X-MEN FOREVER 2 #15 - March 2011

The Price of Life -- is Death!

Credits:  Chris Claremont (writer), Andy Smith (pencils), Cory Hamscher (inks), Wilfredo Quintana (colors), Tom Orzechowski (letters)

Summary:  The X-Men face the Avengers and Perfect Storm in battle while Ghost Panther and ‘Ro secretly meet with Dr. Strange.  When Nightcrawler absorbs Thor’s powers, he’s overwhelmed and forced to unleash a massive lightning bolt that causes both sides to pause.  Cyclops uses the lull to explain to Captain America that Perfect Storm is working with the Consortium and was Wolverine’s killer.  Perfect Storm fires a lightning bolt at Cyclops, but Havok leaps to his brother’s defense.  Havok is killed by the blast.  Ghost Panther arrives, and with Polaris’ help, defeats Perfect Storm.  Ghost Panther unmasks, revealing that Dr. Strange has merged her spirit with ‘Ro, and is now Storm in her true body.

Continuity Notes:  Nightcrawler is colored with white temples after he absorbs Thor’s power and collapses.  The next issue makes clear that his hair is now supposed to be an inverse of Rogue’s.

Review:  With only one issue to go, the lengthy Storm storyline finally reaches a resolution, but not before Claremont makes one more attempt to turn this title into the new millennium’s What If…?  If Havok were the only established cast member killed off during the run of this title, I wouldn’t mind so much, but he’s easily the fifth character whose death is just thrown out there as casually as a rape reference in a Garth Ennis comic.  There’s no dramatic impact here, just a sense of “This again?” as another character bites the dust in a rushed, inert scene that ultimately adds nothing to the book.  Especially in this case; since there’s only one issue left, there’s certainly no chance that Havok’s death is going to be affecting anything in the future of a title that has none.  

Ignoring the gratuitous death, this is actually a decent resolution to the Perfect Storm arc.  The Avengers are rendered very well by Andy Smith (better than the X-Men, truthfully), and the earlier cameo by Dr. Strange finally makes sense.  It’s arguable that using Dr. Strange’s mystic powers to revert Storm to her true body is a copout, but Strange tends to get a pass when it comes to these things since he’s Dr. Strange and is well established in the Marvel Universe as the guy who can pull this kind of stunt off.  While it’s debatable if he’s really been as much of a “friend” to the X-Men as Storm claims here, it’s still fun to see Dr. Strange in an issue that also features the Avengers.  (The issue reminds me that while Claremont rarely explored the larger Marvel Universe while writing Uncanny, when he did, he made it a worthwhile effort.)  Emphasizing that the Avengers are chasing the X-Men not only to avenge Tony Stark, but also Perfect Storm’s husband the Black Panther, is also a nice way to tie together the previous events of the series so far.  I’m not naïve enough to believe that every other plotline in this title is going to have a gratifying conclusion, however, and I’m wondering now how exactly Claremont’s going to draw this erratic series to a close in just one issue.

X-MEN FOREVER 2 #14 - February 2011

Strange Days!

Credits:  Chris Claremont (writer), Andy Smith (pencils), Cory Hamscher (inks), Wilfredo Quintana (colors), Tom Orzechowski (letters)

Summary:  The X-Men defeat Perfect Storm’s private guard and confiscate their aircraft.  After sneaking into Wakanda, the team invades the palace while Ghost Panther takes ‘Ro on a secret mission.  Ziggy Trask is notified of the X-Men’s activity and sends in SHIELD.  Havok gains access to Perfect Storm’s encrypted data and sends it to Nick Fury at the mansion.  Fury warns the X-Men that another superhero team has arrived in Wakanda.  Soon, the Avengers enter.  Elsewhere in a secret location, Ghost Panther introduces ‘Ro to Dr. Strange.

Review:  The Evil Storm storyline draws that much closer to a conclusion as the team rallies and invades Wakanda.  It’s a pretty entertaining, fast-paced issue that has the X-Men beating up bad guys, breaking off into smaller units, sneaking around, almost having a victory, and then forced to face the Avengers in a double-page spread.  Andy Smith has come a long way from his ‘90s fill-ins on the X-titles, even if his faces are still occasionally odd, and he handles the action quite well.  Cory Hamscher’s inks are a bit tighter and neater than they normally are under Tom Grummett, which I suppose fits Smith’s art, even though I miss more of the McFarlane influence.  Looking back, this is one of the better action issues of the series.  It doesn’t feel as padded as many of the earlier fight scenes, and the stakes are actually much higher this time.  My only complaint would be Ghost Panther’s decision not to reveal her true identity to the X-Men, which doesn’t make any obvious sense.  She’s already revealed her identity to ‘Ro, and it’s not as if there’s anything to be gained from keeping the truth from her friends (I’m assuming they would like to know that Storm isn’t truly evil). It comes across as an arbitrary decision made to increase drama, one that doesn’t make sense within the context of the story.  Isn’t it cruel of Storm to let her two closest friends, Jean and Kitty, still believe that she’s a ruthless, murderous villain now?

PETER PARKER, SPIDER-MAN #85 - November 1997

 

Little Lies

Credits:  Howard Mackie (writer), Andy Smith (penciler), Art Thibert (inks), Mark Bernardo (colors), Comicraft’s Kiff Scholl (letters)

The Plot:  MJ convinces Peter to join her and Jill on a night out.  To Peter’s surprise, Paul Stacy is also at the nightclub.  MJ tries to force the two to talk, but an irritated Paul walks away.  Peter follows him, and soon discovers that the Friends of Humanity have hired the Shocker to kill Paul for leaving the group.  As Spider-Man, Peter saves a crowd from debris created by the Shocker, but can’t find the villain after he disappears.  Spider-Man searches for Paul, and finds him on the Brooklyn Bridge contemplating suicide.

