CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN #6 - July 1997

Shattered (Convergence Part Three)

Credits: Steven Grant w/Len Kaminski (writers), John Paul Leon (penciler), Shawn Martinbrough and Bill Reinhold (inkers), Ken Lopez (letterer), Matt Hollingsworth (colorist)

Summary: One-twelfths of the world’s population lapses into a coma. The Challengers of the Unknown investigate, and member Kenn develops a theory that the victims’ astrological sign, Scorpio, is the key to the case. He goes to visit his daughter, Danni, who is one of the victims. When he sees her topaz locket, he realizes that topaz holds the cure. Following his instructions, the Challengers create a “Topaz Man” in the desert and hold hands. The energy that’s contained within the victims is released, creating an apparition that flies into the sky. Danni and the rest of the victims awaken from their coma.

Irrelevant Continuity: The other Challengers are shocked to discover Kenn has an ex-wife and daughter.

Review: It’s another chapter of the crossover that really couldn’t care less if you’ve never read this book before. I do know that the Challengers are a Jack Kirby concept that predates the Fantastic Four, and like many of DC’s Silver Age titles, the book’s been relaunched several times throughout the decades without finding much of an audience. This incarnation of the Challengers, according to the letters page, brings an X-Files influence to the concept (I don’t know if the creators actually had that in mind, but I’m sure DC had no problem marketing the book this way.) Everything had to reference X-Files at some point in the ‘90s, but I guess Challengers of the Unknown isn’t much of a stretch for an X-Files connection. Unfortunately, you learn more about the title from the letters page than the actual story. I realize the creators are following “show, don’t tell,” but just a small amount of exposition would’ve helped any new readers brought in by this crossover.

For starters, the story doesn’t identify the four leads as the Challengers until page sixteen. We see that they’re a group of investigators, but their actions don’t exactly bring the word “challenger” to mind. The only character who’s clearly named for most of the story is Kenn, while most of the cast seems nameless until page nineteen. Even then, it’s hard to discern their roles in the book. (And, occasionally, the murky artwork makes it difficult to tell the characters apart.) Apparently, Marlon is the leader, Kenn is the eccentric, Clay is the arrogant cynic, and Brenda is the rational skeptic. This is based on just a few lines of dialogue, so I could be wrong. The relationships between the characters, and the basic setup of the organization, are glossed over, so a new reader still knows very little about the concept of the series by the end of the issue.

All that said, I did enjoy the comic. The only cast member who receives any real characterization is Kenn, but he’s a strong enough protagonist to maintain the reader’s interest. The scenes between Kenn and his family feel real, and the resolution of the mystery is quite clever. I like the connection between topaz, the birthstone of Scorpio, and the character of Prince Topaz, whose presence is likely an editorial requirement. I suspect Grant/Kaminski didn’t have a great interest in the crossover, or perhaps weren’t even aware of the specific details of the main plot, so they’ve created a story that works independent of the main storyline while also putting one of the characters where he needs to be for the next chapter. If you were a regular reader of Challengers of the Unknown, the crossover isn’t hindering the book in any way. If you’re a new reader who’s buying the issue simply to get the next chapter of the “Convergence” crossover, however, your patience is likely to be tested.

LOGAN: PATH OF THE WARLORD #1 - February 1996

Credits: Howard Mackie (writer), John Paul Leon (penciler), Shawn Martinbrough (inker), Gregory Wright (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters)

Summary: In Japan, Logan has begun work for Landau, Luckman, and Lake. His boss, Chang, has assigned him to protect a scientist, Dr. Carling, and his daughter Rose. Logan kills Carling’s pursuer, Kimora. Years later, Chang asks Logan, who now seeks peace, to rejoin LL&L and complete his mission. Chang unveils LL&L’s interdimensional transport system, explaining that Dr. Carling developed interdimensional travel years ago. In another dimension, he fell in love with a woman and fathered Rose. This world was ruled by the immortal Kimora, who wanted Carling’s technology. Carling’s wife was killed, and he fled the parallel dimension with Rose. Kimora followed him, and somehow survived his encounter with Wolverine. Now, Kimora has returned to his dimension through a small wormhole, but he still seeks Carling’s technology to make interdimensional transport stable. Logan travels with Chang to Kimora’s world, where they’re joined by the now-grown Rose. After breaking into Kimora’s fortress, Kimora kills Carling in front of Logan. Logan kicks Kimora into an unstable transport, trapping him in-between dimensions forever. Back home, Chang suggests Rose join Logan as his partner.

