Collects: X-Force #12-13, #17-19
Writer(s): Craig Kyle, Christopher Yost
Penciller(s): Clayton Crain, Mike Choi
In which we look at the two issues of Not Forgotten before being forcibly sent to the future.
Quick Synopsis
Core Cast: Warpath, Wolfsbane, Wolverine, X-23, Elixir, Archangel, Vanisher
Suicide Leper (X-Force #12-13)
The consequences of the Legacy Virus being in Bastion's hands (after X-Force v2: Old Ghosts) is felt as mutants begin exploding killing humans. X-Force find the Leper Queen as the culprit. Boom Boom, Hellion and Surge are kidnapped to be the next mutant bombs and Hellion and Surge are injected. They're saved but Boom Boom remains a captive. X-Force are teleported to the future and into Messiah War before they can save her. She's shot in the head by the Leper Queen.
To be continued...
Sunday 8 September 2013
Saturday 7 September 2013
X-Men Re-read: New Mutants: Return of Legion
Collects: New Mutants #1-5
Writer(s): Zeb Wells
Penciller(s): Diogenes Neves, Zachary Baldus
Old is new again...
Quick Synopsis
Core Cast: Cannonball, Karma, Magik, Magma, Dani Moonstar and Sunspot
Reuniting (most of) the cast of the original New Mutants this brings together Cannonball, Karma, Magik, Magma, Dani Moonstar and Sunspot and builds on the end of X-Infernus.
Magik arrives in San Francisco, claiming to be from the future and saying that Karma and Dani Moonstar will die if they do not save them. Sensibly the X-Men do some test to make sure it isn't an impostor. Cannonball recruits Sunspot and Magma and heads off with Magik for a rescue.
It turns out they've run afoul of Legion, Professor X's erstwhile son. Karma has been mentally trapped inside, there is the interesting plot device of the psyche holding a teddy bear is the one in control of Legion's body and their powers are used.
Things get sorted out, and the new New Mutants team is assembled, except for Dani - who as she is currently depowered, Cannonball doesn't want her on the team. They clash and eventually Cannonball relents.
Warlock returns to earth and finds Cypher's grave empty, setting us up for the Necrosha crossover.
Best Bit
Getting the band back together again.
Final Words
Finally, a Magik story that's not all about Limbo.
Decent
8 / 10
Writer(s): Zeb Wells
Penciller(s): Diogenes Neves, Zachary Baldus
Old is new again...
Quick Synopsis
Core Cast: Cannonball, Karma, Magik, Magma, Dani Moonstar and Sunspot
Reuniting (most of) the cast of the original New Mutants this brings together Cannonball, Karma, Magik, Magma, Dani Moonstar and Sunspot and builds on the end of X-Infernus.
Magik arrives in San Francisco, claiming to be from the future and saying that Karma and Dani Moonstar will die if they do not save them. Sensibly the X-Men do some test to make sure it isn't an impostor. Cannonball recruits Sunspot and Magma and heads off with Magik for a rescue.
It turns out they've run afoul of Legion, Professor X's erstwhile son. Karma has been mentally trapped inside, there is the interesting plot device of the psyche holding a teddy bear is the one in control of Legion's body and their powers are used.
Things get sorted out, and the new New Mutants team is assembled, except for Dani - who as she is currently depowered, Cannonball doesn't want her on the team. They clash and eventually Cannonball relents.
Warlock returns to earth and finds Cypher's grave empty, setting us up for the Necrosha crossover.
Best Bit
Getting the band back together again.
Final Words
Finally, a Magik story that's not all about Limbo.
Decent
8 / 10
Friday 6 September 2013
X-Men Re-read: X-Force v2: Old Ghosts
Collects: X-Force #7-11
Writer(s): Craig Kyle, Christopher Yost
Penciller(s): Mike Choi
The aftermath of the first X-Force mission and that pesky Legacy Virus rears it's ugly head once more.
Quick Synopsis
Core Cast: Archangel, Elixir, Warpath, Wolfsbane, Wolverine, X-23, Vanisher
Old Ghosts (X-Force #7-10)
After the events of Angels and Demons, Archangel and Wolfsbane can't stand to be in the same room as each other. Wolfsbane still going for Angel's wings and Angel turning into Archangel when he sees her.
