invasion on Earth. Along with "Wolfenstein 3D" and "Doom", "Duke Nukem 3D" is considered to be one of many titles responsible for popularizing first-person shooters, and was released to major acclaim. Reviewers praised the interactivity of the environments, gameplay, level design, and unique risqué humor, a mix of pop-culture satire and lampooning of over-the-top Hollywood action heroes. However, it also incited controversy due to its violence, erotic elements, and portrayal of women.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: The shareware version of the game was originally released on January 29, 1996 as version 1.0 (later, the shareware version got re-released as version 1.1 on February 20, 1996 and re-released once again as version 1.3D on April 24, 1996), while the full version of the game was released on April 19, 1996, as version 1.3D. The "Plutonium PAK", an expansion pack which updated the game to version 1.4 and added a fourth eleven-level episode, was released on October 21, 1996. The "Atomic Edition", a standalone version of the game that included the content from the "Plutonium PAK" and updated the game to version 1.5, was later released on December 11, 1996; it is only available digitally on ZOOM-Platform.com. An official fifth episode was released on October 11, 2016, with "20th Anniversary World Tour" published by Gearbox Software. A direct sequel titled "Duke Nukem Forever" was released in 2011, after fifteen years in development hell.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: As a first-person shooter whose gameplay is similar to "Doom", the gameplay of "Duke Nukem 3D" involves moving through levels presented from the protagonist's point of view, shooting enemies on the way. The environments in "Duke Nukem 3D" are highly destructible and interactive; most props can be destroyed by the player.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: Levels were designed in a fairly non-linear manner such that players can advantageously use air ducts, back doors, and sewers to avoid enemies or find hidden caches. These locations are also filled with objects the player can interact with. Some confer gameplay benefits to the player; light switches make it easier to see, while water fountains and broken fire hydrants provide some health points. Others are simply there as a diversion. Tipping strippers provokes a quote from Duke, and a provocative reveal from the dancer.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: Duke's arsenal consists of the "Mighty Foot" (a basic kick attack), a pistol, a shotgun, a triple-barrelled chain gun, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, pipe bombs, freeze and shrink rays, laser land mines, and the rapid-fire "Devastator" rocket launcher. There is also an extra weapon known as the "Expander", the opposite of the shrink-ray weapon, which is only available in the "Atomic Edition" version of the game.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: Various items can be picked up during gameplay. The portable medkit allows players to heal Duke at will. Steroids speed up Duke's movement, as well as instantly reversing the effects of the shrink-ray weapon and increasing the strength of Duke's Mighty Foot for a short period. Night vision goggles allow players to see enemies in the dark. The "HoloDuke" device projects a hologram of Duke, which can be used to distract enemies. Protective boots allow Duke to cross dangerously hot or toxic terrain. In sections where progress requires more aquatic legwork, an aqua-lung allows Duke to take longer trips underwater. Duke's jet pack allows the player to move vertically and gain access to otherwise inaccessible areas.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: The game features a wide variety of enemies; some of which are aliens and other mutated humans. The LAPD have been turned into "Pig Cops", a play on the derogatory term "pig" for police officers, with LARD emblazoned on their uniforms. As is usual for a first-person shooter, Duke Nukem encounters a large number of lesser foes, as well as bosses, usually at the end of episodes. Like Duke, these enemies have access to a wide range of weapons and equipment, and some weaker enemies have jet packs.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: "Duke Nukem 3D" is set on Earth "sometime in the early 21st century". The levels of "Duke Nukem 3D" take players outdoors and indoors through rendered street scenes, military bases, deserts, a flooded city, space stations, Moon bases, and a Japanese restaurant.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: The game contains several humorous references to pop culture. Some of Duke's lines are drawn from movies such as "Aliens", "Dirty Harry", "Evil Dead II", "Full Metal Jacket", "Jaws", "Pulp Fiction", and "They Live"; the captured women saying "Kill me" is a reference to "Aliens". Players will encounter corpses of famous characters such as Luke Skywalker, Indiana Jones, Snake Plissken, the protagonist of "Doom", and a smashed T-800. In the first episode, players navigate a tunnel in the wall of a prison cell hidden behind a poster, just like in "The Shawshank Redemption". During the second episode, players can see a Monolith (from "") on the Moon.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: There is little narrative in the game, only a brief text prelude located under "Help" in the Main Menu, and a few cutscenes after the completion of an episode. The game picks up right after the events of "Duke Nukem II", with Duke returning to Earth in his space cruiser. As Duke descends on Los Angeles in hopes of taking a vacation, his ship is shot down by unknown hostiles. While sending a distress signal, Duke learns that aliens are attacking Los Angeles and have mutated the LAPD. With his vacation plans now ruined, Duke hits the "eject" button, and vows to do whatever it takes to stop the alien invasion.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: In "Episode One: "L.A. Meltdown"", Duke fights his way through a dystopian Los Angeles. At a strip club, he is captured by pig-cops, but escapes the alien-controlled penitentiary and tracks down the alien cruiser responsible for the invasion in the San Andreas Fault. Duke confronts and kills an Alien Battlelord in the final level. Duke discovers that the aliens were capturing women, and detonates the ship. Levels in this episode include a movie theater, a red-light district, a prison, and a nuclear-waste disposal facility.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: In "Episode Two: "Lunar Apocalypse"", Duke journeys to space, where he finds many of the captured women held in various incubators throughout space stations that had been conquered by the aliens. Duke reaches the alien mother ship on the Moon and kills an alien Overlord. As Duke inspects the ship's computer, it is revealed that the plot to capture women was merely a ruse to distract him. The aliens have already begun their attack on Earth.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: In "Episode Three: "Shrapnel City"", Duke battles the massive alien presence through Los Angeles once again, and kills the leader of the alien menace: the Cycloid Emperor. The game ends as Duke promises that after some "R&R", he will be "...ready for more action!", as an anonymous woman calls him back to bed. Levels in this episode include a sushi bar, a movie set, a subway, and a hotel.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: The story continues in the "Atomic Edition". In "Episode Four: "The Birth"", it is revealed that the aliens used a captured woman to give birth to the Alien Queen, a creature which can quickly spawn deadly alien protector drones. Duke is dispatched back to Los Angeles to fight hordes of aliens, including the protector drones. Eventually, Duke finds the lair of the Alien Queen, and kills her, thus thwarting the alien plot. Levels in this episode include a fast-food restaurant ("Duke Burger"), a supermarket, a Disneyland parody called "Babe Land", a police station, the oil tanker "Exxon Valdez", and Area 51.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: With the release of "20th Anniversary World Tour", the story progresses further. In "Episode Five: "Alien World Order"", Duke finds out that the aliens initiated a world-scale invasion, so he sets out to repel their attack on various countries. Duke proceeds to clear out aliens from Amsterdam, Moscow, London, San Francisco, Paris, the Giza pyramid complex, and Rome, with the final showdown with the returning alien threat taking place in Los Angeles, taking the game full circle. There, he defeats the Cycloid Incinerator, the current alien leader, stopping their threat for good.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: "Duke Nukem 3D" was developed on a budget of roughly $300,000. The development team consisted of 8 people for most of the development cycle, increasing to 12 or 13 people near the end. At one point, the game was being programmed to allow the player to switch between first-person view, third-person view, and fixed camera angles. Scott Miller of 3D Realms recalled that "with "Duke 3D", unlike every shooter that came before, we wanted to have sort of real life locations like a cinema theatre, you know, strip club, bookstores..."


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: "LameDuke" is a beta version of "Duke Nukem 3D", which was released by 3D Realms as a "bonus" one year after the release of the official version. It has been released as is, with no support. "LameDuke" features four episodes: "Mr. Caliber", "Mission Cockroach", "Suck Hole", and "Hard Landing". Certain weapons were altered from the original versions and/or removed.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: Lee Jackson's theme song "Grabbag" has elicited many covers and remixes over the years by both fans and professional musicians, including an officially sanctioned studio version by thrash metal band Megadeth. Another version of the song was recorded by Chris Kline in August 2005. 3D Realms featured it on the front page of their website and contracted with Kline to use it to promote their Xbox Live release of "Duke Nukem 3D".


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: The original official website was created by Jeffrey D. Erb and Mark Farish of Intersphere Communications Ltd.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: "Duke Nukem 3D" was ported to many consoles of the time. All of the ports featured some sort of new content.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: "Duke Nukem 3D" was a commercial hit, selling about 3.5 million copies. In the United States alone, it was the 12th best-selling computer game in the period from 1993 to 1999, with 950,000 units sold. NPD Techworld, a firm that tracked sales in the United States, reported 1.25 million units sold of "Duke Nukem 3D" by December 2002.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: Following the release of the "Doom" source code in 1997, players wanted a similar source code release from 3D Realms. The last major game to make use of the "Duke Nukem 3D" source code was TNT Team's "World War II GI" in 1999. Its programmer, Matthew Saettler, obtained permission from 3D Realms to expand the gameplay enhancements done on "WWII GI" to "Duke Nukem 3D".


