DETECTIVE COMICS #680 - December 1994

 

A Twice Told Tale

Credits:  Chuck Dixon (writer), Lee Weeks & Graham Nolan (pencilers), Joe Rubinstein (inker), John Costanza (letterer), Adrienne Roy (colorist)

Summary:  Batman deals with the crime wave that’s been fueled by Two-Face’s mass release of prisoners.  Gordon’s refusal to rely on Batman’s help continues to create a rift in his marriage.  Meanwhile, Robin consults Oracle and deduces that Two-Face is hiding out in the Hall of Records.  He leaves Batman a message and investigates.  When Batman arrives, Robin is already held captive with Harvey Kent, with both strapped underneath two thousand pounds of paper.  Batman commandeers a forklift and rescues both of them.  Confident in his abilities, he easily defeats Two-Face.

Irrelevant Continuity:  The opening narration of the issue claims once again (erroneously) that a computer glitch, a typo, is responsible for Two-Face’s release.

Total N00B:  Robin #0 is once again used as the crux of Batman’s insecurities regarding Two-Face, and I’ll point out again that there’s no footnote referencing it in the actual issue, nor is that story reprinted in this collection.

Review:  Six issues of build-up to a Two-Face fight probably wasn’t the best move, given that Two-Face isn’t that intimidating physically and the scheme he’s hatched this time never really comes together.  Two-Face using computers to cause chaos in the city is a decent idea, but the execution has been all over the place.  In this very issue, we’re told that computer glitches have caused dozens of cons to be released early from prison, while at the same time the prisons are being overcrowded.  Which is it, then?  If there are enough freed criminals to cause a crime wave, how could Two-Face also arrange for Blackgate to be overcrowded?  And how long would it really take the authorities to just forget the computers and manually figure out how many prisoners each facility can hold, especially if a large portion of them have already been released early?

Overlooking the villainous scheme, there’s also a problem with Batman’s big catharsis this issue.  Batman’s allegedly overcome his adolescent anxieties regarding Two-Face by deciding not to play by his rules, which apparently means stealing a forklift and just picking his hostages up out of harm’s way.  I understand the idea is that Dick’s learned from his mistakes in Robin #0, but as I recall the events of Robin #0, it’s not as if “grab a forklift and just ignore Two-Face” was really an option for young Dick in that story.  It’s taken Dick all of these years to finally realize that Two-Face is running a crooked game and that he shouldn’t fall for it?  This just doesn’t work.  As I’ve said earlier, the basic ideas behind this storyline aren’t bad at all, but the execution just feels mangled.

DETECTIVE COMICS #679 - November 1994

The Vermin Factor

Credits:  Chuck Dixon (writer), Lee Weeks (penciler), Joe Rubinstein (inker), John Costanza (letterer), Adrienne Roy (colorist)

Summary:  Using a specialized flute, Ratcatcher summons an army of rats and escapes his parole hearing.  Later, Batman discusses Two-Face’s release with Commissioner Gordon, who is wary of dealing with another Batman.  While Robin is spending time with his recuperating father, Batman tracks Ratcatcher’s rat army in the sewers.  He discovers Ratcatcher’s plan to use a giant mass of rats to block the city’s main aqueduct.  Using a high-pitched sonic device, Batman disperses the rats and takes Ratcatcher into custody.

Irrelevant Continuity:  Looking online, it seems Ratcatcher first appeared in Detective Comics #585 during the Alan Grant/John Wagner run.

Dramatic Exits:  Commissioner Gordon basically taunts Batman into doing the quick escape bit, but he doesn’t take the bait.

I Love the ‘90s:  Tim Drake “modem”s info on Two-Face’s release to the Batcave.

Total N00B:  More references to Dick and Tim missing Alfred, who’s away in an unknown location, with no clear indication of why he left.

Review:  So I guess the goal of every Bat-title in November 1994 was to do an old-school Batman/Robin team-up story featuring a fairly non-threatening villain.  (Robin’s not there at the end for the climax, since Dixon writes him off in order to tie in to an ongoing subplot in the Robin solo series, but he still has a role in the story.)  Like I’ve said before, I get it.  The books need smaller, more traditional stories following the previous two years of events.  And these issues are a nice way to explore the dynamic between Dick and Tim, who do play off each other well.  Having a brotherly bond between Batman and Robin instead of a father-son relationship is a clever way to present an alternate take on the traditional roles for the characters.  However, as someone who’s reading all of these stories collected together in one volume, seeing variations of the same basic story does get a bit tiresome at a certain point.  You start to get antsy for something real to start to happen again.  Regardless, it’s a fun action story with superb artwork from Lee Weeks.  I think it’s worth noting again that you seldom see stereotypically bad ‘90s art in these comics, and the editors deserve a lot of credit for that.

