I'm covering a comic I didn't know existed until recently at CBR this week...the first "canonical" meeting of Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends!
Showing posts with label casey jones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label casey jones. Show all posts
Monday, July 11, 2022
Friday, November 2, 2012
NICK FURY/BLACK WIDOW CYBERCOMIC - 1998
Jungle Warfare - Chapter One
Credits: D. G. Chichester (writer), Casey Jones (penciler), Atomic Paintbrush (colors), Comicraft’s Liz Agraphiotis (letters)
Summary: Nick Fury is informed that the government’s Gamega Bomb has been hidden away in South America since the 1970s. He travels with Black Widow and a crew of young SHIELD agents to retrieve it. Using Black Widow’s sex appeal, the team easily recovers the bomb from the local authorities. However, an unknown villain has targeted Black Widow and Fury.
Continuity Note: As explained by Fury, the Gamega Bomb is a combination gamma bomb and nuke designed during the Cold War and planted near the Panama Canal.
Review: Hey, Casey Jones drew one of the cybercomics! While I’m glad to see him on the assignment, I doubt he drew the extremely crude aircraft we see in this chapter. The panels that feature the Helicarrier and SHIELD jets are the kind of amateur work you might expect in an on-line exclusive comic; a very low standard I haven’t seen the cybercomics sink to yet. In a world that still had Ron Wagner and Herb Trimpe actively drawing comics (or at least looking for work), it’s a shame that these childish drawings of aircraft were used. However, I’m dwelling on a handful of panels; the rest of this work looks fine. Casey Jones’ interpretations of Black Widow and Fury are on par with the solid artwork he was doing for Marvel at the time, and Chichester seems to be having fun with the story’s simple premise. Opening the chapter with a cartoony flashback to the ‘70s was also a cute surprise.
Jungle Warfare - Chapter Two
Credits: D. G. Chichester (writer), Casey Jones (penciler), Atomic Paintbrush (colors), Comicraft’s Liz Agraphiotis (letters)
Summary: The SHIELD craft is struck down by a group known as the Tyrannicals. They demand Fury give up the Gamega Bomb, and he refuses. A SHIELD agent notices that the crash has armed the bomb. In a less than a day, it will detonate and destroy the rainforest.
Continuity Notes: The Tyrannicals consist of Scarrific (the large, strong one), Paingiver (a female with electric whip), and their leader, Torcher (a pyrokinetic; apparently, the flames generate from the top of his head).
Review: Ugh, more crude vehicles. Not just aircraft, but now we’re treated to sloppy renditions of the Tyrannicals’ ATVs. I have no idea why the vehicles in this story are so poorly rendered; I realize that the art in the cybercomics wasn’t done in a wholly traditional manner (notice that no one’s been credited as an inker so far), but I don’t understand why this requires the vehicles to look like something drawn in MS Paint. Anyway, this is an action chapter, introducing the reader to a throwaway group of villains called the Tyrannicals. They apparently want the Gamega Bomb right this second, even though they’ve had decades to easily dig it out of the ground without facing heavily armed SHIELD agents. Okay, fine. Now, have I mentioned that all of the vehicles in this story look like crap?
Jungle Warfare - Chapter Three
Credits: D. G. Chichester (writer), Casey Jones (penciler), Atomic Paintbrush (colors), Comicraft’s Liz Agraphiotis (letters)
Summary: Fury, Black Widow, and the last surviving SHIELD agent, Kyle Fleming, try to find some way to contact headquarters and receive information on disarming the bomb. They’re ambushed by the Tyrannicals, who combine their powers to box Fury and the others into a fire.
Review: This is the only installment so far that actually brings any of the standard “stranded in the jungle” tropes into the story, as Fleming is attacked by an anaconda and rescued by Black Widow. Surprisingly, this isn’t used as an opportunity to reference a certain cinema classic that starred Jon Voight, Jennifer Lopez, and Ice Cube. (Actually, that’s another movie I’ve never seen.) The scene’s apparently just here to justify setting the story in the jungle, since it doesn’t advance the main plot in any way. At the end of the chapter, the characters are essentially in the same place they were last installment.
Jungle Warfare - Chapter Four
Credits: D. G. Chichester (writer), Casey Jones (penciler), Atomic Paintbrush (colors), Comicraft’s Liz Agraphiotis (letters)
Summary: Fury, Black Widow, and Fleming escape from the Tyrannicals and hide inside an abandoned smuggler’s den. Fleming uses his technological expertise to send information on the antique bomb through the home’s satellite to SHIELD’s headquarters. Meanwhile, Black Widow and Fury defeat the Tyrannicals. Fleming receives the proper information and the bomb is disarmed.