Continuity Notes: There are hints that Rose could be Lady Deathstrike, as she’s able to morph her fingers into claws. However, this was most likely a misdirection. Rose is apparently Rose Wu, Wolverine’s friend from Madripoor who can change shape.

Production Note: This is another $5.99 bookshelf format special with no ads.

Review: It seems like a six-dollar special about Wolverine’s past should connect with the character in some significant way. An early adventure with LL&L and his possible first meeting with Rose Wu don’t strike me as “significant.” Landau, Luckman, and Lake is the mystery organization that Wolverine uses to “handle affairs” that goes back to the Claremont days. Larry Hama began to use them regularly towards the end of his Wolverine run, playing up Claremont’s hints that the group had interdimensional origins. There are questions that could be answered regarding LL&L and Wolverine, but this story certainly doesn’t answer them. It’s also written by Howard Mackie, who had nothing to do with the character at the time, so it’s not as if he had some insight into Hama’s plans (as Hama told a fan on Usenet, he didn’t even know this comic was happening until it was published). You would think the regular Wolverine writer would be the person called upon to write one-shots about the character’s past, but clearly Marvel didn’t agree.

Now, if you are going to do a story about Wolverine’s life pre-Weapon X, I’m not sure if pitting him against an interdimensional warlord is really the best way to go. This era seems like prime material for crime stories, martial arts adventures, or just stories about Wolverine’s life in Canada with Silver Fox or any of the other interchangeable women from his past. Interdimensional travel is taking him into X-Men territory years before he’ll meet the team, and it’s not really suited for John Paul Leon’s art anyway. The story tries for a character arc, as Logan is warned by a generic sensei to control his animal urges and, shockingly enough, later has to control his rage while fighting Kimora in the climax. We’ve seen the old “Wolverine fights his animal rage” bit before, and Mackie doesn’t have a new angle for it. He also isn’t able to give the characters personality, or make the reader care if they live or die or not, as evidenced by Carling's emotionless death scene. Everyone’s there to fulfill their role in the story and that’s it. I’m not sure how well these prestige format books sold, but I think Marvel made a lot of fans reluctant to support the format with this one.

THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF CYCLOPS AND PHOENIX #4 – September 1996

Beginnings
Credits: Peter Milligan (writer), John Paul Leon (penciler), Shawn Martinbrough (inker), Kevin Somers & Malibu (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering)

Summary: As Sinister emerges from his chamber, Cyclops attempts to kill him but has second thoughts. Sinister escapes with the help of Apocalypse’s sentient technology as the underground base begins to collapse. Sinister emerges deeper inside Apocalypse’s complex, holding his wife’s music box. He declares that he feels no remorse, so his transformation is complete. Nearby, Oscar and Daniel are attacked by Cootie Tremble. They’re rescued by Cyclops and Phoenix, who senses that Apocalypse’s experiments have ravaged his body. Sinister appears and kills him, claiming it’s a humane way of ending his suffering. Cyclops and Phoenix try to talk Sinister out of his deal with Apocalypse, which leads Sinister to at least tell them where to find Apocalypse. Soon, at Buckingham Palace, Apocalypse launches his attack against the British monarchy. Apocalypse defends himself against Cyclops and Phoenix until he begins to feel weak. Sinister enters, explaining that the plague he was ordered to develop unintentionally weakened him. Phoenix senses that he’s lying, as their bodies begin to shift out of time. Before they disappear, Phoenix erases the memories of the attack from the minds of the British royalty. Elsewhere, Apocalypse forces Sinister to admit that he turned against him, as Sinister explains that the plague Apocalypse wanted him to develop would have polluted the natural evolution of humans. Apocalypse allows him to live, telling Sinister that he will serve him when he returns. A year later, Oscar and Daniel arrive in America, posing as father and son. Daniel chooses the surname Summers to honor the people who freed him. Years later, Sinister visits Charles Darwin’s funeral and leaves behind his wife’s music box. Outside of time, Sanctity explains to Cyclops and Phoenix that their mission was not only to stop Apocalypse, but also to ensure that Sinister was created so that the future messiah Cable could be born.