Cyclops sends the team to find the Vanisher who has found the Legacy Virus in one of Mister Sinister's old lairs. They find Vanisher and hook up with Domino and it turns out that Vanisher has lost it when attacked by a number of Marauder clones which awoke after Sinister's death back in Messiah CompleX. Vanisher is coerced into joining up via an inoperable tumor implanted by Elixir.
X-Force go back to the lab and kill the Marauder clones, clash with the resurrected Cameron Hodge over the virus. X-23 is injected with the virus during the battle, but is healed by Elixir. Seriously, where was he when you needed him during the original Legacy Virus story-line that ran from roughly the end of X-Cutioner's Song to Dreams' End.
It ends with the revelation that while X-Force prevented one vial of the Legacy virus getting into the hands of Bastion, Sinister had multiple labs and the virus is still in the wrong hands.
While all this is going down, Warpath goes to see his brothers grave to make peace with the blood on his hands, only to confront the Demon Bear, with Ghost Rider's help and find that Eli Bard has dug them all up.
Who the Hell is Eli Bard? (X-Force #11)
This is basically Warpath telling the rest of X-Force what he'd found out and an info dump of Eli Bard's origin (had a love affair with Selene, accidentally betrayed her and was cursed by her) and serves as a prologue to the forthcoming Necrosha story line. As he presents the reanimated Technarch Zombie Apaches and Caliban to Selene as a gift to win her back.
Best Bit
Elixir giving Vanisher an inoperable brain tumor to get him to co-operate is pretty hardcore.
Final Words
More from the grim and gritty world of X-Force, aided by sublime art by Mike Choi.
Great
9 / 10
Writer(s): Craig Kyle, Christopher Yost
Penciller(s): Mike Choi
The aftermath of the first X-Force mission and that pesky Legacy Virus rears it's ugly head once more.
Quick Synopsis
Core Cast: Archangel, Elixir, Warpath, Wolfsbane, Wolverine, X-23, Vanisher
Old Ghosts (X-Force #7-10)
After the events of Angels and Demons, Archangel and Wolfsbane can't stand to be in the same room as each other. Wolfsbane still going for Angel's wings and Angel turning into Archangel when he sees her.
Cyclops sends the team to find the Vanisher who has found the Legacy Virus in one of Mister Sinister's old lairs. They find Vanisher and hook up with Domino and it turns out that Vanisher has lost it when attacked by a number of Marauder clones which awoke after Sinister's death back in Messiah CompleX. Vanisher is coerced into joining up via an inoperable tumor implanted by Elixir.
X-Force go back to the lab and kill the Marauder clones, clash with the resurrected Cameron Hodge over the virus. X-23 is injected with the virus during the battle, but is healed by Elixir. Seriously, where was he when you needed him during the original Legacy Virus story-line that ran from roughly the end of X-Cutioner's Song to Dreams' End.
It ends with the revelation that while X-Force prevented one vial of the Legacy virus getting into the hands of Bastion, Sinister had multiple labs and the virus is still in the wrong hands.
While all this is going down, Warpath goes to see his brothers grave to make peace with the blood on his hands, only to confront the Demon Bear, with Ghost Rider's help and find that Eli Bard has dug them all up.
Who the Hell is Eli Bard? (X-Force #11)
This is basically Warpath telling the rest of X-Force what he'd found out and an info dump of Eli Bard's origin (had a love affair with Selene, accidentally betrayed her and was cursed by her) and serves as a prologue to the forthcoming Necrosha story line. As he presents the reanimated Technarch Zombie Apaches and Caliban to Selene as a gift to win her back.
Best Bit
Elixir giving Vanisher an inoperable brain tumor to get him to co-operate is pretty hardcore.
Final Words
More from the grim and gritty world of X-Force, aided by sublime art by Mike Choi.
Great
9 / 10
Thursday 5 September 2013
X-Men Re-read: X-Infernus
Collects: X-Infernus #1-4, Magik story from Divided We Stand, X-Men Unlimited #14, and New X-Men #37
Writer(s): C. B. Cebulski (and others for the bonus material)
Penciller(s): Giuseppe Camuncoli (and others in the bonus material)
Magik returns! Again!
Quick Synopsis
Core Cast: Magik, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Pixie, Mercury, Rockslide, Wolverine
This is a sequel to the Quest for Magik story-line in New X-Men: Childhood's End v5. So much so that it reprints the prologue to that story, as an introduction to how Magik came back.