Review: Okay, Fury believes in agent Fleming even when Fleming doubts himself, Fleming rises to the challenge, and the day is saved. This clearly isn’t deep, but it’s a reasonable amount of character work given the format. Chichester actually bothered to give Fleming a defined role in the plot, which is more than you can say for most writers who use throwaway SHIELD agents in their stories. Jungle Warfare is probably the most entertaining of the cybercomic serials I’ve read so far. The material still hasn’t risen past the level of an annual backup, but it’s fun to read and the art is nice. Except for, you know, those things…
Monday, December 13, 2010
X-FORCE & CABLE ‘97 - June 1997
The Last Valkyrie Credits: John Francis Moore (writer), Rob Haynes (layouts), Casey Jones (penciler), Jason Martin & Jon Holdredge (inks), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters), Leann Clark (colors)
Summary: Brunnhilda arrives on Earth, revealing to Moonstar that the Valkyries have been captured. She’s taken back to Asgard by a Hellhound, leading Moonstar to call X-Force for help. They travel to Ungava Bay, Canada, where they walk through a hidden gate into Asgard. They’re attacked by Malekith, the Valkyries’ captor. Cable is taken prisoner and X-Force is forced to retreat. They learn that Malekith is keeping the Valkyries prisoner in Valhalla, where only Moonstar is allowed. Sunspot sneaks along with her, though, and is almost taken by Hela. Moonstar charges her psychic arrow with the life force Brunnhilda passed on to her on Earth and revives the Valkyries. Soon, with Cable’s help, she uses another psychic arrow to defeat Malekith. The Valkyries return X-Force to Earth, but Moonstar still refuses to join the team.
Continuity Notes: Like this year’s X-Men annual, this story takes place before the “Operation: Zero Tolerance” crossover. At this point, Cable is still living in the mansion with X-Force and Moonstar is working undercover with the MLF.
Review: I had no idea this comic existed until a commenter pointed it out to me. This is one of John Francis Moore’s early tributes to the New Mutants series, as virtually the entire story is an homage to the X-Men and New Mutants stories found in the Asgardian Wars trade paperback. Even though Cannonball wasn’t available for the story, Kindra, the dwarf with a crush on him from the original story, still has a cameo. Obviously, much of the appeal is nostalgia, and the novelty of seeing X-Force in one of the fantastical worlds of the Marvel Universe doesn’t hurt the story, either.
Unfortunately, a lot of this relies on the art to work, and as much as I enjoy Casey Jones’ work, much of the issue looks rushed. One of the reasons why the original Asgard storyline is so well regarded is due to Arthur Adams’ insanely detailed art (even if the printing of the original issues didn’t do the work justice). Here, Asgard’s scenery is detailed just enough to let the reader know where the story’s taking place, but there’s no real effort put into selling it. Story-wise, Moore crams a lot into thirty-nine pages, so much so I wonder if the idea would’ve worked better as an extended story arc in the regular series. A few thought balloons and dialogue exchanges provide some insight into how the cast is reacting to the events, but the focus is really on getting the story done by the issue’s end. Rushed as it feels at times, this is still a decent read, and an early indication of the direction Moore will take the series.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
EXCALIBUR #-1 - July 1997
Credits: Ben Raab (writer), Rob Haynes & Casey Jones (pencilers), Nathan Massengill w/ Rob Haynes & Casey Jones (inkers), Kevin Tinsley (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters)
Summary: Nightcrawler invites his girlfriend Jimaine Szardos to leave the circus with him. Her mother Margali doesn’t want Jimaine to go, claiming that she must first teach her of the Winding Way. Margali shows Jimaine an image of the Soul Sword, which invokes a brief appearance by Belasco. Later, circus aerialist Sabu asks Jimaine if he can take her place during Nightcrawler’s final performance. Margali uses the opportunity to arrange Sabu’s death during the performance. Margali disguises herself as Belasco and delivers a warning to Jimaine. When Jimaine learns of Sabu’s death, she agrees to stay behind to gain revenge on Belasco.
Continuity Notes: “Jimaine Szardos” will later change her name to Amanda Sefton while spying on Nightcrawler, who was believed to be her brother's killer. Nightcrawler was working at the circus shortly before he joined the X-Men, so he had to have returned at some point over the years.
Miscellaneous Note: The cover is an homage to UXM #111.
Review: Nightcrawler was probably the best candidate to star in a Flashback issue, although Amanda/Jimaine ends up with much of the spotlight. Warren Ellis got a lot of mileage out of Amanda Sefton and Margali, so I can understand why Ben Raab would want to keep the characters around. I don’t know where exactly Raab intended to go with this, and I’m not sure if it really adds anything to the Amanda/Margali relationship. We already know Margali’s dishonest and manipulative, so the only new reason for Amanda to hate her comes from the death of a minor character. Raab does handle the characterizations of Nightcrawler and Amanda well, though, so this doesn’t feel like total filler. It’s also nice to see the return of Rob Haynes and Casey Jones, who are dynamic enough to pull off a dialogue-heavy issue. Either artist would've been a capable replacement for Pacheco.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
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/
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.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
X-MAN #23 - #25, January 1997 - March 1997
#24 (Kavanagh/Cruz/LaRosa/
Eventually, Morbius meets up with Threnody in a graveyard and entices her over to his side. Spider-Man and X-Man arrive, X-Man fights off Morbius’ influence, and Morbius flees (into the pages of Peter Parker, Spider-Man according to the footnote). X-Man realizes that Threnody needs help and tells her to stay away until she’s willing to admit it. The story’s “X-Man is a vampire” gimmick doesn’t work, but some interesting things are done with Threnody, and the Spider-Man guest appearance isn’t totally gratuitous. The Madelyne Pryor subplot in this issue has her drawing closer to Sebastian Shaw (and healing his mysterious scar), as Tessa watches on in disgust. The issue ends with Madelyne tracing X-Man’s steps on the final page, which finally moves her extremely long-running subplot into the title character’s direction.
