X-Men #41

X-Men #41
Writing: Fabian Nicieza
Art: Andy Kubert and Ron Garney

What Went Down: Legion Quest Part 4: The book starts out in the middle of a huge battle between Magneto and Legion. The X-Men have just arrived and are wondering how to proceed. Down on the ground, Xavier fills Gabrielle in on the plot of the story and stresses the gravity of this situation. The X-Men contact Charles and ask for his help; Xavier recognizes Storm as the little girl he met in Cairo.

In the present, the universe is being engulfed by a crystal wave that is somehow related to the M’kraan Crystal. Charles and a hologram of Lilandra talk about the situation; Lilandra comforts Xavier and insists that he is not a failure. Gambit and Rogue comfort each other while Archangel flies around and contemplates his relationship with Psylocke. Warren flies to Scott and Jean, and the group waits for the world to end.

In the past, the battle between Magneto and Legion causes Apocalypse to awaken early, as opposed to waiting for his original first appearance in X-Factor. In the air, Legion and Magneto debate whether it is right to condemn someone for something that has not yet occurred. Legion knocks Magneto down, and the X-Men engage him. Iceman freezes every molecule in David’s body, but he is still able to survive. Unleashing a psychic wave, Legion knocks out all of the X-Men.

Then, the moment of truth: as Legion is about to kill Magneto, Xavier jumps in front of Legion’s psychic knife, sacrificing his own life. This of course causes a time paradox, so the X-Men and Legion all disappear. Because he is actually a time anomaly, Bishop doesn’t disappear, but the event does mess with his memories. Magnus cries over his fallen friend.

In the present, we see a number of scenes frozen by the crystal wave. Magneto and Exodus’ court on Avalon is shown and then disappears. Seeing the wave coming, Rogue decides to kiss Gambit since she figures that they are all going to die anyways. Other scenes frozen in crystal include Wolverine stabbing Sabretooth in the head, X-Force looking over Caliban, a ship crashing, Strong Guy of X-Factor having a heart attack, and the Generation X team standing around. Also there is a scene of X-Treme and Eric the Red fighting, but I have no idea what issue that comes from. The issue ends with the X-Men being turned into crystal and Xavier shattering, symbolizing his own death and the death of his dream.

How It Was: Every single page of this issue rocks. The writing is strong, the art is fairly seamless for having two artists on board, and there are a number of great character moments. First off, the fight with Legion and Magneto is a big improvement over the fight in Part 1. Legion demonstrates a number of different powers, making the fight more visually engaging. Plus, if not for the advertisements stating Xavier dies at the end that appear in this issue, there would actually be some tension over who was going to win. My favorite part of the debate is the subversion of Magneto’s core principles. Since Legion is attacking Magneto for something he has yet to do, Magneto questions David’s sense of justice, but we all know that in the future it will be Magneto trying to eliminate humanity for something that they have yet to do. It’s a great use of the traditional nature vs. nurture debate, and it fits perfectly into the themes of this story and the next. Absolute brilliance!

This issue has a bunch of little moments that add great touches of detail to the story. From Xavier recognizing Storm in the past to Apocalypse’s early rise, it is fantastic to see these bits of continuity not forgotten. It’s also great to see some other characters get the spotlight, such as when Iceman uses lethal force against Legion or when Rogue finally kisses Gambit.

And of course there is the final scene: the death of Xavier portrayed absolutely perfectly. From Legion’s horror at the act he’s committed to the tears running down Magneto’s face, it still manages to convey some emotion, despite being completely spoiled. And although it is a little random and contrived, the crystallization effect at the end serves as a perfect visual symbol for how fragile the ides of hope and peace are. My only complaint is that the moment could have carried even more weight if we all didn’t know it was coming, but in an industry where comic orders have to be made months in advance, I guess it can be excused. Still, this is a really great issue that is the perfect example of how to do a character death.

A

Uncanny X-Men #321

Uncanny X-Men #321
Writing: Scott Lobdell and Mark Waid
Art: Ron Garney

What Went Down: Legion Quest Part 3: In this issue, as indicated by the cover, Cable touches Bishop! We begin with a flashback of Magneto and Professor X talking in a bar; this flashback takes place before all of the flashbacks in previous issues of Legion Quest. The two friends are debating their respective philosophies, in a more friendly than usual manner, over drinks. In another corner of the bar, a big fat guy pours a drink on a blind, crippled beggar. Xavier decides to stand up for the beggar, and a huge bar fight ensues with Charles and Magnus fighting everyone in the bar. After beating up everyone, the two friends walk out together.