It should be obvious by now how I feel about the Limbo portion of X-Men mythos, so expect this to be relatively short.
Essentially, Colossus is peeved that the X-Men can't save Illyana (Magik) from limbo. In limbo, Magik is looking for her soulsword and the original bloodstone amulet with her soul in it. Pixie flips out (she lost some of her soul in the aforementioned New X-Men arc) and stabs Nightcrawler with he soul dagger, when she removes it she inadvertently removes Magik's soulsword which was inside him too. I have no memory of how / when it got there. Perhaps in his solo Nightcrawler series from around 2004 which I haven't read or towards the end of Excalibur.
This brings Magik to the X-Men's San Francisco base to take the sword. Nightcrawler leads a team of Colossus, Pixie, Wolverine, Mercury and Rockslide into limbo, with Pixie teleporting in.
The villain of the story is Witchfire, the daughter of the original limbo big bad Belasco, who has usurped limbo from Magik. What follows is a skuffle for Limbo and Magik / Pixies soul. Neither Magik or Pixie get their souls fully back, but Witchfire is ousted from Limbo.
At the end Magik is convinced to stay with the X-Men.
Best Bit
Pixie stabbing Nightcrawler is pretty cool, from a wtf standpoint.
Final Words
As Limbo stories go, this is one of the better ones and brings Magik back on to the table with an interesting status quo.
Decent
7 / 10
Writer(s): C. B. Cebulski (and others for the bonus material)
Penciller(s): Giuseppe Camuncoli (and others in the bonus material)
Magik returns! Again!
Quick Synopsis
Core Cast: Magik, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Pixie, Mercury, Rockslide, Wolverine
This is a sequel to the Quest for Magik story-line in New X-Men: Childhood's End v5. So much so that it reprints the prologue to that story, as an introduction to how Magik came back.
It should be obvious by now how I feel about the Limbo portion of X-Men mythos, so expect this to be relatively short.
Essentially, Colossus is peeved that the X-Men can't save Illyana (Magik) from limbo. In limbo, Magik is looking for her soulsword and the original bloodstone amulet with her soul in it. Pixie flips out (she lost some of her soul in the aforementioned New X-Men arc) and stabs Nightcrawler with he soul dagger, when she removes it she inadvertently removes Magik's soulsword which was inside him too. I have no memory of how / when it got there. Perhaps in his solo Nightcrawler series from around 2004 which I haven't read or towards the end of Excalibur.
This brings Magik to the X-Men's San Francisco base to take the sword. Nightcrawler leads a team of Colossus, Pixie, Wolverine, Mercury and Rockslide into limbo, with Pixie teleporting in.
The villain of the story is Witchfire, the daughter of the original limbo big bad Belasco, who has usurped limbo from Magik. What follows is a skuffle for Limbo and Magik / Pixies soul. Neither Magik or Pixie get their souls fully back, but Witchfire is ousted from Limbo.
At the end Magik is convinced to stay with the X-Men.
Best Bit
Pixie stabbing Nightcrawler is pretty cool, from a wtf standpoint.
Final Words
As Limbo stories go, this is one of the better ones and brings Magik back on to the table with an interesting status quo.
Decent
7 / 10
Wednesday 4 September 2013
Stuff I Read: Fairest v2: The Hidden Kingdom
Stuff I Read
Fairest v2: The Hidden Kingdom
Collects: Fairest #7-14
This is an entertaining enough tale, featuring some of Japanese Fables that I'm not especially familiar with the inspiration for. It's not set in the current Fables continuity, being set somewhere earlier before the first volume of the main series. Bigby is still sherif, Jack Horner is still with Rose Red etc...
Essentially Rapunzel gets a brick through a window with the Japanese for children on it. It turns out that she is missing her children (a plot point I don't recall being settled in the main series. Essentially we get a tour through Japan with Rapunzel and Jack. The standout moment is Rapunzel being the classic ghost from films like Ringu, crawling out of a well with her hair going wild.
Saldy, the fact it is set before the main series, means that the characters are never in any real jeopardy. It's not the best Fables spin-off (Cinderella) but it certainly isn't the worst (Jack of Fables).