#25 (Kavanagh/Cruz/Jones//LaRosa/
It’s not stated in the issue, but since Madelyne has access to all of her memories, I assuming that he pulled her soul out of…somewhere…and gave it physical form. Why exactly he became sexually attracted to the woman he created to replace his need for a maternal figure isn’t even brought up, which is a shame since it should’ve at least been played for a joke. When X-Man tries to erase Madelyne, he can’t, because she’s somehow independent of his consciousness. The story doesn’t explain this either, and even has Madelyne comment that it raises “so many more questions without answers”. The story ends with her teleporting away (she can do that now, I guess) and rejoining Sebastian Shaw in Hong Kong. It’s heavily implied that she’s now sexually involved with Shaw, which makes the hook-up connections amongst the various X-characters even more tangled.
The extremely brief scene with Shaw is the only appearance of the Hellfire Club in the story, which makes me wonder why exactly the group has been receiving so much attention in this title. Even the double-sized anniversary issue doesn’t bother to resolve their storyline, or answer all of the questions surrounding Madelyne. I haven’t read any issues of this series after this one, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say that most of these plot threads never had a real resolution. Not only does X-Man still have no real reason to exist, but it’s also copying the worst traits of the various X-titles. It’s hard to believe that the series went on for another three years before someone decided to reboot it.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
EXCALIBUR #102 – October 1996
Credits: Warren Ellis (writer), Casey Jones and Rob Haynes (pencilers), Jason Martin & Scott Koblish (inkers), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Ariane Lenshoek & Malibu (colors)
Summary: The members of Excalibur reflect on the loss of the heroes during the Onslaught battle. Meanwhile, Colossus, Wolfsbane, and Amanda Sefton search for Margali Szardos at her home. The house is empty, but her maniacal laugh is in the air. Outside of a pub, Peter Wisdom and Kitty Pryde are attacked by representatives of the White House, who warn them to stay out of America. They take the leader of the group to Muir Island, and ship him off with the mutant criminals that Alistaire Stuart is taking into custody. A note attached to him says that he should be shipped back to the American embassy in a box.
Continuity Notes: The name of Alistaire Stuart’s new government agency is called “The Department”. The mutant prisoners on Muir Island (apparently, there’s eleven, even though Spoor is the only one that’s appeared on-panel) are shipped to The Department, which now has authority over them.
Review: Like last issue, this is mostly dedicated to having the cast react to the Onslaught event. Last issue, they were depressed that Xavier had turned into Onslaught. Now, they’re depressed about the apparent death of the non-mutant heroes, the rising anti-mutant sentiment in America, and Xavier’s inevitable arrest. Ellis handles the emotions well enough, there’s just barely anything else going on. The action comes from Peter Wisdom and Kitty Pryde fighting non-descript government agents for almost a third of the issue, and while Ellis plays it for laughs, it’s still pretty dull. The idea that the White House itself would send agents overseas just to tell some dirty mutants to stay out of America doesn’t work for me, because the only time the government has been shown to go after mutants indiscriminately is when rogue agents have been in charge. The government only officially sends Sentinels or troops after mutants accused of crimes, based on my recollection. The only time the federal government itself goes after all mutants is in dark, alternate futures, so Ellis’ treatment of the American government here seems mistaken (it reminds me of Mark Millar having the non-registered heroes arrested in Civil War, before the actual registration bill was passed). Aside from this complaint, there’s some nice character work in this issue, but it mainly feels as if Ellis is marking time until his last issue.
Monday, January 19, 2009
EXCALIBUR #101 – September 1996
Credits: Warren Ellis (writer), Casey Jones (penciler), Tom Simmons (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Ariane Lenshoek & Malibu (colors)
Summary: Excalibur returns from their mission in London and learns from Moira MacTaggert that Charles Xavier has gone mad. Onslaught’s EMP attack is keeping planes out of the air, preventing the team from flying to New York. Captain Britain suggests taking their medical craft to the outskirts of New York to provide medical care, but Nightcrawler tells him that it was damaged by Black Air. As the team reacts to Xavier’s transformation, Alistaire Stuart receives word that Black Air has been shut down. He’s been offered directorship of a new department that merges W.H.O., Black Air, and all paranormal research. He offers Rory Campbell the role of Mutant Liaison, which requires him to move off Muir Island. The team watches news reports about the blackout in New York, and tries to think of another way to help. Moira tells them that they are the last hope for Xavier’s dream, and demands that they stay away.