This flashback turns out to be a story that Xavier is relating to Cable during the construction of a very large alien machine. The machine’s purpose is to use Jean Grey and Xavier’s powers to somehow allow Cable’s astral form to travel back in time to tell the time-lost Gold Team what they need to do. The heroes are strapped in and the machine is activated.

Twenty years prior in Haifa, Israel, Iceman and Bishop are working as dockworkers. During their lunch break, they meet up with Storm and Psylocke to discuss their plight. We learn that Betsy has been using her powers to try to figure out who they are for three weeks now.

In another part of the city, Xavier and Magnus are discussing Charles’ relationship with Gabrielle Haller; for some reason, the flaming David Haller at the end of last issue has been completely forgotten about. Magnus encourages Charles to go for it with Gaby, and they go off to the hospital together.

Outside in a garden, Gaby is visited by Legion, her future son. Legion uses his powers to take the appearance of Charles. He grabs her and begins kissing her; it is strongly implied that they have sex together. Yep, David Haller sleeps with his mother in the past (Allegedly). Xavier senses that Gabrielle is in danger and hurries to her.

At the dock, Cable appears before Bishop; Bishop recognizes him, but before they can talk, the other X-Men attack Cable. Cable is able to touch Bishop, which somehow causes energy to flow through all the X-Men, letting them remember everything. Magneto and Charles find Gabrielle on the ground unconscious. It turns out that Legion has also regained his memory, and he now wants to kill the future Magneto.

How It Was: Well, if you read my review of last issue, you probably know what I’m going to say about this issue; the Xavier/Magneto content rocks and everything else doesn’t so much. Particularly of interest is the initial flashback at the beginning of the issue that shows off an interesting twist on the dynamic of the two friends’ relationship. While Magneto is usually thought of as the one must ready to use violence against humans to protect the weak, it is Xavier who jumps to the defense of the beggar and Magneto who tries to get the bullies to walk away by talking to them. This actually makes sense in the fact that the X-Men are as much about fighting, although with non-lethal violence, to achieve their goals; this scene is a perfect example of how both men’s methods are really more similar than different, and how their conflict is really defined more by their philosophies about human nature.

The other flashbacks with Xavier and Magneto are also good; I like how both characters are conflicted over Charles’ relationship with Gabrielle Haller, but for different reasons. The only problem is that neither one of them seems to acknowledge the fact that their John Doe patient burst into flames in the last issue, revealing himself to be a mutant. Since this was how the last issue left off, you’d think it would be more important then discussing the ethics of dating a patient. I don’t know, I guess there was a breakdown in communication somewhere between the two writers.

Once again the Blue Team doesn’t have a whole heck of a lot to do. Beast helps the Shi’ar build a big honking device to send Cable back in time, and that’s about it. As contrived as the Gold Team’s amnesia in the past is, I find it even more contrived that the cure for the amnesia is Cable’s touching Bishop. There are a number of other plot holes: how does the Blue Team figure out where and when the Gold Team is? How does Legion get his memory back? And why oh why does Legion have sex with his mother? The plot line is supposed to be that all of Legion’s personalities have merged, making him sane for the first time, but these aren't the actions of a sane individual. More importantly, this scene really doesn’t serve any purpose in the story other than to freak readers out. Also, how did Legion’s hair grow back since last issue?

Ron Garney is pitch hitting for Joe Mad this issue, and he does a pretty good job. I really like the fight scene at the beginning and the art sells me on the fact that Magneto and Xavier could beat up a bar full of bigots. If I had one complaint, I guess I would say that his Beast looks a little short and odd-shaped, but other than that, it is quite good.  Besides the fight at the beginning, this is probably the weakest of the issues in this story. I feel like they could have done the whole series in three issues if the first and last issues were kept the same, and the second issue was nothing but flashbacks of Magneto and Xavier setting up the arrival of Legion and the X-Men at the end. The stuff with the time lost Gold Team and the Blue Team sitting around really has no point.

