X-MEN LEGENDS - June 2000 (Part Six)

Ice Prince

Written by K. A. Kindya

Summary:  Jubilee is stunned to discover Rogue and Jean Grey are fans of professional figure skating.  She refuses to watch, until she catches a glimpse of teenage skater Christopher Kim.  Her crush on Chris inspires her to try figure skating.  She travels with Rogue and Jean Grey to see Chris compete, but his act is cut short by the Friends of Humanity.  They reveal that Chris is actually a mutant who’s used his powers to aid his performance.  The crowd erupts in a panic and Chris is lead offstage.  Jubilee sneaks backstage and rescues Chris from two FoH members.  In the melee, Chris realizes he has levitation skills.  Jubilee invites Chris to stay at Xavier’s school, and in the ensuing weeks, he discovers his skating career is over.  Jubilee encourages Chris to find other interests, and soon Chris leaves the country to explore his passion for art.  Jubilee tries to tell herself she’s over Chris but she knows it isn’t true.

Continuity Notes:  According to the Continuity Guide, this story is set shortly after X-Men (vol. 2) #3 (December 1991).  Jubilee’s references to Magneto, the Legacy Virus, and the team recently returning from Genosha lead me to believe that it’s intended to be set after the “Bloodties”crossover, which places it post-X-Men (vol. 2) #26.

I Love the ‘90s:  Rogue says the commotion at the rink is worse than what happened with Nancy and Tonya.

Review:  I’m also not the target audience for this story, and unfortunately I can’t claim this one is “mercifully short.”  Twenty-four pages isn’t a totally unreasonable length for a short story, but twenty-four pages dedicated to Jubilee discovering the joys of professional figure skating is borderline torture.  Even if I were to ignore my inherent apathy towards figure skating, it’s hard to find anything of merit here.  The heroes are simpletons (it’s painfully obvious from the second page that Chris is a mutant, but the X-Men don’t realize this until the FoH announce the fact to the world), the plot has no real stakes for any of the established characters, and Jubilee’s acerbic, bratty personality is tossed out the window so that she can fall in love with the author’s idealized fantasy of a sensitive, young skating prodigy.  We’re also to believe that Rogue, of all the female X-Men, is a diehard fan of competitive figure skating.  Jean Grey I could buy, but Rogue?  Almost every member of the team K. A. Kindya uses in the story is twisted out-of-character in order to fulfill a preordained role in what turns out to be some sort of sports/superhero fan-fiction mash-up.  I had no idea the genre even existed, although I guess there probably is a Livejournal page out there dedicated to Wolverine and Cyclops settling their differences on the ballroom floor.  

Such Stuff as Dreams Are Made Of

Written by Robin Wayne Bailey

Summary:  Phoenix dreams that she is Army nurse Jane Somerset, engaged to Captain Stephen Maxwell.  In her visions, she repeatedly witnesses Stephen die at Pearl Harbor.  Cyclops and Phoenix attempt to discover the source of these dreams, and Cyclops’ research reveals that a Jane Somerset has been admitted to a nearby VA hospital.  While driving through Salem Center, Cyclops and Phoenix meet the pastor of the church Jane’s sister Margaret attends.  After meeting and befriending Margaret, Cyclops and Phoenix visit Jane in her hospital room.  Realizing that Jane is a mutant with only hours to live, Jean telepathically gives her the wedding she was robbed of in 1941.

Continuity Notes:  This story, intended as a continuation of Scott and Jean’s honeymoon, is set after the initial Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix miniseries (May-August 1994).

