GENERATION X #47 - January 1999

She Got Game

Credits: Larry Hama (writer), Aaron Lopresti (penciler), Walden Wong (inker), Felix Serrano (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters)

Summary: Forge arrives at the academy to install a new Danger Room in the school’s gym. The new technology is made out of a mysterious metamorphic matter that Forge’s recently discovered and rendered inert. As he lectures the students on ethics, Gaia accidentally revives the Danger Room’s originally programming. It emerges as “Paradox” and attacks Forge. With Emma Frost’s help, a shutdown code is implanted in Paradox’s memory, ending the fight.

Continuity Notes: Forge says he discovered Paradox’s technology during a “recent…adventure.” I have no clue if this is a reference to a published story or merely an idea Hama was percolating. Forge also casually reveals that the school’s Biosphere (or “Bio-Sphere” as it’s often spelled) is made up of a portion of Karkoa’s body. I know that Scott Lobdell teased a Karkoa story towards the end of his run, but I have no memory of this ever being established. At any rate, Karkoa’s desire to be “whole again” is Forge’s explanation for the Biosphere’s recent disappearance. In other news, Artie and Leech have moved into the attic, and Emma discusses Special Education classes for the boys.

Review: Not only does this story involve a sentient Danger Room run amok, but it opens with a surprise Sentinel attack on mutant students gathered in an assembly. Two ideas from Astonishing X-Men in one issue? If I thought for a second that Joss Whedon ever read more than three issues of Generation X, I might be suspicious. Anyway, while Aaron Lopresti can’t capture John Cassaday’s incredible Sentinel attack from Astonishing X-Men #1, Larry Hama has at least written a more plausible “living Danger Room” story. Paradox mentions the irony of Forge teaching an ethics class after essentially enslaving a sentient being, but in Forge’s defense, he honestly thought Paradox’s original programming had been erased. In Astonishing X-Men, Professor Xavier is just a deranged zealot who forced an alien consciousness into slavery because his students “must be trained.” (Perfectly in character, you guys.)

Aside from the novelty that the more mature, serious Marvel that hires “real” writers ended up using the same idea, there’s nothing particularly memorable here. Larry Hama exits with a straightforward action story and a brief dissertation on the nature of superpowers and ethics, which is preferable to overly complicated origin stories and interdimensional hijinks, but it isn’t nearly as interesting as his earlier issues. Before he got into Pookas and Tokens, Hama opened his run with some intriguing character subplots and introduced a few civilian cast members that had potential. He seemed to have the right idea -- focus on the characters and give them a few “normal” people to interact with -- but the M/Penance origin storyline derailed the book spectacularly. After that, he focused on smaller, slightly silly story arcs, but the momentum was lost. Marvel wanted a new direction, so beginning next issue, a young writer named Jay Faerber is given the reigns.

GENERATION X #46 - Late December 1998

The Quality of Mercy

Credits: Larry Hama (writer), Aaron Lopresti (penciler), Walden Wong (inker), Felix Serrano (colors), Comicraft (letters)

Summary: Gen X is disappointed to learn that their “new uniforms” are actually prep school uniforms that have to be worn during the state’s inspection. During P. E., Jubilee defends Emma when M references her criminal past, Synch asks Banshee for relationship advice, and Skin and Chamber bond. When Ms. Pickwick arrives, she literally has a heart attack while criticizing the school. The team races her to the hospital, using their powers to expedite the car ride. Later, Ms. Pickwick returns, acknowledging that she knows the academy’s secret and will recommend the school for its high ethical standards.

Continuity Notes: Apparently, a reference to Penance being from Yugoslavia made its way into one of the published comics, because there’s a retcon explanation for it this issue. M (who was previously Penance, remember) explains that she was born in Sarajevo during her parents’ ski holiday, which explains her original passport. She also reveals that her full name is Monet Yvette Clarisse Maria Therese St. Croix.

Miscellaneous Note: The title of this issue is a Shakespeare reference from The Merchant of Venice.

Review: A year after Uncanny X-Men ran an aborted subplot featuring a nosey school inspector, Generation X uses the idea for a done-in-one story. Obviously, there isn’t a lot of plot here, and the presence of Ms. Pickwick isn’t really played for laughs either. I mean, it is funny when the woman has a heart attack on her debut page while angrily listing all of the school’s absurdities, but I don’t know if we’re supposed to be laughing at her. The threat of her arrival does introduce some genuinely amusing moments at the beginning of the issue, though. Emma wants the students to stop calling the staff by their first names, which goes about as well as you would expect, especially with M. When M later points out that Emma is the last person who should be lecturing them on the ethical uses of their powers, Jubilee’s earnest defense is great: “It’s gotta take a lot of guts to stand up here and lecture us kids about morality when we all know what a devious witch she used to be! I mean, she used to plunder retirement accounts and savings of old, crippled widows! You really gotta hand it to her!” The rest of the issue consists of low-key conversation scenes that just recap some ongoing subplots, followed by the “rush to the hospital” sequence. Nothing particularly interesting, which is disappointing since this title has been too sedate for months now.