Continuity Notes: Cyclops is able to alter the course of his optic blast after he decides not to kill Sinister, which I can’t recall him being able to do before. At the end of the story, Cyclops speculates that his fight against Sinister is what sparks his interest in the Summers bloodline.

Review: After Essex became Mr. Sinister in the last issue, there didn’t seem to be anywhere else for this series to go. Maybe having Apocalypse invade Buckingham Palace was intended to be a large climax, but the final confrontation comes across pretty flat here. Some of that has to do with Leon’s stylized art, which is well suited for creating landscapes, setting mood, and redesigning the characters for the nineteenth century, but doesn’t seem appropriate for a traditional hero vs. villain fight. The series has really been about Essex rejecting his humanity and becoming Sinister anyway, so there’s not a lot of investment in Cyclops and Phoenix’s fight in the first place.

The main appeal of the issue is the same as the previous three, which is Milligan’s characterization of Mr. Sinister. Milligan is able to leave the door open to the possibility that Sinister still retains some humanity without making it seem like a copout. Sinister dramatically declares that he no longer has human emotions after staring at his wife’s music box, but Phoenix’s argument that Apocalypse’s plan will kill children like his own, “nature at its most fragile”, seems to have some impact on him. Sinister’s reluctance to join Apocalypse is mostly explained by his unwillingness to serve anyone, but there’s also a sense that Sinister might have enough decency to reject his agenda. Sinister is still clearly a villain by the end of the series, but Milligan is able to make his transformation more plausible by giving him these doubts.

The rest of the issue consists of some leftover elements that don’t particularly work. Oscar and Daniel are revealed to be the original Summers (meaning that even the origin of the Summers family involves a time-loop), which seems like an unnecessary addition. The two characters didn’t have much of a personality or a real purpose in the series, and this doesn’t seem like a good enough reason to justify the amount of time that was devoted to them. How exactly the Summers family came to America isn’t really a question I was dying to have answered anyway, so this plotline left me cold. And now that the mini is over, I’m still not sure what purpose the Marauders and Hellfire Club were supposed to serve, either. The ending finally acknowledges that stopping Sinister’s creation would also prevent Cable from being born, which is used as a nice twist ending. However, it doesn’t exactly present Cyclops as the world's greatest dad, since this apparently didn’t occur to him during all of the times he contemplated killing Sinister. Despite my complaints, this still comes out as an enjoyable miniseries, which is especially notable since it was released during a time when quality control seemed pretty lax in the X-office. The art’s imaginative and unique, and the writing is sharp enough to make a story with a predestined ending remain engaging for most of the series.

THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF CYCLOPS AND PHOENIX #3 – August 1996

The Origin of a Species
Credits: Peter Milligan (writer), John Paul Leon (penciler), Shawn Martinbrough & Tommy Lee Edwards (inkers), Kevin Somers & Malibu (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering)

Summary: Phoenix speaks to Essex and tries to convince him to abandon Apocalypse. Nearby, Oscar Stamp is attacked by Cootie Tremble, who has been remade as a cyborg by Apocalypse. Essex is intrigued that Phoenix violates the rule of survival of the fittest and saves Oscar. He returns home to learn that Rebecca has freed his lab subjects, and that Phoenix has cured the mute boy Daniel. He goes inside and discovers that his wife went into early labor due to her recent stress. After hearing that their baby died, Essex vows to be a better person. Rebecca, dying, rejects Essex and blames him for the death of their child. Distraught, Essex attacks his family graveyard and contemplates suicide. Elsewhere, Apocalypse meets with the Hellfire Club and orders them to foster war and hatred throughout the world. In the sewers, Oscar leads Phoenix to Apocalypse’s headquarters. They discover Cyclops being tormented by the Marauders. Phoenix tries to rescue him, but is captured by Apocalypse’s sentient technology. Meanwhile, Essex visits Charles Darwin and tells him that new, cruel gods are coming. Apocalypse returns to his base and tries to interrogate Phoenix. Essex enters and agrees to Apocalypse’s offer, as Oscar recruits Essex’s freed subjects to fight Apocalypse. Apocalypse straps Essex inside a chamber where his genetic material is remade. He renames himself Sinister. Soon after Apocalypse leaves, Oscar leads the freaks in an attack against his stronghold. Cyclops and Phoenix are freed, as Sinister’s chamber opens. Meanwhile, Apocalypse prepares to attack Buckingham Palace.