Review:  Hypothetically, I should like this one.  The premise is unique, the mystery is intriguing, and I tend to enjoy stories that have normal people interacting with telepathy in some way.  The execution, however, is so dry it’s hard to feel any real connection to the events.  The first half of the story is squandered with repetitive sequences of the mysterious Stephen Maxwell dying over and over again.  The author could’ve established in a few lines that Jean has been having this dream repeatedly for the past few days, but instead the reader has to endure the same death scene of a character we know or care nothing about for several pages.  It undermines the initial hook of the story, which is actually quite strong.  Robin Wayne Bailey also has a writing tic that personally bothers me – too much detail.  I mean, detail to the point that we’re told the name brand of the radio in Jean’s bedroom and Martha Somerset’s preferred teapot style.  The excessive verbiage kills the momentum of the story and eats up room that could’ve been used to flesh out Jane’s character.  The final pages of the story hint at some fantastic ideas – Jane becoming mute following Pearl Harbor (perhaps because she lost her hearing in the bombing, or more likely due to the trauma), Jean as a sympathetic mind that Jane’s reached out to, and Jean’s realization that Professor X saved her from Jane’s fate following her friend Annie’s death – but there’s no space for any of these concepts to have life.  There’s great potential here, but the story never manages to make Jane Somerset a fully realized character.  And without a genuine connection to Jane, the story falls apart.

X-MEN LEGENDS - June 2000 (Part Five)

The Stranger Inside

Written by Jennifer Heddle

Summary:  Remembering the advice of Professor Xavier, Rogue starts a diary.  Carol Danvers, whose consciousness has recently been overtaking Rogue’s body, also keeps pages in the journal.  Rogue resents Carol’s intrusion into another aspect of her life, but eventually sympathizes with Carol’s pain.  Carol writes a message to Rogue, telling her that she’ll try to hate her less.  Rogue, following Carol’s advice, begins to grow closer to the X-Men.

Continuity Notes:  The Continuity Guide places this story concurrently with Uncanny X-Men #243-246 (April-July 1989), during the days the X-Men lived in a ghost town in the Australian outback.  Rogue feels distressed at the start of the story following the events of “Inferno,” which had her touching Apocalypse’s evil while kissing Archangel, and later facing the demon N’astirh. (Uncanny X-Men #243 was actually the last UXM issue of “Inferno,” so really the story can’t begin until UXM #244.)

Review:  I’ve always loved the status quo that had Rogue and Carol Danvers sharing a body.  Allowing Rogue to keep Carol’s powers but pay no emotional toil for her actions was kind of cheap, so I’m glad Claremont eventually hit on the idea of Carol spontaneously taking over Rogue’s body at certain times.  Now, Rogue literally can’t forget about her greatest sin, and she’s forced to acknowledge that the X-Men actually like Carol more than they like her.  There’s enormous story potential here, and presenting the narrative as Rogue and Carol’s alternating diary entries is pretty smart.  The most touching moment of the story comes when Carol realizes that she can’t remember the last time she saw her brother.  She remembers him as a child, and she knows he died in Vietnam, but her final moments with him are gone.  Perhaps Rogue’s powers permanently erased some of her memories, or Rogue’s actually cruel enough to intentionally keep the memory from her.  The way Heddle uses the existing backstory to humanize Carol and dramatize the current hell she lives in is admirably good writing.  There’s no real resolution to this mystery; it’s implied that Rogue wouldn’t do such a thing because she has genuinely reformed, but the idea is actually left out there dangling.

Jennifer Heddle seems to be basing most of her story on a scene in Uncanny X-Men #244, which had Rogue smashing up furniture that Carol bought while in control of her body.  Rogue’s only peace in life has come from within herself, due to her inability to touch others, and now even that’s gone.  Carol, on the other hand, has lost everything and sees the face of the person who stole it all in the mirror every day (or at least on the occasions her personality becomes dominant).  As I said earlier, there’s great potential for conflict here, and it’s a shame that Claremont didn’t do more with the idea.  That’s one of the advantages of a retro-anthology; a writer can pick up on a concept that still had some life in it and give readers a worthy “lost tale.”  This is precisely the kind of story I wanted to read in this anthology.  I was sure we’d get a Silver Age nostalgia piece with the original team, an Xavier solo story, and something with Kitty Pryde as a rookie X-Man, but I wasn’t expecting to find a specific continuity point from a somewhat obscure era in the X-Men’s past addressed so poignantly.