X-MEN: THE MAGNETO WAR #1 & UXM #366- March 1999

X-Men: The Magneto War #1

Savior Complex

Credits: Alan Davis (plot), Fabian Nicieza (script), Lee Weeks (penciler), Dan Green (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Marie Javins & Monica Kubina (colors)

Summary: Fabian Cortez and his group of Acolytes sneak on to the mansion’s grounds. New member REM-RAM searches the X-Men’s dreams, looking for information on Magneto. Xavier senses his presence and orders the X-Men to attack. When Cortez harms REM-RAM while attempting to amplify his powers, the Acolytes turn against him. Cortez escapes, and the Acolytes ask Xavier for sanctuary. Xavier refuses, secretly hoping that following the Acolytes will confirm Magneto’s return. Meanwhile, in Israel, Quicksilver reconciles with Joseph. In the Netherlands, Magneto asks Amelia Voght to look over Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch.

Continuity Notes: According to the narrative captions, the Acolytes are divided into different camps. Cortez’s followers include the Kleinstock brothers, Senyaka, Spoor, Projector, and the new members REM-RAM (who can enter, and apparently manipulate, people’s dreams), Static (who can disrupt mutant powers), and Barnacle (who turns body moisture into a “carapace shell”). Another group of Acolytes is following Magneto himself. I believe the Quicksilver series used the Acolytes for a few issues, and inadvertently resurrected a few of the dead members.

When Wolverine is shown sleeping in bed, he’s drawn with metal claw housings on his hand. They’re actually supposed to be on his gloves, not his actual hands (a mistake the ‘90s cartoon often made in the early episodes).

Production Note: This is a thirty-two page one-shot with no ads and slick paper. The cover price is $2.99, which is reasonable.

Review: This kicks off the “Magneto War” crossover, a storyline that was so obviously generated by editorial, it was actually solicited without a writer. Alan Davis, who was originally supposed to pencil X-Men for six issues, ended up plotting it, and if I recall the Newsarama interviews correctly, Fabian Nicieza volunteered to script it. I have no idea what was happening behind-the-scenes at the time, but if the rumors are to be believed, Alan Davis agreed to plot the titles for an indefinite amount of time, working off a list of “objectives” the editors wanted to accomplish. I remember a friend of Davis’ posted online that his storylines weren’t being dictated to him, so what I suspect happened is the editors gave Davis a vague list like “Give Joseph an origin. Reveal The Twelve. Do something with Apocalypse.” and he went from there. I recall online reviews of this era being extremely harsh, which always seemed unfair to me. The perception at the time was that Seagle and Kelly were forced off the books by overbearing editors, and that Alan Davis threw his weight around to get a high-profile gig. I don’t doubt that Seagle and Kelly were being heavily rewritten and left in frustration, but I think Alan Davis received a bad reputation as some sort of “other woman” in the scenario. Regardless of the backstage circumstances, once you’ve reached the point where storylines are being solicited without writers, it is hard to believe that the finished product is the work of a strong creative vision. Even the most hardcore of X-fans began to feel that the titles had just become a bland, blatantly commercially conceived, product.

Judging this one-shot on its own merits, it’s a perfectly okay superhero comic with nice art. I’m not sure why some of the Acolytes are spying on the X-Men, hoping to find Magneto, while another group has already joined up with him, but that’s the only quibble I have with the plot. The dream sequences take up a lot of space, but they’re used to make statements about the characters’ internal conflicts, and their connections to Magneto. Xavier of course views Magneto as a threat to his dream, Rogue still views him as a potential suitor (even if she doesn’t consciously admit it), and Wolverine sees him as a tormentor. The fight is a traditional superhero brawl, and the ending sets the stage for the rest of the storyline. The story does what it’s supposed to do, it doesn’t drag, the characterizations feel right, and it has Lee Weeks art. It might not have been produced under the best of circumstances, but this is far from a bad comic.

Uncanny X-Men #366

The Shot Heard Round the World

Credits: Alan Davis (plot), Fabian Nicieza (script), Lenil Francis Yu (penciler), Livesay/Townsend/Tadeo (inkers), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Liquid! Graphics (colors)

Summary: Magneto’s group of Acolytes continues to attack genetic research laboratories. After the X-Men confront them in Canada, the Acolytes intentionally lead them on a chase north. Meanwhile, Magneto sends his robot Ferris to the UN to announce that he’s created another electromagnetic pulse, and that it will not stop until Magneto’s given a mutant sanctuary on Earth. The X-Men are caught in the pulse and crash in the arctic. In Israel, Mossad’s tests confirm that Joseph is a copy of Magneto. As Joseph ponders the revelation, he’s kidnapped by a mysterious woman.

Continuity Note: Joseph is revealed as a clone in this issue, although Nicieza tries to dance around the word “clone” throughout the storyline (the Spider-clone fiasco was still relatively fresh at the time).

Creative Differences: A teaser image of this storyline appeared in X-Men #80. It featured Storm in a different costume (the regal purple one she wore briefly during Claremont’s 2000 run), and various world landmarks in the arctic snow. This never happens in the actual storyline. As confirmed by a Comic Book Legends column, Storm was also supposed to die during this story, back when Seagle and Kelly were still scheduled to write it.

Production Note: Starting this month, the recap gatefold covers are gone. Apparently, they cost Marvel too much money.