The Subplots:  Aunt Anna almost discovers Peter’s Spider-Man costume in the laundry.

Web of Continuity:  

• Paul Stacy’s hair has gone from blond, to an odd shade of green, to now red over the course of his appearances in these titles.  He’s not established as a member of a Green Day cover band or anything, so I’m left to believe that no one can decide what color hair he’s supposed to have.
• Billy Walters makes a brief cameo, in perhaps his first appearance outside of Sensational Spider-Man.
• The Shocker is explicitly hired as a hitman this issue, although I can’t think of any other time he’s performed murder for hire.  I could be wrong, but isn’t Shocker normally more of a bank robber/jewel thief?

Production Note:  The cover lists Art Thibert as the inker, while the credits list Scott Hanna.  A future issue confirms Art Thibert is the inker.

Review:  My impression that this era of Spider-comics had horrible fill-in art probably originates with this issue.  I wasn’t buying any of the books by late 1997, but I did somehow end up with a copy of this issue.  And after looking through the first few pages, I was pretty appalled.  Peter has a manga face, his muscles are so jacked that his t-shirt is glued to his bulging abs, MJ is anorexic, and Aunt Anna has suddenly dropped a hundred pounds and morphed into the ‘90s cartoon’s model of the character.  Looking at the issue today, I can see I was a little hard on Andy Smith.  There are certainly problems with the art, but I can now see it’s more “inconsistent” than “eye-searingly terrible.”  There are moments when Smith draws the civilian cast quite well, although oddly it seems that Paul Stacy, Arthur Stacy, and FoH leader Donovan Zane look more polished than Peter Parker.  MJ, at least, grows more on-model as the issue progresses.  Smith’s Spider-Man also looks fine, and he does a decent job on the (very) brief fight between Spider-Man and Shocker.

What really turned me away from pursuing the titles during this period was the issue’s story.  The issue does open with a nice scene, featuring Aunt Anna almost stumbling upon Peter’s secret ID while trying to help with the laundry.  I realize that this is the most obvious bit you can do with Anna, or anyone else living in the Parkers’ home, but I’m glad it’s here.  It’s classic Spidey, and it’s the first time we’ve seen Aunt Anna do much of anything since permanently joining the supporting cast.  The basic conflict of Peter and MJ needing their own place but not being able to afford it is, again, classic Spidey and it’s the type of drama we don’t see enough of during this era.

Unfortunately, we are getting plenty of the drama the books don’t need this issue.  Notably, the Stacy family.  Jill’s annoying simply because she’s so bland, but at least she isn’t as insufferable as Paul Stacy.  No part of Paul’s characterization makes any sense.  He’s a bitter loner, fine, but the idea that he’s so obnoxious because his cousin and uncle died over five years ago is insane.  (And that’s generously applying Marvel Time to the deaths of George and Gwen.  In real life, Paul’s angsting over something that happened in the early ‘70s!)  If we’re to believe the exposition we’re told this issue, Paul was happy, outgoing, and close to his father and sister until the deaths of George and Gwen.  He’s been a brat ever since; and yet, if he hates his immediate family so much, why did he recently move across the ocean with them?  And how was he so close to these family members that lived in another country in the first place?  When was this bond formed?  How close Paul was to George and Gwen doesn’t even appear to be consistent within this issue.  One reason Paul gives for hating Peter was that he was able to grow close to George and Gwen, while Paul lived far away.  So…they weren’t close?  Which undermines his entire motive, of course.  

It’s just such a simplistic view of a character -- he hates the world because two supporting cast members in the franchise died back in the ‘70s.  Nothing else defines him at all, except his inconsistent hair color and facial hair, I suppose.  I’m sure part of the problem is that Paul's development has been assigned to Howard Mackie, whose characterization skills are usually lacking on his best day, but it’s hard to imagine the character ever really working in the books.  He’s defined solely by his relationship with two long-dead characters, and it’s a retconned relationship the audience never got to see in the first place.  Honestly, who cares?  As if all of this wasn’t tedious enough, the issue ends with yet another callback to the Brooklyn Bridge.  Of course if Paul is abruptly going to contemplate suicide, a characterization swerve that essentially comes out of nowhere, he’s going to do it on that stupid bridge. 

CABLE #63 - January 1999

Blood Brothers Part Two - Illusion of Doom

Credits: Joe Casey (writer), Stephen Platt w/Andy Smith (pencilers), Matt Banning w/Rodney Ramos (inker), Gloria Vasquez (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters)

Summary: Cable returns to the diner and reveals to Stacey that he’s a mutant. They talk, and Stacey promises Cable that she can handle his life. Cable returns home to rest and is greeted by Blaquesmith, who sends him on a mission to Latveria to stop Stryfe. Cable arrives, saving Madelyne from a mob and fighting Doombots until he meets Stryfe. Cable tries to rescue X-Man, but is soon defeated by Stryfe. Meanwhile, Irene is hired by the Daily Bugle and Ness meets with Blaquesmith in Tramahoi.

Continuity Notes: X-Man was nude when last seen as Stryfe’s prisoner. Now, he’s wearing the traditional superhero outfit (the one with a giant “X” on his chest) that he’ll later adopt in his regular series.

