ANGELA/GLORY #1 - March 1996

Rage of Angels

Credits: Rob Liefeld & Robert Napton (story), Robert Napton (script), Roger Cruz (pencils), Danny Miki w/Alan Martinez & Kyle Roberts (inks), Christian Lichtner & Extreme Color (colors), Kurt Hathaway (letters)

Summary: The angel Astra recovers Celestine’s heart and uses forbidden technology to revive her. Celestine returns to life insane, recruiting an army of rogue angels and destroying the Elysium. On Earth, she uses her powers to brainwash the Amazonians on the Isle of Paradise into joining her. Lady Demeter asks her daughter Glory for help. On the Isle, Glory encounters Angela, who’s hunting Celestine. They unite to defeat Celestine, but Glory is reluctant to harm her sisters. She summons a cleansing storm to counteract Celestine’s influence. Celestine flees, but reemerges on the angels’ orbital satellite and kills its crew.

Spawntinuity: Celestine first appeared in the Violator Vs. Badrock miniseries (written by Alan Moore, as a footnote in this issue reminds us), which ended with Violator ripping her heart out. Angela is hunting Celestine as a favor to Metatron, “ruler of all angels,” who has been willing to ignore Angela’s freelance work.

Gimmicks: Rob Liefeld provided an alternate cover for the book.

Review: Oh, yeah…Todd McFarlane did loan Angela out to Rob Liefeld, didn’t he? Only in the days of early Image would you have Rob Liefeld plotting a story that incorporates the works of Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, and Grant Morrison, starring a heroine flagrantly lifted from Wonder Woman’s origin story. If I’m not mistaken, this was Angela’s first appearance not written by Neil Gaiman. Luckily, the comic happened to be published during Roger Cruz’s short association with Extreme Studios, so there isn’t a hideous Liefeld clone in sight. Cruz is still working in the style you might remember from X-Men Alpha, which is short on originality but is at least tolerable.

Cruz’s main fault here is his insane reliance on awkwardly inserted cheesecake. Not only are dramatic statements declared while the “camera” focuses on the speaker’s butt cheeks, not only does every female character proudly wear a thong, but the army of murdered angels have a bad habit of lying prone, smugly displaying those thongs to any reader interested in checking out dead chicks. Cruz is still oddly appropriate for the book, given that his look at this time is an amalgam of Jim Lee, Joe Mad, and J. Scott Campbell. All of those guys have Arthur Adams in common, who was one of McFarlane’s dominant influences for years. Although the Spawn series doesn’t have this particular “cartoon” style at this point, Cruz’s look fits the McFarlane-designed characters. I wonder now how the Spawn series would’ve turned out if McFarlane had hired Cruz away from Marvel in the mid-‘90s.

I’ve never read a Glory comic before, but it seems as if the story brings together her mini-universe with Angela’s in a plausible way. As much as there is continuity in the Image Universe, it’s used well. (I’m not sure if McFarlane ever even read this storyline; it’s kind of ridiculous that the destruction of “Heaven” was never mentioned in Spawn.) Angela doesn’t care that much if her former angel friends are getting massacred, but she feels she owes a favor to Metatron. This would also allow her to test her strength against Celestine, which matches Gaiman’s original characterization. Glory doesn’t want to kill her Amazonian sisters, which Angela finds laughable, but of course she finds a better way in the end. The cliffhanger is a nice surprise, as the angelic satellite from Morrison’s Spawn run has been criminally underused since its debut. Unfortunately, this one-shot is merely a prelude to a “Rage of Angels” crossover. Check out Youngblood #6, Team Youngblood #21, Glory #10, and something called Maximage #4 for the rest of the story, before returning for the second Angela/Glory team-up special. Or don’t. I think I’ll risk missing them.

PROPHET/CABLE #2 - March 1997

Credits: Rob Liefeld (plot), Robert Napton (script), Mark Pajarillo & Paul Scott (pencilers), Norm Rapmund & Jonathan Sibal (inker), Kurt Hathaway (letters), Laura Penton & Extreme Colors (colors)

Summary: Prophet and Kirby convince Cable that Crypt is actually Domino’s kidnapper. Using Prophet’s technology, the trio follows Crypt’s trail to the end of time. While investigating Kang’s hideout, they come across the Cosmic Cube. Cable refuses to touch it, which forces Kang and Crypt to attack. With Domino’s life in jeopardy, Cable agrees to hand the Cube over to Kang. Kang is immediately consumed by the Cosmic Cube and trapped inside. Crypt escapes, and the heroes return to the DOCC station with Domino. Prophet sends Cable and Domino home, knowing that they’ll meet again.