Once a Thief

Written by Ashley McConnell

Summary:  Gambit visits the Saint-Chinian region of France.  He runs into a fellow thief, Richard Reynaud, who dares Gambit to steal the wedding rings of a newlywed couple.  Gambit refuses, but soon discovers at his hotel that the rings are missing.  Gambit’s friend, the waitress Madelaine, is accused of the crime.  Gambit clears her name by invading Villa Reynaud and reclaiming the rings.  After the rings are returned to their rightful owners, Richard Reynaud confronts Gambit and tells him he isn’t a true thief.

Continuity Notes:  “Once a Thief” takes place “in the general vicinity” of Uncanny X-Men #275 (April 1991), during Gambit’s earliest days as an X-Man.  I would place it closer to the first issue of the second volume of X-Men, since the narration mentions Cyclops while Gambit is mentally reflecting on the X-Men.

Review:  I’ve never quite understood why Gambit attracted such a dedicated following of female fans, nor have I fully bought into the idea that he’s a refugee from a romance novel who ended up in X-Men comics.  Consequently, I’m not the target audience for this story.  It’s not a “romance” in the way the word is commonly used today (Gambit flirts a lot but doesn’t get involved with any of the female characters), but the story is filled with starry-eyed descriptions of France, loving accounts of Gambit’s innate charm and masculinity, and the stakes simply involve the reunion of a young couple with their wedding rings.  McConnell is attempting to tell a story that bridges the gap between Gambit’s days as a thief and a hero, which is a nice premise for an “untold tale,” but at no point did I really buy into the narrative.  Gambit’s rival is just broad enough to justify for mustache-twirling status, and the waitress and newlywed characters are strictly ciphers.  Some of Gambit’s inner monologue does feel true to the character, but I can’t say that’s enough to maintain my interest in the story.  It is mercifully short though, unlike the robotic dog story from a few chapters ago that lingered endlessly.

X-MEN LEGENDS - June 2000 (Part Four)

A Fine Line

Written by Dori Koogler

Summary:  Callisto oversees Colossus’ recuperation on Muir Island.  Colossus views Callisto as a brutal coach, but he sees a different side of her when the Morlock child Jessie is placed in a medically induced coma to prevent her violent telekinetic powers from reemerging.  Colossus watches for days as Callisto reads The Wizard of Oz to Jessie.  When Jessie’s powers again grow out of control and she dies while under Moira MacTaggert’s care, Callisto is enraged.  Colossus consoles her, and as they grow closer, Shadowcat becomes jealous.  When Colossus realizes that his friendship with Callisto is hurting Shadowcat, and that he’s unable to return Callisto’s affection, he leaves Muir Island for Edinburgh.  Days later, the residents of Muir Island discover that Colossus has rejoined the X-Men and died in Dallas.  Shadowcat attempts to comfort the caustic Callisto and advises her to be true to the person Colossus thought she could be.

Continuity Notes:  

• According to the Continuity Guide, this story is set “just prior” to Uncanny X-Men #224 (December 1987), except for the ending, which takes place between Uncanny X-Men #227 (March 1987) and the initial Excalibur special.
• At this stage in continuity, Callisto and the injured Morlocks are staying on Muir Island with Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Shadowcat following the Mutant Massacre.  Colossus’ “death” in Dallas at the end of the story is a reference to the “Fall of the Mutants” event.
• After weeks of physical therapy, Colossus is able to revert to his human form during the story.  In the comics (as I recall), Colossus remains stuck in his armored form until after he goes through Siege Perilous in Uncanny X-Men #251.  When he reappeared months later, he emerged in his human form and the storyline was never mentioned again.

Review:  “A Fine Line” is set during that chaotic period post-Mutant Massacre when no one even seemed quite sure who was supposed to be an X-Man.  An intimate, human story like this one would’ve be a welcome relief during those days, and Dori Koogler manages to evoke a classic Claremont feel throughout the piece.  Unveiling the hidden depth behind a previously one-note villain is a hallmark of Claremont’s work, not to mention his explorations of the tangled thread of relationships and ex-relationships, so this genuinely feels like a missing story from the ‘80s X-Men.  

