X-MAN#45 - December 1998

Crossing Borders

Credits: Terry Kavanagh (writer), Mark Pajarillo (penciler), Bud LaRosa (inker), Comicraft (letters), Mike Thomas (colors)

Summary: X-Man has another vision that shows him accidentally destroying the Earth. He awakens to discover a Techno-Gnome inserting the dream into his mind. After destroying the gnome, Madelyne teleports him to the location he sensed in his dream, the island of Tramahoi in the Philippines. After facing more Techno-Gnomes, X-Man discovers their creator, Blaquesmith. Blaquesmith tells X-Man and Madelyne that “he” has returned. They’re transported to Latveria, where they witness a pyramid falling out of the sky. Meanwhile, Slaine examines the remains of a Techno-Gnome for Ness. Suddenly, they’re attacked by Manx and the Shadow-Sisters. Following Slaine’s dying request, Ness doesn’t pursue the fight, but instead travels to Tramahoi.

Continuity Notes: Ness and Slaine are apparently members of a group called the Hellbent. Manx and the Shadow-Sisters consider them traitors, but no more information is given on their rivalry.

Production Note: Alan Davis receives a “special thanks” credit. He apparently drew the final page of the story, unless Mark Pajarillo radically changed his art style for the sake of one page.

Review: This is the prelude to “Blood Brothers,” a crossover between X-Man and Cable that consumes three issues of X-Man and only one issue of Cable. I can’t imagine anyone really wanted to participate in this, but Marvel still felt the need to connect Cable and X-Man periodically during this era, so this is what we’re stuck with. I doubt Kavanagh always intended Blaquesmith to be the mastermind behind the Techno-Gnomes when they were introduced several issues ago, but given the vague nature of the storyline so far, it’s impossible to tell where any of this was originally going. We’re now supposed to believe that Blaquesmith used the robots to “test” X-Man in preparation for this fight, and that no one was really in danger so long as Blaquesmith controlled the gnomes, which is a copout if nothing else. Given Blaquesmith’s previous appearances, this doesn’t sound like something he would do; but then again, Blaquesmith is still something of a cipher, so I guess it’s possible.

What’s really frustrating about the issue is the introduction of yet another shadowy mutant (?) group. We still have no idea who (Wit)Ness is, his new friend from last issue, Slaine, hasn’t been fleshed out, and now we’re exposed to Manx and the Shadow-Sisters -- a werewolf and two robed bald girls. Maybe they’re also “the Hellbent,” maybe they represent another organization, maybe Ness burned them on a coke deal…who knows, who cares. The amount of random crap Kavanagh throws against the wall in each issue of this book is staggering. I just can’t wait until the secret origin of the Gauntlet is revealed…and the doctor with X-Man’s powers returns…and the Hellfire Club makes its move…and Threnody makes her epic comeback…

X-MAN #39-#40, June-July 1998

If Tomorrow Never Comes…

Credits: Terry Kavanagh (writer), Mark Pajarillo (penciler), Bud LaRosa (inker), Joe Andreani (colors), Comicraft’s Kiff Scholl (letters)

Apparently, X-Man’s life in New York is now over, which ends whatever semblance of direction or purpose the book ever had. The story opens with Nate meditating, envisioning his own death, which of course is cryptic and light on the details. He fights a man in an armored suit that somewhat resembles Stryfe’s, apparently to prevent Apocalypse’s resurrection. Their psychic battle creates a massive feedback that kills half of the Earth’s population. That’s one way to oversell a premise.

Nate awakens in the Canadian wilderness, which we learn is where Madelyne Pryor took him after the previous issue. For the first time, Nate has a justifiable mood swing, as he suddenly realizes that his relationship with Madelyne is creepy and she should just leave him alone. Before their conversation can go anywhere, she points out that Nate inadvertently created a psychic explosion while meditating, which has unleashed a monster named Tundra. Nearby, two other Great Beasts approach. I’ll again give Kavanagh credit for pulling some unexpected villains out of the air, but he unfortunately ties their resurrection to a mystery man called “the Witness.” He somehow senses…either the Great Beasts, or X-Man’s vision (the story isn’t very clear). Every X-fan of this era knew the Witness as the-man-who-might-be-Gambit from Bishop’s origin story, so teasing them with an unrelated character is just wrong.

Nothing Left But the Screaming

Credits: Terry Kavanagh (writer), Richard Pace (penciler), Bud LaRosa (inker), Mike Thomas (colors), Comicraft’s Kiff Scholl (letters)

With Madelyne’s help, X-Man defeats the ancient Alpha Flight enemies, while Kavanagh revives the Gauntlet for a few subplot scenes. He doesn’t offer much detail on the mystery group, although we do learn that they’re lead by a Commander Scanlon, a telepath apparently obsessed with detaining Nate Grey. Finally, the new Witness from the previous issue makes a brief cameo. The narrative captions now refer to him as “the man named Ness,” and the implication is that he’s witnessed X-Man destroy the Earth before. He might even be intended as an older, alternate reality version of Nate (he has a similar face and haircut), but it’s possible the guest artist isn’t so great at drawing distinctive faces. I will say that he draws wonderful monsters, which helps the issue tremendously. It’s still vague and aimless, but at least the action scenes look terrific.

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.

X-FORCE #64 – March 1997

The Haunting of Castle Doom!
Credits: John Francis Moore (writer), Anthony Castrillo & Mark Pajarillo (pencilers), Jon Holdredge & Marlo Alquiza (inkers), Comicraft (lettering), Marie Javins (colors)

Summary: After the Time Platform malfunctions, X-Force is transported with Doom’s castle to 1941. Because the castle already existed in 1941, the castle and everyone inside exist as ghost-like apparitions. Dimitri Fortunov overhears Baron von Strucker making plans to kill his grandfather, who objects to an experimental machine Strucker is building. X-Force agrees to help Dimitri stop Strucker’s men, even though they’re not sure if they’re damaging the timeline. After X-Force destroys Strucker’s “storm-catcher” machine, Nathaniel Richards manages to repair the Time Platform and return everyone to the present day. Cable destroys the Time Platform, and talks G. W. Bridge out of arresting him. Nathaniel Richards says goodbye, while mentally declaring that he won’t be on Cable’s side for long.

Review: I wonder if Moore wrote these issues as fill-ins, not knowing that he would be taking over the title. It’s unusual to see a new writer not introducing any new plot threads or touching on any ongoing story arcs during his first two issues. Jeph Loeb managed to move the location of the series and alter the cast within a few pages during his first issue. Moore has simply plugged the team into a generic story that probably could’ve starred any other superhero team. The plot itself is mostly unobjectionable, although I do have to wonder about the decision to make the team “ghosts” during the time travel sequence. The story keeps reminding us that they’re intangible, yet they’re able to physically assault Strucker’s men, which doesn’t make a lot of sense. The art is a combination of Castrillo’s blatant Byrne imitation (which is odd, since he backed off of the aping in the previous issue), and Pajarillo’s blatant “Image circa 1993” impression. Neither one is particularly good, and both help to reinforce the idea that this storyline was thrown together at the last minute to kill time.