X-MEN/DR. DOOM '98 - December 1998

Doomquest

Credits: Jorge Gonzalez (writer), Aaron Lopestri (penciler), Art Thibert & Jaime Mendoza (inks), Shannon Blanchard (colors), Comicraft’s Dave Lanphear (letters)

Summary: In the past, Dr. Doom learns of the coming of Onslaught from the mystic Seer. Suspecting a connection to Magneto, Doom travels on his Time Platform with the Seer to secretly spy on Magneto at various points in his future. At one point the Seer makes telepathic contact with Onslaught, leading the duo to investigate Professor Xavier’s life. Eventually, Doom battles the Magneto of the present day, before finally reaching the moment of Onslaught’s creation. As the darkness inside Magneto invades Xavier’s consciousness, Doom tries to steal its power with his absorption module. The nascent Onslaught entity responds by sending Doom and the Seer back to the past. Doom is satisfied with the knowledge he’s obtained, and kills the Seer to keep it for himself.

Continuity Notes: The framing sequence of this story takes place shortly after Magneto invaded Santo Marco in the original X-Men #4. At one point in the issue, Doom arrives in the “Days of Future Past” timeline. The presence of the Sentinels inspires him to create his own robots.

Review: It’s always a dodgy proposition when creators predict the future of their characters, especially in corporate-owned comics. The writer doesn’t know if he’ll be on the book three months from now, let alone twenty years in the future, and there’s no way of telling which new cast members will join a series, or which characters will be killed off or resurrected by editorial fiat. There’s a reason why Stacy X isn’t on one of those posters behind Wolverine on the cover of Uncanny X-Men #141, aside from the fact that everyone hates her.

Gonzalez escapes this trap by setting the story far in the past of Marvel continuity, guaranteeing that his visions of the future are absolutely accurate, since they’ve already happened. As much as fans might’ve complained about the “Onslaught” crossover, within the context of the Marvel Universe, it’s entirely feasible that Onslaught’s the type of omnipotent entity that would give a mystic soothsayer fits. It’s not like he’s going to predict the dawning of the Age of Humbug, after all. Gonzalez has selected a series of “greatest hits” from UXM, mainly hitting on the Claremont issues, which will likely please most longtime fans. There’s always a chance that referencing an old story can make yours look weak in comparison, but Gonzalez writes an entertaining Doom and Lopestri’s art is strong enough to compete with the original stories.

The continuity issues are danced around by allowing Doom to remain cloaked during most of the adventures, with only Phoenix and Onslaught making brief detections. The official line used to be that time travel is supposed to automatically create an alternate reality in the Marvel Universe, but even if this trip didn’t alter reality, there’s no impact Doom’s presence could’ve made on the time periods he visited. The only question now is why Doom didn’t go through with the promise he makes at the end of the story to use this information to his advantage. If we’re to believe that the Dr. Doom of the mainstream Marvel Universe knew of the coming of Onslaught years in advance, why did he so rarely interact with Xavier and Magneto? Why was he so unprepared for the emergence of Onslaught? Why couldn’t he prevent his own sacrifice, which helped to destroy the entity? I realize that erasing Doom’s knowledge of the future at the story’s end would’ve been a cheat, but allowing him to keep the information creates its own set of problems.

WEB OF SPIDER-MAN Annual #8 - August 1992

The Dark at the End of the Tunnel (The Hero Killers, Part Three)

Credits: David Michelinie (writer), Scott McDaniel (penciler), Keith Williams (inker), Steve Dutro (letterer), Bob Sharen (colorist)

The Plot: Spider-Man teams with the New Warriors to rescue their teammate, Speedball. They battle supervillains employed by Justin Hammer at the scientific research station where Speedball is being held. During the fight, Silhouette is kidnapped, and Firestar discovers the body of Gamma Flight’s Auric. Later, the united heroes find Auric’s sister, Silver. She inadvertently leads them into a trap, where Speedball’s powers are used against the heroes.

The Subplots: None.