I’m assuming the inspiration behind this story is Colossus’ post-Siege Perilous relationship with Callisto, even though it reads very well on its own without any knowledge of where X-continuity is going.  I like the idea that Colossus saw a glimpse of the inner beauty, so to speak, within Callisto months before his memory was erased and he ended up falling for her in a completely different context.  Koogler manages to make Colossus far more sympathetic than he appears under most writers.  He spends time with Nightcrawler every day while his friend’s in a coma, he still has dreams about his deceased love Zsaji, he reaches out to Callisto out of honest concern (oblivious to any romantic feelings that she might develop in return), and ultimately does what he thinks is necessary to spare both Shadowcat and Callisto’s feelings.  Callisto is also admirably fleshed out.  Stories like this are always tricky – it’s not as if Callisto was initially conceived as Colossus’ love interest, after all – but Koogler manages to stay true to Callisto’s character and provide plausible circumstances within the plot that will justify the emergence of other aspects of her personality.  Bringing Shadowcat (stuck as a ghost at this point in continuity, floating around Muir Island and keeping tabs on her ex-boyfriend) into the story is a nice play on the existing backstory, and a great way to complicate Callisto’s attempts to seduce Colossus.  Even though this might initially seem like cliché love triangle material, the characters feel authentic throughout.  The story is a little too long, and it’s arguable the scene that has Callisto suicidal following Jessie’s death is going too far, but overall this is a fantastic effort from Dori Koogler.  

Steel Dogs and Englishmen

Written by Thomas Deja

Summary:  Peter Wisdom contacts Banshee, introducing himself as a W.H.O. agent.  He explains that Justin Hammer has moved his operations to England and is selling a new model of Sentinel.  Banshee reluctantly agrees to join Wisdom on the mission, which has them infiltrating Hammer’s nautical mansion.  After facing a new breed of canine Sentinels, they’re captured by Hammer’s guards.  Banshee and Wisdom escape Hammer’s makeshift prison and find his control room.  Banshee hacks into the computer and inserts the virus disc that destroys the newest Master Mold, and Hammer’s home.  Later, Wisdom meets with his true employers, Black Air, and hands them a disc with copied Sentinel schematics.

Continuity Notes:  This story “takes place concurrently” with Excalibur #11 (August 1989).  Banshee doesn’t have his sonic powers at this point, a fact Wisdom doesn’t know when he contacts him.

“Huh?” Moment:  Banshee wears an old SHIELD outfit while on the mission, a detail that’s never explained. I know that Banshee was an Interpol agent in the past, but don’t recall him ever working with SHIELD.

Review:  I’m not a big fan of action in the prose format, and unfortunately, this is around twenty pages of action.  The premise for the story is fine -- former secret agent Sean Cassidy getting called out of retirement by the arrogant young punk Pete Wisdom has potential, and it’s an unobtrusive way to retcon Wisdom into one of the X-Men’s past.  But the chemistry between Wisdom and Banshee is just tepid; none of the barbs are particularly funny and there’s no real bond between the characters.  Perhaps there is an entertaining way to have Banshee and Wisdom bounce off each other, but Deja doesn’t find it.  The only real conflict between them comes from Banshee’s refusal to kill, and even that feels casually tossed away when Banshee blows up Hammer’s operation at the end.  Surely not everyone escaped, did they?

 

While I did enjoy Deja’s interpretation of preppie criminal Justin Hammer (and the white tennis outfits the heroes are forced to wear while in “prison,” which is actually Hammer’s guest room), the lengthy fight scenes with the canine Sentinels felt like they dragged on forever.  Even in comics, the visual of a robotic dog wouldn’t be so exciting, and reading page after page of prose descriptions of Banshee and Wisdom fighting them, with some generic goons thrown in, gets old quickly.  It’s just too much of a chore to finish, and the payoff of “Black Air is up to something!” isn’t enough to justify the effort.