Continuity Notes: Captain Britain tells Peter Wisdom that his vision of the future that had Excalibur killed by Black Air couldn’t happen now, and it’s because Wisdom chose to join the team in this timeline. He also tells him that his visions of the future have stopped, inferring that all of them were visions of a reality where Wisdom never joined Excalibur. According to Captain Britain, Wisdom has to tell Kitty he loves her to make sure the future is altered.
Review: As the title implies, this is a “quiet” issue, which mainly exists to have the cast react to major events and finish up a few storylines. Black Air is dissolved off-panel, and Alistaire Stuart is returned to his previous status quo (although I’m sure Black Air has shown up again over the years). Rory Campbell gets a quickie resolution to his arc, as he’s suddenly given a job elsewhere that allows him to help mutants. This doesn’t work at all, since discovering and aiding new mutants gives Rory just as many opportunities to disdain them (and later become Ahab) as working at Muir Island would. The idea that Peter Wisdom’s presence on the team stops all of Brian Braddock’s visions of the future is also odd. The original idea had Braddock seeing visions from across the entire timestream. Claiming that just one character’s presence changes everything and cures Braddock of his visions elevates Wisdom to a ridiculously lofty position.
Ellis handles the team’s reaction to Onslaught well enough, although it seems like he’s stretching for a reason not to bring the Excalibur cast to New York. If the heroes really wanted to help out their friends, they would’ve found a way. The real reason why they aren’t helping is because Excalibur wasn’t scheduled to fully cross over with the other titles during the event. Why exactly I’m not sure, since the Demon in London story could’ve been shortened and the team brought to New York with everyone else, if that’s the way Marvel wanted to play it. Maybe someone still cared enough about quality to give Ellis room to finish his storyline comfortably and have it conclude with the anniversary issue. Even if the story has to find excuses to keep the team away from Onslaught, I am glad that this title didn’t have to waste an entire issue fighting Sentinels in New York, or crafting futile plots with the other heroes.
It’s interesting that Ellis explicitly states that half a million died in London during the demon’s attack, but the other X-writers refuse to acknowledge any casualties in New York during the Onslaught incident. In fact, one previous issue of the storyline even outright said that no one has died yet, thanks to the work of the heroes. This is of course absurd, as we’ve seen an electromagnetic pulse shutting down power across the city, Sentinels inciting panic in the streets (even if they’re only targeting superhumans), and numerous fires. It’s amusing that Ellis gives his storyline a massive body count, but his more traditional American counterparts won’t list any casualties. As we’ve seen over the years, Ellis’ darker, British sensibilities have prevailed in mainstream comics.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
EXCALIBUR #100 – August 1996
Credits: Warren Ellis (writer), Casey Jones, Randy Green, & Rob Haynes (pencilers), Tom Simmons, Jason Martin, Rick Ketcham, & Rob Haynes (inkers), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Ariane Lenshoek & Jim Hoston and Malibu (colors)
Summary: Excalibur arrives in London, as the city riots under the demon’s influence. Outside of Black Air’s headquarters, Peter Wisdom spots Scratch running away. He demands that Nightcrawler drop him off so that he can take care of him. The rest of the team enters Black Air’s headquarters, where the agents are going mad. Wisdom and Scratch fight throughout London, and the battle doesn’t end until Lockheed burns Scratch with his fire-breath. Meanwhile, Amanda Sefton teleports on to Muir Island. She tells Moira MacTaggert that her mother, Margali Szardos, has taken a new body and used the Soul Sword to kill all of the magicians ahead of her on the Winding Way. Margali told her personally that there’s a devil under London and she’s going to control it. Amanda’s story is interrupted by the arrival of the X-Men, who inform Moira that Professor Xavier has gone insane. Moira takes them to a secret room Xavier kept under Muir Island. When they enter, a pre-recorded message from Xavier plays. He unveils the Xavier Protocols, which are detailed plans on how to kill any X-Man, should they go rogue. Included is a blueprint of an anti-psionic armor that should protect the wearer from Xavier’s powers.
Inside the Hellfire Club, Brian Braddock emerges in his Captain Britain uniform. The Black Queen, who has just killed the mad Black King, tells him that she’s immune to the demon’s influence because she’s a mutant. Captain Britain assumes she’s Mountjoy, but he’s attacked from behind by Scribe, who is actually the member overtaken by Mountjoy. Captain Britain uses his newly enhanced suit to defeat the Black Queen, leading Mountjoy to target him with mutant bullets. He evades the bullets and punches Mountjoy into unconsciousness.