Review: This advances the plot of “Blood Brothers” by a mere four pages or so, but it does work as a continuation of Casey’s ongoing storylines. Following his near-death at the hands of SHIELD, Cable’s reevaluated his life and decided not to keep secrets from the people he cares about, which now includes Stacey. Casey still isn’t moving them into a romance, but he is building up their friendship in a believable way. Giving Cable a normal person to interact with is a reasonable idea, and using the events of the previous arc as the impetus for Cable to open up to her makes sense.

The story then moves into crossover territory, as Casey addresses what exactly Cable was doing before he abruptly dropped into the previous issue of X-Man. Casey pays some lip service towards Cable’s feelings about Stryfe’s resurrection, and his strained relationship with his mother Madelyne, but doesn’t get a lot of material out of the scenario. This is mostly about the fighting, and getting Cable in place for the final chapter of the story. It’s not as interesting as the first half of the issue, and it goes without saying that Stephen Platt isn’t anywhere near J. H. Williams’ level, making this an odd-looking crossover.

X-MEN UNLIMITED #21 - December 1998

Devil’s Haircut

Credits: Todd Dezago (writer), Andy Smith (penciler), Andrew Hennessy (inker), Felix Serrano (colors), Comicraft (letters)

Summary: After receiving word that the Earth is under attack, Guido convinces Lila Cheney to teleport him back home. After failing to contact X-Factor, Guido reaches Muir Island. The island’s inhabitants, Beast, Madrox, and Wolfsbane, fly out to meet him. Beast detects extraterrestrial activity in Vermont, leading the mutants to a country club that is simultaneously hosting a wedding reception and Halloween party. Donning Halloween disguises, the team searches the club and eventually stumbles across a demonic invasion led by Melvin J. Weals, a disgruntled video store clerk who’s disrupting the wedding reception. Powered by the Hell Toupee, Melvin tries to steal the bride away from the groom, but is thwarted by Guido. After returning to space, Guido learns that his source on the alien invasion was actually listening to an old broadcast of “War of the Worlds.”

I Love the '90s: The title of the issue is a reference to one of Beck’s biggest hits in the ‘90s. Plus, Guido tries on a costume reminiscent of the one worn by Shaq in the abominable Steel movie.

Review: A holiday-based humor issue starring characters forsaken by the major titles. By Unlimited standards, that isn’t so bad. This is loosely a sequel to Todd Dezago and Andy Smith’s Strong Guy Reborn one-shot, although thankfully this one is funnier and more competently drawn (Andy Smith also seems to have worked his own wedding into the story, so maybe this issue had some sentimental value for him). The laughs are interrupted by Guido’s discovery of Havok’s “death” at the end, but those kinds of scenes are necessary if you’re trying to maintain a consistent cross-title continuity. As a sign of just how disjointed the X-office could be in these days, Guido’s given an on-panel notification of Havok’s death while Cyclops’ reaction was never shown.

I get the sense that Dezago also misses the days of Peter David’s X-Factor, given the characters’ reminiscence for a time when not everything in the X-universe had to be deathly serious. Considering the numerous titles within the line, I think David was absolutely right to set his book apart by giving it a humorous slant. Marvel didn’t seem to like it, but that’s never stopped fandom’s nostalgia for what, in retrospect, was a short run of issues. While this doesn’t live up to classic X-Factor, it is the funniest Todd Dezago comic I’ve read at this point. I would be remiss for not bringing up another X-Men story set during a Halloween party, though. Classic X-Men #28’s “Who Am I?”, a back-up story by Ann Nocenti and John Bolton that’s light on laughs, but heavy on the psychodrama and general weirdness.

GENERATION X #37-#38, April-May 1998

In Dark Woods, the Right Road Lost

Credits: Larry Hama (writer), Andy Smith (penciler), Sean Parsons (inker), Comicraft (letters), Mike Rockwitz (colors)

Summary: At the Citadel of the Universal Amalgamator, M-Plate unveils a girl strapped to an altar. M-Plate demands Synch copy her powers. Elsewhere, Dirtnap guides Banshee, Husk, and Penance into a strange, cold dimension. They find warmth inside a train, which they take to the Citadel. Meanwhile, Elwood the Pooka, Chamber, and Jubilee continue their search for Synch. They fall from the sky into a world named “Moria,” landing on train tracks just as their teammates’ train races into the dimension. On Earth, Chief Authier gives Skin and Emma advice on how to deal with a Token, before taking Dorian and Weasel to Mr. Timmons’ diner for community service.

Continuity Notes: The diner has a “WC” room, a la the Landau, Luckman, & Lake warp chambers. When Skin and Emma check inside the treehouse, they find Tracy having a polite tea party with Artie, Leech, and the Token. Last issue, the kids were shackled with energy-chains. Also, Police Chief Authier seems to have lost interest in finding Tracy rather quickly.

Miscellaneous Note: The title of this issue is a reference to Robert Pinksy’s translation of Dante’s “Inferno.”