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: "EDuke" was a semi-official branch of "Duke Nukem 3D" that was released as a patch as "Duke Nukem 3D" v2.0 for "Atomic Edition" users on July 28, 2000. It included a demo mod made by several beta testers. It focused primarily on enhancing the CON scripting language in ways which allowed those modifying the game to do much more with the system than originally possible. Though a further version was planned, it never made it out of beta. It was eventually cancelled due to programmer time constraints. About a month after the release of the "Duke Nukem 3D" source code, "Blood" project manager Matt Saettler released the source code for both "EDuke" v2.0 and EDuke v2.1, the test version of which would have eventually become the next "EDuke" release, under the GPL.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: The source code to the "Duke Nukem 3D" v1.5 executable, which uses the Build engine, was released as free software under the GPL-2.0-or-later license on April 1, 2003. The game content remains under a proprietary license. The game was quickly ported by enthusiasts to modern operating systems.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: The first "Duke Nukem 3D" port was from icculus.org. It is a cross-platform project that allows the game to be played on AmigaOS, AmigaOS 4, AROS, BeOS, FreeBSD, Linux, Mac OS X, MorphOS, Solaris, and Windows rather than MS-DOS. The icculus.org codebase would later be used as the base for several other ports, including "Duke3d_32".


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: Another popular early project was Jonathon Fowler's "JFDuke3D", which, in December 2003, received backing from the original author of Build, programmer Ken Silverman. Fowler, in cooperation with Silverman, released a new version of "JFDuke3D" using Polymost, an OpenGL-enhanced renderer for Build which allows hardware acceleration and 3D model support along with 32-bit color high resolution textures. Another project based on "JFDuke3D" called "xDuke", unrelated to the "xDuke" project based on "Duke3d_w32", runs on the Xbox. Silverman has since helped Fowler with a large portion of other engine work, including updating the network code, and helping to maintain various other aspects of the engine. Development appears to have stopped; as of January 2015, there have been no new versions since October 9, 2005.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: While a few short-lived DOS-based "EDuke" projects emerged, it was not until the release of "EDuke32", an extended version of "Duke3D" incorporating variants of both Fowler's Microsoft Windows "JFDuke3D" code, and Saettler's "EDuke code", by one of 3D Realms' forum moderators in late 2004, that "EDuke's" scripting extensions received community focus. Among the various enhancements, support for advanced shader model 3.0 based graphics was added to "EDuke32" during late 2008-early 2009. In June 2008, thanks to significant porting contributions from the DOSBox team, "EDuke32" became the only "Duke Nukem 3D" source port to compile and run natively on 64-bit Linux systems without the use of a 32-bit compatibility environment.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: On April 1, 2009, an OpenGL Shader Model 3.0 renderer was revealed to have been developed for "EDuke32", named "Polymer" to distinguish from Ken Silverman's "Polymost". It allows for much more modern effects such as dynamic lighting and normal mapping. Although Polymer is fully functional, it is technically incomplete and unoptimized, and is still in development. As of the fifth installment of the "High Resolution Pack", released in 2011, the Polymer renderer is mandatory. In 2011, another significant development of "EDuke32" was the introduction of true room over room (TROR), where sectors can be placed over other sectors, and can be seen at the same time. In practice, this allows for true three-dimensional level design that was previously impossible, although the base engine is still 2D.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: On December 18, 2012, "Chocolate Duke3D" port was released. Inspired by "Chocolate Doom", the primary goal was to refactor the code so developers would easily read and learn from it.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: In February 2013, a source code review article was published that described the internal working of the code.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: All versions of the game have earned a positive aggregate score on GameRankings and Metacritic. The original release on MS-DOS holds an aggregate score of 89% on GameRankings and a score of 89/100 on Metacritic. The version released on Nintendo 64 holds an aggregate score of 74% on GameRankings and a score of 73/100 on Metacritic. The version released on Xbox 360 holds an aggregate score of 81% on GameRankings while it holds a score of 80/100 on Metacritic. The iOS version holds an aggregate score of 64% on GameRankings.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: Daniel Jevons of "Maximum" gave it five out of five stars, calling it "absolutely perfect in every respect." He particularly cited the game's speed and fluidity even on low-end PCs, imaginative weapons, varied and identifiable environments, true 3D level designs, and strong multiplayer mode. A "Next Generation" critic summarized: ""Duke Nukem 3D" has everything "Doom" doesn't, but it also doesn't leave out the stuff that made "Doom" a classic." He praised the imaginative weapons, long and complex single-player campaign, competitive multiplayer, built-in level editor, and parental lock. Reviewers paid a lot of attention to the sexual content within the game. Reception of this element varied: Tim Soete of "GameSpot" felt that it was "morally questionable", while the Game Revolution reviewer noted that it was "done in a tongue-in-cheek manner," and he was "not personally offended". GamingOnLinux reviewer Hamish Paul Wilson commented in a later retrospective how the game's "dark dystopian atmosphere filled with pornography and consumerist decadence" in his view helped to ground "the game's more outlandish and obscene moments in context", concluding that "in a world as perverse as this, someone like Duke becoming its hero seems almost inevitable."


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: "Next Generation" reviewed the Macintosh version of the game and stated that "Though it took a year, the Mac port of "Duke Nukem 3D" is an impressive feat, both for the game's own features, and the quality of the port."


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: The Saturn version also received generally positive reviews, with critics particularly praising the use of real-world settings for the levels and Duke's numerous one-liners. Reviewers were also generally impressed with how accurately it replicates the PC version. AllGame editor Colin Williamson highly praised the Sega Saturn port, referring to it as "one of the best versions" and that it was "probably one of the best console ports ever released." "GamePro" summarized that "All the gore, vulgarity, go-go dancers, and ultra-intense 3D combat action that made Duke Nukem [3D] excel on the PC are firmly intact in the Saturn version, making it one of the premier corridor shooters on the system." However, some complained at the limitations of this version's multiplayer. Dan Hsu of "Electronic Gaming Monthly" said it was unfortunate that it supports only two players instead of four, while "Sega Saturn Magazine" editor Rich Leadbetter complained at the multiplayer being only supported through the Sega NetLink and not the Saturn link cable, since the NetLink was not being released in Europe, effectively making the Saturn version single-player only to Europeans.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: The Nintendo 64 version was likewise positively received, with critics almost overwhelming praising the new weapons and polygonal explosions, though some said that the use of sprites for most enemies and objects makes the game look outdated. While commenting that the deathmatch gameplay is less impressive than that of "GoldenEye 007", critics also overwhelmingly applauded the port's multiplayer features. "Next Generation" stated that "The sound effects and music are solid, the levels are still interactive as heck, and it's never quite felt so good blasting enemies with a shotgun or blowing them to chunks with pipe bombs." "GamePro" opined that the censoring of sexual content from the port stripped the game of all uniqueness, but the vast majority of critics held that the censorship, though unfortunate, was not extensive enough to eliminate or even reduce Duke's distinctive personality. Peer Schneider of "IGN" called it "a better and much more intense shooter than "" and "Doom 64", and currently the best N64 game with a two-player co-op mode. If you don't already own the PC or Saturn version of Duke, do yourself a favor and get it." Crispin Boyer of "Electronic Gaming Monthly", while complaining that the large weapons obscure too much of the player's view in four-player mode, assessed that "You're not gonna find a better console version of Duke."


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: The PlayStation console port met with more mixed reviews. "GamePro" and Tim Soete of "GameSpot" both found this conversion technically inferior, particular the frame rate. Both also complained that the control configuration only provides three presets, with no option for custom configuration. Soete also found the game had become dated by the time this version was released, though he still recommended it for those who do not own a PC. "IGN"s Jay Boor gave it a more enthusiastic recommendation, saying it "plays exactly like its PC predecessor" and praising the PlayStation-exclusive levels and link cable support.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: "Duke Nukem 3D" was a finalist for CNET Gamecenter's 1996 "Best Action Game" award, which ultimately went to "Quake". In 1996, "Next Generation" ranked it as the 35th top game of all time, called "for many, the game "Quake" should have been." In 1996 "Computer Gaming World" named "Duke Nukem 3D" #37 overall among the best games of all time and #13 among the "best ways to die in computer gaming". It won a 1996 Spotlight Award for Best Action Game. In 1998, "PC Gamer" declared it the 29th-best computer game ever released, and the editors called it "a gaming icon" and "an absolute blast".


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: "PC Gamer" magazine's readers' voted it #13 on its all-time top games poll. The editors of "PC Game" ranked it as the 12th top game of all time in 2001 citing the game's humor and pop-culture references, and as the 15th best games of all time in 2005. "GamePro" included it among the most important video games of all time. In 2009, IGN's Cam Shea ranked it as the ninth top 10 Xbox Live Arcade game, stating that it was as fun as it was in its initial release, and praised the ability to rewind to any point before the player died.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: "Duke Nukem 3D" was attacked by some critics, who alleged that it promoted pornography and murder. In response to the criticism encountered, censored versions of the game were released in certain countries in order to avoid it being banned altogether. A similar censored version was carried at Wal-Mart retail stores in the United States.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: In Australia, the game was originally refused classification on release. 3D Realms repackaged the game with the parental lock feature permanently enabled, although a patch available on the 3D Realms website allowed the user to revert the game back into its uncensored U.S. version. The OFLC then attempted to have the game pulled from the shelves, but it was discovered that the distributor had notified them of this fact and the rating could not be surrendered; six months later, the game was reclassified and released uncensored with an MA15+ rating. In Germany, the BPjM placed the game on their "List B" ("List of Media Harmful to Young People") of videos games, thus prohibiting its advertisement in the public. However, it was not fully confiscated, meaning that an adult could still request to see the game and buy it. In 1999, "Duke Nukem 3D" was banned in Brazil, along with "Doom" and several other first-person shooters after a rampage in and around a movie theater was supposedly inspired by the first level in the game.