C

X-Men #40

X-Men #40
Writing: Fabian Nicieza
Art: Andy Kubert

What Went Down: Legion Quest Part 2: This issue starts with an excellent misdirect that involves Xavier sitting in a wheelchair, but revealing that the scene is actually a flashback due to the fact that he can still walk. Xavier and Magneto, going by Magnus, are working together in a hospital in Israel; this is early in their relationship, so neither has revealed his powers to the other. Magneto is working as an orderly; after his conversation with Charles, he goes off to visit one of his newest patients, an amnesiac who happens to be Legion—the main villain of this storyline.

Back in the present, Archangel and Rogue are flying around looking for any sign of the Gold Team; Archangel is very upset because Psylocke was with the group, and he has just started a relationship with her. With Professor X’s help, Archangel is able to find Jean half-buried in the sand. After she regains consciousness, Jean tells the Blue Team what occurred, and tells them that she has no idea what happened to them.

Back in the past, Psylocke, Iceman, Bishop, and Storm are drinking coffee at an Israeli café. We learn that these X-Men have all come down with a case of plot-convenient amnesia; they remember their names and powers, but not who they are or what they need to do.

In an interlude, we find that Sabretooth has been left alone in his cell in the mansion; I wonder how he was being fed. Anyways, he is trying to escape, but he gets shocked by the wires he’s messing with. We also find out that Wolverine has stopped by to keep an eye on the villain.

Back at the hospital in the past, Magneto contemplates the relationship Charles has with his patient Gabrielle Haller. He chalks it up to jealousy over the loss of his own love Magda. While being assisted out of bed, one of Legion’s latent powers activates and allows him to read Magneto’s mind. David sees visions of the Holocaust as well as the death of Magneto’s daughter. Magneto flips out and runs away.

In downtown Israel, Psylocke passes Xavier and recognizes him psychically. Magnus runs up to Xavier and asks for his help with his patient. When both men return to the hospital, they find their patient on fire and having a psychic seizure.

In the here-and-now, the X-Men have contacted Cable and Domino to assist them in finding the time lost Gold Team. The Israeli army is not happy to see Cable because he is wanted in a number of countries, but Cable tries to explain that his clone Stryfe is responsible for all of the crimes. The debate is interrupted by a hologram of Lilandra warning the X-Men about the danger to reality. When asked how Lilandra knows about all of this, we see that she has been visited by not one, but numerous Watchers.

How It Was: This issue breaks the story into three separate threads: the interesting Xavier/Magneto flashbacks, the boring amnesiac Gold Team flashbacks, and the Blue Team standing around in the present with nothing to do. Even though he’s catatonic in regular continuity, it’s really awesome to have Magneto’s presence in the book again, especially with this take on him. His friendship with Charles is really the central theme behind both this story and the next one, and it is portrayed elegantly. This is a treat to see Magneto and Xavier both so optimistic and I also like seeing Magneto on the edge of deciding what kind of person he wants to become.

However, as good as the stuff with Xavier and Magneto is, I really dislike the Gold Team having amnesia. First of all, it slows down the story for two issues and serves as an unnecessary obstacle. Plus, we saw last issue that there were no side effects to time travel when Storm did it with Legion. Sure there is some muttering in the present about how their minds were probably taxed by the effort, but it feels like it only exists so the Blue Team and Cable have something to work on in this story.

As for the Blue Team, well they aren’t going to have a lot to do for the rest of this story. This sounds kind of boring, but really it works as an excuse to have the characters contemplate their own mortality and reflect on the choices they’ve made in their lives. Most of that comes later though; in this issue the goal is really to find Jean and then get Cable into the mix. I feel like the ending with all of the Watchers is kind of neat, although I can understand how a number of fans could see it as contrived; the Watcher is usually stuffed into big storylines to add an extra sense of gravity, but in a story where the world literally ends, I think that it’s appropriate.

The art is really good, again. Andy Kubert has definitely come into his own as an artist on this series. Unfortunately he doesn’t have a lot to draw except for a number of characters standing around and talking. The payoff of Legion’s powers activating is very cool, with Legion rolling around on fire and the flames portraying images of the present in them, but this sequence is seemingly forgotten next issue with no real explanation. Overall a much slower issue than the last one, but it’s great to be reminded of the foundational relationship between Magneto and Professor X that has driven the book for so many years.