X-MEN LEGENDS - June 2000 (Part Three)

The Worst Prison of All

Written by C. J. Henderson

Summary:  While attending the Moslem festival of Achoura in Morocco, Xavier is attacked by the thralls of Gol-shentu, the Forgotten One.  Xavier enters the Astral Plane to face Gol-shentu and discovers that he’s a psychic vampire that lives in-between dimensions.  After focusing his powers, Xavier is able to pull Gol-shentu into the real world.  Unprepared for life in three-dimensions, Gol-shentu evaporates.  Xavier reflects on the being that retreated to shadow dimensions in order to avoid death and remains more determined to enjoy his life while there’s still time.

Continuity Notes:  This story is set in-between Uncanny X-Men #110 (April 1978) and #111 (June 1978).

Review:  Nothing particularly exciting here.  One major problem is the villain, Gol-shentu, the Forgotten One.  His name is hard to pronounce, he’s far too reminiscent of the Shadow King, and his motivation comes across as an excuse for the narrator to spell out the moral of the fable.  There’s nothing wrong with a story about Xavier embracing life after the loss of his legs and realizing that every living thing must face his mortality, but there’s little to this story outside of the very obvious point it’s making.  Also, if Xavier is going to star in a story about the importance of living life, I think his standard personality of the stoic, serious professor should probably be addressed in some way.  If Xavier is someone with an incredible passion for life, it would seem to be buried deep under the surface, and the story would be well-served if the reader discovers why.

Chasing Hairy

Written by Glenn Hauman

Summary:  Carol Danvers interviews the Beast for NOW Magazine.  He deflects any serious question with a joke.

Continuity Notes:  Set during Beast’s stint with the Avengers, this story occurs right before Avengers #181 (March 1979).

I Love the ‘90s:  The cover of NOW Magazine is dated September 1999.

Review:  “Chasing Hairy” is very short, but it’s also a very accurate interpretation of how an interview with the Beast of the late ‘70s would read.  Beast’s light-hearted, occasionally goofy personality from his Avengers days had largely disappeared by this point in continuity, even though Kurt Busiek and Roger Stern tried their best to revive it during his appearances in Avengers-related titles around this time.  Perhaps that was Hauman’s inspiration (along with the internet campaign to have Beast rejoin the Avengers) to remind readers of the less serious, but no less intelligent interpretation of the character.  I’m not going to say that the Beast evolved into a totally different character over the years, but the zany, manic sense of humor rarely appeared after Beast returned to the X-titles, and this story is a decent nostalgia piece for the people who remember those days.

One Night Only

Written by Scholly Fisch

Summary:  Kitty Pryde takes Nightcrawler to the circus for his birthday.  Nightcrawler discovers that one of the performers is his former high-rope partner Johanna.  He spontaneously joins her performance, to the crowd’s delight.  Later, the circus’ creative director offers Nightcrawler a job.  To Kitty’s shock, he doesn’t decline.  Meanwhile, the Blob and Unus the Untouchable invade the big top, after robbing the circus’ account manager.  Kitty uses her powers to protect a frightened child, then penetrates Unus’ forcefield and knocks him unconscious.  Nightcrawler tries to teleport the Blob far away from the crowd, but his massive build leaves Nightcrawler stranded in the Hudson River.  Johanna arrives to rescue him.  Nightcrawler expresses his appreciation, but tells Johanna that he now realizes he can’t reunite their act.

Continuity Notes:  “One Night Only” is set shortly after Uncanny X-Men #153 (January 1982).  Kitty’s codename is Sprite during this era.