Review: This doesn’t work as well as the one-shot special, probably because so much of the story is wasted on having the X-Men chase after the Acolytes. The Acolytes are suffering from their typical lack of a personality, so seeing half of the issue dedicated to them isn’t very exciting (and these aren't even the same Acolytes the X-Men were supposed to be following at the end of the previous chapter). Nicieza throws in a brief reference to one of his later X-Men stories, the one that had a few of the Acolytes following Cyclops while stranded in the desert, but it’s not nearly enough to make you care about the villains. It actually serves, unintentionally, of a reminder of a story that actually gave the Acolytes some depth. Nicieza’s script has a few clever lines, such as Ferris’ “inexhaustible supply of patter” and his rather polite interactions with the UN guards, but the script isn’t able to sell the significance of Magneto’s release of the EM pulse. It might not feel like the appropriate big deal because Magneto already did this in another crossover five years earlier, which is one of the larger problems with the storyline. Lenil Francis Yu shows up for another issue as guest artist. It’s an inconsistent job, as he seems to excel at drawing goofy scientists studying Joseph, but delivers some flat action scenes. Some of the pages look extremely rushed, and his odd tendency not to draw pupils is on full display.

X-MAN #6- #9, August 1995 – November 1995

#6 (Loeb/Skroce/LaRosa/Thomas/Digitial Chamelon/Starkings/Comicraft) – Once again, we’re given a story about a powerful villain sending a flunky to find X-Man. This time, it’s Sugar Man sending Rex, instead of Apocalypse sending Domino. It ends predictably with more giant panels of X-Man’s powers erupting, while the villain survives to continue the hunt. The rest of the issue is spent on X-Man’s conversation with Madelyne Pryor, which mainly consists of the two of them acting confused and clueless, since Nate still thinks he’s in the AoA and Madelyne doesn’t know where she came from. Loeb does drop a few hints about Madelyne that have potential (she’s terrified of Sinister’s name, and X-Man accidentally creates a monster that looks like Havok when he enters her mind), but I don’t have a lot of faith in a satisfactory conclusion. Skroce’s art brings a lot of energy to the thin story, and he’s one of the few artists that can capture the freakiness of Sugar Man.

#7 (Loeb/Skroce/Hester/LaRosa/Ryan/Williams/Thomas/Digitial Chamelon/Starkings/Comicraft) – On the run from Rex, X-Man and Madelyne end up in Paris…as the story begins to disturbingly hint at a romance between the two. If you’re a new reader and know nothing about these characters, I guess this doesn’t stand out, since the story presents it as two desperate people drawing comfort from one another. But any long-time fan (and who else would care about the return of Madelyne Pryor?) knows that Madelyne’s a clone of Nate’s mother. So not only is Nate a teenage clone of an existing character, but he’s also got the hots for his mom? And the story doesn’t even hint at how freaky this is? What a way to launch a new character! Was Loeb actually going somewhere with this? The story’s main plot involves Selene discovering Madelyne in Paris and tempting her over to her side. It’s not much different from the plots of the previous issues, only now it’s Madelyne who’s the villain’s target. Selene is actually successful in this story and it’s not dragged out over several issues, so at least there’s some variation, I guess. Selene says that she knows Madelyne’s identity and the power she possesses, but I can’t think of any previous comics where the two met. Selene is a sorceress, so I guess it’s possible she learned through supernatural means, though.

#8 (Loeb/Rozum/Skroce/McDaniel/LaRosa/Miller/Russell/Pennington/Ryan/Thomas/Malibu’s Hues/Starkings/Comicraft) – And now we have an issue with a plotter, a scripter, two pencilers, five inkers, and an extra ghost letterer who’s replacing pages of scripted dialogue (also notice that Malibu’s Hues did color separations, so Marvel must’ve purchased Malibu Comics at this point). This issue’s plot involves X-Man taking a job on a luxury boat, as he tries to deal with Madelyne’s departure in the previous issue. He has wild mood swings and gets drunk for the first time, and then fights Rex for a few pages. The crazy mood swings come out of nowhere, leaving you with the impression that he’s truly mad and not just troubled. So now he’s an insane clone of an existing character who’s got a thing for his mother. Not only is the art rushed and unattractive, but the dialogue annoyingly switches between thought and word balloons, so Nate ends up spontaneously saying things like “I’ve spent too many hours thinking about my past” to a girl who just complimented him on his paint job. Dark Beast saves X-Man from Rex on the final page, which isn’t that bad of a cliffhanger, but it doesn’t compensate for such an aimless issue.

#9 (Loeb/Ostrander/Skroce/Haynes/LaRosa/Carani /Lowe/Hanna/Pennington/Thomas/Malibu’s Hues/Starkings/Comicraft) and (Ostrander/Weeks/Sienkiewicz/Becton/Malibu/Comicraft)– “Creative differences” surface as Jeph Loeb receives a “story idea” credit and is replaced by John Ostrander. Loeb said in a recent interview that he left the book because he disagreed with Bob Harras over the title’s direction, which shockingly implies that someone at Marvel thought that this title had a direction. Counting the backup story, this issue has a co-plotter, a writer, three pencilers, and six inkers. I’ll give it credit for not looking like a total mess like the previous issue. Rob Haynes draws most of this issue, turning in some nice-looking pages that remind me of Rick Leonardi’s work. The story consists of Dark Beast trying to draw X-Man over to his side (gasp!), X-Man getting angry at him and unleashing his powers in a two-page spread (shock!), and a few pages of Blaquesmith tailing X-Man. At the end of the story, Nate decides that he should go find the X-Men, which leads into this issue’s back-up story. The backup, featuring Blaquesmith “in his first solo adventure” has decent artwork by Lee Weeks and Bill Sienkiewicz, but a nonexistent plot. While on his way to warn Professor Xavier about X-Man’s arrival, Blaquesmith is attacked by a strange aircraft. Blaquesmith plays possum, gets one good shot in, and leaves. End of story. This title’s only nine issues old and it’s already forced to run pointless filler. Not exactly a positive sign of what’s to come.