B-

Uncanny X-Men #320

Uncanny X-Men #320
Writing: Scott Lobdell and Mark Waid
Art: Roger Cruz

What Went Down: Legion Quest Part 1: Storm opens the issue in the middle of a desert in Israel with wind and lightning whipping all around her. She and the Gold Team (minus Archangel, but plus Psylocke) are confronting Legion, aka David Haller aka Professor X’s son. Legion has found a way to integrate all of his multiple personalities, each with a separate power, making himself very powerful. The story then flashes back to the X-Men’s initial arrival in Israel where Gabrielle Haller meets them at the airport; Gabrielle is Legion’s mother, and Professor Xavier’s former lover.

Gabrielle fills the X-Men in on the situation. Legion has secluded himself behind a black energy dome in the middle of the desert; the threat of Legion is so great that it is has inspired Israelis and Palestinians to join forces to combat this threat.

Inside Israel’s fancy technological command center, Gabrielle debates with some of the officials about nuking the dome. One of the technicians accuses the X-Men of somehow being to blame for this incident on the sheer fact that they are also mutants.

Back in the present, Storm and Legion are locked in battle. Demonstrating his newfound powers, Legion takes Storm and travels back in time to the day her parents were killed. Right as Storm is about to save them, Legion sends them back to the present. The X-Men attack him again, but Legion again brushes them off; during the fight, Bishop is able to absorb some of his energy.

Then the story jumps back to the X-Men’s arrival for a couple of panels. Legion then creates a portal to travel back in time. Somehow Storm figures out that by having Psylocke stab Bishop with her psychic knife, the energy Bishop absorbed will somehow allow the team to follow Legion through time. Jean is able to use her powers to keep from being sucked in, but the rest of the team is lost.

All the way over in the Shi’ar Empire, Empress Lilandra is awoken by the head of her Imperial Guard, Gladiator, slamming through her chamber wall. The assailant turns out to be Jahf, an obscure character who I believe last appeared during the original Phoenix Saga in the seventies. He has traveled to warn Lilandra about the end of existence, which has something to do with the M’Kraan Crystal—the nexus of all realities—that he guards.

How It Was: It’s big event time. Legion Quest is a four part crossover that leads into an even bigger event, the Age of Apocalypse, which lasts for another four months and changes the titles of every X-Book. This is a fun little storyline because from a certain perspective, it’s basically the last X-Men story before the world of the Marvel Universe ends.

My biggest complaint about this issue is that the advertisements in the book ruin the end of the story: Legion tries to kill Magneto in the past, but ends up killing Xavier instead, thus altering the timestream as we know it. I can understand the reasoning behind this move from an editorial standpoint; with the events of this story kicking off the Age of Apocalypse, and the renaming of all of the X-Books, Marvel was probably worried about confusing fans who might not buy the new books during the crossover. Remember, this was before the Internet, so the only way you as a reader knew what was happening was by either reading Wizard Magazine or paying attention to the advertisements in various Marvel comics. At the same time these ads really ruin the tension of the entire story, and the emotional payoff at the end is extremely lessened by the knowledge of the story’s inevitable conclusion. I honestly feel like the advertising in this issue compromises the artistic integrity of the story, but then again, I just ruined it for all of you who haven’t read it, so what do I know?

As for the rest of the story, it’s mostly a lot of exposition and explanation. Gabrielle Haller is brought in to explain how Xavier has a son, since this son hasn’t been seen in almost a decade, and also because she will prove important in later flashback sequences. Legion’s history and powers are kind of explained, although without the gimmick of his split personalities he’s really a generic, all-powerful cosmic bad guy type. And Lilandra and the M’kraan Crystal are introduced into the story for arbitrary reasons; namely, they serve to set up one of the maguffins needed for the Age of Apocalypse storyline down the road.

The sequence that really stands out is when Legion and Storm travel back to the past so he can mess with her. Not only does it demonstrate the villain’s powers, it also sets up the premise for the story, while also showing an interesting side of Storm. It’s very interesting to see the normally peaceful and stoic Storm lose her cool and risk altering the space-time continuum for her own personal feelings. It’s a great human moment for her, although it does set up some contradictions for the next issue.