Review: It’s another issue of wacky dimension-hopping, not-so-capably rendered by fill-in artist Andy Smith. Hama’s script is filled with images that a credible artist should’ve had a field day with (such as the Snark, a monster that resembles a T-Rex until four eye-tentacles emerge when Chamber blinds it, and later runs around without its head when Chamber really lets loose), but Smith is way too green to pull this off. Even overlooking the subpar art, the story’s essentially a mess at this point. If the point of this story is to reveal M’s long-awaited origin, why is so much of the focus on Pookas, Tokens, Snarks, Chimera and her Plasma Wraiths (who have disappeared in-between issues), alternate dimensions, teenage punks, cosmic trains, LL&L warp chambers, and Dirtnap? The story has split off into so many diversions, it’s hard to focus on any one thread and care anything about it. Some of the character work is still nice, such as Banshee explaining the concepts of honor and loyalty to Dirtnap when he questions why they’re risking their lives for Synch, but even this moment makes little sense. Dirtnap started this arc as a villain, suddenly helped the heroes last issue by taking them to another dimension to find Synch, and now abruptly questions why they’re on this dangerous mission and wants out. Unlike some fans, I don’t mind a Wolverine character like Dirtnap showing up in the book, but at least try to keep whatever character arc you have in mind for him consistent from issue to issue.

Mystery Train

Credits: Larry Hama (writer), Terry Dodson (penciler), Rachel Dodson (inker), Comicraft’s Liz Agraphiotis (letters), Felix Serrano (colors)

Summary: Banshee hits the breaks and narrowly avoids running down Elwood, Chamber, and Jubilee. When the train accelerates to escape a giant spider, Dirtnap falls out of a window, but is rescued by the team. At the Citadel of the Ultimate Amalgamator, Chimera is reduced to ashes when she questions M-Plate’s plan to amalgamate the entire universe. The train finally reaches the Citadel, but M-Plate captures the heroes. Elwood boosts Dirtnap’s power, allowing him to swallow M-Plate. On Earth, Tracy explains that the Token can help Gen X find their friends, while Dorian and Weasel enter the restricted WC room.

Continuity Notes: Hey, Chimera's back. The enchained mutant girl from the last issue is identified as Gaia, and according to the recap page, she’s supposed to be the protector of the Citadel. She claims that her galaxy was wiped out when she refused to let others use her powers for evil. She also says that her chains are her responsibility and she isn’t “meant to be free.” According to Tracy, the Token was originally “miffed” that the students were trespassing on his property, but after talking to him, they’ve become friends.

“Huh?” Moment: On the opening splash page, Banshee is described as “co-member of a group of fledgling mutants.” I assume they meant “co-teacher.”

Review: Well, Terry Dodson’s arrived, so that solves the “ineffectual artist” problem that’s plagued the series for over six months at this point. The book’s still crazy, though, and not in the charming or cheerful way I’m sure it was intended to be. Although the various threads are starting to come together, the story isn’t much different from the previous issues. If you really like seeing a divided cast go on wacky alternate reality adventures, goofy anthropomorphic fantasy characters, and a vaguely defined villain and his/her vaguely defined plan, this is for you. I’m sure I would’ve enjoyed this arc more if Dodson drew the entire story, but I still think it’s a questionable idea that’s dragged on for too long. Although the Lobdell issues had their share of silliness, the stories still left room to focus on the cast. Hama does work in some characterization, such as Synch’s interaction with Gaia (she’s angry he briefly went along with M-Plate’s plan after he/she threatened Synch’s teammates; he responds that “the universe and all sentient beings is too abstract a notion compared to the suffering of my friends”), but there are so many threads going on, the characters are definitely taking a backseat to the plot.

GENERATION X #35-#36, February-March 1998

Pool of Tears

Credits: Larry Hama (writer), Jason Johnson (penciler), Edwin Rosell w/Parsons & Russell (inks), Comicraft (letters), Chris Sotomayor (colors)

Summary: Gen X obeys Tracy’s demand and takes her to the school. When Husk realizes her teammates are inside fighting M-Plate, the new entity formed out of M and Emplate, she locks Tracy in the Biosphere for protection. The conflicted M-Plate decides to go along with Chimera, and teleports away with Synch. Before leaving, M-Plate psi-blasts Jubilee, which forces her to hallucinate. The team regroups and checks on Tracy in the Biosphere, but she’s gone. Emma declares the Pooka has returned.

Continuity Notes: Emma says “Pooka,” but her dialogue is probably supposed to reference the Token, the mysterious creature from the Wolverine issue Hama wrote that guest-starred Generation X.

Review: The craziness of this run starts to unfold, as more science fiction/fantasy characters and concepts begin to emerge. Personally, I’d rather see more of Gen X’s run-ins with the local hooligans, since the action in this issue mostly consists of some light shows and cryptic dialogue exchanges. Jubilee’s hallucination sequence is apparently supposed to hint at M’s origin, but nothing new is revealed and the artist doesn’t seem able to convey the Alice in Wonderland scenery Hama was going for. Jubilee does point out, when talking to the St. Croix twins during her hallucination, that one of them should be autistic, which at least shows that one of the earlier mysteries hasn’t been forgotten. M’s autism hadn’t been mentioned in over a year by this point, even though Scott Lobdell’s hinted that this was supposed to be a major aspect of her character.

Strange Doings

Credits: Larry Hama (writer), Andy Smith (penciler), Walden Wong (inker), Comicraft (letters), Mike Rockwitz (colors)

Summary: Gen X splits up and searches for Tracy inside the Biosphere. Jubilee and Chamber encounter a Pooka named Elwood, who claims he can find Synch. He takes them to the Landau, Luckman, and Lake offices in Manhattan, where they enter a dimensional warp. Meanwhile, Chief Authier arrives with Dorian and Weasel, looking for his daughter Tracy. While Authier looks around, Dirtnap hands Banshee a Lepton Imploder, which he claims will take them to Synch. In a strange dimension, M-Plate explains his/her plans for the Universal Amalgamator to Synch.

