Getting Back in the Saddle

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season!  As the year comes to a close, I've been reflecting a lot on my accomplishments...thinking of all the the things I have to be thankful for (people in my life, steady job) as well as the things I want to work on.  When I started this blog, the hope was to increase posts, or at the very least replace these posts with other writing of some sort of substance.  Obviously by my post count this year, that didn't happen, and I'd like to apologize to anyone who was looking forward to new posts. 

However, people have still been reading the site, and I still love X-Men comics, so I'm determined to pick up where I left off.  Well not exactly--first I've got some retro reviews lined up to fill in some gaps in the story.  I'll be doing some issues of Gambit, The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix, some issues of X-Men Unlimited, and maybe a few surprises before getting back to my spot in X-Continuity with The Magneto War, the Kelly-Seagle swan song.  Again, I'm sorry for any readers expecting more regular posts, but the bright side is that I've set the bar so low I think I can finally top my post total from the previous year in 2014.  New posts should be up in about two weeks.  Until then, have a wonderful New Year, and keep enjoying comics.

X-Men: Liberators #4

X-Men: Liberators #4

Writing: Joe Harris

Art: Phil Jimenez

What Went Down:  No flashback for the opening.  Instead Omega Red bursts into Province 13 and threatens General Sergei.  Sergei says their transaction is complete, but Red wants to know why the X-Men are involved.  Nightcrawler is busy digging up graves in the cold wilderness, searching for Wolverine.  Colossus surprises him, and they are both set upon by a naked Wolverine asking for his clothes. 

At Province 13 the guards are on high alert, and the students are being evacuated.  Ariana is being used as bait to draw out Nikolas.  Nanya and her friend return to the classroom and meet Nightcrawler, while Omega Red confronts Wolverine.  As Kurt talks to the two young girls, the Wolverine/Omega Red fight spills through a window.  Omega threatens the young girls, while Colossus goes to rescue Ariana. 

Sergei sets fire to his office, while we see signs that Nikolas has accepted the bait.  Kurt and Logan rescue the girls just in time for Nikolas to appear.  Nikolas fights the villain, with Red fleeing as his body starts to shut down.  Ariana confronts her son, and sets him free from his hard existence with a shard of broken glass.  At the same time, Colossus takes Nanya from General Sergei just before he kills himself.  In the epilogue, we see that Ariana has adopted Nanya and is taking care of her. 

The issue ends with a continuation of the flashback from issue #1; Colossus holds a pneumatic press up while his friends are rescued.  The story ends with the three X-Men being greeted by the rest of the team in the present.

How It Was:  The issue opens with a compelling sequence of Nightcrawler desperately digging through snowy graves to find Wolverine; it would’ve been rather engaging if we didn’t see Wolverine dig himself out last issue. 

So after three issues revolving around the fate of Nikolas, the last issue tries to squeeze some tension out of putting the little girls in danger that we hardly know or care about.  Moreover, Omega Red is the one that threatens them, and for no other reason than because he’s a huge jerk.  His purpose in the story is so non-existent that after a one panel confrontation with Nikolas, Omega Red realizes there’s no reason for him to be there and leaves.

There’s weak attempt to humanize General Sergei at the end that doesn’t quite work, but I will admit that Harris does squeeze some tragedy out of Ariana and Nikolas’ reunion.  Having both characters agonize over not being with each other for two issues, only to have Nikolas killed by the only being that can touch him… well it’s pretty sad.  Colossus learns to be happier by appreciating what he has, which is a fine enough way to end his journey after the grimness he’s been through.

The art is fantastic, only flawed by some pretty major coloring mistakes on the final page for most of the X-Men.  Even though all the fights consist of nothing but Omega Red grabbing and throwing people, it still looks really great.  I can’t really understand the aversion to fighting in this series; the few fights we do see feel very dull and hurried.  The final, climactic battle between Nikolas and Omega Red consists of them staring angrily at each other before Omega runs off complaining about pain.

This is a pretty disappointing series all told.  I’m not so much bothered by how generic the plot and villains are; it’s just that the entire execution feels rushed, although competent.  All the X-Men are in character, but they don’t feel like they have much to do or say in this story.  It takes Colossus all of one page to deal with his family’s death, and although Nightcrawler and Wolverine are there for moral support, they have absolutely nothing to add.  Nikolas unfortunately has no voice or personality, so although we can feel bad for him as readers, we can’t connect with him or find anything redeemable in his presence.  Everyone else just serves as mouth pieces to push the story around, with Omega Red in the middle to make the story authentically Russian, I guess.  I don’t think you’d miss a thing if you avoided this series because it is never mentioned ever again.

For Completists

X-Men: Liberators #3

X-Men: Liberators #3

Writing: Joe Harris

Art: Phil Jimenez

What Went Down:  This issue opens with a flashback of a Hide and Seek game played on the mansion grounds around the eighties era.  Colossus manages to sneak up on Wolverine.  At Provence 13 in the present, Wolverine is “dying” from his exposure to the mutant Nikolas as scientists are examining him. On a mountain, Colossus has found a cave where he and the old woman are hiding.  He brings firewood for the woman, whose name is Ariana.  She explains how she is Nikolas’ mother and how he was taken away from her as a baby because his touch killed everyone except her.  Nikolas was taken by Sergei, and Ariana resents the Rasputins because they were normal looking mutants able to hide from the government. 

At night Nightcrawler sneaks onto the base after following the soldiers.  He discovers the children taken from their families by the government.  Sergei’s superior Alexei explains that the government is shutting down Sergei’s base. 

Nightcrawler tries to speak with the children, but he doesn’t know Russian.  He is able to communicate telepathically with the girl Nanya, who can translate for her friends.  Nightcrawler vows to rescue the children.  In the woods, Omega Red is hunting Nikolas, and comes across a wrecked cabin with two dead adults and an abandoned child.

Omega Red manages to find the cave with Ariana in it, so he and Colossus battle.  Their fight is interrupted by Nikolas, Ariana’s son.  Omega Red throws a rock, and both Colossus and Nikolas go over the cliff.

Wolverine “dies” and is left alone by the scientists.  Nightcrawler finds him dead, and takes his uniform with him.  Colossus unburies himself and sees that Nikolas has fled.  Nightcrawler escapes, but we see that Wolverine’s body has been buried, and he has healed enough to rise. 

How It Was:  We finally get to see where Colossus’ arc is going this series; he is given Ariana’s tragic story to compare with his own tragedies to realize how much worse his life could’ve been.  That’s as good a conclusion as any for Colossus to come to after a decade of having family death after family death; he learns to appreciate time he did have with his family. 