The art by Roger Cruz is gorgeous; lots of energy crackling and dust being kicked up, which makes sense since it is in a desert. The characters are very expressive, and you can see the fear in the team’s eyes as they fight a hopeless battle. Legion himself really just stands around and throws energy at people, but this works in the first chapters since it sets up the obstacle for the team to overcome. Plus I really like the symbolism in the panels with the portal right behind Legion’s head, making it appear as if it were a halo.

This is a pretty good setup issue for the story. The entire crossover itself kind of drags in the middle, but there is still something to recommend in every issue. As for this one, it does a good job defining the conflict and the threat, but I do wish that Marvel hadn’t made the decision to reveal the end of the story before it even came out.

B+

Where's da Post?

Probably won't get around to posting for this week or next week.  I'm really bogged down with school work.  Of course that could always change, so I'm just giving fair warning. Sorry, but I"ll see you all later.

Ghost Rider #27

Ghost Rider #27
Writing: Howard Mackie
Art: Ron Wagner

What Went Down: This is Part 4 of the unnamed X-Men/Ghost Rider crossover. For Part 3, go here. Anyways, the X-Men have freed the Brood-infected Ghost Rider and Bella Donna has just died… at least until she comes back later.

Down below the church basement, deep underground, the X-Men discover a giant collection of Brood eggs. They also find the children of the Thieves and Assassins stuck in some gunk. As the X-Men go about freeing the children, Ghost Rider and Gambit wander off to find the Brood Queen. Wolverine decides to follow them.

Gambit asks Ghost Rider why he left his bike on the surface, but the supernatural hero reassures him that the bike will show up when it is needed. Inside Ghost Rider, Dan Ketch is struggling to survive in a hell-like landscape. In the real world, Ghost Rider shows signs of fatigue, but before the X-Men can ask what’s wrong, they are attacked.

Outside New Orleans Johnny Blaze is driving on his bike and talking to a girl in a truck named Clara. Clara tells him that she has had a vision, and leads Blaze to the French Quarter where the X-Men are fighting.

In the cave, the masked killer reveals himself to be familiar with Gambit. Meanwhile, the other X-Men are busy protecting the children from more Brood. They recognize Ghost Rider’s bike driving past them on its own. As Wolverine and Gambit fight the Brood, Wolverine wounds the killer. They are about to pursue him, but the Brood Queen shows up to kill them all. Ghost Rider’s bike pulls up, and he is able to drag the queen by a chain with it. Once GR knocks the Queen through a wall, the battle can take place out in the open. Ghost Rider takes the Queen’s arm, stabs it through her head, and rips off her skin. She is able to survive this, so Ghost Rider punches her and then Johnny Blaze shows up with a shotgun to finish her off.

Afterwards, the X-Men take the Queen apart with their powers. The X-Men thank Ghost Rider and Blaze for their help. As the two motorcycles drive off, the mysterious killer watches over them from a roof and swears vengeance on Gambit, the X-Men, and Ghost Rider.

How It Was: Ahh, the climactic battle. Mackie tries to up the ante over the battle with the Brood last issue, so this issue all the heroes fight the Brood Queen. Once again there is not enough for all of the heroes to do something, so the focus shifts to Gambit, Ghost Rider, and Wolverine. Actually the fight with all of the cannon fodder Brood is a lot more exciting than the fight with Brood Queen, which is really monotonous because they have to kill her like two or three times. After tearing her skin off, they still have to shotgun blast her point blank, and even after that they have to dismantle her. Still, there is a lot of action in this issue, which is pretty nice.

Unfortunately the story ends with a lot of plot holes. The guilds’ children are rescued, but there is no resolution as to their fates since all of their families were killed or infected by the aliens. Also there is no real reason given for why the Brood picked the Guilds for their plot and whether or not it was a coincidence that they would encounter the X-Men. Then there is Johnny Blaze, who shows up at the end for no other reason then the fact that he is needed to continue Ghost Rider’s main story line in his next issue. And the identity of the killer is left a mystery as well as his connection to the Brood, which doesn’t exist.  For his identity, read the first Gambit mini-series.