Continuity Notes: Emma’s line in the previous issue is a mistake; Elwood confirms Pookas and Tokens are two different species (aren’t you relieved?). Elwood says he “bent the rules” and planted hints that will help the team find the Token. Where Dirtnap disappeared to in-between issues, and why he’s suddenly altruistic, isn’t explained. Dorian and Weasel witness Banshee and the others disappear in a flash of light after they use the Lepton Imploder. Tracy, along with Artie and Leech, are imprisoned with energy-chains inside the Biosphere’s tree house. Some mystery force is apparently preventing Chief Authier from noticing them. As established in the Venom vs. Wolverine miniseries, Landau, Luckman, and Lake have an office at 387 Park Avenue South, the building that housed Marvel’s offices in the ‘90s.

I Love the ‘90s: Chief Authier wonders if the imploder device is a digital pet. Dirtnap brags that he can do the Macarena.

Review: Another issue, more fill-in art, more zany characters, and a few wacky contraptions. This really isn’t any more ridiculous than the Lobdell issues, but Lobdell was lucky enough to have Chris Bachalo as the regular artist and Tom Grummett as the fill-in guy. At this point, the series has gone six months without a regular artist, and the caliber of fill-in penciler assigned to the book is pretty weak. I’m not pretending that Hama’s telling the greatest story in comics history here, but having the characters and settings appear consistent from issue-to-issue would’ve at least helped. Elwood the Pooka just looks goofy and out of place under Andy Smith’s pencils; the character doesn’t seem like a particularly great idea, but if Bachalo had a shot at designing him, I’m sure he would’ve had an interesting visual at the very least. Overlooking the art, you’re left with a group of characters running around and dealing with wacky plot devices that lead them into the next issue. Not particularly exciting. Hama apparently wants to do something fanciful and fun, but it’s not really coming together.

X-FORCE #73-#74, January-February 1998

Stop Motion

Credits: John Francis Moore (writer), Andy Smith (penciler), Mark Morales w/Scott Hanna & Sean Parsons (inks), Comicraft’s Kolja Fuchs (letters), John Kalisz (colors)

Summary: Warpath and Siryn arrive in Kansas, where they retrieve the envelope containing information on Project: Stepladder. They’re confronted by Edwin Martynec, who transforms into his feral form and takes them captive. To their surprise, Martynec has a Zero robot as an assistant. He reveals to Warpath that Stryfe was Stepladder’s secret leader, and the person behind the destruction of Camp Verde. Siryn and Warpath break free of their restraints, but Martynec injects Warpath with an amphetamine. Siryn knocks Martynec out, but is unable to revive Warpath. Meanwhile, Domino’s interference in a bank robbery attracts the police’s attention, X-Force travels with Richie Algeria to New Orleans, and Domino contacts the Hellhouse to find mercenary work.

Continuity Notes: Edwin Martynec first appeared in the X-Force Flashback issue. Officially dead since the Arroyo Labs fire, he now goes by “Martin Edwards.” He explains that Stryfe recruited him for Project: Stepladder to “genetically engineer his next generation of mutant disciples.” Some of the previous issues weren’t clear, but John Francis Moore is obviously going with the idea that Zero wasn’t a unique robot and is part of a series.

Review: Stryfe? Zero? X-Force had long abandoned this era of its history (and didn’t even feature Cable by this point), so it’s surprising to see Moore revive these characters. Revealing that Stryfe was behind the Camp Verde massacre clearly isn’t what the original creators had in mind, but I like the idea. Moore’s two obvious solutions for resolving the murders are to create a new villain as the culprit, or to tie it to an existing one. He combines the two ideas, revealing that Stryfe was involved in genetic engineering we never knew about and Camp Verde had to die to keep it quiet. Considering that Stryfe created the Legacy Virus, this actually isn’t a big stretch. The fact that the Liefeld characters were already considered kind of embarrassing by this point works to the story’s advantage. The revelation comes out of nowhere, but it works as a legitimate surprise and not cheap shock value. Moore also keeps up with the subplots, touching base with the rest of the cast and setting up a potential romance between Sunspot and Meltdown (Sunspot tells her that Cannonball’s lucky to have her while she’s writing him a letter). I’m disappointed Adam Pollina didn’t draw this issue, but Andy Smith’s art works fairly well. He’s thankfully improved since that Strong Guy Reborn one-shot.

Afterlife

Credits: John Francis Moore (writer), Adam Pollina (penciler), Mark Morales (inks), Comicraft (letters), Marie Javins (colors)

Summary: In Hell, Warpath is attacked by Stryfe. Stryfe claims that he’ll be released from Hell if he delivers Warpath to Blackheart. As Siryn tries to revive Warpath, a valkyrie visits Moonstar and the rest of X-Force. She informs them that Warpath is wrongly being kept in Hell, and opens a portal for X-Force to enter the afterlife. Stryfe defeats the team, forcing Warpath to fight back and protect his soul from Stryfe. Blackheart lets the team go, revealing to Stryfe that this was all a plan to give him false hope of escaping Hell. Warpath’s soul returns to his body, as the rest of X-Force emerges with him in Martynec’s destroyed lab. Meanwhile, the mystery man tailing X-Force kills the mobsters harassing Richie Algeria.