Meanwhile, Wolverine sits on a slab for a whole issue, and Nightcrawler has nothing to do except wander around Province 13 and meet some kids.  The art is great as he sneaks around and teleports stealthily, but it doesn’t hide the fact that he has nothing to do; he’s searching for Wolverine, but after Kurt finds him, Wolverine just gets dumped outside again by the soldiers making for a total waste of an issue.

Then there’s the glaring fact that Omega Red has no purpose in this story.  The narration claims that he’s working for the government after being freed from exile, but there’s no motivation for him to be hunting Nikolas.  He’s here because the X-Men are in Russia, and heaven forbid they fight any other super villain in Russia other than Omega Red. 

Besides the interplay between Colossus and Ariana, there is really nothing here to catch your attention.  There’s a three page fight that ends abruptly, and that’s about it.  The art is really nice and gives Colossus and Nightcrawler a nice range of emotion and movement, but that still doesn’t change the fact that they’re not saying or doing anything memorable.

Completists Only

X-Men: Liberators #2

X-Men: Liberators #2

Writing: Joe Harris

Art: Phil Jimenez + Aiken, Leigh, & Pepoy

What Went Down:  Again we begin with a flashback, this one occurring around Giant-Sized X-Men #1.  Wolverine attacks Colossus to see what he’s really made of.  In present day Russia, Colossus visits the graves of his parents.  Over at Province 13, General Sergei observes two children being tested for psychic capabilities.  The General swears one of the girls, Nanya, is looking in his mind.

Peter encounters an elderly woman in the graveyard’s chapel.  After identifying himself as Piotr Rasputin, the woman spits on the ground and curses his family, so Peter leaves.  In the woods nearby, Kurt and Logan wait patiently for Colossus.  They discover oddly warped trees and dead animals.  Assuming it’s hunters, Wolverine decides to go and teach a lesson about killing animals for sport and leaving them there. 

Back at the church, a military helicopter lands and soldiers flood out to surround the old woman.  Colossus bursts in and fights off the soldiers.  He escapes with the woman.  After confronting the hunters, Logan and Kurt observe them getting attacked by the mutant monster Nikolas.  Wolverine fights it off, but he soon gets sick and passes out.  The soldiers carry Wolverine away, and Nightcrawler is forced flee. 

Sergei receives a call that one of his superiors from Moscow will be visiting him.  We end on some Russian soldiers discovering Omega Red in the Savage Land and offering to bring him home.

How It Was:  Another low-key issue as the plot keeps chugging along.  There isn’t really that much to tell.  The purpose of the X-Men’s visit gets fulfilled as Peter starts the issue at his parents’ graves and dwells on it for a whole two sentences of internal monologue.  For a series that is billing itself on the group’s history by starting each issue with a flashback, there is surprisingly no reflection on how Peter’s parents died, the deaths of his other siblings, or his time with the Acolytes.  They could’ve easily tied this into the main series by mentioning Colossus’ Christmas visitation from Illyana, but alas he’s just there.  Peter’s just going through the motions of the plot, and the cemetery visit ends up being nothing more than a plot convenient way for Colossus to meet Nikolas’ mother who just happens to be at the same church.

With this issue the X-Men actually become embroiled in the plot.  Although Wolverine and Nightcrawler are supposed to be there to support Colossus, they take the time to deal with some hunters because it bothers Wolverine.  And while the plot affords the opportunity for some action, neither the writer nor the artists really seem interested in dwelling on it.  We get two panels of Colossus getting shot at before beating up all the soldiers off-panel, followed by Wolverine fighting Nikolas for all of one page which amounts to one dodge and one claw swipe.  It’s disappointing to see a super hero comic so uninterested in showing any type of action or excitement. 

As for the rest of the issue, the shady Russian soldiers and their general still aren’t very interesting, and Omega Red shows up for no purpose other than because this is a Russian-set X-story.  There is some mystery to be had in how the X-Men are going to fight Nikolas if he can take Wolverine so easily, but other than that this is just a story just plodding along with nothing impressive.  The closest bit to a standout moment is General Sergei’s observations of the telepathic Nanya staring through him behind the wall, but minor details can’t salvage how uneventful this is.

For Completists

X-Men: Liberators #1

X-Men: Liberators #1

Writing: Joe Harris

Art: Phil Jimenez

What Went Down:  The intro involves a flashback to the Claremont/Byrne era circa Days of the Future Past.  Our three stars of the mini, Wolverine Colossus, and Nightcrawler, enjoy a test in the Danger Room.  In the present, these same three X-Men are on a plane to Russia to visit the graves of Peter’s parents.  Nightcrawler scares a little girl by coming out of the restroom before turning on his image inducer. 

At a military base called Province 13, the Russian equivalent of Area 51, General Sergei observes a room of children playing with toys, some using super powers.  The general slides back a panel on a dark cell, looks at the shadowy figure inside, and laughs internally at his current predicament. 

Arriving at the Moscow Airport, Wolverine decides to take his friends to a local pub full of a “certain element.”  Back at Province 13, a rookie soldier relieves the guards of the mystery cell; he is afraid of the monsters that might be lurking here, and he is teased by his peers. 

Back at the bar, Wolverine has talked Peter into arm wrestling one of the thugs who taunted them.  During the bout, one of the other thugs tries to steal the X-Men’s bags, so they start a bar fight and totally dominate the locals. 

Back at the base, the shadowy creature hides from its captors during meal time, tricking them into opening the door. Once the creature touches the soldiers, their bodies start to decay. 

After trashing the bar, the X-Men leave some money and go on their merry way.  We also learn that the mystery creature’s name is Nikolas as he kills more soldiers.  Nikolas coincidentally winds up stowing away on the same train that the X-Men are taking.

How It Was:  Liberators is a mini that is all but forgotten; it has no effect on continuity, it doesn’t have anything profound to say about its characters, and its plot is basically a takeoff of any Frankenstein story: the misunderstood monster that’s been seen time and again.  The only thing that could possibly set it apart is the emphasis on the three X-Men and their long history.  The flashbacks do go a ways of drawing out this history; these X-Men joined the team at the same time, and as such their growth as teammates and friends has had profound influence on each other and the team.  Conversely, their interactions in the present don’t really highlight this history in any meaningful way.  Most of their brief conversations deal with polite teasing and Colossus’ discomfort at the situations Wolverine drags him into. 

Still, I’m willing to give this one the benefit of the doubt since it’s only the first issue, and so much of it is dedicated to the antagonists.  This project is fueled by pure nostalgia, highlighting a friendship that has been missing from comics for almost a decade, due to the heroes frequenting other teams over the years.  It’s excusable to start out with some lighthearted joking and bar fighting, with a promise of possibly something more substantial in later issues.  Plus fans of the X-Men never really got to see Peter deal with the death of his parents before he joined the Acolytes (although he probably dealt with it in Excalibur, I would assume).