title: Duke Nukem 3D

text: Despite such concerns from critics, legislators, and publishers, Scott Miller later recounted that 3D Realms saw very little negative feedback to the game's controversial elements from actual gamers or their parents. He pointed out that "Duke Nukem 3D" was appropriately rated "M" and had no real nudity, and speculated that that was enough to make it inoffensive to the general public.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: founded by designer Alexander McQueen in 1992. The house's early collections developed its reputation for controversy and shock tactics (earning the title "l'enfant terrible" and "the hooligan of English fashion"), with trousers aptly named "bumsters" and a collection entitled "Highland Rape". Alexander McQueen staged lavish and unconventional runway shows, such as a recreation of a shipwreck for his Spring 2003 collection, Spring 2005's human chess game, and the Fall 2006 show, "Widows of Culloden", which featured a life-sized hologram of supermodel Kate Moss dressed in yards of rippling fabric. In total, McQueen designed 36 collections for his London label, including his MA graduate collection.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: During his time as head designer, McQueen was awarded the title "British Designer of the Year" four times between 1996 and 2003; he was also appointed a CBE and named International Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers in 2003.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: In December 2000, the Gucci Group acquired 51% of his company and appointed him as Creative Director before launching stores in London, Milan, New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. On 31 October 2011, Alexander McQueen opened its first store in Beijing with a runway show. Following the take over, the brand's catwalk presentations were relocated from London to Paris, beginning with the Spring/Summer 2002 collection with "The Dance of The Twisted Bull" on 6 October 2001.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: Alexander McQueen launched its first menswear collection in Spring/Summer 2005 and continues to show its collections during Milan Fashion Week. The company launched its first women's pre-Spring collection on the runway with its men's collection on 22 June 2008 and has since continued releasing cruise collections since Spring 2010.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: Alexander McQueen launched an online store in the US in 2008. This was later expanded with an online store for the UK market in 2010.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: McQueen's suicide was announced on the afternoon of 11 February 2010. At the time of his death, the company had debts of £32 million despite posting profits from handbag sales in 2008.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: Sarah Burton, who was McQueen's deputy for 14 years, became the creative director for the Alexander McQueen label after his death. The company continued to expand globally in the following years, and its product range also expanded. The number of McQueen stores worldwide had increased to 100 by the end of 2020, with revenues estimated to be €500m in 2020.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: On 27 July 2006, the company launched a lower-priced diffusion line McQ. The new line carries men's and women's ready-to-wear and accessories, was exclusively designed by Lee Alexander McQueen, manufactured and distributed worldwide by SINV SpA under the terms of a five-year licence agreement with Alexander McQueen. Promoted as a denim line, the focus of McQ is a youthful target market. The Spring/Summer 2011 was the final collection in collaboration with SINV SpA. Pina Ferlisi was appointed as the creative director for the line in June 2010.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: Following the expiration of the contract with SINV SpA with the Spring/Summer 2011 collection, the brand announced on 11 October 2010 that it would take control of the McQ diffusion line by creating a new internal team with the creative direction of Pina Ferlisi, under the leadership of Alexander McQueen creative director Sarah Burton. For the first campaign for the re-acquired line, photographer Niall O'Brien collaborated with McQ by driving across the American Northwest capturing images, which evoked the McQ attitude.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: In August 2011, the company announced it would launch its first McQ standalone boutique in London in 2012. In November 2011, it announced that McQ would be presented at London Fashion Week for the first time in February 2012, and that the new four-storey Georgian townhouse boutique will stock womenswear, menswear, and accessories.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: Between 1996 and 2001, Alexander McQueen collaborated with jeweller Shaun Leane on bespoke jewellery pieces for the catwalk presentations.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: In January 2003, Alexander McQueen collaborated with perfumer Jacques Cavallier to launch his first fragrance "Kingdom", which was launched on the designer's birthday 17 March. A limited edition version of the fragrance was launched in 2004. The company launched its second fragrance, "My Queen" three years later in 2006. On 10 October 2003, Alexander McQueen collaborated with Michael Clark to stage the Spring 2004 collection. On 15 October 2003, Alexander McQueen collaborated with Björk at Fashion Rocks where the Fall 2003 collection was presented at the Royal Albert Hall.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: In 2004, Alexander McQueen collaborated with Safilo via a licensing deal to launch an eyewear range. The 2010 collection featured the house's trademark skull detail. The same year, the company collaborated with American Express to launch a limited-edition version of its ultra-exclusive Centurion Card. The card is available by invitation only to AMEX Platinum card members. To launch the card, McQueen hosted a retrospective of his collections from 1995 till Fall 2003.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: In 2005, Alexander McQueen collaborated with Puma to produce a line of men's and women's footwear launched in Spring 2006. The "Alexander McQueen PUMA" line is founded on the union of tradition and technology, with juxtaposing influences. In 2008, the line's Fall 2009 collection was fully expanded to include men's and women's clothing and accessories, with a collaboration with film director Saam Farahmand to produce a 4-minute movie "Ghost" as an ad campaign for the collection.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: In 2007, Alexander McQueen became the first brand to participate in MAC's promotion of cosmetic releases created by fashion designers. The collection was released on 11 October and reflected the looks used on the Autumn/Winter McQueen catwalk. The inspiration for the collection was the Elizabeth Taylor movie "Cleopatra", and thus the models sported intense blue, green, and teal eyes with strong black liner extended Egyptian-style.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: In 2008, Alexander McQueen collaborated with mass market retailer Target as "McQ Alexander McQueen for Target". The company was the first collaboration between Target and an international designer. McQueen cited Leila Moss of The Duke Spirit as his muse for the collection. The collection was launched on 4 March 2009, with the band playing at the launch party. The same year, Alexander McQueen collaborated with Samsonite to produce luggage formed using a mould of a human ribcage and sternum on the front and spine on the back. Other pieces in the collection apply animal patterns like crocodile to the bags skin using laser cutting technology. With the catwalk presentations, Alexander McQueen collaborated with Philip Treacy to produce hats for the Spring 2008 collection, and again with the Fall 2009 collection.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: During first semester of 2009, McQueen also collaborated with dancer Sylvie Guillem, director Robert Lepage and choreographer Russell Maliphant, designing wardrobe for theater show "Eonnagata", directed by Robert Lepage. The film "Sylvie Guillem, on the edge" produced by French production company A DROITE DE LA LUNE, traces whole history of the creation of the show, from first rehearsals which took place in Quebec until world premiere which was held in 2008 at Sadler's Wells theater in London.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: On 6 October 2009, the company collaborated with SHOWstudio to stream its Spring/Summer 2010 collection "Plato's Atlantis" live on the company's website. The shoes from that collection were later featured on the SHOWstudio website. The same year, the company collaborated with Unkle who produced music for the McQ Autumn/Winter 2009 collection titled "McQ". The collaboration was a success, and was extended a second season for the McQ Spring/Summer 2010 collection where the promotional CD was given out in a McQ press goodie bag.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: In June 2010, Visionaire magazine's 58th issue, titled "Spirit: A Tribute To Lee Alexander McQueen", was released as a tribute to the late founder. The issue featured images and discussions with editors who had met McQueen in 2003 to discuss the collaboration which never materialised. The issue also features contributions from Lady Gaga, Steven Klein, Nick Knight and Mario Testino Only 1,500 numbered copies were made, with pages made from seeded paper, which will sprout wildflowers once planted signifying the ongoing legacy of McQueen.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: Alexander McQueen first caused controversy with his Spring/Summer 1995 collection which featured his signature "bumster trousers". At the time, the trousers were described as indecent as they barely covered the natural downward curve of the buttocks. He followed this by entitling his Autumn/Winter 1995 collection "Highland Rape" which he explained was about the "rape" of Scotland by the English, a subject that had a personal resonance as his family is of Scottish descent. The collection featured tattered dresses made of scraps of tartan and chiffon and a tampon-strewn skirt.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: In 1998, Alexander McQueen photographed Aimee Mullins and sent her down the catwalk with intricately carved wooden legs – making her the first amputee to ever be featured on the catwalk. For the untitled Spring/Summer 1999 catwalk show, Shalom Harlow's white cotton dress was sprayed by car robots as she was spun around a platform. Animal rights activists and heavy police presence due to a reported bomb scare were present at the Autumn/Winter 2000 "Eshu" catwalk show, due to the extensive use of fur and leather in the collection.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: McQueen was accused of misogyny following the Autumn/Winter 2009 "The Horn of Plenty" catwalk show where models with huge, overdrawn red and black lips were compared to a blow-up sex doll and hats made from found objects and rubbish like aluminium cans and duct tape implied models themselves were trash. Similarly, the Autumn/Winter 2010 "An Bailitheor Cnámh" menswear catwalk show featured men in masks and netted headgear that alluded to sadomasochism or bondage, and one of the suits was printed with human skulls and bones.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: For the Spring/Summer 2010 "Plato's Atlantis" catwalk show, models refused to wear the now iconic 12 inch high armadillo shoes due to safety fears. One of the models who refused, had fainted in the Spring/Summer 2009 "Natural Dis-tinction Un-natural Selection" catwalk show after being squeezed into a corset which was too tight. Lady Gaga wore a pair in her music video for "Bad Romance" and created a version in chocolate encrusted with sparkly sprinkles for her Christmas shop in 2011.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: Selfridges department store in London caused controversy when they unveiled a window display showing one of his designs being hanged from the gallows. The store later apologised, saying that "presenting a fashion item from the new Alexander McQueen collection hanging was never intended to be linked to the designer's untimely death or how he died."