Continuity Notes: It’s implied that Apocalypse created the ruby quartz that blocks Cyclops powers, as his machinery evolves and protects itself from Cyclops’ blast.

Essex names himself “Sinister” after his wife labels him “utterly and contemptibly sinister”. Apocalypse adds the “mister” when he says, “Mister Sinister will be working on perfecting the scourge”.

After Apocalypse encourages the Hellfire Club to create war, he tells them that he will stay in the background (to prevent humanity from having a common foe to unite against) and will reappear when “the planet is ravaged by war and disease”. This is a rationalization for why we didn’t see Apocalypse until the 1980s in the comics.

Review: This is the climax of the series, as Nathaniel Essex officially becomes Mr. Sinister. Milligan tries to delay what we all know is coming by offering false hope that Essex might turn against Apocalypse. Having Essex realize what his wife means to him just seconds before she condemns him as a monster adds a classic sense of tragedy to his origin story. It’s obvious at this point that the series really isn’t about Cyclops and Phoenix, although there’s some attempt to connect their backstory to Sinister’s narrative. Phoenix compares Cyclops losing his son to Apocalypse to Sinister’s predicament, while she encourages him to follow Cyclops’ example and retain his humanity. The irony that Cyclops’ son only exists because of Sinister’s manipulations is also brought up, although no one mentions that if they’re successful in preventing Essex from becoming Sinister, then Cable will not exist. That actually would’ve been an interesting conflict, but I guess Milligan didn’t want to dwell too much on Cable’s muddled origins.

One element of continuity that Milligan does delve into is Apocalypse’s connection to the Hellfire Club. I don’t mind connecting Apocalypse to Sinister, but revealing that Apocalypse commanded the Hellfire Club in the 1800s bothers me. Isn’t it enough that they’re greedy and heartless on their own? I don’t see how connecting Apocalypse to their backstory adds anything. All it really does is make the club seem weaker, as they now promote war to appease someone they’re afraid of, rather than doing it on their own accord. Plus, the move inserts Apocalypse into the backstory of even more characters, which is a trick that’s getting old at this point. I suppose it had already been decided by the ‘90s that Apocalypse was a more important adversary than the Hellfire Club, which might’ve been the rationalization for the move. Whatever the reason, it pulls me right out of the story.

THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF CYCLOPS AND PHOENIX #2 – July 1996

Unnatural Selection
Credits: Peter Milligan (writer), John Paul Leon (penciler), Shawn Martinbrough & Klaus Janson (inkers), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Kevin Somers (colors)

Summary: Cyclops, who arrived in the past nude without his ruby quartz visor, is mistaken for a Marauder by the freaks living under the city. When he is forced to unleash his optic blasts, the sewer-dwellers understand that he is like them. He mentally gets into contact with Phoenix and leads the freaks past the wooden bars in the sewers. The Marauders witness the escape and shoot Cyclops in the arm. The freaks fight back, chasing the Marauders away. A Marauder named Oscar Stamp trips, and is rescued from the angry freaks by Cyclops. Oscar agrees to serve as Cyclops’ eyes. Meanwhile, Phoenix is visited by Sanctity, the last of the Askani sisterhood, who is charged with guarding this timeline. She tells Phoenix that she has forty-eight hours to find Essex at the Milbury House and stop Apocalypse’s rise. At the Milbury House, Rebecca Essex confronts her husband over his experiments on their dead son. She asks Essex to stop his experiments for the sake of their unborn baby, and when he doesn’t give her an immediate answer, she leaves. En Sabah Nur convinces Essex not to follow his wife, but to show him his work instead. They tour his lab and then leave for a meeting with the Hellfire Club, the group Essex hopes will now fund his research. Soon, Phoenix arrives at Milbury House and comes across Rebecca burying her son. She goes into Essex’s laboratory and finds the mutants he has been studying. She mentally talks to a mute child, Daniel, who tells Phoenix where Essex has traveled. At the Hellfire Club, En Sabah Nur morphs into his true form as Apocalypse after the members mock his theories. He threatens to kill them if they do not serve him. He leaves with Essex, as Phoenix and Cyclops are reunited nearby. They recognize Essex as Sinister, and Cyclops contemplates killing him before he can cause so much pain in their time. Suddenly, Cyclops and Phoenix are attacked by Apocalypse’s physically enhanced Marauders. Apocalypse sees the fight and proudly joins in. A Marauder knocks Phoenix into the nearby river, as Apocalypse defeats Cyclops. He offers Cyclops to Essex as a test subject. When Essex hesitates, Apocalypse gives him a day to decide. Essex walks away, contemplating his next move, when he discovers a woman in the river. He pulls her out and discovers she’s Phoenix.