This leaves the Russian military who are trying to weaponize mutants—all setup and exposition up to this point.  Again, this is nothing special, with all the soldiers sharing the same personality and Nikolas’ escape being easily predictable.  I will say that the design for Nikolas is quite grotesque, although it doesn’t really stand out in any way.  This is an okay start to the series.  Not much happens; the characters are all characterized well and their dynamic is well defined: Wolverine’s the wild one, Colossus is the shy one, and Nightcrawler is a little bit of both.  Nothing to write home about, but nothing offensive either. 

For X-Fans

Uncanny X-Men #365

Uncanny X-Men #365

Writer: Steve Seagle

Art: Chris Bachalo

What Went Down:  It’s Christmas Eve in Salem Center when Colossus is awakened by a mysterious voice leading him to the attic.  The voice tells Peter to “remember” after doing some crazy things with his perceptions.  Peter immediately goes to Storm, who brushes it off as a bad dream.  Peter thinks the voice has something to do with his latest drawing, but his canvas has mysteriously vanished.

Peter starts to recreate his drawing, but notices a light outside.  Wolverine, Gambit, and Alpha Flight’s Puck are in a cabin enjoying a fire.  Colossus returns to his room and finds his drawing returned with writing on it telling the story of an ice princess who lost her face.  Peter starts a new drawing, but is again interrupted by a noise downstairs.  It turns out that Nightcrawler and Kitty have obtained a tree to decorate for the team. 

After excusing himself, Peter finds Xavier in his study contemplating photos of his students that have passed away over the years.  The two heroes talk about ghosts and spirits, until Peter takes his leave.  Peter begins yet another drawing, believing he is being compelled by the spirit.  It again visits him, leading him again to the attic.

Peter finds a teleportation ring and meets the spirit of his dead sister Illyana.  She explains that she left the portal there before she died, and she needs someone alive to do something for her, but she cannot say it out loud.  After talking, Peter realizes that he has left his picture of Illyana packed away.  After unpacking it, his sister is able to move on.  Peter makes one more sketch before falling asleep.

In the morning it is revealed that Marrow was the one writing on Peter’s pictures; she frames one of them in bones as a thank you for the picture he gave her in X-Men #81. 

How It Was:  Seagle takes a stab at a Dickensian Christmas tale in the Marvel Universe for a post crossover downtime issue.  While this issue is somewhat of a nightmare for continuity enthusiasts, it does capture the somber tone perfectly without becoming too grim and broody.  Colossus is definitely a character who has faded to the background up to this point, so it’s great to see him get some time in the spotlight.  Although he had plenty of time to reflect on his sister’s life in Excalibur, X-Men fans never got a chance to see Peter really process his sister’s death; he just went off to Avalon and then came back one day.  This issue serves as a nice bookend to bridge his previous affiliation with the X-Men up to the here and now.

I also like that it is the members of the Claremont/Byrne era, back from such a long absence, who are again in charge of pulling the “modern” X-Men out of the doldrums of holiday depression.  Even though they don’t have any subplots of their own going on, it’s nice to see Kitty and Kurt serving a consistent function on the team.  The scene with Xavier is also a nice touch, tying well into the themes and resolution of the story.  It also reestablishes Xavier’s sentimentality after being away from the books for two years.

While the tone of Peter’s confused journey is spot on, there are still some odd choices for the issue.  Puck makes a baffling cameo for no purpose whatsoever.  Also the climax of the story is a little strange if you look at it literally.  Illyana can’t “move on” unless Peter figures out her vague riddle for her?  Unfortunately she cheats by saying “get the picture,” robbing Colossus of the personal victory of being able to help his sister on his own.  And of course with Illyana recently resurrected, I don’t know what that means for this story continuity wise.

I’m also not sure how I feel about Marrow’s turn as sneaky secret Santa.  It feels like a bit of character whiplash; I get that Peter’s efforts last issue were very selfless and well-intentioned, but Marrow’s personality is seemingly changed overnight in one issue.  She’s gone from the new Wolverine to the new Jubilee: smiling, friendly, and excited about Christmas.  To me Marrow should be reluctant to celebrate Christmas, but eventually discover a personal meaning in it for her.  You could argue she does do this, just all off panel.  It is after all Peter’s story.

It’s not the best sentimental issue, but it’s far from the worst either.  Despite the weird mechanics and out of place fairy tale shoehorned in, the dialogue and art make this a relatively enjoyable read.  It’s probably not going to the top of anyone’s reading stack, but it does manage to feel like genuine X-Men Christmas, with a few extraneous parts tacked on.  While it’s odd to see Illyana pop up again, it’s nice to see Peter get some closure sixty-some issues after her death in the X-Men titles.

For X-Men Fans

X-Men #84

X-Men #84

Writing: Joe Kelly

Art: Adam Kubert

What Went Down:  Reunited, Xavier holds Nina as the prime Cerebro basks among the captured X-Men and Brotherhood members.  Elsewhere, Nightcrawler has picked up Rogue, Colossus, Gambit, and Renee.  Using tracking systems, Kurt is able to find the captured X-Men as well. 

Cerebro explains his origins to Xavier.  Its programming was shunted to a different vessel when Bastion and a Prime Sentinel tried to use it.  After gaining sentience, it analyzed its own existence and realized it needed a dream and purpose.  Creating the false X-Men from its own detailed files, Cerebro wanted to create peace by cataloguing all humans and mutants, imprisoning them forever.  Cerebro wants to use Xavier’s telepathy to catalog the entire planet at one time. 

Xavier argues that he still doesn’t have his powers after Onslaught, but Cerebro knows that Nina can return those powers.  Fortunately the remaining X-Men come to the rescue.  Xavier decides that it is time for Nina to return his powers to him, just as the remaining X-Men are captured.  Using his powers Xavier is able to free the X-Men, so Cerebro activates the Xavier Protocols—the files on the weaknesses of every X-Man.  The X-Men are put through excruciating torments, but it is all revealed to be an illusion from Xavier and Nina.

The X-Men tear apart the Cerebrites, and Xavier uses his powers to show the Prime Cerebro the minds of humanity, not just their genetic codes.  Before it dies, Cerebro apologizes to the X-Men for not seeing how unique and special the world is. 

How It Was:  Well this issue concludes much as you’d expect it: Xavier gets his powers back and Cerebro is vanquished.  The main difference between this issue and the previous ones is that Kelly and Kubert both have the entire team to utilize in the fight, and they find a way to give every character a moment to shine. Interestingly, the Brotherhood is never brought up at any point other than when they are shown as Cerebro’s captives. 