DEADPOOL #1-#4

DEADPOOL #1 – August 1994

If Looks Could Kill!

Credits: Mark Waid (writer), Ian Churchill (penciler), Jason Minor (inks), Starkings/Comicraft (lettering), Dana Moreshead & Mike Thomas (colors)

Summary

Juggernaut breaks Black Tom out of a prison hospital, taking Dr. Killebrew, the specialist sent to treat Tom, with him. Weeks later, Deadpool is drinking in a bar when a group of armed men attacks him. Deadpool’s healing powers don’t respond as fast as usual, but he’s still able to defend himself until the mercenaries use a freezing device against him. Banshee suddenly appears, using his sonic powers to free Deadpool. They team up against the mercenaries, but Banshee lets one of them go free. Siryn enters and stops the fleeing mercenary, unaware of her father’s plan to trail him and find Black Tom. Deadpool explains to the pair that Black Tom must want him dead after their previous run-in. Siryn agrees to stay with Deadpool while Banshee contacts his Interpol sources. One of the armed men re-appears and has a sword fight with Deadpool. Deadpool guts the man, but not before his own hand is cut off. Deadpool expects his hand to grow back, but instead he passes out.

Continuity Notes

This issue establishes that Banshee and Deadpool have a history together. Deadpool says that Banshee owes him for the “Farouk affair”. This is also the first time Deadpool and Siryn meet, which sets up an unrequited romance that continued in X-Force and the Deadpool regular series.

Approved By The Comics Code Authority

Deadpool stabs someone through the stomach, and then realizes that his hand has been chopped off.

I Love the ‘90s

Deadpool remarks that he’s “too much Nancy, not enough Tonya”. Other outdated pop culture references in this issue include references to L. A. Law’s cancelation, the David Copperfield/Claudia Schiffer romance, and Phil Donahue’s old talk show.

Review

I guess the first Deadpool mini was pretty successful, since he gets a second shot before even Gambit or Sabretooth do. This is an early Marvel job from Mark Waid (maybe his first ever?), even though he was already building his profile at DC. Deadpool doesn’t seem like an ideal fit for a Silver Age revivalist like Waid, but his ability to write non-stop, snappy dialogue suits the character, and it’s probably a major reason why he was chosen for the job. The plot is mainly just setting up the story while leaving room open for some action scenes. The dialogue is usually clever, but I wouldn’t say any of it is laugh-out-loud funny. Ian Churchill continues with his McFarlane-influenced style, which alternates between “tolerable” and “boy, that’s some screwed up anatomy”.

DEADPOOL #2 – September 1994

Luck of the Irish

Credits: Mark Waid (writer), Ian Churchill & Lee Weeks (pencilers), Minor/McLeod/LaRosa (inkers), Starkings/Comicraft (lettering), Dana Moreshead & Mike Thomas (colors)

Summary

Banshee flashes back to his first meeting with Deadpool. Banshee and fellow Interpol agent Daniel Peyer attempt to arrest a mobster named Almadovar, but Deadpool suddenly appears and kills him. Deadpool tells Banshee that Almadover was about to shoot him, so Banshee owes him his life. In the present, Banshee meets with Peyer, asking for any information Interpol has on Black Tom. Peyer still believes that Deadpool’s interference ruined his career at Interpol. Meanwhile, Black Tom is distressed to learn that Siryn has gotten involved. He orders his men to remove Siryn from the battle and make sure she isn’t harmed. Convinced that Deadpool is the key to curing him of his viral condition, Tom sends Juggernaut to kidnap him. Back in New York, Deadpool wakes up to discover that his hand still hasn’t regenerated. He concentrates and forces his hand to finally grow back. Tom’s men reappear and try to take Siryn away from the battle before Juggernaut arrives, but Deadpool stops them. When Juggernaut does appear, Siryn and Deadpool try to stop him by leading him to a knife manufacturing plant, where they drop blades and molten liquid on him. Their plan doesn’t work, and as they run from Juggernaut, they’re confronted by Peyer and dozens of armed men.

Continuity Note

The flashback establishes that one of Almadovar’s gangland rivals out to kill him is Amahl Farouk. Farouk was an identity of the Shadow King for years. This is presumably the “Farouk affair” referenced last issue, but since Farouk isn’t directly involved with any of this, Almadovar is, it’s odd that Deadpool would have called it that. Maybe Amahl Farouk was originally supposed to play a larger role and someone changed their mind in-between issues.