Continuity Notes: Cable says that he’s responsible for placing the Cosmic Cube at the end of time. This is, perhaps, a reference to an X-Force story Rob Liefeld never got around to. Cable’s also, apparently, the only person who can touch the Cube without being harmed. He claims that he allowed Kang to hold it because he knew the energy would consume him.

Creative Differences: Blaquesmith has a copyright notice in the indicia, but he never appears in the comic.

Review: You know, if Badrock/Wolverine didn’t suck, this didn’t have to suck either. The only advantage over the first issue this one has is the art, which seems to be handled mostly by Mark Pajarillo. He’s a nondescript Image-style artist, but he’s at least working on the level of an Ian Churchill. I have no idea who Paul Scott is, but if he’s responsible for the Liefeld-esque pages in this issue, he’s the most loyal Liefeld clone I’ve ever seen. I honestly wonder if Liefeld drew a handful of these pages uncredited, since they’re virtually identical to his style (and by “style,” I also mean his crude anatomy and nonexistent backgrounds).

The plot is just as nonsensical this time, as the Cosmic Cube shows up as a convenient plot device. Why exactly Cable can touch the Cube when no one else can is never explained, and there’s also the question of why Cable waited so long to hand it over to Kang. If he knew the Cube would just consume Kang, why did he see the Cube, turn back, get into a fight scene, and then finally give Kang what he wanted? If Kang knew that only Cable could hold the Cube (which is why Domino was kidnapped in the first place, to lure him to Kang’s base), why did he just grab it when Cable handed it to him? Did he think Cable gives off some magic energy that enables others to touch the Cube? I realize I’m criticizing the plot holes in a mid-90s crossover with a forgotten Liefeld character, but this one is weak even by the standards set by the other Extreme crossovers.

PROPHET/CABLE #1 - January 1997

Credits: Rob Liefeld (plot), Robert Napton (script), Mark Pajarillo & Rob Liefeld (pencilers), Norm Rapmund & Jonathan Sibal (inker), Kurt Hathaway (letters), Laura Penton, Andy Troy, & Extreme Colors (colors)

Summary: Crypt travels to the Marvel Universe, hoping to find a means to defeat his enemy Prophet. He arrives at the X-Men’s mansion and fights Cable and Domino. After winning the battle, Crypt unmasks and taunts Cable with his face as he teleports away with Domino. A computer scan points Cable towards Prophet, who lives on the Direct Orbiting Commander Center. Cable teleports to Prophet’s base and begins a fight. Prophet’s companion Kirby ends the fight by putting a gun to the back of Cable’s head. Meanwhile, Crypt presents Domino to Kang the Conqueror.

Continuity Notes: In a text piece, Liefeld reveals that Prophet was originally intended to be an X-Force character. Prophet would’ve been a police officer from the future sent by Kang, a warlord in this era, to bring back Cable.

Production Note: Although these characters are associated with Image, this was actually published by Liefeld’s Maximum Press company. Judging by the cover dates, this was released around six months after the Marvel/Extreme crossovers began in Summer 1996. By this point, Liefeld was out of Image.

Review: Wrapping up the Extreme crossovers with the X-universe (unless there are even more I never knew about), we have the Prophet/Cable miniseries. Jim Valentino and Rob Liefeld had a falling out shortly after “Heroes Reborn” began, so he’s not going to be writing this. Jeph Loeb and Eric Stephenson might’ve been good candidates, but they’re sharing the editor credit. No, this is a Rob Liefeld joint, so to the surprise of no one, the plot consists of two extended fight scenes glued together with a flimsy setup. The story can’t even seem to decide if the Marvel and Extreme universes are separate realities, as Crypt has to travel across dimensions to reach Cable while Prophet just seems to be hovering over Marvel’s Earth a few pages later. Maybe the idea is that Cable teleported across realities, but it’s not clearly explained, and it would be a large leap in his teleportation abilities (Cable’s not even supposed to be able to teleport at this point in continuity, but I’ll cut the story some slack and just assume it’s not trying to adhere to any strict Cable continuity).