Probably the best moment is the double page spread where the Xavier Protocols are used on the X-Men.  It’s a dark and striking visual that stands up even if the moment itself is revealed to be a hoax.  As with the Machine Man/Bastion story, I am baffled by the idea that telepaths can use their powers on machines to fool them, but whatever.  It’s a standard X-Men solution, and Kelly does try very hard to sell the idea of Cerebro gaining true sentience as a response to Bastion’s attack. 

The imagery in the astral plane makes for another amazing visual, causing me to be more forgiving of the sad, redemptive ending that comes out of nowhere.  It’s hard to feel sympathy towards Cerebro when he’s been such a bland villain…cataloguing people by locking them into eggs.  Still, it’s a good concluding fight and some of Adam Kubert’s strongest work.  Even if the Hunt for Xavier was too long and stretched out, it had its moments.  It’s just a shame that it had to stick so close to its parallel structure, almost devoid of novelty or surprise.  But this is still a solid conclusion.

For Comics Fans

Uncanny X-Men #364

Uncanny X-Men #364

Writing: Steve Seagle

Art: Lenil Francis Yu

What Went Down:  The Prime Cerebro unit is monitoring world events and notes that it is likely that Magneto will be surfacing soon. It orders a self-destruct sequence of its base, which includes the forms of the fake X-Men from Uncanny #360 to hide any evidence. 

At Alcatraz the X-Men and the Brotherhood are trying desperately to defeat the Beta Cerbrite.  Kitty tries to evacuate the Professor, but Post of the Brotherhood refuses to allow it.  The Cerebrite fires a beam at Toad, causing him to disappear, just as Storm did last issue. Nightcrawler and Mimic use Kurt’s teleportation powers to teleport the Cerebro robot away.

Blob and Post won’t let Kitty take the Professor because they see Xavier as their only hope. The X-Men fight the Brotherhood until Cerebro returns.  Exhausted from teleporting the Cerebrite, Nightcrawler returns to the Blackbird and radios the other team of X-Men for help. Of course, they’re busy with their own Cerebrite, so they don’t answer.  Kitty and Marrow try to rescue Xavier, but they manage to phase right where the battle is occurring.  The Cerebrite chases Kitty, and the robot shoots her, making her disappear as well.  It then takes out the remaining members of the Brotherhood.  Xavier explains that they’re not dead, just moved to the main Cerebro; Wolverine decides he and Marrow need to be captured to rescue their allies.  Nightcrawler sees everyone get shot as he brings the Blackbird in to rescue them.  He decides to take the plane to Russia to get reinforcements from the other team.

How It Was:   The opening of this issue feels like somebody remembered that the phantom X-Men from Uncanny #360 were tied to this Cerebro story at the last minute.  So those characters are all conveniently disposed of in three pages.  The rest of this issue is another big fight with a Cerebro robot.  Lenil Francis Yu replaces Bachalo, and boy…their styles couldn’t be farther apart if the editors tried.  Yu specializes in darker tones and more realistic proportions, which works for the most part.  He draws Post like a ghost made out of rocks, and his Marrow is a little too attractive, but overall it looks great.  I love the detail of Kitty, Toad, and Nightcrawler using Marrow’s bone shards to attack the robot since none of them have offensive powers. 

This fight is a lot less interesting, and I think it basically comes down to the fact that all the X-Men and most of the Brotherhood here just don’t have a big variety of offensive powers.  All of them pretty much just hit people, and that’s not as exciting too look at.  Plus the Brotherhood has to have an obligatory disagreement with the X-Men in the middle that makes no sense; if they care about Xavier, as a mentor or asset, why wouldn’t they want the crippled and powerless man out of the way of the huge battle?

Once again we have a Seagle book ending the same way the previous Kelly issue did, this time with the Cerebrite flying away triumphant with its quarry after soundly defeating the X-Men.  And once again the ending is diminished by the fact that we just saw this very thing happen last issue.  It’s a shame that Seagle has to follow up all the Kelly issues with the exact same structures, plus he’s been saddled by a weaker and less visually engaging team.  Even the addition of the Brotherhood can’t make this one stand out.

For X-Fans

X-Men #83

X-Men #83

Writing: Joe Kelly

Art: Adam Kubert

What Went Down:  Renee Majcomb holds Nina the young Mannite as the Alpha Cerebro fights the X-Men.  Nina is able to assist by waking up members knocked unconscious. Gambit blows up the floor underneath the villain, buying the team some time to regroup.  In a power plant, the primary Cerebro is busy cataloging humans and locking them in spheres.

Back in Russia, Renee helps Nina explain her background.  Back at the Zero Tolerance base, Nina imprinted Xavier’s mind when she met him, adding his memories to her own telepathic and reality warping powers.  Charles was able to summon Renee to save Nina, and Nina led them to the monks that Charles had spent time with while trying to control his own powers. 

Cerebro attacks again, this time by controlling Colossus.  The Cerebrite is also able to prematurely cause Gambit’s cards to explode and utilize nanotechnology to trap Storm in a box.  The Cerebrite shoots a beam at Storm causing her to disappear. 

After a brief glimpse at the Cerbro battle over in Uncanny, we return to the action with Rogue saving the unconscious Gambit.  Rogue’s glove is torn, so she accidentally gets a glimpse of the green mist lady who saved Gambit in Antarctica.  The Cerebrite knocks out Rogue and takes Nina.

How It Was:  Kelly tries to frame this issue through narration that focuses on the fear that the young Nina must be going through.  This would be a lot more effective if the girl in question wasn’t an all-powerful plot device, or if anybody cared about Nina.  Anyway, here’s an issue long fight scene where half the X-Men fight their rogue computer. 

Actually the fight has some nice moments, like Gambit charging the floor up, and Storm blowing him away at the last second.  It’s a little annoying that Nina can use her powers to wake up X-Men that have been knocked unconscious.  I suppose that one could argue that Cerebro is just as overpowered: he can trigger powers, possess Colossus, and survive lots of different attacks.  But at least Cerebro explains how he makes Gambit’s cards explode or makes a box for Storm to be trapped in. 

There’s not a lot to say about this issue.  It’s a big fight with a lot of complaining from Renee and Nina.  Cerebro gets a chance to use its powers intelligently in taking down the X-Men, although it’s unclear why it only chooses to assimilate Storm instead of the whole team.  Plot convenience I guess.  Solid action.

For X-Fans

Uncanny X-Men #363

Uncanny X-Men #363

Writing: Steve Seagle

Art: Chris Bachalo

What Went Down:  We open on what I think is a number of the creators of this very comic discussing chocolate at Ghiradelli Square when they are interrupted by falling debris from the sky.  It turns out to be another Cerebro unit—this one being the Beta unit.  At Alcatraz the Toad, who now speaks only in rhyme for some reason, takes an apple to a captive Charles Xavier. 