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: In October 2010, The Hell's Angels filed a lawsuit against the company for "misusing its trademark winged death heads symbol" in several items from its Autumn/Winter 2010 collection. The lawsuit was widely reported across all media, The US$2,325 "Hell's Angels Knuckleduster Box clutch" handbag and US$560 "Hells Angels Pashmina" scarf was also named in lawsuit. The lawyer representing Hells Angels claimed "This isn't just about money, it's about membership. If you've got one of these rings on, a member might get really upset that you're an imposter." The group is demanding that the companies stop producing the products, recall any items in distribution and pay damages totalling three times whatever profit they made on the products. SAKS refused to comment, Zappos had no immediate comment and the company's parent company, PPR, could not be reached for comment. The company settled the case with the Hell's Angels after agreeing to remove all of the merchandise featuring the logo from sale on their website, stores and concessions and recalling any of the goodies which have already been sold and destroying them.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: Similarly, costume designer Jany Temime was exposed for copying a dress from the Autumn/Winter 2008 collection "The Girl Who Lived in the Tree", for her work on "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". Temime had claimed that she "wanted it to be a witch wedding dress but not a Halloween dress. The dress is white but it needed to have something fantastic to it. So there is the phoenix [motif], the bird, which is a symbol of love in a way because there is rebirth, love never dies, it is born again." However, the birds on the McQueen original were actually peacocks, and although Temime did manage to change the crest on the bird's heads to make them more 'phoenixy', she neglected to alter any other detail of the birds, including their rather obvious peacock feathers.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: On 18 February 2010, Robert Polet, the president and chief executive of the Gucci Group, announced that the Alexander McQueen business would carry on without its founder and creative director. He also added that a McQueen collection would be presented during Paris Fashion Week.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: On 27 May 2010, Sarah Burton, McQueen's right hand design aide since 1996, was announced as the new creative director of the Alexander McQueen brand, with further plans to launch a men's underwear collection in June 2010. The underwear line featured iconic prints from the McQueen archive and the logo on the waistband, with a percentage of the launch collection of Alexander McQueen underwear to be given to various AIDS charities around the world.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: Burton launched her first menswear show "Pomp and Circumstance" under the McQueen brand in June 2010 to generally positive reviews, which noted how low-key the event was. She launched the brand's womenswear resort collection shortly after, which was praised for lightness and having 'a woman's touch'. Burton showed her first womenswear show on 5 October 2010 in Paris, where she said her vision for the brand would be "lighter". The show was praised for being one of the strongest shows at Paris Fashion Week, "full of McQueen trademarks and ideas" and a "far more optimistic sensibility". Michael Jackson's "I'll Be There" was played at the finale of the show.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: Creative director Sarah Burton designed the dress worn by Catherine Middleton during her wedding to Prince William, Duke of Cambridge on Friday 29 April 2011.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: An analysis of online chatter shows that Alexander McQueen creates the most intense feelings of brand passion amongst wedding dress designers in the NetBase Brand Passion Index.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City hosted a posthumous exhibition of McQueen's work in 2011 titled "Savage Beauty". Despite being open for only three months, it was one of the most popular exhibitions in the museum's history. The exhibition was so successful that Alexander McQueen fans and industry professionals worldwide began rallying at Change.org to "Please Make Alexander McQueen's Savage Beauty a Traveling Exhibition" to bring honour to McQueen and see his vision become a reality: to share his work with the entire world. This exhibition celebrated McQueen's vision and creativity. It comprised one hundred of its most famous designs, taken from its archive in London.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: The exhibition Savage Beauty was brought to the Victoria & Albert Museum in London from 14 March 2015 to 2 August 2015.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: As of January 2014, Harley Hughes is Alexander "McQueen's head of men's wear design" during the Fall 2014 fashion show. After the show, both Sarah Burton, the creative director, and Harley Huges, took a bow to the public.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: In July 2015, Catherine Middleton (now Catherine, Princess of Wales), wore an all-cream Alexander McQueen outfit for Princess Charlotte's christening.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: In May 2016, at UNESCO Headquarters, Alexander McQueen brand won Prix Versailles for its rue Saint-Honoré boutique, in Paris.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: AMQ and McQ operated by Alexander McQueen Ltd. and Kering S.A., with YOOX S.p.A. as online retailer since 2011.


title: Alexander McQueen (brand)

text: Alexander McQueen collections each featured a title revolving around the specific theme for each collection and show. The tradition ended for Fall 2010 with McQueen's death, and subsequent collections were launched without titles. The list excludes pre-collections and accessories lines.


title: Bonnie Nettles

text: Bonnie Lu Nettles (born Trousdale; August 29, 1927 – June 19, 1985), later known as Ti, was co-founder and co-leader with Marshall Applewhite of the Heaven's Gate new religious movement. Nettles died of liver cancer in 1985 in Dallas, Texas, twelve years before the group's mass suicide in March 1997.


title: Bonnie Nettles

text: Bonnie Nettles was born on August 29, 1927 and raised in Houston, Texas, into a Baptist family. As an adult, she moved away from the religion. After becoming a registered nurse, she married businessman Joseph Segal Nettles in December 1949, with whom she had four children. Their marriage remained mostly stable until 1972, at which time, according to "The New York Times", she began attempting to contact deceased spirits by conducting regular seances and came to believe that a 19th-century monk named Brother Francis frequently spoke with her and gave her instructions. She also visited multiple fortunetellers who told her that she was soon to meet a mysterious man who was tall with light hair and a fair complexion, descriptions which were fairly close to Marshall Applewhite's appearance. Nettles also studied astrology, Theosophy, and the occult.


title: Bonnie Nettles

text: Nettles met Marshall Applewhite in March 1972, though where they met is uncertain. In his writings, Applewhite claimed to have been "visiting a hospitalized friend when Mrs. Nettles entered the room and their eyes locked in a shared recognition of esoteric secrets." However, Applewhite's writings were prone to hyperbole or relaying everything as some occurrence of fate. Terrie Nettles, Bonnie's daughter, worked at a theater where Applewhite produced weekend children's shows and taught in an in-house drama school. She has stated that "someone got hurt at the drama school in the theater that Herff [Applewhite] worked at. Herff accompanied the injured person to the hospital where he met Bonnie." Joe Nettles, one of Bonnie's sons, wasn't entirely sure how they met or whether their first meeting was at the theater.


title: Bonnie Nettles

text: Nettles agreed to perform an astrological reading for Applewhite. They had an almost instantaneous "spiritual" connection; Applewhite decided that Nettles was "to be the sage, he the speaker." They left together on New Year's Day of 1973. Nettles' three youngest children were left to remain with their father, while her oldest daughter, Terrie, then aged 20 and skeptical of her mother's ideas, fended for herself. Nettles and Applewhite established Heaven's Gate together as equals, with Nettles running the group and Applewhite speaking for her. Nettles claimed to have communicated with aliens about the Next Level and told Applewhite to tell their followers. In 1976, Applewhite recognized Nettles as higher up on the level of command than he was.


title: Bonnie Nettles

text: Many events passed in creation of the Heaven's Gate group and the formation of its core members, with Nettles continuing to act as the interpreter of signs and the mystic of the group. In 1983, she had to have an eye removed due to cancer, and her doctor informed her that the disease was already spreading through the rest of her body. Nettles stated that the doctor was ignorant and believed, along with Applewhite, that she could not die, as they had to ascend together. The cancer continued to worsen, moving to her liver. Nettles died on June 19, 1985, at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, Texas. While there as a patient, she used the pseudonym Shelly West.


title: Bonnie Nettles

text: Applewhite convinced the rest of the group that Nettles' "broken-down vehicle was left behind". He had her body cremated and her ashes were then spread upon a lake somewhere in Texas. Applewhite explained to the group that Nettles had left because her work was done on this level but that he himself still had more that he had to do. Applewhite also said that Nettles would continue to help them from the Next Level.


title: Bonnie Nettles

text: Scholars have viewed the death of Nettles as a key turning point in the history of Heaven's Gate, as it caused the theology to shift from a belief that they would physically ascend to heaven while alive aboard a UFO to viewing the body as merely a "vehicle" for the soul which would be discarded upon entering heaven, which would culminate in the group's mass suicide in 1997.


title: Bonnie Nettles

text: Applewhite and Nettles went by the collective of "The Two", as well as the singular names "Bo" and "Peep" respectively and later "Do" and "Ti", along with "Guinea" and "Pig" at some points in time.


title: Gwenpool

text: Gwenpool (Gwendolyn "Gwen" Poole; colloquial: "GwenPool" or "Pink Slayer") is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A girl from the real world transported to the Marvel Universe, her physical design originated as an amalgam of Gwen Stacy and Wade Wilson created by Chris Bachalo for a variant cover of "Deadpool's Secret Secret Wars" #2, which was one of twenty such variant covers published due to the popularity of Spider-Gwen from June 2015.


title: Gwenpool

text: Marvel initially produced two stories featuring Gwenpool as a character, created by Christopher Hastings, Heather Antos and Jordan D. White: a backup story in the series "Howard the Duck", and a one-shot "Gwenpool Holiday Special", illustrated by Gurihiru. Following the publication of the one-shot, an ongoing series titled "The Unbelievable Gwenpool" by the same creative team was announced, primarily illustrated by Gurihiru (with Irene Strychalski), which started in April 2016 and concluded in April 2018. "The Unbelievable Gwenpool" #0, collecting Poole's appearances from "Howard the Duck" and the first "Gwenpool Holiday Special", was later released, as well as the limited series "Gwenpool Strikes Back".