Continuity Notes: When Apocalypse tours Essex’s lab and hears the new theory of evolution, he realizes what he is for the first time. He declares that he is “an anomaly – the first born of this great mutation!” Ozymandias is indirectly referenced, as Apocalypse brags that a man with royal blood has served him for over a thousand years.

Sanctity sends Cyclops and Phoenix into the past in their own bodies, which makes wonder why the Askani didn’t do that in their first miniseries, other than the fact that Cable couldn’t have recognized Cyclops and Phoenix for continuity reasons. Since it was Rachel Summers doing the summoning in the first mini, after the Askani had been decimated by Apocalypse, I guess it is reasonable that Rachel had to rely on her own powers to drag them into the future. Sanctity's plan to have them change the past and stop Apocalypse seems to contradict the Marvel rules of time travel that Mark Gruenwald imposed for years.

Review: Did I mention this series is dense? The amount of plot in this issue alone is almost as much story as the entire first miniseries. Even though Milligan goes through a lot of twists to get there, this issue mainly accomplishes only three points. Essex begins to grow closer to Apocalypse and question traditional morality, Cyclops and Phoenix are reunited, and a fight with Apocalypse leaves the pair defeated. None of the material with the Marauders, the Hellfire Club, or the freaks under London has much to do with any of this. I wouldn’t say that they’re totally superfluous since the miniseries isn’t over with yet, but it does seem like there are too many characters at this point.

The true star of the series so far is Mr. Sinister, and Milligan is successful in creating a sympathetic portrayal of his former self. The idea that a man would abandon all morality in the name of science after his son’s death isn’t easy to pull off convincingly, but Milligan is able to create a conflicted portrayal of Essex that makes it work. Throughout the story, Essex is tempted by the progress that could be made if science wasn’t constrained by society, but also wonders what place his deceased son would've had in that world. When Apocalypse offers Cyclops to Essex as a test subject, he’s tempted by the opportunity to pursue his life’s work, but he also recognizes that Cyclops and Phoenix share what he once had with Rebecca. Milligan cleverly ties the moral conflicts to the early controversy surrounding the theory of evolution. Just as embracing evolution placed people at odds with the era’s theological and moral beliefs, Essex begins to wonder if all morality should be abandoned in the name of science. If life really has no meaning outside of survival of the fittest, how could a pursuit of knowledge at all costs truly be wrong? As interesting as the conflict is, the details of the story unfortunately trip over it. Just a few pages before Apocalypse offers Cyclops to Essex, Phoenix has already discovered the “evil, pure and simple” work he is doing on mutants in his lab. It’s already been inferred that Essex is experimenting on the mutants from the Marauders’ freak show, so his conflict over using Cyclops as a test subject seems odd. I guess Phoenix could’ve been reacting to the fact that mutants were being kept in cages (the art is so dark and murky it’s hard to tell what condition they’re in), but I think her response implies that he’s doing more than just studying his captives. The storytelling at the end of the issue is also unclear, as Apocalypse teleports away with the Marauders while giving Essex a day to make his decision about Cyclops. Essex is then seen walking away alone, so I guess the implication is that Apocalypse took Cyclops with him, but it’s not clear at all. At any rate, even if some of the details don’t add up, this is still a strong chapter of a series that’s engaging in its own right and more than just gratuitous brand exploitation.

THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF CYCLOPS AND PHOENIX #1 – June 1996

Digging up the Past
Credits: Peter Milligan (writer), John Paul Leon (penciler), Klaus Janson (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Kevin Somers & Malibu’s Hues (colors)