At the Golden Gate Park, the other four X-Men discuss how they are going to proceed.  Nightcrawler gets to show off the cloaking device he installed on the Blackbird.  Because the X-Men only own one portable Cerebro, this team is depending on Wolverine to track Xavier.  As the X-Men strategize, a local couple is attacked by the Beta Cerebrite, which overwhelms and “catalogs” them.

Despite having a futuristic space age cloaking device for their ship, the X-Men have neglected to bring normal clothes to walk the streets of San Francisco in.  Kitty is forced to take coats from a homeless vagrant, but she leaves some money for him. As they walk the streets, Nightcrawler finds a twenty in one of the pockets and buys a necklace for Kitty. 

Wolverine finds a building with Charles’ scent, but all they find is a smashed up wheelchair.  Marrow gets into a confrontation with a punk, but Logan diffuses it.  In a secret base called Area 52, another Cerebro robot sneaks in and retrieves some nanotechnology developed by Bastion.

After failing to find Professor X, Wolverine takes the team to Chinatown where they meet a wise Chinese person named Black Crane, who is from Logan’s past.  Black Crane is able to see that Professor X is at Alcatraz, but another is searching for him.  Outside Kurt gives Kitty the necklace he bought her.

Arriving at Alcatraz, the X-Men are attacked by the new Brotherhood of Mutants.  The X-Men are thrown off because the Brotherhood is utilizing teamwork and tactics that they normally do not display.  The fight is stopped by Professor X, who has been training the Brotherhood to combat Cerebro.  The Brotherhood is also responsible for breaking Xavier out of the Hulkbuster base.  The issue ends with the Beta Cerebro bursting through the wall and attacking. 

How It Was:  Note to publishers: maybe you shouldn’t spoil your one minor twist on the cover.  One could argue that this reveal is spoiled by the first scene with Toad and Xavier, but up to this point Charles is only revealed to be a prisoner.  Not that this is a huge spoiler, it’s just that after months of buildup, one would think that the discovery of Xavier might hold some type of surprise.  Either way it doesn’t really matter since the Xavier training the Brotherhood angle is dropped as quickly as it is introduced. 

As for the rest of the issue, it’s mostly more stretching out the hunt.  The first half of the issue has the X-Men doing such exciting things as shopping in downtown San Francisco, threatening hipsters, and meeting a stereotypically wise elderly Asian man who just tells the where to go.  Why didn’t they talk to this guy months ago? While Seagle is teasing a potential romance between Nightcrawler and Kitty, it’s really subtle and almost completely forgotten after this issue if I remember right.  Other than that, the characters really don’t have much to do except reiterate events of past issues leading up to this point and agonize over not having enough money to shop for jewelry.  This team is so terrible that they don’t even think to bring clothes to change into when they’re visiting downtown San Francisco!  The other team had enough time to put on coats and boots for the snowy mountains…it’s not hard.

After being told by Black Crane to get the story moving, the X-Men fight the Brotherhood for a couple of pages.  Bachalo’s art shows off the scope of the destruction and craziness quite well, but his superdeformed style makes some of the characters look odd.  His Wolverine looks more like Beast, his Blob changes sizes by the panel, and his Marrow has dreadlocks somehow. 

Of course if you read X-Men #82, you already know that the cliffhanger is once again going to be another Cerebro robot, and it’s pretty sad that a six part story has to use the same ending twice in a row.  Yes we’re supposed to glimpse the events from each team’s side, but this is a pretty unoriginal structure they’re using.  The X-Men issues at least had some novel uses of artwork to move the story, as well as the wonderful tension between Gambit and the rest of the team.  Here there is none of that, so all we get is an average story that ends with a very lackluster reunion with Xavier.

For Completists

X-Men #82

X-Men #82

Writing: Joe Kelly

Art: Adam Kubert

What Went Down:  Gambit and Colossus are both plummeting from a mountaintop after Gambit impulsively jumped on Peter’s shoulders in an attempt to lighten the mood.  Storm and Rogue save them, and fortunately the fall has led them right to the place they were hoping to get to.  It’s a temple made of ice. 

Inside the temple, one of the monks of the order alerts Renee Majcomb that there are intruders.  Elsewhere, Gambit brushes off Rogue’s attempts to get close to him.  Colossus finds it appalling, not knowing that Gambit is possessed by an evil being.  Gambit blows the door to an area and finds the frozen corpses of the majority of the monks.  An observer watches the X-Men and analyzes them. 

The X-Men come to a liquid mirror that appears to be some kind of portal.  Since Xavier’s signal is coming from it, they enter it.  The world inside distorts their senses and skews reality.  Rogue has an easier time with it because she is used to the confusion of having multiple personalities in her head.  Outside Renee asks a mystery figure if the trap is working; the mystery person thinks that they have the wrong people.  A robot that looks like Cerebro from issue #81 observes the mirror. 

Inside the mirror the X-Men experience a variety of abstract tortures, but when Rogue and Gambit reach for each other, they begin to turn back to normal.  They realize that extreme emotions are the key to escaping the mirror.  Storm thinks of her love for the X-Men, Colossus the death of his sister, Rogue thinks of Gambit, and Gambit thinks about the mist thing that possessed him. 

After breaking out, the X-Men are confronted by Renee and Nina, the girl from Onslaught: Epilogue that Professor X met.  They apologize for mistaking the X-Men for enemies and learn that they are being chased by Cerebro, who thinks Nina is Xavier. 

How It Was:  This issue: the X-Men get their own young and adorably cute sidekick.  What, you’re not excited?  Anyways Nina the Mannite turns up after her appearance in Onslaught: Epilogue.  Don’t worry, she’s not staying permanently, but it’s still enough to cast a pall over this story.  Nobody could possibly care whether or not this tiny plot device got ripped apart by a Cerebro robot, which is a real failing in this entire story.

Despite that rather sobering intro, this issue is actually really fun.  The opening is worth a small smile as Gambit tries too hard to fit back in with X-Men and the ice temple is really nicely rendered by Adam Kubert.  The best part of the book is when the team is attacked in the mirror by Nina.  The shift in art style and coloring does a perfect job of capturing the shift in reality that consumes the X-Men; it’s a great example of storytelling through visuals as the team’s perceptions are completely upended.  Yes it’s hokey that they break free by feeling emotions, but it’s worth it for the line, “And then the whole world stopped making fish.”  Some really creative imagery here.

It’s a neat issue if you ignore the fact that the plot doesn’t really advance all that much.  The characters are still shining as always in Kelly’s book, except for Colossus who is suffering from a case of nothing to do.  One of the better parts of this event.

For Everyone

Uncanny X-Men #362

Uncanny X-Men #362

Writing: Steve Seagle

Art: Chris Bachalo

What Went Down:  The SHIELD Helicarrier shows up over a farm in Nebraska where Legacy Virus victim Pyro is once again losing control of his powers.  Nick Fury calls the X-Men in because Pyro is asking for Xavier and something has him frightened.  The X-Men agree to help.