Meanwhile, Excalibur faces techno-organic versions of the Brood, and the Red King, who is still in love with Margali. Nightcrawler defeats him in a sword fight, and soon discovers a comatose Margali, who is still connected to Douglock. Amanda Sefton teleports in, telling them that the demon under the city has to be contained. Amanda teleports with Wolfsbane under the city, where she uses her claws to sever the link between Douglock and the demon. Amanda then recreates the prison that caged the demon. Margali suddenly begins screaming and disappears. The team emerges and is saluted by the local authorities. Wisdom tells Nightcrawler that he’s used his connections to make sure they get the credit for saving London.
Miscellaneous Note: The title of this issue is a Clash song (and apparently a UK TV show).
Continuity Notes: The X-Men scenes are supposed to be a continuation of Uncanny X-Men #335, but it doesn’t work. Cannonball didn’t leave with this group of X-Men to travel to Muir Island, and Moira is only now learning about Xavier, even though she was told by videophone in the UXM issue. Excalibur were also shown in the meeting with Moira in that issue, but here they’re in London fighting the Hellfire Club. Moira also doesn’t know anything about the Xavier Protocols here, even though she’s the one who brought them up in UXM. While I’m nitpicking, I’ll also point out that Psylocke’s facial tattoo is missing.
In the Xavier Protocols, Xavier claims that the enhanced healing factor that resulted from Wolverine losing his admantium skeleton means that attacks that were lethal “three years ago” wouldn’t work now. Three years ago is the amount of real time since Wolverine lost the adamantium, so it seems as if Ellis might be under the impression that these stories happen in real time.
Brian Braddock unveils a newly designed Captain Britain uniform. He claims that it’s his previous costume, and he’s spent weeks altering it. I’m not sure what exactly happened to the Captain Britain uniform after he was lost in the timestream and came back (in another outfit) as Britanic. The narration says that the suit now enhances his inherit powers rather than restricting them (a reference to an old Marvel UK storyline). Captain Britain uses the forcefield that surrounds his suit to attack the Black Queen, which seems to be a new use of it.
The mutant bullets Mountjoy fires at Captain Britain are the ones allegedly designed by his father years earlier (first mentioned in Ellis’ earliest Excalibur arc). I’m not sure if this issue is supposed to clear the senior Braddock or not. Mountjoy says that Captain Britain’s father resigned from the Hellfire Club after he found out his designs had been sold to Genosha, because he thought that his theories were only being applied “to a benign mutant detector for the government.” If this is supposed to present him in a more sympathetic light, it still doesn’t address the earlier revelation that the bullets were taken from the actual body of a dissected mutant.
Mountjoy reveals that he infiltrated the Hellfire Club in order to take control of their demon project. He could then rule the world, and keep humans in pens as food. The Black Queen (the still-unnamed British one, not Selene) is presumably his accomplice, and is immune to the demon’s influence because of her psychic powers.
Review: I’ve always liked big anniversary issues that have a lot going on. This one certainly fits that bill, as we have Excalibur attacking Black Air’s headquarters, the revival of Captain Britain at the Hellfire Club, Wisdom’s street fight with Scratch, the return of Amanda Sefton, and some crossover material thrown in. Ellis has a huge cast here, but he tries to give each character something to do, even if it’s just assigning them specific threats to take care of (Meggan uses her elemental powers to disrupt the Brood-Phalanx, Shadowcat debugs Douglock, Colossus takes on the crazed Black Air agents, etc.). There’s not a lot of room for each character to shine, but I like the fact that there’s an effort to make each cast member seem useful. It makes the team feel less generic, and gives you sense that there’s more than a little thought being put into the action.
After so many months of leisurely buildup, it’s odd to read an issue with such a dense plot. I can see why Amanda Sefton’s revelations about her mother couldn’t have happened until Margali was revealed as the Red Queen, and reviving the Captain Britain persona is a great fit for a hundredth anniversary issue, but I think Excalibur’s infiltration of Black Air and the Wisdom/Scratch fight could’ve taken up at least some of the previous issue. (Even with all of the various threads, the issue rarely feels rushed, leading me to believe that Ellis could’ve created another storyline while building up to #100 and fit it organically into the previous issues.) I suppose you could argue that the Wisdom/Scratch fight goes on for too long in this issue, but it’s fun to read and it serves as a nice contrast to the “end of the world” drama happening in the other scenes.
