X-Men #76

X-Men #76
Writing: Joe Kelly

Art: Mat Broome

What Went Down:  Cecilia Reyes is busy conducting a physical on Marrow to make sure there was no permanent damage from the battle with the N’garai.  Of course they don’t get along.  Cannonball accidentally walks in and is embarrassed.  Everyone wonders where Maggott is.

Maggott is actually hiding in the attic, trying to avoid a physical exam.  Wolverine catches him and explains that hiding doesn’t help his credibility.  Maggott decides to tell the story of his origin in order to explain why he doesn’t like doctors. 

Maggott grew up in South Africa.  He was the second youngest son of a family with five children.  During his childhood, Japheth, as he was called, was chronically sick and his family spent lots of money they didn’t have on treatments and medicine.  One day the boy overheard his mother praying for his death, so Japheth decided to go out to the desert in a jeep and kill himself.  The only problem was that his younger brother Daniel was asleep in the back.  Japheth and Daniel try to walk back, but the heat overwhelms them.

We get an interlude with Storm finally picking up the mail for the school, including the package for her that has been floating around for five or so issues now.  Maggott continues his story, and we learn that Magneto just happened to be flying across the African desert.  He stops to help the boys, realizes Japheth is a mutant, and uses his magnetic powers to release the boy’s powers, his two slugs.  All are surprised that the slugs burst out of his stomach, yet the hole closes afterwards.  Japheth also turns blue for the first time as the slugs devour an animal.

Magneto takes the boys home, but when they arrive, they find that the revolts against apartheid have finally gotten violent.  Japheth’s brother Lot has been killed, and his father is in the middle fighting the authorities.  Japheth begs Magneto to save his father and the community, but he is horrified when Magneto uses his powers to not just stop, but also kill all of the oppressors.  Magneto leaves young Japheth, who is celebrated for bringing Magneto to save them. 

Maggott finishes his story by explaining that his slugs are his digestive system.  In order to eat, his slugs have to eat for him, and then jump into him in a very painful process.  Maggott says there is more to his story, but Wolverine tells him there is plenty of time for that.  Just then Storm shows up to chastise both guys for being in her room.  Storm opens the package for her and reveals a talking statue of a woman name Ainet, who raised Storm, telling her that people are dying in her home. 

How It Was: Well this issue is touted as the “Tragic Origin of Maggott,” and I can’t say it’s really all that tragic.  It does start with some excellent character moments from Marrow, Cannonball, and the rest at the beginning.  I love how Marrow yells at Sam while trying to flash him against his will.  Kelly does a lot with these scenes: there’s conflict, animosity, flirtation, and just plain fun.  And once again it’s nice to see that we’re getting more of all the new characters, not just Maggott, in this one.

As for the origin itself…it’s not the worst.  Maybe I’m biased; given the fan feedback I’ve read, sometimes I feel like I’m the only fan who liked Maggott.  He’s goofy and mysterious; it’s nice to see characters join a team without everything known about them.  I like that this takes place in apartheid South Africa, a modern setting that just screams out the importance of the themes in the X-Men—fighting for equality and acceptance.  And the idea of Maggott’s condition being a burden on his family is a nice sympathetic touch that mirrors the struggles of millions of families across the world with inadequate health care.  Once again, social and historical relevance is nice to see—it worked wonders for Magneto’s character in the 70s and 80s.  All in all this starts out as a very modern origin.

Then we get to the part where Magneto just happens to be in South Africa for no reason, and he decides to take a break and magically start Maggott’s powers.  It’s a heck of a coincidence, and it sort of degrades to the “saved by angry mob” that most heroes and villains start at.  After all, Magneto’s own kids Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch were saved from a mob by Magneto.  Moreover, this situation creates more questions than answers about the nature of Maggott’s relationship with Magneto—questions that Wolverine should probably be bringing up, like if Maggott ever worked for the Master of Magnetism. 

As for the tragedy part, the fact that Maggott has to absorb his slugs isn’t really that sad.  Similar to my problems with issue #74, the body horror aspect could be interesting, but we’re never really allowed to see what’s happening.  The art shows off some nice African landscapes, although I really do not like the cover; I get that it’s reflecting traditional African depictions of people in tribal art, but I can’t see the distorted image jumping out and selling the book to new readers.

It’s a shame that Maggot disappears in a few issues.  Even though his origin wasn’t that dramatic, it does present him in a sympathetic light.  It feels like the story after this one is the one that Kelly wanted to tell, but never got the chance to.

B-