Once again, the art is pretty fantastic. The Brood soldiers aren’t quite that detailed, but Wagner really makes up for it with the Dan Ketch scenes of him walking through an incredibly detailed hell with the panels shaped like broken glass. Ghost Rider, as I’ve always argued, is low on substance but still looks so cool. Of course, it’s hard to believe that Marvel would hire an artist for Ghost Rider that wasn’t great at drawing fire.

This is an adequate ending. It’s not game changing, but there’s some great action and art behind it.

B-

Ghost Rider #26

This week: more retro reviews of comics I didn't have at the time. 
 

Ghost Rider #26
Writing: Howard Mackie
Art: Ron Wagner

What Went Down: Alright, part two of the unnamed four issue crossover between the X-Men and Ghost Rider. See X-Men #8 and #9 for parts one and three. Anyways it’s Mardi Gras time in New Orleans. An unnamed member of the Thieves Guild is overseeing the festivities. A mysterious masked killer kills the thief, claiming a blood feud.

Coincidentally, Ghost Rider happens to be cruising into town. Because of all the wild costumes that people are wearing, nobody gives Ghost Rider a second thought. Through Ghost Rider’s internal monologue, the reader learns that Ghost Rider’s host and secret identity, Dan Ketch, has been fatally wounded. GR is searching for Johnny Blaze to help him. Inside his head, Dan Ketch ponders his fate and walks towards a light. Obviously he doesn’t know a lot about the afterlife.

On the outskirts of New Orleans, the X-Men Blue Team is cruising towards the city in a red convertible. The X-Men are driving because both Blackbirds are out of commission. A police officer, possibly the same one from X-Men #8, pulls them all over and draws his gun. The X-Men attack and subdue him, then blow up his patrol car, which seems like overkill to me.

In the French Quarter of New Orleans, Ghost Rider drives up to a church, searching for a place to rest. He finds the masked killer killing two more members of the Thieves Guild. After standing there like an idiot and watching the Killer kill the Thieves couple, Ghost Rider decides it’s time to actually attack the bad guy. The Killer runs away and lures GR through a door. Ghost Rider drives through and goes down an underground cave, where he encounters an army of Assassins Guild members. Unfortunately these soldiers are actually members of the alien race the Brood, so they subdue him and allow the Brood Queen to infect Ghost Rider.

Downtown, the Blue Team members admire the Mardi Gras festivities. The group meets up with Rogue and Bella Donna, who flew to New Orleans as scouts. The X-Men go to the church where they find the bodies of the two dead Thieves members. After going into the underground passage, the X-Men encounter an army of Brood aliens. After defeating a couple of soldiers, the X-Men are blindsided by the Brood-infected Ghost Rider.

How It Was: Most people wouldn’t associate the X-Men with the Ghost Rider, but at the time both were really strong selling comics. Is there any real connection between the two books in this story? Well part of this story is dealing with Gambit’s origin while the other part deals with the death of Ghost Rider’s host Dan Ketch… so no this is a random story tying both unrelated plot lines together. But it is what it is, so let’s break it down.

Ghost Rider doesn’t really come off great in this issue. He shows up during Mardi Gras, discovers a murder too late to stop it, and then gets captured and infected by the Brood. Plus the opening internal monologue that GR delivers at the beginning of the issue is really dull and over-melodramatic. Likewise, the X-Men don’t get much to do either except for attacking a traffic cop. This part feels really out of character for the X-Men, especially with Cyclops joining in on the fun.

Really the only aspect of the plot that is exciting at all is the mysterious killer. He’s got a simple but sinister design, and his jack-o-lantern features are just enough to give him a stylized look. Of course we never figure out who this character is, but that’s really a complaint for next issue. Actually, the fact that the serial killer plot line gets replaced by a Brood/body snatchers story is kind of disappointing.

The art is spectacular, from the wacky decorations and costumes of Mardi Gras to the flames coming off of Ghost Rider’s head and bike. The designs for the Assassin’s Guild costumes are also pretty awesome. Lots of great use of shadows and negative space; all the black really helps set the tone.

This is a textbook middle chapter where not a lot happens. Both of the main protagonists stand around with not a lot to do, and then eventually come together for an exciting fight in the next issue of the story.

C+