The Onslaught tie-in is relatively unobtrusive, as the crossover is just used as an excuse to have the X-Men visit Muir Island and pick up some information. The previous issue implicated Onslaught in the Hellfire Club’s plan, but this issue thankfully ignores his role and just finishes the story. The Xavier Protocols scenes could’ve been a dull intrusion, but Ellis actually gives the scenes some emotional weight, as the X-Men realize that their mentor has spent a lot of time figuring out ways to kill them. The scene doesn’t offer any real judgment of Xavier for creating the files (and, considering how often heroes are mind-controlled, he had a reasonable justification for doing this), but instead just gives the X-Men a purely emotional reaction. Ellis also does an admirable job with Nightcrawler’s scene with Margali, when he realizes that his foster mother is responsible for what’s happened. It’s brief, but it works. Other moments, such as Brian’s return as Captain Britain, and Amanda’s repeated attempts to reach London and help the team, are memorable because Ellis' characterizations seem very real. The art also helps to sell the character’s emotions, along with the action. The pencils are split up amongst three artists and four inkers, but the art manages not to look like sloppy rush job. The final four pages aren’t as strong as the rest of the issue, which is a shame since that is the climax of the story, but it’s still a decent-looking issue.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
EXCALIBUR #99 – July 1996
Credits: Warren Ellis (writer), Casey Jones (penciler), Tom Simmons (inker), Ariane Lenshoeck & Malibu (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering)
Summary: Peter Wisdom explains to Excalibur that Douglock is probably already dead if Scratch has him. Meggan looks through the files Shadowcat stole from Black Air and notices payments to members of Parliament. Wisdom contacts his friends in the spy community and sends them proof of the bribe money Black Air used to gain power. In London, the column of fire begins to fade. Scribe explains to Brian Braddock that this is the testing stage of their plan, which involves the Red Queen magically accessing an ancient power source. The Black and Red Kings and Queens of the Hellfire Club travel to Black Air’s London headquarters to view the latest development of their project. The Red King unveils Douglock, who is being used to as a pure electronic link to their power source. As Excalibur flies into London to attack Black Air’s headquarters and find Douglock, Brian Braddock unpacks his Captain Britain helmet and prepares to face the Hellfire Club. Meanwhile, Onslaught asks the Black Queen if she’s ready for the upcoming gathering. Hours later, the Red Queen reveals herself as Margali Szardos and tries to use Douglock to access the demonic power underneath London. The power overtakes her body, and creates columns of fire throughout the city. The citizens of London go mad, as a giant devil emerges over the city.
Continuity Note: The mysterious package Sebastian Shaw gave Black Air in a previous issue is revealed. It’s described as “chips from a trident that…belonged to the devil’s son”. The Hellfire Club is using it as an interface connecting Douglock to the ancient crypt under the city. I suspect the trident referenced belongs to Damian Hellstrom, a character who is supposed to be the son of Satan (and one of the first Marvel characters Ellis handled).
Review: The pace picks up considerably in this issue, as the Black Air and Hellfire Club plotlines begin to converge, and the almost forgotten Margali Szardos thread is revived. Onslaught also gets thrown in, since this is an X-book and it’s summertime in the mid-90s, but it’s just a one-page cameo. I seem to remember the next issue tying in more closely with the crossover, but for now it’s not a distraction from Ellis’ story. Despite the fact that Ellis is still setting up the big anniversary issue fight, there’s also some attention paid toward the ongoing character arcs. Wisdom differentiates himself from his Black Air co-workers by claiming that he only killed people “in the life”, while others, like Scratch, were willing to kill innocents. He then tells an anecdote about beating Scratch’s face off when he learned that he had killed everyone inside a school to cover his tracks. It comes across as a pretty flagrant attempt at making Wisdom seem intimidating and vicious, but Ellis also uses it as an opportunity to emphasize the doubts that Kitty would realistically have about getting involved with him. Ellis continues his rehabilitation of Brian Braddock by teasing the return of his Captain Britain persona. It’s important to remember that Braddock was an Olde English speaking buffoon named Britanic when Ellis took over, so the return of his true persona has to be one of the highlights of Ellis’ run on the title. I wish he could’ve done more with Braddock, because Ellis seemed to have some affection for the character, and no one seemed to know what to do with him after Alan Davis left. Casey Jones returns again as the fill-in artist (even though the letters page assures us that Excalibur is still Carlos Pacheco’s “real home”). I like his sparse, stylized character designs, and he’s able to pull off some of the satanic images in Ellis’ script. The image of Margali Szardos’ eyes being replaced with the demon’s teeth is appropriately disturbing.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
EXCALIBUR #97 – May 1996
Counterfire
Credits: Warren Ellis (writer), Casey Jones (penciler), Tom Simmons (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Ariane Lenshoek & Malibu (colors)
Summary: Meggan and Nightcrawler use their powers to neutralize Black Air’s helicopters and bring Alistaire Stuart to safety. Meanwhile, Shadowcat and Wolfsbane drop Brian Braddock off at the London Hellfire Club. Braddock enters the club and demands that he be given his father’s title of Black Bishop. The Red Bishop protests, but Braddock casually slaps him away. The Black Queen welcomes him into the club. Inside the London sewers, Black Air’s liaison with the Hellfire Club, Scratch, locates an ancient relic with a demon’s head. On Muir Island, Alistaire Stuart describes Black Air’s takeover of the Weird Happenings Organization. He knows that Black Air and the Hellfire Club are connected and they want him and Excalibur dead. Outside, Douglock has connected his circuits into the earth in order to experience random events. He’s suddenly impaled by a harpoon attached to a jet.
