GENERATION NEXT #4 – June 1995

“Bye”

Credits: Scott Lobdell (writer), Chris Bachalo (penciler), Mark Buckingham (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Steve Buccellato & Electric Crayon (colors)

Summary

Illyana wakes up inside Mondo’s body and unknowingly pushes her hand outside of his chest. The guards notice and target him. Meanwhile, Sugar Man is still suspicious of Quietus, even though he shot Chamber. He shoots his sharp tongue into Quietus’ stomach, exposing him as Husk and Vincente in disguise. Chamber reveals that he used his psionic powers to make Sugar Man think he was shot, as Colossus and Shadowcat make a dramatic entrance. After Chamber blasts Sugar Man’s body apart, Colossus orders Skin and Chamber to find Illyana and Mondo in the lower levels. Nearby, Mondo kills the guards and pledges to rescue a human girl who asks for help. As soon as Skin and Chamber find Mondo, Sugar Man kills him with his tongue and kidnaps Illyana. Colossus crashes through the ceiling and kills Sugar Man. With Sugar Man dead, the Core erupts into a violent war between the human workers and mutant guards. As members of the team die, Colossus orders Shadowcat to use her powers to help him escape with Illyana. After helping them escape, Shadowcat attempts to go back to rescue the others, but Colossus orders her to get Illyana to safety while he goes back. Colossus reaches the Core’s entrance as the door closes, catching a final look at Husk as she’s overpowered by mutant guards. Distraught, he leaves and reunites with Shadowcat and Illyana. Unbeknownst to him, the Sugar Man has followed him.

Review

Well, things certainly happen in this issue. Lobdell takes advantage of the finite lifespan of the AoA world by ripping through the cast in a way he could’ve never done in the “real” universe. Having naive Illyana narrate this issue helps to underscore the tragic nature of the story. Juxtaposing her blind faith in her brother with his actions during the final scene creates an extraordinarily dark ending, one that honestly shocked me when I was young. Bachalo’s art helps to convey the story’s bleak mood, but the visual storytelling begins to fall apart here. There are a few scenes where it’s essentially impossible to figure out what’s supposed to be happening. Mondo’s death scene is staged in such a way it’s extremely difficult to understand what exactly the Sugar Man is doing. It looks like the page is missing some necessary panels, as Mondo falls down and Sugar Man just emerges from rubble holding Illyana. Chamber and Skin’s death scenes are also confusing, as they apparently just disappear between panels. There’s also panel here with the little girl that has a giant “YANK” sound effect that’s indecipherable (is the “YANK” supposed to be Chamber yanked away to an off-screen death?). Sugar Man is also portrayed inconsistently, alternating in size between a giant monster and a tiny Muppet. This might be connected somehow to his unexplained resurrections (does he make tiny Sugar Men or something?), but it’s not clarified at all in the issue.

Even though the story does have a respectable dramatic impact, there are elements here that don’t make a lot of sense either. Husk and Vincente, in disguise as Quietus, seem to think that only “shooting” Chamber should convince Sugar Man that they’re on his side. This ignores the fact that Sugar Man wanted both Chamber and Skin dead last issue. Apparently, Sugar Man has forgotten all about Skin in-between issues, even though he’s standing right in front of him here. Since it turns out that the gunshot was a mental illusion created by Chamber, he could’ve just as easily created the same illusion for Skin too, so it’s not as if this was a hard spot to write out of. The explanation that Chamber used his psionic powers to trick everyone also reminds me of how poorly defined most of the cast’s powers are. Since Chamber can communicate telepathically, can he also read minds? Can he use the psionic energy that ripped through his chest for things like telekinesis? It’s strange that basic questions about the characters’ powers were skirted over for so long.

The mechanics of the ending, where Colossus accompanies Shadowcat and Illyana out of the Core and then goes back, don’t really stand up to scrutiny. Since Shadowcat can phase through objects, I don’t see why she would’ve needed Colossus to go with her. If the idea is that he refuses to leave Shadowcat and Illyana, that’s contradicted a few pages later when he leaves them to go back for the others. So why did he go off with them in the first place? These nonsensical elements don’t really undermine the story’s impact, but they start to add up once you start to closely examine the details of the plot.

WEAPON X #4 – June 1995

Into the Maelstrom!

