Armour

Armour (spelled armor in the United States of America) is a protective covering that is used to prevent damage from being inflicted to an object, individual, or vehicle by direct contact weapons or projectiles, usually during combat, or from damage caused by a potentially dangerous environment or action (e.g., cycling, construction sites, etc.). Personal armour is used to protect soldiers and war animals. Vehicle armour is used on warships and armoured fighting vehicles.

A second use of the term armour describes armoured forces, armoured weapons, and their role in combat. After the evolution of armoured warfare, mechanised infantry and their weapons came to be referred to collectively as "armour".

Etymology

The word "armour" was introduced into use in the Middle Ages as a borrowing from the French. It is dated from 1297, as a "mail, defensive covering worn in combat" from Old French armoire, itself derived from the Latin armatura "arms and/or equipment" with the root arma "arms or gear".

Armor (comics)

Armor (Hisako Ichiki (市来 久子, Ichiki Hisako)) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is a Japanese mutant who enrolled at the Xavier Institute as a teenager and who retained her powers after the events of Decimation.

Publication history

Armor first appeared in Astonishing X-Men vol. 3 #4 and was created by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday.

Fictional character biography

Student at Xavier's

Hisako Ichiki is a young girl whose greatest aspiration is one day to be an X-Man. While it was originally thought that Hisako was not a member of any of the X-Men's various training squads, a 2010 handbook entry reveals that she was a member of Kitty Pryde's Paladins squad.

Along with her friend and fellow student, Wing (whom, after his death, she later describes as being her best friend), Hisako is attacked in the halls of the Xavier Institute by the alien villain Ord of the Breakworld. Hisako and Wing attempt to oppose Ord, but are overpowered. While both teenagers survive the attack, Wing discovers that he has been injected with a "cure" for his mutant ability of flight. Despondent, he commits suicide after some goading from a Danger Room hologram of her. In the wake of this tragedy, Hisako, her teacher Kitty Pryde, and several Xavier students find themselves trapped in a sentient and hostile Danger Room with Wing's reanimated corpse. Danger, as the intelligence is named by the X-Men, eventually leaves the Institute.

Armour (anatomy)

Armour or armor in animals is external or superficial protection against attack by predators, formed as part of the body (rather than the behavioural use of protective external objects), usually through the hardening of body tissues, outgrowths or secretions. It has therefore mostly developed in 'prey' species. Armoured structures are usually composed of hardened mineral deposits, chitin, bone or keratin.

Armour is evident on numerous animal species from both current and prehistoric times. Dinosaurs such as Ankylosaurus, as well as other Thyreophora (armoured dinosaurs such as Ankylosauria and Stegosauria), grew thick plate-like armour on their bodies as well as offensive armour appendages such as the thagomizer or a club. The armour took many forms, including osteoderms, spikes, horns and plates. Other dinosaurs such as ceratopsian dinosaurs as well as some sauropods such as Saltasaurus, grew armour to defend themselves, although armour in sauropods overall is uncommon.

In modern times, some molluscs employ the use of shells as armour, and armour is evident in the chitinous exoskeleton of arthropods. Fish use armour in the form of scales, whether 'cosmoid', 'ganoid' or 'placoid' and in some cases spines, such as on fish such as the stickleback. The chalky plate, or cuttlebone, of cuttlefish also acts as armour. Most reptiles have scaly skin which protects them from predators in addition to water retention; the crocodile's exoskeleton and the shells of the Chelonia - tortoises, turtles and terrapins.

Madball

Madball is a New York-based hardcore band that originated in the late 1980s, as a side project of Agnostic Front. The band developed after Agnostic Front's front man Roger Miret would let his younger half-brother, Freddy Cricien take the microphone and perform lead vocals during Agnostic Front shows.

History

Madball was founded in 1988 and featured most of Agnostic Front's members. Madball consisted of Agnostic Front's vocalist Roger Miret on bass, Vinnie Stigma on guitar, Will Shepler on drums, and then 12-year-old vocalist Freddy Cricien, Roger Miret's younger half-brother. Madball's first few performances consisted of previously unused Agnostic Front songs. Madball's first release was the Ball of Destruction EP in 1989. After years of playing regional shows in and around the New York area, a second guitarist, Matt Henderson, would join the band. By then, they recorded and released the EP Droppin' Many Suckers for Wreckage Records. One year later, Roger Miret left the band and was replaced by bass player Jorge "Hoya Roc" Guerra — a good friend of Freddy Cricien — who was looking for a new band as his band, Dmize, was breaking up. The new incarnation of the band was signed by Roadrunner Records in 1994 and released a pair of full-lengths; Set It Off in 1994 and Demonstrating My Style in 1996. Touring steadily, the band built a sizable fan base outside their hometown.