This is an entertaining enough tale, featuring some of Japanese Fables that I'm not especially familiar with the inspiration for. It's not set in the current Fables continuity, being set somewhere earlier before the first volume of the main series. Bigby is still sherif, Jack Horner is still with Rose Red etc...
Essentially Rapunzel gets a brick through a window with the Japanese for children on it. It turns out that she is missing her children (a plot point I don't recall being settled in the main series. Essentially we get a tour through Japan with Rapunzel and Jack. The standout moment is Rapunzel being the classic ghost from films like Ringu, crawling out of a well with her hair going wild.
Saldy, the fact it is set before the main series, means that the characters are never in any real jeopardy. It's not the best Fables spin-off (Cinderella) but it certainly isn't the worst (Jack of Fables).
Tuesday 3 September 2013
X-Men Re-read: Uncanny X-Men: Manifest Destiny
Collects: Uncanny X-Men #500-501, Free Comic Book Day 2008, Stories from Manifest Destiny #1-5
Writer(s): Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction
Penciller(s): Greg Land, Terry Dodson + Others
The X-Men move to San Francisco.
Quick Synopsis
Pixies and Demons (X-Men: Free Comic Book Day)
This focuses on Megan Gwynn aka Pixie as she goes back to her Welsh home after the disbanding of the X-Men in Messiah CompleX. The story is simple enough, there are some demons (the N'Garai from early issues of Uncanny, e.e. 96, 143, 159) kidnapping children to feed to their leader, Pixie investigates calls the X-Men and they sort it out and invite her back to San Francisco.
SFX (Uncanny X-Men #500-503)
Picking up after Uncanny X-Men: Divided We Stand, this story sees the X-Men relocated to San Francisco, who have embraced the mutants. Mostly. There's a new Hellfire Cult (i.e. speciesist nut-jobs wearing the distinctive mask of the Hellfire Cult) who beat up mutants including Pixie, when she leaves one of Dazzler's gigs.
The San Francisco people decide the best way to welcome the X-Men is to build a museum, including deactivated Sentinels. I mean what could go wrong with that? Well, before you can say dumb-ass idea, Magneto rocks up using powers based on technology and causes a kerfuffle.
The X-Men go after the Hellfire Cult, using Karma's powers to draw them out. Cyclops mock tortures one of them to find their base of operations. The X-Men take them apart, but the leader escapes and thwarts the X-Men. Pixie gets her mojo back and takes him down.
Essentially, it's a coming of age tale for Pixie, where she takes the role of the young girl on the X-Men team, like Kitty Pryde in the mid 100s and Jubilee in the mid 200s of Uncanny.
There's a sub plot that involves the return of Madelyne Prior and the creation of a new Sisterhood of Evil Mutants, the book ends with Cyclops learning that his ex-wife is still alive.
Manifest Destiny Shorts (From X-Men: Manifest Destiny #1-5)
Some anthology tales, in the manner of Divided We Stand, exploring characters in this new status quo. The pick of the bunch being Emma Frost coming to terms with being a respected member of the X-Men.
Best Bit
Pixie.
Final Words
Story is nice enough but the art... well you just have to google Greg Land and you'll find lots of stuff on him. I don't mind that most of it is at best photo inspired and at worst photo traced, I just find it flat and motionless at times.
Great
8 / 10
Writer(s): Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction
Penciller(s): Greg Land, Terry Dodson + Others
The X-Men move to San Francisco.
Quick Synopsis
Pixies and Demons (X-Men: Free Comic Book Day)
This focuses on Megan Gwynn aka Pixie as she goes back to her Welsh home after the disbanding of the X-Men in Messiah CompleX. The story is simple enough, there are some demons (the N'Garai from early issues of Uncanny, e.e. 96, 143, 159) kidnapping children to feed to their leader, Pixie investigates calls the X-Men and they sort it out and invite her back to San Francisco.
SFX (Uncanny X-Men #500-503)
Picking up after Uncanny X-Men: Divided We Stand, this story sees the X-Men relocated to San Francisco, who have embraced the mutants. Mostly. There's a new Hellfire Cult (i.e. speciesist nut-jobs wearing the distinctive mask of the Hellfire Cult) who beat up mutants including Pixie, when she leaves one of Dazzler's gigs.