Continuity Notes: Sunspot is using Spanish exclamations, which isn’t accurate since he’s from Brazil (a future letter writer points this out and the editors apologize). Blackheart taunts Meltdown, telling her that even her closest friends are unaware of the things she did while living on the street. These hints have shown up a few times before, usually with the veiled suggestion she might’ve been a prostitute.

I Love the ‘90s: Have I mentioned the Concert Connection ads before? This is a phone service that offers news on celebrities and musical acts such as Alicia Silverstone, Alanis Morissette, Fiona Apple, Dru Hill, Leonardo DiCaprio, and the Backstreet Boys. The ad lists three different numbers to call, with prices ranging from seventy-one cents a minute to $2.99.

Review: Even when Moore lays off on the subplots, he still crams a lot into one issue. This issue probably should’ve been a two-part story, but I guess he wanted to have the cast reunited in time for a new story in the seventy-fifth issue. Consequently, there are some good ideas here, but the hyper pace doesn’t give them much room to breathe. Blackheart tormenting Sunspot and Meltdown, forcing them to face the worst pieces of their souls, is exactly what you want to see when your heroes go to Hell. However, doing the scene in exactly three panels robs it of a lot of impact. And while I’m sure many fans were thrilled to see a nod towards Moonstar’s past as a valkyrie, if you’re not familiar with that continuity, the scene probably reads as “Who’s that woman on the winged horse? Moonstar was a what? They’re in Hell now?”

Even if some of the scenes go by too fast, Moore still uses the main story to advance a few of the ongoing storylines. After their confrontation with Blackheart, Sunspot comforts Meltdown and tells her that her past doesn’t matter. The superhero fight and romantic subplots also merge as Siryn reflects on her relationship with Warpath while she tries to resuscitate him. The two characters have had “the potential romance” storyline building since the start of the series, and while Moore isn’t rushing to have Siryn finally embrace Warpath, he is manipulating events so that Siryn might see Warpath as more than a friend. Warpath, who seems to be Moore’s favorite cast member, also fights some metaphorical demons in Hell and begins the “let go of the past and embrace life” part of his revenge journey. All of these ideas are incorporated into the main action story, which says a lot about Moore’s skills as a writer. I just feel that this probably should’ve been the double-sized anniversary issue, because the story needs more room.

STRONG GUY REBORN #1 - September 1997

The Heart of the Matter

Credits: Todd Dezago (writer), Andy Smith (penciler), Art Thibert (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters), Matt Webb (colors)

Summary: Guido spends time with Lila Cheney, unsure about his future with X-Factor. Meanwhile, two alien races, the Jorkens and the Kronts, fight over a nearby moon. The Jorkens mistakenly kidnap one of Lila’s bodyguards, thinking him to be Guido, to blackmail Lila into teleporting a bomb into the Kronts’ headquarters. Guido arrives to rescue Lila, and tricks the Jorkens and Kronts into destroying the disputed moon. Guido decides to stay with Lila, shortly before the Jorkens and Kronts unite to fight their new enemies, Lila Cheney and Guido.

Review: Since X-Factor was only unintentionally hilarious during this era, Strong Guy was given his own one-shot. Todd Dezago seemed to be Marvel’s go-to guy for humor stories during these years, and while he has written some comics I’ve enjoyed, I can’t say that he’s written anything I actually thought was funny. The only thing that approaches humor here would be the running joke about Lila’s new bodyguard asking for health insurance, and perhaps the twist ending that has the alien races now united against the heroes. Most of the humor consists of Looney Tunes style slapstick that doesn’t translate well to comics, along with a few tepid one-liners. There is a small amount of meta-commentary on how radically X-Factor has changed over the past few months (“which seem like years!”). This era of X-Factor is ripe for ridicule, but Dezago doesn’t go for the throat and exploit the obvious target (I’m sure his editors wouldn’t let him do it, anyway). Andy Smith’s exaggerated style might be appropriate for Strong Guy, but he can’t handle normal human anatomy at this point. Lila Cheney looks terrible, with a chest two sizes larger than her head, a broken spine, and legs and giant feet that would make her around nine feet tall. I’ll give them credit for at least trying to revive the spirit of Peter David’s X-Factor, but this falls way short.

X-FACTOR #136-#137, August-September 1997

Nothing Lasts Forever

Credits: Howard Mackie (writer), Jeff Matsuda (penciler), Art Thibert w/Sean Parsons (inkers), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters), Glynis Oliver (colors)

Summary: Mystique continues to explore her powers, and antagonize Wild Child. When Forge attempts to lecture her, she kisses him. Meanwhile, Val Cooper learns that people within the government know X-Factor is still alive, and that Sabretooth was a sleeper agent of the Hound program. She sends word to Forge, but he receives it too late. Sabretooth has broken free of his collar and attacked X-Factor. Val arrives to see an angry Mystique standing over the unconscious bodies of X-Factor.

Continuity Notes: Government agent Bowser is back, after disappearing in issue #134. He’s apparently behind the Hound program and is shocked Sabretooth has broken free and is seemingly working on his own. Sabretooth later tells Mystique that the offer he was given is still available to her.