Production Note: This is the fifth issue in a row that only has nineteen pages. I wonder if this book had severe deadline issues and just cutting the book short became the solution. The missing pages are made up with an extended letter column, so it’s not as if Marvel was making money by selling more ad space.
Continuity Notes: According to the Black Queen, the London Hellfire Club changed the White King/Queen/Bishop/Rook designation to Red in order to distance themselves from the American branch.
Alistaire Stuart claims that Black Air began as a secret Ministry of Defense unit that took over W.H.O. after a government vote. He says that the Hellfire Club bought that vote. Stuart also claims that the Warpies (mutated children from the UK Captain Britain series who later became minor characters in a few X-books) have been killed and dissected by Black Air. It’s interesting that Stuart explicitly says that the Warpies were created in the 1980s, which is the second real-time reference made in this series in connection to the Captain Britain title. The first was when Alan Davis revealed that several Marvel UK characters had been in suspended animation for five years, which was the same amount of time in real life since their last appearance.
Review: The Hellfire/Black Air story arc continues to move at a pretty leisurely pace. The opening fight scene against the helicopters doesn’t advance the story very far, but it has a few nice character moments with Nightcrawler and Meggan. Meggan scolding the helicopter pilots after they shoot missiles at her is a welcome reminder of her childlike personality, an aspect that had been largely ignored in the post-Davis issues. Ellis also tries to do something with Douglock, by making his lack of a personality an actual plot point as he tries to find one. The rest of the issue still seems to be setting up the story rather than really getting into it. The connection between Black Air and the Hellfire Club is revealed, and the first move against Excalibur is made on the very last page, but that’s really it. Casey Jones returns as the fill-in artist and does a capable job, but it’s odd that Carlos Pacheco apparently needed a fill-in after drawing just one issue. The letters page brags that he’s going to be doing some upcoming Fantastic Four issues, which will lead to even more fill-ins in the future. So we have another issue without a regular artist that runs three pages short again. It makes the book feel almost as if it was an afterthought at the time.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
EXCALIBUR #94 – February 1996
Days of Future Tense
Credits: Warren Ellis (writer), Casey Jones (penciler), Tom Simmons (inker), Ariane Lenshoek & Malibu (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering)
Summary
In the year 2013, the future members of Excalibur live in the ruins of Braddock Manor as England is ruled by Black Air, in accord with the Sentinels. Excalibur’s leader, the crippled Peter Wisdom, calls the team together for a mission. He’s learned where Black Air is holding Douglock and is sending Captain Britain, Psylocke, Wolfsbane, Tangerine, and Meggan to rescue him. While sneaking through Black Air’s headquarters, the team is attacked by techno-organic versions of the Brood. After fighting them off, the team breaks into Douglock’s chamber. They discover Douglock has been dissected, and that the technology Black Air unlocked from his body enabled them to take over the country. Armed guards set their sights on Excalibur. In the present, Brian Braddock wakes up and realizes that he’s witnessed another flash of the future.
Miscellaneous Notes
This is the second issue in a row that’s only nineteen pages. The remaining pages are made up by a three-page letters column, which features some very large fonts. The Statement of Ownership lists average sales for the year at 167,243 with the most recent issue selling 164,727 copies.
I Love the ‘90s
The present day Excalibur is referred to as “circa 1995”. Wisdom is totally bald on top in 2013, which means he would at least have a receding hairline by now if these characters aged in real time.
Review
For whatever reason, it looks like Ellis felt the need to stall for several issues after Peter Wisdom officially joined the team. It’s not as if there was a whole lot going on in the book that’s being ignored, but dropping the aftermath of Rory Campbell’s accident for so many issues is annoying. As the letters column points out, there’s also the lingering subplot about the Soul Sword that hasn’t been referenced in months. Setting an entire issue in yet another dystopian future feels like filler, even if the final page ties it back to the ongoing storyline about Brian Braddock’s flashes of the future. The story itself is decent enough, if you’re willing to overlook the fact that stories set in dark, depressing futures had already been done several times in the X-books by this point. Maybe I’ve gotten too cynical after so many years of reading comics, but once it becomes obvious that these bleak visions of the future will never actually happen, it’s hard to keep caring. Ellis does a fine job with the character interactions and the ominous narration though, so judged on its own merits, it’s enjoyable enough.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
X-MAN #10 - #13, December 1995- March 1996
Continuing the mini-reviews of X-Man, the spinoff I didn’t mind missing out on, even as a completist teenager.