Review:  This is the kind of story that used to run in Marvel annuals in the ‘80s before they went crossover crazy.  There’s nothing truly wrong with the plot of “One Night Only,” it’s just doomed as obvious “illusion of change.”  Nightcrawler is tempted to rejoin the circus.  Nightcrawler stops two evil mutants.  Nightcrawler realizes he can’t go back to the circus.  Scholly Fisch is able to make the cast likeable enough throughout the piece, so that alleviates some of the tedium.  (And credit to Fisch for acknowledging Amanda Sefton’s part in Nightcrawler’s past and assuring the reader that Johanna isn’t supplanting her in continuity.)  There’s a nice idea in here that the appeal of the circus is not only nostalgia for Nightcrawler, but it’s also a place where he can openly be himself and receive true recognition for his talents.  The Blob and Unus are also well chosen as foes, given their own pasts with the circus.  Ultimately, though, it’s a story that hinges on a conflict that you know is going nowhere, and the resolution is even more pat than I expected going in.

X-MEN LEGENDS - June 2000 (Part Two)

Welcome to the X-Men, Madrox

Written by Steve Lyons

Summary:  After arriving at Xavier’s school, Madrox reluctantly leaves his room and meets the X-Men.  Unsure of how to interact with others, Madrox creates duplicates to spend time with the team while he returns to the safety of his room.  While in town with Havok and Polaris, one duplicate is attacked by anti-mutant bigots.  Inside the Danger Room, another duplicate learns that the X-Men spend most of their time fighting other mutants.  A third duplicate explores the grounds and meets a non-descript man.  The mystery man soon reveals himself as the Super-Adaptoid and attacks the team.  Madrox leaves his room and personally witnesses the bravery of his duplicates when facing the Super-Adaptoid.  He develops a plan to give the Super-Adaptoid his abilities, knowing that eventually the Super-Adaptoid will over-tax its system and burn out its powers.  Later, after returning to his room, Madrox decides that life as an X-Man would be even lonelier than his current solitary existence.  

Continuity Notes:  “Welcome to the X-Men, Madrox” takes place in-between Giant Size Fantastic Four #4 (February 1975) and Giant Size X-Men #1 (October 1975).  In the story, the Danger Room uses realistic holographic images, but it’s my understanding that the Danger Room’s holograms (created with Shi’ar technology) didn’t debut until New Mutants #1 (March 1983).

Review:  The “about the authors” piece in the back of the novel indicates that Steve Lyons had wanted to write a Madrox story for a while, and it’s obvious over the course of this piece that he’s a fan of the character.  Madrox’s isolation, and the sense of futility that comes with having every option available, are a part of what makes Madrox unique, and Lyons has clearly put a decent amount of thought behind the concept.  Madrox stories really can go anywhere, and I like Lyons’ portrayal of Madrox as a recluse, using his duplicates to explore the outside world while he hides in the safety of his bedroom.  The story hinges on Madrox’s initial appearance, which had him living alone in a farmhouse after the loss of his parents.  Madrox, at this point, has had very limited exposure to the outside world and is literally his own best friend.  While the scenes that get inside Madrox’s head are great, I do question why the bulk of the story is concerned with Madrox learning (via his duplicates) that he possesses the makings of a hero.  I’ve never thought of Madrox as being un-heroic, but he’s never been portrayed as a traditional, straight-forward hero figure either, so heroism alone isn’t really a defining trait for the character.  By the end of the story, Madrox decides (after being exposed to human intolerance and learning that even mutants can’t get along with each other) that he isn’t ready for this life, so he goes back into hiding.  As a continuity implant, it works as an explanation for why Madrox didn’t join the “All-New” X-Men team, but it makes for an odd story.  Madrox doesn’t think he can be a hero, proves he can be a hero, then decides he isn’t ready to be a hero, the end.  I realize that the story has to end with Madrox going back into hiding, but I don’t quite understand the route Lyons takes to get there.

Peace Offering

Written by Michael Stewart

Summary:  Following the X-Men’s fight with Iron Fist at Jean Grey and Misty Knight’s apartment, Wolverine secretly enters with a dove as a peace offering.  After initially mistaking Wolverine for an intruder, Misty questions Wolverine on why he doesn’t act on his feelings for Jean.  Hand ninjas suddenly enter, seeking to kill Misty for her investigation into a Japanese crimelord.  Wolverine and Misty stop the first group of attackers, but another emerges shortly after Jean returns home.  Jean is cut by a drugged shuriken and Wolverine leaves to find the ninja who threw it.  After Misty defeats the final ninja, Jean’s powers burn out the poison.  Wolverine returns after failing to locate Jean’s attacker, but can’t bring himself to enter the apartment.