Summary: In 1859 London, a woman named Rebecca mourns the loss of her son, Adam. She worries that her husband, scientist Nathanial Essex, is growing more distant. Essex appears in front of the Royal Society and discusses his views on evolution, and his belief that mankind will someday mutate into superior beings. He unveils a composite of human and animal corpses to illustrate his point, which scandalizes the society. Later, a man named Cootie Tremble at a pub offers to take him to a freak show. At the show, he sees humans who appear to be the mutants he predicted. When Essex asks to leave, he’s attacked by Cootie’s men, who call themselves the Marauders. Essex gives them money and dares them to join his cause of science. Weeks later, in the sewers underneath London, workers accidentally awaken Apocalypse inside his regeneration chamber. Apocalypse surveys London and declares that he will fulfill his destiny here. He flashes back to his youth as a slave in ancient Egypt. He has a vision of the god Set as his mutant powers emerge for the first time. Back in London, Apocalypse is attacked by the Marauders, who see him as another freak for their show. After he kills Cootie and one of his men, the Marauders pledge to serve him. Meanwhile, Phoenix suddenly emerges nude inside a church, while Cyclops appears in the sewers below. Inside Essex’s home, Rebecca is haunted by gruesome visions. She walks into Essex’s laboratory and discovers the body of their son inside a chamber. Distressed, she runs to his grave and digs it up, hoping that it isn’t true. Essex finds her, telling her that he’s experimenting on their son’s body to prevent other children from dying. Suddenly, Apocalypse, in his human guise of En Sabah Nur, appears. He tells Essex that he’s interested in his work and proposes a partnership.

Continuity Notes: Nathaniel Essex, as it’s already been established at this point, is Mr. Sinister. This is the first issue to place Sinister back in the 1800s, which doesn't exactly fit with previous issues that inferred that he was around for "centuries". Another one of Sinister’s aliases, Milbury, is referenced here as his estate is named “Milbury House”. His future group of mercenaries are also named the Marauders.

Review: This is the first part of the second Cyclops and Phoenix miniseries, which for some reason was deemed an appropriate place for Sinister’s origin story. Actually, since most of Sinister’s motivation is supposed to revolve around the pair, I can see the reasoning behind the decision, although it seems as if they’re being tacked on to the story. In the first issue, Milligan is clearly more interested in Sinister’s story, as Cyclops and Phoenix only receive a two-page unexplained cameo. I didn’t buy this series when it was first released because none of the newsstand dealers in my town sold it. This is the first time I can remember an X-related miniseries not being bought by any of my local retailers, which sadly foreshadows the disappearance of comics from newsstands. I decided to do full reviews of each issue since the story is fairly intricate and a decent amount of continuity is established.

This doesn’t read like any of the other X-titles from this era, as it’s a dense plot with an average of around six panels per page. It takes literally twice as long to read this as a Scott Lobdell comic from the same period. The dialogue is appropriately stuffy, which is certainly a change from the other X-books, which alternate between sarcastic, glib one-liners and highly emotional monologues. John Paul Leon’s art also bears no resemblance to the cartoony, exaggerated style that was common at the time. It’s heavy on the shadows and is occasionally stiff, but he does a great job of recreating nineteenth century England. Overall, the issue is a little hard to get into, but the story moves at a steady pace and Milligan is able to make Sinister engaging enough to follow throughout the story. It’s probably trying too hard to appear important and serious (it seems as if Marvel really wanted a Vertigo flavor to the mini), but it’s still an entertaining setup issue.

X-MEN ’95 – October 1995

A Sinister Heart

Credits: J. M. DeMatteis & Ralph Macchio (writers), Terry Dodson & John Paul Leon (pencilers), Jon Holdredge & Shawn Martinborough (inkers), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Mike Thomas (colors)

Summary

An elderly woman named Faye Livingstone is kidnapped from her nursing home. When Mr. Sinister, disguised as Nathaniel Essex, arrives for his annual visit, he finds Genesis in Faye’s room. When Sinister threatens him, Genesis unveils Faye, who has been genetically manipulated to look sixty years younger. Meanwhile, Phoenix and Beast are vacationing at his cabin in the Catskills. His home is suddenly invaded by the Dark Riders, who grab Phoenix and teleport away. Beast takes the Blackbird and chases the psychic trail Phoenix left for him to follow. Phoenix awakens inside a decaying Hollywood mansion and watches Genesis confront Sinister. Genesis claims that he’s going to do what his idol, Apocalypse, never could do and destroy Sinister by breaking him one piece at a time. Sinister examines Faye, who is dreaming of the past. She remembers meeting Nathaniel Essex at a Hollywood party in the 1930s. She thought they were in love, but soon discovered that Essex was using her mutant genetic material for his experiments. After he finished using her, Essex finally opened the door of his mansion and allowed her to leave. Genesis wants to use Phoenix’s psychic powers to create a mind-link between Faye and Sinister, which will prove that he actually did love her. Beast breaks through Sinister’s defenses and convinces Phoenix to go along with Genesis’ plan. Using Phoenix’s power, Sinister and Faye have a final dance inside their minds. Faye tells Sinister that she knows that he truly did love her and has been looking for a way to make amends. In reality, the genetic manipulation wears off, as Faye succumbs to cancer. Sinister coldly tells Beast to take the woman’s corpse and go away. Genesis is impressed that Sinister never broke his icy façade and decides to leave. Beast looks into Sinister’s eyes, and knows that he is hiding his grief.