Xavier has a dream where harmony has been achieved between man and mutant.  He wakes from the dream a prisoner in a dark place.  Over at Cecilia Reyes’ doctor’s office, Cecilia receives a large package from Muir Island. 

The X-Men split up with half going after Pyro while the others help fire fighters and rescue workers.  Along the way Gambit has an internal conversation with the mystery parasite inhabiting his body.  As the X-Men work, they all discuss their feelings about Charles Xavier, what he means to them, and the hope they have for finding him.  Marrow is unimpressed with all of this.

Pyro’s powers are so out of control that Colossus can feel the flames through his metal skin. This is disconcerting because Gambit is attacked by a flame woman who kisses him.  Storm makes it rain, and creates a collapsing air mass.  They chase Pyro and Wolverine punches him out.  He then notices a mysterious figure inside the flames directly behind Pyro.  The figure announces a systems failure and melts. Before he passes out, Pyro tells the X-Men that Xavier sent him before exploding into flames.  Fury arrests him and the X-Men leave. 

Back at the mansion, the giant package Cecilia received for the X-Men turns out to be a new Cerebro unit to replace the one Bastion stole during OZT.  After setting it up, the X-Men use it to try to locate Charles Xavier.  The only problem is that there are two separate signals for Xavier; one in Russia, and the other in San Francisco.  The X-Men declare that they will find their mentor.  In both locations, robots crash to the ground, both searching for Xavier. 

How It Was:  The Hunt for Xavier kicks off with the X-Men running around and not doing a whole lot of anything.  This issue can’t really be described as a fight with Pyro, since most of the story is rescuing civilians, chasing after the villain, and talking about Xavier.  And maybe that’s a necessary evil since Professor X has been out of circulation for almost two years at this point.  Marrow is used as the new reader’s entry point as she quizzes each X-Man on the significance of Professor X and what he means to the team.

At this point in X-History it was well established that the writers of both books wanted to bring the X-Men back to basics with less dependence on technology.  Hence, their technology was stolen or destroyed by Bastion.  So imagine my surprise when the X-Men’s sophisticated mutant detecting computer Cerebro is casually replaced when Moira Mactaggert decides to send them a spare.  Why did she wait so long, especially when she knows that Charles is missing?  This just feels like some lazy plot convenience to detect Charles and get the story on the road. 

As for the rest of the story, it’s mostly just fighting fire.  At one point Pyro conjures a fire woman to kiss Gambit.  I’m pretty sure this should give him some serious burns and facial disfigurement, but it doesn’t.  Perhaps the mist lady helps him, but this is never explained at all.  Poor Pyro has never been as pathetic as he is taken out by a fire extinguisher from Kitty and one punch from Wolverine; this dying of the Legacy Virus shtick is getting pretty tired for the character. 

This is an okay issue with some weird plotting choices made out of plot necessity.  The revelation of two Xavier signals reeks of the need to pad this story out, but at least the books go bi-weekly to accommodate the long story (remember when six issue stories weren’t an industry norm?  Those were the days.).  Not the most exciting kick off, but it’s also not unreadable.

For X-Fans

Getting It Together

Hello all!  Just a quick note that I will be resuming regular posting (or at least semi-regular) tomorrow.  Hopefully with my spring break coming up this week I'll be able to get ahead on the comics I want to read so I won't always be so behind.  Also, if you've noted that some of the newer reviews seem to have changed, you're not going insane.  Upon further reflection, I decided I only needed three levels of recommendation for my blog, not four.  After all, having two medium ratings is sort of redundant.  Sorry for any confusion, and for once again letting life get in the way, but I hope you like what we have coming up.  So stay tuned for an X-Men Christmas in the style of Dickens (no...really), The Hunt for Xavier, and a roadtrip to Russia for the male X-Men in X-Men: Liberators. 

X-Men #81

X-Men #81

Writing: Joe Kelly

Art: Adam Kubert

What Went Down:  The X-Men have crudely reconstructed a makeshift Danger Room to help them train.  Despite Nightcrawler’s efforts, Marrow doesn’t want to participate.  Storm tries to order Marrow, but the Morlock complains that all their training didn’t help them with Operation Zero Tolerance or protecting Professor X.  At the boathouse, Gambit is exercising and working up the nerve to go see Rogue.  When Rogue shows up, he manages to embarrass himself completely.

In Boston a hooded figure laughs and talks to herself.  Up in the attic Storm shows her garden to Colossus while they reconnect.  Wolverine and Kitty do the same thing while practicing knife throwing.  In Boston, Rogue and Gambit meet to escape the prying ears of the X-Men.  Gambit tries to make Rogue guilty for leaving him.  Their discussion is interrupted by new villain Kali, who channels energy through a staff and hears voices.  She fights the two X-Men, calling them lovers and angering Rogue.  Gambit knocks her away and admits to Rogue that it was his mind’s self-hate that influenced her decision.  Then they work together to defeat Kali, who promptly explodes in a fury of green energy. Gambit and Rogue talk, and he stops short of saying he loves her.  Rogue thinks he’s just afraid, but actually he is possessed by a green mist woman who threatens to kill Rogue and the other X-Men.

How It Was:  Although the main emphasis is on Gambit and Rogue, Kelly’s script gives every character his or her own moment to shine.  The opening four pages do a wonderful job of setting up where most of the characters are at this point.  Wolverine and Storm are struggling with Marrow, while the Excalibur 3 are trying their best to fit back in and keep it light.  The tension between Marrow and Storm is much more interesting than Marrow stealing some pictures.  The reunion between Gambit and Rogue is handled very well, and Kelly wisely chooses to cut the awkwardness with some humor. 

The conversation between Gambit and Rogue handles all the necessary chores.  Their mutual interest in each other is reaffirmed, it is firmly established that Rogue left Gambit because she had absorbed his self-loathing, and a new obstacle is placed in the couple’s way to keep them from getting together and becoming boring.  Kelly tries to tie in the other X-Men by cutting to some sporadic conversations about characters and relationships, but it is all tangential and never goes anywhere. 

The big weakness is the villain Kali.  She is a goofy character brought in because this is a super hero comic, and darn it we need a fight somewhere.  She talks to herself, and she will never be seen again, so feel free to forget about her.  Kubert does a wonderful job with the action, both here and in the Danger Room.  He really sells the emotions of the characters as well, such as when Rogue blows off Gambit’s white rose, or the jolly teasing of Colossus. 

Forgetable villain aside, this is a great issue.  It gets the Rogue/Gambit relationship back on track, and it has some fun with the characters.  As for the end, the green smoke girl is interesting at first, but this drags on for quite some time until it’s finally done away with for good.  Still a very good read if you love light character pieces a la the majority of Scott Lobdell’s run.