Review

The plot doesn’t advance an awful lot, but it’s still pretty enjoyable. Just like the first Deadpool miniseries, the story sidesteps Deadpool’s role as a criminal by casting him as the target of another villain. The first mini didn’t introduce the idea that Deadpool might be capable of reforming until the final issue, and so far this series hasn’t gotten into that area at all. Waid has a firm handle on the main characters, and does a nice job with Black Tom’s relationships with Siryn and Juggernaut. He also emphasizes Banshee’s concern for Tom, which is consistent with his previous appearances. Keeping the characterizations and relationships consistent helps to make this feel more like an actual story and not just a shameless exploitation of the X-brand. Lee Weeks draws the opening flashback, and I’m embarrassed to admit that I preferred Churchill to Weeks when I first bought this comic. In my defense, Weeks’ rendition of Deadpool in the splash page really isn’t up to his usual standards (although the rest of his work is fine).

DEADPOOL #3 – October 1994

Deadpool Sandwich

Credits: Mark Waid (writer), Ian Churchill & Ken Lashley (pencilers), Bud LaRosa (inker), Starkings/Comicraft (lettering), Dana Moreshead & Mike Thomas (colors)

Summary

Daniel Peyer and his men are disrupted by a rampaging Juggernaut. Deadpool and Siryn escape to the rafters, but Juggernaut finds them. As he advances towards Deadpool, he explains that Black Tom needs Deadpool to cure him of the viral infection that is turning his body into wood. When Siryn hears this, she considers letting Juggernaut take Deadpool, but finally decides to save him. Inside Peyer’s office, Banshee discovers that Peyer already had the info he needed and that he’s left to get revenge on Deadpool. Siryn and Deadpool talk and grow closer while Deadpool tries to recover from his wounds. Peyer returns with his men and continues the fight. Banshee saves Peyer after Deadpool knocks him off a rooftop, and then leaves to find Black Tom. After hesitating, Deadpool finally agrees to join Siryn and follow Banshee. Meanwhile, one of Black Tom’s men brings him Deadpool’s severed hand. Dr. Killebrew explains his plan to graft Deadpool’s regenerative cells to Tom’s degenerative limbs in order to stop the infection. Tom cuts off his own hand and forces the doctor to attach Deadpool’s.

Creative Differences

The scene towards the end where Banshee saves Peyer and Deadpool agrees to follow Siryn is obviously not computer lettered, and it isn't in Starkings’ personal style either. I don’t know if this was the result of an editorial rewrite or some problems with Comicraft (the only noticeable disconnect would be Banshee given Deadpool’s unique balloon style for one panel).

Review

For the first time, the mini briefly introduces the idea that Deadpool might be able to change. Siryn tells him that he’s “not the rogue” people make him out to be, based on the way he’s looked out for her. This is a bit of a stretch, considering that she’s held her own so far and is actually the one protecting Deadpool at this point. Plus, she’s witnessed him kill several people so far, which presumably wouldn’t endear himself to her that much. There’s really no implication that she’s actually attracted to him, but even building a friendship out of this seems forced to me. At any rate, this isn’t much different from the other issues. Lots of fighting and running around with a couple of amusing wisecracks.

DEADPOOL #4 – November 1994

Mano @ Mano

Credits: Mark Waid (writer), Ian Churchill & Ken Lashley (pencilers), Bud LaRosa & Tom Wegryzn with Philip Moy & W.C. Carani (inkers), Starkings/Comicraft (lettering), Dana Moreshead & Mike Thomas (colors)

Summary

Deadpool, Banshee, and Siryn track Black Tom to his secret headquarters. After splitting up, Tom attacks Banshee and Siryn, while Deadpool finds Dr. Killebrew. Deadpool recognizes the doctor because Killebrew was the man responsible for developing his regenerative process. He demands that Killebrew fix his waning healing factor, but has to leave him in order to save Siryn and Banshee from Black Tom. After Deadpool leads Tom to the roof, Daniel Peyer suddenly appears. Deadpool encourages Peyer to leave him alone and go after Black Tom, which leads to Tom blasting Peyer in the face. Juggernaut then arrives and attacks Deadpool. During the fight, Deadpool loses his mask, causing him to act erratically. Siryn destroys the roof under Juggernaut and returns the mask to Deadpool. Black Tom confronts Killebrew about the operation, which has left him near death. Deadpool has an opportunity to kill Tom, but doesn’t take it. He convinces Juggernaut to stop the fight so that Killebrew can save Tom’s life. Killebrew sets up a device to stabilize Tom’s condition while Banshee returns him to jail. Deadpool escapes with Killebrew, who promises to restore his healing factor. Deadpool says goodbye to Siryn, as an injured Daniel Peyer watches and plans his revenge.

I Love the ‘90s

Deadpool tells Siryn that they’re “a regular Michael and Lisa Marie”.