Now, who are Prophet and Crypt? Beats me. Crypt is apparently some sort of time thief, and Prophet is a warrior from various time periods. I guess they’re supposed to look like one another, or maybe they’re the same person from different points in the timeline. Or, perhaps Crypt is shapechanger and he’s framing Prophet. Who knows. Oddly enough, the script gives a detailed explanation of Cable and Domino for new readers, but just assumes everyone knows who the Extreme characters are. Shouldn’t this be the other way around? I do remember the Prophet series getting some hype when Chuck Dixon and Stephen Platt were briefly on the title. I certainly don’t recall this hairstyle in any of the promotional art, though:

X-FORCE/YOUNGBLOOD #1 - August 1996

Credits: Eric Stephenson & Robert Napton (writers), Stephen Platt, Dan Fraga, Richard Horie, Ching Lau, Michael Linchang, Mark Pajarillo, & Andy Park (pencilers), Marlo Alquiza, Eric Cannon, Robert Lacko, Sean Parsons, Norm Rapmund, & Lary Stucker (inkers), Kurt Hathaway (letters), Dan Shadian, Extreme Color, & Quantum Color (colors)

Summary: X-Force rejoins Ricochet Rita in the fight against Mojo. Mojo enlists the aid of Youngblood’s enemies, the Four, to squelch the rebellion. Meanwhile, Youngblood member Sentinel develops a transdimensional accelerator that enables the team to return to Mojoworld. With Youngblood’s help, X-Force defeats the Four. The heroes are shocked when Dazzler emerges from Youngblood’s craft. She takes Shaft and Shatterstar to Mojo’s dungeon to release Longshot, as the united teams confront Mojo. Outmatched, Mojo triggers an explosion. Badrock and Caliban protect their teammates from the debris, but Mojo escapes.

Continuity Notes: Dazzler reveals that she was actually Mojo’s servant, the Agent, from the first chapter of the crossover. After Mojo’s nexus in the Extreme Universe was destroyed, his magic wore off and she returned to normal. She hid out in Youngblood’s ship and emerged when they reached Mojoworld.

Gimmicks: There’s an alternate cover by Rob Liefeld that manages to get the title mixed up.

I Love the ‘90s: Badrock calls breaking through a wall his impression of the sitcom Home Improvement.

Review: Okay, this one is the mess you were probably expecting. I’ll start with the art. Apparently, each individual pouch on a character’s costume required its own artist, so approximately nine thousand people were brought in to draw this thing. The issue opens with Stephen Platt doing his standard McFarlane/Adams impersonation:

It ain’t pretty, but you at least have the impression that some effort went into this. As the story progresses, the amount of detail lines drop, and the composition somehow manages to get even worse:

By the time you reach the final pages, the art looks like a napkin sketch that was blown up to standard comic size:

Why, it’s almost as if the book was thrown together at the last minute to meet a deadline.

The first chapter of the crossover was at least coherent and enjoyable on its own terms. This just reads like a generic team-up of generic ‘90s heroes fighting generically ugly ‘90s villains. The wit of Stephenson’s first script is gone, as the characters are now incredibly stiff and barely anyone shows signs of a personality. Not only is the plot an awkward fit with the first chapter (Ricochet Rita is given a lot of attention in the opening, while Mojo II, a fairly prominent character in the first chapter, has just disappeared in-between issues…plus, the idea that Badrock would be a “savior” to Mojoworld is forgotten), but it also introduces ideas seemingly at random that are never resolved.

After the issue opens with a lengthy monologue by Ricochet Rita, lamenting Dazzler’s death, Rita disappears without explanation. Dazzler’s “death” is resolved, but Longshot is thrown into the story for no real reason. He’s freed during the final pages, as Mojo escapes the fight, and has literally nothing to do. There’s also an abortive plot thread about Shatterstar, Siryn, and Warpath abandoning Cable during the fight with Mojo’s minions because they feel he’s wasting time. Shatterstar perks up when he hears Longshot’s name, reviving the long-forgotten hint that he’s Shatterstar’s father, but it’s another idea that isn’t addressed by the story’s end. Another abandoned idea is the concept that the X-Force and Youngblood team-up is actually helping Mojo, since it boosts his ratings. There’s no resolution, as the issue just ends with a big explosion and another hint that a sequel is on the way. The story isn’t as much of a mess as the art, but it’s close. It’s a shame, since the first installment proved that these comics don’t have to suck.