Credits: Larry Hama (writer), Adam Kubert (penciler), Dan Green (inker), Pat Brosseau (letters), Joe Rosas & Digital Chameleon (colors)

Summary

The Human High Council shows Gateway holograms of Apocalypse’s genocide in America. He’s unmoved, until Weapon X forces him to watch the murder of a young girl by one of the Infinite soldiers. He shoves a recreation of the girl’s diary in Gateway’s face, telling him to guide the fleet against Apocalypse for her sake. Gateway finally relents and agrees to pilot the nuclear strike against America. Soon, Weapon X is on board with the members of the Council as the armada heads towards America. Emma Frost makes a cold comment to Weapon X about Jean Grey warning the enemy of the attack, and he responds by reminding her of what he’s sacrificing. Gateway heads to the prow to intuitively navigate the airship during a lightning storm, when Donald Pierce arrives with a new cyborg. Weapon X recognizes the cyborg as Carol Danvers, who was infected by Pierce’s techno-organic virus after a grenade nearly killed her. Against her wishes, she fights Weapon X and damages his right arm. Below, Pierce awakens the sleeper agent Brian Braddock, but Braddock is able to fight against Apocalypse’s neural implant. Pierce responds by killing him. He then heads back to the top and kills Carol Danvers for begging Weapon X to stop her. When Pierce tries to kill Gateway, Weapon X unsheathes the claws in his left forearm and guts him. With the armada now under attack from Apocalypse’s ships, Gateway creates a giant teleportation portal for the entire fleet to escape through.

Approved By The Comics Code Authority

A young girl is shot by one of Apocalypse’s men in the opening scene. After she’s killed, there’s a close-up of her dead face with blood splattered all over it.

Continuity Note

Gateway’s new personality is at least somewhat explained when Weapon X says that he was taken out of the Outback by “socio-anthropologists from Berkeley”.

Review

Weapon X concludes a solid run with a strong issue. The opening scene with the girl’s death could’ve come across as tasteless or just gratuitous, but the conversation between Gateway and Weapon X is able to justify its inclusion. Hama’s reinvention of Gateway actually makes him more than just a plot device or a mystery figure, giving him a real personality (and an odd speech pattern that might wear on your nerves, but I actually enjoy). There’s also a great conversation scene between Weapon X and Emma Frost, where he discusses the necessity of hardening your heart towards terrible acts during a war, and his sympathy for Jean for not being able to do that. The fact that he knows that he’s helping to drop the bombs on top of her could’ve been played for some overwrought angsting, but Hama finds a nice balance. The scenes with Brian Braddock and Carol Danvers at the end feel rushed (and I can’t tell if having both characters fight for their humanity is an intentional parallel with the inhuman act the Council is being forced to commit), but Kubert does a skilled job with all of the action that surrounds them. The Hama/Kubert Wolverine run was able to combine a sympathetic portrayal of the lead character with a lot of action during its best issues, and the AoA run is a nice example of what they’re capable of doing.

WEAPON X #3 – May 1995

The Common Right of Toads and Men

Credits: Larry Hama (writer), Adam Kubert (penciler), Dan Green & Mark Sellers (inkers), Pat Brosseau (letterer), Joe Rosas & Digital Chameleon (colors)

Summary

Weapon X travels to Wundagore Mountain and is confronted by two of Apocalypse’s cybernetically-enhanced soldiers, Mangle and Dead-Eye. He defeats the cyborgs and walks through the X-Men’s former headquarters. He comes across Carol Danvers, an agent of the Human Defense League who’s assigned to protect Gateway. They climb to the top of his tower to find Gateway listening to various media transmissions while in an apparent catatonic state. Weapon X rips apart his television screens, which snaps Gateway out of his condition. They touch hands, which briefly fills Weapon X’s mind with the information Gateway’s been absorbing. Gateway ascertains that Weapon X has been sent by the Human High Council to ask him to pilot the nuclear strike against Apocalypse. He refuses to do it, as the combined bodies of Mangle and Dead-Eye return to kill Weapon X. They’re easily defeated, but a revived Donald Pierce suddenly returns in a dive-bomber with another cyborg, Vultura. Gateway teleports the trio inside Pierce’s plane, where Vultura is dispatched by Weapon X. Carol Danvers knocks Pierce out of the plane, and both of them are apparently killed in midair when her grenade goes off. Gateway tells Weapon X that he’s now willing to hear what the Council has to say.

Miscellaneous Notes

The title of this issue comes from a line in the Emily Dickinson poem “A Toad Can Die of Light”. Hama must’ve been in a lyrical mood, since one of the broadcast transmissions Gateway is listening to also quotes a poem by William Butler Yeats.