title: Gwenpool

text: In June 2015, following the popularity of Spider-Gwen, all Marvel titles being published had alternate covers with Gwen Stacy reimagined as other characters, such as Doctor Strange, Groot and Wolverine. One of those was Deadpool, featured on Chris Bachalo's variant cover for "Deadpool's Secret Secret Wars #2". After seeing how many fans were cosplaying as a character who was not even featured in any comic, Marvel editor Jordan White approached writer Christopher Hastings and editor Heather Antos with the task of creating a story around her. They would introduce the character with a three-issue backup story in the ongoing volume of "Howard the Duck" (November 2015–January 2016) and then a one-shot comic "Gwenpool Special #1" (December 2015). After a meeting with White and "Howard the Duck" editor Will Moss, Hastings came out with the idea of a character aware of the fourth wall, "but it comes from this place of knowing she is in a comic book because she is from a world where the comic books actually exist", which would also initially lead to a cavalier attitude towards the world in which she inhabits "because she doesn't believe there [are] any consequences to her actions", something Hastings summed as "she decides to [initially] use that [comic book] knowledge like she's in "Grand Theft Auto" or something". A contrast would be that Gwenpool lacked any of the training or superpowers expected of Marvel characters.


title: Gwenpool

text: The "Howard the Duck" arc, from November 2015 to January 2016, was drawn by Brazilian artist Danilo Beyruth, and the holiday special, published in December 2015, had art by Japanese duo Gurihiru. Once Marvel decided to make a Gwenpool ongoing series (named "The Unbelievable Gwenpool"), starting in April 2016, Hastings asked for Gurihiru's return to the artwork team, with the title being edited by Antos. "The Unbelievable Gwenpool" solo series ended at issue #25. Gwenpool would then join the Fresh Start incarnation of the West Coast Avengers in 2018. After that book ended, the character starred in the 2019 limited series "Gwenpool Strikes Back", written by Leah Williams and drawn by Spanish artist David Baldeón, and appeared in the 2020–21 promotional limited series "MODOK: Head Games" by "M.O.D.O.K." showrunners Patton Oswalt and Jordan Blum (with art by Scott Hepburn) as a supporting character.


title: Gwenpool

text: Gwendolyn "Gwen" Poole arrived to the Marvel Universe from what she claims to be "the real world". In her home reality, Gwen had been a comics superfan as an escape from her life as an unemployed 18- (or 19-)year-old high school dropout. Unwilling to be an "extra" in the Marvel world, she went to a tailor for superheroes and requested her own costume. The tailor (named Ronnie) complied, but misread Gwen's application form, and thought Gwen went by the alias of "Gwenpool", leading to a costume similar to Deadpool's. Upon gaining the ability to manipulate the borders of the fourth wall from an attempt to return her to reality, allowing her to travel in time, Gwen retcons the Marvel Universe into believing her to be a mutant after being given the idea by Kamala Khan, allowing her to enter the gates of Krakoa.


title: Gwenpool

text: Gwenpool's first appearance as a character was in "Howard the Duck" Vol 6 #1 (later republished in "The Unbelievable Gwenpool" #0), when she was involved in stealing a humanity-destroying virus from Black Cat and selling it to Hydra to get money easily, believing that the Avengers would simply deal with any consequences. When she revealed to Howard the Duck the item she had stolen from Hardy and to whom she had sold it, Howard scolded her and informed her that the Avengers were not available to save the Earth from the virus. Guilt stricken, she then set out with Howard to retrieve the virus from a Hydra base.


title: Gwenpool

text: In the 2015 "Gwenpool Special", Gwenpool is hired on her first mercenary job, to kill a villain. After completing her mission, Gwenpool attends a Christmas party hosted by She-Hulk, where she is seen talking to Ms. Marvel.


title: Gwenpool

text: Following the events of "Gwenpool Holiday Special" #1, Gwenpool becomes a full-time mercenary. While trying to deposit the money she made killing Orto, Gwen stops a bank robbery by killing all of the robbers, except for the gang's hacker Cecil, whom she enlists as a reluctant sidekick. After a mission revolving around extraterrestrial arms dealers where she killed MODOK Superior's best agent and took credit for his work, MODOK tracked Gwenpool down. He murdered Cecil in order to persuade her to become his henchman and an agent for his Mercenary Organization Dedicated Only to Killing. Gwenpool joins MODOK's elite squad, which also includes the alchemist Mega Tony, the magician Terrible Eye, and Batroc the Leaper, who gives Gwen basic combat and firearms training.


title: Gwenpool

text: Gwenpool then arranged a meeting between herself and Doctor Strange, in which she explained to him that she was from a reality where all Marvel characters are fictional characters in comic books. Doctor Strange agreed to transfer her history from Gwen's original world to create a fake background for her in the Marvel Universe, so that she could get her Social Security number, driver's license and other essential documents. However, this allows MODOK Superior to discover Gwen's ordinary, powerless background, and he swears to destroy Gwen for lying to him and having no credentials to be a mercenary. Gwen and MODOK then engage in battle, and she defeats him with the hacking assistance of Cecil, who returns as a ghost.


title: Gwenpool

text: Without MODOK, Gwen becomes the new leader of the MODOK organization, but learns she is wanted by the alien arms dealers, who are known as Teuthidans. Assisted by a rogue Doombot named Vincent Doonan and MODOK's other agents, Gwenpool's team defeats the Teuthidans, but destroys the MODOK base in the process. Without a base or funding, Batroc and the others decide to disband MODOK.


title: Gwenpool

text: During the "Civil War II" storyline, Gwenpool appears in Georgia attempting to earn the bounty on an alien smuggler named Chammy, only to discover that Rocket Raccoon and Groot are also after him. The three end up fighting another alien named Reeve, who put the bounty on Chammy. After Reeve defeats them and escapes, Chammy tells Rocket, Groot and Gwen that Reeve is looking for a formula that could temporarily neutralize Captain Marvel's powers, allowing him to kill her. Gwen refuses to help at first, under the logic that Captain Marvel, being one of most important "characters" in the current "story", would not be killed off in "a comic about a talking tree and raccoon". However, after coincidentally running into Kitty Pryde, Gwen falls under the mistaken impression that the comic she is currently in was being written by Brian Michael Bendis, a "big-deal comic book writer" with a fixation on Pryde who would have the authority to kill Captain Marvel. Convinced that Captain Marvel's life is actually in danger, Gwen accompanies Rocket & Groot to the Triskelion, where they and Chammy help defeat Reeve, and Gwen realizes that the real writer put Kitty Pryde on the street to trick her into helping.


title: Gwenpool

text: After short team-ups with the Champions, Blade, Deadpool, and the duo of Ghost Rider and Kate Bishop, Gwen meets her brother Teddy, who drags her back to her world (or a close facsimile).


title: Gwenpool

text: Here Gwen loses her memories of her time in the Marvel Universe and resumes an ordinary life, but she gradually becomes once again aware that she is in a comic book. Gwen then begins experimenting with the fourth wall again and learns to interact with the comic book medium by erasing the walls between panels and even climbing out of the panels, finding herself looking in on her life.


title: Gwenpool

text: Watching the past from outside the borders, Gwen sees the "extra pages" of her "Holiday Special", in which when her brother Teddy was sucked into the Marvel Universe, he ended up working for Orto the snake swordsman. Upon seeing her kill Orto's henchmen, Teddy runs into versions of Spider-Man, The Terrible Eye, and Vincent Doonan, who claim to be from a future where Gwen becomes a huge threat and destroys their lives. They offer him the chance to "return home" with his sister and fix things. Being concerned for Gwen's mental health, and having had a terrible time, he readily agrees. On finding this out Gwen, with her memory and costume restored, re-enters the borders, confronts Teddy for trying to undo the past and steal her dream of living in a comic, and shows him that their "parents" are not real, and they never even left the comic.


title: Gwenpool

text: Terrible Eye explains that their attempts to send the Pooles to their home dimension created a pocket dimension from their memories that was almost identical to their real one. The three realize that trapping Gwen was what led to her gaining her powers over reality in the first place. When Spider-Man narrates a flashback sequence of the future evil Gwen's misdeeds, the evil Gwen herself travels through the flashback's panels to follow him to the present.


title: Gwenpool

text: Future Gwen battles Spider-Man, Terrible Eye, and Doonan, while each side tries to convince the present Gwen to join their cause. Future Gwen turns out to be weakened by Present Gwen's doubt, but still effortlessly kills Doonan, Terrible Eye, and Spider-Man, horrifying Present Gwen, before explaining to her past self that she became a villain because she was tired of her good deeds being undone as the plot progressed, so she turned to committing evil that could always be undone on characters that "matter", demonstrated when Spider-Man's death is retconned a moment later because he is too important in the story to be killed. However, Present Gwen is disgusted at the idea of hurting the characters she has grown to love, and wipes her future self from existence. This comes at the cost of erasing all of the Evil Gwen stories and thus dramatically shortening Present Gwen's lifespan.