The San Francisco people decide the best way to welcome the X-Men is to build a museum, including deactivated Sentinels. I mean what could go wrong with that? Well, before you can say dumb-ass idea, Magneto rocks up using powers based on technology and causes a kerfuffle.
The X-Men go after the Hellfire Cult, using Karma's powers to draw them out. Cyclops mock tortures one of them to find their base of operations. The X-Men take them apart, but the leader escapes and thwarts the X-Men. Pixie gets her mojo back and takes him down.
Essentially, it's a coming of age tale for Pixie, where she takes the role of the young girl on the X-Men team, like Kitty Pryde in the mid 100s and Jubilee in the mid 200s of Uncanny.
There's a sub plot that involves the return of Madelyne Prior and the creation of a new Sisterhood of Evil Mutants, the book ends with Cyclops learning that his ex-wife is still alive.
Manifest Destiny Shorts (From X-Men: Manifest Destiny #1-5)
Some anthology tales, in the manner of Divided We Stand, exploring characters in this new status quo. The pick of the bunch being Emma Frost coming to terms with being a respected member of the X-Men.
Best Bit
Pixie.
Final Words
Story is nice enough but the art... well you just have to google Greg Land and you'll find lots of stuff on him. I don't mind that most of it is at best photo inspired and at worst photo traced, I just find it flat and motionless at times.
Great
8 / 10
Monday 2 September 2013
Stuff I Read: Fallen Angels
Stuff I Read
Fallen Angels
Collects: Fallen Angels #1-8
One of the earliest X-Men spinoff series sees Sunspot (from the New Mutants) runaway from Xaviers' after a game of football goes wrong and he injures Cannonball. Basically, he hooks up with a group of street urchins (the titular Fallen Angels) led by Vanisher (who will go on to be in the post-Messiah CompleX itteration of X-Force) they're also joined by Siryn and Madrox who will go on to much better things in X-Factor. There's also Boom Boom, who will be in the original X-Force as Boomer. These are joined by some frankly awful characters such as Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur and a couple of mutant crabs. Yup. When I say that one of the cliffhangers between issues is when the Dinosaur squash a crab, you know roughly where we are.
One for completists only.
One of the earliest X-Men spinoff series sees Sunspot (from the New Mutants) runaway from Xaviers' after a game of football goes wrong and he injures Cannonball. Basically, he hooks up with a group of street urchins (the titular Fallen Angels) led by Vanisher (who will go on to be in the post-Messiah CompleX itteration of X-Force) they're also joined by Siryn and Madrox who will go on to much better things in X-Factor. There's also Boom Boom, who will be in the original X-Force as Boomer. These are joined by some frankly awful characters such as Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur and a couple of mutant crabs. Yup. When I say that one of the cliffhangers between issues is when the Dinosaur squash a crab, you know roughly where we are.
One for completists only.
Sunday 1 September 2013
Stuff I Read: Venom: Toxin with a Vengeance
Stuff I Read
Venom: Toxin with a Vengeance
Collects: Venom #31-35
Flash Thompson is currently the host of Venom and he has just moved to a new town, as he settles in he encounters a strange creature. The Toxin symbiote is currently hosted by Eddie Brock, the 2nd (after Peter Parker) and most famous host of the Venom symbiote.
They take the traditional team up path of fighting, then working together to beat a common foe, before leaving each other with a grudging level of respect. It's all good, but it's not anything we haven't seen before. What makes this title good is the character moments with Flash adjusting to life and being determined not to use prostetic legs or the Symbiote and to get by with his chair.
The scratchy art work takes some time to get used to, but it's worth a look. Other than knowing who Flash is and who Eddie is, no prior Spider-knowledge is really needed, which is nice.
Flash Thompson is currently the host of Venom and he has just moved to a new town, as he settles in he encounters a strange creature. The Toxin symbiote is currently hosted by Eddie Brock, the 2nd (after Peter Parker) and most famous host of the Venom symbiote.
They take the traditional team up path of fighting, then working together to beat a common foe, before leaving each other with a grudging level of respect. It's all good, but it's not anything we haven't seen before. What makes this title good is the character moments with Flash adjusting to life and being determined not to use prostetic legs or the Symbiote and to get by with his chair.
The scratchy art work takes some time to get used to, but it's worth a look. Other than knowing who Flash is and who Eddie is, no prior Spider-knowledge is really needed, which is nice.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