Continuity Note

This is the first story to actually show Mr. Sinister as Nathaniel Essex in the past. He still hasn’t been given a full origin yet, but we now know that he once worked for Apocalypse and was active at least by the 1930s.

Review

This is better than your typical annual story. It doesn’t advance any of the ongoing storylines and isn’t written by the series’ regular writer, but it does reveal information about one of the many mystery characters from the era while also telling an entertaining story. The plot also gives Genesis his first interesting scheme ever, as he plans on exposing Sinister’s emotional weakness, rather than simply attacking him physically. Going back to the occasional episode of G. I. Joe that would show a member of Cobra in a sympathetic light, I’ve had a soft spot for stories that try to humanize villains since I was a small kid. The way the story is constructed, never allowing Sinister to admit to his true feelings to himself but making them obvious to the audience, is clever. As if the idea of Sinister keeping this woman captive and experimenting on her wasn’t dark enough, the story also infers that he might’ve sexually assaulted her in his attempts to create the perfect genetic offspring. The writers thankfully keep this element extremely vague, so we still get a sense of how heartless Sinister can be without totally undermining the story’s ending. The idea that Beast can look into Sinister’s eyes and sense his loss is a little much (especially when you consider that he has no pupils), but the scripting of the scene pulls the idea off. Beast’s theory that Sinister is mourning not just Faye’s death, but the idea that he’s gone too far and can never turn back is also handled well.

The art alternates between Terry Dodson and John Paul Leon, two skilled artists who couldn’t be more different. Leon is used mainly for Faye’s flashback scenes, so even if the change in art styles is jarring, at least another narrative is being told. However, he does end up drawing a few pages set in the present, which makes his dark, scratchy style even more out of place with Dodson’s clean look. Thankfully, this is only for a few pages, so it’s not as distracting as it would’ve been if the artists had just been assigned random pages.

Words

Credits: Scott Lobdell w/Matt Idelson (writers), Ramon Bernardo (penciler), P. Craig Russell (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Mike Rockwitz (colors)

Summary

Brian Braddock reads a letter from his sister, Psylocke. She describes her growing feelings for Archangel and her suspicion that she’s falling in love with him. She writes about their trip to the Westchester County Fair, where they discussed their relationship and the forces that drove them together. Psylocke tells Archangel that his willingness to help her through her identity issues made her realize how much he truly cared about her.

Review

I distinctly remember hating this backup story, mainly for the artwork. I’m not quite sure now why I hated the art so much, since most of it looks fine, even though some of the faces are a little ugly and Archangel and Brian Braddock look too much alike. I guess this has nothing to do with Bernardo’s actual drawing ability, but he also gives Archangel a hideous hairstyle that looks like the mullet Adam Curry sported in the late ‘80s. It’s strange that Marvel was still so hung up on giving their male characters perfectly styled long hair at this point, since that look had been out of fashion for years. This is a sixteen page backup story designed to sell the Archangel/Psylocke romance, which is probably something that should’ve already been done in the main book by this point. Their relationship always seemed forced to me, mainly because Archangel went from hanging around Psylocke for two issues to suddenly having some deep spiritual bond with her. I think this story is meant to address that problem, since it has the characters themselves question why they fell for each other so quickly. The story actually does a fair job of justifying the relationship, by casting them as two lonely individuals who tried to lessen their own pain by reaching out to each other. Psylocke decides that if you find something good in life, you should just go with it, so now they’re deep into a relationship. There’s certainly an element of cheese there, but it’s a reasonable enough justification that at least tries to make the relationship stay true to the characters. It goes on way too long, though, and some of the dialogue is rather schmaltzy.