Review

Unfortunately, this is the weakest issue of the miniseries. The Juggernaut chases are getting tedious by now, and new plot elements like Black Tom’s reaction to the surgery aren’t very clear (what exactly is supposed to be wrong with him?). Why exactly Deadpool’s healing power has gone away isn’t explained either. Daniel Peyer returns for no real reason, even though he doesn’t have anything to add to the story at this point. Peyer’s really an underdeveloped character, and setting him up as a recurring villain at the end just doesn’t work. The rest of the story isn’t that bad, though. Waid tries to humanize Deadpool by revealing that he’s extremely afraid of having his face being exposed. This is an element later writers totally ignored; his regular series even had Deadpool out in public wearing only baseball hats. Subsequent stories have also shown that he’s perfectly willing to expose his face just to gross someone out. I actually prefer Waid’s idea, since giving Deadpool a realistic insecurity helps to make him more relatable. In the final pages, Deadpool decides to spare Black Tom’s life, which is portrayed as some sort of major turning point in his life. The scene doesn’t work that badly, but it’s hard to read it and not think about the inconsistent ways Deadpool’s conscious will be played in the coming years. Overall, it’s an enjoyable mini, held back by inconsistent artwork and a disappointing climax.

UNCANNY X-MEN #314 –July 1994

Early Frost

Credits: Scott Lobdell (writer), Lee Weeks (penciler), Bill Sienkewiecz (inker), Chris Eliopoulos (letterer), Steve Buccellato (colorist)

Summary

Emma Frost escapes from the X-Men’s mansion, inside Iceman’s body. Storm and Archangel try to stop her, but she freezes the Hudson River and emerges three miles away. Xavier and Banshee track her in the X-Men’s Blackbird jet. Emma breaks into the offices of Frost Enterprises, and is shot in the chest by the security guards. The hole in her chest doesn’t faze her, as she heads into the records room to find out what happened to her students, the Hellions. She discovers that they were all killed by Fitzroy during the attack that left her in a coma. Overcome with grief, she asks the guards to kill her. Xavier and Banshee appear, and Banshee is able to talk Emma into not giving up. Meanwhile, Bishop has created a hologram replica of his sister, Shard, in the Danger Room. When Jubilee asks him why Shard wasn’t with him when he traveled through time, Bishop replies that he killed her.

Continuity Notes

This is, essentially, the reformation issue for Emma Frost. Her role as a hero continues to this day.

Shard tells Jubilee that no one knows how she got the label “the last X-Man” in the future. She says that “the few details we had of this era were sketchy at best”. As for Bishop killing Shard, I think later stories backed away from that idea. This hologram of Shard will, inexplicably, join X-Factor in a few years.

Emma Frost tells Xavier that she rearranged the Hellion’s “brain engrams” to prevent him, or anyone else, from finding them. This is obviously done to explain why Xavier never recruited the Hellions characters while founding the New Mutants.

“Huh?” Moment

I probably shouldn’t be pointing out anyone else’s typos, but on page two, Emma is described as “loosing herself in the memories of others”.

Review

This is the first issue to explicitly set up the Generation X series. The “Child’s Play” crossover did reintroduce the idea of training young mutants (and debut one of the series’ regulars), but this issue is the first one to directly hint at what the future series will contain. Between “Child’s Play”, this storyline, and the upcoming Phalanx crossovers, Generation X certainly received a lot of buildup. Most of the setup doesn’t feel too awkward, but there’s obviously no reason for Banshee to be in this story, other than the fact that he’s going to be co-starring in the new series with Emma Frost. Having Banshee be the one to talk Emma out of suicide, when the two characters have never even met, is certainly forced. However, the story does do an effective job of showing how Emma’s guilt over the death of her students could lead her to join Xavier’s side. The Hellions were needlessly killed off as shock value a few years earlier, so it’s nice that someone eventually used their deaths as the starting point for new stories. Lee Weeks shows up as the fill-in artist, doing a great job with some impressive inks by Sienkewiecz.

This issue is also notable for showcasing new uses of Iceman’s powers, an idea Lobdell played with earlier in his run. Previously, Mikhail Rasputin used his reality warping powers to alter Iceman’s body, leading him to experiment with his ice powers over the next few issues. I guess Lobdell felt that he didn’t take the idea far enough, as now another character showcases new uses of Iceman’s power. The story acts as if everyone should have known how powerful Iceman could be, but that’s overlooking the fact that the original explanation of his power was that he covered his body in ice, not that he was actually made of ice. There’s a huge difference between the two. The idea that Emma can suddenly take over his body and use it in new ways isn’t necessarily bad, but I think Lobdell takes it too far. If Iceman is really powerful enough to do things like teleport through water, it’s hard to believe that he would’ve stuck to such a limited power set for so long. After years of training as an X-Man, it’s implausible that a stranger could take over his body and suddenly use his powers so much better than he ever could. It’s not that I mind the new powers, I just don’t understand how Emma could have developed them so quickly. I think later there was some explanation that her mental powers allowed her to see Iceman’s potential, but if that’s the case, wouldn’t Xavier have seen this years ago? It’s also worth noting that, as far as I know, Iceman still isn’t using the exaggerated powers exhibited in this issue. This storyline did lead to a permanent redesign of Iceman, though, taking him away from the square ice cube look he had since the mid-‘60s.