*See _________ For Details: Speedball was kidnapped in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #26. The final installment of this storyline appears in New Warriors Annual #2.

Review: This is the only chapter of this crossover that I own, but the basic concept sounds promising. As the Sphinx explains on the final page, a group of villains are inverting the government’s Project Pegasus program and analyzing the powers of heroes for their own ends. Spider-Man’s research reveals that the conspiracy involves the Life Foundation, the Brand Corporation, and Justin Hammer, which is a nice cross-section of Marvel villains, and at least two Michelinie creations. I’ve always enjoyed stories that have villains forming alliances, and this plot sounds like a perfectly logical scheme, within the context of the Marvel Universe, for the villains to be pursuing. The rest of the story is an extended fight scene, competently rendered by a pre-stylized Scott McDaniel, which has Spider-Man and the New Warriors fighting a cross-section of Marvel villains that range from Rhino and Boomerang to obscure losers like Bombshell and Stiletto. It’s not deep, but it’s fun.

First Kill - Part Three

Credits: David Michelinie (writer), Aaron Lopresti (penciler), Bruce Jones (inker), Rick Parker (letterer), Kevin Tinsley (colorist)

The Plot: Venom kills Bruno Markham in retaliation for the murder of an inventor whose work was stolen by Markham. When the victim’s nephew expresses remorse for helping Markham take his work, Venom gives him a second chance. Later, Eddie Brock decides to bond with the alien symbiote permanently.

*See _________ For Details: This story is continued from Amazing Spider-Man Annual #26 and Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #12 (incorrectly listed as #11 in the footnotes).

Creative Differences: The narrative captions leading up to Markham’s death are clearly not lettered by Rick Parker.

Review: The ongoing Venom series of miniseries is about to begin, which is why this year’s Spider-annuals are running a prequel story that shows Venom as an anti-hero fighting for justice in his own warped way. This is only eight pages, and without the context of the previous chapters, it’s hard to make much of a judgment. I was never a fan of using Venom as a vigilante, though, and retroactively inserting quasi-heroic adventures into his past just sounds like a bad idea.

The Security Gauntlet

Credits: G. Alan Barnum (writer), Tod Smith (penciler), Don Hudson (inker), Dave Sharpe (letterer), Sara Mossoff (colorist)

The Plot: While testing a family friend’s security system, Black Cat encounters Hydro-Man. She tricks him into an airtight display case and locks him inside.

Review: It’s eight pages of Black Cat skulking around a house and then fighting Hydro-Man. Nothing else going on, except a joke in the final panel that suggests she doesn’t trust herself as a security consultant because she’s still tempted to steal. Filler, obviously.

Down Memory Lane (Spider-Man’s Top Ten Team-Ups)

Credits: Tom Brevoort & Mike Kanterovich (writers), Aaron Lopresti (penciler & inker), Steve Dutro (letterer)

The Plot: Spider-Man reflects on various heroes he’s teamed up with while waiting for MJ to return home. He finally declares his marriage to MJ to be his most successful team-up yet.

Review: It’s a story co-written by Tom “Youth” Brevoort reaffirming Peter Parker’s marriage. Make of that what you will. Some of the in-jokes are humorous, such as Spider-Man’s funny feeling that he has something in common with Dr. Strange.

Evil’s Light - Part Three: Charge of the Light Brigade

Credits: Eric Fein (writer), Vince Evans (penciler), Don Hudson (inker), Dave Sharpe (letterer), John Kalisz (colorist)

The Plot: Cloak pulls Lightmaster into his Dark Dimension, angering the businessman, Chadwick, who’s using his powers for research. Cloak follows Dagger’s command to stop fighting and releases the comatose Lightmaster. Chadwick threatens to press charges, but can’t because he isn’t operating within the law either.

*See _________ For Details: A footnote says Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #12 has all of the details of the story so far.

Review: Another shred of a story that’s hard to properly judge. Pairing Cloak and Dagger against Lightmaster isn’t a bad idea, although I have a feeling this is another story about a generically evil businessman exploiting a villain for profit and then biting off more than he can chew. Unless Eric Fein had a great twist on the concept, it doesn’t sound very interesting.

EXCALIBUR #106 - #107, February - March 1997

Previously…in Excalibur: Warren Ellis left and there were a couple of fill-ins.