#10 (Ostrander/Skroce/Duursema/
#11 (Ostrander/Skroce/LaRosa/
#12 (Ostrander/Skroce/LaRosa/
#13 (Ostrander/Ross/Hunter/Thomas/
Thursday, October 9, 2008
EXCALIBUR #93 – January 1996
The Spire
Credits: Warren Ellis (writer), Casey Jones (penciler), Tom Simmons (inker), Lenshoek & Malibu’s Hues (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering)
Summary
Wolfsbane spots a fire on the mainland near Muir Island. Meggan uses her expanding elemental powers to sense the source of the fire, and determines that it was possibly caused by a mutant. Wolfsbane and Meggan travel with Shadowcat to Kinross, where Meggan uses her powers to stop the blaze. Wolfsbane finds the person responsible, a scared fourteen-year-old girl named Bridget Shane. Bridget tells her that she’s ashamed to be a mutant, and that Reverend Craig has called her an abomination. Wolfsbane travels to town and decides to confront Reverend Craig, her former guardian, over his abusive tactics. Wolfsbane reveals to him that she’s used the internet to look into his past. She’s learned that her mother was a free-spirited local in Ullapool who came to Craig’s attention. She died during childbirth, leaving Craig as Wolfsbane’s guardian. For mysterious reasons, the church soon stationed Craig far away in Kinross. She tells him that she knows his secret, and that she’s noticed that Bridget has red hair too. Wolfsbane leaves the weeping Reverend Craig alone in the empty church.
Production Note
This story only has 19 pages. The missing pages are made up by a two-page letter column and an expanded “X-Facts” hype page.
Continuity Note
The implication here is that Reverend Craig is Wolfsbane’s biological father, and likely the father of the new character, Bridget Shane. Meggan is able to sense Bridget’s fire due to her ability to “see and hear the workings of all electromagnetics”, which now allows her to sense psychic powers.
Review
This isn’t a bad story, but it’s certainly a thin issue. It reads like an annual backup that got stretched out to fill a regular issue, and even then it came out three pages short. The opening scene, which has Peter Wisdom impersonating Charles Xavier with Moira’s swimming cap, is pretty funny, and Ellis continues to show a strong grasp of the characters. Ellis could’ve turned this into a clichéd anti-religion story, but he keeps the focus mainly on the characters and doesn’t take cheap shots at Wolfsbane’s faith. The big reveal in this issue, that the abusive Reverend Craig is actually Wolfsbane’s father and is even potentially genetically prone to create mutants, is a strong hook that works well with past continuity. After establishing the idea, though, it looks like Ellis ran out of things to say and just shut the story down. The new mutant is forgotten about, and nothing really comes from the revelation outside of Reverend Craig getting a good cry. Casey Jones continues to work as the fill-in artist. His opening pages have a nice style that almost reminds me of Mike Wieringo, but his art gets more and more inconsistent as the issue goes on. He shows up as a regular fill-in artist during this time, and since I remember liking his work, I think he greatly improves over the months.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
EXCALIBUR #92 – December 1995
I Want You
Credits: Warren Ellis (writer), Casey Jones (penciler), Miller/Simmons/Rubinstein/
Summary
Colossus watches in a rage as Peter Wisdom and Kitty Pryde kiss. After Kitty goes inside, Colossus punches Wisdom in the stomach and then the face. Nearly dead, Wisdom fights back by projecting one of his "hot knives" into Colossus’ spine. Meggan and Britanic team up and knock Colossus unconscious. Both Wisdom and Colossus are taken to the med-lab, where Colossus’ spine is easily fixed. Wisdom requires intense surgery, however. Colossus is locked in a cell and attached to an inhibitor collar. Nightcrawler chastises Colossus for behaving like a child, telling him that after losing so much, he’s projected too much on to Kitty. Nightcrawler suggests that he redeem himself by staying on Muir Island and telling Professor Xavier that he’s still seeking treatment for his earlier brain damage. Kitty later visits Colossus and tells him that Wisdom will survive. Still angry, she asks Colossus to find himself again.
Review
Colossus joins the team in this issue, basically as damage control after he nearly kills Peter Wisdom, which has got to be one of the strangest justifications for adding a new team member ever. I’m not sure how I feel about Colossus’ portrayal in this issue. I remember liking this story when it was first published, since it seemed as if Ellis was actually trying to use Colossus’ recent continuity and build a story around it. Looking back on it, I have to wonder if it was worth the effort since Colossus’ treatment during this era was atrocious in the first place. Just ignoring it probably would’ve been the best option. Ellis seems dismissive of the “brain damage” justification for Colossus’ actions during “Fatal Attractions”, having Nightcrawler tell Colossus all of his recent actions have been childlike, implying that he still hasn’t grown up. That seems to trivialize Colossus, which doesn’t do anything to redeem the awful way he had been treated in recent years. The fight between Colossus and Wisdom has always stuck with me, since it’s the only time I can remember Colossus punching out someone who has normal strength. The story does a good job of depicting just how brutal that could be, and it’s nice that there’s at least some realistic repercussions for Wisdom. I also like the way Ellis handles the reactions from the rest of Excalibur, so it doesn’t feel as if this is just being done for cheap shock value. In hindsight, though, it just seems like another regrettable Colossus story.
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