GAMBIT #4 – March 1994

Thief of Time

Credits: Howard Mackie (writer), Lee Weeks (penciler), Klaus Janson w/Jason Gorder (inks), Steve Buccellato (colorist), Richard Starkings (letterer)

Summary

Gambit steals Julien’s portion of the elixir, but learns that the elixir has caused him to become an addict. Gambit’s father tells him that this is a risk the Thieves Guild takes in exchange for long life. Candra unites the Thieves and Assassins Guilds against Gambit, but he refuses to hand over the elixir. He fends off the Guilds and tries to resurrect Bella Donna with the elixir, but Julien suddenly breaks in and destroys the vial. Gambit is tempted to kill Julien, but refuses. Gambit’s father-in-law does kill Julien when he tries to slash Gambit from behind. Candra appears, telling the Guilds that the pact will be restored if they kill Gambit. Both sides refuse, no longer willing to be her pawns. Gambit takes the blanket soaked with the elixir and his blood and squeezes it out into Bella Donna’s mouth. She is revived, but has no memory of Gambit. Gambit’s father tells him that his relationship with the Guilds will be strained and to stay out of New Orleans. Gambit leaves his city and family behind.

Review

After last issue’s upturn in quality, I was cautiously optimistic about this issue. I shouldn’t have been. Rather than focusing on the qualities that made Gambit popular in the first place, the story’s back to mopey Gambit fighting generic thugs with bad accents while crying about his wife. The story does introduce one interesting conflict, the idea that reviving his wife might make her addicted to the elixir. Gambit worries about the decision for a few pages, and then just goes through with it, making me wonder why the idea was even brought up in the first place. Even the ongoing quest to find the elixir is shortchanged in the final issue, as Gambit just snatches one vial away from Julien without any trouble. The story never even explains where he got the other vial he needed. Since this was the vial that his father owned, I guess it’s implied that he gave it to Gambit after saving his life, but it’s not clear. Another question that occurred to me while reading this issue – what are the Assassins’ powers? Bella Donna had generic energy blasts in her first appearance, but what about the rest of her family? The story makes a big deal about the Assassin’s pact with Candra to gain power, but we never actually see it. Since Gambit spends a large portion of this miniseries fighting these guys, that’s a glaring omission.

I was surprised to look back and see that the X-Men storyline that introduced the Guilds wasn’t so bad, but this miniseries cements my belief that the Guilds idea did a lot of damage to Gambit’s character. The cool mystery man now has most of his secrets revealed, and they’re not really interesting. At least Wolverine got to be a CIA agent in his hidden past, Gambit’s just caught up in garish retread of the Hatfields and McCoys. Gambit doesn’t even steal because he’s an outlaw, or because he wants to take back ill-gotten goods; he steals because that’s the role his family plays in some bored old lady’s game. That makes him a stooge, not a rebel. At the very least, this mini could have served as the final word on the storyline, as Gambit is told to get out of town and his wife apparently has amnesia, but Marvel was never willing to let it go.

Before the final issue of this limited series went on sale where I lived, this episode of the X-Men animated series aired. It covers a lot of the plot points established in this miniseries. Since it takes months for an episode of cartoon show to be written and animated, I wonder how long Marvel had all of this storyline worked out before Howard Mackie began writing this series. Is this a record for the fastest comic book to outside media adaptation? It’s worth noting that the cartoon show left the Guilds alone after this episode, allowing Gambit to keep his irreverent personality throughout the rest of the series. The comics, unfortunately, wouldn’t follow suit (although Fabian Nicieza did an admirable job with the Gambit monthly series years later).

GAMBIT #3 – February 1994

The Benefactress

Credits: Howard Mackie (writer), Lee Weeks (penciler), Klaus Janson (inks), Steve Buccellato (colorist), Richard Starkings (letterer)

Summary

Gambit travels to Paris to find Candra, who has the elixir he needs to revive Bella Donna. After fighting the Tithe Collector, Gambit is shocked to learn that he already knows Candra from his past. Candra explains to him that she created the Guilds years ago, setting the groups against one another and benefiting from both. She’s bored and now wants a new organization. To taunt Gambit, she offers to give him the elixir if he kills his kidnapped father. Julien and a group of Assassins arrive to take the elixir from Candra, too. Gambit saves Candra from Julien, so Candra calls things even and lets him leave with his father. During their farewell kiss, Gambit steals the elixir vial from her cleavage. In New Orleans, Bella Donna suddenly grabs Rogue, giving Rogue her memories of Gambit.

Continuity Notes

Gambit used to work for Candra, and had a romantic relationship with her, but didn’t know about her connection to the Guilds.

Candra revived Julien after he died in his duel with Gambit. She did this to cause more friction between the Guilds.

The only explanation for Bella Donna’s revival is that her father used magic to keep her alive. That’s right – IT’S MAGIC. Don’t ask any questions.

Review

This is an improvement over the previous issue. At the very least, Gambit is consistently charming and sneaky throughout the issue, the two traits that differentiate him from most of his teammates. Candra never became an interesting villain, but I like the idea that she’s been setting up these games between people for her own amusement for years. Asking Gambit to kill his father is pretty cold, and it establishes her level of nastiness pretty clearly. Even though it’s kind of a cheat, having Rogue absorb Bella Donna’s memories is a nice idea. Not only is she jealous of Gambit’s wife, but now she has to live with someone else’s memories of a life she can never have. Lee Weeks’ layout of this page is great, and the rest of his art in this issue is strong, too. Now I don’t know what to think about this miniseries. It alternates between average, awful, and not that bad.