Continuity Notes:  This story is set during the time Jean Grey and Misty Knight were roommates.  It takes place between Uncanny X-Men #108 and #109, and shortly after Iron Fist #15.

Review:  It’s another retcon story about the legendary, forbidden love between Wolverine and Jean Grey.  I’m not a huge fan of the concept, but I have to acknowledge that Michael Stewart does have an excellent grasp on Wolverine’s character.  Too often Wolverine is given his current personality in the flashback stories, but it’s important to remember that he really was a different character when he first joined the X-Men.  Stewart sets the story just as Wolverine was evolving, actually opening himself up to other people and recognizing that he can no longer hide behind the façade that he’s more animal than man.  Stewart does a nice job having Wolverine voice his insecurities over whether or not Jean could ever accept him while staying true to the character and not turning Wolverine into a wuss.  It’s a thin line to walk, but Stewart writes a well-rounded Wolverine that evokes a classic Claremontian feel.  

I do have to gripe about the anthology’s first negative instance of prequel-itis, however.  Stewart heavily implies that the mystery ninja who strikes Jean is none other than Yukio (“Gotcha!”).  I don’t recall it ever being established that Yukio worked with the Hand, and even if the idea can work within continuity, the sheer coincidence of Wolverine’s future lover nearly killing his unrequited love is too hard to swallow.  Also, wouldn’t Wolverine have recognized her scent when they met for the first time in the Wolverine limited series?

X-MEN LEGENDS - June 2000 (Part One)

Every Time a Bell Rings

Written by Brian K. Vaughan

Summary:  Fifteen-year-old Warren Worthington III secretly attempts to fly.  After a disastrous training session, Warren learns from his roommate and best friend Benny Yorkes that a classmate has died.  Later, after hearing screams in the night, Warren discovers a monster has killed the groundskeeper, Hallahan.  He successfully flies for the first time escaping the beast.  Warren seeks counsel from young teacher Father Tim, who’s sympathetic towards mutants, unlike the headmaster, Father White.  Later, after Warren hears the screams of the school’s bully Chadwick in the night, he discovers that Benny is the monster.  Benny grabs on to Warren as he flies away, but as his true personality returns, Benny realizes he can’t live as a monster.  He slashes Warren’s wing and willingly drops to his death.  The night before Benny’s funeral, Warren appears as the Avenging Angel to Father White and convinces him that mutants are also God’s children.

Continuity Notes:  

• According to the Continuity Guide in the back of the novel, this story takes place “about a year prior” to the back-up story in X-Men Vol. 1 #54 (March 1969).
• For those keeping score, the name of Warren’s prep school is St. Ignatius in the story, while at some point in the comics continuity, the name was established as St. Joe’s Preparatory School.  

Review:  Before X-Men Legends was a video game, it was the title of one of the final Marvel prose novels released by Penguin Putnam.  Much like The Ultimate Spider-Man and Untold Tales of Spider-Man, the novel is an anthology collection of various stories from the X-Men’s past.  Brian K. Vaughan was still relatively unknown when this novel was released, although he was beginning to build a name for himself in comics.  Vaughan’s decision to chronicle Warren Worthington’s life in prep school as a young mutant predates the Marvel Knights’ Angel miniseries, which followed a very similar premise, by several years.

Assuming you’re willing to accept the wild coincidence that two mutants have ended up as roommates in this prep school (which is acknowledged within the story), there’s a lot to enjoy here.  The starting place of the story, Warren studying books on aviation and physics to learn how exactly to use his wings, is clever.  Since humans aren’t meant to fly, Warren has no real clue how to use his wings, assuming they even work in the first place.  After a few pages of introducing the cast, Vaughan evolves the piece into a murder mystery, with two black hat and two white hat potential suspects.  Naturally, one of the white hats turns out to be the culprit, but I have to confess I assumed Father Tim would be the killer, not Warren’s pal Benny.  While the concept of a monster on campus does initially seem ridiculous, Vaughan sells the drama fairly well, and Warren’s confrontations with the beast do work as suitable motivations for Warren to fully develop his powers.  The debut of the Avenging Angel at the end is a cute play on Warren’s identity as an “angel,” as well.  I’ll also give Vaughan credit for not giving into standard prequel-itis, with only one reference in the piece to a character Warren will meet in the future, and it’s a totally defensible one given the context of the story.