title: Gwenpool

text: Learning that the universe is attempting to make her into a joke villain, Gwen wants to make sure her evil self never comes to be. To catch the attention of the Avengers she visits Latveria in an attempt to face off with Doctor Doom, thinking him to still be evil, as she has not read "Infamous Iron Man". It is revealed that she and Cecil, now in his mystical monster body, share an apartment and since she has given up killing people is hacking to pay the bills. A short time later after rescuing Vincent Doonan from Paste Pot Pete and throwing him into the void between comic panels as a demonstration of her new superpower, Gwen asks Vincent where to find the real Doctor Doom so she can defeat him and prove herself to be a fameworthy hero. Vincent leads her to Doom, who explains he is reformed, but Gwen still attacks him, releasing an evil version of Doctor Doom from within him.


title: Gwenpool

text: After a brief fight in which she realizes she cannot kill the Doom doppelganger, the real Doom comes to her aid and destroys his evil past self. He and Gwen have a chat about why she wanted to kill him, which turns out to be because since destroying her evil destiny self, her comic pages are running out and she believes she is doomed to be cancelled. With only a few pages left, once Doom is gone, she wonders if she has to become a super villain.


title: Gwenpool

text: In the final chapter of "Unbelievable Gwenpool", a Gwen from the future appears to her and explains that while her first comic series has ended, she is already in several other comics, toys, games, fan works, and so on. Even if her current book ends, she and her side characters will return in future stories. Meanwhile, in between these pages, Gwen enlists the help of Stephen Strange and her friends to restore Cecil to human form. She is given a watch that counts down the issue's remaining pages and she uses the rest, one page at a time, to see old friends, team up with new superheroes, rescue her brother from Hell, meet the Marvel Universe counterparts of her parents, and chase off M.O.D.O.K. one more time. Future Gwen then says goodbye to the audience and goes back to where the chapter started to talk to her past self, creating a loop.


title: Gwenpool

text: After recently having been beaten up and humiliated with tickling by a clone of Squirrel Girl, and later attending the funeral of a separate Skrull duplicate of Squirrel Girl, Gwen visits Kate Bishop in Los Angeles, before being drafted to join the accidentally reformed West Coast Avengers. She instantly enters into conflict with one of the members, Quentin Quire, but their clashes and shouting matches eventually evolve into passionate kisses. However, Gwen later informs the camera crew following the team that she started a relationship with Quentin partly because she felt a romantic plot would make her less of a supporting player and thus less likely to die, having also considered establishing a romantic relationship with America Chavez. Along with the other Avengers, Gwen helps stop giant monsters created by the original M.O.D.O.K., adopts a baby land-shark she names Jeff, and faces an alliance of villains headed by Madame Masque. Later, during the "War of the Realms" storyline, Gwen and the West Coast Avengers assist Otto Octavius in protecting San Francisco, and she uses her perspective as a Marvel Universe outsider and a fellow B-list hero to help him come to terms with his lack of a star role in the event.


title: Gwenpool

text: In this miniseries, after breaking up with Quentin and using encounters with Peter Parker, Wade Wilson, and the Fantastic Four as filler for its first two issues, Gwen uses a new ability to create flashbacks to things that had previously never happened (allowing her to manipulate reality) to acquire a fortune from Tony Stark post-"Civil War II" to allow her to pit the heroes of the Marvel Universe against one another in a battle royale. After accidentally setting herself to combat the Immortal Hulk, Gwen pulls previous versions of herself, as portrayed by different writers and artists, from the Gutter, forming a six-Gwen team known as the GwenHive. Gwen leaves the GwenHive to enter combat with the Hulk while she dives into continuity, leading to the death of the Gwen from "Champions". Gwen returns, having stolen Mjolnir and the severed arm of Thor Odinson, and uses them to defeat the Hulk. Gwen then finds herself facing Kamala Khan as the tourney's final battle. Fearing for her continued existence, and upon being accidentally inspired by Khan, Gwen uses the retcon ability to convince Khan and the wider Marvel Universe that she is a mutant, hoping that as a "mutant" resident of Krakoa she will remain "in continuity"; upon arriving, she encounters James "Logan" Howlett and Quentin. After leaving Jeff with Wade while dressed in her original Chris Bachalo design, Gwen later avoids participating in a "Fortnite" tie-in while drinking with Kwannon, Mystique, Storm and Domino. After being hired by A.I.M. Scientist Supreme Monica Rappaccini to kill MODOK (being accredited for having briefly killed him when she first launched him into space), Gwen assumes that she has been given a new ongoing "Gwenpool" series and happily kills MODOK, only to realize with a sigh (upon viewing his projected memories of a family) that he is being humanised, and she is merely a guest star in his book—the villain of his story. Entering the Gutter, Gwen proceeds to rearrange the comic's pages and retcon MODOK's death to having been merely knocked out by an EMP. Gwen helps MODOK discover his family's home from his memories, and MODOK grants Gwen his respect. Gwen is later seen wearing cosplay for a fan convention, and is also seen in Los Angeles celebrating the repeal of Kamala's Law with Robbie Reyes and the West Coast Avengers, and leaves a mug with her face on it to Kate as a parting gift.


title: Gwenpool

text: Gwenpool originally had no real superpowers, only vast knowledge of the Marvel Universe from comic books in her universe, such as every secret identity of both heroes and villains. She has used this information to take down Black Cat's criminal empire and to stop Thor from attacking her. She is able to exploit her fourth-wall knowledge to her advantage, understanding when comic-book tropes will allow her to avoid unpleasant or life-threatening consequences, such as falls that would realistically be lethal. She also seems to gain uncanny luck at dodging bullets and eluding enemies just by merit of being the hero of her story.


title: Gwenpool

text: Gwenpool is trained in weapons and hand-to-hand combat by Batroc during "The Unbelievable Gwenpool" vol. 2. She continued to train after she left Batroc and with her skills much improved, she was able to take out a group of minions by herself while on the West Coast Avengers using acrobatics and her katanas.


title: Gwenpool

text: Gwenpool is fully aware that she is in a comic, and can step out of and into comic panels, alter fictional characters, dump characters into the "gutter space" between panels, interact with word bubbles, and use her knowledge of the Marvel Universe to determine characters’ weaknesses. In "West Coast Avengers", Gwen notes she is not fully able to exploit the comics medium with her powers as she did in her own title, making her think it was part of a potential character reboot, noting that her powers are specifically no longer working quite as well when other people are watching her.


title: Gwenpool

text: In "Gwenpool Strikes Back", she learned she now has Evil Gwen's reality-manipulating power to alter history by "recalling" flashback sequences, retroactively causing them to have happened. Ms. Marvel, disbelieving the Marvel Universe reality to be a comic, incorrectly theorises that Gwen is actually a reality-altering mutant. While untrue, Gwen decides to accept this theory as Marvel Universe reality, allowing her to live care-free in the mutant nation of Krakoa without her presence being questioned.


title: Gwenpool

text: Teddy Poole: Gwen's brother who was also brought to the Marvel universe. He is less prone to seeing the world as a comic book and has yet to show any of Gwen's powers, but seems immune to her ability to alter reality. He briefly took work for a snake man named Orto before Gwen killed him. On seeing her slaughter the villain's minions he was horrified and could not bring himself to talk to her before she rushed off to the She-Hulk X-mas party. Almost immediately he was contacted by some future versions of Gwen's friends who had seen her destroy their future. They had no problem convincing Teddy they were right and he helped lure Gwen into a tap, only to have it not work as the two cannot be returned to their real world. Later, after she escaped, Gwen looked for him and finally found Teddy in Hell being tortured by Mephisto, for no apparent reason. She and Squirrel Girl rescued him and then, as she was dealing with the end of her series and was afraid she would be forgotten, forgot about him. In Gwenpool Strikes Back she did mention him and that the whole thing was still unresolved.


title: Gwenpool

text: Her "Parents": Copies of her parents were found living in the Marvel universe. At first they showed up at Officer Gray's Police precinct thinking Gwen might be their daughter. Then it turned out they rented their home to Gwen's future friends and Teddy, completely unaware of their existence and joking about how the renters of their house were probably supervillains using it as a lair. Later Gwen introduced herself to them and told them about Teddy right before Moon Girl and The Power Pack broke through the wall. They took it in stride and even seemed happy, though slightly worried that their house would be blown up a lot more in the future. Gwen probably paid to have the place fixed, since she is quite wealthy these days.


title: Gwenpool

text: Big Ronnie: A woman who sells "battle spandex" costumes and runs a mercenary for hire business. She made Gwen's suit and gave her her superhero name by accident.


title: Gwenpool

text: Cecil: The son of rednecks who ran away to the city to be a hacker and got forcibly inducted into his uncle's gang, Gwenpool killed the gang and basically took Cecil hostage as her helper. He was briefly killed by M.O.D.O.K. only to be brought back first as a giant monster and then himself by Gwen because she felt bad for getting him killed. He is an elite hacker and has a giant purple dog monster for a loyal pet.


title: Gwenpool

text: Terrible Eye: Gwen's only girl friend on the merc crew they were all forcibly forced to join she has a mask that allows her mystical access to knowledge beyond the ken of man. She has to take breaks from it though because she starts going mad if it is worn too long and having long conversations with rocks. She usually casts spells with rhymes but a future version of her who was one of Dr. Strange's eventual replacements did once say "Are you there Hoary Hosts of Hogath? It's me, Sara." Free from her previous unwanted employment she now has a small apartment and is attending a school for witchcraft in New York.


title: Gwenpool

text: MegaTony: An Alchemist former team member of Gwen's. He had a hard time adjusting to life in the super community when their mercenary team fell apart, but Gwen helped get him a job working for Peter Parker.