Review: I hope you wanted more shadowy government conspiracies in X-Factor, because that’s what you’re going to get. It was inevitable that Sabretooth would turn against the team, just as it was inevitable that he would break out of the X-Men’s basement and attack them, also. The story goes for dark and scary, but there’s no way you’re going to get that out of Jeff Matsuda. His extremely cartoony style might’ve been appropriate for something like Generation X, but he’s the last guy who should be drawing a story about Sabretooth ripping through his teammates during a blackout. Overlooking his personal style, many of the pages just seem rushed. Sabretooth’s fight with Polaris in particular just looks like a page of rough sketches that were inked and colored. The dialogue is as awkward as usual, hitting its low point when Sabretooth clumsily declares that maybe in “a different time, a different world” Wild Child would’ve been a great partner for him. Geez…

It Was a Dark & Stormy Night

Credits: Howard Mackie (writer), Andy Smith (penciler), Art Thibert (inker), Kevin Somers (colors), Comicraft (letters)

Summary: Val Cooper calls her ex-husband, Major Edmund Atkinson, for help. With Atkinson’s troops acting as support, they arrive with X-Factor at a local hospital. Val fears that either the Hounds or Operation: Zero Tolerance is coming to abduct X-Factor. Atkinson sends his troops away, but vows to stay and fight with Val. She sends a message to X-Factor’s headquarters for Bowser, offering to surrender. According to her plan, Havok intercepts the message and arrives with Fatale. They teleport away with X-Factor, although they arrive too late to save Atkinson from a laser blast to the chest. Meanwhile, Sabretooth arrives at Trevor Chase’s home. Another Hound, Stone, stops him from killing Trevor. Sabretooth instead targets Trevor’s family.

Continuity Notes: Shard is now missing after “depixelating” during Sabretooth’s attack. Apparently claw marks are fatal to holograms.

Review: You would think X-Factor would’ve been the ideal title to deal with the events of Zero Tolerance, but it seems like an afterthought Mackie had to slip into the book. The Hounds have been the generic government conspiracy against mutants for over a year in this title, and now we’re supposed to be worried about OZT, too. Val Cooper throws in a reference that essentially reads as “We’ve got to protect X-Factor from the Hounds! And, yeah, I guess Zero Tolerance, too.” All of the OZT material could’ve been incorporated into X-Factor’s never-ending conspiracy months earlier, but I guess the X-books are too fractured by this point to really pull that off.

Every issue of X-Factor needs some nonsense, so I’ll compile this month’s checklist. 1) Val Cooper’s ex-husband (a character briefly impersonated by Mr. Sinister during Peter David’s run) suddenly appears in-between issues. Previously, he was a federal agent who wore nice suits and performed lie detector tests. Now, he’s a platoon leader gifted by Andy Smith with ridiculous ‘90s anatomy. He’s also such a brilliant tactician that he sends away his troops as the bad guys arrive. Showing that Atkinson is willing to fight for Val but doesn’t want to put his troops in the unenviable position of fighting fellow soldiers could be a nice character bit, but instead it just comes across as a foolish decision. Mackie also tries to give Val and Atkinson Moonlighting style banter, but it’s incredibly awkward. 2) Mystique now declares that she hates Val for allowing Sabretooth to join the team. Val spends a few pages berating herself over what Sabretooth’s done. Aside from the fact that Val fought against his addition, Mystique didn’t seem to mind having Sabretooth around when they went off on their own adventures together. 3) Val’s plan is ridiculous, since she’s just inviting the Hounds to come on the off-chance that Havok might be monitoring their communication frequency. She really couldn’t think of a better way to contact Havok? 4) Havok also brags that he isn’t a killer, which is amusing given his willingness to kill everyone on a commercial airline, and the near-lethal blast he gave Polaris a few months back. 5) By the way, since when is Sabretooth working with the Hound program? Originally, the shadowy government agents behind his placement in X-Factor sent him to kill one of the Hounds.

To Mackie’s credit, at least the pace of the book is starting to pick up. Some of the inevitable events, such as Sabretooth turning on the team, are now out of the way and it almost seems as if the endless conspiracy subplots are headed somewhere. Even Havok, who seems to be undergoing yet another personality revision, is given something to do. This is still mostly terrible, but there is a small amount of momentum now.

UNCANNY X-MEN #350 – December 1997

Trial & Errors
Credits: Scott Lobdell (co-plot, uncredited), Steve Seagle (script), Joe Madureira w/Andy Smith (pencilers), Tim Townsend w/Vince Russell & Dan Panosian (inkers), Comicraft (lettering), Steve Buccellato (colors)

Summary: In the past, Gambit receives a mysterious vial from Mr. Sinister, in exchange for gathering the Marauders. In the present, Gambit is taken into custody by Spat and Grovel. The remaining X-Men ignore his wishes and follow them. In New York, Psylocke traces the “darkness” inside Maggott into the shadows. Maggott and Archangel follow her, and arrive inside a hidden citadel in Antarctica. When Joseph approaches the citadel outside, he falls down in pain as it rises from the ground. The X-Men investigate the citadel, where most of them are soon abducted. Rogue reaches the lowest level, where Gambit is being kept. Suddenly, Erik the Red appears with the robot Ferris. Erik announces that Gambit is on trial for his past sins. Gambit admits that he once made a deal with Mr. Sinister, while Psylocke reveals the recently unblocked memory she saw in Gambit’s subconscious. She tells the X-Men that Gambit recruited the Marauders shortly before the Morlock Massacre. Rogue is goaded into kissing Gambit, which forces her to relive the day from his perspective. She learns that Gambit tried to stop the massacre once he realized what was happening, but was nearly killed by Sabretooth. He then rescued a young girl from the carnage and ran away. Erik the Red forces the building to collapse, declaring that this is the deliberation. As the team escapes, Rogue saves Gambit from the falling debris. However, she refuses to take him with the rest of the X-Men, telling him that he will have to save himself. Meanwhile, Erik the Red and Ferris escape in an aircraft. Erik takes off his mask and reveals himself as Magneto.