GAMBIT #2 – January 1994

Honor amongst Thieves

Credits: Howard Mackie (writer), Lee Weeks (pencils), Klaus Janson (inks), Steve Buccellato (colorist), Richard Starkings (letterer)

Summary

Gambit sneaks into his father-in-law’s home to find Bella Donna, now comatose. He fights the Assassins with Rogue and escapes with Bella Donna. Gambit plans to revive her with the “Elixir of Life”, the reward the Thieves Guild receives for offering tithes to the External Candra. His father has the first vial of the Elixir but refuses to give it to an outsider. Gambit leaves Bella Donna with Rogue and goes on a search for the rest of the Elixir. Julien, Gambit’s brother-in-law, kills his father and turns against the established Assassin’s Guild to create a new guild. He hires Thieves Guild member Pierre to help him steal the Elixir from Candra’s agent, the Tithe Collector. They steal one of the three vials of the Elixir before the Tithe Collector escapes.

Continuity Notes

Gambit’s father, Jean-Luc, appears for the first time. According to Gambit, he grew up on the streets and met Jean-Luc when he tried to pick his pocket. Jean-Luc took a liking to him and brought Gambit into the Thieves Guild. Gambit’s first ongoing series would offer more details on this.

Bella Donna’s father says that the Thieves Guild receives life from their tithes to Candra, while the Assassins Guild receives power.

Gambit’s accent is starting to get thicker with this issue, with more and more “dis”s showing up.

Review

After a competent first issue, the Gambit limited series starts to go off the rails. Rather than creating a story that focuses on Gambit’s appeal as an affable scoundrel, he’s placed in a story where he’s running around holding his comatose wife and yelling at a lot of people. His continuity becomes more convoluted as new information is given on the Guilds, creating a connection with another piece of forgotten X-continuity, the Externals. There’s a lot of stuff about tithes, vials, and elixirs that’s never explained very clearly, and is pretty boring even when you do manage to piece it all together. Gambit’s efforts to revive his wife could provide a strong personal motivation for the character, but it’s buried underneath too many characters and too much continuity. How exactly Bella Donna is still alive is never explained, either. She was dead in one issue and now comatose in another (just like the White Queen, which almost makes you wonder if Marvel couldn’t tell the difference during this time). The dull story isn’t helped by the bland dialogue and repetitive narrative captions, either. My first thought after finishing this issue was, “I’ve got to read two more of these?”

GAMBIT #1 – December 1993

Tithing

Credits: Howard Mackie (writer), Lee Weeks (pencils), Klaus Janson (inks), Steve Buccellato (colorist), Richard Starkings (letterer)

Summary

Gambit’s brother in the Thieves Guild, Henri, infiltrates the X-Men’s mansion to give him a message. Henri says that it’s “the tithing time” and that all Guild members need to be in New Orleans. He also tells Gambit that his brother-in-law, Julien, is still alive and that the peace between the Thieves and Assassins Guilds is over. Suddenly, Herni is shot with an arrow. Gambit tracks down the Assassin Guild killers and discovers his brother-in-law really is alive. Julien attempts to recreate the duel that apparently killed him the first time, and is once again seriously injured. The Assassins teleport way, as Julien tells Gambit that Bella Donna is also still alive. Gambit leaves for New Orleans to investigate, and Rogue convinces him that she should go along.

Continuity Notes

Julien is the unnamed Assassin in solid black from the Ghost Rider crossover issues. He was believed dead after he engaged Gambit in a duel after he married Julien’s sister.

Gambit’s accent still isn’t very thick in this issue (no “des” or “dats” that I can find). That leaves Scott Lobdell as the only writer during this time giving Gambit such an exaggerated accent.

“Huh?” Moments

Couldn’t Henri just call Gambit on the telephone? The fight scene with Julien and Gambit is also awkward, as it looks like Julien just leaps on top of Gambit’s sword.

Gimmicks

This issue has a cardstock foil embossed cover.

Commercial Break

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Review

Hey, it’s that Gambit mini-series that came out a few years before everyone decided they hated him. Just like Cable’s solo stories, I don’t really remember anything about this mini. I was half-expecting it to be a train wreck, but the first issue at least isn’t that bad. It’s a fairly basic action story that’s setting up future events in the series. The story’s helped a lot by Lee Weeks, a great artist who’s never received his proper credit. Janson’s rough inks also help to distinguish the book from the house style of the era’s X-titles. I’ve mentioned before that the X-titles were becoming even more homogenized during 1993, and this issue is no exception. A large section of this issue is dedicated to Rogue and Gambit working out in the Danger Room while Storm and Wolverine offer commentary. Gambit gets into some action on his own, but then leaves with Rogue at the end of the issue. It reads like it could have been a typical issue of X-Men that just happened to focus on Gambit. Howard Mackie’s able to fit into the faux-Claremont mold of the titles during this time, which probably explains why he’ll continue to work on various X-books until the end of the ‘90s. He manages to keep the story moving and build up a decent level of suspense, although there is an overall blandness to the dialogue.