title: Gwenpool

text: Batroc the Leaper: A semi-major supervillain and sort of a big brother to Gwen, in her comics he is reasonably nice and helpful at least to her and her friends. But only in her comics. Elsewhere he is a dangerous killer. When Gwen expressed a desire for supervillainy he helped her Robin Hood some gold from an illegal casino, making her independently wealthy and no longer needing to worry about money, at least for a while.


title: Gwenpool

text: Vincent Doonan: A rogue Doombot who first hired Gwen when she defeated M.O.D.O.K. and then turned against her when he decide she was the biggest threat to his quiet small town life style. This resulted in him getting credit for saving his neighborhood from the alien arms dealers he was actually working with and unwanted attention as a hero. After trying to take out Dr. Doom together the two seem to have reconciled and become friends. He is allowed Squirrel Girl to access his systems for her computer class and helped resurrect her friend Cecil.


title: Gwenpool

text: Officer Gray: A policewoman who tried to arrest Gwenpool, despite the rogue Doombot attacking her at the time. Gwen, not wanting to see her dead, asked her name and declared her no longer a mere extra, so she would not be easily killed. Later she tried to arrest Gwen for fighting an evil snake man only to be told by the other cops that they were letting her go. She seemed to hear Gwen mention that they were in a comic and unlike other characters in Marvel, actually seemed to believe her for a second. She also briefly tried to get Gwen to do some community service, but was again thwarted since the universe would not let Gwen do anything that boring.


title: Gwenpool

text: Various Heroes and Villains: Gwen has made friends and enemies among various heroes and villains. So far however they only seem to remember her in her actual presence and she has surprisingly not yet got a main nemesis, though she tried to make Dr. Doom into one and ended up befriending him instead. None of them believe Gwen when she tells them she is in a comic and Ms. Marvel even suggested she might be a reality altering mutant, ending in Gwen getting rewritten into that role, even though Gwen does not really believe it and only accepted it because it opened up a lot of paths for her comic to continue.


title: Gwenpool

text: Pool-Boys: More all male mercenaries working for M.O.D.O.K. they were the backup squad and rarely used by him as Gwenpool's team were the A-listers. After Gwen dressed them as her in order to keep them invulnerable as a funny and unique one-time fight against the alien arms dealers. They were subsequently arrested. Later they met up with Gwen and her friends in the park, still wearing her costume, and helped drive off their former boss. It is unclear what eventually happened to them.


title: Gwenpool

text: Gwen-Pig: To fool the aliens who were after her Gwen dressed a pig up in her costume. The pig was later adopted by MegaTony and apparently insists on still wearing the costume.


title: Gwenpool

text: Gab Hernandez of "Screen Rant" referred to Gwepool as one of Marvel's "iconic West Coast Avengers," writing, "The "West Coast Avengers" have always been admired for their more oddball cast of characters, often including weirdos like Moon Knight and Gwenpool in their ranks. The variety of members and their fascinating ensemble personalities make fans love the roster of the West Coast Team. [...] Gwen is one of the most happy-go-lucky heroes in the Marvel universe, and fans love her fourth-wall-breaking ways. In many respects, Gwenpool is essentially just a comic book fan who has somehow ended up in the 616 universes, and that really shines with how much she fangirls over certain characters. Gwenpool is very optimistic, and while her mile-a-minute talking makes her annoying to some, most fans find her relatable. Despite her fourth wall knowledge though, she does have a charming naivety to her, and generally believes the best out of everyone because she "knows"what their best looks like. Usually."


title: Gwenpool

text: David Harth of "CBR.com" described Gwenpool as one of Marvel's "joke characters long-time fans will always love & remember," stating, "Joke characters are a venerable tradition in comic books. So many Silver Age concepts are humorous and it's from those older concepts that comics got their stigma as an art form only for children or infantilized adults. Marvel, even back in the Silver Age, had always fought against that sort of thing, presenting comics that were more serious for an older audience. [...] The mere idea of Gwenpool is so ridiculous that it boggles the mind that she's became so popular in a very short amount of time. To date, she's probably the only character to ever get a full fledged comic run because she was popular on the cosplay scene. She first appeared as a gag on a variant cover, an amalgam of Gwen Stacy and Deadpool and it's kind of doubtful anyone involved guessed how popular she'd become. What really saved the character was the thought put into her- she was a girl from an alternate universe who loved Marvel and ended up in the Marvel Universe, where she would use her knowledge of comics and her powers to literally manipulate the comic medium to her advantage."


title: Gwenpool

text: Steven Petite of "GameSpot" wrote, "Gwenpool is Wade Wilson meets Gwen Stacy. Marvel created her character in 2015 after Spider-Gwen proved popular. Although GwenPool has her own comic series and has appeared in numerous video games, she hasn't arrived in the MCU or X-Men film series. That said, she's one of the most interesting recently created characters under the Marvel umbrella."


title: Gwenpool

text: John Tibbetts of "WhatCulture" called Gwenpool one of the "best new comic book characters of the decade," asserting, "Marvel has been on something of a god damn roll this last decade. Sure the comics aren't seeing even a fraction of the movies' success, but at least the stories are always top quality for the most part. For proof of this, look no further than Gwenpool. Despite what the name may imply, this is not Gwen Stacy dressing up as Deadpool. No, this is a girl from the real world dressing up as Deadpool after being sucked into the Marvel universe. Now, we've seen this trope a lot - especially if you like current anime. But what makes Gwenpool so interesting is that the story plays both for laughs and for drama the fact that Gwenpool knows both comic book storytelling tropes AND the industry behind them. Meaning not only do the inside jokes she makes cut a LOT deeper than other stories of this nature, but it leads to some shocking moments like when her first friend dies a bloody gory death, and she realizes that the guy isn't popular enough to convince Marvel to bring him back so he's likely gone for good. Gwenpool is a thesis paper on metafiction and meta-commentary personified in a single character, and we love her to pieces for it."


title: Gwenpool

text: According to Diamond Comic Distributors, "Gwenpool Holiday Special" #1 was the 16th best selling comic book in December 2015.


title: Gwenpool

text: Jim Johnson of "CBR.com" described "Gwenpool Holiday Special" #1 as a "funny and whimsical holiday one-shot," asserting, "Beyruth's art is the most traditional of this comic's artistic talent, but it readily carries the comedy of Duggan's script with seemingly little effort. Duggan's story also has a sappy but likeable sugary Christmas ending, and even serves as one of the feature's final laughs. Lastly, "Gwenpool's Holiday Adventure" by Christopher Hastings and Gurihiru is a delightfully whimsical story that defies any kind of believability, but that's just fine. Armed with all the skills a partially-viewed YouTube how-to video can supply, Gwenpool goes up against a villain who's more akin to an evil version of the genie in Disney's "Aladdin" than any kind of real threat, but -- as scripted by Hastings and illustrated by Gurihiru with a touch of manga influence -- the story is too much fun not to like. "Gwenpool Special" #1 isn't taken over by Gwenpool, like Kris Anka's rendering of the character on this comic's cover would indicate, but that's no issue, as the creators involved collectively make Christmastime for Marvel fans a little more enjoyable."


title: Gwenpool

text: Jesse Schedeen of "IGN" gave "Gwenpool Holiday Special" #1 a grade of 7.5 out of 10, writing, "The Deadpoool/Hawkeye team-up from Gerry Duggan and Danilo S. Beyruth is probably the most well-rounded of the bunch. Duggan once again mines this unusual pairing to good effect and shows that there's a real, genuine bond between Deadpool, Hawkeye and "Guy Hawkeye" (as Clint is apparently now referred to in the Marvel U.). Beyruth's art captures the tone of the story well, offering a tinge of darkness but focusing mainly on expressive figure work and humor. As for the Gwenpool tale, it only suffers from the fact that it feels rather shoehorned into the rest of the book. Her own conflict has nothing to do with any thing Christmas-y, merely showcasing her skills as the most clueless yet effective assassin in the world. Her only connection to the rest of the book is that she, along with dozens of other Marvel heroes, is invited to She-Hulk's big shindig. But on its own merits this story is plenty entertaining. Guruhiru's cartoonish, manga-esque art is a perfect complement to Christopher Hastings' script. Gwenpool is arguably the least essential element of this holiday-themed anthology comic. Still, her presence is one extra dose of fun in a book that already has a lot going for it. The various stories here combine to form a charming look at how Marvel's heroes come together to celebrate the holidays."


title: Gwenpool

text: According to Diamond Comic Distributors, "The Unbelievable Gwenpool" #1 was the 6th best selling comic book in April 2016. "The Unbelievable Gwenpool" #1 was the 92nd best selling comic book in 2016.


title: Gwenpool

text: Jim Johnson of "CBR.com" called "The Unbelievable Gwenpool" #1 a "fun and decidedly comical precedent that bodes well for the series," asserting, "As this issue combines a sweet and beloved character with one of comic's deadliest and most sarcastic mercenaries, Hastings places himself on a tightrope with his story; falling off to one side means developing Gwen as a little too sugary for hardboiled Deadpool fans, and the other means making her a killer in the eyes of those who see her as an alternate version of Peter Parker's onetime girlfriend. He largely dodges that choice for now, and justifiably so, and so this high wire act is a persuasive selling point for the series' upcoming issues for now. [...] There's a kind of uncertain demeanor to "The Unbelievable Gwenpool" #1, where Hastings begins to explore his character in earnest while remaining vague about the concept's longterm workability. For now, though, the comic carries a lot of darkly humorous fun and has earned the benefit of any doubt."