Gimmicks: This issue shipped with an enhanced foil version and a non-enhanced one.

Miscellaneous Note: The Statement of Ownership lists average sales at 300,732 copies with the most recent issue selling 261,017.

Continuity Notes: Erik the Red is a false identity Cyclops once assumed back in the Silver Age. The identity was later usurped by an evil Shi’ar agent in order to throw the X-Men off-balance (according to some inserted pages in Classic X-Men).

It’s asserted twice in this issue that Gambit’s wife, Belladonna, was dead when he made his deal with Mr. Sinister. Actually, she died years after this would’ve happened, after Gambit had already joined the team.

The vial Mr. Sinister gives Gambit was addressed in the Gambit solo series. It's somehow connected to a brain surgery Sinister gave Gambit in order to dampen his powers (more info can be found here).

One of the flashbacks shows Gambit leading the Marauders into the Morlock Tunnels (in fact, it’s supposed to be another job that Sinister is paying him for). This contradicts the actual published comics from that storyline, which had the Marauders simply following the Morlocks home and learning their location. The girl Gambit saves from the massacre is Marrow, which is something Alan Davis picks up on in the future. Prism is incorrectly listed as a Morlock in this issue, when he's actually a Marauder.

When Gambit is first brought into the citadel, he identifies the voice he hears in the darkness as Mr. Sinister. Later, it’s revealed as Erik the Red, and then finally Magneto. The Sinister idea is a strange one, since there are clues throughout the issue that point to Erik the Red’s identity as Magneto. I wonder if the Sinister reference is something that survived an earlier draft and just slipped through.

Review: This is obviously a mess, and it’s something Marvel had to do a fair amount of backtracking on in subsequent years. It’s interesting that no one is credited for actually plotting this story (Seagle is only listed as “scripter”). Seagle was originally hired to replace Larry Hama on Wolverine, but was asked to take over UXM when Lobdell abruptly disappeared. His first issue was supposed to be #351, I believe, but he was brought in at the last minute to finish this one. He apparently claimed on Usenet that he was finishing the issue Lobdell started, which leads me to believe what we’re reading is a Lobdell plot heavily rewritten by editorial, then given to Seagle to script. Fan reaction to this issue was largely negative, with many of the complaints centering on Rogue leaving Gambit to die in the antarctic. Some people within Marvel must’ve had second thoughts, since it’s later retconned that a) the X-Men circled back and did at least try to find Gambit, and b) Rogue’s actions were motivated by the intense self-loathing she absorbed from Gambit. Fabian Nicieza tried his best to make this work in Gambit’s solo series, but it’s hard to justify such a ridiculous ending. There is one Rogue/Gambit moment I do like in this issue, which has Rogue regretting her kiss with Gambit, because he’s the one person she wanted to get to know “like a real, normal woman”. It reminds me of the final Classic X-Men backup story Ann Nocenti wrote, which shows what it’s like for Rogue to learn everything there is to know about someone at one time.

Other aspects of this story just don’t make any sense, period. After years of selling Joseph as Magneto, another Magneto (who turned out to be the “real” one) turns up on the last page. It makes for a dramatic final page, but it undermines a storyline that had been building for years, and it makes no sense given the context of this specific issue. Why exactly would Magneto put Gambit on trial? If he’s that concerned about what happened years earlier in the Morlock Massacre, why isn’t he going after Sinister and the Marauders? There are a few lines at the end that suggest he only staged the trial in order to drive the X-Men apart, but that’s not much of an answer (And why exactly did he choose the Erik the Red identity of all things?). He also claims that this is the first step in the “gradual erosion” of the team, which isn’t followed up on at all (the next time Magneto does something, I’m pretty sure it’s a high-profile stunt in “Magneto War”, and not a devious attempt at driving the team apart). It reads as if editorial just got bored with the Joseph storyline, and with a new creative team in place, decided to bring back the evil, ruthless Magneto they seemed to prefer. I can understand why they wanted to end the Joseph story, but to abruptly bring Magneto back without resolving any of the mysteries surrounding Joseph feels like a cheat.

Other nonsense in this issue includes Psylocke following the “darkness” within Maggott and suddenly ending up in Antarctica with the others. I understand that she needs to be there in order to pay off the scene from UXM #324 that had her entering Gambit’s mind, but this is obviously forced. Spat and Grovel’s role is never actually explained, as it appears that they were hired by Magneto all along (Then why were they being held captive with the others? And how did they know where Gambit was going to crash land in the first place?). The “trial” setup also doesn’t work, since there doesn’t seem to be enough room left in the issue for the X-Men to really debate what should be done with Gambit. His secrets are revealed, Erik/Magneto forces the building to collapse (which is somehow a “deliberation”), and Rogue gets a rushed kiss-off scene with Gambit. This might’ve worked better if the characters were already in the place they needed to be at the start of the story, but unfortunately the past few issues of the title just wandered aimlessly, barely moving the characters anywhere. It’s too bad that this is Joe Madureira’s final issue, since it looks like a rush job, and Andy Smith has to draw random scenes throughout the story. Instead of finishing his run with his collaborator of the past three years, Madureira ends up penciling an uncredited plot that’s largely nonsensical. It’s a not exactly a graceful ending for this specific era of UXM.