A Portrait of the Artist

Credits: Ben Raab (writer), Randy Green, Casey Jones, Rob Haynes, & Aaron Lopresti (pencilers), Martin/Haynes/Ketcham/Pinnock/Simmons/Lopresti/Jones (inkers), Araine Lenshoek & Malibu (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters)

Summary: Colossus receives a message from the Acolytes, who want him to join Exodus in rebuilding Avalon. He travels with Excalibur to the X-Men’s former Australian base, where the Acolytes are located. After intentionally setting off all of the security landmines, Colossus is locked in a room with Scanner and Unuscione. Colossus tries to convince them not to join Exodus. His words almost sway Scanner, but Unuscione forces her to leave. As Excalibur flies home, Peter Wisdom tries to comfort Colossus.

I Love the ‘90s: Colossus is listening to Prodigy’s “Firestarter” while painting a portrait of Meggan in the opening scene.

Review: Ben Raab’s run begins with this issue, and if I’m to believe the conventional wisdom of the internet, we’re in for a rough ride. Raab was a Marvel editor who began picking up freelance work during this time, and I believe this was his first regular assignment. To Raab’s credit, he has found work with DC and several independent publishers, so clearly he’s been able to convince more than just a few people at Marvel that he’s able to write. I can’t find anything particularly wrong with his work in this issue, aside from a few questionable uses of Moira and Peter Wisdom’s accents. In his first issue, Raab picks up on the idea that Colossus is supposed to be redeeming himself with Excalibur. There’s a nice scene that has him walking through a minefield in order to clear a path for the team, which uses his powers effectively and helps to establish his state of mind. Connecting Colossus’ shame over betraying the X-Men and Wisdom’s conflicted feelings about his black ops work is another interesting angle that could be explored. The Excalibur tradition of multiple artists per issue continues, as four pencilers and numerous inkers are brought in. Green, Jones, and Haynes all meld together fairly well, but Lopresti’s style is closer to Alan Davis or Terry Dodson, which creates an awkward transition at the end.

Focus

Credits: Ben Raab (writer), Salvador Larroca (penciler), Scott Koblish (inker), Kevin Tinsley & GCW (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters)

Summary: Following Charles Xavier’s example, Nightcrawler reveals his plans to use Cerebro to locate British mutants. Meanwhile, Moira MacTaggert and Douglock research the Legacy Virus, as Brian Braddock and Meggan visit London. The public’s backlash against the Onslaught disaster, and the satanic attack on London, leads Braddock to renounce his role as Captain Britain. While shopping for an engagement ring for Meggan, Spiral appears, wearing the mark of the Crimson Dawn. She warns Braddock of a threat to his family, the Dragons of the Crimson Dawn.

Continuity Notes: It’s stated repeatedly in this issue that only telepaths can use Cerebro, even though non-telepaths have been shown using it in the past (various stories over the years have contradicted one another on this). My No-Prize explanation for this has always been that telepaths are just better at using it. Even though there are no telepaths on the team, Nightcrawler doesn’t explain how exactly he plans on using Cerebro.

Review: Raab was supposed to begin his run with Salvador Larroca but filled in an issue early, so this is the true beginning of his stint. I don’t know if titling this issue “Focus” was a joke or not, since it mainly consists of unconnected subplots and setups for future storylines. Raab, being an editor on the X-line, is understandably familiar with the status quo of the books, so we get references to Onslaught, the demonic attack in issue #100, Rory Campbell getting a prosthetic leg, and Psylocke’s makeover by the Crimson Dawn. He also revives a few forgotten storylines, such as Moira’s curiosity over X-Man’s genetic similarity to Cable, the hint that Cable could somehow cure the Legacy Virus (Douglock was also supposed to be a key for the cure, so I’m sure it’s not a coincidence he’s used in this scene), and Captain Britain and Meggan’s engagement. This is mostly setup, so it’s hard to offer much judgment, but Raab is able to make a fairly smooth transition into the book. I do have to point out that his British accents are often horrendous, and his characterization of Brian Braddock seems odd. Would he really renounce his role as Captain Britain, which he only regained a few weeks earlier, because of some snotty comments overheard on the street? It comes out of nowhere and doesn’t seem to fit the character at all.

PRYDE & WISDOM #1- #3, September - November 1996

Mystery School

Credits: Warren Ellis (writer), Terry Dodson (penciler), Karl Story (inker), Ariane Lenshoek & Malibu (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters)

Warren Ellis’ run on Excalibur occasionally turned into a Pryde and Wisdom team-up book, so it’s fitting that this mini ran during his final days on the series. The story has Kitty Pryde and Pete Wisdom searching for a mutant serial killer who’s targeting ministers and priests. They’re brought into the case by Mr. Jardine, one of Wisdom’s friends who’s worried about his daughter, a photojournalist who is also investigating the case. The duo gets into contact with the Mystery School, the police department that investigates unusual deaths. The victims’ bodies have strange markings, which Wisdom believes only his family could identify. Throughout the story, men in black try to kill Pryde and Wisdom, providing the standard action sequences. Ellis leaves a lot of room in the story for the lead characters to interact, playing up the “good girl/bad boy” relationship while moving the plot along and throwing in some action. The characters have enough personality to make this work, and Terry Dodson delivers his usual high-quality artwork.