title: Gwenpool

text: Jesse Schedeen of "IGN" gave "The Unbelievable Gwenpool" #1 a grade of 8.3 out of 10, stating, "This issue encapsulates that conflict nicely. It's a fun, amusing start to Gwenpool's solo escapades, but one that doesn't shy away from the darker side of the character. It may seem like there's no more room at Marvel for goofy, lighthearted superhero fare, but The Unbelievable Gwenpool instantly finds it niche. As silly and charming as this first issue is, its real success is in contrasting Gwen's carefree spirit and devil-may-care attitude with the real, tragic consequences of her behavior. Gwen Poole isn't a role model, but she's a heck of a lot of fun to read."


title: Gwenpool

text: George Chrysostomou of "Screen Rant" included "The Unbelievable Gwenpool" comic book series in their "Marvel Comics: The 10 Best Comic Book Runs For Young Readers" list.


title: Gwenpool

text: According to Diamond Comic Distributors, "Gwenpool Strikes Back" #1 was the 31st best selling comic book in August 2019. "Gwenpool Strikes Back" #1 was the 362nd best selling comic book in 2019.


title: Gwenpool

text: Sam Stone of "CBR.com" called "Gwenpool Strikes Back" #1 the "zaniest appearance the character has had to date," writing, "Baldeón, fresh off illustrating the recent "Domino" miniseries, is joined by color artist Jesus Aburtov to render the colorful eye-catching return of Gwen. Gwenpool has always been a relatively bright, vibrant character -- a figure leading a bubblegum pop tour of the Marvel Universe -- and the art team more than delivers from medium-bending monologues to the reader to a back-and-forth exchange between Gwen and Spidey fresh off the heels of a gun-toting bank robbery. There is a slapstick element to the book that has always been present with the character and the art team is able to channel that signature sense of fun. True to its title, "Gwenpool Strikes Back" has the eponymous, irreverent Marvel character return with a vengeance and slated to cross paths with the biggest names in the Marvel Universe. Somehow even more zany than ever before, Williams makes the character her own with a rapid-fire, hyper-verbal first issue elevated by Baldeón's fan-favorite artistic flair. Wonderfully weird and a clear labor of love from the creative team, the new miniseries repositions Gwenpool as the wackiest new Marvel character in recent memory."


title: Gwenpool

text: Megan Peters of "Comicbook.com" gave "Gwenpool Strikes Back" #1 a grade of 4 out of 5 stars, saying, ""Gwenpool Strikes Back" welcomes a fan-favorite heroine to a universe she was never meant to enter. The quirky character is recognizable in all her fourth-wall chaos, and Gwen has no care for social constructs. From dabbing to memes, the heroine rightly calls herself a queen of cringe culture, but it somehow works with this debut's issue as Gwen acts against a clean-cut Peter Parker. And with a new power in tow, this series promises to be one of Marvel's most outlandish on shelves these days."


title: Gwenpool

text: An alternate universe's version of Gwen merges with a Venom Symbiote that has unique medium awareness and knowledge of the Marvel Multiverse, but is killed and absorbed by the "Poisons" of "Venomverse".


title: Gwenpool

text: An alternate version of Gwen appears in the third issue of this miniseries. Gwen is hired by Moon Knight and the Punisher to find the location of definitely evil versions of Magneto, the Red Skull, the Abomination and Doctor Doom, who are controlling Deadpool to kill that Marvel Universe's heroes. As Gwen sends the photos, the Abomination proclaims ""I've got her"", leaving her fate unknown. Losing reception, Moon Knight remarks: ""Until we hear from her again, we should assume Gwenpool's DEAD." In the same issue, it is revealed that the series takes place in a reality similar to that of "Old Man Logan", as Deadpool comes across the X-Men's Mansion after Mysterio tricks Laura Kinney / Wolverine into slaughtering the X-Men. Old Man Logan realizes that this is what is happening over the course of the issue. Later, in the fourth issue, Gwenpool is revealed to be alive, asking the Tinkerer to ask her ""a few quick questions". Gwen proceeds to torture the Tinkerer, realizing that her "superhero pals" are not answering any of her texts and calls and that the Tinkerer's masters have been using Deadpool to kill them. Gwenpool threatens the Tinkerer with more torture if he does not tell her how to break Deadpool's trance to stop him from killing everyone. Gwenpool then comes across Deadpool as he kills Nova, the last remaining superhero other than Gwenpool, and attempts to knock him out of his trance. Deadpool mocks Gwen as simply being a "variant cover knockoff" and "a Deadpool -- in pink!". Gwenpool, suddenly impaled, uses her last moments to reverse Deadpool's trance, redirecting him towards the supervillains using the trigger phrases she learned from the Tinkerer. Gwenpool begs Deadpool ""don't let them get away with it"", as he proclaims: ""Bring on the Bad Guys"".


title: DNA profiling

text: DNA profiling (also called DNA fingerprinting) is the process of determining an individual's DNA characteristics. DNA analysis intended to identify a species, rather than an individual, is called DNA barcoding.


title: DNA profiling

text: DNA profiling is a forensic technique in criminal investigations, comparing criminal suspects' profiles to DNA evidence so as to assess the likelihood of their involvement in the crime. It is also used in paternity testing, to establish immigration eligibility, and in genealogical and medical research. DNA profiling has also been used in the study of animal and plant populations in the fields of zoology, botany, and agriculture.


title: DNA profiling

text: Starting in the 1980s, scientific advances allowed the use of DNA as a material for the identification of an individual. The first patent covering the direct use of DNA variation for forensics (US5593832A) was filed by Jeffrey Glassberg in 1983, based upon work he had done while at Rockefeller University in the United States in 1981.


title: DNA profiling

text: British geneticist Sir Alec Jeffreys independently developed a process for DNA profiling in 1984 while working in the Department of Genetics at the University of Leicester that lead to the first use of DNA profiling in a criminal case.


title: DNA profiling

text: The process, developed by Jeffreys in conjunction with Peter Gill and Dave Werrett of the Forensic Science Service (FSS), was first used forensically in the solving of the murder of two teenagers who had been raped and murdered in Narborough, Leicestershire in 1983 and 1986. In the murder inquiry, led by Detective David Baker, the DNA contained within blood samples obtained voluntarily from around 5,000 local men who willingly assisted Leicestershire Constabulary with the investigation, resulted in the exoneration of Richard Buckland, an initial suspect who had confessed to one of the crimes, and the subsequent conviction of Colin Pitchfork on January 2, 1988. Pitchfork, a local bakery employee, had coerced his coworker Ian Kelly to stand in for him when providing a blood sample—Kelly then used a forged passport to impersonate Pitchfork. Another coworker reported the deception to the police. Pitchfork was arrested, and his blood was sent to Jeffrey's lab for processing and profile development. Pitchfork's profile matched that of DNA left by the murderer which confirmed Pitchfork's presence at both crime scenes; he pleaded guilty to both murders.


title: DNA profiling

text: Although 99.9% of human DNA sequences are the same in every person, enough of the DNA is different that it is possible to distinguish one individual from another, unless they are monozygotic (identical) twins. DNA profiling uses repetitive sequences that are highly variable, called variable number tandem repeats (VNTRs), in particular short tandem repeats (STRs), also known as microsatellites, and minisatellites. VNTR loci are similar between closely related individuals, but are so variable that unrelated individuals are unlikely to have the same VNTRs.


title: DNA profiling

text: When a sample such as blood or saliva is obtained, the DNA is only a small part of what is present in the sample. Before the DNA can be analyzed, it must be extracted from the cells and purified. There are many ways this can be accomplished, but all methods follow the same basic procedure. The cell and nuclear membranes need to be broken up to allow the DNA to be free in solution. Once the DNA is free, it can be separated from all other cellular components. After the DNA has been separated in solution, the remaining cellular debris can then be removed from the solution and discarded, leaving only DNA. The most common methods of DNA extraction include organic extraction (also called phenol chloroform extraction), Chelex extraction, and solid phase extraction. Differential extraction is a modified version of extraction in which DNA from two different types of cells can be separated from each other before being purified from the solution. Each method of extraction works well in the laboratory, but analysts typically select their preferred method based on factors such as the cost, the time involved, the quantity of DNA yielded, and the quality of DNA yielded.


title: DNA profiling

text: RFLP stands for restriction fragment length polymorphism and, in terms of DNA analysis, describes a DNA testing method which utilizes restriction enzymes to "cut" the DNA at short and specific sequences throughout the sample. To start off processing in the laboratory, the sample has to first go through an extraction protocol, which may vary depending on the sample type and/or laboratory SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures). Once the DNA has been "extracted" from the cells within the sample and separated away from extraneous cellular materials and any nucleases that would degrade the DNA, the sample can then be introduced to the desired restriction enzymes to be cut up into discernable fragments. Following the enzyme digestion, a Southern Blot is performed. Southern Blots are a size-based separation method that are performed on a gel with either radioactive or chemiluminescent probes. RFLP could be conducted with single-locus or multi-locus probes (probes which target either one location on the DNA or multiple locations on the DNA). Incorporating the multi-locus probes allowed for higher discrimination power for the analysis, however completion of this process could take several days to a week for one sample due to the extreme amount of time required by each step required for visualization of the probes.


title: DNA profiling

text: The system of DNA profiling used today is based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and uses simple sequences.