Diary of a False Man

Written by Keith R.A. DeCandido

Summary:  Following the death of the Changeling, who was impersonating Charles Xavier, Jean Grey discovers his diary.  She learns that the Changeling was an orphan with no name, who developed mutant powers at puberty and left his old life behind.  After years as a thief, he was recruited into the Factor Three, where he inadvertently played a part in an alien’s plans to destroy Earth.  Months later, after being diagnosed with cancer, the Changeling sought out Xavier to make amends.  Xavier amplified the Changeling’s latent telepathic powers and asked him to assume his identity while he prepared for an invasion by the alien Z’Nox.  Jean Grey was the only X-Man to know of the deception, and now that the Changeling has died in battle, she isn’t sure if she should tell her teammates.  Ultimately, Jean realizes that the Changeling was content knowing he did the right thing, even with no recognition.

Continuity Notes:  

• This story is set concurrently with X-Men Vol. 1 #43 (April 1968).  The Continuity Guide also claims that the final portion of the story takes place after X-Men Vol. 1 #66 (March 1970), when Xavier is revealed as alive, but there is no jump to the future at the end of the published version.
• The Changeling’s diary claims that the name given to him by the nuns at his orphanage was Charles Sage.  Morph, an alternate reality version of the Changeling, has the real name of Kevin Sydney.
• The Changeling grew up in Central City, CA, which is where Fantastic Four #1 was set.  At the age of 30, he personally witnessed the Human Torch flying in the sky shortly after the FF’s famous rocket flight.
• I believe this is a retcon -- the Changeling claims that he used the Mutant Master’s advanced technology on Banshee in order to "put him under our control."  This is presumably an explanation for Banshee’s earliest appearances as a villain, which I think remain unexplained in the comics.

Review:  As I’ve said many times, the retcon that revealed an imposter Xavier died while the genuine article was in the basement preparing for an alien invasion is one of the dumbest X-Men stories ever written.  It’s also, somehow, become the entire basis of Charles Xavier’s characterization over the years.  I was dreading this story, but to my relief, Keith R.A. DeCandido doesn’t use it as another excuse to portray Xavier as a lying, scheming, deceptive creep.  Instead, the story is a character piece on the Changeling, a mutant the novel’s back cover tells us was the “forgotten X-Man.”  Thanks to the ‘90s cartoon and the Exiles series, the Changeling has new life today as Morph, even though that character is a million miles away from DeCandido’s interpretation.  The Changeling of the mainstream Marvel Universe doesn’t have a backstory that lends itself towards wacky comedic relief, so instead DeCandido pens a story focusing on alienation, boredom, and ultimately, redemption.  The Changeling grows up with no family and no identity, and upon discovering that he can adopt any identity he wants, squanders his talents for years running petty schemes.  In his final days, he wants to make amends, even though he has a difficult time accepting that when he dies he’ll remain anonymous.  

As ridiculous as the Xavier/Changeling swap premise is, DeCandido does evoke a hint of tragedy with the story.  When Jean reflects that even after the Changeling died doing the right thing, someone else’s name will be on his tombstone, I could almost forget how absurd this concept actually is.  DeCandido does try his best to work through some of the continuity issues and logic problems present in the original comics, but there’s only so much anyone could do.  The best moments of the story are the ones that transform the Changeling from a plot device into a believable character; the rest is an attempt to justify a lame comic from the late Silver Age that I would rather forget.  For anyone curious, you can read an excerpt from this story on DeCandido's old web page.