X-Fans Should Read

Uncanny X-Men #361

Uncanny X-Men #361

Writing: Steve Seagle

Art: Steve Skroce

What Went Down:  We open on a fight between Storm and an army of Korean monk warriors, with  Kitty Pryde as back up.  After dispatching the bad guys, Storm’s contact shows up—X-villain Black Tom Cassidy.  Black Tom swears the warriors weren’t allied with him, and claims he needs the X-Men’s help. 

Back at the mansion, Wolverine discovers Rogue returning from a trip to Antarctica searching for Gambit.  Rogue explains that the only reason she left him there was because Gambit’s memories and personality were subconsciously telling her to.  Outside the room, Colossus and Nightcrawler are chasing Marrow, who has stolen Peter’s sketch pad.  After getting the pad, Kurt is attacked by Marrow, who in turn is stopped by Rogue.  Marrow is chastised, but explains that she just wanted to look at the pad because it was pretty.  Then she storms off.  Wolverine announces that he is moving outside the mansion to return to nature and such.

Back in Seoul, Black Tom explains that the Juggernaut is dying.  He was led into a trap based on false information about a second Cytoraak Gem.  The gem in question instead sucked the power from the villain.  When they arrive at the hideout, Juggernaut has left and smashed through a wall.  Storm and Kitty accuse Tom of lying, but go out to search for Cain anyways.  There’s also someone in the shadows watching. 

Enraged by his situation, Juggernaut has decided to go on a rampage, even without his full power.  As Storm tries to contain the damage, Gambit shows up on a motorcycle and puts down the bad guy.  Storm then yells at him for not contacting his loved ones in all this time and for attacking the dying villain.  Fortunately the X-Men find a map in Juggernaut’s pants that leads them to a temple where the crystal is being held. 

Colossus draws a picture for Marrow and accidently walks in on her making a magazine collage, which embarrasses her.  Over at the temple, Kitty, Gambit, and Storm fight off more of the mystical warriors, as well as various temple traps.  Kitty reaches the gem first, but leaves it with Gambit to go check on Storm.  Finding that Gambit has vanished, the two X-Women decide to return to Black Tom.  They are surprised to find Gambit already there, and the Juggernaut returned to full health.  Cain begrudgenly thanks them, and Storm invites Gambit to return to the X-Men.  When asked how he got out of the Arctic, Gambit says he walked, and we see a flashback of two sets of footprints in the snow. 

How It Was:  Ah now this is a fun one.  This is the return of Gambit, gone for eleven issues since his trial.  It’s also a preview for his new ongoing series drawn by Steve Skroce. 

There’s a lot of action in this book; we get an opening fight, a battle with Juggernaut, and the finale with more ninjas and temple traps.  All of it is rendered with Skroce’s keen eye for choreography and framing.  The Juggernaut fight, which is relatively brief, becomes one of the moments of the issue thanks to a gorgeous sequence of Gambit doing a flip on a motorcycle while showering exploding cards onto the villain.  The warriors and their temple have some really awesome designs as well, and there are loads of them in every fight panel.  Skroce’s style really emphasizes action and movement well, like when Gambit uses some spears to cross a moat, or the aforementioned motorcycle sequence.

While this issue could’ve gotten by on its action, there is a lot going on in the character department as well.  We have Storm torn between her principles as a hero and distrust of Black Tom.  Kitty is torn between her respect for Storm and her knowledge that the villains will screw them.  There’s a humbled though in denial Juggernaut which is a refreshing take.  And then everyone gets even more emotionally conflicted and tense when Gambit pops up out of nowhere.  What started off as a story about ambiguous trust gains a whole new layer at just the right moment.  The dialogue works really well, especially Gambit’s equips and attempts to pretend like nothing happened.

It’s not perfect; the stuff with Marrow feels a little off.  Marrow was originally this jaded teen that has seen more in her short, traumatic life than any of the X-Men.  Here she’s played off as kind of bratty.  I do like that she’s embarrassed of her appreciation of beauty, but I feel like there are better ways than the teen girl collage, such as her previous crushes on teammates.  The idea is great; I’m just not thrilled with the execution.

This is a fun one and a great jumping on point for the time.  This may be Seagle’s best script as he finds a great mix of action, humor, and emotional tension that opens up character directions for months to come.  A welcome return for Gambit.

Everyone Should Read

Machine Man & Bastion Annual 1998

Machine Man & Bastion Annual 1998

Writing: Mike Higgins & Karl Bollers

Art: Martin Egeland

What Went Down:  Cable and Bastion/Nimrod engage in battle as we get a close up of Machine Man’s systems repairing themselves from Bastion’s attack last issue.  Bastion is able to use all the machinery in the lab to attack Cable as he interfaces with the computers. 

Back on the Helicarrier, G.W. Bridge, then head of SHIELD, worrying about the mission and arguing with a General Kragg, whose daughter was part of the failed mission to the Prospero clinic.  Back at said clinic, Bastion/Nimrod attacks Cable with more turrets while he begins to convey his origin to Cable.  Helpfully, Bastion has decided to project his memories onto video screens while he narrates, even though Cable is busy fighting for his life.  Bastion not only mentions every appearance of Nimrod from Uncanny, as well as the Siege Perilous, but he incorporates every Sentinel appearance since the original team fought them in the sixties into his exposition.  Cable uses his telekinesis to blow a hole in the floor and escape the lasers.

As Cable catches his breath, and Bastion continues with his very long origin, X-51 reactivates.  Cable contacts Bridge, telling him the squad is gone, but Bastion is there.  Cable says he can handle it before being cut off by another attack from X-51.  Bastion continues his origin, explaining that he is a combination of Master Mold and Nimrod magically fused through the Siege Perilous, a mystical plot device from the late eighties.  Upon leaving the portal, he was the entity know as Bastion, and he was found and raised by Rose.  Although brought up to be caring, he could not ignore the state of the world and blamed mutants for the world’s problems.

As Cable and Machine Man continue to fight, Bastion shows the beginnings of his clinic and the origins of Operation Zero Tolerance, as well as the building of a new Master Mold.  On the Helicarrier, Bridge argues with a shadowy committee of superiors over what to do about the clinic; they don’t trust Cable and Machine Man to finish the job.  The committee wants him to send an air strike. 

Bastion finishes his diatribe, describing his defeat and the subsequent experiments on his body.  At the same time General Kragg tries to convince Bridge to launch the air strike.  Bastion has decided to use X-51 as the storehouse for his mind, but Cable uses his telepathic bond to break Machine Man from the villain’s control.  After being flooded with his own memories of his father and creator, Machine Man regains control and helps destroy the lab.  X-51 then takes control of the turrets and turns them on Bastion.  They set the clinic to explode, after Cable fails to find any other traces of humanity in the test subjects.  The lab blows before the air strike reaches the location, and the two heroes shake hands and complement each other. 