Mystery Walk

Credits: Warren Ellis (writer), Terry Dodson & Aaron Lopresti (pencilers), Simmons, Pinnock, Lopresti , & Martin (inkers), Ariane Lenshoek & Malibu (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters)

The issue opens with the introduction of Harold Wisdom, Pete Wisdom’s father. He’s a deranged, paranoid old man who’s played for comic relief. Ellis writes British, old, and crazy very well, so it is pretty funny. Harold suggests they contact Pete’s sister if they want to know what the markings on the bodies mean. After leaving his father’s house, Wisdom has one of his spontaneous “softer” moments and tells Kitty about his mother’s death (he feels guilty because she was waiting by the window for him to visit, which he had no plans of doing, when a spree killer suddenly shot her).

After returning to their hotel, Pryde and Wisdom fight off more attackers, then make out on the couch. Wisdom’s sister, Romany, abruptly enters. They escort her to the Mystery School, where she uses her occult knowledge to converse with one of the victims. After reading the symbol on his body, she discerns that the killer believes himself to be Cain, humanity’s first murderer. When Wisdom casually mentions John Gideon, an agent he briefly met last issue, the Mystery School staff suddenly races to a nearby pub in a panic. There, a woman pulls a gun on them. Ellis is doing a good job of building the mystery, dropping in just enough vague clues and cutaway scenes without making them an annoyance. Even if you’re not interested in trying to piece together the pieces of the mystery, the main story has enough humor and action to keep things entertaining.

Mystery Train

Credits: Warren Ellis (writer), Terry Dodson & Aaron Lopresti (pencilers), Simmons, Pinnock, Lopresti , Martin, & Martin (inkers), Ariane Lenshoek & Malibu (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters)

The armed woman in the pub is never named, but she identifies herself as Britain’s answer to Charles Xavier. She wants mutants to keep a low profile in Britain for their own protection (she also confesses to sending people to kill Pryde and Wisdom in the previous issues to keep them off the case), and wants to be the one to take down the mutant serial killer. A conversation between her and the Mystery School police reveals that the killer is John Gideon. Gideon is an unhinged Mystery School agent who called in to work earlier from the pub, bragging that he met a woman. After Kitty knocks out the Xavier wannabe, everyone travels to Gideon’s home. There, they discover Mr. Jardine’s daughter, Amanda, who placed herself as bait in the pub. Harold Wisdom has also arrived, after deducing the killer’s identity. Gideon uses his powers on Harold, fossilizing his left arm. Kitty chases Gideon into the subway (or “tube” as it’s apparently called), which of course leads to a train collision. Gideon refuses Kitty’s help and apparently dies in the crash. Later, Wisdom has a tense goodbye with his family members and threatens to kill Kitty for suggesting he meet her family.

Intercut with the serial killer storyline are more revelations about Pete Wisdom’s family. Just to drive the point home that Wisdom is secretly a softie, it’s revealed that he refused to see his mother earlier because she told him she never loved him, and that he’s been secretly paying his father’s rent for years. When Gideon threatens Wisdom’s father, he of course steps up to the plate and defends the man he doesn’t like very much. I don’t mind the occasional glimpses of humanity, but I do think revealing that he disliked his mother because she openly hated him is a little much. That virtually absolves him for not visiting her the day she waited by the window, making it a less significant part of his backstory. I also wonder what the point of “Britain’s Xavier” was supposed to be, outside of serving as a throwaway explanation for most of the earlier action sequences. It seems like Ellis had plans for her (for no real reason, he throws in that she’s an alchemist who's older than she seems), but her appearance is so rushed it’s hard to get a feel for the character. Aside from those minor complaints, this is a fun series that’s on the level with Ellis’ best Excalibur issues. Actually, because it’s only three issues long, the pace moves along faster and the gratuitous padding that occasionally made its way into Excalibur is absent. The basic idea of a serial killer who thinks he’s Cain, writing an apology letter to God on dead bodies, is a great starting point, and Ellis manages to use it as a nice introduction for the Wisdom family.