Review

There’s not a lot of plot here (it seems like a lot of the AoA titles aren’t advancing the storyline very far with their third issues), but this still manages to be an entertaining read. Kubert’s art brings a lot of excitement to the action pages, and Hama’s still able to use the first-person narrative captions for some nice character moments. Wolverine’s reflections on his time with the X-Men and the experiments performed on him in the Weapon X project are well done (although it leaves you to wonder why he calls himself “Weapon X” in this reality if he resents the project for doing such horrible things to him). Carol Danvers isn’t given a lot to do, but her characterization still makes an impression during her scenes. Reinventing Gateway as a chain-smoking, loquacious hippie is amusing, although it requires you to already be familiar with the character to really get the joke. I was thrilled to see Gateway when I first read this issue, since some of the earliest Uncanny X-Men comics I read where during the Australian era, and it seemed to me like that period had already been forgotten (I was also hoping he would become a regular in Generation X, but it never happened). He’s really just one of dozens of obscure characters brought back for the AoA event, which seemed to continue the “let’s bring everybody back” trend that started to go through the books around the time of the Phalanx crossover. The AoA might’ve been the climax of this trend, because I don’t remember a lot of the lesser-known characters being used once it was over. It seems like the books instead focused on creating a lot of new characters that lasted about as long as the Upstarts (remember Havok’s Brotherhood team?).

WEAPON X #2 – April 1995

Fire in the Sky!

Credits: Larry Hama (writer), Adam Kubert (penciler), Dan Green (inker), Pat Brosseau (letterer), Joe Rosas (colorist)

Summary

Weapon X wakes up and discovers Jean Grey is missing. He follows a trace of his psi-link with Jean to Bristol, where she’s helping the humans being brought to England by the Sentinels. They discuss the upcoming nuclear strike against North America, which Jean is trying to prevent. Suddenly, Box and Copycat emerge from the crowd of humans and attack. The sound of screaming children triggers a flash of horrific memories in Jean, which Weapon X feels through their psychic connection. In a rage, he guts Box while Jean stops Copycat. She tries to calm him down, but he’s angry that she doesn’t realize that they’re fighting a war. He heads off to brief the High Council, leaving her alone. Later, before he can speak to the Council on one of their dirigibles, the altered human Pierce attacks a nearby airship. The giant explosion has sent the ship off-course, and it’s about to crash into the airship with the Doomsday Attack’s guidance system. Mariko tells Weapon X that the system is irreplaceable, motivating him to jump off his airship onto the one Pierce has boarded. He fights Pierce and his men, but isn't able to stop the ship from crashing into the airship with the guidance system. He emerges from the explosion, thinking of Jean. He follows their psi-link to an airstrip in Cornwall. She’s taking off for America to warn about the Doomsday Attack. He has an opportunity to kill her before she leaves, but can’t bring himself to do it.

Continuity Note

According to Weapon X, Braddock Industries manufactures the Sentinels. Mariko’s afraid that he has a vested interest in escalating the human/mutant war.

“Huh?” Moment

The humans fleeing America are riding on top of the Sentinels without any type of harnesses or straps (not to mention protection from the elements). The first issue showed Weapon X and Jean riding on top of a Sentinel, but at least Jean’s telekinetic powers could be used to explain the wonky physics there.

Review

Like the first issue, this one’s filled with action, but it also some has some nice character moments that take advantage of the new reality created by the AoA event. Hama’s able to persuasively convey Logan’s feelings for Jean through his inner monologues, and the conflict between them feels real, since both characters have legitimate points of view. The creators didn’t leave a lot of room for nuance when they developed the AoA’s dystopian world, but there’s at least an attempt here to show that both Jean and Logan have justifiable arguments to make about the nuclear strike. The final silent page with Logan and Jean is very effective, helping to convey Logan’s conflicting loyalties between his love for Jean and his determination to stop Apocalypse. Some of the mechanics of the final fight scene don’t work (what exactly is Logan hoping to do on an airship that’s already off-course?), but the energetic pencils help to pull it off. Kubert’s work is strong throughout the entire issue, once again blending cartoony exaggeration with aggressive fight scenes. His ability to create such expressive acting for his characters also helps the conversation scenes feel more authentic and real.