How It Was:  That’s right, in 1998 we had an annual starring two obscure robot characters, neither of whom had their own series.  The first thing that jumps out in this book is the drastic shift in art styles.  Mark Egeland’s style is cartoonier, but it’s also cleaner than Leonardi and there’s quite a bit more detail put in.  You can just tell from the smoke coming off X-51’s chassis, or the two page splash on page 2 and 3, that there is just more to the layouts and backgrounds in this book.  Unfortunately, aside from some gratuitous action at the beginning and the end, the rest of this issue is a slog. 

We spend the majority of this double-sized issue with Cable running through corridors while Bastion projects his history onto screens for us to see and explains his origin.  For those who don’t know, Bastion is Master Mold and Nimrod magically combined through the mystical plot-device the Siege Perilous.  You’ll note that it took me exactly one sentence to explain that.  Higgins and Bollers instead decide to recap and show every single Sentinel appearance since the original X-Men team, including appearances in non-X-books like the Defenders.  This does absolutely nothing for the story except for padding it out to unconscionable levels while Machine Man is allowed to repair. 

There’s also a subplot with GW Bridge being pressured to bomb the lab to the ground to prevent Bastion from rising to power again.  It adds a little tension, but it’s just been so done to death (most recently in Marvel’s The Avengers).  As for Bastion, he is so boring this issue.  He is supposed to be connected to the entire lab, but he can barely manage to keep track of Cable.  He just keeps droning on and on about Sentinel appearances that nothing to do with him, and then explaining the beginnings of all the plot details we already knew about him.  And poor Cable has absolutely nothing to do other than use his telepathic powers to free Machine Man from Bastion’s influence. 

Machine Man does get a few nice parts where he reflects how easy it would have been for him to turn out like Bastion, but other than that there’s not much to this issue.  This book is so full of filler that it really takes away from an experience that should be rather interesting—this whole debate over nature versus nurture and its effects on artificial beings.  Instead we just get a story that’s more interested in calling back to lots of better issues of Marvel comics.

Completionists Only

Cable & Machine Man Annual 1998

Cable & Machine Man Annual 1998

Writing: Mike Higgins & Karl Bollers

Art: Rick Leonardi

Retro Note: This story takes place after Uncanny #352, but before Uncanny #356.

What Went Down:  A team of SHIELD commandos is sent to explore the abandoned Operation Zero Tolerance clinic from Wolverine #117-118.  Much to the chagrin of everyone involved, the base turns out to have hidden labs full of human test subjects and Sentinel tech.  The troops get in touch with current SHIELD head of the day G.W. Bridge, but all the troops are killed by the Machine Man. 

A strange fantasy follows with Bastion watching fireworks with a wife and child with similar skin and hair color.  It is revealed that Bastion is actually in a containment field being monitored by SHIELD scientists and Senator Brickman (later seen in Uncanny #359).  The scientists are trying to determine Bastion’s origins, noting that his body is not authentic.  Bastion then breaks out of the tube.

In Alaska, Cable watches Cyclops and Jean in their house trying to live a normal life.  Cable is happy for the couple, but reflects on his own struggle.  He briefly recaps his history being raised by Scott and Jean in the future, as well as his history with Stryfe, the Askani, and Six Pack.  As he hikes away, his revelry is interrupted by a SHIELD helicopter. 

The transport takes Cable to the hellicarrier.  There Bridge briefs him on Bastion’s recent escape, showing Cable the security footage.  Bastion is displaying strange strength and energy blasts that he has never used before.  Cable says this is the government’s fault, but agrees to help search for the missing team at the clinic. 

After cutting briefly to Machine Man plugged into a Sentinel, we see Bastion (in his underwear) visiting Rose (the women from X-Men #68-69).  He asks for help from the woman, and we learn that years ago Rose found Bastion and raised him; he was as ignorant as a child although apparently fully grown.  The authorities track Bastion down and open fire on him, accusing him of being a mutant; the bullets ricochet off him and kill Rose.  Bastion flips out and flies through the helicopter a la Cannonball. 

Meanwhile SHIELD loans Cable a plane, which he takes to the Prospero Clinic in New Mexico.  Upon entering, he is attacked by automated turrets, which he fends off.  Cable reaches the main lab and discovers Machine Man.  He is surprised when Machine Man attacks him, noting that he is a super hero.  MM captures Cable just as Bastion enters.  While trying to escape, Cable’s telepathy causes a mind meld between himself and MM, sharing memories and feelings between the two heroes.  Bastion takes out Machine Man and reveals that he has transformed himself into Nimrod—the Sentinel from the future.

How It Was:  Presenting the story that should’ve been a two page section of Operation Zero Tolerance: the Origin of Bastion.  This is such a strange one, since Cable and Machine Man both had absolutely nothing to do with the original Bastion story.  You can see what the writers are going for, juxtaposing X-51 and Bastion’s origins as artificial beings with human mentors that diverged in different directions, but the Machine Man is such an obscure Marvel character and Cable is left with little to do.

The writing team of this story can’t get through two pages without having to retcon the Zero Tolerance story—oh actually the Prospero clinic wasn’t abandoned, they just moved all the lab equipment to a secret room in the same building.  Also odd for this story—it is hinted that X-51 murders the soldiers in the opening scenes, but this aspect is never touched on again.  Because this is a double-sized annual, the reader is subjected to a number of expository flashbacks of the main characters’ pasts that have little to nothing to do with the main plot.  I don’t really see how X-51’s battle with the Hulk or Cable’s past with Stryfe help to inform the story better.  There’s also this weird plot device of a mind link between the two heroes which doesn’t make a lot of sense since Machine Man is well… a machine.

As for Bastion, he’s been tweaked a little.  Oddly the writers are trying to make him out to be sympathetic, unable to fight his inherent programming. Higgins and Bollers go down the checklist of hints we got from the OZP story: what’s up with Rose—check, unapologetic hatred of mutants—check, weird Sentinel tech—check.  He’s also been reimagined as this ultra-powered energy wielding robot, which lends the question of why he didn’t put up more of a fight at the end of OZP.

This plot is by the numbers. After the first few pages, you can pretty much predict the story beat for beat, from the fight between the two heroes to the cliffhanger at the end.  The art is pretty nice; other than some odd facial expressions from G.W. Bridge everything looks great.  It’s just too bad it takes so long for things to get going.  Cable doesn’t start his mission until almost two-thirds into the book.  It’s a very padded story meant to shed some light on one of the lesser remembered villains of the X-universe.

Completionists Only