WEAPON X #1 – March 1995

Unforgiven Trespasses

Credits: Larry Hama (writer), Adam Kubert (breakdowns), Karl Kessel/Dan Green/Chris Warner (finishes), Pat Brosseau (lettering), Mike Thomas (colors)

Summary

Weapon X and Jean Grey go on a mission for the Human High Council to infiltrate Apocalypse’s Great Sea Wall in the Atlantic. They ride on a Sentinel, which is spotted by Apocalypse’s Infinite soldiers when its radar-jammer burns out. When the Infinite soldiers learn that two alpha-level mutants are on board, they send out a call for one of Apocalypse’s alpha-mutants. Jean sends Weapon X to eliminate the control center while she waits for the mutant presence she senses to arrive. Havok responds to the Infinite’s call and confronts Jean. Weapon X quickly disables the control center and returns to stop Havok from killing Jean. They escape on the Sentinel, but Havok follows. The Sentinel shoots off its hands, grabbing Havok and sending him through a teleporting transporter. Meanwhile, Cyclops informs Apocalypse that two mutant couriers have brought information given to them by Sinister to the Human High Council. McCoy sends a message to Apocalypse, telling him that Havok requires surgery to remove the Sentinel hand that’s been merged with his body after his fight with Weapon X. Apocalypse theorizes that Weapon X and Jean Grey are Sinister’s couriers. In London, the Human High Council meets to discuss the information Sinister sent them. They now know that Apocalypse’s peace proposals with humans in America are a diversion to cover his plans to attack Europe. They discuss a “doomsday strike” against North America. Suddenly, Magma appears and attacks the Council. She’s stopped by Weapon X, but not before she wounds Brian Braddock. Angered, Braddock says that Project Scorched Earth must be initiated.

Continuity Notes

Weapon X is, of course, this world’s version of Wolverine (he must’ve dropped the hyphen some time after the X-Men Chronicles stories). His partner is Jean Grey, whom he suspects only loves him out of gratitude for saving her from “the pens”. In a previous battle with Cyclops, Weapon X lost his hand and Cyclops lost his eye.

The Human High Council members are revealed to be Brian Braddock, Moira (MacTaggert) Trask, Bolivar Trask, Emma Frost, and Mariko Yashida. Psylocke also appeared in the background with the rest of the Council in X-Men Alpha.

Review

According to a comment Alan Davis made in the first issue of Rough Stuff magazine, the X-editors always wanted him to draw Wolverine and Jean Grey making out on a cover during his run. When he asked why, he was told that the “fans” would go nuts over it. I guess Marvel used the AoA event to give the audience what it thought they wanted, as Wolverine and Jean now get their own series together. The appeal of Wolverine and Jean together is kind of lost on me, but Hama does a decent job with the pairing. Having Wolverine suspect that she feels gratitude more than real love is a good idea that at least introduces some complexity to their relationship.

This is an action-heavy issue, but it also manages to move the storyline along. The pair’s mission at the start of the issue is a little unclear, but since it mainly serves to re-introduce the characters and allude to more backstory, it doesn’t bother me too much (at least it’s not another training session). If the idea is that they’re disrupting the base so that the Sentinels can reach America undetected, that’s ground already covered in Amazing X-Men #1. This could be the first continuity disconnect within the AoA titles, but since their mission is so vague in the first place, it’s hard to say. At the very least, the opening action scene gives Adam Kubert a lot of cool things to draw. I like his interpretation of the new Sentinels and Havok’s redesign especially. The three inkers don’t really mesh well, but most of the pages come out looking fine.

Hama continues to interject realistic elements into his stories, even when the title has been removed even further from the real world. A lot of the opening dialogue in this issue combines military speak and technological jargon with varying degrees of success. The Infinites don’t just say “The Sentinel’s broken through our defenses”; instead it’s, “The Sentinel must be running a fifth generation passive ECM suite! It is invading all weapons tracking systems and has penetrated our inner perimeter!” Havok doesn’t just complain about teleporting, he gripes, “You had me go through molecular disincorporation, risk the E.M. distortion wave and risk cellular-mapping reconstruction…”. It’s one of his writing quirks that I actually do enjoy, but it’s pretty heavy in this issue. The meeting of the Human High Council also tries to apply real world politics into the new reality, with the characters debating the merits of preemptive strikes and nuclear attacks. This scene feels more organic, although the selection of the Council members is odd. It’s pretty convenient that they’re all established X-characters, isn’t it? (And why on earth would Mariko Yashida be a member?) It seems like the Council became a dumping ground for the X-characters that couldn’t be worked into any of the main titles (and don’t ask me to explain how a few mutant characters ended up on the Human High Council). The actions of the Council will actually have large consequences that impact the entire event as the months go on. After Hama finished playing with the repercussions of Wolverine losing the adamantium, his solo title started to feel somewhat aimless, so it’s nice to see the AoA crossover give the title some direction.